Well before I get started with today’s post - I just want to announce and warn you that this may be the most exciting zesty post to date.  As I told you before that while we are building our house over the next coming months that I would take zesty on the road.  And with this post  that is exactly what I did.  Yesterday, I was invited over to my sister (and brother) in laws to take part in some baking.

We did a ton of baking along with a few photos of the event.  We all had a lot of fun and the results speak for themselves.  In the coming days you will see some amazing treats in addition to today’s Chocolate cream cheese cupcakes.  While at their house,  I thought I would take advantage of their gorgeous kitchen and show it off a bit.

So before we begin with the amazing recipe and picture overload, I want to send a big thank you to my family for helping out zesty in transition mode.
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Lately I have been craving candy like no other.  We were at a wedding last weekend and one of the party favors was an all you can eat “Candy Bar”.  It was a great idea, as there was a lot of selection and nice little take out boxes to take your goodies.  It was definitely the highlight of the night.

When it comes to candy, we always seem to have a few Swedish berries on hand as we are addicted to them.  My favorite candy would have to be “black babies”.  I tend not to eat them very often but when I get the craving… oh boy look out.

In addition to the traditional sugar candies I do love a hint of chocolate every now and again.  I do not drink any coffee, tea or pop/soda, so I look for a shot of chocolate every now and again as a treat.

So with that being said,

I want to know your “FAVORITE CANDY”.

Tell me in the comments because I am sure there are tonnes of candy I have not even heard of.  I look forward to hearing everyone’s response.

Have a great Friday and I will see you all on Monday.

Take care

zesty

Hi everyone! I’m Brandi, from Bran Appetit (www.branappetit.wordpress.com), and I’m so happy to be doing a guest post for Zesty!

If you’re anything like me, you love sweets. Who doesn’t, right? We may not all like the same sweets, but sometimes, you just have to have a decadent treat.

I recently made one of my husband’s favorite sweet treats: 7 – Layer Bars (or Hello Dollies or Magic Cookie Bars or whatever you call them)

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 14 oz. can fat free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup coconut
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup nuts of your choice (we usually use pecans or walnuts)

Method

1. Mix melted butter and graham cracker crumbs and press into greased 9×13 pan.
2. Pour condensed milk over crust.
3. Sprinkle toppings all over and
4. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

While these are delicious, I don’t eat them very often because they’re not the healthiest things for me. Once in a while, definitely. You just can’t beat the buttery, gooey crust topped with all that chocolate, butterscotch, and coconut.

Lately, I’ve been trying to find and/or make up my own healthier recipes for baked goods. I love to have desserts, but I also want to still feel good about what I’m eating most of the time. Don’t get me wrong – I eat onion rings probably every couple of weeks!  I just know that I feel best when I’m eating healthy and balanced the majority of the time, with fun treats thrown in, too.

One of the best “healthier” recipes I made up a few months ago were my Cookie Bars (http://branappetit.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/brandis-cookie-bars/)!

That’s right – healthy cookie bars! I didn’t think it could be done, either, but these turned out great. These are the perfect balance – sweet and chocolaty, but still pretty good for you.

Ingredients

• 2 cups oats (I used 1.5 cups quick oats, .5 cup old fashioned)
• 3/4 cup wheat bran
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup butterscotch chips

Method

1. Mix oats, wheat bran, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
2. Add in applesauce and eggs.
3. Fold in chips.
4. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

I liked these right out of the pan, room temperature the next day…and my favorite way? Heated up in a bowl and topped with some ice cream

Yum.

Whether it’s a total indulgence or a healthy alternative, I say - indulge your sweet tooth.  It knows what it needs, and most of the time, our bodies do a good job of balancing themselves – it’s our heads that get in the way.

Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you try these recipes!

Can you really believe at how fast this week is flying by.  It will be Jamaican time before I know it.  Well I don’t want to bore you with all the Jamaica details but I am getting excited.  It feels like such a rush to get everything done and not forget any chores or tasks.

I have been having a craving for some chocolate treats as of late and I have some really fun recipes to share with you that involve chocolate and caramels.  Today’s recipe is a simple muffin gone chunky.

Now I have made coffee cake muffins and apple granola muffins in the past neither with chocolate in them so I thought I would live on the edge and share these with you.

Talk about a treat for your mouth!  These are not the healthiest muffin to eat but now come on….. nothing a dozen would ever hurt.

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Middle of the week has arrived and what a week it has been.  Can you believe I woke up to snow yesterday - unbelievable!!  Luck may have it, I decided to park the car in the driveway the night before instead of the garage.   I didn’t use the garage because I just put gas in the car and the fumes can be unbearable.  I did not think for a second that I would have to scrape snow off the car before heading to the office.  Such a disappointment.

In brighter news, Shelby received the first ever zesty apron and she said it is “AWESOME”.  Thanks Shelby.  I hope you get lots of use out of it.  I am going to create a page where I can display all the images of people who bought zesty gear.  I am so excited!

Now, onto the recipe, how about a healthy chocolate monkey?  I am a huge fan!  I started making these a little while ago but just realized that I should have shared this quick recipe with you.  The ingredients are quite simple and easy to find.  The chocolate comes from “chocolate milk“, either 1% or Soy and the monkey comes from a banana.  I also like to add a heaping scoop of protein, flax seeds and a dollop of plain yogurt for thickness.

Next time you are in a hurry, need a chocolate fix or just craving a pick me up… try this monkey on for size.

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