Spooky Ube Pancakes for Halloween

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (or substitute with oat flour or cake flour)
  • 2 tablespoons ube powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (adjust to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup milk or coconut milk (warm, to help dissolve ube powder)
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter or neutral oil
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon ube extract (for strong ube flavor and deep purple hue)

Instructions

  1. Bloom the ube powder:
    In a small bowl, whisk ube powder with 2-3 tablespoons of warm milk until it forms a smooth, deep-purple paste. This step intensifies flavor and color.
  2. Mix dry ingredients:
    In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
  3. Combine wet ingredients:
    In another bowl, whisk egg, remaining milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and the ube paste.
    Add ube extract here as well.
  4. Combine and rest:
    Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until no dry flour remains. The batter should be slightly thick. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes for fluffier pancakes.
  5. Cook:
    Heat a nonstick pan over medium-low heat and lightly grease it. Pour about 1 cup batter per pancake. Cook 2-3 minutes per side until bubbles form and edges set before flipping.

ingredients

  • 8 oz (about 230 g) white chocolate bars, not baking chips
  • 1½ cups (360 ml) heavy whipping cream, divided

Instructions

  1. Melt the chocolate:
    Chop white chocolate into small pieces and place it in a heatproof bowl.
  2. Heat the cream:
    In a small saucepan or microwave, heat ½ cup of the cream until just below boiling (tiny bubbles forming at the edges).
  3. Make a ganache:
    Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir slowly from the center outward until smooth and glossy. If any clumps remain, pour through a strainer to remove.
  4. Cool completely:
    Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (touching the surface) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, until well chilled.
  5. Whip the remaining cream:
    Once the ganache is cold, place it in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup of chilled heavy cream.
  6. Whip to soft peaks:
    Using a whisk or electric mixer, whip on low speed and gradually increase to medium-high until soft-stiff peaks form. The mixture will lighten to a creamy ivory shade.
  7. Use or chill:
    Use immediately for frosting or piping. For best stability, chill the finished cream 15-30
    minutes before using. It stays stable up to 5 days in the fridge. foodmeanderings +1

6rab a super-sized chocolate chip cookie and a sinfully-spicy book.

Both are shamelessly delicious. Indulge in life’s guilty pleasures.

Milk Chocolate Fudge – SO MUCH BETTER than semi-sweet

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Why did it take me so many years to realize that MILK CHOCOLATE is a MUCH BETTER choice for fudge than SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE?  The texture is smoother.  The taste is richer.  There’s a time and place for all types of chocolate.  This doesn’t affect my opinion on other uses of semi-sweet chocolate.  For example, who doesn’t like your basic chocolate chip cookie with semi-sweet chips? I guess I’ll have to make up for past indiscretions by making more of this fudge.

I used the standard Nestle recipe and simply substituted milk chocolate chips for semi-sweet.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c sugar

2/3 c evaporated milk

2 Tbls butter

1/4 tsp salt

2 c mini marshmallows

1 1/2 c MILK CHOCOLATE CHIPS

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil

Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy duty saucepan.  Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Stir in marshmallows, chips, and vanilla.  Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until fully combined.  Pour into prepared baking pan.  Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

See Related Posts:

Nutella Fudge

Nutella Fudge

Peanut Butter Fudge

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HAPPY BAKING!

Jello Eggs for Easter

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Happy Easter to all that celebrate.  And, to those that don’t but like jello, here’s a fun dessert idea.

This is my daughter’s absolute favorite dessert.  I only make it on Easter; not only because of the shape but because it takes 6 hours to make.  It’s easy, but timely.  Setting aside 6 consecutive hours at home isn’t easy.

Besides finding the time, you need to have the appropriate molds.  I bought mine years ago.   Here’s what one looks like (I have 4):

IMG_0388

If you can’t find a place to purchase these molds, you can make your own.  All you need is an a left over egg carton and basic plastic egg containers.  The full directions for making the molds can be found at this website

http://robbygurlscreations.blogspot.com/2012/04/diy-easter-egg-jello-molds.html

When I make these I like to go for the full rainbow effect.  I start buy purchasing small boxes of instant jello: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.  Depending on store availability, I vary the actual flavors.

Step 1 – prepare molds by coating with cooking spray or vegetable oil

Step 2 – close molds completely

Step 3 – Prepare Jello Flavor: boil 2/3 cup of water and mix with one flavor of jello, whisk for 2 full minutes.  Carefully pour liquid jello into the molds.  One small box is sufficient for 24 egg molds.  (If doing the full rainbow)

Step 4 – Chill for exactly 1 hour

Step 5 – Remove molds from fridge and repeat Step 3 and Step 4 again for each flavor of jello

Step 6 – Chill the full molds for 3 hours.  Remove from refrigerator, and carefully separate the mold halves.  ENJOY

*Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator

It’s just about time to add my next layer of jello.  Gotta Run.

HAPPY BAKING!