Aunt Joan's Ganache

My Aunt Joan gave me a recipe for ganache when I was newly married and I had no clue what it was but I love anything chocolate and this recipe quickly became one of my favourites.

Ganache is really versatile.  Here are a few of my favourite past uses for it...

 {back when I had a cake business}

Dripping down the sides of a cake...

Dripping and piped along the bottom.

More drips, and piping, and lettering!

I know you already saw the dripping effect but this was is too cute not to safe, right?

I used ganache to create a muddy track for this dirt biker:)

Layered in an ice cream cookie cake.

I think you get the idea.  

Here's the recipe...

AUNT JOAN'S GANACHE

Ingredients:

-1 bag of chocolate chips (about 2 cups) OR 2 cups of chopped chocolate...use what ya got:)

-1 cup heavy cream (I use unpasturized Jerseyland cream)

Steps:

-Place the chocolate in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

-In a small saucepan ( I use a double boiler just to be safe cause burnt milk is not a good scene), bring the cream to a boil.

-Pour the cream over the chocolate, let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes, then blend until smooth and shiny.  ( I usually use a whisk but an electric mixer is a good idea, I'm just lazy:)

-let cool slightly before using.

**if you are wanting the dripping look, you do want the ganache to be relatively warm so it drizzles but not hot enough to melt your icing.

**if you are wanting to pipe ganache onto a cake, you'll need it a little cool so that it keeps it's shape.

**ganache can be made ahead and stored covered in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Cookie Ice Cream Cake

My son Caleb has requested an ice cream cake for his birthday two years in a row.

Here is this year's version...

COOKIE ICE CREAM CAKE

Ingredients:

-1 double recipe of your favourite cookie dough

-6-8 cups of your favourite ice cream flavor/s(we use so delicious coconut ice cream)

-Aunt Joan's Ganache 

Steps:

-bake one giant cookie in your springform pan.  I prefer to undercook my cookie so that it is more on the soft side than the crispy side.  **If you line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, it will be easy to remove your cookie.

-bake a second cookie in your springform pan, the same as the first.  

-let cookies cool

-ganache should also be cooled to room temperature so that it is spreadable but will not melt ice cream

-prepare ice cream by letting it sit out just long enough to make it easy to scoop and smooth.

-place one cookie in the springform pan

-top cookie with generous layer of ganache

-scoop ice cream on top of ganache and smooth it out to edges of pan.

-top ice cream with second cookie

-top cookie with ganache

-top ganache with remaining ice cream

-add decorations as desired (I squeezed dollops of ganache around edges and stuck cookies into them but you can get as creative as you like:)

-freeze your cookie cake!

Serves:  8-16 (I would serve small pieces because this cake is very rich)  Be sure to take the cake out and let it defrost a bit so that you can cut into it at cake time!  **I actually made two of these, pre cut one, used the whole one for singing happy birthday and served the pre cut one first while cutting the whole one.

**springform pans are awesome for displaying your lovely dessert because once it has it's structure (in this case by re-freezing the ice cream) you can remove the sides!

Cocoa Kamut

This recipe has been with us since long before I valued quality ingredients.  The original recipe included corn syrup and sugar and puffed wheat.

This is my healthier option, I hope you enjoy it!

COCOA KAMUT

Ingredients:

-1 cup coconut sugar

-1/2 cup maple syrup

-3 Tbsp cocoa powder

-1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)

-1 Tbsp vanilla

-8 cups puffed Kamut

Steps:

-Combine first 4 ingredients in a pot.

-boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly

-remove from heat and add vanilla

-grease a large bowl with coconut oil

-pour puffed Kamut into the bowl

-pour hot mixture over Kamut

-mix well.

-smoosh mixture into a greased 9x12 pyrex pan

-let cool then cut to serve

*you can scoop the mixture out of the bowl and into cupcake papers in a cupcake tin for a nice way to serve this dessert to a crowd, or as a treat to bring to a school event

Oat Fudge Bars

I'm certain that Starbucks made Oat Fudge Bars with me in mind.  They are my absolute favourite.  I decided it was high time to figure out a better option for this oat-fudgy obsession. Here's what we've come up with (I say we because there have been many batches and my older daughters have all weighed in and helped as we tweaked our recipe.)

I just want to clarify, oats are not a staple around here.  My philosophy when it comes to food is always changing as I learn.  I feel it is important to come up with exciting options that will deter us from choosing the really bad stuff.  When I make these Oat Fudge Bars I use organic, GMO free oats, pure organic maple syrup, and other ingredients that I have carefully selected.  I believe this is a better option for a special treat than driving through and "splurging" on the real thing... Get my drift?

OAT FUDGE BARS

ingredients:

base:

-2 bananas, mashed really well

-4 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

-2 eggs

-4 Tbsp maple syrup

-1/2 tsp salt

-2 1/2 c .organic oats

-1 c. oat bran

-1 c. spelt flour

-1/2 c. ground flax seeds (I like the golden ones)

-1/2 c. shredded unsweetened coconut

(this mixture can vary so get creative with what you have, you may like more flour and less oats or you may want to substitute the oat bran with more coconut...you can get away with many varieties here.)

fudge:

-1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life, if you have a chocolate that you like that is in bar form, you can use that by just chopping it up)

-1 c. coconut milk

steps:

-preheat oven to 350

-mash the bananas really well

-add oil, eggs, syrup and salt and mix well.

-combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl

-add dry ingredients to wet until mixed

-press this mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 and an 8x8 (I have a big crew, you may have lots of leftovers!   They freeze really well:)

-in a double boiler, warm up the coconut milk.

-add chocolate and stir until it makes a chocolately, fudgy sauce.

-pour the chocolate mixture on top of the oat base

-bake for 10-15 minutes

-i like to let these cool completely before we eat them but my family usually has other ideas.  If you have self control, you can let them cool in the fridge for an hour or two.