Category: Chocolate

Baking · Chocolate · Do-ahead

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Belinda

These taste distinctly homemade: much smaller than giant, thick bakery-style disks and more delicate, with just enough buttery dough to bind the chocolate and oats.
Mixing by hand turns out cookies that are crisp at the edges and tender in the centers. These can be mixed and baked in under an hour, but the dough balls also can be packed in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to a month. You can bake them from ice-cold, though they’ll need a few more minutes to turn golden brown.

Recipe by Genevieve Ko for the New York Times
Makes between 2 and 3 dozen cookies

¾ cup/100 grams all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
8 tbsp/114 grams unsalted butter, softened
½ cup/94 grams packed brown sugar
¼ cup/59 grams granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tbsp heavy cream or milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups/134 grams old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup/189 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup/63 grams chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Mix the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until creamy. Beat in the egg until incorporated, then stir in the cream and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture and gently stir until no traces of flour remain. Add the oats, chocolate chips and nuts (if using), and fold until evenly distributed. Loosely scoop a rounded ball of dough using a measuring tablespoon or small cookie scoop and drop onto a prepared sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls 2 inches apart.
Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.
Cool on the sheet on a wire rack for 1 minute, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Icecream

Cookies and Black Sesame Ice cream

Belinda

A dream came true: Cookies and cream meets black sesame ice cream. It’s nutty, textured, and not-too-sweet.
Nabisco chocolate wafers are the preferred cookies in this recipe, but you could also use Oreos or any chocolate cookie your heart desires.
Recipe by Sarah Jampel for Bon Appetite Magazine

Makes about 8 cups

½ cup (70 g) black sesame seeds
1x 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups heavy cream
3 oz chocolate wafer cookies, crushed into large pieces (about 1 cup)

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and just starting to crackle, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender and pulse, scraping down sides as needed, until seeds are finely chopped but haven’t formed a paste, about 3 minutes in a food processor, and about 2 minutes in a blender.

Mix together the ground sesame seeds, condensed milk, and salt in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream in a small bowl, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high as it thickens, until billowy and stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.

Add a dollop of whipped cream to condensed milk mixture and mix in with a rubber spatula (this is just to lighten it so that the next stage—folding—is easier). Add remaining whipped cream and fold in, running spatula down sides and along bottom of bowl and lifting up through center and over top while rotating bowl to integrate without deflating, until very few streaks of condensed milk mixture remain.
Fold in the crushed cookies; scrape the ice cream base into a loaf pan that’s at least 8½ x 4½”.
Cover with plastic wrap or an airtight silicone lid and freeze until solid, at least 8 hours.

To serve, transfer the loaf pan to refrigerator and let ice cream soften 10 minutes before scooping into bowls.

Do ahead: Ice cream can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.

Chocolate · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Icecream

Avocado Ice cream

Belinda

This avocado ice cream is so creamy, made with only six ingredients and doesn’t require an ice cream maker! It’s also vegan and gluten-free.

Recipe from Food Blog “Eating Bird Food”

2 ripe avocados (You could try another non-dairy milk too)
½ cup almond milk
¼ cup maple syrup honey or other liquid sweetener
1 Tbsp coconut oil measured in a liquid state
¼ tsp peppermint extract
¼ cup chocolate chips (dairy-free, if needed)

Add all ingredients except for the chocolate chips into a high powered blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Stir in chocolate chips and pour into a freezer-safe container. I used a loaf pan lined with parchment.
Place container in the freezer to set. It should take about 4-5 hours.
Once frozen, pull ice cream from the freezer, let sit out on the counter for 5-10 minutes to soften. Use an ice cream scoop to serve and enjoy!
You can use an icecream maker if you prefer, so after blending the ice cream, pour it into the ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions

Notes
Sweetener: Feel free to use your sweetener of choice here. Play around with using stevia instead of maple syrup/honey if you want to reduce the sugar content.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Banoffee fridge cake

Belinda

Everyone knows banoffee pie tastes even better the day after making, when all the flavors have had a chance to meld, so this easy fridge cake takes advantage of that

Recipe by Janine Ratcliffe

oil to grease the tin
25 fl oz (750 mls)heavy whipping cream
1 tsp good quality vanilla extract
2 tbsp icing sugar
1/2 a 14 oz (397g) can of Nestlé Carnation Caramel (available online for people in the USA)
Approx 32 Graham crackers or digestive biscuits, about 16oz (450g)
6 small bananas,sliced
2oz (5og) milk chocolate

Lightly oil a deep 9″ (23cm) springform tin, then line it with clingfilm (the oil will help the clingfilm stick to the tin).

Whip the cream, vanilla and icing sugar until soft peaks. Scrape the caramel into a bowl and beat with a spoon to loosen it.

Put a layer of cookies in the bottom of the lined tin – you should get about seven in a 9″ (23cm) tin. Break up another cookie to fill in the cracks.

Dollop over a quarter of the cream and spread out. Top with a layer of banana slices then drizzle over 1 tbsp of caramel sauce.

Repeat with another layer of cookies, another quarter of cream, banana slices and another tbsp of caramel. Repeat again with a third layer

Add one more layer of cookies but this time only add the rest of the cream, swirling it into a nice pattern. Put in the fridge to chill overnight. Chill the remaining caramel sauce, too.

Unclip the tin and carefully peel away the clingfilm. Transfer to a flat cake plate.
Just before serving, drizzle over more caramel (warm it a little first so it’s drizzle-able) and then sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
Cut into wedges to serve.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Oreo and Baileys fridge cake

Belinda

Combine Oreos and Baileys in this indulgent no-bake fridge cake for the easiest summer dessert

Recipe by Janine Ratcliff from Olive Magazine

Serves 12
Vegetable or sunflower oil to oil the tin
34 fl oz (1 liter) heavy whipping (double) cream, chilled
5 fl oz (150 ml) Baileys Irish cream liqueur
2 tsp good quality vanilla extract
2 tbsp powdered (icing) sugar
8 x 4oz (96g) boxes Oreo chocolate creme thins

Very lightly oil a 9″ (23cm) springform cake tin, then line it with clingfilm (the oil helps the clingfilm to stick to the tin).

Whip the cream with the Baileys, vanilla and icing sugar to soft peaks.

To assemble the cake, line the bottom of the tin with a layer of cookies then spread with a thin layer of the cream. Repeat, slightly offsetting the next layer of cookies so they’re not sitting directly on top of each other, and keep going until all the cookies are used up.

Finish with a layer of cream. Chill overnight. Loosen the cake tin and remove the clingfilm.
Crumble over extra cookies to decorate before cutting into slices.

Chocolate · Do-ahead · Icecream

Rocky Road ice cream

Belinda

This ice cream is sensational, dark, rich and full of flavor! Hold on to your hats!

Makes 1.5 quarts (5-6 servings)

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder like Scharffen Berger or Green and Blacks. Make sure it’s a really good quality brand.
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp good quality vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, like Ghirardelli. Make sure it’s a really good quality brand of chocolate
1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
1 cup miniature marshmallows or chopped larger marshmallows

Whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a medium-size saucepan.
Add the cream and milk, stir, and bring to the boil over medium-high heat while stirring frequently.
Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips, vanilla and almond extract.
Stir to dissolve the chocolate. Let cool and then refrigerate for at least 6 hours until cold.

Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions
Near the end of the churning process, add the almonds and marshmallows. Let them mix in well then remove the ice cream to a container and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Enjoy!!

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Rocky Mountain avalanche bars

Belinda

Recipe from “House of Nash eats” food blog

Rocky Mountain Avalanche Bars are part rice krispies treat, part peanut butter fudge, and part white chocolate bark. These totally addicting bars are perfect for a special treat.

4 cups white chocolate, chopped (about 24 oz)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups Rice Krispies
3 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Melt the white chocolate in a microwave on 50% heat in 30 second bursts, stirring between each burst, until melted.
Stir the peanut butter into the melted white chocolate until combined, then pour over the Rice Krispies in a large bowl and gently stir to coat.
Cool for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice until the melted chocolate is no longer warm to the touch.
Fold in the marshmallows and mini chocolate chips, then gently press into a 9×13-inch pan lined with a parchment paper sling or buttered on the bottom and sides.
Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes, then cut into squares.

Chocolate · Do-ahead

Bittersweet chocolate pots de creme

Belinda

Recipe from Melissa Clark for the New York Times

“This is restaurant-grade pudding you can make at home. It’s dense yet buoyant with a profound chocolate flavor thanks to the use of bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate. A healthy dose of salt balances it all out.”

Serves 4-6

1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 egg yolks
3 tbsp sugar
⅛ tsp kosher salt

Crème fraîche or whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 300 F.

In a heavy saucepan, bring cream and milk to a boil. Remove from heat; whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot chocolate into yolks. Strain through a very fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl.
Divide mixture among 4-oz espresso cups or small ramekins. Set filled cups in a large roasting pan that has been positioned on center rack of oven. Add hot tap water to pan, halfway up sides of cups. Cover pan with foil; use a fork to prick holes in foil.
Bake until edges are lightly set (lifting foil to check) but center is still jiggly — it will set as it cools — 30 to 35 minutes.
Transfer cups to a wire rack to cool completely.
Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving with crème fraîche or whipped cream.

Chocolate · Do-ahead · Icecream

Sweetcorn, bacon and chocolate chip ice cream

Belinda

This wonderful recipe comes from the food blog “Running to the Kitchen”
The sweet corn bacon ice cream with cacao nibs is sweet and creamy with salty bacon and crunchy chocolate bits throughout.

2 cups sweet corn kernels
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 egg yolks
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped
1/3 cup cacao nibs

Combine the corn, heavy cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Turn off heat and let sit for an hour.
After an hour, transfer the mixture to a blender and blend on high until smooth.
Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve back into the saucepan discarding the solids.
Turn the heat to medium and let the mixture heat back up.
Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks in a bowl.
Once the mixture is hot, slowly pour about 1 cup into the egg yolks, whisking constantly.
Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the sauce pan and stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon or spatula.
Transfer to a bowl, bring to room temperature then cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours until fully chilled.
Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacture’s directions.
Add the chopped bacon and cacao nibs during the last minute of churning.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Easy Peppermint Fudge

Belinda

It’s seriously the easiest fudge you’ll ever make.
Recipe from Ree Drummond “The Pioneer Woman”

12 servings

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz. size) sweetened condensed milk
8 whole peppermint candies, crushed

Line a square 8 x 8 pan with foil and smooth the surface. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

Combine the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a double boiler over medium heat. Heat until melted, about 5-7 minutes. Stir until smooth, then immediately pour it into the foil-lined pan.
Use a spatula to smooth the surface, then sprinkle on the crushed peppermints.

Refrigerate for 2 hours, then cut into small squares.