chocolate Archives - Simply Sells Kitchen

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Sandra Sells — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 16:47:55 +0000

This delicious vegan chocolate pudding is so silky smooth, rich in flavor, and full of nutrition. You can’t even taste the avocado! As a mother tricking your kids may not be the nicest thing to do, but if it is for their own good it’s not so bad, right? Haha! Well, I am a firm believer in keeping things nutritious for my family. I also love to let them live and enjoy foods in moderation that are delicious. Currently i’m in a clean up the pantry phase in my home. Keeping the thought that nutritious eating can include desserts helps both myself and my kids keep a better overall attitude. Health and fitness are a priority to us but can sometimes be our greatest struggle in our very busy lives. I always try to limit processed foods and am constantly recreating our kids’ favorite food dishes, like french fries. This is especially true for my son who could out eat anyone in the french fry department. 😅 Just a few swaps and you have delicious fries that are a much healthier leaner version. Healthy vs Not Healthy There are such things as good fats and bad fats, good sugars and bad sugars. The kind of ingredients you include in your diet are like building blocks to your health. Usually, we tend to think fats make you fatter, but your body requires a certain amount of good fat. Olive oil and avocados are easily accessible and loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. This is great for heart health and brain function. Avocados are a monounsaturated fat and provide essential nutrients to your body so why not make a dessert out of them! We also love to make our delicious sweet corn guacamole during avocado season. It is also good to think about the natural and least processed sugars when being nutritionally minded; perhaps leaning towards fruit-based sugar or those that are lower on the glycemic index. I do believe sugar is sugar in all forms, but the impact to your body is on a spectrum. Some great choices that we love in our family are date syrup, coconut sugar, agave, pure maple syrup, monk fruit, and honey. Children’s bodies grow and develop quickly. It is so important to make sure they are getting all the nutrients they need. Even as adults we need to make sure we take care of our bodies for long term health. Making smart choices is extremely important! With that in mind, we want to share a favorite in our family. It has a few surprising ingredients that make an extraordinarily rich and luxurious dessert. The Recipe So without further delay, we share our fantastic avocado chocolate pudding! This recipe is vegan, gluten free, and is customizable to fit any lifestyle. The best thing about it is putting all the ingredients in the food processor and no cooking necessary! In my book, that is a big win! Add in your avocados, cocoa powder, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla, and then pulse the ingredients until everything is combined. Open the food processor and scrape down the sides. Place the lid back on and blend about 30 seconds, until completely smooth. Sometimes, instead of maple syrup we use alternative sweeteners such as honey, date syrup, or agave. All the ingredients provide great taste and flavor. Chill the pudding in the refrigerator for about an hour, and then enjoy! You can serve the avocado chocolate pudding in little ramekins with your favorite dairy or vegan whipped cream toppings and a few raspberries. This pudding can compete with any other pudding or chocolate mousse. Other toppings we really like to use are shredded coconut, chia seeds, and whole medjool dates. Delicious! ☺️

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Millionaire Shortbread

Sandra Sells — Sat, 25 Dec 2021 15:18:18 +0000

I have wanted to make this dessert for our Simply Sells Kitchen family since we started the website. Nothing excites me more than to bring you into our family and share what we enjoy in times of celebration. I come from a family that has very few traditions, but this one seems to have stuck for a long period of time. No pun intended as the caramel in this recipe is no joke, Ha! I wouldn’t say we have generational traditions but we usually bring this millionaire shortbread recipe out during Christmas time and have for years. Christmas traditions help bring on the Christmas cheer. Our Millionaire Shortbread is a layered dessert that has shortbread as the base, followed by a rich caramel in the middle and covered in chocolate. The ingredients are simple in each layer but bring a lot of richness when combined. It is a dessert that you would find in the UK, as it originated in Scotland (the Scottish are known for their shortbread). The layers of this bar resemble the components of a Twix candy bar. The UK is famous for their sweets and buttery pastries, which may be my biased opinion because I was born in England, but I honestly believe they make delicious sweets. Making Shortbread The first step in making Millionaire Shortbread is to make the shortbread biscuit layer. Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and then prepare an 8×8 pan by lining it with parchment paper that overhangs the pan so that you can lift the entire dessert out of the pan when it is complete. Next, in a large bowl beat together the sugar and butter till fluffy. Slowly add the flour and salt, and then combine them until crumbly in texture. Press the dough into the prepared pan and then bake for about 35 minutes. The corners should be a light brown and the center like a soft baked cookie. Let it sit out to cool. The second step is to begin the next layer, which is the caramel. This is the part that requires a little muscle but isn’t as hard as you may think. A candy thermometer ensures that you get the caramel to the right candy stage. Start by melting the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. To the butter, add the can of sweetened condensed milk, light corn syrup, and salt. Begin to stir the ingredients together and monitor consistently to avoid burning the mixture. While stirring, insert the candy thermometer and bring the temperature up to 220-225 degrees. The consistency should be soft and the appearance a light golden milky color. Next, mix in the vanilla. The last step for this stage is to pour the caramel over the shortbread layer, spreading it evenly. Last but not least it is time melt the chocolate. I have used several types of chocolate and I have never been disappointed. Begin by melting the chocolate over a double boiler or use your microwave. Once the chocolate is melted, pour it over the caramel layer, spreading it evenly. It takes about 30-40 minutes for the chocolate to set, but if you place the pan in the fridge it may speed up the process. To serve your Millionaire Shortbread To serve the millionaire shortbread or “caramel squares,” as my mother calls them, lift the dessert out of the pan by using the overhung parchment paper and transfer it to a cutting board. A tip for cutting the shortbread is that cutting them upside down on the shortbread side is easier. The size of the bars is a personal choice and no judgement will be given (ha ha). The millionaire shortbread bars are so delicious it seems like you can’t have just one. I hope you enjoy these with your family and friends! They are great to package up as a gift, also.

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Midnight Black Chocolate Brownies

Sandra Sells — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 22:08:58 +0000

Dreaming of chocolate, dark chocolate, and indulgent black moist chocolatey brownies? Well these are it! This is the epitome of chocolate heaven. We really LOVE chocolate in the Sells house! Have you ever craved chocolate? Haha, that’s a joke, of course you have. Well, these brownies are not for the faint of heart. Get ready to dive into the chocolate wonderland of flavor that these brownies entail! This recipe is inspired by one ingredient: black cocoa powder. The color of these brownies is like an Oreo cookie – yes, a brownie that’s the color of an Oreo! Exciting, right? In our house we use black cocoa powder quite a bit. Black cocoa powder is super dark in color and full of nutrients and antioxidants. It is made that way by being extra Dutch processed. Dutch processing is a procedure where the cocoa beans are washed in an alkaline solution. Extra Dutch processed means that the cocoa beans are washed just a little bit more than the beans used in regular cocoa powder, causing the beautiful black color. The flavor of Dutch cocoa powder is more mild than regular. We tend to mix the Dutch cocoa powder with a 25% or 3-to-1 ratio of regular cocoa powder to keep that wonderful chocolatey depth of flavor. The decision to use black cocoa powder versus regular cocoa powder in this recipe is just a creative, artistic decision. We also incorporate a really good semi-sweet chocolate chip, like Ghirardelli. If you’re looking for no sugar chocolate to use in any recipe, another great brand is Lily’s Stevia Chocolate Chips. If you’re into chewy, dense, and fudgy brownies like the ones you used to lick the batter off the spoon with your grandmother, then these Midnight Black Chocolate Brownies are it! They always turn out looking so good and are always moist, even if you accidentally overbake them. The deep black color makes this a highly unique dessert that you, your families, and guests will love! Who knows, maybe you’ll even establish a new family brownie making tradition.

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Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Sandra Sells — Sat, 23 May 2020 09:00:28 +0000

Who doesn’t have a love for cookies! They’re such a delicious part of life. Think about it, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, birthday parties, family gatherings, and more! Just like us, you probably have many varieties of cookies for many varieties of special occasions. People have been making cookies since the seventh century. That’s right, over 1500 years of cookies!! That must be why people love them so much. At the Sells’ household, we’re no exception. This chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe has been a staple in our household since we’ve been married. Not only do they make their way into our holidays but they’re a highly requested item at most gatherings that we’re a part of. At one point, a couple years ago, in the spirit of entrepreneurship, we thought we would start a cookie business. We were going to call it, “Two Hot Cookies” because Kodi and one of his guy friends were going to start it out. Thinking back about it now makes me laugh a bit, haha! These ideas are conversations we have almost on a daily basis. We can’t help but think of ways to start a business for multiple streams of income; especially, one that incorporates food! That business idea may still be up in the air, but the cookies are amazing and definitely worth making in your own home. The Story Behind these Cookies Kodi has been making these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies for our family and friends for years. They are dense, chewy, not too sweet, and knobbly in all the best ways. He discovered a recipe years ago and kept tweaking the ingredients until he had the perfect consistency of chewy cookie. The oat and chocolate experience makes this recipe a keeper. If you’ve ever wanted a cookie that holds up to the dunk in coffee or milk, soaks in what is desired, and hits the spot these are what you’re looking for. This recipe is so flexible that if you minus the oats, you can create many variations. The other day, I followed just the cookie base part of the recipe, and added sprinkles on top. The kids were very thrilled indeed. All they wanted to eat for the next few days were the special sprinkle cookies that they requested. The cookies were a success and looked beautiful! On one occasion, Kodi swapped 1/4 cup of flour for 1/4 cup of black cocoa powder and made a double chocolate chip cookie that was so decadent! Eating them made us feel guilty, haha, they were that good! Make it Your Own Feel free to add in your own ingredients. Just swap out the oats and chocolate chips for something you and your family love. We would love to hear about your cookie adventures in the comments below. Feel free to share with us, as we’re always looking for a unique way to make another delicious creation. Be encouraged, be creative, and have fun eating those delicious cookies!

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