Chocolate Pie with Macaroon Crust

Words I would use to describe this pie: amazing, delicious, silky, decadent, indulgent, rich, luxurious. Words I would not use to describe this pie: healthy, low fat, low sugar, low calorie. But it is fantastic. Just be sure to share :)

For crust:
2c Thrive Macaroon Cookie Mix
1/2c Thrive Quick Oats
1/4c + 1T Hot Water

Preheat your oven to 375 and grease a pie plate (I used real butter on this one). Combine the cookie mix, oats and water in a bowl and stir until combined. Press into the pie plate and up the sides to form the crust. Bake for 15 minutes and allow to cool completely.

For filling:
1 Package Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
1/2c Thrive Brownie Mix
1-1/2c Cold Milk

Combine these ingredients and mix until no lumps remain. Pour into the cooled pie crust and refrigerate for 1 hour. Top with fresh whipped cream, chocolate shavings, toasted coconut, or nothing at all!

Crazy Cakes

I have excellent willpower at the grocery store. I can avoid the cookie aisle, the ice cream section and the bakery with ease. Unfortunately that means that when I am really in the mood for something sweet, I'm basically out of luck. Last night I was desperate. I needed something with chocolate and peanut butter - but we were out of peanut butter. My solution to this problem was rather creative if I do say so myself!

The downside to baking late at night is that I'm forced to take pictures in my kitchen, which isn't exactly lit for professional food photography.  So I'm left with a picture that looks like it belongs on a box of cake mix in the 1970s. Sorry about that. The cake really is good, promise!

1c Thrive 6 Grain Pancake Mix
1c Reeces Puffs Cereal, crushed
1/3c Chocolate Chips
1/4c Shredded Coconut
2T Chopped Nuts (I used walnuts)
1/2c Milk

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your choice of baking dishes. I used two small crocks, but ramekins, muffin cups or a small cake pan would all work just as well.

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir well. You may need to add more milk to get a smooth batter. Pour into greased baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Top with frosting, whipped cream, or nothing at all.

If you don't have Reeces Puffs cereal, you could substitute Cocoa Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cookie Crisp or even Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. Feel free to be creative here :)

Chocolate Macaroon Cake

Rich, chocolate cake with a gooey, sweet macaroon center, topped with a delicate drizzle of vanilla frosting, a dusting of toasted coconut and pecan pieces. This cake looks really impressive when you serve it. No one will have a clue how easy it was to make!

 
2c Thrive Macaroon Cookie Mix
1/3c Hot Water

2c Thrive White Flour
2c Thrive White Sugar
3/4c Cocoa Powder
2t Thrive Baking Soda
1t Thrive Baking Powder
1/2t Thrive Salt
3T Thrive Whole Egg Powder
1/2c Applesauce or Oil
3T Thrive Instant Milk
1 1/2c Water
1t Vanilla Extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a bundt cake pan very well. Combine the cookie mix with hot water. Stir well and set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and whole egg powder. Stir well. In another bowl, combine applesauce, instant milk, water and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in small batches, stirring well between each addition, until all ingredients form a smooth batter. Pour batter into greased bundt pan and smooth gently with a spatula.

Give your cookie mix another good stir and the drop the mix by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the top of the cake batter, making a ring around the pan. Try to keep the cookie mix in the middle so it doesn't touch the outside or inside of the pan.

Bake the cake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes before turning it out onto your cake plate. Once the cake is completely cool, you can frost it.

This cake is very sweet all on its own, so I would suggest a light frosting, glaze, or even just a dusting of powdered sugar. One of my favorite tricks is to microwave about half a cup of vanilla frosting in 15 second intervals until it is slightly liquid. Drizzle it over the top of the cake slowly, then sprinkle the frosting with just a little toasted coconut. A few chopped walnut or pecan pieces would be an excellent addition.