Previously Healthy Nutty Granola Bars

I once read that humans get addicted to foods with high fat content.

Like peanuts and chocolate?

I would say that explains why the smell in my kitchen has me swooning.  I haven't even started baking yet.

Today my practical side took over...or at least temporarily.

I set out to make an easy 5-ingredient granola bar because, well, I have an extremely stressful week ahead of me, with an exam at the end, and a granola bar makes a good grab-and-go snack.

But then I woke up this morning feeling as though granola bars were un-inspired.  My conscience was saying c'mon Nicola, where's the flare???  If you're going to be practical you better at least make it sort of exciting.

So in response, what did I do? Added a layer chocolate, obvs.  I just can't get away from it.

Which brought me to a new dilemma because OK, yes, I am going to get creative, BUT THE GROCERY STORE IS CLOSED.  This is the problem with having my baking day on Sunday.  Hard to be spontaneous.

I had run out of semi-sweet baker's chocolate (a moment of weakness turned it into liquid on my tongue...).  Luckily I still had some unsweetened chocolate (a lot less tempting to eat on its own).

Soooo instead of wasting my precious study time to bike all the way to Metro for one thing, I sweetened the chocolate with some maple syrup, and problem solved!!

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Nutty Granola Bars with Chocolate Base

For the first part of the recipe I followed Minimalist Baker's 5-ingredient healthy granola bars recipe.

Chocolate Base
4 oz unsweetened baker's chocolate (dark or semisweet chocolate would work just fine)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp granulated sugar (optional, to taste)

Heat the chocolate and cream in small bowl over saucepan of simmering water.  Add maple syrup and sugar, stirring constantly until smooth.  Spread over granola bars before removing from square pan.  Refrigerate 1 hour, or until solidified.
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Curiously, while I was melting the chocolate, a squirrel launched itself at my screen door and hung out there for a while.  Perhaps he has a sweet tooth.  But somehow I don't think he's the sort of neighbour I want to invite in for tea...

Nicola ♡

Comments after tasting:

1.  Possibly because of the honey, I find these a bit too sweet for my taste.  I think adding some salt to the mixture or sprinkling coarse sea salt on top would balance this out.

2.  Because I used maple syrup in the chocolate base, it took a long time to solidify, and melts very quickly when out of the fridge.  The taste is right, but the texture is not what I'd planned.  In future I would use a higher ratio of sugar to syrup, but ultimately I think I was going for something similar to the chocolate layer in my Mini Cream Pie recipe, which uses dark chocolate and no sugar at all.  For now I think it best to store them in the freezer.  Or just eat them all really quickly before the chocolate melts.

Oatmeal Chocolate Blueberry Cookies

Does it ever happen that you have exactly the right ingredients for a recipe you've chosen on the spot?

Doesn't happen for me either.

This week I thought it had, but it turns out using fresh instead of frozen blueberries is not always an upgrade.

I suppose after all my chocolate mousse adventures that a cookie might seem kind of dull.  But in lieu of my recent illness I found it hard to be organized enough to do something more complicated.

The important thing is they are still edible.  And different from my bog-standard chocolate chip cookie!  (I haven't blogged about these - but I will - I stand by my belief that they are and always will be the best and most addictive cookie in existence).

I know the batter would have come up much nicer if I'd followed the recipe 100%. *heavy sigh*

You may have noticed (or not) that there was no post from me last week.  My sincere apologies to anyone I may have disappointed!  I was bedridden with a nasty virus and besides the fact that I couldn't move, I didn't think anyone would want to eat my diseased baking anyway...But don't worry I am completely recovered and possibly even healthier than before I was sick! (Owed to an increased intake in multivitamins).  So I guarantee my blueberry cookies are germ-free.

You can find the full recipe here.

In closing I'd like to say Happy Birthday to Prince George, who turns one on Tuesday.  I intended to celebrate with a blue sponge cake...Maybe next week.

Although, at the rate I am adding bananas to my freezer I think it will have to be banana bread.

Cheerio,

Nicola ♡

Mini Banana Cream Cutie Pies

You can never have too many frozen bananas.

I can think of endless uses for the extra ones I bought today.  Namely: smoothies and banana bread.

If I could live off smoothies and banana bread I would.

I am starting to become a frozen banana hoarder.  Should I see someone about this??

It's been hot here.  I did NOT want to turn my oven on.  So I threw together all of the ingredients I was craving and this is the result.

A layer of graham cracker crust, followed by dark chocolate, fresh banana slices and then GUESS WHAT: whipped cream on top (duhhh).

Oh-my-NOMS they hit the spot.  And they look cute.

I am soooo diggin the layers lately.  Princess Lay-ah.  HA. I am so funny (.....um NOT...).

The only difficulty I encountered with these little treats is making them hold their shape.  The crust is a bit crumbly and the bananas like to slide off the chocolate...but who cares when the whole thing is going straight in my mouth anyways??

In any case I think it may have been a better idea to add the bananas before the chocolate was set so they wouldn't be so slippery.

I covered my baking tray in saran wrap before filling the cups with the crust, based off a blog I was reading the other day.  I was a bit skeptical at first but it actually worked surprisingly well.

The chocolate layer was inspired by a truffle recipe I tried about a week ago.

I also had a major craving for Retro Banana Cream Pie.  Et voila.

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Mini Banana Cream Pies*

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsps granulated sugar
4 tbsp margarine, melted

2 oz dark chocolate
2 tbsps whipping cream

1 ripe banana

1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp maple syrup

*This recipe only makes about 9 pies, but it should be fairly easy to double...or triple...or quadruple.

Line muffin tray with saran wrap, making sure there is enough excess to push the base down into the cups.

In small bowl combine crumbs, sugar, and margarine.  Press about 1 tbsp of the mixture into each cup of the muffin tray.  Chill for 10-15 minutes in the freezer.

Chop chocolate into very fine pieces.  Pour into small bowl and set aside.

Remove muffin tray from freezer.  Heat 2 tbsps cream on stove until just boiling.  Pour over chocolate and stir until smooth.

Spread chocolate evenly over each base.  Chill in fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Slice banana, set aside.  Whip 1/4 cup cream, adding maple syrup just before the cream is completely whipped.

Remove chocolate base from saran wrap.  Arrange 3-4 banana slices on each pie and top with a spoonful of whipped cream (I used a ziplock bag to pipette the cream for a more aesthetically appealing effect).
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See?  Pretty.

Until next week,

Nicola ♡