5 Minute Chocolate Cake

Every now and then, like most people I know, I HAVE to have chocolate. This urge can strike at any time, so I have to be prepared. I used to buy 3 Musketeers and kept them hidden in the freezer, but Terry has found that stash and depleted it. While reading through the posts on Cooking Light's Bulletin Board, I came across a recipe, posted by tifscatku, for 5 Minute Chocolate Cake. Last night seemed like the perfect night to try it out, and because I had all of the ingredients on hand, that is what I did.

5 Minute Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

4 T. flour
4 T. sugar
2 T. cocoa
1 egg
3 T. milk
3 T. oil
3 T. chocolate chips (optional)
splash of vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large coffee mug, mix flour, sugar, and cocoa. Then put in egg and mix. Then add milk and oil and mix again. Finally add chocolate chips and vanilla and mix one last time

2. Place in microwave and cook for 3 minutes in a 1000 watt microwave. Place it on a plate in case it spills over.

Ingredients for 5 Minute Chocolate Cake.

Mix together the flour, sugar and cocoa.

Mix in the milk and the oil.

Mix in the chocolate chips and a splash of vanilla.

Place the cup on a plate just in case it spills over in the microwave.

Microwave for three minutes.

Be careful when removing your cake, use a pot holder or kitchen towel.

5 Minute Chocolate Cake is the perfect thing to quench a chocolate craving when other options are minimal. I thought it was pretty good, but assume it would be much better if made as directed. There were a few swaps that I made trying to lighten it slightly, and I think I should have tried the recipe as written during my first attempt. I used 3 tablespoons of Equal instead of 4 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of Canola oil instead of 3. I will certainly try this again, and would recommend trying it yourself in a pinch, but I would not rely on it to serve to company. 5 Minute Chocolate Cake is a great recipe to have for chocolate emergencies, because almost anyone always has the ingredients on hand.

-Heather

Chocolate Sandwich Ice Cream Cookies

I love, love, love ice cream. I honestly eat a bowl of it every evening. Terry and I started buying the low fat and calorie brands and didn’t miss the original full fat and calorie version. We found the Skinny Cow brand of ice cream sandwiches and were hooked on those for a while. They are fairly pricey so I was overjoyed when I read a review of a Cooking Light recipe posted by a trusted BB member, Sharon (Sharsd). She recommended using CL’s recipe, Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Marshmallow Cream Filling. She made the recipe as written and also made just the cookies, filling them with ice cream. I decided to give it a try….

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup fat-free buttermilk
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. To prepare cookies, combine 1 cup sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 2 minutes). Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and eggs; beat until combined. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, 1 teaspoon salt, baking powder, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until set. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

These CL Chocolate Sandwich Cookies paired perfectly with ice cream. They are so tasty, and while they are easy to make, they are also impressive looking. I let the ice cream thaw for a bit so it would be easy to scoop onto one cookie, then I pressed down with the next cookie. To ensure that they would keep their form I froze the assembled ice cream sandwiches on a cookie sheet wrapped with plastic until they were frozen solid. After that I threw them into a large zip top bag. I plan on experimenting with as many types of ice cream fillings as I can!! These hit the spot for a nice dessert and were also a great mid-day snack during the month of August! Thanks to Sharon for posting such a great idea!

-Heather