Tag Archives: chocolate

Oregon Chocolate-Cherry Cookies

I try to change up the cookies I make every year because the only cookies I’m willing to repeat are my peanut butter cookies (thanks to my family and friends who always say “But you are making your peanut butter cookies, right?”). If you aren’t careful, you can either end up with a bunch of beige/white cookies (i.e. peanut butter, sugar, chocolate chip, butter) or nothing but chocolate cookies. I like to have a little bit of both. These Oregon Chocolate-Cherry Cookies may not sound like holiday cookies but really, who’s to judge? Any cookie is a holiday cookie in my opinion. And what holiday isn’t made better by lots of chocolate?

These cookies have both cocoa and chocolate chips and are topped with a drizzle of even more melted chocolate. Dried cherries added another layer of flavor which I have to say is what drew me to these cookies (which is I guess why they are called Oregon cookies). Dried cherries are like candy to me and I will eat them in just about anything. These cookies are chewy and very chocolatey – perfect for the chocolate lover in your family. Leave a plate of these for Santa and he’ll be happy. Just don’t forget the milk!

The ingredients:

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add egg, beating until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

Stir in 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels and dried sweetened cherries.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on lightly greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake, in batches, at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks. Drizzle cookies with 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels, melted, if desired.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Coastal Living magazine

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I hope that putting vegetables in your baked goods doesn’t freak you out. Some people are no stranger to zucchini bread, muffins or pancakes while others, who’ve never tried it, cringe at the very thought. These just might be the same people who can’t stand any fruit in their salad. (Sorry, I just don’t get it.) I know someone who would never go near a cake with zucchini in it like this Chocolate Zucchini Cake, but I’m all for it. Would I ever sit down and make a chocolate cake for no reason if I couldn’t justify it? Well…probably. But regardless, somehow in my whacked out brain, zucchini justifies it.

Chocolate cake batter, flavored with cocoa, reduced-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat buttermilk, is made even more healthy with the addition of shredded zucchini. An extra toss of chocolate chips in the batter along with the mocha-like chocolate drizzle on top only establishes this a decadent chocolate cake. The zucchini not only adds a healthy component to this cake but it also helps it to stay moist so your aren’t left with a dry clunky dessert. If you handed a piece of this cake to someone and didn’t tell them zucchini was in it, they’d never know unless they inspected the tiny green flakes in each piece. So why not give yourself a break and make yourself a chocolate cake? You really don’t need to justify it.

The ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350°F. To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust pan with 1 tablespoon flour. Place sugars, cream cheese, and vegetable oil in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Lightly spoon 2 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour and next 5 ingredients (2 1/2 cups flour through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Stir in zucchini, 2/3 cup chocolate chips, and nuts.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare glaze, combine 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons cocoa in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

Combine milk, 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, coffee, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a 1-cup glass measure. Microwave at medium 45 seconds or until chocolate melts, stirring after 20 seconds. Combine powdered sugar mixture with chocolate mixture, stirring with a whisk.

Drizzle glaze over cake.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Double Chocolate-Mocha Muffins

I haven’t really been cooking as much as I want to, let alone doing much baking. There are so many things to do, so many things I’m interested in, so many ideas, and so many plans on my mind. It can sometimes seem a little overwhelming. But then I remember than cooking calms my head and sometimes I forget just how easy baking can be. I love the fact that most of the time, you can whip everything up in one bowl and once it’s in the oven, you get to leave it alone. You can write, clean, do laundry, read a book, watch TV, anything you want. Try doing that with a skillet of chicken and you’ll have your smoke alarm going off. These Double Chocolate-Mocha Muffins are another one of those really easy recipes to whip together when you just have too many other things to do or think about.

Chocolate chips and cocoa are both added to this batter to make some really chocolate-y muffins and espresso powder or instant espresso is added to give it yet another layer of flavor making these perfect for breakfast, as a sweet addition to brunch, or even as a late night chocolate snack. The recipe calls for chocolate chunks but I used mini-chips because I had them on hand so use any kind of chocolate you want. I also substituted applesauce to lighten their calorie load and the end result was still a light, fluffy muffin. Also consider replacing up to half of the flour with whole wheat flour. These muffins puff up nicely, just the way you want a good muffin to and also freeze well. Craving a little chocolate with your coffee? Or a little coffee with your chocolate? Just mix them together and make these muffins.