Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip, Coconut, Carrot & Zucchini Bread

After a couple busy weeks without much baking, I had a LOT of discard to use up.  I also had this random bag of frozen "zoodles" in the freezer that we bought quite a while ago. I've used them in recipes a few different times...but they don't thaw well and become mush.  So, I thought maybe a zucchini bread might be a better option to use them up. And in an effort to sneak some extra veggies into my kids diet, I decided to shred up some carrot as well (but include chocolate chips to guarantee that he ate it--he's been known to turn up his nose at several of my sourdough concoctions). And coconut...for me. Because I like it.

INGREDIENTS (Makes 1 Loaf):

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 125g sourdough discard
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup coconut  oil (melted)
• 175g shredded zucchini (or about 1/2 bag of thawed chopped zoodles) after removing excess moisture [Note: I made two loaves to use up all of the zoodles]
• 75g grated carrot (I used a pretty fine grate)
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Mix together the sugar, eggs, discard, vanilla, and coconut oil until smooth.
3. Add in the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinamon, and mix until just combined.  Then fold in the zucchini, carrot, chocolate chips, and coconut.
4. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan and pour in the batter.
5. Bake for ~60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
6. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, and then transfer onto a cooling rack and allow to cool for 1 hour.

This was a really nice option to have for breakfast in the morning with a cup of coffee, or as an afternoon snack with some tea! If you wanted, you could definitely include some pecans or walnuts

Sourdough Discard Chocolate Donuts!

I've been talking about wanting to make donuts with my sourdough for a while, so the Hubs gave me one of my Christmas gifts early: a 3-inch silicone donut mold!  I was pretty excited to try it out.  The original recipe I used was meant to make 24 donuts, so I cut it in half to make enough batter for 12... but then, when I started pouring, turns out it was just a little more than I needed to make six donuts. So either I was pouring heavy, or the original recipe was meant for a smaller diameter donut mold, or both.  I tinkered with this enough to be able to list it out as an original recipe (also, I did the conversions to grams so, you're welcome).

INGREDIENTS (makes 6-ish three-inch donuts):

• 75g AP flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 30g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 70g brown sugar
• 60g sourdough discard
• 120g milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 36g coconut oil, melted
• 50g mini chocolate chips (optional)

Glaze:

• 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
• splash of milk
• splash of vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Whisk together all the dry ingredients, then add in the brown sugar, sourdough discard, milk, oil, and vanilla.  Mix until well combined with no lumps, then add in the chocolate chips (if you like).

Transfer the batter into the donut mold (I opted to put a little cooking spray in mine, even though it's silicone, as a bit of insurance) using a ziploc bag as a piping bag. Put the mold on a cookie sheet for easier handling in and out of the oven.

Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Set the mold on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then flip and remove the donuts from the mold.  Once they've cooled for at least 30 minutes, you can make the glaze (the original poster melted chocolate chips to make a frosting, which would also be good) and add to the donuts.  Then eat!

Pre-glazing.

These had a very light, fluffy texture, less dense than cake donuts you would get from the donut shop or store. We saved back a couple to see if they would get more firm/less dense the next day. The glazed had definitely hardened them up a bit but the interior was still very fluffy.  I'm looking forward to trying out some other recipes with my donut mold! 

Next day donut.

Sourdough Adventures #21: Discard Chocolate Coffee Cake w/ Ganache

We had a family reunion to attend, so I opted to bring a dessert made with sourdough discard. It's been a nutty month between vacation and coming back to work, coaching summer interns, etc.  So I haven't made any actual sourdough bread in a while.  

Natural light, some expert slicing by your MIL, and a brand new phone will do wonders for your food photography, just FYI.

This chocolate cake recipe from Milk & Pop looked gorgeous, so I settled on that.  And while my version ended up a touch dry (I think I overbaked it a bit), I would not let that discourage you from trying it.  I followed their recipe pretty tightly, only change was the addition of about a 1/2 Tbsp of cinnamon, so you can click the link to jump to their recipe if you're interested in trying.  If I made this again I might add some dry instant pudding mix, or up the oil content just a bit, to ensure a more moist cake.

The original baker's trick for using sugar inside the pan to ensure the cake comes out cleanly?  *chef's kiss* WILL DEFINITELY be using that again.

I DID opt for a different icing option than what Milk & Pop had shared, and instead made a simple ganache by heating 

• 1 cup heavy cream

And then stirring it into 

• 9 oz of semi-sweet chocolate

This made a gorgeous smooth glaze...and honestly, made too much.  You could probably do about half that (4-5 oz chocolate, 1/2 cup cream) and have plenty to cover this cake.  Thankfully, we had some strawberries on hand to help with the excess...

The cake was a hit at the reunion--up against some stiff competition. As with any Midwestern potluck--dessert options matched entrees and sides in a 1:1 ratio.  And you've gotta try them all...it'd be rude not to. 

Comfort Foods: Mom's Chocolate & Marshmallow Cake

I've been feeling rather nostalgic lately, particularly about the comfort foods I knew as a kid.

I love cooking, and I come by it honestly--I have many memories of making pies with my Grammy, or helping my grandpa make spaghetti, or eating my Meemaw Opie's famous fried chicken.  My Aunt Loyce is famous for her amazing sugar cookies, and at Christmas we would go to her house to make big batches of Christmas desserts like cookies, fudge, and divinity.

But my mom has always been a bit more of a utilitarian cook.  You can't blame her--she (still) works a full time job, did much of the housework, and at many times, worked a second job helping my dad with his business.  Food was something to sustain you.  We had a lot of freezer meals (pot pies, taquitos, pizza rolls, and the like) so that we could fend for ourselves as needed. Since we were a fishing family, fried crappie and french fries were on the menu at least once a week.  Hamburger Helper was also fairly common.  Friday nights we would go over to The Extra Point for dinner. 

When my mom did cook, it tended to be in big batches--like chili, vegetable beef stew, or her famous chicken & noodles.  Things that we could eat off of for the whole week.   For big family dinners, my mom always provided a sheet pan of no-bake cherry cheesecake (still one of my favorite desserts), and sometimes a batch of no-bake cookies (also a favorite).

And every so often, mom would get a hankering for chocolate cake.  Jiffy chocolate cake, to be exact.  You may only know them for the cornbread mix (still a staple in my kitchen pantry).  It's a smaller amount than say, a Betty Crocker box mix--perfect for an 8x8 square pan.  Once baked, Mom would cut out a still-warm square, slice it in half horizontally (like a biscuit or piece of cornbread), plop an oozy layer of marshmallow cream, and then close it back up.  And then we would devour (with forks, not our hands. We're not animals.)

Unfortunately, Jiffy no longer makes a chocolate cake mix--at least, no where that I can find, and it's not listed on their website.  They do have a recipe for chocolate cake on their website--so we're just going to assume that's about as close a replica as one can get.

Ingredients: (makes 6 servings)
1 box Jiffy yellow cake mix
3 Tbsp instant chocolate pudding mix
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 jar marshmallow cream (no, we're not going to use the full jar....probably.)

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350F, and grease a 8x8 or 9x9 glass pan.

Combine all the dry ingredients, and then beat in the eggs, milk and softened butter for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 34-38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

While still warm, cut cake into 6 pieces (cut cake in half in one direction, and then in thirds in the other).  Remove a piece and then slice in half horizontally (like a biscuit).

Spoon a healthy dollop of marshmallow creme into the center of the cake, and replace the top.  Devour while warm.

Double Chocolate Protein Muffins

I've been trying to get more protein in my diet, because I am an absolute carb-fiend--ESPECIALLY this time of year.  Even my favorite "go-to" protein sources are a little carb-heavy--I have to have fruit with my cottage cheese, and Chobani Flips (Coco Loco OMG....) while delicious, still have a TON of sugar. 

Srrsly, sOooooo good.

We’re doing a Wellness Challenge at work, so I made one of my goals “Get at least 75g of protein every day”.  After some initial struggles, I’ve fallen into a bit of a routine:
Breakfast:  hard boiled egg, cottage cheese w/fruit, skim chocolate milk (sometimes I go with shredded wheat cereal instead of the cottage cheese…I know, I know…WILD CHILD!!!)
Lunch:  typically leftovers (a protein & some veg or pasta)--like today, it's chicken parm & whole wheat spaghetti from last night
Afternoon snack: yogurt and some veggies, or some microwave kettle corn
Dinner: usually fairly balanced--protein, veg, and a starch
...which is good for tracking nutrition, but a little boring at times.  Plus, I mean...egg burps.
So I decided to skim through Pinterest and find a tasty protein-rich muffin option.  I bought some soy-based protein powder a few weeks ago...chocolate flavored.  Which is cool--so long as it's being mixed into something that is SUPPOSED to taste like chocolate. I know I could make myself protein shakes or smoothies each morning, but really, I need something I can just grab-n-go in the mornings.
Know what's supposed to taste like chocolate?  Chocolate chip muffins.

(That idea may or may not have been inspired by a trip to Sam's Club over the weekend.  Did you know their double chocolate muffins back in the deli are 680 calories a pop?  And for that splurge, you get 8g of protein and 37g of fat.)  We can still get 8g of protein--but with WAY fewer calories.
I was a little skeptical about these at first because the batter didn't taste that sweet.  Or super-chocolately.  But the final product?  AWESOMESAUCE.  Light and moist and plenty chocolately.  The cinnamon, coffee and vanilla really help the chocolate flavor pop--without adding a bunch of sugar.  I made a batch of 12 and then stuck them in a gallon Ziploc in the fridge.  Pop one in the microwave for 15 seconds, then nom while you head out the door.  Perfection for a gal like me who typically eats breakfast on the way to work or at her desk.

INGREDIENTS: (modified from the recipe here)

• 1 cup of whole wheat flour
• ½ cup old fashioned oats (if you want to up the fiber, you could sub in extra oats for some of the flour)
• 1 3.9 ounce package dry pudding mix (I used Mounds--the coconut adds a nice layer of flavor)
• ⅓ cup protein powder (I used chocolate flavored--a chocolate PB would also go really well in this)
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3  cup cold coffee
• ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 350F.  Then, in a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients.
Now beat in the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined, but don't over mix.  The batter will be slightly thick--this is okay.
Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners (easier cleanup and helps them store better in the fridge--less of the muffin is exposed to air so they won't dry out as quickly) and divide the batter evenly into the cups.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.  Should make exactly 12 muffins.
Next batch I may try integrating some Greek yogurt in place of some of the wet ingredients to bump up the protein even more!  I think there are a lot of different spins you could put on this recipe---add peanut butter, try a different type of pudding mix, add in some chopped nuts...There are tons of possibilities!



NutriFacts: (per muffin)
Calories 183.0
  Total Fat 4.1 g
  Saturated Fat 1.9 g
  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g
  Monounsaturated Fat 0.4 g
  Cholesterol 31.0 mg
  Sodium 362.0 mg
  Potassium 127.2 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 29.1 g
  Dietary Fiber 1.1 g
  Sugars 14.5 g
  Protein 7.7 g

Daniel Fast Day 6: Fried Potatoes & A Chocolate Fix!

Today’s Devotion: “Rejoice Evermore-- Psalms 118:24 ‘This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’  Phil.4: 4 ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice!’  Rejoice is a very interesting word. It comes from the French word Rejoir. Re-means do again, and joir means be joyful. In the apostle Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians he admonished them to rejoice in the Lord always and he not only told them once, but repeated it, again I say, Rejoice. He is actually saying to them, be joyful all the time. You might be thinking to yourself who can do this all the time? Everyone has troubles & adversity come their way & some days are better than others, but the thing that separates this joy from others is “The Lord.”  Our rejoicing is in nothing other than the Lord & the word declares, He never changes, He is the same yesterday, today & forever. Therefore, circumstances or bad situations cannot steal our praise. I will rejoice in the Lord always.”

Today was definitely rejoice-worthy.  Got to sleep in, watch some TV in bed, then make a late breakfast! 

(1/2 tomato w/ salt & pepper, and pan-fried potatoes…YUM. One of my favorite breakfast foods, even though I don’t get to make them very often)

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large (or two medium) potatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet, then place the potato slices in a single layer in the bottom of the skillet.  Season with onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper.  Flip with a spatula when the bottom of the potatoes start to get golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.  When potatoes are brown on both sides & tender, serve!

Mid-Morning Snack: handful of frozen grapes

Lunch:  My parents came into town, so we ate with them at Chipotle.  Had a Burrito Bowl with brown cilantro rice, black beans, fajita veggies, pico, corn salsa, medium salsa,  & lettuce.  Very good stuff!

We ate “lunch” fairly late (around 3pm), so we weren’t up for a big dinner…especially since Chipotle is a LOT of food!  So we just snacked around a bit (sugar-free salsa & corn chips).  And some girls had cupcakes with them at Chipotle, which really got me craving something sweet, so I decided to make us a little “sweet-ish” treat.  I got the idea from my friend Monica who has her family on a whole food diet, but she makes her kids this “fake” ice cream for dessert.

Couldn’t be simpler: 1 ripe banana, mashed’ 1.5 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder; 2 dashes cinnamon; 1 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk.  Mix together well, and then put in the freezer until frozen!  (If you’re not doing the Daniel Fast plan, you could also add some vanilla extract—but I didn’t because it’s primarily alcohol.)

Completely demolished any chocolate cravings!

Christmas Candy: Peanut Clusters & Peppermint Bark!

Happy holidays, friends!  Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Feliz Navidad, and all that jazz.  This is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year.  Hot cocoa, candy canes, some fluffy white stuff outside, evergreens covered with twinkle lights inside, Christmas movies on every channel, and neighbors who say “electric bill be d@mned” and cover their houses with LED bulbs synchronized to Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  It’s MAGICAL, I tell ya!

It’s also crazy hectic.  How many Christmas parties did you attend this year?  No less than four here, with even more invites that we just couldn’t make it to.  And you’re usually expected to bring some sort of tasty treat for the hosts/other guests, right?  Which of course, you have TONS of extra time to make, right?

Well, before you break down & bring sugar cookies* from the supermarket, I’d like to suggest a couple quick & easy alternatives.

(PS—we do not condone store-bought sugar cookies.  Try this family recipe here, instead.)

These treats arose because, with The Scoop closed for the season, we happen to have about 6 packages of almond bark & melting chocolate, which we use during the season to make our specialty cones:

 

(Yes, that’s bacon.  Don’t judge.)

We also had a large can of peanuts leftover… Peanuts…chocolate?  You see where I’m going.  Right?  …no?  Okay, I’ll show you.

Yes, PEANUT CLUSTERS!  Seriously, these could not be easier.

Ingredients: (Makes about 15 clusters)

3 squares melting chocolate

1 dash vanilla extract

Peanuts (about 1 1/2 cups)

 

Directions:

First, place a metal cookie sheet in the freezer or fridge.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 60-90 seconds in the microwave.  Stir with a spatula & add in the vanilla, then add the peanuts, and toss until well coated.  Add peanuts about 1/2 cup at a time, till you have a good chocolate : peanut ratio (if you add too many peanuts, the clusters won’t stick well to each other & the peanuts might not get completely covered.

Pull the cookie sheet out of the fridge & cover it with wax paper; then drop the peanut mixture onto the wax paper in spoonfuls.  When you’ve used up all of your mix, place the cookie sheet back in the fridge until set. (It shouldn’t take more than about 15 minutes.)

As a fun variation of this (if you have some extra time), you can mix some peanut butter & peanuts together, drop spoonfuls of that mix onto a waxed cookie sheet & freeze for about 30 minutes, then coat those in the melting chocolate.  It’s like a Reese’s PB cup!

 

Not much for peanuts?  How about peppermint?

Ingredients: (makes approximately 8x12 sheet of bark)

3 squares white almond bark

3 squares melting chocolate

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

2 candy canes, crushed (a plastic baggie + meat mallet work well)

 

Directions:

Cookie sheet => fridge or freezer, then cover with wax paper

Melt white chocolate first (60-90 secs in the microwave) and add 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract.  When that’s well combined, pour the white chocolate onto your wax papered cookie sheet and spread out as evenly as possible.  Place in fridge to harden.

Now melt your milk chocolate in the microwave, and add the peppermint extract to it.  Mix well, and then pour on top of the white chocolate.

Spread evenly over the top, and then immediately sprinkle your peppermint crumbles over the top.  Press into the chocolate if necessary so they stick well.

Place back in the fridge for about 15 minutes, and then break apart into pieces.  It doesn’t have to be pretty—think Peanut Brittle.  You can cover the top of the bark with another sheet of wax paper if you don’t want to put your hands all over food that may eventually go in someone else’s mouth.

 

 

Valentine’s Thirsty Thursday: Peppermint Marshmallows & Hot Chocolate!

Happy Valentine’s Day, peeps!  I know this tends to be a sore topic for those who are single…but I’m married, and I have a super amazing husband, and I’m not ashamed of that.  Especially since my extra special Cupid knows the way to my heart--- BACON ARROWS.

Love is delicious.  And smoky.

Our Valentine’s plans are still a little up in the air, but we do have one thing nailed down: A Good Day To Die Hard.  Because Bruce Willis blowing stuff up is TOTES romantical.  (Earlier this week, I got to purchase us a Groupon for a couple’s massage.  We are all about balance.)

But where was I?  Oh yes.  Thirsty Thursday.  Today’s treat is non-alcoholic, but you could absolutely add a shot of Bailey’s or Godiva liqueur in there to spice things up a bit.

Yes, yes.  These were both Pinterest projects.  And I crammed them together.  I actually used these as Christmas gifts for coworkers, but it would totally work as a nice Valentine’s gift for family, teachers, coworkers, etc. 

And if you’re single today, and don’t have any plans, then feel free to pamper yourself.  Have dessert first, take a relaxing detox bath with a glass of champagne, listen to some Norah Jones, crawl into your favorite PJ’s, then curl up on the couch with your favorite blanket, a cup of spiked cocoa with extra marshmallows, and pop in your favorite anti-VDay movie.

Seriously.  You WANT the cocoa… it’s delicious.  The marshmallows were heavenly.  They melted so well in the chocolate and just made a delicious, creamy layer on top, and the peppermint extract infiltrated down into the hot chocolate…it was fantastic.

But word to the wise:  Making these marshmallows is a TWO person project.  Otherwise you WILL end up a sticky mess.

But first: The hot chocolate mix.

Ingredients: (makes 8-10 gift bags, or 20 servings)

3 cups nonfat dry milk powder (I recommend Carnation—the generic brand can be a little chalky)

2 cups powdered (icing) sugar

1.5 cups cocoa powder (stick with the traditional—I’ve tried it with Hershey’s dark and it was a little bitter)

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (if you wanted your cocoa to be flavored, you can replace this with mint chips, cinnamon chips, caramel chips, etc.)

1/2 tsp salt

cone-shaped treat bags

 

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.  Then move half the mixture into a food processor and pulse until the chocolate chips are finely chopped.  Repeat with the second half of the batch. 

Transfer about 3/4 to 1 cup of the mix into a treat bag, then set aside. 

 

Now…The MARSHMALLOWS!!!

Ingredients: (makes about 80-100, depending on your cutting skillz)

butter (to grease your pan) & a 9 x 13 pan

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2.5 Tbsp unflavored gelatin (like Knox)

1/2 cup cold water

1.5 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

1 tsp pure peppermint extract

8-10 drops of red food coloring

 

Directions:

Grease your 9x13 pan (glass preferred—it’ll clean up easier) with butter, and then dust the pan with a tablespoon of powdered sugar to coat.  This will allow the marshmallows to come out of the pan easily when you’re ready to cut them.

Then, in the bowl of a stand mixer (yes, you REALLY do need a stand mixer—this stuff gets SUPER thick and has to be beaten for about 8 minutes), sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water to soften.

In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup of water over low heat and stir until dissolved.  Then heat to boiling, and cook WITHOUT STIRRING for about 30 minutes or until the mixture reaches 240F (soft ball stage).  If you don’t have a clip for the side of your pot to hold the thermometer in place, you can fashion one out of tin foil. (make sure the tip of the thermometer isn’t touching the bottom of the pan or you’ll get a false reading.)  Once you hit 240F, remove from heat.

 

 

Now, slowly pour your sugar-syrup into the bowl of softened gelatin while beating on low speed. Once it’s all added, increase the speed to high and beat 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture is white and has almost tripled in volume. Then add the peppermint extract and beat on high speed for one additional minute.

HERE’s WHERE THE SECOND PERSON COMES IN:  One person needs to hold the mixing bowl over the 9x13 pan.  The other, using a spatula and wet hands, will scrape the marshmallow “fluff” into the pan.  It is EXTREMELY STICKY.  If you touch the “fluff” with non-wet hands, or with a non-wet portion of your body (say, arm)…it WILL stick, and you’ll have stringy bits of marshmallow decoration all over you and your kitchen.  Once you’ve gotten as much out of the bowl as you possibly can, pat the “fluff” into the pan with WET hands to spread it out.

Now, drop red food coloring randomly onto top of marshmallow mixture and pull a wet or greased butter knife through food color to create swirl pattern over top. Let stand uncovered at least 8 hours or overnight.

Now… dust a large cutting board with powdered sugar, and turn out the marshmallow onto the cutting board.  Place a bowl with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar off to the side.  Use a pizza cutter to cut the marshmallow into strips (you’ll periodically have to re-grease the wheel) and then cut each strip into 1-inch cubes.  Drop the cubes into the bowl of powdered sugar and toss—this will keep them from sticking to each other, and to you.

Now—back to your hot cocoa bags.  Place about 6-8 marshmallows in each bag, then twist shut, and decorate as you choose.  Since we did these for Christmas, I used green ribbon & holly berries, but for V-Day you could do shades of red, white & pink.  Print out some instructions (1/4 cup cocoa mix + 1 cup milk + 2 marshmallows) and use patterned scissors for sassy flair.

NOTE:  These marshmallows make a FANTASTIC S’more.  If you’re going to have a romantic fire going in the fireplace, bust out some marshmallows and grahams! :D

Oreo Coconut Cream French Silk Pie (Quick, No Bake)

Yeah.  It would be hard to cram much more awesomeness into a single pie.  This was originally concocted by the amazing Miss Dorothy over at Crazy for Crust.  She made hers from scratch, but I saw in this the potential for a quick & easy and UH-MAZING dessert to bring with me for one of our Thanksgiving family dinners.  We had to bring two or three things to EACH of the family dinners we were going to, so quick & easy was an absolute MUST on my list.  But all the same…as a food blogger, people always want to know what new recipes you’ve been trying out.  So you sorta HAVE to show off a LEETLE bit.

After a crazy short week at work and with only last minute time allowance for “cooking”, this fit the bill perfectly.  So Dorothy, I hope I did your pie justice, because even with all the shortcuts, it was AMAZING!

In the words of my brother in law, “the only problem I have with it is that you didn’t make enough.”

It was SO true.  We downed that pie in under 30 minutes.  I think the next time I make it, I’ll make the Oreo crust from scratch using Dorothy’s recipe, but in a 9 x 13 pan.

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 pre-made Oreo pie crusts

1 box sugar free chocolate pudding mix

1 box coconut cream pudding mix

28 ounces low-fat milk, divided (14 oz per pudding mix)

1 cup coconut + 2 tbsp coconut for toasting

1 container fat free Cool Whip

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 350F.  When heated, spread the 2 tbsp of coconut on a small cookie sheet, and then bake for 10-15 minutes, checking on it every 5 minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn. Once it’s a light golden, remove from oven & let cool. (FYI—feel free to toast a bit extra.  Toasted coconut is delicious on/in SO many things.)

Using a stand or hand mixer, blend the coconut cream pudding mix & 14 oz of milk for 2-3 minutes (depending on your box directions).  Then mix in the 1 cup of coconut.  Pour 1/2 of the coconut mixture into each Oreo pie shell & smooth out evenly. 

 

Then rinse your bowl (so we don’t dirty too many dishes), and make your chocolate pudding mix w/ the other 14 oz of milk (whip for about 1 minute, then let rest for 3-5 minutes to set).  Pour that over the coconut cream layer, & spread evenly.

Don’t mix up these steps—your coconut cream filling is more dense than the chocolate, so you want to have the lighter filling on top.

When you’re ready to serve, spread the Cool Whip on top, and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Cut into 8 slices, serve, and then sit back, and watch the compliments roll in.

Not as perfect a cross-section as I would have liked, but you get the idea!

Seriously…how can you resist that???

NutriFacts: (makes 2 pies, 8 servings each)

Calories 190.5

  Total Fat 8.0 g

  Saturated Fat 4.6 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 2.1 g

  Cholesterol 1.3 mg

  Sodium 258.1 mg

  Potassium 121.3 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 22.1 g

  Dietary Fiber 1.0 g

  Sugars 13.4 g

  Protein 3.4 g