Decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake

I don't have a picture for this.  I worked Wednesday night shift, slept my 3 hours afterward, got up and ran ran ran for the rest of the day until my book club ladies showed up and devoured the cake.  As they were all swooning over it, I realized I should have taken a picture first.  I'll just have to make another batch ;).  This is a recipe that I tore out of Parade magazine a few weeks ago and have been plotting the perfect time to make it ever since.  It is SUPER rich.  Make it when you have a bunch of friends to share it with because otherwise you might keel over and die from sheer happiness and chocolate overload.  It developed a delightful airy melt-in-your-mouth chocolatey crust on top that was balanced by the fudgy (but not too heavy) soft interior.  It is a rather homely dessert, but utterly amazing in flavor and texture.  I baked it in a springform pan this time, and am thinking that if I wanted to actually remove it from the base, lining it with parchment would be a good idea.  I also think this would be fantastic baked in individual ramekins, particularly straight sided ones because of the way it rises then falls.

Decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake


3/4 cup butter
7 ounces good dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70% cacao bars)
4 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar

Turn the oven on to 300 degrees and prepare a 9" springform pan by buttering the sides and bottom.  If desired, line the bottom with a circle parchment paper as well.  Alternatively, you may butter 8-8 ounce ramekins (straight side).

In a double boiler over medium low heat, melt the butter and dark chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth.  Meanwhile, whisk 1/2 cup sugar into the 4 egg yolks until well combined.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until peaks begin to form, then gradually beat in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar.  Stir the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate/butter mixture, then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg white mixture.  Pour into the prepared pan or ramekins.

Bake for 40-45 minutes at 300 degrees, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  The top crust will rise quite high, then fall within a few minutes of being removed from the oven.  Run a knife around the edge immediately after removing from the oven, then remove the side ring after a few minutes.  Allow it to cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator until serving time.  This sliced and served much better once chilled.  You may garnish with whipped cream, mint leaves and raspberries if desired.

Triple Layer Brownies

I'm a big fan of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  We were given a copy as newlyweds and it is a solid go-to book for all of your basic cooking needs, plus I'm discovering a lot of more adventurous stuff in it lately.  Because you can never have too many cookbooks, my sister gave me the BH&G 75th anniversary edition a couple of years ago when I spied a recipe in her copy that I was dying to have.  It has a fun section in the back that highlights favorite recipes from each decade.  This one caught my eye a few days ago, and we happily devoured most of the pan aside from the few I managed to tuck into the cute box in the picture to give to a friend.  I made a few modifications from the original recipe, mostly just in the amount and quantity of chocolate.  I used milk chocolate chips because that's what I had on hand.  It calls for unsweetened chocolate.  I thought they came out delicious with the milk version.  I also added some short flake unsweetened coconut to the crust base, which I often do to cookies because it lends a lovely chewiness and also seems to help them stay moist and soft for longer.

Triple Layer Brownies


1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 T. baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup short flake unsweetened coconut (optional)

1 egg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk or semisweet chocolate chips (original recipe calls for 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate)
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. baking powder

1/2 cup milk or semisweet chocolate chips (original recipe calls for 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate)
2 T. butter
1 1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1-2 T. hot water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, and baking soda.  Stir in the 1/2 cup melted butter.  Pat mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 11x7" pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the middle layer, stir together the egg, granulated sugar, 2/3 cup flour, milk, 1/4 melted butter. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring well in between, until smooth.  Stir into the batter and add the vanilla and baking powder and stir until smooth.  Spread in an even layer over the crust.  Bake 25 minutes more, then cool on a wire rack while preparing the next layer.

In a medium saucepan, heat and stir the chocolate and 2 T. butter until melted.  Stir in the powdered sugar and 1/2 t. vanilla.  Stir in enough hot water to make a mixture that is almost pourable.  Spread over the brownies and allow to set up before cutting into squares to serve.

These are very rich, so I suggest cutting them into 1" squares to serve.  I think they'd be marvelous with other flavors thrown in, particularly peanut butter in the crust.

Decadent Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bliss Cupcakes

My oldest snuck bunny ears in just as I was snapping this photo.  After making these cupcakes a few weeks ago, I've been pondering all of the cupcake possibilities since then.  There's been a huge trend in my area of cupcake shops popping up all over the place.  I've visited a few.  Some have been delicious and worth the two bucks.  Some have been utterly disappointing - revoltingly thickly sweet and tasting heavily of cake mix chemicals.  In my opinion, the ones that are best are the ones with surprises in the middle.  Hence my enthusiasm over the peppermint and chocolate ones. 

The center for these little guys is a mixture of chocolate and peanut butter.  Today I also added in some butterscotch chips, but I think they detracted from the nutty flavor I was really looking for.  I'm going to post it without the butterscotch.  Since the frosting is made of cream cheese, they need to be stored in the fridge, but even at that, the center core remained soft.  It's a delicious bit of heaven.  To counteract the sweetness of the cupcake base and frosting, I sprinkled chopped dry roasted salted peanuts on top.  That still wasn't quite enough saltiness for me, so I added a pinch of an amazing greek sea salt on top.  The balance of textures and flavors is fantastic - reminiscent of a snicker's bar but with tasty cream cheese frosting in place of mysterious nougat.

I made some regular size and some minis.  Have to say that the minis are my favorites.  The proportion of cake to yummy filling is much better.  Plus, the whole bite size thing helps me not feel so guilty for eating quite possibly more than I should and they're fun to give away.  Tiny cakes make people smile.

Decadent Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bliss Cupcakes

Cupcakes:


1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/3 cups water
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

In a medium mixing bowl, cream the shortening and sugar together.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla, cocoa powder, soda and salt.  Add half the water and beat well, then half the flour and beat again.  Add the remaining water and beat and the remaining flour and beat.  Scrape the batter into a gallon ziplock bag and snip the corner off.  Squeeze the batter into cupcake pans prepared with paper liners, either 48 mini cupcakes or 24 regular cupcakes, filling each paper 2/3 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes for minis and 14-18 minutes for regulars, until the cake springs back lightly when touched.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate peanut butter filling by melting 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave in a small bowl.  Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is smooth.  Stir in 1 cup smooth peanut butter until well combined.

Poke a hole in each cupcake with the handle of a wooden spoon, pushing all the way down.  Pour the filling into a quart ziplock bag and snip the corner off.  Squirt filling into each hole, then drizzle a bit extra around the top of each cupcake.

Frosting

1 8 ounce brick cream cheese
1/2 cup real butter
1/4 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
3 T. caramel syrup (optional)
2 T. milk
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Beat in the salt, vanilla, optional caramel syrup, and half the powdered sugar.  Beat in the milk, then remaining powdered sugar and whip until fluffy.  Scrape into a frosting bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake.

Garnish each cupcake with chopped salted peanuts and an additional sprinkling of sea salt if desired.  Store uneaten cupcakes in the fridge.

Leigh Anne's Lovely Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Leigh Anne at Your Home Based Mom posted this a couple of weeks ago.  I saw them and immediately thought they'd be an excellent treat to take to work on Christmas Eve to enjoy with my coworkers.  If you're gonna have to work a holiday shift, it might as well be with good food in hand.  They were a big hit, and I'm going to apply the same techniques to other cupcake recipes.  I made my cupcake base from scratch rather than using a mix like she did.  The peppermint ganache and frosting are as she posted them, though I don't really consider the ganache real ganache since there was no cream involved.  I'd love to make these again with a good cream and melted chocolate ganache...mmm.  The very best part is the core of chocolate in the middle created by pushing a wooden spoon handle into the middle of the cupcake to make a hole.  I put the chocolate filling in a baggie, snipped off the corner and drizzled the filling in to each hole and generously around the top of the cupcake before piping on the frosting.

Leigh Anne's Lovely Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 cups sugar
2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, line 24 cupcake tins with cupcake papers.  This quantity actually made 24 regular size cupcakes and an additional 12 mini cupcakes for me.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until fluffy, then add in sugar a bit at a time until well combined.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until well combined, and beat in the vanilla.  Mix all of the dry ingredients together and add them alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition.  Pour the batter into a gallon size ziplock bag, cut a hole the size of your thumb in one corner and squeeze the batter into the cupcake papers, filling each about 2/3 full.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched lightly.  Remove to a wire rack to cool slightly, and poke a hole in the center of each cupcake by pushing a wooden spoon handle all the way to the bottom.

Meanwhile, make the peppermint ganache.

Peppermint Ganache

1/2 cup butter
5 T. unsweetened cocoa
6 T. buttermilk
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 t. peppermint extract

In a small pan, melt the butter and add cocoa and buttermilk.  Bring to a boil, then pour over the powdered sugar in a medium bowl.  Add peppermint extract and stir until smooth.  Pour into a quart size bag, snip off a small hole in one corner and drizzle into the holes in each cupcake, then around the top of each cupcake until a nice puddle forms.  Allow to cool/set.

Peppermint Buttercream

8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2-1 t. peppermint extract

Crushed candycanes

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluff, then beat in the powdered sugar and peppermint extract.  Scoop into a decorating bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe swirls of frosting on top of each cupcake.  Garnish with crushed candy canes.

Store loosely covered.  I put mine in a tupperware, and the moisture in the frosting caused the candy cane pieces to dissolve, leaving pink streaks in the frosting rather than tasty chunks.

Fudge Puddles

My kids have inherited my love of browsing through cook books.  Ethan spied this recipe in a 2004 Taste of Home cookbook and insisted on making them.  The results were delicious.  I did change the filling recipe because I was out of the called for sweetened condensed milk and didn't have time to run to the store.  I instead made a chocolate ganache base and it was wonderful.  Soft, but not drippy.  Perfect counterbalance to the peanut buttery crust.  These are simple to put together and my kids enjoyed rolling the balls of dough.

You can see by the variation in height that I had lots of help making these.  We also managed to make 5 dozen rather than the 4 dozen listed in the recipe, not a bad thing at all!  After baking the balls of dough in a mini muffin tin, I simply pushed the centers down with the end of a wooden spoon right after they came out of the oven and then let them cool for about 10 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Fudge Puddles

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

Filling:
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 T. vanilla extract

Chopped salted peanuts

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, peanut butter and sugars.  Beat in the egg and vanilla, then beat in the remaining dry ingredients until a dough forms.  Roll into 1" balls and place each ball into the well of a mini muffin tin that has been misted with cooking spray.  Bake at 325 for 14-16 minutes, until just set and the centers begin to sink. 

Immediately upon removal from the oven push the centers down with a wooden spoon handle.  Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the filling, heat the cream up to a simmer over medium low heat in a heavy skillet.  Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips and vanilla.  Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth.  Pour the filling into a quart freezer bag, snip a small hole in the tip, and fill each cookie cup.  Sprinkle with chopped peanuts if desired.  The filling may not set up very firmly if your kitchen is warm.  This is easily remedied by putting them in the fridge for a few minutes. 

Makes 48-60, depending on the size of your dough balls.

Zucchini Overload

I have been the recipient of an abundance of zucchini.  Turns out that you don't even have to have a garden to wind up with a good stash - I have some very generous neighbors.  I have experimented with a number of ways to use it, including these zucchini brownies.  They were very tasty and very moist.  The dough was a little weird as I mixed it - so dry and crumbly that I couldn't fathom how it was going to possibly come together - so I added an egg, then stirred in the grated veggies and voila!  It worked.  I would make them again.

I also experimented with pan frying 1/4" slices.  I first sliced the rounds and sprinkled them with kosher salt while I put together the rest of the ingredients.  I beat an egg with a teaspoon of water for egg wash, then mixed together a half cup each of panko bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese, and a half teaspoon each of salt, garlic powder and dried basil.  I patted each slice dry, dipped it into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, then fried it in a thin layer of olive oil for about 4 minutes on each side until the coating was nice and crispy.  They came out tasty and would be excellent served with marinara for dipping.

Probably the favorite baked good variation of all, though, was the Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Our Best Bites.  I was in a big hurry when I was putting it together and forgot the cinnamon sugar topping, but it was still devoured quickly by my coworkers and family.  I baked the batter in mini loaf pans rather than the two larger ones originally called for, and they came out great.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2 cups flour
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
6 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. canola oil
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream
3 c. grated zucchini
3/4 c. mini chocolate chips

Topping:
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. white sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease either 2 large loaf pans or 6 minis.  Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, soda, salt and cocoa powder in small bowl and set aside.  In a medium bowl, beat together oil, sugars and eggs, then add in vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined.  Gently stir in the zucchini, then fold in the flour mixture.  Last of all, stir in the chocolate chips. 

Divide the batter evenly between pans and sprinkle topping over each.  Bake large loaf pans for 50-60 minutes, small pans for 35-40, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let loaves cool for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate frosting and kitchen gadgets...and a giveaway!!

I am not a fan of crisco laden, stiff and hideously sweet frostings, so when I saw this recipe for a cream based chocolate frosting I knew that I had to try it.  Honestly, the cupcakes weren't anything to write home about and I don't think I'd use that cake base again, but I did like the frosting.  It pipes nicely and holds it's shape without being too stiff.  I made these the day before leaving town and hurriedly threw the rest in the fridge and was pleased to find that 5 days later they still taste good and the frosting is still in great shape.  It's not a super gooey chocolate lover type frosting, but a good, serviceable milk chocolate flavor every day frosting.

Chocolate Cream Frosting

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

pinch of salt

In a heavy medium saucepan, heat all of the ingredients together over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the cocoa blends in to the mixture.  (If your cocoa powder is particularly lumpy, you may want to sift it first.)  Remove from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature, then pour it through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl.  Chill in the fridge for 2 hours, then beat with an electric mixer until it forms medium peaks and reaches a good spreading consistency.  This must be stored in the refrigerator.

Now, let's talk about some of my favorite kitchen gadgets.  My kitchen is currently quite small.  A "two cheek kitchen", so to speak.  More than two people in there at once makes for a cozy experience.  Three months from now, when this construction mess is all out of the way, I'll have myself a much more serviceable space with a lovely 7 foot island, double convection oven, 36" gas range...all sorts of goodies.  In the mean time, though, I've had to be quite choosy about what gadgets make their way into my limited cabinet space.  As I've said before, I don't have a stand mixer of any sort, in part because of the space issues.  So the things I do have are tried and true.  The first things on display are disposable decorating bags.  So useful!  I've had several reuseable sets that have split within the first couple of batches, causing me great frustration.  Ever since I found these lovely little Wilton bags (available at most craft stores in the wedding cake section), I've not looked back.  Go for the larger size - you won't regret it.  Along with it, grab yourself a nice oversized star tip and you can easily pipe fancy pancy looking cupcakes like the ones above.  No more crookedly slathered frosting.

This mango slicer is a newcomer, but one that my mom insisted that I need.  The way I have always sliced a mango is to slice two big slabs off, as close to the pit as possible, then score the flesh down to the peel, pop it inside out and slice those lovely poking out chunks off.  That always leaves behind two nice swaths of fruit on the sides of the pit.  Enter this handy dandy gadget, which, with one push, neatly leaves the pit behind and maximizes the amount of fruit.  This was about 12 dollars, and is OXO brand.  I wouldn't rate this as a completely necessary thing in my kitchen, but it's definitely nice to have.  I make lots of mango salsa.

This citrus squeezer is a real gem.  Absolutely worth it's space in my drawer.  My mom gave me this for Christmas, and I'm amazed at how well it juices limes and lemons.  I have a couple of other juice gadgets that don't even compare.

I had all sorts of clever things in mind to add to these little tongs since they appear to be having a nice conversation, but got distracted and didn't get that far, so you'll have to use your imagination.  The all metal ones on the right are my BBQ grill work horses.  I have an 18" long set of true BBQ tongs that came with a grill tool set that languishes in my drawer because they're so unwieldy.  These ones are perfect for pretty much everything.  I also use them for salad, and I prefer them over a salad fork and spoon.  The blue ones are newcomers, and I found them at Tai Pan Trading company for less than 5 bucks.  They earn their keep serving salad as well as flipping meat over in my non-stick skillets.

Last but not least, my favorite basting brush.  The bristles are made of silicone, AND you can see the middle layer of bristles is specially designed to slurp up extra sauce.  I love love love this brush.  It's OXO brand, and less than 10 bucks.  I use this for grilling, brushing butter on pastries, egg washes and all sorts of stuff.

I have some other kitchen favorites, like my Roul Pat pastry mat, Calphalon pans and nice knives, but I am unfortunately not made of money so I can't be giving any of those away :).

 Here's the good news, though.  Leave me a comment about which of these gadgets you'd like the most.  I will close this on May 2nd at midnight and randomly draw one name.  The lucky winner will get the gadget they asked for AND a dozen delicious cookies.  The type will depend on how far away you are from me - some varieties ship better than others.  If your profile is set to private, leave me some way to contact you if you win.

Fudgy brownies with gooey mint ganache

I long for a from-scratch brownie recipe that yields the same texture as a box mix.  That shiny crackled top, wonderfully chewy edges, just barely cooked through and gooey in the middle sensation.  Alas, I have not found one yet, so if you have one to share, please post it in your comments.  This recipe is good, particularly with the ganache on top, and one that I'll make again...it's just not quite that brownie nirvana that I was hoping for.  I didn't add chocolate chips into the batter when I made this on Monday, but I will in the future.  The more chocolate, the better!  This recipe (minus the frosting) is from the Better Homes and Gardens 75th Anniversary edition cook book.

Fudgy Brownies with Gooey Mint Ganache

1/2 cup butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional...but not really)

Ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 t. peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, cool.

Grease an 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 pan.  Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture, then add the eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition until just combined.  Stir in the vanilla, then the flour and baking soda.  If desired, stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.  Spread batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes for an 8x8 or 25 minutes for a 9x9, then cool on a wire rack.  To make the ganache, bring the cream to a low simmer in a medium saucepan, pull off the heat, and add the chocolate chips and peppermint extract.  Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth.  Pour/spread over the brownies.  If you want it to set up, refrigerate for 20-30 minutes before serving (but I personally like it a little on the gooey side!)

***Please note that I corrected this recipe on 4/30 to include 2/3 cup flour.  If you printed it out before then you'll need to reprint :).

Peanut Butter Bars

Oh so satisfying. These came from another one of my very favorite cookbooks, Jackson Hole Cooks. I spied it at a gift shop in Teton National Park, browsed through it, put it down, walked out, regretted it, and went back in to purchase it. Most cookbooks I find only 2 or 3 keepers in the whole book that I consistently go back to, but this one has given me several gems. A friend gave me a recipe for her peanut butter bars a while back that were very delicious but I was appalled to find that they had FIVE sticks of butter in them...holy hannah! Granted, that was for a jelly roll size pan, but still! So I was pleased to find this version that uses only ONE stick. While that doesn't quite qualify them as diet food, it's a lot more reasonable. These are delicious the first day, and slightly softer and even tastier the second day.

Peanut Butter Bars

1/2 cup each butter, sugar, brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 plus 1/4 cup peanut butter (divided)
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. soda
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 t. vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

4 T. milk

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Cream the butter and sugars. Blend in egg, 1/3 cup peanut butter, soda, salt and vanilla. Add flour and oats and mix well. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with chocolate chips. After about 5 minutes when the chips are softened, spread them evenly on top of bars.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup peanut butter and milk until smooth. Pour into a ziplock bag, snip the corner off, and drizzle over the bars. Allow to set up, then cut into 2" squares.

Yield 24 bars

Cherry Almond White Chocolate Biscotti

I had it in my head that biscotti were somehow tricky to make. In a spate of blog surfing this week and wandering through several cooking blogs (of which I found many really great ones), I stumbled across Closet Cooking. Man, does that guy make gooood looking food. My kind of food. A little fussy but not so much that you don't feel like you can make it. Anyway, he posted several biscotti recipes, so I figured I'd give one a try. I modified his cranberry and pistachio biscotti to suit my own tastes and this is what I came up with. The beauty of biscotti is that so many great combinations of fruits and nuts can be stirred in. It was a truly simple recipe. The hardest part was just waiting for them to cook - they do take a while, so plan ahead. But stirring the dough together took literally 5 minutes. I dare you to make a batch. It's the perfect accompaniment to hot cocoa on a cold day.

Cherry Almond White Chocolate Biscotti

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

9 T. sugar

dash of salt

3 eggs

1 1/2 T. vegetable oil

1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped*

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients excluding the nuts and cherries. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until beaten and stir in the vegetable oil. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and stir until a dough forms, and stir in the nuts and fruit. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet (and I mean it - you really do want to do the parchment paper), pat the dough into a rectangle about 3-4 inches wide and 1/2-3/4 of an inch thick. The dough will spread sideways, so you'll wind up with biscotti longer than what you think. I found it helpful to lightly dust my hands in flour before shaping it to reduce the stickiness.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly so that you can handle it without burning yourself, then remove to a cutting board and slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide slices. Lay the slices back on the parchment lined sheet and bake at 325 for 10 minutes each side. Remove to a rack to cool.

Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave on medium power until smoothe, then drizzle with a fork over the bottom half of each biscotti. Allow to set up, then store in an airtight container.

**A word about cherries. All dried fruit, for that matter. Look at the label before you buy it, because many brands are processed with sulfur compounds, which in my opinion, impart a nasty after taste. I found dried montmorency cherries at Costco that were not processed with sulfur.

The sky's the limit with these. Have fun creating your own combinations. They make a great gift coupled with hot cocoa mix.

Tasty Almond Toffee

Toffee is one of those absolutely irresistable candies for me. I can pass up some things. OK, not very many things. But homemade toffee...oh goodness. I love that it uses such simple ingredients, ones that you're very likely to have on hand. Not a nut lover? Leave 'em out. Don't like the chocolate on top? (Shame on you!) Forgo that luscious melted layer of happiness. The plain and simple basic toffee is just butter and sugar with a dash of water and vanilla, cooked to the best possible state. I have used recipes that don't include the water and vanilla, but find that the water helps it homogenize more quickly.

The one downfall of toffee is that once it reaches the perfect point, you've got to be quick on the draw and get it off the heat. 30 seconds too long and it burns, rendering it nastily bitter. I actually purchased a candy thermometer this week for the first time (since I was at the store anyway to purchase a meat thermometer after I melted the old one in the Thanksgiving bird...yes, I do have kitchen disasters too), but realized once I was actually making this that the thermometer wasn't going to be terribly practical for this size of batch. It is supposed to be submerged 2 inches into the mixture, which was quite impossible in my shallow pan that only had an inch and a half at best and at full boil of sugary syrup. I guess that means I'll just have to make a double batch next time!

Anyway, the key to success with it, if you don't have a thermometer, or if you aren't going to use it like me, is to keep a close eye on it. It seems to take for-stinkin'-ever to get to the caramelization stage. As soon as it starts to deepen in color, you're very very close. The way I can tell is by stirring, then stopping for a moment. If trail behind the spoon immediately turns to a darker brown than the rest, it's done. You can verify this by dropping a bit into a glass of ice water. It should turn into a brittle thread or lump. It'll darken up a bit more after you pour it out into the pan to cool.

I got the recipe for this on the Land O Lakes website, which happens to have many other lovely looking candy recipes based on my very most favorite ingredient, butter, so I'm sure I'll be back for some more browsing. Without further ado, here's the recipe:

Almond Toffee

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup slivered almonds

Prepare a jelly roll pan by lining with parchment paper and laying down 3/4 of the slivered almonds in an even layer. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, heat the sugar, butter, water and salt over medium heat until it comes to a full boil. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 18-22 minutes until mixture reaches 300 degrees on thermometer or hard crack stage. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and immediately pour mixture over the almonds. Let set for 1-2 minutes, then sprinkle the semisweet chips over the hot toffee and let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the chocolate around evenly. Sprinkle the remaining slivered almonds on top and let cool until the chocolate is set. Break into chunks and store in an air tight container.

PW's Best Ever Chocolate Sheet Cake

Any recipe that incorporates an entire pound of butter into a pan of cake has to be good. OK, I lied. This uses 3 and 3/4 sticks of butter, so it's technically a mere 14 ounces of butter, but booooooooy golly is it good. It's buttery chocolately heaven, and because it's so thin, you can eat a good size slab of it and not feel too guilty. If you haven't discovered the Pioneer Woman's website yet, now's your chance. I love her recipes and her photography and photo editing advice, and am salivating over her new cookbook. I haven't gotten my hands on a copy...yet...but am contemplating doing a giveaway soon on my main blog of one so that I'll just have to buy one. A girl can never have too many cookbooks, after all, but I digress. If you need an easy to put together goof proof and utterly delicious chocolate cake to take to an event, this is your recipe. For personal consumption, I'd be worried about the state of your arteries by the time you get to the bottom of the pan, so I definitely recommend sharing. With me.

Pioneer Woman's Best Ever Chocolate Sheet Cake

Cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 t. salt
4 heaping T. cocoa powder
2 sticks butter
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 whole beaten eggs
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla

Frosting:
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (I left them out, but I'm sured it'd be tasty with)
1 3/4 sticks butter
4 heaping T. cocoa powder
6 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 pound minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar (not sure why the minus 1/2 a cup - I just dumped it all in and it came out fine)

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cocoa powder and stir together. Add boiling water and allow the mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. Pour over the flour mixture and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into the butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into a sheet cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop the pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add the cocoa powder and stir to combine, then turn off the heat. Add the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar and stir together. Add the pecans, stir together and pour over warm cake. It can be eaten right away and will be totally delicious but a bit sloppy. Let the icing set up for 30 minutes or so and it's perfection in a pan.

Raving about Rasberry Brownies and Leigh Anne

Here at Food for Thought, we LOVE Leigh Anne at Your Homebased Mom. I look for her bits of expertise and inspiration every day--really, I check her blog EVERY DAY. She's full of wonderful recipes, idea, and general goodness. In fact, I saw one of her daughters at the airport several weeks ago and it felt like a celebrity sighting! If you get the chance, I'd HIGHLY recommend adding her to your reader. I tried her Raspberry Tuxedo Brownie Squares yesterday to serve at our primary training. They were lovely--a recipe worth passing on. Many thanks to OUR Homebased Mom for another indulgent dessert.

Raspberry Tuxedo Brownie Squares from Your Homebased Mom

1 package (21 oz.) brownie mix (9 x 13 size)

1/2 C seedless raspberry jam (I used jam with seeds!)

2 C fresh raspberries, or frozen whole raspberries without syrup, thawed and drained, divided (I used 1 1/2 cups frozen for the dessert and then used 1/2 cup fresh to garnish the top)

3 squares (1 ounce each) white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

2 packages (8oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/2 C powdered sugar

1/4 C milk

1 C heavy whipping cream, wh ipped to stiff peaks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Prepare and bake brownie mix according to package. Cool completely. Spread jam onto brownies. Reserve 1/2 cup of raspberries for the garnish, arrange the remaining 1 1/2 cups raspberries evenly over jam. Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in medium bowl, mix well. Gradually whisk in melted chocolate and milk. Fold in whipped cream. Spread carefully over raspberries. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Cut into squares. Garnish with reserved raspberries or chocolate curls. Store, covered in the refrigerator. Yields: 15 servings

Cheater homemade oreos

I'm sure you all already know this recipe, but it's worth a post just because my kids had so much fun making them. Katie was the official dough taste tester.

The recipe is very simple. Mix a stick of softened butter with two eggs, then stir in a devil's food cake mix. I also added a half cup or so of chocolate chips, because the more chocolate the merrier. If you're really feeling adventurous, add a splash of flavoring. I'll bet mint would be tasty. Form into balls (these spread out more than you think, so ere on the small side) and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

They will still be a bit puffy when you take them out of the oven. The tops should have a few cracks and be set, but the interior still very soft. Let them rest on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.

If you want to continue in the laziness streak, pull out a tub of frosting. Otherwise, beat 4 T. butter with 8 ounces of cream cheese until smooth, then add a tablespoon of real vanilla and a cup and a half of powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Scoop into a quart bag, snip the corner off, and have your helper squirt a nice dollop onto the ugly side of half the cookies and top with another cookie. Ooey gooey and delicious!

These keep best in the fridge, especially if you use homemade frosting. On the other hand, there just may not be any to put away.

More chocolate than I can count bundt cake

This is what I consider to be a "cheater" recipe, since it starts with a cake mix, but it's pretty dang good. And I redeemed it by not using a tub of frosting on top like the original recipe called for. I made one other modification from the original by leaving out an additional 1/2 cup of sugar. We all thought it was plenty sweet the way I made it. The best part? This stores well - I made it a day in advance and just put the frosting on right before serving - and it travels well. I stewed over what to make that could tolerate sitting in the car during a graduation ceremony for several hours before serving, and this fit the bill nicely. Without further ado:

1 Duncan Hines devil's food cake (I really think DH makes the best mixes. Spend the extra buck.)
1 small instant chocolate pudding mix
8 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup water
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs

Beat the cream cheese in a mixing bowl until creamy, then add cake mix, pudding mix, oil and water. Mix until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each, then stir in the chocolate chips. Grease a bundt pan well (either spray generously with PAM or slather in Crisco then flour it). Pour batter in and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Let cool about 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. If you like to get solid pieces of chocolate in your bite of cake, store it in the fridge and pour warm frosting over it. Otherwise, store and serve at room temperature.

Frosting:

1 8 ounce brick of cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, melted
1 cup powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese, then beat in the melted chocolate chips and powdered sugar. It'll be warm and a bit soupy. Using a large soup spoon, carefully pour the frosting over the cake, letting it ooze down the sides. Let the frosting set up for about 30 minutes prior to serving, and store any leftovers in the fridge.

Chewy and amazing chocolate chip cookies

I have Emily to thank for this recipe as well. She brought some of these cookies over last week, and after working my way through that plate, I couldn't stop thinking about them. So of course I had to make my own batch. They have this amazing extra buttery flavor that comes from melting the butter first. This necessitates chilling the dough before you bake it, but it is absolutely worth the wait. No cheating :). I made it the way she posted it originally with half whole wheat flour, and they came out great. If you're looking for a way to sort of redeem your cookies nutritionally, it works well in this recipe. Thank you, Emily, for another amazing keeper recipe!

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 TBSP vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper (I actually did neither, and they came out fine on a plain old bare shiny metal cookie sheet). In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips, then chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets (I did large golf ball size chunks, and could fit 9 at a time - they spread quite a bit, so don't try to cram them). Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a 325 F preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. For a softer cookie be careful not to overcook- remove cookies from oven when the edges are barely toasted. For a crunchier cookie, bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Makes 14-17 cookies.

Inside out peanut blossoms

Uncle Eric bestowed (read: regifted) a giant Hershey's bar on Ethan last week. Ethan has been gazing at it fondly and debating all the many ways to use it for days, and I finally talked him into making some cookies. As we discussed the types of cookies, I convinced him to make a secret treasure version of peanut blossoms.

The resulting soft and chewy cookie with a melty chocolate center won rave reviews from the kids, and it was fun to have them help roll the dough balls around the chunks, then through sugar.

Yeah, he's so sneaky. Hands off little buddy! Anyway, this is definitely a kid friendly people pleaser recipe. The dough is easy to handle and yummy to snitch, and I can't think of a better way to use up a giant candy bar. Here you go:

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

2 T. milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 t. soda

1/2 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 large chocolate bar, each rectangle cut in half

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the shortening, peanut butter, egg and milk until smooth, then beat in the sugars. Beat in the soda, salt, vanilla and flour. Take a golf ball size glob of dough and push a dent into the middle of it. Stick a chunk of chocolate in and form the dough around it until it is completely encased. Roll each dough ball in sugar, then place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until just set and nicely crinkly on top. Allow to rest on the sheet for 2-3 minutes before attempting to remove to a wire rack - they are quite fragile right out of the oven. This yielded 2 1/2 dozen cookies from a recipe that usually yields closer to 4 dozen if you make them the traditional way with the hershey kiss on top. I have to say that I like these ones better :).

Orange Chocolate Torte

I have a number of cookbooks put out by Taste of Home. This recipe came from the Holidays and Celebrations 2006 edition, and I have hankered for it ever since I laid eyes on it the first time. It's a bit complicated and takes a while to do all the steps, making it ideal for special occasions.

Truffle filling

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

6 T. butter cubed

4 egg yolks

6 T. powdered sugar

1/4 cup chocolate sprinkles or ground pecans

In a small heavy saucepan over medium- low heat, stir chocolate chips and butter until melted. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks until lemon colored. Gradually stir in the warm chocolate mixture; return all to the pan. Cook over medium heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar until blended. Place 1/2 cup in a small bowl and pour the remaining amount into another bowl for filling. Cover each bowl with a paper towl and let stand for up to 30 minutes until soft set. (This is how the recipe is published. I found that the truffle filling separated into an ugly heap-o-chocolate with a slick of butter around it almost immediately. I almost gave up, but decided to beat in a little milk and see if I could get it to re-homogenize. It worked! Just add a little at a time and beat it until it's about the consistency of fudge. It'll set more as it sits, too. Don't overbeat. If you make this well ahead of the rest of the cake like I did, allow the filling portion to sit out for at least 30 minutes, then beat in a little more milk again until it's spreadable.) For the truffles, roll the 1/2 cup portion into 12 equal balls, then roll in sprinkles or pecans. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cake

1 cup butter, softened

2 1/2 cups guar

4 eggs

1 1/2 t. orange extract

2 1/4 cups flour

1 cup baking cocoa

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Sift together the dry ingredients in another bowl, and beat in portions of it alternated with ater. Pour into three greased and floured 9 inch round pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the ceneter comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Frosting

1 cup butter, cubed

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup milk + 7-8 T. divided (this is the portion that you beat into the truffle filling)

1 t. orange extract

2 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

Chocolate sprinkles

In a microwave safe bowl (glass preferred), combine the butter, chocolate chips and 1/3 cup milk. Microwave until melted. Whisk in extract until smooth. Gradually whisk in sugar. It'll look like chocolate syrup at this point. Place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water, and with a portable mixer, beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.

Place one layer on serving plate, spread with half the truffle filling. Then place the next layer and repeat, and finish with the final layer. Spread the frosting all over the top and sides, reserving enough to pipe the rosettes to set the truffles on with a star tip. To get the sprinkles on the side of the cake, have an assistant hold the cake plate tipped at a slight angle while you hold a spoonful of sprinkles right next to the cake and shake lightly as you go from the top to the bottom. Store in the refrigerator.

BYU Mint Brownies

This recipe was published in the BYU Magazine, and is posted as such, except that the chocolate frosting is my own recipe.

MAKES ONE 9-BY-13 PAN OF BROWNIES.
PREP AND COOK: 90 min. COOL: 1 hr.

1 c. margarine or butter (margarine is a swear word in my home...I always use butter)
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

MINT ICING
5 Tbsp. margarine or butter (see above)
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

WHIPPED CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING

1 cup cream

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 T. corn syrup

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing.

4. Heat the cream to just simmering on the stove, then pour over the (room temperature) chocolate chips. Let stand 1-2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in the corn syrup, then refrigerate for 15-20 minutes or until it is cool. Beat for 5-7 minutes, until it lightens in color and begins to hold beater marks and is spreadable (it'll still be quite soft at this point, but will set up nicely once it touches the cold mint layer).

5. Spread the chocolate frosting over the mint layer and let set for a few minutes before cutting. These must be kept in the refrigerator due to the cream in the frosting. Betcha can't eat just one...

I can't quit eating these

I have searched high and low and tweaked things until I have created what I believe to be the perfect pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. I mean it. I love pumpkin, and I love chocolate, and put the two together and I am insatiable. However, most pumpkin cookies get this slimy exterior after a very short time that leave a slicky sticky mess on your fingers. Kind of a downer. So my biggest quest was to eliminate that, and these fit the bill. They have a slightly chewy exterior with a soft center the first day, then the second day they're just nice and cakey throughout. Never slimy. Always delightful. Happy cooking.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies of the very best sort

¾ c. butter, softened

1 c. packed brown sugar

½ c. sugar

1 cup solid pack pumpkin

1 egg

½ t. vanilla

1 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

½ t. each cloves, nutmeg, ginger

½ t. salt

2 ½ c. flour

1 c. mini semisweet morsels (or a mixture of big and small - that's exceptionally good)

Cream butter and sugars together, then beat in egg, vanilla and pumpkin. Add spices and beat well, then beat in the flour and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. If you like to have a smoother look, refrigerate the dough for an hour or two first, then roll balls of dough. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until tops are just set. Hurry and give most of them away in deference to your waistline and store what remains in an airtight container.

***Shara would like me to emphasize the whole refrigerating the dough thing to get a nice shape on top. I discovered that quite by accident, actually. My experience with these is that if you scoop them right onto the baking sheet immediately after mixing the dough up, it's sticky and soft, and you'll get misshapen cookies, also known as cookies with character. Make the dough in the morning and let it chill for a bit and it'll be rollable and makes them smooth like the picture. They still taste the same, so for the impatient cook that doesn't care how they look, dive right in.