fudge Archives | Heavenly Homemakers

Delicious Candy You Can Make Yourself (with healthier ingredients)

December 11, 2013 by Laura 3 Comments

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As you all know, I don’t mind the occasional healthy food compromise, especially on special occasions. Christmas qualifies as one of the most special occasions of all, doncha think? But when I turn over a package and see that the yummy contents therein contain hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup – I just can’t do it. (I know, I know. It’s best not to even read the label. Wait. What?)

What I love is trying to re-create some our favorite treats so that we can have our Christmas candy and eat it too. These treats are best shared and in moderation though, because they are full of sugar! (I know, I know. It’s best not to even think about how much sugar is in them. Wait. What?)

Here are some goodies I make every once in a while for a very special treat:

Homemade Peppermint Patties

These call for none other than mashed potatoes. Weird, but true. And they also have tons of powdered sugar in them. Better than high fructose corn syrup, but wowza. You’ll be amazed at how much these taste like the “real thing.”

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

This is my husband’s favorite. It’s super fun to make these for him every once in a while. We think they taste better than the packaged variety. It’s amazing how good peanut butter tastes when it’s only made with peanuts.

Chocolate Caramel Cups

These are ooey-gooey messy. But having a drop of caramel resting on one’s chin never hurt anyone.

Peanut Butter Truffles and Chocolate Caramel Truffles

Making these truffles is easier than you would think. And the result? Amazing.

Peanut Butter Honey Fudge

This is the easiest fudge you’ll ever make. It contains only three ingredients – peanut butter, honey, and chocolate chips. So good!

What’s your favorite Christmas candy? Ever tried making your own?

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Real Food MakeOver: Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake (and Cake Boys Episode 7!)

November 13, 2012 by Laura 21 Comments

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Yum

Have a recipe you’d like me to try and make over? Submit your recipes on this Real Food Recipe Makeover Submission Page.

Remember that cake I tried to make in a crock pot that ended up being tedious and difficult? After that, my friend Jenny emailed me a recipe for Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake, figuring that I could surely make over the ingredients to make this a healthier recipe.

I was excited, yet given my experience with cake in a crock pot, I couldn’t help but wonder: Would this cake be a lot of work? Would it be tasty in the end?

The answer to those questions are: No, this cake is not a lot of work…and YES this cake is incredibly tasty.

I actually handed the recipe to the Cake Boys (aka Justus and bros) to make this for Matt’s birthday last week. It was so easy for them to adapt that they did it without any help from me. Yes indeed, this Real Food Makeover is brought to you by the Cake Boys. :)

You simply pour the batter into the crock pot, then drizzle over a layer of boiling water/cocoa/sucanat. The cake bakes in a crock pot for two hours, and when it’s finished, the cake has baked over the top and a layer of fudgy pudding is on the bottom.

This cake is dreamy, rich deliciousness. We all loved it!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup sucanat

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

2 Tablespoons melted butter (or coconut oil)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine flour, cocoa, sucanat, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Make a well in the center and add milk, butter, and vanilla. Stir well, until batter is smooth. Stir in peanut butter (heat if needed, to thin). Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the batter evenly into a well greased slow cooker. Make the topping:

Topping:

3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup sucanat

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Mix cocoa and sucanat, whisk in boiling water until smooth. Gently pour over batter in crock pot, but don’t stir. Cover and cook on HIGH until puffed and the top layer is set, about 2- 2 1/4 hours. Turn off crock pot and let stand, covered for at least 30 minutes. Serve the cake (which is now on top) with ice cream or whipped cream and drizzle the fudgy pudding from the bottom over both.

Makes 6-8 servings

And now, you can enjoy Episode 7 of Cake Boys, which includes a ridiculous commercial break by Asa. Wow, our boys have tooooo much fun putting these together. Also, I should note: Justus says that he added “shortening” to the cake. He really added butter. He was just reading the original recipe when he recorded. :) And then we had a little lesson about what shortening is and why we don’t eat it unless it’s Palm Shortening. But anyway…

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Buttermilk Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake

October 28, 2010 by Laura 117 Comments

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Say, would you like a little chocolate cake with that chocolate fudge frosting? :)

This recipe is great because you can soak the flour to break down the phytates if you want. Or if you don’t, that’s okay too.

Buttermilk Whole Wheat Chocolate CakeYum

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cups sucanat
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1/3 cup melted coconut oil or melted butter
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
Chocolate Fudge Frosting

If you choose to soak your flour, mix the 2 cups of whole wheat flour with the 1 1/3 cups buttermilk. Cover and allow this mixture to soak overnight on the countertop. Add remaining ingredients (everything but the frosting, that is) and bake as directed.

Otherwise…

Mix dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, oil or butter and buttermilk. Mix with beaters until batter is smooth and well mixed.

Work very hard to avoid grabbing a spoon and eating the entire batter directly out of the bowl before it has been baked.

Butter two round cake pans or one 9×13 inch cake pan.

Bake round cakes at 350° for 25-30 or a 9×13 inch cake for 35-40 minutes. OR, leave the cakes in the oven until a toothpick poked in the middle comes out clean. Every oven is different, right?

Allow the cakes to cool completely before removing them from the pans. I used a butter knife to loosen the edges from the sides of the pan. Place the cakes on plates.

Did I forget to mention that you would need some of this Chocolate Fudge Frosting? Oh yes, you DO need a batch of this Chocolate Fudge Frosting. Plop a nice amount of frosting on one cake and spread it around well.

Like this…

Carefully place the other layer of cake on top of the frosted layer.

Oh look…it’s a chocolate fudge sandwich!!

Plop another nice amount of frosting on top of the second layer. Carefully spread the frosting over the top and sides. This step is not very easy for me and I’m usually messy and have to lick my fingers. Bummer.

All done.

Ah, a slice of chocolate heaven…

I will work (sometime within the coming months) to come up with a white cake and white frosting. However, when you’re using whole wheat flour and sucanat, the results are not going to be white. Anyone up for a Tan Cake? Mmm, sounds good to me!

Get ready to share YOUR recipes Friday!!! Can’t wait to see what you’re going to share!!!

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