Chocolate Raspberry Fudge

One day Eric and Moo went to Cabela's just for fun and they brought me home a piece of chocolate raspberry fudge. I didn't know that Cabela's had fudge, and it was a couple days or so before I felt like eating it. But once I ate it, I had to have more. Some days while I was pregnant it was all I could think about. Now I crave it less often, but I still want it quite a bit. Cabela's is about 30 minutes away, though, and the fudge is kind of expensive, so I've been looking for recipes online.

This particular recipe doesn't have the chocolate and raspberry layers like the fudge at Cabela's, but I thought it might still be good. It is, but it isn't as awesome as the Cabela's fudge. This fudge has a little bit of a grainy (but not really grainy) texture and doesn't have as clean a flavor. I wouldn't make it again, but not because it's gross - just because it's not exactly what I'm looking for.

Chocolate Raspberry Fudge

Scotcheroos

For the same dinner as the Balsamic Chicken Noodle Bowl, Eric's other sister made these scotcheroos. I wanted to keep eating them all night but just had two. I made them for us a few days later, and I think I cooked the sugar/corn syrup mixture too long because they were kind of tough/hard. I tried again this week and cooked the sugar/corn syrup on medium-low just until I saw some simmering (not to a full boil), and they were very soft. Cooking them a little longer probably would have been fine - they're not grainy (from the sugar), but I feel like they're almost grainy.

Also, I feel like the recipe is a little unclear - a package or a cup of semisweet chocolate chips? I used a cup (and a cup of butterscotch chips).

Rice Krispies Scotcheroos

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

This was another recipe that I found when looking for dessert ideas. They turned out pretty well. Eric says it's one of his favorite things I've made.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars from Annie's Eats

I wasn't completely happy with the caramel layer. It has a sweetened condensed milk base, so it was easier than some other caramel recipes, but it just didn't have that rich, buttery caramel taste that I like. I might try making these again but with the caramel from the chocolate caramel tart I've made before. Also, I spent about 35-40 minutes cooking the caramel before I decided it was done. The recipe doesn't give a temperature indication, but mine got to a little over 200. (Maybe 220?) I decided to stop when it looked like the color in the picture on the recipe. My caramel was pretty firm, but Eric says not too firm.

I did each step on a different day. The shortbread and chocolate layers were super fast/easy. I used the same Ghirardelli 65% (I think 65%) bars that I use for ganache and stuff.

I was nervous about putting on too much salt, so I used our sea salt grinder and then sprinkled the finer salt lightly across the top. I wish I had used more salt because it's very tasty on these.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Another recipe from my cooking friend. I don't have the book, but I'm pretty sure it's Flour by Joanne Chang. Instructions are copied verbatim.

I've made these cookies three times, and the frosting just once. I wasn't that impressed with the frosting, and I think the cookies are better (and easier to eat) just on their own with milk. They're tasty. 

Ingredients

Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly

1 egg

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Filling

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk

Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Cookies

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla and chocolate. Add the egg and whisk until thoroughly incorporated. 

2. In another medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda until well mixed. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. The dough will start to seem too floury, and you will find it easiest to switch to mixing it with your hands until it comes together. It will have the consistency of Play-Doh. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to firm up. 

3. Transfer the dough to a 15-inch square sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into a rough log about 10 inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the log at the edge of the sheet of parchment paper, and roll the parchment around the log. With the log fully encased in parchment, roll it into a smoother log, keeping it at 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm. The log may settle and sink a bit in the fridge, so reroll it every 15 minutes or so to maintain a nice round log. (At this point, the dough log can be well wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If the dough is frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.) 

4. Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. 

5. Cut the dough log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. 

6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch. Check them frequently after 16 or 17 minutes, poking them in the middle. As soon as they feel firm to the touch, remove them from the oven. You can't judge by color because they start out black. Let cool on the baking sheet to warm or room temperature. They don't have to cool completely before you fill them, but you can't fill them while they are hot. 

Filling

1. While the cookies are cooling, using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer), beat the butter on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until completely smooth and soft. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Add the milk and salt and again beat until smooth. Add the milk and salt and again beat until smooth. It will look like white spackle and feel about the same - like putty. You can also mix this filling by hand. Make sure the butter is very soft, and use your hands to mix and knead the sugar into the butter. You should have about 1 cup. (The filling can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using.) 

2. Scoop about 1 rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the bottom of one cookie. Top with a second cookie, bottom-side down, then press the cookies together to spread the filling toward the edges. Repeat until all of the cookies are filled. 

My notes

I don't know if my salt is kosher salt. 

I do this all in my Kitchenaid mixer (except that I whisk the flour, etc. in a separate bowl). P.S. - any time a recipe says to sift dry ingredients together, I just whisk them together in a bowl. 

As I was typing this, I thought that it might be pretty awesome to use a cream cheese (or cream cheese/marshmallow fluff) frosting instead of the buttercream frosting. 

The book suggests a peanut-butter cream filling as an alternative. 

Pepper and Spice Dark Chocolate Cookies

I made these for Eric because he liked the homemade oreo cookies a lot and he likes things that are spicy. From The Perfect Finish, by Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark. Instructions are copied verbatim.

Ingredients

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of ground mace

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp pink peppercorns

12 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. In an electric spice grinder or clean electric coffee grinder, grind the black peppercorns and cinnamon stick to a medium-fine powder. Sift the ground spices, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, allspice, salt, ginger, mace, and cayenne onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper and set aside. 

2. Using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a knife, crush the pink peppercorns. Place the pink pepper in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and add the butter and brown sugar. Beat until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg and vanilla. 

3. Add the spice-flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap and roll it into a 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Wrap well and refrigerate overnight. 

4. The next day, position the oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick liners. Using a thin-bladed knife, slice the cookies into 1/4-inch-thick coins and place them on the baking sheets 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of granulated sugar. Bake, turning the sheets from back to front and switching them between the top rack and the bottom halfway through, until the cookies are just firm to the touch, about 8 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes to firm up, then use a spatula to transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

My notes

I added a tiny bit more pink peppercorns - I had just bought them, they're pretty, they come in a big jar...it just seemed like the right thing to do. 

I didn't do the thing with two sheets in the oven. 

I don't like these as much as Eric does. They have a little bit more of a spicy aftertaste than I would prefer. But he'll sit and eat a bunch at a time, so it's not that they're not good cookies. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte

This is *so* good.

http://www.annies-eats.com/2009/04/10/chocolate-peanut-butter-torte/

My cooking friend made it for us and I wanted to cry because I loved it so much. She made it without the peanuts and without the espresso powder, so that's how I've made it too. I add a little more mini chocolate chips (which can also be regular chocolate chips that have been through the food processor a bit) and a little bit of cocoa powder instead.

The first time I made it I didn't have a springform pan, so I used a pie dish and it was fine. Also, I make the ganache as directed in the chocolate caramel tart recipe because I don't want to use a double boiler, and it's always fine.

Also, my friend suggested using the cookies from the oreo cookie recipe in the crust, and that's really good too.

BTS Cake

A long time ago - maybe in college - someone made a "better than sex cake." It's just what it's called. I made it tonight for Eric's birthday and was surprised that my brother hadn't ever heard of it, so here's the recipe. A box chocolate cake works fine, but a couple of years ago Eric's sister made an awesome chocolate cake so now I use that recipe. Or I've tried to use that recipe...the first time it was overbaked because our oven cooked too hot (but it was still okay because of the filling), and this second time it overflowed (even though the dish was only 1/2 to 2/3 full) and sank again in the middle (again, though, it was okay because of the filling - I just cut away the sides so that it was level). My guesses on this second time are that it was because of the white whole wheat flour I used or because it needs to be cooked at a higher temperature than indicated. It's so good, though, so I'm going to keep trying until I get it right.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/09/the-best-chocolate-cake.html

The filling is just 1/2 to 2/3 cups each of caramel sauce (ice cream topping) and sweetened condensed milk (mixed together in a saucepan over medium heat until blended). After the cake has baked, poke large holes throughout (maybe an inch apart or less). I use the fat end of a knife or the round end of a wooden spoon. Then pour the filling over the cake, trying to evenly distribute it (don't let it all seep down the edges). Refrigerate for awhile - maybe an hour.

I think most people top the cake with cool whip and then crushed heath bar bits, but sometimes I like to make a frosting with a bar of cream cheese and a little tub of marshmallow fluff. I haven't done that in awhile (Eric thinks it makes the rich cake *too* rich), so I can't really remember, but it might also need some milk and/or powdered sugar to round it out and make it more spreadable.

Chocolate Caramel Tart with Sea Salt

This is the first recipe I got from my cooking friend. It's from a book called The Perfect Finish, by Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark. I currently have this book from the library, so I'm working my way through several of their recipes.

The instructions are verbatim from the book (pages 137-138). I've added my own notes at the bottom. Also, the ingredients ask for Maldon sea salt, but here I've just written sea salt. Because I don't know what Maldon sea salt is.

Tart shell: They include a recipe, but I've only used one from Smitten Kitchen.

Filling ingredients: 

Caramel layer: 

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
Pinch of sea salt

Ganache filling: 

12 oz bittersweet chocolate (preferably 60 to 66 cacao percent), coarsely chopped
Small pinch of sea salt
2 cups heavy cream

Instructions: 

Caramel: 

1. In a small saucepan, bring the 1/2 cup cream to a boil, then turn off the heat.

2. In a heavy saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, combine the sugar with 5 tableespoons water and cook, stirring, over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring this caramel mixture to a boil and let cook, without stirring, for about 4 minutes, until it reaches a dark amber color (at about 374 degrees F) and begins to smoke. Don't be afraid, the taste is worth it. Swirl the pan if the sugar is browning unevenly.

3. Take the pan off the heat and slowly whisk the hot cream into the caramel, standing back as you pour since it will sputter. Stir until smooth. Add the salt. Put the pan over low heat if the caramel is not pourable, and warm it, swirling, until it can be poured.

4. Swirling the pan, pour the caramel into the tart shell, evenly covering the bottom. Let cool. It will become matte, rather than glossy, and will feel rubbery and no longer sticky. Refrigerate until ready to pour in the ganache.

Ganache: 

1. Place the chocolate and salt in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil.

2. Pour the cream over the chocolate, let sit for 3 minutes, then whisk, beginning in the center and slowly working outward until the chocolate has been smoothly melted into the cream. Set aside.

Assembly: 

Scrape the ganache into the tart shell and give the pan a light rap on the counter to level the surface and remove any air bubbles. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours. Sprinkle with the sea salt.

My notes: 

I love making this tart. It's not very complicated and doesn't take a ton of time, but it looks fancy and tastes amazing. I like to keep the topping salt separate - not everyone likes it, and it seems better to sprinkle it on right before serving. 

The first time I made it I didn't let the caramel boil for long enough, so it didn't completely set (but it was still good). They're serious when they say to let it smoke (but when I make it, I take it off the heat *immediately* after it starts to smoke, so I don't usually try to do this step when Moo's around).