Funfetti Cookie Cake

Hey everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long since I last posted.  My life as a graduate student in Biochemistry has been hectic to say the least!

However, I am very pleased to share a brand new recipe: a Funfetti Cookie Cake!  I mean, who doesn't love sprinkles, chocolate, or cookies?

Ingredients:
10 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup funfetti cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sprinkles
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
1. Pull butter out of fridge and let sit at room temperature
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Cream butter
4. Beat in brown sugar until mostly combined and then beat in granulated sugar. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Beat in eggs and vanilla.  It will be very liquidy, but don't worry about it.
6. Beat in baking soda, baking powder, and cake mix.  If you do not have funfetti cake mix, then you can use vanilla or yellow cake mix and add in more sprinkles.
7. Beat in flour, about a 1/3 of a cup at a time.
8. Add in the sprinkles and chocolate chips.
9. Grease a 9" (or 8") cake pan and spoon in the cookie dough. Press flat into the pan.
10. Bake for 30 minutes.

Passover Brownies 2.0!

Two days ago I posted a recipe for Passover Brownies.  Well, my Grandma Ellen sent me another recipe, this time for S'mores brownies, and I just had to try them!

Ingredients:
4 ounces (1/2 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup matzah cake meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups mini marshmallows, or large marshmallows cut up
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional--I omitted)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, with an oven rack in the center of the oven.
Grease a disposable 8" x 8" or 9" x 13" pan with butter and matzah cake meal.  I used an 8 x 8 pan.  It is really important to use a disposable pan, because these brownies are messy and hard to get out of the pan.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter for about 60 seconds.  Then add in the 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips, and stir until melted.  Microwave for 20 seconds if needed.  Stir in the sugar, and let cool until teped.  Whisk in the eggs one at a time.  Stir in the cake meal and salt.  Last, add in 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 1/2 cups marshmallows, and walnuts if adding.  Pour into the pan, and spread evenly.

Bake for 30-40 minutes.

You now have two options as to how to continue. The first way is how I did it, the second way is how the instructions said to do it...I would *probably* follow the instructions, but seeing as I made these very late last night I misread what I was supposed to do.

1) Let brownies cool for 20 minutes.  Then add marshmallows to the top and broil for about 1 minute.  Take out, and place some chocolate chips on top.  Let melt for a few minutes, and then take a fork and spread the chocolate.

2) After the brownies are set, add marshmallows onto the top and place back in the oven for 3-4 minutes.  The marshmallows should be puffed, not browned.  Remove the brownies from the oven.  You can now add the chocolate chips as above, or melt and place in a bag and drizzle over the top.

Cool the brownies, and place them in the fridge overnight.  Cut the brownies up with a knife that has been run over hot water.   This step is very important, as the marshmallows will otherwise stick to the knife.  You might have to place the knife back under water half-way through.

Put the brownies back in the fridge and enjoy!!

More photos to come later.

Passover Means Brownies!

Hi everyone.  I am so sorry that I haven't blogged lately.  I made chocolate cupcakes that were fantastic, and topped them with peeps.  They were fantastic.  I am more than happy to share the chocolate cupcake and chocolate frosting recipe with anyone!

However, I am here to talk about Passover, which starts tonight.  That means I can't eat food that contains yeast.  My amazing mother sent me Mandel bread, and I am baking brownies.  These brownies are edible all-year round.

Passover Brownies:

Ingredients:

10 tbsp unsalted butter plus 1 tsp for greasing the pan

6 ounces or 1 cup (parve passover) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/8 cups sugar plus 1-teaspoon vanilla

3 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup Matzo cake meal

1 1/2 cup (parve passover) semi-sweet chocolate chips or 3/4 cup (parve passover) semi-sweet chocolate chips plus 3/4 cup walnuts

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease in 8-inch square pan with butter and matzo cake meal.  I would suggest a disposable one, but you don't have to.

Melt the butter in a saucepan or microwave safe bowl.  Remove from heat, and add 6 ounces chocolate chips, stiring until they are melted.  Stir in the sugar and vanilla extract.  Test the temperature of the chocolate; it should be tepid.  If not, let it rest until it is.

Whisk the eggs together, and then off them to the chocolate mixture.  Stir until the eggs are all mixed in.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in the matzo cake meal until it blended.  Add in the chocolate chips, or chocolate chips and nuts.  Spread the batter in the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies on the middle shelf of the oven, for around 30 minutes.  The toothpick should come out with some moist crumbs.  Cool completely on a wire rack, and refrigerate overnight.  Cut the brownies up, and store in the fridge!  

Challah!

Back in college I was involved with Challah for Hunger.  I absolutely loved being a part of that organization.  My favorite part was selling the challah, and then, of course, eating it!  My favorite flavor was peanut butter chocolate chip, followed by chocolate chip and plain.  Since I graduated in May, I have not had a lot of challah.  Seeing as I was stuck in my apartment this weekend due to Blizzard Jonas, and I had all of the ingredients I needed on hand, I decided to bake challah!  I used Tante B's Famous Challah Recipe from Food.com.  However, the recipe would have made more challah than I ever could have possible wanted, or been able to eat, so I halved the recipe.  Yes, I even halved the egg, and saved the other half for the egg-wash.

I cut the dough into quarters, and then cut each quarter into thirds.  I rolled out each strand, so that they were probably 5-6" in length, and then braided three strands together.

I decided to add chocolate chips to the outside of one, and after I added the egg-wash I sprinkled some salt on top.

Now, the challah really expands in the oven.  As you can see, some of the challahs stuck together.  They came apart very easily, however, so it wasn't a problem.

As I didn't bake the large loafs, I baked the challah for 18 minutes at 375, turned the oven off, and let them sit for another 15 minutes.

Lets just say, I'm in heaven.  I absolutely recommend this recipe, and cannot wait to make it again (in a few months).

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake

Happy New Year everyone!!

A week ago, it was my birthday.  My grandmother got me a marble cake with chocolate frosting, and it was amazing!  Unfortunately, I had to fly home immediately after I had one slice.  Needless to say, one piece of cake was not sufficient.  I decided to bake my own cake, putting a spin on my Moms Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake.  This also happens to be one of my Dads favorite cakes.

For my birthday, I got a brand-new camera!  So what better way to test it out, then to take tens of pictures of this cake?

Ingredients:

1 box Betty Crocker's Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix with pudding

1/2 box vanilla pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

4 eggs

1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients except for the chocolate chips.  Mix until combined.  Take note, the cake mix has mini chocolate chips in it.  Beat the batter for about 8 minutes.  (I did this by hand, so it wasn't actually 8 minutes..I would suggest doing this in a mixer unless you are looking for a workout!).  Coat the chocolate chips with flour, and add to the batter, mixing them in.  Pour the batter into a greased bundt-pan.  Bake at 350 for 50-80 minutes, until the toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Monkey Bread

When my Grandma Ellen and Grandpa Arnold were here a few weeks ago, they gave me a recipe for a walnut and raisin monkey bread.  Seeing that I do not like either of those, I decided to change it and make a chocolate monkey bread.  I was in a rush yesterday when I was making it, and definitely did not follow the recipe. That being said, I still think it turned out really well, therefore, here is the altered recipe.

Ingredients:
3 containers of 7.5 oz homestyle biscuits
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1.5 cups chocolate chips (I used 1 cup but thought it could have used more)
1/4 cup melted butter

Instructions:

1. Grease a fluted bundt-pan
2. Cut the biscuits into quarters
3. In a large ziplock bag or bowl, put in the light brown sugar and cinnamon.  Then place the quarters in the bag/ bowl and coat
4. Place a layer of biscuit quarters on the bottom of the pan, followed by chocolate chips.  Repeat, ending with a layer of biscuits on the top.  Don't worry, only about 1/2 of the pan will be full.
5. Pour half of the melted butter evenly over the top
6. Spoon in about 2 tbsp of the leftover brown sugar mixture until the mixture is all brown, and pour evenly over the top.
7. Bake in the oven, at 350, for about 30 minutes.  The dough should be completely cooked through, and the top of the monkey bread will be brown.
8. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip it upside down onto a plate or server.
9. Eat right out of the oven, or heat up before eating.  It is good at room temperature, but fantastic when it is warm.

Enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

I made the most wonderful muffins today!  In fact, I made a healthy version of Handle the Heats Ultimate Muffins.  I strongly suggest making these.  If you do not like peanut butter, than you can take the peanut butter out of the recipe.  Additionally, if you do not want to add the protein powder, use 2 cups of flour.

1 1/3 cup flour

1 scoop (1/3 cup) protein powder

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1 cup (low-fat) buttermilk

1/4 cup applesauce

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup chocolate chips and ~1/4 cup for the top

1/2 cup creamy, natural peanut butter

Mix together the buttermilk, applesauce, egg, and vanilla.  In a bowl, add the sugars, flour, protein powder, and baking powder.  I added the peanut butter to the dry ingredients (however it is probably better to add it to the wet ones).  Mix the wet ingredients and add it to the dry ones.  Stir until combined.  Add in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter into 12 muffin tin cups.  Add 5-6 chocolate chips to the top each of muffin.  Bake at 450 for 5 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 400.  Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.

These muffins are absolutely amazing, and are a definite make again.

Nutrition per cupcake:

223 calories

6.4 g protein

8.5 g fat

20 g sugar

32 g carbohydrates

1.1 g fiber

(I have the full macromolecule break-down..let me know if you want it!)

Bakeries!

I have finally decided that it is time to explore Charlottesville.  On the top of the list, bakeries and ice cream shops!  I am starting with bakeries.  First, I visited Sweethaus.  Here, I tried three different cupcakes.  This place seems most similar to My Delight Cupcakery in Claremont, CA because of their wide variety of cupcake flavors.  It was pretty good, very sweet (which is fine by me); however their cakes were just a bit dry.  I would definitely go back, just not every week.

Top: double chocolate

lower left: salted caramel

lower right: cookie dough

Next, I heard about a place called MarieBette Cafe & Bakery where I tried une pain au chocolate.  Their croissants are supposed to as good as Europe's.  Now, it has been a lot of years since I've tried a chocolate croissant but it was really good.  In fact, there was a warmish, gooey chocolate center.  Definitely worth going back to.  In fact, I think I want to bring my college friends here when they come to visit!

Whelp, that's all for now! Until next time...

Busy

It has been one busy week, or at the very least I am exhausted!  I have been sitting in front of the computer all week analyzing slides for my project.  I am excited to see the results next week, but I cannot continuously sit in front of the computer like I have been recently.  This is making me think long and hard about my next possible rotations.  The biggest question I have right now is, can I join a non-cardiovascular research lab and be happy?  Or, will I feel as though I have let myself down.  I am going to be grappling with this question for the next few days as I contact professors who do not study the heart.  For my sanity though, and to try to find my true passion in graduate school, I am afraid that I need to rotate in a non-cardiovascular lab (I also think I will fall in love with it).

I have also been meeting new people, and went over to a friends house last night with a bunch of first-years to play GAMES!  It has been so long since I have had a game night.  I learned how to play Jungle Speed (which can turn "violent" because you are trying to grab the totem pole in the middle), and Settlers of Catan.  It was great to be out with people my own age and to spend the evening having fun and laughing.

Lastly, it wouldn't be me if I didn't try to bake this week!  This is the second time I have used my kitchen aid mixer.  I baked chocolate muffins with protein powder in the hopes that it will keep me full from breakfast to lunch.

They are very good.  Light and moist.  Don't be afraid to add a little less milk to make them thicker, or add chocolate chips!

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 12 oz evaporated milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2.5 scoops protein powder (I used vanilla Designer Whey)
• 3/4 cup milk

Add the ingredients in this order.  I made 25 muffins, and cooked them at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

That is all for now!  Off to do laundry and the like :)