Tag Archives: Chocolate

May4

Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes

Posted on by
Standard

Ohhh, I’ve got it bad. Get ready for a flavor adventure! These amazing cupcakes starring dark chocolate and…wait for it…bacon! Strong brewed coffee and buttermilk are the other secret ingredients here that produce a moist, rich cupcake. Top with your favorite chocolate frosting, a sprinkling of crumbled bacon, and a dusting of cocoa powder.

1693893

Ingredients

12 slices bacon

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 eggs

1 cup cold, strong, brewed coffee

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs, coffee, buttermilk and oil. Stir just until blended. Mix in 3/4 of the bacon, reserving the rest for garnish. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter. Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting and sprinkle reserved bacon crumbles on top. Dust with additional cocoa powder.
May2

Paleo Homemade Dark Chocolate

Posted on by
Standard

Homemade chocolate that melts in your mouth. Made without artificial ingredients or waxes, this wholesome treat is ideal for the health conscious individual who enjoys an indulgent treat. Sweetness can be tweaked to taste, and add-in ingredients and combinations are endless. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Gently melt coconut oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla extract into melted oil until well blended. Pour mixture into a candy mold or pliable tray. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

2. Flavor by adding orange zest, peanut butter, dried coconut, chopped nuts, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, etc. to taste and consistency desired. Add after melting coconut oil, cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla together.
Maple syrup can be used in place of honey.

Number of servings depends on thickness of mold(s) used, as does set up time.
Not recommended for baking. Must be kept refrigerated.

Apr28

Double Chocolate Skillet Brownie Sundae

Posted on by
Standard

I have just the perfect dessert to celebrate all of my special friends who work so hard and sacrifice so much. It’s called the Double Chocolate Skillet Brownie Sundae and it’s basically chocolate on steroids. Rich, decadent double chocolate brownie baked in a cast iron skillet, topped with salted caramel ice cream, drizzled with hot fudge, and garnished with chunks of chocolate.

Ingredients

¾ cup Butter
1¼ cup Sugar
¾ cup Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla
¾ cup Flour
1/3 cup Cake Flour (can substitute all-purpose flour)
½ cup Cocoa Powder
¼ teaspoon Salt
¾ cup Chocolate Chips or Chunks

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Heat cast iron skillet over medium low heat. Heat butter until melted, add sugars, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Chill for 10 minutes (place skillet in refrigerator on top of oven mitt).
Add eggs and vanilla and stir until smooth.

2. Stir in flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

3. Fold in chocolate chunks.

4. Bake for 16-22 minutes, depending on skillet or pan width. Watch it closely so the brownies don’t overbake.

5. Top with favorite ice cream flavor, hot fudge or caramel, whipped cream, and chocolate.

Apr12

Chocolate Toffee Matzah Crunch

Posted on by
Standard

My new go to Sunday brunch chocolate recipe is this Chocolate Toffee Matzah Crunch.  You’ll find that it is easy and delicious as well!

matzah-crack-pinterest-683x1024

 INGREDIENTS

4-5 sheets of matzah

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

12 oz. dark chocolate

PREPARATION

Preheat over to 350F/175C

Cover a tray with baking paper. Fill the tray with the matzah sheets, breaking them to fill the entire tray.

Melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes constantly stirring. This should dissolve the bits of sugar.

Pour over matzah and spread evenly with a spatula.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it and don’t let it burn.

While the matzah is still hot, sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the matzah and let it sit for 5 minutes. Spread the chocolate with a spatula. Then add sea salt or chopped nuts.

Chill for 30 minutes then cut into squares. Serve cold.

Apr5

The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake

Posted on by
Standard

I have found it. My search has ended. I now have THE recipe. This cake is moist and has the perfect crumb. I cannot imagine making a chocolate cake using any other recipe.  It is so easy to make and puts doctored cake mix recipes to shame. I’m eating a piece of the cake as I’m writing this, drooling all over my keyboard. It is insanely delicious. A decades search was worth the wait. Every…decadent…bite. Who wants cake?

The-Most-Amazing-Chocolate-Cake-1-2848x4272

Ingredients
  • 1½ cups butter, softened
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 7-8 cups powdered sugar
  • about ¼ cup milk (as needed)
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer for best results
  2. Add in cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
  3. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add milk as necessary to make a spreadable consistency. The frosting should be very thick and will thicken even more if refrigerated.
Mar31

Samoas Cookie Pie

Posted on by
Standard

Thin Mints and Samoas are my favorite Girl Scout cookies and since I already have a fast, easy, no-bake, and foolproof Thin Mints recipe, it was time to tackle Samoas.

 

The textures and flavors are all there in this giant Samoa cookie. Gooey, chewy, sticky, sweet, and wonderful. Dare I say this may even be better than the real thing.

It’s a fast, easy, no-mixer recipe that comes together in minutes and there’s nothing fussy about it. Making individual Samoas cookies is way too labor-intensive and this giant cookie is the opposite.

I made a simple stir-together dough for the crust before topping with chocolate chips, shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, salted caramel, and a final chocolate drizzle.

samoascookiepietext

 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1 large egg
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, for sprinkling
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, loosely laid in measuring cup (not packed)
two-thirds of one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (about 10 ounces)
4 to 5 ounces salted caramel sauce (use homemade salted caramel or store bought, regular caramel sauce may be substituted)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted for drizzling

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch pie dish very well with cooking spray; set aside.
  2. In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
  3. Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
  4. Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined; don’t over mix.
  5. Turn batter out into prepared pie dish, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until edges firm up slightly and center will have begun to set up a bit. It’s by no means done, but pie will be returned to oven to bake another 25 minutes or so.
  6. Remove pie dish from oven, and evenly sprinkle 3/4 cup chocolate chips over the crust.
  7. Evenly sprinkle the coconut.
  8. Evenly drizzle the sweetened condensed milk (just eyeball it).
  9. Evenly drizzle the caramel sauce (just eyeball it).
  10. Return pan to oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until there’s slightly bubbling near the edge of dish and the center has dried out some and looks more set. Cookie pie will firm up more as it cools. In the last 10 minutes of baking, watch it like a hawk because the coconut, caramel, and sweetened condensed milk will all be prone to burning; better to underbake than overbake if you’re unsure.
  11. Allow pie to cool in dish on a wire rack while you melt the chocolate for drizzling by adding 3/4 cup chocolate chips to a small microwave-safe bowl and heat to melt, about 1 minute on high power. Stop to check and stir and heat in 10-second increments until chocolate can be stirred smooth.
  12. Using a spoon (or pastry bag or ziptop bag with corner cut off if you want to be fancier but I didn’t bother), evenly drizzle the chocolate in long vertical lines, parallel to each other, spaced about 1/2-inch apart. Pie doesn’t have to be cooled to add the chocolate drizzle.
  13. Allow pie to continue to cool on wire rack for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before slicing and serving. Don’t slice too early because chocolate drizzle needs to set and interior of pie needs to firm up or you’ll have a literal hot mess. Pie is best fresh, but will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I store it by slicing into small wedges, wrapping each wedge individually in plastic wrap, and putting those in a large zip-top bag.
Mar28

Dark Chocolate Quinoa Cookies

Posted on by
Standard

I get on these kicks and I don’t let them go. And once I’ve set my mind to doing it, it’s getting done. No questions asked. Somehow, someway, it’s happening.

Like these dark chocolate quinoa cookies.

A few days ago, I was taken over by this intense need for chocolate cookies. I mean I wanted a chocolate cookie, like really, really, really bad. And of course I didn’t have any on hand. I poured over recipe after recipe looking for the best chocolate cookie recipe that I could recreate gluten-free, couldn’t find what I was looking for, proceeded to ask my wonderful Facebook friends if they had any recipes and since they’re just a bunch of smarties, they told me to substitute 1/2 cup cocoa powder into any of my favorite cookie recipe. Novel concept to me!

As I usually do, I listened. And the cookies turned out perfectly. Like absolutely perfect.

dark-chocolate-quinoa-cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 6 tablespoons vegan butter
  • 2 tablespoon melted coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoon tahini (or other nut butter)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chunks (or dairy-free chocolate chips)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk together all the dry ingredients, minus the sugar and chocolate chunks, in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
  3. In a small sauce pan, heat the butter over medium heat and cook until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir constantly so as not to burn the butter, you’re just trying to brown it. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, add the coconut oil and let cool for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and beat with an electric mixer until incorporate – the texture will be sandy, not creamy like traditional butter cookies. Add the tahini, vanilla and eggs and beat until combined.
  4. Pour in the flour mixture, beat on low until just incorporated. The mixture will be that of a thick brownie batter, not as doughy as normal chocolate chip cookies. Fold in the chocolate chunks with a wooden spoon.
  5. Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of dough onto the cookie sheets, spacing the cookies about 1″ apart. Bake in the center of the oven for 14 minutes, switching/rotating the sheets half way through.
  6. Transfer to a wire rack, allow to cool for 5 minutes (if you can resist that long!), and enjoy!
Nov13

Tiramisu Cake

Posted on by
Standard

I can’t wait to try this recipe!! Check it out #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM!!

Oct27

Mexican Spiced Dark Chocolate Tarts

Posted on by
Standard

These easy little Mexican Spiced Dark Chocolate Tarts are one of my favorite new desserts to make! They literally come together in under 10 minutes and are sure to please a crowd. You can use dark chocolate, semisweet chocolate, milk chocolate or whatever you would like! Just whip up a simple ganache, spice it with some cinnamon, chili and cayenne, and then use it to fill these simple phyllo shells and top with whipped cream. Super simple, but so charming and decadent that your friends will think they are très gourmet. Enjoy!

mexican-spiced-dark-chocolate-tarts-1-576x383

Ingredients

4 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. chili powder
pinch of cayenne
15 mini phyllo (fillo) shells
whipped cream

mexican-spiced-dark-chocolate-tarts-3-e1414632529742
Directions

1. Heat the dark chocolate and heavy cream together in a microwave or double boiler until melted, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cinnamon, chili powder and cayenne until combined.

2. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the chocolate mixture into each mini phyllo cup. Refrigerate or serve immediately. Just before serving, use a piping bag or a spoon to top each phyllo cup with a dallop of whipped cream.

Oct26

Chocolate Truffle Pie with Amaretto Cream

Posted on by
Standard

When you daydream of silky, rich, chocolate pie you’re definitely thinking of Dad’s famous, Truffle Pie with Amaretto Cream. Store leftover pie, covered, in refrigerator. Wait…. what leftover pie? Start with refrigerated pie crusts to make prep for this pie a breeze. Slivered almonds mixed into the batter give each sweet bite a crunch.

Easter Potluck

Ingredients

1/2 (14.1-oz.) pkg. refrigerated piecrusts
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz.) bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (4 oz.) salted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 ounces (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
1 cup toasted slivered almonds
Amaretto Cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie pan; fold edges under, and crimp. Line piecrust with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill to rim with pie weights or dried beans. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes. Remove weights and foil, and bake until bottom is lightly browned, 10 to 12 more minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a wire rack while preparing filling.

2. Microwave semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) until melted and smooth, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring at 30-second intervals. Cool 15 minutes.

3. Beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate, vanilla extract, and almond extract; stir in flour and toasted almonds. Spread mixture evenly in pastry shell.

4. Bake in preheated oven until set, 30 to 35 minutes, covering edges last 10 minutes to prevent over browning, if needed. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Chill 1 hour. Serve with Amaretto Cream. Store leftover pie, covered, in refrigerator.