Mormon Life - Chocolate tag

{Food Dish} My Family's Favorite Cookie + Recipe

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:17:00 -0700

by Kate Ensign-Lewis
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Chocolate cookies dotted with smooth mint chips. What's not to love?

Once upon a time, early in my marriage, my mother-in-law bought us some groceries. She got us nice things we would probably never have bought for ourselves - steak, real orange juice, C&H Baker's Sugar, etc. Among the items was a bag of Guittard green mint chips. I love mint, but I had no idea what to do with them. Luckily, there was a recipe on the bag for "Polka Dot Cookies."

It was a turning point. These chocolatey, minty cookies quickly became the most requested dessert in our house. We've made more than our share of grocery store runs simply to get supplies for the mint cookies. With a great chocolate base and a burst of mint with each smooth chip, the cookie has just the right amount of softness and chewiness.

Several important notes on the recipe:

(1) The recipe is almost identical to the original, though I have tweaked it or included directions I have found to make the cookies better.

(2) Unfortunately, not all areas carry Guittard Green Mint Chips. Most stores in Utah do, but I've had little luck in California and Oregon, and so has my sister in Texas. Many stores (like Winco) will carry them around the holidays, but when you can't find them, Andes chips are the best substitution. York Pieces (the brand, NOT York patties chopped up) and mint M&Ms Premiums (halved) work decently well.

(3) The first ingredient calls for Guittard semi-sweet chips. I'm sure most good chocolate chips will do, but Guittard has especially premium melting qualities. Try to use them if you can.

Mint Polka Dot Cookies

Recipe adapted from Guittard

2 cups (12 ounces) Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup unsalted butter (NOT margarine)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (do not sift)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

heaping 1/8 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups (12 ounces) Guittard Green Mint Chips

Preheat oven to 350F

Heat semisweet chips and butter in microwave inside a small bowl at medium power (50% or level 5) for 2-3 minutes, stirring well after each minute until smooth. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla until light. Blend in melted chocolate, then dry ingredients. Stir in green mint chips and chill for 10-15 minutes or until slightly stiff. (If you chill it for longer, make sure to roll dough into balls before placing on cookie sheet.) Drop by well-rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets (preferably lined with parchment or Silpat).

Bake 8-10 minutes. Cookies will be soft in centers but will harden as they cool.

To judge doneness:

-cook until the tops look crusty, but there's still a little gloss through the cracks. (With dark cookies, it can be hard to tell when things are cooked; it helps to smack the pan against the rack--if they deflate a little when you do it, they're cooked.)

-leave cookies on the pan for 5-10 minutes after you pull them. The residual heat helps to bake them a little, but doesn't overcook them. They shouldn't fall apart when you remove them with a spatula, but they will still be a little gooey.

Side note: I'm of the mind that some of the best recipes are right on the bag/can/box of an item. After all, the powers that be must test and test different recipes for their product and must only include the best of the best to go on the product itself. So, what great recipes have you found on the side of a can, box, or bag?

{Food Dish} LDS Living in the Kitchen: Lion House Cakes and Cupcakes

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:05:00 -0700

by LDS Living Staff
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Lion House desserts are the stuff of legend. When we found out about the upcoming Cakes and Cupcakes cookbook, we had to try a few for ourselves. Read about the results.

Click here for the recipes that go with these reviews.

Banana Split Cake

Kaela Worthen, Associate Editor

The greatest thing about this cake is how unique it is--I've never seen anything remotely like it. If you're aiming for a lot of wow factor with little effort, this is the cake for you. The cake is ridiculously easy (as long as you have a food processor to grind your graham cracker crumbs) and is more assembly than actual baking. I doubled the graham cracker crust because I'm a sucker for those things, and I also added some ground walnuts into the crust to give it a better flavor depth and to help counteract some of the sweetness of the dish. Beware of the filling, though. It said to beat it for 10-12 minutes (the hardest part of the recipe) until light and fluffy. I beat it 12 minutes and saw minimal change. It was nice and light, but it was definitely still liquid and not "fluffy" like whipped topping. But it tasted great anyway.

Lemon Surprise Cake
Jamie Lawson, Managing Editor

I don't love to bake, but there are plenty of times when I need to bring a dessert to some kind of social gathering. The lemon surprise cake is a fabulous option. There are just three simple steps: 1. Bake a cake from a yellow or white cake mix (I chose yellow) 2. Top cake with cook-and-serve lemon pudding 3. Add a layer of whipped cream. The lemon pudding and whipped cream toppings add a great twist to what would otherwise be an ordinary frosted cake, so you're sure to win points for creativity. The cake is light, moist, and tastes delicious. Tip: keep the layer of whipped cream thin so the lemon flavor is sure to come through.

Grasshopper Cheesecake
Ashley Evanson, Online Editor

The first thing I noticed about this recipe is that it calls for powdered whey. I thought that stuff only existed in nursery rhymes, but I guess it does in baking, too. It’s really tough to find in the grocery store, so I recommend skipping it altogether and going for a more traditional crust. The whey is used with almonds to make a graham cracker-like crust, but a real graham cracker crust will work just fine. The cheesecake was pretty good, very basic. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time to make it—five hours!

Cream-Filled Cupcakes

Kate Ensign-Lewis, Online Editor

Homemade cream-filled cupcakes are a new favorite of mine, so (as usual) I was really excited to make these. The cupcake part was easy enough—just dress up a chocolate box mix cake. The cream filling was . . . not so easy. This is an old-fashioned frosting that starts on the stovetop and ends with lots of whipping in a stand mixer. After following the steps (substituting butter for margarine, since I’m morally opposed to margarine), I realized my filling was WAY too loose to work inside or on top of cupcakes. Even after adding lots of extra powdered sugar, and refrigerating, it was too loose. It was delicious—like custard—but it melted right off the cupcakes (you can see as much in one of the cupcakes in the background of my photo).

What had I done wrong? After re-reading the recipe, I realized it was similar to another I had recently read in a magazine—so I went to read that recipe again. The problem was with how long I had cooked the frosting. The Lion House recipe simply says to cook “until thick,” but “thick” is subjective. My magazine said to cook “until it’s so thick, it’s difficult to whisk.” I had only cooked until it was the consistency of crème pie filling. Oops. So, if you make this frosting (and I suggest you do—like I said, it’s delicious), make sure to cook it until it is really thick (about 6 minutes). And enjoy the fluffy goodness of custardy frosting inside, and on top of, a chocolatey cupcake.

Click here for the recipes that go with these reviews. And, to learn more about the cookbook, Lion House Cakes and Cupcakes, click here.

{Food Dish} Ultimate Guide: Decadent Desserts

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:05:00 -0600

by Kate Ensign-Lewis
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: A list of indulgent dessert ideas for your night of fun with the girls, while the men are away at general conference priesthood session.

I know Saturday during the priesthood session of general conference is traditionally a girl's time, so I thought it would be fun to compile a list of awesome desserts for you ladies to enjoy with your gal pals. (Though, if you're more charitable than I, you might wait until the guys get home and enjoy them all together.)

A warning: I love desserts. And I tend to love rich desserts, so (per the title) this post is not for the faint of heart.

Peanut Butter Stuffed Hot Fudge Cupcakes (from How Sweet It Is)

(I may or may not have made them three times since finding them a month ago.)

Ultimate Chocolate Chip n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar (from Kevin and Amanda)

Dena's Chocolate Cake with Real Fudge Frosting (my own image)

(My own combination of Dena Kennedy's chocolate cake recipe with Cook's Country's Real Fudge Frosting from their "Wellesley Fudge Cake" recipe – you have to sign up for a free trial to get the recipe, but the fudgy goodness is worth it.)

Banana Parfait (from Framed Cooks)

Red Velvet Brownies (from Pass the Sushi)

Grasshopper Pie (from Feasts and Fotos)

(Easy. Decadent. Delicious.)

Happy eating!

Chocolate Never Faileth

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 00:08:00 -0600

by Annette Lyon
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Few of us can resist the perfection of chocolate. Peppermint Patty Fudge Brownies

3 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 eggs
2 cups flour
1-1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) package Peppermint Patties

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 dish. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add the eggs and beat well. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients except the peppermint patties. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until well blended. Spead half the batter over the bottom of the pan. Layer the patties evenly over the mixture, being sure the edges of the patties touch each other but not the edges of the pan. Cover with the remaining half of the batter, covering the patties completely and sealing the edges. Bake for 45-50 minutes, just until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Be careful not to over bake. Cool on a wire rack.

Marbled Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1 stick butter
2-1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 of a 29-ounce can pumpkin (about 1-1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
4 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup melted chocolate chips
Non-stick spray

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two loaf pans. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and sour cream. Mix together and set aside; they will react and puff up. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla. When they're combined, add the sour cream/soda mixture and blend.

Add the salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and cloves. Gradually add the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the chocolate chips and mix just until they're incorporated. Turn off the mixer.

The melted chocolate chips need to be easily pourable and thinner than chocolate chips typically are when melted, so you'll need to thin them by adding non-stick spray. Just give the bowl of melted chips a 2- to 4-second spray, and stir. If the chocolate needs to be thinned a little more, spray more and mix again.

When the chocolate is thin enough, pour it directly into the batter. Turn the mixer on low for just a couple of seconds. All you want to do is get the chocolate swirled into the batter. Even if the chocolate doesn't get fully mixedaround, that's fine.

Divide the batter between the who pans. Bake for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cake

1-1/2 cup oatmeal
1-1/2 cup water
1-1/2 sticks butter, melted and cooled in the fridge for about 5 minutes
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2-1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, soak the oatmeal in the water. Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla.

Add the salt, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and flour, and mix well. Add the oatmeal and water mixture; blend well and pour into the pan. Bake for about 35 minutes. Cool and top with your favorite chocolate icing.

Tip: This batter is thick, so you might want to use a stand-alone mixer to make things easier.

Chocolate Danish Mini Tarts Tart Shells:

1 cup butter
1 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/2 - 2-3/4 flour

Filling:

8 ounces milk chocolate (chocolate bars, chips)
18 large marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350.

Shells: Lightly coat tart tins with cooking spray. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and almond extract. Mix in flour as needed to make the dough moist but not sticky. It should be workable with your hands. Work small amounts of dough into individual tart tins (or mini muffin tins, or silicon molds). You'll need less than you think;they should not have thick bottoms. Prick each shell with a fork a couple of times, then bake for about 10 minutes, until barely golden on the edges. Let cool, remove from tins.

Filling: In a medium pan, melt the chocolate, marshmallows, and milk. Allow the mixture to cool completely to room temperature. Whip the cream and then fold it into the chocolate mixture until fully incorporated, with no chocolate streaks.

Fill the shells. Chill filled tarts for about an hour before serving. Garnish with a squirt of shipped cream.

Perfect Chocolate Milk

1/2 gallon milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup hazelnut-flavored creamer, either liquid or powdered

Pour one quart of milk into a pitcher; pour the other quart into a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients; blend well. Pour the milk from the blender into the picture; stir to mix. Makes just more than a half a gallon of delicious chocolate milk. Remember to stir again before each use in case any ingredients have settled since your last indulgence. For a somewhat darker, richer chocolate milk, increase the cocoa to 1/2 cup.

Chocolate Pecan Pie Crust:

1-1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon butter
3-4 tablespoon ice water

Filling:

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 corn syrup
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Crust: Cut the flour, salt, and butter together with a pastry blender (or use two butter knives, pulling opposite one another through the mixtures) until the butter pieces are the size of peas. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, to form a dough that's workable with the hands and not too wet. Roll the dough into a ball and place on a floured counter; dust the top of the dough with flour. Dust a rolling pin with flour and gently roll the dough into a 9-inch circle. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, but be careful - the more you handle the dough, the poorer quality pastry it will be.

Filling: Preheat oven to 350. In a small saucepan over low to medium heat, melt the butter, sugar, and corn syrup, stirring constantly so they don't burn. When the ingredients are fully combined, remove from the heat and stir in the melted chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla and salt; mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each until fully incorporated before adding the next one. Finally, stir in the pecans and chocolate chips. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust. Bake for about an hour, until the center is nearly set and no longer wobbles like liquid when gently shaken. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, chill for several hour before serving.

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*Annette Lyons's Chocolate Never Faileth comes with quotes and brief true stories about interactions with chocolate. Here's one:

After being admitted at 18 weeks of pregnancy and spending more than 100 days in the hospital, Lynn broke the record for the longest stay at the hospital's neonatal unit in hopes of saving the life of her unborn baby. Her daughter was finally born, nine weeks early - young but alive and with a good prognosis, weighing in at 3 lbs. 2 oz. Exhausted, Lynn returned home, craving a giant bag of peanut M&Ms. She at the whole thing in a day . . . then picked up the empty bag and realized with horror that it had contained . . . 3 lbs. 2 oz. - the exact weight of her baby.

The book is now available at Deseret Book.