Chocolate Mint Pixies

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan over low heat, or in a double boiler, melt together chocolate and 3 tablespoons butter. Set aside and cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, mix together flours, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix in peppermint flavoring and cooled chocolate mixture. On low speed, add half of flour mixture. Slowly pour in milk. Finish with remaining flour mixture. Place in refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. If you don’t have time for the chilling step, the cookies will spread and be flatter.

Pour powdered sugar into a small bowl. Remove batter from refrigerator. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, portion and roll dough into 1-1/2 inch diameter balls. Roll dough balls in powdered sugar to coat. Place on cookie sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes. Cookies should still look a little moist in the center so that they retain their softness. Place cookies on a rack to cool.

German Chocolate Cake

make the cake layers

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Butter pans and dust with cocoa powder (instead of flour which leaves white splotches on the chocolate layers), shaking off the excess.

In a double boiler, melt dark chocolate. Remove from heat and cool. Quicken this step by cooling chocolate in the refrigerator.

In a medium bowl, sift the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together coffee and buttermilk.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping sides of bowl down after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the coffee/buttermilk mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a spatula, fold in the melted chocolate.

Divide the batter evenly between the three pans. Batter should fill pans about half to two-thirds of the way full. Smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer cakes to a wire cooling rack for 20-30 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack and remove pans and parchment to let cool completely.

make the filling

In a large saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, evaporated milk and vanilla until well blended. Add sugars and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 12 minutes, until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat. Mix in coconut and pecans. Cool to room temperature.

assemble the cake

Trim tops of cakes to level out surface, if necessary. Place first cake layer on platter or cake stand. Spread one third of filling on top. Add second layer and spread another third of filling on top. Follow with final layer and top with remaining filling.

Strawberry Chocolate Galette

make the pastry

Whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Place ingredients in the refrigerator to chill. Once chilled, remove ingredients from refrigerator and add butter. Quickly cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until butter chunks are about the size of peas. Slowly mix in the ice water, being careful not to overwork the dough. Form the dough into a ball, adding a little more water if the dough is too crumbly. Once a ball is formed, flatten it to a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. If desired, chill your rolling pin at this time as well.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough and place on a floured surface. Roll into approx. an 11-inch circle and transfer to the baking sheet.

make the ganache

Roughly chop chocolate and place in a bowl. In a saucepan, bring cream to a boil over medium heat. Remove cream from heat and pour over chocolate. Let stand for about 5 minutes and then stir with a whisk until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Spread ganache on pastry, about 1 inch from the edge.

make the filling

In a medium bowl, combine strawberries, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch. Using a slotted spoon, pile strawberries into the center of the pastry. I avoid using the leftover juices because they can tend to run and make the crust soggy. Spread strawberries about a 1/2 to 1 inch from the edge of the chocolate ganache. Fold about 1 inch of edges of pastry around the filling, overlapping as needed.

finish the pastry

In a small bowl, whisk together egg and water. Using a pastry brush, apply egg wash to the surface of the pastry. Then, sprinkle raw sugar on the pastry crust.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden yellow. I love to serve the galette warm with vanilla bean ice cream.

Mascarpone Swirled Brownies

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch baking pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a saucepan over low heat, melt semisweet and unsweetened chocolate with butter. Once melted, remove from heat, and whisk in 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Whisk the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture until batter is smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk the mascarpone cheese with the egg yolk and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Pour half of the brownie batter into the baking pan. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture on top. Then add the other half of the brownie batter. Spread the remaining mascarpone mixture on top. With a knife, swirl the batter together a few times to acheive a marbled effect.

Bake brownies for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Brownies can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Opera Cake

make the cake layers

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut out wax paper the size of three 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Line the pans with the wax paper and butter and flour the bottom and sides of the pan. In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and mix together. In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil.

In a large bowl, beat eggs on medium speed with an electric mixer (use paddle attachment if you have the option). Slowly add the oil, milk and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Then add dry ingredients and beat on medium just until combined. Add boiling water and stir by hand until combined. Divide the batter between the three cake pans. The pans won’t appear very full but the cakes will rise in the oven. Bake cakes for 18-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Try to pull the cakes from the oven before the toothpick comes out clean, a few crumbs on the toothpick are good. Cool cakes on rack. Once completely cooled, run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out on to cooling racks.

make the coffee buttercream

While the cakes are baking, you can make the buttercream. In a medium bowl, mix the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of sugar with an electric mixer until thick and pale. This will take about 5 minutes or more. In a small saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil. Stir in the rest of the sugar, the coffee and instant espresso or instant coffee. While constantly whisking the yolks, pour in 1/3 of the hot milk mixture. Then pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan. Stir the mixture constantly and cook on medium until you seem small bubbles. Remove from heat and pour into a clean mixing bowl and bean on medium to high until the mixture thickens and doubles in size, about 5-6 minutes. Beat in butter one tablespoon at a time until the mixture turns white and fluffy.

make the chocolate charlotte

Melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments; set aside. Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until it holds soft-medium peaks.

Place the eggs yolks in a double boiler with water in the bottom pan. Heat yolks over low to medium heat, keeping an eye that they don’t get to hot and scramble. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Whisking yolks constantly, stir in the sugar syrup. Continue whisking quickly until the mixture thickens. Pour mixture into a medium bowl and mix on medium until it cools to room temperature. Beat in melted chocolate until it is very well combined. Then, using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream until the charlotte is all the same color. Chill until ready to use.

make the coffee sauce

In a small bowl, combine the coffee and coffee liqueur. Set aside.

make the chocolate ganache

In the microwave, melt the chocolate in 30 second increments. Add the butter and stir until well combined. Whisk in the corn syrup and liqueur. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes before using.

assemble the cake

The easiest way to assemble is by using a spring-form pan lined with plastic wrap. Place one layer of the cake in the spring-form pan. Liberally brush on the coffee sauce. Top evenly with one cup of the mousse. Place the second cake layer on top of the charlotte. Liberally brush the top of the cake with the coffee sauce. Top with 1 to 1-1/2 cups of the buttercream. Stack the third cake layer on the buttercream and liberally brush the cake with the coffee sauce. Chill the cake for 10-15 minutes.

Once the cake is chilled, turn the cake over onto a plate. Pour the ganache over the cake starting in the middle and spreading it out over the cake and down the sides. Spread the ganache evenly on the sides of the cake. Sprinkle the sides and/or top of the cake with roasted cocoa nibs. Chill the cake for at least four hours or overnight. Before serving, brink cake to room temperature. Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Mint Infused Strawberry Ice Cream

make the custard

Rinse and dry the mint leaves. Remove the stems. In a large saucepan mix 1 cup of whole milk, 1 cup of cream and the mint leaves. Heat until the mixture begins to steam. Remove it from heat, cover and let it stand for 30 minutes. Reheat the mixture to a steam, remove from heat and let it stand for 15 more minutes. The mint is infusing the cream mixture. Using a small bowl, strain the mint infused cream mixture. Press the mint leaves against the strainer to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Reserve the mint leaves. Return the mint infused cream mixture to the saucepan and add 2/3 cup of sugar and salt. Heat on low medium until the mixture is steaming and the sugar is dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

In a large bowl, fill it 1/3 full with ice water. Place a medium size bowl in the ice bath and add the rest of the cream to the bowl.

In a medium bowl whisk the egg yolks. Pour in half of the mint infused cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking while pouring so that the eggs are tempered. Pour in the remaining mint infused cream. Then pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan. Add the reserved mint leaves.

Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Heat for about 10 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 degrees on a candy thermometer. The custard should coat the back of the spoon.

Immediately remove the saucepan from heat and pour the custard through a strainer into the cold cream. Stir until combined. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for 2 hours.

make the strawberries

Slice the strawberries in quarters. In a medium skillet heat 1/3 cup of sugar and the strawberries over medium. The sugar should melt into syrup. Stir over heat for about 5 minutes. Let cool. Puree half of the strawberry mixture.

freeze the custard

Using an ice cream maker such as a Kitchen Aid attachment, freeze the custard. In the last five minutes, add the strawberry mixture sauce and rum. The rum will keep the ice cream from freezing so hard once stored in the freezer.

Remove the ice cream from the maker and store in Tupperware and place in the freezer. Remove ice cream from freezer 5 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Chip Variation: If you would like, you can chop 3 ounces of dark chocolate and add the pieces when the strawberries are added.

Grasshopper Bars

chocolate topping

make the brownie layer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (use cocoa powder for a cleaner look) an 11×17-inch baking pan with a rim. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick. Add cocoa, flour and peppermint extract until just combined. Then stir in butter. Pour mixture into pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Watch these carefully, as you do not want to overbake. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting. Or, speed up the process by quickly cooling them in the fridge or freezer.

make the peppermint frosting

In a stand mixer, cream powdered sugar with butter and cream cheese, if using. Add in peppermint and food coloring. Add milk, one tablespoon at a time, until a spreading consistency is reached. With a spatula, spread frosting over brownie/cake portion of bars. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Hardening the frosting makes spreading the chocolate topping easier.

make the chocolate topping

Melt butter and chocolate over a double boiler or in a microwave. I prefer the results from the stovetop method. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can make one by simply placing a metal bowl over a saucepan filled with a little water. As the chocolate melts, whisk the mixture to remove any lumps. Using a pastry or silicone brush, spread topping over frosting. Refrigerate to harden. Cut into 1×2-inch bars.

Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. The parchment paper is essential in order for the cookies to come off the baking sheet in one piece.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Mix to combine.

With the mixer running, in three stages add the egg whites. Then add the vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes slightly thick (batter should not run; don’t under mix). I tend to mix on the longer side because I like my cookies a bit fluffier. Stir in the toasted and chopped walnuts and mix thoroughly by hand.

Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop 2-inch dollops of the batter onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Place nine dollops per sheet, about 2 inches apart. Place baking sheet in oven and lower the temperature to 320 degrees. Bake for 14-16 minutes. The cookies are done when small cracks appear on the surface. Remove baking sheet from the oven. When cookies are still slightly warm, remove from parchment paper and cool cookies on wire rack. Store cookies in an airtight container for a few days.

salted caramel ice cream

make the caramel

In a dry, 10-inch skillet, heat 1 cup of sugar over medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until all of the sugar starts to melt. Continue to cook, stirring less frequently, until the sugar melts evenly and becomes a dark amber color. Before moving on, all of the sugar should be melted; no large pieces should remain.

Add the warm 1-1/4 cups cream to the sugar mixture. It is a good idea to use slightly warm cream to prevent the sugar from clumping. Stir until all of the caramel has dissolved. This will take patience. Don’t be tempted to raise the temperature above medium, just continue stirring until the caramel has dissolved. Transfer the caramel to a heat-proof bowl. Mix in the sea salt and vanilla. Cool to room temperature.

make the custard

In a small saucepan, bring the milk, remaining cream and sugar to a slight boil; stirring occasionally.

In a medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Then add half of the warm milk mixture to the eggs, whisking continuously. Pour the egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat. Continue stirring until the custard reaches 170 degrees on a thermometer (don’t let the mixture boil). To remove any of the solidified egg, pour the custard through a sieve into a large bowl. Stir the cooled caramel into the custard and mix until combined. Chill custard for at least 3 hours.

Using an ice cream maker or stand mixer attachment, freeze custard. I used a Kitchen Aid attachment and it took about 20 minutes to freeze. When ice cream is thickened to your preference, store in an airtight container and freeze for a few hours before enjoying.

If desired, top with chocolate or serve with warm apple pie.

mocha cupcakes with whipped espresso buttercream

make the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Fill muffin pan with cupcake liners. Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a mixer, beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored, 3-5 minutes. Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla and melted chocolate mixture to eggs. Beat mixture until well combined. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined. Pour batter into cupcake liners and bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely on wire rack before applying frosting.

make the frosting

In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of the milk with flour, whisking until there are no lumps. Over medium heat, slowly add the remaining 3/4 cup milk. Whisk constantly over medium-high heat and cook until bubbles form and it comes to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and keep whisking for a few more minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and keep stirring. Then let cool to room temperature. Quicken this step by throwing mixture into freezer until it is room temperature. If there’s a thick skin on top that’s developed while in the freezer, remove and discard it.

While milk-flour mixture is cooling, make the butter-sugar mixture. In a mixer, cream butter on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add in sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Once milk-flour mixture is cooled, on low speed, slowly pour the milk-flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture. Increase to medium speed and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Dissolve espresso powder in hot, preferably boiling, water. Start with 1 tablespoon of each. I was looking for a stronger coffee flavor so I went with 2 tablespoons of each. However, add additions slowly so that you do not lose the desired frosting consistency. Frost the cupcakes and add a chocolate covered coffee bean to the top center of each cupcake.