chocolate

Tasty Tuesday–Christmas Cracker Candy

This is a fairly common recipe, so you may have seen it before. If not, let me warn you…it’s extraordinarily addictive! I take no responsibility for the fact that you may want to eat the entire pan before it’s even cooled all the way. Just buy enough ingredients to make two batches…that’s my best advice. Not that I know from experience or anything!

Christmas cracker candy

  • 2 sticks butter
  • 3/4 c. light brown sugar
  • saltine crackers (about a sleeve and a half)
  • 2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400.

Line a 10×15 cookie sheet (with sides) with foil. Place a single layer of saltines over the foil.

Melt butter and brown sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil, and boil, stirring constantly, for three minutes.

Pour butter mixture evenly over saltines.

Bake for 5 minutes.

Let stand for a minute or two, then sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over pan, spreading as they melt. (Some people like to get fancy and sprinkle chopped nuts over the top before the chocolate sets, but I’m a purist, so I leave them out.)

Cool completely, then peel off foil and crack into pieces.

Refrigerate until serving.

Tasty Tuesday–Mrs. Fields Brownies

This is my best brownie recipe. They are not, however, the best brownies I have ever had…that honor goes to, believe it or not, the hospital at which four of my children were born. They have the most amazing, frosted brownies there–it was one of the things I was most looking forward to when Chickadee was born!

These brownies are awesome, though. I’ve been baking them since before Ryan and I got married…I found the recipe in a cookbook at a home where I babysat regularly. I didn’t have chocolate chips when I made them last weekend, so I skipped that step, and frosted them with a can of peppermint frosting instead. Yum!

  • 6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
  • 1 cup salted butter, softened
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 and grease an 8×8 baking pan.
Combine unsweetened chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium low heat, stirring constantly until pieces are almost melted. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat eggs until light yellow in color–about 5 minutes. Add sugar and blend on low until thoroughly combined.
Add vanilla to melted chocolate and stir. Add chocolate mixture to the egg sugar mixture. Blend on low until smooth. Add the flour and mix thoroughly.
Pour batter into greased pan. Smooth surface with a spatula, and sprinkle uniformly with chocolate chips.
Bake on center rack of oven for 45-55 minutes.
The batter should be set and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Do not overbake.
Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour (If you can wait that long!).
Cut and serve chilled.

Tasty Tuesday–Double Chocolate Mocha Trifle

  • 1 large pan (19.5 ounce) package brownie mix (I used Pillsbury Mocha Fudge Brownie Mix)
  • 1 3/4 cups cold milk
  • 2 3.3 ounce packages instant white chocolate pudding mix
  • 4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 1 cup heavy cream, whipped with 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 3  bars chocolate covered toffee bars, chopped
Prepare brownies according to package directions. Bake and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch cubes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and pudding mix until mixture begins to thicken. Dissolve coffee granules in water and stir into pudding mixture. Fold in whipped cream.
In a glass serving bowl, layer one-third of brownie cubes, one-third of pudding mixture and one-third of candy. Repeat layering until all ingredients are used. Chill 30 minutes in refrigerator before serving.
If desired, garnish with additional whipped cream and toffee bits.

Tasty Tuesday–Mocha Mousse Cake

Cake

  • 1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist triple chocolate fudge cake mix
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur
  • 4 eggs
Mocha Mousse
  • 2 cups whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
Chocolate Whipped Cream Topping
  • 2 cups whipping cream
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup Dutch processed unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Heat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour bottoms and sides of two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, 2 tablespoons liqueur and the eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pans.
  • Bake 8-inch pans 34 to 40 minutes, 9-inch pans 31 to 37 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
  • Meanwhile, to make mousse, in 2-quart saucepan, mix 1/4 cup of the whipping cream, the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup liqueur. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture simmers; remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips with whisk until chips are melted. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Pour into large bowl; cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
  • In chilled medium bowl, beat remaining 1 3/4 cups whipping cream on high speed just until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  • In another chilled medium bowl, beat topping ingredients on high speed until soft peaks form.
  • Trim off rounded top of one cake layer. Cut each cake layer horizontally to make 2 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on serving plate; spread with one-third of the mousse. Repeat with second and third layers. Top with fourth layer, cut side down. Spread topping over side and top of cake. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

Tasty Tuesday–Mocha Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake

Making a no-bake cheesecake was a first for me. I will say that if you’re looking for the texture and density of a traditional baked cheesecake, this may not be for you–its texture is almost mousse-like, and it’s surprisingly lighter than a regular cheesecake. The prep work involved is the same, but you don’t have to deal with baking it, and checking it, and wondering if it’s done enough/not overdone, (I have a bad habit of cracking cheesecakes when I make them, and while they’ve always been delicious, they certainly haven’t looked perfect!). I love the coffee flavor in this cheesecake, and I’ve found that it’s especially delicious if you eat it when it’s partly frozen!

Crust

  • 1 1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling

  • 2 packets (1/4 oz. each) powdered unflavored gelatin
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 instant coffee powder
  • 1 Tbsp. hot water
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 Tbsp. coffee-flavored liqueur (optional)
  • 12 oz. chocolate chunks
  • 2 c. whipping cream, whipped

1. In a medium bowl, combine Oreo cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of ungreased 9-inch cheesecake pan, (or springform pan with 3-inch sides, greased), and freeze.
2. Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small saucepan and let stand for 1 minute. Stir over low heat until gelatin is dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high for 3 minutes. Slowly add dissolved gelatin/milk mixture. Stir in cocoa powder.
4. In a small bowl, dissolve coffee powder in hot water. Stir into cream cheese mixture.
5. Stir vanilla, coffee liqueur, (if desired), and chocolate chunks into cream cheese mixture. Fold in whipped cream.
6. Pour mixture over crust. Chill until firm, at least six hours, or overnight.
7. Run a hot knife around edge of pan to loosen.

Dessert Recipe–S’Mores Pie

  • 1 prepared graham cracker crumb crust (I use the Keebler “2 extra servings crust”)
  • 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 3 cups miniature marshmallows, divided
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Heat chocolate chips, 1 1/2 cups marshmallows and milk in a medium, heavy-duty saucepan over low heat, stirring until marshmallows are melted (do not overheat). Pour into large bowl. Cool to room temperature.

Whip cream in small mixer bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream and remaining marshmallows into chocolate mixture. Spoon into crust; swirl top. Garnish with additional whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired. Refrigerate over night for best taste.

Chocolate Torte Cake

Every time I make this cake, it gets great reviews, so I thought I’d share…

1 German Chocolate cake mix

14 oz. bag of caramels, unwrapped

1 1/2 sticks butter

1/2 cup evaporated milk

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

Whipped Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking dish.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour half of batter into prepared pan, and bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter, caramels and evaporated milk in saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Take cake out of oven and pour caramel mixture over top. Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans over caramel, then spread remaining batter over all. Return to oven and bake additional 20 minutes.

Allow to cool on wire rack, then refrigerate. Serve with whipped cream.