Sweet Sundays: Oreo Chocolate Madness!!!

Chocolate Oreo Madness 🙂

Hola My Foodie Lovers and Friends! ESPECIALLy the Sweet Tooths :-)!

First off hope everyone had an amazing weekend, hopefully filled with fun, good food, and of course some much needed REST! I know for myself my weekend was pretty decent and it actually taught me a lot (I know how can two days really teach you anything, but it did!). Lately I have been feeling that I am at a crossroads. There are so many different opportunities to choose from and with a busy yet pretty much redundant schedule I was losing my love for life. In other words I felt like I was stuck in a HUGE rut! People around me seem to have a lot more going while me was same old same old! Than I realized that I cannot just sit there and let life pass me by, but rather create new opportunities and experiences for me. I almost thought that running away from this place was the best option but I realized that it would not help my situation of my lack for lust of life. So I decided to LIVE, LIVE, LIVE. I am expose myself to new and more exciting experiences and hope that it will cure this “ailment” so to speak LOL. Only time will tell but I will DEFINITELY keep you in the know 😉

This week I was inspired to bake because not only had it been a while, but I wanted something to pick me up from my “funk”. Cooking as I have said before is one of my forms of therapy and I love to go through the pantry and create new dishes or treats that I know my family and coworkers would enjoy. Thats when I decided to make a cake with crushed Oreo’s and a yummy chocolate drizzle. Decadent I know but oh so yummy! I even cheated a little bit from my clean “diet” and had a small slice just to test it out of course. This cake recipe is simple and oh so delicious and is HIGHLY recommended for the chocolate lover 🙂

Ingredients:

• For  Cake:
  • 1 box of Betty Crocker Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1-1/4 cup of Milk (I used 2%)
  • 1/2 cup of cooled melted Butter
  • 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
  • 1 box of Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
  • 1-1 1/2 cups of crushed Oreo Cookies
• For Oreo & Chocolate Drizzle/Ganache Topping
  • 9 ounces of Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1 cup of Heavy Cream
  • 1 cup of crushed Oreo Cookies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven for 350 degrees.
2. In a medium size bowl combine dry ingredients: cake mix and pudding mix and set aside.
   

   Cake and Pudding Mix

    Also crush your Oreos for both the cake and your cake topping and set aside.

   

   Crush Oreo Goodness!

3. In a medium-large size bowl whisk together your eggs, milk, and melted butter till combined.
   

   Egg Mixture

   Than pour your cake mix into the egg mixture and whisk till combined and smooth.

4. Pour in your crush Oreos and fold into your cake batter till combined.
   

   Oreos folded into cake batter

5. Spray your tube cake pan with baking non stick spray and pour in your batter. (I was lucky enough to find and aluminum angel food cake pan so cleaning was essentially a breeze!)
   

   Cake batter in pan

6. Bake the cake for 20 to 30 minutes or until center of the cake is baked (toothpick test).
7. Once bake remove from pan and let the cake cool till cold to touch.
   

   Delicious and warm cake!

8. Meanwhile you can make your chocolate ganache: add your chocolate chips into a medium size heat proof bowl and set aside. Add your heavy cream into a small sauce pan and heat till simmering (small bubbles in the corners). Than pour your heavy cream to your chocolate chips and whisk till combined and has a velvety texture. (This recipe makes about 2 cups so you can use the amount desired for your cake!)
9. Once cake is cooled pour about half your ganache onto your cake (I use a cup to pour the ganache to make it easier). Than add your crushed Oreos and pour the rest onto your cake (Make a drizzle effect).
   

   Finishing of a ganache and drizzle oreo cake

10. Let this set for about 20-30 minutes before serving.
11. Slice this yummy cake and ENJOY!
    

    Sliced deliciousness 🙂

This cake was yummy and I think it came out pretty awesome! It was moist and soo delicious and it was gone in about an hour at work. I wanted to put up this recipe because its deliciously homemade and easy enough for any baker who is just starting. It does not matter that the starter is a cake mix, creativity makes anything yours. So go out and buy any cake mix and add some delicious add ins! You never know what you can create 😉

Love you all and hope you have a happy and yummy rest of your Sunday and a great week!

Norah 🙂

Life Motto [Image from: http://www.verybestquotes.com]

Never To Late To Show A Little Love! Last Minute V-Day Gift Idea:Chocolate Lollipops!!!

Instagram Lollipop Picture

Hola My Creative Foodies,

As you know Valentine’s Day is just ONE DAY away and if you already have your gifts (most of us foodies like to show our love by baking!) that’s awesome, but some of you may be scrambling for time! (Which is OKAY because with busy lives some may not have time to shop let alone bake). One of the things I make for not only Valentine’s Day but for every major holiday is chocolate lollipops. There ares soo many awesome molds and this is a great treat idea for children. I make them for my mothers students all the time and they LOVE them! It is soo quick and easy and is pretty inexpensive.

Heart Shape Lollipop Mold

Most craft shops sell these molds for under two dollars and around the holiday season the melting chocolate is on sale for 2 dollars or less even (Bought my chocolate for $1.99 per pack!).

Example of melting chocolate (Image from:countryliving.com)

Chocolate lollipops are an awesome and quick idea, it takes minutes to melt the chocolate and you can set the molds and pop them into the freezer and in 10 minutes there are ready to go! I like to pack them in decorative small cellophane bags. I usually find really cute ones at a dollar store or a craft store like AC Moore and Michaels.

Heart Designed Plastic Bag (I bought this for a $1)

With these simple and easy directions and tips you will be making these all the time!

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Melting Chocolate (I use Wiltons Melting Candy)
• 1 package of Lollipop Sticks
• 1 Chocolate Lollipop Mold
• Cellophane Plastic Bags (Optional

Directions:

1. Melt some of your chocolate in a microwave proof bowl and set for one-two minutes (1 minute usually does the trick)
   

   Melted Chocolate

2. Pour your melted chocolate with a small spoon or squeeze bottle into your molds. (I usually fill it 3/4 of the mold) and add your stick
   

   Chocolate in Mold

3. If you want to make a marble chocolate pour a little bit of one type of chocolate than another and swirl with a toothpick
   

   Making a marble chocolate lollipop

4. Put your molds into your freezer for about 10 minutes or till harden
5. The lollipops will than pop out easily once than. Repeat the same process till you have the desired amount of lollipops
   

   Chocolate Rose Lollipops

6. You can put your chocolate lollipops in your small cellophane bag or just eat and enjoy 🙂
   

   Lollipop in Decorative Cellophane Bag

I hope you guys enjoyed this last minute V-Day gift idea, especially for kiddies to big kids ;-). I love making these awesome and easy lollipops and I hope you one day try it and be creative with your molds and different types of chocolate. So show some love to your favorite person and give them some chocolate!

Happy V-Day and Chocolate Making 🙂

Chocolate Quote! (Image from: iheartinspiration.com)

Sweet and Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies With a Hint of Nutella

Instagram Photo: Chocolate and Nutella Gold

Happy Sunday My Sweet Toothed Foodies,

I hope you all are having a great sunday, mine of course was traditional and relaxing with church and brunch with the family. Nothing beats my sunday morning than a great service followed by some yummy food! After brunch I was lucky enough to whip up a quick batch of cookies and I thought why not play with it. I had a Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix and I was  OF COURSE craving cookies. This by far is one of my favorite mixes not only because the results are some yummy cookies but you can make the mix your own with your own variations.

Image from bettycrocker,com

As you all know I love to experiment with all kinds of food products so of course I had to make these cookies with a twist, Nutella!!! Now if you know me I am a LOVER OF NUTELLA! I grew up eating Nutella when a family member brought a jar overseas or was lucky enough to find it in a store. I remember countless times eating Nutella on toast or bagels while watching cartoons or movies to now baking Nutella into cupcakes and delicious creme frostings. Basically Nutella is an honoree family member in my family who must always be in my house (aka in my pantry LOL). Now on to the recipe, this is just my version of making quick and easy chocolate chip cookies with a delicious Nutella swirl!

Heaven on EARTHH!

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
• 1 large Egg
• 1 softened stick of Unsalted Butter
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
• 1 tbsp of All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 -1 cup of Mini Hershey Kiss Chocolate Chips or any kind of Chocolate Chips
• 1/4-1/2 cup of Nutella (Hazelnut Chocolate Spread)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven for 350 degrees F
2. In a medium size bowl combine your chocolate chip cookie mix, one egg, unsalted butter (chopped into pieces), vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, and chocolate chips
   

   Pre-Mix Cookie Dough

   and mixed till combined. (I like to mix it with my hands but a wooden spoon will do)

   

   Mixed Cookie Dough

3. Split your cookie dough is half and scoop in some Nutella and swirl it with the cookie dough.
   

   Swirled Nutella Cookie Dough

4. Use an ice scooper and scoop on some dough and place on your baking pan to bake for 10-12 minutes (**Cookies will be done when you can lift the corner slightly)
   

   Chocolate Chip and Nutella Swirl Cookie Dough

5. Remove and let them cool slightly or like many others just enjoy the soft and warm cookie fresh out of the oven!
   

   Finished Product…delicious cookieness!

Now that you got the gist of how to make simple and easy Chocolate Chip Nutella Swirl Cookies now go and make your own! This is definitely a crowd pleaser and the kids will love this as well. So next time you pick up a cookie mix get creative 🙂

Creativity is Key 🙂

Happy Baking 🙂

When Distraction Leads to New Creations… Chocolate Caramel Bundt Cake

Chocolate Caramel Bundt Cake!

Hey My Sweet Tooths and Chocoholics (I admit I am one of each!)

I am finally making my first baking post in a looong time! I guess when you get consumed with work and life you tend to not have time to do what you love! Well I finally took the time to test out a recipe that I have been trying to make for the longest! Well it all started when I stumbled on the recipe online while looking for a new cake recipe to try out. The recipe ended up on allrecipes.com. I have to say allrecipes.com is one of my top sites to look for recipes because it not only has all kinds of sweet and savory recipes but the reviews are honest and really helpful. While on the cake hunt I happen to have found a recipe called “Better than Sex Cake”. The name alone would make anyone stop and be like for real?! So I looked through the recipe and I thought why not give it a try! The combination of chocolate and caramel with sweetened condensed milk, I was like that’s my kinda combo!

Example of Better Than Sex Cake : allrecipes.com Image from Erica

I decided to make it with my sister as something fun to do on a cold day. The process was a lot of fun to make but heres the thing. I kinda winged the recipe LOL. I had thought I memorized the recipe in my head but I did not make the exact recipe and made something entirely different! (I blame it on my sister for making me laugh and distracting me LOL) I have to say I still like the results and the cake was flavorful and very rich. So without further ado here is Chocolate Caramel Bundt Cake!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (I used Betty Crocker)
• 1 and 1/4 cup of Carnation Whole Milk
• 1 can of Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/2 cup of Melted (Unsalted) Butter or Margarine (cooled)
• 3 Eggs
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
• 1 box of Chocolate Fudge Instant Pudding Mix
• 1 jar of Caramel Sauce
• (Optional) 1/2-1 cup of Chocolate Chips to melt for chocolate drizzle
• Utensils and Gadgets
  • Whisk
  • Rubber Spatula
  • Wooden or Plastic Mixing Spoon
  • Baking Nonstick Spray w/ Flour
  • Large and Medium Mixing bowls
  • Standard Bundt Pan
  • Wire Cooling Racks
  • (Optional) Decorative Squeeze Bottles for chocolate and caramel (Can be found in craft stores such as Michaels and AC Moore)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven at 350 degrees F and spray your Bundt Pan
2. In a Large Bowl add in your dry ingredients: Chocolate Cake and pudding mix and mix together with a whisk till combined
   

   Cake and Pudding Mix

3. In a Medium Size bowl add your wet ingredients: Whole Milk, Melted Butter, Eggs, and Vanilla Extract and whisk till combined
   

   Egg and Milk Mixture

4. Pour your milk and egg mixture to your cake mix bowl and mix till combined**cake batter will be very thick. (**The reason why I like this method of combining your dry and wet ingredients is your cake batter will mix more efficiently and your cake will have a fine texture)
   

   Chocolate Cake Batter

5. Pour Cake batter in your greased bundt pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or till cake springs back when you touch it or toothpick method
   

   Before Baked

6. 

   After it is Baked

   Once cake is done remove from oven and poke holes throughout cake with either a toothpick or knife and pour sweetened condensed milk. Once soaked in take your wire rack or even your cake plate and flip cake over (**WARNING!!!: By mistake I had left the cake soaked in the sweet condensed milk for WAY t0o long and it had become stuck in the pan! (I told you my sister distracted me!) So my friends if your cake does become stuck, DO NOT PANIC! Just simple put your pan carefully in a hot water bath for a couple of minutes and your cake will come right out unharmed. DO NOT FORCE IT OUT!)

   

   Sweet Condensed Milk being poured into cake

7. Once cake is ready and cooled, drizzle both caramel and chocolate onto the cake. I used my decorative tubes to make the drizzle easier and there a great investment for any baking project!
8. Serve and enjoy!
   

   Chocolate Caramel Bundt Cake!

The chocolate cake is rich with flavor and quite delicious. I had made a cake for my family and for my coworkers and they had both enjoyed the cake very much. I hope some of you may even try out this recipe and let me know what you think! I have to say I had a lot of fun making this with my sister. During that time we caught up with stuff going on in our lives, joked around A LOT and I even taught her a couple baking tips. So next time you bake, do it with someone you love, whether your sibling, child, significant other, or a friend; you will see how much fun you will really have! So my friends hope you get inspired with a new baking recipe and even if you get distracted you never know what delicious creations you come up with!

Happy Baking 🙂

Baking quote ❤ (Image from pininterest.com)