CHOCOLATE COCONUT SNOWBALLS: National Coconut Day!

Snowballs in Summer? Yes, if they're made with chocolate and coconut. These No Bake Chocolate Coconut Snowballs are perfect for National Coconut Day! They are actually wonderful, easy to make truffles. The flavor of your Chocolate Coconut Snowballs will depend on the quality of your ingredients. Use the best!

Chocolate Coconut Snowballs

Ingredients
4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil
6 Tbsp pure maple syrup
4 Tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup dark chocolate, melted with 1 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil
Additional coconut for dusting if desired.

Directions
Place shredded coconut and coconut oil in food processor. Process on high speed, scraping down sides occasionally, until reaches almost buttery consistency. Add maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and salt, and process on high speed until ingredients are combined.
Shape coconut mixture into 1” balls.
Place on wax paper, and refrigerate for at last an hour, or set in freezer for 30 minutes.
Once coconut balls are very firm, melt dark chocolate and coconut oil in  small saucepan over medium heat for just a minute or two, stirring constantly. Once chocolate is melted, carefully dip coconut balls into melted chocolate and sprinkle with small amount of shredded coconut.
Put coconut balls back into refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to harden.
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer, for up to a week.

Chocolate Coconut Snowballs: International Coconut Day!

Snowballs in Summer? Yes, if they're made with chocolate and coconut. These No Bake Chocolate Coconut Snowballs are perfect for International  Coconut Day! They are actually wonderful, easy to make truffles. The flavor of your Chocolate Coconut Snowballs will depend on the quality of your ingredients. Use the best!

Chocolate Coconut Snowballs

Ingredients
4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil
6 Tbsp pure maple syrup
4 Tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup dark chocolate, melted with 1 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil
Additional coconut for dusting if desired.

Directions
Place shredded coconut and coconut oil in food processor. Process on high speed, scraping down sides occasionally, until reaches almost buttery consistency. Add maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and salt, and process on high speed until ingredients are combined.
Shape coconut mixture into 1” balls.
Place on wax paper, and refrigerate for at last an hour, or set in freezer for 30 minutes.
Once coconut balls are very firm, melt dark chocolate and coconut oil in  small saucepan over medium heat for just a minute or two, stirring constantly. Once chocolate is melted, carefully dip coconut balls into melted chocolate and sprinkle with small amount of shredded coconut.
Put coconut balls back into refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to harden.
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer, for up to a week.

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PIE: National Chocolate Mousse Day

Today is National Chocolate Mousse Day. Chocolate Mousse is easy to make and easy to enjoy! I came across this recipe for No Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie a few years ago. What a great way to enhance chocolate mousse -- add more chocolate! The cookie crust made with Italian wafer sandwich cookies is fab and adds some zip, but you can also make a regular chocolate cookie crust if you don't have any Italian sandwich cookies! You can also make an oreo cookie crust. This recipe is adapted from Fine Cooking, a great resource for recipes.

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PIE

Ingredients
1 ounce unsalted butter, melted; more for the pan
8 ounces Italian chocolate wafer sandwich cookies (Quadratini) (if you don't have these you can use Famous Chocolate Wafers or Oreos)
9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (about 1-1/2 cups); more for garnish
1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch kosher salt
3-3/4 cups heavy cream

Directions
Butter 9-inch springform pan.

Grind cookies in food processor until they resemble wet sand, 20 to 30 seconds; you will have about 1-3/4 cups. Transfer to small bowl and mix in butter. Spread crumbs in pan, cover with plastic wrap, and press evenly into bottom. Refrigerate.

Combine chocolate, 1/2 tsp of vanilla, and salt in large bowl. In small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup of cream to barely a simmer. Pour cream over chocolate, let sit for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to cool.

Beat 1-1/2 cups of cream in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium-high speed to stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Whisk chocolate mixture to loosen, and fold into whipped cream with large silicone spatula until no streaks remain.

Carefully peel plastic wrap off crust and scrape mousse into pan, gently spreading to edges. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Just before serving, beat remaining 1-1/2 cups cream and 1 tsp vanilla in medium bowl to medium-stiff peaks. Run knife around pie to loosen edges and then remove side of pan. Slide spatula under crust and transfer pie to serving plate. Mound whipped cream over mousse and top with chocolate curls, shards, or shavings. To serve, dip knife into hot water and dry before slicing.

Kahlua Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cake: Cinco de Mayo

Vintage Ice Box Cake Pan

Cinco de Mayo: Mexican Chocolate Ice Box Cake. This recipe, originally from the 60s, was 'found' by the Baltimore Sun for a reader. I've changed a few things, and you might want to, too, to modernize it a bit. I used Taza Mexican Chocolate and cut down a bit on the sugar. If you use unsweetened chocolate, you can add more sugar. You can always cut off the tops of the lady fingers, but I like the way they look the way they are. Love this no bake cake. No eggs, so no worries, either.  

In case you don't know, an ice box was a large wooden box, zinc or tin-lined, with a compartment for big blocks of ice and an area with shelves for storing perishables. Starting in the early 20th century they were called refrigerators, but make no doubt about it, they were not mechanized or electrified.


Kahlua Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cake

Ingredients
60 ladyfingers (Trader Joe's .. but there are other brands)
2-3/4 cups chilled whipping cream
4 ounces Taza Mexican chocolate (but feel free to use any very dark chocolate)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 tsp Mexican vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ounce semisweet chocolate (grated)
1/4 cup or more Kahlua

Directions
Brush ladyfingers with Kahlua. Line bottom of 9-inch diameter springform pan with ladyfingers. Line sides of pan with ladyfingers, standing ladyfingers side by side with rounded side facing out.
Stir 3/4 cup whipping cream, chocolate, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in heavy saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and cool to room temperature.
Using electric mixer, beat powdered sugar, butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in large bowl until blended. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture.
Combine remaining 2 cups cream, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and cinnamon in another large bowl. Using clean dry beaters, beat until firm peaks form. Fold half of whipped cream mixture into chocolate mixture.
Spread half chocolate filling into ladyfinger-lined pan. Top with layer of ladyfingers, then remaining chocolate filling.
Pipe or spread whipped cream mixture over filling. Sprinkle with grated semisweet chocolate.
Refrigerate until firm, at least three hours. Can be made one day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated. Remove pan sides from cake and serve.

NO BAKE S'MORES BROWNIES: National S'mores Day

Yesterday was National S'mores Day. Here's another great S'mores treat to beat the dog days of summer: No Bake Smores Brownies. No campfire required! The recipe is slightly adapted from the cookbook Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery by Patricia Helding and Bryna Levin. I use chopped milk chocolate instead of chips, and you might want to use dark chocolate--whatever works for you!

NO BAKE S'MORES BROWNIES

Ingredients
2-1/4 cups crushed graham crackers
1-1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips (I use chopped milk chocolate or a low cacao dark chocolate)
1 stick unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing a pan or skillet
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla

Directions
Grease 9 x 9 baking pan or skillet with butter. Dust with flour and tap out excess.
Mix graham cracker crumbs, 3/4 cup of marshmallows, and 1/2 cup chocolate chips together in a bowl and set aside.
Over low heat, in saucepan or skillet, melt butter with sugar, egg, and vanilla, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool.
Add cooled sugar mixture to bowl and stir well, allowing  marshmallows and chips to melt. Fold in remaining marshmallows and chips.
Press mixture into pan and cool for 30 minutes.
Cut.

 How easy is this?

S'MORES ICE CREAM CAKE

I love Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, and I love S'mores. Here's the perfect dessert for your Memorial Day Barbecue or any day: Ben & Jerry's S'mores Ice Cream Cake. Following is the no-bake recipe, but be sure and watch the video. This S'mores Ice Cream Cake is a no-brainer and can be made at the drop of a hat. If you're like me, you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry and freezer! The finished cake looks and tastes amazing! I don't add the extra fudge sauce at the end because I think the S'mores Ice Cream Cake is rich enough as is. Enjoy! Thanks, Ben & Jerry's!

 

BEN & JERRY'S S'MORES ICE CREAM CAKE

Directions
Prepare the crust (see below)
Prepare the filling (see below)
Top the crust with Ice Cream filling
Spread 2 cups of marshmallow fluff over the top of the ice cream (this can be done directly after filling with ice cream, or you can chill ice cream layer first)
Freeze cake for a minimum of two hours

To serve:
Remove cake from freezer, let cake sit for 10 minutes, top with mini marshmallows and torch to golden brown
Run a knife around the edge of pan and remove side of spring-form
Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Crust: 
16 (8 oz.) whole graham crackers, crushed
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Combine graham crackers and sugar, add melted butter and stir to sandy, buttery consistency. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of 9” spring-form pan, using fingers or  flat bottomed measuring cup. Chill for 10 minutes while you prepare ice cream.

Filling:
3 Pints Ben & Jerry’s S’mores Ice Cream (or any Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Ice Cream)
Remove Ice cream from containers and place in bowl to soften, about 10 minutes.
Stir to combine and top prepared and chilled graham crust with ice cream.

Follow directions above for marshmallow topping!

Swedish Chocolate Balls: CHOKLADBOLLAR

The other night I went to a holiday party where my friend Sue Trowbridge was in attendance. It was a great party with wonderful food, of course, but to add to my chocolate experience, Sue brought her amazing Chokladbollar, a special Swedish holiday treat! I had posted her recipe several years ago, but there's nothing like tasting these Swedish Chocolate Balls again to remind me how great they are. Sue told me that she actually used a different recipe this year! Sue was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and grew up in the U.S. She has maintained her interest in Swedish culture, food, and traditions. This new recipe was enhanced due to the use of specific Swedish ingredients. You can buy them at Nordic House in Berkeley or online. Or use what you have...just not authentically Swedish.

Sue Trowbridge: Chokladbollar

This is a no-bake recipe, and it’s super easy and fun for kids.

You’ll need 10-1/2 tablespoons of softened butter and 1+ cups of sugar. Stir them together well — this step requires strong arms!

The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of strong coffee (liquid). I rarely make coffee at home — I’m mainly a tea gal — but luckily, my parents had left some in the freezer so I had some on hand. Of course, rum is an excellent alternative!

Add the coffee, a teaspoon of vanilla sugar, and 3 tablespoons of cocoa to the butter/sugar mixture.

Add 1 3/4 cups of rolled oats. Stir, stir, stir!

The result looks a little bit like my mom’s Swedish meatball mixture.

Using 1 teaspoon of mixture at a time, roll into small balls. Roll these in coconu or Swedish pearl sugar, coating well. It will make your hands extremely greasy and messy!

The result. You will want to eat them immediately, but don’t — stick ‘em in the fridge for an hour or two, or, in a pinch, the freezer for about half an hour.

I made these to bring to a holiday party, and they disappeared quickly, but then again, so did pretty much everything. Still, I like to imagine that the people who managed to get one enjoyed it.

Here is the recipe in full:

Chokladbollar: Swedish Chocolate Balls

Ingredients
150 g (10 1/2 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1½ dl (1 cup plus two tablespoons) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar, or substitute vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cold, strong coffee or rum
4 dl (1 3/4 cup) rolled oats

Directions
Combine the butter and sugar. I used to do this by hand until I finally got a stand mixer, which makes it WAY easier.
Add the cocoa, vanilla, coffee or rum, and oats.
Form into round balls and roll them in coconut or Swedish pearl sugar (http://bakingbites.com/2010/02/what-is-pearl-sugar/).
Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Recipe: https://www.arla.se/recept/chokladbollar/