Dessert: Heavenly Chocolate Coconut Truffles

I have never made truffles before. These turned out delicious! And they were simple and quick to make. They aren't traditional truffles, but they taste so similar (perhaps even better) that I am calling them truffles. Besides Chocolate Nut Balls (as listed in the cookbook) doesn`t have the same ring to it!  I have to make desserts for a Tea Party Wedding Shower coming up and these might get added to the already extensive list. I got the recipe from an 1980s Better Homes Cookbook and changed it slightly. The recipe called for all semi-sweet chocolate, but I didnt have enough chocolate chips and everyone likes milk chocolate better anyways! So I adapted and no one knew the difference. These are seriously heaven rolled in chocolate, mixed with peanuts, and dipped in coconut! Yum...

Recipe:

Yields approx. 18


1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup milk chocolate
2 tbsp. butter
1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Dash salt
1/2 cup coconut, fine
1/2 cup peanuts, finely chopped

Extra Coconut (for coating)

Directions:

1. Combine chocolate and butter into a saucepan. Melt the ingredients on low until smooth. Stir constantly to keep chocolate from burning. Remove from heat.

2. Beat egg directly into chocolate mixture. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon.

3. Add coconut and peanuts to the mixture. Refrigerate for one hour or until completely cooled.

4. Scoop out mixture and roll into 1-inch balls with hands. Note: Work quickly because heat from hands will melt the chocolate. Place onto a sheet of parchment.

5. Pour coconut onto a plate. Roll balls in extra coconut. Place on parchment and refrigerate for another hour until firm.

~ Enjoy! ~

Happy Valentine's Day Cupcakes

I made these Valentine's Day cupcakes for a charity event my aunt was putting on. It was a great cause so I was glad to help. These are chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. They are topped with a variety of Valentine's Day candy. I picked up the adorable boxes at Dollarama (it's all about presentation!). Here are some photos:

Horrible Cupcakes: Light Angel Food Cupcakes with Meringue Icing

Sometimes you have to blog the good, the bad, and the ugly!

 

 

 

So I started back on Weight Watchers last week. It is always torture for me to diet. Especially when I am a cupcake creator, pastry perfectionist, cake connoisseur, and dessert diva. Its killing me slowly, but Weight Watchers works and I can attest to it after losing 25lbs last year on the program. Lately, I have been slipping back into my bad habits though I haven't seen any weight gain because of my workouts. But I know that just because it doesn't show on the outside, it will catch up to me on the inside. So with a vacation in five weeks and standing up in a wedding in a few months, I decided to get back on track.

So why am I making these cupcakes? Well these cupcakes are 3 points on the Weight Watchers' program. Now before I begin my rant, it should be noted that this isn't a Weight Watchers' recipe nor will I list the site that I got the recipe from. So tip of the day: if a cupcake with icing is only 3 points, it is absolutely too good to be true! These cupcakes were horrible! And such a disappointment since I was looking forward to them all week. I was trying to make the situation better by not depriving myself of dessert, but now I'm hesitant to try another low point recipe. I knew that they wouldn't be as good as cupcakes filled with heavy cream and loads of sugar, but these were not even a little tasty! I can't describe the smell. Well I can describe it, but it would be slightly childish! Even my mother, who is a big fan of meringue, couldn't finish her cupcake. However, my dog loved them and was disappointed to see so many go into the garbage. So readers beware and try at your own risk!

 

At least the pictures turned out pretty :)

 

 

Cake Recipe:

 

Yields 16 cupcakes

 

1/2 cup icing sugar

2/3 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

8 egg whites from large eggs

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar

 

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

 

2. Mix icing sugar, flour, and salt in a medium bowl.

 

3. Blend egg whites, water, vanilla, and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until foamy. Add sugar slowly to the foamy mixture. Beat for 3-5 minutes on high speed.

 

4. Add dry ingredients to the foamy mixture. Fold together with a wooden spoon.

 

5. Scoop batter into the cupcake liners. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Icing Recipe:

 

2 egg whites from large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

pink food colouring

 

(I doubled the recipe to top all the cupcakes)

 

Directions:

 

1. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a sauce pan. Boil for 5-8 minutes.

 

2. While boiling the sugar, beat egg whites and vanilla in a bowl until foamy. Once the boiled sugar is ready, slowly pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites. Continue to beat with mixer.

 

3. Add salt and food colouring and beat until colour is even. Fill piping bag and frost cupcakes.

 

 

1 cupcake without icing - 87 calories or 2 points

 

1 cupcake with icing - 122 calories or 3 points

 

 

Short Stories: Sherlock Holmes

Book: The Five Orange Pips & Other Cases
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: Penguin English Library
Edition Year: 2012


I have been trying to catch up on my classic literature. Perhaps not so much on the classics, but "Must Reads." I was introduced to a few Sherlock Holmes stories last year during a short stories class. I originally wasn't thrilled by the selection because I am not a fan of the mystery genre. Doyle's stories, however aren't quite like the mysteries we read today. He spins very original and well-written tales of Holmes' work as a detective that are seen through the eyes of his trusted colleague, Dr. Watson. Like Watson, the reader isn't always aware of Holmes' thoughts and therefore he has to spill out his full conclusion at the end of the story.

Like Watson, Doyle's profession was as a medical doctor. He was born in 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He also wrote historical and political pamphlets, but it was the creation of the scientific detective that made him famous. After killing off Holmes in The Adventure of the Final Problem, he was forced to resurrect him due to popular demand.

The Holmes' stories were split into four main collections:

The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes (1892)

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894)

The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905)

His Last Bow (1917)

The twelve stories chosen for this edition were taken from a competition by The Strand Magazine (who originally printed the series) in 1927 asking fans to guess Doyle's favourite stories. Doyle was then asked to list his twelve favourite and to state his reasons. These were some of my favourites from his picks:

1. The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The Speckled Band is a story about a young girl named Helen Stoner who seeks out Holmes after her sister's death. Though she died a few years prior, sudden events have made Helen suspicious of her stepfather. Her stepfather is a doctor with a passion for Indian culture. Having exotic animals roaming the grounds, Dr. Roylett is unpredictable and has a wild temper. Helen has recently become engaged (just as her sister was) and similar and strange events during the night have been occurring, which have her fearing for her life. With a steady income being lost with the engagement of his stepdaughter, Holmes suspects Dr. Roylett is trying to keep Helen's funds secure. Holmes and Watson set out to solve the case, but no one can predict what the doctor is planning except for Holmes.


2. The Adventure of the Red-Headed League

The story begins with a pawnbroker, Jabez Wilson seeking Holmes advice after being tricked out of a job. After his assistant pointed out an ad for an opening in the very exclusive and unknown group called the Red-Headed League, Wilson gets hired to copy out the Encyclopedia. After a few weeks, the League suddenly closes and leaves Wilson out of money. Upset, he seeks council from Holmes on how to find the man who owes him money. Holmes (and the reader) quickly realizes the league was fake to get the red-headed pawnbroker out of his home. Holmes and Watson begin to investigate why the assistant would want him out of the shop.

3. The Adventure of the Devil's Foot

Holmes and Watson are on vacation because of Holmes' poor health and they soon find themselves helping in a major investigation. After playing cards with his siblings, Mortimer Tregennis comes calling the next morning to ask Holmes for help. His sister is dead and his two brothers are being sent to an insane asylum after being found in the same position as the previous night. This investigation involves a mysterious drug, a doctor from Africa, and a unresolved family conflict. Holmes halts his vacation to investigate.

Dessert: Cream Puffs

It was a very boring afternoon around the house so I decided to make cream puffs. The best part about cream puffs is that I had all the ingredients to make them around the house. No trip to the grocery store required.

I did almost give up on this dessert though. The recipe that I followed was very vague and it took me two attempts before I realized my mistake. A lot of ingredients were wasted to say the least. So I will try to explain the best I can so it doesn't happen to you.

Recipe:

Yields 12 medium puffs

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. icing sugar

 

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Bring the water to a boil. Add butter and stir until completely melted. Bring the mixture back up to a boil.

3. Add flour and salt to the saucepan. Mix until dough is formed (this will happen quickly). Remove from heat and add one egg at a time to the dough.

4. Roll dough into balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and slice the puffs in half. Turn off the oven and place the puffs into the cooling oven for another 20 minutes (this will allow the pastries to crisp).

5. For the cream, pour instant pudding mix, heavy cream, milk, and icing sugar into a bowl. Mix with a beater on high. NOTE: Do NOT actually make instant pudding package or you will have a big, watery mess.

6. Once the puffs are cooled, pipe cream onto pastry bottoms. Replace the pastry top onto the cream. Powder tops with extra icing sugar.


~ Enjoy! ~

Coral Rose Petal Cupcakes

 

 

 

 

 

These cupcakes were made for a 60th birthday. They are fabulous, elegant, and classy! These are a great change from your typical birthday decorations. They could also be used for showers or weddings. These are made from rose petals, but there are a few types of flowers that are also edible. Your guests will think you went to a lot of trouble creating these cupcakes, but truthfully, they are easier than making rose petals from sugar or gum paste.

Recipe:

Yields 14 large cupcakes

2 eggs
1/2 cup water or milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 French Vanilla cake mix

Toppings:

Buttercream Icing

Roses
Egg Whites
Sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix eggs, oil, water, sour cream, and the box mix. Pour into large cupcake papers.

3. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

4. Remove rose petals from stems and spread out flat onto a cutting board. Using a brush, coat the petals with egg whites and sprinkle sugar generously. Allow the petals to dry and harden for at least an hour.

5. Use your choice of buttercream icing to top cupcakes. Pipe icing using a 1M tip. Optional: Use a few drops of dye for colour.

6. Stick three petals into each cupcake (The rule of three: Everything looks better in design in groups of three!).

 

 

 

Dessert: Classic Cherry Cheesecake

 

I really enjoy cheesecake. I made this Classic Cherry Cheesecake on the weekend for brother's birthday party. It is quite simple. I have always liked cherry cheesecakes the best. Whenever I travel to big cities in the States, I usually stop at the Cheesecake Factory. They have so many different varieties. Chocolate. Peanut Butter. Fruit. Cookies. Caramel. And so many more. But I always choose Cherry Cheesecake. Why mess with a good thing?

Recipe:

1 1/2 cup Honey Maid Graham Cracker Crumbs
3 tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

4 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

1 can of cherries

Adapted from: Kraft Recipes


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Mix graham crumbs, 3 tbsp. of sugar, and butter. Press mixture into a springform pan.

3. Beat cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and vanilla. Add each egg one at a time. Pour mixture over crust.

4. Bake in the oven for 55 minutes. Loosen cake from the rim of the pan. Allow the cake to cool before removing the rim. Refrigerate for four hours.

5. Top with canned cherries just before serving. Option: Add fresh fruit instead!

~ Enjoy ~