Chocolate Waffles

This was another book club favorite from Susie Corrigan.  She made these incredible Chocolate Waffles that were off the charts.

½ cup butter

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 ¼ cup flour

4-5 heaping T cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

1.  Cream together butter and sugar.

2.  Add eggs and milk and mix well.

3.  Sift dry ingredients into egg mixture.  Mix well.

4.  Pour into hot waffle maker.

5.  Top with anything!  (Ice cream, whipped cream, fresh fruit, etc.)

Lemon Bars that Work

No really.  They do!  The bottom doesn't get all soggy and the filling sets just right.


¾ cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup confectioners sugar + 1 Tbs for sifting on top
¼ cup corn starch
¼ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

filling

4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

350 with rack in center. Coat a 9 inch square pan with parchment paper leaving a 2 inch overhang in all sides. Make crust in a food processor on a pulse. Then add cut butter and pulse until crumbly. Press into bottom and ¾ inch up the side. Fridge it for 15 minutes. Bake crust until lightly brown – 20 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan.

Reduce oven to 325.

make filling while it is cooling. Beat eggs with electric mixer until thick. Beat in sugar, lemon juice, flour, baking powder and salt. Pour over warm crust. Bake until set about 20 minutes. Cool to room temp. fridge for an hour.

Chewy Chocolate Brownies

1 1/8 cup flour
2/3 tsp salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup coconut
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup oil or butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup broken nuts

Mix and pour into a greased pan.  Bake at 350 for 30ish minutes.

Mom's Hot Fudge

1 cube butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Melt the first two together and then add in the milk.  Serve on ice cream but please don't forget the whip cream. 

Supe'd up Chocolate Cake

Yes because my husband insists on boxed cake.  Even though I love cooking.  He'd be fine with a simple box cake.  So we compromise on the supe'd up chocolate boxed cake ...

1 box devils food cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs

350 for 40-45 minutes

Pumkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Again ... another Dakin special.  Wish we lived close so we could swap recipes more often!  And swap kids.

1 cup pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in ....
     1 tsp milk
1 cup semi-sweet chips
1 tsp vanilla

Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil and egg.  Sift in the dry ingredients and then add the dissolved soda.  Mix well and stir in the chips and add the vanilla.

drop large spoonfulls on the lightly greased sheet.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Oreo Cookies

Again another college roommate favorite.  But I have no idea which roommate!  So thanks!!!

2 packages of devils food cake mix
1 1/4 cup butter softened
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Mix and roll into balls and cook on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 10-13 minutes.

FILLING

1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter softened
8 oz cream cheese softened

Spread inbetween cooled cookies and then be super hero mom.

Chewy Brownie Cookies

I honestly don't remember where I got this recipe.  I think from an old roommate.  So roommate, wherever you are... thank you.

2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tb water
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
chocolate chip cookies

Mix the first 4 ingredients together then add the eggs.  Mix the cry ingredients together and then add to the whole mix.  Stir in the chocolate chips and bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes.

Dutch Oven Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies

Thank you Zachary for having a birthday while we were camping.  He requested something chocolatey.  So I had to go hunting for something new.  And in the process I learned that BYU has a dutch oven cooking class!!! Who knew???  But of course I should expect that from BYU.

Anyway, I found these Peanut Butter Brownies that were perfection.  Well, they would have been if our coals still had some heat in them. However, they didn't cook properly so it was more like Peanut Butter Brownie Batter drizzled on vanilla ice cream.  But it was still the favorite!  I will gladly make these again soon!

Okay I had some minor modifications.  Like NO marshmallows. Can't stand them on desserts.  Such a waste.

12" dutch oven

1 package brownie mix 
6 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbs. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups mini marshmallows
12 regular size Reese's Peanut Butter cups, cut into cubes
1/2-3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, melted

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions and spread in the bottom of a well greased dutch oven.

 

In a separate bowl mix together the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.  Drop by tablespoonfuls evenly over the brownie batter.  Use a knife or toothpick to swirl the cheese mixture through the brownie batter.  

 

Bake for 30-32 minutes or until cooked through.

 

When the brownies are finished, remove the pot from the heat pour on Reese's PB cups and chocolate chips over the brownies.  Replace lid and allow them to melt, about 3 -5 minutes.  Remove lid and allow brownies to cool.  Drizzle with melted peanut butter and allow to cool completely before cutting.

oooor in our case ... just drizzle the brownie batter goodness onto ice cream and enjoy!

Amaranth, Quinoa and Dark Chocolate Cake

It was my friend Tara's baby shower today. We surprised her today at the park. I made the flourless chocolate cake. But knowing my friend, who loves healthier foods, I found this recipe and HAD to try it simply because there was Amaranth flour and Quinoa flour. And since I had both on hand, I was in.

I think this turned out to be the favorite for most people there. Yes I had to make two flourless chocolate cakes. This one and another traditional one from The Best Recipe. (Which I'll post one of these days.)

This has a very hearty nutty and delicious flavor.

Thanks to the Washington Post for this recipe. I will make it again. But I'll add strawberries next time.

From Beatrice Peltre's blog La Tartine Gourmande

Ingredients
4 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, about 70 percent
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons amaranth flour (1 ounce)
3 tablespoons quinoa flour (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup pecans, chopped coarsely (1 ounce)
3 eggs
Pinch of salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a springform pan and line it with parchment paper. Butter the sides and the paper.

Melt chocolate with the butter.

Separate egg yolks from whites.

Beat yolks with sugar and vanilla until very light in color.
Add the melted chocolate to yolk mixture and mix until well incorporated. Add nuts and flours to batter until smooth in texture.

Add a pinch of salt to egg whites and beat them until you have stiff peaks. Gently fold into cake batter, making sure not to overmix and deflate.

Pour the batter in the mold. Surround it with foil and fill the foil with boiling water about halfway up the outside of the pan and cook for about 35-40 minutes. Check if cake is done by inserting the blade of a knife or a skewer. It should come out almost dry, but not totally (the cake is moist).

Remove the cake and let cool slightly before unmolding. Let cool on a rack.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes with Mint Fudge Sauce

Okay so I promised for about two months that I would make chocolate lava cakes for bookclub. I sampled 2 different recipes. Ugh. Overcooked by 2 minutes. It was too spongy anyway. I tried recipe #2 and there was only a 10 second window to either over or under cook. I tried cooking this one three different ways. No luck.

Melissa was distraught when I told her two days before that the lava cakes weren't going to happen and immediately said she knew of a great recipe. Unfortunately she gave it to my husband the next night at an activity that I couldn't attend. Charlie failed to tell me and assumed I'd just find it on the desk. He was right. I found it ... ONLY 45 MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME!!!

So with the Chocolate Raspberry Tart already made as well as Briana's Shortbread already prepared and ready for a last minute pull together fondue, I decided ... What the heck. So made them extremely last minute and tried them first to make sure they worked.

I was more than surprised. And this fudge sauce makes a huuuge difference.

SAUCE
4 1/2 oz semisweet chocolate chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
1/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 tsp peppermint extract

Stir both chocolates on top of a double boiler, or in my case, a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water. Once melted, add the remaining ingredients. Remove from water and cool slightly. Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat before serving.

LAVA CAKES
5 oz semisweet chocolate chopped
10 Tbs unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large eggs yolks
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Preheat to 450 degrees. Butter 6 3/4 ramekins or whatever else you choose to serve them in. Stir chocolate and butter over medium heat. Cook slightly. Whisk eggs and yolks in large bowl to blend. Whisk in sugar, then chocolate mixture and flour. Pour batter into dishes. (Can be made one day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bake cakes until sides are set but center remains soft and runny. 11-14 minutes. WATCH CLOSELY. You can run a small knife around the edges to loosen it and turn it upside down if you'd like. I served min in the ramekin with a scoop of vanilla ice cream right next to it and aaaaalll drizzled with the yummy fudge sauce.

Chocolate Raspberry Tart with Pecan Crust

YUM! So easy and YUUUUUM!! Did I say that already?

I tried to make Chocolate Lava Cakes for bookclub recently. After two failed recipes, I resorted to Gloria's delicious treat. (Turns out I found a lava cake recipe 45 min before the party started and ended up making that too! Both were winners.)

Raspberry-topped Chocolate Tart
with Pecan Crust

2 cups pecans (about 8 ounces), toasted
6 Tbsp. (packed) golden brown sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup butter (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

¾ cup whipping (heavy) cream
6 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 ½ pint baskets raspberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Finely grind, pecans, sugar & cinnamon, in processor. Add butter and process until moist clumps form. Press dough into bottom and up the sides of 10 inch tart pan or 4 4-inch-diameter tart pans with removable bottoms. Bake crust until golden brown and firm to touch, about 30 mins. Transfer to rack to cool completely. Bring cream to a simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; sir until melted and smooth. Pour mixture into crust, dividing equally. Chill until set, about 1 hour. (can be made ahead. Cover and
chill.)

Arrange raspberries over tops of tarts.

Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

The title alone is all you need to know. It's perfection.

Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

2 cups chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup butter

1 lb powdered sugar

2-3 cups of rice krispies

2 bags of milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt PB & butter together in microwave. Stir in powdered sugar. Reheat if necessary before you add the rice krispies. It makes it so much easier to stir them in when it is hot. Roll into 1/2 balls and place on cookie sheet. Freeze for 10-15 minutes or however long it takes you to sweep or vacuum your home. Melt chocolate chips in microwave (though be careful not to burn them because you get chunky chocolate). Dip PB balls in chocolate and chill. I like them best when they are cold, plus they don't melt all over everything. I usually just keep them in the fridge.

Chocolate Ice Cream

So I recently stole my parents ice cream maker (with their permission) and have been determined to find the right recipe. THIS one is for sure a keeper. I've modified it a bit so it will fit my maker. It makes about a half gallon, which just isn't enough for any growing family. I guess I need to two ice cream makers.

10 egg yolks
4 Tbs sugar

3 1/2 cups milk
1 cup milk chocolate cut into small squares
1/2 cup dark chocolate cut into small squares

2 cups heavy cream whipped
____________________

Mix the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl. Set aside.

Scald the milk. Turn off the stove. And slooooooowly pour the the milk into the egg mixture 1 Tbs at a time at first. Whisk it quickly so you don't get scrambled eggs. Once it is all blended. Return the mixture into the pot and turn the heat back on to med-med low. Continue stirring constantly reaaaaally good for about 5-10 minutes until the custard thickens but does NOT become scrambled eggs.

Once it is nice and thick pour it back into the large bowl and add the chopped chocolate. It melts fast. Let the mixture get REALLY cold in the fridge. About an hour or two. Then add the whipped cream and blend in gently. Pour it in your mixture and wait ... if you can ... or steal a lick or two as it starts to thicken.