Carrot Cake Cheese Cake Fudge

At one of the local farmer’s markets, there is a vendor who sells fudge, and one of the flavors she sometimes carries is Carrot Cake Cheesecake.  Well, Eammon just adored her fudge so we worked to replicate the recipe at home as a treat over the holidays.  Yes, another holiday recipe which only took us 4 months to finally post!  We dissected the farmer’s market fudge layer-by-layer and noted that the fudge was the cheesecake flavor and the bottom crust, even without any carrots, tasted like carrot cake.  So, we researched all sorts of recipes to finally come up with this one which is indistinguishable from the farmer’s market one he loved.  Though there are a few steps to the recipe, it is simple to execute and the results are worth the time.

Carrot Cake Cheese Cake Fudge

For the carrot cake base:

• 1 sleeve  Ritz Original crackers
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar , packed
• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk 
• 1 tsp. vanilla  
• 1 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp.  ground nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

For the Cheesecake Fudge:

• 3 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter  
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 7 oz. Marshmallow Fluff (1-1/2 cups)
• 1 - 3.4 ounce instant cheesecake pudding mix, DRY

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil and grease with butter or coconut oil.  Arrange the Ritz Crackers in a even layer on the bottom of the baking dish, breaking some to fill in all the gaps and overlapping as needed.  In a medium saucepan, bring butter and brown sugar to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once the mixture is at a FULL boil, cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, cocoa,  nutmeg & walnuts.  Pour the mixture over the crackers and bake for 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool while making the fudge.

In a medium saucepan combine the white chocolate chips, butter, salt and condensed milk and heat until melted and smooth. Add the dry pudding mix and stir until the mix dissolves and is smooth.  Add the Marshmallow Fluff and stir until melted and smooth. Pour the melted fudge over the crust and use an offset spatula to smooth. 

Refrigerate until set.  Carefully remove the fudge from the pan and peel back the foil.  Using a sharp knife which has been heated in a bowl of hot water and then wiped dry, cut the fudge into small squares.  Clean the knife between each cut with a dish towel and reheat it as necessary.   Store the fudge at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Fried Fudge

Totally off our regular eating plan, but we decided that some Christmas treats were in order this year.  The first of these sugary treats was some super smooth, chocolaty Fried Fudge.  The fudge isn’t actually fried, it’s just made in a fry pan, thus the name.  Simple to make and delicious to eat.  Make it with or without nuts, it’s up to you!

Fried Fudge

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 oz. condensed milk
• 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts, quartered
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 

In a heavy fry pan, mix the sugar, butter &  milk together and then bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook for six more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat & add the chocolate chips and nuts. Stir until fudge begins to form and then quickly add the vanilla, stirring to incorporate. Using a tablespoon, drop the fudge onto a Silpat or wax paper. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Baked Stuffed Apples

I know, here it is the last day of November and I’m still trying to get my Thanksgiving recipes posted and shoot, this isn’t even my last one.  Busyness, continued sickness and tiredness…well I’m just behind and maybe one day I’ll catch up…maybe by next Thanksgiving??  I mentioned both over on my Moments with Maisie and on this blog that this year with all the food restrictions and sickness, I went really simple with our dinner and especially with dessert.  I mean think about it, what do you make with the following restrictions?  Maisie can’t have wheat, egg or dairy, my Mom can’t have dairy, my Dad limits sugar, Eammon really doesn’t care for desserts which are too chocolaty and I’ve been avoiding flour & sugar and also, though I enjoy crisps, crumbles & some tarts, I generally don’t care for pies, the making or the eating.  

Dessert really was a dilemma until I saw a recipe for Crock-Pot Baked Apples on the blog, Skinny Chef.  The recipe was perfect as it it was the right seasonal flavors and it pretty much met everyone’s dietary restrictions.  Even better, it was simple to prepare and once it was put in the slow cooker no one had to think about it until dessert was served.  Even though the original recipe met most of our dietary restrictions I still tweaked it a bit by changing out the trans-fat free margarine called for in the original recipe, instead using coconut oil and I also decided to add dried cranberries, crystallized ginger and some additional spices to make the dish more my own. 

I loved the simplicity of the dish and the flavor of the filling and the apples.  The only thing I would do differently next time is to use less fat and that’s only because I didn’t care for the mouth feel but on that, I was the only one who complained.  We enjoyed these apples both hot and cold as leftovers.  These apples provided all of the flavors of the holiday without all the heaviness, calories, fat and work of pies and by having these apples I think we all felt a bit less stuffed and possibly…even a bit healthier!

Crockpot Baked Stuffed Apples (adapted from here)

• 6 Honey Crisp, Gala or Macintosh apples, cored
• 1/4 cup Whey Low Gold or brown sugar
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries  
• 2 TBS coconut oil (I would cut this to 1 TBS.) 
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. finely minced crystallized ginger 
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves   
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 TBS orange liquor (optional)

Using an apple corer and a serrated grapefruit spoon, core the apples, scooping out all the seeds and opening the cored hole a little wider at the top of the apple than the corer.  It’s okay if you go all the way through as the apples don’t move when they cook and if you carefully scoop them from underneath when serving, the filling stays in them without a problem. 

In a large bowl, mix the Whey Low Gold, walnuts, pecans, cranberries, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger & ground clove.  Fill each apple with approximately 2 TBS. of the filling, packing it in, and place the filled apples in the crockpot. Pour in the apple cider and orange liquor.  Cover and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Enjoy!

Baked Meatballs

Maisie adores meatballs and last week she asked for some and as they’re so simple to make I whipped up a batch.  Because of Maisie’s allergies I don’t use eggs or bread crumbs when making the meatballs.  To substitute for the egg I use chia seeds and for the bread I use potato flakes.  To add some extra calories I also incorporate ground walnuts into the mixture and they add a really nice texture to the finished meatball.  These meatballs have great flavor and texture and I love that Maisie adores them and will easily eat six to eight of them at one go.  Maisie enjoys eating the meatballs dipped either in ketchup or bbq sauce but they’re also delicious over pasta with a sauce or as part of a meatball sub sandwich. 

 Everything goes in one bowl and is mixed together,

 I portion out the meat using a large cookie scoop then roll the scoops into balls before placing them on a foil lined baking sheet.  Twenty minutes in the oven and Maisie’s meatballs are ready to serve.

Baked Meatballs

• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 2 TBS chia seeds
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup minced yellow onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 1/2 cup potato flakes
• 1 cup ground walnuts
• 1 TBS Italian seasoning 
• 2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl add the hot water and chia seeds and mix well.  Allow the chia seeds to hydrate for five minutes.  Add all the other ingredients and using your hands mix well.  Using a large cookie scoop portion out the meat.  Roll the portioned out meat into balls and place the meatballs on a the prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through.  Serve with sauce or as Maisie likes them, with a side of ketchup or bbq sauce.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake

It’s Crazy Cooking Challenge time again and this month our hostess Tina of Moms Crazy Cooking challenged the participating bloggers to search non-celebrity blogs looking for the ultimate chocolate cake recipe.  Once we find what we think is the ultimate recipe we are to make and feature that recipe and the blog where we found it.  I posted recently in my Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel post that since making my Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart I’ve been on a major lemon kick so when I saw Mimi’s Double Chocolate Tangerine Mousse Cake I knew immediately that I could tweak the recipe a bit switching out the tangerine for lemon and I could get my tangy lemon fix, still meet the requirements of making a chocolate cake while also making the ultimate chocolate cake.

This cake used both white and dark chocolate and that combined with tangy lemon, well it was exactly what I had been craving.  The chocolate cake is flourless so it’s dense and rich.  The mousse uses gelatin which is something that I haven’t done before but it seemed to help the mousse keep it’s shape but the mousse remained light, soft, rich and creamy.  Everyone who tried the cake thought it was beautiful and adored the rich flavors…and they were rich so small slices are a must.  If you adore dark chocolate and lemon like we do, I think you will find this to be a favorite in your home too.

My previous Crazy Cooking Challenge entries:
Chicken Noodle Soup Challenge: Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
Fudge Challenge: Biscoff Fudge
Mashed Potato Challenge: Aloo Tikki
Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge: Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps
Mac & Cheese Challenge: Velvety Mac & Cheese 

Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake  (Adapted from here)

Cake
1 cup butter
9 oz. dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 cup ground toasted walnuts

Mousse
1 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
1/3 cup lemon sugar syrup from making the Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel
2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
12 oz. white chocolate chips 
6 TBS sour cream
2 cups chilled whipping cream

Garnish:
Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel
walnut halves, toasted

For Cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan with cutter and then dust with cocoa powder.  Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, checking and stirring often until smooth.  Whisk in the sugar, eggs and ground nuts. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out with very moist crumbs attached, about 45 minutes. Cool completely on rack (cake will fall and crack).  Once cool, using the pan’s cutter release the cake from the pan.

Lightly brush the sides of a 10-inch springform pan with vegetable oil. Set the cooled cake in center of pan (there will be space around cake that will be filled in with mousse). Refrigerate cake.

For Mousse:
Place 3 TBS of the lemon juice in a small bowl and sprinkle in the gelatin. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the gelatin to soften.  Meanwhile, simmer the remaining lemon juice and lemon sugar syrup, stirring until combined, about 3 minutes.  Add the gelatin mixture to the lemon juice mixture and stir to dissolve.  Add 12 ounces white chocolate and whisk over low heat just until melted.  Remove from heat and whisk in the sour cream. Pour the lemon white chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Chill the mixture until cool and thickened but not set, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour 45 minutes.

Beat the chilled whipping cream to stiff peaks. Fold into the lemon white chocolate mixture. Pour the mousse over the chocolate cake in the springform pan, covering the top and sides completely. Refrigerate cake overnight.

Run a small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Place cake on platter. Garnish as desired.

Enjoy!

Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites

After a month off because of some administrative and housekeeping changes in how things run at The Secret Recipe Club it’s nice to be back cooking and posting my Secret Recipe Club posts again.  Each month participating Secret Recipe Club members are each assigned a blog from which they can make any recipe of their choosing and this month I was assigned Anne’s blog, Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy.  As it works out, Anne has a “Certain Little Someone” who like Maisie has food allergies so right off the top I decided that this month I would make a delicious Maisie “safe” treat.   After perusing the “Allergy-Friendly” section of Anne’s blog I decided to make her Simple Fudgy Bites. 

Maisie and I made the super simple Fudgy Bites together but as we went along Anne’s recipe got changed a bit.  We started with Anne’s recipe only switching out her sunflower butter for the peanut butter that I already had in the house.  We mixed together all the ingredients and Maisie tasted the “fudge” and said that it was too smooth and needed something.  We added in some ground walnuts, which I have been adding to a lot of recipes lately as I’ve been trying to get some extra healthy calories into all of Maisie’s food.  After the addition of the walnuts Maisie said that it still needed more crunch so a quick look in the pantry and we decided Rice Krispies would be a great crunchy addition.   

In the end, Anne’s Fudgy Bites with Maisie’s crunchy additions were a big hit with my girl!

Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites (Adapted from here)

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/8 cup honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 
1 cup ground walnuts
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies

In a food processor blend the coconut oil, cocoa, peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract until smooth.  Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the ground walnuts and Rice Krispies.  Evenly scoop the mixture into a mini heart silicone muffin mold and refrigerate until set.  Press the bottom of each muffin cup to release the Crunchy Fudgy Bites.  Keep refrigerated.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

Texas Chicken with Lime Butter
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens
Thin Mint Irish Coffee
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Welsh Cakes
Nutella Crêpes
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Holy Guacamole
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Maisie “safe” No Bake Cookies

Maisie and I switched up her Math Book and Nutella No Bake Cookies so to make them “safe” for Maisie and her allergies and to also add some extra healthy calories to them because with Maisie’s intense workout schedule at the gym she needs all the calories I can get into her.  The cookies in this recipe are gluten-free and vegan so safe for my girl and according to her, absolutely delicious!! 

Maisie “safe” No Bake Cookies 

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup chocolate soy milk or “milk” of your choice
1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread or non-dairy margarine of your choice
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter or nut or seed butter of your choice
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional, added for extra healthy calories)
3 cup Old Fashioned oats

In a microwave safe bowl combine the sugar, cocoa, chocolate soy milk and buttery spread.  Heat in one minute intervals stirring after each minute until the butter is melted and all the ingredients are combined.  Once the ingredients are all melted and combined, microwave on high for two minutes.  Remove from the microwave and add the vanilla, salt & peanut butter.  Stir to combine until smooth.  Stir in the walnuts & oats until combined.  Drop by teaspoon or medium cookie scoop onto a Silpat or wax paper.  Refrigerate until they are set.

Enjoy!

Apple, Cranberry & Rhubarb Crisp

I don’t particularly care for pie crusts but I enjoy the fillings so over the years I’ve realized that what I do really enjoy are crisps and they’re super simple and very forgiving to make.  Back in July I posted a recipe for a Rhubarb Crisp and because I love that crisp so much I decided that for Thanksgiving this year I would change it up a little adding apples and cranberries for a more seasonal taste and serve it for dessert.  In addition to the more seasonal fruit I changed the crisp topping ingredients to make it “safe” for Maisie and her food allergies.  The recipe worked out well, the dessert was delicious and a perfect finish to our Thanksgiving dinner.

In a large oven-safe casserole dish mix together the fruit and syrup.

Top the fruit mixture with the oatmeal and nut crumble mixture.

Bake until the fruit is bubbly and the topping has browned a bit.

Apple, Cranberry & Rhubarb Crisp

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled & large dice
1 pound ruby rhubarb, fresh or frozen, sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Syrup
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 TBS warm water

Crumb Topping
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup very roughly chopped walnuts
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup old fashioned oats 
1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large oven-safe casserole dish combine the lemon juice, sugar and water and stir to dissolve.  Add the apples, rhubarb & cranberries and stir to coat the fruit with the syrup.  In a separate microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and then add the walnuts, brown sugar and oats and using your fingers, mix to combine into a crumbly mix.  Sprinkle over the fruit.

Bake 40-50 minutes until the fruit is bubbly around the edges and the crisp has started to brown.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Enjoy!!

Zucchini Lemon Cookies

We are loving all the zucchini I am harvesting from the garden and so far all the recipes using the fresh zucchini have been a hit.  Maisie asked for some cookies so in another attempt to use some of the zucchini and get some extra veggies into all of us, I decided to make cookies.  These cookies were delicate, delicious, just a touch sweet and loved by everyone.

Zucchini Lemon Cookies

For the Cookie:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 1 egg
• zest of two lemons
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 1/2 cups flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 

For Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar (more or less to achieve desired consistency)
• juice of one lemon (from the extra one you zested above)
• decorative sprinkles
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add egg the egg, lemon zest and juice and mix well. Add flour, baking powder & salt and stir well to mix. Stir in the zucchini and nuts. Using a 2 Tablespoon scoop, scoop out cookies onto Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes until bottoms are just slightly golden.

While cookies are baking, stir together the glaze ingredients, sugar and lemon juice, until smooth.

Once the cookies are finished baking, remove to a wire cooling rack and while still hot, frost and add the decorative sprinkles then allow to cool completely.

Enjoy!!

Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Walnut Bread

We have been pulling zucchini from our garden like crazy so I wanted to use it to make something sweet and delicious and also a bit healthy.  This Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Walnut Bread hit the spot and was a perfect way to use up some of the zucchini and also get a little bit of veggies into all of us.  This bread was moist, delicious and not too sweet.  We really loved the addition of the chocolate chips and nuts through out the bread.

Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Walnut Bread

• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar 
• 1 cup vegetable oil 
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup self rising flour 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon 
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chocolate bits 
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 
• 2 Tablespoons decorative sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Add the zucchini, sugars, oil, and eggs to a large bowl and mix until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in nuts, chocolate chunks and extract. Divide the batter between the loaf pans and sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of the decorative sugar over each loaf. Bake until a tester inserted in the middle of each loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on wire cooling rack. Invert to release loaf and then turn loaf right-side up and cool completely on rack before slicing.

Enjoy!!