Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

I love the flavors of mint and chocolate together. Always a classic combo. But I especially love these flavors during the colder weather. These are a simple recipe. You will love this for your busy holiday season. Plus, the cookie bottom is a pleasant surprise!

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

1 devils food cake mix, prepared according to directions
24 chocolate mint cookies, like Thin Mints (if you are lucky enough to find some)
Buttercream Frosting (recipe to follow)
12 chocolate mint cookies, crushed

Line muffin tin with papers, place one cookie at the bottom of each cupcake tin. Divide batter evenly between the 24 cupcakes. Bake according to directions. Cool completely on cooling rack. Frost with buttercream frosting (I like to add a drop or two of green coloring so people know what to expect). Top with crushed remaining cookies.

Buttercream Frosting

2 sticks butter, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-5 Tbsp milk
few drops food coloring (optional)

Tips: 

Make these at St. Patrick's Day too!

Anniversary Dessert

So I have been on a no-dessert diet for a few weeks now. I allow myself a little taste once a week. I knew I was going to want something decadent for our anniversary so I saved up for two weeks. My sister suggested I make Marta's "Melt in Your Mouth Mini's" They are really good. Although, I might double the chocolate next time to make it extra rich! (I have to splurge once in a while.) But as usual, Marta did not disappoint. Simple and a quick bake. Just how I like it.

Plus they are fun, these perfect innocent looking cakes then take a bite and it is chocolate lava heaven all over your plate. Just don't tell anyone I might have licked my plate.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

My mom, sister, and I are headed for a girl's trip for the weekend. And, typical me, I am so freakin' excited (sorry, I love that clip!) about the food. In honor of our girl's trip I thought I would give you a very girl-friendly dessert: Chocolate Truffle Cake. It is so delicious. So delicious! (The guys will like it too)
This cake is super moist and rich. It is delicious with a ganache glaze if you are feeling up to it - or just with some whipping cream if you aren't.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 c butter
5 eggs
1 1/3 c sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round spring-form pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the paper then flour the paper and pan sides. Cover the bottom of the outside of the pan with aluminum foil so that the tin batter does not leak out. Set aside.
In a medium sized pan over medium-low heat, melt chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until pale in color. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Then stir in the flour, vanilla, and salt until combined. Batter will be thin.
Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until the cake is set and slightly puffed in the center, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool until warm. Invert onto a serving plate. Carefully remove parchment paper. Let cool completely. This cake can be covered tightly and refrigerated overnight, but you should remove it from the fridge about 2 hrs before you serve it.

White (Pink) Chocolate Mousse

In honor of fighting cancer, I thought I would post a pink recipe in my new cute pink glasses.

White (Pink) Chocolate Mousse
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 cup
3-4 drops red food coloring

In a large glass bowl, place the chopped white chocolate and set aside.
Add the egg yolks and sugar to a small bowl and whisk until pale in color.
In a saucepan, over low heat, bring 1/4 cup of the cream to a simmer, and slowly add the cream into the yolk and sugar mixture to temper. Pour the creamy mixture back into pan and stir with a wooden spoon until it coats the back of it.
Pour hot mix into a fine mesh sieve placed directly over bowl with the chopped chocolate. Stir until completely smooth. Add red food coloring.
In another bowl, whip remaining 1 cup of the cream to almost stiff peaks. Fold half the whipped cream into the white chocolate mix to lighten and then fold in the remaining whipped cream.
Spoon the white chocolate mousse into 4 serving cups and refrigerate until set, approximately 1 hour.
Serve with sliced strawberries, or other berry of your choice.

Chocolate Souffle

So for my new ingredient/recipe/dish recipe I thought I would try a souffle. I have never made one before. The only one I have eaten was made by Jet Set (although that post was funny, don't be decieved, the souffle was delicious!). It was divine. But I decided to try out a chocolate one this time. I made it for our vegetarian-theme night for cooking club. Hey, they didn't say vegan. Honestly, I mostly made it for you.
For baking, I don't make up recipes. I haven't learned that science yet. I was a little nervous, to tell you the truth, about it. I hear they are hard and often people say they don't turn out. So, I turned to my best friend who is a pastry chef (who is currently on hiatus because she had triplets!) for tips and recipes. She gave me a few good tips, sent me to the internet for recipes, and wished me luck.

After searching the web, I chose this recipe because it used the same size souffle dish I had and I didn't have to buy alcohol for it. (We don't drink so I don't have it in the house.) I did make some minor adjustments, but I thought it was quite delicious. I hope you try it out - it was an adventure!

Chocolate Souffle 

adapted from George Duran
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces, plus more for greasing
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt, plus a pinch for the egg whites
12 Tbsp sugar, divided; plus more for dusting dish
5 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites, at room temperature for 30 minutes
1/4 c all-purpose flour

Put an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup souffle dish or casserole. Dust with granulated sugar.

Melt the chocolates and butter in a large bowl in a microwave-safe glass bowl in a microwave at 50 percent power for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring well every 30 seconds until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Cool completely.

Add vanilla, salt, and 6 tablespoons sugar. Add yolks 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the flour.

Beat the whites with a pinch of salt in a bowl using an electric mixer at high speed until they hold soft peaks. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until the whites hold stiff glossy peaks.

Whisk about 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Pour the batter into the souffle dish, spreading it evenly.

Bake about 30 to 35 minutes or until the center is still jiggling and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs adhering to it (It took me 35-40 min). Serve the souffle warm. 

* Tips: when folding the egg whites into the chocolate mixture be very gentle. The more you add, the more careful you should be. 

I served mine with fresh strawberries. A light dusting of powdered sugar would be very pretty.

Chocolate Fondue

I love fondue parties. I think it is so much more social and comfortable than a normal dinner party. It's so fun to sit around the table, chatting and eating. If you want a more formal dinner, have this for dessert to get things cozy before you pull out the board games.

You are going to die (unless you already know) at how easy this chocolate fondue is. Basically it is just warm ganache. So don't throw away your leftovers! (Why were you thinking of throwing away chocolate?!) Warm it up and top you next cake with it, or ice cream, or use at room temperature for frosting or filling a cake, or put it on top of potato chips (the ruffly ones, I know what your thinking, but trust me), or eat it with a spoon like me and Lou do.

Okay, enough of the tangent here is the recipe.

Chocolate Fondue

12 oz good quality chocolate
1 c heavy whipping cream
dash of vanilla
pinch of salt (I learned this from my pastry chef friend)

Melt together in microwave safe bowl, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted. Transfer to fondue pot on low temperature. Dip in your favorites.
*For a variation try adding cinnamon, or peanut butter; or replace the vanilla with mint extract, amaretto, or other extracts you like. 

Some of my favorite dippers are pound cake (our store was out, so we went for angel food cake), pretzels, graham crackers, marshmallows, bananas, and of course - strawberries.