Tag Archives: Recipes

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.

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.

Dec23

Chocolate Peanut Butter Saltine Toffee

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With just six ingredients, these sweet treats will be your go-to recipe for all holiday parties. Chocolate Peanut Butter Saltine Toffee ready for all your Christmas parties, neighbors, coworkers, friends, and self. This, crunchy and frozen, with a glass of cold milk or hot chocolate? It’s magical stuff.

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Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup salted butter
1 sleeve Saltine crackers
¾ cup peanut butter
1½ -2 cups chocolate chips
sprinkles!

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Instructions

1. Cover a 9×13 baking dish with foil. Spray with nonstick cooking spray or grease with oil. Arrange the saltines in one layer in the pan, leaving a little bit of room between each cracker, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small nonstick saucepan. Bring to a boil and let boil without stirring for three minutes. Pour the hot mixture over the crackers and bake for 5 minutes.

3. Drop the peanut butter onto the hot cracker and toffee mixture; bake for another 1 minute to melt. Spread the peanut butter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips; bake for another 1 minute to melt. Spread the chocolate evenly and top with sprinkles.

4. Freeze or chill for 1 hour or until set. Break into small pieces for serving.

Dec15

TenaciousM’s Favorite Chocolate Cheese Cake

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I guess I have to say it. This cake is for major chocolate lovers and for good reason. Those chocolate cake layers PLUS the chocolate cheesecake layer PLUS the chocolate frosting PLUS the shavings on top. Dig out the vanilla ice cream to accompany slices of this! #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM enjoy!!

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Ingredients

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE:
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs

CHOCOLATE CAKE:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, divided
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons light (white or golden) corn syrup

Directions

1. Prepare the cheesecake layer: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a large roasting pan on the lower third rack of the oven. Place a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Wrap a double layer of foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan (you want to seal it so the water from the water bath doesn’t seep into the pan). Place chocolate in a medium glass bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts until the chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring after each burst. Set the chocolate aside and let it cool off until it is lukewarm but still pourable. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the cream cheese- blend until it is nice and smooth and creamy. Mix in sugar and cocoa powder and blend until incorporated, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Mix in the lukewarm chocolate. Mix until smooth. The batter will be very thick- scrape it into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Set the pan into the roasting pan in the pre-heated oven. Carefully pour the hot water from your kettle into the roasting pan (it will fill the pan surrounding the cheesecake). Pour enough water so that there is about an inch of water coming up the foil along the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely. This can be done in several hours- or overnight.

2. Prepare the cake layers: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round metal baking pans (or spray with nonstick baking spray with flour). In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add espresso powder, eggs, 1/4 cup of the buttermilk, butter and vanilla to the flour mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat for 1 minute, until blended. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the remaining buttermilk and beat on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, until just blended. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans, then invert cakes onto a rack to cool completely.

3. Prepare the frosting: In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Microwave 1 to 2 minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir, until melted and smooth. Whisk the sour cream and corn syrup into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until firm enough to spread.

4. Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the parchment to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Peel off the parchment. Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be a slightly larger round than your cake, move it to a cutting board and gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake (with a sharp knife) to get it to the same size as your cake layers. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Place the 2nd cake layer on top of the cheesecake.

5. Frost the cake: Apply a crumb coat layer to the cake- use a long, thin spatula to cover the cake completely with a thin and even layer of frosting. Be sure to wipe off your spatula each time you are about to dip it back into the bowl to get more frosting (this way you won’t be transferring any crumbs into the bowl of frosting). Don’t worry at this point about the crumbs being visible in the frosting on the cake. When your cake has a thin layer of frosting all over it, place it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to “set” the frosting. Once the first layer of frosting is set, apply the 2nd layer. Start by adding a large scoop of frosting onto the top of the cake. Use a long, thin spatula to spread the frosting evenly across the top and then spread it down the sides of the cake too. Because you applied a crumb-coat layer, you shouldn’t have any crumbs floating around in the final frosting layer. Decorate, as desired. I recommend white chocolate shavings (see *Tips below). Keep this cake refrigerated.

TIPS:

*Using a good quality bittersweet chocolate will make a difference in this recipe. Splurge for Scharffen Berger or something similar.
*For making white chocolate shavings: Purchase a hunk of white chocolate and a hunk of dark chocolate. Microwave the chocolate to soften it up slightly (15 to 30 seconds, depending on the size). Use a potato peeler to run down the side of the chocolate to create shards/shaves/curls of chocolate. I like to shave it onto a paper plater and then just use the plate to slide the chocolate onto the top of the cake.
*If you are serving this cake at a party, it’s perfectly okay to leave the cake at room temperature for an hour or so while serving. Otherwise, keep it refrigerated.

Dec8

Hot Chocolate Fudge Pie

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If you love chocolate, then this is for you. It is oh so gooey and delicious… #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM, enjoy!

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Ingredients

1 stick butter, softened
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 c all purpose flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together butter and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add cocoa powder, salt and flour and stir until well combined. Grease 8 inch pie pan with butter or cooking spray, pour mixture into pie pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until center is set.

3. Hand mix to make it gooey, because if you use a mixer, it will have more of a brownie or cake texture, rather than “gooey”.

Dec2

Chocolate Oreo Rice Krispie Treats

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I make these in a 9×9 pan because I prefer a thicker square but any size pan will work! The better quality chocolate you use, the better these taste!

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Ingredients

¼ cup butter
55 large marshmallows
6 cups crispy rice cereal
2 cups chopped Oreo cookies (plus extra for decorating)
4 oz milk chocolate

Instructions

1. In a large put melt butter & marshmallows over low heat until smooth & creamy. Remove from heat.

2. Combine marshmallow mixture and cereal and stir until cereal is coated. Fold in Oreos.

3. Place in a greased pan and refrigerate until completely cool.

4. Cut Krispies into squares. Melt chocolate in the microwave on 40% power until just about melted (stirring it will melt any pieces left without overheating). Dip one edge of the squares into the chocolate and place on parchment paper. Top with additional Oreos if desired.

5. Refrigerate to set.