chocolate

Mocha Coconut Fudge.

Mocha Coconut Fudge [adapted from mother lovett's 3-minute fudge] makes one 8×8 pan 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 12 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped 1 can (15oz) sweetened condensed milk 1 1/2 tablespoons espresso powder (or instant coffee) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract 1 tablespoon coconut oil 1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted Spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick spray. Add semisweet chocolate to a double boiler, and melt completely. One melted, add in half of the sweetened condensed milk, the vanilla, the coffee powder and 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil. Stir with a spatula until combined and fairly smooth, then spread evenly in the bottom of the pan. Mixture will be thick. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Add white chocolate to a double boiler and melt completely. Add in remaining condensed milk, coconut oil and coconut extract, stirring until combined. Remove fudge from freezer and add white chocolate on top, spreading evenly to coat. Top with toasted coconut, then chill in the refrigerator for 60-90 minutes. When ready to cut, fill a large cup with hot water. Dip a sharp knife into the water, then blot on a towel. Use knife to cut fudge [...]

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Chocolate Fudge S’mores Thumbprints.

Chocolate Fudge S’mores Thumbprints [adapted from mother lovett's thumbprints] makes about 20 cookies 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg yolk 3/4 cup all purpose flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 mini chocolate chips 1/2 batch of marshmallow frosting 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, or more if desired. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt into a bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy (scraping the bowl when needed), for about 3-4 minutes. Add in egg yolk and vanilla, and beat for another 1-2 minutes until combined. With the mixer on low speed, stir in the flour mixture and gradually increase the speed for the dough to come together, again scraping down the sides to combine. One batter has come together, fold in chocolate chips. Roll into balls that are about 1 inch in diameter and set on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and gently press your thumb into the center of each cookie, creating a dent. Place [...]

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Pumpkin Pie Fudge Brownie Bars.

Pumpkin Pie Fudge Brownie Bars (brownies adapted from bourbon pecan brownies, pumpkin adapted from simply recipes) makes one 9×13 pan brownie layer 1/2 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup cocoa powder 1 1/4 cups sugar 10 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs Preheat oven to 325 F. In a small bowl, beat eggs and vanilla and set aside. In a double boiler, add butter, cocoa, sugar and salt. Mix until the mixture becomes a batter – this will take approximately 10 minutes and at first will just look like clumps of cocoa power. Be patient! Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the egg mixture (very slowly while whisking, so you don’t have scrambled eggs!) until combined. Stir in flour until batter is smooth, then pour in baking dish. Use a 9×13 dish for thin bars, and an 8×8 for thicker bars. For 9×13 dish, bake for 12-13 minutes. For an 8×8 dish, bake for about 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely! Then make pumpkin layer. pumpkin layer 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1 large egg 1 cup pumpkin puree 1/2 cup heavy cream [...]

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Grown Up Hot Chocolate with Homemade Bailey’s Marshmallows.

Grown Up Hot Chocolate [lightly adapted from food network] serves about 6 3 cups whole milk 1 1/2 cups cream or half and half 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark) 4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch of salt 4-6 ounces of marshmallow (or vanilla, cake, whipped cream) vodka In a large bowl, mix together cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add milk and cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring every few minutes. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the milk to the cocoa and sugar, mixing thoroughly to create a paste. Once the entire thing is wet, use a spatula to add it to the milk and turn the heat down to low. Whisk continuously until smooth (do not let it boil), the whisk in chopped chocolate and vanilla extract. Remove from heat and whisk in vodka, or add to each glass right before serving. Top with marshmallows and whipped cream. For the Bailey’s marshmallows, I used this exact recipe for beer marshmallows, substituting Bailey’s for beer.

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Homemade Holiday Gifts: Candy Bar Caramel Corn.

Candy Bar Caramel Corn [caramel corn from Kendall Jackson] 1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup light corn syrup 1 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 12 cups air-popped popcorn candy bars of your choice Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Roughly chop candy bars to yield about 2 cups of assorted chocolate. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add in sugar and corn syrup, whisking until dissolved, then let simmer (without mixing) until mixture begins to bubble – about 4 minutes. Cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes more until caramel is amber in color, this time stirring every 30 seconds or so in order for the sugar to not burn. Turn off heat and whisk in vanilla, salt and baking soda. Gently fold in popcorn, turning it over and over again until it’s coated. Fold in about 1 cup of the candy bars, then spread popcorn on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping every few minutes to ensure that all the popcorn is coated. Remove from oven and top with additional candy bars. Let cool [...]

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Brown Butter Chocolate-Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies.

Brown Butter Chocolate-Stuffed Toffee Cookies [adapted from the giant rainbow cookies] makes 12 large cookies 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of unsalted butter 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup toffee chips (such as Heath chocolate-covered toffee bits) chocolate chunks, baking squares, or chocolate bars cut into pieces Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add butter. Whisk until butter melts, then continue to stir and whisk just until tiny brown bits appear at the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat immediately as the butter can burn very quickly. Set aside and let cool for about 10-15 minutes, until the butter comes to room temperature. Once butter has cooled, add to a large bowl. Whisk in sugars until smooth and caramely in color, then add in the egg and egg yolk. Mix again until combined, then add in vanilla extract and mix. Add in flour, baking and soda and salt, and mix until a dough forms. The dough may be crumbly but continue [...]

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Creme De Menthe Brownies from 1988.

Creme De Menthe Brownies [brownie adapted from my red velvet brownies] makes one 9 x 13 pan 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark) 2/3 cups chocolate chips (optional) mint layer 2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup creme de menthe chocolate fudge layer 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips 4 tablespoons unsalted butter Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. With the mixer on medium speed add in flour, cocoa and salt, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread batter in the pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Let cool completely before adding mint layer. When cool, beat butter and powdered sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer, making sure to scrape down the sides until [...]

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Baked Red Velvet Cake Doughnuts.

Baked Red Velvet Cake Doughnuts [adapted from the doughnut recipe of the back of the Wilton pan] makes 10-12 standard-sized doughnuts 1 cup cake flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/3 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/3 cup buttermilk + 1 tablespoon 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 teaspoon distilled white vinegar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon red food coloring (I used “no taste red” gel) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and baking powder, then mix with a spoon. Add in buttermilk and egg, mixing to combine. Stir in butter. In a small bowl, mix baking soda and vinegar together, then add in vanilla. Add the mixture to the doughnut batter, then stir in red food coloring. Using a pastry bag or spoon (I found a spoon was easier since this batter is more cake-like) fill each doughnut mold 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 7-8 minutes, thne let cool for 5 minutes before removing. Notes: I tried these with all-purpose flour and while they did work, they weren’t [...]

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Chewier! Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. [2 Ways]

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Pumpkin Puree [adapted from the giant rainbow cookies] makes about 24 cookies 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, melted and cooled 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar 1/4 cup pumpkin puree 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 cup chocolate chunks + 3/4 cup chocolate chips + 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix the flour, salt, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the melted butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Stir in pumpkin puree until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to help at one point. Fold chocolate chips and chunks. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes, then roll into golfball-sized balls. Bake for 8-11 minutes, then let cool completely. If you keep these in the [...]

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Spiced Double Chocolate Chip Cake.

Spiced Dark Chocolate Cake [slightly adapted from food and wine] makes one bundt cake (serves 8-10) 8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped 1/2 cup canola oil 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1/3 cup heavy cream 1 cup strong coffee 1 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup dutch process or dark cocoa powder 1 tablespoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg pinch of cayenne pepper 1/2 cup chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with non-stick spray and set aside. In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and spices and mix with a spoon. Melt chocolate in either a double boiler or a large microwave-safe bowl (I melt in 30 second increments) and let cool. Whisk in oil, sugar, vanilla and heavy cream until smooth, then whisk in egg. Add in half of the flour + cocoa mixture, then half of the coffee and buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Add in the remaining flour mixture and then the remaining coffee and buttermilk, stirring until smooth. Lightly toss chocolate chips with a spoonful of flour, then fold [...]

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