Chocolate Filled Churro French Toast

You know that saying, "don't mess with a good thing" or "if it's not broken don't fix it"? That's how I feel about churros. I love everything about churros. I love how it's sweet and doughy on the inside but sweet and crunchy on the outside. I love how the sugar dissolves right in your mouth and the cinnamon sugar residue on your hands that is perfect for licking. And as tasty as the original churro is, the chocolate filled version is pretty amazing too. I ate one at Disneyland once and omg it was soo good! Now, the only problem with churros is that it's not exactly something I can pick up at the supermarket or a fast food place. I know Costco sells it but theirs suck. So, I decided I would try to make my own but in the form of french toast.

Chocolate Filled Churro French Toast

2 slices of bread

1/4 C graham cracker crumbs

2 tsp cinnamon sugar

1 tbsp cacao nibs  

 1 egg

1/4 C milk

1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 tbsp butter

Whisk the graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon sugar until thoroughly combined. This will serve as the "churro" mixture. Beat the egg, milk, vanilla bean paste in a separate bowl. Spread the butter on each slice of bread. Sprinkle the cacao nibs (chocolate chips will work as well) over one slice of the buttered bread. Place the other slice of bread on top, buttered side down. Carefully dredge the bread into the egg mixture for 1 minute per side and then transfer to the "churro" mixture. (FYI - this part might get a bit messy because of the cacao nibs/chocolate chips.) On a heated skillet/pan, cook each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. 

I wasn't 100% happy with this recipe mainly because I had a bit of a tough time with the cacao nibs. Some of them wanted to jump ship from the french toast. It still turned out pretty good but I think I will also experiment with melting the chocolate before hand and then spreading it onto the bread?

Dessert for Breakfast

This morning was a bittersweet because I ate the last of my chocolate hazelnut spread. It's super expensive and I have no idea where to buy it other than online. So, basically I have no idea when I will be able to eat it next because it costs an arm and a leg.

 I wanted to use it for overnight oats in a jar but the jar is far too small. So, I decided on overnight parfait in a jar =)

 The chocolate hazelnut coupled with the sliced strawberries, bananas, yogurt, and raw oats tasted sinfully delicious. It kind of reminded me chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate covered bananas. It was so incredibly good that I truly felt like I was eating dessert for breakfast. I savored every bit and would have licked the inside of the jar if I could.

What is your favorite dessert for breakfast dish?

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies

You know that saying friends shouldn’t let friends drive drunk? Well, I have come to the conclusion that there should be a new saying involving Target; that being, friends shouldn’t let friends go to alone. The store is massive and they always have super good sales. Oh, and the dollar section in the front of the store is the worst because you think, “oh well it’s only a dollar. I guess I could use that.” I mean, how can you say no to a box of Jolly Rancher ice pops for a dollar? So, you may go to Target with the intention of buying one thing, but next thing you know you end up leaving with a whole basket or cart of stuff you don’t need. Like last night for example, I was planning on only buying new work pants but then I got sucked into the black hole known as Target. Seriously, it’s impossible not to hit up their $5 dvd section or their candy section, especially when they still have leftover Easter candy. So, the moral of the story is, treat shopping at Target just like you would for drinking. Use the buddy system unless you want to make your bank account cry because mine is certainly not happy with me right now. But at least I got a pair of work pants and ingredients for some mind-blowing cookies.

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 package Chocolate Chip cookie dough

1 jar Peanut Butter & Co Dark Chocolate Dreams flavor

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat chopping board or surface area with powdered sugar. Remove cookie dough from casing and place on powdered sugar coated surface area. With a rolling pin, roll the cookie dough until it’s about 1/4” thick. Use a 2” round cookie cutter to cut the dough. Combine the scraps and continue cutting with the cookie cutter. Make sure the overall total is an even number. Place a teaspoon of peanut butter in the middle of the cookie. Top with the other half of the cookie dough. Roll the dough in your hands to form a ball shape and to ensure that the peanut butter filling is completely covered. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Line up the cookies on a sheet pan and spread them out 2 inches apart. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until it’s golden brown. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before serving. 

Before

After

All packed for delivery to my usual group of taste testers

Marisa, if you're reading this - this is for you!

Cookie is the New Zoloft

I tried to make chocolate strawberry filled dumplings this morning but experienced numerous failed attempts. I either over stuffed it, which tore the skin or under stuffed it, which gave the dumpling a sad, deflated appearance.  It was one extreme to the other. Bah!

Fail!!

 After 5 failed attempts, I gave up and decided to cheer myself up with breakfast, which was overnight oats in a jar. 

Hello fig butter!  Btw, if you haven’t tried TJ’s fig butter before, go to the store right now and buy some asap. It is seriously one of the best jams out there. 

I also cheered myself with this oatmeal raisin cookie that my awesome blossom of a sister bought for me from my new favorite place – Urth Caffe.

I was a bit scared because the cookie is wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. I have never had a 100% vegan cookie before, so I was very curious to see if this fat-free cookie would be just as tasty as a regular full-fat cookie. I broke off a small piece and surprisingly it was pretty good. I honestly could not tell that it was free of so many ingredients. Since it’s an oatmeal raisin cookie, I decided that it would work well as a topping for my overnight oats in a jar.=)

 

Topping my oatmeal with this cookie was the best decision ever. The cookie definitely helped me get over my failed dumpling recipe. I am now a firm believer that cookies are new the zoloft.

PB&J French Toast Waffles

I’m not going to lie. I made a pretty orgasmic dish today – PB & J French toast waffles.  It was definitely the strangest but most delicious French toast I’ve ever had and kind of reminded me of food that is served at county fairs. Prior to putting all the ingredients together, I debated on what to use for the toast. I kept on going back and forth on waffles, bread, and Hawaiian bread. In the end, I decided on waffles. Regular bread seemed a bit boring for such a unique meal and I have had French toast made with Hawaiian bread before. So, long story short, the waffles won.

PB & J French Toast Waffles

2 waffle slices

1 tbsp peanut butter, crunchy or smooth

1 tbsp jelly, any flavor

1 egg

1/4 C milk

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Optional:

Butter

Generously spread peanut butter on one slice and jelly on the other slice. Make sure to completely cover the entire side of the waffle.  Smush the waffles together, sandwich style. Beat the egg, milk, vanilla bean paste, and ground cinnamon. Place the waffle into the egg mixture and soak for one minute per side. While the waffle is bathing in the egg mixture, turn on the stove to medium heat. Add a tablespoon of butter if you are not using a nonstick pan. When the pan is hot, cook each side for 4 minutes or until golden brown. When the French toast waffles is done, cut into strips, in half, or skip the cutting altogether and chow down.

I also had some leftover egg mixture and didn't want to waste it. So, while the French toast waffles was cooking, I sliced up half a large banana, sopped it in the remaining egg mixture, and grilled it as well for a few minutes per side

This was sooo goood! MMMMMM! As I was eating this, I couldn't help but think that this would make for some good eats when you're hungover. But in case, it's pretty amazing whether you're sober or hungover.

M.I.A.

Sorry for being MIA on Friday. I was given the day off in honor of Good Friday so I decided to take advantage of a rare day off by playing tourist in downtown Los Angeles. I managed to accomplish most of what I wanted to do, see, and eat, including a wonderful moment where I got lost in the ghetto.  I don't know what the highlight of that moment was. Watching a homeless man pull out a blue dog bag and start chewing on it or watching a man start a fight with a complete stranger for no good reason and then run away on his bicycle after getting punched in the face. Anyway, here are some pictures of my day trip.

First up was Bottega Louie, which is a really cute and pretty affordable Italian restaurant. I've eaten here twice and love their food, especially their desserts.

I wanted to buy all of these delectable treats but in the end I settled on these two glorious chocolate bars.

 

Next up was the Rooftop Bar at the Standard. I have always wanted to check out the rooftop lounge bar because it has an amazing view of downtown L.A. and supposedly offers really good drinks. Not sure why the sign is upside down but apparently it's their signature thing?

 I really wanted to check out the Biergarten but it was close to lunch time and I already had lunch plans with my sister. Didn't want to spoil my appetite with beer.

So, I settled on an awesome gin and tonic. My first drink at the Rooftop. Not too shabby =)

Last stop was Urth Cafe, which has been on my list of places to visit for quite some time. They are known for serving up really good coffee, tea, and sandwiches. I was already pretty full from lunch but I couldn't pass up this opportunity to try their coffee and desserts. So, I ordered a Spanish latte, which was one of the best coffees I have ever had and this crazy good chocolate hazelnut cake.

 

I also came across this beer flavored chips that I had to buy. I haven't tried it yet but can't wait to. I like beer and I like chips. Sounds like a possibly good marriage to me =)

 And that pretty much sums up my wonderful day in downtown L.A.

Pancakes!

From last night to this morning, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted for breakfast. Oatmeal? Waffles? Cereal? Frittata? Quiche? I was having one of those mornings where everything sounded good but not at the same time. Does that make sense? I was quickly running out of time before I needed to leave for work so I knew I had to make something that has a short prep/cook time. In the end I decided to make pancakes. It’s easy to prepare and cooks super quickly.

All the Fixins' Pancakes

1/4 C whole wheat flour

1/8 C milk

1 egg

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 banana, sliced

2 strawberries, sliced

1 tbsp chocolate chips

(Optional) Toppings:

Sprinkle of unsweetened shredded coconut

Roughly chopped walnuts

Maple syrup

Peanut butter

Whisk together the first 6 ingredients until just combined.  Place pan over medium heat and pour 1 tbsp of oil. When the pan gets hot, either pour the entire batter onto the pan or cook in batches. Let the batter cook for 20 seconds or so and then top with fruit and chocolate chips. When the batter starts to bubble, flip over and continue to cook until the bottom of the pancake reaches a brown color. Add desired toppings. Serve immediately.

I had a hard time deciding what toppings I wanted because I was craving so many things. I think it’s because I rarely eat pancakes? I usually eat pancakes with maple syrup but I heard it’s also good with peanut butter. In the end, I decided that I would let loose and add all the toppings I wanted instead of limiting myself. So, I divided the pancake in half and poured maple syrup on one side and peanut butter on the other side. I also topped it off with some chopped walnuts and shredded coconut.Halfway through, I wished I added more chocolate chips but either way my breakfast was mighty tasty. I made it with all the fixins' and it definitely hit the spot.

Maple Syrup

Peanut Butter

Last bite! <tears>