Banoffee Pie (Remix)

So it’s been awhile. A bit of an understatement, that. Am I back? Who knows, but I do have a high quality camera sort of at my disposal now, so that’s motivation if nothing else. Blah blah blah, straight to the recipe!

Banoffee Pie. I’ve wanted to make one of these for awhile now but I was always turned off by the thought of a “digestive biscuit” crust and a thick layer of caramel. Actually, I was turned off by the thought of making caramel, which I’ve done before and found tedious. And I’m not about to boil condensed milk for two hours in its tin can. I just won’t.



And then I realized that no one is stabbing me with hot pokers to ensure I follow the recipe exactly. I mean, my nature is to find recipes and then disregard them.

So I “remixed” the recipe to include chocolate, which automatically makes it better than the original.



Banoffee Pie (Remix):
1 pkge cinnamon graham crackers, crumbled (I used a hammer on the package. Opened it up, poured it in a bowl, threw away the wrapper—easy!)
6 tbsp butter, melted
3 ripe bananas, sliced
2 cups quality semi-sweet chocolate chips (like Guittard)
2 tbsp whipping cream
2-3 cups whipped cream
¼ c + 2 tbsp caramel sauce

Mix together butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press firmly into a large tart or cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap, weigh it down with a bowl or another pan, put into fridge.

Over a double boiler, slowly melt together chocolate chips and whipping cream. Pour over set crust, spreading evenly over bottom.

Pour ¼ c caramel sauce over the chocolate. Return to fridge and allow to sit uncovered for at least an hour. (The caramel sauce won’t set if it’s store bought but it’s only there for a light caramel-y taste anyway. I added too much sauce and it made the pie really sweet, so I had to cut the pie open and bleed out the caramel. If you want to leave out the caramel altogether, I’m all for it, but a little bit will add a nice dimension of flavor.)

Place sliced bananas over bottom of the tart, working from the outside in. Top with whipped cream and drizzle two tbsp warmed caramel sauce lightly over top. Slice, eat, enjoy!

Double Chocolate Muffins

Even when I try to avoid carbs during cold months, I fail epically. Don't the muffins make you think of a happy winter wonderland?

Or in my case, Choco Mountain from Super Mario N64. Isn't there a winter course under that same cup? My nerd is showing, anyway.

These muffins have lightly crispy shells and soft rich chocolately insides. They just scream for milk, so make sure you don't use it all for the recipe!

Double Chocolate Muffins:

3 cups flour
3 ½ tbsp cocoa powder
1 ½ tbsp baking powder
1 ¾ cup sugar
1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
½ cup dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
1 ½ cups milk
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, whisk together butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla.

Combine in a large bowl. Add in chocolate.

Fill cups of muffin tin ¾ full.

Bake 20 minutes.

Makes 18-20 muffins.

--Jirafa

Chocolate Krisp Cookies

These are like Nestle Crunch bars meet cookie dough, thanks to the addition of Rice Krispies! On the outside these look like regular chocolate chip cookies, but one bite reveals the crispity crunchity secret inside! (Shut up spell checker, 'crispity' and 'crunchity' are too words.)

Also, this is an epic output recipe. You can make 4 dozen cookies out of this, no problem. I froze half my dough for later; otherwise I'd be spending my entire evening feverishly checking the oven.


Mmmmmmmmmmmm, cookie dough.

Chocolate Krisp Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups rice krispies
¼ cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups chocolate chips (whatever kind you want, really)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Add oil, egg, and vanilla. Blend.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, rice krispies, baking soda, and salt. Mix into butter mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto lined baking sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes until center is set and edges are golden-brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 4 dozen easily, probably more. I ended up halving my dough and freezing it, but I got 2 dozen out of the half I baked.

--Jirafa

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

I love to make cookies but I don't quite like eating them. However, I think my roommates are fine with this arrangement (so are my thighs).

These cookies have a lot of dough with subtle chocolate toffee crunches, if that's your thing. You can always add in another bar and amp up the crunchy yumminess!

Chocolate Toffee Cookies:

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 bar Lindt Toffee Crunch, chopped

In a large bowl (or in a mixer) cream butter and sugars together for 4 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl occasionally. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Putting the mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture until just combined. Mix chocolate toffee pieces in with a wooden spoon.

Chill dough at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake 10-12 minutes, until cookies are browned but slightly soft still. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

--Jirafa

No-Bake Cheesecake

My first attempt at a no-bake cheesecake. I modified a recipe that came with my KitchenAid mixer and it came out delicious! A lot of the joy was in the chocolate crumb base that gave the cheesecake an extra subtle flavor.



No-Bake Cheesecake (adapted from KitchenAid)

2 8-oz packages low-fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cup whipped topping, either homemade or packaged

1 ½ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
½ stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar

First prepare the crumb mixture. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, ½ stick butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Line a 9-inch cake round with wax paper, overlapping to create handles, then fill with crumb mixture. Press this firmly into the cake pan, cover with another sheet of wax paper, and weight with something heavy (I used a glass mixing bowl). Refrigerate while you prepare the cheesecake.
*Most boxes of graham crackers divide the crackers into packaged groups of 5 or 6 sheets. One of these groups is perfect and you can smash it all up in the thick plastic, then just cut open and
voila!

Place cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla into mixer bowl. Mix until well-blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add whipped topping, mix another 1 minute. Pour over prepared crust and smooth out. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

To serve, remove from pan using wax paper handles. Slice and top with sugared strawberries or chocolate sauce!

Serves 8




--Jirafa

Microwave Chocolate Cake

We can get movies on demand so why not chocolate cake? Why do we always fall victim to chocolate cake cravings at 1 AM when it’s pouring outside and our keys are missing and there’s a plague of locusts incoming? Why am I the only person this kind of scenario seems to happen to?

Well now you can make chocolate cake in your microwave.

Come again?

In your microwave. I’ll prove it.

After having seen this link on microwaved chocolate cake I couldn’t stop myself. I had to rush out and try it myself. And by “rush out” I mean drag my laptop and camera into the kitchen.


Start with a bowl (or large mug) and mix together 4 tablespoons of flour, 4 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. I used chocolate mocha hot chocolate mix powder!


Then mix in one egg, 3 tablespoons of milk, and 3 tablespoons of oil.



All mixed up? Good! Now put it in your microwave and microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes.


You’ll get this.

Then you can just stick a fork in it and eat it or be pompous like me and sprinkle powdered sugar over it.

--Jirafa

Bento #1--Teriyaki Beef

Sometimes I'll be posting images of my bentos just for fun and recipes if they're relevant. My classes end after 1 this quarter so I usually just head home to eat and don't bother with a bento but tomorrow I'm donating blood on campus so fortifying bento it shall be!

Top tier: White rice with teriyaki beef mixed with celery and onions.
Bottom tier: Peach yogurt, cheddar cheese, mini-chocolate.
Side car: Cucumber slices mixed with lemon, salt, and pepper.

--Jirafa

Parfait Project (1)--Cookie Pudding Parfaits

Just a quick dessert that is fun to look at and better to eat!


Cookie Pudding Parfaits:
1 5 oz box Jell-O instant vanilla pudding
5 chocolate cookiescrumbled finely
1 banana, sliced


Prepare pudding as directed. Cover bottom of parfait glasses with some of the crumbled cookies; layer with pudding. Add more cookies, top with banana slices, reserving a few for the top. Continue alternating with pudding and cookies until glasses are full; top with remaining banana slices.

*This can be done with more than one type of pudding, or even vanilla yogurt, granola, and berries! It’s very, very basic so HAVE FUN.

Serves 2-3 depending on size of glasses.

--Jirafa

Chocolate Cherry Crinkle Cookies

This is my first experience with a chocolate-based cookie. All the cookies I’ve made previously incorporated chocolate in some way but never to this extent.

Verdict: deeeeeeeeelicious.



Cookies are so magical, aren’t they? They shouldn’t work, all of this and that thrown into them and warmed to a crisp.

And yet somehow they do. Cookies, Eighth Wonder of the World. I’m telling you.



¾ cup flour
½ cup white sugar
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ table salt
½ stick butter, melted
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips (semisweet work fine, too)
1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped roughly
¾ cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, mix together butter, cocoa powder, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; mix in sugar. Combine with wet goods. Add chocolate chips and dried cherries to batter, mixing well.

Roll into roughly 2’’ balls and coat in powdered sugar. Be sure to coat thickly so the cracks will show as the cookies bake. Place on a lined cookie sheet and bake 12-14 minutes.

Yields about 24 cookies.

--Jirafa

White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

Whew, back from hiatus. In celebration, I bring you a recipe for delicious muffins, two ways.





I use a basic banana bread recipe that is moist and flavorful. You can throw both kinds of chocolate chips in if you’d like. You can do whatever you want really. Think of your kitchen like Burger King: you can always have it your way.



This batter can house chocolate, nuts, cherries, wedding rings…

You get the idea.



The problem with these muffins is that they come out so cute and warm and delicious that it’s hard to back away from them. And you’ll probably want milk, so go buy some before you make them.

I mean it. Go. Store. Now.

And after you’ve devoured them all and licked the muffin pan (wait ‘till it cools, just throwing that out there), you’ll want to do this:




White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

2 cups flour
¾ cup white sugar
2/4 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, mashed well
¼ cup plain yogurt
2 eggs
6 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup dark chocolate chips
½ cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, mix together bananas, vanilla, eggs, butter, brown sugar, and yogurt. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, white sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Combine, mixing thoroughly.

Separate batter into equal parts in two bowls. Mix into one bowl dark chocolate chips and the other with white chocolate chips.

Grease a standard muffin tin and fill each place with a heaping tablespoon of batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Continue until all the batter has been used!

Makes about 24 muffins.

-Jirafa

Cookie Bonanza Night

(Oatmeal Raisin, Snickerdoodles, Thumbprints)

Tomorrow is my Japanese class party (end of the quarter, YAY) so I volunteered to bring cookies. And cookies. Oh yeah, and more cookies.



At this point…I think I hate cookies. But 3+ hours of baking will do that to a person. Not to mention out about five dozen cookies my roommates were only allocated three each. I sense their disapproval.

Nevertheless, I’ve included the recipes used for your perusal. Cookies are fun, especially when they’re meant for other people.


Oatmeal Raisin Cookies:

I used the recipe on the inside lid of my Quaker oatmeal which is as follows:

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, mix butter and sugars over medium speed until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add this to the wet goods in three batches, mixing well after each addition. Stir in oats and raisins, mixing well.

Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow to cool on a wire rack. If you’re like me, pull out the second rack inside your oven and use it as a cooling rack because you’re a poor college student. Grumble as hot cookie breaks apart and slips through wide gaps. Eat broken cookies. Rejoice.



Snickerdoodles:

I used the recipe here: Eat Me, Delicious

Quite delicious.



Thumbprint Cookies, Two Ways:

½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ cups finely chopped almonds (or whatever nuts you like)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, mix together brown sugar, butter, and shortening; beat in egg yolks and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet goods, mixing thoroughly. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Dip balls into egg white then roll into finely chopped almonds. Place cookies about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet; press thumb deeply in center of each. Bake until light brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Fill thumbprints with jam or melted chocolate.


--Jirafa