Back in the mid 2000’s Jessica Seinfeld released a cookbook called Deceptively Delicious. It is targeted toward parents cooking and baking for their children so lots of child friendly things in this cookbook. Pretty much every recipe could be used to feed a family though. I mean, who doesn’t love a good Sloppy Joe or a big plate of Mac and Cheese? I purchased the book then even though it would be many years before I’d have children of my own and a possible need to hide good things in their food. I’ve since began using it for family treats. It turns out that my kids have pretty well developed palates and eat a wide variety of foods, fruit and veggies included. Honestly, they likely do better with their diets than many adults. I’m at the age now where diet is increasingly important to me for a variety of reasons and I have a major sweet tooth so I decided to work on adding more vitamins, minerals and fibre into those things instead of completely cutting them out.
I recently made the brownies with spinach and carrot purée and they were pretty amazing I must say! They definitely aren’t the decadent brownies you’d purchase at the local bake shop, laden with sugar and butter, their chewiness is definitely different than what we’ve come to expect from a brownie. BUT…..they are still pretty tasty, have a fudgy texture and are a great way to satisfy a craving while cutting down on fats, sugar and calories! Not to mention that they have 3 grams of fibre and the benefits of powerful antioxidants from the carrots and spinach.
These brownies were a huge hit in our house and I plan to make them again (and again!). If you have a garden, they are a great way to use up some of those items you may have extra of during the season. I literally just dunked the spinach in boiling water and it wilted immediately and was ready to purée. The carrots took a bit longer but chopped or sliced in small pieces, they will also cook quickly and were a cinch to purée in my Vitamix.
Look at the beautiful colours of the fresh purées! So many nutrients in there!
The only note I will add is to wait till they are completely cool before digging in. Otherwise, you will taste the spinach. Once cool though, you honestly would never know there are veggies hidden in them! Shhhhh, it’s our little secret!
Healthy Brownies
Brownies with Spinach and Carrot Purée hidden inside
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat.
In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purées, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
Whisk in egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a spatula.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.
I made this amazing chocolate cake a couple days ago and let’s just say it didn’t last long! Even my little boys both loved it. It’s so chocolatey and moist and little do they know, it’s got some veggies and fruit thrown in – albeit the extent of the fruit is orange peel but still, there’s gotta be some vitamin C in that orange peel hasn’t there? I’ve always adored the mix of chocolate and orange. Anyone else out there a Terry’s Chocolate Orange fan? The orange flavour isn’t overpowering at all and with just a hint of orangey tartness this chocolate bundt cake really stands out! You could easily omit the orange zest and the cake would be equally as delicious.
Chocolate Orange Zucchini Bundt Cake
shannonleger
Moist and Delicious Chocolate Orange Zucchini Bundt Cake
Cream vegetable shortening and sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in eggs; stir in vanilla, orange zest and zucchini. Blend well. Stir flour, cocoa and the rest of the dry ingredients. Add to zucchini mixture along with the milk. Put in a bundt pan and top with 1/2 cup nuts and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Bake at 350 F for 50-55 minutes.
I did find that some chocolate came off on my cooling rack as I let the cake cool the way it came out of the pan (so all the nuts and chocolate chips were then on the bottom of the cake). Next time I think I would flip the cake back over to cool with the nuts and chocolate chips on the top. To serve, you can always invert again onto a serving tray or cake stand and your chocolate chips will stay intact since they will have cooled off.
So we had big news this week! We are soon to be owners of six little chicks. They’re coming at the end of April and we’re all pretty excited! My oldest son cared for and hatched an egg in kindergarten a couple of years ago and he still talks about it! I think it’ll be great for our family.
I’m definitely going to enjoy baking with all those fresh eggs and I know the caring of them and having a chance to chat with them during my daily outdoor routine will be therapeutic for my anxiety. I think it’ll be a great experience for the boys too, learning to care for the chickens and the responsibility that comes with owning an animal. We do have an indoor cat that we love fiercely but I think this will be a little different. My husband is happy to build a custom coop too. He’s got the plans ready to go so the next stop is the building supply store for all the materials to create an amazing new Farmhouse style coop.
To celebrate this big news I decided to make some special cupcakes. These Chocolate Covered Hi-Hats have been on my baking wish list for YEARS!! I saw them in an issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine years ago and was intrigued. Everything about them caught my attention. A chocolate cupcake topped with oh so high swirls of boiled frosting and then dipped in chocolate like a big swirly ice cream cone. I read the article that was written in the magazine and in that article the book Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans was mentioned. I purchased the cookbook and probably fifteen years passed. Until now. Oh. My. These are to die for! They are pretty spectacular to look at and really delicious to eat!
Chocolate Covered Hi-Hats. A rich chocolate sour cream cupcake swirled high with marshmallowy boiled frosting and then dipped in semi-sweet chocolate coating. Spectacular!
These delicious delights originated in New York as do so many wonderful things! Here are a few tips I came up with after making these myself that will help ensure the perfect Hi-Hats!
1. The chocolate dipping was a bit messy but if you ensure your frosted cupcakes are very well chillled before starting and your chocolate has cooled for around 15 minutes, it does make things a little less messy and you have a better chance at cupcake perfection! 2. Work quickly with the dipping. Dip all the way in (make sure you have a small bowl that is deep enough to get your whole top in there without smushing that gorgeous swirl). Make sure the chocolate gets all the way to your cupcake top. That will help anchor the chocolate and keep the top attached well to the cupcake. Your boiled frosting wont dry out that way either. 3. If you have a bit of white showing after dipping, don’t re-dip. Simply drizzle some chocolate with a spoon and fill in the white area with the chocolate. It’s pretty forgiving actually. 4. Keep refrigerated and serve cold.
Start with a good chocolate cupcake. You can use your own favourite recipe or this Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcake batter.
Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcake Batter
Makes enough batter for 18 regular cupcakes, 12 big-top cupcakes or 60 mini cupcakes
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 1/4 cups sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup water
Put the chocolate in a double boiler (or you can carefully melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between being careful not to burn) and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. On low speed, add in melted chocolate. On medium speed, add eggs one at a time mixing until blended into the batter. Add vanilla, and beat about 1 minute. Mix in sour cream until no white streaks remain. On low speed, add half the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Mix in water. Mix in remaining flour mixture until incorporated and batter is smooth. Line muffin tin with 12 paper liners and bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes on a wire rack. You may need to use a small knife to loosen the tops from the pan to remove as these will be big-top cupcakes. Release onto wire rack to cool completely top side up.
Make the filling. Marshmallowy goodness!
Filling
1 3/4 cups sugar 1/4 cup water 3 large egg whites 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp almond extract (would be delicious without this too if you like a more plain marshmallow flavour)
Put sugar, water, egg whites and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler with at least a 2 quart capacity and beat with an electric mixer until opaque, white and foamy, about 1 minute. Put the bowl over the simmering water and beat on high speed until frosting forms stiff peaks that stand up straight when you lift the beaters out of the bowl, about 12 minutes. The frosting should reach 160F on a thermometer. Remove from double boiler, add extracts and beat another 2 minutes to further thicken.
Spoon filling into a large pastry bag fitted with a large pastry tip. Leaving a 1/8” edge on each cupcake, pipe a spiral of filling onto each cupcake. Each mound will be approximately 1/2 cup of filling and create a 2 inch high swirl. Place cupcakes on a platter or tray and refrigerate uncovered, while you prepare the coating.
Use a small but deep bowl for the chocolate coating.
The chocolate can be melted in a double boiler or carefully in the microwave. At this point my pans were dirty and I didn’t want to stop to wash them so I melted the coating in the microwave in 20-30 second intervals stirring in between until the coating was smooth and shiny. Cool for approximately 15 minutes so it doesn’t melt your swirls when you dip the cupcakes.
At this point, I peeled off the paper liners and began dipping. You can wait to peel them until after they are dipped so you have a nice clean edge free of chocolate drips. I felt like it would be easier to peel prior to dipping and also easier to serve peeled so the person eating the cupcake wouldn’t have to get chocolate all over their hands tying to get the paper off of a large chocolate-y cupcake. At any rate, they are plenty messy enough to eat……I dare you to eat one and not get any chocolate on your hands, face, or right on the end of your nose, haha! Totally up to your preferences though! Ok, on with the dipping!
Holding each cupcake by the bottom and working fairly quickly, dip top into the chocolate letting excess drip off, then spoon more coating onto any areas that are showing any white filling. It should all be covered, even along the edge. Let sit at room temperature to firm slightly (around 15 minutes). Place cupcakes back on tray and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve cold.
These cupcakes can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days but I don’t think they will last that long!
