Category Archives: TenaciousM Indulgence

Mar14

Chocolate Coffee Ice Cream Cake

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This decadent Springtime treat of rich and chewy nibby brownies are topped with coffee ice cream and a billowy layer of no-churn sweet cream ice cream.

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Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

NIbby Brownies & Coffee Ice Cream

FOR THE BROWNIE LAYER
8 ounces bitterweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus one tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cacao nibs

FOR THE COFFEE ICE CREAM LAYER
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup coffee beans, coarsely ground
3/4 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
2 tablespoons Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
pinches salt

No-Churn Ice Cream

14 ounces can of sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons bourbon
pinches salt

Directions

1. FOR THE BROWNIE LAYER: Preheat oven to 350º F. Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the bottom and sides generously

2. Put the chopped chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted. Let cool.

4. In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt until the mixture is lighter in color, about 3 minutes.

4. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the eggs and whisk to combine, then fold in the flour and 2 tablespoons of the cacao nibs. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the rest of the nibs.

5. Slide your pan into the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out clean, 25 to 30 min. Cool completely, then remove the outside of the springform pan and slice the brownie round in half horizontally. I find the brownies are easiest to slice after a few minutes in the refrigerator. Leave the bottom half of the brownies in the pan and put the outside of the springform pan back in place. Break the top layer of brownie into 1-inch pieces and set aside. Then prepare the coffee ice cream.

6. FOR THE COFFEE ICE CREAM LAYER: Heat 1 cup of heavy cream to just below simmering, turn off heat, add the coffee beans, and let steep for 5 minutes. Drain the mixture through a coffee filter and transfer it to a bowl with a strainer set over it.

7. Combine the milk, remaining heavy cream, sugar, egg yolks, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, being careful to not let the mixture boil. Stir often, and cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture over the coffee-infused cream and stir to combine. Add in the coffee liqueur if using. Chill over an ice bath (or for a few hours in the fridge).

8. When completely chilled, churn the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Spread the soft ice cream mixture over the trimmed brownie layer still in the pan. You want to fill the pan so it is about halfway full, which means you will probably have a bit of extra ice cream leftover; freeze it in an airtight container to enjoy later. Top the coffee ice cream with the broken brownie pieces. Put the pan in the freezer to firm up while you prepare the sweet cream ice cream

9. FOR THE NO-CHURN ICE CREAM LAYER: Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, bourbon, and salt together in a large bowl.

10. In a separate bowl, whisk the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Then gently fold it into the condensed milk mixture.

11. Top the coffee ice cream and brownies with the sweet cream mixture (you may have a bit leftover) and freeze overnight before slicing. Just before serving, sprinkle with a few teaspoons of cacao nibs and top the slices with chocolate sauce. I like this Magic Shell with a pinch of salt. Enjoy!

Mar1

Reese’s Peanut Butter Brownies

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Ok, these brownies I’m sharing today are the REAL deal friends! Holy cow! Whip up a batch of brownies and add some Reese’s peanut butter cups in the batter to sweeten things up. Make a cheesecake frosting, and that’s it. These Reese’s peanut butter brownies are dangerously delicious! WOW! You must try them!

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Ingredients

Refrigerated
3 Eggs
Baking & Spices
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 cup Cocoa powder, unsweetened
5 1/2 cups Flour
2 tsp Vanilla
1 12 oz pkg White chocolate reese’s peanut butter cups milk chocolate is yummy too, mini
2 cups White sugar

Dairy
1 cup Butter, salted
1 cube Cream cheese
1/2 cup Eaglebrand sweet condensed milk

Directions

1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add one egg in at a time. Mix in cocoa, flour and baking powder. Beat until smooth. Split the bag of reeses in half. You will use half the bag in the brownie batter and half the bag for the frosting. Cut the reeses into four pieces and mix into the batter.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes in a 9 x 13 inch greased pan. Do NOT over bake.

3. Allow brownies to cool for one hour.

4. For the frosting beat together the cream cheese, sweet condensed milk and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes. Spread on top of the brownies. Sprinkle the remaining reese’s on top and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Feb23

Milk-Chocolate Tart with Pretzel Crust

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This dessert is a tribute to the chocolate-covered pretzel and hits just the right salty-sweet note. Mix crushed pretzels with flour, butter, sugar and egg to make a crunchy crust. Pours in a luxurious milk-chocolate filling, then sprinkle on more crushed pretzels as a garnish. Delish!

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Ingredients

CRUST
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups coarsely crushed thin pretzels (3 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
FILLING
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 pound milk chocolate, chopped
Maldon sea salt, crushed pretzels and crème fraîche, for serving

Directions

1. In a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with 3/4 cup of the pretzels and the confectioners’ sugar at low speed until creamy. Beat in the flour and egg. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of pretzels, being sure to leave some pretzel pieces intact. Flatten the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Roll out the dough between the sheets of plastic wrap to a 12-inch round. Peel off the top sheet and invert the dough over a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the corners and patch any tears. Trim the overhanging dough and refrigerate the shell for 30 minutes or until firm.

3. Line the shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for about 30 minutes, until nearly set. Remove the parchment and weights and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the tart shell is firm; cover the edge with foil if it darkens too much. Let the shell cool completely. Brush the melted chocolate over the bottom and up the side and refrigerate for 10 minutes, until set.

4. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Off the heat, add the milk chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Transfer the filling to a bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

5. Pour the filling into the shell and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and crushed pretzels. Cut into wedges, top with crème fraîche; serve.

Feb18

Dark Chocolate-Bourbon Torte

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This torte infuses luscious dark chocolate with a splash of bourbon. It’s an elegant, Southern-style treat to die for!

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Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray
1/2 cup dark chocolate morsels
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup thawed reduced-fat whipped topping
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°. Coat bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

2. Microwave chocolate morsels in a small microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) for 1 minute or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals.

3. Beat butter and 1/2 cup granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended (about 2 minutes). Add vanilla and egg; beat 1 minute. Add milk and, if desired, bourbon; beat 1 minute. (Mixture will look curdled.) Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended. Gradually add cocoa and flour, beating at low speed just until blended.

4. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Add remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold one-fourth of egg white mixture into batter; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

5. Bake at 300° for 45 minutes or until set. (A wooden pick inserted in center will come out with just a few crumbs on it.) Remove torte from oven; immediately run tip of a small knife around edge of torte. Let cool on wire rack 30 minutes. (Torte will rise to top of pan while baking but will sink while it cools.) Remove sides of springform pan.

6. Spoon whipped topping into a zip-top plastic freezer bag. (Do not seal.) Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe dollops of whipped topping around base of torte. Sprinkle torte with powdered sugar and cocoa.

Feb9

Chocolate S’mores Cake

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Ingredients

CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

TOPPING
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3 large egg whites
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
6 whole graham crackers, broken
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter two 8-inch square baking pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the 2 cups of flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk with the vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and whisk just until smooth.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with a few crumbs attached. Let cool in the pans on a wire rack, then turn out to cool completely. Peel off the parchment. Turn the cakes right side up onto 2 baking sheets.

4. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.

5. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with the corn syrup and stir over moderate heat until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Bring the corn syrup mixture to a boil, wiping down any sugar crystals that may form on the side of the pan with a moistened pastry brush. Cook over moderate heat, without stirring, until the corn syrup mixture reaches 250° on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the softened gelatin; the mixture will foam up.

6. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the egg whites and vanilla seeds at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well between additions. Beat until the whites are stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes.

7. With the mixer at medium speed, carefully pour the hot corn syrup mixture in a thin stream into the egg whites, aiming for the area between the whisk and side of the bowl. Beat the topping until very thick and opaque, about 8 minutes.

8. Preheat the broiler and position a rack 8 inches from the heat. Using an offset spatula, spread the marshmallow topping over the tops of the cakes. Let stand for about 1 minute, until slightly set. Broil the cakes one at a time, shifting the pan as necessary for even browning, about 5 minutes. Insert the broken graham crackers into the marshmallow and drizzle with the melted chocolate. Serve while the marshmallow is still warm.

Feb2

Chocolate Dipped Bacon Shot Glasses

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While the shot glasses are a little time intensive to make, they actually seem pretty simple. All you need to do is create your molds, wrap bacon around them, and then bake. Once your bacon shot glasses are out of the oven, you simply dip them in chocolate – the chocolate being delicious as well as functionary, sealing any holes to allow the bacon shot to actually hold your preferred spirit. After that, the sky’s the limit as to what you choose to fill your glasses with. Enjoy!

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Jan27

Midnight Fudge Cake

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Midnight Fudge Cake recipe, is a great name for a dessert that gives all the chocoholics something to get excited about. This would be one of those desserts that you very likely would wake up dreaming about, and it could easily be that perfect midnight snack! We are talking about a full on love affair with chocolate in this desert recipe. #ChocolatefriendsofTenaciousM enjoy!!

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Ingredients

One box of Triple Chocolate cake Mix..(I only used half)
One box of Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix..with included Ganache (I only used half)
a 9×13 baking pan

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Directions

1. Use half of each box and it made a normal amount of cake. Feel free to use the entire boxes, for 2 9×13 pans.

2. In one bowl I mixed the Cake mix, splitting the ingredients in half accordingly.

3. In another bowl I mixed the Brownie Batter, splitting the ingredients accordingly.

4. Combine both mixing bowls into the baking pan, swirl them together a bit, and bake it at 350 degrees, for approx. 30 minutes or until it’s baked through.

5. Let it cool and gently poke some holes into it with a fork.

6. Now pour the included Ganache all over the top of the cake. If you need more Ganache, use some Fudge Topping from a jar.

Jan20

Chocolate Fried Pies

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An old fashioned, made from scratch, fried pie has no equal. And for the best fried chocolate pies, you have to make your own chocolate paste out of sugar, butter, and cocoa powder. You can make these with canned biscuit dough but they won’t be the same. They will still be good in a pinch though. You can also make these simply by sticking a mini chocolate bar inside each one – but it won’t be the same, either. They will still be good in a pinch, though! Just do what you have time to do and put your heart into it.

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Ingredients

2 Cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening
½ cup milk, more if needed
vegetable oil (for frying)

Filling
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening with a long tined fork. Add the milk and stir until the dough sticks together.

2. Divide the dough into ten ball shaped portions.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together melted butter, cocoa powder, and sugar until it forms a paste.

4. Pour oil to a depth of ¼ inch in a large skillet and place over medium high heat to preheat while you assemble pies.

5. On a floured surface, roll or pat each dough ball into a 6 inch circle. Place 2 tablespoons of chocolate paste in center of each. Dip fingertips in water and run around outside edges of crust. Fold over and crimp with fork to seal.

6. After oil has heated for at least five minutes, reduce heat to medium. Carefully add a few pies at a time to hot oil and cook until browned on one side, flip and brown on the other.

7. Remove to paper towel lined plates and repeat until all pies are cooked.

Cool slightly before serving.

Jan9

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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A TenaciousM Dream Treat! Enjoy!!

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Ingredients

1/3 cup flour (85 g)
4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup sugar (add up to 1/2 cup for sweeter cake)
1 egg
4 Tbsp butter (60 g)
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk (120 ml)
** Cream Cheese Frosting **
100 g cream cheese (3.5 oz)
3 Tbsp butter (45 g)
10 drops vanilla
8 Tbsp powdered sugar (60 g)
Coconut flakes or sprinkles (optional)

Directions

1. Let the egg and butter sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Put in a large bowl and beat/cream with a fork or mixer until creamy, soft and a little fluffy.

2. Add the sugar (I used natural sugar so it looks brown here) a little at a time and mix well.

3. Add egg and vanilla. Continue to beat until well mixed.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually mix the flour mixture and the milk into the butter and egg mixture. Beat until smooth.

5. Grease well a 8-inch (20.5-21 cm) pie dish or cake pan with oil or butter. Pour in the batter and spread out evenly.

6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick – if it comes out clean it’s done! Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour.

7. While the cake is cooking prepare the icing. Let the cream cheese and butter soften a little at room temperature. Put in a bowl and beat/cream until smooth.

8. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar.

9. When the icing becomes soft enough to spread, it’s done! Store the fridge until the cake has cooled.

When the cake is completely cooled, you can spread on the icing! If the icing hardened a little in fridge, let it warm up a few minutes until you can spread it.

Finish up by sprinkling some coconut flakes or sprinkles. Slice and serve!!

Dec30

Chocolate Clementine Cake with Hot Chocolate Sauce

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This cake can be made a day in advance. The Hot Chocolate Sauce can be stored, covered, in refrigerator up to 1 week; reheat over low heat until warmed through. Make both the cake and sauce with the best quality bittersweet chocolate you can find. Substitute semisweet chocolate if you wish.

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Makes 12 to 16 servings

Ingredients

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup butter, cut into pieces
7 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons grated clementine zest (about 2 clementines)*
2 medium clementines, peeled and coarsely chopped*
3 tablespoons orange liqueur**
1/4 teaspoon salt
Hot Chocolate Sauce
Garnish: sweetened whipped cream

Preparation

Prep: 30 Minutes
Cook: 50 Minutes
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9-inch springform pan; line bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour parchment, tapping out excess flour; set aside.

2. Stir together chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat.

3. Beat egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer until pale and thick. Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until blended. Add flour, beating until blended, stopping to scrape down sides. Stir in zest, chopped clementines, and orange liqueur.

4. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Add salt and remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third egg white mixture into chocolate mixture; repeat twice. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

5. Bake at 350° for 50 to 55 minutes or until slightly firm to touch. (Cracks will form on top of cake.) Remove cake to a wire rack; run sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool slightly.

6. Remove sides of springform pan. Invert cake onto serving plate, and remove springform bottom and parchment paper. Serve warm with Hot Chocolate Sauce; garnish, if desired.