Category Archives: TenaciousM Indulgence

Jan21

Chocolate Brigadeiros from Brazil

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Brigadeiros, or chocolate bon bons, were created in Brazil in the 1940s to support a candidate’s campaign who was running for President. This no-bake gooey, chocolate-y, caramel-y treat is super delicious!

Brigadeiros from Brazil 2

Prep Time: 45 min Total Time: 1 hr 30 min Servings: 40

Ingredients

2 cans (14 oz each) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped pistachio nuts
1/3 cup chopped sliced almonds
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup chocolate candy sprinkles
1/3 cup colored candy sprinkles

Directions

1) Grease large shallow pan or platter with butter. In 4-quart nonstick heavy saucepan, heat condensed milk, cocoa and 2 tablespoons butter to boiling, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and shiny and starts to pull away from bottom and side of saucepan when pan is tilted. Pour mixture into shallow pan; cool completely (refrigerate to firm up faster).

2) Place remaining ingredients in separate small bowls. Use teaspoon or melon baller to scoop truffle mixture, then use greased hands to shape into 1- to 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll each ball in pistachios, almonds, coconut or sprinkles. Place in mini paper baking cups.
3Store tightly covered at room temperature up to 2 days or in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Tips
To make rolling the balls easier, chill the truffle mixture in the refrigerator until firm before scooping and rolling it. Toast the almonds and/or pistachios, if desired, before rolling the truffles. Put a variety of truffles in small gift boxes for friends and family.

Jan16

South African Chocolate Crunchies

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Africa produces around 70% of all cocoa beans so no wonder chocolate is popular here. Try this authentic South African Chocolate Crunchies recipe to bring a bit of culture and sweetness to your home!

South African Chocolate CrunchiesSouth African Chocolate Crunchies 2

Prep time › 10 mins
Cook time › 20 mins
Serves › 24 squares

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup oats
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
2 tbsp syrup
1 tsp baking soda

Ingredients for Icing:
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients for the crunchies, except for the baking soda.
3. Melt the butter and syrup together. Mix in the baking soda.
4. Combine the dry and wet ingredients, mix well.
5. Press into a medium sized greased baking pan, about 10 by 8 inches. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture together and smooth the top.
6. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 F.
7. In a bowl, mix together the icing ingredients.
8. Put in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth.
9. Pour the hot icing over the hot crunchies to cover their entire surface.
10. Cut into squares when cool.

Jan14

Dream Treat

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No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake with Mixed Berries

Raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries colorfully adorn the top of No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake with Mixed Berries. DELICIOUS, I promise!

no-bake-chocolate-cheesecake-berries-ck-l

Yield: Serves 14 (serving size: 1 slice)
Total: 6 Hours, 25 Minutes

Ingredients
4 ounces chocolate wafers (such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers)
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons 2% reduced-fat milk
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
10 ounce 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1/2 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (such as Hershey’s Special Dark)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 1/2 cups strawberries, quartered
1 cup blueberries

Preparation
Hands On: 25 Minutes
Total: 6 Hours, 25 Minutes
1. Place chocolate wafers in a food processor; process until finely ground. Place ground wafers in a bowl; stir in honey and butter. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan. Cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm. Wipe food processor with a paper towel.
2. Combine milk and gelatin in a microwave-safe bowl; let stand 3 minutes. Microwave at HIGH 15 seconds; stir until gelatin dissolves. Cool slightly.
3. Combine cream cheese and next 4 ingredients (through vanilla) in food processor; process until smooth. Add milk mixture and cooled melted chocolate; process until smooth. Place whipping cream in a clean bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold one-fourth of chocolate mixture into whipped cream. Fold whipped cream mixture into remaining chocolate mixture. Spoon chocolate mixture into prepared crust. Chill 6 hours or until set.
4. Combine berries in a bowl. Top cheesecake with berry mixture.

Jan8

Decadent Chocolate Mousse

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This easy chocolate mousse recipe is perfect to make ahead and best served in your fun drink glasses.

Classic-chocolate-recipes-chocolate-mousse

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 2 mins

Ingredients

200ml (7oz) double cream
200g (7oz) milk chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp Grand Marnier (optional)
2 medium eggs, at room temperature
Shavings of white chocolate, to decorate

Method

Put cream into a pan and heat until almost boiling. Take off the heat, add the chocolate – don’t stir – and leave for 5min. Add Grand Marnier, if using, and stir until glossy. Pour into a large bowl and leave to cool until tepid.
Separate the eggs – it’s important not to get any yolk in the white or you won’t create volume when you whisk up. Using an electric hand-whisk, beat the yolks into the chocolate for 1 min until smooth. Wash and dry whisks thoroughly, then whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Using a metal spoon, stir a spoonful of whisked egg white into the chocolate mixture – this will loosen it so it’s easier to fold in the rest. Gently fold in remaining egg white (taking care not to knock out air) until mixture has no white blobs.
Spoon the mousse into six glasses and chill until set. Serve after an hour if you like a soft set – mousse will keep in the fridge for 24 hours. Take out of the fridge an hour before serving, then decorate with white chocolate shavings.

Jan7

DREAM TREAT

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Irish Stout Cake with Bailey’s Ganache

I love that chocolate lovers share a universal flavor. This chocolate cake has become one of my favorites. Another “Chocolate On Steroids” recipe!

Irish Stout Cake with Bailey’s Ganache

Ingredients

Irish Stout Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup unsalted butter
1 12oz bottle of Guinness Stout beer
3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s)
1 Tbsp espresso powder

Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting
6oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup shortening
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Bailey’s Irish Cream
Bailey’s Ganahe
6oz high quality white chocolate (not white chocolate chips)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
White chocolate shavings (garnish)

Instructions

Irish Stout Cake
Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Grease and flour 2 8in round cake pans. I also lined mine with parchment paper.

In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the beer, cocoa powder and espresso powder until smooth. Bring to a simmmer and let bubble 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool 5-10 minutes. While it’s cooling, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs and buttermilk. Once the chocolate mixture has slightly cooled, add 1-2 Tbsp of it to the eggs and milk and whisk until smooth. This is going to temper the eggs so they don’t scramble. Slowly pour the remaining chocolate in with the eggs and whisk until incorporated. Make a well in the flour and pour in the chocolate. Use a spatula to fold together until no more flour can be seen. It will still be clumpy at this point. With your whisk, quickly stir the batter 20 strokes. Do not over mix. The batter may still have a few lumps in it, but that’s okay.

Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans. (I got about 2 3/4 cup of batter into each pan.)

Bake at 375 F degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 F degrees and cook another 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake in the pans for 10 minutes until removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, trim the tops so that each cake is level and the same height. Wrap cake layers and freezer for several hours or over night.

Bailey’s Irish Cream Frosting
Using your stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter and shortening until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and beat on high for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated. Add the Bailey’s and salt and mix for 1 more minute.
Chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes or until firm and easily spreadable without being too soft.

Bailey’s Ganache
Run the white chocolate though the food processor until it is in very small, fine pieces. If you don’t have a food processor you can just chop the chocolate into very small, fine pieces. Place them in a medium glass bowl.

In a medium pot, bring the heavy cream, Bailey’s and butter to a simmer. DO NOT BOIL. Pour
cream over the chocolate and let it stand for 1 minute. Stir chocolate and cream slowly and smoothly until all the chocolate has melted. Do not over-stir the chocolate… you don’t want to create air bubbles. Place the bowl in a ice bath until it has come to room temperature. Cover and chill for 1 hour or until it has thickened.

Assembly

Place first layer of cold from the freezer cake on your cake stand, cut side up. Using all the cream cheese frosting, spread an even, flat layer across the top of the cake to the edges. Place the second layer of cake, cut side down on top of the frosting. Press down gently until the top is level. Put cake in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the cake from the freezer and spoon ganache on the top of the cake. Using an offset spatula, GENTLY AND SLOWLY spread the ganache to the sides of the cake. Add more ganache when needed to create an even layer. You’ll want the ganache to slightly drip off the sides, but most of it to remain on top. Pop any air bubbles with a toothpick.
Garnish the top of the cake with white chocolate shavings. Store cake in refrigerator until ready to serve. Remove 15-20 minutes before you want to cut the cake. Store in an air tight container up to 2 days.

Jan5

Mexican Hot Chocolate

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Welcome warmth on a chilly day, and if you are in the US, that’s just about everywhere this weekend. Easy to make and oh so good!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Serves: 6 Edit
Yields: 1 litre (1¾ pint)

Ingredients

1 litre (1¾ pint) semi-skimmed milk
(75g (3oz)) cocoa powder
75g (3oz) caster sugar
½-1tsp ground cinnamon
2 large pinches cayenne pepper

Method

Gently heat semi-skimmed milk until nearly boiling. In a bowl, mix cocoa powder, caster sugar, ground cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Add a little of the milk, mix until smooth, then put into pan, stirring, to reheat.

Top with whipped cream and mini marshmallows.

Jan4

Dream Treat Part Deux

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So nice, I thought I’d do it twice. For my #chocolate lovers, this is for you. It may not work for any #chocolate lover wannabe’s. Believe me, the CHOCOLATE GODS will know if you’re faking… Enjoy!

Iced Chocolate Bar Cake

Preparation time : 20 minutes Freezing time : 12 hours

Ingredients

1 tin NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2½ cups whipped cream
2 bars KIT KAT® CHUNKY
1½ tablespoons NESCAFÉ Instant Coffee, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water

Preparation

Combine NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk and whipped cream in an electric mixer. Beat until thick and creamy.

Pour half of the mixture into foil lined 9in x 5in loaf pan. Place KIT KAT® CHUNKY bars in the middle and freeze for ½ an hour.

Add NESCAFÉ Instant Coffee to the remaining cream mixture and mix until combined.

Take out the cake from the freezer. Spoon over the NESCAFÉ mixture, cover with cling film and freeze for at least 12 hours until set.

Cut into slices to serve.

Jan3

Dream Treat

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MAHO HALWA Recipe

MAHO HALWA

Cooking time : 45 minutes

Ingredients

¼ cup butter or 60 g
2 tins NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk or 790 g
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon saffron filament

Preparation

Melt Butter in a deep saucepan, add 2 tins NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk , and Cardamom Powder and cook over medium heat with constant stirring until color has become golden brown but not burnt. About 40 minutes.

Once the Halwa hold together and have a stretchy consistency, stir in Saffron Strands and remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before pouring into desired mold to fully cool.

Cut into shape and serve.

Dec31

Dream Treat

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Chocolate Hazelnut Zucchini Cupcakes (2)

Chocolate Hazelnut (Zucchini) Cupcakes

These cupcakes are moist and fudgy, but still light. And, they aren’t overly sweet, which means that there’s plenty of ways you could take them to that next level of decadence and still not be going completely nuts on sugar. You could fold in some dark chocolate chips or chunks before baking. I topped them with my whipped dark chocolate frosting using bittersweet chocolate. You could use a pastry syringe and fill with chocolate hazelnut “nutella” spread and use this “nutella” as a frosting. You could drizzle with a chocolate drizzle like in this recipe. You could do all of the above for a special, special treat.

Yield: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
• 2 large (or 3 medium) zucchini, grated (about 3 cups grated)
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups Hazelnuts
• 1/3 cup Muscovado Sugar (or substitute Sucanat)
• 1/4 cup Palm Shortening (or substitute unsalted butter, ghee or lard)
• 1/3 cup Tapioca Flour (this is the same thing as Tapioca Starch)
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• ½ tsp Salt
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners, use Silicone Muffin Cups.or bake in a silicone muffin pan.
2. Grind hazelnuts in a Food Processor or Magic Bullet until they are super fine and almost turning into hazelnut butter..
3. Finely grate zucchini (you could even process in a food processor).
4. Combine ground ground hazelnuts, grated zucchini and the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl. The batter is quite runny. That’s okay–that’s why these cupcakes are so fudgy.
5. As an alternative you can combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process/blend until smooth.
6. Pour mixture into prepared muffin pan and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Let cool completely before icing or serving. Enjoy!

Dec30

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bailey’s Milkshakes

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bailey's Milkshakes RecipeChocolate Chip Cookie Bailey's Milkshakes Recipe 2

OH YEAH!! This is how I want to end 2013. Here is another amazing chocolate adult beverage.

YIELD: SERVES 2

TOTAL TIME: 5 MINUTES

ingredients:
· 2 1/2 cups coffee ice cream
· 1 1/2 cups milk
· 1/2 cup irish cream liqueur
· 2 large chocolate chip cookies + 1 more to crumble on top
· 6 ice cubes

directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender and process until almost smooth, leaving some small pieces of cookie if possible. Pour in glasses and crumble more cookies on top. Serve and enjoy!