A Chocolate Affair
From morning 'til night
By Caitlin Covington
What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than by rekindling a love of chocolate? This year, make it a day-long affair, with all your meals centered around chocolaty treats.
Wake up to a cappuccino brownie and oatmeal cookie, serve a chocolate ganache pizza for lunch, and bite into a slice of cookies and cream cake for an after-dinner dessert. When the late-night cravings hit, pop up a batch of quick and tasty chocolate toffee popcorn. You'll fall head-over-heals for these chocolate concoctions, and we guarantee your sweetie will, too.
Breakfast
Bake Something Great
Published by Robert Rose
Cappuccino Brownies
For the brownie:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
1 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream
2 cups confectioners' (icing) sugar, sifted
1/4 cup butter, softened
For the glaze:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup whipping (35%) cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
For the brownie: In a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips and butter, stirring constantly, until smooth. Whisk in sugar and vanilla, mixing well. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking lightly after each addition.
Combine flour, espresso powder, baking powder and salt. Stir into chocolate mixture, mixing well. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven just until set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack.
For the frosting: In a bowl, combine espresso powder and 1 tablespoon milk, stirring to dissolve. Add confectioners' sugar and butter. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed to blend. Then beat on medium speed until creamy, adding more milk, if necessary, to make a smooth, spreadable consistency. Spread evenly over brownie. Chill to harden, about 1 hour.
For the glaze: In a saucepan over low heat, combine chocolate chips and whipping cream, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Let cool to lukewarm. Spread over frosting. Chill until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. Cut into bars or squares.
Makes 16 brownies
Oatmeal Candy Cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup candy-coated chocolate pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
On a sheet of waxed paper or in a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, granulated and brown sugars, egg and vanilla until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until smooth. With a wooden spoon, stir in oats, candy pieces and coconut.
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls on prepared cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 9 to 13 minutes or until golden. Cool for 5 minutes on sheet, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.
Makes 42 cookies
Lunch
Intensely Chocolate
Published by John Wiley & Sons
Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache Pizza
For the pastry dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher or fine-grained sea salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, chilled
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the chocolate ganache filling:
1 pound bittersweet chocolate (66% to 72% cacao content), finely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the garnish:
3 ounces white chocolate (31% to 35% cacao content), shaved
For the pastry dough, briefly pulse the flour, sugar and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and add. Pulse until the butter is cut into very tiny pieces, about 30 seconds. The texture will be sandy with very tiny lumps.
In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the egg yolks and vanilla together. With the food processor running, pour this mixture through the feed tube. Process until the dough wraps itself around the blade, about 1 minute. Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator until firm before using, about 2 hours.
On a smooth, flat surface, roll out the pastry dough between sheets of waxed or parchment paper to a large circle 1/4 inch thick. Peel off the top piece of paper and gently roll the pastry dough around the rolling pin.
Place the pizza pan directly under the rolling pin and carefully unroll the dough onto the pan. Trim off any excess pastry dough at the outer edge of the pan. Use the tines of a fork to press around the outer edges of the pastry dough, forming a design and creating the outer border. Freeze the dough for 15 minutes. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Line the pastry dough with a large piece of aluminum foil that fits well against the bottom and border and fill with tart weights.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and weights, lightly pierce the dough with a fork in several places to release air and prevent it from puffing up, and bake another 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden and set. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
For the filling, place the bittersweet chocolate in a 2-quart, heat-safe mixing bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds. Stir together with a heat-safe silicone spatula until completely melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla and blend thoroughly. Cover the top of the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill until thick but not stiff, about 1 hour.
Beat the ganache filling in the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the flat beater attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer on medium speed until it holds soft peaks, no longer than 1 minute.
Transfer the filling to the cooled pizza shell and spread it out evenly with a rubber spatula or small, offset metal spatula, leaving a 1-inch border of the dough all around. Sprinkle the white chocolate shavings evenly over the top of the pizza.
Cut wedge-shaped slices of the pizza and serve at room temperature.
Makes 18 Servings
Double Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
For the cookies:
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher or fine-grained sea salt
6 ounces unsalted butter, chilled
3 ounces gianduia chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure chocolate extract
For the gianduia filling:
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup hazelnut paste
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the hazelnuts in a cake or pie pan and toast for 15 minutes. Turn the hazelnuts out of the pan into a kitchen towel. Wrap the towel around the nuts and rub them together to remove most of the skins.
Position the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick liners.
Pulse together the hazelnuts and sugar in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade until the hazelnuts are finely ground, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and salt and pulse briefly to blend. Cut the butter into small pieces and add along with the gianduia chocolate. Pulse until the butter is cut into tiny pieces and the chocolate is finely ground, about 1 minute.
In a small bowl, combine the cream and chocolate extract. With the food processor running, pour this mixture through the feed tube. Process until the dough wraps itself around the blade, about 30 seconds. Form the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
On a smooth, flat surface, roll out the cookie dough between sheets of lightly floured waxed or parchment paper to a large rectangle 1/4-inch thick. Peel off the top piece of paper, brush off any excess flour, and use a 2-inch round, scalloped-edge cutter to cut out cookies. Gather together the scraps, reroll and cut out more cookies as needed. Place the cookies on the baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch of space between them.
Bake the cookies for 6 minutes. Switch the pans and bake another 6 minutes, until the cookies are firm.
Remove the baking sheets from the oven and transfer them to racks to cool completely.
For the filling, place the bittersweet chocolate in a large, heat-safe bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it begins to bubble around the edges. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds. Stir together with a heat-safe silicone spatula until smooth. Add the hazelnut paste and blend together thoroughly. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill until thick but not firm, about 15 minutes.
Fit a 12- or 14-inch pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain round tip and fill the bag with the filling. Pipe about a tablespoon of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies, then top the filling with the remaining cookies, pressing them together to spread the filling to the outer edges. Or use a small, offset metal spatula to spread the filling on the flat side of half of the cookies.
Makes 30 Cookies
Cocktail Hour
The Butch Bakery Cookbook
Published by John Wiley & Sons
Big Papi
Spiced-Up Cupcake filled and topped with White Chocolate-Rum Raisin Buttercream
For the rum raisins:
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup dark rum, such as Mount Gay
For the cupcake:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, broken into a small bowl
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
For the white chocolate rum-raisin buttercream:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted through a strainer
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons dark rum, reserved from the rum raisins
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly
For the rum raisins: In a small bowl, combine the raisins and rum and let soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the raisins very, very well, reserving the 2 tablespoons of the rum for the buttercream.
For the cupcakes: Place a baking rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 6-cup, jumbo-size muffin pans with liners and set aside.
Place a strainer over a medium-size mixing bowl and sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
In another medium-size mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and brown sugar together until well combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the eggs, beating until combined. Add about half of the flour mixture and the buttermilk, and mix just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix just until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Fill each prepared muffin cup with 1/3 cup batter. (They will be about 3/4 full.) Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops are just firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, about 23 minutes.
Leave the cupcakes in the pan on a rack to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack to cool completely before filing and frosting, about 1 hour.
For the buttercream: In a large-size mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add half of the confectioners' sugar, the cream, rum, vanilla and salt, beating until smooth. Add the melted white chocolate and continue to beat for 2 to 3 minutes until very smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
For the rum raisin filling: Remove 1 cup of the frosting and stir in ½ cup of the rum raisins. Remember to drain them very well! Reserve the rest to garnish the tops of the cupcakes.
With a small knife or melon baller, carve a 2 x 2-inch hole in the top of each cupcake. Fill with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the rum raisin filling. Then get out that ice cream scoop (2 to 2-1/4 inches in diameter), top each cupcake with frosting, and sprinkle a few of the reserved raisins on top of the center of each cupcake. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in an airtight container, or frozen for 1 month.
Makes 12 Cupcakes
Beer Run
A Chocolate Stout Cupcake with Vanilla Stout Buttercream
For the cupcake:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup dark stout, such as Guinness, poured and settled before you measure
2 large eggs, broken into a small bowl
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
1-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the buttercream:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted through a strainer
3 tablespoons dark stout, such as Guinness, poured and settled before you measure
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch salt
For the topping:
3/4 cup crushed chocolate-covered pretzels
For the cupcakes: Place a baking rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 6-cup, jumbo-size muffin pans with liners and set aside.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from the heat, add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Then stir in the stout. You'll think that you have some stout left to drink, but hold your horses! You're going to need some for the frosting, too. Set aside to cool, about 10 minutes.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sour cream. Add the cooled chocolate mixture, incorporating well. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt, and whisk until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Fill each prepared muffin cup with 1/3 cup batter, about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops are just firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Leave the cupcakes in the pan on a rack to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack to cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour.
For the buttercream: In a medium-size mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners' sugar, stout, vanilla and salt into the bowl, and continue to beat until very smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Get out that ice cream scoop (2 to 2-1/4 inches in diameter) and top each cupcake with a scoop of frosting. Sprinkle each cupcake with a tablespoon of the crushed pretzels. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in an airtight container, or frozen for 1 month.
Makes 12 Cupcakes
Dinner
Piece of Cake
Published by Robert Rose
Cookies and Cream Chocolate Cake
For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup boiling water
For the frosting:
1 cup heavy or whipping (35%) cream
3/4 cup confectioners' (icing) sugar
12 ounces brick-style cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
20 chocolate sandwich cookies, coarsely crushed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Add eggs, oil and buttermilk to flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Gradually pour in boiling water, stirring until blended. (Batter will be thin.) Spread evenly in prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
For the frosting: In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat cream until stiff peaks form.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat confectioners' sugar, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth and creamy. (Do not overbeat.) Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until completely incorporated.
Spread frosting over top of cooled cake and sprinkle with cookies.
Makes 20 Servings
Perfect Chocolate Bundt
For the cake:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
3/4 cup boiling water
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
For the glaze:
1/3 cup heavy or whipping (35%) cream
1 tablespoon light (white or golden) corn syrup
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large bowl, combine chocolate chips, cocoa powder and espresso powder. Add boiling water and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add brown sugar, baking soda, salt, eggs, sour cream, butter and vanilla to cocoa mixture. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat for 2 minutes, until blended and fluffy. Add flour and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula. Beat on high speed for 1 minute.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for about 60 minutes or until a piece of uncooked spaghetti inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cake onto rack to cool completely.
Glaze: In a small saucepan, bring cream and corn syrup to a simmer over medium heat. Place chocolate chips in a large heatproof bowl and pour in hot cream mixture. Let stand for 3 minutes or until chocolate chips are melted. Add vanilla and whisk until smooth.
Spoon glaze over the top of cooled cake letting it drizzle down the sides.
Makes 16 Servings
Late-Night Snack
The Happy Baker
Published by Happy Baker Publishing
Toffee Cracker Goodness
1 package saltine crackers (approximately 35 crackers)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup slivered almonds, roasted at 325 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place crackers side by side on a lined cookie sheet with edges.
In a saucepan, bring brown sugar and butter to a boil Continue boiling for 3 minutes; stirring constantly. Pour evenly over saltine crackers.
Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and pour chocolate chips and almonds over crackers. Let sit a couple minutes until chocolate chips are softened, then spread evenly. Cool and break into pieces.
Makes 35 Crackers
Toffee Chocolate Popcorn
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
8 cups popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup popping kernels)
1/3 cup toffee baking bits
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Place popped popcorn in a 9 x 13-inch rectangle baking dish.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring chocolate chips, corn syrup and butter to a boil; stirring often. Pour over popcorn and stir until evenly coated. Stir in toffee baking bits.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool.
Makes 4 Servings