Chocolate Tapioca Pudding

Pudding of any kind is a favorite and easy dessert of mine. It is a great comfort food warm or cold. Lately I have been making a lot of tapioca pudding and decided to change it up a bit by making it chocolate. Both versions taste great, but it is nice to have a smooth, creamy, rich chocolate version. 

Vanilla Bean Tapioca Pudding

1/3 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons instant Tapioca

23/4 cups of milk

1 egg, well beaten

11/2 Teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1 generous hand full 60% chocolate Ghiradelli chocolate chips

Berries and or whipped cream for garnish

Mix the sugar, tapioca, milk and egg in a medium sauce pan and let stand for 5 minutes. 

After 5 minutes, cook over medium heat, string constantly until mixture comes to a full boil. Then remove from heat and stir in vanilla bean paste. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. 

Cool for 20 minutes and then stir. You can serve warm of chilled. If you would like creamier pudding be sure the put plastic wrap over the surface of the pudding while it is cooling. 

Garnish with berries and whipped cream if you wish then sit back and enjoy!

If you would like to try the plain Vanilla Bean Tapioca Pudding recipe from Pine Cones and Acorns click HERE.

Decadent Dark Chocolate Torte

To say that I make a lot of desserts would be an understatement. On this blog, as well as, on my other blog Pine Cones and Acorns I only post the ones I really like. This dessert is in a category all by itself because it is SPECTACULAR! It is the richest, most decadent chocolate dessert I have ever made. In fact it is the only dessert I have ever made that I stop after two or three bites, that is how rich and delicious it is.

If you like truffles or flour less chocolate cakes then I think you will like this torte. I think the only thing that would make this better is a few berries and a glass of champagne. 

Decadent Dark Chocolate Torte

15 oz. dark chocolate 60% or higher, chopped

11/2 cups butter softened

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of coffee, espresso, or flavored liquor

5 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt

Garnish 

Whipped cream

Fresh berries

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan, wrap the bottom in aluminum foil and set into a large roasting pan. 

In a medium sauce pan, over medium-low heat combine the chopped chocolate, butter and sugar. Stir constantly until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Watch carefully of this or it will burn. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add the coffee or liqueur and stir.

Add the egg yolk and the whole eggs to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 2 minutes on medium. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and mix until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Fill roasting pan with hot water about 1/4 of the way up the spring form pan. Carefully place into a preheated 350 oven. Bake until the edges are set and the center is slightly soft, about 25-30 minutes. 

Carefully remove the spring form pan from the water bath and place on a cooling rack, cool completely then remove foil and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. 

Garnish with berries and cream. 

Enjoy!


Linking to:
Coastal Charm
Rattlebridge Farm
The Charm of the Home

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie EVER

I grew up on Toll-House cookies, and remember many happy days arriving home to a batch fresh from the oven. I still like them but I am always looking for the "next best" cookie. That may be obvious because I frequently feature cookie recipes here, like the Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookie, Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies or The Ritz Carleton Chocolate Chip Cookie among a few. 

I like my cookies filled with chocolate and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and I do not like them flat!

These cookies fit that criteria and more. They are simply the best cookies I have ever made!

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 cup salted butter at room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspnns coarse sea salt

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour

7 ounces of 65% dark chocolate chips chopped into pieces

6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a bowl whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder, set aside. Cream the butter and sugars in a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue mixing until incorporated. Stop mixer and use a spatula to get the stuff off the bottom of the bowl. 

Turn mixer to low and slowly add the flour mixture, mix on low until incorporated. 

Add the chopped chocolate and chocolate chips and store until evenly distributed.

Cover dough and refrigerate overnight. 

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350. Using an ice cream scoop, portion out cookies onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silphat. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until brown on the edges and a light brown on top. They will look a little underdone. Let sit on pan to cool as they will bake a little more while cooling. Then remove to a rack to cool a bit more. Or eat while still warm. 

I found that when the dough is very cold they take at least 12 minutes in my oven. 

Note: People like their cookies at different levels of "doneness".  Bake your cookies to the way that you like them. 

I hope you try these cookies! I think you will love them!

Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Loaf Cake

• Typically cake is not my "go to" dessert, for the simple reason that I do not like to have an entire cake just sitting around the house. After all  there are only two of us and we do not need a entire cake to eat. 

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• I like to make recipes that I can make in small batches, like cookies and brownies, that way I can freeze the extra dough or the brownies and then have some at a later date. 
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•  Lately though I have wanted to have a nice moist piece of cake that was easy to make and was not laden with a thick layer of frosting, a cake that the ingredients themselves stood out. And something that was small enough that we would not be eating it for a week afterward. This cake fits the bill perfectly. (I did drizzle this cake with a little melted chocolate just for decorative purposes.)

• I have never made a loaf cake, except for an old fashioned pound cake and frankly I found it to be a bit dry. This Chocolate Loaf Cake from Nigella Lawson is FABULOUS! It is delicious, rich, dense and so chocolaty. It is now my husbands favorite dessert! 
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• Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake  
• Adapted from Nigella Lawson How to Be a Domestic Goddess
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• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt 
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean extract
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted 
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 cup freshly brewed coffee or espresso

Heat the oven to 375. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, then spray with cooking spray. 
Cream the butter and the sugar with an electric mixer, add the egg and the vanilla bean extract. 
In a small bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
Melt the chocolate, you can use the microwave but be careful not to burn it. Cool slightly then fold into the egg, sugar mixture. Do not beat or mix vigorously, you do not want to add air to the cake. 
Add the flour, spoon by spoon, alternating with the bourbon and coffee, blend well. But do not overheat the mixture. The mixture will be liquid like.

Pour the mixture into the loaf pan, stop when the batter is 1 inch from the top otherwise the mixture will OVERFLOW in the oven. Put leftover mix into a smaller pan or muffin tins. 
Bake for 30 minutes, then turn oven down to 325 and cook an additional 15 minutes. The cake will be a bit soft, an inserted cake tester or toothpick will not come out clean. Place the loaf on a rack and leaf to get completely cold before you turn it out of the pan. Nigella says to leave the cake to sit for a day, it is best this way. The cake will sink in the middle so do not worry. 

* NOTE: Nigella's recipe does not contain coffee or bourbon, if you do not want to make it like this then add 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of boiling water. 

Have you ever made Nigella's cake? Did you like? I really love this cake and have in fact made it several more times and have even frozen a loaf or two, just to have when people stop in. It is perfect as is, but I think it would be excellent garnished with berries and a little whipped cream as well.

I hope that if you try it you let me know how you liked it or if you made any changes please share them!


Linking to: 
Rattlebridge Farm, The Charm of the Home

Ritz Carleton Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love chocolate chip cookies, admittedly I like the raw dough probably as much as the actually cookies, and I am constantly on the hunt for the "best" one that suits my taste. I do not like flat cookies, I like think crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and filled with gooey chocolate!

These cookies have been on my Pinterest board or a long time but I am just now getting around to making them, perhaps because I was a little afraid of the 5 sticks of butter! Whatever the case they are delicious, a little soft, a little crunchy and filled to the brim with chocolate!

Ritz Carleton Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

5 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups dark brown sugar

5 eggs

1Tbsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. kosher salt

6 cups flour

4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silphat baking liner, set aside. 

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle cream together the butter, brown sugar and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy about 2 minutes, then add the vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated. In a another bowl mix the flour, baking soda and salt, then add to the sugar mixture. Stir until just incorporated. Then stir in the chocolate chips. 

Scoop batter onto baking sheets, I used an ice cream scoop and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are brown and centers are almost set.

Remove from oven, cool a bit on the pan then remove to wire rack to cool.

Notes:

I added 2 Tbsp. of vanilla, I use 65% dark chocolate chips and I added an extra cup of chocolate chips and I chilled my dough overnight. You do not need to to this.

I should also not that this recipe makes a lot of cookies which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your New Years resolutions. But you could make half the recipe of just give some away!

I hope that you enjoy them and if you have a favorite recipe, please share!

Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes

Happy St. Patricks Day! I thought you might want to whip up a last minute batch of Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting to celebrate the day.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting. 

Guinness Cupcakes

Recipe from Food Network

1 cup of Guinness Stout

1 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all purpose flour 

2 cups sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

3/4 teaspoon salt 

2 large eggs 

2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.  

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

 Bailey's Buttercream:

1 cup butter softened

4 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream

Food Coloring Optional

Place room temperature, softened butter into the bowl of mixer. Cream for three minutes. Add powdered sugar slowly and not all at once or it will fly all over the room. Add Bailey's Irish cream and then mix on medium high for another 3 minutes. Add food coloring if desired.

These cupcakes are delicious if I do say so myself, they are moist, chocolaty and the Bailey's Irish Cream frosting puts them over the top. I love Bailey's which explains why I love this frosting, I think I ate most of the bowl before I even frosted the cupcakes, which also explains why my clothes felt a bit snug this morning. 

Note: This recipe was posted on my other blog Pine Cones and Acorns some time ago but I thought you might enjoy it also. 

Chocolate Marble Cake with Chocolate Mocha Frosting

Good morning! I hope that you are surviving the storm and have not lost power. If you are snowed in this might be the perfect cake to whip up while you wait out the storm. A little comfort on a cold day is always a good thing.

This scrumptious and easy cake is a favorite from Southern Living and the Mocha Frosting is creamy, rich and frankly, fabulous!

Chocolate Marble Sheet Cake 

Recipe from Southern Living Magazine

1 cup butter, softened

13/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

21/2 cups flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup half and half

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

3 Tbsp. hot water

Mocha Frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. Bet butter and 11/2 cups sugar at medium speed with a stand mixer for 4 to 5 minutes or until creamy. Add eggs one at a time beating until just blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. 

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture alternating with half and half, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stop to scrape bowl as needed.

Spoon 11/4 cups batter into a 2 qt. bowl and stir in cocoa, 3 tablespoons of hot water and remaining 1/4 cigar. Stir until well blended.

Spread remaining vanilla batter into a greased and floured 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan. Spoon chocolate mixture over vanilla and gently swirl with a knife.

Bake at 325 for 23-28 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on the wire rack for about an hour. Then frost with Mocha Frosting.

Mocha Frosting Recipe

3 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 

3 Tablespoons hot brewed coffee

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 to 4 Tablespoons half and half

Whisk together sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl. Combine coffee and vanilla. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy duty electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar mixture alternately with coffee mixture, beating at low speed until blend. Add half and half 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting is smooth and a spreadable consistency. 

Have a great day! Stay safe!