Month: April 2011

It’s 10pm and you have a craving for chocolate, so what do you do? Do you eat leftover Halloween candy? Do you eat chocolate icecream? Do you send your husband out to get you a hot chocolate at Starbucks? Well, those all sound great but we all know the husband isn’t going to run out to Starbucks for you at 10pm and in my house, there isn’t any chocolate icecream, as it’s all been eaten and frankly, the halloween candy doesn’t sound that appealing.

Well then, there’s only one more option…. and it’s what I did tonight!

I made Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Muffins! I know. I watched them as they baked in the oven and as soon as I took them out, I ate them all warm and gooey straight out of the oven with a nice glass of milk! Now, that’s how I like to eat my chocolate! I know, I’m not normal for baking so late at night but can you blame me? Don’t they look so yummy? I am muffin crazy! Now, the question is what would you do?

Salt. There are so many different types of salt, which one is better to use for cooking and baking? The main difference between salts seems to be their texture. There are three major types of salt.

Iodized Table Salt has fine granules that dissolve quickly, making it the preferred salt of bakers.

Kosher Salt is an additive free salt and has larger, course grains, preferred by cooks.

Sea Salt has a milder flavor then table salt and is preferred by cooks for table use. I use Hain’s all natural Iodized Sea Salt for everyday cooking and baking, as it accentuates other ingredients in the dish/baked good without overpowering it with a salt flavor.

Most recipes that call for salt refer to table salt which has additives like iodine, to prevent a thyroid disease, and an anti-caking agent so the salt won’t get lumpy in humid weather.  However, salt connoisseurs, often prefer to use Kosher salt for cooking, and sea salt for table use, claiming they have a softer flavor.

Salt in an essential component in baking.  Of course you only add 1/2 teaspoon at a time to your baked goodies, but don’t take salt for granted! Salt accentuates the overall flavor, enhancing the flavors of butter, flour and even chocolate! By the way, when baking, use unsalted butter to help control the amount of salt used in your baked good. You wouldn’t want to make a batch of salty cookies!

I just found a recipe for Banana Macadamia Nut Muffins…. oh my goodness, doesn’t that sound delicious? I absolutely LOVE Macadamia Nut Cookies so I MUST try to make these muffins.

I’m also going to make my very own, homemade Organic Hot Fudge Sauce, made without high fructose corn syrup you find in conventional brands of your grocery store. Imagine drizzling some of this chocolate over these muffins. YUM-O as Rachael Ray would say. Stay tuned!