chocolate. Chocolate. CHOCOLATE!!!

[Smithy]

One of the best sauces you can make for vanilla ice cream and it's damn simple...

Melt a couple of chopped up Mars bars in a double boiler (so a saucepan inside another saucepan which contains water - just to stop the Mars bars melting too fast, catching and burning). And pour over vanilla ice cream as soon as melted.

This is ridiculously good. I made it for dessert the first time I invited my future wife round to dinner

 

[HepKitty]

chocolate overkill cookies

I have a question for you folks. I have a good receipe for chocolate chip cookies, but I want to make the dough chocolate as well. Can I just add cocoa powder to make it so & if so how much do I add?

Thanx!!!
Charlie

hi Charlie

I would substitute 1/2 c flour for 1/2 c sifted cocoa powder and go from there... I'm a big fan of sampling cookie dough eggs or not, so if you're not frightened by the salmonella rage right now, I'd try the dough and see what you think. also go by texture

or just use this recipe that I got from the bakery, omit peppermint if it's not your thing. or do like I do, leave the peppermint and add Godiva chocolate liqueur, white choc chips and use super dark chocolate chips

Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies

mix in stages, in typical cookie format

1 c butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar

1 T vanilla
2 t peppermint extract
2 eggs

1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour (use all a/p or other kind of flour if need be)
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

2 c chocolate chips

drop onto cookie sheet by the teaspoon or so, bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, rotating after 3 minutes.

I can't believe I didn't post this already

 

[Puzzicato]

My bet is the recipe--it looks so simple that even someone whose usual repertoire is limited to grilling, chili and Hamburger Helper like me couldn't screw it up... lol

Oi! She might be in love with me too!

It is pretty well idiot-proof, but it works better when there is fairly low humidity.

 

[HepKitty]

lol you never know do you?

here is one I found yesterday, it looks easy an delish. got it from the Essential Wholesale site

Truffle Pie

Truffle Pie Ingredients
1/2 cup Organic Heavy Cream
4 tablespoons Raspberry Liquor (or Liquor of your choice)
12 ounces of Milk or Dark Ghirardelli Chocolate (or other high quality chocolate)
8 tablespoons of Organic Butter
1 Keebler® Ready Crust® Chocolate Pie Crust

Directions
1. Boil cream in a heavy pan. Reduce to 2 tablespoons.
2. Remove from heat and add Liquor of choice and chocolate.
3. Return to low heat and stir until chocolate thoroughly melts.
4. Whisk in room tempature butter until smooth.
5. Pour mixture into Keebler® Ready Crust® Chocolate Pie Crust and refrigerate until firm (45 minutes to 1 hour)
6. Serve cold with whipped cream (homemade recipe below).

This recipe is actually pretty simple and quick to make but it will look like you slaved for hours on this. I prefer to make my own whipped cream for this recipe. It doesn't take too much work either.

Whipped Cream Ingredients

½ cup Organic Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Tbsp Organic Agave Nectar
½ Tsp Organic Vanilla Extract

Directions

Add Heavy Whipping Cream, Agave Nectar and Vanilla Extract and whip together in Magic Bullet or with hand mixer until fluffy.

 

[Puzzicato]

As seen in my blog, http://foodycat.blogspot.com/2010/09/blondies-and-brownies.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/cranberry-blondies-492578.html this recipe is awesome!

 

[HepKitty]

yeah it's confirmed. I love you

 

[HepKitty]

One of the best sauces you can make for vanilla ice cream and it's damn simple...

Melt a couple of chopped up Mars bars in a double boiler (so a saucepan inside another saucepan which contains water - just to stop the Mars bars melting too fast, catching and burning). And pour over vanilla ice cream as soon as melted.

This is ridiculously good. I made it for dessert the first time I invited my future wife round to dinner

I found a recipe called Black Magic cake that called for melted Milky Way bars... and it really wasn't very good. but just melting them into a sauce should be nummy!

 

[Puzzicato]

yeah it's confirmed. I love you

:cheers1:

 

[Gilboa]

Being swiss by origin, I am rather proud that we do excellent chocolate

As a fussy chocolate eather - it has to contain liqueur (or marzipan).

I do not have recipies, but this is my dearly missed all time favourite after dinner treat (especially after fondue!):

Kirschstengeli or Kirsch Batons

Dark, hollow chocolate sticks, covered gently with cocoa powder and filled with delicious goodness of your choice: usually Kirsch, but also available with whiskey or cognac.

Take a bite, lean back and let the delicious fluid trickle down your throat, then take a bite again. Heavenly!

:eusa_clap

 

[zetwal]

Short but interesting read -

http://www.shockmd.com/2008/10/31/sex-chocolate-and-the-brain-or-why-women-prefer-chocolate/

Additional blog entries on chocolate from a scientific perspective -

http://www.shockmd.com/index.php?s=chocolate&submit=Search

 

[Big_e]

A chocolate shop opened near my house and they give you sample truffles when you walk in! CocoAndre Chocolatier . This is not good for my diet! I walked in and got a few goodies today!

Take that chocolate owl!

 

[Tomasso]

A chocolate shop opened near my house and they give you sample truffles when you walk in!

I know, these joints are opening up all over and they all hand out freebies; It's like an epidemic.....:essen:

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I know, these joints are opening up all over and they all hand out freebies; It's like an epidemic.....:essen:

Not yet...

 

[Bruce Wayne]

ATTENTION WOMEN!!!

 

[HepKitty]

Found this hiding on my external HD today. Can't remember where I found it and hope I haven't posted it before...

Bakeless Cookie Dough Truffles

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate morsels
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 1/2 pounds chocolate candy coating, melted

In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy.
Add vanilla.
Gradually beat in flour and add milk.
Add chocolate morsels and pecans, mixing well.
Shape into 1-inch balls.
Place on waxed paper; chill 2 hours.

*Cook's Note: Since the dough is sticky, roll your fingers into flour. This will make it easier to roll.

While your dough is chilling, melt chocolate candy coating in a double boiler.
Using a truffle tong or 2 forks, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover.
Place on waxed paper and chill to set.
Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to harden chocolate coating.

 

[HepKitty]

Irish Cream Truffle Fudge

First Layer
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 cup Irish cream liqueur (*I used the caramel flavoured for this recipe)
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Second Layer
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
4 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur
2 tablespoons butter

Prepare a 9x13 inch pan by covering the bottom and sides with aluminum foil. The original directions say to butter the pan, but lining with aluminum foil will let you lift the fudge out of the pan, which makes it much easier to cut)

First Layer
Using an electric mixer, mix together in a medium or large bowl, the confectioner's sugar and liquer until smooth and free of lumps

In a double boiler, combine semi-sweet and white chocolate chips and butter, stir often until all the chocolate is melted and has a nice gloss to it

Remove the chocolate mixture from the stove and pour immediately in to the baileys/sugar mixture. If you are going to use nuts, add them to the mix now

Incorporate the mixture thoroughly, then pour in to the prepared pan and smooth the top until the mixture is level.

If you must reuse your kitchen tools, clean and allow them to dry thoroughly before moving on!

Second Layer
In a medium bowl, slice the butter in to several small pieces and add the liquer.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolates until smooth and glossy.

Pour the chocolate in to the bowl containing the bailey's and butter, use a fork to beat thoroughly, until the butter has melted entirely and the mixture is consistent. (*when i did this, the texture looked super shiny but a bit grainy- it had no effect on the outcome however, so if it looks a bit odd, don't get too upset)

Pour mixture in to the pan, on top of the first layer. Using a spatula, spread until evenly distributed.

Refrigerate the fudge for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until firm. Remove from pan, slice into 1 inch cubes, try one, and moan with delight.

Kept refrigerated, this fudge will definitely keep for a few days. It may seem to dry out in the fridge, but simply returning it to room temperature will fix any dryness.



*Important Note- working with chocolate is very fun, but the nature of chocolate makes it temperamental. During the melting process, chocolate cannot come in to contact with water, or it will sieze and became cakey. Be sure to use dry utensils and do not heat chocolate covered, as condensation will occur, drip in to the mix, and make you very angry.

Also- the alcohol in this recipe DOES NOT get cooked off, so be careful of feeding it to the young'uns. If you would like a non-alcoholic version, I would suggest (but have not personally tried) using half n' half. The consistency is similar to the liqueur, so it should work.

 

[HepKitty]

Ghirardelli White Chocolate Crème Brulée

4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 (4 oz.) bar Ghirardelli White Chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup plus 4 tsp sugar, divided
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. and set a pan/teapot of water on a burner
to heat to a simmer. Whisk egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar together until
smooth (or cheat like I did and use a food processor, couple of pulses
then scrape the mixture into ceramic mixing bowl). In a 1-quart heavy
saucepan, bring the whipping cream to a simmer over medium-high heat (I
used a double boiler, but I'm the cautious type). Add chopped chocolate
to simmering whipping cream, take pan off the heat and then whisk the
mixture until the chocolate is completely melted. Slowly--very
slowly--add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, whisking
continuously until smooth. (I usually scoop a portion of the hot
chocolate mixture up and drizzle it into the egg mixture, whisking, then
a second scoop, etc. until all is mixed smoothly.) Whisk in vanilla.
Pour into four ramekins. Place the cups in a 9"x13" baking pan. Add
enough hot water to come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Carefully place the baking pan in the 300 degree oven and bake until
cremes are set, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle each cup with 1 tsp. of the
reserved sugar and broil until carmelized (or use one of those cute
little blow torches kitchen supply places sell, just be sure the sugar
doesn't become burned and bitter). Chill until time to serve.

 

[HepKitty]

Chocolate Terrine

1 (3 1/2 ounce) package almond paste
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate -- coarsely chopped
4 ounces white chocolate -- coarsely chopped
4 eggs -- slightly beaten
2 tablespoons brandy

Chocolate Glaze -- (recipe follows)

CHOCOLATE GLAZE
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup margarine or butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup

Line loaf pan, 8 1/2 × 4 1/2 × 2 1/2 inches, with aluminum foil, leaving about 2 inches overhanging sides. Roll almond paste between 2 sheets waxed paper into rectangle, 8 × 4 inches; cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Heat oven to 350F. Heat half-and-half, semisweet chocolate and white chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolates are melted and mixture is smooth; cool slightly. Gradually stir eggs and brandy into chocolate mixture. Pour into lined pan. Place pan in pan of very hot water (1 inch deep) in oven.
Bake until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from water. Remove waxed paper from almond paste and immediately place on hot terrine; cool 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Prepare Chocolate Glaze. Remove terrine from pan by inverting on serving plate. Carefully remove foil. Spread remaining glaze evenly and smoothly over sides and top of terrine. To serve, cut into 8 slices, about 1 inch each; cut slices into halves. Refrigerate any remaining terrine.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
Heat chocolate chips, margarine and corn syrup over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted; cool.

 

[Land-O-LakesGal]

I found a nice vintage candy bar (although not really a bar) this weekend when out of town. I rather liked it, the Twin Bing from Parker Candy out of Souix City Iowa

 

[fluteplayer07]

...
Take that chocolate owl!

How many licks does it take...?