Easy Milk Chocolate Fudge

How to make easy Milk Chocolate Fudge

                       

                     My li'l one is a fussy eater. Off late, he's started to like chocolate with no frills. I wanted to make chocolate fudge with nuts; but he will only eat plain chocolate fudge. You can guess the rest of the story here. I cut the fudge into tiny bite sized pieces, since we were having couple of friends over. I like tiny pieces of the sweet stuff, so I don't have to finish eating a large piece of something, just coz' I bit into it. Plus, we can always get seconds. So here's a recipe that you can whip up in under 30 minutes plus the setting time. Sharing this one with my friends over at CCC# 33: June -- Week 4.

Ingredients: 

3/4th cup of sugar (I used raw cane sugar)

1 can (13 oz) of sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup, unsalted butter

1 tsp, pure vanilla extract

4 oz (2/3rd cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips or grated chocolate

1/4 cup of your favorite nuts, chopped (Optional)

Almond Jam Macaroons

How to make Almond Jam Macaroons (Gluten & Dairy free)

         I have always loved a recipe which does not use ingredients, that are empty carb. Here is one such recipe, which uses blanched almonds as the main ingredient, that has all kinds of  health aspects in it. If you would like to further cut down on calories, you can skip the jam topping; as the macaroons are sweet enough on their own. I have been making these healthy cookies/macaroons for a couple of years, since the time it was aired on a TV show. Sharing this delightfully chewy & healthy recipe with my friends at CCC# 31: April -- Week 4.

Ingredients for about 20 macaroons:

1.5 cups blanched almonds (How to blanch almonds)
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup of your favorite jam

(I used raspberry jam & fig preserves)

Moist Walnut Cupcakes

How to bake Moist Walnut Cupcakes

                 I crave chocolate. My better half doesn't; so I wanted to bake something else for him on his special day. I chose to bake these delicious treats from Cupcakes by Susanna Tee. I thought it would make us less guilty, if it had at least one healthy ingredient in it (walnuts). The ground walnuts in this cupcake give it a nutty flavor, while the lemon zest & juice adds a zing to it. To make it appetizing to my kids, I chose to add chopped chocolate on top of some of the cupcakes. You can even skip the frosting all together & eat these like muffins, as they are sweet enough all by themselves. Sharing these nutty cupcakes with my fellow bloggers at CCChallenge.

Ingredients for about 8 to 10 cupcakes:

3/4 cup walnuts
4 Tbsp softened butter
½ cup fine sugar
½ cup self-rising white flour (make your own - see notes below)

2 Tbsp lemon zest
2 eggs

walnut halves, to decorate

For the frosting:
4 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered/confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp lemon zest (optional)
1 tsp lemon juice

Gingery Date Treats

How to make Gingery Date Treats

           These delicious chewy treats were made as a part of the weekend menu for our dear friends, who were visiting us from out of town. I had made Chocolate Cup Cakes with Chocolate Glaze topped with pecans for adults & candies for the kids, which turned to be a hit. I chose this as a second treat because, I wanted something that was egg less for them. I was delighted to find this recipe in a book called 'Incredibly Easy Desserts' just in time for their visit. These treats are a healthy choice for adults & kids as well, with Candied Ginger, Dates & Pecans. If you like Ginger, then you will love the mildly spicy flavor from the candied Ginger combined with the sweetness of the Dates and the crunchiness of the Pecans.

Makes about 4 dozen

Ingredients:

1.5 cups Gingersnap crumbs (about 20 broken cookies)

1 cup finely chopped Pecans

1 cup finely chopped Dates

1/2 cup finely chopped candied Ginger

1/4 tsp Salt

3/4 cup powdered Sugar, divided

1/2 cup light corn syrup