Nutella Hot Chocolate

I am a hot chocolate fiend. However I have started to notice that in my old age that hot chocolate keeps me up at night if I drink it too late in the afternoon. So instead of downing the Swiss Miss (ah the days of my youth!....or grad school) I now try to stick to yummy hot chocolate drinks and special occasions. This delicious Hazelnut Hot Chocolate fits the bill! It's easy and fancy enough for a special occasion.

Hazelnut Hot Chocolate

(From Martha Stewart Living)

Ingredients:

1.5 cups milk

1/3 cup hazelnut spread (I like Nutella)

Directions:

1. Combine the milk and Nutella in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking until smooth. Divide between two cups and serve with whipped cream!

A New Breakfast Routine

As a kid I hated breakfast and as an adult I still kind of do. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love breakfast food and eating a scrumptious breakfast on the weekend is no problem. I just can't eat food right after I wake up which poses a problem on school/work mornings when you have to get your butt out the door. I literally grew up on Instant Breakfast Shakes. Except for that period in high school where I had a Coke every morning (I know my parents were horrible right?! Or I was a lovely teenager...) I can handle some soupy oatmeal but it can't be thick at all. And now I have these yummy breakfast shakes that I'm experimenting with.

I made my first one yesterday and stuck to the recipe. It was delicious. I really loved the combination of peanut butter and cinnamon. Today I swapped the peanut butter for Nutella and omitted the cinnamon. Still yummy but the Nutella flavor isn't strong. In an effort to be more healthy I omitted the added honey/sugar the second time around and really couldn't tell. I'm thinking the next step would be to throw in some Instant Breakfast mix? The shake is pretty filling too. I had one before I left for work and wasn't hungry for lunch but still ate by regular granola/fiber bar at school and wasn't dying for my after school snack on my drive home like I normally am. So success in my book!

Banana Breakfast Shake

(from the Mother Unit)

Ingredients:
1 banana, frozen (freeze without the peel)
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon peanut butter (or Nutella!)
1 tablespoon honey (or sugar)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I just did a couple good shakes)
Directions:
1. The night before peel a banana, wrap in plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer.
2. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend. If you want a thicker shake you can add in a couple ice cubes.
3. Add whip cream, it's always better with whip cream.

Banana-Nutella Shake

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Cookies

My kitchen has been relatively quiet the first few days of April. There was leftover night, fend for yourself night (I had Parent-Teacher's Night), we are both exhausted and going to eat an entire box of mac and cheese night, and I'm on vacation and not meal planning night. However I did make these bad boys for my histobee goodie bags and they were delicious! Absolute heaven. They combine two of my favorite things: Peanut Butter and Nutella. Can't go wrong there. They were a hit with everyone: Mr. Lawyer, my kids, my principal, the rest of the staff. I can't wait to make them again!

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirled Cookies 

(found on pinterest)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup Nutella
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat together butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined.
5. Microwave Nutella for 20 seconds and then drizzle over the dough. Fold in Nutella with a spatula until well-distributed throughout the dough.
6. Chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes and then roll small balls by hand. Place about an inch apart on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and use a fork to press down the balls slightly.
7. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 2 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

My Histobee Goodie Bags

Each bag had 4 cookies, 2 of my Apple Cinnamon Muffins, 2 granola bars, a bottle of water, and some peppermint candy. My kids rocked the competition. Period.

Nutella Cookies!

You just can't go cold turkey after all those delicious Thanksgiving desserts. Last night I was craving something sweet so I whipped up some nutella cookies. There are a ton of recipes on the internet so I picked out the parts I liked (Chocolate chips? Yes. Cocoa powder? Nope.). I did half the batch with hazelnuts on top as an experiment (plus I had these extra hazelnuts in my cupboard!). The verdict: we like the ones with nuts more. The nutella flavor is subtle but then I'm use to eating nutella by the spoonful! They were especially good reheated this morning with a cup of coffee. I highly recommend them as a change from traditional chocolate chip cookies.

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup Nutella
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Crushed hazelnuts for topping
Directions:
1. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in Nutella and vanilla extract. Mix in egg. Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for approximately one hour.
3. Roll dough into one tablespoon balls, lightly press into crushed hazelnuts and place 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes until the edges look set. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then carefully remove to cooling racks.

Bits and Pieces

I must say that I make a pretty stellar vanilla milkshake. My chocolate ones aren't half bad either. I do tend to fail with strawberry. Mr. Lawyer says my vanilla milkshakes are some of the best ones he has ever had and I'm going to decide that it's not a boyfriend lie. My secret weapon?

Vanilla Bean Paste. It really does make a difference and it's so much better than vanilla extract. Not only is the flavor amazing but it adds little specks of vanilla bean that just up the game. Plus real vanilla beans are expensive unless they magically appear in your mailbox from some mystical tropical island (Hey Sandy!). Back to the milkshake. I have no exact recipe and wing it. It really depends on my mood. Sometimes you want a thick slurpy milkshake that requires a spoon and sometimes you want a smooth one that you can drink through a straw in 10 seconds so the milk to ice cream ratio varies. The good thing is that milkshakes are very forgiving you can add more milk/ice cream to fix it and not only do you reach your desired consistency but you also have more milkshake (and how is that a bad thing?!) I always add a good dollop of Vanilla Bean Paste. It's always awesome.

Vanilla Milkshakes

(the kitchen of Jenni)

Ingredients:
Vanilla Ice Cream
Milk
Vanilla Bean Paste
Directions:
1. Add your desired amount of ice cream and milk to blender and blend.
2. Blend in a good dollop of vanilla bean paste.
3. Enjoy one amazing milkshake.

I whipped up some vanilla milkshakes last night for our impromptu gathering and sous chef Amanda plated Nutella Graham Crackers (because Nutella is always a good idea). Now Nutella Graham Crackers tastes an awful lot like s'mores. Then Amanda made the amazing decision to dunk them into the milkshakes. S'more heaven.

And that's why we didn't have dinner last night.