Easy Dessert: Pots De Creme

It is no secret that I love to entertain! It is also no secret that I love watching the Academy Awards every year. I watched them with my mom and sister growing up, and now my husband and I are all about it. We try to watch as many of the best picture nominee films leading up to it because we like to fill out ballots with our predictions. I love to find food that feels "Oscar worthy", yet is simple to make. For our viewing party this year, I made these incredibly easy yet delicious dark chocolate pots de creme. They are the perfect dessert for entertaining, watching the Academy Awards, or just because!  

This recipe requires very little prep work and comes together really quickly. It is naturally sweetened with honey so there are no refined sugars (which is always a plus!). I did a rough chop of a 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate bar and then threw the chocolate and the remaining ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth. Unlike traditional pots de creme, you do not have to use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. You warm up the coconut milk and pour it over the chocolate mixture, which makes it all come together.

Honestly, the hardest part about this recipe is waiting for it to cool in the refrigerator! Once it has cooled for at least 2 hours, it turns into the most delectable, rich chocolate dessert. Since I wanted to impress our guests, I added some fun toppings but you could certainly eat it as-is. 

I made an easy coconut whipped cream to put on top with the leftover coconut milk and it was a really nice addition. I also topped them with some raspberries and mint, but you could top them with anything you have on hand.

This dessert also fits most dietary needs since it is gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and refined sugar-free. However, it is not free of flavor!

I would love to hear how you like this recipe, so be sure to comment below! 

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Pots De Creme Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp. instant espresso powder (optional)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate 
• 3/4 cup coconut milk (I used the Trader Joe's brand- extra thick)
• Optional toppings: whipped coconut cream, 1 pint of raspberries, and mint

Directions:

1. Roughly chop up the 4 oz. of chocolate.
2. Add all of the ingredients, excluding the coconut milk and optional toppings to a high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
3. Heat the coconut milk in a sauce pan until very hot (but not boiling). 
4. With the blender running on low, carefully and slowly add the hot coconut milk into the blender. Blend until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and thick. 
5. Pour the chocolate mixture into serving cups and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours or over night. 
6. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

*This recipe is adapted from this original recipe

Chocolate Chip and M&M Cookie Bars

During the holiday season it is so easy to let the stress of it all take away from truly enjoying it. This year I am focused on simplifying my approach to the holidays from our decorations, to the gifts and everything in between. One way I am simplifying my gifting is by only baking one recipe that I can give out to most everyone. My chocolate chip and M&M cookie bars are the perfect option because you can individually wrap them and they are incredibly delicious! 

This past weekend my husband helped me prepare a pan of these cookie bars and we packaged them up to give out as gifts. I love about having him in the kitchen with me because it is always way more fun! Flour ends up all over the place, and the end result always tastes better knowing how much fun we had preparing it. In this case, he started by sifting all of the dry ingredients while I handled the other ingredients. 

I like to use equal parts of three different kinds of chocolate in these bars: milk chocolate chips, bittersweet chocolate chips and of course, M&M's. You could also substitute nuts in but if I am making these for a crowd I like to stick with chocolate to avoid any nut allergies. 

Once the cookie bars have cooled completely (I like to cool mine overnight), I cut them into individual servings to package them up. 

We made our gifting list and got out our favorite packaging supplies. I love to use these gift pouches, baking twine, gift tags, and a little sprig of greenery. You could also use these bags. If you use cotton bags, be sure to individually wrap the cookie bars in plastic wrap first so they stay fresh. 

We hope you enjoy a holiday season filled with laughter, joy and these amazing chocolate chip and M&M cookie bars :)

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Chocolate Chip and M&M Cookie Bar Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 Tsp. baking soda

• 1/2 Tsp. salt

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, brought to room temperature

• 3/4 cups granulated sugar

• 3/4 cups light brown sugar 

• 2 Tsp. vanilla extract 

• 2 eggs, brought to room temperature

• 1 cup milk chocolate chips 

• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips 

• 1 cup M&M's 

* Can also substitute 2 cups of chopped walnuts or pecans for the milk chocolate chips and M&M's

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x 13 in. pan. 

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.

3. Beat the butter and sugars together with the vanilla extract. Beat in the eggs. Stir the flour mixture, and chocolate into the mixture until combined.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely. 

Memorial Day Skillet S'mores →

Memorial Day signifies the start of Summer to me. It's when we pile in the car for the first road trip of the Summer season, fire up the grill, try to squeeze into that bikini again and tell stories around the camp fire. Oh, the nostalgia of it all.

We usually road trip to visit my parents vineyard in California for the weekend. To prepare for the weekend, my sister and I headed up to my parents vacation home and pulled together props that we had around the house for this fun setup. Most of the props came from my favorite antique store in town, and also ones that we had lying around the house for years. What is fun about incorporating your own props into your parties, is that they are great conversation pieces and make the weekend feel much more special. 

Some of the props included: an old fashioned radio to listen to music, jugs to put beverages in, a picnic basket to transport all of the food items, lanterns and flashlights when the sun goes down, some soft seating, and all of the makings for skillet s'mores!

There is one food, amongst many others, that screams Summer to me. Good old fashioned s'mores! The lightly toasted marshmallow that melts the chocolate held together by graham crackers. I love when you bite into the crisp graham cracker and the marshmallow and chocolate oozes out. Does this bring you back to your childhood?   

Whether you are heading out to the lake house or having a "staycation" to celebrate Memorial day, pull together some fun props you've got around the house and add these skillet s'mores to your menu!

These skillet s'mores are so incredibly easy, and they taste exactly like a campfire s'more. What I love most, is that you can make these in the oven (preferred method) or on an open fire at the campsite. I hope you have an amazing Memorial Day weekend! 

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Skillet S'mores

Serving Size: 4-6

• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate bar 

• Marshmallows, about 18 large cut in half or about 36 medium

• Graham crackers for dipping 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In an 8 inch cast iron skillet, arrange the chocolate chips or chocolate pieces in an even layer. Arrange the marshmallows on top and fully cover the surface. Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes or until the marshmallows have lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve with graham crackers for dipping.  Note: the skillet is very hot when you pull it out of the oven, so it’s important to let it rest before serving!

If you are camping: Follow directions above but warm the assembled skillet on a grill over a fire or hot plate until the chocolate has melted and marshmallows begin to melt.  

Photography and editing: Twenty8 Moments Photography

Mom's Chocolate Cake →

Is there anything better than chocolate cake? Besides milk and cookies, I don’t think it gets much better than this. But, not just any chocolate cake. Homemade chocolate cake with homemade chocolate frosting. Mom's chocolate cake.

I had the urge to bake this chocolate cake after drooling over the recipe every time I looked at my Pinterest board. When it comes to chocolate cake, I like it to be very moist and not too rich. This cake was perfectly balanced, and the frosting sealed the whole deal for me. If I am making a cake from scratch I look for recipes that don’t have too many steps and ingredients involved. This recipe was easy and I had most of the ingredients already in my pantry. 

I had big plans for this chocolate cake. I made it with the intention of celebrating a friends Birthday, which fell through. But the truth is, you do not need a reason for baking a chocolate cake, even the most ordinary of days are much better with chocolate cake. And in the end, it was enjoyed with good company who happened to stop by (and they thought I had made it just for them ;). 

Next time you feel like making a chocolate cake just because or you have a milestone to celebrate, you must try this recipe. I want to hear how you like it! Comment below or post a picture on Instagram and tag me in it.