Adam Cooks: Chocolate-Mint Hearts

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 package (10 ounces) mint chocolate chips, divided
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup shortening
Colored sprinkles, optional

Directions:
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips; stir. Cool slightly. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla and melted chocolate. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

In a microwave, melt shortening and remaining chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Dip each cookie halfway into chocolate mixture; allow excess to drip off. Sprinkle chocolate with sprinkles if desired. Place on waxed paper; refrigerate until set.

Comments:
In honor of Valentine's Day, Adam made these cookies. I think the chocolate dip tastes like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie. Overall, pretty good. Can never get enough chocolate!

Brookies

From Andrea the Kitchen Witch



Ingredients:
2 cups high quality 62% cacao chocolate chips
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T oil
1 t butter
1/2 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with the oil and butter until melted. Stir well to melt all chips. Allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl mix the flour, salt and baking powder together.

In a medium work bowl mix the eggs and brown sugar together. Add the melted chocolate, stirring well to thoroughly mix. Scrape down sides before adding the flour mix. Whisk it in until just in mixed, then add the remaining chocolate chips and stir well.

Transfer batter to a shallow pan, like a pie pan and put in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up batter before scooping.

Scoop cookies onto either a parchment or silpat lined sheet pan. Using a 1T size scoop, form cookies.

Bake 10-11 minutes, until tops are dry looking and cracked like a brownie. Remove from oven and allow to rest on tray for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. The centers will be very soft and brownie like in texture. These cookies are best consumed in the first 12 hours, they begin to dry out after that and lose that brownie like texture.

Comments:
Not brownies, not cookies, Brookies.

These are awesome. Go make them right now.

I did screw up the recipe a little and I melted all the chocolate chips instead of reserving half of them to stir into the batter. Doesn't appear to have affected the end result too much. Also, you must resist the temptation to just eat all the batter when you take it out of the freezer. Good lord, it looked tasty!

Chocolate Croissant Pudding

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
6 day-old croissants, split
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
8 eggs
5 cups 2% milk
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Place croissant bottoms in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and replace croissant tops.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla; pour over croissants. Let stand for 10 minutes or until croissants are softened.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Comments:
This was really good - very rich though. It's better with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to cut the sweetness of the pudding itself.

Magic S’more Crescent Puffs

From Pillsbury



Ingredients:
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
8 large marshmallows
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Glaze
1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough on work surface; press into 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut into 8 rectangles. In small bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar.

2. Spoon 1 teaspoon chocolate chips on center of dough square. Dip marshmallow into melted butter; roll in graham cracker mixture. Place marshmallow on chocolate chips. Pull dough over marshmallow, completely covering marshmallow; pinch edges of dough to seal. Dip into melted butter; roll in graham cracker mixture. Place in regular-size paper baking cup. Repeat with remaining dough squares, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Place paper baking cups on large cookie sheet.

3. Bake 12 to 18 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 1 minute. Remove from cups; place on cooling racks set over waxed paper.

4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave glaze ingredients uncovered on High 20 to 30 seconds, stirring once, until mixture can be stirred smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls.

Comments:
Some assembly required, but very yummy. The marshmallow kind of disintegrates and Adam thought the chocolate was overpowering, but I say you can never have too much chocolate!

One-Serving Chocolate Cheesecakes

From The Biggest Loser Cookbook



Ingredients:
1/4 cup Grape Nuts cereal, finely crushed into crumbs
1/2 cup fat-free cream cheesem at room temperature
2 tbsp honey
1 large egg white
1/4 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly mist four 3"-wide ovenproof bowls or ramekins with cooking spray. Divide the crumbs among them, spreading in an even layer on the bottoms. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, with an electric mixer fitted with beaters, beat the cream cheese and honey on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg white, yogurt, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed just until smooth. On the lowest speed possible, mix in the cocoa. Spoon the mixture into the prepared bowls or ramekins.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the centers are set. Let stand for 15 minutes to cool. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, top each serving with a tablespoon of whipped topping. Dust with cocoa.

Comments:
Not inedible, but way too much cocoa and not enough sweetener. Even if you like dark chocolate, which I don't really, this might be too much. It needs something to cut that bitter cocoa powder taste a little more. Probably won't make these again without a lot of doctoring.

Chocolate Chip Tiramisu Cheesecake

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
One 7-ounce package crisp Italian-style ladyfingers, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup marscapone cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
Boiling water

Directions:
1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with foil and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. Using a food processor, grind the ladyfingers into fine crumbs. Add the butter and espresso and pulse until incorporated. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press to form a crust halfway up the side of the pan. Bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes; let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 325°.

3. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar at high speed until smooth. Beat in the mascarpone, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

4. Set the springform pan in a roasting pan. Pour the mascarpone-chocolate chip mixture into the baked crust, then place the roasting pan in the oven. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the top is golden and the center is set but still jiggly, about 1 hour. Let cool in the water bath for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for 6 hours or up to 2 days. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan. In a small, heatproof bowl, melt the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips in the microwave at low power, stirring until smooth. Transfer the chocolate to a resealable plastic bag. Snip a hole in the corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the cake.

Comments:
A little time-consuming, but worth it in the end. This really does taste a lot like a traditional tiramisu. But it also tastes like a traditional cheesecake at the same time. Interesting combination. The coffee in the crust is a little strong for my tastes so I might decrease that if I make this again. Other than that, great recipe.

S'mores Bars

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each)
1 cup marshmallow creme

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Combine the flour, cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping.

Press remaining mixture into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Place candy bars over crust; spread with marshmallow creme. Crumble remaining graham cracker mixture over top.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

Comments:
I could not get a decent picture of just one bar so all you get is the whole pan. These are wonderful! But who would think something like this would be terrible? Chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers? Yum.

Layers of Love Chocolate Brownies

From the Copps ad in last week's newspaper. It's a Nestle recipe.



Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Baking Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut in pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup White Morsels
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease 8-inch-square baking pan.

Combine cocoa, flour and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Reserve 3/4 cup batter. Spread remaining batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle pecans and white morsels over batter. Drizzle caramel topping over top. Beat remaining egg and reserved batter in same large bowl until light in color. Stir in semi-sweet morsels. Spread evenly over caramel topping.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.

Comments:
I could not get a decent picture of the individual brownie to save my life. I tried in the kitchen, by the window, in the living room. Adam tried. We failed. So yeah, you get the highly unattractive pan with one missing. Sorry...

Anywho, these are not for me. They have caramel and white chocolate, two things I do not like. But I did lick the knife I used to cut them and wow! they're chocolately. Very rich.

Warm Chocolate and Caramel Cakes

From Delish.com



Ingredients:
Butter, softened
1 jar good-quality caramel sauce
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup strong brewed coffee, warm
1/3 cup light olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Generously coat six 6-ounce ramekins with softened butter. Chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes, and brush with a second coat of butter. Pour 3 tablespoons caramel sauce into the bottom of each ramekin and transfer to the freezer for 1 hour.

Whisk the cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside. Stir the coffee, oil, vanilla, and vinegar together and whisk into the flour mixture just until smooth.

Fill each ramekin with 1/3 cup of batter. Bake at 400 degrees F until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the caramel has bubbled up the sides, about 20 minutes.

Comments:
I know, the balsamic vinegar sounds weird, but you don't even taste it so don't worry. These are pretty easy to assemble. I ended up using about 2 tablespoons of butter to grease the ramekins. The rest of the softened stuff got slathered on a couple fresh ears of corn from the local farmers' market. Yum. Anywho, these are good, but rich, so it's mighty convenient that they're individually portioned out. Still totally bad for you though. Don't look at the nutrition facts. You'll wish you hadn't. Also, they do re-heat pretty well in the microwave.

Chocolate-Kahlua Mousse Parfaits

From The Biggest Loser Cookbook



Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon very cold fat-free milk
1/4 cup Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur
1 (1.5oz) envelope sugar-free, low-fat chocolate mousse mix
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 chocolate graham crackers, crushed
1 cup thawed fat-free cool whip

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, Kahlua, mousse mix, and cocoa. With an electric mixer fitted with beaters, whip on low speed until blended. Slowly increase the mixer speed to high, whipping for 5 minutes or until fluffy.

In each of 5 large wine glasses or glass dessert bowls, layer 1/4 cup of the mousse, 2 tsp of crumbs, and 2 tbsp of topping. Repeat layering once more, using the remaining ingredients except for about 1/8 tsp of graham cracker crumbs. Sprinke the top of each serving with a few of the remaining crumbs. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Comments:
Ok. So I know this is "The Biggest Loser" and all, but this kind of measuring every little thing just bugs me. Do they actually expect me to measure out teaspoons of crumbs?

Anywho, we don't have Kahlua so I threw some Bailey's in instead. I also couldn't find mousse mix (I really did look, I promise) so I just used pudding instead. It turned out fine. I had some issues with the layering on my first try, so I apologize for the crappy picture. I determined that champagne flutes are too narrow and used small, round Ziploc containers for the rest of them. In any case, it tasted very good.

Mint Brownie Pie

From Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2000



Ingredients:
butter
baking chocolate
sugar
eggs
vanilla
flour
cream cheese
peppermint extract
whipped topping
chocolate chips

Comments:
So, yeah, this is Adam's artistic interpretation of "drizzling chocolate over the top." *sigh* Regardless of its appearance (click on the link above for the professional version), it tasted great. Like a big Andes mint, according to the man. It's really simple to make although next time I might go and find chocolate that comes in a tube rather than let Adam show me how it's done with melted chocolate chips. :)

S'more Muffins

From Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2003 (although I couldn't find the recipe on the website but this recipezaar one is exactly the same.)



Ingredients:
flour
graham cracker crumbs
brown sugar
baking soda
salt
egg
buttermilk
vegetable oil
chocolate chips
mini marshmallows

Comments:
In an effort to come up with some new ideas for meals since the last few Cooking Light and Everyday magazines have been a bust, I decided to page through a couple more years' worth of Taste of Home annual recipe cookbooks. I've got them all the way back to 1995 as it was my mom's Christmas gift to me for many years.

Anyway, these muffins looked simple and yummy. I scaled them back from the "Jumbo" size of the original recipe and made them normal-sized. I forgot to add the extra marshmallows on top so that flavor note kind of got lost. Other than that, delicious. The graham cracker in the batter is an interesting addition. No campfire required!

Moo-Less Chocolate Pie

From Alton Brown via foodnetwork.com



Ingredients:
chocolate chips
coffee liqueur (Left out)
vanilla
silken tofu
honey
chocolate wafer crust

Comments:
I was interested in this recipe because it's pretty much a chocolate mousse pie made with tofu, thereby eliminating any dairy side effects. It took some effort to find the tofu. But we did it. It also took some effort to make the pie filling. We didn't have any coffee liqueur and I debated subbing some Godiva for it but ultimately just left it out. The vanilla made the chocolate seize up almost instantly and the tofu/chocolate mixture was too think for the blender. We had to thin it out a bit with some water to avoid burning up the blender's motor. It set up fine and tastes good. I might go with milk chocolate rather than semi-sweet chips if I attempt this again. It's very rich and it's almost required that it's cut with some whipped cream to eat. Heh.

Chocolate-Mint Bars

From Cooking Light, March 2008



Ingredients:
flour
salt
sugar
eggs
butter
water
vanilla
chocolate syrup
powdered sugar
milk
peppermint extract
green food coloring
chocolate chips

Comments:
This recipe was on the cover and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it. It looks just like the bars this one lady at church used to make that I totally loved. It's pretty simple to make and tastes like a giant Andes Candies mint. Yum.

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

From Recipezaar



Ingredients:
brown sugar
shortening
sugar
eggs
vanilla
flour
salt
baking soda
M&Ms

Comments:
Well I think I may have found my stock M&M cookie recipe. After my last attempt I was hoping for the best. They really are chewy and I used mini M&Ms and dumped in probably twice the amount called for in the recipe. Woo! We'll see how they hold up in the container while they last.