chocolate crunch slice

As some of you might recall, my siblings and I had to clear out Dear Dad's stuff. The first time was a MAJOR undertaking, last year was just a tidying up, and this past month, it was another downsizing. That meant looking into his freezer, and low and behold, see what I found! Lots of chocolate! 11 bars, to be exact. We won't begin to question what Dear Dad was stockpiling for, but I immediately began wondering what I could do with them.

mea culpa cookies- chocolate whoppers

I surprised myself. I didn't realize I had this Fonzie syndrome:


I never thought saying sorry would be so hard. I could easily admit my bad to others, yet, I couldn't manage saying it to the person I'd wronged.

power of the pause- hot chocolate mix

I thought I had paced myself this December to create some space for breathing. Even with good intentions, decorating, shopping, gatherings, parties, rehearsals, and performances filled up the to-do list and crowded out the silent moments. If one such moment appeared, it was filled with dvr'd TV. (Hello, Homeland! Scandal! Goodbye blog posts.)

chocolate crinkle cookies

Generally speaking, cracks are not appealing. Cracks in sidewalks, in ceilings, in heels and chapped lips- they are all very ugh-inducing. This, however, might be the one and only instance where cracks look good, even alluring. I say the more cracks there are, the better!

mississippi mud torte

"This is rich."

Those were my first thoughts after taking my first bite.

Maybe it was because I'd just finished a huge Korean meal of bulgogi, seafood pancake, and jap chae, maybe it was because there are three different layers of chocolate in this bad boy, but can I tell you, IT WAS INTENSE.

If you're looking for a dessert that knocks you over with texture, flavor and power, you're at the right place.

chocolate-coffee ice cream pie

fool∙ish   /'fo͞oliSH/ :
     lacking good sense or judgement; unwise

That about sums up my decision to single-handedly work my way through this pie. I couldn't resist. It was 80 degrees out today, (as it was yesterday, and last week). I needed a pick me up.

I used just about every single excuse to justify my actions. Perhaps it can be argued that it would have been foolish of me NOT to eat it, it was so darn good.

lucky oreo balls

While surfing through my blog, The Son saw these oreo truffles and requested that I make them again. It's been two years since we last had them— I don't know why I haven't revisited the recipe, as they are super easy to throw together, requiring only three ingredients, four if you count sprinkles.

cook's country texas sheet cake

 

“It’s deja vu all over again”

Yogi Berra

I know I just made this cake. But The Illinois BFF, upon receiving my last post, sang the praises of it. She said, "Have you tried the Cook's Country Texas Sheet Cake? It's fabulous." She said that whenever she makes it, people go gaga over it.

I had a dinner party in need of a dessert. I like gaga. I like fabulous. Perfect!

texas sheet cake

I came across this recipe in my alumni magazine. One of our alums, Jennifer Jones, is the Pastry Chef for the Rick Bayless' well-known Chicago restaurants, Topolobampo, Frontera Grill and XOCO. She makes this cake for staff meals and parties (in other words, you won't be finding this on their restaurant menu.)

the baked brownie

"Too much of a good thing can be wonderful."

Mae West

And so it goes, this is my eleventh brownie recipe here at beurrista. I can't help it. I'm a sucker for new recipes. I love me a good brownie, and I love chocolate.

This one, from Baked, calls for LOTS of chocolate. It is a perfect Use-up-leftover-easter-bunny Recipe. The brownie hits just the right balance of dense, chewy and fudgey. And it's won accolades— featured on the pages of O magazine and awarded best brownie honors by America's Test Kitchen and the Today show. Definitely, this guy's a keeper.

The Baked Brownie
from Baked New Frontiers in Baking, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan.

In a medium, bowl, whisk the flour, salt and cocoa powder together.

Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve.

Tightly covered with plastic wrap, the brownies keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair,  show me what you got

chocolate spice minicakes

Like my taxes, these minicakes were done at the last minute.

Nothing like a deadline to galvanize you into action, and since my deadline for this Martha Stewart Cupcake Club assignment is the 15th— today!— I'm scrambling to bake a treat, write the post and celebrate finished taxes. It helps that the recipe is a quick one. Since they're going to a meeting, I made them in minis, the easier to pick them up and pop into the mouth.

I will definitely revisit this recipe come autumn, as the cakes are redolent with wonderful spices. I've never mixed gingerbread with chocolate before and wasn't sure how I'd like it. I remain rather ambivalent about the combination, but I know there are a legion of chocolate fans out there who love it any which way, so this is a happy marriage for you folks. I'd read that the molasses taste was a bit strong, so I reduced the amount of molasses a bit and added some vanilla.

I baked the cakes with liners and without, and I had to show you the different outcomes...

Weird, right? Most of the unlined ones came out looking like they developed some kind of boil smack in the middle.

With a little confectioner's sugar and a little candied ginger, the bumps are camouflaged and the minicakes are gussied up and set to go. Thanks to Julie of Little Bit of Everything for choosing this month's recipe. You can find the recipe on her blog.


This post is linked to the following: show and share, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

chocolate cake with mocha buttercream

"HE LIKES IT! Hey Mikey Hubby!" (For those of you of a certain vintage, you'll remember the wonderful LIFE cereal ad campaign.) I wanted to yell that when The I-Don't-Like-Sweets Hubs ate the cake. I can count on one hand when he's had seconds for dessert, and this was one of those rare times.

happy 100th birthday, oreos!

Funny what one learns in church. You either could be nodding your head in agreement or shuddering with some negative memories (for the latter, I genuinely hope not, but I know it does happen.)

The following tidbit, however, will be appreciated by all. The lead pastor mentioned on Sunday that today, Tuesday, March 6, is OREO's 100th birthday. And that they were first sold in my lovely home state, New Jersey! You knew we had to be good for something, right? ;)

chocolate caramel sandwich cookies

Have you ever had a treat which upon eating, you

• promptly ate the rest of the bag, OR
• (showing restraint) ate and savored one, then swore you would hoard and hide the rest from anyone and everyone else

Such was the scenario last week, after The Marathoner-PTA Prez-Superwoman Neighbor shared these cookies with me. I ate them all, save for one little bite. Supposedly for The Daughter.

The crisp cookie, cloaked in chocolate, contrasts brilliantly with the creamy caramel. It is beyond delicious and definitely on my top five cookie list.

halloween whoopie pies

"WHOOPIE!" Don't you just want to holler it when you see that word?

The Amish have a thing for the whoopie pie, as do New Englanders. Maine legend states that a baker had extra cake batter, poured it into molds, slapped some frosting in between, and there was born the whoopie pie.  I like the Amish version of the beginnings, where the Amish women placed these cake treats into school children's lunch pails. Upon opening up their meal, the kids would yell, "Whoopie!"

You should bake up a batch (or maybe pumpkin ones!) and see if kids will exclaim the same.

brioche au chocolat

This is The Little Girl's latest project:

Hello people of the Earth and beyond! The Daughter has returned (trumpets play victoriously in the background). 

Today, I've made Brioche Au Chocolat. While labor intensive and difficult to make (well, at least for me), this little pastry is absolutely, positively delicious. The rich pastry cream and smooth chocolate filling make me feel as if I have gone to Heaven and come back down. As it says in Flour, "...you've got an out-of-this-world indulgence."

This uses only ½ of the dough, and you wonder what to do with other half? You can bake it up into a loaf, freeze it for later use, or make the coming-soon-to-blog chocolate marzipan coffeecake. YUM!

chocolate dipped pretzels

Can you believe that we're already saying good-bye to September and hello to October? Time seems to move faster in the fall. I thought it'd be fun to usher in the month with some chocolate dipped pretzels.

The Chatty Student (his mom often yells from the other room, "... Stop telling your teacher about the day and start playing!") brings sprinkled, chocolate-covered pretzels every Christmas. They've become his handmade tradition that I always look forward to receiving, hiding (who says I need to share?) and sneak-eating.

marble cake

Not to be a grammarian, but shouldn't the word be marbleD? Or marbleiZED? But marble cake it is, and this loaf combines the two great flavors of chocolate and vanilla. I think I fell in love with the idea of something marbleized when I visited Florence in 1987. At Il Papiro, the gorgeous papers, stationery sets, and journals were and still are all created by hand by Italian artisans. The undulating swirls, rhythmic and beautiful, delight the eye.

So you can understand why I love the marble loaf. The best part about making this (aside from eating it) is being able to whirl the two batters together. I get to be that Florentine artist for a few moments, creating yet stifling the urge to go swirl-crazy.

chocolate oatmeal crispies

Do you like your cookie crispy or soft? Do you like it with lots of texture, chock-full of add-ins, or are you a minimalist— just a chocolate chip, thank you! Does it depend on what kind of cookie you're having?  I am a cookie fiend and love them all sorts of ways, but I think my favorite cookie has a combination of crisp on the edges and then soft towards the middle.

This chocolate cookie, as the name implies, is crisp, through and through. It makes no apologies and stands proud with its crunchy, crumbly, meringue-like snap. The chocolate flavor is just enough (add chocolate chips if you want more) and complements the coconut and oatmeal beautifully. It's a perfect afternoon snacking cookie, eaten with a large glass of milk.

quintuple chocolate brownies {bwd}

Chocoholics, rejoice! This delectable brownie, chock-full with FIVE chocolates, will surely satiate that mid-afternoon (or for me- early morning) craving for a chocolatey treat.

Did you try guessing the five chocolates going into this recipe?  I'm sure you were right with these answers:

unsweetened cocoa powder

unsweetened chocolate

bittersweet chocolate

milk chocolate chips

white chocolate