Nutella-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Apparently, it’s National Chocolate Chip Day. I was going to wait until later this week to write about my Nutella-Chocolate Chip Cookies as another shout out for my love for Nutella but since it’s national chocolate chip day, I might as well. To all the health nuts out there, don’t worry, I baked this a week after I made the Nutella-Chocolate Cake With Nutella Frosting, and I do workout, I swear.
Nutella-Chocolate Cake With Nutella Frosting
When news came out that Nutella decided to settle a lawsuit filed by Athena Hohenberg, for $3.05 million, I felt rebellious. I was sending Facebook statuses and Tweet loves and hugs and kisses to Nutella. I mean, I love Nutella and I admit that my family loves eating nutella off of a spoon sometimes for that quick sweet cravings but I never actually served it on a toast for breakfast on a daily basis even though the commercial made it so appealing to do so. Screw that. I made these treats instead: SELF-FROSTING NUTELLA CUPCAKES, Banana Bread With Nutella, Crepes With Nutella & Raspberry Sauce, Classic Pound Cake With Nutella, Chocolate-Nutella Brownies, Nutella-Chocolate Cake With Nutella Frosting which I’m posting below, and nutella-chocolate chips cookies which I’ll write about some other day.
$2.5 million of that $3.05 million settlement by the way is going to be distributed to anyone who bought Nutella from Jan. 1, 2008 to Feb. 3, 2012, or Aug. 1, 2009 to Jan. 23, 2012 in California. That is if they file a claim, of course.
I’m sure you can guess by now that I’m not filing my claim. Nope. I went to the store and bought a jar instead. I even took a picture of the Nutella jars for the Instagram just to show them some more love.
So the recipe for Nutella-Chocolate Cake With Nutella Frosting… I’m getting to that…
Banana Bread With Chocolate Chips
I’ve made banana bread with chocolate chips numerous times but when I searched this food blog for the recipe as a reference, I couldn’t find it. There’s a Banana Bread With Nutella recipe though. I might have posted the Banana Bread With Chocolate Chips recipe in the other other food blogs I used to write for years ago. Well, it’s time to put this in my own archives so here it goes.
Chocolate-Nutella Brownies
I had a jar of Nutella so I tried to come up with something to cook using at least a cup of it. Notice I said, I HAD a jar of Nutella. Yup, it’s gone. That’s ok though. I wasn’t able to make the self-frosting nutella cupcakes or the nutella banana bread or the nutella pound cake but I was able to make these rich and chewy chocolate-nutella brownies. The combination sounds really good but I found out after 1 bar that this recipe is more chocolate-y than nutella-y. No complains here thought. These Chocolate-Nutella Brownies are definitely a hit in my household.
Custard Cake (Flan Cake)
Custard cake or flan cake, no mater what you call it, the fact remains, it is a decadent and oh-so-delicious dessert cake. It’s good after chilling for 3-4 hours, but it is so much better after chilling overnight. When you hear custard cake you’d probably say “oh, custard on top of a cake, that’s easy.” Ummm, not really. See, the cake base has to stay in the bottom while the the custard has to be on top once you turn it upside down. You can’t just bake those two separate things together and expect to come up with a perfect layered cake. There’s a a step in the cake-making process that I learned from Kusina Ni Manang in her choco-flan cake. The eggs need to be separated. Make the cake as is with the yolks, then beat the whites with sugar in a separate bowl, then fold it into the cake mixture to make a chiffon-like cake. The technique here is FOLDING, not stirring or mixing the two components. After that, pour the flan batter into the pan first, then the cake batter has to float on top.
Of course you can make chiffon cake from scratch which would be perfect for this recipe, however, any yellow or white or in this recipe, a vanilla cake mix, would be fine too. Like I said, the trick is separating the egg yolks from the whites. Alright, enough talking, let me show you how it’s done.
Peanut Butter Cupcakes W/ Chocolate Frosting
To tell you the truth, I’m not into peanut butter that much. A peanut butter sandwich hits the spot when I’m really starving and I need to get something quick. Reese’s Pieces is good once in a while too. But like I said, I’m not that fond of it.
On the occasional days that I get a craving for peanut butter, sometimes eating a spoon of it would suffice but sometimes I’ll make it all grand by making peanut butter cupcakes. My family sure appreciates it coz they are definitely peanut butte lovers.
| Peanut Butter Cupcakes W/ Chocolate Frosting |
- 4 tbsp of butter, softened
- 1 1/8 cups of light brown sugar
- 1/3 (or more) cup of peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup of flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup of milk
- 1 stick of butter
- 3 cups confectionery sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
FROSTING:
- Preheat over the to 350°, Line the muffin pans with the paper cases.
- Put butter, sugar and peanut butter into a mixer bowl and beat together for about 2 minutes. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after addition. Add the vanilla extract.
- Combine flour and baking soda in a separate bowl. Using a metal spoon, fold the flour into the mixture, alternating with the milk.
- Spoon batter into the paper cases. Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- To make the frosting: Beat together the butter, confectionery sugar, vanilla, and unsweetened cocoa powder. If the frosting is slightly runny just add more confectionery sugar.
- Frost the cupcakes and enjoy.
Christmas Gifts From Your Kitchen
There really is nothing wrong with giving food items as Christmas Gifts. And it’s even more special if you make the goodies yourself. Christmas time is baking time so it’s always a good idea to double or triple your baked goodies so you have enough cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, or cake pops for the family, relatives, friends, neighbors, Teachers, mailman, or whomever else you want to give a gift to this Christmas. Here are a few goodies from my kitchen that you can also make. There’s still plenty of time to get the ingredients and make all the treats as pretty as can be.
Click on the highlighted text to get the recipe for each item.
- Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Apple-Cinnamon Rolls
- Peach Marmalade Cinnamon Rolls
- Twisted Cinnamon Bread
- Plain Or Chocolate Chips Cinnamon Rolls
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Toffee & Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Chip Brownies
- Cake Pops
- Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Buttery Gooey Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Or you can always make fruitcake. 
Apple-Cinnamon Rolls W/ Cream Cheese Frosting
Perhaps you could forget about making fruitcake this year and make cinnamon rolls instead? I believe cinnamon rolls would be a nice food item to give out to family, friends, and neighbors for Christmas. That’s what I did last year. It’s delicious for breakfast with a cup of coffee before or after opening the gifts in the Christmas morning. You can either make the regular cinnamon rolls or add a twist by putting chocolate chips, or peach marmalade. Or literally twist the cinnamon roll idea by making twisted cinnamon bread. Add to your list this apple-cinnamon rolls. My family prefers the peach marmalade though over this apple version but it’s not that bad and if you like apples with cinnamon then this would be a treat for you and your loved ones.
| Apple-Cinnamon Rolls |
-
DOUGH(adapted from ConnieV)
- 1-1/2 cups of lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry yeast
- 4-1/2 cups of flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- extra flour and cooking oil
- 2-3 apples, cored, peeled, cubed
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 2 tbsp of cinnamon powder
- 1 1/2 cups of white sugar
- generous sprinkling of powdered cinnamon
- 2 sticks of butter
- 1 stick of butter
- 2 cups of confectionery sugar
- 1 brick of cream cheese
- 2 tbsp of milk
FILLING
FROSTING
- In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup of sugar and vegetable oil. In a another bowl, sprinkle yeast and 2 tbsp of sugar with the lukewarm water. Let that sit for 10 minutes or until bubbly. Once the yeast mixture is ready, pour it onto the flour mixture. Mix until you can form a ball. Once the yeast mixture is ready, pour it onto the flour mixture. Mix until you can form a ball.In a bowl, sprinkle yeast and 2 tbsp of sugar with the lukewarm water. Let that sit for 10 minutes or until bubbly.
- Sprinkle flour in a flat surface. Knead the dough for 10 minutes or so or until soft.
- Lightly grease a bowl with vegetable oil, drop the ball of dough in it then cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rise for 2 hours. Punch it after 2 hours, cover then let it rise for another 30 minutes.
- In a pot, melt 1/2 stick of butter. Add the cubed apples. Sprinkle brown sugar and powdered cinnamon. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the apples have softened. Don’t over cook.
- Sprinkle flour in the counter space. Cut the dough in half. Roll the 1st half of the dough into a wide rectangle. Sprinkle half of the white sugar and generous powdered cinnamon. Dot the dough with 1 stick of butter. Spread half of the apple-cinnamon mixture on top.
- Roll the dough as tightly as you could then cut the rolls. Lightly brush the bottom of a pan with butter. Place the rolls in the pan. Cover with clean kitchen cloth and let the whole thing rest for 15 minutes. Repeat the process for the other half of the dough.
- Bake the rolls in the preheated oven of 355°, for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Once baked, take ‘em out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Make the frosting while waiting for the cinnamon rolls to cool. Beat together the butter, confectionery sugar, cream cheese, and milk.
- Spread the frosting on top of the rolls using a spatula.
DOUGH
APPLE FILLING
FROSTING
If you would rather have a runny glaze instead of cream cheese frosting on top, just whisk together 2 cups of confectionery sugar and 1/2 cup of milk. Add more milk if the consistency is too thick.
Christmas Sugar Cookies For 2011
Making sugar cookies complete with decorations thanks to my mediocre talent is a tradition in my family. It started with my son when he was 5 years old. Now it’s with my 5 year old daughter while my 13 yr old son just helps out with the decorating part. This year I made the dough while the kids were with the husband during an appointment for the car, and a haircut for Caine. Actually, my husband told me he’d take the kids with them so I can have time for myself. So I made the cookie dough then stored it in the fridge coz it’s always better to do that before rolling it out to cut in different shapes. I could have started the latter process and then baked cookies after the dough spent an hour chilling in the fridge but I decided to wait for my daughter coz I know how much she loves making sugar cookies with me. Good thing I did that coz apparently she was a little bad during the car appointment.
She knew it too as soon as they got home coz she was very quiet. I told my husband that perhaps she just missed me. A few minutes after I said that, she stood up from the floor, went to a corner wall and was silently crying. So I knew she felt bad for acting out. I let her have a moment with the wall for a few minutes then asked if she wanted to make cookies. Instantly, her eyes lit up and smiled so sweetly.
And off we went to make cookies.
I’m not posting the recipe here. I’ll just direct you to an old post where you could get all the ingredients and instructions to make Christmas sugar cookies with/for your family too. This year I’ve also used edible markers to make some of the designs. I found out at the last minute that I ran out of red coloring so red is not represented much this year. The kids helped out with the decorating but they got tired after a while so I finished the whole thing by myself. And FYI, there are cookies inside the tins and Santa Clause cookie jar too. My back was really hurting after all the cookies were decorated and the kitchen was back to its organized and clean state.
The sugar cookie recipe is actully good for any other occasion like Valentine’s Day, Easter, or Halloween. Just match the cookie cutters and decorations for each holiday. The cookies are great to bring at holiday parties and gifts for family, friends, and neighbors. Use cute tin cans as containers.
Tip to avoid breaking the cookies if mailing them out to friends and family: Wrap 4-5 cookies in a saran wrap as tight as you could get. Do this for like a set of 5 or more depending how large the tin can is. Line the tin cans with either a bubble wrap or gift tissue papers then carefully place the wrapped cookies.
Entry for Food Friday. 
Pumpkin Cheesecake W/ Dulce De Leche Topping
Ditching the traditional sweet potato pies for our Thanksgiving desserts, I made pumpkin cheesecake with dulce de leche topping instead. It was my first time to make it so I was bit nervous how it will turn out. I also made red velvet cake truffles as a back up dessert just in case I totally mess the pumpkin cheesecake up. I pretty much just relied on the basic cheesecake recipe then added the usual ingredients that go with pumpkin, i,e cinnamon, and brown sugar. The result? So delicious especially with the dulce de leche topping and at the last minute, the homemade whipped cream that was optional but certainly didn’t hurt to have with the cheesecake.
| Pumpkin Cheesecake W/ Dulce De Leche Topping |
- CRUST
- 2 packets of cinnamon flavored graham crackers
- 1 stick Melted
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- FILLING
- 2 bricks Cream Cheese
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups pumpkin puree(canned)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
- TOPPING
- 1 can of condense milk
- homemade(or store bought) whipped cream, optional)
- ———CRUST———–
- Crush the graham using a Magic Bullet or regular blender.
- Melt 1 stick of butter in the microwave. Pour it into the crushed graham crackers. Add the vanilla, then mix together by pulsing a few more times in the blender.
- Put the crumbs into the bottom and sides of springform pan. Distribute the crumbs evenly while flattening it at the same time with the bottom of the glass and/or your hands too sometimes. Set the pan aside after doing this.
- At this point, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- ——FILLING——–
- Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar, mix until incorporated.
- Add the eggs (4). One at a time. Beating in between. Keep beating until well-incorporated. Scrape the sides a few times, then beat again.
- Stir in the flour, salt, cinnamon powder and vanilla, then add the pumpkin puree and heavy cream. Continue to beat a few more minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the springform pan. Shake it gently to make the top smooth or just use a flat spatula to smooth out the top. Stick it in the oven to bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes
- After baking, turn the oven off, then open the oven door. DO NOT TAKE THE CHEESECAKE OUT! Leave it in the open oven for 10 minutes.
- After that, take it out of the oven and let it sit in the counter to cool for about 10 minutes then stick it in the fridge to chill overnight.
- ———–TOPPING———-
- 2 hours after you’ve chilled the cheesecake, make the dulce de leche topping. Pour the condense milk into a pot, under medium heat. Whisk and continue to whisk until it’s smooth, bubbly, and the color has darkened slightly.
- Pour it on top of the chilled cheesecake and carefully spread to cover the top. Put the cheesecake back into the fridge to continue with the chilling process(overnight).
- Once ready to serve the dessert, take out the chilled cheesecake out of the fridge. Let it stand for 5 minutes before slicing. This process will soften the dulce de leche topping which will make slicing into the cheesecake easier.
Look at how beautiful this slice of pumpkin cheesecake with dulce de leche topping is.
Put a dollop or(rose-tipped decorated) whipped cream on top too if you want.
Entry for Food Friday.
