Currently Cooking {Chocolate-Coconut Chia Pudding}

April 4, 2013 By missrenaissance in Dessert, Food, Recipes Tags: Chia Pudding, Chia Seeds, Dessert, Healthy Desserts 4 Comments

If Brussel Sprouts are the new Beets and Emerald is the new Black, then it’s obvious that Chia Seeds are the new Flax Seed, right? These little seeds are pretty powerful. They’re high in fiber, low in fat, and can be transformed into all sorts of interesting recipes.

For my first official foray into Chia Seeds, I went with a simple but super delicious pudding. Literally, all you need to do is combine all 5 ingredients in a bowl (a whisk is best), cover the mixture with plastic wrap & let it rest in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours. That’s it!! You’ll have a super yummy, heathy, and filling dessert. I love the combo of chocolate and coconut with the interesting Chia texture!

Do you have any favorite recipes with Chia Seeds? I’d love to hear about them.

{All images by Miss Renaissance.}

Currently Baking {Homemade Samoas}

March 5, 2013 By missrenaissance in Baking, Dessert, Food, Recipes Tags: Baking, Cookies, Girl Scout Cookies, Girlscouts, Homemade Samoas, Recipes, Samoas 13 Comments

Something beautiful is happening right now. It’s Girl Scout Cookie Season (feel free to imagine me screaming this part!)!! Every year, for about 7 weeks between January and March, we can all get our fill of carb & sugar-loading deliciousness in the form of a box (or 12) of Thin Mints, Tagalongs, or my personal favorites – Samoas. I’ve been known to literally stalk the local Girl Scout Troops just so that I don’t miss their sales & end up without cookies for the Season.

But then Spring rolls around and the hoarded boxes of cookies slowly run out….what then!!?? I can’t believe it took me this long to come up with a solution – just make your own favorite Girl Scout Cookie recipe once you run out of the real deal. Don’t get me wrong, I am 100% for supporting your local Troops & buying as many boxes as you can stuff in your pantry/fridge/freezer…but for the rest of the year, making your own is the perfect cure for that cookie withdrawal we all know so well.

These absolutely taste like the real thing – amazingly crunchy, chewy, caramelly-coconutty awesome! Wish me luck at not gaining 40 pounds over the next year due to this recipe.

{All Photos by Miss Renaissance.}

Currently Baking {Olive Clafoutis}

February 21, 2013 By missrenaissance in Baking, Dessert, Food Tags: Baking, Clafoutis, Dessert, Miss Renaissance, Olive Clafoutis, Olives 1 Comment

When my good friends over at Said She Said He challenged me to make something delicious using Olives a few weeks back, I was immediately excited! Olives aren’t usually on my list of ingredients to bake with, but the idea of using them in a sweet recipe was intriguing.

During my research, I came across this unusual recipe and knew I had to give it a shot. What comes to mind when you think of Clafoutis? Cherries, perhaps? Or maybe stone fruit, like peaches or apricots? Traditionally, Clafoutis is a French dessert baked with whole black cherries – pits and all. Using a traditionally savory ingredient, such as Olives, in a normally sweet pastry sounded slightly absurd, but I thought it had the potential to be delicious.

Turns out it’s just that – delish! The poaching process takes a lot of the briney/salty elements from the Olives and replaces it with a slight sweetness that’s really interesting. Seriously, try it for yourself, your mind might just get blown a little!

P.S.: I decided to bake individual mini Clafoutis, but this recipe can also be baked in a bigger dish & served family style – what a perfect option for a weekend brunch, dontcha think?!

{All Photos by Miss Renaissance.}

You’ve got my {Sweet}Heart!

January 29, 2013 By missrenaissance in Dessert, DIY, Valentine's Tags: DIY, Hearts, Marshmallows, Rice Crispy Treats, Sweets, Valentine's Day, Valentine's DIY 5 Comments

As promised, the last post for these next few weeks is a sweet Valentine’s Treat! I couldn’t bear leaving you all for vacation without at least one Valentine’s Recipe/DIY idea!! These rice crispy treats are just as simple to make as the regular ones. All you need in addition is some red food coloring & a heart-shaped cookie cutter.

To be exact, I used 2 tbsp of butter & melted it in a pot on medium heat. Then I added 2.5 cups of mini marshmallows and let the mixture melt. When melted, I added 3 drops of red food coloring and combined the mixture with a spatula. Then I added 4 cups of Rice Crispies and combined everything (really well!) with a wooden spoon. Last, I spread the mixture into a small baking dish (about 9 x9 inches), pushed in down evenly, and let it cool. Once cool, all you need to do is cut out the hearts with your cookie cutter – Voila! SO easy & cute, right? To amp things up even more, you could individually wrap these hearts in gift bags with a custom written Love Note! Now if that’s not sweet & lovely then I just don’t know….

{All images by Miss Renaissance.}

Sweets {For my Sweet}

January 18, 2013 By missrenaissance in Dessert, Food Tags: Brazilian Dessert, Brigadeiros, Dessert, My Sweet Brigadeiro, Sweets Leave a comment

If you haven’t heard of Brazil’s famous sweet – the Brigadeiro – you’re in for a treat!! These little nuggets of heaven are amazing. Period. I’ve only had them in Brazil, but they’re now making an appearance State-side in NYC (and everywhere via the web) from My Sweet Brigadeiro. This sweet confection differs from a traditional truffle. It’s made with a mixture of sweetened condensed milk (giving it an extra creamy and milky dimension), butter, and cocoa powder, and is traditionally served at Brazilian Birthday Parties. The unusual flavors by My Sweet Brigadeiro look amazing…I may have to order a box for myself in the near future! Oh, and how cute would these be as a Valentine’s Gift?

Have a super sweet weekend, Lovelies!

{Images via My Sweet Brigadeiro.}

Category Archives: Dessert

Currently Cooking {Chocolate-Coconut Chia Pudding}

Currently Baking {Homemade Samoas}

Currently Baking {Olive Clafoutis}

You’ve got my {Sweet}Heart!

Sweets {For my Sweet}

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