Hot Chocolate...Before it's too late!

I don't know what the weather's been like in your neck of the woods (or desert or island or wherever you're joining us from), but it's been unseasonably warm where we live. Before we start craving freshly squeezed lemonade and popsicles, I wanted to get this recipe for hot chocolate in. This is Linda's favorite hot drink for chilly evenings when she's wanting a treat. She says, "Use the best dark chocolate you can afford."


Ingredients:

1 oz. (25 gm) dark chocolate broken into pieces

A pinch of grated nutmeg

7 fl oz (200 ml) milk

Sugar to taste,

1 Tbsp. heavy cream, whipped

grated chocolate and cinnamon

To Make:

1. Place the chocolate, nutmeg, milk and sugar to taste in a saucepan. Heat gently and stir until the chocolate melts. Do not boil.

2. Serve with whipped cream and the grated chocolate on top. Enjoy!

Submitted by Linda @ Penny-wise

Butterfly Cakes and Two Yummy Icings

This is the recipe I like to make most often from scratch for little cakes to go with tea or at any time. This is a recipe my mother and I used to make all the time–it is British so the measurements are in ounces. You will need a measuring scale or convert to US measurements. 

Butterfly Cakes

Ingredients:

6 oz. self-rising flour

1 rounded tsp. baking powder

3 large eggs, room temperature

6 oz. caster sugar (fine baking sugar)

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Strawberry preserves, if desired 

Cream margarine and sugar until fluffy and light in your mixer or beat thoroughly by hand. Beat in eggs one at a time, adding a little flour with each. Baking powder should be mixed with the flour. Mix until well blended.

Use paper cases and half fill with the mixture.

Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until firm. Remove from oven and cool.

When completely cooled, cut a slice from the top of the cake and cut this piece in half.  Place a small amount of preserves  and a little butter cream, or fresh cream in the hollow and arrange “wings” on top. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

NOTE:  This recipe also make a great sponge cake, known in England as a Victoria Sandwich Cake.

I prefer to use fresh whipped cream in my cakes, and I only assemble what I know we will eat. The rest of the cakes I freeze intact and assemble when I need them. This recipe freezes well. In case you don’t wish to use fresh cream here are two recipes for filling.  I am not overly fond of super-sweet, rich fillings, but it you enjoy them for a treat, then these should do the trick.

Butter Cream

1 oz. butter

2 oz. icing sugar

Mix together until creamy, adjust sugar to your own personal taste. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 lb. cream cheese, room temperature

¾ lb. butter, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ lbs confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Blend together cream cheese, butter and vanilla, add the sugar and mix until smooth.

Written and submitted by Linda @ Penny-wise

Flour-less Peanut Butter Cookies

Gem says, "You won't believe how these turn out! So good--you won't miss the flour a bit!"

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup peanut butter

Cream egg and sugar, stir in baking soda, fold in peanut butter.

Divide into 36 balls (OK - here is how I do this, form dough into a log, divide into thirds, divide each third in half, pat out each half into rectangle and cut into six pieces.  You get evenly sized cookies which cook evenly and look nice.)

Place on cookie sheet and press down with a fork. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Submitted by Gem

G-free Cake Donuts

We have been happily inundated with gluten-free recipes! Apparently many of our readers have this dietary restriction, so we are happy to share with our online community. Making your own gluten-free meals and baked goods is penny-wise in itself because the packaged stuff is generally very expensive.

Gluten-free Cake Donuts

Ingredients:

1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)

2 Tbsp. hazelnut or almond flour (or sub more sorghum flour)

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder (make sure it's gluten free)

1/2 tsp. baking soda (make sure it's gluten free)

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Additional Ingredients:

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup sour cream (or yogurt) 

1/4 cup milk (rice, soy or nut)

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add shortening, by spoonfuls. Use whisk attachment (if using a KitchenAid-type mixer) or cut in with a pastry cutter. Add sour cream, milk, egg, and vanilla. Mix until dough forms a smooth and pliable ball. It should be slightly sticky.

Divide dough into 12 sections and roll each into a golfball-sized ball. Using your palms, gently roll the dough into a log shape and carefully continue rolling into a cigar shape, about 4-5 inches long.

Drape dough into the well of donut pan and slightly overlap the ends. Using oily fingers, smooth out the donut dough evenly.

Bake 15 minutes. Add confectioner's sugar to top when cooled.

Carrie says, "These donuts were a HUGE hit in our home. Easy to make and very very yummy! I hope you all enjoy them!"

Submitted by Carrie

Eagle Brand, Anyone?

Eagle Brand and other makers of sweetened condensed milk are mighty proud of their product. One little six-ounce can can cost well over $2.50, depending on the brand. Here, another penny-wise woman gives us her recipe for do-it-yourself sweetened condensed milk.

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered skim milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Measure all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Use less sugar if you prefer less sweetness. Use in any recipe calling for sweetened condensed milk. Recipe makes the equivalent of one can.

Submitted by Gail R.

Becky's Chocolate Sauce

I first had this sauce several years ago, when my husband's mother made it to top a hot, yellow cake. I was immediately in love! Ever since, this chocolate sauce, served warm over a simple, yellow cake, has been one of my favorite desserts.

Ingredients:

1 stick salted butter
2 cups sugar
5 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine the first five ingredients in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Boil two minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla and serve. Refrigerate to store. Reheat on the stove, stirring constantly. Keeps well for 3-5 days.

Consider using this sauce to top white cake and angel food cake, as well as a moist yellow cake. It could also be used for a chocolate fondue. Set it out in a bowl alongside a tray of fresh strawberries, pineapple, marshmallows, and pretzels. Use toothpicks or small bamboo skewers, and let your guests go at it! You're sure to love this easy chocolate sauce!

Written and submitted by Lindsey @ Penny-wise

Sprouted Grain Doughnuts with Coconut Vanilla Glaze

Adapted from the Ladies’ Home Journal Cookbook, published in 1960.   Makes approximately 12 – 18 doughnuts.   Everyone deserves a treat, so enjoy.

Sprouted Grain Doughnuts: Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. unrefined sea salt
• ½ cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 packages dried yeast (2 Tbsp. of yeast)
• 4 cups sprouted flour 
• Coconut oil, peanut oil, pastured tallow or pastured lard for frying (I used peanut oil)
• 1 ecipe Coconut Vanilla Glaze (below) or glaze of choice

Sprouted Grain Doughnuts: Instructions

1. Warm milk, honey, salt and butter together.
2. Add yeast and wait five minutes for it to proof.
3. Mix liquid mixture with 1 beaten egg.
4. Add sprouted flour and knead thoroughly; add extra flour as needed to get right consistency.
5. Form into a ball and allow to rise until double in bulk. I prefer to allow mine to rise in my Excalibur dehydrator at 110 degrees for about 30-45 min.
6. Once the dough is doubled in bulk, roll it out with a rolling pin until ½-inch thick.
7. Cut with a doughnut cutter or other tool. You can use an inverted mason jar for the doughnut and an apple corer for the center. Be creative; use what you have on hand.
8. Heat a ½-inch to ¾-inch coconut oil or pastured lard in a cast iron skillet over a medium-high flame.
9. Fry doughnuts 3 – 4 at a time in the oil. They’ll puff up nearly immediately.
10. Turn when golden brown – a few seconds – and fry the other side.
11. Remove doughnuts, cool and drain.
12. Top with coconut vanilla glaze.

Coconut Vanilla Glaze: Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Coconut Vanilla Glaze: Instructions

1. Whip melted coconut oil, honey and vanilla together.
2. Keep warm and viscous, but not hot.
3. Pour over doughnuts

ENJOY!!


Written and submitted by Rachel

Healthier Pumpkin Bread

If your family is anything like mine, pumpkin muffins and bread aren't just reserved for fall. We LOVE pumpkin! Kids love pumpkin because, when paired with delicious spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, it's just plain good. I love pumpkin for the same reason, but also for its health benefits. Pumpkin is a good-for-us-food, packing more than just flavor into that orange body. Pumpkin (canned and fresh) is high in Vitamins C and E, Potassium, and Fiber; and pumpkin is a great plant source of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. Now that you know how good pumpkin is for you, try our friend Hope's recipe for muffins (or bread) with less sugar and fat!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
2 cups or 1 can pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream together butter and sugar and add in eggs. Mix dry ingredients into wet mixture until well-blended. Fold in pumpkin. Pour into 2 buttered loaf pans and bake for 1 hour. (If making muffins, cook time is lowered to 25-35 minutes.)

As always, feel free to experiment with different types of flour, substituting all or part of the sugar with honey or agave nectar or stevia, or simply doubling or tripling the recipe to share with friends and family.

Submitted by Hope; written by Lindsey

Hot Raspberry Dessert

Ingredients:

Raspberries, fresh

Sugar, to taste

Corn starch

Vanilla ice cream

Good quality chocolate sauce

Whipped cream - fresh is best

Place raspberries in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar to taste. Let them sit for a while to soak up the sugar stirring occasionally, try not to smash berries. I do not add water but if the juice does not seem enough you can add water to make more liquid. Let the mixture come to a slow boil. Once boiling slowly, dissolve 2 tsp. of cornstarch in a cup of water and add to mix. Simmer on low until juice begins to thicken, this should only take a little while, juice should be syrupy.

Put ice cream in individual bowls, and pour over the hot raspberries, add whipped cream and chocolate sauce if desired; garnish with a mint leaf and fresh raspberry. 

What a simple, refreshing dessert!

Submitted by Linda