CHOCOLATE PEEPS FOR EASTER!

"Are You My Mother?"

Of all my childhood Spring Confection memories, PEEPS stand out. My sister and I still buy each other PEEPS around Easter, although we rarely eat the sugary marshmallow-y creatures any more. She buys me purple rabbits; I buy her classic yellow chicks -- the original PEEPS. You see where this is going? I'm a purist, but since this is a Chocolate Blog, I've made room in my Easter PEEPS inventory for Chocolate PEEPS.

So, PEEPS: You love them or hate them. People do all sorts of things with PEEPS, only some of which involve giving them to kids at Easter or eating them straight from the box. For me, it's the elastic quality of the "old" PEEPS that's fun for me--pulling them apart.

Chocolate PEEPS Bunnies off to work in the fields

Chocolate: The ultimate in the ever improving PEEPS. Chocolate-Covered PEEPS are available from the original company in both Dark and Milk chocolate. These are not the small peeps packed together in rows. No, these Chocolate Peeps come in individually wrapped packages, as well as in a three pack. Sadly, in the big ones, the cool sparkly coating of sugar is missing, and I think it would have been a nice buffer between the chocolate and marshmallow to make it stand out from the rest of the chocolate marshmallow candy.

However, the Chocolate Dipped PEEPS do have the sugar. I love the three pack of PEEPS Chocolate Dipped Chicks (both dark and milk chocolate), as well as the Dark and Milk Chocolate PEEPS Chocolate Dipped Mousse Flavored Marshmallow Chicks!

I'm a fan of Chocolate Eggs, and PEEPS has a very fun individually boxed hollow milk chocolate egg with a PEEP chick inside. Maybe it's been around for awhile, but I missed it.

And, just as an aside, Jacques Torres makes fabulous chocolate, and they sell Chocolate-Covered PEEPS. Their name: Chirp'N'Dales. They are adorable. Also, Asher's Chocolates makes Milk and Dark Chocolate Dipped PEEPS.

Other great uses for PEEPS:

1. Make PEEPS S'Mores, especially with the chocolate covered ones.
2. Plop a Chocolate Covered PEEPS down in your Hot Chocolate or Coffee.
3. Decorate cakes or cupcakes with PEEPS.
4. Create Your Own PEEPS Diorama.
5. Bake PEEPS in your brownies!

Want to make your own Chocolate Covered PEEPS using the original PEEPS?

1. Melt some good dark chocolate or milk chocolate (about 16 oz/depending on how many you plan to make)

2. Remove PEEPS from package. I would use Chicks since they're the original, but the other shapes (rabbits, etc) work well.
3. Insert a lollipop stick into the Peep. If you're using the chicks, put stick in the widest part (maybe this is why they're sideways standing up in the packaged ones--and why bunnies work better). 
4. Dip the Peep into the melted chocolate. Two choices: Either cover the entire Peep or just dip one end as you would chocolate covered strawberries. Be sure and let any excess drip off.
5. Put on wax paper covered plate or cookie sheet and freeze or refrigerate for 20 minutes. 

Question? When is a PEEP, not a PEEP? When it's Chocolate-Covered.

Chocolate Dipped Peeps complete the flock!

CHOCOLATE CHIP COCOA MERINGUES: Passover

Here's a great treat to make for Passover (or any time!) These Chocolate Chip Meringues are easy and tasty. I always think of Meringues as a little bit of heaven--Light, Airy, and Sweet. You can serve them on a bed of chocolate chips to dress them up for dessert--or just stack them on a platter. Recipe from Allrecipes.com with a few tweaks.

Chocolate Chip Cocoa Meringues

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened DARK premium cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
3 egg whites
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 300. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift 1/4 cup sugar, cocoa, and salt into small bowl.
In large bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks begin to form. Mix in remaining 1/4 cup of sugar gradually, and beat until medium-firm peaks form. Sprinkle in cocoa mixture gradually, and continue beating until egg whites are stiff. Fold in mini-chocolate chips.
Drop mixture onto baking sheets by rounded teaspoonfuls, spacing about 1 inch apart.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes for crispy cookies. Cool cookies on baking sheets.

Tip: The parchment paper reduces risk of burning bottoms.

Happy Birthday to Me! See's Decadent Chocolate Cake

Today's my Birthday, and I just had to post this decadent recipe from See's Candies! I love See's, not only because it's a local company, but because See's really makes fabulous candy. One of the main ingredients in their chocolate candies is Guittard Chocolate, another local company. I'm on See's email list, and See's sent me a birthday email a few years ago with a recipe for Scotchmallow & Bordeaux Decadent Chocolate Cake. OMG. This is one rich and outstanding Birthday Cake.  Perfect for this chocoholic!

Here's the recipe and See's photo! I know what chocolate cake I'm making for my birthday!

Scotchmallow® & Bordeaux™ Decadent Chocolate Cake
Makes 1 Cake (8–10 Servings)

Chocolate Cake Ingredients 

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 ¼ cups white sugar
• 4 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 lb See's Custom Mix filled with
See's Dark Scotchmallows/Milk Bordeaux™ (1/2 pound of each)

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients   

• 8 oz See’s Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Cake Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease three 4–6 in. round cake pans. Line with parchment.

2. In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in room temperature
eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla.

4. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture into prepared pans. Spread batter
evenly between them.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 18-24 minutes. Allow cake to cool in pans for 10 minutes.

6. Remove onto cooling rack until it reaches room temperature.

Chocolate Ganache Instructions

1. Bring heavy cream to a simmer on the stove top, stirring occasionally. Just as soon as you
see a simmer, remove from heat and poor over chocolate chips, swirling the bowl to make sure
all chips are covered.

2. Place lid on chocolate chips to trap the heat and let sit undisturbed (no mixing) for 5
minutes.

3. Remove lid and swirl the chocolate chips with a whisk starting in the center and working
outward until smooth.

4. Let ganache come to room temperature. The longer ganache sits, the thicker and more of a
frosting it becomes.

Assembly

1. Assemble cooled cake with a thin layer of chocolate ganache between each layer and 2
chopped Dark Scotchmallows®/Milk Bordeaux™ pieces (or as many as you’d like).

2. Apply a thin “naked” frosting coat over entire assembled cake. (Optional: Slightly heat the
cooled ganache in 10-second intervals at half power in a microwave. A slightly warmed ganache
makes for a smooth frosting finish.)

3. Use whole, halved and quartered candy pieces to embellish top of cake. Candies can be
stacked on wooden bamboo skewers and placed into cake for added height and drama, as well as scattered around the base.

OLIVE OIL CHOCOLATE MOUSSE: Passover or Anytime!

Still looking for another dessert for Passover? Because I often substitute olive oil for cream or butter in recipes, and because many of my readers keep kosher, olive oil dessert recipes are great to use with meat meals. And, when it comes to the upcoming holiday of Passover, here's a great recipe for Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse. It's a new take on an old recipe.

This recipe for Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse is relatively simple, and absolutely delicious. It comes from Chef Tony Maws at Craigie on Main (Cambridge, MA). The original recipe calls for brandy, but I use Kahlua. Try whatever liqueur you'd like. Make sure your olive oil is fresh. There's nothing worse than making a terrific dessert ruined because of rancid olive oil. You might make this Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse for Passover, but I'll bet you'll end up making it all year round.

OLIVE OIL CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Ingredients
11 oz. chocolate
9 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Kahlua
salt
9 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

Directions
Finely chop the chocolate, and then melt over simmering water in a double boiler.
While the chocolate is melting, whisk together the yolks and ½ cup sugar until the mixture is thick in texture and a pale, lemony yellow.
Gently fold the warm (not hot--the eggs will curdle) chocolate into the yolks.
Stir in the Kahlua, olive oil, and a pinch of salt.
In another bowl, whisk the whites until they are frothy and then whisk in the sugar. Keep whisking until they are at medium peaks. Fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate, 1/2 at a time.
Pour into glasses and allow mousse to set for at least four hours before serving.