In the meantime...

I realize I have been leaving you in the lurch lately... I do have a recipe that I need to edit photos for and there will be many to come after Thanksgiving.  In the meantime, I wanted to remind you of a recipe I posted earlier this year that we're bringing back out for Thanksgiving.

These mint chocolate chip cookies are the BOMB.  One of the weirdest cookie doughs I've ever made, but they come out like mint chocolate brownie cookies.  I think they were the first cookie I ever made for the Monkey Scientist and I believe they were the key to winning his heart. Mom and I are baking a batch up tonight and then heating them up again on Thursday.  If you need a chocolate dessert I promise they'll be a winner.

Read the full original post and see the recipe by clicking here!

Nanny Paula's Hot Fudge

My Nanny Paula is a great cook.  The recipe I really want from her is for her applesauce, but her hot fudge is always a big hit in our family.  Throughout my childhood, everyone has always enjoyed it on a big bowl of ice cream (or Lactaid ice cream for my Papa).  I'm not a huge chocolate person but this is pretty darn delicious.



Last night, she made it for her famous ice cream pie.  It was silky and chocolately and warm  - way better than anything from a jar.  And check out the recipe, it's super easy to make!  For the 4th of July I strongly recommend you make this sauce and serve it up on a big ice cream sundae.  Don't forget the cherry on top!



Nanny Paula's Hot Fudge

Ingredients
1 stick butter
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup (1/2 pint) whipping cream

Instructions
Over a double boiler, melt together the butter and chocolate.
Mix with sugar and cocoa in a pot on the stove over medium heat until smooth. The mixture will be thick.
Add the whipping cream, stirring constantly.
When the mixture starts to boil remove from the stove and serve.

Tip: You can double this recipe and put in tupperware and freeze.  Then just microwave to reheat when you're ready to serve.

23 Years [Guest Baker: Yellow Butter Cake with Chocolate Malt Frosting]

Twenty-three years ago today, I was born. Which, I suppose, makes today my birthday.

I have to admit, this year has been a pretty amazing one.  I am so lucky to have the most wonderful, loving, and supportive family I could ask for, incredible and reliable friends both here in DC and around the country - who I love like family, a pretty spectacular boyfriend, a job I enjoy, my health - which I realize every day is an amazing gift, and, as a result, so much happiness. I'm so grateful for all of my good fortune. 

I can only help that this next year is as wonderful as the last!

photo by Amanda Farr

Speaking of incredible friends - my coworker, Amanda, was so nice and made me a beautiful birthday cake. It just so happened to be exactly what I wanted!  I purchased malt milk powder a few month's back with the hope of trying to make malted chocolate chip cookies, but I just haven't gotten around to it.  When I saw this recipe, I was really hoping Amanda would help me out by giving it a try. What am I going to do when she leaves DC!?

photo by Amanda Farr

The only recommendation Amanda had was to use a little more malt powder, as you couldn't really taste it.  It tasted amazing - like pound cake with chocolate frosting - and I was so excited to get to celebrate my birthday with my amazing coworkers.

photo by Amanda Farr

Tonight I'll get to celebrate with many of my friends in DC and in a few weeks I can celebrate at home with my family!  Thank you to everyone for a great year and many more to come!

Basic Yellow Butter Cake

From She Wears Many Hats

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups flour (I used all-purpose)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, room temperature (I used salted)

1 cup milk, divided

4 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly whisk together first 4 ingredients; flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.

Add butter and 3/4 cup milk and beat together until just combined. Stop to scrape sides down a couple of times. Do not over beat.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs, remaining milk and vanilla extract together. Gradually add to flour/sugar/butter, and mix until just combined. Again, do not over beat.

Divide batter into two greased and parchment lined 9″ baking pans.

Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate Malt Buttercream Frosting

From She Wears Many Hats

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (again, I used salted)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup malted milk powder

7 tablespoons milk

Instructions

In a mixer, beat butter and vanilla extract together until smooth.

Add in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, lightly mix.

Gradually add in milk, one tablespoon at at time until smooth.

Chocolate Caramelized Matzo

I tried to make a flourless chocolate cake for Passover and it really didn't come out well.  My aunt was visiting and suggested I make chocolate covered matzo - it is easy and everyone loves it.  It was a great suggestion!

What really sets this matzo apart is the carmel crunch.  It isn't hard to make but it adds that extra something that makes you eat enough to motivate a long run the next day.

I used bittersweet chocolate because that's what I had leftover from my failure flourless chocolate cake.  I'm not even a big chocolate person, but I love this recipe.



If you're having a lot of people, you can break this up into a lot of pieces and it will go pretty far.  I was surprised but I did have some leftover after my 20 person seder.

Did I mention how good this is?  Go make it.  Now.  Quick, before Passover ends!

Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzoh Crunch
From David Lebovitz
Makes approximately 30 pieces of candy

Ingredients:
4 to 6 sheets unsalted matzohs
1 cup margarine, cut into chunks
1 cup firmly-packed dark brown sugar
big pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (160g) semisweet chocolate chips (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)

1 cup (80g) toasted sliced almonds (optional)

Instructions
1. Line a rimmed baking sheet (approximately 11 x 17″, 28 x 42cm) completely with foil, making sure the foil goes up and over the edges. Cover the foil with a sheet of parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).

2. Line the bottom of the sheet with matzoh, breaking extra pieces as necessary to fill in any spaces.

3. In a 3-4 quart (3-4l) heavy duty saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is melted and the mixture is beginning to boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add the salt and vanilla, and pour over matzoh, spreading with a heatproof spatula.

4. Put the pan in the oven and reduce the heat to 350F (175C) degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. As it bakes, it will bubble up but make sure it’s not burning every once in a while. If it is in spots, remove from oven and reduce the heat to 325F (160C), then replace the pan.

5. Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes, then spread with an offset spatula.

6. If you wish, sprinkle with toasted almonds (or another favorite nut, toasted and coarsely-chopped), a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, or roasted cocoa nibs.

Let cool completely, the break into pieces and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. It should keep well for about one week.

Note: If you are strictly following Kosher Passover rules, omit the vanilla extract or find a kosher brand.

German Chocolate Brownies

When I'm feeling a little down, my first instinct is to bake.  More importantly, to bake chocolate.

I'm not a huge chocoholic, but chocolate definitely has it's time and place in my diet.  Especially brownies.  I love making different types of brownies from scratch.  This week definitely called for some homemade brownies.  This recipe was great because I just so happened to have everything I needed in the house... almost.  I was a little short on cocoa so I micro-planed in some unsweetened chocolate to top it off.

These did not let me down.  Even my coconut-hating coworker enjoyed them.  I left the rest in the kitchen of office when I left to go back to New Hampshire for a week and there definitely weren't any left when I got back!  This recipe is a KEEPER!

German Chocolate Brownies

from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen on Bluebonnets and Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies:

1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Topping: (adapted from Good Housekeeping Brownies)

2 egg whites

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup pecans

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

dash of salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 pan with foil and spray the foil thoroughly with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine melted butter and cocoa powder, stirring until the cocoa powder is dissolved. Add the sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add flour and stir only until you can no longer see flour in the batter. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter in prepared 8×8 pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with a wire whisk until foamy. Stir in coconut, pecans, brown sugar, milk, vanilla and salt until well combined. Spread topping evenly over batter.

Bake brownies for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs stuck to it.

Cool brownies on a wire rack to room temperature, then peel off the foil, cut and serve.

Mint Chocolate Polka Dot Cookies

After our meal of chicken paprikash with spätzle and german red cabbage, of course there had to be dessert.  I figured that cookies would be easy because I could make them ahead of time, refrigerate the dough, and then bake them when we were done eating.

I'll start by saying this is possibly the strangest "cookie dough" I've ever made.  I finished all of the steps prior to refrigeration and re-read all of the ingredients and instructions about 5 times to make sure I didn't mess anything up.  It does not come together like a dough at all - it looks much more like a brownie batter.  

After refrigeration (I refrigerated about 3 hours until we were done with dinner), it was still more like a batter but it was hard enough to make cookie drops.  I baked on a silpat and I'm VERY glad I did because these cookies are really sticky.  I definitely recommend using a silpat or parchment paper.

They did however (magically) become cookies.  I think I undercooked them a little bit, but that might have made them taste even better.  They are a brownie-style cookie, and I loved these mint chips.  I am a huge mint junkie and these tasted like the inside of an Andes mint - cool and refreshing!  Surrounded by the warm chocolatey cookie, they were a perfect contrast.  Although the recipe was a bit unusual, the end product was totally worth it!

Mint Chocolate Polka Dot Cookies
from the back of the Guittard Mint Chip package

Ingredients:

2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Nestle)

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups (12 oz) Guittard Green Mint Chips

Instructions:

In top of double boiler over low heat, melt semi-sweet chips and butter, stirring constantly until smooth. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla until light. Blend in melted chocolate, then dry ingredients. Stir in green mint chips and chill for 10-15 minutes or until stiff. 

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Drop chilled dough by well-round teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes, cookies will be soft in centers but will harden as they cool.