Tasty Treats

I have to admit that I absolutely LOVE sweets! And during the holidays, this is the best time for making something warm and sweet. It also helps to heat the house when you use the oven, or at least that is my excuse for why I bake so much! Here are a few sweet tasty recipes for you to try.

Pumpkin Chip Muffins
4 Eggs
2 C Granular Sugar
15 oz. Pumpkin
1 1/2 C Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract (check out my recipe link to make your own!)
3 C All Purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
2 C Chocolate Chips, I prefer semi-sweet

Beat eggs, mix in sugar, pumpkin, oil, & vanilla. In separate bowl combine flour, soda, powder, cinnamon, & salt.
Add flour mixture into egg mixture, thoroughly combine. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon into greased muffin tins, fill 3/4 full. Bake 400 degrees, 15-20 minutes.


Chinese Almond Cookies
1 C Butter - soft
1 C Granular Sugar
2 Egg Yolks
1 C Almonds, ground
1 tsp. Almond extract
2 to 2 1/2 C All Purpose Flour

Cream together butter and sugar. Then add in, mixing between each addition; yolks, ground almonds, extract, & flour. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
Dust hands with flour and roll dough into 1 in. balls. Press down balls with flat bottom of a cup, dust cup bottom after each pressed cookie. Bake 350 degrees, 10-15 min. or until golden.
Once cooled ice tops.

Icing
2 tsp. Instant tea - plain flavor
1 1/4 C Powdered Sugar
1/4 C Butter - soft
2 Tbsp. Milk

Combine ingredients, ice tops of cooled cookies. You can garnish tops with a slivered almond.


Fried Chocolate Bananas
1 Package Wonton wrappers
Hershey's chocolate sauce
Bananas - ripe

Take wonton wrappers, cut bananas in halves or thirds so that it fits in the wrapper with plenty of room to seal it up. Place banana pieces in wrappers and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Wrap up banana in wrapper so that ends are folded in, like a burrito, seal the end of the wrapper with a little water so that it sticks to itself. Make sure banana is completely wrapped up or chocolate sauce will ooze out into your frying oil! You are going to deep fry these in vegetable oil, oil needs to be about 250-300 degrees. Fry just until golden. Serve warm with chocolate sauce drizzled over top and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.


Lava Cakes
1 1/3 C Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 C Butter
6 Whole Eggs
6 Egg Yolks
3/4 C Granular Sugar
1/4 C All Purpose Flour - sifted

Combine chocolate, & butter, melt on double boiler. You can also melt in microwave, just heat 10-15 seconds at a time to avoid scorching chocolate. Heat just until melted, let cool 2 min.
In separate bowl combine all eggs, & sugar. Whisk together. Once chocolate mixture cooled, add into egg mixture (you want to cool the chocolate mixture to avoid scrambling the eggs). Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Add in flour, a little at a time, whisk until smooth.
Let sit overnight or at least 4 hours before baking.
Grease and generously sugar muffin tins, fill 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake 8-12 min. You want the edges to be set but the centers to wobble like jello. Loosen edges from tin and invert on plate. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
When baked properly, the center will ooze like Lave when you cut into it, hence the name!