Creative Team

Triple Chocolate Deep Dish Brownies

3 · Jul 2, 2013 · 8 Comments

Hello Whipperberry friends, it's me Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs!

I'm so happy to be over here at Whipperberry again (I'm still pinching myself)! I hope you enjoyed my last recipe, and I'm hoping you're going to love this one too! I know we did.

Today I'm sharing a recipe for Triple Chocolate Deep Dish Brownies with Ice Cream. Now just take a moment to absorb that…say it out loud…Triple Chocolate Deep Dish Brownies. Mmmmmm! Oh yes, I went there. You should too.

And I won't even tell you that these brownies are gluten free. They're so good you won't even realize there's no flour in them. But don't let the gluten free thing scare you either…this recipe is versatile…just use all purpose flour instead if you wish.

These are seriously delicious. Gooey, warm, chocolatey and rich.

You must, I repeat you must, eat these brownies warm with ice cream. A treat of epic proportions! 😉 And perfect for guests, special occasions or just the occasion of every day. I mean really, do we need a reason to eat brownies?!

4 oz of dark chocolate 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup almond flour (or all purpose flour if you don't wish to use almond flour) 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 eggs 1 cup brown sugar 2 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet) vanilla ice cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the dark chocolate and butter over indirect heat. To do this, I put a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and stir it constantly until it is melted and smooth. Then remove from heat, and cool slightly. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Set aside.
Once the melted chocolate mix is cooled slightly, add the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
Then stir in flour mix. Mix well.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour the brownie batter, evenly between 6 – 125 mL Mason Jars.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Let them cool slightly before serving, then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Tips!

If you make these brownies ahead of time, just reheat them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes, or stick them in the microwave for a few seconds to heat them up.

Seriously. Look at that bite.

Dig in friends, dig in.

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Come on by and check out some of my other Summer Inspired Posts! I'd love to have you over!

Mason Jar Lanterns | Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches | Shirley Temple Popsicles

Or connect with me here: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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Thank you so much for reading, and have a delicious day!

DIY Polka Dot Denim

1 · Jun 25, 2013 · 7 Comments

DIY Polka Dot Denim Jeans // Here is our last Creative Team post for this month. I'm thrilled to introduce Haley from Life is Sweet! Haley has been a long time WhipperBerry friend from back when WhipperBerry was the new kid on the block. She has always been so supportive and a wonderful friend. Haley may not know this but she is a real example to me… She is such a wonderful mother and a positive example that has a gift for lifting others and making them feel special. Haley has amazing style and shares fun projects and recipes peppered in a blog about her beautiful family and the lessons she learns in this daily journey we call life & parenthood!

Hello WhipperBerry friends! I'm still on cloud 9 to be able to share here with the rest of the lovely ladies on the WhipperBerry Creative Team…thank you Heather! Today I'll be sharing a tutorial involving one of my favorite patterns: polka dots. They can be fun and casual, classy and bold. I've seen polka dotted pants here and there for a little while now, and I love them! Recently I found a pair of white denim pants with black polka dots that I couldn't help but gush over, sadly the price tag put a stop to that train rather quick. So I made them happen with a pair of pants I already owned! And they're my new favorite pair of jeans. Do you like polka dots? If so, give this a try!

– Denim (or any kind of pants or skirt really…needs to be washed at least once prior to painting)

– Fabric paint (I love the Tulip brand…can be found at most craft stores and even Walmart)

– Pencil to mark the dots

– Stamp/Eraser of a pencil to stamp the dots (or something that is the right size of dot you're wanting)

– Paper, cut in a diamond-shape for the stencil (mine had a long cross-section of 3 inches, and a short cross-section of 2 inches)

STEP 1:

You'll want to set the diamond stencil on the denim and mark all four corners with small dots. Then move the diamond, matching up one of the sides with two of the dots, and then mark the remaining two corners. And repeat…over and over.

TIP: Do your best to match them up, but don't stress about having them be exactly in alignment. 🙂 That is why I chose to do a diamond as opposed to a square, I think it hides imperfections better.

STEP 2:

Lay your pants on a flat surface. With your eraser (or other tool for painting the dots) dab a small amount of fabric paint and then lightly press it onto denim over your pencil marks. Repeat for each dot.

TIP: You may need to dap/press twice if the dot needs to be darker/more solid, just be sure not to have too much paint on the eraser, you can always mark it again, but you can't make an already-painted mark smaller.

STEP 3:

Let the one side dry (a couple hours should be good, but lightly touch the last dot you painted to be sure the paint isn't wet) and then flip over to mark and paint the other side (Steps 1 and 2). Let fully dry…then have fun wearing them out on the town!

Past posts:

Shabby to Chic DIY Photo Gallery

Roasted Coconut and Almond Hawaiian Pizza

"You Are My Sunshine" Printables

You can also connect with me here:

Instagram // Pinterest

xo,
Haley

Raspberry Watermelon Granita

0 · Jun 19, 2013 · 13 Comments

Raspberry Watermelon Granita // I'm thrilled to have Jenn from Clean & Scentsible, another member of the WhipperBerry creative team here today. She has been a long time contributor to my Friday Flair link party and she always blows me away with her fun idea. I'm so excited to have her on the team

Hello Whipperberry fans! I'm Jenn from Clean and Scentsible and I cannot tell you how excited I am to be contributing to Heather's amazing blog!

To me, summertime is all about simplifying things. We usually only have a few months of nice, warm weather around here so I savor every moment I can get! This raspberry watermelon granita is one of my favorite summertime treats and is so easy to make. It does require a bit of patience while it is freezing but it is well worth it!

Raspberry Watermelon Granita

5 cups cubed seedless watermelon

2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 envelope unflavored gelatin {1/4 ounce}

1/2 cup cran-raspberry juice cocktail

Preparation

Puree the watermelon and raspberries in a food processor or blender. Depending on the size of your blender you may need to do this in two batches.

Combine the sugar and gelatin in a small sauce pan and stir over low heat until gelatin dissolves. Stir in juice.

Combine about half of the sugar mixture with the puree. Slowly add the remainder of the mixture to taste depending on how sweet you would like your granita to be. Remember that it will lose a little of the sweetness once frozen.

Pour into a 9 x 9 baking pan, cover with foil, and place in freezer.

Freeze for at least 2-3 hours and then use a fork to scrape along the top layers creating an icy texture. Continue until you start to get close to the less-frozen middle and then place back in the freezer. Repeat this process until it is all scraped. Makes about 10-12 servings.

**NOTE: Don't worry if you won't be around to scrape it every couple of hours. I often just leave it overnight and then scape it in one go – it just requires a little more muscle! If you only need a couple of servings, just scrape what you need and place the rest back in the freezer.

This keeps well in the freezer as long as you keep it covered. The kids love it and it is a refreshing, low calorie treat for those hot days!

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Here are a few other summer projects that I have worked on…

Blackberry Cheesecake Pots

Crab Cupcakes

Summer Lemonade Bar

If you have a chance, I would love for you to drop by Clean and Scentsible to say hello! You can also connect with me here:

Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter / Google+ / Instagram

Raspberry and Vanilla Bean Cream Tarts

5 · Jun 12, 2013 · 9 Comments

Raspberry & Vanilla Bean Cream Tarts // I'm thrilled to share with you another member of the WhipperBerry Creative Team today! Jo-Anna has been a long time Friday Flair contributor and I've always been in love with her work. She has fabulous taste and I can't wait to show off all of her amazing talents!

Hello Whipperberry readers!

I'm Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs, my little corner of the internet, where I share my passion for the home. Everything from recipes to crafts to decorating for the holidays to gardening. I just really love to share ways to make our lives a little more simple and a lot more pretty!

I'm beyond thrilled to be contributing over here today at Whipperberry! I have been reading Heather's blog ever since I discovered this amazing world of blogging. I've always loved her work, so to be able to be a part of the Whipperberry journey, makes me very very happy!

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I wanted to kick things off by sharing an amazing dessert with you! These Raspberry & Vanilla Bean Cream Tarts are perfect for Father's Day or any summer gathering. There's nothing more summery than fresh berries!

You can make this recipe as 6 mini tarts or one large tart…either way it's a fantastic dessert! There's just something so elegant and charming about tarts, isn't there? And while they may seem daunting to make they're really not.

Don't be afraid of the length of this recipe. They are not hard to make at all, and trust me, they are well worth the effort! Your friends & family will love them. And if raspberries aren't your thing, you can use any kind of fruit you like: blueberries, strawberries, bananas. So simple. So versatile. So delicious.

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Let's get baking!

Raspberry Tarts with Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

Please note: It's best to make the tarts in this order: Crust first, then the cream.

Tart Crust:

1 1/4 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks

1 egg yolk

6 mini 3 inch tart pans, or 1 large tart pan

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream:

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

4 egg yolks

1 1/3 cups whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split down the centre to expose the seeds

1/4 – 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Start with the crust. In a food processor, process the flour, sugar and salt for about 10 seconds.

T hen add the chunks of butter and process until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

Add the egg yolk and process again until the egg is thoroughly combined.

If you are making mini tarts (tartlets), separate the mixture into 6 – 3 inch tart pans, and press the dough into the molds, making the sides slightly higher than the centre. Bake for 12-15 minutes, making sure to prick them with a fork several times, as the dough tends to puff up. Watch them carefully, as they go from not done to overcooked very quickly!

If you are making one large tart, press the mixture into a 10 inch tart pan (making the sides slightly higher than the centre) and bake for about 15-18 minutes. Again make sure to prick the tart with a fork several times while baking, and watch it carefully.

Next, make your pastry cream. Using a mixer, beat together the sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks until the mixture is thick and pale yellow.

In a small saucepan combine the milk and the vanilla bean, bring to a simmer. Then remove the vanilla bean.

Pour about half of the milk mixture into the egg mixture, and stir.

Then return this milk/egg mixture to the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan, and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the custard is thick and slightly bubbly. Make sure to whisk constantly so that the mixture doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Cover the custard with a sheet of parchment paper to prevent a skin from forming, then it set aside to cool.

Fruit Topping raspberries icing sugar

Putting the Tarts Together

Once the tart shells and custard have cooled, add about a 1/4 cup of the custard to each shell.

Top with fresh raspberries, and a dusting of icing sugar.

Enjoy!

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Thank you so much for reading today! I do hope you'll try these tarts…you won't be disappointed!

And feel free to come on by and say Hi sometime at A Pretty Life in the Suburbs, or stop in for some Cheesy Quinoa Bites, or Fudge Ice Pops, or come learn how to make a Fresh Herb Wreath! I'd love to have you!

Have a delicious day!

Creative Team

Raspberry Watermelon Granita

Preparation

Raspberry Tarts with Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

Tart Crust:

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream:

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