Chocolate Mint Cookies

1/2 cup butter 1 Cup brown sugar 1 Tb. Water 1 cup chocolate chips 1 eggs 1 1/4 cups flour 3/4 Tsp. baking soda 1/4 Tsp. salt Andes Candies (1 box) 1.  In a saucepan (Med heat), cook sugar, butter and water, stirring occasionally until melted.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted.  Let cool for 10 minutes. 2. Pour chocolate mixture into large bowl, beat in eggs one at a time.  Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, add to mixture and refrigerate for an hour. 3.  Preheat oven to 350, lightly grease cookie sheets, roll dough into 1" balls (the dough will actually be fudge-like consistency), bake for 8-10 minutes (don't overbake!) 4.  When the cookies come out of the oven, put one candy on top, let it begin to melt and swirl with a knife. Makes about 25 cookies.  Enjoy!  These cookies are a definite keeper!  Chewy, chocolaty and minty, not much can beat it!

Chocolate Lava Cakes

Two words. Paula Dean.  This is probably one of my favorite recipes she has and is definitely my go to dessert or any/all occasions!  Everyone loves chocolate cake, so why not make everyone their own little cake of gooey goodness.  This dessert is great because you can make up the batter ahead of time and keep in ramekins in the fridge.  Once dinner is being served.  Take out the tray of ramekins from the fridge and preheat the oven.  Once everyone is done with dinner, hit the coffee and pop in this delicious chocolaty treat.  

This recipe will make 4 large cakes 5 oz. ramekins or 6 small cakes.  I doubled the recipe for 8.

Ingredients

• 6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
• 2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur ( I DO NOT add the orange liqueur!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. If the top does not look firm, give it another minute or two.  The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.  Top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.  ENJOY :)  

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting!

Olive oil and flour for the pan 
1-1/4 oz. (1/2 cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I use Droste)  
1 tsp. vanilla extract 
1/2 tsp. almond extract 
4-1/2 oz. (1 cup) all-purpose flour 
1/4 tsp. salt 
1/4 tsp. baking soda 
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature 
2/3 cup olive oil 
1-1/3 cups sugar 

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Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the  oven to 325°F. Generously oil 2 small round cake pan with crisco and dust it lightly with flour.
In a small saucepan, boil about 1/2 cup of water. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder through a strainer over a small bowl. Stir 6 Tbs. of the boiling water into the cocoa until it's smooth and glossy (if the mixture  is very thick, you can add as much as 2 Tbs. more boiling water; when I tried this cake with Hershey's cocoa, I needed to do this). Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Set aside to cool slightly. In another small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs  and yolk, olive oil, and sugar. Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium-high speed until thick, lemon colored, and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the warm (not hot) cocoa mixture until it's well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl once. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it but with no wet batter, 55 to 60 minutes. Put the pan on a rack and carefully run a paring knife around the inside edge to release the cake. Let cool for 10 minutes. Using a second rack to sandwich the cake pan, flip the pan over. Carefully lift the pan from the cake and let the cake cool completely.

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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted!)
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Instructions

1. Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Turn off the mixer. Add 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

Assemble:  Lay top of cake down on to platter.  Put a layer of frosting on top.  Lay other layer of cake on top, top down.  Frost cake spreading frosting from top middle down to sides. 


Enjoy :)

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

12 mini cupcakes or 6 LARGE cupcakes.  Obviously go big or ... go home!  This is a sweet sinful cupcake that you will NOT be able to put down!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, break up into pieces

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cream

1.  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin pan with appropriate size baking cup liners.

2.  Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium bowl.  Set over saucepan with simmering water to melt and combine or microwave mixture until all three ingredients until smooth and combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

3.  Whisk flour, baking soda and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

4.  Whisk eggs in bowl to combine.  In mixer add eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until fully incorporated.  Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.  Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is combined and thick.

5.  Divide the batter evenly among the pan cups.  Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean.  18-20 minutes for small cups.  22-25 minutes for large cups

6.  Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature  before icing, about 1/2 hour.

Peanut Butter Frosting.  YUM!

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup heavy cream

In a mixer combine sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla.  Mix on medium-low speed until creamy.  Add the cream and beat o n high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Spread frosting over cupcakes and enjoy :)

Dark Chocolate/Peanut Butter Frosting on top and bottom and
Root Beer Float Cupcakes in the middle! YUM!

Chewy Chocolate Kringles

This may be one of my all time favorite recipes.  They are exactly what the title says, chewy and chocolaty... YUMMO!

1 1/4 cups butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix dry ingredients and add gradually to butter mixture.  Form into 1" balls and roll in powdered sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes.  Let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to cooling rack.  Enjoy :)