Chocolate – Copper Acorn

by Alexis - April 11, 2013

Vegan Chocolate Cake

We were invited to a friends house for Easter and I had grand plans of the desserts I would be bringing. Unfortunately they fell apart. No, like it actually did fall apart. I was trying to make many thin layers and unfortunately it crumbled everywhere. Still tasted great with what parts I could salvage. One of Travis’ favorite cakes is German Chocolate. So I added a little store bought sweetness.. Tasted amazing and was incredibly moist.

So try it! It’s AMAZING and crazy simple. Here is the blog I found it from. I know when my vegan sister comes to visit I’ll be making her a cake to bring back to Seattle.. 🙂

Recipe:

Ingredients
1 1/2 Cups flour
3 Tbsp. cocoa (unsweetened)
1 Cup white sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Cup water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan. Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients. Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other and the vegetable oil in third larger depression. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth.

Bake on middle rack of oven for 35 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Cool. Top with your favorite frosting. Enjoy!

by Alexis - January 19, 2012January 18, 2012

Lamingtons

A food post is long over due. My apologies. So without further stalling:

Lamingtons

No. They tasted better than they looked. They were that good.

I didn’t make this, Weronika did so I was only able to document after she had cooled the cake. Enjoy the pictures and I hope it excites you to try this yourself.

THEY’RE FANTASTIC!!!

(but hey, it’s chocolate and coconut, who would expect anything less?!)

then comes the fun part:

…and there you go (in the best Greek accent I can muster, which isn’t really good at all)

I prayed over them to be fat, sugar and calorie free. I think God honors creative slightly outlandish prayers. 🙂

by Alexis - November 4, 2011November 4, 2011

Happy National Peanut Butter Month! Peanut Butter Maple Bites

Did you know November is National Peanut butter month?! When a new month starts, my friend blogs about that months important dates to remember- and this one is a biggie! So, in honor of the very special nut…this post.

I found these on Pinterest. They taste fabulous! Like you’re sneaking a treat, but they’re not that bad for you! Score! So yes, try it, I know you will love them. Recipe at end.

I have fun ideas of putting in mint chips, M&M’s or no chocolate at all! Super yummy! I didn’t have honey, it’s a hot commodity in our home. So we used maple syrup instead so we call them ‘Peanut Butter Maple Bites.

Step one: mix all ingredients together

Step two: allow your kids to sneak bites of the ‘dough’ and make faces.

I absolutely LOVE having Emma in the kitchen with me. I want to instill a love of creating. However, she refuses to eat what she makes. Weird right? Fortunately, she’ll eat these.

Third: Roll into balls:

Refrigerate for about 1 hr., then tada!

They were Emma’s ‘treat’ if she ate her lunch today. She did. 🙂

Hope you have a great Friday!

Recipe: 1 cup oatmeal 1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter) 1/3 cup honey 1 cup coconut flakes 1/2 cup ground flaxseed 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 1 tsp vanilla

by Alexis - October 1, 2011

Embrace the Chocolate

Embrace the chocolate! 🙂

by Alexis - March 28, 2011March 29, 2011

cocoa cake

I made a couple individualized cakes tonight for a dessert- Trav was craving something sweet- and this was small, chocolate and warm. Perfect.

You just mix all the ingredients (at end of post) together and then heat the mug/cup in the microwave for 2 min. That’s it!

I am lame for two reasons. One, I don’t like chocolate (which alienates me horribly from my sex) and secondly because I do not have the recipe near me to write here for you. But I will try my best to write it down for you from memory:

1 egg, 3 T of veggie oil, 2 T of cocoa powder, 1/4 C flour, 4 T suger and 3 T of milk. Hah! I think I that’s it!

Just mix and microwave.

I splashed a little salt on top for the sweet/salty combo. Bad idea. Don’t do it.

One batch allowed for two of these cups. Just fill 1/2-3/4 of way. Dust with any remaining cocoa powder. You can really personalize these by adding flavors, soaked raisins, Kahlua or white chocolate chips. Just a few ideas.

Enjoy!

by Alexis - February 3, 2011

Chocolate treats

(* none of this is homemade but store bought. I just decorated a teeny tiny bit.)

I’m not sure what you’d call these. Maybe ‘super chocolate brownie fudge bites’. It’s my turn to bring the dessert in our small group and I was able to create these. I’m not a chocoholic like most females, but I’m sure they will be eaten.

I sure hope so, I won’t eat them. Is it bad to bring something you would never want to eat? I’m not too bothered by it. (I’ll bring fruit snacks in my purse for my dessert)

I’m really liking the blue platter though. Love wedding presents.

Do you like chocolate? What is your favorite combination with chocolate? Mint? Fruit? Nuts? I, if forced to eat it, prefer it with peanut butter. And after convincing myself that I had to at least try one before allowing other to ingest them, I ate one. With peanut butter.

What is the most amazing dessert you have ever had? Big question I know. Go ahead, I’ll wait a few minutes for you to think about it.

(time elapsing with ‘Jeopardy’ soundtrack playing)

Mine is a grasshopper pie I had as a child. ‘Tippins’ was the name of the restaurant in Kansas City. I remember it tasting so amazing. Nothing compared since that. And probably won’t since my memory as a child can be kinda off.

Happy Thursday

by Alexis - October 21, 2010October 26, 2010

Chocolate Banana Bundt

I have an obsession with collecting bundt pans. LOVE. THEM. I am fully satisfied imagining me 50 years from now with a kitchen with bundt pans hanging on the walls. I’d ask you over for tea/coffee and we’d partake of an amazing bundt cake.

I am also obsessed with reading/writing blogs. And if you’re like me and like both bundt cakes AND blogging CHECK THIS GIRL OUT. Well, I don’t mean in like…. a ooo lala way. But check her blog out. Man, people- grow up. 😉

She’s doing a count down until November 15 which is ‘Officially Bundt Cake Day’. Yes people. That is why I love this country. They make crazy holidays like bundt cake day. So sweet…

So anyways, this chick is literally making a new bundt cakes EVERYDAY until November 15th. Yeah. Crazy. Crazy cool! So since I had it on my ‘to do list’ I decided to make my banana bread a little more sultry and add chocolate chips to the meld. Heck, throw it into a fancy bundt pan and you feel so good about yourself that you won’t clean the rest of the day. Enjoy. Oh and recipe, not going to give it. It’s my mothers and I promised I wouldn’t give it to anyone…but I am partial to bribing.

(Do you see how the top of my cake is kinda patch-worked together? Just a little bit , but apparently I didn’t grease it enough. Does this happen to you? I get so frustrated when it comes out like that. Oh well, at least it tastes great.)

by Alexis - March 27, 2010

Happy National Peanut Butter Lovers Day!…1 month late.

I love peanut butter more than I like chocolate. It’s creamy and just so wonderful, and when I saw there was a day set aside for Peanut butter lovers I was like, ‘Yeah!’. However it was on March3rd. Travis’ birthday. So here is my tribute to that wonderful day, even though it’s celebrated about a month late. It’s never too late to honor that wonderful spread.:)

I just so happen to be married to a peanut butter snob. Which is ironic because he doesn’t rally care for it anyways. I prefer creamy to crunchy, but if I cooking with it I prefer crunchy. He just hates the sugar-y kinds. Like JIF. I just so happen to have it in my cupbards so it’s what I used. I can totally taste the sugar but it doesn’t bother me.

Why mess with a classic?! Peanut Butter with currant jelly. Yum!

Thai Peanut Chicken with Brown Rice…yum. I had no soy sauce! So had to improvise. I added peanut butter, maggi, water, tons of garlic and fresh ginger. It tastes great.

And I had to have a dessert. I was gonig to make the Peanut Butter Balls but I already did that. And I had no time. So I did this instead- SO GLAD I DID!!! Nutella, marshmellos and peanut butter. Sigh…so good.

Mr. Peanut Butter and Mr. S’moore instantly clicked when they met each other. They’ve become BFF’s since.

by Alexis - December 10, 2009

Peanut Butter Christmas Balls

This is what Emma and I did today. I enjoyed myself but I think she had more fun. I have to be leaving in the next 20 min but wanted to show what fun today was for us. Enjoy!

When Emma saw me dipping them, her favorite past time, she HAD to help. Why not? Life is too short to not let your dears play in chocolate. I thought you would like to see her attempt at dipping it. What can you say, I’m a proud parent. 🙂 I have to give credit to my friend Melissa, who got this recipe from her mother. It is SO CRAZY SUPER DUPER EASY! Seriously, if a 1 1/2 year old can help, then so can your kids. Or grandkids. Or nieces and nephews. Promise.

1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup Creamy PB
3 TBS Softened Butter
1 LB White Confecionary Coating (I am using both milk chocolate and white chocolate)

In a mixing bowl combine sugar, peanut butter, and butter; mix well. Shape into 1 inch
balls and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm. Meanwhile melt coating in a double boiler or micro-wave safe bowl. Dip balls and place on wax paper to harden.

The only change I did was I dipped them in heated Chocolate frosting (dollar store) and a couple spoonfuls of Nutella.

But we had a bit extra chocolate. 🙂 Here’s what we Emma did with it. Oh, and on a side note, she had a death grip on that sticker in her hand. Silly girl.