Jenn’s Cook Book

From Midnight Snacks chapter 1:15 AM Under the Covers, these snacks are perfect when  you want to “head to bed and call it a wrap.” The recipes in this chapter are designed for those occasions when it seems there is nothing to eat in the entire house, using a little creativity and scant supplies to produce a tasty treat.

These might be a little labor intensive if you are in a hurry first thing in the morning, but if you have the time these can also make a mighty good breakfast. “Here’s how to turn a lowly slice of soft sandwich bread into a lovely turnover.” My version is posted below, but the authors gave several suggestions for fillings, which are posted following the recipe.

Jenn’s Chocolate-Cream Cheese “Tossovers”
4 slices of bread, crusts removed
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 oz cream cheese, divided
4 tsp mini-chocolate chips, divided
cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400F and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll out crust-free bread with a rolling pin (bread should be flattened to the thickness of a saltine cracker).

Brush the edges of the flattened bread with melted butter. In the center of each piece, spoon 1/2 oz of cream cheese and 1 tsp chocolate chips.

Fold the bread into a triangle and press the edges together. Crimp edges with a fork if necessary.

Arrange triangles on prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Other topping suggestions:

A spoonful of preserves and a smear of cream cheese
A dollop of jelly and a layer of peanut butter
Pieces of a dark chocolate candy bar
Fresh berries, peach or plum slices, or chopped apples sprinkled with sugar
Small slice of cheddar cheese and applesauce
Caramel sauce, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans

Feel free to improvise, making your own personal creation.

Another recipe from 2:30 AM: Late Night Rehab, this came from a set of recipes referred to as “Four Energizers.” These smoothie/shake recipes were created for late nights when “you have to burn the midnight oil and need food, glorious food, to supplement your energy.” The original recipe called for things that have never seen my kitchen: protein powder and flax-seed oil. According to the authors, flax-seed oil contains essential fatty acids that are great for focus and concentration, but I substituted some vanilla yogurt because, well, that’s what I had on hand.

And boy, does this concoction energize! The first time I made this was on a Friday night and I was up well past my bedtime, zooming with energy. This will definitely give you a pick-up on an early morning if you wake up grouchy and groggy like I do. Whether first thing in the morning or late at night, “hearing the wailing screech of the blender will also enliven things, as will neglecting to secure the blender lid tightly enough.”

Below is my version of this chocolaty-thick smoothie. If soy milk scares you, regular milk is fine…but don’t let soy milk scare you, the chocolate kind is especially good.

1 cup low-fat chocolate soy milk
1 cup frozen pitted dark, sweet cherries (do not thaw)
1/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2-3 ice cubes

Toss everything into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a to-go cup and slurp on your way to work. Delicious!

Or you can be fancy like me, and garnish with a dollop of yogurt, a frozen cherry or two, and a light dusting of cocoa powder. Yes, of course it tastes better that way.

From 5:30 AM: First-Shift Foods, the authors call this chapter “foods to beckon us from bed.” The original recipe calls for coconut, sunflower seeds, and pecans, which I substituted with dried cherries and mini-chocolate chips. The add-ins are open to interpretation as long as you keep the proportions the same, although I would highly recommend keeping the wheat germ, it adds a nutty flavor and gives the granola texture. I’ve posted the original recipe, and then my remake.

2 1/2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries or golden raisins

Preheat oven to 300F and coat a 13×9 baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, toss the oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, pecans, and wheat germ.

Combine oil, maple syrup, and salt in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Add the vanilla.

Pour the syrup over the dry ingredients and toss to coat everything evenly. Spread mixture over prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Add the cranberries or raisins and allow the mixture to cool.

Jenn’s Chocolate-Cherry Granola
2 1/2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup mini-chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300F and coat a 13×9 baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, toss the oats and wheat germ.

Combine oil, maple syrup, and salt in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Add the vanilla.

Pour the syrup over the dry ingredients and toss to coat everything evenly. Spread mixture over prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Add the dried cherries. Add the chocolate chips while the mixture is still warm and stir to melt the chocolate into the granola, or add the chocolate chips after the mixture has cooled to keep in pieces.

Sprinkle granola on top of yogurt and fruit.

Celebrate the beginning of National Chocolate Month without ditching all of your New Year’s resolutions with these deliciously dark brownies from Everyday Food. Instead of lots of oil and butter, these brownies use applesauce and reduced-fat sour cream (yes, that’s sour cream). Add some dark brown sugar and heart-healthy dark chocolate, and you’ve got moist brownies without all the guilt. “These brownies have a triple helping of chocolate: cocoa powder and melted chocolate in the batter, plus chocolate chunks on top” Everyday Food. If bittersweet chocolate is a bit too much for you to take, swap it for semi-sweet or use a 50/50 combination.

2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (not chunky)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream, room temperature
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (2 oz melted, 2 oz coarsely chopped)
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly coat a square baking pan (8×8 or 9×9) with cooking spray.  

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda; set aside. In a slightly larger bowl, whisk together dark brown sugar, applesauce, sour cream, melted chocolate, eggs, and oil until combined. Add flour mixture and mix just until moistened (do not over mix).

Spread batter in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle top with chopped chocolate. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 to 35 minutes.

Allow brownies to cool completely. Cut into squares. Share the goodness!

Matches made in heaven: chocolate, orange, and hazelnut. This “bark” recipe from Everyday Food magazine combines these ingredients into a tasty treat, perfect for the holidays.  According to Everyday Food, “the slight bitterness of the orange zest and a sprinkling of salt round out the richness of the chocolate and hazelnuts.”

Hazelnuts are available pre-chopped, shelled, or unshelled. For this recipe, I bought unshelled hazelnuts and cracked them the old-fashioned way. After shelling, I roasted the hazelnuts at 250F for 15 minutes, then wrapped the nuts in a kitchen towel. The towel allows the nuts to steam, which loosens the skins. The skins can then be rubbed off and the nuts chopped. The roasting also draws out the hazelnuts nature oils and intensifies the flavor, which is worth it if you are able to take the time.

1 navel orange
8 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup hazelnuts, skins removed and coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp coarse salt

Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil. With a vegetable peeler, remove zest from half of the orange, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible (reserve the rest of the orange for another use). With a sharp knife, cut zest into very thin strips about 1 inch long.

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set oven (not in) a pan of simmering water, or use a double-boiler. Stir until melted and completely smooth. Mix in half the zest and hazelnuts. Immediately pour onto prepared baking sheet with a flexible spatula. Spread mixture about 1/4 inch thick in a rectangle on the prepared baking sheet, avoiding the sides of the baking sheets.

Sprinkle with remaining zest, nuts, and coarse salt. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. To serve, break or chop into pieces. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

For the holidays, Nestle Toll House is making Swirled Holiday Premier White morsels. These are white chocolate chips with either red or green swirls. These cookies combine swirled chips with semi-sweet chocolate chips in a traditional recipe. Try baking a batch of these for some holiday fun. The original recipes calls for sprinkling some of the chips on top of the cookies, but this is mostly for show. I stirred all of the chips into the cookie dough to save time.

1 cup (6 oz) Swirled Holiday morsels
1 cup (6 oz) Semi-Sweet chocolate morsels
2 1/4 cups flour, spooned and leveled
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs 

Preheat oven to 350F 

In a small bowl, combine swirl and chocolate morsels. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels.

Drop by rounded tablespoon-ful on to ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely.

Imagine a vanilla cheesecake, drizzled with caramel and sprinkled with pecans. Now, imagine that cheesecake swirled in with dark chocolate brownie batter and baked to perfection. These are delicious Turtle Cheesecake Brownies from Brownie Mix Magic. All you need is a box of brownie mix, some cream cheese, caramel ice cream topping, and chopped pecans. This simple but decadent treat is my tasty tribute to National Chocolate Brownie Day.

1 box (19.5 oz) dark chocolate brownie mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
3 large eggs
8 oz (1 bar) cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup caramel ice cream topping
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 13×9 inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, combine brownie mix with oil, water, and 2 eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are mixed. Spread into the bottom of a prepared pan.

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Beat in vanilla extract and remaining egg. Spread over brownie batter (it does not need to cover completely). Dollop caramel over batter. Drag a knife through brownie batter, creating a swirl pattern. Top with chopped pecans.

Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden and just set in the middle. Allow brownies to cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate if desired. Cut in to squares and enjoy.

Just because Thanksgiving is over doesn’t mean pumpkin season is done. Pumpkin pie is a big seller all the way through the new year. This recipe from Everyday Food magazine takes pumpkin up a notch with chocolate in a simple cheesecake. Instead of traditional slices, this cheesecake is served in bars. Chocolate wafer cookies are typically sold near the ice cream toppings at the supermarket. Be sure to use regular cream cheese, not reduced-fat or fat-free. If you would like to make your own pumpkin pie spice, check out this homemade mixture of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg.

For the crust:
20 chocolate wafer cookies
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the filling: 
2 pkg (8 0z each) cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin puree
3 large eggs 
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F and line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, or coat with cooking spray.

In a food processor, blend cookies with sugar until finely ground (you should have about 1 cup crumbs). Add butter and pulse until moistened. If you do not have a food processor, crush cookies in a large, zip-locked baggie with a rolling pin and mix with sugar and melted butter.

Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until fragrant and slightly firm, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Place cream cheese in a food processor or blend with a hand mixer until smooth. Add sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix until combined.

Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Add 1 cup of the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine.

Pour remaining pumpkin mixture into prepared pan, over the crust. Drop dollops of chocolate mixture onto the pumpkin mixture. Drag the blade of a paring knife through the chocolate and pumpkin mixtures several times to make a marbled pattern.

Bake until cheesecake is set but jiggles slightly when gently shaken, about 30 to 40 minutes depending on the oven.

Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill until firm, at least 2 hours. Cheesecake can be stored for up to 2 days before serving.

To serve, cut into squares with a knife dipped in warm water.

Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger all combined in a richly chocolate brownie, who could ask for more? This recipe is based on a Martha Stewart Living brownie recipe, but with my own spicy twist. The secret to moist, soft brownies is in the eggs and butter. Never skip or use “lite” butter or egg substitute, and make sure your butter is unsalted and eggs are room temperature. Oil is not an appropriate substitute for good, old-fashion sweet cream butter.

I’ve seen posts and questions about preventing brownies from cracking, but I think that is just the nature of a brownie. It’s meant to crackle a bit on top, but if it is really bothersome, cover it up with powdered sugar or frosting. Try the Quick Chocolate Glaze (see below).

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 oz bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 325F and prepare an 8-inch square baking pan with butter or waxed paper.

Over low heat, melt butter and chocolate together, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth top with rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cover with Quick Chocolate Glaze (optional) and cut into squares.

Quick Chocolate Glaze

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1-2 tsp hot water

Combine chocolate chips, butter, and light corn syrup in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently until mixture is melted and smooth.

Remove from heat and stir in hot water, about a 1/2 tsp at a time, until glaze is desired consistency and can be spread over brownies.

Want your chocolate to take a walk on the wild side? Try these delicious cookies from Brownie Mix Magic. Like the Spicy Aztec Brownies, these cookies give chocolate a spicy kick. This recipe starts with a box of brownie mix and adds black pepper, chocolate chips, and crystallized ginger for a fragrant, spicy, and decadent treat. Crystallized ginger, or candied ginger, is available in most grocery store baking aisles, but at a steep price. Try specialty or gourmet markets, or shops that specialize in Asian cuisine, for a better deal. Chop the ginger into pieces about the same size as chocolate chips for the best distribution in this recipe. The cookies are great when still warm from the oven. Caution: these cookies are not for the faint of heart!

1 box (19.5 to 19.8 oz) brownie mix
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F and coat cookie sheets with nonstick spray (skip this if your cookie sheets are high quality nonstick).

In a large mixing bowl, combine brown mix, ground ginger, black pepper, melted butter, brown sugar, and eggs. Mix with a wooden spoon until just blended and all dry ingredients are moist. Stir in chopped crystallized ginger and chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes, until cracked in appearance and just barely set at the center. Cool 1-2 minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to a wire rack with a spatula. Cool completely on wire rack.