Pumpkin mix Chocolate

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 (15 oz) can of Pumpkin
1 Spice Cake Mix
1 cup of broken high end dark chocolate (or a cup of dark chocolate chips)
Chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix pumpkin and cake mix until blended and moist. Fold in chocolate chips (and walnuts if you're using them). Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or so.. you'll know when they're done, but start checking at 8 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 (15-16 ounce) can pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (you'll need this much oil to make these moist)*
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (or broken dark chocolate)

In large mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and oil until smooth.
Mix dry ingredients together and mix into pumpkin mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full.
Bake at 400 F for 16-20 minutes.

To make Lite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, USE THIS RECIPE -substitutes applesauce for the oil. You can do this with almost any spice/pumpkin cake, bar, muffin.

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
2 boxes of spice cake mixes (Duncan Hines)
1 30-oz. can pumpkin (Libby's)
1 - 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips or broken up pieces of dark chocolate

Preheat Oven to 350. Mix together cake mixes, pumpkin and fold in chocolate chips or pieces. Spoon into lined muffin tins--either mini or regular. Fill to the brim, not much rising. Sprinkle some chocolate chip pieces on top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate French Toast

Chocolate French Toast.

3 large eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa (Hershey's or Ghirardellis or Scharffen Berger)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8-10 slices challah
2 tbsp butter

I also like to use Cinnamon Swirl bread with this recipe. Just eliminate the extra cinnamon.

1. Beat eggs, milk, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, salt and cinnamon in large bowl until smooth.
2. Place bread in baking dish, making sure pieces do not overlap.
3. Pour egg mixture over bread slices. Turn bread until well-coated.
3. Heat griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Grease griddle with butter.
3. Place bread slices on griddle. Cook about 2 to 4 minutes on each side until lightly browned and cooked through.
Serve immediately with butter, sliced strawberries, powdered sugar.

Photo: Hershey's Recipes

Recipe: Super-Duper Chocolate Kisses

Better Homes and Gardens has been sending me a daily cookie email. 'Tis the season. I welcome these wonderful recipes in my inbox. It's definitely cookie time, especially if you want to bake ahead. The BHG recipe for Super-Duper Chocolate Kisses is simple (very little clean-up, too), and the cookies look fabulous and taste delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 16-1/2-ounce package refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup chocolate-flavor sprinkles
2 tablespoons milk
About 40 dark chocolate kisses, unwrapped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine cookie dough and cocoa powder. Seal bag; knead with your hands until dough is well mixed. Remove dough from bag.

2. Place chocolate sprinkles in a shallow dish or small bowl. Place milk in another shallow dish or small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Dip balls in milk to moisten, then roll in chocolate sprinkles to coat. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake in the preheated oven about 8 minutes or until edges are firm. Immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Makes about 40 cookies.

To Store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe: White Chocolate Mashed Potatoes

The other day I posted two different Chocolate Rubs for the Turkey. Well today Candy Dish Blog posted a recipe for White Chocolate Mashed Potatoes. There's some hot red pepper sauce in this dish, so it's not really sweet. White chocolate has a lot of cocoa butter in it, so these will be rich and are actually taking the place of butter in a 'normal' recipe.

White Chocolate Mashed Potatoes

3 pounds yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled

1 1/2 ounce white chocolate, chopped (make sure it's pure white chocolate made from cocoa butter and not just a hydrogenated shortening)

3/4 teaspoon salt

6 dashes hot red pepper sauce, such as Tabasco sauce

1 1/2 cup fat-free milk

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cool water to a depth of 2 inches, and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Drain in a colander set in the sink and return the potatoes to the pan.

Add the white chocolate to the still-hot potatoes; stir until the white chocolate starts to melt. Stir in the salt and hot red pepper sauce.

Use an electric mixer at medium-low speed to mash the potatoes slightly. Pour in the milk and continue mixing until creamy, about 1 minute. Serve at once.

Ice Cream Chocolate Peppermint

I love ice-cream sandwiches, and I couldn't get over how much those Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cookies. Here are a few variations based on my original ice-cream sandwich recipe.

Peppermint Patty Ice Cream Sandwiches

For the holidays and to continue the Chocolate Peppermint theme, take 6 big Chocolate Chunky Cookies (Pepperidge Farm Brownie is what I use, but any big firm chocolate cookie will work).

Lay out 6 cookies, flat side up.

Scoop slightly softened peppermint ice-cream onto the cookies.

Using a butter knife spread the ice cream to the edge.

Cover with another cookie, flat side down.

Spread smashed pieces of candy canes on a plate.

Roll the sides of the sandwich in the candy cane pieces until covered.

Wrap each sandwich and freeze.

Peppermint ice cream seems to be seasonal these days. When I grew up it was a year-round flavor. On long turnpike trips, my family would stop at the Howard Johnson's, and I would order Peppermint Ice Cream. It was the reward, I guess, for not fighting with my sister. Peppermint was my favorite. I know, a big surprise for a chocoholic. Maybe I developed the love of chocolate later?

For the ice-cream in the ice-cream sandwiches, Haagen-Dazs has a Peppermint Bark Ice Cream that's a rich white chocolate ice cream blended with crunchy dark and white chocolate peppermint bark and peppermint candy pieces. It's fabulous! Available September through December, so get some in the freezer now.

Baskin-Robbins has Peppermint as a flavor of the month. Peppermint Ice Cream with pieces of pink peppermint candy.

Dreyer's has a silky cool Peppermint ice cream mixed with pieces of peppermint candy. I think Edy's is the name of the same brand in other areas of the U.S.

Ben & Jerry's used to have Peppermint Schtick. It's a retired flavor, but you can always send them an email and ask for its return.

Check out your favorite local ice cream shop for Peppermint ice-cream. I bet they'll have some yummy ones. It's the season. Enjoy!

Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate Truffle Shortbread Cookies

THE COOKIES

1 cup (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (1 ½ ounces) unsweetened natural cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter with 82% butterfat, at room temperature

½ cup (3 ½ ounces) granulated cane sugar

¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably Madagascar Bourbon

THE FILLING

4 ounces 65% chocolate, roughly chopped

1/3 cup (2 ½ ounces) heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (1 ½ ounces) powdered cane sugar

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter with 82% butterfat, very soft (75°F°)

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, preferably Madagascar Bourbon

Unsweetened natural cocoa powder for finishing cookies

These shortbread rounds are sandwiched with truffle cream made the old-fashioned way: by pouring hot cream over chopped chocolate. It creates a stiff filling that can support the top cookie in the sandwich.

Make the dough:

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt together into a bowl. Set aside.

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed just until combined. Add the vanilla extract.

Switch the mixer to low speed and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, pulsing the mixer to incorporate each addition before adding the next one. The dough will look dry.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead a few times just until it comes together. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

Bake the cookies:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottoms of two 12-by18-inch sheet pans with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unwrap it. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Using a 1 ½ inch round cookie cutter, set out as many rounds as possible. Reroll the scraps only once, using less flour on the work surface to prevent toughness, and cut again. You should have 60 rounds in all. Place the rounds on the prepared pans, spacing them ½ inch apart.

Bake on the middle shelves of the oven, rotating the pans 180 degrees halfway through the baking time, until the tops are lightly cracked and hold a slight indentation when pressed with a fingertip, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on the pans on wire racks.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches.

Make the filling and assemble the cookies:

Put the chocolate in a medium bowl.

Put the cream and powdered sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook at a simmer for 1 minute and remove from the heat.

Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Whisk the mixture by hand until the chocolate melts. Whisk in the butter, and then the vanilla extract.

Pour the truffle cream into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap is touching the surface, and refrigerate until the consistency of thick mayonnaise, 30 to 45 minutes.

Arrange half of the cookies, bottom side up, on a sheet pan. Put the truffle cream into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch star tip and pipe a swirl of the cream onto the top of each cookie, distributing the cream evenly among them. Top each covered cookie with a second cookie, bottom side down, and press gently to adhere it to the truffle cream. Store in a cool place until serving.

Just before serving, sift a dusting of cocoa powder on the tops of the cookies. Transfer to a serving plate.

Champagne Truffles

New Year's Eve is coming up and what a better way to celebrate than with Champagne Truffles. I like this recipe because it uses more champagne than most Champagne Truffle recipes. The Cognac also adds some zip.

Martha Stewart's Champagne Truffles

Makes about 3 dozen

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Champagne
• 1 tablespoon Cognac
• Coarse sanding sugar, for rolling

Directions

1. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Immediately pour hot cream over the chocolate in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Stir in the Champagne and Cognac. Refrigerate until chocolate mixture is firm enough to roll into balls, about 1 hour. (or more!!)
2. Using a small melon baller or ice-cream scoop, form 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in coarse sanding sugar, and transfer to rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate truffles at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days before serving.

You can also use unsweetened cocoa or confectioner's sugar if you don't have sanding sugar. This recipe was in Martha's wedding section, so the sparkly white sugar looks great for weddings, but cocoa tastes just as good.. just different.

What Is Sanding Sugar?

Sanding sugar is a large crystal sugar used as edible decoration that will not dissolve when subjected to heat. Also called pearl sugar or decorating sugar, sanding sugar adds "sparkle" to cookies, baked goods and candies. The sparkling affect is achieved because the sugar crystal grains are large and reflect light. You can order Sanding Sugar online or buy it in cake decorating departments.

Chocolate Bacon Peanut Bark

Chocolate and Bacon was the chocolate trend in 2009. What a great pairing! In 2009 I posted recipes for Chocolate Covered Bacon, Chocolate Bacon Brownies, Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies and a lot more. I also reviewed several chocolate/bacon foods to buy such as Vosges' Mo's Bacon Bar as well as links to other blogs and recipes. Susan Russo on NPR had a great article last week on different pairings of bacon with different foods, but this was my favorite. It's simple to make.

Chocolate Bacon Peanut Bark adapted from Susan Russo's recipe

8 strips bacon

16 ounces fair-trade organic chocolate 60%-75% cacao (chunks or chips are fine)

1 cup unsalted peanuts

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon, turning several times, until browned and done, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Chop finely.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add chocolate to a double boiler (or a saucepan on top of another saucepan). Once the water begins to boil, add the chocolate. Using a spatula, stir continuously, until smooth and creamy.

Stir in the bacon and peanuts. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread to 3/8-inch thickness. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. The bark should be hard and chilled.

Place bark on a cutting board and cut into pieces — any size or shape you'd like. Serve at about room temperature.

English Toffee Recipe

Apparently January 8 is a world-wide holiday: English Toffee Day. I absolutely adore English Toffee, and one of my favorite English Toffees is made by See's Candies. They call it Victoria Toffee. I also like their Toffee-ettes. I first had English Toffee on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. Don't ask! Yes, there was salt water taffy, but I was drawn to the English Toffee and White Chocolate. Both were rarities in our household, so they were special treats!

English Toffee has several definitions, but for me it's any confection made by boiling sugar with butter or milk, surrounded by chocolate and nuts. What's your definition? Some people call this brittle. Whatever it is, you have the hard, soft and chewy all in one.

The preparation for making English Toffee is much like that for making candy barks. English Toffee can be made with dark chocolate of varying amounts or even milk chocolate or a mixture of both. Nuts can range from almonds to peanuts to filberts to hazelnuts. Such a range. Every time you make English Toffee, you can vary the ingredients to come up with a completely different taste. How fun! One thing, though, be sure and use real butter!!! European butter is divine, but any good quality sweet butter will work.

I've slightly adapted this easy recipe from Epicurean. You will need a candy thermometer.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (best quality)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla (Madagascar)

6 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao or higher)

2 oz milk chocolate (40-55% cacao)

1/2cup finely chopped pecans,walnuts, filberts, or hazelnuts (you choose)

Directions:

Combine butter, sugar, water and salt in a heavy 2- 1/2 qt pan. Cook over medium-high to high heat, stirring often, until candy thermometer reads 305 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Immediately pour into heavily buttered 9-inch sq pan, spreading to fill pan. Cool completely.

Melt semisweet and milk chocolate in top of double boiler stirring until smooth. Spread half of chocolate over 1 side of toffee and sprinkle with half of nuts Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Reheat remaining chocolate until flowing. Turn toffee over and spread other side with chocolate and sprinkle with remaining nuts. Refrigerate until firm. When chocolate is set, break toffee into pieces. Store in airtight container in a cool place.

Bittersweet Chocolate Bundt Cake

Since I eat and review chocolate, the word bittersweet isn't really part of my lexicon. I certainly have purchased bars that are labeled bittersweet chocolate chips and bars, but usually I buy chocolate based on its origins, fair-trade and amount of cacao. Bittersweet is just too vague for me personally.

According to Wikipedia, Bittersweet chocolate is chocolate liquor (unsweetened chocolate not liqueur) to which some sugar (typically a third), more cocoa butter, vanilla and sometimes lecithin has been added. It has less sugar and more liquor than semisweet chocolate, but the two are interchangeable in baking. Bittersweet and semisweet chocolates are sometimes referred to as 'couverture' (chocolate that contains at least 32 percent cocoa butter); many brands (the ones I like) print on the package the percentage of cocoa (as chocolate liquor and added cocoa butter) contained. The rule is that the higher the percentage of cocoa, the less sweet the chocolate will be. The American FDA classifies chocolate as either "bittersweet" or "semisweet" that contain at least 35% cacao (either cacao solids or butter from the cacao beans).

So using this definition, almost any of my recipes will work since I use mostly very dark chocolate.

Here's a recipe for Bittersweet Chocolate Bundt Cake adapted from Nestle Toll House's Chocolate Pound Cake recipe. It's easy and delicious. If you use a Nestle Toll House Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar be sure and add more sugar to the recipe.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons Instant Coffee Granules (something you'll only use for this)*

8 ounces dark chocolate (75%-90%), broken into pieces, divided (save 2 oz for glaze)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup sweet butter, softened

1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla

3 large eggs

CHOCOLATE GLAZE:

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR CAKE:

1. PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 10-inch Bundt pan.

2. COMBINE flour, baking soda and baking powder in small bowl. Bring water and coffee granules to a boil in small saucepan; remove from heat. Add 6 ounces chocolate; stir until smooth.

3. BEAT sugar, butter and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs; beat on high speed for 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture alternately with chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared Bundt pan.

4. BAKE for 50 to 60 minutes or until long wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. Invert onto wire rack to cool completely. Place on plate. Drizzle with Chocolate Glaze

** Sometimes I pour the glaze over the bundt cake while it's still a bit warm. The cake absorbs the glaze, and it's yummy!

FOR CHOCOLATE GLAZE: Melt remaining 2 ounces of chocolate with butter in small, saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar alternately with water. Stir in vanilla extract. Drizzle over cake.

Want to celebrate Bittersweet Chocolate Day with a Book? Pick up a copy of Alice Medrich's Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate. She's the best! Chocolate recipes and info, some bittersweet.