Category Archives: Chocolate

Chocolate peanut butter cookies

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Julia

A while back last year, when Smitten Kitchen cookbook just came out, I won it at one of the giveaways, which made me very happy because I really wanted her book and because I usually don’t win anything. Since then, I have been using that cookbook mainly as my night time comfort reading, enjoying Deb’s stories and pictures right before I fall asleep. Then, I had a realization last week that I haven’t even cooked anything from that cookbook yet, and that was about to change when I started flipping through the pages and saw her chocolate peanut butter cookies, sandwiched together with a thick chocolate peanut butter frosting.

These cookies are so-o-o special! They will appeal equally to kids and adults, to those who like chocolate-based desserts and those who don’t. These cookies have a perfect ratio of sugar to peanut butter: they are perfectly sweet and the chocolate frosting does not overwhelm the peanut butter taste. Continue reading →

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Posted in Baking, Chocolate, Cookies, Dessert, Peanut butter, Recipe | 33 Comments

Outrageous chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Julia

As I was eating the last outrageous chocolate cookie, I began to wonder what those cookies would taste like if I used white chocolate chips instead of regular semi-sweet ones. It didn’t take me long to start baking cookies again, and I have to tell you that these outrageous chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips are so unbelievably good, I ate almost all of them myself. Well, I only made half a batch, so it wasn’t THAT many cookies to eat – at least not by my standards. My husband did get to eat 2 of these cookies.

As I was making these cookies I had a brilliant idea of using half the chocolate to melt for the cookie dough and guess what it resulted in? My cookies came out looking like little ugly thin chocolate cakes (I have photos of these little ugly creatures which I think I will post in a separate post as a warning NOT to use any less chocolate than required). They did not have that crispy chocolate-covered looking shell like outrageous chocolate cookies are supposed to. Lesson learned – do not reduce the amount of chocolate that you are melting to add to the cookie dough!!!! It’s very key for the success of this recipe. The photos that you see here are from my second, SUCCESSFUL batch, where I DID use the right amount of the chocolate to melt, and, as a result, cookies came out pretty, with A crispy chocolate shell, tasting like a chocolate cake inside, – just like they are supposed to be: Continue reading →

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Posted in Baking, Chocolate, Chocolate chips, Cookies, Dessert, Recipe, White chocolate | 27 Comments

Outrageous chocolate cookies

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Julia

Called outrageous chocolate cookies, these cookies definitely deserve their name for being outrageously attractive. The pictures don’t even do them justice: these cookies look really pretty in real life, like small pieces of cake covered in a very thin layer of chocolate. If you want an easy to make cookie that’s all chocolate and yet looks attractive and tastes like a soft and chewy piece of a very good chocolate cake – try these, I beg you!

Even though these cookies are very easy to make, you’re dealing with melting the chocolate here, and that could affect your success with this cookie. This cookie got multiple raving reviews on Martha Stewart site, but a lot of commentators had issues like having a cookie batter that’s too thin, and, as a result, cookies spreading too flat during baking resulting in not so attractive look (while still tasting good).

To avoid that, the important thing is not to over melt the chocolate in step 1. That’s why in step 1 you melt the chocolate in microwave in 20 seconds increments to keep checking so that you melt it just enough to mix with other ingredients – don’t let the chocolate get too runny. Melted chocolate should have the consistency of a thick frosting (not a liquid) before you add it to the flour mixture. If it’s too runny, let it cool a little before adding it in. The cookie batter in the end should not be thin. If it is thin, let the batter stand for a while to harden – by letting the melted chocolate harden in the batter. The resulting batter should look like a cookie batter (hardened) and not like a cake batter (runny). Continue reading →

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Posted in Chocolate, Chocolate chips, Cookies, Dessert, Recipe | 18 Comments

Chocolate covered hazelnut shortbread cookies

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Julia

This is my fourth and the last cookie recipe in December. I always loved hazelnuts in chocolates but, surprisingly, I never used ground hazelnuts in a cookie until this recipe. The flavor and the texture of these cookies are really nice: cookies taste like chocolates with hazelnuts and at the same time crunchy. I love chocolate-nut-shortbread combination. My two favorite nuts to use in cookies are, without question, hazelnut and almond (as in this and in this cookie recipe). Continue reading →

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Posted in Baking, Chocolate, Christmas, Cookies, Dessert, Hazelnuts, Nuts, Recipe, Shortbread, Vegetarian | 9 Comments

Chocolate cupcakes, with no frosting

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Julia

It hasn’t been a month since I made a chocolate cake recipe, based on one of the best recipes I’ve found so far, and I am already craving it again. I also recently purchased lovely brioche molds from Williams-Sonoma and hadn’t had a chance to use them yet. I know that with brioche, one has to use yeast, and I seem to have unexplainable fear of yeast: I am afraid that if I make something using the process unfamiliar to me (e.i., working with yeast), I will only waste my time and end up with a failed project on my hands. Continue reading →

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Posted in Baking, Buttermilk, Cake, Chocolate, Cupcakes, Dessert, NaBloPoMo, Recipe | 16 Comments

Easy spooky Halloween treats: chocolate bugs

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Julia

For this Halloween, I didn’t want to make any disgusting looking desserts (such as bleeding eyeballs or intestines), just something spooky and easy. So, my solution was to decorate all of my MANY-MANY Fall-themed desserts (that I don’t seem to be able to stop baking) with spooky bugs made out of chocolate. Continue reading →

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Posted in Chocolate, Dessert, Halloween, Recipe | 3 Comments

Chocolate bundt cake with cognac soaked cherries

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Julia

I’ve been looking for a perfect chocolate cake recipe for a long time, and when I found this one on Epicurious.com with over 1,000 rave reviews, I had a strong suspicion that my search was over! I wasn’t disappointed, and you won’t be either, if you try this recipe. I used it to make a chocolate bundt cake, but it can be used for any type of chocolate cake: layer cake, cake made in a regular cake pan, or even muffins and cupcakes (which are the next on my list). The cake came out moist, very chocolaty and rich. Continue reading →

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Posted in Baking, Bundt, Buttermilk, Cake, Chocolate, Dessert, Recipe, Sour cherries | 15 Comments

White chocolate bread pudding with whiskey cream sauce

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Julia

This bread pudding recipe is a favorite in my family. It is a little more sophisticated version of a regular bread pudding, and what makes it so is adding white chocolate to the bread pudding and Creme de Cacao liqueur to the cream sauce.
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Posted in Baking, Chocolate, Dessert, Recipe | 7 Comments