PEANUT BUTTER PIE

A no bake pie, rich in chocolate and peanut butter flavors. It is a dense pie, due to the cream cheese.

FILLING

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon of melted butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup of heavy cream, beaten until stiff

 1 (9 inch) chocolate cookie crumb crust

hot fudge sauce

TOPPING

1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons of brewed coffee

chopped peanuts for garnish

First, melt about 3-4 tablespoons of the hot fudge sauce in the microwave. Spoon it over the bottom of the pie crust. If you must spread it, be careful; those pie crusts are very delicate.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Fold in half of the beaten cream. Then fold in the remaining cream until blended. Then place filling into the pie crust.

Combine the chocolate chips and coffee in a microwavable container. Microwave until melted and smooth. Cool slightly, and then pour over top of pie. Place chopped peanuts on top of chocolate. Carefully place plastic lid from pie crust onto the pie and refrigerate over night. Yes, really . . . over night.

Take that pie traveling!

BLACK BOTTOM CUPCAKES

My grandmother always made these for me. This recipe will yield about 30 cupcakes. The cupcakes also freeze well, so you don't have to eat them all at one time. But good luck trying to get them to the freezer.

Filling

8 ounces of cream cheese
1/3 cup of sugar
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon of salt
6 ounces of chocolate chips

Cupcakes

2 1/4 cups of flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
3/4 teaspoons of salt
1 1/2 cups of water
1/3 cup of oil, plus 2 tablespoons of oil
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and salt until smooth. Add chocolate chips. Set aside.

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Add water, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth.

Fill paper muffin cups 1/3 full with cupcake batter. Top each with a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes.

DELUXE FUDGY BROWNIES

Super rich and fudgy.

4 squares of unsweetened chocolate
1 stick of butter
4 eggs
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of chopped nuts

Melt chocolate and butter in microwave. Beat eggs and add sugar. Beat together. Add chocolate mixture and blend. Stir in flour. Add vanilla and nuts.

Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Check middle with cake tester or tooth-pick. If needed add more time but keep watch on the brownies. Allow to cool before eating.

Black Forest Crinkle Cookies

Preheat oven to 350; line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp table salt

Melt 1/2 stick (4 Tbl) unsalted butter

Add to melted butter:

1/3 cup cocoa powder, whisking until smooth.

Stir in (fully blending in each one before adding the next one):

1 egg

1 tsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 2 Tbl hot water

1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir chocolate mixture into flour mixture just until combined.

Fold in:

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup dried tart cherries

Shape into 2" balls and roll two times in powdered sugar (3/4 cup)

Place 2" apart on prepared baking sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are cracked, yet still soft. Do not overbake. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Makes 2 dozen 3" cookies

Chocolate Cherry Bars

* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter

* 3/4 cup cocoa or

* 2 cups sugar

* 4 eggs

* 1-1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided

* 1/3 cup chopped almonds

* 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

* 1 cup Hershey Mini Kisses

* 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries, drained

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat; stir in cocoa until smooth. Remove from heat. Add sugar, 3 eggs, 1-1/2 cups flour and almonds; mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together remaining 1 egg, remaining 1/3 cup flour, sweetened condensed milk and almond extract. Pour over baked layer; sprinkle chocolates and cherries over top. Return to oven.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until set and edges are golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate until cold, 6 hours or overnight. Cut into bars. Cover; refrigerate leftover bars. About 48 bars.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake with Peppermint and Chocolate Mint Buttercream

The finished cake, with some mint and bergamot for garnish.

I love this cake. I don't make it much because it's pretty labor intensive. Plus my mint was kinda straggly this year. But it's always worth it when it's finished.

Cake Ingredients and Directions

2 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
10 TBS unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 extra large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup milk, steeped with 1 cup packed peppermint leaves (see directions below)
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh chopped peppermint

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 nine inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with a circle of wax paper, and dust lightly with flour. Sift the flour with the cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, whip the butter with an electric mixer for a minute. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and chocolate and blend well.

Stir half of the peppermint milk into the buttermilk, reserving the remainder for the buttercream . Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture in thirds alternately with the milk mixture. Fold in the chopped mint.

Place the batter in the prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake starts to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan. Cool the pans on a rack for ten minutes. Turn the layers out of the pans and carefully peel away wax paper.

After assembling cake with the buttercream, I try to allow the cake to sit overnight, so that the mint permeates the cake.


Mint Milk


Put 1 cup of milk in sauce pan. Add 1 cup of mint. Use the back of a spoon to bruise the leaves against the side and bottom of the pot, while heating over medium heat. Do not allow milk to boil. As soon as the milk begins to bubble around the edges, remove from heat and allow the milk to cool to room temperature.

I leave the mint in the milk for at least 30 minutes.

Chocolate Mint Buttercream


8 TBS unsalted butter, softened
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
reserved peppermint milk
1 pound confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, whip the butter with an electric mixer for a minute. Add the chocolate and blend well. Add the confectioners' sugar, a cup at a time, alternating with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the peppermint milk, using only enough milk to make a spreadable icing, 4 to 6 tablespoons. Discard the rest of the milk or use for another purpose.

When the cake has cooled, assemble it with the buttercream, spreading it on the tops and sides of both layers.