chocolate

Chocolate Dipped Biscotti Bites

February 26, 2015

You know when you see a recipe and it just sticks with you so much that you just have to make it? But then a year passes as it collects dust as it’s stuck to your fridge… That’s this exact recipe.

Well the day finally came when I just had to make these sweet biscotti babies!

I’m here today helping throw a Virtual Baby Shower for fellow Secret Recipe Club member, Tara of Tara’s Multicultural Table. She was expecting her 2nd child so shower organizer Lauren, of Sew You Think You Can Cook, decided on the fun Biscotti theme as they are a twice baked cookie. Such a fun idea to go with with 2x theme for this 2nd baby.

Here’s the kicker… my biscottis only need to be baked once! They are cheater biscottis. Just kidding. They are teeny tiny so they are only need to be baked once. Just the best!

Similarly, Tara’s sweet little daughter didn’t want to cook any longer since she arrived 4 1/2 weeks early. So this Baby Shower is really to celebrate her sweet arrival now! You’ve just gotta go with the flow with babies.

I’m always so worried about creating evenly sized cookies and I was really afriad of that with these tiny ones. I solved that problem by rolling out a 10″ x 10″ slab and then cutting that in half, then each half was cut into 5 strips, making 10 strip. I then repeated that process in the other direction. Ta-da! 100 equally sized cookies.

And the dipping part was pretty cool. You know, when you dip too much and get chocolate on your finger tips you just need to lick it off!

These teeny tiny cookies are angelic and devilish! Oh man, they are so good that they will get you in trouble. I ate 6 in about 5 minutes. No shame in my game!

Check out all the wonderful biscottis that everyone made to celebrate Tara and her babby!!!

Blueberry Pecan Biscotti from Renee at Magnolia Days

Cinnamon Biscotti from Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti from Stacy at Food Lust People Love

Dark Chocolate Orange Biscotti from Amy at Amy’s Cooking Adventures

Green Tea Biscotti Cookies from Rebekah at Making Miracles

Jam-Filled Mandelbrot from Kelly at Passion Kneaded

Maple Walnut Biscotti from Sally at Bewitching Kitchen

Nut-Free Anise Biscotti with Chocolate Chips from Susan at The Wimpy Vegetarian

Orange and Dark Chocolate Biscotti from Lynsey at Lynsey Lou’s

Orange, Date, and Almond Biscotti from Karen at Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Parmesan-Peppercorn Biscotti from Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Spa Water from of Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious

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Chocolate Dipped Biscotti Bites

Makes 100 Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups fine cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 Tablespoons finely grated grapefruit zest (from 2 small grapefruits)
14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling, optional

Process

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Beat the butter with a mixer on medium speed until smooth.
Add the granulated sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until well combined.
Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Then beat in the shredded coconut, grapefruit zest, and 5 ounces of chocolate until evenly distributed.
Dump out the dough on a floured work surface. Create a 10″ x 10″ square. Evenly cut the dough into 10 strips, then cut across to create 100 equal sized cookies.
Roll out the cookies and set them on a non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with the sanding sugar. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets set on wire racks.
Melt the remaining chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Dip the bottoms of the cooled cookies in melted chocolate, then set on parchment-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

Slightly Adapted from Martha Stewart

Rolo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

December 29, 2014

The year is winding down. Just a few days to go!! I just can’t believe it. Time is flying.

Rolo Cookie Cups-1

Sure, sure, I can comment on how fast Autumn is growing but the real thing that ‘gets’ me is that the show Friends has been off the air for 10 years. And that it started 20 years ago. OMG.

That is just too much for my brain to comprehend. I mean, I still watch Friends A LOT.

I can tell you the story-line just by hearing the title of the episode... all of which start with “The One Where…”

I know random factoids about the show. I know silly little things about the cast, characters, and the show. I will kick some butt at Friends trivia. Kick butt!

I pride myself on that fact that I can quote a lot of it. “They don’t know, we know, they know!”

Anyway, when I was making these Rolo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups, I remembered that Rolos are Joey’s favorite candy. Loved them so much that he ate them all over the apartment, including in his recliner, Rosita. I’m sure that he would love these babies.

I suggest that you make these guys for a party or cookie exchange as you get a lot from a batch. 60 cookies in fact! Hey, just invite Joey Tribbiani over. He will help you eat all these cookies. Or just eat them all yourself. I don’t judge.

These cookies are super simple to make. I actually had Autumn help me. She helped push some of the Rolos in the cookies. Aww! Anyway, the only thing that is ‘tricky’ about the cookies is that you need to wait until they are completely cooled before taking them out of the muffin tin. If you rush it the cookies will break apart or collapse in on itself. I ending up putting mine in the refrigerator for a bit so they were really cool before running my knife around them and just popping them out. I just put the chilled cookies in the microwave and nuked them for bout 15 seconds to get ooey gooey again. yum!!

So, enjoy some of these Rolo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups while watching your favorite Friend’s episode.

What’s my favorite episode? ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!!

Rolo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

Makes 60 cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 Cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 Cups mini chocolate chips
60 Rolos (you’ll need 2 12oz bags)

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini cupcake cookie tins with non-stick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels.
Spray your hands with cooking spray. Pinch off the dough to create balls just bigger than 1″ around. Roll in your hands and drop into your cupcake tins.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are set and golden brown.
While the cookie cups are baking, remove the wrappers off the Rolos.
As soon as the cookies are out of the oven, place a Rolo in the center of each cookie cup. Let cool, you may chill in your refrigerator to speed up the process. (If you remove the cookie cups while warm they will break apart and collapse.)

Cookie dough adapted from Nestle

York Peppermint Patty Brownies

December 15, 2014

These brownies are awesome.

They make crummy days better and good days magnificent.

I needed one of these bad boys this past Friday. I needed a little pick me up! oomph!

Our babe had to go back to the orthopedic doctor on Friday to determine if her hips were in proper alignment yet (a complication from her legs being up from being Frank Breech), which would mean she could stop wearing her hip brace at night. Unfortunately, her x-ray revealed that she still needs to wear it as her right hip is not yet growing properly. It’s such a bummer as it means 6 more months in the brace for her. She has grown accustomed to wearing it but I still feel bad that she has to. Wahhh!!

At least we are dealing with it now as it can result in arthritis and she could need surgery later on. AHHH!!! where is my tray of brownies?!?!?!

For real, I definitely needed one of these York Peppermint Patty Brownies on Friday. Too bad I made these guys a few weeks ago. wahhh again.

Ah mint, how I love thee. Thee, I love thee. I love that word.

But really, mint is great. And the chocolate and mint combo is thee best.

I had a bag of York Peppermint Pattys taunting me. Those little patty’s were begging to be eaten. I was yelling at them back ‘NOOO!!’ I couldn’t open that bag since once I snagged one of those wrapped patties I would grab another and another. And another.

So I figured that using a bunch of them in brownies would help me not shovel them in my mouth as fast as possible. At least I could potentially resist shoveling brownies in my mouth a bit more than just the candies. Plus, sharing is caring so I was able to share with my coworkers. Brownies for everyone!

Grab a bowl, some peppermint patties, and you’ll soon be on your way to some mouth watering brownies. Okay, sure, you’ll need some more ingredients than just peppermint patties, but it will be worth a trip to the grocery store to make these brownies. I pinky swear ya!

York Peppermint Patty Brownies

Makes 24 brownies

Ingredients

12 ounces dark chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon peppermint extract
6 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 snack sized York Peppermint Patty candies, chopped

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan by buttering/spraying with non-stick cooking spray the bottom and sides and lining the bottom with parchment paper or tin foil.
In a large microwavable safe bowl, melt the chocolate and the butter together, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted and combined.
Add the cocoa powder and sugar, mixing completely.
Add in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract.
Stir in the flour and salt to gently incorporate.
Pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chopped up candy pieces on top of the brownies.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is clean upon removal. Do not over bake. Let cool prior to cutting into 24 pieces.

Swirly Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

April 22, 2014

My family is a walking, talking/immobile, babbling petri dish. We are a bunch of sicks. I have a stuffy, runny nose, Autumn has a juicy cough, and Price, poor Price, has the worst of it with a mix of everything from a sore throat to cough to a possible case of pink eye.

Oh and the dog won’t stop throwing up. But not because he is sick, because he is dumb and eats Autumn’s socks that he steals off her feet or steals out of the laundry bag. In fact, on Saturday morning he threw up a sock of hers, but before I could clean it up he ATE IT AGAIN. So infurating. And then he threw it up yesterday (Monday!) afternoon. Thankfully, I got it before he did again.

Ya, still reading? Good…

Besides all the germy stuff going on, my mom came up from Florida for a long weekend visit. She was last up in January so to her Autumn was huge and ready for college. They cuddled up and snuggled up while Price and I got to go out on a date on Saturday night. A SOLO DATE! We’ve been doing really well going out with the 3 of us but having this chance to go out alone was so good. SOOOO GOOD. 10x.

We went out for dinner for hibachi in our old stomping grounds in Brookline. After an amazing stuff-yourself-silly-dinner we strolled around a bit getting a scoop of ice cream to share and then doing some shopping at Brookline Booksmith. By then my buzz from my 1 lychee martini had worn off and we headed home (Price drove anyway, chill…). On our way home we stopped by the Yawkey Train Station project Price had worked on at his old job. Always fun to see completed work getting used by the public. And then we were home snuggling Autumn before bed.

Hey mom, sorry in advanced for your upcoming cold…

Anywho… Swirly Cheesecake Bars.

Cheesecake. Chocolate. A yummy crumbly pecan crust.

I fell in love with this crust. I think I need to use it with everything. I guess I just love pecans. And butter. It’s thick and crumbly and such a good base to these creamy cheesecake bars.

You can prepare the baking pan by greasing it but I’d also suggest placing two long pieces of overhanging parchment paper in the pan. This makes it really easy to remove the whole thing later to cut out the squares vs cutting them and then trying to remove them from the pan.

These bars are so good. Not super sweet which is really nice. It uses bittersweet chocolate so they still are a bit tart from the cream cheese and the chocolate, which I tend to like with some cheeescakes. If you don’t like it being too tart then just swap out the bittersweet chocolate for some semisweet chocolate and you’ll love these bars.

The top swirl is just for decoration. So be sure to swirl it up really pretty. Please don’t judge my lack of swirl skills. I need to work on them. Hey, maybe add some food coloring to jazz it up. And then send me a pretty picture. K, thanks.

Swirly Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients

2 ounces Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar or chocolate chips
1 cup flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
24 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Process

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 8 or 9-inch square baking pan. Or place overhanging pieces of parchment in the pan.
Combine the flour, pecans, butter, and brown sugar to make the crust. Press the mixture onto the pan. Bake 15 to 16 minutes, or until light golden brown. Let cool while preparing batter.
Break the chocolate into small pieces (or use chocolate chips). Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave until smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Remove 1 cup batter and set aside.
Add the melted chocolate to the batter in the large mixing bowl and combine. Spoon the chocolate batter over the cooled crust. Dallop the reserved plain batter over the chocolate batter. Using the blade of a butter knife, swirl the plain batter to create a marbled effect.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cover and transfer the pan to the refrigerator to chill in the refrigerator approximately 3 hours. Dip a knife in warm water to warm up, waire off and then cut out the 16 squares. Whenever the knife gets dirty clean it off by dipping it into warm water again. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Sourced from Ghirardelli

Hidden Samoa Cookie Brownies

March 26, 2014

Autumn is just beginning to laugh. EEEEEEE!!!!

She has spent the past 2 months laughing like a mime. Just imagine watching some TV on mute when you see someone crack up with a huge smile. Yep, that is how she had been. But since last Thursday night she has given us a few giggles. It’s just the best thing ever. Makes us so happy whenever she does it.

Until I can actually capture her laughing to share with you, I’ll make you happy with this recipe for Samoa Cookie Stuffed Brownies.

That’s right cookies inside brownies. And not just any cookies… Samoas!!

Hidden Samoa Cookie Brownies_06

I just love Samoas (aka Caramel Delights) so much so I’ve made cocktails to take like them and even just put them in a pie! Well, the next obvious step to me was that I had to put them in brownies. Obvi.

These are fun because it’s a treat to bite into them and discover a cookie inside the brownie!

Now don’t fret if you don’t have Girl Scout Cookies on hand, you can use Keebler’s Coconut Dreams. So you can enjoy these brownies whenever you want, not just in the spring time!

Hidden Samoa Cookie Brownies_02

Enjoy!

And please, winter won’t you go away soon? Like now! RIGHT NOW!!

Hidden Samoa Cookie Brownies_03

Hidden Samoa Cookie Brownies

Makes 20 brownies

Ingredients

8 ounces of semisweet chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 Samoa Cookies

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan by generously buttering/spraying with non-stick cooking spray the bottom and sides.
In a large microwavable safe bowl, melt 8 ounces of the chocolate chips and the butter together, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted and combined.
Add the cocoa powder and sugar, mixing completely.
Add in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract.
Stir in the flour and salt to gently incorporate.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Then place 20 cookies into the batter in a 4×5 grid, then pour the rest of the batter on top. To help you cut later on put a tooth pick in the center of the few cookies to give you some guidance.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is clean upon removal. Do not over bake. Let cool prior to cutting into 20 pieces.

Post contains affilate links

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

March 24, 2014

This weekend Price and I went to visit a wedding venue location in the Berkshires. I guess we should do some sort of wedding planning… only been together 9+ years and engaged since Sept. Oh, yeah… and we have a baby together. Been kinda busy with her.

Well, Crissey Farm has beautiful details, great menu options and price points, and it’s in a great location. Unless something incredible jumps out to us this week it seems like that is the place. Plus they have availability in August, November, and this winter.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars-1

The owner suggested a New Year’s Eve wedding as they have had so fun ones in the past. He explained that we could get married in front of one of their fire places. I love that idea, but I loved the idea of getting married on 1/2/15 even more as that would be our 10 year anniversary together. But once Price and I thought about the logistics of everyone traveling from WA, AZ, PA, NY, NH, CT, AND FL it became to risky in dealing with travel issues. This winter sucked, and it snowed 8″ inches on our anniversary, so we ultimately decided that was not a risk we would want to deal with.

So that leaves August and November. We quickly ruled out November as all the leaves have fallen at that point so it just won’t be as pretty for pictures. Plus, we would be juggling with Autumn’s first birthday and then Thanksgiving. Just too much going on there.

Now if you look at the calendar you would see that there are only a few months between now and August. So if we decide on that things will be fast passed. That really is okay since the simpler the better for us. Plus Crissey Farm is basically 1 stop shopping since they handle everything so we don’t need to worry about silly suff like linen rentals.

Anyway, if we’re actually cracking down and getting married this year I better stop eating sweets like this!

Well, honestly, breast-feeding and it’s associated weight loss is THE BEST thing ever. hehe! So, I’ll get to enjoy a few of these every now and then.

I used the Nestle Toll House Spring Time Baking Morsels instead of just a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. The Spring Time bag is only 10oz so jut be sure to add another 2oz of chocolate chips to get to the 12 oz needed for the recipe.

These are basically just cookies but they have a softer texture because there is less surface area to them in the bar form compared to the cookie form. Love that. Just like I love the sugar cookie bars I made before.

Enjoy these yummy treats!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Makes 24 bars

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Process

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13×9 metal pan.
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl; set aside.
Beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
Spread into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into 24 bars.

Slightly adapted from Nestle

Post contains affiliate links

Thin Mint Cookie Pie

February 28, 2014

Yay!!! It’s Girl Scout cookie season!

I get Girl Scout cookies every year. Typically I order them from one of my coworker’s daughter but being out on maternity leave I missed my chance to order from her. I was a little afraid that I would totally miss out on the opportunity to get those addictive Girl Scout cookies. But then I saw that a local troop would be setting up a table in my office building. Perfect! So I ran down one day and loaded up on this annual treat.

Now Girl Scout cookies are great on their own but I’ve learned that you can enjoy them in a variety of ways, including in baked goods, like the Thin Mint Gooey Cake Bars I made last year. How can you go wrong with adding cookies to a dessert? You can’t! It just makes it better.

Well, I had a box of Thin Mint cookies staring me down daring me to get to work. I had plenty of things in mind like cookies inside of cookies, cupcakes, and ice cream but ultimately decided to use the Thin Mints in a pie recipe. A minty, chocolaty pie… yes!!

This pie uses the Thin Mints in the no bake crust and then the minty chocolate pudding filling is garnished with whole Thin Mints. A whole cookie with each slice!!

This is such a simple pie to whip up. It takes about 20 minutes of active cook time and, thankfully, you don’t dirty many dishes either.

Making the pudding filling is very easy but you can’t rush it or neglect it either. If you cook it on too high of a temperature or don’t mix it enough you run the risk of burning the mixture. If you burn it you have to start over again and use some serious elbow grease to scrub your pot. And you don’t want to go that. You want to eat pie.

Thin Mint Cookie Pie

Makes a 9″ pie, 12 slices

Ingredients

Pie Crust

24 Thin Mint cookies
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Pie Filling

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 egg yolks
3 cup milk, any fat content (I used non-fat milk)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 3/4 cups dark chocolate chips

To create the pie crust:

Add the Thin Mint cookies to the bowl of a food processor and process until crumbs form.
Add the melted butter, mix well.
Firmly press the cookie crumb mixture into a 9″ pie plate.

To make the pie:

Sift together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt into a 2 quart saucepan.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the egg yolks and milk. Slowly pour milk mixture into sugar mixture and stir to mix.
Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a low boil. Continue to stir continually while it cooks for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and peppermint extract. Add the chocolate chips and stir until chips are melted and the mixture is well blended. Let cool for 15-20 minutes, stirring it every 5 minutes.
Pour into the Thin Mint cookie pie shell. Lightly lay a piece of plastic wrap on top of pie filling before refrigerating for several hours until chilled.
Garnish with 8 Thin Mint cookies around the edge of the pie plate so that each slice would have a cookie.

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Looking for more Girl Scout Cookie Recipes?

Thin Mint Gooey Cake Bars

Samoa Cookie Cocktail

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

January 24, 2014

This No Bake Peanut Butter Pie has a chocolate cookie crust with a lusciously creamy peanut butter filling on a chocolate crust. It’s irresistible.

It is just too cold lately. I’m calling it quits and I am just going to stay in my PJ’s eating this awesome No Bake Peanut Butter Pie. Pass me a spoon. And an extra pair of cozy socks.

…

Chocolate Icebox Pie

January 10, 2014

When I was trying to think of the pie to make for this week I remembered how my best friend made this Chocolate Icebox Pie for their first Thanksgiving in Seattle this year. They enjoyed it so I wanted to give it a try myself.

I’m so glad I did since it was so good!!

I love pies with graham cracker crusts. And obviously a filling made of rich chocolate is gonna find a place into my heart. And stomach.

The pie doesn’t take much time or effort to make so it’s something that you can whip up quickly when you are craving some chocolate. The homemade graham cracker crust is so good but if you’re in a real rush then I’m sure that store-bought one would work as well.

There are not that many ingredients so be sure to use good quality ones, especially the chocolate. As well, if you are melting the chocolate in the microwave, be sure to do it slowly so that you don’t burn it. Burned chocolate makes me sad.

As well, for the crust I strongly suggest putting the cinnamon in as it add a really nice flavor that kicks up the chocolate. And to have a cleanly cut pie, I suggest you cut the pie when it is really cold. This helps get a nice smooth slice and helps the crust stay intact.

This is the kind of pie that is perfect to enjoy after dinner (or maybe before!) or to take to a dinner party. It is simple to make and would be a crowd-pleaser. It makes 8 generous slices but it is so so rich that I could easily see it being cut into 16 thin slices.

This was the first time I made an icebox pie and it won’t be my last. There are so many different varieties that I have plenty to pick from as well. 🙂

Chocolate Icebox Pie

Makes a 9″ pie

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/4 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

1/3 cup hot water
2 tablespoons Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips, chunks, or disks
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Garnish, optional

Whipped cream
Chocolate shavings

Process

To make the crust:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Combine the ingredients, and press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides a lightly greased 9″ pie pan.
Freeze the crust for 15 minutes (which will prevent over-browning).
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until it’s lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

To make the filling:

In a small bowl, combine the hot water, cocoa, and vanilla extract and set aside.
Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a microwave or in a double-boiler. Stir the cocoa mixture into the melted chocolate, it will resemble a pudding when completely incorporated.
Whip the cream, sugar, and salt with a hand or stand mixer until soft peaks form.
Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream with a whisk or rubber spatula until no white streaks remain.
Spread the pie filling evenly into the cooled graham cracker crust.
Refrigerate the pie for at least 1 hour before serving, or until the filling is set and firm.
Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings prior to serving.

Sourced from King Arthur Flour

Andes Mint Chip Brownies

January 8, 2014

I’m kinda hooked on brownies.

I have been baking them up like crazy lately and have plans on several more different kinds of batches to bake up in the next few weeks. I kinda can’t wait!

Anyway, I whipped up these Andes Mint Chip Brownies up right after Christmas so that I could start to feel a bit more normal after having my typical life (showering, cooking, baking, eating, thinking) had been flip flopped after having Autumn. They are so quick and easy to whip up that even I can do them with new mommy brain!

The base for these brownies might just be my favorite. It might be the butter. Or the chocolates. Or maybe it’s the butter AND the chocolates. Maybe it’s the combo of it all. Probably that all together they create a soft, yet sturdy, brownie. I’ve made plenty of really soft brownies that just about need a spoon to eat them (de-lightful!) but these are bake sale brownies. What I mean by that is that you can cut them easier from the pan and could easily package them up to sell at the bake sale. Or toss into a lunch. Or delicately place on the rim of a glass of milk awaiting its sweet demise.

Adding the Andes Creme de Menthe Chips add such a great kick to the brownies. I just love this flavor. It just screams winter to me.

Since we’re still locked into this deep freeze from the “Polar Vortex” I think it would be a great idea to whip up a batch of these brownies to help you get through these cold days and nights. Days like this just call for a brownie and some hot chocolate.

Andes Mint Chip Brownies

Makes 24 brownies

Ingredients

12 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 ounces Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan by buttering/spraying with non-stick cooking spray the bottom and sides and lining the bottom with parchment paper or tin foil.
In a large microwavable safe bowl, melt 8 ounces of the chocolate chips and the butter together, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted and combined.
Add the cocoa powder and sugar, mixing completely.
Add in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract.
Stir in the flour, salt, remaining chocolate chips, and the Creme de Menthe chips to gently incorporate.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is clean upon removal. Do not over bake. Let cool prior to cutting into 24 pieces.