Home ยป Chocolate Dutch Baby + Weekly Menu

Chocolate Dutch Baby + Weekly Menu

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I think I may need a schedule change. With two nights a week spent away from home teaching, and another 1-2 nights for “date night” dinners, I feel as though my dinner-making is suffering. However, my kitchen time is not.

With all the fun winter citrus in season (namely Meyer lemons and blood oranges), baking has taken the place of dinner-making because I can do it at any time.

(It is no mystery as to why the scale fails to tread downward!)

chocdutchboy6Unlike some recent creations, this one comes with a much kinder calorie count. Worst case scenario, you eat the WHOLE Chocolate Dutch Baby. Worst case scenario, that’s under 950 calories. Glass half-full, folks…glass half-full.

Best case scenario, a generous slice runs a mere 118 calories…and you feel no guilt over eating chocolate or dessert. You’ll think you just hit the “diet dessert” lottery. Added bonus for any low-carbers or diabetics — this recipes comes in at 14.4 grams of carbohydrate per serving!

You heard it here first, mkay?

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Before giving any thought to actually Googling, “What is a Dutch baby?” I perused the ingredient list only to find out that I had every ingredient on hand. Chances are, you do, too.

It wasn’t until after tasting the Chocolate Dutch Baby that I 1) fell in love, and 2) Googled to find out what the heck a Dutch Baby actually is.

As it ends up, it’s more than just a cute, random name. Who knew?

chocdutchboy3Traditionally, a Dutch baby is a breakfast item and is described as being very similar to a pancake (I would say “crepe” is more accurate, but I’m on the right path). The Dutch baby has German roots and is generally baked in a metal pan, such as a cast iron skillet.

Seeing as this Dutch baby contains chocolate and is mildly sweet, I consider it a dessert…that’s on the lighter side. They come together in less than 5 minutes and are likely to only stick around that long once being removed from the oven. I have to say, Dutch babies have me as a fan club member — delicious!

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Chocolate Dutch Baby slightly adapted from Shutterbean

3/4 cup 2% milk
3 large eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 425 F (or prepare a pie dish by buttering with the 2 tablespoons of butter).

To prepare the batter, whisk everything together, being sure to sift the cocoa powder so that there are no lumps.

Once well mixed and the oven is hot add the butter to the hot cast iron skillet and swirl around to melt and coat the pan. Once melted, pour the batter in and place into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the dutch baby is puffed up around the edges and completely set in the middle. When done, remove from the oven and cool for about 5 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar.

Yield: 8 slices (1/8th of a 10-inch “pie”).

Nutrition Information (per slice): 118 calories; 5.4 g. fat; 83 mg. cholesterol; 108 mg. sodium; 14.4 g. carbohydrate; 1.8 g. fiber; 3.4 g. protein

Result: This is like a giant chocolate crepe in thin-cake form. Having never had a Dutch Baby before, I had no idea what to expect. What drew me to the recipe was the low sugar content for a dessert…and the fact that it was chocolate. For 118 calories, you’ll feel like you’re getting a HUGE portion of delicious dessert…it’s almost too good to be true!

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It is complete coincidence that this week’s menu is all fish and seafood and I can’t say I mind at all, whatsoever!

Weekly Menu: January 29th – February 2nd

I’ve got some serious lesson planning and grading to get done today. I’d also love to learn everything there is to know about Lightroom ASAP. With Picnik gone as of April, I need a solid back-up plan for photo editing! But of course, Lightroom isn’t what I would call “user friendly” by any stretch of the imagination.

Lots to do before dinner and hockey.

Be well,

Share With Your Friends!

17 Comments

  1. Alida
    January 29, 2012 / 6:30 am

    Who knew such a tasty looking chocolate dessert would be reasonable calorie-wise AND carb-wise. Not bad! I feel your pain about Picnik going away. I’m still in denial…so not cool!!

  2. Gina (The Candid RD)
    January 29, 2012 / 7:17 am

    We’ve had a couple customers at the store asking about specific ingredients for their meyer lemon desserts, such as fine sugar (what the heck?! I thought that was just powdered sugar!).
    This dessert looks delicious. Maybe you could add some broccoli to it like I did ๐Ÿ™‚ haha, no.

    I’m intrigued by the fancy fish sticks and the shrimp curry soup on the menu!

  3. Erika - The Teenage Taste
    January 29, 2012 / 9:38 am

    This looks super decadent, yet the stats are fabulous! I love it! ๐Ÿ˜€

  4. Heidi @ Food Doodles
    January 29, 2012 / 11:45 am

    Great pictures! I’m so glad you liked it. I actually never thought of it as a dessert, but it totally can be! Thanks for working out the stats – I knew it was good, but that’s amazing!

  5. Andrea@WellnessNotes
    January 29, 2012 / 2:44 pm

    Your Dutch baby looks & sounds wonderful!

    Hope your grading and lesson planning is going well. I’m supposed to be doing the same right now… ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Have a great week!

  6. Heather
    January 29, 2012 / 5:33 pm

    You had me at chocolate.

    This looks amazing – and low calorie too! Amazing!

  7. Cara
    January 29, 2012 / 8:27 pm

    I just love how amazingly chocolatey this looks!

  8. elle @ nutritionella
    January 29, 2012 / 9:34 pm

    Looks like a good week of eating ahead! Let me know what you think about the soup. ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Jessica
    January 29, 2012 / 11:19 pm

    I just want to shove my face right in the center! YUM!

  10. MyFudo
    January 30, 2012 / 12:47 am

    Another great recipe from your kitchen. Have to make time to prepare this. I love the amazing pictures you have. Keep posting healthy treats….Hugs!

  11. Kate
    January 30, 2012 / 6:19 am

    My husband loves Dutch Babies. But they’re definitely a breakfast item round these parts. I wonder if I could sell him on it as a dessert if it was chocolate.

  12. Lissa
    January 30, 2012 / 11:57 am

    This is an education blog, but it has some great alternatives to picnik!

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      January 31, 2012 / 10:35 pm

      Thanks, Lissa – appreciate it! ๐Ÿ™‚

  13. Pingback: Blackened Salmon | Prevention RD
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  15. Meghan D
    January 26, 2013 / 10:43 am

    Hi, I made this this morning and it didn’t work at all. I had to use a baking dish because I don’t have a cast iron skillet. My family has been making Dutch babies for years, it’s actually my moms favorite breakfast. Usually the recipes we make call for mixing the ingredients in the blender which is what causes the Dutch baby to puff up. Your Dutch baby never puffed up, it never seemed quite done. The only thing that helped it was the banana compote I made to go along with it.

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      January 26, 2013 / 11:17 am

      Meghan, I’m sorry to hear that. This Dutch baby didn’t puff up as much as some others…but I do think the key is cast iron to get some rise and that even, hot bake.

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