Jun17
You Can’t Upload Love
Tag Archives: Friendship
Jun17
Chocolate Tart with Nut Crust
Serve this very rich chocolate-nut tart with softly whipped cream. If making up to 1 day ahead, cover and chill. To serve, let warm to room temperature, about 1 hour.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine
9 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon cognac or brandy
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Enjoy Creamy & Indulgent Carbonara Sauce
Preparation
1. In a food processor, whirl walnuts, pine nuts, and 1/2 cup sugar until nuts are coarsely ground. Pour into a 9-inch tart pan with removable rim. In a 2-cup glass measure, melt 1/4 cup butter in a microwave oven at full power (100%), 20 to 30 seconds. Add melted butter to nut mixture and rub in with your fingers to blend. Press mixture evenly over bottom and up sides of pan. Set pan on a foil-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheet.
2. Bake in a 325° regular or convection oven until crust begins to brown around edges, 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, chop half the chocolate into 1/2-inch chunks and set aside. Finely chop remaining chocolate.
4. In the glass measure, combine remaining 1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces, with finely chopped chocolate. Heat in a microwave oven at half power (50%) until chocolate is soft, 30 to 45 seconds. Stir until mixture is smooth.
5. In a bowl with a mixer on high speed, beat egg yolks, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, cognac, and almond extract until mixture turns pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add chocolate-butter mixture and beat to blend. Stir in coarsely chopped chocolate. Scrape into warm nut crust.
6. Bake in a 325° regular or convection oven until filling barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken, about 15 minutes. Set on a rack until warm or cool.
7. To serve, remove rim; dust tart lightly with cocoa and cut into wedges.
Jun15
Two-Bite Pure Chocolate Bliss Cookies
If you love chocolate then I predict you will love these Double-Shot Mocha Chunk cookies. They are little bites of pure chocolate bliss. These cookies are like little baked truffles. #chocolateonsteroids. #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM enjoy!!
Yield: 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients for Double-Shot Mocha Chunks
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup chocolate chunks: semisweet, white, or espresso
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or line with parchment two cookie sheets.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth.
4. Stir in the cocoa powder and flour; the dough will be stiff.
5. Mix in the chocolate chips and chunks.
6. Drop the cookies by tablespoonfuls (about 1 1/2″ balls) onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2″ between them. A tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.
7. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan.
Jun13
Triple-Chocolate Coffee Cake
Gone are the days of crumbled coffee cakes. Welcome to the land of triple-chocolate coffee cake goodness. Enjoy by serving with wine, milk, or simply another slice of coffee cake.
Ingredients
1 (18.25-ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
1 (3.9-ounce) package chocolate instant pudding mix
2 cups sour cream
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate morsels, divided
1 cup white chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Preparation
1.Beat first 6 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 30 seconds or just until moistened; beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in 2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels; pour batter evenly into 2 greased and floured 9-inch square cake pans.
2. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pans on wire racks.
3. Microwave white chocolate morsels in a glass bowl at HIGH 30 to 60 seconds or until morsels melt; stirring at 30-second intervals until smooth. Drizzle evenly over cakes; repeat procedure with remaining cup of semisweet morsels. Sprinkle cakes evenly with pecans.
Jun8
Sunday Reflections
May31
Nutella Buttercream Chocolate Cake
Here is a fun recipe. Use a knife to cut the wafer cookies in half before adhering them with buttercream to the side of the cake. One last tip – maybe think twice about decorating with finely grated white chocolate on the top of the cake. I thought this would be a nice touch but I think it ended up looking like shredded cheese. Still tastes great!
Ingredients – Cake
1 package (18.25oz) devil’s food cake mix with pudding
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup Nutella
Ingredients – Frosting
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 small jar Nutella
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
About 60 4-inch Pirouette Wafer Cookies, preferably Pepperidge Farm brand (2 cans, optional)
Preparation – Cake
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, Nutella, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
3. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined.
4. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.
5. Bake the cakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 28 to 32 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes.
6. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up.
7. Allow to cool completely, 30 minutes more.
Preparation – Frosting
1. Place the chocolate chips in the microwave on high for about 90 seconds, stopping to stir every 20-30 seconds. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Set aside.
2. Beat the butter and Nutella on medium-high speed until creamy. Beat in the melted chocolate chips.
3. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.
4. Beat in the cocoa, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
5. Once the cakes are cool frost cake and decorate with Pirouette Wafer Cookies.
May30
Don’t Ignore Your Passion
May29
I, Little Colored Girl…
I’m feeling sentimental about Maya Angelou as well.
May29
Maya Angelou
Lovely tribute…
Of all the things I remember about the time I met Maya Angelou, I don’t quite remember how we ended up shopping in Shreveport, Louisiana the day after she visited my college. As college friends post memories on my Facebook page of her visit, I have been trying all day to remember exactly how we ended up shopping and how she came to buy me this scarf.
I do remember that the process, the work of bringing her to campus taught me everything I needed to know about political maneuverings, regional pride, and, eventually, what is possible when an entire institution decides to do a thing right.
I got it into my head one summer that I should bring her to my small, private, mostly lily white, college in Northwest Louisiana. I’d read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in middle school in Biloxi, Mississippi when my father was…
View original post 1,472 more words
May29
White Chocolate & Cranberry Crispy Treats
It has been a crazy few weeks in the world of TenaciousM! And my #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM have suffered and let me know about it. To them I say: “My bad, and I back!”
Is there a better pairing than sweet, juicy berries and rich, luscious chocolate? I don’t think so. Since I had already offered a few milk and dark chocolate sweets this month I decided to use white chocolate. I also wanted to make a bar cookie, just for something different. After looking through my collection of cookie magazines for something suitable to the theme, I chose a recipe from a Better Homes & Gardens magazines – White Chocolate & Cranberry Crispy Treats.
Little did I know I would be learning something new along the way about white chocolate. Technically white chocolate is not really chocolate at all because it does not contain any cocoa solids/chocolate liquor (which I did know). It is usually made from cocoa butter, milk solids, milk fat, sugar, vanilla, and salt. But anything that calls itself chocolate is my friend! Enjoy!!
Ingredients
Crispy Treats ~
¼ cup butter
5 cups mini marshmallows
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup white baking pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
Marshmallow Topping ~
1 tablespoon butter
1½ cups mini marshmallows
Preparation
Crispy Treats ~
1. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan; set aside.
2. In a 4- to 5-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
3. Add marshmallows, stirring until melted, then stir in cinnamon.
4. Add crispy rice cereal, white baking pieces, and dried cranberries, stirring until combined.
5. Scoop mixture into prepared pan. With the back of a greased spoon (or hands), press mixture evenly into pan.
6. If desired, drizzle with Marshmallow Topping.
7. Let stand for 1 hour before serving.
8. Cut into bars (makes approximately 48 bars).
Marshmallow Topping ~
1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
2. Add marshmallows, stirring until melted.
3. Drizzle over crispy treats if desired.
Egos & Buffaloes 