Cupcakes with summerberries

Cupcakes with fresh berries

Makes about 10 cupcakes

300 g flour

1 tbs baking soda

100 g sugar

100 g unsaltet butter

2 large eggs

2 dl milk

150 g fresh berries 

(Use whatever berries you love. I used raspberries and blueberries inside and decorated with strawberries.)

• Heat the oven to 200 Celsius degrees.
• Put paper cupcake forms inside a cupcake pan.
• Sift flour and baking soda in a bowl. Add sugar.
• Whisk butter, eggs and milk together.
• Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients.
• Mix until all is blended.
• Add the fresh berries, raspberries, blueberries.
• Pour the dough into cupcake forms with a spoon. Only half full since they rise.
• Time in oven 15-15 minutes. Try with a toothpick so see when done.
• Cool
• Decorate the cupcakes with whipped cream and berries. It could be raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, anything you love.

Chocolate dipped Strawberries

Chocolate dipped Strawberries

When purchasing fresh strawberries from the grocery store, shop with your nose.

Always pick the plumpest and most fragrant berries. They should be firm, bright, and fresh looking with no mold or bruises, and fresh green caps (stems). The caps should be bright green, fresh looking and fully attached. Strawberries do not ripen after they have been harvested, so choose strawberries that have been picked fully ripened. They should have bright red color, natural shine and fresh looking green caps.

Line baking sheets or cookie pans with waxed paper, parchment paper, or aluminum foil. Make sure the baking sheets are large enough to place all the strawberries, as well as giving each a few inches of room for each chocolate strawberry for after dipping.

Make sure the strawberries are completely dry. Even a drop of water in the melted chocolate can cause it to "seize" and turn the entire mixture into a grainy mess.

If you use refrigerated strawberries, allow them to come to room temperature before dipping in the melted chocolate. If you use cold strawberries, condensation will form and that will prevent the chocolate from sticking.

Using one of the below methods, melt the chocolate chips:

Double Boiler: In the top of a double boiler over hot water, not boiling water, don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Be careful as boiling water may cause steam droplets to get into chocolate which can result in "seizing," when the chocolate becomes stiff and grainy.

If you don't have a double boiler you can improvise one by placing a glass or stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water (don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water).

Remove from heat and let the chocolate cool slightly, but it should not set.

Microwave Melting Chocolate: 

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips using either the defrost setting or 10-percent power in the microwave. Microwave for 1 minute, then check and stir. If you need more time, do it in 10 to 20 seconds intervals (check and stir after each addition of microwave time). 

Remove the container from the microwave and stir the chocolate until completely melted. Baking chips and baking chocolate may appear formed and un-melted after heating but will become fluid after stirring.
 

How To Dip Strawberries in Chocolate: 

Grasp the stem or green leaves of the strawberry and dip into the chocolate and swirl in chocolate to partially cover. If the strawberries don't have a stem to grasp, pork a toothpick into the stem end.

Give the strawberry a little shake as you withdraw it from the chocolate (this will fill in all the cracks and leave a nice even line of chocolate at the base.) 

When the strawberry is completely withdrawn from the chocolate, swirl it in a quick, clockwise motion to let the excess chocolate drip off.

Place on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries.

If you are going to decorate the berries, allow the chocolate to set for a minute, then sprinkle with decorations. Sprinkling works better than rolling as it’s easier to control the coverage. You may cover your chocolate strawberries with nuts, sprinkles, coconut, or anything else you desire.

Either place strawberries into refrigerator or set aside to allow the chocolate to harden, about 30 minutes. Transfer fruit onto a serving platter to serve.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed banana
1 cup rolled oats, regular or quick cooking
1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F (175 degree Celcius). Line an 10×15-inch baking pan with parchment paper
and lightly grease. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and mashed banana. Stir in the flour mixture, followed by the oats, chia seeds and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth it into an even layer. Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed. Allow to cool completely, then slice into bars. 

Makes 25 bars

The bars keep well when stored in an airtight container and are easy to pack up for single servings. For variety, you can substitute all or some of the chocolate chips for chopped walnuts or pecans. You can omit the Chia seeds, or replace them with flax seeds, if you don’t have any on hand. And, if you really want to add more whole grains, you can even use whole wheat flour in this recipe, though I recommend using white whole wheat for the best finished texture.