Tag Archives: chocolate

Amazing Brownies

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pioneer woman cooksThese chocolate-caramel brownies come from Ree Drummond’s new book The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier.  I’ve tried a couple of different, yet similar recipes, and so far this is my favorite.  Check out the book for set-by-step photographic instructions.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • One 18.5 oz box German chocolate cake mix
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 60 caramels
  • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour a 9 x 9 inch baking pan.
  • Begin by pouring 1/3 cup evaporated milk into a bowl with the cake mix.
  • Add the melted butter.
  • Add the chopped pecans.  (I skipped this step, though I do have visions of later stirring chopped peanuts into the caramel for a Snickers-like experience.)
  • Mix the ingredients together.
  • Divide the dough in half down the middle.
  • Press one half of the dough into the bottom of the pan to make the first brownie layer.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until set, then remove it from the oven and set aside.
  • While the brownie layer is baking, in a double boiler, combine the caramels and 1/2 cup evaporated milk.
  • Stir occasionally until the caramels are totally melted and the mixture is smooth.
  • Pour the caramel mixture over the first baked layer, spreading it so that it’s evenly distributed.
  • Sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the top.
  • On a clean surface or sheet of wax paper, press the remaining brownie dough into a square shape slightly smaller than the baking pan.  (I thought this was the hardest step.)
  • Carefully set it on top of the chocolate chips. (OK, this was actually the hardest step!)
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and let the brownies cool to room temperature.  Cover the pan and refrigerate the brownies for several hours to allow them to set.
  • When you’re ready to serve them, sprinkle them generously with the powdered sugar and cut them into large rectangles before removing them from the pan.

 

Valentine’s Day

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strawberry Hearts and chocolate = Valentine’s Day!! Are you ready? It’s not easy to find the perfect card that expresses exactly how you feel about a loved one, or what gift to get them. How about whipping up some sweet yummies in your kitchen? For me, two chocolate recipes come to mind, chocolate truffles and chocolate covered strawberries. Word of warning, Who Wants Candy? by Jane Sharrock is loaded with yummy candies. Your waistline may not like you after you start making some of the recipes.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

8 – 10 fresh medium strawberries

1 ounce semisweet chocolate baking square

1 tablespoon evaporated milk

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Leaving the green stems intact, wash, drain, and completely dry the strawberries by patting with a paper towel. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

2. In a top pan of a double boiler over hot but not boiling water, melt the chocolate, milk and vanilla extract together, stirring until smooth.

3. Insert a toothpick into the stem end of the strawberry and dip the lower two-thirds of the berries into the chocolate. Drop the berries onto the lined baking sheet. Let stand till the chocolate is firm.

4. Serve immediately or lightly cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, storing no more that 4 – 8 hours. The berries can be refrigerated for up to 2 days but may lose their eye appeal when stored more than a few hours.

Tip: To keep the berries from having a flat side, turn a plastic colander upside down and place the toothpicks holding the dipped berries into the holes of the colander. Place the colander filled with berries into the refrigerator until ready to serve.

The Chocolate Truffle recipe is also included in this book on page 171.  Check it out!

 

Chocolate Gingerbread with Bittersweet Glaze

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I recently made this gingerbread cake for a friend’s birthday.  It was my most successful attempt ever at making a glaze look pretty!  The recipe comes from The Best Quick Breads by Beth Hensperger.

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup light molasses

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 tbs. unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

In a double boiler, place the chocolate, molasses, vegetable oil, and butter.  Stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 9-inch springform pan or spray it with cooking spray.  In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt.  In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until foamy.  Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk-egg mixture.  Stir to combine.  Add the chocolate mixture.  Beat with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake in the center of the oven until the top springs back when touched and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.  Set the cake on a rack and remove the springform sides.   Prepare the Bittersweet Glaze as directed.  Cool on a rack to set the glaze until time to serve.

Bittersweet Glaze

6 tbs. unsalted butter

4 1/2 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1 tbs. light corn syrup.

In a double boiler, combine the butter, chocolate, and corn syrup over low heat, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is melted and smooth.  Pour the glaze onto the center of the gingerbread and use a metal spatula or other tool to coat the cake in a few strokes, letting the glaze drip down the sides of the cake.

Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake

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This recipe is a chocolate, confectionary concoction so mouthwatering, it should come with a warning label.
This delicious recipe is so simple to make, you’ll be finished with the prep before you can even squeak out the lyrics to “Pat-a-cake.” The name should tell you everything you need to know…
Give it a try and leave us a comment!
Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package dark chocolate cake mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding  mix
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup coffee flavored liqueur
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs,  oil and coffee liqueur. Beat until ingredients are well blended. Fold in  chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Spoon into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until cake springs back when  lightly tapped. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out and cool completely on  wire rack.