Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

via Once Upon a Chocolate

 

Ingredients

recipe and finished bread! Delicious

The recipe is as follows:

Chocolate Pumpkin Bread adapted from Paula Dean
2 loaves plus one small

21/2 cups of pumpkin puree
4 large eggs beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup of water
3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3 cups of sugar
2 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups of chocolate chunks
1. Preheat oven to 350, spray pans with non stick spray or grease with oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, and water. In separate bowl combine all  dry ingredients.
3. Gradually add dry mixture to wet. Stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared pans.
4. Bake until toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

I love pumpkin bread and I have been known to eat a piece of chocolate of two but never in all of the years I have made anything with pumpkin have I combines the two. I think it is now my favorite way to have pumpkin bread! Try this the next time you are baking up a loaf, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Sorry I do not have any after photos of the bread sliced so that you could see the delicious chocolate chunks nestled with all the pumpkin goodness...we ate it all!

Linking to:
Modern Country Style

Once Upon a Tart...Brownies

Brownies are the go to dessert for just about everyone, and the great thing about them is that there are about a million different recipes. So you get the basic taste that you like with a twist depending on the brownie recipe, there are fudge recipes, think ones, thin ones, European recipes, ones with nuts, chocolate chunks, peppermint, etc.

This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Once Upon a Tart by Frank  Mentesana and Jerome Audreau, the book is based upon all the recipes they serve in their cafe of the same name in New York city.

This recipe makes very thick brownies, with a rich moist center and a bit of a flaky crust on the top. I think no matter your brownie preference this one will please most people.

Once Upon a Tart

Ingredients

Ingredients

Butter, chocolate

Butter, chocolate, sugar mixture

I like to line the pan in tin foil, makes it easier to cut the finished product.

Ingredients:

4 sticks of unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips or 9 oz of good quality cocoa
2 cups of sugar
8 large eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of all purpose flower
1/4 tsp salt

optional: 2 cups walnut.

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. Melt the butter and the chocolate in a pan over low heat. Be careful not to burn.
3. When butter and chocolate are combined, add sugar, stir for two more minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
4. Pour mixture into big bowl and once cooled, add eggs, whisk thoroughly.
5. In a separate bowl mix flour and salt. Slowly mix into chocolate mixture until just combined, do not over mix. Add nuts at this point if you would like.
6.Pour batter into pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, the recipe call for them to be slightly undercooked, so the toothpick will not come out clean.
7. Remove from oven, place on wire rack and let cool to room temperature before cutting.

I am linking to the following:

Chocolate Cherry Scones

I love bing cherries, and quite honestly I can eat 2 or 3 pounds in one sitting! Fortunately for this recipe you do not need that many. If you like your scones a little dry than this is not the recipe for you, the batter is more like a muffin recipe. This recipe is very easy and I think you will like them.

Chocolate Cherry Scones

Yields: about 10 drop scones

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into cubes and frozen

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved

1 handful of chocolate chips

1) Preheat the oven to 400 F. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2) Fold in the frozen cubed butter and use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, but do this fast so that the butter does not melt. I use my hands to mix it in, it is messy but it works.
3) In a large measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and milk together to combine then add to the butter mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
4) Use a large ice cream scoop to drop the dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Linking to Wow us Wednesday

Kohler Origional Recipe Chocolates

I am sure that everyone is familiar with the Kohler company, the people who manufacture tubs, sinks and and everything else that you would need for a fabulous kitchen or bath. But I wonder how many people are acquainted with the Kohler Original Recipe Chocolates?

I first encountered the Kohler terrapins, or turtles when I was married at the The American Club Resort  in Kohler, Wisconsin. I was told then that Mr. Kohler had been on the search for the perfect turtle and that his chefs had actually perfected what he considered to be it after hundreds of attempts.  I can tell you first hand that the terrapins as they prefer you call them are out of this world! I received many boxes at my wedding and happily ate them while shipping champagne and I have been enjoying them ever since.

If you have never been to Kohler to see the Kohler Design Center,  the beautiful American Club or the Water Spa and you are in the vicinity you must stop in to the Craverie Chocolatier Cafe which sell and showcases the Kohler chocolates and sumptuous desserts. The Cafe is like a small French bistro with chandeliers and leather chairs and a fireplace to warm yourself on a crisp Autumn day. Not only does the cafe sell and serve the chocolates but also cafe drinks, soups and sandwiches.

The chocolates are also sold at The Greenhouse, which is an antique solarium from England, which was dismantled and then reassembled in the courtyard. This is another really cool place on the grounds, they serve light food, homemade ice cream and drinks all at Victorian marble tables.

My favorite terrapin is the white chocolate, cranberry and cashew, there are also coffee, and  black strap. In addition to the terrapins there are truffles, bars, pretzels, trail mix and many other things to try. I will warn you, this chocolate and the cafe are not inexpensive.

my favorite

You can order these from the Destination Kohler link above.

All photos via Destination Kohler site

More Chocolate Art

"The Chocolate Grinder" by Marcel Duchamp

Chocolate Graphics from the Graphics Fairy

These are some fabulous French Chocolate Graphics from The Graphics Fairy. They have been used for many projects in blog land for everything from pillows to table tops, to signs and there are many other wonderful things one could make with them! Check out the The Graphics Fairy to see these and many other wonderful graphics and free art.

Chocolate Madeleines or Madeleines au Chocolat

The finished product!

I love all things French and these are at the top of my list! These Madeleine's are delicious and a little different because they are chocolate and not the traditional vanilla. I have tried many recipes but this was a new one for me and quite frankly easier and the end result was much more moist. I am sure that you have seen these traditional French treats on your journeys around Paris, I can tell you that I have eaten my weight in these little cakes, which is probably how I gain so much weight when I travel to Paris, between the hot chocolate, the cheese crepes, and all of the desserts I do not stand a chance.

This recipe was adapted from Epicurious.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa
pinch of salt
4 lg eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla
12 tablespoons of melted butter, cooled
Butter for buttering the pans

Ingredients

1. Sift all dry ingredients, flour, salt and cocoa.

2. Mix eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until think and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract.

3. Fold in the flour mixture, and then the melted butter. Do not over mix.

4. Chill dough overnight or for at least 3 hours in refrigerator.

5. Butter Madeleine pans and chill filled pans( they recommend 1 hour) I just chilled for 15 minutes.

6. Heat oven to 425 F.

7. Bake Madeleine's for about 7 minutes, do not over bake as they will become dry. Tip out of molds and let cool on a rack.

8. Best eaten slightly cooled or the same day.

Butter pans

Fill buttered pans and refrigerate

Drop a Tbsp into middle if mold it will spread out itself

Notes: My Madeleine's stuck a little in the pan, I had to remove them with a fork. Also, because my pans are dark I only baked them 6 minutes. These are incredibly moist and the are even great a few days later! This recipe make 36 so you will have many to share.

Light and fluffy

Share some today!

I am participating in Foodie Friday at Designs by gollum. Come on over and check it out!