Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2cup wheat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans or optional)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt, mix well. In separate bowl, combine sugar and eggs, beat until well blended. Add applesauce, oil and vanilla; beat until combined. Stir in zucchini. Add flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Spoon evenly into loaf pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pans; cool completely on wire rack.

Can be made into muffins. Cut cooking time to 25 min or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Molten Lava Cake

Moelleux au Chocolat… A French classic that literally melts in your mouth!!! This dessert is usually made in individual ramekins, but see the serving ideas below for other possibilities.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients (7 people):

8 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (or use your favorite 70% dark chocolate bar)
8 oz. Butter (diced, room temperature)
4 Eggs
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Flour
Butter for Ramekins

How to Make It:

Preheat oven to 350°F
1. Melt chocolate on low flame in a bain-marie (double boiler). When melted, take of flame, and…
2. Stir in diced butter, until it melts.
3. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten.
4. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour.
5. Butter 7 individual ramekins, and pour in chocolate batter. We used 7 oz ramekins and filled them about 1/2 full
6. Cook for about 15 minutes.
7. Tip ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and serve.
Voilà!

Tips:

You can definitely prepare your chocolate lave cake recipe ahead of time, and then bake 15 minutes before serving. I always do it this way!

In terms of buttering the ramekins: butter the bottoms first, and then butter the sides, wiping from the bottom up to the top. It helps the chocolate to rise even more.

In terms of baking time… well, it depends on how runny you want it! I like it with a super-liquid-oozing center -- so do my guests! For this, you want the top to be cooked through, but the center to be liquid. You can check with a toothpick after 15 minutes of baking.
If you don't like liquid-center chocolate desserts, just cook for a little longer, and you will have an incredibly moist chocolate cake. So, either way, you can't go wrong!

Serving Ideas:

You can, if you want, serve your chocolate lava cake recipe with a Crème Anglaise (English Cream) or a Coulis aux Framboises (Raspberry Sauce). We served ours with chocolate sauce and a dusting of powdered sugar. And honestly, everyone FALLS IN LOVE with this dessert!!! How could they not?!!!

Faux Chocolate Lava Cupcakes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup water

2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
3 tsp baking powder
chocolate chips

Combine butter and sugar and cream until light.
Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and water.
In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.
Add to butter mixture and mix well.


Line muffin tin with cupcake cups.
Fill cupcakes 1/4 of the way with batter.
Make a well in the center and add 10-15 chocolate chips.
Cover with batter 3/4 of the way up the cup.

Bake at 350 degrees 18-20 minutes.
Cool slightly and serve warm.
These do not have a liquid center, but do have a rich gooey center.
If they cool, just pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds to reheat the chocolate.

Makes 15-18 cupcakes.

Five Pounds of Fabulous Fudge

From Shelly Hattan (courtesy of Gail Stamler, Shelly's mom)
1/2 c butter
1 can evaporated milk
4 1/2 c sugar (granulated)
10 oz. bag of marshmallows
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 oz sweet baking chocolate
1 Tbs. vanilla
2 c chopped nuts

Combine butter, milk, and sugar in pan. Stir till sugar dissolves.

Cook to boil, cover. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add marshmallows, stir till melted.

Add all the chocolate, one at a time stirring until melted. Add vanilla and nuts. Pour into buttered pan. Cut when firm.

No-Knead Bread

Submitted by Melanie Christensen on The Sisters Cafe
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising


3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.


1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.


2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.


3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.


4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Butterhorn Rolls/ Cinnamon Rolls

1 tbl yeast
2 tbl water
¾ cup sugar
½ cup butter
3 eggs
¾ cup milk
½ tbl salt
4 cups flour

Proof yeast in water and sprinkle with sugar. Warm butter and milk together in microwave. Combine the butter/milk mixture with the rest of the ingredients in a glass bowl or mixer. Dough should be sticky to the touch. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place. Put out on floured board and knead with flour until it is a little less sticky. It should be tender but manageable.

For butterhorn rolls

Let rest 10 minutes. Break into 3 balls. Roll each ball into pizza-size circle. Brush with softened or melted butter. Cut with pizza cutter into about 12 pizza-slice shapes. Roll up from big side to small forming a crescent. Brush rolls with melted butter. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

For cinnamon rolls

Roll dough into a rectangle. Spread with melted or softened butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll into a log and cut 1 inch thick slices. (A serrated knife works best for this.) Place in greased pan and let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove immediately from pan. Let cool slightly and spread on frosting. Serve warm or at room temperature

French Breakfast Puffs

From Pioneer Woman

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening (Crisco)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 sticks butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside. Pray. In a different bowl, cream together 1 cup sugar and shortening, then add eggs and mix. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. In a bowl, melt 2 sticks butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Eat. Faint.

Hershey's Kiss Cookies

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white sugar for decoration
unwrapped Hershey's kiss candies

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, 1/2 cup white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg, then stir in vanilla. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in remaining sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
   
3. Bake at for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven.
   
4. Remove from oven and immediately press Kiss into center of cookie. Remove from pan to wire cooling rack.
   

Craisin White Chocolate Shortbread

Thanks Charla via Naomi!

2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 cups flour
1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER’S White Baking Chocolate, chopped (I just used a bag of White Chocolate Chips)
1-1/2 cups dried cranberries

PREHEAT oven to 350 F. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour; mix well.

STIR in chopped chocolate and cranberries. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough, 2 inches apart, onto un-greased baking sheets. Flatten each ball of dough slightly.

BAKE 10 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream sugar and butter. Add milk, vanilla and egg and cream together until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir well. Add to wet ingredients, making a smooth dough. Refrigerate 1 hour. On well floured surface, roll out dough to desired thickness. For soft cookies, roll thicker for crunchy cookies, roll thinner. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Chocolate Pretzel Bites

You will need square pretzels, hershey's kisses, and M&M's. You can make lots of these at once, but they need time to cool before you serve them.




Place the pretzels on a baking sheet, unwrap the kisses, and place on top.

Place in a 300 degree oven for 3 minutes, or until chocolate is soft through the center.



Remove from oven and press an M&M into the center. Let cool 5-10 min. Transfer to plate.

For a tastier option, slice caramels into this pieces and place under Hershey's kisses before melting them. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter
1-1/2 cup sugar
Cream together, then add:
2 eggs (one at a time)

In a separate bowl, combine:
3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Add gradually to wet ingredients and mix well.

Roll dough into balls and roll through a mixture of:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

Banana Cream Pie

1 Graham cracker crust (I'm too lazy to make mine- I always buy it)
1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup milk
2 bananas, sliced

Put milk and cream in mixing bowl.
Add vanilla pudding and whip until cream fluffs up.
Fold in bananas.
Spoon evenly into pie crust and refrigerate for 20 min.

Serve with whipped cream.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 tTbl softened butter
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Whip together until smooth and creamy. Frost liberally

Tasty Buns

5 cups flour
1/2 ounce dry yeast
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Stir together 2 cups flour and the yeast. In a separate bowl, heat milk, water, oil, sugar and salt to lukewarm in microwave. Add all at once to the flour mixture, and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
2. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough, 2 to 3 cups. Mix well. Dust a flat surface with flour, turn dough out onto floured surface, and let rest under bowl for about 10 minutes.
3. Shape dough into 12 slightly flat balls, and place on greased baking sheet to rise until doubled in size.
4. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

For pizza dough, omit sugar.
For dinner rolls, cut sugar to 2 Tbsp.
For cinnamon rolls
3. On floured surface, roll dough out into flat rectangle, approximately 1/4 inch thick. cover with melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon. Roll up and slice into 1/2 to 1 inch rolls.

4. Place in greased pan and let rise until double in size

5. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups butter (or 1 cup mashed cooked white beans plus 1 cup butter)
2 Tbsp vanilla
Cream Together

Add:
4 eggs (one at a time)

Add:
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour
2 cups oats
2 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

3 cups white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, applesauce, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Fill pans 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.