Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones

Another scone recipe! Sorry, but I'm loving these scones. Flavored with pumpkin and chocolate, these scones are more decadent -- more of a dessert scone. They are still quite good with tea and butter, or a glass of milk! The chocolate chips could easily be replaced with some pecans or dried cranberries, if chocolate isn't your thing.

Makes about 8 medium scones.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
6 tbsp salted butter (or used unsalted and add 1/2 tsp salt)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp plain yogurt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Cut in the butter, mashing it in with a pastry cutter or your fingers. (This step can also be done with a food processor).

In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, egg, vanilla, and yogurt, whisking until slightly foamy. Pour the mixture into the flour-butter mix, and combine well. Add the chocolate chips, if desired.

Roll the dough onto a cutting board, and cut into triangles or biscuit shapes. Spray a baking sheet or use a silicone liner, placing the scones about 1 inch apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until very slightly brown.

Enjoy warm!

Lent Take-aways and Japan Sale Wrap-up!

As I stated in an earlier post, I kind of quit Lent a little early. Aigh! With a little over two weeks left! So bad! Ah well. It was my first time ever "giving up" something that wasn't a life choice (I was vegetarian for 5 years -- that didn't work out either).

What I learned:

1. When I'm not eating a lot of sugar, ie, such as in desserts and lots of baked goods, I have a lot more energy, and I don't experience the "sugar crash" so much. Eating snacks that had a very low glycemic index seemed to make for a much more even energy level.
2. I was much less likely to snack after dinner, as if I didn't get to have a cookie, I kind of didn't see the point. This was a good thing.
3. I am amazed by how inundated that we are with sweets in the US (and probably all over the world!). It seems like someone was always offering a "sweet treat" as part of a special, giveaway, blogs (what's up with that?), and as a promotion. This exercise made me so much more aware of how much we are taunted with "just a little treat." No wonder we have an obesity epidemic here!
4. OK, the bad. I was really moody throughout the process. I thought that I would have sweated the sugar jones out of my system within a week, turns out not. Given the above problem with the overwhelming amount of sweets that we see on a daily basis, I could never seem to get away from the lure of the desserts!
5. People need vices. Yes, you heard me. OK, I don't smoke, do drugs, eat artificial sweetner, drive a fast car, buy expensive clothes and makeup, and I don't consume a ton of alcohol. Ah-ha! So sweets were really my only vice, and honestly, I don't eat a ton of desserts, but it was one of my few indulgences. However, with desserts off the table, I noticed that my alcohol intake increased. I think that subconsciously, I figured that since I wasn't consuming a ton of sugar and carbs, I could up my alcohol. Weird, huh?

I think that this little experiment was pretty helpful, and it made me a lot more aware of the effect sugar has on my body. Although I'll reduce my dessert intake even further (and when I do, continue to lessen my intake of refined sugars -- I was already on that road, but I think that I am now even more conscious), but cutting it out is pretty unrealistic for me.

Japan Sale Wrap Up!

I didn't raise a ton of money, but every little bit helps! I managed to raise an additional $25 to donate to Japan! Thanks to everyone that purchased items from my store!

Green Chocolate Cake Batter Smoothie!!!

So in light of all of the unhealthy (but so delicious!) things that I described eating in my last post, I thought that I'd post about something that I made that is both healthy and delicious!

A Green Chocolate Cake Batter Smoothie!!!!

It seems that the internet has been overtaken by the green smoothie movement, made very popular by Angela and her fabulous vegan blog and green monster movement. Katie had posted a yummy recipe about a chocolate cake batter shake, which gave me the idea for this yummy treat -- how about make that a green smoothie?

Ingredients:
1 very ripe banana
1/2 cup almond milk (or cow's milk, whatever your preference)
2 tsp chocolate butter OR 2 T cocoa powder
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
3 ice cubes

Dump all of this into your blender, and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass, pop in a straw, and drink up! Who says healthy isn't yummy?

Homemade Vitatop Chocolate Muffin Tops!

After hearing about them for over a year, I finally decided to purchase a small box of Vitalicious Muffin Tops. In the mood for a treat, of course I chose chocolate! The other flavors sound yummy, but the selection in the store was pretty limited. I was pleasantly surprised by the softness and flavor, surely food worthy of a low-calorie, healthy dessert. However, the price tag was not so impressive. $4 on sale for 4 muffins? I knew that if I wanted to continue to enjoy these treats, I would have to figure out a way to make them, and so I set to work. I managed to get this low-calorie, similar recipe. It's lower in fiber than the Vitatops, but very good and so much cheaper! The cost of making this recipe, which yields about 8 muffin tops, was $1. Nice!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/3 cup sucanat

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 egg

1/4 cup natural applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, sucanat, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients except the chocolate chips.

Once the wet ingredients are mixed smooth, add to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined, taking care not to overmix. Mix in 1/4 cup of the chips.

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper or a silicone baking mat (I love, love these!) and using a large spoon, ladle the mix onto the sheet into larg-ish circles. Sprinkle a few chips on the top of each muffin top, then bake for 10 minutes.

Place aluminum foil on top of the cooling muffin tops for ten minutes, then enjoy, or place into small freezer bags and freeze until ready to enjoy.

Homemade Cacao Bliss

I've lately found a new obsession: Artisana Cacao Bliss. If you've never had it, let me explain. It is a delicious, rich, chocolate butter that has the texture of frosting. Quite a decadent dessert topping...it's in the running for one of my favorite spreads, even nudging Nutella for the top spot. This spread is great on bread, or eaten my favorite way -- scooped with a spoon and eaten straight up! A homemade jar of this stuff would be an awesome gift for a choco-holic! Best of all, it's actually not too shabby in the health department -- coconut oil is one of the most healthy oils, so relax! Have your chocolate and do some good for your body. It is also far less expensive to make this than buy ($9 a jar? Really?). The recipe is extremely simple as well.

Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

4 tbsp melted coconut oil (I bought mine at Whole Foods)
1/3-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbsp agave syrup

In a bowl, mix everything together, then store at room temp in a jar. I keep my leftover jam jars around for this reason. :) Enjoy!

Pear & Chocolate Tart

Unusual combination, no? I have to admit, I did not think of this flavor combination -- when my husband and I were in Paris last fall, we had a wonderful tart with these elements. Then, when I came home, I discovered that pear and chocolate tarts are actually a pretty typical French dessert!

Having an abundance of pears from some Christmas fruit, I wanted to put them to good use. This tart isn't an exact replica of what we had, but it tastes similar to what I remember.There are a few steps to this tart, but it is not terribly difficult.

Ingredients:

1 pie crust

1 large pear

1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or whatever chocolate you have)

2 eggs

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and roll out the pie crust, poking holes with a fork.

Melt the chocolate using the double-broiler method, or melt it slowly in the microwave (I always scorch it in the microwave, so I just do it on the stove!). To do a double-broiler if your a terrible microwaver like me, boil water in a saucepan, and place a bowl with the chocolate chips on top, stirring intermittently. Remove as soon as melted!

While your chocolate is melting, chop the pear into slices. 

Once the chocolate is melted, spread it over the bottom of the pie crust. Arrange the sliced pear over the chocolate, making a circular pattern (very important to taste!).

Finally, whisk the sugar, eggs, and milk together until well-mixed. Pour onto the pears. 

Bake for 30 minutes, until custard has set. Serve chilled or at room temperature.  

Almost Sugar-free, Gluten-free Super Chocolate "Muffins"

I've had a number of requests for some gluten-free recipes. I've never baked gluten-free, and I'm still trying to determine how to create gluten-free baked goods that rise nicely. These muffins are muffins only in the loosest of terms. They are in little cups, are breakfast-y, but contain no flour. They are created using eggs and gluten-free rolled oats. They are excellent little healthy snacks, perfect for after school or coffee breaks. They are very simple to make, and bake up in 20 minutes. Perfect to mix up first thing in the morning, then allow to bake up while you shower!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup GF oatmeal (Bob's Red Mill is a great one)
2 very ripe bananas
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp natural honey
1/2 cup milk (soy, almond, or cow)
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2 tbsp unsweetened, dutch process cocoa
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon (optional, but recommended)

Yields 8 muffins.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mash up the bananas using a potato masher or large fork. Once they are nice and smooshy, stir in the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips, and stir until well mixed.

Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake wrappers.

Stir in the chocolate chips, and spoon into the cupcake wrappers, filling to the top.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days if not eaten immediately!