Prescription: Chocolate

It has been a week, y'all. Mr. Wonderful messed up his back getting off a plane last week. If you've ever taken care of someone who can't move you know what my week has been like. He's finally better and able to get around by himself, slowly. No stitching at all from me, but today was a baking day, because today had to be a baking day, if you know what I mean. I tried two new recipes and am happy to report two successful bakes! 

The first one I made is Impossibly Easy Brownie Pie. This is a low-carb chocolate pie. The batter whips up almost like a mousse and it puffs beautifully in the oven. As it cools, it settles to a thin pie with a very smooth texture. It reminds me a little of my Grandmother's old fudge pie recipe. A few notes on how I baked mine:
*I am not super strict about carbs, so I use regular chocolate chips in my lower carb baking, but you could use 1/2 c. sugar-free chips.
*I omitted the optional molasses.
*I omitted the walnuts (didn't have any).
*I baked mine 20 minutes and it was perfect.

This one I made for Mr. Wonderful, who tries to watch his carbs more closely than I watch mine (at least right now)...

...and this one I made for ME. It is most definitely not low-carb or lower carb or whatever, but it is small. And it's lovely.

This is a Chocolate Snack Cake and what a nice little recipe it is. I made it according to the recipe but I would add one note: make sure to cool the melted butter mixture before adding the eggs. Mine took 30 minutes and turned out deliciously moist. I wanted to taste it as-is before fiddling with the recipe, and I'm glad I left it alone because it's very good plain. However, you could add a little cinnamon or espresso powder or chocolate chips. Or you could frost it. It's just a very versatile, very quick, very easy little cake recipe. A keeper.

That's my public service for the day... testing chocolate recipes and passing along the good ones. Somebody's gotta do it. 

Important: A Recipe and a Seasonal Update

I've been tinkering with this recipe for a while. This is the third time I've made it and I think I'm finally happy with it. If you've been visiting for a while, you know I love small-batch baking, or tiny baking, as I like to call it, and that I like to experiment with a low-carb baking mix called Carbquik. (If you need to catch up, just click on the labels at the bottom of this post.) This is a Bisquick recipe that I adapted to be much smaller and much lower in carbs. I don't remember now what it's actually called, but I'm calling it...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

1 1/4 c. Carbquik (available on Amazon)

3/4 c. Splenda

1 egg

1/4 c. oil

1/4 c. milk

1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste (I get this from King Arthur flour; you can use vanilla extract)

1/2 c. chocolate chips (I use regular; you can use sugar-free)

Stir everything together, spread in a greased and floured 5 x 7 baking dish, and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

This little Pyrex dish is the perfect size for just the two of us. We get six servings out of it, or one piece for each of us for three days. So whether what I've baked is low-carb or not, it's gone in one weekend. No leftover temptation!

A few notes about Carbquik, if you decide to try it. 

*You can use it in any recipe that calls for Bisquick. I've made all kinds of stuff with it, mostly successes, but a few duds, but that's to be expected.

*It browns faster than Bisquick, so just be aware (especially with something like oven-fried chicken).

*It's very dry. You'll almost always have to add extra liquid, but that's easy. Don't just splash in liquid, though. I stir up a recipe as written, then if it's too dry, add measured small amounts of liquid until it looks/feels right. That way, if the finished product is to my liking, I know exactly how much extra liquid it needs.

*It does have it's own flavor, and you can tell when you're eating it. If you keep to a low-carb diet, you'll know that you have to make sacrifices when it comes to baked goodies and you're probably willing to put up with that, but you can mask it pretty well by being generous with seasonings/flavorings. In my baking, I've found if I max out the vanilla I'm happier with the results. And really, it's hard to get too much vanilla. Don't be afraid to double it.

*It's expensive. Again, if you eat low-carb and miss baked goods, it's worth it. Two things: I halve almost every baking recipe I use, since it's just the two of us. So that makes the box last a lot longer than it would otherwise. Also, the price on Amazon fluctuates somewhat. If you're thinking of trying it, keep an eye on it for a while and catch it when it drops.

Seasonal Update:

Tiger Lily has a seasonal migration route of sleeping places that she faithfully follows every year. 
Winter: baskets, donut
Spring/summer: the bed, the floor, the couch
Fall: her beds, donut

I must report that this past Wednesday, she took to one of her beds for the first time since last winter. She does this, like clockwork, every year in late summer. It's always my first visual reminder that fall is coming, even if it will be warm for weeks yet. I love it. I love that animals know things that we are too busy or too removed from the natural world to know anymore. It always gives me a little surge of happiness to see this first sign that fall is coming, and I thought I'd share it with y'all.

Fabric Hoard Update (also, cookies)

Confession: I saw this fabric and told Mr. Wonderful, "If I don't get this fabric I will die."

Happily, I'm not dead.

Feast your eyes on this star-spangled, silver-flecked loveliness.

As you can see on the selvage, Fabric Flair calls this Dreamscape Sky Blue. If you visit their website, you'll see they have several variations on this theme, with different names. I've also seen different names used by retailers for this particular fabric. I found mine at Stitches 'n Things, and there it's called Moonless Witch's Sky. It's 28 ct. evenweave. No idea what I'll stitch on it, but now I have it and I won't die. Yay!

Made a couple of new needle minders. This is a tiny one for my smallest projects, made from a little bead from Michael's.

This little guy is from a button pack from Hobby Lobby (I think it's a fairy tale pack). I'm not really into dragons, but he just stole my heart... so small and adorable and green! I added a little glitter to his wings because, well, wings should probably sparkle.

Found this addition for my fox Christmas tree at Hobby Lobby. 

And finally, some low-carb peanut butter chip cookies. I made these using this recipe but substituted peanut butter chips for the chocolate chips, and you know what? We like them better! So good with a glass of cold milk.

The living room re-do is coming along nicely and I'm just about finished with it. That will be a major project out of the way. I've been cleaning out and have a big pile of stuff ready to donate to the thrift shop. Next on my target list is my sewing room. It always gets put last on the list, but it really needs a good clean out before we move (fingers crossed). I plan to spend August working on that project. Once it's done, I'll have the house in good shape in case we get orders in the spring, and I can relax and enjoy the fall and the holidays, without any major projects hanging over me. More time to stitch and bake!

Have a great weekend, and Happy Stitching!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

A while back, I posted a recipe for Chocolate Chip Biscuits using a product called Carbquick, a baking mix similar to Bisquick but much lower in carbs. That recipe is in this post. I've been experimenting with other adaptations of Bisquick recipes and have another one to share. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 c. Carbquick
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips (you could use sugar-free, if you like the taste)

Heat oven to 350. Beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy, add vanilla and egg and beat well. Add Carbquick and beat on low speed until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls, 2" apart, onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are set and golden. Cool on sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely. Yield: 2 dozen +

The original recipe using Bisquick is here.

Carbquick is available on Amazon.

Adventures in Low-Carb Baking

Guess what I got in the mail this afternoon? A big box of Carbquik baking mix that I ordered from Amazon. Think "Bisquick" but low-carb. I decided to try it for the same reason I wandered into the world of tiny baking: we're in our 40's, we need to manage/maintain our weights... but I love to bake. Tiny baking has been a wonderful success, but the goodies still have a gazillion carbs, so they must remain an occasional treat. I wondered if Carbquik would be a solution for more frequent--if less decadent--baking, like biscuits.  Supposedly, it can be used cup-for-cup like Bisquick, with adjustments of liquid to account for it being a drier product. I went in search of a Bisquick recipe to experiment with, preferably one with only a few ingredients, to limit waste just in case it was a disaster. 

It was anything but a disaster.

Behold! Chocolate Chip Biscuits!

These little biscuits are very light, slightly crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and very slightly sweet. Here's my adaptation:

Chocolate Chip Biscuits

2 1/4 c. Carbquik baking mix
1 Tbsp. granular Splenda (optional)
1 c. milk
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix Carbquik and Splenda; add milk and stir until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls on parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on cooling rack. 

I used a small, level cookie scoop and got 24 little biscuits.

The original recipe using Bisquick is here.
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So, I've only made one recipe using Carbquik, but I have to say I'm delighted with how these turned out. Hopefully future experiments will be just as successful.