Tag Archives: chocolate

Chocolate summer

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I melted about 3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and here’s what happened…

It all started because we had a few very ripe bananas waiting around for us. This is rare occurence in the chattycha household as the family tends to eat all the bananas before they get super-duper ripe. Lately the husband has been buying more bananas, and maybe it was the heat that was ripening them quicker. Anyway. We had this one large banana that was on the verge of mad ripeness when I saved it for a Frozen Banana Pop recipe I read in a PCC Newsletter.

Super easy. I combined the chips with about a teaspoon of coconut oil in a makeshift double-boiler. Under low but boiling watter/heat, I stirred the chocolate until completely melted. Then we spooned the melted chocolate onto two Banana Pops (peeled the banana, cut it in half, used our reusable frozen popsicle holders and carefully stuck them through the banana). On the kiddos not pictured, we sprinkled some starry sprinkled on the chocolate. On mine I used up some leftover coconut and almond slices. Laid them on wax paper on a tray and left in the freezer until the next day. A deliciously refreshing result.

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The thing is, we still had quite a bit of melted chocolate to go after making 2 banana pops (we only had one ripe banana, so making more banana pops was not an option). Thanks to some quick thinking, I did these other two treats:

1) Chocolate Almond Butter Cups. Lined a few mini-muffin tins with mini-muffin paper cups. Poured enough chocolate on the bottom of hte cups to line them. Took a teaspoon or less of almond butter and added into each cup. Covered the tops as best as I could with more chocolate. Refrdigerate for at least 30 minutes. I probably made about six of these.

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2) The messiest s’more. The best-iest s’more. This one needs very little explanation. Marshmallows get roasted using the broiler. Graham crackers get drenched in melted chocolate. Everything gets smooshed together. Chattycha gets excited because after running around with a pan of melted chocolate for 15 minutes like a madwoman, she can finally sit down and have sweet treat.

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A really messy s’more

I need to make a point of keeping chocolate chips in the house!

Paleo Almond Joy-Stack (personal size)

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Stressful times call for stress eating, made more difficult by this no-grains, no-sugar thing. I want cake, I say. Just walk to the store, Husband says. Cake?? says kiddo. No, I say. No grains.
So, I compromised. Docked myself a point for sugar, and made a single microwaveable paleo brownie (since we don’t have a microwave, we baked at 350 for 20 minutes. Not exactly instant gratification but it did hit the spot).

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For my next trick, I took ingredients on hand and created this exciting concoction. More like a little candy, like an almond joy, but sort of shaped like a haystack. Thus, the moniker Joy-Stack.

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Now, since we made single serving brownies, it made sense to make a small batch of these as well. Plus, as mentioned earlier, I used what I had, and only had a limited amount of coconut. These remind me of the ones I made a while ago that are in the cover photo above, but more candy-like.

It goes something like this …

1-2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp raw honey
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp almond butter

Melt the oil over low heat, stir in honey. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Using a teaspoon, scoop out a little ball, place it in a mini cupcake wrapper. Have some liquid chocolatey goodness leftover? No problem. Carefully add the extra goodness into the cups. Stick them in the frige for at least 30 minutes.
This mini batch made about six candies. Enough to enjoy and share!

Sometimes, I feel like a nut.

I See’s the Light

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Thank goodness Easter season is over. We get overwhelmed with candy and it’s just too much to handle. Now I can relax in a candy-free home until Halloween or so. (OK, I do still have a nearly full bag of the best easter candy ever in my hiding spot, but I am so over candy I may not dig into it for another month).

This is where the trouble all started. A pound (or more) of See’s candies, courtesy of the husband’s parents. Mmmmm.

See's candies via chattycha on flickr

Best. Easter Candy. Ever.

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Cadbury Mini Eggs via chattycha on flickr

Cadbury Mini-Eggs are now in season. This is the best Easter candy out there (other than the upper-end See’s and such). I’ve been eating these since I was a tween. I believe it was Sis who introduced them to me. Back then we went to the Walgreen’s at Bishop’s Corner in West Hartford. Now it’s Bartells at the University Village. When I was young and stupid I would buy the tiny one-serving bags several times throughout the season. Last year I finally got smart. Buy the larger bag once, and just make sure you ration them out. I take out a few, wrap the bag back up, put it in tupperware and hide ’em. Gotta stash them away so that the husband can’t track them down. One larger bag now lasts through Easter. Woo hoo.

Mini-eggs are rich milk chocolate coated with a sweet candy shell. They’re shaped like little robin’s eggs, speckled and all. I’m not a huge chocolate fan. I usually would choose Swedish Fish, Cinnamon Bears, or Jelly Belly’s over a chocolate bar. However this is a great chocolate treat that I can never turn down.

Oddly enough, Hershey’s does not have a page devoted to Mini-Eggs. Just this fun Easter basket filler. Good thing I’m not the only one who loves these treasures: