Author Archives: Janis Chanin

Death By Brownie Bites

03 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in Chocolate, Dessert

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Death By Brownie Bites

Warning: People go crazy for these decadent little chocolate-covered brownie balls! I recommend making them in bulk because they get gobbled up faster than you can possibly imagine! My husband brought a ton into work this week and put them out on his desk before he went to a meeting. They evaporated by the time he got back, and people were immediately demanding the recipe. I had similar results at my work, where they lasted about 4 minutes longer!

One of the huge advantages of this recipe is that it’s super accommodating to your schedule!  If you want to make them in stages, you totally can.  Or if you prefer to make dessert for an event a week or two in advance, then freeze and forget about it until the morning of your party–these are perfect!  See the note at the end of the recipe for my make-ahead tips.

Death By Brownie Bites
Yield:  50 to 60 bites (each 1-inch in diameter)
Time:  60 minutes active; 4½ hours total (including chilling and freezing)

Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix with required ingredients (i.e.: canola oil, water, eggs) (I like the Chewy Fudge Brownies by Duncan Hines)
1 tub (about 14 oz.) prepared chocolate frosting
12 oz. dark chocolate*
To decorate:  4 oz. white chocolate* or sprinkles/mini chocolate chips/mini M&Ms…
toothpicks
waxed paper

* My favorite chocolate for this recipe is Merckens because it melts incredibly smoothly and it leaves a glossy finish.  Candy Melts by Wilton work well too if you can’t find Merckens.

Instructions:

1)  Bake one box of brownies, following the instructions on the box.  Once fully cooled, crumble into pieces and mix in the tub of frosting.  (The mixture will feel like the consistency of raw meatballs.)  Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour, or overnight.

2)  Roll chilled batter into balls that are roughly 1 inch in diameter.  Place on a freezer-safe dish lined with waxed paper.  Freeze in a single layer for at least 2 hours, up to 4 days.

Death By Brownie Bites

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)  Melt the dark chocolate and stir until smooth.  Have a few toothpicks handy and line your counter with waxed paper.  Remove about 8 balls from the freezer at a time.  Gently press a toothpick about ¼ to ½ of the way into the ball.  Holding the toothpick, submerge the ball in melted chocolate and cover entirely, using a spoon to help if needed.  Drop onto waxed paper to dry.  Hopefully the ball will fall off the toothpick easily.  If it doesn’t, just leave the toothpick in and remove it once the chocolate is dried.  Either way, there may be a small “hole” on top that’s missing chocolate.  Fill in the hole with melted chocolate using a clean toothpick.  Repeat with all balls.  (If you’re decorating using sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, or anything else that needs to stick to the melted chocolate, do that as the chocolate is still wet.)

Death By Brownie Bites

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)  To decorate with a white chocolate drizzle, melt the white chocolate and mix until smooth.  Pour the melted chocolate into a small ziplock bag and snip off the slightest bit of the corner of the bag with scissors.  Squeeze the chocolate out of the small hole, drizzling in a zig-zag pattern over the brownie balls.  Toss the bag when you’re done–no mess or clean up or special tools required for such a classy decoration!

Death By Brownie Bites

Make-Ahead Tips:  The Death By Brownie Bites can be prepared in stages or made entirely ahead of time!   If making a week or two in advance, simply freeze the decorated balls and take them out of the freezer an hour before serving.  Just be sure not to decorate with mini chocolate chips, as I notice the chips tend to get a white film over them after being frozen.  If you have chunks of time to get things done, feel free to stop after Step 1 and leave the mixture in your fridge for up to three days.  Pick back up with Step 2 whenever you have time!  You can take another hiatus after Step 2 if you need.  I often leave the frozen balls (before they’re dipped in chocolate) in my freezer for up to a month!  They’ll stay fresh as long as they’re well sealed.  (Wrap in plastic wrap, and place in a ziplock bag.  Place in a larger ziplock bag and seal tight.)  Need another break after Step 3?  Seal the chocolate-dipped balls and freeze up to a month.  How’s that for a recipe that works around your schedule for once??!

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Death By Brownie Bites

Seared Ahi Tuna with Asian Noodles

25 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by in Dinner, Fish, Healthy, Quick and Easy

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Seared Ahi Tuna with Asian NoodlesThis recipe looks and sounds fancy, but it comes together really easily and truthfully doesn’t take much effort at all.  You can’t beat that!

Seared Ahi Tuna with Asian Noodles
Yield:  Four servings
Time:  30 minutes

For the noodles:
12 oz. soba (buckwheat) noodles (or whole wheat angel hair works just as well!)
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup canola oil
2 tbsp. sesame oil
3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. hot sauce
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. ground ginger
3 tbsp. sesame seeds

For the tuna:
4 filets of sushi-grade ahi tuna
approximately ½ cup low sodium soy sauce

For garnish:
pickled ginger
wasabi

1.  Prepare the noodles according to the instructions on the package.  Return drained noodles into a medium sized pot.

2.  In a measuring cup, whisk together all of the remaining ingredients for the sauce.  Pour over the hot, cooked noodles.  Toss together.  (I used tongs and was intentionally not gentle, which helped to break up some of the long noodles.)  Place a lid on the pot while preparing the tuna.

3.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Pour approximately 4 tbsp. of the soy sauce into the bottom of a preheated skillet, until the base is covered with a thin layer of soy sauce.  Place raw tuna in the pan and drizzle the top of each filet with approximately 1 tbsp. of soy sauce.  Cook for three minutes, until bottom is nicely seared.  Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes, to desired doneness.  (If the soy sauce thickens too much, add another 1-2 tbsp. during the cooking process.)

4.  Create a bed of noodles on a plate, and place the seared tuna on top.  Garnish with pickled ginger and wasabi.

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Basil and Goat Cheese Egg Scramble

16 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Breakfast, Healthy, Quick and Easy

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Basil and Goat Cheese Egg Scramble

I have a confession:  I cannot make omelets.  I’ve tried for years to make the perfect omelet, I’ve even stared for entirely too long at the professionals showing off their omelet-making skills at breakfast buffets.  I’ve asked for their tips and tricks, but still, after much practice, I simply cannot toss the partially-cooked egg with all its mix-ins into the air and have it and all the mix-ins land back in the pan.  I end up with bits of egg, broccoli, and tomatoes all over my kitchen floor, with splatters of grease streaked across my walls.  So in very un-JanisCakes style, I’ve given up.  Now, when I make “omelets” they are really scrambled eggs with all of the fixings cooked into clumps of egg.  When I ask my husband if he wants an omelet, he now laughs and says “do you mean scrambled eggs, babe?”  Why yes, yes I do.  And quite frankly, doesn’t it taste the same whatever form it takes on anyhow?  My omelets egg scrambles usually contain whatever fresh veggies and herbs I have at the moment, but when I made this one a few days ago it was tasty enough that I decided to share this specific ingredient combo.  Feel free to make it into an omelet if you’re a pro (and please message me with explicit step-by-step instructions of how you create such a masterpiece), or do as I do and turn it into an unattractive, albeit delicious egg scramble!

Basil and Goat Cheese Egg Scramble
Yield:  2 breakfast servings
Total time:  15 minutes

2 whole eggs plus 3 egg whites
3 tbsp. skim milk
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
6 large basil leaves, roughly torn
2 MorningStar Farms sausage patties (I like the Hot & Spicy or Maple Flavored varieties), diced into bite-sized pieces
1½ oz. goat cheese

1.  Whisk together the eggs and egg whites, milk, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.

2.  Place the quartered tomatoes into a small (like 8-inches or so) greased skillet.  Heat over medium heat until they are slightly tender.  Mix in the pieces of MorningStar sausage patties, and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

3.  Pour the prepared eggs into the pan and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until egg begins to cook.  Stir the egg around to cook evenly (or be super fancy and do your omelet-flipping thing when the time is right).  Mix in the basil and half of the goat cheese.  Continue cooking until the egg looks completely cooked through.  When fully cooked, top with the remaining goat cheese and enjoy!

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Ricotta and Summer Squash Flatbread

09 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Appetizers, Bread, Quick and Easy, Vegetarian

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Ricotta Summer Squash Flatbread

A surplus of fresh summer squash forced me to get creative with how to use it all up before it went bad, and shortly thereafter this recipe was born!  I love how the refreshing lemon flavor pairs so well with the creaminess of the ricotta.  These flatbreads make a delicious summer appetizer, or you could pair them with soup or a salad for a main course.

Ricotta and Summer Squash Flatbread
Yield:  4 to 6 appetizer servings (12 pieces total)
Time:  15 min prep; 10 min cooking; 25 min total

2 flatbreads (the kind I use are roughly 7″ x 9″ each)
1 yellow summer squash
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh lemon zest
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese

1)  Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2)  Slice the squash into very thin pieces.  Toss with ¼ tsp. salt and set in a colander for 10-15 minutes.  This helps to pull out some of the squash’s natural moisture.

3)  Place the flatbreads on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Lightly spray the tops of the flatbreads with cooking spray.

4)  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, lemon zest, olive oil, remaining ¼ tsp. salt, and pepper.  Stir until well mixed.  Fold in ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese and ¼ cup of the mozzarella cheese.  Distribute the ricotta mixture evenly between the two flatbreads.  Using the back of a spoon or a spatula, spread it over the entire surface of the flatbreads, all the way to the edges.  Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses on top of the ricotta mixture, splitting the cheese evenly between the two flatbreads.

5)  Bake at 400°F for 8 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.  Broil on high for 1½ to 2 minutes, until parts of the cheese begin to turn slightly golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes.  Transfer to a cutting board and cut into six pieces (3×2).  Serve warm.

Ricotta and Summer Squash Flatbread

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Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

29 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by in Dessert, Fruit, Holiday

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Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

In honor of the 4th of July–one of my favorite holidays–I give to you this recipe for Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies!  A plate of these mini cakes will look very festive for the 4th of July picnic you’re heading to in just a few days (especially when adorned with mini American flags!), and the lemon zest in the filling keeps the flavors light enough for a mid-summer dessert!  I wish you a happy July 4th, filled with lots of smiles, laughter with friends and family, and an incredible fireworks show!

Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies
Yield:  32 mini whoopee pies
Time:  60 minutes total

For the pies:
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup whole milk
2 cups fresh blueberries

For the filling:
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
3-4 cups confectioner’s sugar
zest of one lemon
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

1.  Using a pastry blender or two knives, cream together the butter and both sugars.  Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

2.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir half of this dry mixture into the butter/sugar mixture.  Pour in 1/3 cup of the milk.  Stir in the remaining dry ingredients, followed by the remaining milk, mixing throughout.  Gently stir in the blueberries.

3.  If you have mini whoopie pie pans, lightly grease each well and drop a rounded teaspoon’s worth of batter in each well.  If you do not have a whoopie pie pan, simply drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto a greased cookie sheet.  Lightly pat down the top of each mound so there are no peaks.  Bake at 375ºF for 8-12 minutes, until the tops spring back when pressed gently.  Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool entirely.

4.  To make the filling, beat together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Pour in 2 cups of the confectioner’s sugar and beat until incorporated.  Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.  Slowly add the remaining 1-2 cups of confectioner’s sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.

5.  To assemble the whoopie pies, spread or pipe a heaping tablespoon of filling on the top of one cake, then gently press another mini cake into the frosting to create a sandwich.  Repeat with remaining cakes.  Store in the refrigerator until serving.

Blueberry Lemon Whoopie PiesBlueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

 

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