CHOCOLATE ITALIAN BUTTERCREAM

Chocolate Italian Buttercream is not as scary as it sounds and tastes like a chocolate cloud in the end. It’s worth breaking out the candy thermometer for!

So around these parts, buttercream reigns supreme. From the best buttercream icing I think you will ever come across, to Swiss, Italian, French, German buttercream, Ermine (flour) icing . We got a whole menu of buttercreams.

So it’s no surprise that a chocolate version would show up at some point. And when a reader asked me, for help in making a chocolate Italian meringue buttercream. I rolled up my sleeves, donned the apron and got to work.

And man am I glad she asked. Because Italian buttercream is by far my favorite. Swirl in some chocolate and it was all I could do not eat it all with a spoon.

How To Make This Chocolate Italian Buttercream

First start with making an Italian buttercream. Italian buttercream is not scary. Just be sure to use a candy thermometer when making the sugar syrup. I can’t stress that enough! I have a digital thermometer, but for me my good old Wilton candy thermometer works like a charm. Some digital thermometers never go up to a high enough temperature, so I stick with my good old non digital clip on the side version. It never fails me.

The second thing when making a meringue buttercream, is to make sure that your meringue mixture has cooled properly before adding your softened butter. My little trick? Feel the bottom of the bowl. Is it still warm? Then don’t add that butter yet friend.

Then the key to making a cloud like chocolate Italian buttercream is to use cooled melted chocolate. I used a bittersweet chocolate, but you could use a semi-sweet if your dark side isn’t as dark as mine. But I love dark chocolate, so I went for it.

It’s super important though to make sure the chocolate is slightly cooled before you fold it into your buttercream, because otherwise it will melt your butter in the buttercream. And probably bring you to tears as well. You’ve been warned.

Now once you’ve got your bowl of chocolate Italian buttercream. It’s time to eat it. I mean frost something with it. Like these easy vanilla cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, one bowl chocolate cupcakes, or how about mix it up with these banana cupcakes?

Chocolate Italian Buttercream

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 5 large egg whites
• pinch cream of tartar
• 1 pound unsalted butter (4 sticks) softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 ounces bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate melted, slightly cooled
• Instructions

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Continue boiling until syrup reaches 238 degrees on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage).

Meanwhile, place egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and beat on medium-high speed until stiff but not dry; do not overbeat.

With mixer running, add syrup to whites in a stream, beating on high speed until no longer steaming, about 3 minutes.

Add butter tablespoon by tablespoon, beating until spreadable, 3 to 5 minutes; beat in vanilla. If icing curdles, keep beating until smooth.

Turn the mixer off and fold the chocolate into the buttercream with a spatula. Then mix on low in your mixer until fully incorporated.

Recipe Notes

Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a sealed container. Re-whip again until smooth and creamy. You can also store this in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 hours or so, and re-whip until desired consistency again.

SOURCE : http://www.bostongirlbakes.com

Below you’ll find the best and super popular recipe: skillet sweet potatoes. Easy to make and hard to keep around because you’ll be scarfing these down in a hurry they taste so good!

Skillet Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are high in antioxidants such as beta-carotene, which makes them a healthy food choice. I personally can’t get enough of them! They are one of my favorite healthy carbs. I eat them probably about 4-5 times a week. I bake them, roast them, add the roasted ones to salads, use them in stir fries, pour chili beans on top of a baked sweet potatoe, add them to soups or burritos… the options are endless!

I wanted to share with you a simple side dish recipe using sweet potatoes, which could be an awesome choice for the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc). I never would have thought CINNAMON AND GARLIC would be a good combination, but I promise you its wonderful. Even with the parsley too! Hope you’ll try it and enjoy it. Skillet Sweet Potatoes is easy to make and full of flavor!

Skillet Sweet Potatoes

• 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1  tsp sea salt
• 2  TBSP fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 TBSP coconut oil

1. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes.
2. Heat up a skillet with oil, add the potatoes and stir. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Stir often, making sure not to burn them.
3. Add minced garlic, salt, cinnamon and parsley. Stir repeatedly and cook for another 4 minutes. Stir often and try not to burn the garlic.
4. Enjoy when done!
5. You can roast these too, in the oven, instead if you prefer to do that. I just added all the ingredients to a roasting pan, stirred and baked at 425F for about 25-35 minutes – time varies on oven type and how big you chopped the sweet potato.

Hope you’ll enjoy your holiday celebrations with your family. For more tasty recipes, view our blog.

SEE MORE >>>https://www.yummly.com

Creamy Chicken Casserole

Chicken Casseroles are always a good idea! This Creamy Chicken Casserole Recipe with mushrooms, bacon, and cheese is a really, really great idea!

Chicken breast pieces in a cream of chicken soup sauce mixture. The chicken becomes so tender and melts in your mouth. This is the most requested chicken casserole by our children.:)

OVEN BAKED CREAMY CHICKEN CASSEROLE:

I love easy casserole recipes. Having five kids, how can I not love casseroles? This is a favorite of mine because you can prepare everything the night before and then just bake the chicken casserole in the oven the following day.

This is especially a great recipe if you go to church Sunday mornings. I prepare everything per instructions the night before and keep refrigerated (covered). Then, I just place it in the oven to bake at 320°F when we leave for church. As soon as I get home I remove the foil, turn up the heat and it finishes cooking by turning a golden color on top and starts to bubble. By the time we change, set the table and are ready to have lunch, the chicken casserole is done cooking (we’re gone about 2.5 hours).

Per instructions, letting the chicken marinade in the milk mixture for a few hours is preferable (or overnight). However, if you don’t have the time for that, skip that part. The chicken just won’t be as tender, they’ll still be wonderful.

What can I serve with the CHICKEN BREAST CASSEROLE with?

Our favorite side for this easy casserole would have to be mashed potatoes. The casserole has the cream of chicken sauce that I use as gravy over the mashed potatoes. It’s amazing!

If you don’t like mashed potatoes, rice or pasta of choice may also be used. Pour the sauce from the chicken over the pasta or rice as gravy – so good!

If you have picky eaters, you can skip the mushrooms or leave it on half of the casserole. My kids are not fans of mushrooms (no idea how they aren’t). So, I just load one side of the casserole with extra mushrooms for the Mr. and I. (No complaints here).

Can I substitute the toppings?

The bacon and mushrooms and NOT a must for this recipe. If we make this on a weekday, I rarely add the bacon. We usually do bacon and mushrooms for special occasions. Just add extra cheese if you’re a cheese lover.

CHICKEN CASSEROLE FOR PARTIES:

This easy creamy chicken casserole dish is always a huge hit at our large family gatherings. We have this casserole at most of our family gatherings and parties. It’s so nice that you can prepare everything the night before and just bake it the day of the party.

So, if you are planning a party and will be busy the day of the party, you’ve found yourself the perfect recipe to serve. It’s a KEEPER! You’re welcome. <3

(P.S. This is an OLDER recipe that really needed some new photographs and bumped up to a newer post. :). ENJOY!..)

CAN I FREEZE CHICKEN CASSEROLE?

Yes, this is a perfect casserole dish to freeze. Prepare per instructions. Cover dish well and freeze.

Remove casserole dish from freezer and thaw before baking.

Can I make a smaller portion?

If this portion is too large for your family, just make 2 smaller casserole dishes instead of one large. Freeze one and bake the other. You’ll have a second casserole dish for a lazy evening when you don’t feel like cooking. You’re welcome;).

TRY THESE OTHER CASSEROLES:

BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS & POTATOES CASSEROLE-  Potatoes with strips of chicken thighs, vegetables in a creamy sauce.

CHICKEN MUSHROOM ALFREDO CASSEROLE- Chicken tenders with mushrooms in a homemade Alfredo sauce.

Creamy Chicken Casserole

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

1 hr

Easy Creamy Chicken Casserole Recipe with mushrooms, bacon, and cheese in a cream of chicken soup sauce. 

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 419 kcal

Author: Valentina's Corner

Ingredients

chicken & marinade-

3 chicken breasts (about 2 1/2 pounds)

2 eggs

1 1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

flour mixture-

3/4 cup flour

2 Tbsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 tsp salt

cream mixture-

26 oz cream of chicken soup can, family size

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup water

toppings-

8 oz bacon, 1/2 pack, cooked

6 oz mushrooms, sliced and sauteed

6 oz shredded cheese, four cheese or mozzarella

oil for frying

Instructions

Cut chicken breast into medium pieces (About 6-7 pieces per chicken). 

Prepare the marinade. Combine the milk, eggs and salt. Place the chicken pieces into the mixture and let marinade 4 hours (or overnight).The longer it marinades, the softer the chicken will become.

Combine the ingredients for the flour mixture; the flour, paprika, pepper and salt.

Take the chicken from the marinade and coat generously in the flour mixture.

Add enough oil to the skillet to completely cover the bottom of the skillet, turn on med/high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry 6-8 minutes, until chicken is crispy, turning as needed. Don't crowd the skillet. (Using two skillets works quicker.)

While chicken is frying prepare the cream mixture; combine cream of chicken soup, sour cream and water.

See More >>>https://valentinascorner.com

Berry Tiramisu Trifle

Berry Tiramisu Trifle Recipe

Easy, no alcohol, no bake berry tiramisu trifle made with Mascarpone cream cheese, lady fingers and a blackberry blueberry puree

A decadent show stopper dessert perfect for Mother’s day, Valentine’s or a spring garden party!

Initially I came up with this recipe out of guilt, as I always make the Italian Tiramisu Cheesecake for myself. But the BatMan is not fond of coffee at all. So I came up with a caffeine free, berry loaded version to keep everyone happy, including the kids. Alcohol free!

Basically I replaced the espresso in the recipe with a homemade blackberry and blueberry sauce to die for!

I dipped the lady fingers in the liquid from the berries, then folded the berries in half of the mascarpone cream cheese mixture. Magic I tell ya !

For the sake of simplicity you can choose to mix the berries with all the mascarpone mixture. I wanted to have different color layers and plenty of time on my hands so the artist in me wanted to express herself.

By cooking the berries together first it intensifies their flavor, and gives me the most amazing syrup to dip the ladyfingers in.

You can build individual tiramisu trifles if you like, or just make one large trifle dish in a footed dessert bowl (<– amazon), for everyone to share.

t wouldn’t be me if i hadn’t garnished with some pretty blossoms and fresh basil, but you can skip that if you like and add your own finishing touch. 

Tough lady fingers are the traditional way to go when making Tiramisu, you could also use Italian Panettone (<– amazon), or even pound cake. And If you are having a grown up party you could dip them in Kahlua.

Note worthy: I heard some of you could not find mascarpone cheese in your area. So sorry to hear that, because mascarpone cheese is one of a kind awesomeness. But, don’t let that hold you back from making this berry tiramisu trifle. Just use a smooth nice cream cheese as a substitute. I know it isn’t quite the same, but definitely beats not making it at all, right ?

Berry Tiramisu Trifle Recipe

Prep Time

40 mins

Total Time

40 mins

A decadent no bake berry tiramisu trifle made with Mascarpone cream cheese, lady fingers and a blackberry blueberry puree.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4

Author: Florentina

Ingredients

6 oz lady fingers

1/2 lb blueberries

1 lb blackberries

1 lb mascarpone cheese

4 egg yolks organic free range

5 tbsp granulated sugar

3/4 c heavy cream organic

4 tbsp honey + more to taste

2 lemons juices

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp water

leaves Basil for garnish

Lilac flowers for garnish optional

Instructions

In a small saucepan add the blackberries and blueberries together with the lemon juice, vanilla extract, honey and 2 tbsp of water. . Bring it to a simmer on low flame, cover with a lid and simmer together for a few minutes until the blueberries have popped. Allow to cool. Once cooled off strain the berry sauce separating the liquid from the solids.

Meanwhile using a mixer with the whisk attachment whip together the heavy cream with 1 tbsp go granulated sugar. Transfer to the refrigerator and keep cold until ready to use.

In a different bowl cream together the egg yolks with the granulated sugar using the mixer with the whisk attachment. Start adding the mascarpone cheese a little bit at a time until incorporated.

Using a spatula add the chilled whipped cream to the bowl with the mascarpone and gently fold them together. Divide in two bowls.

See More >>>https://ciaoflorentina.com

Für eine 18cm Springform*

Boden:

150-200g dieser low carb Cookies

Belag:

150g Frischkäse

250g Mascarpone

200ml Sahne

1 Vanilleschote

250ml Rhabarber Curd (optional: pürierte Beeren)

100g Xylit

1 EL Zitronensaft

1 Pck. Pulvergelatine oder Agar Agar

Ca. 100g frische Erdbeeren

Die Kekse in einen Gefrierbeutel füllen und zerbröseln. Fest auf den Boden der Springform pressen und zur Seite stellen.

Die Gelatine nach Packungsanweisung zubereiten.

See More >>>https://lowcarbkoestlichkeiten.de

Cookie Monster would absolutely FLIP over this cake! Blue velvet cake layers filled with cookies and cream chocolate chips, layers of chocolate frosting mixed with crushed Chips Ahoy and Oreos, covered in a vanilla frosting, blue sprinkles, MORE cookies and a layer of chocolate ganache. 

Let’s talk Cookie Monster. My nephew loves Sesame Street, so when I saw the blue velvet cake mix, I knew I had to make a colossal blue cake loaded with cookies and frosting. There are a lot of steps in the recipe, but none of them are difficult, and it’s a really fun cake to make!

You start by using a basic doctored cake mix recipe using Duncan Hines blue velvet cake. It uses all of the ingredients on the box plus a box of vanilla pudding mix. To give it extra cookie flavor, you stir in a cup of cookies and cream baking chips. I divided the batter between 3- 8″ round cake pans and baked it according to the directions for an 8″ pan. Keep an eye on it to make sure it isn’t getting too dark. When preparing the pans, you can either spray them with Baker’s Joy (which is what I do) or you can spray them with cooking spray and then line the bottom with parchment. When they are done baking and cooling, I wrap them in plastic wrap and transfer them to the refrigerator. Chilled cakes are much easier to frost and you won’t get crumbs in your frosting.

The next step is to make the frosting. I love this frosting it tastes like fudge! To prepare, grind the cookies first in a food processor. I used 5-6 of each in the frosting and the same amount in the topping, so you can do them all together. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter until smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar and then the water, cocoa powder, and vanilla. After adding the second half of the powdered sugar check to see how thick your frosting is. It shouldn’t be too heavy because that will make it harder to spread and it will thicken when we add the cookies. You can always add more water to thin it out. Once it’s at the right thickness stir in the cookies. This is my favorite part- the chocolate cookie crunch is to die for. I could eat it with a spoon.

From here we will layer the cakes with the frosting. I used alllll of the frosting, but feel free to only use half and save the rest in the fridge for something else. Again, I transferred the cake to the fridge to keep it cool while making the other parts of the recipe.

The vanilla frosting is made pretty much like the chocolate minus the cocoa- butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and water. This recipe is one and a half times of the standard frosting recipe since we will be using it to frost the whole cake. Set aside about a half a cup to pipe as a decoration. Frosting cakes is something that takes practice, but by all means it doesn’t have to be perfect. After working on this cake for 30 minutes I still had a lot of improvements I could make, but I didn’t want to go too over-the-top. I started by doing a very light crumb coat. Basically, we are lightly frosting the cake so create a “crumb barrier” before adding the next layer of frosting. After the coat, I put it into the fridge for about 15 minutes. When frosting the cake there are a few go-to tools that will help you- a cake turntable, frosting smoother, offset spatula, piping bags and tips, and a plastic squirt bottle. I have listed links to all of them below:

I start by frosting all around the outside of the cake and smoothing it with the icing smoother. The best way to set this up is placing your cake on a turn table so that you can move the cake instead of moving yourself. It takes a few turns to get it smooth and you can keep going until you feel like it’s smooth enough for you. After that, it’s time for sprinkles! For this cake, I used blue sprinkles from Fancy Sprinkles. They are crunchy and a really good quality. I put about 1/4 cup full in my hand and press them along the base of the cake. Keep going along the base of the cake and adding sprinkles until you get a layer at the bottom. Move the cake back to the fridge until you’re ready to add the ganache drip.

Now it’s time to make the ganache. It sounds super hard to make, but it’s really just microwaving chocolate chips and heavy cream! Add them both to a bowl and heat it up for a minute. Let it sit for an additional minute and then whisk to get it smooth. I let mine cool a bit and then pour about 1/3 of it into the plastic squirt bottle. You can also use a piping bag or even a baggie with a hole cut if you don’t have these available. I found that it’s best if the ganache is a little warm and hasn’t hardened up of course, and that your cake is cool. Pipe drips along the edge of the cake and continue until you’ve done the full circle. Using a spatula pour the rest of the ganache in the center. Pour the remaining cookie crumbs (that you didn’t use in the frosting) over the ganache. Put the rest of the vanilla frosting in a piping bag and do 8 dollops on the top of the cake. Add a few more sprinkles and garnish the dollops with mini Chips Ahoy and Oreos. I got the grab and go containers and used the rest along the base of the cake.

There are a few steps in this recipe, but they are totally worth it. This cake is super sweet and crunchy and Cookie Monster would be proud 😉

Cookie Monster Cake

Cookie Monster would absolutely FLIP over this cake! Blue velvet cake layers filled with cookies and cream chocolate chips, layers of chocolate frosting mixed with crushed Chips Ahoy and Oreos, covered in a vanilla frosting, blue sprinkles, MORE cookies and a layer of chocolate ganache. 

Ingredients

For the blue velvet cake:

1 box Duncan Hines blue velvet cake mix, plus ingredients listed on the box

1 box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 cup Hershey's cookies and cream baking pieces

For the chocolate frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3-4 tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup crushed Chips Ahoy cookies approx-5-6 cookies

1/2 cup crushed Oreos approx 5-6 cookies

For the vanilla frosting:

1 1/2 cup (2 sticks) butter

6 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

5-6 tbsp water

For the chocolate ganache:

8 oz heavy cream

8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

For the decorations:

1 cup blue sprinkles

1/2 cup crushed Chips Ahoy cookies approx 5-6 cookies

1/2 cup crushed Oreo cookies approx 5-6 cookies

5 mini Chips Ahoy cookies

5 mini Oreo cookies

Instructions

For the blue velvet cake:

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients listed on the blue velvet cake mix box plus the pudding mix. 

Stir in the cookies and cream baking chips. 

See More >>>http://www.mysimplysweetlife.com

By: Ilona

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. Enzo Matcha Green Tea

pinch of salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup greek yogurt

Frosting

1 brick of cream cheese, softened

2 – 3 Tbsp. Greek yogurt

2 Tsp. Enzo Matcha Green Tea

1 cup powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, Enzo Matcha Green Tea and pinch of salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer beat eggs with sugar for 3 minutes until creamy.

Add the butter, vanilla extract and mix for 3 minutes. Add greek yogurt and blend well.

In a low speed beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Don’t over-beat, otherwise cupcakes will be dry. You can also just use spatula instead of a mixer.

See More >>>https://enzomatcha.com