Tag: chocolate

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Recipes

Hot Cocoa Muffins

WARNING!!!Do not attempt these if you dislike the warm and chocolatey smell of hot cocoa throughout your house! Just a fair warning, but let me tell you they really are worth making.  Kids and adults alike will love them, just try not to burn your mouth  eating them hot out of the oven ( it’ll be hard waiting for them to cool.)

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Hot Cocoa Muffins

Print Recipe
Serves: 12 Cooking Time: 14-16 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 8 Tbsp melted butter or 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup hot cocoa mix ( I used Starbucks double chocolate)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chunks/chips

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 400F, line or grease muffin tin

2

In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, hot cocoa mix, and unsweetened cocoa

3

In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, sugar, milk, butter or veg. oil, and vanilla extract

4

Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix gently until moistened

5

Fold in chocolate chips/chunks

6

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full ( I used ice cream scoop)

7

Bake 14-16 minutes

8

Enjoy !!!

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Categories
Tips Travel

Portland eats- Forktown Food Tour

If you’ve ever done a food tour you know they can be pretty tasty and informative. If you’ve never done one let me explain what it is. A food tour is a walking tour around a part of a certain city where different restaurants or food venues are incorporated into it, along with some type of history about the town, all this led by a guide. While in Portland, we went on a food tour called Forktown Tours. We stopped by a few different restaurants and the farmers market, where we sampled a mix of cheese, charcuterie, cherries, and Oregon hazelnuts.

The first restaurant we sampled at was called Nel Centro. Here we had a beautiful beet salad, local grown beets, arugula and hazelnuts of course, with house made ricotta cheese. Very fresh and beautiful.


Next, we made our way to a local food truck called Wolf and Bears which serves up Middle Eastern food and it’s special is falafel.

Portland has many food carts that specialize in every cuisine imaginable. Grilled Cheese Grill is a popular one that serves up grilled cheese sandwiches, some with hamburger patty inside called ” The Cheesus.”

Grassa was next on our tour. This restaurant serves up homemade pasta which they continuously make behind a counter (fun to watch) serves up with tasty sauces. I’m not a big fan of pasta but this was pretty good.


We had two sweet stops along the way. First up was Cacao and as you can guess it offers chocolate made from cacao beans from different parts of the world. They also offer different drinking chocolates which tasted heavenly, we ended up buying a bottle of it.


Last but not least was Saint Cupcake, an adorable,sweet smelling shop that serves cupcakes of course. With mini and regular sizes, they have a flavor to please everyone.

 
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Recipes

Homemade “Nutella”

I decided to make a quick dessert/snack that doesn’t require heat to prepare and it’s still oh so satisfying.  I do LOVE Nutella and that is why I don’t buy it.  I would eat the whole jar by myself, not to mention that it has a lot of sugar, some dairy and vegetable oil which doesn’t sound so great. I buy my hazelnuts from Trader Joe’s already roasted so I don’t have to roast and peel them which gets a bit messy and tiresome. This spread is delicious with pretzels as a quick snack, spread on fruit, or just eaten from the spoon (guilty!)

     

 Homemade “Nutella” (makes 16 oz)

  • 1 lb roasted and unsalted hazelnuts
  • 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 4 oz milk chocolate chips
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil

 

Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in microwave safe bowl and heat on 40 seconds. Remove from micro and stir gently until all chocolate is melted and smooth.

In a food processor place the hazelnuts and pulse in 10 second intervals until they are finely chopped, about 10 times.  Scrape sides of food processor bowl with spatula and process hazelnuts on high for about 5 minutes or until the mixture starts clumping together and oils from hazelnuts help it incorporate.

Turn processor to low and gently start pouring in the chocolate mixture.  Process mixture of night again for about a minute longer until spread is mostly smooth and chocolatey.

Using a spatula pour mixture into jars and close lids.  You can either place jars in the fridge, or you can leave them in the cupboard.  If you decide to place it in the fridge the spread will harden some, if you leave in cupboard it will remain softer.  I’ve had mine in the cupboard for over 2 weeks and it’s still perfect.

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Recipes

Gluten Free Hazelnut Brownies

Oh chocolate how I love thee! Add hazelnuts into the mix, turn it all into a brownie, and gluten free one at that, and it’s a ménage à trois no one can resist.  This is a very quick and simple one bowl recipe.

Preheat your oven to 325F and butter an 8×8 pan.

Gluten Free Hazelnut Brownies (serves 8)

  • 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1/3 cup all purpose GLUTEN FREE flour
  • 1 cup unsalted and roasted hazelnuts, chopped

 

In a large microwave safe bowl melt the butter and chocolate chips(microwave for approx. 40 seconds and stir.) Let mixture cool for about 5 minutes.  Add the sugar and whisk, mixture will be grainy.  Add eggs one at a time and whisk well after each egg.  Add vanilla extract, salt and flour. Whisk until well incorporated.  Fold in the chopped hazelnuts. Pour mixture into the pan, top with whole hazelnuts if you please and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Enjoy!

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