Remember way back when I promised the fifth, final and most outrageous installment of the Lemon & Mocha brownie series just in time for Valentine’s Day? Ta-da! Here it is:  Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Chocolate Crunch Brownies. I am very sorry for keeping these from you for so long,  but aren’t they perfect for Valentine’s Day?

These brownies are the king of all brownies and they are utterly amazing. Lets go layer by layer to give you time to process the amazingness.

Layer one:  homemade red velvet brownies. Fudgey, moist and with just a hint of chocolate flavoring that red velvet is known for, this is the perfect base.

Next up, layer two:  Oreo truffle. If these layers were children the Oreo truffle layer would be that favorite child. Have you ever made Oreo truffle balls? This layer is the inside of those truffles. Crushed Oreos and cream cheese are whipped together to create the most perfect balance of sweet, creamy and chocolatey.

Finally, layer three:  chocolate crunch. Chocolate is melted over the top of the Oreo truffle layer to create a hardened chocolate topping, but oh no, even that is not enough. Before the chocolate has time to harden, mini chocolate chips are sprinkled allover to create chocolate chunks in the hunk of chocolate.

Yes, I promise you that this is real life and you can actually go make these brownies right now. They are an ultimate texture overload. Fudgey base, creamy Oreo middle and hard crunchy topping come together to make you eat a second, or a third, or a fourth, or a….

Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Chocolate Crunch Brownies

 

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Yield: 32 brownies

Ingredients

for the red velvet brownie layer

• 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1½ cups brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1-2 ounces red food coloring
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoons salt

for the Oreo truffle layer

• 1 package Oreos
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

for the chocolate crunch layer

• 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

for the red velvet brownie layer

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.
2. Beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar together with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer for 2 minutes, or until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg is added. Add the food coloring and vanilla extract until the color is completely incorporating and is the desired color.
3. In a separate medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Carefully add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients being sure to incorporate completely while trying not to over-mix the batter. The batter will be very thick, but make sure the batter is a uniform color.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 minutes, or until crunchy on top and gooey underneath. Let cool completely. Once cool you can either leave in the pan or very carefully flip the brownies out onto a large clean surface. I flipped my over onto a clean cutting board that easily fits in my fridge so it would be easier for later refrigerating and cutting.

for the Oreo truffle layer

1. Turn the entire package of Oreos into crumbs using a food processor or crushing in a large plastic bag. Combine with the cream cheese until blended.
2. Dollop the Oreo mixture onto the cooled brownies then carefully use your hands and a rubber spatula to create a smooth even layer covering the brownies all the way to the edges. If you try to simply spread you might tear the brownies.

for the chocolate crunch layer

1. Melt the chocolate chips with the vegetable oil in the microwave. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then continue to microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Carefully pour over the Oreo truffle layer and smooth with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with the mini chocolate chips then refrigerate until the chocolate crunch layer has hardened.

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Lauren Uncategorized 11 Comments

Why do mini food items always taste better? Does their cuteness enhance their deliciousness? Or is it that knowing you can eat more of the tiny bites makes them even more irresistible? Whatever the reason may be, the mini raviolis in this dish certainly increase the tasty factor.

And using store-bought raviolis and prepared sauce is a winning weeknight dinner combination. This pasta meal was an unplanned dish born from the ingredients in my fridge, but I was so happy with the results I decided to share it here on Lemon & Mocha.

The sautéed garlic, shallots and sun-dried tomatoes tend to be my go-to pasta trifecta. They are the perfect base to almost any pasta dish, providing full-packed savory flavoring.

The fresh spinach leaves are a great way to sneak in some veggies and are a great pairing for the ricotta-filled raviolis. The goat cheese adds a depth and creaminess to regular prepared sauce, almost giving it the taste of a vodka sauce.

Feel free to swap out the spinach and use your favorites veggies to mix and match this pasta dish. I think asparagus and mushrooms or eggplant and zucchini would both be delicious variations. I might have to go give them a try!

Mini Raviolis with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Spinach & Goat Cheese

 

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Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
• 12 ounces fresh spinach leaves
• 2 ounces goat cheese, regular or garlic & herb
• 1-2 cups prepared tomato sauce, depending on sauciness preference
• 1 pound mini raviolis, prepared according to package instructions
• Freshly grated Parmesan, if desired, for serving

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the minced shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot has softened and started to lightly brown.
2. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach leaves, a handful or so at a time, stirring often, until all the spinach has been aded and wilted.
3. Stir in the goat cheese until melted. Add the tomato sauce and stir until warm.
4. Carefully stir in the prepared mini raviolis until coated. Serve hot with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

I have two more simple dinner recipes here for you on Lemon & Mocha this week. First up is the third solution for my quick and healthy vegetable side dish dilemma. Asparagus with creamy orange sauce, steam-sautéed broccoli and now garlicky bok choy. I had never cooked with bok choy before this recipe, but I love vegetables so I was excited to try something new.

Matt and I enjoy cooking Asian stir-fries, but we get tired of always using broccoli and snow peas for our green vegetables. This garlicky bok choy is a delicious solution.

The vegetable itself is really mild so it takes on the flavor of the garlic and the soy sauce really well.

Did I mention that this recipe took less than ten minutes from start to finish? Talk about a simple dish!

Do you have a quick vegetable dish that is a staple in your kitchen? I’d love to try them out!

Garlicky Stir-fried Bok Choy

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon cornstarch
• 1½ tablespoons canola oil
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1¼ pounds bok choy, ends trimmed and discarded, stalks and leaves cut into 1” pieces (halve the stalks lengthwise if more than 1” wide); keep stalks and leaves separate
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Whisk together the broth, soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves. Set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the garlic begins to sizzle add the bok choy stalks. Stir frequently for 1 minute then add the bok choy leaves and prepared sauce.
3. Stir the bok choy and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat when the bok choy is crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Remember last week in the asparagus with creamy orange sauce post how I went on and on about how I struggle with finding simple, healthy and tasty vegetable recipes? Well, I stumbled across another solution last week!

Behold: steam-sautéed broccoli! I’m sure plenty of folks have been using this quick technique for years, but I am giddy with excitement over it.

The broccoli gets lightly sautéed in the pan, a small amount of flavorful liquid is added before putting the lid on, and the broccoli steams up right in the pan!

I used chicken broth for the liquid and that combined with the garlic infused oil you sauté the broccoli in made it so shockingly delicious.

I came across this quick recipe in a new cookbook I found at the library that is filled 100% with only vegetable recipes. It is chock-full of gorgeous color photos, which is essential for a quality cookbook perusal. The author almost didn’t include this recipe because it was just a way to cook broccoli that she had been doing for years and it is so simple she didn’t even really consider it a recipe. But her sister requested it’s inclusion and I am so happy she did. No more plain steamed broccoli in my house!

Steam-Sautéed Broccoli

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 small cloves or 1 large clove of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of broccoli, crowns cut into bite-sized florets and stalks peeled and diced, kept separately
• 3 tablespoons vegetable or chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place the oil and the garlic in a large skillet or pan then place over medium heat. When the garlic begins to sizzle, add the diced broccoli stalks to the pan and cook for about 1 minute while stirring.
2. Add the broccoli florets to the pan and stir to combine the broccoli with the garlic oil. Cook the florets for 3 minutes, or until the broccoli turns bright green in color.
3. Add the broth then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan. Let the broccoli steam for about 5 minutes, or until the broccoli is desired tenderness. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.

Notes

If you prefer using only broccoli florets, simply omit the broccoli stalks.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

This post was originally published on 1/22/2015. It was updated with new photos and content on 1/28/2019.

Among my overflowing collection of cookbooks, this chicken cordon bleu recipe from Cook This, Not That! is one of my absolute favorites. There may certainly be recipes I have that I crave more or that are more awe-inducing (cue my large dessert cookbook category), but when you compare those to a delicious, healthy, looks-fancy-but-only-took-me-30-minutes dinner? Game over, chicken cordon bleu for the win.

Gooey melted cheese, savory ham, moist chicken, crunchy breadcrumb coating and creamy honey mustard sauce all work together to create weeknight meal perfection. When you make this dish your family and friends will think, “Wow, such a fancy meal! Such technique! They really pulled out all the stops for me!” When what you actually did was secretly quite simple.

First, pound out the boneless skinless chicken breasts until they are about ¼ inch thick. Think about that aggravating e-mail you got at work or that jerk that cut you off right before the stoplight and whack away with your meat mallet! Make sure they are only ¼ inch thick (for reference the chicken in these photos is not pounded thin enough). If you want to save a little bit of time this step could be done the night before. Then layer two slices of ham and one slice of Swiss cheese on the cutlet.

Completely roll up the chicken starting from one of the short ends. It’s okay if some cheese or ham is poking out. Then dredge the whole rolled chicken in flour, then beaten egg, then panko bread crumbs. This part sounds complicated, but just make sure you hold the chicken roll tight and you’ll be just fine. Bake the breaded chicken roll for 18-22 minutes and you’re done!

Well, as soon as you smother it in an easy homemade honey mustard sauce, which is a definite do-not-skip part of this recipe! The tangy sweetness of the honey mustard drizzled over the crispy chicken is the perfect combination. Serve alongside some steam-sautéed broccoli or a green salad for a healthy meal worthy enough to become a weekly regular. I’ve been making this dish for about six years and Matt and I still both do a little happy dance every time we eat this meal. I love that the Lemon & Mocha readers love this Chicken Cordon Bleu with Honey Mustard Sauce as much as we do; it’s one of the top ten most popular posts of all time on the blog! If you haven’t made this one yet, it needs to go to the top of your must-make list! Enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Honey Mustard Sauce

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the chicken cordon bleu

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 8 thin slices deli ham or 4 slices if thicker cut
• 4 slices Swiss cheese

for the honey mustard

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions

for the chicken cordon bleu

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil and set aside. Set up a breading station with the flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs each in their own shallow bowl. Add the Italian seasoning and the garlic powder to the panko and stir to combine.
2. Place 1 chicken breast on a cutting board and cover the chicken with plastic wrap. Pound the chicken until ¼” thick with a meat mallet or heavy skillet. Make sure it's only ¼” thick; if it's thicker than that (which the chicken in my photos is a little too thick) then it will take longer to bake. Repeat for the remaining 3 chicken breasts.
3. Layer 2 slices of ham and 1 slice of cheese on each chicken cutlet. I usually tear the deli slices so I can place them better on the chicken cutlet. Working one at a time, carefully roll up the cutlet from short end to short end. It’s okay if some of the ham and cheese is sticking out. Holding on tight to the rolled up cutlet, dip it in the flour bowl until completely coated, making sure to get the ends as well. Then dip in the egg mixture to completely coat, make sure the excess egg drips off. Finally, completely coat the rolled chicken in the panko bowl. I usually use my other hand to help coat and press the panko onto the chicken. Place the breaded chicken seam side down on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the cutlets.
4. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and the breading is golden. Serve hot with the honey mustard sauce.

for the honey mustard

1. Whisk together the mayonnaise, honey, lemon juice and Dijon mustard then adjust according to personal taste.

Notes

If you want the bottom of your chicken cordon bleu to be crispy as well, you can spray a cooling rack with nonstick spray then place on top of the baking sheet. I normally don’t do this, but I thought I would mention it.

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Recipe slightly adapted from Cook This, Not That! Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals.

Lauren Uncategorized 4 Comments