Chocolate Caramel Monkey Bread

Although there isn't a specific Monkey Bread Day, some people like to celebrate on January 15. Why not? 

I have a love/hate relationship with monkeys. I loved them as a child at the zoo and when they appeared in  books. I loved my sock monkey and all the sock monkeys I collected over the years. But then I met some 'bad monkeys' in India. They stole shoes and belongings at the temples...Bad Monkeys! 

But really I love Monkeys which leads me to this chocolate/monkey connection. 

Monkey bread (also called monkey puzzle bread, monkey brains, sticky bread, Hungarian coffee cake, golden dumpling coffee cake, pinch-me cake, pull-apart bread, pluck-it cake bubble loaf, bubble bread, pull-apart bread, and/or funky bread) is a soft, sweet, sticky pastry served in the United States for breakfast or as a treat. It's a pull-apart bread. 

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL MONKEY BREAD

Ingredients 
1/2 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans, toasted
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 - 16.3 ounces pkg. refrigerated biscuits (16 total)
32 chocolate-covered caramels (such as Rolo)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup caramel sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 10-inch nonstick fluted tube pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup almonds in bottom of pan. Combine sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon.

With kitchen scissors, cut each biscuit into 2 pieces. Using your hands, flatten each piece into  3-inch round of dough. Place chocolate covered caramel in center of each round. Bring edge of dough up and around caramel to form a ball. Pinch edges of dough together to seal firmly.

Dip each ball into melted butter, then roll in sugar mixture. Layer coated balls in prepared pan. Drizzle with any remaining butter; sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture.

Stir together caramel sauce and vanilla; drizzle over rolls. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup almonds.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (If needed, cover bread with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.) Cool bread in pan for 5 minutes. Run small rubber spatula around edge of bread to loosen. Invert pan onto platter; remove pan. Spoon any remaining caramel sauce and nuts on bread. Cool slightly. Serve warm.

CHOCOLATE BAGELS: National Bagel Day!

Tomorrow is National Bagel Day. I grew up with traditional bagels served with lox and cream cheese. The bagels were onion, poppy seed, and occasionally sesame seed, but that was about it. Boiled bagels only. But when bagels really caught on nationally, we saw an explosion of flavored bagels. 

So for today's Bagel Holiday, here's a recipe for Chocolate Bagels from Red Star Yeast. Red Star Yeast has a recipe for serving with Cookies and Cream Whipped Cream (see below), but I serve my chocolate bagels with marscapone. However you serve these chocolate bagels, I can assure you they will be a big hit! 

CHOCOLATE BAGELS

Ingredients 

BAGELS 

1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115°F) 1 (0.25oz) package (7g) or 2 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast 
3 1/4 cups bread flour 

1/4 cup cocoa powder 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract (optional) 

Coarse sugar, for topping 

COOKIES & CREAM WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE 

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened 

1/3 cup powdered sugar 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 

5 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

WATER BATH 

8 cups water

 

DIRECTIONS

Gently whisk warm water and yeast together in a measuring cup. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom. (Optional: stir in 1 teaspoon sugar to give the yeast a good start.) 

In a stand mixer attached with the dough hook attachment, add flour, cocoa powder, salt and espresso powder. Mix on low speed until combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Add the vanilla. Add the chocolate extract (optional). Continue to mix on low speed for 8 minutes. 

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough, adding flour as needed, for an additional 1 minute. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean, dry dish towel and place the bowl in a warm, undisturbed area of your kitchen. 

Allow the dough to rise until it is doubled in size, about 1-2 hours. Punch down dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Shape dough into a log. Using a pastry scraper or floured knife, cut the log into 8 even pieces. Gently roll each piece into a ball. Place your thumb in the center of each ball and push down to create a hole. Gently tug on the dough to create a slightly larger whole. Cover the dough with a clean, dry kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. 

While the dough is resting, heat 8 cups of water to a gentle boil and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Boil the bagels for 40 seconds on each side. Remove bagels from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer onto your prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each bagel with a generous pinch of coarse sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops of the bagels are golden brown.

TO MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM: 

Add the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix until combined. Fold in the crushed chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos). 

To serve, cut the bagels in half and lightly toast in a toaster (optional). 

Spread a thick layer of the whipped cream cheese on each half. 

Store the cooled bagels in an airtight container or bag for up to 5 days. Or, freeze the bagels for up to 3 months. 

Tips!

1. Bread flour will yield the best results, but if you don’t have bread flour in stock, you can use all-purpose flour. You may need to adjust the amount of water in the dough. 

2. Make the whipped cream cheese right before serving so the cookies remain crunchy.

FROZEN MOCHA CHEESECAKE: Retro Ad with Recipe

I love Retro Ads with recipes, especially when they include chocolate. 

Here's an easy and delicious recipe for Marvelous Mocha Cheesecake from Borden's Eagle Brand, 1983!

MARVELOUS MOCHA CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted 
• 8 ounces package cream cheese, softened
• 14 ounces Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
• 2/3 cup chocolate flavored syrup
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee
• 1 teaspoon hot water
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Directions

1. In small bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and margarine. 
2. In buttered 9-inch springform pan or 13- by 9-inch baking dish, pat crumbs firmly on bottom and up sides of pan. 
3. Chill. 
4. In large mixer bowl, beat cheese until fluffy; add Eagle Brand and chocolate syrup. 
5. In small bowl, dissolve coffee in water; add to Eagle Brand mixture. 
6. Mix well. 
7. Fold in whipped cream. 
8. Pour into prepared pan. 
9. Cover. 
10. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. 
11. Garnish with additional chocolate crumbs if desired. Return leftovers to freezer.

CHOCOLATE MARZIPAN COOKIES: History & Recipe for National Marzipan Day!

Today is National Marzipan Day. I love marzipan, and I usually have some around, but for today's holiday, here's an easy recipe from Santa Barbara Chocolate for Chocolate Marzipan Cookies (or truffles, if you don't squash them down and bake them). 

What exactly is marzipan? 

Marzipan is an elastic paste made with almonds and powdered sugar. It's like an edible dough, and you can make shapes with it, and, of course, enrobe it in chocolate.

History of Marzipan from Serious Eats:

The invention of marzipan is usually attributed to Lübeck, Germany. Legend has it that during a 15th century famine when flour for making bread became scarce, the senate of Lübeck ordered bakers to create a replacement. Using eggs, sugar, and stores of almonds, the clever bakers came up with marzipan. But cities like Venice, Florence, Konigsberg and more all lay claim to inventing marzipan and put forth similar stories with different dates, making it hard to determine where the sweet actually came from.

Although the origin of marzipan is fuzzy, it has clearly been embraced by many different cultures and is enjoyed worldwide. Marzipan is a traditional food to eat on weddings and religious feast days in Italy, Greece, and Cyprus. 

In Latin America, a popular marzipan-like treat which replaces the almonds with peanuts is called "mazapan." In Mexico, pine nuts and pistachios are other substitutes for almonds in marzipan. You can find marzipan in the Middle East, too, usually flavored with orange-flower water. In Germany and throughout much of northern Europe it is considered good luck to receive a marzipan pig on Christmas or New Year's Day. The Spanish and Portuguese are big consumers of marzipan too. But perhaps the form of marzipan that Americans are most familiar with are the cute little miniature fruit shapes that pop up all over.

Whatever the origins, there is nothing quite like chocolate and marzipan! So for today's holiday here's an easy and original recipe for Chocolate Marzipan Cookies from Santa Barbara Chocolate Company.

CHOCOLATE MARZIPAN COOKIES

Ingredients
1 cup of almonds, peeled
1 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 cup Rainforest Bulk Cocoa Powder
1 egg or 2 Tbsp honey - egg is used in the traditional marzipan recipe (but use honey if you don't want to use raw eggs)
Chocolate sprinkles

Directions
Chop peeled almonds and put them in blender or food processor. Blend until you get almond flour texture. Be careful to blend really well to avoid big chunks.
In saucepan add almond flour, Cocoa Powder, and powdered sugar, mix together. Incorporate egg in middle and place over low heat. Stir continuously until all ingredients are combined. Keep stirring for 5 minutes and then take off heat. Place in refrigerator and let chill for 15 minutes before decorating. This way the marzipan is going to hold its shape. 
When chilled, roll dough into a tube shape. Pull off pieces and make into balls. Cover balls with chocolate sprinkles to decorate. Place on baking sheet and slightly press down with back of spoon. Let set in refrigerator for 5 minutes more and serve.