Bake Chocolate Cake

For the past several months I have been blogging about recipes made using a 10 pound bag of chocolate chips.  It is sad to announce that the bag is now empty. I thought it would be appropriate to finish the 10 Pounds of Chocolate Chips project with a wonderful chocolate recipe from two peas and their pod.   These Chocolate Nutella Cookies are bursting with flavor.   By adding a few chocolate chips to the original recipe, I think these cookies become even more decadent.  Enjoy!

Ice cream is always a wonderful dessert and homemade ice cream is especially delicious.  The following recipe for chocolate ice cream is smooth, rich and creamy.  The vanilla ice cream is faster to make, but it is not as creamy as the chocolate.  These two recipes are inspired by  The Ultimate Ice Cream Book .   The wonderful thing about making ice cream is the variety of ingredients you can add to the ice cream base.  For this particular recipe I was in the mood for chocolate chip cookie dough.  Another delicious option is to add grated chocolate.  The chocolate shavings provide a wonderful, intense flavor.   A scoop of Double Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream on a hot summer day . . . it doesn't get much better than that. 

My 10 pound bag of chocolate chips  is beginning to get very light.  On the back of the bag is a recipe for Ambrosia chocolate chip cookies and for the past few months every time I pulled out the bag of chocolate chips I kept thinking "I need to try that recipe". I am always a bit reluctant to try new chocolate chip cookie recipes since I am a big fan of the Nestle Toll House Cookie  recipe. This recipe is very similar to the Toll House recipe and it is also good.  I didn't bake the cookies as long as the Ambrosia recipe suggested because I prefer chewy cookies, but if you like crunchy chocolate chip cookies, then follow the baking time suggested in the recipe.

Mini Chocolate Cream Puffs   A combination of chocolate pastry filled with chocolate whipping cream and ganache.  Make them small enough to eat in one bite. This is one dessert where words fail to express the wonderful experience of actually eating one.    Enjoy.

I am searching for the perfect blonde brownie recipe.  I have tried various recipes, but I cannot find the perfect one.  In frustration I decided to experiment by adding additional ingredients to the recipes.  This resulted in the creation of a rich chocolate chip coconut macadamia nut bar.   When it is warm it is delicious topped with vanilla ice cream.  At room temperature it is a rich cake bursting with butter and chocolate. My favorite version is chilled.  It creates a denser bar full of delicious flavors.  The macadamia nuts provide the perfect crunch to the buttery cake bar.  

I have been making caramel corn for years, but just recently I decided to add a little bit of chocolate.  This recipe makes a wonderfully chewy caramel corn with just a hint of chocolate drizzled over the top.   If you are not in the mood for chocolate, then follow the full recipe and bake it in the oven until the caramel corn becomes crunchy.  It packs easily for picnics and is a perfect snack for parties.

Max Brenner introduced me to my first slice of chocolate pizza.  Since that time I have been baking various combinations of this wonderful dessert including this one where I use a chocolate crust. Like regular pizza, the combinations are endless.  For a really fun evening invite some friends over for dessert.  Prepare the pizza crusts ahead of time.  During the party, line up a variety of toppings and let your guests'  imaginations run wild.

Mother's Day and Chocolate I recently saw a recipe on a container of ricotta cheese claiming to be the "Best Chocolate Cake Ever", so of course, I had to try it.  It is actually quite simple because it uses a cake mix, but I found a way to make it even better.   I decided to make 2 1/2 inch mini cakes and fill them with three different cream fillings:  sweetened whipping cream, ganache and chocolate whipping cream. 

Last month when I was rolling out bread dough to make hot cross buns for Easter, I started thinking about creating a new recipe for chocolate bread. The following recipe is very simple, especially if you have a bread machine. 

I have a recipe for a lemon pudding cake that is absolutely my favorite dessert in the winter.  While eating it one day I started to think about what it would be like to create a similar dessert using chocolate.  The results are this chocolate pudding cake recipe.  

During the week breakfast is usually rushed and consists of cereal, yogurt, bagels or toast.  Breakfast or brunch on the weekend, however, is often filled with foods like pancakes, eggs, bacon or potatoes.  In order to capture this leisurely feeling during the week and have a gentle reminder to slow down and relax, I sometimes make this type of breakfast food for dinner in the middle of the week.   Of course chocolate added to the menu makes everything even better.

While I have been experimenting with chocolate, I keep discovering new favorite recipes.  Now, this is my new favorite.  

I should probably just call this a coconut cookie instead of a macaroon to avoid confusion.  There are so many different types of macaroons.   I am a huge fan of French macaroons with fruit fillings or the delicate sugar, coconut macaroon, but if you have a serious craving for coconut, this is the recipe to try.   Instead of being extremely delicate or overly sweet, this cookie is chewy and substantial.   When the cookie is dipped in chocolate it is very much like a candy bar.  When it is made with chocolate and it is baking in the oven, it becomes its own form of aromatherapy - an amazing chocolate indulgence. 

One of my favorite recipes to make during the winter holidays is sugared walnuts.  This week, for some reason I was craving them.  Perhaps it was the snow that appeared all of a sudden threatening a return to winter even though we have already been enjoying several days of beautiful spring weather.   Of course any dessert becomes even better when it involves chocolate, so I decided to pair the walnuts with a new chocolate cake recipe I have been experimenting with. The cinnamon crunch of the sugared walnuts on top of ganache followed by a spoonful of chocolate cake is extremely satisfying - just about any time of the year.  

This past week I have been baking birthday cakes and brownies.  With birthday cakes, there is always excess cake that I trim off of the top to create a flat surface for decorating.  With brownies, I always trim off the edges.   I decided to use these excess ingredients to make these fabulous cake bites.

I was making brownies this weekend to give away and I decided to try a slightly different recipe.  These brownies are chewy and delicious and definitely one of my new favorite recipes.

I love macadamia nuts, but I am not a huge fan of white chocolate because it is too sweet.  (Besides, white chocolate isn't really chocolate). I came up with this recipe to help balance the wonderful flavor of the nuts, but still give a hint of chocolate without the overpowering super sweet flavor of white chocolate.

This is the ultimate chocolate dessert.  The chocolate cream center is light and just gives a hint of chocolate. For those who may be getting tired of chocolate (seriously I do not know how that is possible), this recipe also makes a very good plain crepe by leaving out the chocolate.  Plain crepes are especially delicious filled with cream cheese and fresh fruit. Experiment with the recipes below to find your favorite combination.

Cheesecake is a fabulous dessert, but it can be time consuming to make and sometimes a full cheesecake is just too much.  I came up with this recipe for mini cheesecakes that makes quick individual servings.

Crunchy, Butter, Chocolate Perfection.