Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Wow it is good to be back. After not baking for a long time, I had forgotten how much fun I have been missing! Yeah I know, im that much of a loser ; ) lol. But seriously, these were actually kinda fun to make, even though I somehow managed to get flour & coco powder ALL over me.
But, this recipe was definitely a keeper. It had a really nice coco flavor, and the hazelnuts worked really well pairing with the chocolate. If I were to change anything in this recipe, I think that I would increase the chocolate chips a little bit because, who doesn't like more chocolate? : )
The perfect way to start off your morning: Biscotti and a hot cup of coffee : D

Chocolate hazelnut biscotti
Cafe Fernando

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 egg white
1 cup hazelnuts, chopped
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Method
Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter for 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time and beat until incorporated.
Add flour mixture gradually and mix until combined.
Add the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate and mix with a wooden spoon.
Flour your hands (the dough is quite sticky) and turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut in half and shape each piece into a 12 inch log.
Place them onto the baking trays and flatten them slightly.
Lightly beat the egg white and brush the logs. Sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake the logs, rotating trays half way through for 25 minutes. Transfer the logs onto a cutting board and let cool for 20-30 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 300 F. Cut the logs crosswise to half an inch thick slices. Place on a wire rack and bake for 30 minutes.

Oreos

Oreos!! Arn't they the best? When it comes to eating pre-packeged cookies, oreos are definitly on the top of my list. So when I saw a recipe for the homemade version, I was really excited!
I don't know if its just me, but when I see a recipe that I want to make, there is like nothing that will stop me. Its like a have tunnel vision, I can only see the recipe that I want to make. So as soon as I spotted this recipe, I printed it out, and got all the stuff out, and started to mix things. Then I realize that Im missing the eggs, butter, and shortening. Lol. So then I had to beg my moms to go to the store and get the stuff. : )
Life will definitly be easier when I can drive and get the stuff I need, which will be pretty soon... my birthday is on wednesday!!! : D Haha, EVERYBODY WATCH OUT!!

So anyways, the cookies were a huge hit! They were very rich and chocolatey, and the frosting in the middle was just perfect.

I have a feeling that you will be seeing an assortment of cookie recipes being posted, because my tennis season has started, and cookies are a staple!

Oreos
Smittenkitchen

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies
For the chocolate wafers:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt1 to

1½ cups sugar*

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter

1 large egg

For the filling

:¼ cup (½ stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter

¼ cup vegetable shortening

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375 degrees.

2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.

Idiot cake

I know what your thinking. . . idiot cake? Yes this is an idiot cake, but the best I've ever tasted! It is so simple, that only an idiot can mess it up! Its only four ingredients, so believe me, if there was any way to fail, I would have found it.
So, usually I don't make cake, because I'm pretty crappy at it. But last weekend, by brother wanted chocolate cake, and I caught him almost making a box mix! I shudder at the mere thought of it! Its like my brother doesn't even know me at all! So I stopped him, and searched for a chocolate cake recipe. The thing is, I don't like chocolate cakes that are spongy, and flavorless, some are even bitter tasting. The only way I can cough down a piece is when it is covered in thick chocolate frosting. But then again, I will eat *anything* covered in chocolate frosting.

Making this cake was a so simple, and the results were stunning. It didn't have a cake consistency either. It was velvety, not dry or cakey. Its like a mix between decadent brownies and fudge, but its not dense. It had the most rich amazing chocolate flavor too. The higher quality chocolate you use will yield a better taste, because the chocolate is the main flavor. I garnished the slices of cake with some whipped cream flavored with cappuccino liquor.

I also wanted to show you guys this picture of a mushroom that I took : ) I was so proud of it because-look, how cute is that mushroom?

Then I also took a picture of this really pretty flower, look how vibrant it is! So, I'm leaving tomorrow to go on a trip to Maine, with my favorite cousin Gwen!! My best friend Liz is going to post about our latest culinary adventure some time next week!

Chocolate idiot cake

David Lebovitz

10 ounces (290 gr) ScharffenBerger bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

7 ounces (200 gr) butter, salted or unsalted, cut into pieces

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (200 gr) sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F (175 C).

1. Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan* and dust it with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess. If you suspect your springform pan isn't 100% water-tight, wrap the outside with aluminum foil, making sure it goes all the way up to the outer rim.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (or microwave), stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and cover the top of the pan snugly with a sheet of foil. Put the springform pan into a larger baking pan, such as a roasting pan, and add enough hot water to the baking pan to come about halfway up to the outside of the cake pan.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
You'll know the cake is done when it feels just set, like quivering chocolate pudding. If you gently touch the center, your finger should come away clean.
5. Lift the cake pan from the water bath and remove the foil. Let cake cool completely on a cooling rack.

Can last 3-4 days in the fridge.

Icebox Cake

So it all started with the quest to find chocolate wafers. These elusive little chocolate cookies are very hard to find. I gave up and thought that I would never be able to make the legendary icebox cake. So when I was on spring vacation, I was happily shocked to find them in the food lion grocery store. I was so excited that I picked up like six boxes of them(not sure when I would ever get these cookies again) and put them in my moms shopping cart :D But then this week wile doing to weekly shopping, I found that my grocery store sells them too. Oops. Well thats ok, one can never have enough icebox cake! But oh my gosh was this cake good. Not just good, but crazy good. It was just so creamy and chocolaty and addicting. Even my dad (who hates chocolate) loved this cake. Say hello to the power of whipped cream and chocolate wafers! I have to say that It was actually fun making this cake. It was like assembling building blocks. Layer upon layer of goodness.Then you can top it off with some shaved chocolate. You have to let it chill in the fridge over night so that the cookies absorbe some of the whipped cream and get soft.I have never really been a cake lover, but this is the most amazing cake I have ever eaten. I like this cake better than cookies! Well this cake is technically made of cookies, but you get my point : ) My advice- Go make this cake...Now!!

Icebox cake

Smitten Kitchen

Magnolia bakery cookbook

3 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (you could use different extracts to get a different flavor)

2 (9-ounce) packages chocolate wafer cookies

Unsweetened cocoa (or chocolate shavings)

In a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
On a flat serving plate, arrange 7 cookies side by side in a circle, keeping 1 cookie in the center.
Spread with 1/2 cup whipped cream, making a 7-inch circle. Repeat with remaining cookies and cream, making 11 layers of cookies and ending with a layer of cream (there will be a few cookies left over). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, dust top lightly with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.

Blondies! Plus and award!

Blondies made by a blondie : D These are the most amazing blondies ever. They might even be better brownies! Ahh what did I just say? Is that possible? Yes, yes it is. And the best part is that these are the easiest thing to make. Ever. I don't really know how to describe them. They are like a chocolate chip cookie in brownie form. They are soft and chocolaty and slightly chewy.
I made these blondies again, because I was bored. So when they came out of the oven, I was still at a loss of what to do, because these blondies hardly took any time to make. So with my extra easter candy, I melted down the chocolate, and made chocolate stripes with white and milk chocolate.


Everybody went crazy over these blondies too. My mom went especially nuts because she doesnt want me to make baked goods. Because then she can't help but eat them. And she thinks that she can stop me from baking stuff. Ha! Like thats going to happen.

So if you are ever in a need for some super sweet baked goods, these blondies are totally the way to go. They are so quick to make, and since the recipe is pretty basic, you can jazz it up any way you like! Like nuts? Add them. Espresso powder? Chocolate chunks? Different extracts? Go for it!

Im also super happy because I got the Arte y Pico award from Recipe Girl! Thanks Recipe girl!
Ok so then you select five blogs that you think excell in creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.
Im having a serious trouble deciding who to pass this along to, because I think that there are just so many great blogs out there! I guess Il pick. . .

Elle's New England Kitchen

Noble Pig

The Kittalog

Food Stories

Mochachocolata-Rita

Blondies
Smitten Kitchen

8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Butter an 8×8 pan
Mix melted butter with brown sugar - beat until smooth.
Beat in egg and then vanilla.
Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. Cool on rack before cutting them.

Mmm Chocolate Chippers!

Is there anything better than freshly baked cookies? I think not. Whenever we have company, or I'm simply bored, I make cookies. But what is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe? Everybody thinks that their cookies are the greatest, but it seems that we are always at an impasse. Some like them soft and gooey, others likes them flat and crispy. And the ever elusive soft and gooey in the middle, and crispy on the edges. My brother had some friends over, so I decided to try out the cooks illustrated version! Well technically these are the "Liz classic" cookies. Anyways, they were a total hit! All of them were gone at the end of the night. Who said cookies aren't the perfect bon-fire food!









The brown sugar gives it that classic homemade taste, wile the walnuts give it that slightly nutty flavor. I gotta tell you, I'm not generally a nut fan, but they give these cookies such an irresistible flavor! I don't like large chunks of nuts, so I used this chopper thing that turns these nuts into almost like a powder, so you get the nut flavor without the nut chunkies! Its the best of both worlds! For me, the hardest part about making cookies, is to not eat all the dough! I think that it is always better than a baked cookie!So if you are in need of a sure fire cookie recipe to try, these are great! They are a really deliciously crisp on the outside, yet remained soft and perfect in the middle.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cooks Illustrated
Liz aka Baking Brunette ; )

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup of brown sugar (darker brown sugar will yield a browner cookie)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp water
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup nuts( I used 1/2 cup because I don't like too many nuts, I also chopped them very finely, almost to a powder)

1. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. By hand of with an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium power. Add eggs, vanilla, and water. Beat until combined about 40 seconds.
   
3. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined, 15-20 seconds. Add chocolate and nuts. Stir until just combined.
4. Drop batter by tablespoons on ungreased cookie sheets, spacing dough about an inch apart. Bake reversing position of cookie sheets half way through baking to insure even browning. Bake until light golden brown, and the edges are beginning to crisp, 8-10 minutes. Cool on sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
5. Store in an airtight container if your resistance holds up ; D
   

Death by chocolate balls

Death by chocolate. Is that possible? Well il tell you one thing, these bombs are a chocoholics dream. I would first like to apologize for my lack of creative photography. You see, I finished making these late easter eave, and there was no good lighting, then I forgot to take a descent picture of them before they vanished into thin air. Woops. These chocolate balls, of cake balls, actually are really fun to make! When I first read the directions I was amazed at how you prepare these little cake balls. You prepare a cake, and bake it. Then once the cake is cooled, you crumble it up! I was like ohh myeee goshhh this is to weird! And strangely fun at the same time!Then you mix in a can of cream cheese frosting. I do not have a picture of this, not only is it not pretty, it is quite messy! Then you roll them into balls!You stick them in the fridge to harden up, then dip them in chocolate!Again, I'm sorry for the crap-tastic pictures. There is a bright side to all of this, they tasted amazing, and decadent. My family loved them, and my older brother Yohann did also. He said that they were great! Which almost put me into a state of shock. I have made a little chart for how Yohanns mind works-->
If he says. . .

"These are the most horrible things that I have ever put in my mouth"
Then he thinks that they are bad.

"These are bad"
He thinks that they are semi decent.

"These are ok"
They are not half bad.

"These are good"
He means wow, I like these a lot!

"These are great"
He is telling you that he loves whatever you have made, and therefore you should bookmark this recipe, and give it a try!!



Red Velvet Cake Balls
Bakerella
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)(I used chocolate)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

The best Brownies

Brownies. I have tried many brownies in my life time, and these are definitely the best. My friend Liz first used this recipe,from cooks illustrated. She would bring them to lunch for us to enjoy. I finally decided to make the recipe myself and they are what I think it , the perfect brownie! They are chocolaty and decadent. They have a really nice cocoa flavor, and they are not gooey, or cakey. They may not look like anything special,but they are just perfect. Another great thing about making these, is that they are fairly quick and easy to make! You take the butter and chocolate, and melt it together.Then you mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.Then you mix everything up. First with additions of flour.I thought that this picture was kinda funny because it reminds me of my shirt after I splotch flour all over myself. Hehe Then you put them on a bake pan, and bake them up. Cut them into squares, and they will look like this ->I cant even describe these in a way that serves them justice. They are just heavenly.
Today I also made something pretty cool for lunch, but I will leave you in suspense, and post about it later ; )

Classic Brownies
Cookies illustrated
Smitten Kitchen

Be sure to test for doneness before removing the brownies from the oven. If underbaked (the toothpick has batter clinging to it) the texture of the brownies will be dense and gummy. If overbaked (the toothpick comes out completely clean), the brownies will be dry and cakey.

1 cup (4 ounces) pecans or walnuts, chopped medium (optional)
1¼ cups (5 ounces) cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into six 1-inch pieces
2¼ cups (15¾ ounces) sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhand pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and, if using extra-wide foil, fold lengthwise to 12-inch width; fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. If using nuts, spread nuts evenly on rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Whisk to combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.

4. Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan of almost-simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. (Alternatively, in microwave, heat butter and chocolate in large microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat for 30 seconds more. Stir again, and, if necessary, repeat in 15-second increments; do not let chocolate burn.) When chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove bowl from saucepan and gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs on at a time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, folding with rubber spatula until batter is completely smooth and homogeneous.

5. Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spatula, spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Sprinkle toasted nuts (if using) evenly over batter and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of brownies comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan by lifting foil overhang. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares and serve. (Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days, or, ahem, in the freezer until your resistance gets the better of you.)

Chocolate Cookie Bark

I love chocolate. Chocolate is simply the best food in the world, and this Bark just enhances my love. My Good friend "Ish" made this first, and once I tried it I was completely inspired. I had to make it! Not only is it delicious, it is pretty too! I think the swirls of chocolate look really cool. I have to say that the best part of this is that it is super simple to make! I seriously made it in 10 min! So the first thing you do is get your chocolate.
Then you melt the White chocolate, then Semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave for about a min or two at power 5.Then you take a bunch of Oreos and chop them up.Ok, so do you like peanut butter or Nutella? Ish doesn't like Peanut butter, so she used Nutella. I like both so I then divided my white chocolate into two bowls. I added a tablespoon of peanut butter to one bowl, and a tablespoon of nutella to the other. Then I added half the Oreos to the Semi-sweet chocolate. Then I split the rest and added it each bowl of white chocolate. Take a baking sheet and cover it with parchment paper. Drop blobs of the chocolate mixture next to each other.You can see that the chocolate to the left, that is the most white is made with the addition of peanut butter. On the right is the Nutella. Take a knife, and swirl the chocolate together.Pop it in the fridge and wait till hardened. Break into pieces.
Store in an airtight container. I wouldn't know how long it will last because mine were gone long before I had to worry about it!Enjoy.

Chocolate Cookie Bark
Kraft Magazine

Prep Time:
20 min

Total Time:
1 hr 20 min

Makes:
14 servings, one piece each

1 pkg. (8 squares,(( or sub. for 16.oz) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate

1 pkg. (6 squares,((or sub for 12.oz)) BAKER'S Premium White Baking Chocolate

2 Tbsp. peanut butter (or nutella)

10 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

PLACE semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate in separate medium microwaveable bowls. Microwave until completely melted, following directions on package. Add peanut butter to white chocolate (or substitute for Nutella); stir until well blended. Crumble half the cookies over chocolate in each bowl; mix well.

DROP spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto wax paper-covered baking sheet, alternating the colors of the chocolates. Cut through chocolate mixtures several times with knife for marble effect.

REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour or until firm. Break into 14 pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.