Tag: dessert

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Angel Food Cupcakes

I celebrated my 27th birthday last week. Twenty-seven! It still feels weird to say that. In my head I will forever be 25. Anyone else like that? I thought by now, after getting married, paying taxes, etc. I would feel like an adult. That’s the funny thing about getting older I guess. You always think you are going to have it all figured out by a certain age, but one those milestone birthdays come and go you realize there is so much more in life to experience and learn.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Angel Food Cupcakes

To celebrate where I am in life now, I decided to treat myself to two of my favorite desserts – chocolate covered strawberries and angel food cake. I had never tried making angel food cupcakes before and was worried on how they would fare without being cooled upside down, but I was surprised on how well they turned out! Topped with a chocolate covered strawberry and a few fresh blooms, these cupcakes were the perfect birthday treat.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Angel Food Cupcakes

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Angel Food Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • Angel Food Cake Mix
  • Vanilla Frosting
  • Pink Food Coloring
  • Strawberries
  • One bar of dark chocolate
  • Fresh flowers optional

Directions:

  • Bake the angel food cupcakes according to the box instructions
  • While the cupcakes cool, make the chocolate covered strawberries
  • Once the cupcakes are cool, frost and top with a chocolate covered strawberry and flower buds
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Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Bites

Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Bites

Anyone else astounded at the price of gourmet sweets? Maybe I was spoiled living near a reasonably priced chocolatier over the last four years, but after we moved to Milwaukee I noticed a sizable price jump in handcrafted treats. I love to support local shops, but I knew I could recreate these dark chocolate trail mix bites at home for a fraction of what they would charge me in store.

Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Bites

Besides being cost-savvy, these dark chocolate trail mix bites only take a few minutes to assemble. The hardest part is waiting for the chocolate to set before popping one in your mouth! They embody the irresistible salty + sweet combo that make eating just one difficult. Since these sweet treats are easy to make in a pinch, it only makes sense to keep the ingredients in your cupboard in case of a late night chocolate craving…

Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Bites

Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Bites

Ingredients:

  • 10 oz. Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers
  • 1 C. Assorted nuts
  • 1/4 C. Dried cherries

Directions:

  • Place half of the dark chocolate melting wafers in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 15 second intervals, stirring in between sessions,  until melted. Add in the rest of the chocolate wafers and stir until all the chocolate has melted.
  • Spoon small dollops of chocolate out on a piece of wax paper.
  • Top chocolate with nut mix and dried cherries.
  • Let the chocolate set before transferring the trail mix bites to an airtight container.

 

Jaffa Cakes

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Jaffa Cakes

It’s interesting how different regions favor varying flavor combinations. While peanut butter and jelly is a staple in the States, friends of ours in the UK think this is a strange lunchtime favorite. However, I felt the same way when I came across their meat flavored potato chips and chocolate orange biscuits. While I’m still not a huge fan of shrimp flavored chips, I fell in love with Jaffa cakes.

Jaffa Cakes

Tracking down Jaffa cakes can be difficult in the States so I pulled out Mary Berry’s recipe and tried making them at home. The recipe was a bit daunting, as I had never made orange jellies to adorn cookies before! To get my bearings, I read the recipe twice, took a deep breath and began baking.

Jaffa Cakes

Surprisingly, I only had one hiccup! Traditional Jaffa cakes have orange jellies that are slightly smaller than the biscuit. Since I didn’t want to run out to the store to buy a small circle cookie cutter, I used a mini muffin tin for both the biscuits and jellies – making them the same size. At the end of the day this isn’t a deal breaker, but I’m sure Paul and Mary would have a few comments if I were to present these on the Great British Bakeoff!