Chocolate Nutella Cookies

I made these this weekend and they were delicious!

Chocolate Nutella Cookies Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of Nutella
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter in an electric mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and Nutella and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each. Add the vanilla and mix for 10 seconds.

3 Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda (do not skip this step as sifting eliminates clumps of cocoa). Mix into the butter mixture on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides at least once to ensure even mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts and refrigerate the dough for ten minutes.

4 Spoon tablespoon-sized drops of dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 6 dozen.

Recipe found on Simply Recipes

Homemade Brownie Comparison

Before this week I don’t think I have ever made brownies from scratch. 1) I love me some Betty Crocker fudge brownies and 2) I’m largely disappointed when I try homemade brownies at bake sales, etc. Some restaurants do it right (mmmm, I’m thinking of you Wilde Roast Café), but I’ve never had a homemade version that made me ask for someone’s recipe.

I’ve had this Fudgy Chocolate Brownies recipe from Martha Stewart Living saved for about three years. I made them last Saturday in hopes of bringing them to a party. Sadly, they were overcooked and dried out (egad, is there anything worse than dry brownies?) Beyond baker's error, they were just too rich and not the right consistency for me. I didn’t love them and ended up tossing them out.

Now that I was started on this brownie path, I figured I may as well keep going. Last night I made Mark Bittman’s brownies and they were/are heavenly. Fudgy and sweet, with just the right crusty crunchy top.

What I thought was interesting were some glaring differences in the two recipes:
Chocolate
Martha’s called for eight ounces, Mark’s called for two (the online recipe calls for three)
Eggs, sugar, flour
Whatever Martha’s recipe calls for, Mark’s calls for roughly half that amount

Obviously that would lead you to believe Martha’s recipe would be bigger/thicker/more to the brownie, but I didn’t find that to be the case. They were slightly bigger, but not by much.

Survey says: Mark Bittman brownies win.

Peppermint Fudge

I got not one, but two requests for this recipe. The mint fudge recipe I’ve used before calls for cooking the chocolate, which I think leads to a harder, more bitter fudge. This is smooth and has a much lighter consistency.

Here’s the funny thing. The recipe calls for round peppermint candies (Everyday Foods always goes the anonymous route on naming candies), so I picked up York Peppermint Patties because that’s where my mind went automatically. It wasn’t until I turned the page over to make a copy that I realized they meant Starlight mints. You can decide (heck, you can even use Junior Mints), but I’m sticking with Yorks.

Peppermint Fudge
Nonstick spray
2 ¼ C (16 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 C round peppermint candies, plus more for garnish
¾ C heavy cream
3 ½ C mini marshmallows
5 T unsalted butter
1 ¼ C sugar
1 t coarse salt

Lightly coat 8 or 9 inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. Line pan with two pieces parchment paper in both directions, leaving a 2 inch overhang on all sides.

Place chocolate chips in a bowl. In food processor, pulse candies until finely chopped. In medium saucepan, combine candies, cream, marshmallows, butter, sugar and salt over medium high. Whisk until smooth, 5-8 minutes.

Pour mixture through strainer (not necessary with Yorks) into bowl with chocolates. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Pour into baking pan and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. I place my garnish Yorks on about halfway through. Cut into squares.

Stores covered and refrigerated for 1 week.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

The better-for-you chocolate chip cookies! I made these last night using a recipe from Slice of Feist via the Crepes of Wrath, which had been adapted from the Chicago Sun Times. You follow?

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


• 3/4 cup granulated sugar


• 3/4 cup brown sugar


• 2 eggs


• 2 1/4 cup flour (I used about 2 cups white flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour)


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 cup chocolate chips


• A dash of milk, approximately 1 tablespoon
  

Instructions

Combine sugars and oil. Add eggs. Add vanilla and remaining dry ingredients. Add milk. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Notes: I was afraid these would taste like olive oil, but they didn't! The cookies were chewy and tasty and heart healthy (well, at least a little healthier than the butter/margarine/shortening variety). This will probably become my go-to option for chocolate chip cookies because now I can eat more with less guilt.

Oh Wow! Gooey Cookie Pie Bites

I just came across this recipe for Gooey Cookie Pie Bites. The pictures make it look delicious and there are a lot of good Fall Recipes shown on side of the page as well. I would cook each and every one of those foods! Check out the Single Serving Pie in a Jar and the Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes. Oh My!

Inside-out Chocolate Bundt Cake

This recipe will never, ever fail you. It is from my mom, don't know where she got it, but if you bring it somewhere people will think you are a genius. It is incredible moist and flavorful. You could vary the some of the ingredients-I personally like chocolate mint combinations, so I often use mint chips and/or chocolate mint pudding. If you likes cherry and chocolate, you could add cherry chips, etc.



Inside-out Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 package instant chocolate pudding
1 chocolate cake mix (Devil's Food works well for this)
1 package chocolate chips
1 3/4 c milk
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients by hand (did you know mixes cakes by hand makes them fluffier?). Pour into greased and floured bundt pan (or angel food pan). Bake @ 350 for 55-60 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove.

Photo from here, which is a recipe for a most amazing looking Chocolate Whiskey Bundt Cake. Must bookmark now...

Irish Carbomb Cupcakes

We are having a St. Patrick's Day potluck at work, hence Jennifer's Reuben dip and these car bomb cupcakes. I made them last night and this morning and while I haven't eaten one all put together, I have tasted all the parts and they are good. I'll post a picture later.

Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes
Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes

For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chips)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting
3 to 4 cups confections sugar (I used about 2 1/2 cups when all was said and done).
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces)
unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined. The chips melted easily since they are so small.

Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

Ice and decorate the cupcakes.

Do ahead: You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day. (Longer, they will start to get stale.)

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

I've been totally delinquent this month, but here is my chocolate recipe. I've been wanting to make this for several years and finally did last night. One word: yum.Beatty's Chocolate Cake
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder (I used Sharfenberger)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut, I also used Sharfenberger here)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Note: the recipe calls for using a stand mixer. I don't have one, but I have a food processor with the same attachments. I didn't feel like lugging it up, so I mixed the cake mix by hand and used my hand mixer for the frosting. All turned out fine. Also, something I learned from cake decorating is that hand mixed (like with a whisk or spoon) cakes are lighter and fluffier.

Chocolate Divinity :)

Ok so I've never actually made this myself but I have eaten it many a time and must say it is probably my number one favorite dessert. I also recently caught a cooking show where a chef was preparing a chocolate souffle and added rehydrated (in brandy and oj) bing cherries to give it some texture and tartness...I thought that sounded like a great addition and may try that when I make this...

Roy Yamaguchi’s Chocolate Soufflé

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
¼ cup sugar
1 ¼ tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate together. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and yolks together. Add the melted butter-chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture and combine thoroughly with a wire whisk. Stir in the eggs and whisk just until smooth. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 4 metal rings (about 2 I inches across and 2 inches high) with greased parchment paper. (Alternative, use 6 smaller molds.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set the molds on the sheet. Scoop the mixture into the molds so they are two-thirds full, and make sure the molds are not leaking. (*Can also use ramekins instead of paper and molds- grease ramekins with butter and dust with cocoa powder to keep from sticking.)

Bake on the top oven rack for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and while holding each mold with tongs, slide a metal spatula underneath, carefully lift, and transfer to a serving plate. Gently lift off the mold and remove the parchment paper. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Favorite Holiday Cookie - Chocolate Crinkles

I wish I could be like my grandma and make batches upon batches of cookies to have on hand for guests every year during the holiday season. Admittedly though, I'm not much of a holiday cookie baker, or cookie baker in general, but if I had to choose a favorite it would have to be Chocolate Crinkles!

Image courtesy of: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/208/443212217_8b7bad0aab.jpg?v=0