Choco Cream Puffs

My kids are crazy about Chocolate Cream Puffs.  I was afraid to to do cream puffs before because I thought they were difficult to make.  I was wrong though because when I saw the recipe from the Cooking Channel, I told myself this is something I can do.

For the Cream Puffs you will need:

• 1 cup 2% milk (you can also use skim or whole milk, but it will effect the flavor and crispness of your cream puff.)
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt1
  
• 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 4 extra large eggs, whisked together in a small bowl

For the Ganache and glaze, you will need:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 16 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 cup raspberry preserves

Directions:

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Ginger-Pear Muffin

Stay limber with pears.  The fruit’s copper boosts the production of lysyl oxidase, an enzyme proven to preserve joint strength and elasticity.

photo credit:  food.com

For this recipe, you will need:

• 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. each sea salt and nutmeg
• 2 tbsp. chopped candied ginger
• 3/4 cup each skim milk and sucanat (or brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 cup pears, peeled and chopped

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°F.  Line 12-well muffin pan with paper liners.  in bowl, blend first 6 ingredients.  In separate bowl, whisk together milk,sucanat, oil and egg.  Stir in flour mixture.  Add pears.  Divide batter evenly among wells of prepared pan.  Bake 2o minutes, or until toothpick inserted in muffins comes out clean.

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Cinnamon Rolls

I got this recipe from simplyrecipes.com.  It was so good and easy to make you should be careful when you make this because people would definitely ask you for more.

For the dough you will need:

• 1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
• 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest
• 1 1/4 teaspoon. salt
• 4 to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

For the filling you will need:

• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

For the topping you will need:

• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans (I used cashew and I added raisins)

Directions:

1)  Make the dough. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine warm water, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Here’s a good photo and description of what the yeast should look like after several minutes.

Add milk, butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups flour. Mix on low speed until blended. Switch to a dough hook and then, again on low speed, slowly incorporate the remaining 1 cup of flour. Increase speed to medium, kneading dough until smooth and slightly sticky (adding a little more flour if too wet), 3 to 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large, buttered bowl. Turn dough over in bowl to coat with the butter from the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour (or 2 hours if not in an entirely warm place). After the dough has risen, punch down. Turn out onto a lightly floured cutting board and let sit 20 minutes.

2)  Make the filling. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt butter; keep separate.

3)  Roll dough out into a 12″ x 18″ rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Starting with the long side, roll dough into a cylinder. Place seam side down on a flat surface and cut crosswise into 15 slices.

4)  Make the topping. In a 1-quart saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, honey and corn syrup over low heat; stir until sugar and butter are melted. Pour mixture into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan and sprinkle pecans on top.

5)  Place dough slices, flat side down, on top of prepared topping. Crowd them so they touch. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving room for the buns to rise, and refrigerate overnight.

6)  Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while the oven pre-heats. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake buns until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven and immediately (and carefully as not to spill hot topping on your toes!) invert onto a serving tray or baking dish. Let buns cool slightly and serve warm.

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Triple Chocolate Sensation

Want to stay sharp?  Then enjoy dark chocolate.  The yummy treat contains epicatechin, an antioxidant thought to protect the brain against the amyloid plaques that are known to lead to Alzheimer’s.

For this recipe you will need:

• 1 box (1.3 oz.) fat free, sugar free cook and serve chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups chocolate skim milk
• 2 oz. chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup fat-free whipped topping

Directions:

In medium sauce pan over medium heat, bring chocolate pudding mix and chocolate skim milk to a boil, stirring constantly.  remove from heat.  Add chopped chocolate; stir until chocolate is melted.  Divide pudding mixture evenly among 4 serving bowls; cover with plastic wrap.  Chill 1 hour, or until set.  Top each glass with whipped topping.  Garnish each glass with chocolate shavings, if desired.

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Chewy Granola Bars

Sharpen recall with sunflower seeds.  The thiamine found in the nuts aids the synthesis of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is essential for retaining information.

For this recipe you will need:

• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, toasted
• 1 cup sliced or whole almonds, toasted

Heat oven to 350°F.  In bowl, whisk together first five ingredients.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Press mixture into greased foil-lined 9″ square baking pan.  Bake 20 minutes.  Let cool completely.  Cut in to squares or bars.

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