Tag Archives: chocolate

Glazed Mint & Chip Cupcakes

Do you ever have those days where you’re starting out with an awesome recipe idea, and then it keeps morphing? Yesterday was definitely one of those days, for me. I knew that I wanted something minty, chocolatey and green so share with you all, but wasn’t sure about just which way to do it.

First, it started out as a cookie; minty, green and lil’ chocolate chips. But, after seeing the consistency of the dough I thought that maybe this was better suited to be a muffin. So, I baked a couple of test muffins. As good as they were, I knew that they needed something else, a little more of a minty kick. Let there be glaze! A minty sweet glaze was then poured over the top and I adjusted the recipe some more so that it would be a fluffier cupcake.

You better believe that I was in a sugar/carb coma after all that taste testing. But, I will do what I must for you! ;) Even if that means a couple of extra work outs this week. So, now, we have an adorable cupcake that is perfectly suited for St. Paddy’s day! Plus, there’s veggies in it, spinach to be exact; that’s what gives these cuties their terrific color.

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Lover’s Chocolate Cake

I know what you’re thinking, you see all of the chocolate involved in this cake and you may say to yourself, “I think she means Chocolate Lovers Cake”. Well, sure, this cake is for chocolate lovers of all kinds! But, this recipe is a little more involved than just chocolate. Even though Valentine’s day was yesterday, why don’t we share the love today, as well?

As you may or may not know, chocolate (or cocoa rather) is considered an aphrodisiac. But, there are also a few other plant-based foods that are on the same list, such as: almonds, asparagus, avocado, bananas, basil, figs, and garlic (dragon breath anyone?). Delicious, right? This delectable cake has 4 out of the 10 in it! See what I’m saying? Sexy cake. ;)

Here we have your oil-free cake base, with cocoa and a bit of banana, and an ultra-creamy mousse topping made with avocado, almond butter and more chocolate. Plus, it’s topped with some toasted almonds and just a few coconut flakes (which would be great toasted, as well). The whole dessert is super simple to make, and my favorite thing about this type of frosting/mousse amalgamation (say what?) is that it’s even less temperamental than typical vegan butter/powdered sugar frostings and is way better for you.

You could, of course, double the cake recipe and make it into a layer cake! Can you imagine this cake with a layer of almond butter frosting inside, while still covered in the rich, chocolate mousse? Incredible. Why do all of the great ideas come after I’m in the midst of blogging a recipe? Oy.

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Cranberry Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

Yesterday, you may have felt like ol’ Duchess here about Monday. But, today is a new day and these cookies will turn that frown upside down.

Clearly, they are going with the theme of Valentine’s day, since it is only 3 days away. Sometimes it’s just nice to treat yourself to delicious, heart-shaped cookies, regardless of what Hallmark holiday is upon us. I have mixed feelings about the holiday, really. When I was a server in a restaurant for four years, I absolutely dreaded Valentine’s Day. It was one of the busiest days of our year, yet one that we would almost never make good money on. My tip to you, is to lay low for the day or do something more creative than going to a busy restaurant, just to get service and food that isn’t that great.

Other than that, I told Corey (ya know, the bearded guy that shows up on my Instagram every couple of weeks) that I just saw it as a nice reminder to spend some good one on one time together. Especially considering how social we both are, it can be hard to fit in time that doesn’t include a few other friends. Due to some work things on both of our ends, we’ll be celebrating today! Which means I now have to think of something to make for dinner. Yikes! ;)

I do love all of the cute “heart”-shaped things, and I say it that way because clearly it looks nothing like an anatomical heart. So, I’ve made these delicious, little morsels into cute heart shapes and made a cranberry jam of sorts for a pop of sultry color. Combine all that with a chocolate drizzle and I think we have a home run here, folks!

Also, I’d like to apologize my Instagram and Facebook followers for teasing them with a preview of this recipe, on Friday. It’s finally here!

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Sweet Pumpkin Pizza

So, I hope that everyone had a cool and costumed Halloween! Can you believe that it’s November already? It’s going to be 2013 before we know it, which honestly kind of scares me. But, today is World Vegan Day! I think it is pretty awesome that we have the holiday, so have a happy one. :) Also, back to Halloween, last night I answered the door to trick-or-treaters as a witch! *cackle* While my nephew was a little soldier who was not amused by all of the pictures that we were taking together.

I remember telling you that I was going to share what I ended up carving into my pumpkin, but I’m really bummed about it. I carved a pretty scary face with sharp teeth into a rather large pumpkin and set it outside for the night; but when we brought the pumpkins back in, we thought that they’d be fine on the floor. Turns out, dogs like pumpkin. Who knew? So while I was watching an episode of Castle, Duchess (the basset hound) decided to chew off all of the teeth. Oy. I didn’t get a picture of it before hand, so I’m kind of sad. Oh well!

Also, because it is World Vegan Day, I feel that celebrating with something sweet is absolutely appropriate. This time, I’ve taken pizza and put a little twist on it, making it into some sort of elaborate pumpkin pie type of dessert; that isn’t actually elaborate at all. I hate to say it because it’s kind of embarrassing, but I may have eaten this entire thing throughout last night (as dinner) when handing out candy. O_O Oops. BUT, that should tell you how delicious it is.

This pizza has a thin layer of pumpkin on top of a slightly sweetened crust, with swirls of peanut butter sauce and chocolate, along with some crunchy chopped pecans. If that doesn’t sound fabulous, I’m not sure if you’re in the right place. :D

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