Officially Pink

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet

I am officially pink.

It’s the result of strawberry-mania that’s taken over our house.

See, they’ve even taken over my blog design!!

Do you remember my Winter obsession with cranberries? I think the same happens during Summer but with strawberries. Don’t get me wrong – I am not complaining. My daughters think it’s cool that mommy is all pink now. Girls love pink!

Did you know that one ounce of strawberries have more vitamin C than one ounce of oranges? That makes them a fabulous antioxidant source. And we all need that. The red color comes from anthocyanins, that help reduce inflammation. Vitamin C is good for your brain’s functioning and helps rebuild blood vessels and bones. It also helps keep your blood pressure low, as does potassium – also found in strawberries.

So with all that in mind, I am happily indulging in these red gems. Aside of eating them straight from the bowl ( which is our favorite way ), I love to use them in my baking.

I shared my Strawberries and Cheesecake Chocolate Bars and Sweet Rolls with Roasted Strawberries and Cream Cheese Filling.

I have also made a strawberry version of my Chocolate and Berries Blondies , Berry Banana Bread and Homemade Berry Pop Tarts and strawberry muffins ( jumbo and mini size )! Yum!

I hope you are enjoying the abundance of strawberries also! If you are out of ideas of what to make with them, I hope that you can find some inspiration among my recipes.

Next weeks installment of Kitchen Know-How will be about strawberries and a way of preserving the season in these little gems.

Tomorrow, there is a major thing happening, here on CCS! So make sure to stop by! It’s going to be fun!

Do you fancy strawberries?

xoxo,

C2D708DA70A2E148FFF417590A8C35AE Officially Pink

Biscoff Banana Apple Smoothie

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet

My obsession with Biscoff continues!

May+502a22 Biscoff Banana Apple Smoothie

Yesterday, I promised a super easy and sweet recipe.

There is nothing easier then throwing few yummy ingredients into a blender and turning them into a satisfying drink in a matter of minutes. Use what you have on hand. A dash of vanilla extract and a hint of cinnamon can really bring out the flavors.

We love smoothies in our family. The are so easy and fast to make. Perfect for busy mornings.

Biscoff Banana Apple Smoothie

1 ripe banana
1/2 apple, peeled and cored
4 Biscoff cookies
dash of cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
milk
ice cubes ( optional )
a handful of oats ( optional )

Place the first three ingredients into a blender. Mix until smooth.
The rest of the ingredients are added to achieve the desired consistency.
I used about a cup of milk and a handful of ice cubes. I always add oats to our smoothies, but you can skip that step. The cinnamon deepens the cookie flavor, therefore I really recommend adding it.

Enjoy!

Do you like smoothies? Do you make them often?

xoxo,

C2D708DA70A2E148FFF417590A8C35AE Biscoff Banana Apple Smoothie

CCC Monday: Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet

Happy Monday!

I hope you all are having a fabulous Memorial Day weekend, here in the US.

If you are abroad, I hope you had a great weekend and even better week ahead!

I wanted to thank you all who made the whipped milk ice-cream and left comments to tell me how much you enjoyed them! It means the world to me that someone is actually reading my blog, but to have you come back and tell me you made something using my recipe and you loved it – it melts my heart!

THANK YOU!

May+514a22 CCC Monday: Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

For another installment of CCC Monday, I chose the eggless version of chocolate chip cookie.

If you have a sweet tooth, there is a big chance you like raw cookie dough, the one that’s safe to eat.

Have you ever tried to actually bake cookies from it?

May+519a22 CCC Monday: Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have not, until now. I was very excited to see what cookies will it produce.

I am here to tell you, that if you like your cookies crispy-crunchy – this version is for you!

They bake beautifully, have a nice crispy ring on the outside and a crunchy inside.

Is it the ultimate CCC for me? No, but I really enjoyed these cookies. And so did everyone in our family!

They have a delicious caramel taste to them and the crispiness makes you one happy cookie-eater!

May+520a22 CCC Monday: Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

I really enjoy CCC Mondays.

I hope you do too!

PicMonkey+Collage2 CCC Monday: Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

For this version of CCC, I took the recipe I have been using for years and simply didn’t add the eggs.

I left the baking soda so the cookies will brown nicely. Also, because we had a very hot week, I refrigerated my dough overnight so it was easier to handle.

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c ( 2 sticks ) unsalted butter, softened
1 c packed dark brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients ( flour, soda and salt ).
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars, until light and fluffy.
Add milk and vanilla and beat until combined. Now switch to a spatula or a wooden spoon and stir in the dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips and stir again. Do not over mix.
You can scoop the dough onto your baking sheet now or refrigerate the dough overnight.
I made teaspoon size balls, placed them on the baking sheet and flatten them gently.
Bake in 13-15 minutes. Watch them after the 12th minute, as they will brown quickly after that.
Cool on the sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book Bridal Edition

Enjoy!

Other Chocolate Chip Cookies recipes:

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Waffle Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Cook’s Illustrated Chocolate Chip Cookies

xoxo,

Anna

Weekend Wrap-up

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet

Previously, on CCS:

Monday – the first part of CCC Monday, or Chocolate Chip Cookie Monday. I started off with David Lebovitz’s Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Tuesday- I announced the Blue Ribbon Challenge! Thank you so much to all of you who are excited to participate! It means the world to me.

Wednesday – my take on TV shows and sweet recipe for Thick and Chewy Cookie Bars with Easy Chocolate Frosting. The best frosting you ever had! Please, make it

Thursday – I shared a few photos of my Mother’s day flowers and One Lovely Blog Award was passed on onto a lovely gropu of my foodie friends.

Friday – was life-changing! I shared with you Whipped Milk Ice-Cream {no-machine}. Can you imagine the possibilities of this amazing treat??

I hope you will have a fabulous and sweet weekend!

I will see you on Monday for another installment of CCC Monday!

xoxo,

C2D708DA70A2E148FFF417590A8C35AE Weekend Wrap up

Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no-machine }

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet

Did you know you can whip evaporated milk to a stage of delicious fluff?

Did you know that you can make delicious ice cream if you… freeze it?

May+428a22 Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

When I found this recipe, I flipped. Then I composed myself. But then I flipped again!

Look at the ingredients list.

Yep, two. Sugar and milk. Evaporated milk. With vitamin D added.

May+425a23 Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

If you haven’t tried making your own ice cream yet, I am sure you at least thought about it.

I can see ice cream popping up all over the web. All of them delicious. Most of them using heavy whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk. Some even eggs. Most of them want you to use an ice cream maker.

Until I own this little baby, I am hiring my KitchenAid mixer to do the whipping and my freezer to do the freezing. ( But if you are lucky own an ice cream maker, just skip the freezer part and churn your ice cream in the machine. )

There are so many advantages to this recipe. It’s fast ( 5 minutes of whipping it together ), easy ( only two ingredients ) and so versatile ( add vanilla extract and you have vanilla ice cream ). And did I say, cost effective? I payed 80 cents for the can of evaporated milk. And one can of milk will make you so much ice cream, you will want to swim in it! I told ya, it will be life-changing.

I might be wrong here, but I tried to count calories on this and it came out to 47 calories per serving. Would it be possible???

Now onto the photo tutorial. Let me show you the magic.

May+454a Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

Pop open the chilled can of evaporated milk.

May+455a Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

Pour the milk into the mixing bowl.

May+459a Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

Whip, whip, whip!

May+462a Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

Whip the milk for 40 seconds….

May+465a Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

…until it looks like this.

May+468a Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

You can see how it filled my 4.5 quart mixing bowl.

May+472a Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

Add the sugar.

May+478a Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

This is what it will look like after whipping with sugar and vanilla.

May+489a Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

You can see that I chilled the bowl with ice cream in the freezer.

May+491a Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

Whip for 1 minute.

May+494a Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no machine }

When your ice cream looks like this, it’s ready to be stored in the container.

My Hubby said: “Just like Dairy Queen!”. Soft-serve, fluffy, delicious ice cream. They are not as dense and rich as ice cream made with eggs and heavy whipping cream, but they melt in your mouth and leave you truly satisfied.

Would you like the recipe?

Well, here you go. You welcome.

Whipped Milk Ice Cream { no-machine }

Yield: about 1 quart

Whip evaporated milk to make super creamy and healthy ice cream! No eggs or heavy cream needed. Original recipe: Random Recipes

Ingredients

1 can ( 13. oz. ) evaporated milk, with Vitamin D added
1 1/4 c powdered sugar

Instructions

Chill the milk in the fridge overnight. It is crucial for the milk to be thoroughly chilled.
Pour into a large mixing bowl.
Whip until fluffy, about 40 seconds.
Add the powdered sugar, slowly pouring into the bowl and whip until combined.
You can add your vanilla extract ( 2 teaspoons will do ) at this point and whip until combined.
Place the bowl in the freezer for an hour.
Pull out from the freezer, whip for 1 minute and back to the freezer.
Repeat about 4 times.
Place in a container with a lid. Store in the freezer.
Enjoy!

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I am going to share how to make chocolate ice cream using the same method, so stay tuned! I also have my notebook filled with ideas for this ice cream, so they re going to hang around here, on CCS.

Just remember, if you want to make these, start a day ahead and make sure your milk is thoroughly chilled.