Bread, Chocolate, Desserts, Recipes, Snack

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

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Ok, confession time.  See, I have this feeling that I give off the impression on my blog that everything that emerges from my oven is perfect and beautiful and rainbows and puppies and all that cute stuff.  But the truth is, it’s not.  Every now and then I have some serious baking failures and not-so-perfect baking days.  Usually when it happens, I can immediately look back and realize what I’ve done wrong or need to do differently.  I didn’t go to a fancy, schmancy pastry school (I wish!) or get trained by some world renowned pastry chef; I’m just learning as I go.  So, in light of this revelation, I’d like to start off this post for a most delicious chocolate zucchini bread (more like cake, who are we kidding) with a short list of things I did “wrong”:

1.  Forgot an egg.

2.  Took it out of the oven prematurely, thus causing the middle to collapse upon itself.  Lovely.

3.  Didn’t line the pan with parchment or foil, thereby making the removal of the bread to a serving plate in one piece, a feat worthy of Houdini himself.

So, there it is.  Now, I can’t say that forgetting the egg made any difference and I did manage to throw the bread back in the oven and get it on the more cooked side as opposed to raw and inedible and getting it out of the pan only took one VERY large spatula and some sideways tipping maneuvering.  All in all, a good time in the kitchen.  Just ask my husband who has to listen to the choice words coming from that part of the house.

Needless to say, this cake…err, bread is one of the most delicious things I have every tasted.  It was incredibly moist and dense and formed a beautiful crust on the top.  And I loved the hint of cinnamon blended into the chocolate.  Also, I used mini semi-sweet chocolate chips both in the batter and on top and they kind of disappeared into the batter so next time I’ll use regular size or maybe chocolate chunks.  And there WILL be a next time.  Cause it was that good.

Enjoy!

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Chocolate Zucchini Bread
: 
: Snack, Dessert
: 
: 
: 
: 10-12
 
Ingredients
  • 1⅓ c. Vegetable Oil
  • 1 c. Granulated Sugar
  • 1 c. Dark Brown Sugar
  • 3 Large Eggs
  • 1 T. Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 2 c. Grated Zuchinni, squeezed dry (I processed mine in a food processor; just be sure and remove any large seeds first)
  • ½ c. Cocoa
  • 2 c. AP Flour
  • 1 t. Baking Soda
  • 1 t. Salt
  • 2 t. Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 c. Sour Cream
  • 1, 12 oz. pkg Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5x4½" baking pan or, if removing from pan, line with foil or parchment paper and grease well.
  2. In an electric mixer, beat oil and sugars on medium speed until well combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla. Beat in the zucchini.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.
  4. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream to the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry. Fold in one cup of the chocolate chips.
  5. Pour batter into pan and sprinkle the remainder of the chocolate chips over the batter and press down lightly.
  6. Bake for 1½ hours or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
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Bars, Chocolate, Cookie, Desserts, Featured, Recipes

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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I’ve been staring at a recipe for Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars for a couple months now, dying to make them and yesterday I finally broke down and got busy in the kitchen mixin’ these bad boys up. Yes, I know, it’s about a million degrees outside and who would be crazy enough to turn on an oven??? That would be me! When the need for chocolate calls, one must answer!

Of course, I altered the recipe…I kept finding things in my pantry I thought would be good mixed in! I couldn’t help myself. Here is the original recipe on food.com. I did a butter/oil mix only because I didn’t have enough butter and then threw in peanut butter, oats and two different kinds of Ghirardelli chocolate. They turned out super moist, dense and rich and had a nice balance of salty and sweet to them. Eat ’em with a glass of ice cold milk, it’s a must!

Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
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: Dessert
: 
: 
: 
: 18
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ c. (1½ sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened
  • ½ c. Vegetable Oil
  • 1½ c. Dark Brown Sugar, packed
  • 2 T. Lite Corn Syrup
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • ½ c. Peanut Butter
  • 1 T. Pure Vanilla Exract
  • 2 c. AP Flour
  • 1 c. Oats
  • 1½ t. Baking Powder
  • 1 t. Salt
  • 1 c. each Semi-Sweet and Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (I used Ghirardelli brand)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan.
  2. In an electric mixer, beat the butter, oil, sugar and corn syrup on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
  3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
  4. Beat in the peanut butter and then the vanilla.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to the wet mixture on low speed.
  6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  7. Pour into the pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.
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Breakfast, Chocolate, Desserts, Life, Recipes, Snack

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

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As of today I’ve been in Destin, Florida for five days.  Surprise!  Jealous?  You should be, it’s awesome here.  Sun, sand, emerald blue water and doing a whole lot of nothing.  It’s been glorious.  But of course I had to take a little time out of my day and tell you all about a little road trippin’ snack I made.

See Jeremy and I are actually pretty health conscious (despite what I blog about) and have been getting in shape for this vacation for awhile.  Knowing that we would be in the car for 12+ hours, I wanted something healthy to snack on should hunger strike.  And let’s face it, the healthy options at a 7-Eleven are pretty much limited to the bottled water.  We had to be prepared!

So I thought a nice snack would be homemade granola.  I’ve seen a few recipes but never attempted it myself, so after doing some research I found one that sounded like it had potential and was super versatile (because no way in heck was I NOT going to change the recipe!).  I started with Playgroup Granola Bars from Allrecipes.com.  I modified it alot but the bones of the recipe were great…the granola turned out awesome!  I could not keep my hands out of it and seriously didn’t know if there would be any left by the time we actually got on the road.  And yes, this recipe is healthy.  But healthy can taste really, really good.  Like, “no way can this be healthy” good.  Eat it by the handful or pour some milk over it and enjoy it for breakfast.  And DO play with the recipe…experiment with flavors and ingredients!

Enjoy!

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Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola
: 
: Breakfast, Snack, Dessert
: 
: 
: 
: 10 cups
 
Ingredients
  • 2 c. Thick Rolled Oats
  • 2 c. Hard Red Wheat Flakes
  • ½ c. 7-Grain Mix (If you can't find it at your local health food store, substitute Wheat Germ or Flax Seed)
  • 2 c. White Whole Wheat Flour (I like King Arthur)
  • 1½ t. Salt
  • ½ c. Sugar in the Raw
  • ¼ c. Cocoa Powder
  • ½ c. Chocolate Protein Powder (I like the All Natural Chocolate Muscle Milk)
  • 2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
  • ¾ c. Honey
  • ¼ c. Safflower Oil
  • ¼ c. Peanut Oil
  • 2 T. Pure Vanilla Extract
  • ½ c. All-Natural Peanut Butter
  • ½ c. All-Natural Dry-Roasted Peanuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats and the next 7 ingredients.
  3. In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the eggs and the next 5 ingredients.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spread evenly into the cookie sheet, pressing down with the back of a spoon or your hands. Sprinkle the dry-roasted peanuts on top and gently press into the mixture. Bake for 22 minutes and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, or until the granola is cool enough to handle.
  5. Get another cookie sheet and break up the granola into small pieces (the peanuts will probably fall off but that's ok), dividing between the two cookie sheets. Bake both cookie sheets of granola for another 10 minutes. Let cool completely and store in an air-tight bag.
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Chocolate, Cookie, Desserts, Recipes

N.Y. Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I don’t know what rock I’ve been living under but apparently there was a chocolate chip cookie recipe in the New York Times a few years ago that everybody went crazy over.  Who knew?  So I finally got around to trying the famous recipe to see what all the hype was about.  These cookies are interesting because they call for two different kinds of flours, cake flour and bread flour.  Cake flour produces a very tender baked good and bread flour is used for more of a chewy factor.  The recipe also called for sea salt sprinkled on top but I omitted that…just didn’t really appeal to me.  The cookies are supposed to be huge but I scaled mine down a bit just to make them go further.  And finally, the dough has to sit in the fridge for 24-36 hours.  I only was able to do 30 hours but I’ve read that the longer, the better.

The cookie was really good.  To be honest, it reminded me alot of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe that is a regular in my baking rotation.  I think I’ll most likely make them again and follow the recipe exactly as written just to see if it makes any difference (you can see the original recipe here).  Enjoy!

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N.Y. Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
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: Dessert
: 
: 
: 
: 32
 
Ingredients
  • 1 c. minus 1 T. Cake Flour
  • ½ plus ⅓ c. Bread Flour
  • ½ plus ⅛ t. Baking Soda
  • ¾ t. Baking Powder
  • ¾ t. Salt
  • 1 stick plus 2 T. Unsalted Butter
  • ½ c. plus 2 T. Light Brown Sugar
  • ½ c. plus 1 T. Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 2 t. Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1 c. each Bittersweet and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I prefer Ghirardelli)
Instructions
  1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
  2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add egg, mixing well. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Stir in bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
  3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  4. The dough will be quite stiff (I had to use a knife to break mine up). Break off a piece about 1½ in. and use your hands to form a ball. Place on baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating and transferring the pans to different racks halfway through. Let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.
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Candy, Chocolate, Desserts, Recipes

Almond Joy Truffles

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Homemade candy is one of my all-time favorite things to make.  I started making my own candy at home about 5 or 6 years ago and have loved it ever since.  In the beginning, I even took a couple of classes through a local college in town, which was a lot of fun and I definitely managed to pick up some good tips that I still use to this day.  Part of what I love about making candy (and even baking) is that there really is a science behind it…ingredients have to be weighed and measured properly, mixing of ingredients has to occur in a certain pattern and temperatures have to be just right to get the kind of candy you want, whether soft, chewy, hard, etc.

It all sounds kind of intimidating at first but all it takes is a little reading and testing out a few recipes and before you know it you’ll be making your own homemade caramel, marshmallows, peanut brittle or whatever candy you crave and impressing everyone you know!

So today I’m sharing a very simple recipe for Almond Joy Truffles.  This was one of the first things I made in my candy making class years ago and I still love it.  These little coconut bites taste just like the candy bar you can get in your local grocery store…only without all the extra junk they tend to put in.  I put toasted almond slivers on top of mine but if you’re not a nut fan, sprinkle them with toasted coconut or drizzle with white chocolate.  Very pretty and tasty.  Enjoy!

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Almond Joy Truffles
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: Homemade Candy
: 
: 
: 25 pcs
 
Ingredients
  • 2½ c. Dessicated (Unsweetened) Coconut
  • ¾ c. Light Corn Syrup
  • 1 lb. Good Quality Milk or Dark Chocolate Coating
  • Slivered Almonds, toasted (or toasted coconut, white chocolate, etc)
Instructions
  1. Place coconut in a medium bowl. Bring the corn syrup to a boil over high heat. Pour the corn syrup over the coconut and gently mix to coat. Let this sit for at least one hour.
  2. Melt chocolate in a bowl in the microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring between each time until completely smooth and melted. Roll the coconut into small balls and dip in the chocolate. Top immediately with one almond sliver (or whatever you are using) and let dry completely on foil.
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Cake, Chocolate, Desserts, Recipes

Chocolate Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

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Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is one of my most favorite cakes ever. EVER.  I can still remember the first time I had it and thinking “what the crap is this?!?”  It was love from that point on and I honestly think if left to my own devices, I could eat a whole 9×13 pan of it in one sitting.  Hopefully I never find out.

Thankfully, the chocolate version is just a little too rich to eat more than one piece (at least for me) but it’s amazing nonetheless.  And you can throw this recipe together in about 15 minutes and have it in the oven baking in no time, so in case you still haven’t figured out what you’re bringing to that July 4th party tomorrow, I’d consider making this incredible cake!  The bottom layer is thick and slightly chewy and topped with rich, gooey, chocolatey, umm…goodness.  Hard to describe but just trust me on this one, it’s awesome. I highly recommend pairing it with milk or homemade vanilla ice cream–delicious!

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
: 
: Dessert
: 
: 
: 
: 18
 
Ingredients
  • 1 Stick Unsalted Butter, melted, plus one more stick Unsalted Butter, melted
  • 1 (18.25 oz) package Devil's Food Cake Mix
  • 1 Large Egg, plus 2 more Large Eggs
  • 1, 8 oz. Package Cream Cheese, softened
  • ¼ c. Cocoa
  • 1, 16 oz. Box Powdered Sugar
  • 1 T. Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 2 c. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking pan.
  2. In an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, one egg, one stick of melted butter and beat on low speed until well blended. Press mixture evenly into baking pan and set aside.
  3. Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining two eggs, one at a time and the cocoa powder. On low speed, add the powder sugar and beat until all ingredients are well combined. Beat in the remaining one stick of melted butter and the vanilla. Stir in one cup of the chocolate chips and spread the filling over the cake mixture in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining one cup of chocolate chips over the cake.
  4. Bake for 45 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the cake--the center should still be slightly gooey when finished baking. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack.
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Chocolate, Cookie, Desserts, Recipes

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

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When I was a kid we didn’t eat out alot and if we did, we usually went to Subway or Taco Bell, which met our criteria of both fast and inexpensive.  I actually liked Subway alot and we’d always get their cookies that were three for a dollar.  You wouldn’t think that the cookies at a fast food place would be that great but the ones at Subway were really, really good (at least to my young, inexperienced tastebuds they were).  They always seemed fresh and were so soft.  My absolute favorite was the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie, so when I first decided to make them at home, I wanted one that was as close to Subway’s as possible.

Now I haven’t had one from Subway in a loooooonnnng time but this one is just as good, if not better, than the ones I remember from my childhood.  They are a little underdone when you take them out but I think that’s what makes them so good.  Oh, and they’re a snap to throw together too which is always nice.  Jeremy and I both love these so they are somewhat dangerous to have in our house but hey, every now and then you’ve got to have a little treat!

Enjoy!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie

1/2 c. (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, softened

3/4 c. Granulated Sugar

1 Large Egg

2 t. Pure Vanilla Extract

1 1/4 c. AP Flour

1/2 t. Baking Soda

1/2 t. Salt

3/4 c. White Chocolate Chips

3/4 c. Salted Macadamia Nuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking pans with parchment paper.

In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and add to the mixer.  Beat until thoroughly incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Chill dough for 30 minutes to an hour.

Roll dough into a 1 1/2 inch ball with the palm of your hands and place on baking sheets.  Bake for 8 minutes, rotating pans and switching halfway through.  Let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes and then move to a cooling rack.  Store in an airtight container.

Makes 25 small cookies.

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Chocolate, Cookie, Desserts, Recipes

Mudslide Cookies

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This amazing cookie recipe was given to me by my friend, Judy.  I met Judy at my first “real job” I had shortly after I graduated college.  Judy was pretty much the resident office baker and she brought in desserts like I had never seen or tasted before!  I mean, I grew up loving to bake and cook but the treats she brought in soon made me realize there was a whole wide world of baking I had never explored.  I’ll never forget the first time I had ganache was in a dessert she had made.  I thought it was absolutely divine!  From then on I started reading and really digging into baking, beyond basic cookies and brownies.

So, she really inspired me and I have her to partially thank for my love of baking, especially baking with chocolate!  This recipe was one of the first I made of hers and I fell in LOVE with it.  These cookies are rich and chocolatey, almost like a brownie in cookie form.  And they look beautiful too because they form a shiny, delicate shell of sorts on the outside.  It’s almost like a brownie, cookie and chocolate truffle all rolled into one!  Just scrumptious!  Enjoy!

Mudslide Cookies

4 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate, finely chopped

3 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 c. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

3 T. Unsalted Butter

1/3 c. + 2 T. AP Flour

1 t. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Salt

3 Large Eggs

1 c. White Sugar

1 1/2 t. Pure Vanilla Extract

1 1/4 c. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, melt the unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and butter in a microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until completely smooth.  Set aside and let cool.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  Add the cooled, melted chocolate mixture and combine on low speed.  Add flour mixture and continue to beat on low speed until almost combined, about 1 minute.  Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

Using a 2-inch scoop, drop onto baking sheets, about 3 inches apart.  Bake for 10 minutes, rotating pans and switching racks half way through.  Let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Makes 28 cookies.

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Chocolate, Desserts, Ice Cream, Recipes

Elvis Sundae

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Ok, I am VERY excited about this post for a couple of reasons. First, I have not one, but TWO recipes to share.  Two!  And one of those recipes could be potentially healthy.  Yes, healthy.  Of course, I would never allow that to happen, this being a full-on sugary delicious dessert blog and all.  But I’m giving you options here.  Nice, right?

Second reason for my excitement…I bought some uber cute mini dessert glasses for these special Elvis Sundaes!  I LOVE them.  I only needed two but they came in sets of 12.  I agonized over whether or not I should get them, but the cuteness won out in the end and I just resolved to have more people over  for dinner more often and get good use out of them.  At least that was part of my justification.

Ok!  On to the sundaes…my inspiration for these came from a fabulous frozen coffee drink called The Elvis.  It combines coffee, chocolate, banana and peanut butter.  Delish.  And it just so happens my sister-in-law Rachel, of Foodierachel.com, has this recipe for banana ice cream I’d been dying to try forever.  All it takes to make it is….bananas!  That’s it!  Super easy.  I topped it with a divine Mocha Hot Fudge Sauce from Joythebaker.com and chopped, dry-roasted peanuts.  And voila! Elvis Sundae.

Enjoy!

Banana Ice Cream

4 Medium-Large Ripe Bananas, sliced

2 T. Pure Vanilla Extract (This was my addition.  And I like vanilla, so feel free to use less if you’d like.)

Directions

Line a baking sheet with foil.  Place the banana slices on the baking sheet and let them chill in the fridge for an hour.  After they’re nice and frozen, throw them in a food processor for five minutes, turning it off every minute or so to scrape down the sides and kind of push everything around.  It will seem like it’s not going to blend, but it will happen, be patient.  When it’s completely smooth, whirl in the vanilla and then pour it into an air-tight container and freeze for several hours or overnight.

And here’s the part where you make this delicious, healthy banana ice cream not so healthy….

Mocha Hot Fudge Sauce

1/4 c. Cocoa Powder

1/3 c. Packed Dark Brown Sugar

1/2 c. Light Corn Syrup

2/3 c. Heavy Whipping Cream

1/4 t. Salt

6 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped

2 T. Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/2 Tablespoons

2 t. Pure Vanilla Extract

1 t. Instant Espresso Powder

1 1/2 t. Hot Water

Directions

Stir together cocoa powder, brown sugar, corn syrup, cream, salt and half of the chopped chocolate in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and cook over low-medium heat, stirring until chocolate is melted.  Cook mixture at a low boil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, dissolve the espresso powder into the 1 1/2 teaspoons hot water.

Remove sauce from heat, add remaining chocolate, butter, espresso misture and vanilla.  Stir until smooth.  Cool slightly.  (I would recommend cooling it and refrigerating it overnight.  The espresso flavor seemed to be more noticeable after doing that and then reheating it over low heat the next day.)  Scoop ice cream into small bowls, spoon sauce over the ice cream and chop with dry-roasted peanuts.

Makes 2 cups sauce.

Note:  For the banana ice cream, Rachel suggests adding things such as peanut butter, honey, etc. to make different variations of the ice cream.  So feel free to be creative and experiment!  I’m definitely going to try a mango ice cream next week–can’t wait!

 

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Cake, Candy, Chocolate, Desserts, Recipes

1st Birthday Cake

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This past weekend I helped my friend make a 1st birthday cake for her sweet little boy, Jeremiah.  We wanted to do a jungle/monkey theme but since neither of us are professional cake bakers/decorators, we had to improvise a little.  Fondant was out because not only have I never worked with it before, I really don’t care for the way it tastes.  So, after searching the internet we found some ideas we liked, went shopping and prayed it would turn out!

First, let’s start with the cake.  It’s a homemade yellow cake covered with a delicious chocolate cream cheese frosting.  Both are very simple and very good.  For the decorations we used palm trees found at a local craft store.  The animals are just chocolate molds that were painted and filled with milk, dark and white chocolate.  For the #1, I had my husband outline it on a piece of paper.  Then I taped a piece of wax paper on top of the paper with the #1 on it, filled a squirt bottle (like this one) with white chocolate and simply traced the #1, filled it in and popped it in the freezer for a couple minutes.  Easy!  Once we had it on the cake, we placed banana runts around it.  Oh, and the “bamboo” around the cake are Pirouette cookies from Wal-Mart, cut with a serrated knife into different size pieces.

The really was one of the simplest cakes.  I think painting the chocolate animals and #1 took the longest, about 1 1/2 hours.  So, I hope this gives you inspiration and confidence for your own cake baking adventures!  You can do it!  Have fun!

Yellow Cake

(adapted from Allrecipes.com)

1 c. (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

1 1/2 c. White Sugar

8 Egg Yolks

3/4 c. Whole Milk

1 T. Pure Vanilla Extract

2 c. Cake Flour

2 t. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 pan and flour.  Line pan with a piece of parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, then add the vanilla.  Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.  Beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes.  Pour batter into pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let cool completely on a wire rack.  Turn out onto the rack and carefully peel the parchment paper from the cake.  Gently turn the cake over and use a serrated knife or cake leveler to level the top of the cake.  Turn upside down (so that the bottom of the cake is facing up) onto your cake plate.  Frost and decorate.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

4 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Squares, chopped, melted (melt at 20 second intervals, stirring between each) and cooled

1/2 c. (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, softened

8 oz. Cream Cheese, cold

1/4 c. Solid Vegetable Shortening

1/4 t. Salt

2 T. Pure Vanilla Extract

6 c. Powdered Sugar, sifted

Directions

Cream butter, shortening and cream cheese until smooth.  Add salt and vanilla.  Beat in melted chocolate.  Gradually beat in powdered sugar until nice and creamy.

Frost cake with a crumb coat and let harden in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.  Remove, apply the final coat of frosting and decorate immediately.

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Brownie, Chocolate, Cookie, Desserts, Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Oreo Brownie

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Get some milk.  Like, a gallon.  These are VERY rich but for some reason you won’t be able to stop eating them.  Maybe because it’s a chocolate chip cookie…and an Oreo…and a brownie…all in one, umm, cookie?   Brownie?  Cakelet?  It’s definitely not a muffin.  Kind of looks like one but it is definitely, DEFINITELY NOT a muffin.    And sadly, without that pretty swirl of frosting on top, it can’t pass as a cupcake.  Bummer.

Hmmm, what to call it.  Well, if you can think of anything let me know.  For now, just know that when you layer chocolate chip cookie dough with an Oreo and top it with brownie batter you pretty much have a trifecta of cookie awesomeness that is nearly indescribable.  Make these now!

P.S.  My husband suggested topping them with buttercream.  Where would he get such a crazy idea?!?

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Oreo Brownie
: 
: Dessert
: 
: 
: 
: 48
 
Ingredients
  • Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
  • 1 c. Granulated Sugar
  • 1 c. Brown Sugar, packed
  • ¾ c. Shortening
  • 1 Stick Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 t. Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1½ t. Baking Soda
  • ½ t. Salt
  • 2¼ c. AP Flour
  • 1, 12 oz. Package Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
  • Directions
  • In a mixer, cream sugars, butter and shortening until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl and add to wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. set aside
  • Brownie Batter
  • 4 (1 oz.) Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Squares
  • ¾ c. (1½ sticks) Unsalted Butter
  • ¾ c. Granulated Sugar
  • 1¼ c. Brown Sugar, packed
  • 3 Large Eggs
  • 1 c. AP flour
  • 3 t. Pure Vanilla Extract
  • ⅛ t. Salt
  • Directions
  • Microwave chocolate squares and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl until melted and smooth, stirring at 20-second intervals. Whisk in granulated and brown sugars. Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Whisk in flour and salt.
  • Oreos
  • Buy them.
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a regular size muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Using a 2-inch scoop, drop a level scoop of cookie dough into the muffin tin. Gently press an Oreo into the cookie dough. Spoon a small amount of brownie batter over the Oreo. Bake for 15-18 minutes (15 for barely under-done and slightly gooey). Let cool completely in the muffin tin. Gently slide a butter knife along the sides of the muffin tin and carefully remove.
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Chocolate, Desserts, Recipes, Snack

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Chips

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Today is National Pretzel Day!  Yep, get excited.  I know it’s a little late in the day but there is still time to make these super easy chocolate covered pretzels.  I wanted to give this classic treat a little update so I used pretzel chips and through in some peanut butter.    The pretzels even have their own little “handle”, making dipping a cinch.  You can have them done in about 30 minutes!  How great is that?

And yes, there is a food for every day.  Check out this link that lists each month at the bottom of the page, click on the month and it will take you to a daily list.   Ya know, just in case you were wondering when you should plan on celebrating raisins or escargot or something ummmm…equally delicious…

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Chips

-Pretzel Chips
-Peanut Butter
-Dark, Milk or White Chocolate Candy Discs

Directions

In a medium bowl, microwave the chocolate until melted, stirring every 20 seconds.  Spread a generous dollop of peanut butter on one side of the pretzel and dip in the melted chocolate.  Place on foil and let dry completely. Decorate with a drizzle of white chocolate (if dipping in dark, or vice versa).

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Chocolate, Cookie, Desserts, Recipes

White Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies

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Well, it’s been a little while since I’ve done this whole blog thing (umm, like a YEAR) but I think I’m ready to give it another go. Life finally settled down and I managed to make some yummy cookies. But not just cookies…cookie-wiches. Oh yeah.

I’ve been a little obsessed with putting frosting between cookies lately. I mean if you’re going to have a little sugar, why not have a LOT of sugar, right? Add in a little caffeine and you pretty much have the makings of a totally legal, mood-enhancing drug. Mmmmm, legal drugs.

White Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 c. Granulated Sugar

1 c. Brown Sugar

3/4 c. Shortening

1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter

2 Eggs

2 t. Pure Vanilla

1 1/2 t. Soda

1/2 t. Salt

2 1/4 c. AP Flour

3 T. Instant Coffee

11 oz. White Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream sugars, butter and shortening.  Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla.  Whisk dry ingredients in seperate bowl and then add to the wet ingredients.  Mix in chips.

Drop dough onto parchment lined baking pans and bake for 8-10 minutes (shorter if you have dark pans, longer if you have light pans).  Half way through, rotate pans and switch racks to ensure even baking.  Let stand for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack.

Makes 25 cookie-wiches or 50 cookies.

Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

I used Bakerella’s recipe found here.


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Cake, Chocolate, Desserts, Recipes

Black Forest Cake

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A couple of weeks ago the sun was shining, birds were singing and people were cruising around with their windows down and hair blowing in the wind.  Naturally, this kind of weather called for grilling!  So we headed over to my in-laws house to chow down on some grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.  Our contribution to the meal was a cake and not just any cake but a Black Forest Cake!  My aunt Tammy used to make this cake years ago and someone mentioned it the other day which sparked the memory of cakes past and got my mouth watering.  So since I had never made one I decided it was time.  Here are a few pics of it all coming together.

Cherries

Chopped chocolate

Cherries and chocolate…these are a few of my most favorite things.

Cakes coming out of oven

All the yummy layers.

2 Layers

More 2 layers

4 layers

Attempting to frost with the whipped cream–quite the challenge.

Frosting

More frosting

And the finished product!

Finished close up

Finished

So, a few things I learned.

1. This cake requires a great deal of patience.  While not difficult, it is time consuming to make all of the components and put it all  together.

2.  Whipped cream doesn’t make the best frosting.  Don’t get me wrong it looks pretty and tastes amazing but what a pain in the butt to put on!  I will probably frost the sides with a dark chocolate frosting next time and leave the whipped cream for the layers and the top of the cake.

3.  Never throw an almost completed cake in the trash no matter how badly you want to!  I had just a few issues with the cake (little lopsided, some “juicing” out the bottom, difficulty frosting, etc) and I really thought it was just no good but thankfully my husband talked me off the ledge and boy am I glad he did!  The cake was soooo good!

I haven’t made a lot of cakes in my time (this was probably the third?) but it’s always a learning experience and the finished product is definitely worth the effort!

Black Forest Cake

Ingredients

2 1/8 c All-Purpose Flour
2 c White Sugar
3/4 c Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 t Baking Powder
3/4 t Baking Soda
3/4 t Salt
3 Eggs
1 c Milk
1/2 c Vegetable Oil
1 T Pure Vanilla Extract
3, 14.5 oz Cans Pitted Sour Cherries, drained with juice reserved
1 c White Sugar
1/4 c. Cornstarch
1/4-1/2 c Kirsch

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two, 9 in. round cake pans and line with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 2 cups sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat until well blended.  Divide batter evenly into two pans and bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.  Loosen edges and remove to racks to cool completely.

Combine 1/2 c. reserved juice, cherries, 1 c sugar and cornstarch in a 2 quart saucepan.  Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently.  (Be patient, it will take awhile)  Stir in vanilla and cool.  Move to fridge to speed up cooling.  Stir in kirsch.

(While cake and cherries are cooling, make simple syrup, ganache and whipped cream.  See recipes below.)

Split each cake layer horizontally.  Place one cake layer on cake plate/stand.  Brush on simple syrup with a pastry brush.  Spread on thin layer of ganache.  Cover with layer of whipped cream and then cherries.  Repeat with next three layers, but instead of spreading cherries on top layer, first frost the whole cake with the whipped cream and let firm up in freezer.  Apply final frosting of whipped cream and then spread the cherries into center of the top of cake and pipe whipped cream around the edges.  Decorate sides with chopped chocolate.  Or frost sides with chocolate buttercream instead of whipped cream.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Simple Syrup

1/2 c Juice (from drained cherries)
1/2 c White Sugar
1/4 c. Kirsch

Simmer juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Add kirsch after syrup has cooled.

Ganache

12 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 c Heavy Whipping Cream

Place chocolate in a medium bowl.  Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring just to a boil.  Pour over the chopped chocolate.  Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth.  Let cool completely.

Whipped Cream

5 c Heavy Whipping Cream
1 c Powder Sugar
3 T. Pure Vanilla Extract

Chill mixing bowl and whisk in freezer for 30 minutes.  Remove and place heavy whipping cream in mixing bowl.  Whip on high speed until cream thickens.  Add powder sugar and vanilla extract.

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