Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheese Bars..

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Prep Time: twenty minutes

Total Time: one hour, ten minutes

Ingredients:

Crust:
2-1/2 cups peanut butter sandwich cookie crumbs - see Tip below (625 mL)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (125 mL)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (125 mL)
.
Filling:
four packages (each 8 ounces/250 g) cream cheese, softened
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar (250 mL)
four eggs
one cup creamy peanut butter - see Tip below (250 mL)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (250 g)
three Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (45 mL)
one teaspoon vanilla (five mL)
two cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks (500 mL)
.
Topping:
one cup sour cream (250 mL)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (125 mL)
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (75 mL)
one Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (15 mL)
one teaspoon vanilla (five mL)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks (125 mL)

Preparation:


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F./160 degrees C. Line a 13-by 9-inch baking pan with foil.


Crust:
In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs, flour, and butter. Press in to bottom of prepared baking pan and freeze.

Filling:
In a immense mixer bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed for three minutes. Add eggs, separately, beating after each addition. Blend in peanut butter and melted chocolate. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla. Fold in chocolate chunks. Pour over frozen crust. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the top is light brown and the middle has a slight jiggle to it. Icy on the counter for ten minutes (do not turn the oven off). The cake will sink slightly.

Tip: Use a commercial creamy peanut butter. The natural peanut butters have much oil for this recipe. Use a food processor to chop cookies in to crumbs to the consistency of rough sand.

Topping:
In a small bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, peanut butter, lemon juice, and vanilla. Pour in to middle of cooled cake and spread out to edges. Sprinkle with chocolate chunks. Bake for five minutes more. Icy on a rack for two hours. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before cutting in to bars.

Yield: ten to 12 servings

Cappuccino Muffins...

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

two cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
two teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder (or instant coffee)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
one cup whole milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
one egg, slightly beaten
one teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate mini-chips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin tins with papers or grease liberally.

In a medium bowl, mix milk, butter, egg, and vanilla until combined. Stir milk mixture in to flour mixture only until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips.

In a huge bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso or instant coffee, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

Cappuccino muffins freeze well.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 15 to twenty minutes for standard muffins, ten to 12 minutes for mini-muffins.

Yield: 12 muffins or about 48 mini-muffins

Blueberry White Chocolate Cake

Prep Time: twenty minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 36 to 48 servings

Total Time: one hour, five minutes

Ingredients:

three cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (one stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup butter-flavored solid vegetable shortening
one teaspoon pure vanilla extract
one teaspoon almond extract
four giant eggs
two cups white chocolate chips
one can (21 ounces) more fruit blueberry pie filling
.
Glaze:
one cup powdered sugar
two Tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
one to two Tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line jelly roll pan, 15-1/2 x 10-1/2 x one inch, with non-stick foil or generously grease the pan.

Beat sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla, almond extract, and eggs in giant bowl on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Increase to high speed and beat an additional three minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in flour mixture by hand, mixing only until combined. Do not over-mix. A few lumps are fine.

Spread 2/3 of the batter in pan. Sprinkle white chocolate chips evenly over batter. Carefully spoon out and spread blueberry filling over chips. Drop remaining coffeecake batter by tablespoonsful onto pie filling. (There will be gaps.)

Bake about 40 to 45 minutes, or until batter begins to turn golden. Let rest about ten minutes while you make the glaze. Drizzle glaze over warm coffee cake. Serve warm or let stand until cold. Store in a covered container.

For the glaze, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar, adding cream a tiny at a time until you reach a drizzling consistency. Use a zip-top baggie with a tiny corner cut off as a pastry bag and drizzle a wiggly pattern over the top of the coffeecake.

Chocolaty Smores Cups

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons butter, not margarine (3/4 stick)
12 ounces dark chocolate, broken in to chunks
three to four graham crackers, coarsely crushed
two cups miniature marshmallows (about four ounces)

Preparation:

In a double boiler, melt butter & chocolate, stirring to keep away from scorching, until combined. Remove from heat.

Line mini-muffin tins with muffin papers.

Spoon (see Note) about 1/2 teaspoon of melted chocolate in to each mini-muffin cup. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon graham cracker crumbs while chocolate is still warm & liquid. Tap tins on counter to settle crumbs. Place three to four miniature marshmallows on top of graham cracker crumbs. Top marshmallows evenly with remaining chocolate (re-warm chocolate, if necessary).

When trays are full, tap gently on the counter to force chocolate down & around the marshmallows.

Chill at least hours. Refrigerate leftovers.

These make great gifts for holidays or special occasions.

Yield: about three dozen Smores cups

Note: The chocolate application will go much faster in the event you spoon the warm chocolate in to a zip-top freezer bag, press out the air, & seal. Snip off corner of the bottom of the bag & use as you would a pastry bag.

Chocolate Whiskey Balls

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

one cup pecans
one cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
one cup confectioners sugar
1-1/2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup whiskey
Powdered sugar for rolling

Preparation:

Mix in the sugar, corn syrup, and whiskey thoroughly (I use my hands). Shape the mixture in to balls the size of a quarter and roll in powdered sugar.

Grind the pecans and the chocolate wafers coarsely in a food processor and empty in to a gigantic bowl.

Keep in an airtight container in a cold place, or freeze on a baking sheet until each is firm and store in tightly sealed plastic bags.

Yield: two to three dozen

Chocolate Potato Coffee Cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the Dough:
• 1/2 pound baking potatoes, such as russets, scrubbed
• One 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• .
• Nonstick spray for greasing bowl
• Silicon baking mat or parchment paper for the baking sheet
• 
  
• For the Filling:
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup chopped golden raisins
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• For the Topping:
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons wate
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

Preparation:

Permit the reserved potato water to icy to between 115 degrees F and 105 degrees F. Sprinkle the yeast in to it, stir to dissolve, then proof for ten minutes, or until the yeast is bubbly. 

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them in to 1-inch pieces. Boil them until soft when pierced with a fork, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the potato cooking water in a tiny bowl. Drain the potatoes and icy for five minutes. Press them through a potato ricer in to a massive bowl. Set aside to icy for at least ten minutes. 

Stir the granulated sugar and one cup of the flour in to the riced potatoes, then add the proofed yeast and its potato water. Stir until combined, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm, dry place to double in bulk, about 30 minutes. 

Stir down the sponge mixture with a wooden spoon, then stir in 2-1/2 cups flour, the eggs, butter, and salt. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by pressing in to it with the heel of hand while pulling it with the other. Knead for 8 minutes, or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. You may need to add more flour, but be sparing and add  to keep the dough from sticking. Form the dough in to a ball. (Alternatively, you can knead the dough in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Place the dough in the bowl, then knead at medium speed for five minutes.) 

Meanwhile, make the filling. Toast the pecans in a medium skillet set over low heat. Toss and stir for four minutes, until aromatic. Place them in a medium bowl and mix in the raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon with a wooden spoon. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture is damp and dense; set aside. Line a massive baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper. 

Spray a massive neat bowl with nonstick spray, place the kneaded dough in the bowl, and flip it over to coat it with the spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, dry place to double in bulk, about an hour. 

When the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down by gently pushing your fist in to its middle. Turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to a 12 x 20-inch rectangle. Spread the pecan filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the long sides. Beginning with of the long sides, tightly roll the dough in to a tube, then bend the tube until its ends meet to generate a ring. Place the ring on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Cover loosely with a neat kitchen towel and set in a warm, dry place to double in bulk, about an hour. 

Meanwhile, position the rack in the midst of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. For the topping make a wash by lightly whisking the egg and water in a tiny bowl. 

After the ring has doubled in bulk, brush the egg wash over its top, then sprinkle the ring with the sugar. With a sharp knife, make six evenly spaced, diagonal slashes across the top of the ring. 

Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden. The cinnamon filling may bubble out of the slashes on the top. Icy on a wire rack for ten minutes, then serve; or icy and wrap in wax paper to store at room temperature for up to days. The ring may even be frozen, sealed tightly in plastic wrap, for up to months.

Chocolate Potato Coffee Cake: Substitute 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips for the raisins in the filling. 

Yield: 12 servings 

Black Forest Buttermilk Cake

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: one hour

Ingredients:

one can (14.5 ounces) pie cherries packed in water (not syrup), drained
one (18.25 ounces) chocolate cake mix, divided use
one egg
four ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted (one stick or 8 Tablespoons)
one cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
.
two giant eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
four ounces cream cheese
one cup powdered confectioner's sugar
three Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Powdered confectioner's sugar for topping

Preparation:

Put cherries in a strainer to drain.

In giant bowl, merge remaining cake mix, one egg, four ounces cream cheese and butter. Blend well. Mixture will be thick. Spread batter in to bottom of prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and press lightly in to batter. Bake for 15 minutes and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil. Reserve one heaping cup dry cake mix and set aside.

Place drained cherries on paper towels and gently blot dry. Spread cherries evenly over baked crust. Spoon batter carefully over the cherries and spread with a spatula to cover. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Icy and cut to serve.

In medium bowl, cream two eggs, buttermilk, cream cheese, one cup powdered sugar, and cocoa until well blended. Slowly add reserved cake mix, and beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth and thickened (about three minutes).

before serving, dust the top of the cake generously with sifted powdered sugar. The moisture in the cake will cause the sugar to melt within a matter of hours.

Yield: 24 to 36 servings, depending on cut size