Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Mini Muffins

Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Mini Muffins

I haven't been keeping this blog up-to-date but after posting a picture yesterday on Instagram & Facebook for these Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Mini Muffins I was asked by a couple of friends for the recipe so thought I'd post it here for anyone who's interested.  This makes 48 so you could half it. I just went ahead and made the full recipe and freeze the extras for later :) Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Mini Muffins

adapted from recipe at CulinaryArts.about.com

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups milk

4 large eggs, beaten

4 Tbsp butter, melted

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 bag of Nestles dark chocolate/mint chips (or a combination of both dark chocolate and mint chips like Andes)

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

3. Combine the milk and the melted butter. Then add the oil, and finally whisk in the beaten eggs and stir in the vanilla extract.

4. Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners, then lightly spray with cooking spray to keep from sticking.

5. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix until just combined. The batter should be visibly lumpy. Don't overmix!

6. With a rubber spatula, gently fold chips into the batter. Don't overwork the batter.

7. Carefully spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan. I use my smallest cookie scoop.

8. Bake 12-14 minutes or until the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.

9. Remove pan from the oven and let the muffins cool for five minutes in the pan. Then remove the muffins from the pan and let them cool another five minutes on a wire rack.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

 

And now for the next entry in the Holiday Recipe Exchange with GoodLife Eats and My Baking Addiction... This week I decided to go the easy route and start with a recipe from a fairly reliable source... Martha Stewart! I know Martha gives some folks the frights, but I've found her recipes to usually be worth repeating... This one in particular I've tried in the past and found them absolutely addicting, so I decided I'd share my take on her recipe for Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies. This cookie is like a cross between a snickerdoodle (owing to the cream of tartar) and a cup of hot chocolate with a little bit of chile heat added in for fun. They come out of the oven slightly crispy but still chewy and wonderful! If you enjoy this recipe, then come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Scharffen Berger.

 

 

Santa would LOVE a plate of these cookies!

Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies

Original recipe source: Martha Stewart.com

Adaptations by me!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (the darker the better)

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup unsalted butter -- (2 sticks) room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (homemade if possible!)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly ground ancho chile

  

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  

Pepper prep: Take your ancho chile pod and break it open, removing all the seeds and the stem. Place the flesh of the chile in your food processor or, if you're like me and have a dedicated "spice grinder" (aka coffee bean grinder that's been re-purposed for spices), use that. Just be sure you don't use your regular coffee grinder for this or you're next cuppa joe may be on fire! Grind the pepper until it's in powder form. If, like me, your pepper is a little too soft (ie. not dry enough) grind enough for this recipe and then let the rest dry out for another use. Put 1/2 tsp of this freshly ground pepper in a small bowl for later use in this recipe.

Freshly ground ancho chile

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Well creamed butter and sugar takes time...don't underbeat it!

Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine. With mixer on low,

add the cream of tartar, salt and baking soda, allowing each ingredient to incorporate before adding the next. Add cocoa powder next followed by the flour in small increments (so you don't wear it!)

Dough's ready to go!

In the small bowl with your freshly ground ancho powder, add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. 

The rolling mixture

 

Using heaping tablespoons (I used a #40 cookie scoop which is about 1.5 tbsp), form balls of dough and roll in chile-cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place, about 3 inches apart, on baking sheets. 

Ready to bake

Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. 

  

Nicely crackled but still chewy

Enjoy this recipe and let me know if you give it a whirl! I love to get comments from readers who've tried them!

Jello Fudge?

Ok, so I'm late in posting this, but yesterday I made a recipe out of the most recent addition to my cookbook shelves, Jell-o Brand's Fun and Fabulous Recipes. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but it was such an interesting idea that I had to give it a try. This is a recipe for fudge using Jell-o brand pudding in the microwave! Here's a link to the book on Amazon.com, but you'll have to find it used since it's no longer in print:



Now, here's today's recipe:

The Recipe:

Microwave Fast Fudge

• 3 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 pkg (4-serving size) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Pudding and Pie Filling
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup BAKER'S Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Microwave:* Heat butter in 1 1/2-quart microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 35 seconds or until melted. Stir in pudding mix and milk. Cook 2 minutes longer or until mixture begins to boil, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in vanilla and salt. With electric mixer at low speed, beat in sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth. (Mixture will be stiff.) Fold in nuts and chocolate. Press fudge evenly into 8x4-inch loaf pan that has been lined with waxed paper. Cover and chill until firm. Cut into squares.

Microwave Chocolate Mallow Fudge: Prepare Microwave Fast Fudge as directed, substituting chocolate flavor pudding and pie filling and 1/3 cup miniature marshmallows for the vanilla flavor pudding and the walnuts.

Microwave S'Mores Fudge: Prepare Microwave Fast Fudge as directed, substituting 1/3 cup each crushed graham crackers, miniature marshmallows and chunks of BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate for the walnuts and chocolate chips.

Microwave Coconut Macaroon Fudge: Prepare Microwave Fast Fudge as directed, substituting almond extract and 1/3 cup BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut for the vanilla and walnuts. Omit chocolate chips.

*Ovens vary. Cooking time is approximate.

My results:

This was a fun recipe to attempt. I decided to cut the sugar a bit by using sugar-free pudding instead of regular and it worked just fine. I also decided in advance that I wanted to do the s'more's version of the fudge since I LOVE s'mores. Additionally, instead of using a regular loaf pan and waxed paper, I used a disposable loaf pan and sprayed it with PAM spray before putting the mix in to cool. Worked perfectly for me... Now onto the recipe trial. Here's my ingredients:



My first observation is that in my microwave, it took more like 45 seconds to melt the butter :) That done, I added the pudding powder and milk and was amazed at how dense the result was. It was the color of and texture of cooked egg yolks! I did cook it the additional 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, but it was like stirring something solid around in the bowl rather than anything liquid-y. I added the vanilla and salt and beat with my hand mixer, adding the powdered sugar slowly. At this point it was very stiff, almost like play-dough in consistency. I folded in the chocolate (pieces of a Toll House Chocolatier Dark Chocolate [53% cacao] bar), graham cracker crumbs and mini marshmallows and then pushed it down into the pan. It wasn't very thick, but did look yummy. Here's the results before refrigeration:


Once it had chilled for an hour or so, I pushed it out of the pan and cut it into chunks. I'll be honest and say it wasn't 21 pieces like the recipe says it makes, more like 15, but who's counting :) And here's what the finished product looks like:


The marshmallows give it a kind of taffy-like texture, more like a nougat than fudge, but the flavor is really pretty good. Not a substitute for real creamy fudge like grandma makes, but a good quick fix when you don't have time or the inclination to make the "real thing". Definitely would make this again, perhaps trying the other variations and/or coming up with my own (Mounds fudge anyone?)... Hope you'll give this one a try and let me know what you think!

Crafty Chocolates

Mmmm...lavender... I just love the calming fragrance of lavender. I have read several recipes in the past using lavender and never tried them, but when I was roaming the aisles at the CostPlus World Market a few days ago looking for some ground coriander (for an Indian salmon dish), I found lavender for cooking in the spice area and decided it was high time I tried something using it. Then, while perusing my cookbooks, I came across a recipe for Dark Chocolate and Lavender Truffles in the Outstanding in the Field cookbook by Jim Denevan.

This is a new cookbook on my shelves that I got after watching an episode of Alter Eco on Planet Green. The premise behind the cookbook and the restaurant is using fresh local ingredients to make better food and to reduce our carbon footprint. It is a very interesting cookbook and one I hope to spend more time reading in the future, but for now I was pleased to just be able to try this wonderful recipe. Here is a link to the book on Amazon for anyone interested in perusing it yourself...


So, this recipe isn't for the "faint of heart" when it comes to mess and time. It does take time and is definitely on the messy side with rolling the chocolate, dipping it and sugaring the lavender, but the end results are beautiful as well as delicious, so I hope you'll attempt it :) Here's the recipe from the book:

The Recipe

Dark Chocolate and Lavender Truffles

• 26 oz. dark chocolate
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 6 fresh lavender flower sprigs or 2 tsp dried flower buds
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup superfine granulated sugar

Makes about 40 truffles.

1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Put 8 ounces of the chopped chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl and put 16 ounces in a second stainless-steel bowl. Set the remaining 2 ounces aside.
2. Combine the cream and 3 of the fresh lavender flowers or 1 teaspoon of the dried flowers in a small saucepan and heat just until it bubbles. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand to infuse, covered, for 5 minutes.
3. Return the cream to the heat and bring to a boil. Strain the hot cream mixture over the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate. Let set for 30 seconds and then whisk gently to incorporate and make a smooth ganache. Strain in the remaining cream and mix well. The ganache should be smooth, not grainy. If there are still bits of unmelted chocolate in the mixture, place the bowl over a pot of hot - but not boiling - water and mix constantly until the remaining chocolate has melted. Be careful not to overheat the mixture or let any water get into the bowl of chocolate or you may break the emulsion. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
4. Cut the butter into small pieces. When the chocolate mixture has cooled to warm room temperature, add a few pieces of butter at a time, stirring after each addition, until well incorporated. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator until firm, 15 to 30 minutes.
5. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with 1/2 cup water. Heat over medium heat until the sugar is melted. Remove the individual buds from the remaining lavender flowers and stir them or the remaining 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers into the sugar syrup. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer placed over a bowl (reserve the sugar syrup for another use) and dry the buds on a towel. Put the buds in the remaining sugar and stir to coat. Drop the coated lavender flowers into a fine mesh strainer and shake to sift away the excess sugar. Place the candied buds on a plate to dry and harden while you roll the truffles.
6. Line a large tray or rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the bowl of ganache from the refrigerator. Roll small spoonfuls of the ganache into 3/4 to 1-inch balls with your hands. When all the ganache has been rolled, put the tray in the refrigerator while you temper the chocolate for coating.
7. Bring a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water to a boil. Place the bowl of 16 ounces of chocolate over the hot water and melt slowly until the temperature of the chocolate reads 122F to 125F on a thermometer. Be careful not to overheat it and make sure no water gets into the bowl of chocolate or it will not harden properly later. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and cool the chocolate, gently stirring in the remaining 2 ounces chopped chocolate a small pinch at a time until the temperature reaches 85F.
8. When the temperature reaches 85F, place the bowl back over the saucepan of hot water and gently raise the temperature of the chocolate t between 87F and 88F. This should take 1 to 3 minutes. Check to see the chocolate has been properly tempered by placing a drop on a piece of parchment paper and refrigerating it. The drop should harden evenly and have a nice gloss.
9. Remove the ganache balls from the refrigerator. Using a fork (one with long fine tines works best), dip the balls one by one into the tempered chocolate to coat. Hold the fork over the bowl briefly to allow any excess chocolate to drip off the truffle. Place the coated truffle back on the tray lined with parchment. Quickly place 2 or 3 of the candied lavender buds on top of each truffle, pressing down gently so they stick. Repeat with all of the remaining balls of ganache. Let the truffles harden at room temperature for about 1 hour.
10. If the tempered chocolate cools too much and begins to thicken, set the bowl over the saucepan of hot water, stirring occasionally, just until it returns to between 87F and 88F.
11. When the chocolate coating has set, remove the truffles from the sheet of parchment paper and gently trim off any excess chocolate at the base with a paring knife, if desired. The truffles will keep at room temperature for 2 weeks, stored in an airtight container.

My Results:

First the complaints: The recipe results were fantastic, HOWEVER, the directions were a little off... Using a 1 inch disher, I was able to make about 20 truffles, not the 40 it says it makes. Also, in step 3 it says to strain the cream into the chocolate and then says to strain the remaining cream...what remaining cream? So disregard that unless you want to strain only part of the cream in and then the remainder later. It also says "cool to room temperature" and then in the next step says "warm room temperature", so go with your best guess here. I cooled the mixture until it was cool, enough not to melt the butter but still warm enough to incorporate it well. Step 4 says that the balls take 15 to 30 minutes to firm up in the fridge. Mine took closer to 2 hours to get to a consistency where they could be rolled.

Now for my ingredients:



You'll see that I chose to use Guittard's extra dark chocolate chips (63% cacao mass) which were a new product at our grocery. Basically any dark chocolate with a cacao % of 60-70 should work fine. I chose the chips to avoid having to chop the chocolate and it worked very well. Heating the cream with the lavender flowers worked just fine and smelled divine. After waiting the 30 seconds, I whisked the chocolate until smooth. Here it is just before refrigeration:




See that it is glossy and smooth. Makes you just want to dive into it :) After chilling for about 2 hours, it was ready to roll. While it was chilling I went ahead with making the candied lavender buds. After steeping the lavender in the sugar syrup and straining, I poured them out onto a paper towel to dry. I think a tea towel would be a better choice in this instance since the little buds kind of fell into the cracks and dips of the paper towel and made them a little difficult to remove. Here they are on the paper towel:



I poured about 1/4 of a cup of the superfine sugar into a shallow walled plate and dumped the buds on top, then shook them around to coat. I sifted them with another fine strainer and reserved the sugar for later use, since it was now lavender flavored as well, then dumped the candied buds onto a plate to dry out. The lavender sugar syrup makes a great addition to iced tea, by the way, which was a nice little side venture to cool off while waiting on the chocolate to chill.

Once the chocolate had chilled enough to handle, I donned a pair of latex (non powdered please!) gloves and began the process of making the balls. Using a 1" cookie scoop, I scraped the chocolate into balls and then gently rolls them between my palms to round them out before dropping them onto the parchment. Remember that truffles are supposed to look like clods of dirt, so a little irregularity is just fine! Here are my truffle centers, ready for refrigeration:


Now, tempering the chocolate is a pain in the rear...I'll warn you of that in advance. If you don't have a good candy thermometer, you can just forget it and roll the centers in cocoa powder or in powdered sugar, but if you have a good candy thermometer and a little patience, the resulting hard candy shell on the truffles IS worth the effort. *(Side note: Alton Brown of the Food Network uses a hot pad for tempering his chocolate... might have to try it sometime to see if works because it would be SO much easier!)* I had some trouble with my candy thermometer, but still managed to temper the chocolate pretty well. Here are the truffles all ready for setting aside to harden:




Now, just a note, my kitchen was pretty hot and after waiting an hour and having the chocolate still be a little sticky, I stuck them into the fridge to finish hardening. Worked just fine and gave me the hard shell I was looking for. So if you find your chocolate isn't setting up for you, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes and see if that fixes it. Now, because there was quite a bit of leftover tempered chocolate in the bowl, and never wanting to be wasteful, I made a little side trip into fun land to use up the chocolate. Anyone ever had muddy buddies? Or "monkey munch"? Usually it's made with Chex cereal and peanut butter and chocolate, but I didn't want to go to that trouble and also didn't have any Chex on hand, so I grabbed the Cheerios instead (have baby, have Cheerios!). I dumped about 2 cups of Cheerios into the bowl with the chocolate and gave them a turn with the spatula, then poured some powdered sugar in a ziptop bag and dumped it all in. Shake it up and you have some great dark chocolate covered Cheerios to snack on!

Now, on to the fun part...looking at these little beauties, I began thinking of how nice these would be as special party favors or treats and tried to think of a presentation which would be fitting of them. Not having any little jewel boxes around, but having a bit of origami paper, I thought of making little candy boxes out of origami paper. Following the directions here and using some regular origami paper, I made three little candy boxes to put my beautiful truffles in. They were just the perfect size for these truffles (and for the Cheerios mentioned above!) and would make a wonderful party favor for a tea party or something. Here's the finished product:





And a picture of the chocolate dipped Cheerios snack:



Cute don't ya think? Anyway, I had a great time making these and they turned out not only delicious, but beautiful as well. They have a slightly flowery taste, but not overwhelmingly so and are definitely something I would make again for a special occasion. Hope you enjoy and try them yourself... Make sure to let me know if you do! And check back tomorrow for another adventure in cookbook land!