Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

Last updated September 27, 2024

What has chocolate and oats in it, tastes like a cookie, but is sneakily nutritious for you?  These cookies!  Yay for things that taste good and are healthy simultaneously.  And don't forget fun to make!  So many wins, I want to make these all over again.  Instead, I shall have just as much fun writing out the recipe for you.

These cookies make an excellent on the go snack or breakfast. They’re easily gluten-free if you use certified GF oats, dairy-free (just make sure your chocolate chips don’t have any dairy hiding in them), and vegan if you use a flax or chia seed egg! See recipe notes for how to make a flax egg.

All of the sweetness in these cookies comes from dates and banana, with a boost from the chocolate chips.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Veggies Don't Bite

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Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups / 215g pitted dates (about 15 regular dates or 12 medjool)

• 1/4 cup / 60g almond milk (or milk of choice)

• 1/2 cup / 130g peanut butter

• 1 small / 80g very ripe banana, mashed

• 1 egg

• 1 1/2 tsp / 7g vanilla extract

• 1 cup / 80g rolled oats

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 cups / 340g semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup / 62g chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Prepare 1 or 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silpat.

1. In a food processor, blend dates until very finely chopped.  Slowly add milk and continue to blend until a smooth paste forms.  (Be careful adding the milk as it may splatter; food processors aren’t always splatter proof.) 

2. Add peanut butter, banana, egg, and vanilla to the date paste and mix well. 

3. In a separate bowl whisk together oats, baking soda, and salt.  Add to date mixture.

4. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans just until combined.  Refrigerate dough for 15 minutes. 

5. Drop by spoonful onto prepared cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes until edges start to turn lightly golden.  Allow cookies to cool and set a bit before removing from pan. 

Jenny's Notes:

• These can easily be made vegan, dairy and/or gluten-free: Make a flax egg instead of a normal egg by adding 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds to 3 Tbsp water, use vegan chocolate chips (usually this means just making sure there is no dairy), use certified GF oats and vanilla extract.  Voila!  Now anyone can eat these delicious morsels. 

Yield 30

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

15 Min

Cook time

15 Min

Inactive time

15 Min

Total time

45 Min

Print

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Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies loaded with oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and pecans are easily made vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free! Most of the sweetness comes from dates and banana.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups / 215g pitted dates (about 15 regular dates or 12 medjool)
• 1/4 cup / 60g almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/2 cup / 130g peanut butter
• 1 small / 80g very ripe banana, mashed
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp / 7g vanilla extract
• 1 cup / 80g rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups / 340g semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup / 62g chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Prepare 1 or 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silpat.
2. In a food processor, blend dates until very finely chopped. Slowly add milk and continue to blend until a smooth paste forms. (Be careful adding the milk as it may splatter; food processors aren’t always splatter proof.)
3. Add peanut butter, banana, egg, and vanilla to the date paste and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl whisk together oats, baking soda, and salt. Add to date mixture.
5. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans just until combined. Refrigerate dough for 15 minutes.
6. Drop by spoonful onto prepared cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes until edges start to turn lightly golden. Allow cookies to cool and set a bit before removing from pan.

Notes

These can easily be made vegan, dairy and/or gluten-free: Make a flax egg instead of a normal egg by adding 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds to 3 Tbsp water, use vegan chocolate chips (usually this means just making sure there is no dairy), use certified GF oats and vanilla extract.  Voila!  Now anyone can eat these delicious morsels. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories

130.36

Fat

7.42 g

Sat. Fat

2.64 g

Carbs

16.47 g

Fiber

2.03 g

Net carbs

14.43 g

Sugar

11.53 g

Protein

2.39 g

Sodium

84.40 mg

Cholesterol

6.20 mg

Nutritional information is approximate; based on 30 serving, includes pecans.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/6/28/healthy-chocolate-chip-banana-cookies

chunky monkey cookies, vegan, dairy free, gluten free, egg free, refined sugar free, chocolate chip banana cookies, healthy

dessert, cookies

American

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Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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Ciao from the Other Side!

Duomo di Milano

Buongiorno famiglia e gli amici/Hello family and friends!  

I am thrilled to be writing to you from across the pond, or as Adele would say, “Hello from the other siiiiiiIIIIiiidee!”  Thank you all for your prayers, all my flights and traveling were mostly uneventful and I had nice people to sit next to with beautiful British, Australian, and Italian accents.  

That's a door. Just stare at it for a while. The man in the photo is for size.

I flew into Milan on Tuesday afternoon, where Paul (Gallery 4 Italy Director) was kind enough to meet me and help get my luggage to Florence.  But first, we explored and saw the Duomo di Milano and the giant museum of a train station before we departed by train and travelled to Florence at 300kmh/186mph.  Wheeeee.

Took a bus to Iacopo Nardi 2 (my apartment) and reunited with Rachel!  She and her parents had dinner all ready and it was just wonderful.  I managed to stay awake for a bit before crashing into bed after being awake for a solid 32 hours.  I slept like a champion, although I did wake up once with a “where am I, who am I??” moment.  I don’t think I figured it out before I fell back asleep.  I’m Jane Doe in a comfy bed and I don’t care, lalalala!

So what will this summer hold?
    •    Settling in.  That might be a bit obvious, but just reacquainting myself with the flow of the culture here, brushing up on my rusty Italian and continuing to learn, and finding a natural rhythm of life.  
    •    Apartment hunting.  I’ll be moving in with Silvia and Vanessa, two art students, when I come back in October.  They started a search, and now I will continue as they just went home for the summer.
    •    Searching for a Gallery space.  Paul had placed a bid on a beautiful space in a great neighborhood, but it fell through.  So the hunt continues, there are still a few top runners, and we just have to be patient and continue to trust that the Lord will provide what He wants us to have when He wants us to have it.  
    •    Our first Gallery opening in July, in about a month!  We really hope to have a space by then, but if not we can always rent a space temporarily.  

A pretty vine-covered building

The four points above are all things you can be praying for.  You can also pray that the Lord would provide both a language tandem partner for me, someone who I can meet with and help with their English and they help me with my Italian, and a culture mentor, someone who will help me with understanding and operating in the Italian culture.  Googling "How to act like an Italian" will only get you so far...

If there is anything I can be praying for you specifically, shoot me an email, I would love to be able to!

Side note: the wifi is out at my apartment for the time being, but I reactivated my Italian phone number and have data and such on that where you can reach me. 

IPA Pretzel Bread

Last Updated September 27, 2024

This post was written from the London Heathrow Airport!

Bread is delicious. #FACT.

Then when you make pretzel bread and add beer to it, it becomes extra delicious. #FACTZ. And that’s exactly what this bread is, boiled beer bread.

Pretzel bread is made simply by boiling bread dough in baking soda water. This particular recipe adds a bit of beer to the boiling water, because if you’re going to make beer bread, you might as well go all out!

Beer in baking

Beer can be added to all kinds of desserts from cookies and brownies to cakes and breads, even caramels and candies! It creates tender baked goods, can help raise, and of course, adds wonderful flavor notes. One of the beauties of baking with beer (and wine!) is choosing from all the different varieties, as each will lend its own unique flavor.

If you’re new to baking with beer, you’ll probably want to start with the recipe’s suggested beer, an Indian Pale Ale if you decide to make this bread. Once you start to get an idea of how beer acts and tastes in recipes, you can begin to branch out and try your favorite beers to find matches with different baked goods. For example, stouts (think Guinness) are lovely in chocolate cake. A staple of a bakery I worked in was a Chocolate Guinness Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Actually, the photos of the bread you see in this post are made with an American Pale Ale from Short’s Brewery, not an Indian Pale Ale. But they’re similar, I don’t know I’d notice the difference between breads made with an IPA or an APA. Just stay away from light beers, those are watery and not good for baking.

If you don’t like beer, chances are you will still like desserts and breads made with beer. Most of the alcohol gets baked out as well, so if it’s more the alcohol you avoid that can be reassuring. However, you’ll probably want to make your own informed choice on that as there will still be trace amounts of alcohol even after baking/cooking. :)

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Little Market Kitchen

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IPA Pretzel Bread

Makes two loaves

Ingredients:

    •    1/2 cup / 119g warm water (about 105-110 Fahrenheit)
    •    2 1/4 tsp / 7g active dry yeast
    •    1 1/2 cups (12 oz) / 356g IPA or beer of choice, room temperature, divided into 1 cup and 1/2 cup
    •    4 cups / 480g bread flour or all-purpose flour
    •    1 Tbsp / 13g sugar
    •    1 tsp / 5g salt
    •    3 Tbsp / 42g oil
    •    10 cups / 2,370g water
    •    1/2 cup / 110g baking soda
    •    1 egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp / 15g water
    •    coarse or flaked salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

Oven preheated to 425°F / 218°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.

1. Pour warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl.  Sprinkle yeast over the water and let sit for about 10 minutes, or until bubbly and frothy.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. 

3. Once the yeast is active, add the flour mixture, then the oil, then 1 cup / 237g of the beer.  Mix in a stand mixer with dough hook or knead by hand until a soft, but not sticky, dough forms, about 10 minutes.  If it's too soft, add more flour, or if it's too dry/stiff, you can steal a bit of beer from the reserved 1/2 cup / 119g. 

4. Give the dough a few kneads by hand if a stand mixer was used and place in a large lightly oiled bowl. Flip dough once so both sides are oily. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  

5. In a large pot, combine water, remaining 1/2 cup / 119g beer, and baking soda.  Bring to a boil. 

6. Once bread has doubled in size, punch down and divide in half.  Shape each half into a round loaf. 

7. Working with one loaf at a time, lower into the boiling water using a large sieve or spatula, boil for 30 seconds and flip in the water once.  Remove and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with second loaf. 

8. Brush the loaves with the egg yolk and water mixture, sprinkle with salt. 

9. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes then place a piece of tinfoil on top to keep the bread from darkening too much.  Bake for an additional 3-8 minutes until a baking thermometer inserted near center reads at least 190°F / 88°C. 

10. Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!

Jenny’s Notes:

• If the dough is too soft when trying to create a round and it won’t hold its shape, add flour a bit at a time until it will.  Dough that relaxes a little bit out of shape is ok, just keep in mind that adding too much flour will create a dry bread. It’s about finding the balance between creating a soft dough yet strong enough to hold it’s shape. Properly kneaded dough is also important in a free form loaf holding its shape.

• This bread makes excellent toast. I think I say that about every bread recipe. Toast is so good.

Yield 16

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

35 Min

Cook time

28 Min

Inactive time

1 H & 10 M

Total time

2 H & 13 M

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IPA Pretzel Bread

Pretzel bread and beer bread combine in this flavorful bread made with India Pale Ale.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup / 119g warm water (about 105-110 Fahrenheit)
• 2 1/4 tsp / 7g active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) / 356g IPA or beer of choice, room temperature, divided into 1 cup and 1/2 cup
• 4 cups / 480g bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp / 13g sugar
• 1 tsp / 5g salt
• 3 Tbsp / 42g oil
• 10 cups / 2,370g water
• 1/2 cup / 110g baking soda
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp / 15g water
• coarse or flaked salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Oven preheated to 425°F / 218°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.
2. Pour warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water and let sit for about 10 minutes, or until bubbly and frothy.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
4. Once the yeast is active, add the flour mixture, then the oil, then 1 cup / 237g of the beer. Mix in a stand mixer with dough hook or knead by hand until a soft, but not sticky, dough forms, about 10 minutes. If it's too soft, add more flour, or if it's too dry/stiff, you can steal a bit of beer from the reserved 1/2 cup / 119g.
5. Give the dough a few kneads by hand if a stand mixer was used and place in a large lightly oiled bowl. Flip dough once so both sides are oily. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
6. In a large pot, combine water, remaining 1/2 cup / 119g beer, and baking soda. Bring to a boil.
7. Once bread has doubled in size, punch down and divide in half. Shape each half into a round loaf.
8. Working with one loaf at a time, lower into the boiling water using a large sieve or spatula, boil for 30 seconds and flip in the water once. Remove and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with second loaf.
9. Brush the loaves with the egg yolk and water mixture, sprinkle with salt.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes then place a piece of tinfoil on top to keep the bread from darkening too much. Bake for an additional 3-8 minutes until a baking thermometer inserted near center reads at least 190°F / 88°C.
11. Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!

Notes

If the dough is too soft when trying to create a round and it won’t hold its shape, add flour a bit at a time until it will.  Dough that relaxes a little bit out of shape is ok, just keep in mind that adding too much flour will create a dry bread. It’s about finding the balance between creating a soft dough yet strong enough to hold it’s shape. Properly kneaded dough is also important in a free form loaf holding its shape.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

149.06

Fat

3.44 g

Sat. Fat

0.35 g

Carbs

23.58 g

Fiber

0.84 g

Net carbs

22.74 g

Sugar

0.91 g

Protein

4.04 g

Sodium

2046.95 mg

Cholesterol

11.53 mg

Nutritional information is approximate; based on 1 slice, if each loaf yields 8 slices.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/6/21/58d8j1ja1anbng1616b01m81fe42bx

beer bread, pretzel bread, IPA bread, baking with beer,

bread

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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Getting Ready for Takeoff - 2 days

T ttt t tw two twooooo days????  Where has the time gone?  It feels like just yesterday I made the decision to return to Italy.  Yet on further reflection there has been much hard work since then, covered by the Lord's grace and blessings and encouragement from those around me.  Reaching this point has many emotions attached to it.  When I think of two days from now, I get so excited.  It feels unreal, and probably will even after I land.  Italy kinda does that to you.  I feel pretty peaceful about the whole thing, although my heart starts running laps around my rib cage when I think of all that is to come. 

I have had a really good 3 weeks (mostly) off to prepare all the last minute details and get organized, with time to spare to soak up Traverse City beauty, summer, and family and friends.  Fun things like budgets, insurance forms, and more paperwork have been submitted and now I just hope I'm not forgetting anything!  And packing, of course. 

This morning I was reading from this really great book, "Knowing God" by J.I. Packer, (highly recommendable) and was struck by this quote speaking of the adequacy of God as our sovereign protector:

A sovereign protector I have,

Unseen, yet for ever at hand;

Unchangeably faithful to save,

Almighty to rule and command.

He smiles, and my comforts abound;

His grace as the dew shall descend,

And walls of salvation surround

The souls He delights to defend.

- Augustus Toplady

That isn't even the whole thing, but to me it is an unspeakably beautiful reminder of the sufficiency and adequacy of God.  Every time I have a qualm or fear that begins to nag at my brain, I bring these words to mind and think of Romans 8.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Who is greater than our God?

As I prepare to takeoff I can't leave without giving my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who has prayed for me and continue to pray for me, given financially, or even just taken a moment to talk to me.  Each gesture means so much to me, I couldn't do this without you. 

Here are some ways you can pray over the next few days:

1. For my family and me, it is so hard to say goodbye!

2. That I won't forget anything. And maybe that some last minute items will magically be weightless so my baggage doesn't go past the weight limit. :)

3. For safe and smooth travels, from Traverse City-Chicago-London-Milan by plane and Milan-Florence by bus and train.

4. That I would be equipped with everything I need going over, mentally and spiritually!

5. For the remaining support to come in. I'm thankful to be at 61% as of May 31, but that also means there is still a gap to be filled. If you are planning to give or would consider becoming a part of my support team, it's never too late! Grazie.

I think that's all for now, catch ya on the other side! A presto, a dopo, e arrivaderci.

Che Dio vi benedica. (May God bless you)

Nutter Butter Pie

Last updated September 27, 2024

Who doesn't love Nutter Butter cookies?  They remind me of chocolate fondue and my Aunt Cathy.  My mom didn't buy them growing up so I never really knew what I was missing out on.  Except when we would go over my aunt's house and on the special occasion when a fondue was involved for a holiday or bonfire, she always had Nutter Butters as one of the dipping tools.  And they were my favorite.  #inmyeyesyoudonowrong.  I don't even think we had fondue that much, but there must have been one glorious time with Nutter Butters, and the rest is history. 

This pie really lets them shine through, with most of the flavor and sweetness coming from the cookies themselves. There’s a fluffy (thanks to marshmallow fluff) peanut butter cream cheese filling with Nutter Butters chunks and its all topped with a whipped cream topping and peanut butter drizzle.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Cookies & Cups

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Nutter Butter Pie

Ingredients:

For the crust

• 20 / 280g Nutter Butter cookies

• 5 Tbsp / 70g butter, melted

For the filling

• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 cup / 85g marshmallow fluff

• 1/3 cup / 87g creamy peanut butter

• 1 cup / 237g heavy whipping cream

• 12 / 168g Nutter Butter cookies, crushed

For the topping

• 1 cup / 237g heavy whipping cream

• 2 Tbsp / 16g powdered sugar

For the drizzle

• 1/4 cup / 65g creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Make the crust

Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C. Ungreased 9in / 23cm pie dish.

1. In a food processor, pulse the Nutter Butter cookies until mostly fine crumbs.  Add the butter and pulse until thoroughly combined.  Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. 

2. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges start to turn golden.  Allow to cool completely.

Make the filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or by hand, beat cream cheese for about one minute.  Add marshmallow fluff and peanut butter and beat until smooth.  If using a stand mixer, transfer to another bowl and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand beater, beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. 

3. Gently fold 1/3 of whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, repeat two more times. 

4. Fold in Nutter Butter cookies.  Spread over cooled crust.

Make the topping

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.   Gently spread over cream cheese filling.

Make the drizzle

1. In a small pan, heat peanut butter on low heat for about a minute or until it is thin enough to drizzle. 

2. Use a spoon or piping bag to drizzle over pie.

3. Cover and chill pie in fridge for at least two hours before serving, ideally.  But we don't live in an ideal world, and if you can't wait that long, it will hold together if you cut into it immediately.  But I always follow directions and chill for the recommended time, so how would I know that? heh. heh. heh.

Jenny's Notes:

• Which is better, natural soupy peanut butter or the stiff peanut butter, like Jif?  Most recipes will tell you to use the stiff kind, because it emulsifies better (in other words, doesn't separate as easily.)  I like to use natural because it doesn't have the added sugar or hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats.  I find that subbing the natural almost always turns out fine, just be careful not to beat more than necessary, as that can sometimes cause the separation. 

• This recipe as is uses exactly one container of Nutter Butters.  If you're feeling generous, you could buy 2 packages and use more Nutter Butters crushed in the filling, and some crushed on top.  And have some left over for snacking...or fondue...

Yield 12

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

50 Min

Cook time

13 Min

Inactive time

2 Hour

Total time

3 H & 3 M

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Nutter Butter Pie

Nutter Butter crust, fluffy peanut butter filling with Nutter Butter chunks and a whipped cream topping make up this peanut butter pie.

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 20 / 280g Nutter Butter cookies
• 5 Tbsp / 70g butter, melted

For the Filling

• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup / 85g marshmallow fluff
• 1/3 cup / 87g creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup / 237g heavy whipping cream
• 12 / 168g Nutter Butter cookies, crushed

For the topping

• 1 cup / 237g heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp / 16g powdered sugar

For the drizzle

• 1/4 cup / 65g creamy peanut butter

Instructions

Make the crust

1. Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C. Ungreased 9in / 23cm pie dish.
2. In a food processor, pulse the Nutter Butter cookies until mostly fine crumbs. Add the butter and pulse until thoroughly combined. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges start to turn golden. Allow to cool completely.

Make the filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or by hand, beat cream cheese for about one minute. Add marshmallow fluff and peanut butter and beat until smooth. If using a stand mixer, transfer to another bowl and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand beater, beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
3. Gently fold 1/3 of whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, repeat two more times.
4. Fold in Nutter Butter cookies. Spread over cooled crust.

Make the topping

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently spread over cream cheese filling.

Make the drizzle

1. In a small pan, heat peanut butter on low heat for about a minute or until it is thin enough to drizzle.
2. Use a spoon or piping bag to drizzle over pie.
3. Cover and chill pie in fridge for at least two hours before serving, ideally. But we don't live in an ideal world, and if you can't wait that long, it will hold together if you cut into it immediately. But I always follow directions and chill for the recommended time, so how would I know that?

Notes

• Which is better, natural soupy peanut butter or the stiff peanut butter, like Jif?  Most recipes will tell you to use the stiff kind, because it emulsifies better (in other words, doesn't separate as easily.)  I like to use natural because it doesn't have the added sugar or hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats.  I find that subbing the natural almost always turns out fine, just be careful not to beat more than necessary, as that can sometimes cause the separation. 
• This recipe as is uses exactly one container of Nutter Butters.  If you're feeling generous, you could buy 2 packages and use more Nutter Butters crushed in the filling, and some crushed on top.  And have some left over for snacking...or fondue...

Nutrition Facts

Calories

513.10

Fat

38.75 g

Sat. Fat

21.22 g

Carbs

36.64 g

Fiber

1.03 g

Net carbs

35.61 g

Sugar

14.32 g

Protein

7.51 g

Sodium

278.29 mg

Cholesterol

119.79 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 1 slice, if pie is cut into 12 slices.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/6/14/nutter-butter-pie

pie, Nutter Butter cookies, Nutter Butter crust, peanut butter pie, whipped cream

dessert, pie

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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Hershey's Chewy Brownie Pie

Hershey’s Chewy Brownie Pie is like a chewy, slightly cakey blondie with bits of Oreo and smothered in a sweetened condensed milk glaze with melty chocolate chips.

After that description, you might agree with me that the name of this doesn’t really prepare you for what you’re about to eat. Hershey’s I associate with chocolate. Chewy, sure. Brownies are usually, well, brown. And pie? Pies usually have a crust. This does not have a crust and I don’t know what makes it a brownie pie other than it being round? Whatever category this best fits in, what we do know is that it’s a dessert, and it’s delicious. It’s also easy to make, unless you like to make things complicated like me, then you can make your own homemade sweetened condensed milk. Which is not hard, but does add in one more step. Whatever you call and however you make it, I love this Hershey’s Brownie Pie Thing.

The base is made with a Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Cream bar. This is a specialty product I’ve never seen in Europe. If you’ve never had one, it’s just a white chocolate Hershey chocolate bar with bits of Oreo cookie in it. They remind of me my childhood.  I probably only had one a handful of times, but I have a couple very fond memories of my mom letting my brother and me have one. For my European friends, you could try substituting white chocolate with some Oreo cookies crushed into small chunks, or even using just white chocolate.

The original recipe uses a can of sweetened condensed milk, but I made my own for the first time this week, and I like it so much better!  Not to mention no BPA from the can, and you can use organic milk and sugar.  Win win.  Plus you can nonchalantly throw out that the sweetened condensed milk is made from scratch when people ask you what it is or what's in it.  Win win win.

I tweaked a couple other small details in the recipe to make it a little less rich, but it's pretty delicious.  

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Fahrenheit 350

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Hershey's Chewy Brownie Pie

Serves 8-12

Ingredients

For the brownie:

• 6.5 oz / 184g Hershey's Cookies 'N' Cream Candy Bar (that’s 1 giant bar)

• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

• 1/2 cup / 113g salted butter

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla

• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the topping:

• 7 oz / 199g sweetened condensed milk, store bought or click here for the homemade recipe

• 1/2 cup / 88g mini chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C.  Grease a 9in / 23cm spring-form pan.

Make the brownie:

1. In a small saucepan, combine Cookies 'N' Cream bar, sugar, and butter over low heat just until melted, stirring occasionally. 

2. Remove from heat and whisk in eggs and vanilla.

3. Stir in flour and baking powder just until combined. 

4. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges are lightly golden brown and toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 

Add the topping:

1. Immediately pour sweetened condensed milk over brownie, spreading to the edges.  Sprinkle on the chocolate chips.  Allow to cool before removing outer ring of spring-form pan and cutting. 

Jenny's Notes:

• Want it denser and richer?  Omit the baking powder from the brownie and layer more mini chocolate chips on top.  Want it less rich?  Simply reduce the sugar in the brownie! Keep in mind that reducing sugar may result in a less chewy and more cakey brownie.

• If you don’t have a springform pan, you could use a cake pan in its stead.

Yield 8-12

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

15 Min

Cook time

18 Min

Total time

33 Min

Print

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Hershey's Chewy Brownie Pie

A chewy, white chocolate brownie flecked with Oreo chunks, topped with a sweetened condensed milk glaze and melty chocolate chips.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Brownie

• 6.5 oz / 184g Hershey's Cookies 'N' Cream Candy Bar (that’s 1 giant bar)
• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar
• 1/2 cup / 113g salted butter
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla
• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the Topping

• 7 oz / 199g sweetened condensed milk, store bought or click here for the homemade recipe
• 1/2 cup / 88g mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Make the Brownie

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Grease a 9in / 23cm spring-form pan.
2. In a small saucepan, combine Cookies 'N' Cream bar, sugar, and butter over low heat just until melted, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from heat and whisk in eggs and vanilla.
4. Stir in flour and baking powder just until combined.
5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges are lightly golden brown and toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Add the Topping

1. Immediately pour sweetened condensed milk over brownie, spreading to the edges. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips. Allow to cool before removing outer ring of spring-form pan and cutting.

Notes

• Want it denser and richer?  Omit the baking powder from the brownie and layer more mini chocolate chips on top.  Want it less rich?  Simply reduce the sugar in the brownie! Keep in mind that reducing sugar may result in a less chewy and more cakey brownie.
• If you don’t have a springform pan, you could use a cake pan in its stead.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

484.70

Fat

24.51 g

Sat. Fat

14.74 g

Carbs

58.68 g

Fiber

1.33 g

Net carbs

47.85 g

Sugar

42.43 g

Protein

7.55 g

Sodium

204.36 mg

Cholesterol

88.45 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 1 serving if the pie is cut into 8 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/6/7/jennys-hersheys-chewy-brownie-pie

Blondie, White chocolate brownie, Oreo brownie, sweetened condensed milk brownie

Dessert, Bars

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

---

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

Making your own homemade sweetened condensed milk is as easy as simmering two ingredients on the stove.

As long as you have an extra hour or so or plan ahead, you’ll no longer need sweetened condensed milk from a can! Not to mention, it can actually be quicker to make than a trip to the store if you’re out, plus no BPA from a can! Overall it’s just a really lovely idea.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

---

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

Makes the equivalent to a 14 oz can

Ingredients

• 3 cups / 711g milk

• 1 cup / 200g sugar

Directions

1. In a medium-small sauce pan, combine milk and sugar over lowest heat. Take a toothpick or food-safe wooden rod or dowel, insert into pan until it touches the bottom, then make a mark where the milk reaches. Each time you check the milk you can insert this toothpick to get an idea how far the milk is reduced without having to measure.

2. Simmer for about an hour, checking occasionally, especially toward the end. Depending on your burner this time can vary. It can go very quickly from the perfect thickness to burnt. 

3. When it's reduced by just more than half (60% is how much a can of sweetened condensed milk is generally condensed) and thick, it's done! 

Jenny's Notes:

• While whole milk would be the choice closest to the canned version of sweetened condensed milk, you can use whichever you prefer, knowing that the fat content or varying plant-based milks will give slightly different flavors and textures.

• Some recipes only call for 1/2 a can of sweetened condensed milk, which would normally leave you with an open half can in the fridge for forever until you find another recipe that calls for just half.  With this recipe, you can just make half and simmer for about 30-45 minutes instead of an hour. No waste!

• If you're careful, you can slightly over-reduce this, to where the milk solids turn golden.  Immediately remove from heat and whisk to keep the milk solids from burning to the bottom of the pan.  It gives it a wonderful toasty, nutty flavor.  This is to sweetened condensed milk what browned butter is to normal butter.  If you followed me on that, you are following me to a very happy place. 

• Accidentally over-reduced and now your sweetened condensed milk is too thick?  No worries, as long as it’s not burnt, just add a dash of milk and whisk, repeat until the desired consistency is reached. 

Yield 10 servings

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

2 Min

Cook time

60 Min

Total time

1 H & 2 M

Print

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Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

Homemade sweetened condensed milk as good as or better than the can!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 3 cups / 711g whole milk
• 1 cup / 200g sugar

Instructions

1. In a medium-small sauce pan, combine milk and sugar over lowest heat. Take a toothpick or food-safe wooden rod or dowel, insert into pan until it touches the bottom, then make a mark where the milk reaches. Each time you check the milk you can insert this toothpick to get an idea how far the milk is reduced without having to measure.
2. Simmer for about an hour, checking occasionally, especially toward the end. Depending on your burner this time can vary. It can go very quickly from the perfect thickness to burnt.
3. When it's reduced by just more than half (60% is how much a can of sweetened condensed milk is generally condensed) and thick, it's done!

Notes

• While whole milk would be the choice closest to the canned version of sweetened condensed milk, you can use whichever you prefer, knowing that the fat content or varying plant-based milks will give slightly different flavors and textures.
• Some recipes only call for 1/2 a can of sweetened condensed milk, which would normally leave you with an open half can in the fridge for forever until you find another recipe that calls for just half.  With this recipe, you can just make half and simmer for about 30-45 minutes instead of an hour. No waste!
• If you're careful, you can slightly over-reduce this, to where the milk solids turn golden.  Immediately remove from heat and whisk to keep the milk solids from burning to the bottom of the pan.  It gives it a wonderful toasty, nutty flavor.  This is to sweetened condensed milk what browned butter is to normal butter.  The photo on this post are of this golden nutty version!
• Accidentally over-reduced and now your sweetened condensed milk is too thick?  No worries, as long as it’s not burnt, just add a dash of milk and whisk, repeat until the desired consistency is reached. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories

120.77

Fat

2.31 g

Sat. Fat

1.33 g

Carbs

23.41 g

Fiber

0.00 g

Net carbs

23.41 g

Sugar

23.55 g

Protein

2.24 g

Sodium

30.77 mg

Cholesterol

7.11 mg

Nutritional info is approximate. Based on 1 serving of 2 Tbsp made with whole milk.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/6/7/homemade-sweetened-condensed-milk

homemade sweetened condensed milk

miscellaneous, toppings

American

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Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

---

Biscoff Oreo Layer Bars

Bucca di Beppo, using the proper snaaaack hand.

You had me at Biscoff.  Then you had me again at Oreo.  These bars are decadent and disappear quickly.  I had barely pulled them out of the oven when my nieces and nephews appeared at the door looking to see if we had any "snacks." (To be said, "snaaaaaacks," with the Italian hand gesture.)  Normally these bars should be cooled and chilled before slicing, but in this instance we used bowls and spoons to scoop up the warm, melty, ooey-gooey, Biscoff Oreo-ness with a hint of peanut butter atop a shortbread crust.  I practically had to put caution tape around the remaining few bars so I could get a picture of them before they all disappeared.  I don't own caution tape, but I think it would be a very handy thing to have around. 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Call Me PMc

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Biscoff Oreo Layer Bars

Ingredients:

For the Crust

• 1 1/3 cup / 160g all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup / 150g brown sugar

• 6 Tbsp / 85g salted butter, cold, cut into cubes (3/4 of a stick)

For the Layers

• 1/3 cup / 59g peanut butter chips

• 12 Oreo cookies, crushed (You could always use more, my Oreo loving friends)

• 14 oz can / 398g sweetened condensed milk

• 1/2 cup Biscoff spread

Directions:

Oven preheated to 350° / 177°C

Make the Crust

1. Lightly grease an 8x8inch / 20x20cm pan. 

2. In a food processor pulse together flour and sugar.  Add butter, one cube at a time.  Continue to pulse until mixture looks like wet sand and will hold together when pressed between your fingers.  Press evenly into prepared pan.

Make the Layers

1. Sprinkle peanut butter chips evenly over crust, then the Oreos. 

2. In a small bowl whisk together sweetened condensed milk and Biscoff until smooth.  Pour over crust and spread to evenly cover Oreos.

3. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and center is just set.  The filling will go from shiny to matte, forming a sort of skin over the top. 

4. Place in the fridge until completely cool.  Cut and serve.  Store covered in the fridge.

Jenny's Notes:

• Don't sweat if you only have unsalted butter.  To interchange unsalted for salted butter, just add 1/4 tsp salt for every 1 stick of unsalted butter.  And vice versa, if you only have salted butter and a recipe calls for 1 stick of unsalted butter and salt, just omit the salt and replace unsalted butter with salted.  I just stared at the word "salt" for too long and now it looks very strange.  Salt.  Huh.

• ALSO.  You could use the crunchy Biscoff spread in this and I think that would be amaze-za-zing.  I haven't gotten a chance to try it yet but if you do let me know and invite me over.  :)

Yield 12-16

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

25 Min

Cook time

22 Min

Inactive time

1 Hour

Total time

1 H & 47 M

Print

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Biscoff Oreo Layer Bars

Shortbread crust with Oreos, Biscoff caramel, and peanut butter chips

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 1 1/3 cup / 160g all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup / 150g brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp / 85g salted butter, cold, cut into cubes (3/4 of a stick)

For the Layers

• 1/3 cup / 59g peanut butter chips
• 12 Oreo cookies, crushed (You could always use more, my Oreo loving friends)
• 14 oz can / 398g sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup Biscoff spread

Instructions

Make the Crust

1. Oven preheated to 350° / 177°C
2. Lightly grease an 8x8inch / 20x20cm pan.
3. In a food processor pulse together flour and sugar. Add butter, one cube at a time. Continue to pulse until mixture looks like wet sand and will hold together when pressed between your fingers. Press evenly into prepared pan.

Make the Layers

1. Sprinkle peanut butter chips evenly over crust, then the Oreos.
2. In a small bowl whisk together sweetened condensed milk and Biscoff until smooth. Pour over crust and spread to evenly cover Oreos.
3. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and center is just set. The filling will go from shiny to matte, forming a sort of skin over the top.
4. Place in the fridge until completely cool. Cut and serve. Store covered in the fridge.

Notes

Don't sweat if you only have unsalted butter.  To interchange unsalted for salted butter, just add 1/4 tsp salt for every 1 stick of unsalted butter.  And vice versa, if you only have salted butter and a recipe calls for 1 stick of unsalted butter and salt, just omit the salt and replace unsalted butter with salted.

ALSO.  You could use the crunchy Biscoff spread in this and I think that would be amaze-za-zing.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

393.06

Fat

16.94 g

Sat. Fat

7.20 g

Carbs

56.29 g

Fiber

1.07 g

Net carbs

55.22 g

Sugar

39.04 g

Protein

5.59 g

Sodium

174.15 mg

Cholesterol

26.55 mg

Nutritional info is approximate. Based on 12 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/5/31/biscoff-oreo-layer-bars

Biscoff bars, biscoff caramel, shortbread bars, oreo caramel bars

dessert

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

---

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Banana cupcakes! Your friendly neighborhood cupcake made soft and moist with the humble browned bananas that otherwise would’ve been thrown away. A delicious dessert that avoids waste, I love it. Not to mention, these throw in chopped Reese’s cups to make them that much more delicious.

What kind of frosting do you put on banana cupcakes? That’s a great question that I present to you with an answer: CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.

Cream cheese frosting is the staple frosting for pumpkin cake, carrot cake, spice cake, and red velvet cake. I’m starting to think it should be for banana cake, too.

(Warning, rabbit trail: I really think people like red velvet cake for the cream cheese frosting.  After all, red velvet cake is more of a barely chocolate cake with a bottle of red food coloring.  The original recipe wasn't originally artificially colored.  The color came from a natural reaction between some of the ingredients, but somewhere along the line someone decided to add a bottle of poison [aka Red Dye #40] to make it more red.  Boo.  So you will probably never see a red velvet recipe on this blog, unless it's colored with beets or something.  I'm so sorry, but red velvet is overrated. #unpopularopinion.  But cream cheese frosting is not!  It's wonderful and tangy and creamy and delicious.  And if you add chocolate to it?  Ohhhh.)

Chocolate cream cheese frosting is new to my repertoire.  If it's not a part of yours, then might I suggest you make this now and let the soft tang of the cream cheese awaken your taste buds while the smoothness of the chocolate soothes them over?  And it goes really well on these Banana Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes.  Nom nom nom.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

---

Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Banana Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup + 2 / 84g Tbsp oil

• scant 1/2 cup / 80g sugar

• 1/4 cup / 61g vanilla yogurt

• 1 1/2 tsp / 8g vanilla extract

• 2 eggs

• 2 medium ripe bananas, peeled and well mashed

• 6 Reese's Cups, chopped small (about 1 cup)

For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup / 113g unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

• 1 8 oz / 225g package cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/4 cup / 25g unsweetened cocoa powder

• 3 oz / 90g semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract

• 3 cups / 360g powdered sugar

• 1 -2 Tbsp / 15-30g milk

Directions:

Make the cupcakes

1. Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C.  Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with cupcake liners

2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together oil and sugar.  Add yogurt and vanilla.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Slowly incorporate dry mixture into the wet mixture until thoroughly combined.  Stir in mashed bananas and Reese's. 

4. Using a measuring cup or ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake about 3/4 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until tops or lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

5. Allow cupcakes to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then remove onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Make the frosting

1. While the cupcakes are cooling, beat cream cheese and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Add cocoa powder slowly so as not to create a cocoa powder cloud.  Then stir in cooled chocolate and vanilla until combined.  Slowly beat in powdered sugar.  Add in enough milk, 1-2 Tbsp, to make a spreadable or pipe-able frosting. 

3. Frost cooled cupcakes and top with more chopped Reese's, if desired. 

Jenny's Notes:

• Banana cupcakes are very moist by nature, so be sure they get their full baking time.  Normally I would recommend taking cupcakes out of the oven when there are still small crumbs clinging to the toothpick, but not with banana cupcakes.  You want to make sure the toothpick is clean. 

• I would recommend chopping the Reese's for the cupcakes small.  Too big and they will sink, too fine and they will get lost in the cupcake. 

• You can easily substitute plain yogurt or sour cream for the vanilla yogurt in the cupcake recipe, just add a level 1/2 cup of sugar instead of the scant 1/2 cup.  (Scant in the baking world means "just less than" the designated amount.)

Yield 12

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

50 Min

Cook time

20 Min

Total time

1 H & 10 M

Print

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Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Classic, moist banana cupcakes with chunks of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups topped with chocolate cream cheese frosting

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Banana Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup + 2 / 84g Tbsp oil
• scant 1/2 cup / 80g sugar
• 1/4 cup / 61g vanilla yogurt
• 1 1/2 tsp / 8g vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 medium ripe bananas, peeled and well mashed
• 6 Reese's Cups, chopped small (about 1 cup)

For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup / 113g unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 1 8 oz / 225g package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup / 25g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 oz / 90g semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract
• 3 cups / 360g powdered sugar
• 1 -2 Tbsp / 15-30g milk

Instructions

Make the cupcakes

1. Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with cupcake liners
2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together oil and sugar. Add yogurt and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Slowly incorporate dry mixture into the wet mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in mashed bananas and Reese's.
4. Using a measuring cup or ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until tops or lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Allow cupcakes to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then remove onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting

1. While the cupcakes are cooling, beat cream cheese and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add cocoa powder slowly so as not to create a cocoa powder cloud. Then stir in cooled chocolate and vanilla until combined. Slowly beat in powdered sugar. Add in enough milk, 1-2 Tbsp, to make a spreadable or pipe-able frosting.
3. Frost cooled cupcakes and top with more chopped Reese's, if desired.

Notes

• Banana cupcakes are very moist by nature, so be sure they get their full baking time.  Normally I would recommend taking cupcakes out of the oven when there are still small crumbs clinging to the toothpick, but not with banana cupcakes.  You want to make sure the toothpick is clean. 
• I would recommend chopping the Reese's for the cupcakes small.  Too big and they will sink, too fine and they will get lost in the cupcake. 
• You can easily substitute plain yogurt or sour cream for the vanilla yogurt in the cupcake recipe, just add a level 1/2 cup of sugar instead of the scant 1/2 cup.  (Scant in the baking world means "just less than" the designated amount.)

Nutrition Facts

Calories

486.88

Fat

25.42 g

Sat. Fat

11.97 g

Carbs

62.19 g

Fiber

2.33 g

Net carbs

59.85 g

Sugar

48.38 g

Protein

5.41 g

Sodium

228.69 mg

Cholesterol

68.13 mg

Nutritional Information is approximate. Based on 1 cupcake.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/5/24/banana-cupcakes-with-chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting

cupcakes, banana muffins, banana cupcakes, banana peanut butter cup cupcakes, Reese's, chocolate cream cheese frosting

dessert

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

---

One Month until Italy!

That's right.  Actually less, 29 days until takeoff and 30 until I land on Italian soil!  Say whaaaaaa.  It still really hasn't sunk in as I've been busy soaking up the remaining time with my students, and next week, theater week!  The culmination of all the hard work, students and teachers alike, in a long but oh so rewarding week of rehearsals and 9? shows.  Something like that, but it's a blast.  If you live in the Traverse City area, you should come see a show!  It's a fun time had by all. 

Last week Global Outreach sent out my first official newsletter, woohoo!  If you didn't get one and would like to, be sure to sign up on the Give page and I'll be sure to add you to the list for future.  The newsletters will be sent out monthly and sum up the month's happenings, prayer requests, praises, gelato count, etc.  Totally kidding about that last one.  Actually when I was in Florence in the fall for three months my gelato consumption was sadly lackluster.  Did I mention that the newsletter will also be much more to the point and less wandering than some of these blog posts?  Yes, you're welcome.  

For the past several months we have been looking for a new gallery space.  When Gallery 4 first started in Italy almost 2 years ago, the gallery was above the Porcellino.  If you've been to Florence (or seen Silence of the Lambs) the Porcellino is the covered pillar structure with the famous warthog whose nose you rub for good luck.  Or something like that, I didn't fancy touching its nose because...germs.  The gallery was in the roof of the Porcellino which from a glance (or even staring intently at it) doesn't seem like anything would be up there.  Even the spiral staircase was in one of the pillars.  A cool location, but not exactly easy to find nor very inviting.  Last summer Gallery 4 was unexpectedly told they couldn't be up there anymore, the building was too old to be dancing and jumping around up there.  Disappointing, but overall for the best, as we hope the gallery can be somewhere easy to find and access.  Temporary locations have been used since then to host gallery openings, (one of which was a palace, not complaining!) but we've been hunting for a space suitable for both an art gallery and a dance studio.  By we I mean Paul, Melinda, and Rachel.  I'm still in America,  but they do a good job of keeping me updated until I land in June.  Paul and Melinda are honing in on a couple locations, so that is very exciting!  It's been a long haul looking online, making appointments with realtors and viewing spaces, but it's difficult finding something that works for both a gallery and dance studio, is in a good location, and is within the budget.  Not to mention moving in the very laid back "Italian" time.  They're late for everything.  As we get close to deciding on a space, would you help us pray for the Lord's guidance and provision to choose the one best for His plan in continuing the gallery?

Fun Fact: The Porcellino is also one location where JohnPaul of Practical filmed us dancing Jesus Paid It All (Gesu Ha Pagato Tutto)

Madeline, left, and Rachel, Right

The Gallery 4 team is also in the midst of transition.  Madeline Groenendaal, friend and dancer with Gallery 4, had to return to the States earlier this year due to medical complications.  It's been a long and slow healing process for her, and although she would like to return to Florence with Gallery 4 at some point, it's hard to project when that might be.  You can learn more about Madeline and how to pray for her on her blog.

Rachel Harris, my other friend and dancer with Gallery 4, will also be moving back to the States this summer.  She has been with the gallery for 2 years since its beginning and feels it is the right time to move back home.  

These girls are gems.  Their walk with Christ, love for God and others and the people of Italy, and pursuing excellence in dance to the glory of God our Father has encouraged me so much.  I am going to miss them so, so much, but am excited to see how the Lord continues to use them in each new situation He places them in. 

That's the sad news of the day.  On a brighter note, I will get to live with two other sisters in Christ, Silvia and Vanessa.  They are also super great.  They are both art students at the Russian Academy of Art, where the Gallery 4 team gets their student visas through and also where I take ballet classes to stay in shape.  Where will we live?  We're not sure yet.  I will have Iacopo Nardi (Madeline and Rachel's affectionately named apartment and where I stayed in the fall for 3 months) for a part of the summer.  When I return in October after Jeffrey and Rachel's wedding I will move in with Silvia and Vanessa, wherever that may be.  You can help us pray we find the perfect location and apartment, that fits all our needs including being able to get easily to the Russian Art Academy's locations and the future Gallery space.  I will miss Iacopo Nardi's bathtub and terrace.  (You could also pray for those commodities for our apartment, but that's on the lower end of importance, haha.) 

View from the terrace of Iacopo Nardi. Ahhhhhh

With the culture and government of Italy there are always changes and unexpected curve balls thrown our way, but we are learning to be flexible and to keep our hearts seeking the Lord's plans for the Gallery, not our own.  Thank you so, so much for your prayers and support, my love to you all! 

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Last Updated June 27, 2024

These aren't just any brownies. They are ooey and gooey with a layer of peanut butter truffle, topped with chocolate ganache. Did I mention you can also make the peanut butter truffle layer with Nutella? Well, yes, yes you can. 

Lately I've been experimenting with different takes on brownies. If you've ever compared brownie recipes, you might have noticed that some recipes include a leavening agent, such as baking powder, while others don't, some use melted chocolate in the batter, and others only cocoa powder. 

Which is best? This comes down to personal preference, but if you prefer that fudgy, dense brownie with a rich chocolate taste, I've found the most success without using a leavening agent and plenty of cocoa powder. I couldn't taste a significant enough difference in chocolatey-ness if I included melted chocolate in the batter or not. And for the trouble, I prefer sticking to a quality cocoa powder. Sorry Hershey, you just don't cut it.  (I find their cocoa bland, lacking in that wonderful depth of flavor and buttery-ness that should come from chocolate.)  I love Saco Premium Baking Cocoa, Guittard, and Pernigotti.  I've heard wonderful things about Valrhona, but haven't had a chance to try it yet.  For these brownies, I used Saco.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses, and American companies and products made in the USA for American readers. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Some Kitchen Stories

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Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Makes about 24 servings

Ingredients:

For the Brownies

• 3/4 cup / 169g oil

• 2 cups / 400g sugar

• 3 eggs

• 3 tsp / 15g vanilla

• 2/3 cup / 67g cocoa powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour

For the Peanut Butter Truffle

• 1/2 cup / 113g butter (1 stick), room temperature

• 1/2 cup / 130g creamy peanut butter

• 2 cups / 250g powdered sugar

• 2-3 tsp / 10-15g milk

For the Ganache

• 1/4 cup / 65g creamy peanut butter

• 2 cups / 340g semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1/4 cup / 56g butter (1/2 stick)

• 2 Tbsp / 30g heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Make the Brownies

Oven 350°F / 177°C.  Lightly grease a 9x13in / 23x33cm pan.

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine oil and sugar.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Add cocoa powder and salt.  Mix in flour until just combined. 

2. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted off center comes out mostly clean.  Allow to cool.

Make the Peanut Butter Truffle

1. While the brownies are cooling, combine butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy. 

2. Add in 2 teaspoons of milk and beat.  The mixture should be spreadable.  If not, add another teaspoon of milk.

3. Spread onto cooled brownies and place in the fridge to set the truffle layer. 

Make the Ganache

1. While the filling sets, place a small saucepan with a small amount of water on the stove over low heat.  Place peanut butter, chocolate chips, butter, and whipping cream in a small glass or metal bowl and place over simmering water on the stove. The bottom of the bowl shouldn't touch the water.  Stir just until all the chocolate and butter is melted, and remove from heat.

2. Remove brownies from fridge and spread ganache over the top.  Return to fridge and chill until set.

Nutella Version:

In the Peanut Butter Truffle replace the peanut butter with Nutella and add 1 1/4 cups / powdered sugar with 3/4 cup flour, instead of 2 cups powdered sugar.  Cuts the sweetness since Nutella is sweetened and Peanut Butter usually is not, or minimally so. 

For the Ganache replace the peanut butter with Nutella. 

Proceed as normal.

Jenny's Notes:

• These are rich and delicious, small portions go a long way.  I often cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8x8inch / 20x20cm pan. 

Yield 24

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

40 Min

Cook time

30 Min

Inactive time

1 Hour

Total time

2 H & 10 M

Print

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Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Chocolate brownies with a creamy peanut butter truffle layer topped with rich chocolate ganache

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Brownies

• 3/4 cup / 169g oil
• 2 cups / 400g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 tsp / 15g vanilla
• 2/3 cup / 67g cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour

For the Peanut Butter Truffle

• 1/2 cup / 113g butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 1/2 cup / 130g creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups / 250g powdered sugar
• 2-3 tsp / 10-15g milk

For the Ganache

• 1/4 cup / 65g creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups / 340g semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup / 56g butter (1/2 stick)
• 2 Tbsp / 30g heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Make the Brownies

1. Oven 350°F / 177°C. Lightly grease a 9x13in / 23x33cm pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine oil and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add cocoa powder and salt. Mix in flour until just combined.
3. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted off center comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool.

Make the Peanut Butter Truffle

1. While the brownies are cooling, combine butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
2. Add in 2 teaspoons of milk and beat. The mixture should be spreadable. If not, add another teaspoon of milk.
3. Spread onto cooled brownies and place in the fridge to set the truffle layer.

Make the Ganache

1. While the filling sets, place a small saucepan with a small amount of water on the stove over low heat. Place peanut butter, chocolate chips, butter, and whipping cream in a small glass or metal bowl and place over simmering water on the stove. The bottom of the bowl shouldn't touch the water. Stir just until all the chocolate and butter is melted, and remove from heat.
2. Remove brownies from fridge and spread ganache over the top. Return to fridge and chill until set.

Notes

• These are rich and delicious, small portions go a long way.  I often cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8x8inch / 20x20cm pan. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories

386.73

Fat

23.84 g

Sat. Fat

8.86 g

Carbs

35.36 g

Fiber

2.58 g

Net carbs

32.79 g

Sugar

16.18 g

Protein

4.52 g

Sodium

139.31 mg

Cholesterol

38.06 mg

Nutritional information is approximate; based on 24 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/5/17/peanut-butter-truffle-brownies

brownies, truffle, peanut butter, ganache

dessert

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

---

Baked Egg Baguettes

Last Updated September 15, 2024

Happiness is, a good piece of bread and a stairway in Paris.

"How can you tell how good bread is without tasting it? Not the smell, not the look, but the sound of the crust. Listen. [bread crackles] Oh, symphony of crackle. Only great bread sound this way."             - Colette, Ratatouille

Disclaimer: This is not a bread recipe, but it involves using your favorite crusty bread...think baguettes, with their wonderful crisp outside, soft and chewy inside...oh yes. I have not been everywhere in the world or tried all the bread, not even close, but of the places I have been, France has the best bread.  And pastries.  And butter.  And lots of other things.  The best part?  You can go to just about any bakery, even the world renowned, and never pay more than 1.50 euro.  That's less than $2 for the world's best bread.  Unfortunately I'm not in France right now, so a package of demi-baguettes will have to do for this recipe. 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon

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Baked Egg Baguettes

Serves 4-8 (depending on if you want to eat a whole mini baguette or cut them in half)

Ingredients:

• 4 demi-baguettes

• 5 eggs

• 1/3 cup / 79g milk

• 1/4 small white onion, diced

• 2-3 green onions, chopped

• 3 oz / 85g smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C

1. Cut out the middle of each baguette, making a V shape, like a canoe shape. 

2. Whisk together eggs and milk, beating lightly.  Add in onion, green onion, and half of the cheese.  Lightly salt and pepper.  Divide evenly among the baguettes.  Top each with the remaining cheese. 

3. Place on a baking sheet or dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and the center is set and slightly puffed up.  Allow to cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve. 

Jenny's Notes:

• This is a very quick and easy recipe to execute!  You can add or adjust the add-ins as you wish.  I also enjoy adding chopped spinach, mushrooms, diced red or green onion, or sun-dried tomatoes. 

• Substitute the smoked gouda with any of your favorite cheeses!

Yield 4-8

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

25 Min

Total time

45 Min

Print

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Baked Egg Baguettes

Hollowed out baguettes filled and baked with cheesy eggs and onions, easy to make and delicious for breakfast or anytime!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 4 dem-baguettes
• 5 eggs
• 1/3 cup / 79g milk
• 1/4 small white onion, diced
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 3 oz / 85g smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C
2. Cut out the middle of each baguette, making a V shape, like a canoe shape.
3. Whisk together eggs and milk, beating lightly. Add in onion, green onion, and half of the cheese. Lightly salt and pepper. Divide evenly among the baguettes. Top each with the remaining cheese.
4. Place on a baking sheet or dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and the center is set and slightly puffed up. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve.

Notes

• This is a very quick and easy recipe to execute!  You can add or adjust the add-ins as you wish.  I also enjoy adding chopped spinach, mushrooms, diced red or green onion, or sun-dried tomatoes. 
• Substitute the smoked gouda with any of your favorite cheeses!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

730.69

Fat

18.57 g

Sat. Fat

7.2 g

Carbs

123.02 g

Fiber

5.53 g

Net carbs

117.5 g

Sugar

13.74 g

Protein

36.81 g

Sodium

1854.79 mg

Cholesterol

231.28 mg

Nutritional information is approximate, based on eating 1 whole demi-baguette.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/5/8/baked-egg-baguettes

baked egg boats, egg bake, make ahead breakfast

breakfast, brunch

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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Toasted Coconut Toffee Cookies

Last Updated September 15, 2024

These Toasted Coconut Toffee Cookies are a new favorite of mine. I can’t get enough!

It is similar to a chocolate chip cookie, just add a handful of freshly toasted coconut and toffee bits.  The dough alone is magical.  The first time I ever made these the dough barely made it in the oven because it was in my mouth.  I think I made a note at the bottom of the recipe something to the effect of "KEEP THIS RECIPE FOREVER."  And here it is, yours to hold and keep and eat forever until death do you part.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe inspired by Let's Dish Recipes

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Toasted Coconut Toffee Cookies

Makes 40-50 smallish cookies (or less, depending on how much dough is consumed before baking)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups / 160g shredded coconut, unsweetened

• 1 3/4 cups / 210g all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 1/2 cups / 300g brown sugar

• 1/2 cup / 113g oil

• 2 tsp / 10g vanilla extract

• 2 eggs

• 1 8 oz / 227g bag Heath Bits O Brickle or Toffee bits

• 1 1/2 cups / 255g semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C.

1. Arrange coconut in an even layer on a large baking sheet or pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 5-8 minutes or until fragrant and lightly golden brown, stirring occasionally.

2. While the coconut is toasting, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. 

3. In another bowl, mix brown sugar and oil together.  Add vanilla and eggs and beat well.  Add dry ingredients and mix. 

4. By this time your coconut should be done.*  Add coconut, toffee, and chocolate chips to dough and mix until just combined. 

5. Place by small spoonful onto cookie sheet.  Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until edges are just golden and the center still looks soft and doughy. 

Jenny's Notes:

• Coconut goes quickly from perfectly golden to burnt, so keep a close eye on it!

• Feel free to use shredded, flaked, and desiccated coconut interchangeably, but keep in mind certain kinds, like shredded, are almost always sold sweetened.  You may need to adjust your toasting time accordingly: More time for flaked, less for desiccated. 

• *I like to add the coconut to the dough while it's still warm from the oven, thus melting the chocolate chips a tad and creating a chocolate swirl in the batter.  Just be careful not to over mix.

Yield 40-50 cookies

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

24 Min

Total time

44 Min

Print

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Toasted Coconut Toffee Cookies

Cookies loaded with chocolate chips, toasted coconut, and toffee bits.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 2 cups / 160g shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1 3/4 cups / 210g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups / 300g brown sugar
• 1/2 cup / 113g oil
• 2 tsp / 10g vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 8 oz / 227g bag Heath Bits O Brickle or Toffee bits
• 1 1/2 cups / 255g semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C.
2. Arrange coconut in an even layer on a large baking sheet or pan. Bake in preheated oven for 5-8 minutes or until fragrant and lightly golden brown, stirring occasionally.
3. While the coconut is toasting, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
4. In another bowl, mix brown sugar and oil together. Add vanilla and eggs and beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix.
5. By this time your coconut should be done.* Add coconut, toffee, and chocolate chips to dough and mix until just combined.
6. Place by small spoonful onto cookie sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until edges are just golden and the center still looks soft and doughy.

Notes

• Coconut goes quickly from perfectly golden to burnt, so keep a close eye on it!
• Feel free to use shredded, flaked, and desiccated coconut interchangeably, but keep in mind certain kinds, like shredded, are almost always sold sweetened.  You may need to adjust your toasting time accordingly: More time for flaked, less for desiccated. 
• *I like to add the coconut to the dough while it's still warm from the oven, thus melting the chocolate chips a tad and creating a chocolate swirl in the batter.  Just be careful not to over mix.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

163.73

Fat

8.77 g

Sat. Fat

4.1 g

Carbs

20.06 g

Fiber

1.04 g

Net carbs

19.04 g

Sugar

14.31 g

Protein

1.45 g

Sodium

57.12 mg

Cholesterol

14.47 mg

Nutritional information is approximate, based on 1 cookie.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/5/3/toasted-coconut-toffee-cookies

chocolate chip cookies, toasted coconut, Heath toffee

dessert, cookies

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

---

German Chocolate Brownies

If you cross coconut, pecans, and chocolate, what do you get?  I don't know, but if you combine those, you get the dessert affectionately called German Chocolate, originally called German's chocolate cake, after Samuel German. 

This recipe is not a cake, but in fact brownies. German chocolate brownies. One of my favorite things about this recipe is the homemade coconut pecan frosting. I hadn’t made it homemade before, but after realizing just how easy it is and DELICIOUS, it seemed silly to ever buy it again! I hope it wins you over, too.

Now if you’re wondering where German Chocolate came from…

It might not be what you think. The original cake was not invented in Germany nor was Mr. German German.  Ach du lieber.  He was an English-American who worked for Baker's Chocolate Company (their chocolate is still in circulation and used in this recipe!) who developed a dark baking chocolate that was named after him.  Eventually a recipe came out featuring Mr. German's chocolate in a recipe called "Baker's German's Chocolate Cake."  I think you can probably see how the name morphed from there. And apparently June 11 is National German Chocolate Day in America.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to mall businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Creations by Kara

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German Chocolate Brownies

Serves about 12

Ingredients:

For the German Chocolate Brownies

• 3/4 cup / 168g oil

• 2 cups / 400g sugar

• 2 tsp / 10g vanilla extract

• 3 eggs

• 4 oz / 113g Baker's German Chocolate, melted and cooled

• 1 cup / 120g flour

• 2/3 cup / 67g cocoa

• 1/2 tsp salt

For the Coconut Pecan Frosting

• 1 cup / 262g evaporated milk, make your own here!

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 cup / 200g brown sugar

• 1/2 cup 113g butter

• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups / 120g flaked coconut

• 1 cup / 125g chopped pecans

Directions:

Make the German Chocolate Brownies

Oven 350°F / 177°C Grease a 9x13in / 23x33cm pan

1. In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. 

2. Add cooled chocolate.  Stir in flour, cocoa, and salt.  Pour and spread into prepared 9x13 pan. 

3. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted off center comes out mostly clean. Brownies like to be slightly under baked. Let cool.

Make the Coconut Pecan Frosting

1. Whisk together milk, yolks, and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Add butter and place over medium heat, stirring until mixture becomes thick, approximately 10-12 minutes. 

2. Remove from heat and add vanilla, coconut, and pecans.  Cool until spreadable. 

3. Spread frosting evenly over brownies. Slice and enjoy. 

Jenny's Notes:

• I'll let you in on a little secret.  You can make this recipe with regular milk, if you don’t have evaporated milk. I recommend you do, but I have done without!

Yield 20

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

30 Min

Cook time

35 Min

Inactive time

10 Min

Total time

1 H & 15 M

Print

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German Chocolate Brownies

Dense, fudgy German Chocolate brownies topped with a delectable caramel pecan coconut frosting. Just like the classic cake, but in brownie form.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the German Chocolate Brownies

• 3/4 cup / 168g oil
• 2 cups / 400g sugar
• 2 tsp / 10g vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 4 oz / 113g Baker's German Chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 cup / 120g flour
• 2/3 cup / 67g cocoa
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the Coconut Pecan Frosting

• 1 cup / 262g evaporated milk, make your own here!
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup / 200g brown sugar
• 1/2 cup 113g butter
• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups / 120g flaked coconut
• 1 cup / 125g chopped pecans

Instructions

Make the German Chocolate Brownies

1. Oven 350°F / 177°C Grease a 9x13in / 23x33cm pan
2. In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs.
3. Add cooled chocolate. Stir in flour, cocoa, and salt. Pour and spread into prepared 9x13 pan.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted off center comes out mostly clean. Brownies like to be slightly under baked. Let cool.

Make the Coconut Pecan Frosting

1. Whisk together milk, yolks, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Add butter and place over medium heat, stirring until mixture becomes thick, approximately 10-12 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and add vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Cool until spreadable.
3. Spread frosting evenly over brownies. Slice and enjoy.

Notes

• I'll let you in on a little secret.  You can make this recipe with regular milk, if you don’t have evaporated milk. I recommend you do, but I have done without!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

334.87

Fat

25.59 g

Sat. Fat

9.83 g

Carbs

37.1 g

Fiber

2.79 g

Net carbs

34.31 g

Sugar

15.61 g

Protein

4.33 g

Sodium

124.89 mg

Cholesterol

69.56 mg

Nutritional info is approximate, based on 1 serving if sliced into 20 pieces.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/4/19/german-chocolate-brownies

German chocolate, evaporated milk, caramel coconut pecan frosting, german chocolate cake, brownies

dessert, bars

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

---

No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake

Last Updated September 15, 2024

What do you do when you have 55 days until you move to another country?  Start thinking about all the food items and ingredients you won't be able to eat or buy while you're there. Naturally. 

I started to make a list of such things, and some of the items on there are rather tragic. No real vanilla extract? No Oreos (false, Oreos are readily available in Italy), Butterfingers, or other terribly wonderful processed American goodies? Pretzels only to be found of sketchy tough texture? Weird behaving marshmallows and graham crackers? (No S'mores for this girl.) Italians also don't understand our love for peanut butter. In all the grocery stores I've been in in Florence, (probably all of them because they're kinda my happy place) I have only seen Skippy, maybe Peter Pan once, and usually priced about 4-5 euros, roughly $6. There is a specialty Asian market, Vivi Market, that has an "American" section, and they sell the closest thing to real peanut butter I found. It's called Calve, made in the Netherlands, but it still has the hydrogenated oil and sugar added to it. Pumpkin is also a rarity over there. They make such wonderful pumpkin filled ravioli and pumpkins for carving come out for a couple weeks around Halloween, but to buy a 15 oz can of Libby's pumpkin costs over €4. Pumpkin pie, bread, muffins, cake, pudding, only for special occasions, I guess...

Now don't get me wrong, I'm really not that worried about missing American food. I did just fine for three months last fall, it's just a matter of understanding how different ingredients and substitutions behave in my favorite recipes. I mean, this is Italy we're talking about.  Home to some of the best food in the world. But I'm not partial or anything.  I keep a pretty good cover, though; you can't tell how much I love the food by the way I skip home from the super market with my arms full of pasta and heart bursting, waltz past the shelves of Nutella, guzzle acqua frizzante, double fist the cones of gelato, or giggle as I sweep the tubs of mascarpone that are cheaper than milk off the shelves. Nope. Not even around Christmas time when all the different kinds of panettone start filling the shelves and Jenny's shopping cart. 

I'm happy just thinking about all this wonderful food and its potential, but right now I am in the States, and I'm going to bake something I won't be able to for awhile. Something with Oreos.  Lots of Oreos. Or not bake, because this is a super easy no-bake cheesecake. Again, wasting my time, because I didn’t realize at the time of making this before moving to Italy that almost every grocery store carries Oreos.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses, and American companies and products made in the USA for American readers. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake

Serves about 12

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 16-18 Oreos

• 4 Tbsp / 56g butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 1 cup / 237g heavy whipping cream

• 24 oz / 675g cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

• 32 Oreos, coarsely chopped, divided

Directions:

Make the Crust:

1. In a food processor, pulse Oreos until finely ground.  Add butter and pulse until combined. 

2. Press into bottom and a bit up the sides of a 9 in. tart pan, pie pan, or springform pan.  Freeze while you make the filling.

Make the Filling:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

2. Beat cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar. 

3. Fold in 24 (about 3/4) of the coarsely chopped Oreos, then gently fold in whipped cream. 

4. Remove crust from freezer. Pour in filling and smooth the top. 

5. Sprinkle with remaining chopped Oreos and place in fridge until completely chilled, about 2 hours. 

Jenny's Notes:

• This cheesecake can also be frozen. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so before slicing.

Yield 12

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

30 Min

Inactive time

2 Hour

Total time

2 H & 30 M

Print

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No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake

No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake features an easy Oreo crust with an ultra creamy, yet light filling with chunks of Oreos throughout and more Oreos on top.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 16-18 Oreos
• 4 Tbsp / 56g butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 1 cup / 237g heavy whipping cream
• 24 oz / 675g cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar
• 32 Oreos, coarsely chopped, divided

Instructions

Make the Crust:

1. In a food processor, pulse Oreos until finely ground. Add butter and pulse until combined.
2. Press into bottom and a bit up the sides of a 9 in. tart pan, pie pan, or springform pan. Freeze while you make the filling.

Make the Filling:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
2. Beat cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar.
3. Fold in 24 (about 3/4) of the coarsely chopped Oreos, then gently fold in whipped cream.
4. Remove crust from freezer. Pour in filling and smooth the top.
5. Sprinkle with remaining chopped Oreos and place in fridge until completely chilled, about 2 hours.

Notes

• This cheesecake can also be frozen. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

559.39

Fat

39.86 g

Sat. Fat

21.21 g

Carbs

43.69 g

Fiber

1.42 g

Net carbs

42.27 g

Sugar

22.65 g

Protein

6.65 g

Sodium

403.94 mg

Cholesterol

89.86 mg

Nutritional information is approximate, based on 1 serving if recipe serves 12.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/4/26/no-bake-oreo-cheesecake

no-bake cheesecake, oreo pie, oreo cream cheese pie, summer dessert

dessert

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

---

Plane Ticket Bought! 57 Days...

Ho comprato un biglietto aereo!  In other words, that plane ticket done been bought.  This is something I have been looking forward to for a long time, to not just say "I'm hoping to leave for Florence in June" or "June is my goal departure date," but to have an actual date, something to count down to, for June to be official and not just a hope and prayer!  And June it is, June 20, in fact.  The Lord has been faithful, last post I shared about when I thought departure might need to be delayed until later in the fall, but He allowed June to prevail and still has, but not without really, really, really, making sure I am relying on His way and timing in this wonderful roller coaster of an adventure, una meravigliosa avventura.  Even in just buying a plane ticket, it was not as simple as searching for a ticket, entering my information, and pressing "Book."  Oh no, no, no.  Come, step back in time with me, to the wonderful world of Kayak, AerLingus, and CheapOAir.  

Caution: The story below is long and detailed and possibly boring to anyone but myself, but it made me feel better to write it out, haha.  Therapy. 

Seasoned Travelers

Getting more or less confident as time goes on?

So You Want to Buy a Plane Ticket?

Tuesday, yes, Tuesday the 19th I decided would be a good day to buy a plane ticket.  Tuesdays are usually my day off from teaching dance, and so I would be at my leisure to thoroughly scour all the tickets and find the best flight for the best price.  Now this was not spur of the moment, for the past two months I have been keeping my eye on flights and prices, watching them go up and down, and saving ones that looked ideal.  Originally I thought June 14 might be nice, but I had noticed two months out the prices all jumped, and then stayed up.  I wasn't ready to buy a ticket yet at that point, so I decided June 19thish might be better, prices were still lovely and cheap for those dates, and anything after Tuesday would be after the 2 month mark if these ones decided to jump up too.  They weren't getting any cheaper, this I knew. 

Tuesday came, and so did my excitement and anticipation.  Even thought I pretty much already knew which ticket I wanted, on Kayak.com, thorough is my middle name, (no it's not, liar) so I double checked all the tickets.  Then I also compared flights on Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, GoogleFlights, asaptickets, justairticket, CheapOAir, JustFly, Onetravel, Cheaptickets, Staydrivefly, Travelopod, Tripsta, and Travelocity.  (But maybe thorough SHOULD be my middle name??)  Kayak still seemed best and least expensive, so I booked that ticket.  Or tried to.  As my flight was being confirmed, the website notified me the price had jumped up $500, and would I like to continue?  Um, no thanks.  Slight sinking feeling, there goes that nice itinerary.  So I try my next pick, same story.  And my next pick, same thing.  I tried every single one on Kayak that would work for me, and every single one had jumped in price.  I then proceeded through the above mentioned list of flight sites; every. single. ticket. was either unavailable, no longer existed, or jumped in price as my information was being processed.  No matter how many times I tried to refresh the page or do new searches, the flights would always show up at the low price, but it was never true.  It was all very bizarre.  I began to wonder if there was something I was missing here, or if this was the Lord trying to tell me something, maybe these were not the dates I was supposed to go, maybe I should wait for October still, maybe different airports?  I wasn't sure, but one of my biggest prayers in this journey is to not get ahead of the Lord.  So I took a break from the multiple open tabs on my web browser and hundreds upon hundreds of flights I had seen.  To pray, read the Bible, refocus my attention on Christ.  There were just four more flights in my price range I hadn't tried yet.  And they weren't available/jumped in price.  Ok yeah, not Tuesday. 

So You Still Want to Buy a Plane Ticket?

Two days later I decided to check again.  Some of the websites were updated now, reflecting the much more expensive tickets, but most still tauntingly displayed the low, fake prices.  Frustrating.  Except CheapOair seemed to have some new itineraries up.  So I tried to book one.  Oh no, someone bought that ticket before you!  was the notification I got every time.  Lies, all lies.  Then I got a call from New York.  CheapOair trying to help me.  Except they weren't much help and said all the ones I was trying to book had gone up in price $500-700, but I should still book before they go up again.  Erm, nope.  I still tried a couple more on CheapOair, I mean at this point I knew they weren't going to go through anyway, but it made me feel better to know I was exhausting all avenues.  I got another call from CheapOair, again, they told me nothing I didn't already know. 

After I got home from work I made the realization that all the itineraries I'd been trying to book were Aerlingus, they seemed to be the only airline with the cheap tickets.  Well, not anymore, now they were all the same price as the expensive ones.  I tried going straight to Aerlingus.com, and realized that most of the tickets I had been trying for didn't exist, so no wonder all the booking websites weren't working!  If Aerlingus didn't have them how could they?? 

I looked on CheapOair some more.  I realized every time I tried to book a flight and it failed, I would get a call from their help center.  I didn't answer anymore, I knew they couldn't help.  It became a joke, oh here's my friends at CheapOair calling again.  Needless to say, I had lots of missed calls on my phone.  Then I somehow stumbled upon CheapFareGuru, and found relatively inexpensive itineraries through British Airlines, not Aerlingus!  Clap, clap, clap.  I tried to book one.  And guess what?  It went through.  I saw the beloved "Confirmed" page.  I then received a text saying my flight went through.  Yay!  But I didn't receive my ETicket.  I woke up the next day to a still empty email inbox.  At this rate I wasn't sure if I would even get my ETicket before the 24 hour period for free cancellation was up!  As I was getting out of work I got a text saying my card was declined and my flight was on hold.  This has never happened to me before.  Then I got another text saying my booking was cancelled because of my card.  Ok Lord, what are you trying to tell me here?  I know my card is fine, there is no reason for it to be declined.  On the bright side, I realized I had booked my flight to leave on June 19th, Father's day.  Now I was free to find another date if possible.  ANY DATE.  PLEASE.  Haha. 

At this point I knew if it wasn't meant to be the Lord wouldn't let anything go through, so I didn't see any harm in continuing to try.  I found another British Airlines flight for June 20, and even cheaper!  It was perfect on so many levels.  So I booked it.  And I saw that beautiful "Confirmed" page.  And I got the confirming text.  And then I got an email!!!!! But wait, it was not the Eticket, it was letting me know that I would need to

1. email them back to confirm my email and say "I, Jenny Morris, blah blah blah" and

2. Confirm my identity and credit card when they called me.

I emailed them back. Check.  Then I briefly ran upstairs, came back down, and I HAD MISSED THEIR CALL.  Surely they would call me back, right?  It got to be after 10pm and they hadn't called me back, so I called them.  After briefly listening to some nice hold music, I got a hold of someone who said my card was declined, same as yesterday.  We figured out some of my card digits had got mixed up.  Phew, easy fix!  Not.  Still declined.  Went through and confirmed all my other information.  Still declined.  I had to call my credit card company.  The nice lady said my security code might be mixed up, fixed it, and said I was good to go and have CheapFareGuru try my card again.  Called CheapFareGuru again, another nice 10 minutes of hold, annnnnnnd card still declined.  Went through all my information two more times.  Everything is as right as rain.  But sopping wet with my tears and not working.  Just kidding.  I have to call the credit card company again.  This time, however, I am connected straight to someone with the fraud prevention center.  And she said the first agent didn't have clearance to where she could see the hold on the airline purchase, which is why my card couldn't go through.  So now they were able to confirm that I wanted this purchase on my card, and everything should be good to go.  FOR REALZ.  I call CheapFareGuru for the third time, a rocking 25 minutes of hold.  They tried my card again.  And it worked.  Glory be.  Now midnight, I check my email and I have an Eticket.  I check my online card balance, and I have never been so happy to see it charged. 

So that was fun.  And if you would like any advice on anything regarding plane tickets and itineraries, I might be able to help.  Or I might just start twitching. 

It's such a nice feeling having a real plane ticket.  (Unless British Airways goes bankrupt or something.)  There is still a lot of work ahead of me, continually fundraising and building my prayer and support team, but having an official date spurs on the excitement to continue this course set before me. 

Banana Coconut Breakfast Cookies

Last Updated July 23, 2024

Do you like cookies? Would you like to eat cookies for breakfast, or anytime? Then these cookies are for you, because they’re delicious and also healthy!

These Coconut Banana Breakfast Cookies have no refined sugar. Think bananas, coconut, pecans, and apricots with a light touch of maple syrup and oats. Of course, I practically just gave you the whole ingredient list so let's just get baking, shall we?? 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to ethically and responsibly made items, small businesses, and where applicable, American companies and products made in the USA for American readers. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Banana Coconut Breakfast Cookies

Makes about 15 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups / 135g quick oats

• 1 cup / 80g unsweetened flaked or shredded coconut

• 2/3 cup / 66g pecan halves, coarsely chopped

• 1/4 cup / 35g almonds, coarsely chopped

• 1 Tbsp / 10g flax seeds

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup / 65g dried apricots, chopped

• 3 / 300g very ripe bananas, mashed

• 1/4 cup / 56g coconut oil, melted

• 1 Tbsp / 20g maple syrup

• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract

Directions:

Oven 350°F / 177°C

1. In a medium bowl, stir together oats, coconut, pecans, flax, salt, and apricots. Add bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla until combined. 

2. Spoon generous mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat. 

3. Bake 23-25 minutes, until lightly golden. 

Jenny's Notes:

• Recipes like this are great because they can be so easily adapted to your tastes, or simply to change it up.  Feel free to use any kind of nuts you wish, or a combination of several, change up the dried fruit, or use honey instead of maple syrup.  I recommend also trying dried blueberries and dried cherries!

• You can use rolled oats for these cookies in place of the quick oats. I've found that in most recipes the different kind of oats can be interchanged without affecting the quality of your product. Just keep in mind that rolled oats are slightly less absorbent than quick oats, so you may need to add slightly more.

Yield 15

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

25 Min

Total time

45 Min

Print

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Banana Coconut Breakfast Cookies

Healthy cookies made with bananas, coconut, nuts, seeds, and fruit, and sweetened with maple syrup. Excellent for breakfast, dessert, or anytime snack! Gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and refined sugar free.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups / 135g quick oats
• 1 cup / 80g unsweetened flaked or shredded coconut
• 2/3 cup / 66g pecan halves, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup / 35g almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp / 10g flax seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup / 65g dried apricots, chopped
• 3 / 300g very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup / 56g coconut oil, melted
• 1 Tbsp / 20g maple syrup
• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Oven 350°F / 177°C
2. In a medium bowl, stir together oats, coconut, pecans, flax, salt, and apricots. Add bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla until combined.
3. Spoon generous mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat.
4. Bake 23-25 minutes, until lightly golden.

Notes

• Recipes like this are great because they can be so easily adapted to your tastes, or simply to change it up.  Feel free to use any kind of nuts you wish, or a combination of several, change up the dried fruit, or use honey instead of maple syrup.  I recommend also trying dried blueberries and dried cherries!
• You can use either quick oats or rolled oats for these cookies. I've found that in most recipes the different kind of oats can be interchanged without affecting the quality of your product. Just keep in mind that rolled oats are slightly less absorbent than quick oats, so if using rolled oats, you may need to add slightly more.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

145.27

Fat

8.24 g

Sat. Fat

3.68 g

Carbs

17.02 g

Fiber

2.36 g

Net carbs

14.68 g

Sugar

6.6 g

Protein

3.19 g

Sodium

79.49 mg

Cholesterol

0 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 1 cookie if recipe makes 15 cookies.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/4/19/banana-coconut-breakfast-cookies

healthy cookies, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, breakfast cookies

dessert, breakfast

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

Some raisins snuck into these ones

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Unexpected Blows, Faith, and Their Proper Places.

"I've got a blow, I've got a blow, Jane!" - Jane Eyre

About a week ago I received the unexpected news that school tuition in Italy had gone up.  By a few thousand euros.  As I had already paid my deposit for the school year and thought I was good to go for my first year, this was an unexpected blow financially.  But maybe the deposit I paid could go towards the new cost?  It turns out that in order to get a student visa starting for the summer, as I am to arrive in June, I would also have to pay for summer courses. The deposit I already paid would cover the summer, then I would have to start all over to pay for the fall.  That's quite a bit of extra moula for summer courses...and fundraising is not for the faint of heart.  Thankfully the Lord is not faint nor distant, and He is the only reason I have made it this far! Whew.

I started weighing my options.  To avoid the summer fees, I could put off leaving until mid October.  My mind and heart rebelled against that idea, June has been my goal all along, for a couple different reasons.  Once I came home from my vision trip in the fall, and made a decision at the end of December to return to Italy, I naturally wanted to get back as soon as possible.  I left a part of my heart there, and there is a sense of urgency to get back, each day we draw closer to the return of Jesus and so many people still need the Gospel.  But I also wanted to spend time with my family and Traverse City now that I realized I would once again be leaving long term, have time to organize myself and fund-raise, and finish out the school year teaching at Dance Arts Academy, where my bosses, colleagues, and students are all precious to me.  May 28 will be my final day teaching culminating with Spring Concerts, and in June I am free to go, so June I chose as my departure month.  The longer I am away the more I lose what I have learned of Italian, and it is hard to keep in stride with the Gallery 4 Team from so far away.  To delay until October makes it that much harder in all aspects.  

Decisions in a French grocery store are so hard, and yet so fun...

The catch was, if I still was going in June, I needed to be applying for a visa starting yesterday in order to get it in time.  Committing to June, the visa, a plane ticket, and trusting the Lord to raise 100% funding plus the new extra for school by June, was a whole lot for me to swallow.  I felt rushed and didn't want to make any decisions without the Lord.  I am notoriously bad at decisions, and the weight of this one wasn't making it any easier.  (Do I want brie or camembert cheese? I have to live with this decision until the next time I buy cheese!!!)  The struggle is real, you guys...

Jeffrey and Rachel, getting married 10/8/16! I love them.

I spent a lot of time praying and seeking the Lord last weekend, to make sure I wasn't holding June with a closed fist.  If the Lord wanted me to delay, His ways are fully informed, mine are only informed by my present; who am I to say June is better?  October might seem random when schools normally start in September, but my brother Jeffrey is getting married in October.  It wouldn't make sense to pay for a plane ticket to go for less than a month in September, then have to buy another plane ticket to return after the wedding in October.   I thought to myself, what would Leslie Knope do?  So I made a pros and cons list.  It didn't help a whole lot, but it made me feel a tad better. 

It's frustrating to me that practically speaking, it all boiled down to money.  The tuition for the year I need to raise no matter what, but the summer was an extra $1,400.  That's money I don't HAVE to raise if I delayed my departure until the fall, and I want to be a good steward of the Lord's money and the money entrusted to me by my supporters, present and future.  Especially when that 100% funding seems so distant, I'm trying to keep everything as minimal as possible.

Another option was looking into other kinds of visas.  I've been told by many people the easiest visa to acquire is the student visa, the other ones require a lot more paper work and hoops to jump through.  What ensued was many hours of research into different kinds of visas and reaching out to different people for advice and wisdom.  Most of what was unfruitful and dead ends.  Alas. 

Then I had a thought.  I should marry an Italian, ASAP.  Haha don't worry, that wasn't the thought.  What if I left in June for 90 days and stayed without a visa, like I did in the fall?  Tourists from some countries, the US included, can spend 90 days in the Schengen Territory without needing a visa.  Then I could come home in September for 3-4 weeks, the perfect timing to be home for Jeffrey's wedding and get my student visa to come back for the school year in October.  Thus avoiding the need to pay for summer school.  With all the dead ends I had hit so far, it seemed almost too good to be true.  It was confirmed by Rachel, one of my dancing friends with Gallery 4, that it was possible.  She had done that herself at one point! 

So, June it still is.  The Lord had really brought me to terms with not leaving until October, and so I still don't know what the point of that scare was.  Maybe it was the Lord making sure I would be willing to give up June.  Or that there are going to be many bumps and bruises, and unexpected delays and circumstances along the way.  I must have faith, trust, and flexibility, and lean on His understanding all the more. 

Monkey Bread Muffins

Last Updated August 21, 2024

You might be familiar with Monkey Bread: soft, cinnamon and sugar bread that tears apart and is oh, so good? You might also know it as Monkey Puzzle Bread. Or its more literal name Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Bread. Or individual pieces of heaven. Or as we call it, Plucketts.

While apparently no one can decide on a name, what everyone is unanimous on is how delicious Monkey Bread is. There is no yeast in Monkey Bread, just baking powder, making for a quick and satisfying baking adventure.

What’s special about this recipe is that instead of being baked in a bundt or other larger pan, these are assembled in a muffin pan, making for individual Monkey Bread Muffins!

The dough comes together in a matter of minutes, then shaped into lots of small balls that are rolled in sugar, and placed in a muffin pan. Melted butter and brown sugar gets drizzled all over before baking, seeping into all those cracks and crevices, which helps to make these easy to pull apart when eating. Finally, a simple glaze finishes off these little treats.

What’s in a name?

Honestly, I have no idea why it's sometimes called monkey bread in the first place. There is no banana involved, and as far as I know a monkey didn't invent the recipe. Maybe people act like monkeys when they eat it? Not to mention we haven’t even gotten through all of its possible names yet.

This and similar recipes are also called Bubble bread, African coffee cake, Hungarian coffee cake, sticky bread, Pinch-Me Bread, Pluck-Its, or even Monkey Brains. Because that last one sounds SO appetizing. A quick Google search has brought me to the conclusion that many people are also confused as to why it's called Monkey Bread, but might be so named because the bread resembles monkeys in a barrel (but does it?), monkeys like to pick at things, or it resembles the bark of the monkey puzzle tree. I guess we shall remain shrouded in mystery, and continue to make up even more names for it as we go along. For now, I’ll just stick with Monkey Bread.

On to the recipe!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

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Monkey Bread Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

For the Muffins

• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp / 255g flour

• 1 Tbsp / 12g sugar

• 1 Tbsp / 14g baking powder

• 1/2 tsp / 3g salt

• 1/2 cup / 120g buttermilk or sour milk*

• 1/3 cup / 79g milk

• 5 Tbsp / 70g oil

• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

• 5 Tbsp / 70g butter, melted

• 2/3 cup / 133g brown sugar

• 2 tsp cinnamon

For the Glaze (optional)

• 1/2 cup / 60g powdered sugar

• 1 Tbsp / 15g milk

Directions:

Make the Muffins

Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C.

1. Lightly grease a muffin pan or line with liners (preferably grease-proof.) 

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add both milks and oil to flour mixture.  Stir with a fork until just combined. Over mixing = dense muffins. 

3. Place 1/2 cup / 100g sugar in a bowl or container with a lid.  Scoop out roughly one tsp of dough, round into a ball shape with your palms, and plop into the sugar,. Repeat until you have an even layer of balls in the sugar. Place on lid and gently shake to coat with sugar. Place sugar-coated balls in muffin pan, about six in each cup. Repeat scooping, rolling, and sugar-coating with remaining dough.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour evenly over each muffin. Place muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown and they no longer look doughy. 

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pan so they don't fall apart. Run a knife around the edge of each muffin to loosen.

Make the Glaze

1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together powdered sugar and milk.  Using a spoon, lightly drizzle each muffin with glaze. 

Jenny's Notes:

• *If you don't have buttermilk, sour milk can be substituted. For every 1 cup milk add 1 Tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Stir and let sit for a minute before using. This works with regular milk, nut milks, and most other milk alternatives. 

• When first mixed, the batter may seem wet but it quickly becomes scoop-able. Something about baking powder doughs tend to be this way, they seem too wet when it first comes together, then within a matter of seconds it seems fine.

• The glaze is optional, mostly depending on if you want that finished look and how sweet you like your monkey muffins. You may notice the actual dough is just lightly sweet, only 1 Tbsp of sugar. The brown sugar butter mixture that gets poured over is what makes these sweet and rich. I personally don’t think they need to be sweeter beyond that, but I do like the glazed/finished look.

Yield 12

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

30 Min

Cook time

19 Min

Total time

49 Min

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Monkey Bread Muffins

Individual serving pull-apart cinnamon sugar bread made in muffin tins. Sticky, sweet, and satisfying, it's hard to eat just one!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Muffins

• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp / 255g flour
• 1 Tbsp / 12g sugar
• 1 Tbsp / 14g baking powder
• 1/2 tsp / 3g salt
• 1/2 cup / 120g buttermilk or sour milk*
• 1/3 cup / 79g milk
• 5 Tbsp / 70g oil
• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar
• 5 Tbsp / 70g butter, melted
• 2/3 cup / 133g brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

For the Glaze (optional)

• 1/2 cup / 60g powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp / 15g milk

Instructions

Make the Muffins

1. Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C.
2. Lightly grease a muffin pan or line with liners (preferably grease-proof.)
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add both milks and oil to flour mixture. Stir with a fork until just combined. Over mixing = dense muffins.
4. Place 1/2 cup / 100g sugar in a bowl or container with a lid. Scoop out roughly one tsp of dough, round into a ball shape with your palms, and plop into the sugar,. Repeat until you have an even layer of balls in the sugar. Place on lid and gently shake to coat with sugar. Place sugar-coated balls in muffin pan, about six in each cup. Repeat scooping, rolling, and sugar-coating with remaining dough.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour evenly over each muffin. Place muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown and they no longer look doughy.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pan so they don't fall apart. Run a knife around the edge of each muffin to loosen.

Make the Glaze

1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together powdered sugar and milk. Using a spoon, lightly drizzle each muffin with glaze.

Notes

• *If you don't have buttermilk, sour milk can be substituted. For every 1 cup milk add 1 Tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Stir and let sit for a minute before using. This works with regular milk, nut milks, and most other milk alternatives. 
• When first mixed, the batter may seem wet but it quickly becomes scoop-able. Something about baking powder doughs tend to be this way, they seem too wet when it first comes together, then within a matter of seconds it seems fine.
• The glaze is optional, mostly depending on if you want that finished look and how sweet you like your monkey muffins.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

289.12

Fat

11.45 g

Sat. Fat

3.84 g

Carbs

41.19 g

Fiber

0.83 g

Net carbs

40.35 g

Sugar

17.7 g

Protein

2.95 g

Sodium

258.48 mg

Cholesterol

14.78 mg

Nutritional information is approximate, based on 1 muffin if recipe makes 12.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/4/12/monkey-muffins?rq=monkey%20muffins

monkey bread muffins, individual serving cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread, monkey brain muffins, mini plucketts, cinnamon bubble bread, African coffee cake, Hungarian coffee cake, sticky bread, Pinch-Me Bread, Pluck-Its

dessert

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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White Russian Tart

Last updated on September 15, 2024

This tart is a refreshingly scrumptious, not-as-guilty dessert. It is no-bake, gluten-free, refined-sugar free, and somehow delicious. It’s filled with healthy fats which help keep you satisfied for longer than sugary, carb-heavy desserts.

Crust

The crust is like a chewy Lara bar, made of dates, nuts, coconut and cocoa powder to make it dark and chocolatey.

Dark Chocolate Cream

Next, there is a smooth, dark chocolate layer spiked with vodka and Kahlua. You’d never guess the main ingredient for this “cream” is avocado.

Mascarpone Cream

The top layer is decadent and lightly sweetened mascarpone. Put the three layers together and you have yourself quite the treat!

A healthy dessert? Is it any good?

When I'm experimenting and trying new recipes in the "healthy" department (as defined by trying to limit refined-sugars or flours, using a vegetable or bean or something that doesn't normally go belong in desserts, or generally replacing healthier ingredients for less healthy ones) I look for the 3 different categories of reactions from my tasters:

1. The category of "This is honest deliciousness."  When people ask for a recipe or have no idea that there are chickpeas or spinach powder hidden in what they're eating. Something a normal or even picky eater would eat. 

2. The category of "It's good for a healthy dessert!"  So it's palatable and they're not gagging, but most would still take a slice of cheesecake over it. AKA, just not as good as it’s regular counterpart.

3. The category of "I would rather just eat a salad."  If actual fruits and vegetables are tastier than the “dessert” that is trying to be passed off, then that recipe should probably be scrapped.

This tart is a solid category 1.  Even my mom and brother approved this, and they keep me pretty honest when it comes to healthy desserts. 

I bounce back and forth between decadent desserts and healthier desserts. I have a love and respect for both, and each have their place. Some days it's honey, nuts, and coconut oil; other days it's sugar, heavy whipping cream, and butter. Variety is the spice of life. Today, it's dates, avocado, and mascarpone.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses, and American companies and products made in the USA for American readers. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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White Russian Tart

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

Chocolate Crust

• 1-1/2 cups / 210g whole almonds

• 2 Tbsp / 10g unsweetened shredded coconut

• 4-5 medjool or 8-10 / 100g deglet dates, pitted

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 Tbsp / 7g unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

Chocolate Vodka Cream

• 1/4 cup / 56g unrefined coconut oil, melted

• 1 Tbsp finely ground coffee beans

• 1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pit removed, and sliced

• 3 Tbsp / 20g unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 tsp vodka

• 1 tsp rum or Kahlua (of course the Kahlua option adds sugar)

• 2 Tbsp / 40g+ maple syrup, or more to taste

Mascarpone Cream

• 8 oz / 225g mascarpone cheese

• 1 Tbsp / 20g maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Make the Chocolate Crust

1. In a food processor, combine almonds and coconut and pulse until small crumbles. 

2. Add dates, vanilla, cocoa powder, and salt.  Process until well combined. 

3. Press into the bottom of a 8 or 9 inch spring-form pan or pie plate.

Make the Chocolate Vodka Cream

1. Combine melted coconut oil, coffee, avocado, cocoa powder, vodka, Kahlua, and maple syrup in a food processor until smooth. Stop and scrape down sides and bottom occasionally. 

2. Spread over crust and place in freezer for about 30 minutes.

Make the Mascarpone Cream

1. Combine mascarpone, maple syrup, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Take the tart out of the freezer and spread mascarpone mixture over it. 

2. Place in fridge for about 2 hours before serving.   

Jenny's Notes:

King Arthur Black Cocoa, Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, Perfect for Baking, 14 Ounces Buy on Amazon

• This tart is not very sweet and really lets the mascarpone shine through.  However, if you or your guests prefer things a little on the sweeter side, feel free to add more maple syrup in either of the creams. 

• Also, I like to use black cocoa powder in this recipe.  Black cocoa powder is what gives Oreos their signature black color.  (I didn't know the flavor of Oreo was supposed to be chocolate until I was an adult.)  If you can get your hands on it, it's really great. I usually order it from Amazon. 

Yield 8-12

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

35 Min

Inactive time

2 Hour

Total time

2 H & 35 M

Print

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White Russian Tart

Chewy chocolate almond and date crust, creamy chocolate cream, topped with a lightly sweet mascarpone cream. This dessert is decadent and also gluten-free, refined sugar-free, no-bake, and full of healthy fats.

Ingredients

Chocolate Crust

• 1-1/2 cups / 210g whole almonds
• 2 Tbsp / 10g unsweetened shredded coconut
• 4-5 medjool or 8-10 / 100g deglet dates, pitted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp / 7g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Chocolate Vodka Cream

• 1/4 cup / 56g unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 1 Tbsp finely ground coffee beans
• 1 large ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
• 3 Tbsp / 20g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vodka
• 1 tsp rum or Kahlua (of course the Kahlua option adds sugar)
• 2 Tbsp / 40g+ maple syrup, or more to taste

Mascarpone Cream

• 8 oz / 225g mascarpone cheese
• 1 Tbsp / 20g maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Chocolate Crust

1. In a food processor, combine almonds and coconut and pulse until small crumbles.
2. Add dates, vanilla, cocoa powder, and salt. Process until well combined.
3. Press into the bottom of a 8 or 9 inch spring-form pan or pie plate.

Make the Chocolate Vodka Cream

1. Combine melted coconut oil, coffee, avocado, cocoa powder, vodka, Kahlua, and maple syrup in a food processor until smooth. Stop and scrape down sides and bottom occasionally.
2. Spread over crust and place in freezer for about 30 minutes.

Make the Mascarpone Cream

1. Combine mascarpone, maple syrup, and vanilla in a small bowl. Take the tart out of the freezer and spread mascarpone mixture over it.
2. Place in fridge for about 2 hours before serving.

Notes

• This tart is not very sweet and really lets the mascarpone shine through.  However, if you or your guests prefer things a little on the sweeter side, feel free to add more maple syrup in either of the creams. 
• Also, I like to use black cocoa powder in this recipe.  Black cocoa powder is what gives Oreos their signature black color.  (I didn't know the flavor of Oreo was supposed to be chocolate until I was an adult.)  If you can get your hands on it, it's really great. I usually order it from Amazon. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories

358.31

Fat

29.26 g

Sat. Fat

15.72 g

Carbs

22.26 g

Fiber

5.01 g

Net carbs

17.27 g

Sugar

14.6 g

Protein

5.29 g

Sodium

92.3 mg

Cholesterol

28.35 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 8 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/4/7/white-russian-tart

no bake, refined sugar free, gluten free dessert, raw dessert

dessert

American

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