Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

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Ingredients

·        2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour, unsifted
·        1/2 cup cocoa
·        2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
·        1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
·        1 teaspoon salt
·        1 teaspoon cinnamon
·        3/4 cup soft butter
·        2 cups sugar
·        3 eggs
·        2 teaspoons vanilla
·        2 teaspoons grated orange peel
·        2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
·        1/2 cup milk
·        1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
·        Glaze (directions follow)

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
1 Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
2 With a mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.
3 Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.
4 Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.
5 Drizzle glaze over cake.

Glaze: Mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Cut in thin slices to serve. Makes 10-12 servings.

Butterscotch-Caramel Pull-Aparts

Butterscotch-Caramel Pull-Aparts

 

Ingredients:

24 rhodes brand rolls, thawed but still cold

1 box non instant butterscotch pudding mix
½ C chopped pecans
½ C butter
½ C brown sugar

 

Directions:

• Spray bundt pan with cooking spray.

• Cut rolls in half and roll in dry pudding mix, arrange in pan alternately with pecans, sprinkle remaining pudding mix over the top.
• Combine brown sugar and butter, heat together until butter is melted and syrup is formed, stir well, pour syrup over rolls.
• Cover with sprayed plastic wrap, let rise until double in size or even with the top of pan. (min. 2 hours)
• Remove wrap and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes, cover with foil the last 15 minutes of baking (do not under bake).
• Immediately after baking invert onto a serving platter

 4-6 servings

Brigadeiro

Brigadeiro

 

A traditional candy from Brazil that is typically served at parties. It tastes like chocolate-caramel and is very easy to make!

 

 

Total Time: 20 mins

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
 Serves: 25

 Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
chocolate sprinkles
mini muffin liners

Directions:

1 Over medium-low heat, stir vigorously the three ingredients.
 
2 Cook the mixture until it thickens enough to show the pan bottom during stirring (it will be firm enough to stay together and not spread) Pour into a greased dish and let cool to room temperature (or chill a few minutes in the fridge) Grease your hands with butter and take small amounts of candy and form into 1 1/2 inch balls.

* If the balls don't hold their shape, cook an additional 5 minutes until it thickens up more.

(I've had to do this a few times)

3 Roll the balls in chocolate jimmies to decorate. Place into mini muffin liners.

Baked Ham and Egg Cups

Baked Ham and Egg Cups

(Our Best Bites)

 

 
Ingredients:

8 whole eggs

3/4 C shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 C cottage cheese
5 oz frozen spinach, defrosted, water squeezed out and roughly chopped
        (that’s half a standard frozen box of spinach)
1/3 C roasted red peppers, diced
1 oz finely diced ham, Canadian bacon, or crumbled bacon (about 1/4-1/3 C)
1/4 C sliced green onions
1/4 t kosher salt
1/8 t black pepper
1/2 t hot sauce
12 slices ham

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients (except ham slices) and stir well.
3. Spray muffin tin with non cook spray and place one piece of ham in each well to form a bowl.  
4. Evenly divide egg mixture between the 12 muffin wells (about 1/4 C each), being careful to keep ingredients well dispersed.  You want them to fill right up to the top.

5. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. The tops should be puffed and just barely set on top.
Eggs will sink after cooling.

 Makes 12.

 

Store them in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze them.  If you’re reheating from frozen, I try to take them out the night before so they can thaw in the fridge. Then when you microwave them, set them on a folded paper towel to drain excess moisture.

Tunquist Fam Notes:

We don't use the spinach, sometimes we add cilantro.  We add a little cooked hash browns in the bottom of the cups, diced bacon too. Diced bell peppers give them a nice flavor.

Zucchini and Carrot Spice Muffins

Zucchini and Carrot Spice Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 eggs (beaten)
1 cup of milk
1 1/4 cups of brown sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of grated zucchini
1 1/2 cups of grated carrot
1/2 cup of  chopped pecans

 

Sift together flour, baking soda, and spices into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, milk and oil. Combine all ingredients until just moistened, Divide batter into greased muffin cups. Bake in a 375ºF. oven for approximately 18-20 minutes.

Cinnamon Apple Cream Cheese Spread

Cinnamon Apple Cream Cheese Spread

 
Ingredients:
1/3 Cup Homemade Cinnamon Apple Sauce
½ Cup Cream Cheese

 

Directions:

1. Mix apple sauce and cream cheese with hand blender till thoroughly blended (it will look weird at first, but as you continue to blend it will get creamier). Refrigerate and serve.

 

 

Great with: Banana Bread, Cinnamon Bread, Bagels, etc.

Apple Banana Bread

Apple-Banana Bread

 

Ingredients

·        3  cups  all-purpose flour

·        3  teaspoons baking powder
·        1/2  teaspoon baking soda
·        1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon
·        1/8 teaspoon salt
·        2 eggs
·        2  cup  mashed ripe banana (6 medium)
·        1 medium apple chopped
·        2 teaspoons vanilla extract
·        1 ½ cup  sugar
·        1/2  cup  cooking oil
·        1  cup  chopped walnuts or pecans
·        2  teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel (optional)
·        Powdered baking chocolate (optional)

 

Directions

1. Grease the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of (1) 8x4x2 inch loaf pans; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.

2. In another bowl combine the egg, bananas, apple, vanilla, sugar, cooking oil, and, if desired lemon peel. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy)

3. Spoon batter into the prepared pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven 50-55 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove load from pan; cool on rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. Makes 2 loafs.

 Make-Ahead Tip: Up to 1 month ahead, make and bake banana bread. Cool completely. Place each loaf in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw for 1 hour at room temperature before using.