How to Make Cake Pops Video

I love Cake Pops, and I plan to write a post about Cake Pops in the near future. In the meantime, here's a really cool How to Make Cake Pops Video from Cakeb0t.  Cool step by step instructions.

Be sure and check out Cakeb0t.com for more Cake Decorating Techniques and Tutorials for the Cake Artist! Great Video from Binky!




Hat Tip: Julie Hyzy, author of the White House Chef Mystery Series

Chocolate Blueberry Pancakes: Two Ways

I posted these recipes last year on Blueberry Pancake Day, but since it's Saturday morning, I thought I'd repost, so you can get a jump on the weekend's brunch. Add some chocolate to Blueberry Pancakes, and you can celebrate this fun food holiday in two ways.

This first recipe is from Cooking Light for Perfect Buttermilk pancakes. I've added blueberries and chocolate to tweak the recipe to fit this blog and the 'holiday'! I usually have fresh blueberries around, but if you don't, you can use frozen blueberries. Trader Joe's has great wild blueberries that go great in this recipe.

BUTTERMILK BLUEBERRY CHOCOLATE PANCAKES

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 cup Blueberries (less if frozen.. I like the frozen Wild Blueberries from Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup Dark Chocolate chips or Dark Chocolate, broken up (alternatively, you can use white chocolate!)

Directions
1. Spoon flour into dry measuring cup; level with knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt) in large bowl, and make well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, oil, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth.
2. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter onto hot nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. 3. Add Blueberries and Chocolate pieces (or Chocolate Chips).  Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges seem cooked.
***

So that's what you'll make fresh today! I'm also fond of Mixes in a Jar. Here's a quick and delicious recipe for Chocolate Blueberry Pancakes in a Jar. You can have this on hand or to give as a gift. One helpful hint when making mixes in a jar is to really pack the ingredients in. Use a tamper, if you have one...except for the dried blueberries and chocolate.

CHOCOLATE BLUEBERRY PANCAKES IN A JAR

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried Blueberries
2/3 cup dark chocolate chopped into chip size (or dark chocolate chips)

Layer flour, then sugar, then baking powder mixed with baking soda and salt in a 1-quart wide-mouth jar.
Add blueberries, then chocolate. Seal Jar.
Cover jar with burlap or other fabric and tie with raffia or a bow.
Attach gift tag with the following instructions:

Chocolate Blueberry Pancakes 
Makes 25 pancakes
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sweet butter, melted
Contents of Jar of "Chocolate Blueberry Pancakes"
1-1/2 to 2 cups whole milk (or buttermilk)

Mix eggs and melted butter in large bowl. Add contents of jar. Stir until well blended. Add 1-1/2 cups milk. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened.

Heat griddle or skillet. Pour batter onto hot griddle 1/4 cup at a time. Cook pancakes until golden on both sides.

And, just saw this on TwoPeasandPod's blog for Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes. No chocolate, but they look yummy!

Paula's Golden Cream Chocolate Cake: National Chocolate Cake Day, Vintage Ad & Recipe

I've been waiting awhile to post this Baker's Chocolate Cake Ad. In the 1930s and 40s, the Baker's Chocolate Advertisements told a story, and this one that appeared in Life Magazine on February 7, 1938 (and again June 5, 1939) is of my favorites. What a period piece! I mean really...just read the headline, "Paula Gives Mother-in-Law Her Come-Uppance".  And don't you just love the word "Flibbertigibbet."  Good thing Paula had a mind and talent of her own. And what a saint she was not lauding her baking skills over her mother-in-law. Such modesty. Oh puh..lease. I feel like writing 'the rest of the story.'

This recipe really is delicious. The cake is a "cross between a Fudge Cake and Boston Cream Pie." A perfect posting for National Chocolate Cake Day!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Pistachios: National Pistachio Day

Today is National Pistachio Day! I posted this recipe for Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Pistachios last summer when my zucchini plants were taking over the garden. I can get zucchini at the market (not the farmers' market), so I can make this Zucchini Bread to Celebrate the day. This bread is tasty hot out of the oven or toasted the next day with fresh sweet butter, cream cheese or mascarpone.

The Secret Ingredient: Pistachios! Pistachios add taste and texture to this wonderful moist zucchini bread.

A bit of information from ferrebeekeeper (a wonderful blog about art, nature and gardening anecdotes):

Pistachios' clam-like seeds pop open when they are ripe and the exposed seed has a brownish pink skin–which in turn reveals a pale creamy green flesh inside. Pistachios are members of the Anacardiaceae family, which includes sumacs and poison ivy.  (this makes it perfect for my other blog: www.mysteryfanfare.com) Like these scary relatives, pistachio plants (and seeds) can contain the oily irritant urushiol—so pistachios sometimes trigger allergies and rashes, however, dieticians assert that the seed is one of the healthier sources of protein and oils. Traditionally pistachio nuts were dyed red to hide the blemishes made by handpicking, however this false color is no longer necessary.

Please use natural pistachios in the following recipe. No red dye #3!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Pistachios!

Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp Madagascar Vanilla
2 Tbsp sweet butter
6 Tbsp DARK Cocoa
2 cups zucchini, grated
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped chocolate chunks or dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
2 tsp flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
In large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Mix until well blended.
In small saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp butter, add 6 Tbsp cocoa and blend tuntil smooth. Set aside to cool.
Peel and grate zucchini. Add zucchini and cooled cocoa mixture to the large mixing bowl and blend well.
In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to the batter. Stir only enough to blend in all the dry ingredients.
In another bowl, coat broken up chocolate chunks (or chips) with 2 tsp flour.
Fold in flour-coated chocolate chunks and chopped pistachios to batter.
Spoon batter into two greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pans or into a greased bundt pan.
Bake 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 5-10 minutes.
Remove from pans and continue to cool on a wire rack.

US Pistachios: How they're Harvested.




Hat Tip @FriendsEatNYC for YouTube Pistachio Harvesting Video

Irish Coffee Day: Irish Coffee Truffles: Irish Coffee Day

Today is National Irish Coffee Day, and it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! I'll be stopping by the Buena Vista Cafe for a glass of Irish Coffee. Irish Coffee was invented at the Buena Vista Cafe, right here in San Francisco.

On my first day in California I was lucky to hitch a ride with a visiting dignitary. The day's tour of San Francisco included the hills of San Francisco, Sonoma County, the Renaissance Fair, Sausalito, Fisherman's Wharf, the Palace of Fine Arts, Cliff House, the Golden Gate Bridge and a stop at the Buena Vista Cafe for an Irish Coffee. I saw more of the San Francisco Bay Area on that one day than I did over the next ten years.

Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista is a very San Francisco drink invented in 1952 at The Buena Vista Cafe. The recipe was a collaborative effort between Jack Koeppler, the Buena Vista’s owner, and Stanton Delaplane, a well-known international travel writer and Chronicle columnist. Here's the original recipe. Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista is still made the same way.

The official story of Irish Coffee tells of the perseverance and repeated attempts of Koeppler & Delaplane and even a trip to Shannon Airport, where a forerunner of Koeppler’s vision was served. The whipped cream posed a problem, but the input of a prominent dairy farmer turned Mayor of San Francisco, solved the problem: Age the cream for 48 hours and froth it to a precise consistency so it would float on top of the hot coffee, to Koeppler’s specifications.

So if you're in San Francisco today, it's a big day at the Buena Vista. Stop by and raise a glass!

But this is a Chocolate Blog, so once again I wanted to post a recipe that includes Chocolate and the day's 'food' holiday. Since I love alcohol infused truffles, I decided to post a recipe for Irish Coffee Truffles. You'll love this easy recipe from Martha Stewart Weddings. I use darker chocolate than in the recipe, but otherwise, it's just about the same. It's pretty much no fail, and that's what I like.

IRISH COFFEE TRUFFLES

Ingredients
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 pound plus 14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, (60-72%), finely chopped
1/2 cup sweet butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed dark-brown sugar
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup Irish whiskey
2 tablespoons coffee extract
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, for rolling

Directions
1. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; line with plastic wrap, allowing a 2-inch overhang; set aside.
2. Put chocolate and butter into a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until chocolate and butter have melted. Remove from heat.
3. In a separate saucepan, bring cream, corn syrup, and brown sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Immediately pour over chocolate mixture; whisk until smooth.
4. Whisk in yolks, whiskey, coffee extract, and salt.
5. Pour into prepared pan.
6. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming.
7. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll into balls, about 4 hours (or more).
8. Using a 1-inch ice cream scoop or a medium melon baller, scoop chocolate into balls, immersing scoop completely, then rotating it; transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Coeur d'Alene Irish Coffee Truffles

9. Put cocoa powder into a shallow dish. Remove truffles from refrigerator. Roll each ball in your palms until completely smooth, then roll in cocoa powder to coat (if truffles become too soft to roll, return to refrigerator until firm); transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (up to 3 days).

No time or ingredients to make your own? You can buy Irish Coffee Truffles. I'm very fond of the Coeur d'Alene Irish Coffee Truffle. Maybe easier to find if you have to celebrate today would be the Lindt Irish Coffee Bar. They're both great and use real Irish whisky.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Sandwich

Today is National Peanut Butter Day. To celebrate, you can eat some out of the jar--chunky, smooth, organic.  Or you can make this scrumptious Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Sandwich.

Peanut butter and Banana sandwiches are great but adding chocolate makes this sandwich even better. Follow the adapted recipe below from the Vosges website for a Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Sandwich. It's easy and one of my favorites--maybe because I love the Vosges Organic Peanut Butter Bonbon Bar. To make this great sandwich, use a panini press, a skillet, a waffle iron or your clothing iron. Whatever you have. Who doesn't love a grilled sandwich?

Some alternatives if you don't have the Vosges Peanut Butter Bonbon Bar would be to use a few Reese's Peanut butter cups. Not the same quality, but delicious all the same! Or you can use Peanut Butter & Co's Dark Chocolate Dreams.  It's a wonderful organic product and has a place in your pantry or fridge.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Sandwich

Ingredients
2 white bread slices (soft sweet sourdough or Italian white bread) about 4-5 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick
2 tbsp Sea salted butter (or make your own by mixing 1/2 tsp sea salt and 2 tbsp of a fabulous sweet butter-or leave the salt off since there's salt in the Vosges Peanut Butter Bonbon Bar)
2 squares Vosges Organic Peanut Butter Bonbon Bar
1/2  banana, sliced

Directions
Spread butter on all sides of the bread.
Place peanut butter bar squares on one piece of bread, followed by sliced banana and a sprinkle of salt.
Place other piece of buttered bread on top/
Press with Panini press until golden brown.

In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy: Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownies

The Challenge on Project Runway All Stars this past week was to design a "flamboyant cocktail dress" for "one of the most famous fashionistas in the world." That fashionista came with a very unique figure and large ears (to be considered in hats or headpieces): Miss Piggy. Now unless you've been living under a barrel for the last 20 or 30 years, you'll know who Miss Piggy is and that she has a great sense of style. Fashion houses such as Burberry and Prada have created fabulous outfits for the divine Miss P, the fairest muppet of them all. Some of the contestants on Project Runway did her proud, but she had comments for those whose dresses didn't please her. Yes, Miss Piggy was a Guest Judge!

As many of you know, I collect celebrity, literary, mystery, and tie-in cookbooks. Of course, I went directly to my bookshelf and pulled off In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy: by Moi. This would have been a valuable book for the designers on Project Runway All Stars because besides cooking advice, there is a section on Miss Piggy's Guide to Food and Fashion. Lest you think that Miss Piggy spends all her time in the kitchen--well how could she? She's busy making movies and TV shows--Miss Piggy asked her dearest and closest celebrity friends to send recipes. When the cookbook came out in 1996, a portion of the proceeds was donated to Citymeals-on-Wheels.  The book was dedicated, "To Kermit, who has always been the hottish dish in moi's life."

In the section on Miss Piggy's Perfect Pantry #1 is Chocolate! I love her Chocolate Bar Graph.

Here's a chocolate recipe from In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy for Ben and Jerry's Superfudge Brownies with A Tip from Miss Piggy! Enjoy!

Dagwood's Blondies: National Blondie Brownies Day

Today is National Blondie Brownies Day. Now this is a misnomer because Blondies aren't really brownies. I addressed this last year on National Blondie Brownies Day with a different recipe. Blondies are all about the butter and brown sugar, and as with their versatile cousin, chocolate brownies, you can add other ingredients such as macadamia nuts, cocounut, white chocolate chips, pecans, or other goodies.

This year I'd like to celebrate National Blondie Brownies Day with a recipe that features Blondie, that wonderful comic strip woman known for her baking and sandwich making! Created in 1930 by Chic Young, Blondie and Dagwood appear together in blissful love and happiness in over 2300 newspapers all around the world and translated into 35 different languages in 55 countries and read by an estimated 280 million people every day.

This recipe isn't from the Blondie Cookbook (I posted a recipe from the cookbook for a Chocolate Sandwich, of course).  This recipe for Dagwood's Blondies is from the Lurpak Butter Company.  Enjoy!

Dagwood’s Blondies

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 oz (1 cup or 16 Tablespoons) Sweet Butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. On medium speed, beat butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time and then vanilla.
4. Lower speed and stir in flour mixture
5. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips or pieces.
6. Transfer batter to 9 x 13" non-stick or sprayed baking pan.
7. Bake for 45 minutes.
8. Cool completely in pan before cutting into 2-inch squares.

Chocolate Cranberry Granola Bars: National Granola Day

Today is National Granola Day. Granola isn't just for hippies anymore. Granola Bars are great for a healthy snack after school or on the trail. Yes, you can buy a lot of wonderful Granola Bars with Chocolate at the Market, but you can also make them very easily.

Last year on National Granola Day I posted recipes for Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars and Chocolate Granola. Since I'm all about easy, here's a simple recipe that you can adapt to your own needs or wants. There's no right or wrong here. You can add different nuts and cereals, different dried fruits, different chocolate chips or chopped chocolate with different amounts of cacao. You can add flavorings, too, such as Vanilla or Almond.

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY GRANOLA BARS

Ingredients
1/4 cup local honey
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1 & 3/4 cups oats
1 cup rice cereal (or another type of cereal you like)
4 tbsp DARK chocolate chips or 4 ounces chopped chocolate (65-85% cacao)
1/4 cup chopped peanuts (or almonds)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or dried cherries)

Directions
1. Heat honey, molasses, and brown sugar  (do not boil). Take off stove.
2. Immediately add peanut butter and stir until smooth.
3. Stir in oats, cereal, nuts, and dried cranberries.
4. Fold in chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
5. Spread mixture into a pan coated with cooking spray. 
6. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes.
7. Cool and cut into bars or squares.

Laura Chenel's Chèvre Chocolate Truffles

I'm a huge fan of goat cheese, and I've posted several goat cheese truffles recipes on DyingforChocolate.com.  Laura Chenel's Chèvre Fresh Log took 1st place in the 2011 American Cheese Society competition, and it's a favorite of mine. I was so excited to meet Chef Jacquelyn Buchanan  from Laura Chenel at the Fancy Food Show this week. We chatted about chocolate and cheese, and I picked up her recipe for Laura Chenel's 'Award-Winning' Chèvre Chocolate Truffles. You can never have too many truffle recipes or too many truffles. In this recipe you can use either Log or Chabis (creamy, not flavored).

LAURA CHENEL'S 'AWARD WINNING' CHEVRE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Ingredients
4 ounces Laura Chenel's Chèvre (Log or Chef’s Chèvre-not flavored)
6 ounces fine quality semi-sweet chocolate (72% cacao)
¼ cup agave nectar or mild-flavored honey
1 tablespoon Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder for coating
Optional Special equipment: 1-inch paper candy cups

Directions
1. In the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring gently until it is smooth. Be sure the bottom of the bowl of chocolate is not touching the simmering water. Take care not to get water into the chocolate. (Tip: To melt the chocolate in a microwave use a low power setting, microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat until the chocolate is smooth.)
2. Add the Laura Chenel's Chèvre and agave nectar or honey to the melted chocolate and stir until smooth. Stir in the Frangelico, orange zest and almond extract. (If using the microwave, the mixture: may need to be re-warmed). Transfer the mixture to a glass baking dish and refrigerate for 2 hours or place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop, melon baller or spoon, shape the mixture into ¾-inch rough rounds. Place truffles on a plastic wrap-lined plate or platter. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Working quickly while truffles are cold, shape each round into a smooth ball by rolling it in the palms of your hands. Drop into cocoa powder and roll to coat. Place each finished truffle in a paper cup. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Recipe by Chef Jacquelyn Buchanan
Laura Chenel’s Chèvre

Happy Anniversary: 3 Year Blogiversary Chocolate Cake

It's been three years since I started blogging at DyingforChocolate.com. Over these past three years I've had 1180 Chocolate Recipes, Reviews and News posts. You know I love Vintage Ads, so here's a  Baker's Chocolate Cake to Celebrate! OK. it's a 175th Anniversary Cake, but it works for me! If I knew you were coming, I would bake a cake!

Thanks to all who have contributed and commented--and to all the chocoholics out there.

Happy Third Blogiversary to DyingforChocolate.com

Taza Chocolate: How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate

It's really chilly today, so it's a perfect day to post this recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate from one of my favorite chocolate companies: Taza Chocolate. I got to meet Alex Whitmore, one of the founders of the company, at the San Francisco Fancy Food Show yesterday, and for me it was like meeting a rock star.  I always have Taza Chocolate in my desk.  Love that aroma when I reach for a pen. Taza Chocolate is a bean to bar company with a stone ground process. They're also serious about sustainable agriculture and fair trade.

Taza Chocolate was founded in 2006 and combines the Meso-American tradition of chocolate with a modern, high-quality product manufactured in a socially responsible way. In 2005, Taza cofounder Alex Whitmore traveled to Oaxaca to steep himself in the history and culture of Mexico. He learned about the pre-Columbian ritual of “xocolātl” in Latin America, and the customs that surrounded the transformation of cacao into a drink. The Oaxacan treatment of chocolate, compelled by the minimal processing and traditional method of stone grinding the beans, influenced him to start a business dedicated to crafting artisan, Mexican-style chocolate in the United States.

Alex Whitmore, Co-Founder, Taza Chocolate

Taza Chocolate produces 100% stone ground, organic chocolate using only the best ingredients while compensating growers fairly for their work. Taza found its initial sources in Chiapas, Mexico; in Talamanca, Costa Rica; and in Nagua, Dominican Republic. Today, Taza produces thousands of chocolate bars each month, which are sold in almost every state. Taza Chocolate has had a positive effect on their community, the industry, and livelihood and welfare of their growers.

This recipe is from the Taza website. As I've mentioned before, there are some wonderful recipes to be found on food product websites. I've made this Mexican Hot Chocolate with both the 'regular' Mexican Chocolate disc, the Chipotle Chili Chocolate Mexicano and the Guajillo Chili Chocolate Mexicano. There are lots of choices, and you can always add other flavors to your hot chocolate blend. See the recipe for ideas. Let me know what you make!

MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE

Step 1: Grate a disc of Chocolate Mexicano, and set aside:
To make a traditional taza de chocolate, start by grating one disc (approx. 1.3 oz) of Chocolate Mexicano for every cup (6 to 8 oz) of hot chocolate you'll be making. Use a rasp, microplane, or cheese grater. If you're using an unflavored Mexican chocolate, add any extra spices now. Vanilla, almond, cinnamon, and chili are common additions. Keep in mind that while it's not strictly necessary to grate the chocolate before melting it into your liquid, grated chocolate melts faster and is less prone to burning to the bottom of the pan.

Step 2: Heat water or milk until just below boiling:
In Mexico, hot chocolate is typically made with water, not milk. For a thinner, more refreshing taza, use water. If you prefer a thicker, richer version, use milk. Start by heating the milk or water in a high-walled saucepan until just under boiling.

Step 3: Remove Liquid from heat and mix in chocolate:
Take the saucepan with either milk or water off heat and add in grated chocolate. Continue to mix to prevent the chocolate from sticking to the bottom. Any liquid additions (rum, bourbon, tequila, vanilla) should be mixed in now.

Step 4: Pour chocolate mixture into pitcher; whisk:
Taza de chocolate is typically served frothy, with a thick head of foam on top. This is achieved by vigorously whisking the mixture using a molinillo (wooden Mexican whisk) or a standard whisk. Pour the liquid into an earthenware pitcher or narrow high-walled vessel (or leave it in your saucepan and risk a mess). Whip until airy and frothed up, about two minutes.

Step 5: Pour mixture into warm mugs. serve :
Pour your hot chocolate mixture into pre-warmed mugs. Garnish with a cinnamon stick for stirring, grated chocolate on top, or everyone's favorite: marshmallows and whipped cream. Serve immediately.

You can find Taza Chocolate  in Stores or order online

San Francisco Fancy Food Show: Chocolate

So many Chocolate Products at the San Francisco Fancy Food Show. I'll be doing some reviews in the next week or so, but in the meantime, thought I'd post a few snapshots from yesterday's foray! Chocolate and more Chocolate! Going back today for more!

Napa Cakes Panforte

Chewy's Chocolate Raspberry Rugelach

Seapoint Farms Dark Chocolate Edamame

Dutch Chocolate Sweet Sticks

Blue Cheese Cheesecake with Chocolate Cookie Crust

I love chocolate and cheese, and I'm looking forward to the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, where the entire Moscone Convention Center will be filled with chocolate and cheese from all over the world. Yes, there will be other fancy foods and beverages, but I have my priorities. I will be writing about the show over the next few days, but in the meantime I want to share this great recipe for Blue Cheese Cheesecake. I use a Chocolate Cookie Crust, of course.  

Chocolate and Blue Cheese go well together. I've made Blue Cheese Truffles on numerous occasions, and I love them. If this is your first foray into the combination, choose a mild creamy blue cheese. If you're not sure, ask your cheese specialist.

BLUE CHEESE CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CRUST

Chocolate Cookie Crust:

Ingredients
30 chocolate wafers (Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers-1 1/2 cups crumbs)
5 tablespoons sweet butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract

Directions
1. Process cookies in food processor until finely ground.
2. Transfer crumbs to mixing bowl & combine crumbs, butter, salt, and vanilla. Stir until crumbs are moistened.
3. Press mixture evenly across bottom of 9-inch springform pan and all the way up sides of pan. Pack tightly so crust is even.
4. Bake in 350° oven for 6-8 minutes or until crisp.
5. Let cool completely before filling. You can put it in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

For the Cheesecake:
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
10 ounces Blue Cheese, room temperature (I've used Humboldt Fog)
3 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch cracked black pepper

Directions
1. In large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add blue cheese; beat until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape bowl. Add sour cream, honey, salt and pepper. Beat until combined.
2. Pour into cooled prepared Chocolate Cookie Crust. Bake 40 to 45 minutes in a 325° oven or until set and knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature in pan.

Julie Child Croissant Episode

The other day I reviewed Trader Joe's Chocolate Croissants. They're great and they're easy, but if you want to make them yourself, take a lesson from Julia Child. This is a classic! She's making croissants not pain au chocolat, but it's a wonderful episode.

"If you're afraid of butter, just use cream."--Julia Child

Gold Rush Brownies: Vintage Ad & Recipe

Got to love Elsie the Cow, the Borden's Mascot. Elsie made her debut in 1939, and after 70 years, Elsie is still going strong.

This recipe uses sweetened condensed milk. Gail Bordon patented his invention for making condensed milk in 1856 and that his company was the first manufacturer of condensed milk. Follow this link to an article from Smithsonian Magazine to learn more about this miraculous food product.

Here's a vintage Ad & Recipe for Gold Rush Brownies that are made with Borden's Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, but the brownies are made without Eggs or Butter. I love my butter, but this is such a great ad reflecting the time period of "modern" baking short-cuts. This Advertisement appeared in Life Magazine, April 23, 1951.

Chocolate Hot Toddy: Whiskey & Pacari Chocolate

Today is National Hot Toddy Day, and it couldn't come at a better time. Last night I attended a Chocolate & Whiskey Pairing in San Francisco, sponsored by Pacari Chocolate.

I hadn't tasted Pacari Chocolate before, and I am pleased to say it hit the mark on several levels. There were 9+ fabulous Ecuadorian Pacari Chocolates to taste including the Raw Line,  Lemongrass bar, Salt&Nib bar, Raw Maca bar, Merken Chili bar, and their Single-Origin line. My favorite was the Raw Nib Bar with Pink Sea Salt from Cuzco. 

Pacari Chocolate is a great organic chocolate. Their first single-origin organic chocolate is made in small batches entirely in Ecuador. All of their ingredients are 100% organic and produced according to fair and equitable standards. Each of their single-region, raw and specialty chocolate products is crafted to maintain the complex flavor profile of the Arriba Nacional cacao bean. Pacari partners with small-scale cacao growers to preserve their traditional way of farming.

The pairing of chocolate with whiskey made a big impact on me. I wasn't a big whiskey drinker before last night, but this Whiskey & Chocolate Pairing made me a convert--both to whiskey, particularly Scotch, and to pairing with chocolate. I've used whiskey in truffles and bourbon balls and cakes, so I knew chocolate and whiskey went together--just hadn't tasted them together--a bite of chocolate-a swig of whiskey! They totally go together and each brings out the flavors in the other. The whiskeys on deck last night: High West Double Rye, Basil Hayden's Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Laphroaig Single Malt.

Knowing that today was National Hot Toddy Day, I asked the mixologist for his favorite whiskey to pair with a specific Pacari chocolate to make a Hot Toddy. Of course, this quickly became a 'heated' discussion with the Pacari Chocolate expert and everyone else at the tasting table. Since Hot Toddys are often consumed when one is a bit under the weather, the first Hot Toddy suggested might pair one of the whiskeys with Pacari Lemon Grass Chocolate since lemon grass has several healthy properties.

But I think the Raw Maca Bar would be even better as an ingredient in a hot toddy. Maca, an important traditional Andean food and medicinal plant, is regarded as a highly nutritious, energy-food, and as a medicine that enhances strength and endurance. O.K, it also has been known to act as an aphrodisiac, so if you're under the weather in need of a chocolate hot toddy, this is the chocolate to pick. You're bound to get healthier. Here are a few combinations: The Pacari Raw Maca Bar and the High West Double Rye which is a bit spicy-- or the Basil Hayden's Kentucky or Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon which are both smoother.

Want a little heat in your Hot Toddy? Try Pacari's Chile Bar. This Bar combines dark organic chocolate with Merkén, a spice traditionally used by the indigenous Mapuche people of Chile. It gives the heat of chili but with a spicy, smoky flavor. I'd pair this with the Laphroaig.

You don't have to heat up the whiskey and chocolate to enjoy them at a pairing, but since it's National Hot Toddy Day, you might want to give it a go. You don't have to be sick to have a Chocolate Hot Toddy!

CHOCOLATE HOT TODDY RECIPE (makes 4 cups)

Ingredients
1- 1/2 cups grated dark chocolate  (see Pacari chocolate choices above)
1/2 cup dry milk powder
4 cups whole milk
8 tablespoons your favorite Whiskey

Preparation
1. In medium bowl, mix grated chocolate and dry milk powder.
2. In medium saucepan, heat whole milk over medium heat. Once heated, stir in chocolate mixture and whisk until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth and hot.
3. Pour 2 Tbsp. Whiskey into each mug (four mugs total), then fill each mug with the hot chocolate mixture. Serve hot. Add whipped cream if you want!

Pacari is hosting an open to the public Whiskey and Chocolate Pairing in San Francisco, January 16 at PhotoBooth, 1193 Valencia St @ 23rd, San Francisco, CA.  If you go, be sure to comment below. Love to hear about your favorites!

Thank you, Sarah from Pacari, for a fabulous evening of Chocolate and Whiskey! 

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

Today is National Milk Day, and according to "Anonymous" who comments frequently on this blog, there's nothing quite like a tall glass of milk with chocolate brownies, cookies or cakes!

In honor of National Milk Day, I thought I'd post a very simple recipe that includes a cup of milk: Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie. Great combination of healthy foods to give you a boost in the morning or mid afternoon!

CHOCOLATE BANANA PEANUT BUTTER SMOOTHIE

1 cup Milk
1 ripe Banana (or frozen banana)
1 cup Ice
2 Tbsp Vanilla Greek Style Yogurt
3 Tbsp Chocolate Syrup
2 Tbsp Creamy Peanut Butter

In a blender, combine milk, banana, yogurt, ice, chocolate syrup, peanut butter and blend until smooth.
Pour into glass and drink.

How are you celebrating National Milk Day?

Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies: Bittersweet Chocolate Day

Today is National Bittersweet Chocolate Day. Two years ago on this fabulous chocolate holiday, I posted information on just what Bittersweet Chocolate is. Be sure and go back and have a look. There's also a recipe there for Bittersweet Chocolate Bundt Cake.

As in any of the recipes I post, the quality of the ingredients will make a difference in the taste. I often have left-over chocolate (I know, who has left-over chocolate, but I do), and I like to combine different brands of chocolate and amounts of cacao in this recipe--both in the melted chocolate part of the recipe and in the chunks that are folded in later. Very fun and yummy! You can also substitute brown sugar for white, but you'll have a different cookie!

Happy Bittersweet Chocolate Day!

Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients
1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
8 oz dark (bittersweet) chocolate (65-85% cacao, organic, fair trade), chopped into chunks
2 tbsp sweet butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar (this can be brown sugar or white-it will change the cookie)
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla
6-7 oz dark (bittersweet) chocolate chunks (65-85% cacao, organic, fair trade)
1.5 cups chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Whisk together the flour baking powder & salt. Set aside.
Melt together butter & bittersweet chocolate.
Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sugar & vanilla together.
When chocolate has melted, whisk in small amount of chocolate into egg mixture and slowly add in remaining chocolate, continuing to whisk. Stir in flour mixture
Fold in chocolate chunks & nuts.
Drop cookies 2 inches apart in heaping teaspoon onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 12-14 minutes.
Cool on wire rack.

Apricot Chocolate Chunk Cookies: National Apricot Day

Today is National Apricot Day! I love Apricots, but this isn't the season for fresh ones. No problem, dried apricots are wonderful and  can be used in lots of way. You can just dip them in dark chocolate or you can dip them in dark chocolate and roll them in pistachios. You can chop them up and add them to a nice chocolate nut loaf. So many choices.

Here's an easy recipe for Apricot Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I use dark chocolate with a 65-72% cacao, but use what you have available or what you like. Milk chocolate? White chocolate? You can always add some dried cherries, too! This is a very versatile recipe.

APRICOT CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Ingredients
1/2 cup sweet butter, at room temperature (refer to cookie tips)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped into quarters or 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into biggish chunks (1/2")

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Cream butter & brown sugar in medium-size mixing bowl until blended.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Add flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring mixture into smooth dough.
Fold in apricots, nuts and chopped dark chocolate, making sure to distribute evenly.
Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.
Cool cookies on sheet for 2 minutes before transferring with spatula to wire racks to cool.