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For years I've made hot chocolate with the basic components of cocoa powder, mlik, and sugar with variations on that base. I've tried milk powder, skim, 1%, 2% etc. depending on what I have in the fridge. For all the permutations as the cocoa cools it forms a 'skin' on its surface. Generally it forms once, you scoop it off, and it never really reappears. I'm guessing this is something due to the protein in the milk. Is there a technique that eliminates the formation of this? It doesn't affect the task but it can sure supprise you when you take a sip and this mess gets stuck on your lip...

eG was very well represented last week in Chicago as a number of us attended the Advanced Belgian Chocolate Candy course taught by Jean-Pierre Wybauw at the French Pastry School. Over the next while we will try to share with you the new things we learned. For a brief review of what we have learned before from Jean-Pierre I'm posting links here to previous threads. First David J's report of the course in November. This was where we all learned how important it was to take food along for the course so we wouldn't starve surrounded by chocolate. The second link here is a report of a demo with JP attended a few weeks before David's course. Attendees that we knew about before the course included Alanamoana, John DePaula, Sote (Luis), Mary F and myself. People we discovered during the course were visathebakerman (not yet posting) and tpt (lurker before, poster officially today). Serj - who has recently posted about his plans to make a wedding cake when he finishes the course as a student at the French Pastry School - was auditing the course while serving as slave labour. There were a couple of other folks there who found out about the course on eG, but who aren't eG regulars. My picture taking fell off quickly during the first day. John had such a great camera and was taking so many fabulous pictures that we assigned him the official eG photographer for this course. I did catch a few pictures of the gang. Unfortunately the only part of Mary I caught was the back of her head, so we'll have to count on John for pictures of her face. The great man himself and that's Serj in the background. John and Alana knocking out their 'bonbons'. Sote (Luis) starting his engine. The back of Mary's head. A fellow by the name of Nicolas who works for Design Realization in Montreal showed up on the second day - the French pastry school buys a lot of equipment from them. That is how we found out about the paint booth. I know John got some pictures of that. DR makes a single and a double guitar, and we took the opportunity to negotiate a deal whereby we would get a percentage off if a bunch of us decided to buy one, and an even better percentage if we could get 10 people together. I think the numbers are up to 5 or 6 now. We apparently have until the end of March, so PM me if you are interested and I'll give you the contact information. (No kickbacks involved) Tomorrow I'll start going through my notes and post whatever pearls I can find. I hope everyone else will chime in, because we will all have learned different things in the same class.

I am trying to thicken a jelly/jam I make to use in a molded chocolate. Any ideas on how I can do this?

I'm after a recipe and ideas for making a hot chocolate mix that's really rich and decadent to give away as gifts. I had high hopes for this recipe from Epicurious, and while it was good, it wasn't as rich as I expected. I definitely want a recipe made with real chocolate, and perhaps some salt (to enhance the chocolate flavour) and maybe cinnamon? Of course, there are some limitations on making a dry mix, but for a hot chocolate mix to be added to milk, does anyone have a killer recipe?

Well, they've gotten everyone convinced about the health benefits of chocolate -- at least dark chocolate. Now it seems that cocoa itself also is potentially beneficial for heart disease, diabetes, dementia -- including Alzheimers, and stroke. Cocoa shows promise as next wonder drug However, like most things, much can be lost in the processing.

I just got a bottle of BLiS maple syrup. This is really awesome organic maple syrup that's been aged in used Bourbon barrels, so in addition to the maple flavor, it's got subtle bourbon and wood notes that really push it over the top. Knowing that I make chocolates, everyone around me is asking when I'm going to put it into a chocolate. I'm trying to think of what a good vehicle for the flavors would be. I'm familiar with ganache centers and caramels, but it seems like the flavor would get overwhelmed by a chocolate ganache and cooked out by the high temperatures needed to make caramel. I know that fondant and creme centers exist, and it seems like one of these might be right, but I know nothing about making them. My husband has suggested putting a few drops of the maple syrup into a shell before filling it with something else, and that sounds like a great idea, although I wonder about crystallization or shelf life in doing that. Thoughts?

So I've run into a bit of a problem: I am catering this weekend, and somehow ended up telling the client I would make "Mocha-Chocloate Crumble Cookies." The only issue is that I have no idea how. If anyone has a recipe for them, or a guess as to how I might go about making them, that would be greatly appreciated. Much thanks! Will

There is proposed change in standard of what "Chocolate" is being reviewed by the FDA right now. What this proposed FDA law would do is make it so that up to 100% of the cocoa butter in chocolate could be replaced by vegetable fats and they could still call it Chocolate! So when you buy a bar of "fine chocolate" there would be a possibility that there is vegetable fats in it and not cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is important because of the way it melts. If this change occurs the companies that use vegetable fats will have chocolate that will have a horrible melting property and ruin the taste and feel of the chocolate. This law will confuse people on what real chocolate is in a time when people WANT REAL CHOCOLATE! So write in to the FDA! All the instructions are on the link below and it only takes a minute. Go tell them that you don't want to allow vegetable oils in Chocolate! http://dontmesswithourchocolate.guittard.com/whatsthisabout.asp

Hi everyone, I have searched for anyone discussing about Mrs Millman's Chocolate frosting made famous by Martha Stewart but to no avail. I actually have tried this recipe twice, but it doesn't turn out as thick as shown on Martha's video clip on her web site. Any one has made this frosting before? I followed the recipe word for word, except for the length of time cooking it on the stove. Am not sure how long I should be cooking it on the stove. If anyone can help me, really appreciate it. I actually have a bowl of semi liquid Mrs Millman's frosting sitting in my fridge which I would like to salvage. Thanks Geminigirl

Both of these chocolate shops were featured in articles in the Chicago Tribune recently, so I decided to do a comparison between the two. As I started writing up my experiences, I realized that there are other high-end chocolate shops in the area and elsewhere that have been opening recently, so I decided to expand the scope of this topic to include information on many of those as well. First, it will immediately become obvious that none of these chocolates are inexpensive. If you are happy with chocolates from your local Fannie May or elsewhere for a fraction of the prices noted below, and you think it's silly to spend more, you are welcome to your opinion. I wrote this for those interested in hearing more about what else is out there. Before I go on, I would like to note that I have observed a very disturbing trend in the sale of high-end chocolates: more and more places are pricing their chocolates by the piece, rather than by the pound. IMO, places are doing this because - just using some typical numbers - chocolates don't SOUND as expensive when they're priced at $32 for a "16-piece collection" as when they're priced at $64 per pound. It's the same reason places sell items for $19.99 instead of $20.00. Now, I don't mind that places price their chocolates this way; that's just marketing. What I STRONGLY object to is that some places actually refuse to tell you how many pieces are in a pound. Product weight is basic information, and is how most foods are sold. Refusing to disclose it smacks of deception and subterfuge; it's one thing to make the price SOUND better, and quite another to refuse to provide basic information about how much product you're actually buying. I have a strong aversion to buying from places that engage in practices that strike me as deceptive. (Maybe others don't, and of course that is your opinion and you are welcome to spend your money wherever you see fit.) Moving on, here's what I've found. Belgian Chocolatier Piron I admit, I'm a longtime fan of Belgian Chocolatier Piron in Evanston. They make the chocolates in the back of the shop nearly every day, using techniques learned in Belgium and chocolate imported from Belgium. Their chocolates use relatively traditional flavors - hazelnuts (gianduja), raspberry, cognac, passionfruit, marzipan, pecans, chocolate truffles, mocha, etc, using white, milk, and dark chocolates - although they recently introduced a chocolate with chipotle chili pepper. In the store, you can pick out the individual items you want. IMHO, they are consistently delicious. Belgian Chocolatier Piron 509-A Main Street Evanston 60202 847-864-5504 www.belgchocpiron.com Chicago Tribune article: www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/chi-0702060359feb07,1,1494496.story Price per pound: $36 for their premier filled chocolates, $23 for nut barks Chocolate Box The other day I went to a new place, the Chocolate Box in Winnetka. They specialize in more exotic ingredients in their chocolates, such as herbs (e.g. basil) and spices (e.g. habanero peppers, anise). In the store, you can pick out the individual items you want. The Chocolate Box sells their chocolates only by the piece, not by the pound. They are $1.69 each, or you can buy boxes of various sizes. The largest size is 24 pieces for $36.00. I asked how many pieces there are to a pound and the person in the shop said she did not know. As noted above, the Chocolate Box gets a big THUMBS DOWN from me for this - both because (1) not disclosing this information strikes me as deception and (2) I really doubt that they don't know how much their product weighs. I bought three pieces of their chocolate, took them home, and weighed them on a postal scale. Based on their weight (1.1 ounces), there are 44 of their chocolates to a pound. As for taste, they taste very good, but there is an important difference between these and Piron's. Each of Piron's chocolates has a single flavor; their marzipan tastes like marzipan, the fruits de mer taste like hazelnut, the Grand Marnier tastes like... well, you get the idea. The chocolates at the Chocolate Box are entirely different. Each chocolate at the Chocolate Box is made from a combination of ingredients, including fruits, herbs, spices, etc. As a result, no single flavor predominates or is even necessarily identifiable. I bought three chocolates, and I know that the first ingredient listed in each of the three were pear, apricot, and white chocolate. However, when I got home, I could not tell which was which, because none of them tasted a lot like pear, or like apricot, or like white chocolate (and no, that one was not distinguishable by color, either). Maybe you like the blended flavors of their chocolates that result, or maybe you prefer chocolates with a stronger, individual flavor; that's strictly a matter of taste/opinion. Regardless of your preference, if you go to the Chocolate Box, my suggestion is that you take notes and write down the names and/or ingredients of the pieces you buy; that way, you will know which is which when you're eating them, and you'll be able to know which ones you want to buy again in the future. Chocolate Box 725 Elm St. Winnetka 60193 847-881-2844 (no website AFAIK) Price per pound: $65.45 (based on $36 for 24 pieces weighing 8.8 ounces) Chicago Tribune article: http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/localgu...0,6068661.story The Winner So, which of these two places "wins" my vote for the "best" chocolate? I think both places offer delicious, very high quality chocolates, but my personal preference is for Piron's chocolates because of the single taste ingredient in each chocolate, rather than the blends of unidentifiable ingredients in the Chocolate Box chocolates. Piron also gets my vote for value in addition to taste, since the Chocolate Box chocolates are almost twice the price per pound as the premier chocolates at Piron. And, again, the Chocolate Box gets brickbats for refusing to disclose their product weight. But Wait, There's More - Chicago There are other high-end chocolate places in the Chicago area and elsewhere, most of which I have not yet tried. Here is more information about some of them. The Tribune article which featured Piron (see link above) also featured three other places: Love in Disguise of Chicago 2010 W. Fulton St. Chicago 866-464-9866 www.loveindisguise.com Price per pound: Unknown. I just tried calling them and left a message asking about how many chocolates are in a pound; unless and until I hear back, they get a THUMBS DOWN. ($45 for 24 piece truffles, $48 for 24 piece "cocoa sutra" collection) Chocolate Gourmet 1635 W. Walnut St. Chicago 312-850-1051 www.chocolategourmet.com Price per pound: $35 or more. (I called to ask how much their chocolates weigh and they said they "think the 16-piece box of truffles weighs a pound or slightly under", in their words). Sweet Endeavours 1101 Tower Rd. Schaumburg 224-653-2700 www.chocolatines.com Price per pound: $64 (based on $32 for their "16-piece classic collection" which I called to ask about and they said weighs "around half a pound") Other chocolate shops that have appeared in the area recently include: Chocolates by Bernard Callebaut 1970 Tower Drive Glenview 847-998-9680 825 S. Waukegan Road C-3 Lake Forest IL 60045, 847-283-9927 www.bernard-callebaut.com Price per pound: $49.50 Canady le Chocolatier, Ltd. 824 South Wabash Ave. Chicago 60605 312-212-1270 www.canadylechocolatierchicago.com Price per pound: $33 (according to a 2005 article in the Tribune quoted on their website) Coco Rouge 1940 West Division Chicago 773-772-2626 www.cocorouge.com (They do not yet sell chocolates on their website, but they plan to do so in the near future.) Price per pound: $82-84 (I called and they said that they offer two 16-piece collections for $41 and $42, and each is half a pound.) Vosges Chocolate Chicago – Downtown 520 N. Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60611 312.644.9450 951 W. Armitage Chicago, IL 60614 773.296.9866 www.vosgeschocolate.com Price per pound: $73 (based on $73 for their 32-piece "exotic truffle collection", which they told me weighs one pound in response to an e-mail inquiry) But Wait, There's More - Internet By way of comparison, an article in the current (February) issue of Consumer Reports rated upscale chocolates available on the internet from many places (none of the above Chicago chocolatiers were included). They noted per-ounce prices in the article. The highest rated were these eight (the first three have more exotic ingredients like herbs and spices, while the other five are more conventional): Norman Love Confections www.normanloveconfections.com Price per pound: $74 Woodhouse Chocolate www.woodhousechocolate.com Price per pound: $69 Jacques Torres www.mrchocolate.com Price per pound: $48 Candinas www.candinas.com Price per pound: $42 John & Kira's www.johnandkiras.com Price per pound: $58 La Maison du Chocolat www.lamaisonduchocolat.com Price per pound: $67 Martines www.martineschocolates.com Price per pound: $59 Fran's www.franschocolates.com Price per pound: $56

Mexican Chocolate Bundt Cake We experimented with adding a little ancho chili powder to the cakes as well, so that's an option if a more spicy cake is wanted. ( RG2168 )

Lisa's Copycat recipe for Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter chip cookies Serves 12 as Dessert. After a few attempts, I think I finally cracked, or came close to cracking the Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter chip cookies. Mind you, I doubt I nailed their exact measurements, and maybe they use a flour other than AP (cake, pastry, or combos of flours), but they sure look, taste and 'feel' just like them. Enjoy! Lisa's Levain Bakery copycat Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies (**Yields 1 dozen cookies) <center> <img src="http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/1206886386/gallery_59301_5864_40960.jpg"> </center> Ingredients 2 sticks 'cold and cubed' unsalted butter 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups AP flour (feel the dough, it should be moist, kind of like cold cookie dough in a tube.. but not super sticky, so you can portion the cookies with your hands) 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt 3/4-1 teaspoon baking powder ( I don't fill the tsp fully, hence the 3/4 tsp) 1/4 tsp baking soda 2 cups good quality semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (I used half semisweet and half milk chocolate) 1 cup walnuts (I used macadamia since I was out of walnuts) Toast the nuts for more flavor, if desired. Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time.. and beat until well incorporated, then add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chunks and nuts. Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions, **about 4 oz each.. Place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven 16-23 minutes depending on how gooey and raw'ish you like the middles (I bake mine at 375 for 18-20 minutes, as I prefer a less raw interior), until very lightly browned, taking care not to overbake. Let cool on rack and store what you don't immediately eat, in an airtight container. To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. ***Lisa's Levain Copycat Dark Chocolate Peanut butter Chip Cookies (**Yields 1 dozen cookies) <center> <img src="http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/1206903687/gallery_59301_5864_14712.jpg"> </center> Ingredients 2 sticks cold and cubed unsalted butter 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1/4 to 1/2 cup good quality dark cocoa powder 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp Kosher salt 3/4 to 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 cups peanut butter chips Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well-incorporated, then beat in cocoa powder. Mix in flour, salt and baking powder until just combined. Gently fold in remaining ingredients. Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions, **about 4 oz each, and place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven 16-20 minutes depending on how gooey and raw'ish you like the middles (I bake mine at 375 for 18 minutes, as I prefer a less raw'ish' interior), taking care not to overbake. . Let cool on a rack and store what you don't immediately eat, in an airtight container. To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. ** - The Levain Bakery uses 6 oz of cookie dough per cookie.. If you want 12 cookies out of the above recipes, a little over 4 oz per cookie (4.1 to 4.2 oz. Use a kitchen scale) will get you that. If you want to use 6 oz of cookie dough per cookie, you'll probably get only 6-8 cookies. However, a little over 4 oz makes a cookie just as thick and huge, so you don't even notice the difference. *** - Regarding the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies. I used Dutch-process cocoa. If you use basic, natural unsweetened cocoa (you know, your basic Hershey's in the brown can or whatever), add 1/4 tsp baking soda to the dry ingredients. Also, if they're too 'chocolatey' and rich for you, use only 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and add 1/4 cup extra flour. Note1 - The Levain Bakery doesn't use vanilla extract in their cookies, as they feel it's unecessary. However, some feel you need it. You can add 1 tsp to each recipe if desired. Just add it after each egg is incorporated. Note2 - If you like a more 'brown sugary' chocolate chip cookie, increase the brown sugar and decrease the white sugar, so you still have a total of 1 1/2 cups sugar total. Keywords: Dessert, Cookie, Easy, American, Chocolate, Snack ( RG2116 )

Brown Butter Muscovado Chocolate Chip Cookies Serves 16 as Dessert. These are for when you want to savor a cookie with depth, flavor, and a thick and chewy texture. If you just need to pacify the kids or cure some late night munchies, use the recipe on the package of chips. It's cheaper and less trouble! Key elements include browned butter, muscovado sugar, and a small portion of whole grain oat flour (which you can make). The method is also important. The butter is melted, not creamed while solid, and the cookies are thoroughly chilled before baking. Oven temperature is also higher than what's typical. You'll also notice a relatively low proportion of chocolate chips. Before you accuse me of heresy, allow me to defend this choice. The cookie itself actually tastes good. This is the one dessert I make with chocolate where the chocolate is not the main event. I didn't want huge amounts of chocolate, or intensely flavored dark chocolate, overwhelming the subtle flavors of the cookie. I've had good luck with Ghiradelli semi sweet chips, or coarsely chopped Callebaut 54% block. If you use chopped chocolate, try not to include too much chocolate dust and fine crumbs. They melt into the batter and turn it into something else. Recipe makes 16 to 18 big cookies 227 g (8 oz) unsalted butter 1.8 g (1/2 tsp) nonfat dry milk (optional) 240 g (2 cups mnus 3TB) AP flour 80 g (3/4 cup) whole grain oat flour* 6 g (1 tsp) salt 4 g (1 tsp) double acting baking powder 2 g (1/2 tsp) baking soda 250 g (1-1/3 cup plus 1TB) light muscovado sugar** 48 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar 1 egg 1 egg yolk 55 g (1/4 cup) whole milk 10 g (2 tsp to 1 TB) vanilla extract 170 g (1 cup) good quality semisweet chocolate chips *Use food processor to mill whole oats (oatmeal) as fine as possible. This will take a few minutes of processing, with a few of pauses to scrape corners of work bowl with a spatula. sift out large grains with medium strainer. store in freezer in an airtight container. **If you have to substitute regular light brown sugar or another unrefined sugar, substitute the same volume, not the same weight. Turbinado sugar can substitute for the granulated sugar. -Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in nonfat dry milk (if using). -While butter is melting, stir together the flours, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside. -Measure the sugars into a mixing bowl or a stand mixer's work bowl. -Brown the butter: bring to a simmer over medium to medium-low heat. Stir frequently, scraping the bottom, until milk solids brown and liquid butter takes on a rich golden brown color. It may foam up dramatically toward the end. Turn down heat and stir while the foam lightly browns. Don't let the solids turn dark brown or black! Overbrowning will turn the cookies bitter. -Immediately pour the melted butter into the bowl with the sugars. Mix on medium speed, until smooth (there may be some unincorporated liquid from the butter). Do not try to incorporate air. -Add the egg, yolk, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. This step can be done with a spoon, or with the mixer on low to medium speed. -Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. This step can be done with a spoon, or with the mixer's lowest speed. -Chill the dough for at least 4 hours (and ideally 12 to 24 hours) in an airtight container. If under 6 hours, spread dough thin against sides of bowl to speed chilling. If over 6 hours, pack dough tightly into the bottom. -Heat oven to 375 degrees F. with rack in the middle, or 2 racks in the top third and bottom third. -Scoop in round balls onto parchment-lined, room temperature sheet pans (heavy, rimless cookie sheets or upside down half-sheet pans are ideal), 6 cookies per sheet. I like a heaping scoop with a #20 disher: 1/4 cup / 60g - 70g dough per cookie. Chilled dough will be too stiff to form smooth balls, so don't worry if they're mishapen. Alternatively, if you have refrigerator space, you can form the balls before chilling, keeping them covered tightly with plastic wrap. -Bake for 14 minutes or until done, checking the cookies after 12 minutes. If necessary, rotate the baking sheets for even browning. If you make smaller cookies, reduce baking time. Keep dough and scoop refrigerated between batches. -They're done when they brown around the edges and begin to brown on top. If they cook more than this they'll dry out. Carefully slide parchment/cookies off of hot baking sheet and onto a cool surface (another rimless baking sheet or an upside down half-sheet pan work well) to cool for a couple of minutes. Try not to bump or bend them while transfering; this will cause them to flatten. -With a spatula, transfer to cooling racks. Cool thoroughly before storing in an airtight container. Flavor and texture are best after 12 hours. They keep for several days at room temperature if well sealed. High Altitude (these adjustments were tested at 6000 feet) -Increase flours by 8% -Increase milk by 40% -reduce sugars by 4% -Slightly reduce baking time Keywords: Dessert, Cookie, Intermediate, American, Chocolate, Snack ( RG2108 )

Chocolate Dipped Pecan Meringues Serves 10 as Dessert. What I love about these cookies is not only that they’re easy and liked by all, but also that they have a certain adult quality about them. Its that almost-burnt flavor, that caramelized, brown sugar taste that deepens and balances the sweetness. They are crunchy, light, and even great without being dipped in chocolate, white or dark. Serve a few in a bowl with some raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, add a little whipped cream or ice cream, and you have a more formal dessert. Whether you nibble on them with friends while watching football or enjoy them crushed into ice cream, cuddled up with a good book, enjoy! Chocolate-Dipped Pecan Meringues Makes 25-30 1 1/2” cookies 1/2 cup pecans 2 egg whites pinch salt 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/8 cup white chocolate chips 1/8 cup dark or milk chocolate chips (your choice) Method: 1. Preheat oven to 385 degrees and lightly grease baking sheet, or better yet, use a silpat baking mat on top of the baking sheet. 2. Pulse pecans in a food processor (preferably a small one) until coarsely ground. Take care not to over pulse, or else oils will release and coarse texture will be lost. 3. Whip eggs whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form and add sugar slowly, while continuing to beat whites. Beat until stiff peaks form. 4. Immediately fold in pecans, taking care not to deflate the egg whites (the sugar does help to stabilize them, though). 5. Drop or pipe about a tablespoonful of batter onto baking sheet or mat, and leave 1” of room between cookies. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 285 degrees. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden all over. Cookies will still be slightly soft to the touch, but they will harden as they cool out of the oven, yielding a crunchy texture. 6. While cookies cool, melt the chocolates in separate dishes in the microwave. Dip bottoms of the cookies in melted chocolate once completely cool and firm and place them on wax paper, then in the fridge, so the chocolate can harden. Note: white chocolate-dipped cookies will not need to be refrigerated to harden, but the milk or dark chocolate-dipped ones probably will. Enjoy! Maddy CookLikeMad.com Keywords: Dessert, American, Easy, Snack, Cookie ( RG2096 )

Chocolate Butter Sauce Serves 6 as Dessert. This is the most versatile and delicious chocolate sauce I've found. I first learned about it from James Peterson. It's infinitely variable. Compared with ganache based sauces, you have more control over flavor and consistency, less milk flavor diluting the chocolate, and more sheen. Most hot fudge sauces taste like Hershey's Syrup in comparison. The drawback is that it's a more fragile emulsion than ganache, so it's best used fresh. It can be refrigerated and reheated, but you have to do it with care. 4 oz Bittersweet Chocolate*, at room temperature, chopped into small chunks 113g 3 fl oz Liquid** (approx) (84g) 1-1/2 oz Butter, cool, in small pieces (42g) *I like a dark, complex, strongly flavored chocolate, like Valrhona Guanaja. If I'm not adding any additional flavoring, I'll brighten up the taste of the chocolate by blending 2-1/2 ounces Guanaja with 1-1/2 ounces Manjari (a brighter, more aromatic Valrhona chocolate). If I'm adding a sweet flavoring (liqueur, etc.) I'll blend 3-1/2 ounces Guanaja with 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate. **Liquid can be water, strong coffee, liqueur, fruit brandy, fortified wine, whisky, etc.. You can adjust the amount to control consistency (add more if the sauce will be used on ice cream, for example) 1. melt chocolate in the liquid over medium-low heat in a heavy saucepan. keep liquid well below a simmer. 2. lower heat or remove from heat, and swirl in the butter. if you do it all right and keep the temperature moderate, the butter and chocolate will stay emulsified, and you will have a glassy-smooth texture, like ganache but with a greater sheen. 3. If you refrigerate leftovers and need to reheat it, let it come to room temperature slowly, without disturbing it. then heat in a water bath over water that's below a simmer. Stir very gently. Keywords: Dessert, French, Easy, Chocolate, Sauce ( RG1994 )

Chocolate Marquise with Peach and Basil Sauce Serves 15 as Dessert. This is my interpretation of the classic super-rich terrine, inspired in part by Chef Gilles Bajolle's refinements. His and the more traditional versions are somewhat less intensely flavored than this one. There are a handful of traditional sauces, including pistachio-infused creme anglaise and vanilla creme anglaise. I came up with peach and basil as a sauce for summer; I like the way the bright, fresh flavors work with the dark chocolate. Some other sauces I've concocted for other seasons: pear and clove, cognac and golden raisin, grand marnier, raspberry, and pear and lapsang souchong tea. Your imagination is the limit when it comes to creme anglaise flavors. This dessert is all about chocolate, so make sure you use the best you can find. The recipe specifies my favorite blend. There's no need to feel bound by this, but do pay attention to the ratio of bittersweet to unsweetened chocolates. I have friends who won't come over unless I promise to make this. The Marquise Chocolate--9oz, made up of: 3-1/2 oz Valrhona Guanaja bittersweet chocolate 2 oz Valrhona Manjari bittersweet chocolate 3-1/2 oz Valrhona Cacao pur Pate unsweetened chocolate 4-1/2 oz butter (1 stick plus 1 TB) 1-1/3 c heavy cream 6 large egg yolks 2 large whole eggs 7 T sugar (1/2 cup minus 1 T) 1/4 c cocoa 1/4 tsp salt The Sauce 3 T sugar 6 large egg yolks 1-3/4 c whole milk 6 T peach preserves 1 stem of basil leaves (intact) 2 stems of basil leaves (removed from stem and finely cut, ideally by hand or with scissors) The Marquise: Note: Make sure the eggs are very fresh, to discourage anyone from dying. If you're paranoid, you can beat them in a bowl over the same hot water used for melting the chocolate, to quasi-pasteurize them. Do not make scrambled eggs. Or you can buy pasteurized yolks. -chill 1 qt. pan (ideally a 6" cheesecake or springform pan) in fridge while preparing the ingredients -melt the chololate and butter in a bowl over hot water. ideally melt the chocolate, then stir in cool butter a bit at a time until smooth and glassy. -whip the cream until stiff and set it aside, keeping it cold -beat egg, yolks, sugar, and salt until smooth. do not incorporate enough air to significantly increase volume. for all mixing, use a stiff whisk, a hand mixer, or the flat beater of a stand mixer on medium speed. -when chocolate has cooled a bit, beat it with the egg mxture for one minute -beat in cocoa for 5 minutes by hand, or 3 minutes by machine. goal is smoothness and some thickening, not increased volume. final texture should be like a ganache icing. this is where you earn your dessert if you're not using a mixer. -fold in cream, gently. make it homogenous, but work it as little as possible to keep it from deflating -fill pan -thump it hard on counter to remove air bubbles. cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours; preferably overnight. -to remove from cheesecake pan, warm sides with hair dryer or a towel soaked in hot water. set bottom on a sturdy glass or bowl, and push sides down. -to remove from a solid pan, partially immerse in warm water to loosen it. Wipe of all the water from the outside of the pan, and flip it over onto a plate. if you're lucky, it will come out. if you're like me, you will do a lot of pounding and yelling, and maybe even resort to running a knife around the outside edge (and repairing the damage later--think stucco) The Sauce: This is a light Creme Anglaise (no cream), since the marquise is so rich. -simmer milk in saucepan. ideally use an evassee or windsor pan (with sloped sides). -beat sugar and egg yolk in mixing bowl, until smooth and lightened -lightly simmer stem of basil leaves in milk for 3 minutes, then remove -turn off heat, and whisk preserves into milk until soluble parts are disolved -pour 1/2 of the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture, mix it up, and pour it all back into the saucepan -stir in the chopped basil leaves -turn the heat to medium. start paying attention. -stir constantly, using a wooden spatula, scraping the whole bottom of the pan, especially the corners -the sauce will thicken at about 165 degrees, but you won't have time to measure, because as soon as it gets a bit hotter than that it will curdle, and you'll be screwed. so watch closely. when it seems to have thickened (you'll start seeing the bottom of the pan peek through the sauce), run your finger in a horizontal line through the sauce that's clinging to the spatula. If the horizontal line stays, without getting dripped over, the sauce is thick. -keep stirring over heat for 10 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir an additional 30 seconds. -strain through a fine strainer or chinois. -the sauce is best if prepared right before serving. I like the non-traditional contrast of a warm creme anglaise on the coId marquise. if you do hold it, or chill it and reheat it, strain it again before serving. To serve, slice the marquise. a round pan gives wedge shaped slices that i set upright like pieces of cake. This is much denser and richer than a mousse ... a little goes a long way. I like to ladle the sauce onto the plate first, and set the marquise slice in the middle of this. The marquise and sauce last up to a week. Cover marquise tightly with plastic, with as little air space as possible. Sauce should be kept in a plastic container (like a sauce squeeze bottle) also with as little air space as possible. Both need to be kept in a very cold fridge. Keywords: Dessert, French, Intermediate, Chocolate, Plated Dessert ( RG1993 )

Ultimate Flourless Chocolate Torte Serves 6 as Dessert. Flourless chocolate cakes are everywhere. But I couldn't find one that lived up to its potential as the ultimate expression of chocolate intensity. Most of the recipes I've made or found at restaurants put too much emphasis on fluff or on eggs, and not enough on chocolate. Flourless cakes can run the range from souflés (lots of air) to baked custards (much less air). This recipe is on the custard side. My efforts were all about maximizing the ratio of chocolate to everything else without compromising the texture. If you love dark chocolate, you'll love this. It's ridiculoulsly easy to make, and if you follow the instructions, the texture will be creamy and, while almost dense, will melt away in your mouth. You can use whatever chocolates you like; I specify my favorite blend so you can get an idea of where I'm coming from. But please use excellent bittersweet chocolate; this recipe puts all the emphasis on the chocolate, and will succeed or fail based on its quality. 4 oz /113g Valrhona Guanaja bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 2 oz /57g Valrhona Manjari bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 4 oz /113g unsalted butter, cut into pieces 2 whole eggs 2 egg yolks 2-2/3 T /32g granulated sugar (2T plus 2tsp) 1/8 tsp /.5g salt confectioners' sugar for dusting Prepare in 6" cheesecake pan or springform pan, with 2 layers of foil wrapped around outside, up the sides (or a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil). Make sure no seams are near the bottom inch of the pan. Pan will sit in a water bath that comes an inch up sides of cake pan. Grease pan bottom and dust with cocoa. Or better, line with a greased and dusted round of parchment. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with water bath on bottom rack. Use a roasting pan or lasagna pan, with about an inch of water in it (a bit less if the pan is small) Melt chocolate and butter in bowl over hot water. Ideally, melt chocolate slowly, reduce heat, and then stir in cool butter, in small pieces, until mixture is smooth and glassy. Set aside to cool. In a different bowl, whisk the eggs and yolks until yolks break; Add sugar and salt while beating. Whisk slowly, to disolve sugar, then whisk faster to create a light froth. Do not whip to the point where volume is greatly increased. This is where you will determine the final consistency of the torte. If you incorporate no air, it will be like custard. If you incorporate too much, it will get too fluffy. Gently stir egg mixture into chocolate (not the other way around) until uniform. Fill pan (about 1/2 full) Bake 20+ minutes. It's done when top looks dry and when torte jiggles only in the middle when shaken. Bake no more than needed. Set pan to cool on cooling rack. When torte is still warm, but cool enough to handle, invert onto serving dish. Best served warm, when fresh, but easily reheated in microwave. Dust with powdered sugar before serving (unless you're going to frost or glaze it). Serve plain, or with ice cream drizzled with chocolate butter sauce, or with a tart creme anglaise—ginger, orange/grand marnier, lemon, etc, or with a tart fruit coulis. Can also be frosted with whiped cream that's been sweetened with confectioners sugar and flavored with any of the above seasonings or spirits, or any kind of ganache. If you're topping it with something especially sweet, you can cut back slightly on the sugar in the recipe. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Chocolate, Cake ( RG1988 )

Wadleigh's Chocolate Chip Cookies This recipe yields a moist, somewhat chewy cookie. 1/2 c margarine 1/2 c shortening 3/4 c white sugar 3/4 c brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp water 2 eggs 2-1/2 c flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 12 oz chocolate chips Cream margarine, shortening, and sugar. Add vanilla, water and eggs, then add flour, baking soda and salt. When mixed add chocolate chips. Spoon onto baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375F. Keywords: Cookie, Chocolate ( RG1985 )

Chocolate Chip Cookies Chewy, crunchy, decadent chocolate chip cookie The oatmeal pretty much hides as an ingredient, leaving the cookies wonderfully chewy without much of a clue anything else is in there. I've been working on this recipe since I was ten years old, and 28 years later I think it's just about right :-) 1 c butter, unsalted 1-1/2 c brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2 c flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 c oatmeal, quick 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips 1-1/2 c walnuts, chopped Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add oatmeal to flour mixture, then mix well. Add dry ingredients to butter and sugar and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Cover bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour, until mixture is firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets. Form into balls the size of walnuts and place on cookie sheets 3 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are just beginning to turn golden but the centers are still a little soft. Let sit on cookie sheet for about 2 minutes to firm up (cookies finish cooking on the sheet). Remove from cookie sheet and cool on cooling rack. These cookies don't keep well, but they're so good, that won't matter! If you really need to keep them for a while, freeze them as soon as they are cool in one layer on a flat surface, then transfer into a freezer bag and seal. They are actually really good semi-frozen, too. Keywords: Easy, Snack, Cookie, American ( RG1976 )

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Thyme Serves 12 as Dessert. My spouse said that thyme could not be used in a dessert, so I set out to prove him wrong. 3 C. Flour 2 C. Sugar 6 T. Cocoa - Valhrona 2 t. Baking Soda 1/2 t. Salt 3/4 C. ExV Olive Oil infused with lemon or orange 2 T. White Vinegar 1 T. Vanilla Extract 2 C. Cold Water 1 T. Thyme flower heads Oven to 350 F Butter and flour two 9 inch pan or pastry forms Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, salt and thyme in large bowl. With hand mixer on low, beat oil, vinegar and water until smooth. Pour liquid into dry and mix. Pour into pan and bake until done using toothpick test. Cool at least 15-20 minutes. I frosted with Pierre Herme's chocolate pastry cream, topped it with cinnamon whipped cream and a chocolate square. The base recipe comes from Ciao Italia. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cake ( RG1972 )

Chocoladevla (Dutch Chocolate Pudding) My mother used to make this on special occasions. You need to taste the vla after adding the sugar to determine if more is needed (this depends on the quality of cocoa powder used). A vanilla bean can also be added to the milk when heating, remove before adding the cocoa mixture. 1 l milk 30 g cocoa powder 40 g cornflour / cornstarch 1 egg yolk 100 g sugar Blend sifted cocoa and cornflour with enough milk (from 1 litre total) to make a paste. Heat remaining milk in a saucepan. When just boiling, take off the heat and carefully blend in cocoa mix. Return to heat and bring back to boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1-2minutes, turn off heat. Stir in sugar and egg yolk. Pour into individual dishes or one large bowl. Place in fridge to set. Serve with whipped cream. Keywords: Dessert, Chocolate, Pudding ( RG1958 )

Chocolate Hamantashen Fill with your favorite fruit or chocolate fillings. Makes approximately 3 dozen. 3/4 c sugar 3/4 c margarine or butter 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2-1/2 c flour 1 tsp baking powder pinch salt 1/4 c cocoa powder 1. In the bowl of an stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream together the sugar and margarine/butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix in. Add the baking powder, salt, cocoa powder and flour and mix until just combined and a ball of dough forms. 2. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, shape into rectangles about 1" thick, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. 3. Once the dough has chilled, roll out one section, about 1/8" thick on a well-floured workspace. Use a cutter to cut approximately 3" circles. 4. Place approximately 1 teaspoon of a filling of your choice in the center of each section. Bring three sides of the dough together to make a triangle. Pinch the 3 corners together and place on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper). 5. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 9-12 minutes, until the bottom turns golden brown. Keywords: Dessert, Kosher, Cookie, Jewish ( RG1946 )

Make-Ahead Molten Chocolate Cakes This is a recipe I saw Emeril do on his show. These cakes, which are baked until they just hold together and still have molten centers, are generally known as "flourless cakes", although they often do contain a small amout of flour like this recipe does. I doubled the original recipe to make 4 cakes, since freezing is part of the process anyway. 3 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped 1 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped 6 T Tbl unsalted butter, softened + 2 tsp to grease bowls 6 T Tbl sugar 2 large eggs 6 T Tbl AP flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 T Tbl cocoa powder Lightly butter 4 ramikens with 2 tsp butter In a double boiler, melt chocolates together, remove from heat Stir in butter and sugar until smooth Add eggs, flour, baking powder and cocoa powder Beat at Med-High speed until thick and pale (apprx 5 min) Divide mixture into ramekins (about 1/2 full) Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 3 hours When ready to serve, preheat oven to 375 degrees Place ramekins on center shelf and bake until edges just set and center is still shiney (recipe says 10-12 min, Mine take 15+) Invert cakes onto plates and serve immediately, garnished with whipped cream or ice cream. SB (a favorite at my house)(I'm lucky to get to eat one of the four) Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Chocolate ( RG1925 )

Chocolate Alcohol Christmas Cake. I have made this cake for many years, and this year posted it in the Fruitcake thread where some feedback suggested even more chocolate would be good! The original recipe is below, but next time around I am going to substitute a 1/4 cup of plain flour with another 1/4 cup of cocoa, and perhaps add even more chopped chocolate. A white chocolate variation with red/yellow/orange fruits is also here. CHOCOLATE ALCOHOL CHRISTMAS CAKES. 1650 gm dried fruit. 1/3 cup honey or golden syrup. 1 cup alcohol of your choice (choc or choc-orange liqueur is good, whisky or brandy or rum) shredded or grated rind of one orange and one lemon 100gm (at least) of good quality chocolate, chopped up. 125 gm of nuts, if you wish. Pecans are good. 2 cups plain flour 1 cup self-raising flour ¼ cup cocoa (good quality Dutch, or Callebaut choc powder is great) 250 gm butter (NO substitutes, good cake needs good butter) 300 gm dark brown (or black) sugar 6 eggs. Mix the fruits, honey,alcohol, and rinds in a big jar, and marinate as long as possible. When you are ready to make the cake, sift together the flours and cocoa. Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold the fruit mixture, the chopped chocolate, and the nuts into the creamed mixture, then fold in the dry ingredients in 2 batches. Put in the greased tins, decorate the tops with cherries and nuts if you wish. This makes one 24 cm cake PLUS 6 small cakes made in LARGE muffin tins, or make all small ones. Time to cook: the small cakes about 1 hour at 120 degrees Celsius, the large one 3 ½ to 4 hours. Now the very different version, a la Christmas 2005. LIGHT & BRIGHT CAKE.- Otherwise also known as SUMMER SOLSTICE CAKE. Make it as above, but instead: Use all red and yellow fruits – dried cranberries (better than glace cherries I think), chopped dried apricot, peach, pear; crystallised ginger; the pale yellow sultanas. Use a fruity liqueur – I used peach Schnapps because that’s what I had - and it was fantastic, but Grand Marnier or Curacao would be good I think. I think I added one teaspoon of vanilla extract too. Use white sugar (vanilla if possible) No cocoa, use an extra ¼ cup plain flour instead. White chocolate of course. Macadamia nuts (slightly roasted first) instead of pecans. Pour more of the alcohol of your choice over the cakes as they are cooling, and as often afterwards as you can, until time for eating. Keywords: Cake, Christmas, Fruit, Chocolate ( RG1894 )

Mini Chocolate Bar Serves 6 as Dessert. This is dessert 6 of the 7 desserts I made for the Supreme eGullet Pastry and Baking Challenge: Round 4 50 g Butter 70 g Flour 30 fl oz Sugar 10 ml Water 2 T Cocoa Powder 50 g Dark Chocolate Cut the cold butter into the flour, sugar & cocoa powder until you get to the stage of small peas. Add in the water until the mixture just comes together. Let it chill in the fridge for an hour and then roll out into a sheet. Bake at 350 F until cooked and cut them while hot. Melt the dark chocolate and bring to a temper and glaze the cooled bars. Keywords: Dessert, Expert, Chocolate, Plated Dessert, Brownies/Bars ( RG1855 )