chocolate Archives - The Midnight Baker

Chocolate Loaf

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 23:00:10 +0000

This chocolate loaf is sure to be a hit with all who try it.

Chocolate Loaf–Best Chocolate Pound Cake Ever

I just love this chocolate loaf. In fact, I think it’s the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. There’s a reason for that and it’s not only the rich, deep chocolate flavor.It’s the crumb that I find to be the best part. Reason for that is the crumb is so fine that this cake literally melts in your mouth.

Now for the chocolate flavor–that’s obtained by using a good-quality cocoa. Here is not the place to skimp by using a generic. You have your choice as to whether to use regular or dutch-processed. The dutch process would probably yield a better flavor, but the difference is so slight that it’s immaterial–at least to me. Anyway dutched cocoa is pretty hard to find in the supermarket now and as I said, the difference is probably not worth it.

The Topping–Happy Accident

Originally I made this cake without a topping, but I wanted to try something new.

Have you seen some chocolate cakes that are topped with chocolate chips? Especially where the chips have their shape but still look melty? Well, that’s what I wanted but I didn’t get it.

What happened was the chips actually cooked into the top of the cake and made a nice crunchy chocolaty topping which is a lot like crumbs. It was super! Sometimes the accident turns out to be happy and that’s the case with this. The last “disaster” was years ago with my maple meatloaf, so check that one out.

Butter

It goes without saying that unsalted butter is the shortening used in this. Resist the urge to use baking spread (YUCK).

The butter flavor really comes through in this so it’s a pretty major component of the taste. If all you have is salted butter, then leave out the salt in the recipe.

The Recipe

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Chocolate Loaf

Rich, buttery and chocolaty

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate loaf cake, milk chocolate pound cake, rich chocolate cake

Servings: 12

Calories: 267kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 tbs unsalted butter room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup cocoa regular or Dutch process
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
1/4 cup chocolate chips

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F180C. Lightly grease a 9x5 or 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pan--the smaller pan will produce a higher dome and take the maximum baking time.
In a medium bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, baking powder and cocoa. The mixture will look clumpy--this is OK
Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add half of the flour, beating at low speed. Then add all the milk, again beating at low speed. Add the rest of the flour, beating until well mixed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and loosen the edges then cool for 10 minutes then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely.

Video

Nutrition

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Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 23:00:41 +0000

These buttery and delicious chocolate dipped shortbread cookies will become a favorite.

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies–YUM!

You won’t find too many people who don’t like shortbread cookies. And we all know how well received chocolate is. In fact the only people I know that don’t eat it have an allergy.

These cookies are just awesome. They’re big and thick and buttery. That’s everything you want in a shortbread cookie. Now dipping the ends in a good dark chocolate really makes them go over the edge. Since these chocolate dipped shortbread cookies are large and thick, there’s not much guilt as one will probably satisfy.

Use A Good Chocolate

You’ll want to use a high-grade chocolate here. Semi sweet or dark is the way to go. I prefer dark and used a 60 per cent cacao variety. That level provides a nice but subtle bitterness that offsets the sweetness of the shortbread cookie. If you prefer a bolder bitterness, then go with 70 per cent cacao. It’s all a matter of personal taste.

I prefer to use a European chocolate because it’s silkier. That’s because it’s conched for much longer than we do in the US. Remember that Europeans are really, and I mean really are into their chocolate delights so they produce a superior product. There are good American varieties but do stay away from “bargain” brands. As an aside, Aldi has fantastic chocolate–I think it’s Belgian–so don’t overlook it.

Unsalted Butter?

Yes. It’s necessary for the best texture.

Unsalted butter produces a velvety smooth texture. Years ago my mom experimented with using salted butter. The shortbread was delicious but it had a grainy texture. It’s a textural thing; the taste is not affected. Most cooks/bakers I know always bake and cook with unsalted butter so I’m sure most have it on hand in the fridge.

The Recipe

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Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Decadent and delicious

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Chill Time30

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate shortbread cookies, giant shortbread cookies

Servings: 20

Calories: 290kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3/4 lb unsalted butter 3 sticks,at room temperature
1 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 to 7 ounces very good semisweet chocolate finely chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180C.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.
Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it.

Nutrition

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Bavarian Cream Biscuits

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 00:00:55 +0000

Whip up a batch of these Bavarian cream biscuits and surprise the family!

Bavarian Cream Biscuits?

Yep, that’s right! I know it may sound strange, but consider that many people are using refrigerated biscuits to make “donuts” in their air fryers. Not for nothing, those air-fried” donuts taste pretty darned good too.

Why not carry that principle further and apply it to filled donuts. I admit that the biscuit itself is nowhere near the taste nor the texture of filled raised-yeast donuts. However, that doesn’t mean that they won’t taste very good–they do. And what’s good about these is that they should be eaten the same day you make them.

Unlike their yeast cousins, biscuits don’t keep as well.

Creamy Filling

This filling is rich and creamy. It’s delicious too, but of course you know that already.

I tend to use heavy or whipping cream for this type of concoction. Not only for taste but for texture. Light cream or half and half could probably be substituted, however, I can’t vouch for the texture as it may be too runny to be a good filling. Milk would definitely be out here because your end product wouldn’t be much like a pastry filling; it’d be exactly like it’s intended purpose–a pudding.

Chocolate Frosting

I give my favorite quickie chocolate ganache recipe for this and I highly recommend it. Reason for that is that it’s very easy, tastes delicious and it produces the right consistency for this use.

You can always use your favorite recipe for chocolate frosting. The caveat is it must be thin enough so that it drizzles. Another option is to use canned frosting and microwaving it so it becomes runny. However that frosting will lose it’s gloss where my quick ganache will not–so make a tad extra so you can lick out the bowl with the excess. It’s glorious.

The Recipe

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Bavarian Cream Biscuits

Simple yet delicious

Prep Time5

Cook Time0

Biscuit Bake Time20

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bavarian cream donuts, desserts using biscuits, donuts from biscuits

Servings: 8

Calories: 304kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 large biscuits refrigerated, frozen or your own
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix 1/2 of the box

Frosting:

1 cup chocolate chips
2-3 tbs cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a small bowl, beat the cream and the pudding mix with an electric mixer until it's thick. Cover and refrigerate.
Bake biscuits as per package direction or your own recipe. Allow biscuits to cool.
When ready to fill the biscuits, let the filling stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Place filling in a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip (you can also use a plastic freezer bag with a corner cut out).
Insert the tip into the side of each biscuit and squeeze about 2 tablespoons of the filling into the center.
For the frosting, combine the chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of cream in a small bowl and microwave on high for 15 seconds. Stir until smooth. The frosting should be of drizzling consistency; add additional cream if necessary to achieve this texture.
Swirl tops of the biscuits in the frosting.

Nutrition

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Milk Chocolate Pound Cake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 23:00:20 +0000

Treat Dad to this milk chocolate pound cake on Father’s Day!

Pound Cake Is A Favorite

If you ask people what their favorite cake is, I bet pound cake is in the top ten. Number one on that list is chocolate cake . So when you combine those two, you know you have a winner!

Milk chocolate pound cake is a bit different than other fudge, devil’s food or chocolate cake since it uses milk chocolate. The others listed will use either dark chocolate or cocoa. Using milk chocolate will make this cake a tad sweeter and that makes it an excellent dessert cake.

Chocolate Choices

Since I’ve never seen milk chocolate sold in baking bars–not saying it doesn’t exist just that I’ve never seen it–I used milk chocolate morsels in this cake. You can also use candy bars. For me, the morsels were more convenient and easier to measure. Just an aside, and where I can’t speak for other states (or countries), in New York you pay tax on chocolate bought in the candy aisle where it’s tax exempt in the baking aisle.

Another curious thing about the chocolate is the original recipe called for adding water to it. By and large, this is a no-no with chocolate as water makes it seize and seize it did, but funny enough, it worked so don’t let it scare you.

Makes A Lot Of Batter

You’ll definitely need to use a 10-cup Bundt pan for this but you may not have to use the entire batter. As you can see from the photos, the batter rose a bit over the rim of the pan. While this isn’t a drastic thing, you’ll want to fill the pan a tad lower than where the fluting ends. Otherwise you’ll get a “slice with a handle” the same as I got.

The Recipe

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Milk Chocolate Pound Cake

For chocolate lovers!

Prep Time25

Cook Time1 30

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy pound cake recipes, milk chocolate pound cake

Servings: 12

Calories: 257kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

12 oz milk chocolate morsels
2 tbs water
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups cake flour sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F/160C. Spray a 10-cup tube pan with non-stick spray.
In a saucepan, melt chocolate with water over low heat. Mixture will begin to harden.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in vanilla and the chocolate mixture. Combine the flour, salt and soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar if desired.

Video

Nutrition

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Congo Bars

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 23:00:44 +0000

Try these gooey congo bars with glass of milk and you’re in heaven.

Delicious Congo Bars

I can’t say enough how delicious these congo bars are.

Recently, someone in one of my cooking groups posted pics of these that they had just made and I wanted to dive into that photo!

The name is pretty curious since I doubt that they’re a popular cookie in the Congo. One day I’ll make it a point to find out–they may be popular there but I don’t know.

Regardless, these are some awesome bar cookies. They’re easy to make which is a definite plus for me.

Not A Typo

I know you looked twice at the amount of brown sugar in this recipe. Nope, it’s not a typo; there is that much brown sugar in these.

That’s what gives them that marvelous caramel-like flavor. Until I made these, I thought they were just another iteration of toll house bar cookies. They are, but then again, they are not.

The brown sugar also accounts for the chewiness of these cookies. That’s the first thing you notice at first bite. Then comes that blast of chocolate caramel flavor. It’s quite heady and very addictive.

Storage

How you store these cookies is very important.

They must be stored in a container that is as air-tight as possible. Otherwise they will dry out and won’t taste as good as they did the day they were baked. The flavor will suffer and that is something I discovered first hand with these.

However, warming them up a bit in the microwave will revitalize them considerably. I would recommend you do that even if your container is pretty sturdy. The chocolate chips will harden upon cooling and that does change the texture as well. Heating them up the next day will soften up the chocolate and make them much better.

The Recipe

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Congo Bars

Oooey and gooey bar cookies

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bar cookies with chocolate chips, cocolate chip bar cookies, congo bars, easy chocolate bar cookies

Servings: 12

Calories: 521kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2/3 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
2 1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with non-stick spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment,beat the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each.
Add the vanilla then slowly add the dry ingredients until mixed in but don't overmix.
Fold in the chocolate chips by hand then spread the batter in the prepared pan evenly.
Bake for 25 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting bars into the size of your choice

Nutrition

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Mug Cake

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 23:00:24 +0000

How about a lava mug cake that’s ready in 2 minutes?

Lava Mug Cake Is Perfect

Since a lot of us who live alone don’t want a huge cake hanging around just to go bad, a mug cake is the perfect solution. It’s also a great go-to for when you’ve got a craving for cake but don’t want to commit to an entire recipe for one.

Personally, I’m not that much of a cake lover. However, when I want some, I want it now so this is a great solution. With a mug cake I’m getting a single serving with nothing left over to go moldy.

Cake Mix Works Too

For years I’ve made these with cake mix–and that’d work here too in a pinch. I’d add about 1/4 cup of cake mix to an appropriate-sized vessel then just add water until I got a batter consistency. This is an ultra-quick way to do it. Just follow the directions in the recipe for the add-ins and cook time if that’s the way you’re going.

I always prefer homemade to mix–mainly it tastes better–and making from scratch is pretty easy. And I’m sure you have the ingredients for from-scratch where you might not have a cake mix handy so that’s a plus.

Don’t Skimp On The Chocolate

As always, use what you have on hand. But if you want to make this really special, then don’t skimp on the chocolate. I used a high-quality bittersweet chocolate in these. That’s 60 per cent cacao.

As for the peanut butter, I absolutely love the honey roasted variety so I used that–I have it on hand always. Since the center becomes liquified, chunky peanut butter sort of defeats that purpose, but if that’s all you have, then by all means use it.

Now a word about cup size–it’s always better to use something bigger here so you don’t get messy overflows where you will have to clean the microwave. I made these in 14-ounce mugs and the batter didn’t rise all the way to the top so that’s a safe size. Mugs that are 12 ounces will do nicely too, but keep your eye on them to avoid mess.

The Recipe

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Mug Cake

Like Reese's in a mug cake

Prep Time5

Cook Time3

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: microwave lava cake, peanut butter chocolate lava cake, reeses lava mug cake

Servings: 2

Calories: 799kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs dark chocolate chips or 2 oz (2 squares bar chocolate)
2 tbs creamy peanut butter
whipped cream for topping

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place flour, baking powder, cocoa, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to compbine.
Add the milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk until well blended.
Divide the batter between 2 large mugs (I used 14 oz mugs). Microwave for 30-45 seconds on high.
Remove the mugs and place 1 tbs of the chocolate chips into each mug. Next add 1 tbs of peanut butter to each mug. Press the chips and peanut butter into the batter.
Return the mugs to the microwave and cook for an additional 30 seconds to 2 minutes. The length of time will depend on your microwave's power so an exact time can't be reliably calculated. When the batter rises to the top of the mug, that is when the cakes are done so you must watch it carefully.

Notes

Nutrition calculated without whipped cream (optional)

Nutrition

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Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Dress up ordinary banana muffins with nuts and chocolate. Then you have the ultimate muffin!

The Ultimate Muffin

What happens when you’re torn between muffin choices of banana and chocolate chip? Since it might look a bit greedy and indulgent to actually eat the two of them, why not combine the two and have the best of both?

Well, that’s what you have right here along with the addition of rich pecans.

If your family loves banana nut bread with chocolate chips, then they’ll flip over these delicious muffins so whip up some–they’re easy–and surprise everyone.

You can make them super-sized or regular sized. Choice is yours.

Nuts

When it comes to the nuts in this recipe you have some choices.

First, if you have an allergy or can’t stand them, omit them. The nuts play no part in the chemical formula here, so it won’t affect the cake part.

Secondly, if you don’t have pecans but have walnuts, use the walnuts. It’ll taste just as good. I used pecans because for some odd reason, I had a ton of them. Plus I prefer them to walnuts because the skin is not as bitter. However, walnuts are significantly cheaper so they’re easier on the pocketbook.

Don’t hesitate to buy in bulk either if you catch a good sale on either variety. Nuts freeze well with no loss in flavor. I found a bag buried in my freezer not too long ago that I bought maybe five years ago. They were still as good as the day I bought them.

Mini Chips Are Better

You heard that one right. Mini chocolate chips are much better for baking than the regular size.

They disperse better in any batter which means that it’s likely that each mouthful of a cake, cookie or muffin will contain chips.

And another–and to me the best thing–is that you can use half the amount called for in a recipe that uses the regular size. So buying a packet of minis is like getting two packages of the standard. If you’re watching calories, then you get the feel of the same amount of chocolate with half the fat and calories.

The Recipe

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Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins

The ultimate banana muffin

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana chocolate chip muffins, dressing up banana muffins, muffins that are like cake

Servings: 6

Calories: 548kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 egg slightly beaten
3 large ripe bananas mashed
1/2 cup butter melted

Topping:

Sanding or coarse sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in another bowl, mixing well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a Texas muffin pan (pan has 6 large muffins) with large muffin papers or grease the pan. Fill each cup 3/4 full; top with crumbs. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool completely.
Makes 6 large muffins.

For Regular Sized Muffins

Follow the above instructions, except use a regular-sized muffin pan and bake for 18-20 minutes. This will make 12 regular-sized muffins.

Notes

Nutritional info is for the large Texas-sized muffin. Regular muffin would be approximately 1/2 those values.

Nutrition

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Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 23:00:48 +0000

These giant cookies are so huge, all you need is one!

The OMG Cookie

When I first saw these in the food section of a national newspaper, I was kind of “meh” about them. But after thinking more about these cookies, I decided to give them a try basically because the yield was relatively small, but of course they are giant cookies.

This recipe actually lends itself to many different iterations with the add ins. The basic is a mix of chocolates but you can get creative here not only with chocolate, but non-chocolate additions.

They’re easy as are most drop cookies. However, be advised that the batter is very dense you will need a sturdy stand mixer. A hand-held one just won’t be able to manage it.

Now, For The Chocolate

The original recipe called for a mixture of dark, semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. A fine tasting assortment.

I didn’t have any milk chocolate morsels on hand so I substituted white chocolate. I found this to be a tasty substitution as well. To make life interesting, I added a handful of butterscotch chips and that gave the cookies a caramel-like flavor.

There’s no reason to lock yourself into the assorted chocolates. If you have semi-sweet only, go with that. Likewise on milk and dark chocolate. The only thing I’d say avoid using butterscotch chips exclusively. It may be too sweet and cloying and lack any deeply rich favors.

Fruit Too

Adding a little dried fruit is really good in these.

I made another batch using dark chocolate chips and dried cranberries. They were superb! Don’t forget raisins wither.

Next batch of these I make will be no chocolate–just dried fruit and nuts! The substitution should be the same amount as the original chocolate mixture.

With all the fruit, nuts and dark chocolate, these cookies may even be–gasp–healthy!

The Recipe

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Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

Huge cookies with an assortment of chocolate

Prep Time20

Cook Time22

Course: cookies, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bakery style cookies, cookies with dried fruit, giant cookies with chocolate

Servings: 8

Calories: 517kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 tbs unsalted butter softened to cool room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs vanilla extract
2 tsp kosher salt may substitute 1 teaspoon table salt, plus more for sprinkling (optional)
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs cold
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups assorted chocolate chips such as a mix of milk, bittersweet and semisweet
1 3/4 cups walnut pieces or lightly toasted pecan pieces see NOTE

Instructions

Combine the butter, brown and granulated sugars, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low to moisten, then increase the speed to medium and beat until soft, fluffy and pale, about 8 minutes; halfway through, pause to scrape down the bowl and beater with a flexible spatula. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, letting each incorporate fully before adding the next. Reduce the speed to low, then add the flour all at once. When the flour is incorporated, add the chocolate chips and nuts and keep mixing until the dough is homogeneous.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (about 6 ounces/170 grams each) and round each into a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 12 hours before baking; if well protected from air, the dough can be kept in the fridge up to 1 week.
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. When the oven comes to temperature, arrange up to 4 portions of cold dough on the prepared pans, leaving ample space between them to account for spread. If you like, sprinkle with additional salt to taste.
Bake, 1 sheet at a time, for about 22 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and lightly brown or to an internal temperature of between 175 and 185 degrees. The ideal temperature will vary from person to person; future rounds can be baked more or less to achieve the desired consistency.
Cool the cookies directly on the baking sheet until no warmer than 100 degrees (they should feel lukewarm) before serving. Enjoy warm, or within 12 hours; these cookies taste best when freshly baked.

Notes

Toast the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350-degree oven until slightly darkened and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes.

Nutrition

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Chocolate Peanut Butter BonBons

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 00:00:09 +0000

Just in time for Easter. These egg-shaped peanut butter bonbons are awesome and easy. An easy candy to make with kids!

Great Treat For Easter: Candy To Make With Kids

With Easter just around the corner everyone’s mind turns to candy eggs.

This Easter is likely to be like no Easter before with everyone self-sheltering due to this world-wide illness. But that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate–either by yourself or if you’re all hunkered down in the same house.

If you have kiddos, this is a great project to do with them for the holiday. Who knows? It even may become a brand-new tradition from here on. With schools shut and most parents doing remote lessons with the kids or home schooling even, this just might fit into one of those “necessary life skills” classes.

More Than Deviled Eggs

Ok, so you’re thinking, “What do deviled eggs have to do with this.”

A deviled egg plate just happens to be the perfect way to shape these chocolate peanut butter bonbons. You just press the peanut butter filing in, chill and voila–an egg shape.

I will admit it’s a bit of a trick to get them out because they form a sort of vacuum between the plate and the peanut butter mixture. All you have to do is break the “seal.” I do this by using a small paring knife.

Now, if you don’t want to bother with any fancy shape, you can just form the filling into balls about the size of a walnut and take it from there. And if you’re doing these with the kiddos, that would definitely be the way I’d go–for several reasons! Let’s just say everyone can say they helped and leave it at that

Chocolate Coating

Any chocolate you have on hand will be good for this.

I had some dark chocolate morsels and used those. If you have a bar of semi-sweet baking chocolate, that’s good too. White chocolate? That’ll do, although it wouldn’t be my first choice–and I love white chocolate. In this unprecedented time, use what you have. It’ll be good.

The Recipe

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Bonbons

Even better than Reese’s because they’re creamy and made with super-dark chocolate!

Prep Time10

Cook Time0

Chill Time30

Total Time40

Course: candy, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: candy to make with kids, easy homemade Easter candy, homemade peanut butter cups

Servings: 12

Calories: 595kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
16 oz confectioner’s sugar 1 small bag
2 1/2 cups dark chocolate morsels
2 tbs coconut oil or shortening

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Beat in sugar. Stir in coconut if desired. Form golf-ball sized portions into egg shapes or balls. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill for 30 minutes.
In a microwave-safe bowl or heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and coconut oil/shortening: stir until smooth. Dip in melted chocolate until coated; place on waxed paper to harden
You can leave them plain or sprinkle with colored non pareils or sprinkles

Nutrition

The post Chocolate Peanut Butter BonBons appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Chocolate Raspberry Crisp

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 00:00:16 +0000

Chocolate raspberry crisp is a tasty and easy dessert any time of the year. And it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day too.

Easy Dessert

Fruit crisps are easy desserts, that’s for sure! They’re great desserts for when you’re in a pinch.

As berries are generally associated with summer when they are plentiful, a fruit crisp is thought of as a summer dessert.

What I usually do is buy up berries of all kinds when my local stores have them buy-one-get one and then freeze them. They’re perfectly good for baking and cooking if they’ve been frozen. So take advantage of sales and freeze if you don’t already do this.

Chocolate Please

Chocolate and raspberry are one of those marriages made in heaven. They complement each other so well; each enhancing the flavor of the other.

Dark chocolate, of course, is best here. So I highly recommend using it. Semi-sweet chocolate is good too, however, dark is better.

The good thing here is you can now get dark chocolate morsels. Yes, even the store brands are available and that’s what I buy. If your store doesn’t carry the house brand, they are available in the premium brands and they’re worth the extra cost.

Proportions

The proportions of raspberries to chocolate in this chocolate raspberry crisp is nothing scientific. If you like more chocolate to raspberry, then just increase the amount I used in my recipe to suit your tastes. Likewise the same applies to the raspberries.

These desserts are not like cakes which are scientific formulas where amounts matter a lot. Here, they really don’t so you can go to town with the flavors you and your family really prefer.

For the topping, I used quick oats, which is what I had on hand. You can always substitute old-fashioned or steel-cut oats if that’s what you have. Actually, the texture would probably be much crunchier if you did. The thing is, you don’t have to worry with “recipes” such as this–it will always be edible and delicious.

The Recipe

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Chocolate Raspberry Crisp

What’s better than chocolate with raspberries?

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy desserts, easy desserts with frozen fruit, fruit crisps with chocolate, raspberry chocolate crisp

Servings: 6

Calories: 339kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbs flour
1/2 cup dark chocolate morsels

Topping:

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cold butter cubed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large bowl, gently toss raspberries with sugar and 3 tablespoons flour. Fold in chocolate morsels. Transfer to a greased 9-in. square baking dish.
In another large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar and 1/3 cup flour; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over berries and chocolate.
Bake at 350F/180C for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutrition

The post Chocolate Raspberry Crisp appeared first on The Midnight Baker.