Tag: chocolate

The Little Things

Lauren1 Comment

I have been in such a good mood lately.

And really, there’s no big reason for it.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 23 years of life, it’s that it’s all about the little things.  Yeah, getting promoted, buying your dream house, winning the lottery, etc. is great (and I totally wouldn’t mind any of those things :P), but the little things add up too!

It’s leaving yoga at sunset and catching some trees all decked out in Christmas lights.

I admitted to Joey last night that although I detest cold weather, I really enjoy going out on winter nights and seeing all the lights and decorations.  Christmas happiness overrules my hatred of the cold.  Also, how good is a toasty yoga class on a cold night?

It’s finding a bag of Hershey’s White Chocolate Meltaways in the breakroom at work and adding a little bliss to my work day.

If I’m being honest, I’ve always had a soft spot for white chocolate.  There’s a time and a place for dark chocolate (like when you want to pretend the chocolate you’re eating is “healthy”) but there’s also a time for milk and white chocolate.  

And that time is apparently 12:30 on a Monday.

It’s getting a mani/pedi with your best friend on a Tuesday night.

In addition to a toasty yoga class, a piping hot foot soak is equally amazing on a winter night.  Plus we got to discuss important matters like online Coach sales, suspicions that your mom might like your boyfriend more than she likes you and our thoughts on men getting pedicures.

I went with OPI’s “Didjeridoo Your Nails?”

It’s listening to this song and wondering how it’s even possible to have a voice as good as Ray LaMontagne’s.

FYI, this song is extra good if you listen to it while you’re laying in bed, right before you go to sleep.

It’s having a home-cooked meal with your family and realizing how lucky you are to have a mom who’s such an amazing cook.

And who has the brilliant idea to cook some chili then cook some mac and cheese and layer the one over the other.

My mom confessed to adding an extra layer of cheese to the macaroni.  I could hardly scoop it into my bowl with all the strings of cheese oozing everywhere.  Extra cheese = extra love.

It’s picking up your Turkey Trot bib and being super excited to rock a 5K before indulging in two delicious Thanksgiving celebrations.

Crossing my fingers (and toes!) that I’m one of the random racers who wins $500.  Because that’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to winning the lottery.

It’s also skipping your workout to sit on the couch and mindlessly watch TV, with a candle burning and the heat on high.  Yeah, it’s definitely that.

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Tomorrow is Friday, how are you celebrating the kickoff to the weekend?

What little things made you happy this week?

White, milk or dark chocolate?

 

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

Lauren5 Comments

A few weekends ago, Joey was off seeing some scary movie and I was at home dreaming of something sweet and delicious that combined chocolate and pumpkin. Basically the opposite of anything involved in a scary movie.

I tested out the recipe. We ate 12 muffins between the two of us (not at once, I promise).  They were good but I knew they could be better, so I remade them and they came out perfect. And I received boyfriend confirmation that they were “awesome!!” and even better than the first batch.

And they better be because I decided to “take a quick walk” to Target to buy muffin tin liners for them and that short walk ended up taking an hour. Definitely worth it, though. I know they’re all chocolatey and cream cheesy, but they’re also all whole wheaty and oil free(y?) and therefore total breakfast material.  And the perfect “grab-and-go” breakfast for when you stayed up way to late watching election coverage and want to sleep as long as possible the next morning.

Just one thing. We’re still into pumpkin, right? Okay good.

Double Chocolate Muffins with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

For the muffins:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

For the frosting:

  • 1/2 stick butter, softened
  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 1.5 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream together butter and sugar (in a mixer or with a hand mixer).  Add egg and beat until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, soda, baking powder, and cocoa powder.
  4. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, along with applesauce and beat until combined.
  5. Fold in mini chocolate chips.
  6. Fill greased muffin tin with batter, filling 3/4 full.  Bake for 25 minutes.
  7. For frosting, cream butter and cream cheese together until combined, then add sugar, pumpkin and cinnamon and beat for 3-5 minutes or until fluffy.
  8. Once muffins are cooled completely, generously frost with pumpkin cream cheese frosting.

Remember when I baked muffins without liners and broke the tops off of every single muffin while trying to free them from the pan?  And then instead of topping them with frosting, I glued the two pieces back together with the frosting?  Turns out this makes for the perfect muffin.

Trust me, just try it.