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Tag Archives: chocolate


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Zucchini Brownies

Folks, I’ve found my all-time favorite brownie. And they’re made with zucchini. It may sound gross at first, but trust me… this is one fantastic brownie. Part of me wishes I hadn’t ever made these, because now I can’t stop eating them, making them, or thinking about them.

Still not convinced that these are rock-star brownies? Well, remember this – I really don’t like chocolate. Or desserts. So, the fact that I like love these should be reason enough for you to grab some zukes and get bakin’!

Zucchini Brownies
makes 15 brownies 

For the brownie:
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips or walnuts, optional

For the frosting:
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with butter and dust with cocoa powder.
  2. In large bowl, mix together applesauce, sugar, and vanilla until well combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Gently stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips or walnuts, if desired.
  4. Spread batter evenly into baking pan. Be warned – the batter at this stage is very hard and crumbly and not batter-like at all.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until brownies spring back when touched. Set pan aside to cool.
  6. To make frosting, microwave butter and cocoa until melted. Stir to combine and set aside to cool. In large bowl, mix together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix in cocoa mixture until frosting is smooth.
  7. Spread frosting over cooled brownies and cut into squares.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes


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Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey

No, not for my Mike, but for food blogger Jennie from In Jennie’s Kitchen‘s Mikey. He passed away suddenly from a heart attack a few days ago. Jennie posted a tribute to her husband and asked everyone to make a peanut butter pie in honor of him on Friday and “share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there’s no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on.”

So, here it is. I made the peanut butter pie. And for the first time, I didn’t mess with the recipe.

Peanut Butter Pie
from In Jennie’s Kitchen

8 ounces chocolate cookies (16 chocolate graham crackers put me at just over 8 ounces)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

  1. Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs.  Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well.  Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
  2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula.  Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
  3. Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner’s sugar.  Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.
  4. Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream).  Fold in the remaining whipped cream.  Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan.  Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.


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Silken Chocolate Pie

After I made brownies, strawberry shortcake cake, and a French silk pie, I worried that I wouldn’t have enough dessert for Mike’s birthday bash. My main concern? Those that wanted the French silk pie but couldn’t eat it because it contained raw eggs. I hate the thought of any one leaving disappointed, so I caved in and made this egg-free pie. Please give it a chance. It’s deliciously rich and chocolatey and the texture is to die for. When I served it, I refused to tell people what was in it. It was only after they tried it and liked it that I told them the secret ingredient: tofu. Tofu itself is pretty tasteless and bland. Silken tofu has a remarkable texture that blends itself beautifully with just about anything. Smoothies? You got it! Soups? Sure, why not! Chocolate? You know it!! Silken Chocolate Pie
serves 10

9 full chocolate graham crackers
6 tablespoons butter, melted
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup coffee, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound silken tofu, drained well (my package was 1 pound, 3 ounces – it worked)
1 tablespoon honey, or to taste

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Pulse graham crackers in food processor until fine crumbs. Slowly add in butter and blend until combined. Press into bottom of a 9” cake pan. Bake until crust no longer looks wet, 18 – 20 minutes.
  2. Place chocolate chips, coffee and vanilla in double boiler and melt, stirring frequently. Or, place ingredients in microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 20 second increments until melted, stirring after each increment.  Let cool slightly.
  3. Place tofu, chocolate mixture, and honey in food processor and blend until smooth.
  4. Pour filling into crust and refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours.
  5. Serve with a dollop of freshly made whipped cream.

Please don’t ever ever ever buy whipped cream from the store. It’s oh-so-easy to make yourself and it tastes so much better. I forgot to take pictures of the whipped cream, but you can kind of see it on the bottom of the pic. Oops.

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1. Place metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment to mixer in freezer for 15 minutes.
  2. Whip cream in chilled bowl until soft peaks form (this is when they can’t quite hold itself into a peak).
  3. Add in vanilla and sugar and beat until stiff peaks form (this is when they can stay in peak shape).

See, easy! The whole whipping process only took 2 minutes in my stand mixer. It may take a bit longer with a hand mixer. The most important part is making sure that your bowl and whisk are cold!!


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Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

My mom requested one thing from me for Christmas – biscotti. I didn’t make it (oops). She requested one thing from me for her birthday – biscotti. I made it 🙂

I used a different recipe this time, one without any butter. When I first started mixing everything together, I was unsure if it would turn out. I mean, the only ‘glue’ in the recipe are the eggs. To my surprise, the ingredients came together beautifully. You will want to arm yourself with a lot of flour though, and I mean a lot. Flour your surfaces when you roll out the biscotti very, very thoroughly. This is one sticky dough. I floured my hands well and the dough still stuck. Don’t worry, the results are completely worth it. These had the perfect snap and they’re great with coffee! *

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti
adapted from joyofbaking.com

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
  2. In a food processor, blend chocolate and brown sugar together until chocolate is very fine.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, coffee granules, baking soda and salt.
  4. In a large bowl, beat eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until combined, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add in dry ingredients and beat until a stiff dough forms. Stir in walnuts.
  6. Generously flour work surface and hands. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a log about 10 inches long and 3 inches wide. Place onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, about 3 – 4 inches apart.
  7. Bake for 35 minutes, or until firm to touch. Remove from oven and let cook in pan for 10 minutes.
  8. Using a long spatula, move logs to cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the dough into slices 3/4-inch thick on the diagonal.
  9. Arrange slices cut side down and bake for 15 minutes. Turn slices over and bake an additional 15 minutes.
  10. Remove from oven and let cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.

*Ok, you got me. I’m not a coffee drinker. But, Mike says that they tasted pretty darn good with it. Me? I ate it plain. And I liked it.


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Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart

Oh. My. Goodness. This tart is everything delicious about chocolate. It’s rich, creamy, and decadent. Three luscious layers of chocolate that tastes like one huge truffle. Don’t let the long ingredient list fool you – this tart is incredibly easy to make and the results will be well-worth your time. Take a look for yourself… see those 3 distinct layers? Yeah, this could be sitting on your kitchen counter.

I served the tart with some fresh strawberries. It was a nice contrast to the richness of the tart.

Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart
adapted from epicurious.com

For crust:
1 cup finely ground chocolate graham crackers (about 10 full crackers)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

For filling:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not more than 65% cacao), chopped*
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

For glaze:
4 tablespoons heavy cream
3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped*
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons warm water

  1. To make crust, preheat oven to 350°F and move rack to middle of the oven. Stir all crust ingredients together and press evenly into bottom of tart pan and 3/4″ up the side of a 9″ fluted tart pan.**
  2. Bake 10 minutes, or until firm. Cool on rack.
  3. Meanwhile, make the filling. Place chocolate in a large bowl. Bring cream to a boil and pour of chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes and gently stir until chocolate is melted and smooth.
  4. Whisk eggs, vanilla, and salt together in a small bowl. Whisk into chocolate mixture until well combined.
  5. Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake 20 – 25 minutes at 350°F. Center well still be wobbly, but the edges should be firm. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
  6. To make glaze, bring cream to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until smooth. Stir in corn syrup and incorporated and then mix in warm water.
  7. Pour glaze on tart, tilting and rotating the tart so the glaze coats the top evenly. Let stand until glaze is set, about 1 hour.

*I used Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. They were perfect because I didn’t have to chop any chocolate!

**An easy way to get the crust up the sides of the pan is to do the following:

Pulverize your graham crackers into a fine powder with your food processor.

Mix together the crumbs, sugar, and butter and mix until well combined.

Pour crumbs into a fluted tart pan.

Use a metal flat-bottomed measuring cup to press crumbs into the bottom of the pan. The best part? No ugly finger marks in yopur crust – it’s just a smooth, even crust!

Still using the measuring cup, push against the sides of the pan, pressing  the crust up the sides of the pan. Quick, easy, and no messy fingers! And there you, a beautiful base for the truffle-like interior of the tart!


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Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies

Mike needed to bring a dessert to one of his meetings. I stumbled upon this recipe and I couldn’t resist – chocolate with caramel? Yes, please! These cookies are so good – soft, gooey, and so easy to make. I think the most difficult part was unwrapping all those darn Hershey’s Kisses 🙂

Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
48 chocolate-covered caramel candies*

  1. Beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in white and brown sugars until well incorporated. Beat in eggs one at a time and beat in vanilla.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients into butter mixture, beating well. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  4. Combine 1/2 cup nuts with 1 tablespoon sugar in small bowl. Place 1/4 cup sugar into another small bowl.
  5. Divide dough into 4 parts. Divide each of the 4 parts into 12 pieces to get 48 cookies.
  6. Take a piece of dough and form it into a bowl shape. Place chocolate in the center of the cookie and mold the dough up around the candy. Roll the cookie in your hands to mold into a smooth ball. Roll cookie into a ball and dip top into sugar or sugar/nut mixture.
  7. Place cookies, sugar/nut side up on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 8 minutes.
  8. Let cookies cool completely on cookie sheets before removing.

*I used Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses with Caramel. They were great – the caramel stayed soft inside and it was easy to shape the cookie around them. I may try another chocolate next time, though!

 


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Peanut Butter Bars

I whipped these bars up for a work get-together. They were super easy and I had all the ingredients on hand already. This may be a go-to dish for parties when I’m short on time.

Let me give you a little nudge to try these out… Short on time for Valentine’s Day? Don’t have a dessert for your dinner? Not planning on making anything at all? Try these! They are so simple and sure to please. 🙂

Peanut Butter Bars
adpated from allrecipes.com

12 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons peanut butter

  1. Mix melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and 1 1/2 cups peanut butter together in a medium bowl until well combined. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 pan. Refrigerate for 10 – 15 minutes.
  2. Melt chocolate chips and 4 tablespoons peanut butter in the microwave until smooth, stirring occasionally.*  Pour over refrigerated crust and smooth with a spatula.
  3. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

*Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring carefully after each one.


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Chocolate Truffle Cookies

These cookies are very similar to the Gooey Chocolate Cookies I posted about a few weeks ago. They aren’t as simple to make since they require a few more ingredients, but I think that they taste so much better! Give these a try when you have a few extra minutes to make cookies.

Chocolate Truffle Cookies
from allrecipes.com

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoon butter
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

  1. In the microwave or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of the chocolate chips, and the butter stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whip eggs and sugar until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and the chocolate mixture until well mixed. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually stir into the chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining 1 cup chocolate chips. Cover dough and chill for at least an hour or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll chilled dough into 1 inch balls. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets so they are 2 inches apart.
  3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.


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Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread

I have a go-to shortbread recipe, but I came across this one that claimed to “melt-in-your-mouth” and I decided to give it a try. You can never have too many shortbread recipes, right?? This was super easy to make and they  lived up to their claim – they did indeed melt-in-your-mouth. Don’t be deterred by the cornstarch in the recipe and give it a try!

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread
from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all-purpose

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 – 4 minutes. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls from a medium cookie scoop onto cookie sheet.
  3. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes in the oven. Make sure edges don’t brown too much. Cool slightly on cookie sheets before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely.

I decided to drizzle my cookies with some chocolate. I melted 1 cup of chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of butter and used a pastry bag to pipe the drizzle on top.


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Chunky Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie

This cookie was originally made by Erika Davis from Top Chef Just Desserts. They looked so good and Sylvia Weinstock, a renowned cake decorator, asked for the recipe! After that, I knew that these had to be good.

Chunky Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie
adapted from bravotv.com

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 pound butter
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts

  1. Preheat oven to 345°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cream butter, sugars, and eggs together on high speed with an electric mixer. Mix in vanilla, salt and baking soda.
  3. Scrape the sides and add the baking powder and flour.
  4. Mix until just incorporated and add the walnuts and chocolate chips in.
  5. Scoop balls of cookie dough with a medium cookie scoop and place onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. Let cool slightly on baking sheet before transferring to a cookie rack.