Chocolate Cups

Do you like my little chocolate cups? 

The look kinda fancy pants don't you think? 

If you stick around for a minute, I'm going to tell you how to make them for your next fancy pants dinner party....or any shindig that requires chocolateyness.

That would be any day ending in Y................

 I hosted a Chef's Toolbox party for a friend of mine, many moons ago and one of the things I purchased was a set of mini silicone tart cases (not sure if that's what they were actually called, so if you work for Chef's Toolbox, feel free to share in the comments). I've seen similar in most kitchenware shops...so long as they are flexible to peel away from the chocolate, then you're good to go.

Grab some chocolate melts and place into the silicone case. I then microwaved for about 40 seconds. Carefully remove from the microwave and use a teaspoon to spread the melted chocolate evenly over the base and sides. you need a nice thickness so the cups don't crack when you remove them. I'm still trying to perfect this!! You will probably make a few at first that will not work out...but practice makes perfect AND there's leftover choccie to crumble and garnish...or taste test ;)

When you've spread the chocolate evenly, then turn the case upside down onto a plate. I set mine in the fridge and it only takes about 10 minutes.

When set, VERY GENTLY peel the casing away.....and there you have it! 

Ready to be filled with whatever takes your fancy pants!!

I've filled these with whipped cream, sweetened with a little icing sugar and topped with some sweet strawberries. I was thinking a nice adults only version of whipped cream flavoured with a little Baileys and mixed with crushed Maltesers, maybe in a white chocolate case? Or a mixture of fresh berries and yoghurt?

What would you fill your choccie cups with?

sharing here today........

The worlds easiest, yummiest, fancy shmansiest dessert.

Ha Ha...do you like the title of this one? ....I make some big claims, don't I?  

I stole this idea from my dear friend Gab. We have used it many times over and it always impresses.

This is what I'll serve as Christmas dessert this year, but there will be more kids around, so I'll add some lollies around it. The party mix soft jellies and some snakes perhaps.

You can make this a lot healthier by using frozen yoghurt, but today I let the pickles choose.

It's kinda obvious how to put this together.... give the ice cream a minute to soften so it comes out of the container easily, then just layer it up and enjoy.

 You can get these edible glitters from cake decorating supplies. I had some in the cupboard, so I thought "why not?"

The beauty of this dessert is that you can make it in an instant (more time with your guests), there's no cooking involved (less time with the oven on in the hot Aussie summer) & the flavours are only limited by your imagination.

By the way, this is not something I would normally serve as an everyday dessert (we rarely even have dessert), but I really wanted to share this dessert on the blog before Christmas......the pickles want to thank all of my readers tonight!!!! 

What are you serving up for Christmas dessert this year?

I can't believe it's not cheesecake! {recipe}

Yep,

this is low fat, low carb and high in protein.

And it tastes DIVINE!!!!

I think it tastes like cheesecake.

I love that it doesn't wreck my weight loss efforts.

It's simple to make too.

Just put some tinned (or fresh) peach slices in a bowl.

Dollop on some low fat ricotta.

Drizzle over a little honey (just a tiny amount, or skip it)

Dust with a touch of cinnamon.

Sprinkle on some chopped walnuts.

 I have this after dinner instead of my afternoon fruit. I don't eat it often as I don't want to get into the regular dessert habit again, but I think it's OK, now & then.

More healthy, yummy recipes coming soon.