Tag Archives: sweets

Chewy Chocolatey Rice Crispies Recipe

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Who has a sweet tooth?

Yum

I do! These rice crispy treats are the perfect sweet. I love chewy treats and am a huge fan of caramel. This recipe has melted chocolate and bits of caramel, perfect for any sweet craving.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 4 cups marshmallows
  • 5 cups rice cereal
  • 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup of caramel bits

Ingredients
Since I used brown rice cereal, it makes this a bit healthier right?

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large pan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until it’s melted and blended. Remove from heat.
2. Add cereal and stir until pieces are well coated.
3. Add chocolate chips and mix well.
4. Add caramel bits and mix well.
5. Use a spatula and press mixture together into a 13 x 9 inch pan and let cool. Once cooled, cut into squares and serve!

Product

It’s such an easy treat to make and extremely satisfying. Those caramel chewy bits MAKE this recipe the perfect after dinner dessert. Or midnight snack. Or afternoon snack. Or breakfast… Yeah!

Bits

Caramel bits can be hard to find. Another option is to cut up bits of Werther’s chewy caramels.

Who’s craving something sweet? I would also like to know, who’s the lucky person you would you make these treats for?

Yum,
Jay

Jay’s Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

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If you could only choose one ice cream flavor for the rest of your life, what would it be? Mine… easy, vanilla. You can’t get sick of the flavor, and it can always be paired with something else (cookies, brownies, cake, pie, coffee).

Cookie sandwich
Even Chubaloo wanted something sweet!

I bought a Cuisinart ice cream maker this past summer and have been making my own ice cream since then. I’ve made an assortment of flavors including strawberry, avocado, coffee, and vanilla. Making your own ice cream is a little pricer than purchasing ice cream from the store since you’re using raw ingredients. Also, the ice cream cannot last you months in the freezer, like store bought. But homemade ice cream tastes so delicious and creamy. It’s also bit healthier too since there are no artificial additives or preservatives. Plus it’s fun to make up your own recipes!

I’ve been trying to perfect my vanilla recipe so that it’s not too sweet but extra vanilla-y. After batches of batches of vanilla ice cream (too much ice cream? darn. first world problem), I’ve finally accomplished it! Time to bust out that homemade vanilla extract again.

ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 cup of whole milk
  • 2 cups of heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Beat eggs until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
2. Add sugar and mix well.
3. Combine vanilla and mix.
4. Add the whole milk, then add the heavy whipping cream. Mix it all together.
5. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker. Follow your ice cream maker’s instructions (I simply turn on the machine and leave it churning for 20 minutes, then put the ice cream in the freezer for a few hours).

So simple!

Vanilla

Do you have an ice cream machine at home? What kind of flavors do you make?

Pie a la mode

With pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and all kinds of other sweet treats, ice cream is a must!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Jay

Chocolate Chia Bites

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Set

We’ve been having so much fun with Chia seeds – putting them in juice and making strawberry jam! Now let’s make some chocolate bites!

I don’t have a sweet tooth, I’m definitely a savory girl. Give me Cheeto’s or beef jerky before bed, but there are some days where I like to end on something sweet. Now that it’s getting colder, give me a glass of wine and throw in some of these chocolate chia bites! Doesn’t that sound lovely?

These little treats are super easy to make! Save them for yourself or give them away as holiday gifts. I’m sure you’ll be quite popular if you bring them to work for your colleagues!

ingredients

What you’ll need:

  • Dark Chocolate Chips
  • 1/2 cup of chia seeds
  • Trail Mix (I bought my big jar from Costco)
  • Silicone mat (or parchment paper)
  • 1 Ziploc bag
  • Scissors

Directions:

1. Half your bag of chocolate chips into the Ziploc, and microwave for 10 second bursts until the chocolate has melted. Do NOT overheat or the chocolate becomes thick.
2. Once melted, snip off a corner of the Ziploc.
3. Now pipe the chocolate onto the mat or parchment paper. Squeeze lightly so that the squirts are bite sized.
4. Once all the chocolate is piped, sprinkle chia seeds and add trail mix. Lightly push the trail mix into the chocolate so it stays when set.
5. Let the chocolate harden for about 10 minutes. I like to stick them in the fridge so that it sets quicker and the chocolate is a bit cold. Once the chocolate is hard, you should be able to pop each chocolate chia bite off one by one.

ReadyLay everything out so it’s accessible – makes things easier

MeltMelted chocolate – I like to microwave in burst and squeeze the chocolate around in the bag so it melts evenly

SnipSnip the end for piping

SquirtSquirts

SetLet it set for about 10 minutes – quicker if you put them in the fridge

I call these my healthy chocolate bites, wouldn’t you agree? It’s definitely justified if you have more than 5, maybe 8, okay fine, 10.

Serve

Is this something you will try to make? Will you be making these for yourself or someone else?

Enjoy this recipe! Yay for Chia!
Jay

Baking Tip – Flour the Pan

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Now that we’re getting into the Fall season, there will be a lot of baking involved! If you rarely bake, I challenge you to make some goodies this season. Your friends, family, and coworkers will love it. They get sweets, and you get compliments. Win, win situation!

Did you ever notice that sometimes when you grease the pan, it can still be difficult to get your baked good out? It’s so annoying, and the bottom of your cake looks so ugly! Here’s a tip that I learned from a good friend.

I use a bit of oil, spread it around, and then sprinkle some flour. A little bit of flour goes a long way. It helps the baked good come off the pan easily. Give it a try!

Oil and sprinkle flourGrease the pan and sprinkle flour so your baked good comes off clean and easy! 

It works great for cakes, bunt cakes, and breads.

Clean pan
I just flipped my chocolate cake upside down. Look how clean it comes off!

Have you heard about this before? What kinds of things do you do to get a clean baked pan?

Get to baking those yummy treats!
Jay