I’m calling this “miracle fudge” for several reasons. First of all, the odds of me seeing a vegan fudge link on Twitter, and actually clicking on it, are roughly zero. That alone makes this video miraculous, but that cocoa, maple syrup, and coconut oil can combine to create something so pleasurable and fudge-like, also makes it worthy of the title.

Michele actually discovered the link on Twitter, and called my attention to it since she recognized the Tweeter as my friend, Stephanie Stiavetti aka @sstiavetti. Nothing against Ms. Stiavetti, but this still usually wouldn’t have been enough to tempt me, except that I heard mention of coconut oil.

This was significant because another friend, Ariyele Ressler, posted something called a "The Triple Luxe" on her YouTube channel(pictured here), which featured this fascinating fat. I was captivated by her delicious looking creation, and the coconut oil's butter-like properties, and told myself that I needed pick some up for experimentation.

Anyway, as a result of this perfect storm of social media synchronicity, I decided to check out her recipe, and it rocked. I did a bunch of tests, and even though you’re forfeiting some health benefits, I found the refined coconut oil worked better than the raw, extra-virgin style, if you want something closer to real chocolate fudge. The other key is to keep these in the freezer. They work at room temp, but the texture is much better cold.

The extra-virgin oil has a very pronounced coconut flavor, and seemed to not provide quite as firm a bite. Of course, I expect you to experiment and report back. As advertised, I think this would make a fun, and unique edible gift for the foodies on your holiday gift list. I hope you give this fudge recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Bonus Holiday Gift Idea: 

Not only does Stephanie have great taste in vegan fudge recipes, she also writes cookbooks! I just received a copy of Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese, which she co-authored with Garrett McCord, and it’s very well done. It’s getting rave reviews on Amazon, so if you’re still in shopping mode, go check it out.

Ingredients for about 2 dozen squares of Miracle Fudge:

1/2 cup really good unsweetened cocoa (I used this one)

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted

few drops of vanilla

pinch of salt

Notes:

- You can make this without the nuts, but make sure your oil is nice and warm, so the mixture is liquid enough to pour.

-  If the mixture gets too firm to work with, just place over a bowl of hot water until it melts.

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I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a holiday cookies swap (apparently you need to have like-minded friends), but if I were, I’d bring these chocolate snowcap cookies. They just look so wintry, with their powdery-white tops, contrasted against those deep, dark cracks.

They’re so captivating, that I find myself daydreaming about tiny Christmas elves skiing down them when no one is looking. I really should see someone about that. Anyway, the point is, if you’re looking for a holiday cookie so seasonally appropriate it hurts, this is the one for you.

As I stated in the video, the only way to mess these up is to not use enough powdered sugar. The first batch I made looked like they had plenty, but that little bit I shook off before placing them on the pan made all the difference. You want to coat them, roll them, coat them again, and then, coat them again. You can’t put too much on.

Also, the batch I made after letting the dough sit overnight didn’t spread out as much, which I thought looked better, and much more mini mountain-like. As far as baking time goes, mine took about 12 minutes, but that depends on exactly how large you roll your dough balls.

To be safe, you should probably do five or six practice batches to get this time dialed in [wink]. Once you do, you’ll be rewarded with a classic Christmas cookie that tastes as good as it looks. I think I speak for tiny, imaginary elves everywhere, when I say we hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 dozen Chocolate Snowcap Cookies:

Recipe found here on Foodess.com

6 ounces dark chocolate, broken in small pieces, melted over hot water

3/4 cup AP flour

1/3 cup cocoa (I used Guittard’s Cocoa Rouge)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp fine salt

1/2 cup room temp butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup powdered sugar, or as needed

*Bake at 350 degrees F.  for about 12 minutes, depending on size

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According to Twitter, today is National Chocolate Day, and to celebrate I'm re-posting one of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy this ancient pleasure, the Savory Chocolate Sea Salt Crostini. You can read the original post here, but to summarize, these are awesome. Enjoy!


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If you’re my age, you can’t hear the word “chia” without thinking of the famous 1980’s commercial, and its “cha cha cha chia” jingle. That did make it a little tougher taking this seed seriously as a legitimate recipe ingredient, but as long as you manage expectations, it proved its worth beyond a gardening option for lazy people.

If you’re looking for a rich and decadent chocolate pudding then keep moving. As nutritious as this “superfood” is supposed to be, you can’t expect the same results substituting bird seeds for eggs, butter, and cream. That said, if you’re craving something sweet, relatively chocolately, and comparatively healthful, then chia seeds may be a good option.

Chia seeds are all the rage right now, and are usually seen in breakfast pudding form. In fact, I learned about them after seeing this on my friend Elizabeth’s blog, Saffron Lane. I’ve never been a big breakfast pudding guy, so I decide to do a dessert for my first attempt. Plus, I needed an excuse to use chocolate covered hemp seeds.

They're incredible easy to work with, and I look forward to doing more experiments. If you have any tips or tricks I should know about, please feel free to pop off. And if you’ve never tried using chia seeds before (the pet plant doesn’t count), I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon white sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee

1/4 tsp vanilla

a few grains of salt

1 cup milk
chocolate covered hemp seeds, optional

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If you like dense, ooey gooey brownies with a deep chocolate flavor then these brownies are for you!  I love that you can make the entire batter in the same pot and then just pour into a baking dish to bake.  Easy and delicious!

 

 

Ingredients:

1 12 oz bag semi sweet chocolate chips plus 3/4 cup extra
2 sticks butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon instant coffee
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Preparation:

In a large saucepan melt butter and 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips together (reserve extra chocolate chips for the end).  Stir constantly until chocolate is completely melted.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and sugar and blend directly in pot with a hand mixer.  Next add eggs one at a time until completely combined.  Last, blend in coffee, salt and flour until combined and smooth.  With a wooden spoon mix in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips which will slightly melt and add more chocolate flavor to the batter.  Transfer batter into a greased 13x9 pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.
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No, it actually takes 45 seconds! Turns out I was wrong about mug cakes. I’ve had the belief over the past few decades, that a decent mini chocolate cake from a microwave was impossible. I based this on the fact that every example I’d come across had the texture of a hockey puck.

I assumed the cause was the microwave’s ultra-violent thermodynamics, and that there was nothing anyone could do about it, but then I got to thinking. Maybe there was a way to tweak the existing recipes out there to minimize this problem. Long story short, I tweaked an existing recipe, which minimized the problem.

The secrets were using smaller amounts of batter, and cooking for way less time than has been suggested by others. Once you’ve boiled off all the water in the batter, you are totally screwed, so the idea here is to just barely get to the point of doneness, and stop. For me that was exactly 45 seconds.

I’ve included the power data here, so you can compare it to your microwave. Apparently, I have a 1,100-watt model, which is a very common rating, but of course, if yours is much more or less powerful, you will have to do a few tests to figure out your ideal time.

Now, is this as good as a traditionally baked chocolate cake? Of course not, but it’s certainly close enough. And when you consider the fact it literally takes only a few minutes to make, this should find its way into your summer dessert recipe rotation. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 chocolate mug cakes:

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

pinch salt

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp melted butter

1/8 tsp vanilla extract (I forgot to add, and it was fine, but I’d put a few drops to be safe)

- Stir well, then add:

1 tbsp shredded coconut (I used unsweetened)

2 tbsp toasted sliced almonds

1 or 2 tbsp mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used 1, but it could have used a few more chips)

3 tbsp milk

- Stir well, then add:

1/4 cup flour mixed with 1/4 tsp baking powder

- Pour into 2 coffee cups and microwave on full power for 45 seconds

View the complete recipe

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If you like Smores you HAVE to try these cookies.  They are super delicious and taste just like smores.  They have all the right components to the original dessert, graham crackers, marshmallow and chocolate not to mention the added bonus of chewy chocolate chip cookies! YUM YUM YUM!  And again in true Everyday Sisters style this recipe is extememely easy and a big crowd pleaser.

 

Ingredients:

 

18 graham cracker squares

3 cups Refrigerator Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (or you cam make your favorite homeade chocolate chip cookie recipe)

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

9 mini Hershey chocolate bars broken in half (or two squares from a large bar)

 

Preparation:

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Meanwhile either bring your refrigerator cookie dough to room temperature or prepare your homemade dough.  Once dough is at room temperature mix mini marshamallows into the dough until combined well.  Spray a cookie sheet with non stick cooking spray and lay down the graham cracker squares in a single layer on the prepared sheet.  Add a heaping tablespoon (or more) of the cookie dough marshmallow mixture on to each graham cracker square.  Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until the cookie dough starts to spread and is halfway baked.  Pull out cookie sheet and press chocolate squares carefully onto each cookie square and then put back in the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes until cookies are lightly browned.  Cool on  wire rack.  The cookies may spread together  when baking so it's important to remove them off of the pan and onto a wire rack while they are still fairly warm so you can easily lift them.  Once the melted marshmallows cool they can really stick and be hard to separate.

 

 

 

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As promised, here’s the recipe for the chocolate cake that was featured in the orange Crème Anglaise video recipe we did a few weeks ago. In case you missed it, here’s what happened: We uploaded a perfectly fine looking custard sauce video, which no one cared about once they saw this gorgeous looking cake.

Not only did the vast majority of the audience lose all interest in the Crème Anglaise, but they also started requesting the cake be shared in video recipe form. And by “request,” I mean they demanded under threat of grievous bodily harm. Well, it worked.

By the way, you can use any pan for this cake, even a cupcake tin, as long as you’re prepared to adjust your baking time. I’d love to give you specific times, but that will depend on the exact size/type of pan. Best to test early and often with the old bamboo skewer, until it comes out clean.

I joked in the intro that if you messed this up, you should never try to bake anything else again. The funny this is, that’s not a joke. You’ll have to try really hard for this not to come out awesome. In fact, the ganache is probably the trickiest part, and all that entails is pouring boiling cream over chopped chocolate and stirring. I hope you give this ridiculously easy and delicious chocolate cake a try soon. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients for 1 Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake:
Recipe from Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

1/3 cup high-quality cocoa powder (use the best you can find)

1 cup water

1/2 tsp fine salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the ganache:

4 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped or broken into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream

*Bring cream to a boil and immediately pour over chocolate. Wait 1 minute and stir until smooth and glossy.

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This is one of our family's most requested desserts, especially from my niece Rebecca. it is so easy and comes out great every time. We like to serve it with non dairy whipped cream but it would also be great with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 C all-purpose flour

3/4 C unsweetened cocoa

1/2 lb (2 sticks) nondairy margarine, melted and cooled slightly

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 7 x 11-inch glass baking dish or 2 quart shallow gratin dish. Bring a pot of water to boil for baking the pudding.

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until very light colored and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cocoa, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Mix in margarine and vanilla on medium speed until incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan and place it in a shallow roasting pan. Pour in enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up sides of brownie pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is crusty and a knife inserted 1/2 inch from the edge comes out almost clean. The center will not test clean. Remove pan from hot water to wire rack to cool slightly . The pudding may be refrigerated, covered, up to 4 days or frozen. To reheat, bring to room temperature and bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, or microwave on medium until warm.

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I'm addicted to that delicious Peanut Butter Mousse from the pie I posted last week.  I decided to use it a few different ways this week.  I made mini Peanut Butter Mousse Cups for a block party I was attending and then with the leftover I made these decadent Peanut Butter Mousse Pie and Banana Parfaits.

Ingredients:

1 cup smooth Peanut Butter

1-8 oz package Cream Cheese

1-8 oz tub of Cool Whip topping

3/4 cup Confectioners Sugar

1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

3-4 Bananas, sliced into 1/4 inch circles

1 cup Hot Fudge topping, heated slightly to spoon easier

Preparation:

Prepare Peanut Butter Mousse by mixing peanut butter, cream cheese and confectioners sugar together in a medium bowl using a hand mixer.  Beat until smooth.  Fold in 8 oz container of Cool Whip until completely incorporated.   Using 4 glasses or dessert dishes layer ingredients in this order; Sliced banana, peanut butter mousse, graham cracker crumbs, hot fudge, sliced banana, peanut butter mousse, hot fudge and sprinkle the top with more graham cracker crumbs.  Refrigerate parfaits for about 2 hours until the mousse sets.  Serve cold.

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I did it. I made macarons. Finally, I can apply for my food blogger merit badge! Hold on, I’m being told I still need to make mini-cupcakes and a quinoa salad to qualify. Oh well, I’ve waited this long.

Anyway, this was my first attempt at macarons, and for not having any clue what I was doing, I was quite happy with the results. They looked fine, and the texture was almost identical to the ones sold at Chantal Guillon, a famous macaron bar here in San Francisco.

So, was it beginners luck? Yes. You would think since I waited three years to make these, I would have done more research, but I did almost none. In fact, I literally used the first chocolate macaron recipe I found, which happened to be from David Lebovitz. He’s an American, but he lives in Paris, so I figured I was okay.

I watched a few videos, read a few articles, had a couple drinks, looked at a few step-by-steps, and off I went.  One thing I did notice was every single resource used a different recipe, as well as different times, temperatures, and techniques. So, I figured I would just use my instincts and try the most straightforward method possible.

I didn’t do any high-heat/low-heat tricks; no waiting for the tops to dry; no sugar syrups, etc. I just made the batter, piped it out, baked them off, and as you can see, they were not bad at all. One thing I did figure out all by myself was to use the ugly ones as the bottoms. By the way, there’s a very inappropriate metaphor there, if you’re looking.

So, here’s the deal; if you’ve never made these before, I hope this inspires you to give them a go. Believe me, if I can do these anyone can. However, if you’re an experienced macaron maker, we’d love to have you chime in. I can’t wait for this comment section to fill up with invaluable tips and tricks for what I should have done, and how I should have done it.

I know I piped them wrong. You’re not supposed to make a swirl, but keep the tip pressed in the center as you squeeze. I also heard that I should have cooked one pan at a time, because the bottom pan is more likely to crack. What else? Don’t worry about my feelings…after four years of posting videos on YouTube, I don’t have any left…so let me have it. And, as always, enjoy!

Basic Chocolate Macaron Batter (I found this recipe on davidlebovitz.com):
Makes about 18 finished cookies

*Weighing the ingredients is critical. Do not make these unless you have a digital kitchen scale!

100 gram powdered sugar

50 grams almond meal aka almond flour (the finer the better)

25 grams unsweetened cocoa powder

2 large room temperature egg whites

65 grams granulated sugar

For chocolate ganache:

1/3 cup hot heavy cream

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

pinch of salt

*pour hot cream over chocolate, and stir until smooth. Allow to cool slightly before filling cooled cookies.

Bonus Coverage: For more chocolate macaron information, my friend Denise from ChezUs makes some amazing ones, and knows WAY more about these than I do, so you can bug her with your questions too! ;-)

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A spin off of the all time favorite Salted Toffee Chocolate Squares but kosher for Passover!

Ingredients:

3 pieces of matzo
1/2 cup of chopped almonds
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
small bag of chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place matzo in a single layer on sheet, edges touching. Sprinkle almonds over matzo.

In a small saucepan, bring sugar and butter to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, 2 minutes. Immediately pour over matzo. Bake until sugar topping is bubbling, 12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate over matzo. Let sit to melt and then spread melted chocolate in thin layer over toffee. Place in refrigerator to set up. Break into pieces. Or, if you want uniform squares, before placing in refrigerator.......with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)

Linked up to Sweets for Saturday
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I would have gotten more search engine juice had I named this, “Hot Fudge Sauce,” but it wouldn’t have been technically correct, and you know what a stickler I am for using precise terminology (if you’re new to the blog, that was an attempt at self-effacing humor). 

So, while it’s true I generally play fast and loose with recipe titles, when they really do mean different things, I try to come correct.

What makes this a chocolate sauce, and not hot fudge, is the fact that it doesn’t firm up when it hits the ice cream. True hot fudge sauce is actually melted, liquefied fudge, and by the time it finishes its slow slalom down the side of your sundae, it will resemble its namesake.

Hot fudge requires the sauce to be cooked to a specific temperature, for a certain time, and is generally a trickier operation than the simple sauce you see here. Like I said in the video, I’m sure we will eventually do a hot fudge video, but in the meantime, this ultra easy chocolate sauce should work fine.

Unlike hot fudge, chocolate sauce (aka chocolate syrup) will stay in liquid form even after it hits the cold, creamy stuff. Of course it gets a bit thicker as it cools, but it will not harden into actual fudge. If you are looking for comparisons, this may remind you of a thicker version of a certain canned chocolate syrup from Pennsylvania.

Anyway, if you are a regular buyer of store-bought chocolate sauce, and didn’t realize how easy it is to make your own at home, then I hope you give this recipe a try. Enjoy!

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of Chocolate Sauce

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup high-quality, unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla, or to taste

tiny pinch of salt

View the complete recipe

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I seem to be making A  LOT of recipes from Pinterest lately.  I am a little obsessed with that site!!  I saw this Toffee Poke Cake AKA. Better than Sex Cake all over Pinterest boards and done in many different ways.  I thought it would make the perfect birthday cake for my husband.  This cake did not disappoint!  It was really delicious and decadent.......but better than sex?  I'll let you decide that for your self.

Ingredients:

1 box devils food cake

1- 16oz jar caramel ice cream topping

1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

1 container of cool whip, thawed

1 bag of Hershey's Heath Bits O'Brickle or 3 heath bars, crushed

 

 

Preparation:

 

Bake the devils food cake according to the package, except the oil. Reduce the amount by half. I baked mine in two round cake pans, but I'm thinking a 9x13 pan would have been less messy.

 

While the cake is still hot, poke holes in it using the back of a wooden spoon. Make sure you don't poke all the way through the cake.  (I used a stainless steel knife sharpener that I don't use to sharpen knives ;)

 

Drizzle caramel over the top of the cake. 

Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the caramel (I used half the can but you can use more if you would like) 

Sprinkle the Bit's O' Brickle or crushed Heath Bars over the top of the sweetened condensded milk. 

 

 

Allow cake to cool completely in the refrigerator.   I used round cake pans when I made the cake because I was going for a nicer presentation but you can use a 9x13 pyrex dish or cake pan which would work fine.  Next time I'm going to make and decorate the cake in a pyrex dish because it would just be much easier and less messy. 

 

However, if you did use round cake pans you will need to carefully remove the cakes from the pans and transfer to a cake platter to decorate.  Using a spatchula carefully lift the cakes from the pans.  It will be mess and gooey but mine came out without a problem.  Now  cover the cake with a thin layer of cool whip, then top with the 2nd cake and cover that cake with cool whip as well.  Sprinkle entire cake with additional Heath bar crumbles.

 

 

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Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip Photo (c) SmithBites.com

My friend, Linda from Salty Seattle, called this Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip video, “porn without people,” and I couldn’t agree more. The term “food porn” gets thrown around way too easily these days. Sorry, that picture of your red velvet cupcakes was nice, but it wasn’t really pornographic. This, however, could make you blush. By the way, the surface temperature of a blushing face is the exact temperature at which chocolate melts. Coincidence?

This semi-sweet tour-de-force is from Debra and Rod “The Professor” Smith, from SmithBites.com. I’m relatively new to their work, but quite impressed to say the least. I’m very proud Food Wishes helped pioneer the chef-less recipe video, but this is taking that idea to a whole other place – surreal and viscerally sensual, yet still comforting and familiar. Please follow this link to check out the original post, and see more of their fine work. Enjoy!

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It's time for this month's Crazy Cooking Challenge and this month's theme is Chocolate Cake!  I knew it would'nt be hard to find delicious chocolate cake recipes around my favorite blogs and I was right!  The recipe I decided to make, Black Magic Cake sounded perfect for this challenge.  It's a super dark, moist cake that looked irresitable.  I found this cake recipe on a great blog....My Baking Addiction and I couldn't wait to try it myself.  The frosting recipe I found on a local message board and gave it a try, I think it went pretty well with the cake....it may have been a little too sweet but overall the cake was a hit.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk or *sour milk
1 cup strong black coffee OR 2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee plus 1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* To sour milk: Use 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.  Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost as desired.

Chocolate Cream Frosting

4 1/3 cups plus 2 Tbs. unsifted powdered sugar
1 pinch salt
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate -- melted and cooled to tepid
1 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate -- melted and cooled to tepid
6 Tbs. unsalted butter -- cut into tablespoon chunks and softened
3/4 cups plus 3 Tbs. heavy cream
2 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Place powdered sugar and salt in large bowl. Add the melted chocolates, butter, cream, and vanilla. Using an electric hand mixer, beat for 1 minute on low to combine ingredients; continue beating on high for 2 more minutes or until very smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl several times with a rubber spatula to keep the frosting even textured. The frosting should be thick but creamy; if it seems too dense, lighten it with a little more heavy cream, added a tsp. at a time. Use frosting immediately.

Makes about 3 3/4 cups frosting


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Most foodies know that Tiramisu is a decadent dessert featuring coffee soaked ladyfingers layered with a zabaione and mascarpone, but what many people don’t know is that the recipe’s name is one of the best culinary double entendres ever.

“Tiramisu” translates to "pick me up." Considering that this popular Italian dessert is spiked with proven mood-elevators such as coffee, cocoa, sugar, and alcohol, the name seems to fit perfectly. But wait, there’s more.

As legend has it, tiramisu was a popular snack with the “working girls” of northern Italy, where the dessert originated. So, not only does "pick me up" refer metaphorically to the obvious restorative effects of the dessert, but also more literally to the solicitation of another customer.

Which brings us to this upcoming Valentine’s Day. Not only would this make for a very happy ending for your V-Day meal, but think about the stimulating conversation that could follow when you recount this racy tale.

Anyway, even if you don’t end up talking about Italian prostitutes over dessert, if you’re a fan of chocolate mousse, and you enjoy a good "pick me up," you can’t go wrong with this deliciously decadent, yet still fairly light dessert. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

3.5 oz dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

2 tbsp espresso coffee, or strong regular coffee

1 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp Marsala wine (may sub with rum, or omit)

2 egg yolks

4 tsp sugar

2 tbsp mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped

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I made a similar Oreo brownie using mint oreos not too long ago.  This time I decided to go classic cookies and cream and also add a crumble of Oreos on top of each brownie so you know what you will get inside.  These make a great treat for kids and adults.

 

Ingredients:

1 box of Family Size brownie mix

1 package of double stuffed Oreos

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously grease a muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.  Mix brownie mix as per package directions.  Dip each Oreo into the brownie batter until coated completely.  Drop one brownie battered Oreo into each greased muffin tin.  Crush 4-6 Oreos in a big ziploc bag using a rolling pin.  Sprinkle crushed Oreos on top of each brownie battered Oreo.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Let cool completely before trying to remove brownies from tins.

I also made a batch in a small 9x9 pan and just layered some brownie batter on the bottom then a layer of Oreo cookies and then a layer of brownie batter and baked it according to the package directions for that size pan.

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I have to say that chocolate and peppermint are my two most favorite flavor combinations.  I'm sad that candy cane season is over.  I say why wait for Christmas time to have these delcious dark chocolate peppermint cookies!!  I might have to make some this week!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips, divided

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 large eggs

4 candy canes or 16 red-and-white- striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir 2 cups chocolate chips in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Measure 2/3 cup melted chocolate; transfer to small metal bowl and reserve for drizzling.  Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Add sugar and both extracts; beat until smooth. Add eggs; beat to blend. Beat in melted chocolate from medium bowl. Add dry ingredients; beat just to blend. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Measure 1 level tablespoonful dough; roll dough between palms to form ball. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake cookies until cracked all over and tester inserted into center comes out with large moist crumbs attached, 8 to 9 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment paper to racks to cool completely.  Rewarm reserved 2/3 cup chocolate over small saucepan of simmering water. Using fork, drizzle chocolate over cookies. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over, arranging some pieces with red parts showing. Chill just until chocolate sets, about 20 minutes.

*Can be made 3 weeks ahead. Store airtight in freezer. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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I have found myself slightly addicted to Pinterest.  I go on daily and can easily spend an hour searching through other peoples pins, especially food related ones.  This recipe I found during one of those browsing sessions.  The original recipe comes from a really nice blog Kevin and Amanda.  The picture that was posted for this recipe was gorgeous......it was similar to the one above but topped with vanilla icecream and covered with chocolate fudge....YUMMY!  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much I as did.  I brought it to a friends house and everyone loved it!

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups (12 ounces) milk (or semi sweet) chocolate chips

1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos

1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix

1/4 cup hot fudge topping

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips.

Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray.

Top with a layer of Oreos.

Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos.

Sprinkle an additional 1/4 - 1/2 cup of chocolate chips on top of Brownie batter

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15-25 minutes. Brownies are down when a toothpick inserted 2″ from the edge comes out clean or with moist pieces clinging to it. Let cool completely before cutting.

*To half this recipe for an 8×8 brownie mix, simply half the chocolate chip cookie dough ingredients. Enjoy!

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