Club Med's Famous White Chocolate Bread

Last night my friend, GA, shared the recipe for Club Med's famous ~ White Chocolate Bread ~ on Facebook. It's always been a favorite of mine and I've eaten a lot of it during my time working/vacationing at the various villages of Club Med. My friend, Sarah, challenged me to try making the recipe to see how it would turn out. Well, since I had the one cup of white chocolate chips called for in the recipe, and nothing planned for the evening, I took it as a sign that I should give the recipe a try.  So, last night I was a baking fool... and here are the pictures, recipe and  baking comments to prove it. Enjoy!

Club Med's Famous White Chocolate Bread  

I shared my attempt in real-time with my other Club Med EXGO friends on Facebook. Here are my comments on the bread making, just in case anyone is inspired to try their hand at making a loaf, too. The bread is best eaten while still warm, just out of the oven, but toasted the next day is also good.  My friend, Sarah, suggested making French Toast with the leftovers... oh, what a wonderful breakfast that would make!

Well, the experiment was a success! We have already devoured 1/2 of the loaf.  Here are my thoughts on/tweaks to the recipe.... ~~ only add 3/4 cup of the water (115 degrees) to begin with, then add more water if needed to get the 'play doh' consistency the recipe calls for. The whole 1 1/4 cup water is just too much. My loaf came out a bit 'heavy', not surprised about that. With the extra 1 cup+ of flour I had to add to get the dough texture right, it skewed the yeast/flour ratio. ~~ I put a cast iron skillet in the oven when preheating. I put it on the lower rack & added 1 cup hot water to the skillet after I placed the loaf in the oven to bake. Be careful because the 'steam' kicks up quick. Close the oven door quick to keep the steam inside. It really helps with giving the bread a crusty, 'French bread' exterior. ~~ I baked the loaf about 35 minutes (not the 20 in the recipe) to get it 'golden' enough & so it had a 'hollow' sound when thumped. It tastes best when eaten warm from the oven, or toasted, if eating the next day.

David's Home Baked Bread with 'Chocolate Gravy'

My nephew, David, likes to make this fun, sweet treat ~ Home Baked Bread with 'Chocolate Gravy' ~ for his sons.  A while back he mentioned it on Facebook, and he continues to tease us with photos whenever he makes it. When I asked him where he got the inspiration from, this is what he shared with me ~ I had heard about this many years ago. I looked at a few recipes online and then made my own. :)

I just love it when a certain food inspires you make it, even if it takes you years to get around to it.  It just goes to show... When the timing is right, the kitchen magic happens.  :)  Thanks for sharing your recipe, David!

David's Home Baked Bread with 'Chocolate Gravy'

Ingredients

For the Home Baked Bread...

• use one box of of your favorite Beer Bread mix, made according to the box instructions, BUT substituting Sprite for the beer

For the 'Chocolate Gravy'...  

• 3 tablespoons Ghirardelli 100% cocoa
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 cup milk
• pinch of salt

Directions

In a large sauce pan combine cocoa, flour, and sugar. Add hot water and cook over low heat until dissolved.  Stir constantly.  Once completely combined, stir in milk and salt.  Continue stirring until it becomes thick.  You now have your ole 'Chocolate Gravy'. To serve ~ just slice the bread & dunk.  Enjoy!

Easy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Banana Sauce

Wondering what to do with all those really ripe bananas?  Are you sick of making banana bread with them?  If so, may I suggest trying this quick and tasty 'dessert sauce' that I like to make?  Couldn't be easier.  Just throw your really ripe bananas into your food processor and let 'er rip.  Once the bananas are smooth and creamy, add in a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter or PB2.  Then add in a tablespoon of cocoa powder.  Process again until nice and silky smooth.  Taste...add a bit more cocoa powder if you want a bigger chocolate flavor.  Or...add more peanut butter if you want it more nutty.  If it needs it, add a little sweetener of choice.  Once you've got it tasting the way you want, give it another go-around the processor ~ just for fun.  If you want it a bit thinner, add a little water or milk.  You're in control, do it however it makes you happy.  :)  Use your Easy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Banana Sauce poured over ice cream; drizzled on angel food cake; as a sweet chocolatey dip for strawberries/apples/fruit; dunked with cut up pound cake (kinda like a 'chilled' chocolate fondue); spread over bagels/breakfast cookies/graham crackers; lick it right off the spoon; as an icing on a cupcake that you're going to eat right away...or schmeared over anything else you can think of.  I think it's a pretty darn clean eating way to enjoy your chocolate.  How about you?

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

When I made this baked goody, I was feeling the need for a bit of chocolate-ly, sweet baked comfort food.  Having it include some veggie was an added bonus.  This recipe for ~ Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread ~ was a perfect way to go.  I swapped some of the flour for ground oatmeal (oat flour) just to sneak in a little oat goodness.  Chocolate chips just added to the decadent feel of this yummy bread/cake.  We enjoyed it at teatime, as well as for an after dinner dessert.  This is perfect for when you have a bounty of zucchini in late summer, but it's just as good anytime of year.  Give this recipe a try if you've got a craving for chocolate.  I think you'll like, too.  :)

 

Mocha-Chocolate Chip Brownie Cupcakes ~ quick, easy and egg-free

The other day I was in the mood for some cupcakes, and since my favorite cupcake shop was already closed for the day, I decided to make a quick batch at home.  They aren't fancy like SugarBean's, but we enjoyed them all the same.  I tried to 'healthy' them up a bit, so I replaced 1/2 the flour with whole wheat pastry flour; replaced 1/2 the oil with applesauce; and cut back on the salt.   J thought they tasted like a brownie, so I'm calling them ~ Mocha-Chocolate Chip Brownie Cupcakes.  I modified this chocolate cake recipe that I posted about last year, giving it more of a mocha spin in the batter as well as the icing. I decided to add some chocolate chips to the batter, for an extra little hit of chocolate.  (look at me, getting all fancy!)

Quick and easy, as well as egg-free ~ Booyah!  If you use a vegan 'butter' in place of the regular butter, than it will be dairy-free as well.  I think they are best enjoyed cold and (to me) they taste better after the first day, that way the flavors and texture really set-up nicely.  Enjoy!

Mocha-Chocolate Chip Brownie Cupcakes ~ egg free 
makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour* *(or skip the whole wheat pastry flour & use all regular flour, if you like)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup cold water
• 3 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 Tbsp warm water 
• 1 Tbsp white or cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips or carob chips  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin tin with paper cupcake/muffin liners.  In a large bowl sift the first 7 dry ingredients (flours - salt) together.  Add all the liquid ingredients and stir until blended.  Fold in the chocolate/carob chips. Divide the batter between the 12 cupcakes liners and bake for approx. 15-20 minutes, or until they're done. (timing really depends on how full they are, mine were quite full & closer to 20 minutes)  Remove cupcakes to cooling rack.  Let cool completely, then frost.

Mocha Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp instant coffee, dissolved in 2 Tbsp water

Directions

In a medium bowl sift the dry ingredients together.  Add butter and mix until well blended. (it will be very dry)  Add the coffee and mix well. (now it looks right!)  Spread over the the cooled cupcakes.  These taste best when completely cooled or chilled.  Store in fridge.  I think they get even better the next day(s).

Clean Eating No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Bites

The behind the scenes stats for the blog have been showing me that a lot of people are arriving to my blog looking for a no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookie.  I didn't have a recipe for one and I felt bad. (keyword searches will do that sometimes)  So, I surfed around the web looking for one to try.  All the recipes I saw were chock-full of sugar and butter ~ way too much for me to even consider.  I started to think about what I could replace the butter/sugar with & decided to try pureed prunes and honey.  I thought I might as well throw in some cocoa powder in place of the chocolate while I was at it, too.  I know it might sound strange, but pureed prunes and cocoa powder are a fantastic combo...

So, here is my little 'no-bake' cookie experiment.  Since I'm a self proclaimed challenged baker, I figured this was right up my alley.  I think this is a healthier, lower fat, clean eating version of a traditional no-bake oatmeal cookie.  This cookie won't be for everybody ~ it will probably be too dark chocolate tasting for the kids and others might prefer their cookies with more sweetness and made with butter.  Since I was going for a more natural spin on this cookie (I'm still feeling a bit Crunchy today), I really tried to rein in the use of sweeteners (honey & prunes), so the cocoa powder's dark chocolate flavor could be front and center.  It sorta has a raw food truffle-ish cookie feeling to me.  I know this will be a nice little treat to have with my afternoon cuppa tea later today.  I like 'em, hope you do too. Enjoy!    

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Bites

makes 24 cookie bites

Ingredients

• 6 Sunsweet pitted prunes/dried plums
• 1/3 cup water (plus 1 Tbsp or  more, if needed)
• 1/4 cup soy butter (or your favorite nut butter)
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal

• optional add-ins ~ shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, carob chips, cocoa powder for dusting

Directions
In mini food processor combine first 8 ingredients (prunes - salt) until smooth and creamy.  Microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds.  Allow to cool one minute then pour over quick oats (add any add-ins now, if using) and combine until cocoa mixture is completely absorbed.  Adding an additional tablespoon or more of water if needed.  (mixture will be on the dry/stiff side)  Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball, then flatten a bit and place on a wax paper covered plate or cookie sheet. (dust with cocoa powder now, if using)  Wet hands if necessary to keep dough from sticking when rolling into balls.  Let cookies firm up in fridge for an hour.  Serve cookies chilled or room temp & store in a covered container in the fridge.

Super Easy Chocolate Cherry Cordial Brownie ~ Perfect for Valentine's Day!

I fell head-over-heels in love with the Chocolate Cherry Cordials Cookies that Kathleen baked for the TWIGS Soup Dinner I went to (& posted about) recently.  So much so, that I decided to tweak my favorite Trader Joe's boxed brownie mix to see if I could get a similar flavor.

Kathleen's Gourmet Cookies ~ Snowflake Whoopie Pies and Chocolate Cherry Cordials Cookie ~ Perfect sweet treats to share with the ones you love!

Last week (at the TWIGS Soup Dinner that I recently wrote about) I was introduced to Kathleen ~ a fantastic lady who's a gourmet baker/cook.  I'm totally in awe of all the incredible cookies that she created for the dinner party.  Her 3-Tier Towering Assortment of Gourmet Cookies was a real thing of beauty and it would've been right at home in the fanciest of Parisian bakeries.  I was so impressed with her cookies that I just had to do a separate post on them, because the photos of her cookies are some of my all-time favorites that I've taken...

I felt like I was back in Paris when I first saw this gorgeous display of gourmet cookies...

Chocolate Cherry Cordials Cookies

Kathleen was kind enough to share the recipes for my two favorite cookies of the evening ~ Snowflake Whoopie Pies & Chocolate Cherry Cordials Cookie.  She's been making the recipe for Snowflake Whoopie Pies for such a long time that she no longer remembers which cookbook she originally found the recipe in.  The whoopie pie's almond flavor is so enticing, the filling so creamy and decadent ~ I dare you to eat only one! 

This is the link for the Chocolate Cherry Cordials Cookie recipe.  It's full of all the flavors that I love ~ chocolate, cherries and rum ~ all rolled up into a cookie.  Absolutely delicious and truly a winner!

Snowflake Whoopie Pies, Chocolate Cherry Cordials Cookie, Pecan Cookies and homemade Turkish Delight.

Is it just me, or does the name Whoopie Pie make you giggle?  I just love the name ~ Whoopie Pie!  It makes me smile every time I hear it. (I guess that's the little kid in me)  I think you could easily change up the icing design on these Whoopie Pies to suit your mood ~ a red heart for Valentine's Day, a green shamrock for St. Patrick's Day, etc.  It's a universal Whoopie ~ how cool is that?!  teehee  :)

SNOWFLAKE WHOOPIE PIES

Makes 14

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

Large pinch of salt

½ cup unsalted ground almonds

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup superfine sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1 large egg

1 tsp almond extract

½ cup milk

1tbsp edible silver balls

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Line 2-3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir in the ground almonds.

Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and almond extract followed by half of the flour mixture and then the milk.  Stir in the rest of the flour mixture and beat until thoroughly incorporated.

Pipe or spoon 28 mounds of the batter onto the prepared cookie sheets, spaced well apart to allow for spreading.  Bake in the preheated oven, one sheet at a time, for 10-12 minutes until risen and just firm to the touch.  Cool for 5 minutes, then using a palette knife transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Buttercream Filling

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

½ cup heavy cream

2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

For the filling, place the butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until pale and creamy.  Beat in the cream, then gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating for 2-3 minutes until the buttercream is very light and fluffy.

Icing

For the icing, sift the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl and gradually stir in enough water to make a smooth, thick icing.

To assemble, pipe or spread the buttercream on the flat side of half of the cakes.  Top with the rest of the cakes.  Spoon the icing into a small paper pastry bag, snip the end, and pipe snowflake patterns on the top of the whoopie pies.  Decorate with silver balls and sprinkle with superfine sugar.  Let set.  Enjoy!

The cookies all looked so lovely and smelled simply divine, I had such a hard time choosing!

All of Kathleen's cookies were so lovely to look at and were so luscious to bite into, that I'm even tempted to try making them myself.  It takes a lot to get me to venture beyond my 'comfort baking zone' (me being a challenged baker and all), but I think I must with these two recipes.  I just can't imagine not having them again.  Hmm...my birthday is coming up soon, maybe this year I'll make cookies instead of a cake for our little celebration...  OR, I keep thinking that these two cookie recipes would be perfect for a Valentine's Day sweet treat.  Roy and J would be thrilled (me, too!) to have a plate of either (or better yet, both!) of these cookies instead of the old standby ~ a boring box of chocolates.  I think I just talked myself into making these cookies sooner, rather than later! 

Shortbread Jam Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Tassies, Turkish Delights & Red Cinnamon Cookies

Hope these pictures of Kathleen's cookies inspire you as much as they do me.  I'm ready to get out all my baking supplies and make them right now.  How about you?  :)

Sharon's ~ No-Bake Double-Decker White Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cracker Cookies

My friend, Sharon, just shared a photo on Facebook of some recent cookie making in her kitchen.  I was so thrilled to learn about her ~ kid friendly, no-bake, easy to prepare and mighty impressive ~ No-Bake Double-Decker White Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cracker Cookie.  It'll be perfect to make over the upcoming winter break with my son.  I was so tickled with how simple this recipe is, that I just had to share it right away.  J will be so thrilled to make these when he gets out of school later this week.  They're made with some of his favorite foods, all dunked & decorated to make a new flavor combo.  Kid + an easy, no~bake cookie recipe = one happy mom!  : )

Sharon, thanks so much for sharing this truly simple recipe that our family will enjoy making ~ You are awesome!

Sharon's ~ No-Bake Double-Decker
White Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cracker Cookies

Ingredients

• Ritz crackers
• peanut butter
• melted white chocolate for dunking the double-decker peanut butter crackers in
• sprinkles, crushed peppermints, colored sugar, etc. ~ for sprinkling/decorating

Directions 

Take your Ritz crackers, spread one side with a bit of peanut butter.  Top with another Ritz cracker and then carefully dip the 'cracker cookie' into the melted white chocolate, covering both sides.

Once dipped, place on a sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper & sprinkle or decorate to your hearts content.  Allow to dry, then package for gift giving or eating.  If you happen to have any left, (yeah, like that is going to happen around here...) store in a covered container.  Enjoy!

P.S. ~  Sharon says ~ I have tried variations (Nutella, dark chocolate, etc.) and found that these are the most coveted...so I stick with it!

Feeding Body & Soul ~ My Club Med EXGO Reunion Vacation

The food at Sandpiper Bay was just as expected ~ Excellent!  Thanks to my friend, Sharon, for taking a lot of food photos, too.  I kept eating my desserts before I'd taken a picture of them!  Oops...

Back Story ~~ Twenty years ago this week, I went to work for the international vacation resort company, Club Med.  My first assignment as a GO (what they call those who work there) was working with children guests, in Ixtapa, Mexico.  I had been to a Club Med as a guest myself (at the now-closed village of Sonora Bay) and liked it so much that I decided I needed to work for the company.  It took awhile to get hired, but the wait was worth it.  It was a magical time in my life.  I've worked in many different villages (what they call the resorts), in many different locations in the US, Mexico, the Caribbean and the West Indies.  Working as an Annex (specialty restaurant) Manager, hostess and with kids.  I cherish all the friends and memories that I've made in Club Med, past and present.  Absolutely priceless!  As we like to say... Once a GO, always a GO. ~~

Current Day ~~ Last month, I traveled to ~ Club Med Sandpiper Bay ~ in Florida, for a reunion.  It was not just any reunion, it was a former Club Med GO reunion.  We now call ourselves EXGO's and we had a blast!  Many brought their families and friends with them to share in the event.  A lot of us had called that village 'home', for a season (a period of 6 months) or even longer, so it was great to be back there again.  Since I didn't have to do any cooking for the week that I was there, I took some food photos to share on the blog instead.  Club Med offers LOTS of great food, and the White Chocolate Bread just can't be beat.  Twenty years later and I still crave it...  So, here is a 'snapshot' of my vacation ~ first the food pictures and then the pretty, tropical village photos.

Rise and Shine!  It's breakfast time!

Every morning (after my yoga class) I had a great-big-egg-white veggie & cheese omelet.   Lots of other breakfast goodies tempted me, too...

Out of the pool, it's time for lunch...

After cocktails, it's dinner time...

I ate REALLY well while I was on vacation.  I stuffed myself full of my old favorites and found some new items to love, too.  After all that eating, I'd stroll around the village, enjoying being there again.  It felt just like coming home.  :)  Here are some of the lovely views that greeted me every day...

I had the pleasure to become friends with one of the most wonderful GO's during my vacation, her name is Mary and she is a Sailing GO.  All during my stay, she always had a sincere smile on her face and a caring attitude.  Even when she was off duty, she was always quick to answer any question or lend a hand.  Her enthusiasm for her job was apparent and was much appreciated!  She truly embodied the classic Club Med GO Spirit.  She also provided me with an excellent bit of brush-up tutoring on the Hobie Cat.  Thank you for everything, Mary!! YOU ARE THE BEST ~ YOU ROCK!!  :)

 

Life around the village ~ (clockwise, from top left) the main restaurant, buffet-style service; the adult infinity pool on the St. Lucie River; the view from my yoga mat; feelin' the tropical vibe.  Starting my day off, looking out at this view, was worth getting up early for.

While at the reunion, I saw old friends and made lots of new ones, too.  So many of us have worked at the same villages, just at different times, and we know so many of the same people, that it feels like we've known each other for years ~ even after just a few days.  I look forward to our next reunion ~   See you guys soon! 

Hope you've enjoyed these photos as much as I've enjoyed putting them together.  As a little bonus, as I was getting the links for the post, I came across multiple sites/versions of the recipe for the Club Med White Chocolate Bread ~ that I love so much.  I also found an a now dormant blog site ~ Black Pearls ~ that has some slightly (and not so slightly) outdated (2006 & prior) commentary on Club Med.  The pricing on 'extras' and what is now 'all-inclusive' has changed a lot since the blog was last written, but I really enjoyed the comic wit of the writer & some of the things said were spot on.  (especially since he is writing on experiences that go back to the 90's, when I used to work there)  Check it out for some giggles & a true 'from a guests viewpoint' of the Club.

ThanX GO

It seems quite a few of the villages used to pass out the White Chocolate Bread recipe.  Here are some sites that I've come across that have good instructions/comments from home cooks, talking about what changes they've made to the/their recipe to get it to work at home.  Many of the links are written about Sandpiper Bay, and the one from ~ In Erika's Kitchen ~ was written just a few months ago.  Too bad I didn't think to ask for a copy of the recipe for myself while I was there! :)

For all of you visual learners out there, check out this video taken in the Sandpiper Bay kitchens...

For those who like the written word, check out these sites for versions of the Club Med White Chocolate Bread recipe...

Sami Cone ~ (this is the site where I found the above video)

In Erika's Kitchen ~ from April 2012, in Sandpiper Bay

Love and Olive Oil

The Fresh Loaf ~ comments from home cooks on what worked for them

The Club Med Diet

Check them all out & find the recipe that sounds good to you.  There are TONS more sites out there, so if you still need inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, just search the 'net to your hearts content.  :)