Chocolate-Hazelnut Mug Cake

A large part of the reason I tested out so few recipes last month was because I was working away on my next novel (if you're curious, you can see my work here). In fact, I've already finished a rough draft. However, all that non-stop typing has aggravated my carpel tunnel something fierce. In order to give my poor hands and wrists a break and get away from the computer, I decided to spend a day in the kitchen. Not that baking is necessarily great for the hands and wrists either, but it's better than typing and surfing the net. For whatever reason, I decided I wanted to make mug cakes. So for the next week, I'm going to share a mug cake recipe with you each day.

S.L.U.T.S: Southern Ladies Under Tremendous Stress.

What is a mug cake? It is a single serving-size cake made in a coffee mug and baked inside your microwave. Yes, you can really bake a cake inside your microwave in three minutes or less. (You can also make a chocolate chip cookie, potato chips, and zucchini chips in your microwave). They are perfect for kids, college students (I would have killed to know about these tasty desserts when I was in college), and a late night sweet tooth.

I will begin the week with a chocolate-hazelnut cake from here. Normally, I like to use my own homemade chocolate-hazelnut spread, but I had smeared the last of it on my morning banana. Thankfully, while out running errands with Eric, we discovered that Jif now makes a chocolate-hazelnut spread. It's delicious and cheaper than Nutella. (I still like mine the best though).

Ingredients:
1 egg
4 tablespoons self-rising flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons chocolate-hazelnut spread.
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions: 
Mix all the ingredients together in a large coffee mug. It is very important that you use a large coffee mug. I didn't and this was the result:

At least it still tastes delicious.

With a fork, whisk the ingredients until they are well combined and the batter is smooth. With the microwave set on high, cook for 1.5 to 3 minutes. Keep in mind that all microwaves cook differently. Mine cooked in 2 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool. Eat in the mug or pour the cake out on a plate. While I think the cake is plenty sweet enough on its own, you could add frosting, cool whip, or even ice cream to the cake.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Mug Cake Sample Platter

Also Check Out:
Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug
Fluffernutter Mug Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Gluten-Free Mug Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mug Cake
Pumpkin Mug Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Going Bananas: Diary-Free Ice Cream and Pudding

If you're on Pinterest at all, you've probably seen ice cream made from frozen bananas. I was floored by just how creamy and diary-like the ice cream came out. And the slightly over-ripe bananas give it the perfect sweet taste. I've spent a good portion of the summer coming up with different flavor combinations for this icy treat. The banana-based ice cream has been a hit with Eric (his favorite is the chocolate peanut butter, mine is the almond) and both our families. Impatient to taste my creations, I've also discovered that if you don't freeze it, it makes a delicious pudding!

Basic Recipe:
Makes about a pint

Ingredients:
4 slightly over-ripe bananas; peeled, cut into coins and frozen solid (I've found leaving them overnight yields the best results)

Directions:

Place the frozen banana pieces into a food processors and blend. At first the bananas will resemble little pieces of gravel, but if you keep on blending, they turn into a thick, creamy mixture that resembles soft serve ice cream.

This is how it starts out . . .

. . . and this is how it turns out.

At this point you can eat it as banana pudding. Or put it in the freeze for 4 or 5 hours and have banana ice cream. Or you can create flavors by adding other ingredients to the food processor. You don't ever get rid of the banana flavor all together, but it does become more subtle.

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
4 bananas
3 tablespoons peanut butter

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
4 bananas
3 tablespoons of peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

Chocolate-Hazelnut Banana Ice Cream
4 bananas
4 tablespoons home chocolate-hazelnut spread or Nutella

Vanilla Banana Ice Cream
4 bananas
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Caramel Banana Ice Cream
4 bananas
4 tablespoons caramel sauce

Almond Banana Ice Cream
4 bananas
3 tablespoons almond butter

Sadly, I haven't been able to create a good chocolate banana ice cream. To get the chocolate flavor I'm after, I have to add a lot of the cocoa powder, but then the bitterness of the cocoa powder overrides the sweetness of the bananas, and I can't stand what that much powder does to the texture of the ice cream (I've also been experimenting with a chocolate avocado pudding and the cocoa powder is throwing me off there, too).  The next time I make banana ice cream, I think I want to use 2 or 3 tablespoons hot fudge sauce or chocolate syrup. Not as healthy, but it's ice cream, it's supposed to be a treat.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

White Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Pie

White chocolate. Semi-sweet chocolate. Hazelnut chocolate. You would think so much chocolate would make an ultra treacly, heavy dessert. Not so. This is a great light, airy dessert for summer. I started with Giada De Laurentiis's white chocolate hazelnut tartlet recipe and transformed it into a pie recipe.

Ingredients:
1 9-inch prepared pie crust*
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
2/3 cup homemade chocolate-hazelnut spread (or Nutella)
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, garnish

Directions:
In a small saucepan, heat the white chocolate and 1/4 cup cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir continually until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat, pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool to barely lukewarm. Do not put it in the fridge to hurry along the process. I made this mistake; it makes the next step difficult. 

In another large bowl, beat the remaining 1 1/4 cup cream into medium-firm peaks with a hand mixer. Fold the whipped cream into the cooled white chocolate. Cover and place in the refrigerator until cold, approximately an hour.

Spread the chocolate-hazelnut on the bottom of your cooled pie crust. Pour the white chocolate cream on top. Garnish by sprinkling the mini chocolate chips on top.

*For the pie crust I used Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust and prepared it according to package directions. I usually make my pastry from scratch. You could also use a graham cracker crust.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Chocolate-Hazelnut Ravioli

I've already shared the homemade pizza roll and cream cheese rangoon recipes with you. Finally, here is the dessert appetizer, the chocolate-hazelnut ravioli. I would tell you that these were my favorite, but all these wonton appetizers were so good, I couldn't choose a favorite.

The chocolate-hazelnut ravioli recipe is an adaption of Giada Laurentiis's chocolate-hazelnut ravioli.

Ingredients:
16 wonton wrappers
1/3 cup homemade chocolate-hazelnut spread or Nutella
cooking spray
water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with the cooking spray and set aside.

Place about a teaspoon of the chocolate hazelnut spread in the center of the wonton wrapper. Brush the edges of the wrapper with water, fold the wrapper over diagonally, and press the edges together to seal. Place on the cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the wontons.

Spray the tops of the ravioli with cooking spray and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until the ravioli begin to turn a golden brown.

Allow to cool and enjoy!

Chocolate-hazelnut ravioli, cream cheese ragoons, and homemade pizza rolls

~Krissy

Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread

I would love to tell you that this homemade chocolate-hazelnut spread taste just like Nutella, but it's been so many years since I've had the Italian chocolate-hazelnut spread (it's a bit out of my budget), that I can't clearly remember what it tastes like. However, I can tell you that I will no longer leer lustfully at it in the grocery store because this chocolate-hazelnut spread is amazing! (And so much cheaper!) Now I can finally begin trying all those recipes that call for Nutella.

This recipe comes from Food.com with some minor variations.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hazelnuts with skins
1 cup sweetened condense milk
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)
4 tablespoon honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the hazelnuts out in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 10 to 12 minutes. The skins will turn black. Allow the hazelnuts cool then rub the skins off using your hands or a dishtowel.

Place the hazelnuts in a food processor and process until the nuts liquify, occasionally scraping down the sides with a spatula. It takes between 5 and 8 minutes for the hazelnuts to liquify.

In a heat proof bow, combine the condensed milk, chocolate chips, and honey. Microwave the mixture at 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is well combined.

Add the chocolate mixture to the food processor with the liquified hazelnuts. Process until the mixture is smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. 

Store in an airtight container, such as a canning jar, and keep refrigerated.

Enjoy!

~Krissy