Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Did you know that zucchini could look like this?

I know, right? Pretty freaking amazing. In case you can't tell from all of the zucchini recipes I've been posting, we have had a killer crop of zucchini from our garden this year. Corey remembered his mom making a delicious chocolate zucchini cake, so we got a recipe from her. I made several adaptations to it, and ended up serving it with whipped cream and fresh raspberries (because I'm convinced that everything is better with whipped cream and raspberries). It was delicious, and you would never guess it had zucchini in it. The result is simply a super-moist and chocolatey bundt cake.

Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Cake:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 Tb. whipping cream
Fresh whipped cream and raspberries, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bundt pan.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Add applesauce. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and zucchini. Add flour, cocoa, powder, soda, salt, and milk and beat until smooth. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips.
3. Pour into baking pan and bake for 45 - 55 minutes or until top is dry and toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pan to cool.
4. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 3 Tb. whipping cream in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until completely melted and drizzle over cake. Serve warm with whipped cream and raspberries if desired.

Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie

This is one of my all-time favorite desserts. Whenever we go to Chili's, I try to talk Corey into getting this (it's not too hard to convince him, he loves it too). Since I know that I'll probably be full after eating my dinner, we get it as an appetizer instead. It's a whole lot easier to bring home the rest of my meal as leftovers than it is to bring this home! I adapted this recipe from one I found online and it is absolutely divine. I can't get enough of it!

Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie

Crust:
4 Tb. Butter, melted
2 Tb. sugar
1 cup cinnamon graham crackers, finely crushed (or 1 cup regular graham crackers, crushed plus 1/2 tsp. cinnamon)
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cookie:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For serving:
vanilla ice cream
chocolate syrup
caramel syrup
chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 9 x 9 inch baking pan. Prepare crust by mixing 4 Tb. melted butter and 2 Tb. sugar. Add graham crackers and press into baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
2. Prepare cookie layer by creaming 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add flour, soda, powder, and salt and mix until blended. Stir in coconut. Press cookie mixture over the chocolate chips. Sprinkle with 1/2 cups walnuts and press into cookie layer.
3. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, chocolate, caramel, and additional chopped walnuts.

Cookie Bars

My 10 year old nephew Jonathan made these on Sunday and brought them to my in-laws to share with everyone. I took one bite and was head-over-heels in love. I've (literally) been thinking about them ever since. It took every ounce of will power I possess (and a little willpower I borrowed from my husband) to not immediately make them when we walked in the door that night. I managed to hold out another 20 hours (mostly because I had a screaming baby to take care of), but the minute I had a chance to whip them up, I did. And proceeded to gobble down three. The rest are currently sitting downstairs taunting me, begging me to come and eat them (masochists). I'm pretty sure they won't survive the rest of the day.

The best part about these? There is only 4 ingredients, and if you're like me you probably have all of the ingredients in your cupboard right now. It takes only 20 minutes to make and bake them, so you're only a few minutes away from a sweet, chocolately fix. But the real kicker is that they taste like a combination of cake batter and chocolate chip cookies. Crispy and chewy like cookies, but with a cake-like flavor. These are sooo addicting! I used white cake mix and milk chocolate chips. Jonathan used funfetti cake mix and milk chocolate chips. I hear that chocolate cake and peanut butter chips is great too. All I know is I'm going to be trying many, many varieties in the next little while because I can't get enough!

Thanks for sharing Jonathan! I had him write down the recipe for me and he knew it off the top of his head. If that doesn't spell easy, I don't know what does!

Cookie Bars
by Jonathan

P.S. I greased the pan with non-stick spray so that they would be easier to get out, and I recommend you do the same. Isn't

Best. Brownies. Ever.

Six months ago my friend Hannah brought these brownies to a barbecue we were having. I have literally been craving them ever since. I've been begging her for the recipe, and she finally brought it to me two weeks ago. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have made them three times since then. They're perfectly chewy and fudgy, which is hard to achieve when you are making homemade brownies with cocoa instead of baking chocolate. Just let me say this: try it and you definitely won't be disappointed.

Chewy Cocoa Brownies from Nestle

3/4 cup butter, melted
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 Tb. water
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 baking pan with baking spray.
2. Whisk melted butter and sugar together until well combined. Add water, eggs, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
3. Add cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until thoroughly combined. Batter will be very thick.
4. Spread batter in pan. Top with chocolate chips. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until slightly puffy and no longer jiggly in the middle. Enjoy!

Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies

We grew up eating these frequently in my family. We always called them "soft chocolate chip cookies" because they have a soft cake-like texture instead of chewy like a regular chocolate chip cookie. They're mot much to look at, but they taste heavenly, especially fresh out of the oven. I've played around with these a few times and made a few changes, and they always turn out great. If you're looking for something a little different, feel free to add any of the following in addition to the normal ingredients: chopped walnuts (about 1 cup), oatmeal (about 1 1/2 cups) and butterscotch chips (about 1 cup in place of 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips), or cinnamon chips (2 cups or do half cinnamon chips and half milk chocolate chips).

Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup applesauce
1 - 2 cups chocolate chips (depending on how chocolatey you like your cookies)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. Add flour, salt, cinnamon and cloves and mix until just combined.
4. In small bowl combine applesauce and baking soda. Microwave for one minute until applesauce is warm (it will turn a brownish color while it heats because it is oxidizing, don't worry, it is just fine). Add the applesauce mixture to the batter and mix until well blended.
5. Fold in chocolate chips and any additional add-ons (see above).
6. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know. Chocolate chip cookies. Who doesn't have a recipe for chocolate chip cookies? Plus, they're so boring and un-original. Sorry if that's how you feel, but I have to say that these are definitely blog worthy. They are soft and chewy and always turn out perfectly. I've tried plenty of chocolate chip cookie recipes and these are the best. Plus, who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies? They're the perfect all occasion treat!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Betty Crocker

1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/3 cups flour (for high altitude, if you are not at a high altitude use 3 cups)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 pkg. (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips and/or butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and cream until fluffy and light yellow, 2 - 3 minutes. Add dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Drop by rounded tablespoons (I use a small cookie scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes, then remove to cooling racks.

Make about 6 dozen cookies.

Kevin's Cake

In honor of Krista's Birthday, Kevin's Cake

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup veg. oil
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg (personally I don't like nutmeg)
1 tsp cinn.
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups applesauce
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 cup semi-sweet choc.chips

Mix sugar and oil. Add clocves, nutmeg, cinn. and salt. heat applesauce with baking soda in it. Add alternately with flour. Add chocolate chips. Bake in well greased and floured bunt pan.
350 degrees for 40 to 45 min.

Make a glaze with powdered sugar, milk butter and vanilla. Frost while cake is hot so that it melts.