Chocolate Molten Cakes

I found a recipe on NY Times for Warm, Soft Chocolate Cake. I didn't have all the right ingredients, so I improvised a little and it worked out perfectly! The link is for the original recipe, below is my version.

Ingredients

- 1/2 C unsalted butter, plus more to butter the molds

- 4 oz Milk Chocolate

- 2 Eggs

- 2 Egg yolks

- 2 t flour, plus more for dusting

Preparation

In a small saucepan over low to medium low heat, melt butter and chocolate together, stirring regularly to avoid burning. While the butter and chocolate are warming, beat the eggs and egg yolks together until light and fluffy. Once the butter and chocolate are completely melted and combined, remove from heat. Very slowly incorporate the eggs mixture to avoid making scrambled eggs. Add the flour until just combined. Pour mixture into four 4oz prepared (buttered and floured) ramekins or custard cups.

You can cover and refrigerate these until you are ready for them. If you do refrigerate them, bring them to room temperature before baking.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake the cakes on another dish (I put mine in a larger baking dish) for about 10 minutes. I kept my cakes in their ramekins for serving and topped them with fresh whipped cream. Very yummy and elegant dessert with little effort!

Spiced Pie

I've never had minced meat pie before, but my husband loves it. From all that I've heard about it from him and others, I thought I had a good idea of what went into it. Of course, I had to try and make it myself, but with my own touches and flavor. My husband thought it smelled right, tasted really good and was not as spicy as regular minced meat. He also liked that it wasn't blended together like a paste.

So, here's the recipe for the filling.

Ingredients:

- 2 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced

- 2 C raisins

- 1 C golden raisins

- 1 stick (1/2 C) butter

- 1 C chopped almonds

- 1 1/2 C chopped pecans

- 1 t ground cloves

- 1 t ground cinnamon

- 1/2 t ground cardamon

- 1/2 t ground allspice

- 1/2 C brown sugar

- 1/4 C corn syrup

- 1/2 C molasses

- 1 T salt

- 1/2 C orange juice

Preparation:

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the apples, raisins, and nuts to the butter. Stir to cover with the melted butter. Add the orange juice, spices and salt. Stir to combine. Add the sugar, syrup, and molasses. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom of the pan. Cook for approximately 30 minutes. Makes filling for one large, 9-inch pie.

Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies For Everyone!!

At only about 55 calories per cookie, these Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies are healthy enough for seconds and thirds, but tasty enough that your kids will even love them!! This recipe came originally from Cooks.com, however I made some changes to lower the calorie and fat levels per cookie by about half.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

3/4 Cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, Firmly Packed

1 1/2 Cups Quaker Oats

1 Banana, Mashed (about 1/2 Cup)

1 Large Egg

2 Tablespoons Water

1 Tablespoon Molasses

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup Raisins

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Add the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend and Quaker Oats, mix until well combined. In a separate bowl combine mashed banana, egg, water, molasses, and vanilla. Mix until well combined and add to the dry mixture. Using a large spoon, mix the dry and wet ingredients. This will take a few minutes, but the mixture will combine to a nice thick and moist dough. Fold in the raisins.

Drop dough by tablespoons (or use a small dough scoop) about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. This dough will not spread - it is a drop cookie and grows some, but does not really spread out into a flat cookie, however they are soft and chewy!! Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies (plus maybe a few more)

Pecan-Chocolate Chip Pie

I will be making this for Thanksgiving this year and can hardly wait to try it out!! If you try to make it before then, please comment and let me know how it is!

This recipe comes from Cooking.com.

Ingredients:

3 Eggs
1 Cup Light Corn Syrup
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Margarine or Butter, Melted
1 - 6 oz. Package Semisweet Chocolate Pieces
1 Cup Pecan Halves
Pastry for Single-Crust Pie
1 Cup Whipping Cream, Whipped (for topping)

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, use a rotary beater or wire whisk to lightly beat eggs just till mixed. Stir in corn syrup, sugar, melted margarine or butter. Mix well. Stir chocolate pieces and pecan halves into filling. Set filling aside.

Prepare and roll out pastry as directed. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry. Trim and crimp edge of pastry. Pour filling into pastry shell. To prevent over-browning, cover the edge of the pie with foil. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20-25 minutes more, or until center appears nearly set when shaken. Cool on a rack.

Yield: 10 pieces (pie is very rich, so smaller pieces are suggested)

Neiman-Marcus Cookie Recipe

This is the $250.00 recipe from Neiman-Marcus. I haven't made it, but I can't imagine a cookie that is bad when it has all of these great ingredients inside!!

2 Cups Butter
24 oz. Chocolate Chips
4 Cups Flour
2 Cups Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Soda
1 tsp. Salt
2 Cups Sugar
1 - 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
5 Cups Blended Oatmeal
4 Eggs
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Vanilla
3 Cups Chopped Nuts (your choice)

(This recipe can definitely be cut down as it makes 112 cookies.)

Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar, and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Low Fat Black Devil's Food Cake - Adjusted

I have made this recipe both ways listed below and cannot tell the difference in taste or texture. The original recipe comes from the American Heart Association Cookbook. It is a great cake and so good with fresh berries and whipping cream, if you should so have the inkling...

Ingredients:
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
7 oz. Sugar (or same amount of Splenda) ~ 7/8 Cup
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil (I use Canola)
1/2 Cup Low-Fat Buttermilk (or use Skim Milk with a few drops lemon juice or white vinegar)
1/2 Cup Strong Coffee, Brewed (I use decaf espresso)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X9 inch pan with Pam and dust with flour. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar (Splenda), cocoa powder and baking soda. Whisk in buttermilk and oil. Stir in coffee gently until well blended. Mixture may be soupy. Pour into pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or let cool completely - either way, it is delicious!!

Makes 10 servings

Yummy Baked Apples

Ahhh. It's that time of year again when baked apples, homemade hot chocolate, and warming soups adorn our kitchens and tummies. I truly love this time of year - October is my favorite month of the whole year!!

Here is a recipe for baked apples I created about ten years ago.

Ingredients you will need:

- 6 Honey Crisp OR Granny Smith Apples, large; cored* and then peeled about 1/4 from the top down.
- 1/2 Cup Butter; chilled and chopped.
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/3 Cup Flour
- 1/3 Cup Quick Cooking Oats
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 Cup Raisins

Putting it all together:

Preheat your oven to 300. In a buttered baking dish, place the cored* and partially peeled apples so they stand on their own (they can touch, but you want them to not fall over in the dish). Combine all of the remaining ingredients, except the raisins, with a pastry mixer. Stir in the raisins. Spoon the mixture into the cored apples, over filling as much as possible. The remaining ingredients should be sprinkled around the bottom of the dish around the apples.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for one hour, then remove the foil and bake for another 30 to 45 minutes until the mixture on top of the apples is slightly browned.

Serve warm with ice cream, if you wish.

* The larger you make the core, the better. I usually make it about an inch in diameter if the apple allows.

Apple Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

4 - medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 cup - butter, divided

3/4 cup - sugar, divided

2/3 cup - brown sugar

2 - large eggs

1/4 cup - cooking oil, canola

1/2 cup - milk

1 cup - flour

1 cup - oatmeal, quick cooking (not instant)

2 teaspoons - baking powder

1 teaspoon - salt

1/4 teaspoon - ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon - ground nutmeg

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 8 X 11 baking dish, place sliced apples, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup butter (cubed). Do not mix, sprinkle the sugar over the apples and place the bits of butter over the sugared apples. Place in oven uncovered.

While the apples are cooking, in a large bowl place the flour, oats, remaining sugar and brown sugar. Mix well. Remove 3/4 cup and place in a separate bowl. To the large bowl of flour mixture, add the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well. Add oil, eggs, and milk. Mix well. Pour into pan with apples and continue cooking.

To the small bowl of flour mixture, add the remaining butter (which should be softened and cubed). Using a pastry mixer, combine flour mixture and butter until resembles little crumbs. Add to the top of the cake (5 to 10 minutes may pass between adding batter and adding topping). Continue baking for an additional 25 minutes and check with a toothpick to see if it is done (toothpick will come out clean). If needed, you may continue to cook five minutes and check again.

I made this recipe up this morning and my family liked it enough that they asked me to write it down. So, here it is!

Orange Spice Cake

This is the cake that I made for Lesley's birthday party last week. I think it came out well. It's not as sweet as your typical American cake which is nice. It is also easy to make. I made a few substitutions which are listed at the end of the recipe. Both recipes are from the Bundt Classics cookbook.

Orange Spice Cake

1 (18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 oz) package instant butterscotch pudding

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup orange juice

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 tsp apple pie spice

1/2 cup chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

4 eggs

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 or 12 cup Bundt pan. If using a 10 cup pan, fill 3/4 full and make 3 to 4 cupcakes with the remaining batter.

In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients. Mix 2 minutes on medium speed. Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack. If desired, drizzle with Orange Glaze.

Makes 16 servings

Orange Glaze

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 T butter, softened

2 to 4 tablespoons orange juice

1 to 2 teaspoons grated orange peel

In a medium bowl, mix sugar and butter. Gradually add juice until desired consistency; mix until smooth. Stir in orange peel. Use a spoon to drizzle over cake.

My substitutions:

I couldn't find instant butterscotch pudding so I used French vanilla instead. I also substituted cinnamon for the apple pie spice and chocolate chunks for the raisins. For the glaze I used 5 tablespoons orange juice instead of the recommended 4.

In the future I would use chocolate chips instead of chocolate chunks - I think this would prevent the chocolate from sinking to the bottom of the pan (top of the cake). It would also make the cake easier to cut. I would also toast the nuts to intensify their flavor.

White Chocolate, Strawberry and Oatmeal cookies

My New Year's resolution is to try 10 new recipes a month. (We'll see how it goes.) I made these cookies (from the May 2007 Cooking Light) on January 1.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup regular oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried strawberries
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, oats, soda and salt. Place sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until blended. Add strawberries and chips; beat at low speed just until blended.
3. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on pan 1 minute before cooling completely on a wire rack.

~Makes 2 dozen~

Notes: I don't have a stand mixer so I simply used a hand mixer for all blending until the addition of the strawberries and chocolate chips. The final blending I did by brawn (i.e. with a spoon). These come out beautifully if you use parchment paper to line the cookies sheets rather than greasing - less spreading, I found. If you can't find dried strawberries or that ingredient seems a bit pricey (I paid $5 for a bag containing ~1 cup), I think craisins would be good as well.

Peppermint Bark

Super simple and a great treat!

Melt 1 1/2 pounds milk chocolate in a glass bowl over medium heat in the microwave. Melt 3/4 pounds white chocolate in a glass bowl over medium heat in the microwave. Crush 8 oz. peppermint sticks or breath mint size.

Spray a jelly roll sheet with cooking spray, then completely cover with waxed paper. If necessary, tape two pieces of waxed paper together. Make sure to leave some waxed paper hanging over the edges all around the pan.

Pour the milk chocolate in the prepared jelly roll pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom of the pan. Next, drizzle the melted white chocolate evenly over the milk chocolate. Sprinkle the crushed peppermint over the entire pan of chocolate paying attention to the edges of the pan.

You can either leave the pan out at room temperature until it cools down and becomes solid bar, or if you are in a hurry, you can pop it in the refrigerator for a few hours to solidify. When the bar has solidified, hold the pan over the sink or a trash can and remove the loose peppermint. Pull the edges of the waxed paper up to remove the paper and chocolate from the pan. Using a large knife, break/cut the chocolate into small chunks.

That's it! The whole process takes less than 20 minutes of your time and, depending on your choice of solidification, anywhere from 2 hours to 6 hours (also depends on the temperature of the room). Makes about 2 1/3 pounds of peppermint bark.

Homemade Toasted Coconut Marshmallows

I made these tasty treats last weekend. They were pretty easy to make and oh so creamy! This recipe comes from Cooking Light, November 2005.

Total preparation and cooking time is 45 minutes. Chill time is 8 hours.

Ingredients
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
2 1/2 (1/4 oz) envelopes unflavored gelatin (2 T + 1 1/4 t)
3/4 cup cold water, divided
2 cups granulated sugar, divided
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions
1. Line a 9X13 in. baking pan with plastic wrap, allowing wrap to extend 1 inch over sides of pan. Lightly coat the plastic wrap with cooking spray.
2. Spread coconut in an even layer in bottom of pan; set aside.
3. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water in a small bowl; set aside.
4. Combine remaining 1/4 cup water, 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Cook, without stirring, over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer registers 260 degrees (about 15 minutes).
5. Remove from heat; gradually stir in softened gelatin (mixture will become foamy).
6. While sugar mixture cooks, beat the vanilla, salt, and egg whites at high speed in a heavy-duty stand mixer with whisk attachment until foamy.
7. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour in gelatin mixture, beating until very thick (about 5 minutes).
8. Gently spread marshmallow mixture over coconut in prepared pan.
9. Coat 1 side of another sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray. Place plastic wrap, coated side down, over marshmallow mixture.
10. Chill 8 hours or until firm.
11. Sprinkle powdered sugar and cornstarch over a cutting board.
12. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Invert marshmallow mixture over powdered sugar mixture.
13. Using a dough scraper, cut mixture into about 1 inch squares
14. Store between sheets of wax or parchment paper in an airtight container.

Hell's Backbone Grill

Matt and I took a trip down to southern Utah this weekend. Our destination was Boulder, Utah - a quiet tiny town (population of about 180) on Utah's Highway 12. You wouldn't think it would have any good restaurants, let alone one of the best in Utah. But it does. Hell's Backbone Grill makes fabulous food, mostly with local and/or organic ingredients. Many of the vegetables they use were grown on-site in their own organic garden. According to their own website, "Hell's Backbone Grill serves regionally-based cuisine: a blend of Western Range, Pueblo indian and Southwestern flavors."

All I can say is that their Cowgirl Meatloaf is the best I've ever had. And they have a chocolate-chile cream pot that will make you want to fall over and die. If you're ever even remotely close to Boulder, you have to eat here. Just be sure to make reservations since the restaurant is small and fills up fast, and bring a lot of $ to spend because this place is not cheap. You shouldn't expect anything super formal or fancy, but this restaurant is really worth the money and the trip.


Chocolate-Chile Cream Pots

Unbelievably rich and luscious, we pretty much have to keep it on the menu year-round, because returning diners complain if they can't order it. It's a certain cure for whatever emotional ill ails you.

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 9 ounces of good quality sweet chocolate
• 2 ounces of good quality unsweetened chocolate
• 6 large egg yolks (we use local farm eggs for this - substitute free range and organic store-bought)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. of powdered hot Chimayo chile
• Heavy cream - whilpped with a little sugar and vanilla to taste

Put the egg yolks into a blender and whip them thoroughly. Set them aside in the blender. Carefully heat the chocolate, the cream and the half and half together in a heavy-bottomed pot, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted and bubbling and the mixture is a very even consistency and color. Add salt and chile powder and let it simmer a little bit more.
Pour the very hot chocolate mixture into the whirling blender of egg yolks and blend them until thick and completely smooth. If for any reason the custard doesn’t thicken up properly, just put it into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook it on very low heat. It may temporarily break, but another quick go in the blender will fix the problem.

While the chocolate is still hot, pour it into dessert cups (we use small white ramekin dishes--a little bit of this dessert goes far). Top it off with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. We garnish this dessert with grated Abuelita Mexican Chocolate and edible flower petals or a whole small, dried red chile from our garden (although one time a guest ate the chile and nearly fainted . . . now we have the servers warn the guests about the garnish because it looks too pretty to leave off).

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I made these yummy muffins yesterday and they are tasty! A good alternative to the loaves we are more accustomed to seeing at this time of year. They are also easier to pack into lunch boxes or take to the office to share!

Ingredients:

2 medium eggs
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of milk
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons of white sugar
3 cups of flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon of ginger
10 or 12 oz bag of chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate, but semi-sweet would work well also!)

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugars, milk, pumpkin and applesauce. Mix thoroughly on low speed. In another bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix with a fork or spoon until well blended. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet until completely mixed. (Note: this is unusual for a muffin mix, however this recipe needs to be well mixed so there are no lumps.) Using a spoon, fold in the bag of chocolate chips. Fill sprayed or paper cupped muffin tins a little more than 2/3 full and bake at 325 for about 25 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.

Oatmeal cookies

From the Betty Crocker "Cooky Book" circa 1963. I found my vintage copy at a book sale. These are called oatmeal drop cookies in the cookbook and are billed as the "Best Cooky 1900-1910."

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups rolled oats

Optional:

• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1 cup raisins

Preparation:

Heat oven to 400 F. Mix shortening, sugar, eggs and molasses thoroughly. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Stir dry ingredients together; blend in. Stir in oats, nuts, and raisins.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2" apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

~Makes 6 dozen cookies~



Note: if you use self-rising flour, omit soda and salt.

Winter-Spiced Molten Chocolate Cakes

This is a fantastic recipe from Epicurious.com. Their version is fussier with crystallized ginger and rum-ginger ice cream, but I've cut it out the fuss in favor of pure chocolate. Because this recipe serves eight, I have always cut it in half and made it for four. It's a very rich dessert and one portion could easily be shared. I'd like to find a way to use smaller-sized ramekins and decrease portion sizes, but I'm concerned that I might accidentally take the "molten" out of the molten cake. Enjoy!

Ingredients

14 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
6 large eggs
6 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup all purpose flour


Preparation

Generously butter eight 3/4-cup ramekins. Stir chocolate, butter, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and white pepper in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Whisk in 3 cups powdered sugar, then chocolate mixture, then flour. Transfer batter to prepared dishes, filling to top and dividing equally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. This is a fantastic tip!)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake cakes until batter has risen above dish, top edges are dark brown, and centers are still soft and runny, about 15 minutes, or about 18 minutes for refrigerated batter. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Allow cakes to rest in dishes 5 minutes. Using hot pad and holding dish very firmly, place plate gently atop 1 cake and invert onto plate. Repeat with remaining cakes. Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve with vanilla ice cream.