Fudge Sauce

Here is a delicious homemade hot fudge sauce. It's good warm or cold. We love it on ice cream!

Fudge Sauce

2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
4 tablespoons butter
1 can evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Stir sugar and cocoa in saucepan over low heat for 2-3 minutes (this helps to avoid lumps in your sauce). Add butter and evaporated milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes or until sauce is at desired thickness. (Sauce will thicken more once it sits in your refrigerator). Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir for a few minutes. Refrigerate. Warm for serving, if desired.

Chocolate Muffins

I found this recipe at the King Arthur Flour website. Those people know how to bake! I absolutely LOVE anything that is chocolate, so this had to be tried right away. I made a few modifications to my muffins: I added some whole wheat flour and raspberries (because I love raspberries with chocolate) and I left out the espresso powder. The original recipe can be found here: Chocolate Breakfast Muffins . And my version is below. Hope you enjoy them!

Chocolate Muffins (adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe)

2/3 cup (2 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa
1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
3/4 cup (3.25 ounces) all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups (9 3/8 ounces) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons vinegar
1/2 cup (4 ounces, 1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup mashed raspberries (fresh or frozen), optional

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper or spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a large measuring cup or medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, milk, vanilla and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring to blend; then gently stir in the mashed raspberries, if desired.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin (about 2/3 full). Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven, and after 5 minutes remove them from the pan, allowing them to cool for about 15 minutes on a rack before peeling off the muffin papers or silicone cups. Makes about 18 small muffins.

Toffee Apple Dip

If you're looking for a way to increase your calorie intake while you eat your fruit, give this dip a try. My cousin brought it to a family party a few weeks ago and everyone went crazy for it. It's a little addicting so I'd recommend making it when you're going to have a few extra people around to help you eat it!

Toffee Apple Dip

8 ounces cream cheese (I use the whipped kind to make it easier to mix)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package heath bits (find these by the chocolate chips)

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate. Serve with sliced apples.