Month: November 2014

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

In my house, we never call these chocolate chip pancakes. We call them jockstrap pancakes. Why jockstrap pancakes you may ask? It is not a secret that I am the world’s worst texter. Seriously, my finger accidentally may touch the letter next to the letter that I need AND I press enter way to fast. So one day, I texted my husband asking him what he wanted for dinner. When he could not decide, I started typing in some ideas. Chocolate chip turned into jockstrap. I have no idea where this came from auto correct, but it has took.   These pancakes are on the table within 20 minutes and are very yummy.   Feel free to add whatever add-in you prefer instead of chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Slightly Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
3 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp white sugar
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg, room temperature
1 ¼ buttermilk
1 cup chocolate chips
Butter for griddle

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Whisk in melted butter, egg, and buttermilk, until combined. Do not over mix this batter. Mix in chocolate chips in. Pre heat a large griddle over medium-high heat. Place a little butter to oil up the griddle. Pour about ¼ cup of the batter onto the hot skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on the pancake, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden, for another minute or two.

Nut-Free Granola

Sometimes plain yogurt just does not do it for me. I need to mix it up with something. Most granola in the supermarket have either shredded coconut or abundance of nuts, again something I don’t like. A good granola is like finding a good wine that you want to keep going back to. This granola has large clumps that allow crunch to occur while you are eating yogurt. It is so easy to make it, that it may become part of your breakfast/snack rotation.

Nut Free Granola
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Cookbook and Melissa d’Arabian

Makes – at least 4 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup wheat bran
1/3 cup flax seed
1 cup rice krispies or puffed wheat cereal
¾ cup steel cut oatmeal
2 tbsp. melted butter
½ cup maple syrup
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon
2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 300F. Combine old fashioned oats, wheat bran, flax seed, cereal, and steel cut oatmeal, salt and cinnamon. Add melted butter, maple syrup, and egg whites. Lay flat on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Cook for 45 to 55 minutes. When dry to the touch, take out of the oven. Allow to cool for 5-8 minutes. Break up the granola into clumps. Store in an airtight container.

Mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

After a few weeks of weather going from summer like temperatures to winter temperatures, we have finally settled on fall.   Every time I think of fall I think of apples and pumpkins. I am definitely not the person who loves pumpkin everything. However, pumpkin items here and there are okay, especially with chocolate. I do not think there is anything that I wouldn’t pair with chocolate, except maybe peanut butter. I will save my hatred for peanut butter to another post.

These mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are so easy to make. It does not even require a mixer. I used a fork, spatula, and a large bowl. These can be easily whipped up for when company decides to come over for brunch or a football game.

Mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
Adapted from Food.com
Makes about 48 mini muffins

Ingredients:

4 eggs
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
¼ cup Greek yogurt
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. all spice
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
10- 12 oz dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400F. Place paper liners into mini muffin tins. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, and salt.   In a large bowl, mix/beat eggs, sugars, vanilla extract, pumpkin, oil, and Greek yogurt. Mix the contents of the small bowl into the large bowl. Mix only until combined. There may be streaks left if you over stir. Pour chocolate chips into the mixture, again three to five strokes, max. Using a cookie scoop (medium), scoop mixture and place one scoop into each cavity. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes. Take muffins out of tin and place each mini-muffin on a cooling rack.