Chocolate Recipe Roundup

I have been having some serious chocolate cravings lately. I absolutely positively can't get enough of the stuff. I even bought chocolate yogurt yesterday. You know it's bad when you're turning your healthy snacks into chocolate treats! Andrew's been having the same issue - he actually found (and bought) a 1 lb. chocolate bar at the grocery store - I wouldn't even go that far! But, just in case you are having the same insatiable cravings we are, I decided to be a sweetie and put my best chocolate recipes all in one place for you. Enjoy!

Everything-but-the-flour Cookies

I am always on the lookout for meal cookies. You know, the ones that don't have added sugar and have lots of healthy ingredients so they can be eaten for breakfast on those mornings when your alarm clock goes on strike and you wake up 3 minutes before the school bus shows up. Or they can tide your kids over when they are starving and dinner isn't quite ready yet. Or they can keep you going on those days when you're so busy you forget to eat. 

So I was super excited when I came across this recipe over at My Whole Food Life. A few tweaks later and we were in cookie heaven. The base of the cookie itself is soft and chewy, with bits of sweetness from the raisins and chocolate chips. Healthy and satisfying, these cookies are a win-win! 

Kahlua Ice Cream (no ice cream maker needed)

I have always wanted an ice cream maker for as long as I can remember. I browse through kitchen stores quite frequently, but none of the machines ever seemed to scream "Take me home!" until recently. I found it on the clearance shelf for $12. It was tiny and it must have been the most bare-bones model known to man. But it was mine. 

So we brought it home, did all the prerequisite hot soapy water washing, read the instructions three times (I am a fine print freak) and got started on a simple vanilla recipe. About 10 minutes in, we ran out of ice. I'm still not sure how that's even possible since the thing barely makes more than a pint and I had plenty of ice on hand. Thank goodness we only live a few hundred feet from a convenience store or I may have cried. It must have gone through half of a party bag of ice by the time it was finished. It looked good, so we said a quick prayer and tossed it in the freezer to "firm up overnight". I got up early the next morning to sample our hard work. It was terrible. I can't even explain it, it was that bad. It thinned out and changed color and tasted like freezer burnt vanilla milk. 

The bad news? The ice cream maker is now an oversized paperweight.
The good news? I have now devoted my life to creating ice cream that does not require an ice cream maker. 
The best news? This Kahlua ice cream is probably the easiest and absolute best ice cream ever and I cannot wait for you to try it!

Oatmeal Almond Fruit Bars

I recently went to Trader Joe's for the first time. Among a million other cool things, I picked up a jar of Organic Super Fruit spread. It was hiding in a row of cute little jars on the very bottom shelf under the specialty peanut butters and I just had to have it. We brought it home and tried a tiny bit straight out of the jar to see how it tastes. While it was really, really good, it seemed a little too sophisticated for plain old peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, so it sat on the counter while I waited for my muse. Then I remembered we used to eat a lot of toaster pastries and breakfast fruit bars. I thought this might be just the thing I needed to create a homemade version that was versatile enough for breakfast or dessert. OMGosh - where have these been all my life??

3 Grain Marshmallow Crispy Treats

Crispy treats are one of the greatest inventions ever. Think about it - you take a cereal that no one would ever eat without 3 pounds of sugar sprinkled on top and turn it into something totally edible by mixing it with sugary marshmallows. Suddenly kids everywhere are clamoring for the things. 

It has been my experience that most all natural cereals that are actually good for you don't taste all that great on their own (think fiber twigs). I have also learned that if you bring some buttery marshmallow goodness to the party, everything tastes better - even cereal that resembles tree bark. Even so, I left the fiber twigs at the store and made these with three simple puffed cereals that resembled the originals enough to make any kid happy.

Magic Double Berry Coconut Cobbler

I have been craving something fruity and summery lately. I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted, but I knew I'd know it when I saw it. Then I went to the grocery store and they had the most beautiful blackberries. Now I don't buy blackberries very often because I rarely see them for less than $5 for a tiny 6 oz. container, but they were on sale for two bucks! I got two of them and some strawberries and I knew a cobbler was in our future. To really up the ante on my summer craving, I used coconut oil instead of butter. It added such a nice touch to the sweet berries and the crispy topping. It was the perfect thing to tide me over these last few days of winter.

Chocolate Pumpkin Mini Muffins

We love my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, but they are a little too big to fit in K's bento-style lunch box. Besides, him and dairy aren't getting along at the moment so that means the chocolate chips were a no-go. I reworked the recipe to make smaller muffins that skip the chips. They worked out beautifully and he can have them whenever he wants - breakfast, lunch, after school, or as a bedtime snack. The cocoa makes them decadent, the pumpkin makes them moist, and the oats make them a "healthier" option. You (and your kids) are going to love them!

Fake-it-till-you-make-it Thin Mint Wannabes

I'd like to clear the air right now. These are not Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Girl Scout. I am however, a complete and total Thin Mint addict. I remember many many moons ago when you could make a small-ish donation of $2.50 to the cause and get a box of really, really good cookies in return.

As to be expected, I have watched the price creep up little by little over the years. But I still got excited the other day when I saw the group of smiling, uniformed girls hanging out at my local grocery store pushing their lovely treats on innocent passersby. As I walked towards them, I was trying to decide how many boxes I was going to get. And then the girl on the end said, "Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies? They're only $4 a box." Only $4 a box? Only?? Don't get me wrong, I understand inflation and all that, but that's ridiculous. No way, it wasn't happening. There had to be another way.

Now, I'm going to level with you. Are these Thin Mints? No. Do they taste exactly like the ones in the beloved green box? No. Will you read the ingredients and make a batch of 5 cookies just to test it out because there is no way they will sufficiently satisfy your craving? Yes. And then you will make the full batch. Twice. In less than 24 hours. True story.

Hint of Strawberry Scones

When I lived in Utah, there was this awesome little restaurant called Sconecutters. They served everything from sandwiches to fried shrimp platters, but they were most known for their scones. It was kind of like a west coast version of Dunkin Donuts, serving combo meals like two scones and a coffee. They were open 24/7, they had a drive-thru window, and I simply couldn't get enough of them. What's a scone, you might ask? Well, if you've never had one before, they are this crazy cross between a biscuit and a sugar cookie. Not too sweet, dense but flaky at the same time, and completely addictive.

2-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream (no ice cream maker required!)

Come here, I want to tell you a secret. Closer... closer... that's close enough. Ready?

I hate bananas. I know, I know, you're so used to me telling you how much I love everything, but I really hate bananas. Totally despise the things. Really, really can't stand them. At all. I like banana flavored stuff - banana milkshakes, banana taffy, banana bread, banana pudding. But I absolutely, positively do not like plain bananas in their natural state. 

Whew. I feel better.

Now that we got that out of the way, I LOVE this. The baby loves this. Soon, you will love this.

Apple and Pear Crisp

There is usually a ton of fruit in our house - fresh, frozen, and canned. If nothing else, we always have lots of fresh apples and pears on hand. I even had to get a second fruit basket just for them. Because we eat so much of them, I am always trying to come up with special ways to use them up. An alternative to a labor-intensive pie, I love this crisp. It comes together quickly, it's not overly sweet, and it tastes just as good right out of the oven as it does cold the next morning.

Homemade Chocolates

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, not that I really need an excuse to bring out the chocolates. I remember when I was pregnant with my second baby, I had gestational diabetes and couldn't have treats. A week before my due date, and a few days before Valentine's Day, we were walking through the mall and I spotted a HUGE heart filled with chocolates. No lie, this thing was over 2 feet wide.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

The first year I had my big garden, I planted a lot of zucchini. Apparently, you only need one plant per person in your family. No one told me. We had three people; I planted eight zucchini. Eight! We had SO much zucchini that year - I was giving it away daily and still had 10 on my counter at all times. I learned how to make a lot of zucchini recipes that summer. But I sure wish I knew this one back then.

Nutty Breakfast Cookies

Isn't it every kid's dream to have cookies for breakfast?

Isn't it every mom's dream to have kids who don't fight about what you serve them and actually finish their morning meal before the bus comes?

Well, have no fear, Foodie Mama is here! Healthy enough to make you happy, cookie enough to make them happy. Serve these. Tomorrow. And you could be, like, "the best mom EVR"!

Cinnamon Vanilla Biscotti

To me, biscotti has always been a fancy treat, a special kind of cookie best left to the pros. I would have never considered making it from scratch back in the day. But it was on my 2013 bucket list, so I did it. It was so easy, I laughed at myself for avoiding it for all those years. It uses ingredients I'll bet you already have in your pantry, so there's no excuse for paying for overpriced, rock-hard cookies from the store.

Easiest Fudge Ever

Have you ever had a real chocolate craving? I don't mean one of those days when you're thinking "Ooh, a candy bar would be nice right about now...". I'm talking about that moment when you feel like if you don't get some chocolate in you right this very second, you're going to explode. Have you ever had one of those days?? Me too, and this fudge is the answer.

Cinnamon Sauteed Bananas

Andrew is not a banana fan. He uses them in his green smoothies to make everything creamy, and he likes banana bread, but other than that, not so much. But, he said that if he HAD to eat bananas, this is how he would want them. Not the most eloquent compliment, but I'll take it.

Meringue Cookies

I did it! I did it! Seven batches and dozens and dozens of cookies later, I finally got these to turn out exactly the way I wanted them to. The funny thing is I avoided making them forever because I was terrified of messing them up, but they are actually really easy. The hardest part is waiting for them to "cook" or dry out.

Black Bean Cocoa Bars

Stop! Don't run away! I know what you're thinking - black beans? In my brownies?! Really? Is this chick crazy?? You're just going to have to trust me on this one. Take a deep breath. It's going to be ok, I promise.

Easy Perfect Apple Pie

As promised, I have another apple recipe for you. This one is super easy and makes the house smell so good, you're going to love it.

Andrew is an apple pie snob and only loves his mother's apple pie, but he officially declared this one the best he has ever had. And no, he isn't just saying that. He's completely honest about my food, too honest sometimes, and will be the first to tell me if I make something terrible. Thank him - he has saved you from some of my worst cooking disasters.