Category: Desserts

Strawberry Bread with Chocolate Ganache

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It’s so hard to believe that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! I have been trying to think of new festive menu items for such a celebration of love! I remember last year trying to do chocolate covered strawberries with my girls (who were 1 & 3 at the time) and remembered the hot mess of chocolate ALL OVER EVERYTHING!

This year I have been playing with a strawberry bread. This bread really does not take long to mix up and pop in the oven and for me it meant a cleaner kitchen! If you are trying to stick to a weight loss New Year’s Resolutions you can stop there, but if you have some chocolate lovers like I do topping the delicious bread with a velvety chocolate sauce takes this bread to a whole new dimension!

I don’t have the best track record with elegant Valentine’s Day menus as my husband can attest! Since I have always been money conscious I learned the hard way that the cheaper steaks do not taste nearly as good as the more expensive ones! That steak meal certainly ranks highly as one of my meal fails! This bread, dripping in chocolate, does redeem me!

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Strawberry Bread with a Chocolate Ganache

A sweet strawberry filled bread topped with a decadent chocolate sauce
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour + 2 TBSP
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups diced strawberries

Chocolate Ganache

  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • In a bowl mix together the sugar, milk, oil, egg, and vanilla
  • Then add the flour (except the extra 2 TBSP), baking powder, and salt and combine.
  • In a seperate bowl add the diced strawberries and the additional 2 TBSP of flour.
  • Fold in the strawberries to the batter until just combined.
  • Pour the batter into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 55 mins or until toothpick is inserted and comes out of bread clean.
  • Allow the bread to cool.
  • To make Ganache place heavy cream in a slinder, microwave safe container.
  • Microwave for about 45 seconds keeping an eye on the heavy cream to make sure it doesn't overflow.
  • Remove heavy cream and add chocolate into warm cream and allow to set on the counter for 2-3 minutes then stir about 30 seconds to create a melted ganache.

Notes

I enjoy this bread as a sweet snack or breakfast bread. It is still delicious without the chocolate ganache, but I love the added chocolate sweetness! Once the ganache is made I wait another 2-3 minutes and the sauce will thicken some before I add it to the bread. Due to heavy cream I store leftovers in the fridge. 
This is the cup I use for making the ganache

Deluxe Cake Mix Cookies

4 Comments

If you are looking for an easy pantry dessert that can be whipped up in no time look no further! My basic cake mix cookie recipe takes me back to high school every time. I remember making them frequently for my high school basketball teammates!

I usually have an extra box of cake mix in the pantry just in case I am surprised by a unexpected gathering or I have a sweet tooth. I can easily whip these up in no time!

I posted my original cookies a while back but have found a way to make them even better! The cookie part is my original cake mix cookie recipe, but the deluxe part includes a center of sweetened condensed milk and white chocolate chips! Yes, that makes it richer, but I think it is also a gooey perfection!

This is also a good recipe to get help from my 3 year old and 18 month old! I do the cracking of the egg part and they can nearly handle the mixing with surprisingly minimal (usually) mess!

The variations for these cookies are endless! My daughter loves sprinkles, so this variation is with a Funfetti cake mix and white chocolate chips. There are so many ways you can try this like: red velvet cake with white chocolate chips, yellow cake mix with milk chocolate chips, and German chocolate cake mix with peanut butter chips to name a few!

Next time you go to the grocery store make sure you pick up some boxes of cake mix and condensed milk then as long as you have chocolate chips, eggs, and vegetable oil (or butter) you can be enjoying these whenever the mood strikes!

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5 from 3 votes

Deluxe Cake Mix Cookies

Easy cake mix cookies with a gooey center
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 box Cake Mix (yellow, white, chocolate, or Funfetti)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 stick butter melted
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Mix together the cake mix, eggs, and melted butter.
  • Press half of dough into an aluminum foil lined then greased 9 x 9 pan.
  • Pour condensed milk and chocolate chips over dough.
  • Place remaining dough on top.
  • Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes or until top is lightly golden brown.
  • Let cookies cool completely in pan. Once cooled lift out aluminum foil, discard foil, then cut cookies into bars.

Notes

I have found that using the greased foil is imperative when having the condensed milk center. The condensed milk spills out around the edges and would otherwise stick to the side of the pan. The foil also makes clean up a breeze!  
The easiest way I have found when placing the remaining dough on top of the condensed milk and chocolate chips is using my hands and flattening smaller pieces in my palm then gently just placing on top trying to cover most of the middle layer. As the cookie bakes it usually fills in the gaps. 
1/2 cup of vegetable or canola oil can be substituted for the butter.  
If the cookies are not completely cooled when trying to cut them they will fall apart easily. 
 

Caramel Apple Cookies

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When Fall is beginning with it’s cool and crisp breeze and the leaves are starting to change, I can not help but dream about apple cider. The warm apple flavor makes me feel so cozy. I then begin to enjoy all Fall has to offer from campfires to tick-or-treaters! Then there is this beauty of a cookie that is the perfect composition of the changing seasons. It really is Fall perfection in every bite. The unmistakable flavor of apple cider covering a delicious and chewy soft caramel center. I have adapted this recipe from my Cake Mix Cookies. This wonderful cookie really does make it impossible to have just one!

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Caramel Apple Cookies

A delicious cider cookie with a chewy caramel center
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2 dozen

Ingredients

  • 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 6 packs instant Apple Cider Mix
  • 24 pieces soft chewy caramels individually wrapped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix everything together except the caramels.
  • Unwrap the caramels and place enough of the cider cookie dough around the caramel to cover it.
  • Place the round cookies on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
  • Bake for 10 minutes.

Notes

At 10 minutes of baking time the cookies should just be beginning to set and the edges are barely brown. I let the cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

Nursing tip:
Speaking of only having one cookie, if you have to grace the doors of an Emergency Room don’t expect to tell your reason for coming only once. If you are lucky you will only have to state it three to four times. The process starts with registration, then a triage nurse, your regular room nurse, then provider. As a Nurse Practitioner I am never surprised to get a completely different story than registration or other nurses; however, it is entertaining for us to compare notes!