Tag Archives: Recipes

Feb9

Chocolate Triple-threat Cookies

Posted on by
Standard

Prepare to abandon all restraint when you try one of these cookies, made with melted chocolate and chocolate chips in the batter and layered with a chocolate ganache filling.

Chocolate Triple Threat Cookies

Yield: Makes 16 sandwich cookies
Prep And Cook: 50 Minutes
Chill And Cool: 2 Hours, 30 Minutes

Ingredients

Cookies
10 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Preparation

1. Make cookies: Put chopped chocolates and butter in a metal bowl and set bowl over (not touching) simmering water in a pot. Cook, stirring, until melted, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.
2. Whisk eggs, sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla into chocolate mixture. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into chocolate mixture until evenly mixed, then stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Wrap dough airtight and chill until firm enough to hold its shape, 50 to 60 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make ganache: Put chopped chocolate and cream in a medium metal bowl and set bowl over (not touching) simmering water in a pot. Cook, stirring, until melted, then let cool. Cover and chill, stirring occasionally, until firm enough to spread, about 1 3/4 hours. If ganache becomes too firm to spread, transfer to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for a few seconds to soften, stir.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 2-tbsp. portions of dough onto sheets, spaced about 1 in. apart. Press dough to flatten into even 1/2-in.-thick rounds. Bake until cookies no longer look wet and you can feel a slight crust on top, about 10 minutes (don’t overbake); switch position of baking sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets on racks.
5. Generously spread flat sides of half of cookies with ganache and top with remaining cookies. (You may have a little leftover ganache.)
Make ahead: Dough and ganache, up to 2 days, chilled. Filled cookies, up to 2 days, chilled, or 2 months, frozen. Serve at room temperature.
Note: Nutritional analysis is per sandwich cookie.

Note:
The cookies are most irresistible if they’re still soft after baking; test-bake one to judge how long they take in your oven.

Feb8

Chocolate Amaretto Semifreddo

Posted on by
Standard

Chocolate-amaretto semifreddo

Studded with dark cherries and toasted almonds, this creamy frozen dessert is a cinch to make. If you are entertaining, make it ahead of time and garnish last. #choclatefriendsofTenaciousM you’ll enjoy this dream treat!

Ingredients

1/3 cup amaretto
2 1/2 cups chilled Chocolate Crème Anglaise
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 cup finely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup raw slivered almonds, toasted (see Notes)
3/4 cup coarsely chopped sweet dark cherries (fresh or frozen)
Semisweet chocolate shavings (see Notes)

Preparation

1. Whisk amaretto into crème anglaise. In a cold bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, beat whipping cream until medium peaks form (they should hold their shape, but not be stiff). Gently fold in about a third of crème anglaise mixture until no white streaks remain. Fold in remaining crème anglaise until blended.
2. Line a 9- by 5-in. loaf pan (holds 8 cups) with plastic wrap, leaving overhang on all sides. Gently fold chopped chocolate, almonds, and cherries into crème anglaise mixture. Spoon into pan and cover with overhanging plastic wrap. Freeze until firm, at least 7 1/2 hours and up to 1 week.
3. To serve, invert dessert over a platter and remove pan and plastic wrap. Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature to soften. Smooth top and sides with a warm knife if needed. Garnish with shaved chocolate.

Note:
To toast almonds, spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350° until golden, about 10 minutes. To make shaved chocolate, run a vegetable peeler along an 8-oz. block of slightly chilled semisweet chocolate.

Feb7

Double Chocolate Lava Babies

Posted on by
Standard

Delicious little chocolate volcano cakes ready to erupt with praline lava. Better served warm. Enjoy them this weekend with espresso!

Prep: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins

Double Chocolate Lava Babies

Ingredients
1/2-3/4 cup pecans
2 tablespoons canola oil or plain yogurt
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 (20 ounce) package double chocolate brownie mix
3/4 cup water
3 eggs
6-12 pecans (for decoration)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400. Toast chopped pecans in heavy skillet over MED-HI heat until lightly toasted.

Remove and toast pecan halves. Remove and set aside. Lightly grease and flour six 10-oz custard cups or 12 regular-sized cup muffin pan. Place custard cups in a shallow baking pan and set pan aside.

Prepare Brownie Mix as indicated for cake-like brownies.
Divide batter evenly into prepared cups. (Bake any leftover batter as regular brownies.) Bake 10 minutes only.

Meanwhile prepare Praline Sauce.
In a heavy saucepan over LOW-heat caramel ice cream topping. Stir in whipping cream. Cook about 1-3 minutes stirring constantly. Add chopped pecans and blend.

Remove brownies from oven. Using a small knife, puncture top of each partially-baked cake and gently enlarge to make a dime-sized hole. Slowly spoon about 1/2-1 tablespoon Praline Sauce into center of each cake.
Return cakes to oven.

Bake 5-8 minutes more or until cakes feel firm at edges. Cool in baking pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Using a small thin knife, loosen edges from sides of cup and slip cake out upright onto individual dessert plates. Stir toasted pecan halves into the remaining Praline Sauce. If necessary, stir add 1/2-1 tablespoons hot water to remaining sauce to thin.

Split cakes partially open; spoon warm Praline Sauce on top. Top with sweetened whipped cream and pecan halves. Serve immediately.

Feb6

Chocolate & Salted Caramel Pecan Pie

Posted on by
Standard

Hello all! I had to reach in my bag for something decadent today. #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM keep it real! A cross between a fudge pie and pecan pie, this is all the more visually stunning if you arrange the pecans from the center in a spiral pattern. I really enjoy entertaining as an art form. The extra details are always key!

Salted Chocolate Pecan Piesalted chocolate caramel pecan pie 2

Yield: Makes 8 servings
Total: 1 Hour, 20 Minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Filling
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup 100% cacao unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup toasted chopped pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked deep-dish piecrust shell

Salted Caramel Topping
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 cups toasted pecan halves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation

1. Prepare Filling: Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, stirring until well blended. Fold in chopped pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell.
2. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. (Filling will be loose but will set as it cools.) Remove from oven to a wire rack.
3. Prepare Topping: Bring 3/4 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. (Do not stir.) Boil, swirling occasionally after sugar begins to change color, 8 minutes or until dark amber. (Do not walk away from the pan, as the sugar could burn quickly once it begins to change color.) Remove from heat; add cream and 4 Tbsp. butter. Stir constantly until bubbling stops and butter is incorporated (about 1 minute). Stir in table salt.
4. Arrange pecan halves on pie. Top with warm caramel. Cool 15 minutes; sprinkle with sea salt.

Feb5

Wine and Chocolate: Perfect Pairing!

Posted on by
Standard

Chocolate and Wine Parings 2

Pair wine with chocolate for a match made in heaven, and red wine and chocolate are a great pair. With all those deep, dark chocolate flavors right in a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine seems like a natural match for an intensely-flavored, dark chocolate dessert.

But are the two perfect together? Maybe not, according to Sara Schneider, Sunset wine editor. “Along with those sweet-seeming chocolate flavors and dark berries and plums, good (young) Cabernet Sauvignon has a backbone of tannin that can suddenly taste harsh and astringent when you put it with chocolate, especially if the chocolate is quite sweet. Merlot, on the other hand, tends to have softer, rounder tannins under its cocoa and mocha layers; it’s often a more seamless partner for chocolate. Consider Zinfandel too. It’s a variety that often goes way beyond “hints of chocolate” to practically being chocolate coated–and it rarely has the tannin level of Cab and Merlot (Bordeaux varieties).”

Remember these tips when pairing:
• The chocolate shouldn’t be sweeter than the wine.

• The darker the chocolate, the more likely it will be to taste good with red wine (partly because chocolate with a higher percentage of cacao has less sugar).

• The darker chocolates, with deep-roasted flavors, pair well with wines with dark, toasty flavors themselves.

• Port-style and sweet late-harvest reds tend to be the best matches for chocolate desserts.

An Ideal Couple
Here are some favorite chocolate desserts with suggestions for the perfect wine partner.

• The flavors of Warm Chocolate Souffle Cakes with Raspberry Sauce explode when paired with a late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc or a late-harvest Chenin Blanc.

• A sweet sparkling roséadds extra sparkle to Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake.

• A tawny Port or an orange Muscat are the perfect match for Bourbon Pecan Tart with Chocolate Drizzle.

• Give Chocolate-Chip Shortcakes with Berries and Dark Chocolate Sauce a try with a late-harvest Zinfandel.

Taste the Magic
Indulge in a chocolate bar that tells you exactly which wine to drink with it, a wine-flavored chocolate sauce, or an actual dine-in chocolate and wine experience.

• Try a new line of quality chocolate introduced at the San Diego Fancy Food Show in January 2008. Brix: Chocolate For Wine Lovers are milk and dark chocolate bricks specially designed to complement the various varietals of wine. Click here to watch Dr. Nick Proia, owner of Brix, as he shares the inspiring and entertaining story of Brix’s creation as well as how to identify a quality chocolate.

• Get saucy with two wine-flavored chocolate sauces from Caramoomel, Wine Lovers Dark Chocolate Sauce with Merlot and Wine Lovers White Chocolate Sauce with Riesling. Both are smooth, silky, and perfect for a drizzle on ice cream, cake, or fresh fruit.

Feb5

German Marmorgugelhupf – Chocolate Marble Cake Recipe

Posted on by
Standard

This recipe for Marmorgugelhupf is a modern take on the German classic dessert. It is an excellent complement to coffee and makes a great dessert. Try it with cafe noir.

Marmorgugelhupf Marble Cake Recipe
Recommended Equipment:
tube or bundt pan
stand mixer

Ingredients:

main batter
1 2/3 cup sugar
2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tspn salt
2 tspn baking powder
7 eggs
12 oz. unsalted butter, at room temp.
3 tbsp. Kahlua

chocolate batter
2 tbsp whole milk
2 tbsp Kahlua
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
1/2 tspn baking soda

chocolate glaze
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp dark corn syrup
2 tspn vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a tube or bundt pan. In a large bowl or mixer, mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add butter to the mixture and mix until the ingredients form a paste. Mix the eggs and the Kahlua together. Slowly mix the egg and Kahlua mixture in with the main batter paste. In a separate mixing bowl. Construct the chocolate batter by combining the milk, Kahlua, and baking soda. Add the melted chocolate to the mixture and whisk thoroughly.

Add 2 cups of the main batter to the chocolate mixture and mix until the two have completely combined. Pour half of the remaining main batter to the bundt pan and smooth the batter so that it is evenly distributed. Pour the chocolate batter evenly over the first layer of main batter. Pour the remaining batter evenly over the chocolate layer. Using a table knife, insert the blade into the batter. Move the blade up and down in a spiral motion as you make your way around the cake. Stop when you reach the point at which you started.

Bake the cake until it is firm ~ about 1 hour. Remove cake from over and let cool for 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto a cooling rack.

Make the chocolate glaze by heating the whipping cream to a boil. Add the chocolate chips, vanilla, and corn syrup. Whisk ingredients together. Remove from heat and let the mixture thicken. Drizzle chocolate glaze over the cake.

Feb4

Pear Galettes with Belgium Chocolate Sauce

Posted on by
Standard

This recipe combines several of my favorite dessert elements. When made well, pastry filling is absolutely amazing and a great alternative for those of you who are dairy-free. Plus the pear galettes are stunningly delicious, incase the enjoyment of the process isn’t enough for you. Enjoy #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM!

Pear-Galettes-with-a-Belgian-Chocolate-Sauce-002

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients

500g pack Puff Pastry
100g ground almonds
3 tbsp Apple and Pear Juice
3 pears, washed, halved and quartered, cored and thinly sliced
2 tbsp agave
3 tbsp apricot jam
300g vegan chocolate sauce, to serve

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out the pastry onto a lightly floured work surface and cut out 6 circles, 12cm in diameter and about 4mm thick. Transfer to a non-stick baking tray.

Mix together the ground almonds with the apple and pear juice, then spread over the pastry circles to within 1cm of the edges. Arrange the slices of pear over the almond mixture. Gently heat the agave and brush over the pears, then bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat the apricot jam until bubbling. Allow to cool slightly then sieve, to remove the apricot pieces, and brush over the pear to glaze. Heat the chocolate sauce according to pack instructions and drizzle over the galettes; when ready, serve.

Feb3

Chocolate Pâté With Cranberry Coulis

Posted on by
Standard

CHOCOLATE PATE WITH CRANBERRY COULIS

#chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM… If you are trying to do something unique for your loved ones on special occasions, #Valentine’sDay, this recipe is just the right choice because the dessert is excellent in all ways; taste, appearance, presentation and is very easy to do. It is something like fudge; the only difference is it is a lot softer, the taste is great, and the sweet flavor of chocolate is enhanced by the tart tang of the cranberry coulis. You may also substitute raspberry for this recipe if you prefer.

Ingredients For Chocolate Pâté with Cranberry Coulis:

Cranberry Coulis
1 1/2 cups jellied cranberry sauce
3/4 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1 teaspoon lime juice

Pâté
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 large egg yolk
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream

Directions For Chocolate Pâté with Cranberry Coulis:

For Cranberry Coulis:
Place cranberry sauce, cranberry juice cocktail and lime juice in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate. Makes 1 3/4 cups.

For Pâté:
Line 8 x 4-inch baking pan with plastic wrap. Combine 1/4 cup whipping cream and egg yolk in small bowl. Combine morsels, corn syrup and butter in heavy-duty medium saucepan. Melt over lowest possible heat. When morsels begin to melt, remove from heat; stir. Return to heat for a few seconds at a time, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Add cream mixture to saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute. Let cool to room temperature.

Beat remaining cream and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold chocolate mixture into the whipped cream. Pour into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or freeze 3 hours.

TO SERVE:
Spoon Cranberry Coulis on a dessert plate. Place a slice of Chocolate Pâté on plate. Garnish with whipped cream.

Feb2

My Super Bowl Chocolate Pizza

Posted on by
Standard

For the true pizza lover: a dessert version worthy of Super Bowl Sunday! I’m ready!!

Chocolate PizzaSUPER Bowl Sunday Nails

Yield: 6 servings

ingredients
Your favorite pizza dough
2 tablespoons butter (1/4 stick), melted
1/4 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons chopped high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina)
2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts

preparation
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 11-inch round. Transfer dough to prepared sheet. Make indentations all over dough with fingertips. Brush melted butter over. Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes.

Smooth chocolate-hazelnut spread over hot crust. Sprinkle chopped bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate over. Bake until chocolate begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over, cut into wedges, and serve.

Feb1

Chocolate and Lemon Pie

Posted on by
Standard

Chocolate and Lemon Pie

This dessert is like two of my favorite flavors getting married, and you’re invited to the wedding. #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM Enjoy!

Preparation time : 25 minutes Cooking time : 10 minutes
Serves: 10 persons

Ingredients
2½ cups oreo cookies crushed
1/3 cup butter, melted

For the filling:
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 egg yolks, beaten
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated

For the topping:
1 tin Cream
200 g semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
½ cup water

Preparation
Combine cookies and melted butter in a mixing bowl and mix well. Press cookies mixture into the base and sides of 26 cm loose bottom tart tin and set in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in medium non-stick saucepan, combine sweetened condensed Milk , butter and cornstarch. Bring to boil over medium heat with constant stirring; cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour a small amount into egg yolks and mix then put the egg yolks mixture into the same saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and stir.

Pour the mixture over the prepared tart base and set in the fridge for ½ hour or until set. In a medium bowl, combine cream , melted chocolate and water and pour evenly all over the filling. Place in the fridge until the top is firm to slice.