Chocolate Pancakes

Good morning! I thought I would start the day out with chocolate for breakfast, not a huge departure from a normal day where I start out with a huge cup of steaming French drinking chocolate. But today I was craving pancakes so I tried out a recipe that I found in Southern Living at Christmas. The pancakes were everything I thought they would be and more!  Delicious, fluffy and chocolaty. 

Chocolate Pancakes

From Southern Living

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 (4-oz.) dark chocolate baking  bar, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together milk and next 4 ingredients in another bowl. Gradually stir milk mixture into flour mixture just until moistened. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto a hot buttered griddle or large nonstick skillet. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look dry and cooked. Turn and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until done. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet, and keep warm in a 200° oven up to 30 minutes.

I personally like this recipe with just powdered sugar sprinkled on top, it is just sweet enough and still not over the top. The actual recipe from Southern Living is for German chocolate pancakes with German chocolate syrup. When I made these I used a little OK, maybe a lot of homemade chocolate topping; they were delicious but probably more of a dessert than a warm hearty breakfast. 


Linking to:

I Should be Mopping The Floor

3rd Annual Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival

Image from City Food

Oh my goodness, dreams really do come true! Can you imagine 27 days of hot chocolate made by 23 different venues, in 60 different flavors? 

Hot Chocolate is my FAVORITE thing to drink, EVER. I have it 356 days a year not matter the weather, 7 below or 107. It is my beverage of choice, like coffee and tea to others. 

I hope that if you are close to Vancouver and you are lucky enough to attend the 3rd Annual Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival that you come back and tell me all about your impressions of this seemingly wonderful festival!

Have a great day and stay warm!

Hot Chocolate Master Blend

I know that many are experiencing unseasonable weather, either cold where it is normally warm or hot where it is normally snowy and cold. Either way, what could make you feel better on a winter day than a good book and of course a good cup of cocoa.

I make hot chocolate everyday 365 days a year, it is my beverage of choice and I love trying new recipes of standard hot chocolate.

In the December issue of Traditional Home Chicago Chef Mindy Segal  of the restaurant Hot Chocolate, shared her recipe for Hot Chocolate Master Blend.

This blend can be for a delicious cup of hot chocolate as well as several other delicious chocolate desserts, such as chocolate sauce, ganache, chocolate marshmallow cake and more.

Hot Chocolate Master Blend Recipe
From Chef Mindy Segal

21/2 lbs of high quality milk chocolate finely chopped
12 oz. high quality bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

On large cooking sheets combine both ingredients, freeze for one hour. Then process the mixture in a food processor to make fine granules. Do not process to long or the chocolate will melt. Transfer to a storage container. MAKES 9 cups.

One Perfect Cup of Hot Chocolate

1/3 cup of milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup of The Master Blend (from above)

Combine milk and cream in small saucepan and heat mixture until just boiling. Remove saucepan from heat, and add The Master Blend, DO NOT STIR. Let stand for 5 minutes. Then whisk until smooth.

I hope you have a great week! 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Enjoy a cup of cocoa, a good book and time with family and friends!

Happy Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve!

 I hope you are enjoying a wonderful holiday with family and drinking lots of cocoa and eating many cookies!

Salted Caramel Peanut Bark

Good morning! I hope that you had a great weekend. Are you ready for Christmas? Do you have all of your gifts purchased, and all of your baking finished?

I baked up a storm this weekend and I made this delicious and easy Salted Caramel Peanut Bark. If you are looking for an easy recipe for last minute gifts or for your Christmas celebration look no further.

Salted Caramel Peanut Bark
Recipe from Good Housekeeping Magazine

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine 3 Tablespoons corn syrup, 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoons of salt. Add 2 cups of peanuts and stir to coat. Spread evenly in a single layer on parchment paper lined pan and bake for 15 minutes or until brown and caramelized. With two forks separate the nuts and then cool completely. Stir into 12 ounces of melted dark chocolate until well coated and then spread evenly onto waxed paper. Refrigerate until set.

I hope you try this! Enjoy your day!

Linking to:
Stone Gable
Savvy Southern Style
Katherines Corner
French Country Cottage

Raspberry Hot Chocolate

Hello! I hope you are having a good weekend. Are you decorating for Christmas? Do you have your tree up?

Is it warm? Do you feel a chill in the air? Or is it downright cold? Today it is a little chilly here and of course I am experimenting with some hot chocolate recipes. I made some raspberry hot chocolate and thought you might want to try it!

Raspberry Hot Chocolate

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 6 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped or 6 oz 60% Ghiradelli bittersweet chips
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, I use Droste
• 3 tablespoons raspberry liqueur (recommended Chambord)
• Snowmen, candy cane marshmallows for garnish, optional

Directions

Combine everything except the liqueur in a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Whisk occasionally until chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes.

Continue to cook, whisking frequently until smooth and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in liqueur, top with marshmallows and serve immediately.

This hot chocolate is delicious, it is creamy, sweet, chocolaty and there is a hint of raspberry, it is like eating a candy bar.  I know that I do say that all of the time but lets face it, I would not write about something that I do not like! 

I hope you try it, and if you have a favorite chocolate recipe do let me know and I will come and check it out!

Enjoy your day!

Linking to:

Stone Gable
Savvy Southern Style
Rattlebridge Farm