KENTUCKY DERBY BOURBON TRUFFLES

Tomorrow is the running of the Kentucky Derby. I know you're going to have a Mint Julep with your Derby Pie, but add to that some Kentucky Derby Bourbon Truffles. Who doesn't love chocolate and bourbon? These are so easy and delicious.

This recipe for DERBY TRUFFLES is adapted from  Southern Living. How appropriate!

KENTUCKY DERBY BOURBON TRUFFLES

Ingredients
12 ounces dark chocolate 65-70% cacao), chopped
1 -1/2 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
9 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup good Kentucky Bourbon
1 (5.3-oz.) package pure butter shortbread cookies, crushed (I use Walker's)
2 cups finely chopped roasted, salted pecans
Wax paper

Directions
Combine first 3 ingredients in large glass bowl. Cook cream and bourbon in small saucepan over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture is hot but not boiling. (Mixture will steam, and bubbles will form around edge of pan.) Pour cream mixture over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute.
Stir chocolate mixture until melted and smooth. (If mixture doesn't melt completely, microwave on HIGH 30 seconds.) Stir in crushed cookies. Cover and chill 3 hours or until firm. (Mixture can be prepared and chilled up to 2 days ahead.)
Shape mixture into 1-inch balls (about 2 tsp per ball). Roll in chopped pecans. Place on wax paper-lined baking sheets.
Chill 1 hour.

MAY DAY MAYPOLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

I love May Day with its Maypole, Morris Dancing, and floral traditions. My school always celebrated May Day with a brightly colored Maypole and dancing. Here I am many many years later, and I still love everything about May Day.

I've posted Retro Recipes for Queen of the May Chocolate Cake and Maypole Sundaes, but this year I thought I'd add an easy recipe for a chocolate maypole cake that was posted by the Cedarwood Waldorf School. So happy to see that May Day celebrations are still going strong with maypole dances and crowning of the Queen of the May. 

So to mark the celebration in honor of Flora, the goddess of Flowers, here's an easy recipe for May Day Maypole Chocolate Cake. FYI: The maypole is a tall wooden pole erected with long colored ribbons hanging from the top and decorated with greenery and flowers. Dancers skip around the pole, weaving the ribbons into a spiral or elaborate pattern that is briefly seen before disappearing as the dance is reversed. 

This recipe is for a very quick and simple chocolate cake! If you want a layered cake, make two and double the amount of frosting. To decorate, you will need a chopstick (or a similar length of a thin twig) and thin ribbons or yarn (in rainbow colors, or whatever you have on hand). You can also decorate with fresh flowers (daisies, dandelions, violets, violas, etc). 

EASY MAYDAY MAYPOLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Grease and flour an 8 x 8 inch cake pan (round, if you have one). 

Sift and whisk together dry ingredients into a large bowl: 

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour 

1 cup sugar 

6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa 

1 tsp baking soda 

1/8  tsp sea salt 

Combine and add: 

1 cup cold water 

¼ cup vegetable oil 

1 Tbsp white vinegar 

2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

Stir ingredients until smooth. Scrape batter into the greased pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Set the cake aside to cool completely. 

 

Once your cake is cooled, frost the top. If you are making a double layer cake, also frost between layers. Make your favorite frosting or try one of these: 

Whipped Cream Frosting: 

Whisk together until desired thickness: 

1 cup of heavy whipping cream 

2 tbsp powdered sugar 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

Butter Frosting: 

Whisk together until thick and smooth. 

6 Tbsp butter, room temperature 

1 cup powdered sugar optional: 6 tbsp. cocoa 

If frosting is too thick, add 2 to 3 tbsp heavy cream 

To make your May Pole decoration: 

Measure the distance from the center of the cake to the edge. 

Using the measurement and adding a bit extra for tying on both ends, cut 6-8 strands of yarn or ribbons. Tie the ribbons one at a time to the top of the pole, or use a tack to secure them at the top. Tie a toothpick to the end of each ribbon. 

Place the chopstick firmly into the center of the cake and evenly place the toothpicks around the edge of the cake. 

Decorate with fresh flowers.

OATMEAL RAISIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: A Two-Fer - National Oatmeal Cookie Day & National Raisin Day!

Today we celebrate two food holidays: Oatmeal Cookie Day and Raisin Day. Put the two holidays and their ingredients together, add Chocolate Chips, and make these delicious Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

OATMEAL RAISIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup ground walnuts
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup raisins

Directions
In small bowl mix flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.
In large mixing bowl beat butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
At low speed, beat in flour mixture until blended.
Fold in ground walnuts, oats, chocolate chips, and raisins.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease 2 baking sheets.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly with fork.
Bake cookies until lightly browned around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
Transfer to flattened brown paper bags or wire racks to cool.

Tip: Dough also freezes well. Freeze dough balls on a cookie sheet and then put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer until ready to bake!

CHOCOLATE RUGELACH: National Rugelach Day!

Today is National Rugelach Day. I adore Rugelach, and I must admit, I usually buy them at the bakery, but sometimes I just want to make my own. Rugelach are made with a cream-cheese dough that is wrapped around a filling. Sometimes the filling is nuts or jam, but of course for me it's always chocolate!

This recipe for Chocolate Rugelach is adapted from Giora Shimoni on Kosherfood.com. She calls them Israeli Chocolate Rugelach, because she says Americans tend to fill their chocolate rugelach with mini-chocolate chips, while Israelis make their own filling. Since I always have chocolate around, I make my own filling. This is a go-to recipe. It's easy -- 25 minutes to make and 25 minutes to bake! Be sure to scroll down for Giora's tips on rugelach making. You'll love these pastries for breakfast or brunch or with your morning coffee.Yum!

CHOCOLATE RUGELACH 

DOUGH:
7 ounces unsalted butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour

CHOCOLATE FILLING:
1 tablespoon DARK cocoa
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup grated bittersweet chocolate  (65-70% cacoa)
butter, melted

TOPPING:
1 egg
1/8 cup sugar  (if you don't add cinnamon, use 1/4 cup sugar)
1/8 cup cinnamon (optional)


PREPARATION
In mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese together. Add sugar and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Add flour and mix lightly. Refrigerate dough for an hour or more.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Divide  dough into four balls. On floured surface, using floured rolling pin, roll one ball out into circle until about 1/8 inch thick.
In small bowl, mix first four filling ingredients together (cocoa, cinnamon, sugar, grated chocolate). Spread some melted butter on the center of the circle. Sprinkle the chocolate mixture on top.
Cut pastry into pie-shaped wedges. For bite-size and nice looking rugelach, thick end of wedge should be about 1 to 1 1/2 inch wide.
Start at wide edge of wedge and roll dough up toward point.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place each pastry, seam side down, on  paper.
Brush each pastry with the egg and sugar/cinnamon.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
  
And here are some great tips from Giora for making perfect rugelach

TIPS:
1. Using too much filling leads to messy looking rugelach.
2. A pizza cutter makes it easier to cut the dough into pie-shaped wedges.
3. If you don't want to use parchment paper, you can spray the cookie sheets with non-stick spray.
4. After rolling dough up and placing on parchment paper, you can stick them in your freezer. When you need fresh rugelach, take them right from the freezer into the oven and add a few minutes to the baking time.