cocoa | Just About Baked

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Autumn Glory Snack Cake

September 14, 2016
Mir
Gluten-Free Goodness, Healthier Indulgences, Let Them Eat Cake
16 Comments

Guys. Seriously. Sometimes I really get happy with the desserts I make up.

If that sounds pretentious or immodest, please understand that I have a ton of baking fails as well, so whenever things go my way, I get super excited. This is one of those times.

This cake is autumn in a pan. When you bake it, your house will smell ah-may-zing. If we’re getting technical, this cake is the combined glory of cocoa, banana, pumpkin, and chocolate chips along with lovely fall spices like cinnamon and cloves. You’ve gotta bake it to believe it!

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Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

April 14, 2016
Mir
C is for COOKIE!
14 Comments

We all love chocolate chip cookies. Can we get on board with peanut butter chip cookies?

If people’s reaction to them so far is any indication, then absolutely. I had these on my desk at work wrapped in foil, and someone actually opened the foil (they can see my baked goods coming a mile away) and ate a few. Then others joined in making happy noises. To me, that’s success.

I mean, there are other ways to be successful. But few ways are more rewarding than a chewy chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips inside!

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Double Chocolate Irish Soda Bread

I’m not sure if anyone Irish will take issue with me for this bread, but I like to tinker. Consider authenticity thrown out the window with this one.

I’ve taken out the raisins and seeds and put in chocolate chips and cocoa. As a result, I’m a very happy girl right now.

The bread itself isn’t sweet (except for the chocolate chips here and there), but there’s a lovely chocolate flavor throughout that makes this quite a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day snack!

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Healthy Chocolate Banana Cake

January 14, 2016
Mir
Gluten-Free Goodness, Healthier Indulgences, Let Them Eat Cake
30 Comments

Some people are still pretending to be on a health kick, so I’ll throw a few more atcha before the onslaught of Valentine’s recipes begins. JAB seeks to accommodate you!

And these are quite lovely, even though the word “healthy” appears in the title. Chocolate, banana, and no butter or oil. Plus, there’s a Greek yogurt protein kick in there. Can we all cheer?

I almost called these brownies. That’s how fudgy they are. Have I ever mentioned how difficult it can be to name some recipes? Or children?

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Baby Ruth Brookies

Some kids get neglected. That’s a tragedy I don’t want to talk about. But something I can handle discussing? Candy bars that get neglected.

When I was a kid, my dad would pick us up after school and on simpler days, we’d go straight home. But sometimes there were errands to run, so we had to go out and about. While I hated errands, it usually meant I got to pick out an after school candy bar. For years, that candy bar was Baby Ruth. Those chocolate-covered peanut and caramel bars have a great deal of nostalgia for me.

Which kind of got me to thinking. I rarely bake with Baby Ruth bars, and that’s a crying shame. So today, I’ve remedied that neglect. They’re getting their very own brookie!

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Black Cherry Cola Cake

This has been on my baking bucket list for a while.

It’s fun to cook with cola. Did you know that cola makes a fantastic marinade for a hunk of beef? And it also makes a great cake ingredient. It just took me a while to get to trying the whole thing out, since we don’t keep soda in our house. More on that in a moment.

Instead of using straight-up cola for this cake, I used black cherry soda. Dr. Brown’s, to be specific. If you’ve never tried Dr. Brown’s black cherry soda, you are definitely missing out. Their cream soda is pretty amazing, too. But that’s neither here nor there. This cake, though? This cake is amazing. And the icing on top ain’t half bad, either!

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The Best (Gluten-Free) Chocolate Birthday Cake

Summer is birthday season in my house. Birthdays pop up one after the other, and with them, a parade of cakes. As the resident cake baker, that makes me pretty busy.

I’m all about easy baking, but there’s no way to cheat a layer cake. Steps have to be followed. Still, making it as easy as possible is ideal, and this chocolate cake is three things: incredible, simple, and gluten-free.

If you’re a doubter, you need to try this. I served this cake at my daughter’s birthday party to a group of people who either openly or covertly believe that gluten-free baking is crap. This cake proved them all wrong.

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Chocolate Cherry Chip Walnut Ice Cream

If I keep making ice cream at this rate, Ben and Jerry’s might go out of business. I mean, I usually buy so much more from them. I wonder if they miss me.

Nah, they’re too popular to miss me. And when I pass a scoop shop, I walk in. But at home, I’m too busy concocting fun ice cream flavors. This one is perfect for your summer celebrations because I think it’s totally original, plus it’s easy. Three base ingredients, everyone! It takes about two minutes to throw together.

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Samoa Magic Bars

February 27, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies
26 Comments

When in doubt, always follow behavior patterns that have proven successful in the past.

Example: when I’m not sure what to bake, the answer is magic bars, pure and simple. Because no matter how basic a magic bar is, different flavors and combinations abound. And when there are Girl Scout cookies in the world, attention must be paid.

This is my one-year blogiversary, everyone. You’d think I’d be celebrating by popping champagne and downing one of my decadent desserts, and perhaps that will happen, too. At the moment, though, I’m feeling more contemplative than celebratory.

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Oatmeal Raspberry Brownies

February 20, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies
19 Comments

I can’t remember the last time I had a plain brownie. You know, I might have to go back to basics and make the perfect, thick, fudgy brownie.

But later. Because now, I’m doing yet another tricked-out version.

See, while the basics are fun, tricking anything out is exciting. Like my bathtub. A few years back, I decided that the only room left in the house where I could potentially get any privacy was the bathroom. It has a lock and all. Very fancy.