Sweets Archives • Page 8 of 13 • New Nostalgia

FUN/DIY/ Homemade Gifts/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Why I Love Our Babycakes Cakepop Maker!

Ok, so usually I am all about de-cluttering, so adding what could be considered just another kitchen appliance is a bit out of character for me, but I didn’t have much choice…and now I am quite happy about that!

We opened a few early Christmas gifts, and one sister got the other sister a ‘babycake’ cake pop maker. My first thought was, “oh my, another thing to store and have to get rid of when it just sits there unused” But I think I was wrong to so harshly judge our new appliance friend.

If you are looking for a last minute gift idea, this might just be the thing. All 3 of my girls were super excited to try it out (age 9, 11, and 13). We did just that tonight, and I was very surprised at how much I love this thing!

It heats up quickly and the red light turns green when it is ready. You add a tablespoon of batter to each hole, and in 4 minutes, you have cute little cake bites. It comes with a great recipe book full of different cake recipes & donut hole recipes, a handy tong tool to get the hot holes out of the baker when done, a cooling tray, sticks, & an injector to make little jelly filled babycakes. I love that you don’t have to heat the oven up, which means more baking when summer comes! I am eager to experiment with more wholesome ingredients.

Tonight we made Glazed Lemon Cakepops and Apple Cider Cinnamon Sugar donut holes. Both were amazing. There are directions on how to use a simple cakebox mix, but also recipes to make from scratch. I was super impressed with the Lemon Cakepop recipe. It called for real lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract. It was so moist and delicious. It made 24 pops, which is perfect. I love that you feel like you are getting a decadent treat, but really it is only a bite–if you can stop at just one. I like that it only makes a small amount, as I don’t really want these sitting around the house for too long!

The Apple Cider Cinnamon Sugar donut holes were perfection. Super easy to make, and right when they are done baking you toss them into a paper bag of cinnamon sugar mixture. The recipe made 36 donut holes. I am having my family over for Christmas brunch and these beauties are going to be served! They would also make a great homemade gift for the neighbor. We are in the middle of a winter storm here in Nebraska, so I think it would be quite fun to put on our snow boots and dig our way next door to deliver hot, homemade donut holes to our neighbors. We just might!

You can purchase your own babycakes maker here at Amazon.

They are also sold at Bed, Bath & Beyond & Target.

FUN/DIY/ Homemade Gifts/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Chocolate Blackberry Brandied Truffles

{Don’t you love the homemade, stamped gift tag?}

I have a handful of what I call ‘heart friends.’ You know, the kind where you feel that your hearts are literally knit together and could not imagine life without. Well, that is what I call my friend Ann. We have known each other for years, and being her hairstylist for years has kept us getting together regularly every 5 weeks. Thank goodness her hair takes at least 2 hours, because we always have so much to share and it takes at least this long to get caught up!

Thanks to these regular hair dates, and thanks to how very dear Ann is to me, she knows me. She knows all my junk and loves me anyway. We joke that our hair dates are therapy for us both.

A form of ‘therapy’ that Ann brought this last visit was a beautiful Christmas gift of Homemade Blackberry Brandied Truffles. Oh. My. Yum.

I cannot tell you how delicious these are. The nuts are crunchy, the chocolate deep & creamy, a hint of blackberry. They are amazing.

She handed them to me sheepishly knowing I usually eat pretty healthy. I reassured her that when it comes to dessert I do it right! I may not do it often, but you bet I’m gonna eat her homemade goodies and enjoy every, last bite. Cancer survivors learn how to live fully, and I think eating a real dessert once in awhile fits perfectly into living fully!

The minute I bit into one of these truffles, my eyes got big, and I knew I had to share this little treasure of a recipe with you all! Enjoy…every last bite!

Blackberry Brandied Truffles

1/2 pound chopped bittersweet or semisweet or milk chocolate (don’t use unsweetened!) (I like the dark chocolate the best 🙂
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted real butter
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons of blackberry brandy

COATING CHOICES: coconut or almonds (either sliced or crushed) but definitely toasted! Toast in the microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring every 30 seconds. The presentation is beautiful when you use different coatings!

SURPRISE IN THE CENTER CHOICES: nothing (great as is!) or tuck a well-drained maraschino cherry inside or a whole almond.

Directions:
Melt chocolate & butter together in the microwave until hot, being careful not to scorch the chocolate.
Wisk in the egg yolks until mixture is shiny.
Stir in the brandy.
Put in the refrigerator until cool enough to form into soft balls.
Use a teaspoon size cookie scoop, leveled off, for each truffle. If desired, tuck in a cherry or almond & roll into a ball. Coat the ball as desired. Put each truffle in a miniature muffin liner or paper nut cup (can be purchased at Hobby Lobby in the cake decorating section).

Store in refrigerator.

//

Tips:

To make orange flavored truffles, you can use Gran Marnier in place of the blackberry brandy. It is more pricey, but I just read online that you can go into your local liquor store and ask for an “airline bottle” of Gran Marnier. The commenter said she does this all the time for recipes that call for small amounts of liquor.

RECIPES/ Sweets

Peanut Butter Banana Chia Seed Roll Up

I’m always looking for ways to reap the benefits of the nutritional powerhouse called chia. Chia seed is a super easy way to boost the nutritional value of all kinds of snacks.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds and I are fast friends. Why?

~the are jammed packed with plant protein and minerals, healthy fats and fiber

~they provide more plant based Omega 3’s than any other food, even FLAX

~they have 5 GRAMS of fiber PER TABLESPOON!

~they are flavorless and partially dissolve in juice, soups, stews, shakes etc..

~they are FILLING!

These Peanut Butter Banana Chia Seed Roll Ups are really yummy, and are healthy and hearty enough to be considered breakfast, although we use them most often as a snack. They are easy to make ahead of time, and are quite portable. They could even take the place of a boring sandwich in those school lunches.

To make them extra yummy, try slathering some date paste on them as well. Date paste is an easy to make, super delicious sweetener spread. It reminds me of a caramel flavor, and I just love it. I use it most often on oatmeal, and I really loved the flavor it added to these rollups. Of course, it is optional. These roll ups are delicious even without the date paste.

Peanut Butter Banana Chia Seed Roll Ups

Whole wheat tortilla

Peanut butter

Banana

Chia seeds

Date paste, optional

Spread tortilla with peanut butter & date paste, if using. Sprinkle with chia seeds. Place banana on one side of the tortilla & roll up.

Enjoy!

Healthy Eating/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Healthy Snack Ideas For Kids

We are snackers here in this home. We have an afternoon snack and a before bed time snack.

I thought I would share a list of snacks that we have come to rely on.

~apples dipped in peanut butter or almond butter
~a bowl of frozen fruit, slightly thawed
~yogurt/honey/granola
~wheat thins and cheese slices
~pretzel rods
~carrots
~hard boiled eggs
~edamame
~homemade granola bars
~dry cereal (Cheerios or Shredded Wheat)
~homemade popcorn
~smoothies
~homemade popcicles
~clementines
~frozen grapes
~cheese tacos (tortilla with cheese, heated)
~vanilla wafers

Sweet Treats
~whole wheat brownies
~fudgy buttons
~chocolate chip cookies
~bryers ice cream
~peanut butter cookies
~fruit leather

RECIPES/ Sweets

My New Favorite Go -To Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

This is an awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe that uses wholesome ingredients! Making chocolate chip cookies of any kind makes one feel like mother-of-the-year, but when they are hearty and still taste good, it makes me feel GREEAT! The butter and honey are what make these so yummy, and of course, the chocolate chips. I love that the recipe uses whole wheat flour and oats, which make them hearty and filling. The extra fiber in these keep the sugar spikes to a minimum. I also love that the butter is melted, so no worrying about taking the time to soften the butter, and I use just a single spoon to mix these. Super simple!

I found this recipe on Heavenly Homemakers. I love her recipes because she uses whole ingredients, and they are super simple. She calls these “Giant Breakfast Cookies.” They have a bit too much butter in them for me to feel comfortable serving them for breakfast, although they are hearty enough. I think they make a great snack and are perfect for my girls lunch boxes. I make mine small, so I can say “yes!” when my girls ask for seconds and thirds. Tricky, huh?

My Favorite Go To Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)
¾ cup honey
2 eggs
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
½ cup buttermilk (to make dairy-free buttermilk, use soy or almond milk, +1 TBSP vinegar)
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups whole rolled oats
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips

Mix butter, honey, eggs, salt, cinnamon, soda, vanilla and buttermilk. Stir in flour and oats. Fold in raisins or chocolate chips. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Allow cookies to cool 3-4 minutes on cookie sheet before removing cookies to cool on a wire rack.

FUN/DIY/ Holidays/Parties/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Apple S’mores

My in-laws have the best fire pit, and we have used it more than once the last few weeks. There is nothing like the smell of fire in air and seeing marshmallows puff up and turn golden that gets me more excited about fall. Ok, maybe the smell of chili, but, naw…s’mores win!

This Apple S’more is a version that is a favorite with my family. My sister-in-law’s mother learned to do this in girl scouts, and boy am I glad she did! It really is a great way to have a s’more. It adds some great texture and makes me feel good that we are having a bit of fiber with all that sugar! All you need to do is substitute apple for graham crackers.

Want to know a way to take this even up a notch? Instead of Hershey’s chocolate bars, use a large Reese’s Peanut Butter cup. Oh man. It is awesome! It is like you are eating an apple dipped in peanut butter and chocolate and marshmallow–oh my!

Isn’t it a pretty pit? Our friend Michael, author of Koinoia, knows how to build a wicked fire. He built the one above for us during my daughter’s birthday party. See the cross in it? Fitting, for he is a Godly man.

Brunch/ Featured/ GF, Vegan & Raw/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Chocolate Chia Pudding

I needed some chocolate asap, and I also knew I needed to figure out how to get a bit of protein, iron and fiber into my body. I had skipped my daily green smoothie so I knew I was missing some of these key nutrients. Enter, the chia seed, and hello Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Pudding!

I got this craving at 7:30 in the evening just as the sun was going down. I hurried to gather my ingredients to take advantage of the fading natural light for photos. I’m not kidding when I say this takes just a minute to make. It was so easy! Milk of your choice, cocoa powder, chia seeds, peanut butter & maple syrup. Throw it all into a cup measure and stir!

The hardest part of this recipe is having the patience for the chia seed to do its thing. It takes a few minutes for the chia to swell and absorb the liquid to turn it into a pudding consistency. The top photo was take after 5 minutes of refrigeration. It still was on the runny side, but I was impatient and my light was fading. It thickened up enough to use as a dip for apples in just about 10 more minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Pudding

{makes 1 serving}

1/2 cup milk ( I used almond. Can use dairy or coconut or whatever you desire)

2 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp maple syrup

_____

Frozen berries (optional)

Throw all into a cup and stir. Refrigerate, stirring every few minutes, until desired consistency…up to 20 minutes. (I ate mine after 10 minutes)

CHIA: The Complete Guide to the Ultimate Superfood

I’ve talked about chia before. It is a superstar superfood and I love it. I bought the above book and devoured it in 2 days. My family had fun teasing me, as I sat and read my book while drinking a bottle of chia kombucha.

More about chia from The Wellness Warrior:

1. Chia is gluten free

2. It is super high in dietary fibre, making it great for digestion and healing digestion issues.

3. It contains 20% Omega 3 ALA, making it a super food for the brain and heart. Chia has eight times more Omega 3 than salmon!

4. It boasts 20% protein

5. The protein is a complete protein with all 8 essential amino acids

6. It is high in antioxidants (It has a four times higher ORAC value than blueberries)

7. Chia contains five times more calcium than milk

8. Chia contains seven times more vitamin C than oranges

9. It contains three times more iron than spinach

10. It contains twice the potassium content of banana

11. It is food for healthy skin, hair and nails

12. It has a positive impact balancing blood glucose levels (making it awesome for diabetics)

13. Chia makes a great egg replacement. Just combine with water to form a gel, and add it to recipes that call for egg.

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