Virtual Running Date No. 34: Easy Cherry Chocolate Cake

Good morning, Crushers!
I don't know about you, but we got a LOT of snow in Southeastern Wisconsin yesterday. It started at about 9 a.m. and just kept going until late last night.

Sorry, I took this picture through a screen window. Whoops!

This picture was taken at about 11 a.m. It got snowier and snowier!

If we were on a virtual running date, I would like to point out that you really need to bundle up and be careful. I've seen a ton of people just wipe out while walking. No need to break bones while running. Here is a handy link for how to layer-up while running in winter.

If we were on a virtual running date, I would confess that I did not run this weekend. Unless you count running errands, then I totally did that. I also ran around the house chasing my niece and nephew while we baby sat. I needed to bake a cake for my church's annual Advent by Candlelight program, so they were my little sous chefs while baking this snowflake cake:

Tip: After frosting your cake, cut out any shape in regular paper and lay it gently on top.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top with a sifter and you'll get a pretty shape!

Here is the recipe that Ben, Katie and I followed to make this easy cake.

Easy Cherry Chocolate Cake:
Ingredients:
1 box of your favorite chocolate cake mix
3 eggs (you may need a spare egg or two on hand if you are cooking with 6-year-olds!)
1 can of cherry pie filling

Directions:
Mix the cake mix, eggs and pie filling in a large bowl. (Feel free to allow the children helping you to take turns stirring the batter once you've gotten in a few stirs so that the flour part doesn't go flying.) Pour batter into greased pans - the pan size is up to you! Follow the baking time/directions on the cake box. Generally, it's 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. Stick a toothpick or fork in the cake when the timer goes off. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Otherwise, give it a few more minutes.

Serving suggestions:
1. Use a 13x9 pan and top with Cool Whip.
2. Use two 8-inch round pans and put chocolate fudge frosting in the middle and on top (that's what I did)
3. Top the cake with fresh cherries!
4. Use whatever flavor pie filling that sounds good. I've made this with cherry and raspberry. I think you can use a vanilla cake mix too, but the chocolate tastes the best.

Enjoy and stay safe out there!

Advent by Candlelight with Easy Chocolate Cherry Trifle

Hey Crushers,
This past weekend was full of getting ready for Christmas Spirit! Every year for the past 15-ish years, our church has hosted a Christmas program for women called "Advent by Candlelight" or ABC. The idea behind the program is that the holidays are always filled with hustle and bustle, so sometimes we forget the real purpose of Christmas is to celebrate Jesus' birth as the fulfillment of a long-ago promise that God would send a Savior to the world. This often gets mixed up in the cookies and lights and stockings and cards and shopping and wrapping and groceries and cooking and more and more... Although you hear about the true "reason for the season", this really makes you stop and think about it.

For ABC, there are table hostesses that invite friends, family, acquaintances and neighbors to join them in a relaxing afternoon of fellowship, faith and desserts. I was a reader for ABC and I am in the handbell choir which played "Tree of Life" and "Here I am Lord" as part of the program. The theme for this year was "Here I am Lord" about how God often used the unexpected woman in the Bible to help bring about His promise of a Savior. You never know when you're going to be called to a bigger purpose!

Jen's ABC table (before we lit the
candles). Note the baking soda
on the table in case of fire.

Part of the fun is that we hold this whole event with only a few electric lights for the readers and musicians. All of the tables for participants are lit by candles. Every hostess is encouraged to decorate her table and bring a dessert to share. Since my sister and I got married this year, I was able to recycle a lot of the table decorations from our weddings. I wrapped mason jars (from my wedding) with sheer ribbon for a nice glow and used a Christmas/wintry centerpiece that my mom gave me as a gift a few years ago. She also let me borrow some of her white dishes so the whole table was red and white. I got lots of compliments, so that was very nice, but I must say that each hostess really showed how creative she is!

For the dessert, I wanted to make something that I could just hand out individually instead of needing to slice and serve. Cupcakes are a great option, but I was feeling a bit caked-out after all the weddings this year. So, I made individual Chocolate Cherry Trifle cups! Instead of putting it in one big trifle bowl (which would give me the scoop and serve problem), I put them in clear plastic cups. They were easy to make, easy to serve, and everyone enjoyed them!

Chocolate Cherry Trifle Cups
Ingredients:
1 box of chocolate cake mix (plus 3 eggs, 1 1/3 cup water, 1/2 cup oil)
2 packages instant chocolate pudding (plus 4 cups of cold milk)
1 large tub of whipped topping
1 can of cherry pie filling
1 square of semi-sweet baking chocolate (mini chocolate chips would work, too)

Directions:
Bake the chocolate cake according to the directions on the box. If you're feeling ambitious, go ahead and make chocolate cake from scratch (I ran out of time because we were giving the house a good pre-Christmas decorations cleaning). While that is in the oven, make the chocolate pudding according to the package. I sound like I'm on "Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Cooking", don't I? It works!

Assembly process

Once the cake has cooled (takes about an hour), it's time to start assembling. I needed to make enough for 12 servings, so I grabbed a muffin tin to help me keep the cups from tumbling over, plus it's easy to carry! Cut the cake in 1 x 1 inch squares or just tear it with your fingers in little clumps. Layer each cup with the following: cake, chocolate pudding, whipped topping, cherry pie filling, cake, whipped topping. Be sure and spread out each layer so you can see it from the outside.

All done! I saved putting on the chocolate shavings until I was ready to serve them.

Tip: You can cover these and put them in the fridge overnight, but I wouldn't make this two nights ahead. That might make them a little too soggy. For a pretty garnish on top, take that chunk of baking chocolate and shave off some with a veggie peeler.

Hard Workin' Oven

Last night, I made two things: Jalapeño Roll Ups and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. Both were "Man Cave" approved by my husband and his friends during their card night! I figured I might as well make both in one night so I didn’t have to fire up the oven more than once. Technically though, it’s electric, so there’s no actual fire involved. Details, schmeetails...

First, I made the Jalapeño Roll Ups based on this recipe from Sally's blog, My Homemade Life. The only thing that I did differently was use jalapeños from a jar. I had to slice them myself, but that was easy. Just remember DO NOT rub your eyes or any part of your face unless you scrub your hands really well first. Otherwise, PAIN WILL HAPPEN. Your eyes will burn like heck and your face will itch.

Other than the different jalapeños, I pretty much followed the recipe. The only problem was that I made them really fat, so I only got 16 appetizers out of one tube instead of 32. Not sure how she cut these or if I just rolled them the wrong direction. I’m pretty sure it was that I rolled them the short way and not the long way. Whoops!

You should head over to Sally’s blog for the recipe. She did it the right way, so you should probably learn from her on this one. Plus, she’s got a really fun math explanation for how to slice things. Brilliant and simple! She also has the funniest "Man Cave" explanation here. I'll just share a few pictures from my adventures:

Here's the filling. It would probably be a good dip if you melted it, too.

I think I rolled it the wrong direction...

Pre-baking roll-ups.
I couldn't get a picture of them after because the guys ate them so quick!

Now before I start writing about these great pumpkin cookies I made, please note the following:
DO NOT use the same spatula/flipper, cookie sheets or bowls unless you clean them thoroughly between recipes. I know this probably goes without saying, but I don’t know if you’re like me and think, “Hey, that spatula only got used for 30 seconds to move some crescent rolls on to a plate.” Remember that it got used with jalapeños, and you don’t want that spicy flavor to touch sweet cookies. That would confuse the heck out of your taste buds. Just wash them, OK?

So, about those amazing cookies that I found thanks to Christi’s blog Love From the Oven… 

She was extra super healthy and used white wheat flour. I used all-purpose flour. I couldn’t find pumpkin pie spice in my cupboard at 9 p.m., but I did find apple pie spice. Don’t ask why I always seem to bake late at night, but I think it’s nice to fall asleep to a great smelling house. That, and I never seem to get around to baking until late. Meh. I’m a busy person.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or the healthy stuff like Christi used)
• 3 cups of rolled oats (note: old fashioned oats are the same thing)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (break up the clumps)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon (feel free to use more if you want)
• 2 tsp apple pie spice (Christi used pumpkin pie spice)
• One regular sized bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Note: Christi also suggests using mix-ins like pecans, walnuts or raisins. I’d like to add dried cranberries or mini M&M’s to that list, too.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Get all of your ingredients out and ready to go. You might also want to get your cookie baking sheets out, as well.

In a mixing bowl combine pumpkin, eggs and vanilla until well combined. I love that this recipe uses a WHOLE can of pumpkin puree so that I don’t have a random half of a can leftover to use in who-knows-what.

Pumpkin goodness (AKA the wet ingredients)

In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, spices and chocolate chips. Combine wet and dry ingredients until mixed. The cookie dough will be VERY thick. Unless you have a stand mixer, just use a strong spoon and some muscle. I think I could have worn down another hand mixer with these cookies.

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets about 2" apart. All I did was take a regular cereal spoonful of the dough and pushed it off the spoon with my fingers. It made a nice little round drop cookie. If you want, flatten the cookie dough slightly with a fork. It was great to know ahead of time that these won’t spread out much, so I could fit 15 cookies on each cookie sheet (3 rows x 5 columns).

I already made 30 cookies and had all of this dough left to use!
Can't you tell how it'll make nice chunky cookies?

Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned. It's best to remove them from the cookie sheet quickly after baking to prevent them from sticking to the sheet.

Now, Christi said that this makes 36 cookies. I don’t know if I just made smaller cookies or what, but I got 75 cookies out of this recipe! This was a fortunate happening because these cookies are for my husband’s football team’s pizza party. These cookies will be no match for 30 teenage boys. 

The end result. Soooooo gooooood...

What I especially love about these cookies is that they are not only easy and delicious and made my kitchen smell A-MAZING, but they are actually pretty good for you. From the ingredients, you can see that there isn’t any butter or oil and it’s got whole grain oats, so you kind of get the idea that they’re healthy. Then I found this great website where you punch in all your ingredients and it spits out the nutritional facts. It says that these cookies are about 110 calories for two of them. How great is that? Delicious and healthy-ish!

Enjoy and please share your favorite pumpkin cookies or jalapeño appetizers in the comments!

Celebrate!

We reached 1,000 Twitter followers for work, so our office is having a little Friday Twitter party!

We are so sugared up right now.

Our staff is full of women, so we often have conversations about foods that we're craving. Just the other day, one girl was mentioning about how much she loves "puppy chow". By the end of the day, she also wanted guacamole and like five other things. Anyway, since we were celebrating, I could at least make one of those things!

I made as gluten-free as possible puppy chow. It's not really for dogs, but that's what we call the Chex(R) Muddy Buddies(R) here in Wisconsin!

Here is the recipe that I used:

Ingredients
9 cups Corn Chex (R)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Skippy Natural peanut butter - Unilever brands are great at telling what has gluten ingredients in them. I aimed for gluten-free because we have some gluten-intolerant people on our staff.
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups-ish powdered sugar

Directions:
Measure out the cereal and put in a big bowl. Melt the chocolate, pb and butter in a microwave safe dish. I wouldn't put it on any more than 30 seconds at first and then 10 seconds at a time to get this stuff to a mixable, smooth texture. Pour the chocolaty goodness over the cereal and mix well. It doesn't seem like there's enough, but just keep mixing. Once you've got that well-coated, put it either in a big brown paper bag or two 1-gallon sealable bags. Pour powdered sugar in the bag and seal and shake until everything looks like it's covered well with the sugar.

For more Chex (R) recipes, visit this website.

Enjoy!