The Ninja Baker - #Glico

3 Pocky Chocolate Truffles and Bananas Foster Ice Cream, #Pocky

NinjaBaker — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 07:12:25 +0000

Glico kindly provided product for this post. All opinions are my own.

Chocolate Banana Pocky!
Perfect crunch inside ice cream and outside chocolate truffles.

The Big Easy is the birthplace of beignet donuts, bluesy jazz and Bananas Foster. New Orleans’ oldest neighborhood, the French Quarter, is home to Brennan’s Restaurant; the spot where the first rum-soaked banana sizzled and smoked in the 1950s. After a tumble in an alcoholic flame, the bananas were enjoyed over vanilla ice cream. Bananas Foster was so delectable that word of the dessert spread like wildfire through the states. Bananas Flambéed rummy bananas accompanied by ice cream brought many smiles to citizens of the USA in the 1950s.

Cookies 'n Cream Pocky Truffles

1950s Japan saw its citizens enjoying caramels, ice cream and cookies courtesy of Ezaki-Glico. (One of Japan’s oldest candy manufacturers.) Pocky – a chocolate covered biscuit stick - popped up a decade later. Once again, dessert deliciousness could not be contained. Japanese Pocky was exported abroad. Although pockets of the USA are not aware of Pocky yet, all who have tasted the chocolate coated biscuit Pocky are fans.

Chocolate Banana Pocky Truffles

Professional and home cooks have added their creative flairs to the classic Bananas Foster. The classic Pocky has also evolved into a rainbow of flavors and colors. The latest Pocky evolutions to reach the US are Banana Chocolate Pocky and Cookies and Cream Pocky.

Green Teatime Snack : Matcha Pocky Truffle

As a nod to the classics of both America and Japan, I created a Chocolate Banana Foster Pocky Ice Cream recipe. The bits of Pocky enhance the smooth banana and liqueur ice cream with a bright crunch. I’ve also concocted Pocky truffles to accompany the scrumptious ice cream. Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Betsy Cohen of Desserts Required’s Brownie Batter Truffle recipe inspires this Ninja Baker’s Dark Chocolate Truffles. Luxurious and easy-to-make (thank you Betsy!) truffles serve as a splendid canvas for Pocky crumbles. Crunchy Chocolate Banana Pocky, Cookies and Cream Pocky and Matcha Pocky crumbles are some of my favorite garnishes. Please do let me know which Pocky crumble you prefer.

This recipe is adapted from Desserts Required’s Brownie Batter Truffles recipe.

Ingredients:

2 ounces bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 pasteurized eggs (Davidson’s is a good choice)
Dash of salt
1¼ cups sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package of Chocolate Banana Pocky
1 package of Cookies and Cream Pocky
2 tablespoons of Japanese matcha green tea powder
1 package of Matcha Pocky

Directions:

Place the chocolate and butter into a microwave safe dish. Drape a paper towel on top. Melt in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir and set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and salt. Slowly add in the sugar. Next pour in half of the chocolate mixture. Add half of the flour mixture. Pour in the remaining chocolate followed by the flour. Add the vanilla.

When combined well, cover with plastic wrap for an overnight stay in the freezer.
Note: Best to tuck the wrap around the truffle batter – much like custard.

Crumble the Pocky (one package at a time) in a food processor while waiting for the batter to soften just a bit (about 5 minutes.) With a mini ice cream scoop, shape the truffle batter into small balls. Roll the chocolate truffle balls in the Pocky crumbles. If creating Matcha Pocky Chocolate Truffles, roll the chocolate truffles first in matcha green tea powder.

Bananas Foster Pocky Ice Cream

In a sea of Kahlua and banana flavors, Chocolate Banana Pocky bits bob up and delight the palate. The alcohol accent is strong. This ice cream is best reserved for grownups.

Ingredients:

For the bananas foster:

2 heaping tablespoons of unsalted butter
¼ heaping cup of dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 bananas (preferably not completely ripe), sliced in half vertically
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons Kahlua coffee liqueur
½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest

For the ice cream:

1½ cups milk
¼ heaping cup of sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 large egg yolks
¼ heaping cup of milk powder
1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste
1 cup of mashed bananas foster
½ cup of the syrup left in the pan from making bananas foster
1 package of Chocolate Banana Pocky, chopped into small bits

Directions:

For the bananas foster:
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over a small flame. Stir in the sugar and spices. Keep stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the bananas to the skillet. Cook for about one minute on each side. Place the bananas on a plate. Let the remaining sauce in the skillet simmer for about another minute. Pour in the Kahlua. Stir in the lemon zest. Take the skillet off the stove and set aside.

For the ice cream:
In a deep saucepan, whisk together one cup of milk (leaving a half cup for later), the sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks. Keep whisking the mixture over a medium flame for 12 to 15 minutes. Look for 180° on the candy thermometer or a thickened mixture. Remove the saucepan from the stove. Place the custard into a bowl and allow to firm in the freezer for about 5 minutes.

Combine the remaining ½ cup of milk, milk powder, vanilla bean paste and Pocky in a separate bowl. Remove the bowl from the freezer and pour in the Pocky combo. Add the mashed bananas foster and syrup. Combine well. Cover and chill overnight.

Churn the ice cream according to the ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions.

More Pocky fun:

Banana Nut Pocky Cupcakes

Chocolate Pocky Cake

Pocky Cake Pops

Wishing you classic go-to recipes which guarantee happiness.

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Follow Ninja Baker @NinjaBaking's board NinjaBaker.com Sweets on Pinterest.

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Chocolate Péjoy Banana Rum Cake Pops

NinjaBaker — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 21:20:19 +0000

Banana flambé is flamboyant, dramatic and wonderful. Equally magnificent is a petite version of the dessert with half the fuss and mess. Enter Chocolate Péjoy Banana Rum Cake Pops. What is a chocolate Péjoy? A slim biscuit stick filled with chocolate cream. Basically a chocolate Pocky turned inside out.

Kissing Cousins: Glico's Chocolate Pocky and Chocolate Péjoy

So, using a baking mix (Bisquick), I whipped up a grownups only banana rum cake batter popping with bits of Péjoy chocolate biscuits. I skipped the milk (used in most banana cake recipes) and poured in rum! The booze is, quite frankly, not prominent. Rather, the rum tempers the banana flavor, which leaves a fruity tickle on the tongue.

Melted dark chocolate and chocolaty crumbled Péjoy crunch atop the
cake pops (mini cakes and muffins)
are a double whammy of deliciousness!

I was honored to have Valentine boxes of Péjoy delivered to my doorstep. The Glico Group is one of the oldest and most iconic confectionery manufacturers in Japan. In fact, only a decade prior to opening their doors, samurai still roamed the streets.

Prediction: The Japanese chocolate Péjoy will gain as much popularity as Pocky!

Glico was one of the first to follow the Emperor’s decree that Japan should learn from the Western world… In 1927 Glico caramel boxes rattled with toy trinkets much like the American Cracker Jack boxes. Coincidence? Or an example of Jung’s collective unconscious ideas surfacing? I don’t know if Glico execs of the 1920s spoke to the gents who manufacture Cracker Jacks. I am quite certain, however, that fans of Glico caramels, cookies, Pocky, Pretz and Péjoy are on the rise around the world.

Try a chocolate Péjoy straight out of the box or in the Ninja Baker’s
Chocolate Péjoy Banana Rum Cake Pops.
You may also be a Glico fan. Or at least a lover of chocolate cream filled Péjoy.

Chocolate Péjoy Banana Rum Cake Pops

Bananas flambé flavors tease the senses with these grownups only rum infused cake pops! Crushed and chopped chocolate cream filled Péjoy biscuit sticks make the bite-sized cakes even more special! Even if you don't have cake pop forms, you can make scrumptious mini cakes and muffins with the Ninja Baker's Chocolate Péjoy Banana Rum Cake recipe.

Ingredients:

For the cake pop, mini muffin, cake batter:

1 cup mashed ripened banana
½ cup sucanat (organic cane) sugar ^*1
¼ cup rum
2½ tablespoons canola oil
¾ teaspoon butter rum extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2½ cups baking mix (such as Bisquick) ^*2
½ cup (1 package) chopped Péjoy Chocolate Cream Filled Biscuit Sticks (for the batter)
Coconut oil for greasing cake pop, mini muffin and cake pans
24 cake pop sticks (Of course, you can skip cake pops and still enjoy mini cakes with this recipe.)

For cake pop, mini muffin or cake topping:

12 ozs (1 package) dark chocolate candy melts
2 packages Péjoy Chocolate Cream Filled Biscuit Sticks

*1 Ninja Note: Sucanat is a natural cane sugar which retains B6, calcium, iron and other nutrients. Brown sugar and a drop of molasses would be an excellent substitute.

*2 Ninja Note: Copycat Bisquick: 3 cups flour, 1½ tablespoons baking powder, 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, pinch of salt, pinch of baking soda, 4½ tablespoons canola oil or vegetable shortening.

Directions:

For the cake pop, mini muffin, cake batter:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat cake pop, muffin and/or mini springform pans with coconut oil. Set aside.

Mash up bananas with a potato masher.

Stir in the sugar, rum, oil, extract and eggs. Mix in the baking mix and chopped chocolate Péjoy biscuits. When combined, divide the batter into your cake pop, muffin and/or mini springform pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool. Freeze overnight.

For cake pop, mini muffin or cake topping:

Melt the candy melts per package directions. (I like Wilton’s. It’s a simple melt and stir over a double boiler. I also find the chocolate does not harden in the pan quickly – making it easier to dip the frozen cake pops.)

Crumble the chocolate Péjoy in a food processor.

Swirl the frozen cake pops, mini muffins and/or cakes into the melted chocolate. (Before inserting the stick into the cake pop, coat the tip of the stick with melted chocolate.)

Dip the chocolate covered cake pops, mini muffins or cakes into the crumbled chocolate Péjoy. Sticking freshly dipped cake pops into Styrofoam blocks are useful while waiting for the chocolate and Péjoy garnish to set.

Wishing you days flambéd with sizzle and streaks of good fortune.

The Ninja Baker

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Follow Ninja Baker @NinjaBaking's board NinjaBaker.com Sweets on Pinterest.

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