Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts

Friday, November 28, 2014

Mini Butterfinger Cheesecakes

Mini Butterfinger Cheesecakes by Cheng and 3 Kids

I think I've mentioned this before, but I am a chocoholic. So it's no surprise that I would always have some chocolate bars stashed somewhere.

But sometimes just the chocolate bars by themselves are not enough to satisfy my sweet cravings.

So I decided to make some mini cheesecakes with chopped Butterfinger bars in it.

And I'm so glad I did. (^_^)

Mini Butterfinger Cheesecakes by Cheng and 3 Kids

These Mini Butterfinger Cheesecakes are not only yummy, but the recipe is absolutely foolproof. Perfect for a newbie baker like me.

I adapted this cheesecake recipe from kraftrecipes.com (you can click here to check it out). The ganache recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book.

I hope you guys like it just as much as I did. (^_^)


MINI  BUTTERFINGER
CHEESECAKES

Ingredients for Cheesecakes:
1 cup crushed Oreo cookies
3 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 package (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup chopped Butterfinger candy bars

Ingredients for Ganache:
1 cup whipping cream
12 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix crushed Oreo cookies and butter, then press onto bottoms of paper-lined muffin cups. Beat cream cheese, vanilla and sugar with mixer. On low speed, beat in chopped Butterfinger bars just until blended. Spoon approximately 3 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture over crusts. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 2 hours.

In a medium saucepan, bring whipping cream just to boiling over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add semisweet chocolate morsels (do not stir). Let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool 15 minutes.

Spoon ganache over cheesecakes. Sprinkle some chopped Butterfinger bars on top.

Enjoy! (^_^)


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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Halloween Brownies

Halloween Brownies -- Frankenstein Brownie, Mummy Brownie, and Spider Brownie by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

My kids and I LOVE Halloween.

What's not to love, right?

You get to wear costumes, people's houses are decorated with spooky stuff, and there's all that free candy!

And... it's also an excuse to play with our food. How fun is that?

These brownies are the perfect treat for a Halloween party. The kids will also enjoy making their own monster faces or creepy crawlies!

I made these brownies using a brownie mix, but you can use your favorite brownie recipe if you prefer making it from scratch.

So all I did was bake the brownies according to the instructions on the box.

Once it was baked and cooled, I started making the butter cream frosting (click here for the recipe), and placed the frosting in separate bowls so that I could tint them with liquid food colors.


Frankenstein Brownie for Halloween by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

For this Frankenstein Brownie, I used green frosting, chocolate sprinkles for the hair, candy eyeballs, and melted chocolate for the eyebrows, mouth and scar. But if you have black gel (they come in small tubes like these), then you can use that too.


Mummy Brownie for Halloween by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

This Mummy Brownie is made with white frosting, and red M&M candy for the eyes. To create the mummy wrap effect, I used the Wilton #103 frosting tip.

Spider Brownie for Halloween by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

The Spider Brownie is made with green and white frosting, brown M&M candy and melted chocolate for the legs. I used glitter gel for the eyes. I made the spider web like they did in this video.



Want to know what my favorite part is?

Getting to watch my little boy decorate his own brownie.




And of course I had to take not one, but several pictures of him.

Doesn't he look so cute with that intent expression on  his face?

(^_^)

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Friday, August 29, 2014

Bea's 18th Birthday

Turning 18 years old is a big deal in the Philippines. We call it a debut, and is usually a grand celebration, similar to a quinceanera.

Parents would rent a restaurant or some other nice venue. The celebrant would be wearing a gown, there would be a cotillion dance, 18 roses dance, the 18 candles, and everything is so formal and elegant.

You know how little girls dream of being a princess? Well, this is kind of like being a princess for a day.

And all that is wonderful.

IF you can afford it.

And since we fall into the category of "parents that can't afford it," I had to be a little creative to make my daughter's birthday a little special.


18th Birthday Party by chengand3kids.blogspot.com


Instead of  renting a fancy venue, we celebrated it in our humble home.


18th Birthday Party by chengand3kids.blogspot.com


Instead of ordering an expensive tiered cake, I gathered my baking supplies and made her a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, and poured some ganache on top of it.


Paper Flower Party Decoration by chengand3kids.blogspot.com


Instead of  buying party decorations, I put my cutting machine to work and made paper flowers for the wall and also for the table. (If you don't have a cutting machine, you can also use scissors just like they did here.)

Was her party grand?

Absolutely not.

But it didn't make it any less special though. (^_^)


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Monday, May 12, 2014

Mother's Day Gift Bag

Mother's Day Gift Bag by chengand3kids.blogspot.com #mothersday #paperbag #giftbag

I just love personalizing gift bags. So for Mother's Day this year, I transformed a humble brown paper bag into this cute gift bag, just like I saw here.

I know it looks like I wrote on it with a Sharpie, but I actually ran it through the printer. I wasn't successful at first (the paper bag got stuck inside the printer a few times), but after making sure that the printer setting is on envelope and I adjusted the size to 6.127 inches x 12.377 inches - just like Mickey of Thirty Handmade Days recommended - it came out great!

Next, I used my Fiskars border punch to punch the upper edge, to give it that pretty scallop design. Then I folded it and punched two holes with my Crop-A-Dile for the ribbons.

I was planning on making a banana cake with cream cheese frosting for my mom, but she's not really a big fan of frosting. So I ended up making these Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins instead (click here for the recipe).

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

After the muffins were cooled, I placed them in a Ziploc bag first before putting them inside the gift bag, to avoid getting grease spots on it.

Mother's Day Gift Bag by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

Pretty cute, right? :)

And being a mom myself, I got pampered by my kids as well. My day started out with this breakfast that my two girls made.

Mother's Day 2014 by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

Bacon, eggs, and pancake with maple syrup - my kids know me so well. :)

And this one's from my little boy. He painted the flowerpot in school and it says I love you mama. So sweet!

Mother's Day 2014 by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

Did you do anything special for Mother's Day? Share with me!

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Thursday, April 24, 2014

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

Making layered cakes have always scared the heck out of me. I was so sure that I would mess it up somehow.

But for my mom's birthday last month, I decided to confront this fear once and for all. 


Yellow Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting by chengand3kids.blogspot.com


And boy am I glad I did, because now I am totally hooked on making them!


Yellow Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting by chengand3kids.blogspot.com


My mom doesn't have a sweet tooth like I do. So I knew that buttercream frosting is out of question.

 I decided to use a chocolate whipped cream frosting recipe that I found at Baking with Nadia. And we LOVED it! It was soft, fluffy and not too sweet. Just perfect!

And you know what else I loved about Nadia's site? The video tutorials! She makes them look so easy and her instructions are so simple to follow. Extremely helpful for a newbie like me.

Here's how I made it.

Cake ingredients:
cake mix ( I used Betty Crocker Butter Recipe Yellow )
1 cup milk
10 tablespoons butter ( softened )
4 eggs

I heated the oven to 325 degrees F. Then I greased and floured my two 8" round pans.

I mixed all the cake ingredients making sure not to overbeat it.

I wanted to make three layers but I only have two 8" pans, and I wasn't brave enough to cut the cake into layers. So I poured equal amounts of the cake batter into the two pans and a third container (for the third layer), so I could bake them in shifts. I covered and refrigerated the batter in the container while the first two layers bake (I hope that makes sense).

Bake for 22- 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Frosting ingredients:
1 quart or 4 cups heavy whipping cream
6-7 tablespoons of sifted powdered sugar
6-9 tablespoons of high quality unsweetened cocoa powder

Click here to see the instructions and video tutorial on making the chocolate whipped cream frosting.

Nadia also has a video tutorial on how to assemble and frost cake layers. You can watch it here.

You can also add some chocolate curls/shavings on top of the cake just like I did.

Enjoy! (^_^)

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Easter KitKat Wrappers

Easter KitKat Wrappers by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

Easter is just a few days away, and my little first grader's class is going to have a small Easter Egg exchange.

So I got some KitKat bars - the snack size ones -  from the commissary and started making these candy wrappers.

Easter KitKat Wrappers by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

My kids and I love KitKat. So you can imagine how much we're looking forward to eating the ones that are not gonna be taken to school (I bought 2 bags of KitKat bars even though there's only 23 kids in the little boy's class).

Easter KitKat Wrappers by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

I made these wrappers by using digital papers and elements from Akizo Designs, DigiTee Designs By Sheila, and Shery K Designs.

My little boy is excited to share them tomorrow with his classmates. I really hope the kids enjoy them! (^_^)

I linked this post to these wonderful parties:

Monday, April 14, 2014

Mickey and Minnie Cupcakes

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Cupcakes by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

My oldest daughter Bea is graduating high school in a few weeks. Instead of going to the prom, she wanted to go on their Grad Nite, which simply means she gets to go to Disneyland with other seniors. :)

She and her friends wanted to wear Disney themed hair bows for this special event, so they went on a sleepover and made their own hair bows while watching some Disney movies.

These are her Alice in Wonderland themed hair bows. They turned out real pretty, don't you think?

Alice in Wonderland Hair Bows at chengand3kids.blogspot.com

And to make their sleepover a little bit more memorable, I made some Mickey and Minnie Cupcakes. Everybody thought they were adorable. :)

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Cupcakes at chengand3kids.blogspot.com

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Cupcakes at chengand3kids.blogspot.com

You can get the template and instructions on making the Mickey and Minnie chocolates here.

The cupcake wrappers are free printables by Cupcake Addiction and you can find it here.

I used Cake Mate Glitter Gels for Minnie's hair bow (neon pink).

For the cupcakes, I used Betty Crocker Devil's Food cake mix. I made and baked them as directed on the box.

Here is the recipe for the buttercream frosting. Recipe is courtesy of the Betty Crocker site.

Enjoy!

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
FROSTING

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

In a mixing bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.

Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to  make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar.

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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

DIY Comic Book Valentine

DIY Comic Book Valentine by Cheng and 3 Kids

With Valentine's Day just a few days away, I'm sharing these DIY Valentines I made for my little boy's class.

I love using pictures to personalize gifts, and just to make it a little bit different, I decided to turn his photo into a comic book image. Sounds complicated? That's what I thought at first, until I found this video tutorial on You Tube. All I needed was my photo editing software (Adobe Photoshop Elements 9) and a printer. Trying to learn new tricks to edit photos can be a little intimidating at first, but it's really fun once you get the hang of it. :)

They are actually mini envelopes with M&M's Fun Size Milk Chocolate Candies inside.

DIY Comic Book Valentine by Cheng and 3 Kids

I used these heart stickers I found in my stash to close them. Pretty cute, right? ;)

DIY Comic Book Valentine by Cheng and 3 Kids

I made the starburst background with the help of this tutorial. And the paper is from Shery K Designs and I downloaded it from this site.

I liked my little boy's comic book image so much that I decided to use it for his teachers' gifts.

Valentine Teacher Gift by Cheng and 3 Kids

Valentine Teacher Gift by Cheng and 3 Kids

As you can see, I used the comic book image as a candy wrapper for Kit Kat chocolate bars. I love how they turned out! :)

The fonts I used are Badaboom from Dafont.com and Red State Blue State from Blambot.com.

I'm totally hooked on making these comic book images I think I might use this idea for gifts. Hmmmm... Maybe for Father's Day or Grandparents Day? Or maybe even a party favor? What do you think?

I linked this post to these wonderful parties:
All Things Thursday Blog Hop : Posed Perfection  |  Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party : TitiCrafty by Camila  |  Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends : Love Bakes Good Cakes  |  Friday Flash Blog Link Party : The Jenny Evolution  |  Friday Link Party : The Pin Junkie  |  Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop : Carrie This Home  |  Give Me The Goods Monday Link Party : Rain on a Tin Roof  |  Inspiration Monday: I Should Be Mopping The Floor  |  Inspire Me Monday : Create With Joy  |  Ladies Only Blog Share : Mommifried  |  Link Party Tuesday : A to Zebra Celebrations  |  My Favorite Things Saturdays : A Time for Seasons  |  Share Your Stuff Tuesdays : Table for Seven  |  Thriving on Thursdays : Domesblissity  |  Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party : A Peek Into My Paradise  |  Whimsy Wednesdays : The NY Melrose Family  |  Wonderful Wednesday : Ducks 'n a Row

Monday, February 10, 2014

Oreo Valentine Treats

Oreo Valentine Treats by chengand3kids.blogspot.com

The minute I saw these Oreo cookie treats at Taste of Home, I knew that I just had to try making them. They were meant for Christmas but I thought they would be great for Valentine's Day too!

There's no baking involved, and you can whip them up in a matter of minutes. Perfect for a last minute treat!

And... who can resist an Oreo cookie? Definitely not me! ;)

All I did was melt chocolate flavored Almond Bark according to the instructions on the wrapper, spooned it onto the Oreo cookie and put some sprinkles.

Super easy, right?

Now comes the hard part... 

Trying... hard... not... to... eat... them... all...

And... they're gone.

Oh well, I guess I just have to make some more. LOL :)
.
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I linked this post to these wonderful parties:
All Things Thursday Blog Hop : Posed Perfection  |  Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party : TitiCrafty by Camila  |  Freedom Fridays With All My Bloggy Friends : Love Bakes Good Cakes  |  Friday Flash Blog Link Party : The Jenny Evolution  |  Friday Link Party : The Pin Junkie  |  Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop : Carrie This Home  |  Give Me The Goods Link Party : Rain on a Tin Roof  |  Inspiration Monday : I Should Be Mopping The Floor  |  Inspire Me Monday : Create With Joy  |  Ladies Only Blog Share : Mommifried  |  Link Party Tuesday : A to Zebra Celebrations  |  My Favorite Things Saturday : A Time for Seasons  |  Share Your Stuff Tuesdays : Table for Seven  |  Thriving on Thursdays : Domesblissity  |  Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party : A Peek Into My Paradise  |  Whimsy Wednesdays : The NY Melrose Family  |  Wonderful Wednesday : Ducks 'n a Row

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut Butter Blossoms by Cheng and 3 Kids

These festive Peanut Butter Blossoms are super easy to make! If you're looking for something simple and quick to bake for a cookie exchange, a Christmas party, or even as something to give to the neighbors, then you might want to try this.

And who could resist the combination of chocolate and peanut butter?
Not me, that's for sure!

Peanut Butter Blossoms by Cheng and 3 Kids

I used Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolate with Almonds and Dove Dark Chocolate Snowflake Promises. Both were very good, but the little boy and I prefer the ones with the Hershey's Kisses. While the two girls liked the ones with the Dove chocolates better. It's a tie!

What about you? Hershey's Kisses or Dove Dark Chocolate?


PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS

1 pouch (1 lb. 1.5 oz.) Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
1 egg
colored sugar (I used red and green)
unwrapped chocolates (I used Hershey's Kisses with Almonds and Dove Dark Chocolate Promises)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, oil, water and egg until dough forms.Shape dough into 36 (1 inch) balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.Bake 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately press 1 chocolate candy in center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely about 20 minutes.
Enjoy with a tall glass of milk. :)


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I linked this post to these wonderful parties:
Charlie Beth's Life as Mumma Walker : Pin It Party  |   Create With Joy : Inspire Me Monday  |  Creative Geekery : All Things Christmas Linkup Party  |  Domesblissity : Thriving on Thursdays  |  I Should Be Mopping The Floor : Inspiration Monday  |  I Want Crazy : Eat. Create. Party!  |  Love Bakes Good Cakes : The Baker's Dozen Cookie Exchange  |  Marvelous Mondays Link Party : This Gal Cooks  |  My Turn For Us : Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends  |  Pink When : diy Sunday Showcase  |  The Jenny Evolution : Friday Flash Blog  |   The Jenny Evolution : Ultimate Christmas Holiday Cookie Exchange Round-Up  |   The Pin Junkie : Friday Link Party  |  Titi Crafty by Camila : Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party  |  Virtual Cookie Exchange Link Party : The Pin Junkie



Saturday, November 23, 2013

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins by Cheng and 3 Kids #muffinrecipe #recipe

This Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins are OH SO GOOD! This is a recipe by Tyler Florence of the Food Network (click here to check it out). I tried making it a few weeks ago, and ever since then my kids have been bugging me to make them again - well, except for the youngest one, he doesn't like bananas (I know, weird right?) I followed the recipe exactly except I added milk chocolate morsels. And I also sprinkled some of the chocolate chips and nuts on top right before putting them in the oven.

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins by Cheng and 3 Kids #muffinrecipe #recipe


So, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE CHIP
BANANA NUT MUFFINS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup milk chocolate morsels

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins or place baking cups in muffin tins.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together like you mean it, for a good 3 minutes.
  4. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
  5. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Set aside some of the milk chocolate morsels and pecan nuts (for sprinkling on the top later). Fold in the rest of the nuts, chocolate morsels and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula.
  6. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway. Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out. Sprinkle the chocolate morsels and nuts you have set aside on top of the muffins.
  7. Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Here are some more recipes you might like:

Blueberry Muffins by Cheng and 3 Kids
Blueberry
Muffins
Strawberry Squares by Cheng and 3 Kids
Strawberry
Squares
Mini Cherry Cheesecakes by Cheng and 3 Kids
Mini Cherry
Cheesecakes

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I linked this post to these wonderful parties:

Angels Homestead : Saturday Spotlight  |  Anyonita Nibbles : Tasty Tuesdays  |  A Peek Into My Paradise : TGIF Link Party  |  Charlie Beth's Life as Mumma Walker : Pin It Party  |  Create With Joy : Inspire Me Monday  |  I Should Be Mopping The Floor: Inspiration Monday  |  Love Bakes Good Cakes : Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends  |  Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen : Get Inspired Pinning Party  |  My Personal Accent : The Blog Strut Owl Style  |  Pink Recipe Box : Creative Wednesdays  |  Pink When : diy Sunday Showcase  |  Rain on a Tin Roof : Give Me The Goods Link Party  |  The Jenny Evolution :  Friday Flash Blog  |  Table for Seven : Share Your Stuff Tuesdays  |  The Pin Junkie : Friday Link Party  |  The Thriftiness Miss : Weekend Wonders  |  This Gal Cooks : Marvelous Mondays  |  Titi Crafty by Camila: Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Turkey Cupcakes

Turkey Cupcakes by Cheng and 3 Kids #Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I thought a Turkey Cupcake would be a fun thing to do with my little boy. Well, anything that involves some kind of decorating and then getting to eat it afterwards is always fun, right?

I used Betty Crocker Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix for the cupcakes. I just followed the directions on the package but instead of water, I used milk, I added another egg and I also used twice the amount of butter needed. And I also put 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate morsels in the batter. Why? Because I love chocolate, that's why (hi, I'm Cheng. I'm a chocoholic). LOL

I don't have any problem with using a box cake mix. But I just can't stand the taste of canned frosting. So I made chocolate cream cheese frosting for these cupcakes. I'll include the recipe at the end of this post.

Turkey Cookie Decorating Kit by Wilton

I found this Turkey Cookie Decorating Kit at Michaels and I'm so glad I bought it. I mean, it doesn't get any easier than this, right?

Turkey Cupcakes by Cheng and 3 Kids

Turkey Cupcakes by Cheng and 3 Kids

Turkey Cupcakes by Cheng and 3 Kids


CHOCOLATE 
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 to 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in cocoa powder and powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency.


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