Chocolate Delight

Craving chocolate?  These chocolates have no sugars and no starches (that's right, no carbs!) and are made from coconut oil -- which has tons of health benfits, including distroying viruses, fighting diabetes, improving your skin, improving cardiovascular health, boosting your immune system, and stimulating your metabolism (just to name a few!)  (Dr. Mercola; http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/22/coconut-oil-and-saturated-fats-can-make-you-healthy.aspx)    Now that I think about it, I haven't been sick since I started consuming coconut oil and have had more energy than ever.  Coincidence?  Anyway, since I still love my sweets, I probably eat anywhere from 2 to 4 Chocolate Delights a day.   They've never made me gain weight and it's perfect for when I'm craving chocolate.

CHOCOLATE DELIGHT

4 TB milk (or if your diet allows it, use cream)

3/4 cup Splenda  or other sweetener (I use Ideal Sweetener, which is made from xylitol, in place of Splenda)

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (3/4 cup if you prefer the taste of milk chocolate over dark chocolate)

On the LOWEST HEAT possible, warm the milk (or cream) and add sweetener.  Stir until the sweetener is dissolved.  

Add the coconut oil and stir until melted.  DO NOT OVERHEAT - keep on the lowest setting possible.  After the coconut oil is melted, take the pan off the heat and add the cocoa.  Stir until well blended. 

Pour mixture into candy trays, ice cube trays, or in a jelly pan.  Cool in fridge until hardened.

Enjoy!

**  Coconut oil becomes a liquid at around 75 degrees.  It's best to keep your chocolate delight in the fridge.  You can keep it out, assuming the temperature in your house remains under 75 (ish).  Leaving it out gives it a softer, more creamy texture, sort of like a truffle.

**  Chocolate Delight is very forgiving.  If it doesn't taste right, you can remelt it and start over. 

**  MIX IT UP by adding ground hazelnuts, sugar free flavored syrups, or extracts.  You may also fill the centers with peanut butter to make peanut butter cups.  The possibilities are endless!

Chocolate Cake

I finally got to make my chocolate cake.  I must say, it is DE-LISH.  I modified the recipe from mariahealth@blogspot.com to fit me a little better.  To see the original recipe, click here.    Below is my version, tweaked just a bit be a little more "Stefanie Friendly".  This is a good enough recipe to serve to anyone, any time.  Noone would even wonder if there was anything different about it.  Yep, it can still be our little secret.  **wink***

Chocolate Birthday Cake

1 1/4 cup Truvia, Splenda, or my favorite, Ideal Sweetener
1 3/4 cups peanut flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk (the original recipe called for unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1/3 cup butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cups Truvia, Splenda, or my favorite, Ideal Sweetener  (ground in coffee grinder into a powder)
1/3 cup milk (or almond milk if preferred)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9 inch cake pans.

In a medium bowl, stir together the Truvia, peanut flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, almond milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

To make the frosting, use the second set of ingredients. Cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and sweetener (powdered) alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency.

Cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake. Serves 12.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Using white flour, skim milk and sugar = 655 calories, 111 carbs, 5.8 fiber
Using peanut flour, almond milk and Truvia = 314 calories, 13.8 carbs, 7.1 fiber

Chocolate Birthday Cake

My daughters Birthday is coming up next, and I doubt she'd be "enthusiastic" about a healthy treat for her Birthday.  Well, mariaheatlh@blogspot.com might have the perfect solution.  Shhhhh...  don't tell..... this will be our little secret.  =)

Chocolate Birthday Cake

1 1/4 cup Truvia (or erythritol and 1 tsp stevia glycerite)
1 3/4 cups peanut flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I ued regular milk)
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

3/4 cup butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups Truvia (ground in coffee grinder into a powder)
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9 inch cake pans.

In a medium bowl, stir together the Truvia, peanut flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, almond milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

To make the frosting, use the second set of ingredients. Cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and Truvia (powdered) alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency.

Split the layers of cooled cake horizontally, cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake. Serves 12.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Using white flour, skim milk and sugar = 655 calories, 111 carbs, 5.8 fiber
Using peanut flour, almond milk and Truvia = 314 calories, 13.8 carbs, 7.1 fiber

(Low Carb) Flourless Chocolate Torte

Chocolate Torte

7 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup truvia or erythritol

5 large eggs

Filling

8 oz cream cheese

4 TB truvia (to taste)

1 egg

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a muffin tin pan and set aside. Brown the butter in a sauce pan. Once butter is browned, slowly add chocolate and sweetener. Let cool in fridge. Once cool, add eggs one at a time.

Mix filling ingredients. Fill muffin tins with chocolate filling and a dab of cream cheese mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.