Posts tagged ‘Chocolate’
Chocolate Silk Pie for Pi Day!
Today is Pi Day (3.14) so I will post a pie. As I have said many, many times, I am challenged in photographing pies. I can’t cut them nicely to begin with and I just get mad and take a terrible picture. Oh well.
This pie is so good and it helps that chocolate pie is one of our favorites. Don’t leave out the coffee as it really adds to the chocolate flavor.
Chocolate Silk Pie
Pie:
1 baked 9 in pie shell
1 jar marshmallow cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 ozs unsweetened chocolate
2 tbsps strong brewed coffee
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsps confectioner’s sugar
In a heavy saucepan, combine the marshmallow cream, chocolate chips, butter, unsweetened chocolate, and coffee. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool. Fold in whipped and pour into crust.
For the topping, beat cream in a large bowl until it starts to thicken. Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Spread over filling and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Adapted from Taste of Home
Happy Cooking!
Cranberry Nut Chocolate Bark
Something I made when we had a few friends over before Christmas was this bark. I saw the recipe on King Arthur Flour and it looked so delicious to me that I had to try it.
It’s easy to make even though it may not look that way. Just make sure to follow the steps and yours will turn out great, too.
The recipe called for semisweet and white chocolate but I used the packages of chocolate and white bark that you can buy in the grocery store. They melt easily and then harden back up easily and they taste good.
Cranberry Nut Chocolate Bark
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup toasted pecans
1 pkg chocolate bark, melted
1 pkg white chocolate bark, melted
In a small bowl, mix the cranberries and toasted pecans together and set aside.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate bark according to the pkg directions. Spread into an oval on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and let set.
Melt the white chocolate according to the pkg directions and carefully spread over the chocolate layer. Before the white chocolate sets, sprinkle the cranberry and nut mixture over the top and press in lightly.
Let the chocolate harden for several hours and then break into chunks. If you are having trouble getting the chocolate to harden, put the pan in the refrigerator until hard.
Makes about 24 pieces.
Happy Cooking!
Brownie, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Cup Treats
Today, my recipe for Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes is the recipe of the week at Gooseberry Patch. I don’t think I’ve posted this recipe here so grab it over there. It’s really good and can sit in the slow cooker for a bit if the rest of your meal isn’t ready.
This recipe is all over Pinterest and it looked really good and easy to me. Once I made it, I thought it was just OK while the rest of the family thought it was great and ate them all up.
Now this recipe uses lots of packaged products so if you want to make them from scratch I think it would work fine.
I happened to have a square muffin pan but I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t use a regular muffin pan. Just make sure you grease the pan ~ the recipe didn’t call for it but it’s super hard to get them out of the pan if you don’t.
Brownie, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Cup Treats
1 box brownie mix (milk chocolate or fudge or use your favorite)
1 pkg miniature peanut butter cups
1 pkg Nestle Chocolate Chips (they are in squares in the pkg)
Generously grease a square muffin pan.
Take one chocolate chip cookie and press in the pan to cover bottom as in the picture above. Place one unwrapped peanut butter cup upside down on top of the cookie dough. Spoon some brownie dough over the peanut butter cup, covering it.
Bake at 350º for 18-20 minutes or until brownies are done.
Makes 12 treats.
Happy Cooking!
Mini Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
While looking through my Adirondack cookbooks, I found one put out by a group from the hospital in the town I grew up in. I even found a recipe my Mom submitted which I will be trying next week.
My daughter made a recipe like this once only in large cupcake form. I really liked them and was happy to see and try this recipe.
One other thing, this is one of the few recipes I’ve made lately that made the exact amount the recipe said it would and used up all the batter. I love it when that happens!
The recipe came from the Hamilton County TWIGS Volume IV cookbook.
Mini Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Filling:
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/8 tsp salt
8 oz cream cheese, softened
Batter:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
Filling: Beat egg, sugar, salt and cream together until well combined. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Set aside.
Batter: Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt in a large bowl. Add cold water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
Grease mini muffin pans. Fill cups half full with the chocolate batter. Drop a teaspoon of the filling on top.
Bake at 350º for 15 to 18 minutes.
No frosting needed.
Makes 48 mini cupcakes
Happy Cooking!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Fudge
Wow ~ I am loving the comments so far on my giveaway. Everything sounds so yummy!! If you want to join in see this post ~ My Very FIRST Giveaway
In a word, this fudge is delicious! I only had a taste since I’m trying not to eat any sweets and it was hard NOT to have more. I think Mr. Meat Eater ate the rest of the pan.
This recipe is very easy and really not at all difficult like some fudge recipes can be. I think it would wonderful with homemade chocolate chip cookies. I used original Chips Ahoy cookies since I am basically lazy. Don’t skimp on toasting the pecans ~ it really helps to make the recipe.
The fudge would make an excellent gift or treat at Christmas. I found the recipe in Southern Living’s Cooking for Christmas.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Fudge
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 (11.5 ounce) package milk chocolate morsels
1/2 cup evaporated milk (one of those small cans is 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 tsps vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
12 chocolate chip cookies, chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)
To toast the pecans ~ spread on a small baking sheet, place in a preheated to 350º oven and let bake for 10 minutes or so. When you can start smelling them, they are done. Be careful NOT to burn. If they burn, toss and start over.
Line the bottom of an 8×8 baking pan with aluminum foil so the foil hangs over the edges. Lightly grease the foil.
Combine both packages of morsels and the evaporated milk in a large saucepan; cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Rmove from heat and stir in the pecans, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the cookies. Spread in prepared pan.
Let stand for 4 hours or until the fudge is firm.
Lift fudge from the pan using the foil sides as handles. Remove foil and throw away and cut the fudge into squares.
Makes 2 1/4 lbs fudge
Happy Cooking!
Black Forest Cupcakes
Before I go any further, Black Forest Cherry Cake is my all-time favorite cake. In fact, we had one for our wedding cake. That’s how much I love it.
A few weeks ago, I was reading The Disney Food Blog (one of my very favorite blogs) and came across this post ~ Black Forest Cupcake. I could NOT stop thinking about it and since I won’t be going back to WDW for a few months, I sent my son (who lives in Orlando) to check it out. He ate at the Contempo and said the cupcake was one of the best things he had ever eaten.
That was all it took to send me on a mission to recreate it. As luck would have it, I did a google search and came up with a copycat recipe for regular sized cupcakes. Being diabetic, I should NOT be eating these at all so I saved up some carbs so I could try it. I wish I hadn’t. They are VERY good. I am looking forward to trying the real thing when I get back to the World. And I ate more than one.
Black Forest Cherry Cupcakes
1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened (I used lite)
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1 (19 ounce) can cherry pie filling (I used lite)
1 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip (I used sugar free)
Heat oven to 350º. Prepare cake batter as directed on package and set aside.
Mix cream cheese, egg and sugar until well blended.
Remove 3/4 cup of the cherry pie filling for garnish; set aside.
Spoon 2 tablespoons cake batter into each of 24 paper-lined medium muffin cups. Top each with 1 tablespoon each of the cream cheese mixture and the remaining cherry pie filling. Cover evenly with remaining cake batter.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to wire racks. Cool completely.
Top with whipped topping and reserved cherry pie filling just before serving. Keep in refrigerator.
Makes 24 cupcakes.
Happy Cooking!
Guinness Cupcakes
All I can say is WOW!!! These are fabulous! I know lots of people think you can’t make a cakey dessert with beer (or bourbon) and chocolate but really it adds such a depth of flavor to the baked good.
I had some trouble with the frosting so the next time I make this I will just bake a regular buttercream frosting and use the reduced Guinness for some of the liquid. I also did not use the vanilla bean ~ $11.99 for ONE bean and that’s just not happening so I added a bit more vanilla. And I am a lousy frosterer!
@JanetRudolph tweeted this recipe last week and it comes from her blog ~ Dying for Chocolate Her blog is just chock full of chocolate ~ YUM!
Give these a try and see what you think!
I want to blog chocolate all week in time for Valentine’s day but I am getting a cold so if you don’t see me for a day or two, that’s why!
Guinness Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness extra stout
12 tbsps butter
3/4 cup unsweetened chocolate chunks (I broke up 1 Ghiradelli unsweetened chocolate baking bar)
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tbsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350º.
Place the stout and butter in a saucepan and bring to a simmer ~ do not boil ~ over medium-low heat.
Add chocolate chunks to hot stout/butter mixture and whisk until the chocolate melts. Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool.
Add the sugar to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine well.
In a bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt together.
Using a mixer with a whisk attachment throughout, combine the eggs and sour cream. Add the stout/chocolate mixture to the egg/sour cream mixture mixture and combine until well mixed.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg/chocolate mixture in thirds, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go along.
Place cupcake liners in pans and fill to about 2/3 full.
Bake at 350º for about 18-24 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Mine took 18 minutes.
Cool on wire rack before frosting.
Frosting
1 cup butter, room temp
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 whole scraped vanilla bean
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup Guinness extra stout
In a small saucepan, simmer Guinness on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Stout will reduce and become somewhat syrupy. Be careful that it doesn’t burn. Let cool.
Using a mixer, cream the butter for one minute. Slowly add the powdered sugar in thirds, alternating with some of the milk each time. Mix until creamy.
Add scraped vanilla bean and extract.
Slowly add reduce Guinness a bit at a time. Taste until you get to your desired flavor. I used a couple of tbsps so you may not use all the reduction.
Place in a piping bag with a large start tip and frost or just frost with a knife if you prefer.
Makes 24 cupcakes.
Happy Cooking!
Chocolate Cake Day!
I’ve been told that today is Chocolate Cake Day ~ I figure any day is chocolate cake day so I will take this opportunity to repost my Mom’s chocolate cake recipe. This is the recipe that EVERYBODY in my family requests for their birthday. I think I could make it with my eyes closed. It’s not as sweet as cakes go and it’s dense but we love it.
Happy Chocolate Cake Day!
My Mom’s Chocolate Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 (1 oz) unsweetened baking chocolate squares, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup ice water
Stir butter to soften gradually, add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time beating well after each.
Blend in cooled chocolate and vanilla.
Sift together flour, soda and salt, add to creamed mixture alternately with water, beating after each addition.
Bake in 2 (8-inch) round, greased cake pans at 350º for 30-35 minutes.
Frost with 1 pint heavy or whipping cream, whipped or your favorite frosting.
Makes 8-12 servings depending on size of the slices.
Happy Cooking!
Baby Jesus Birthday Cake
Really, this is just a chocolate refrigerator roll but when my kids were younger we made this every Christmas Eve and this is what they called it and the name stuck. So we still make the Baby Jesus birthday cake ~ well, some years we make it and some years, yours truly forgets to make it.
The chocolate wafers have become elusive recently but I found some and they are EXPENSIVE! At least to me they are ~ almost $5 for a box of boring cookies. All that aside, it’s super easy to make and really good. You do have to let it sit in the refrigerator a bit so the cookies soften up and they will be the same texture as cake. I make mine first thing in the morning for evening dessert.
Baby Jesus Birthday Cake or Chocolate Refrigerator Roll
1 tsp vanilla (I don’t use this)
2 cups whipping cream, whipped (Cool Whip is fine, too)
1 (9 oz) pkg Nabisco Chocolate Wafers
Sprinkles or chocolate curls for garnish
Stir the vanilla into the whipped cream.
Spread about 1/2 tbsp of whipped cream on one side of a wafer. Continue in this manner, stacking the wafers on their sides.
Frost with the rest of the whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate curls or sprinkles.
Refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
To serve, slice at a 45º angle.
Makes about 12 servings.
Happy Cooking!
Peanut Clusters
Peanuts covered in chocolate and butterscotch ~ what could be better? I found this recipe on Food.com posted by mollypie and it looked great so I decided to try it for Christmas gift giving. It is beyond EASY!!!! Now, I am NOT that big a fan of butterscotch ~ a little goes a long way as far as I am concerned but this recipe says it’s a two for one for the chocolate/butterscotch coating so I switched it up to 2 bags of chocolate chips to one bag of butterscotch instead of the other way around and it worked great. Of course you can make it whichever way you prefer.
Peanut Clusters
1 (12 ounce) pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 (12 ounce) pkgs butterscotch chips
2 cups of salted peanuts with no skin
Melt the chocolate/butterscotch in a microwave safe bowl at 50% power for 30 seconds at a time until completely melted. You can also melt on the stovetop in a double boiler if you prefer.
Add peanuts to the melted chips and stir until all the peanuts are coated.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper and let cool until they harden up ~ they are not rock hard but firm and are soft to bite into.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Makes about 3 dozen clusters.
Happy Cooking!
Recent Comments