Cats & Bats, Witches & Brooms: Chocolate Halloween Cookies

A few years ago, I found these Retro 1960s Halloween Cookie (Cooky) Cutters at the Alameda Flea Market. I love the box and the shapes. These are perfect for Chocolate Halloween Cookies!

I've posted some great chocolate cookie recipes, but here's one more. This one is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. Just a few changes, and since Martha uses this recipe with her own bat and cat cookie cutters, these cookies are great to make with these Retro Cookie Cutters. These chocolate cookies are very crisp. I think using dark cocoa gives them an even richer taste, too.

Chocolate Cats & Bats, Witches & Brooms: 
Halloween Cookies

Makes 40 to 50

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled) plus more for rolling and cutting out dough
3/4 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
Small candies or sprinkles, for decorating (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside.

In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg. On low speed, mix in flour mixture. Divide dough in half, and form into 2 disks, each about 3/4 inch thick. Wrap disks in plastic; chill until firm, at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days.

On lightly floured sheet of waxed paper, using a floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/4 inch thick. (If dough becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate for a few minutes.)

Using 2- to 3-inch Halloween cookie cutters, cut out shapes, dipping cutters in flour as necessary to prevent sticking; place on baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart.

Bake until surface is dry to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes (if decorating, press candies into dough halfway through baking-as in eyes on the cats, etc). 

Cool cookies 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheet; transfer to rack to cool completely.

DESSERT CHARCUTERIE BOARD: National Dessert Day

Today is National Dessert Day. Isn't every day Dessert Day? With this mind, I'm particularly fond of a good charcuterie board. Well here's a twist on that! This Desert Charcuterie Board is one of the best ways to satisfy your guests and introduce them to some of your favorite treats! Whether you prefer a traditional mix of flavors or bits based on a certain theme, build your board with a variety of sweets. Opt for candy such as chocolates or gummy bears or go big with brownie bites and cupcakes.

If you’re looking for a few fun ideas to put together a sweet surprise for your next party, check out this guide from Shari’s Berries on Dessert Charcuterie Board ideas.

Shari's Berries:

Before you create your dessert charcuterie board, you need to choose a theme! Your favorite flavor combinations or a certain ingredient like a specific candy or fruit can help inspire your board’s theme. Once you’ve chosen a theme, consider what ingredients will add visual interest and texture to your dessert platter. If you’re not sure what to include, these dessert charcuterie board recipes will give you a place to start!

Fruit Lover 
Enjoy fresh fruit paired with creamy melted chocolate for a sweet surprise! An assortment of dried fruits and berry kabobs are perfect to dip into a melted mound of chocolate. A side of brie and fruit crackers are perfect for pairing with tangy and bold fruit flavors. Add in a handful of hand-dipped cherries to top off this candied board.

Sweet and Salty 
Satisfy both of your cravings at the same time with this dessert charcuterie board. Compile savory snacks like crunchy bacon and salted nuts to pair with a mixed hazelnut and chocolate spread. Dark chocolate with sea salt and chocolate potato chips are also great options to wake up your tastebuds!

Charcuterie Board Styling Tips 
Using the right size boards and utensils will make assembling and serving that much easier! Before you begin, choose the right size board to display your treats on. Place the necessary bowls and utensils on before adding food to assess how much space is left over and then add in your other ingredients around this. If space allows, place extra ingredients such as sauces and dips on the outside of the board. Last but not least, make sure to add in some color! A mix of bright shades will attract the eyes of your guests, but it will be the fun flavor combinations that keep them coming back!

Experiment! Enjoy!

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS: RECIPE FOR SUPER RICH SPANISH HOT CHOCOLATE: Columbus Day

Today is Columbus Day. In terms of chocolate, though, Christopher Columbus was the first European to come in contact with cacao. On August 15, 1502, on his fourth and last voyage to the Americas, Columbus and his crew encountered a large dugout canoe near an island off the coast of what is now Honduras. The canoe was the largest native vessel the Spaniards had seen. It was "as long as a galley," and was filled with local goods for trade -- including cacao beans. Columbus's crew seized the vessel and its goods, and retained its captain as his guide.

Later, Columbus' son Ferdinand wrote about the encounter. He was struck by how much value the Native Americans placed on cacao beans, saying: "They seemed to hold these almonds [referring to the cacao beans] at a great price; for when they were brought on board ship together with their goods, I observed that when any of these almonds fell, they all stooped to pick them up, as if an eye had fallen."

At first, however, the cocoa beans were neglected. Despite the bitterness of the drink produced, Columbus claimed the resulting concoction was a "divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food". 

What Ferdinand and the other members of Columbus' crew didn't know at the time was that cocoa beans were the local currency. In fact, in some parts of Central America, cacao beans were used as currency as recently as the last century.

While it is likely that Columbus brought the cacao beans he seized back to Europe, their potential value was initially overlooked by the Spanish King and his court. Far more exciting treasures on board his galleons meant the cocoa beans were ignored. It was his fellow explorer, the Spanish Conquistador Don Hernán Cortés, who first realized their commercial value. He brought back three chests full of cocoa beans to Spain in 1528 and very gradually, the custom of drinking the chocolate spread across Europe.

It was still served as a beverage when the Spanish first brought chocolate back to Europe. Cortez, described chocolatl as "the divine drink ... which builds up resistance and fights fatigue," and his countrymen, conceived the idea of sweetening the bitter drink with cane sugar.

The recipe for the sweetened frothy beverage underwent several more changes in Spain, where newly discovered spices such as cinnamon and vanilla were added as flavorings. The original chili pepper that made the spicy drink was replaced by sugar to make a sweet beverage. The sweetened chocolate beverage was a luxury that only a few could afford.

By the 17th century, the drink became common among European nobility. In London, chocolate was more widely available, and those who could afford it could enjoy the drink in coffee and chocolate houses.

Super Rich Spanish Hot Chocolate 
Makes two mugs!

Ingredients 
5 Tbsp good quality unsweetened DARK cocoa powder
4 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp corn starch
1 tsp Mexican vanilla extract
1 cup water

Directions 
Combine cocoa powder, sugar, and corn starch in small bowl.
Pour COLD water into small sauce pan, add vanilla extract and cocoa mixture, and cook at medium low heat, stirring constantly.
Cook until it thickens and serve immediately.

ULTIMATE M&Ms COOKIES: National M&M Day

Today is National M&M Day! Celebrate with Red's Ultimate M&M Cookies or just eat a bunch of M&Ms. 

M&Ms originated in the United States in 1941, and are now sold in as many as 100 countries. They are produced in different colors, some of which have changed over the years. The candy-coated chocolate concept was inspired by a method used to allow soldiers to carry chocolate without having it melt.

Red's Ultimate M&M Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 12-ounce package M&M® MINIS®

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy
Beat in egg and vanilla.
In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt; blend into butter/sugar mixture.
Stir in M&M® MINIS® Milk Chocolate Candies.
Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not overbake. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks.
Store in tightly covered container.

MAKES ABOUT 50 COOKIES.