Sugar-Crusted Molten Lava Cake

Earlier this summer I invited my children into the kitchen for a "cooking class." I set up a space at the kitchen island with two electric burners that were leftover from a kitchen remodel a couple years ago.  I also gave them each a cutting board and their own knife to practice with.  Together we brainstormed to come up with things that they would like to cook and that were practical for beginners.  We started with the most obvious choice, pancakes.  Then we moved up towards more complex dishes like stir fry, meatloaf, chicken fingers, and pie.  They enjoyed each session and asked for more.  They also showed quite a bit of interest in plating and photographing their creations, so I guided them through an entire blog post from start to finish.  Tonight they made Pretzel-Crusted Pork Tenderloin, Mashed Potatoes, Roast Asparagus, and Sugar-Crusted Molten Lava Cake.  

The kids were engaged throughout the entire process and enjoyed getting a chance to photograph their creations.  My seven year old son really got into setting up the shot and loved taking photos of his creations.  He got pretty crafty and picked out napkins, silverware, and even adjusted the camera angle to get the shot he wanted.  Tonight we are sharing the lava cake recipe and later this week we will be sharing the pork loin recipe.   

Sugar-Crusted Molten Lava Cake

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

10 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup granulated sugar, for dusting custard cups

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Spray 6-6 ounce custard cups with baking spray and then sprinkle in  2 teaspoons granulated sugar, rotate to coat and then tap the excess out.  Cut the butter into pieces and place in a microwave safe bowl.  Add both types of chocolate and microwave for 30 seconds.  Remove and stir.   Heat at 20-second intervals until butter and chocolate chips are melted, the mixture should look like a thick chocolate sauce.  Add remaining ingredients and whisk together until smooth.  Divide equally among custard cups and bake for 14 1/2 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges and invert onto small plates to serve.  Serve with a scoop of ice cream.

No Fail No Bake Cookies

I grew up eating No Bake Cookies.  My mom has made hundreds of these simple and delicious cookies.  They get their name because they are made on the stove top, spooned onto parchment paper, and they set up as they cool.  They are a simple cookie but they can be a little tricky, this recipe is as close to perfect as it gets, but you will still need keep an eye on the clock as you boil the butter and sugar mixture.  If you boil them too hard and too long they will crumble and if they do not boil long enough they will not set up.

No Bake Cookies

2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter

Bring to a strong but gentle boil and time for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and mix in the following all at the same time.

2 tablespoons cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups rolled oats

Mix thoroughly and spoon heaping tablespoons onto parchment paper.  Let sit at least 30 minutes.

Crepes : Sweet and Savory

Long ago I made dessert crepes for the kids and they were not at all impressed.  I think they were too young to appreciate the lightness of the crepes and confused by these delicate looking pancakes.   Afterwards, it took a very long time for me to get around to making them again.  The other day I had a craving for a savory crepe and I happened to have some ham and a hunk of cheese that I needed to use up so I decided to serve it up to the family and see what happened.  The ham and cheese crepes were delightful and I won over 3 out of 4 diners.
I thought 3 out of 4 was decent, but I'm a perfectionist sometimes and I was really determined to win the last member over so I made the extra crepes into dessert crepes.  I threw some chocolate chips and banana slices in the middle and warmed them in the oven.  As I brought them to the table I was pretty sure everyone would like them but I wasn't exactly prepared for how much the kids would love these crepes.  They went on and on and asked me to make seconds, which I promptly made for them.   And then they even begged me to promise I would make them for their birthday breakfasts when they came around.  It was too funny!  So, it looks like I will be able to make crepes again.  Yay me!

Crepes
makes 12-14 small crepes

1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar

Whisk eggs, milks, and sugar together in a medium bowl.  Add dry ingredients and whisk vigorously until combined.  Heat a small pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray and add a scant 1/4 cup batter and immediately lift and tilt pan and swirl the batter around and around to coat the pan.  Cook for about 2 minutes or until edges are dry and beginning to brown.  Flip with a spatula and cook for 20 seconds on the second side.  Remove and place on a foil lined pan and keep in a 300°F oven.   Repeat with remaining batter.

*To assemble, place 2 or 3 pieces of thinly sliced ham and a handful of shredded cheese down the center of each crepe.  Fold edges over and lightly press down to keep them in place.  Heat in over for 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Garnish with chives or green onions.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

The title should really be Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread That Tastes Like Cake, but I thought that was a bit much.  This banana bread had rich Ghirardelli Cocoa as well as chocolate chips in it to make a deliciously flavorful and moist banana bread that is tender and cakey.  This was a great alternative to our regular banana bread recipe and it can double as a dessert.  It also freezes extremely well so you can slice it into single servings and pace yourself!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
adapted from a recipe my sister in law received from a friend

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup Ghirardelli cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. fresh nutmeg
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
3 large ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare a bundt pan.  (2 loaf pans or muffin tins work as well)  In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment whip eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla until light yellow.  In a separate bowl whisk dry ingredients together and then add to wet ingredients.  Mix until just incorporated.  Add mashed banana and chocolate chips.  Mix for 30 seconds.  Remove paddle attachment and fold batter with a spatula a few times and then transfer to the pan of your choice.
Bundt pan: start checking at the 45 minute mark by inserting a toothpick, cake is ready when it comes out clean.   Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

We love a good chocolate chip cookie and these definitely hit the spot the other day.  These cookies are chuck full of chocolate chips and I wouldn't think twice about adding a cup of chopped walnuts the next time I make a big batch of them.  They hold up well to dunking as well, so say the kids (wink, wink)!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 T vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a couple of baking sheet with parchment paper.  Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.  In a stand mixer, cream the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until blended.
Beat in the vanilla and eggs until light and creamy.  Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.  Stir the chocolate chips into the mixture using a wooden spoon.  Drop the cookie dough a tablespoon at a time (I use a small ice cream scoop) onto the prepared cookie sheets.  Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks.  Use two pans and make sure each pan cools between batches or do what I do and use a third sheetpan and just transfer the parchment paper to reduce waste.

Whoppie Pies

I have two different version of the "Whoppie Pie" to share today. The popular chocolate and marshmallow filling variety and a seasonal Pumpkin Pie variety. They are both very good and were definitely a hit in our home. We only made half a batch of each, which honestly is more than we need to have lying around! It is hard to walk past them without taking a nibble! The batter is quite different so we ended up with about 7 huge-yet thin-chocolate whoppie pies and about 20 smaller, more dome-ish pumpkin whoppie pies.

Chocolate Whoppie Pies
adapted from gourmet.com

2 cups flour
1/2 natural cocoa powder (or dutch-process)
1 1/4 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 t vanilla
1 stick butter, room temp
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg

filling
1 stick butter, room temp
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1 t vanilla
(Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in small bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer, beat butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Alternating between the two, add dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry.
Drop 1/4 cup batter on parchment-lined trays and bake for about 11 minutes or until puffed and springy. Cool on a wire rack and then place filling on bottom of cookie and top with second cookie.
Pumpkin Whoppie Pies
adapted from marthastweart.com

3 cups flour
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 T cinnamon
1 T ground ginger
1 T ground cloves
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups canned pumpkin-chilled
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla

filling
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 stick butter, room temp
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 t vanilla
(Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. In a stand mixer, beat brown sugar and oil until combined. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add flour mixer at once and mix until fully incorporated.
Drop 1 heaping tablespoon of dough (I used a small ice cream scoop) on parchment-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are firm to the touch and springy, 12-15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Spread filling on bottom on cooled cookie and top with second cookie. Refrigerate cookies to firm up, although I preferred them freshly made.

Candy Bar Trifle

This dessert has been a family favorite for years and years. I've made so many variations of it over the years and it is always a favorite wherever I take it. Really, who wouldn't like all of that chocolate?? It is also the simplest dessert I know of, but it looks party-worthy when you bring it to the table.

Our exchange student enjoyed making these with me.

It makes for the perfect dessert to make with your kids. With simple ingredients like a boxed cake mix, instant pudding, whipped cream, and candy bars the kids can easily assemble everything themselves.
You can let them fancy it up and decorate it with shaved chocolate, fruit, a drizzle of chocolate, or throw on lots and lots of candy bar chunks. They will surely have fun making it and eating it!1 boxed cake mix, baked and cooled
2 boxes instant chocolate pudding, made per box directions
1 large tub cool whip
3-4 large candy bars of your choice (our favorites are reese's peanut butter cups, snickers, heath, and butterfinger)
Cut cake into 1 inch pieces. Layer them in your bowl or cup. Spread enough pudding on to make a thick layer. Spread an equal amount of cool whip on top. Make sure you spread it out carefully so as not to let the pudding show through. Sprinkle with cut-up chunks of candy bar. Put a little more than you might think, it is the best part and adds a lot of texture to an otherwise soft dessert. Repeat as necessary.

Mini Baked Alaska-ish Dessert

Today is our 8th anniversary and I wanted to make a fun individual dessert so I came up with these mini baked Alaska desserts. I decided to go with a brownie bottom (chocolate cake would be terrific also) topped with vanilla ice cream. Then I added meringue and toasted it under the broiler. It was delicious!

For the brownie:
Suzanne's Best Brownies Recipe
adapted from simplyrecipes.com

Ingredients
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325°F with rack positioned in the lower third of the oven. Line the bottom and the sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides to make it easier to lift the brownies out of the pan when they are done.
Combine the butter, cocoa, sugar, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl. Set the bowl in a wide saucepan of barely simmering water. Whisk the butter cocoa mixture until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the pan and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring quickly after each one. When the batter looks shiny, thick, and well mixed, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon. Spread the batter evenly in the lined pan.
Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out just slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely on a rack. Lift up the ends of the parchment paper liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares.

Meringue:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
4 egg whites

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup granulated sugar with ¼ cup water and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Boil until sugar is dissolved about 3 minutes. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the sugar syrup, then beat on high speed until the egg whites are stiff and glossy, about 8 minutes.

To assemble

Take one completely cooled brownie square and add one small scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Cover entire surface with meringue. You may freeze for up to an hour...much longer and the brownie will become hard. Preheat the broiler. Broil the cakes until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Birthday Cakes(s)

Gabe had been talking about his birthday party 6 months ahead of time. He knew he wanted all of his friends to come over. He knew he wanted it to be at our house. He knew he wanted to have "lots of things to eat" and he knew exactly what he wanted his cake to look like.

Somehow he came up with the idea of having "5 circle cakes with cherries all around the top." I don't know where he came up with this idea, even though I asked him a hundred times. I tested him every few weeks to see if he had changed his mind. I suggested dinosaurs, polka dots, multiple layers, etc...but he was firm. He wanted what he wanted and I aim to please on his birthday. So, I set out to make 5 circle cakes.
He didn't want big cakes and he didn't want cupcakes, so when he saw me pull out the 6-inch cake pan he said "that is the right one, Mommy." Aha! The only bad part was that I only own 1 6-inch cake pan and he wanted 5 of them! Ugh. I didn't want to spend money on another cake pan so I baked each of the five cakes separately. I figured I had to make an adult cake to serve as well, so at least I was baking two cakes at a time. It still took 3 hours to bake, cool, wash, repeat, repeat, repeat, and repeat.

The biggest challenge was finding a way to display and serve all 5 cakes. I thought about going to the home store and purchasing a long piece of wood, but decided on using things I already had. I found a big box leftover from some purchase and cut it into a 9''x36'' rectangle. Then I found two yardsticks which I taped to the bottom. Then I covered the entire thing with foil. It ended up being perfect. It was the right size and it was sturdy enough to move all the cakes at one time. Frosting them was pretty easy with the help of some wax paper underneath the edges of each cake.

Gabe was thrilled with the cakes and the kids attending all seemed delighted with so many cakes! I was just plain relieved that they turned out!!

Once again I turned to Deb at Smitten Kitchen for help. She knows how to make a cake!! If she only knew what a presence she had at this birthday party!!

I used this recipe for the chocolate cake...I liked it even better the second day when it wasn't quite soooo moist!

I used this recipe for the frosting...sooo yummy!! The only drawback was that I had to wait until the morning of the party to frost and decorate...but it was delicious!

The adult cake was a simple 1-2-3-4 cake. Worked like a charm! I made it three tiers and used a raspberry filling for a big "wow" factor when serving.

Best Cookies Ever...Really

I must confess that I'm really skeptical when I try new chocolate chip cookie recipes. They all claim to be the best and often they are not. They don't live up to expectations...so we were thrilled when we took our first bites of these tasty cookies. They were big and beautiful. They looked like bakery cookies. They tasted better than bakery cookies. Between bites I heard "Best cookies ever." You should run into the kitchen and make these right now. Seriously!!!

Make sure you follow the directions as printed...it is really important.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Source: Baking Illustrated, page 434) as posted by brown eyed baker
Makes about 18 large cookies.

These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Oversized baking sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you’re using smaller baking sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches.

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm

1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.
4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.
5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.

Challah Bread

I've made quite a few yeast bread recipes in the past. I probably make pizza dough every other week and I regularly make rolls, pita bread, cinnamon rolls, or a loaf of bread to have around. So, when I stumbled upon this recipe I was thrilled because there is no kneading and much less rise time involved than a typical yeast bread recipe. No Knead bread has been popular for the past year or so, I've seen it everywhere on nearly every blog, but I still hadn't given it a try until I saw this recipe for a Nutella Challah Bread over on the Steamy Kitchen blog. It just looked too good to resist so I whipped up a half batch of her master challah dough recipe in about 5 minutes last night. It is seriously easy...dump, stir, and cover. That was it. I only had to wash a wooden spoon and a couple of measuring cups. I didn't even put the dough in a clean bowl.

This was so easy and it was a big hit with the boys. Gabe loves rolling the bread "snakes," painting the egg wash on, and licking the leftover Nutella off of the spoon. I almost think he could do this recipe alone because it is just that easy. Give it a try...it is worth it. Here are a few other options for this dough and a couple of very similar recipes. The sticky buns look scrumptious!!
No-Knead Nutella and Hazelnut Challah Bread
No-Knead Sticky Pecan Caramel Cinnamon Rolls
Original No-Knead Bread
I'm also reposting the master Challah Bread Recipe just so that it is easy for me to find the next time I want to make it.

Master Challah Bread Recipe
as posted on Steamy Kitchen from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Mix the master dough first and place it in the refrigerator overnight. You'll be using about a grapefruit sized piece for one batch of cinnamon rolls or one braided challah bread recipe. Leave the rest in the refrigerator for another use, it will last for days. This amount would make about 4 loaves...I made half of this and it worked perfectly.
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbl instant yeast
1 1/2 tbl kosher salt (1 1/2 tsp table salt)
4 lg eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, water, honey, melted butter, yeast and salt. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add in the flour. Stir until flour is completely incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 4 days. The longer you leave it in the refrigerator, the better tasting the dough will be.

Chocolate Covered Peanuts

These little morsels are always a big hit and they are the easiest things to make. There is no measuring, it is just dump and stir. I don't know where the recipe came from, but I'm almost sure it was something my mom passed along to me over the phone.

Easy Chocolate Covered Peanuts

1 bag milk chocolate morsels

1 bag peanut butter morsels

1 bag butterscotch morsels

1 large jar of roasted peanuts

Melt all morsels in a large pot over low heat. Once everything has melted and come together pour peanuts into chocolate and stir. Spoon out to desired size onto wax or parchment paper. Once cool enjoy.

Happy Valentine's Day

Like most of our holiday celebrations around here Valentine's Day tends to be centered around food. I think and plan and shop for days before the big event trying to get everything perfect. I usually plan on elaborate sidedishes and desserts that take all day to prepare. The end result is always satisfying but I'm so harried up to the event that the day is filled with little frustrations. Take last year for example, I planned on making a chocolate box filled with whipped cream and berries. The concept was great but my execution was lacking. It took three different trials before I finally resorted to making a chocolate bowl which looked a little less than perfect to me. So this year I decided (and after Joseph pleaded with me) to take an easier route and do things that could be prepped in little time and could be done mainly ahead of time. Following this requirement I decided on a menu of:

Marinated Bocconcini with Crostini
Herbed Golden Potatoes
Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
Herb Encrusted Rack of Lamb
Bailey's and Chocolate Fondue

The rack of lamb was the only thing that really required any attention and it was minimal. I prepped the fondue earlier in the day and left it on the stove until just before serving when I reheated it and poured it into my makeshift fondue pot.
I even had time to do all of the dishes before even sitting down which left *little* to clean up afterwards.
I would suggest using a traditional fondue pot if you have one.  I improvised and it worked, but the candle was too close to the pyrex dish and the chocolate actually started to bubble and pop so we ended blowing out the flame and eating it all quickly before it could cool down to much.  It definitely made it more interesting!!

Chocolate Fondue
Luscious Chocolate Desserts by Lori Longbotham
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons water
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Pinch of salt
1 to 3 Tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
Fresh fruit
(Ice cream)

Bring the cream and water just to a boil in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and salt, and whisk until smooth. Add the liquor, if using, and whisk until blended. (The fondue can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in a cool refrigerator. Gently reheat before serving.)
Transfer the fondue to a ceramic pot and keep warm over very low heat. Serve with the dipping ingredients of your choice.

Holiday Chocolate #2 - Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

After the Holiday Chocolate Workshop fiasco at Sur La Table a couple of weeks ago I've been anxious to give chocolates another shot. I figured I had a better chance of success without the chocolate police breathing down my neck.
The dipped pretzels from class actually looked nice enough when we made them but the chocolates used were not very tasty. So this time I used a block of Ghiradellhi chocolates which I knew I liked. I only made a dozen of these and I now know that was not enough. However, they are so easy that it literally would only take 20 minutes to make another large batch.
The second thing I made was a small batch of truffles. I've seen so many posts on truffles from the last SHF roundup that I couldn't take it anymore. I crumpled. I decided I just had to try making my own little batch of smooth velvety bites of goodness. I made a milk chocolate ganache and then I dipped them in the leftover pretzel chocolates and finally rolled them in walnuts. Mmmmm. Wow, what greatness. I only made 8 and they are all gone. I shouldn't make anymore...but I might. I just might make some and surprise Joseph later this week. He thought they were the most wonderful things ever. (Then again he could have been making up for his less-than-glowing review of the crepes earlier this week!)

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

1/3 lb of your favorite chocolates (I would not suggest chocolate chips, since they have stabilizers that don't allow the chocolates to melt correctly.)
1 bag Pretzel rods
Decorations:
White Chocolate
Chopped Nuts
Sprinkles

Bring water to a simmer in a double boiler or a small pot with a glass bowl on top. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Place chocolates in the bowl and wait until melted and smooth. Hold one end of the pretzel and set the other end in the chocolate. Use a spatula to coat the rod. Tap the end of the rod against the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Set on parchment paper until set or decorate.

Milk Chocolate Walnut Truffles
1/3 pound milk chocolate
1/4 cup cream
1/4 pound dark chocolate
1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat chocolate and cream in a double boiler. After the chocolate starts to melt, stir until combined and smooth. Cool and then set in fridge for about 1 hour. Use a small ice cream scoop to make balls. Roll each ball in your hand and dip in melted dark chocolate. (I used a fork.) Then roll each ball in walnuts.

Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies

Barefoot Contessa is one of my favorite Food Network shows. I love the way Ina uses ordinary ingredients and makes very do-able dishes. Although many of her recipes are not healthly - they always look very yummy. I received one of her cookbooks from my husband a year or two ago and I have made many of her savory dishes. This was my first attempt at one of her desserts. We only kept the amount in the picture - since I'm sure there are 5 gazillion calories in it, so I sent the rest to work with Joseph.

Outrageous Brownies
adapted from Foodnetwork - Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I used special dark instead)
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.
Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

These were indeed very delicious. They are not cake-like and not too heavy. They were something inbetween and very delectable. I would make these for a speical occasion where everyone else eats them and I just get compliments - not calories.