Oreo Truffles

1 package Oreo Cookies
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
2 pkg bakers semi sweet baking chocolate, melted

Use a food processor to crush the cookies into fine crumbs.  Add softened cream cheese and mix well until blended.  Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1 inch in diameter.  Dip balls in melted chocolate.  Place on wax paper covered baking sheet.  Refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

Chocolate Bark

Ingredients:
16 oz dark chocolate
1 1/2 cups mini pretzels
8 oreos roughly chopped
1/3 cup toffee bits
1/2 cup M&M's
1/2 cup Marshmallows

Directions:
Line baking tray with parchment paper; set aside.  Have all ingredients chopped, prepped, and ready to go before the chocolate is melted.  Coarsley chop the chocolate to encourage smooth melting.  Heat in microwave for 2-3 minutes, checking every 30 seconds to stir until melted smooth.  Pour melted chocolate onto parchment with a spatula and smooth into a large rectangle about 10x15 inches and about 1/8 inch thick.  Evenly sprinkle with oreos, pretzels, toffee bits, M&M's, and marshmallows.  After chocolate has set, break into pieces or chop with a knife.  Bark will keep airtight at room temp for many weeks and in the fridge or freezer for many months.

Kayli's Brownies

Ingredients:
 

8 (1oz) squared unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup butter
5 eggs
3 cups white sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups white sugar

1 cup heavy cream
5 (1oz) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Place 8 oz of baking chocolate with 1 cup of butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high until the chocolate is soft and the butter has melted, about 2 minutes. Sitr to mix. Place the eggs, 3 cups sugar, and 1 Tbsp of vanilla in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the melted butter-chocolate mixture. Beat in the flour until just combined (do not overmix). Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with fudgy crumbs, about 35 minutes. Cook in the pan before frosting.

To make frosting, combine 1 1/4 cup of sugar with heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and let hte mixture simmer for 7 minutes without stirring. Remove the cream mixture from the heat, and stir in 5 oz of baking chocolate and 1/2 cup butter, stirrin gto melt and blend the chocolate. Add 1 tsp vanilla; whisk until smooth. Place the frosting in the regrigerator and stir every few minutes until the frosting is chilled and thick about 30 minutes. Frost the cooled brownies and cut into squares. (I have yet to be able to make this work--I can never get it to thicken--so I just add in some powdered sugar until it's as thick as I want)

Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies

Ingredients:
9 cups corn or rice chex
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Into a large bowl, measure cereal; set aside. In 1 quart microwavable bow. microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon re-sealable food storage plastic bags. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake

Ingredients:For the cake:
1½ cups (4½ oz.) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. espresso powder
1½ cups boiling water
¾ cup sour cream
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 sticks (12 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups plus 2 tbsp. (18¼ oz.) sugar
3 large eggs
1¾ cups plus 2 tbsp. (9¼ oz.) all-purpose flour
1¼ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt

For the raspberry filling:
16 oz. frozen raspberries, thawed
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon juice

For the ganache filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the raspberry frosting:
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
21 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup strained raspberry puree*
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Pink gel icing color (optional)

For the chocolate glaze:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For garnish:
Additional fresh raspberries

*For best flavor, use fresh organic raspberries.

Directions:To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease and flour the edges of three 9-inch round cake pans, and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Combine the cocoa and espresso powder in a small bowl. Add in the boiling water and whisk together until smooth. Let cool slightly. Whisk in the sour cream.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; stir together to combine. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl in three additions, alternating with the cocoa-sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat each addition just until incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared baking pans. Bake 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans about 15 minutes, then transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the raspberry filling, drain the thawed berries, reserving the juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough water so that the total liquid equals 1¼ cups. Add the liquid to a medium saucepan with the sugar and cornstarch. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Continue whisking so no lumps form. Once thickened, remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice. Fold in the drained berries with a spatula. Cover and chill until ready to use. (The filling will continue to thicken as it chills.)

To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let stand 1-2 minutes, then whisk together until a smooth, thick ganache is formed. Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated. Let the ganache sit to thicken a bit so that it is suitable for spreading and piping. (To speed thickening, place the bowl in the fridge or freezer and whisk every 10 minutes to ensure even cooling until the desired consistency is reached.) Transfer about ½ cup of the thickened ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip about ½-inch in diameter. Reserve another ½ cup of ganache in a small bowl or container. (This can be used later for decorative detailing, if desired.)

To assemble the cake, place one of the cooled cake layers on a cake board or serving platter. Spread ½ cup of the ganache in an even layer over the cake. Using the reserved ganache in the pastry bag, pipe a border around the perimeter of the cake layer. This will act as a well to help hold in the raspberry filling. Spoon some of the raspberry filling inside the ganache border in an even layer. Top with another layer of cake and repeat this process, layering with another ½ cup of ganache and additional raspberry filling. Top with the remaining cake layer.

To make the raspberry frosting, combine the sugar and egg whites in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. (I use my mixer bowl here to dirty one less dish.) Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. (The bowl should be cool to the touch.) Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer – don’t worry, it will come together!) Blend in the raspberry puree and vanilla until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. If desired, tint with pink icing gel to achieve your desired shade.

Frost the top and sides of the assembled cake with the raspberry buttercream, smoothing the surface as much as possible. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

To make the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit 1-2 minutes. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and homogenous. Blend in the corn syrup and vanilla. Pour the glaze into a pitcher or measuring cup and let cool for 10 minutes. (Do not let the glaze cool longer or it may become difficult to pour over the cake.) Slowly pour the glaze over the cake, ensuring that the top is covered and the glaze drips over the sides. Let the glaze set about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the remaining reserved ganache to a consistency for piping. (You can microwave in 5 second intervals on low power – it won’t take long to rewarm. If you overshoot and the ganache becomes too thin, simply chill again in the fridge or freezer until it is thick enough to pipe.) Transfer the ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip. Pipe swirls of ganache around the edge of the top of the cake and top each swirl with a fresh raspberry. Chill the cake until ready to serve

Butter Toffee

My daughter got this recipe off of the Pioneer Woman's website. Heath and Skor bars happen to be my favorite candy bars so this was definitely a favorite of mine. Soo yummy. My picture is after they were a couple days old, they actually looked a lot more appetizing in real life. No matter how hard I tried to resist overindulging in these, I could not. Yum!

Ingredients:
16 oz butter, melted
16 oz. granulated sugar
3 oz. fluid water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
16 oz chopped topping (nuts, candy canes, sea salt)
24 oz, weight tempered dark chocolate for coating, melted *need a candy thermometer

Directions:
Combine butter, sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook over moderate heat, stirring gently, until candy thermometer registers 298 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla until well combined. Pour the mixture onto a silicone baking mat or good parchment paper. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to offset spatula to spread quickly before the toffee sets. Spread thin. Allow toffee to cool completely. Blot to remove excess oil from the surface. Coat surface with half of the melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle with topping. When chocolate has totally set, carefully flip over and coate the other side with the rest of the chocolate. Sprinkle o topping. Allow to set, then break into bite-size pieces. Store in airtight container.

Christmas eve Profiteroles

I'm totally just copying this post from my sister-in-law's blog. She served these on Christmas eve and they were so delicious. My husband who is usually not a big dessert eater had 3 of them. So I want to make sure I have this recipe easily at my fingertips because I will be making it again. Of course you can substitute the ice cream for any other flavor and serve any time of the year but the Farr's peppermint ice cream was delicious and very fitting for Christmas eve.

Step 1:

Cream Puffs

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Drop dough by 12 heaping tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degree for 30-35 minutes or till golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Step 2:

Fill Cream puffs with Farr Better Peppermint Stick Ice Cream

Step 3:
Drizzle with Hot Fudge Sauce. Recipe follows.

Hot Fudge Sauce

1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk

Bring the above ingredients to a boil and continue to boil for 7-8 minutes. Then remove from heat and add

1 tsp vanilla

Serve warm to hot.

Chocolate drizzled caramel popcorn

I found this recipe on My hombased mom last year. I instantly loved it because there was no messing with candy thermometers and no goopy caramel topping (although that kind of caramel popcorn is good too). Plus it turns out just right every time. It also reminds me of my first trip to New York City when I first tried chocolate drizzled caramel popcorn. I think this popcorn is just as good, if not better because I use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

Ingredients:
16 cups popped corn (I use my air popper)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Karo syrup
1/2 cup butter

Cook sugar, syrup and butter in a glass bowl in microwave on high for one minute. Stir and repeat for a total of five minutes. Should be hot and bubbly.

Add:
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Mix until foamy. Put popped corn into a brown grocery bag. Pour syrup into bag. Stir to coat. Fold bag over. Place in microwave and microwave for one minute and shake. Repeat. Microwave 30 seconds and shake. Repeat. (sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired and shake again--I never do this cause I like chocolate drizzle)

Pour popcorn out to cool on wax paper


Melt 1 cup ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips in the microwave--first for 1 minute and stir then for another 30 seconds and stir until there are no lumps. Then I take the chocolate and drizzle over the cooling caramel popcorn. I then place the pan into the refrigerator to let the chocolate set.

Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Boiling Water
½ cups Buttermilk
2 whole Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla
_____
FOR FROSTING:
½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
1-¾ stick Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Pour over warm cake.

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup light cream
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In med. saucepan over low heat, cook and stir condensed milk and cocoa until smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in heavy cream, light cream, and vanilla. Refrigerate until cold ( I was impatient and did not do this--no harm done that I could tell). Pour mixture into the canister of ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Chocolate Overdose Cake

This is a very rich, very chocolatey cake. It is also a bit time consuming to make with all of the different parts. In fact I would only spend this much time making this cake for a very special occasion. That occasion this time was for a very dear friend's birthday. I love this cake and almost can't wait for the next special occasion. My favorite website for baked goods is Annie's Eats which is where I found this recipe.


Ingredients:

For the brownie base:
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. cake flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 1/8 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
For the chocolate mousse filling:
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-oz. pieces
1 7/8 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp. sugar
For the chocolate cake:
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/8 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1/4 cup hot water
7/8 cup sugar, divided
7/8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, soft
For the ganache:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
18 oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-oz. pieces

Directions:
To make the brownie base, line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a round of parchment paper and spray the sides with nonstick cooking spray. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, salt and baking powder. Stir with a fork to mix. Melt the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of almost-simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

When the chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove the bowl from the saucepan and gradually whisk in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add in the flour mixture in two additions, folding with a rubber spatula until completely homogenous.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Set aside, prepare the cake batter, and bake the two layers at the same time.

To make the cake, line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with a round of parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides of the pan. Combine the chocolate, cocoa and hot water in a medium heatproof bowl; set the bowl over a saucepan containing 1-inch of simmering water and stir with a rubber spatula until chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. (Note: at this point, my mixture was pretty thick and I thought I had ruined it, but mixing in the sugar was like magic and it made it smooth and liquidy again.) Add 1/4 cup of sugar to the chocolate mixture and stir until thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Combine buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and yolks on medium-low speed until combined, about 10 seconds. Add remaining sugar, increase speed to high, and whisk until fluffy and lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Replace whisk with paddle attachment.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg/sugar mixture and mix on medium speed until thoroughly incorporated, 30-45 seconds, pausing to scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add softened butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing about 10 seconds after each addition. Add about one third of the flour mixture followed by half of the buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated after each addition (about 15 seconds). Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk mixture (batter may appear separated). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour. Pour into prepared pan; smooth batter to edges of pan with an offset spatula.

Bake the brownie and cake layers at the same time: the brownie for 25-30 minutes and the cake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack. Allow the brownie to cool completely in the pan. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto the wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Once the brownie layer has cooled, run a knife around the edges to separate it from the pan. Remove the sides of the springform but leave the brownie layer on the springform base. Form a ring of parchment paper around the brownie layer and extending up the sides of the springform pan – reclose the springform so that the parchment is fitted tightly to the sides.

To make the chocolate mousse filling, place a stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer or fridge. Heat 1-inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place the semisweet chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with plastic wrap and allow to heat for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to a stainless steel bowl and set aside until needed.

Place heavy cream and sugar in the well-chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the chilled whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer. By hand, whisk to combine 1/4 of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate until smooth and completely incorporated. Add the combined whipped cream and chocolate to the remaining whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to fold together.

Spread the mousse over the top of the brownie base evenly. Use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Place the cooled cake round over the mousse, pressing down lightly. Chill for at least 1 hour.

To make the ganache, heat the heavy cream and the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Place the semisweet chocolate in a 3-quart stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Chill 1 cup of ganache for 1 hour. Allow the remaining ganache to come to room temperature (about 40 minutes).

Remove the springform ring and parchment collar from the assembled cake. Carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter, removing the springform base and parchment round. Use a spatula to smooth the room temperature ganache over the cake top and sides, covering evenly.

Place the chilled ganache in a pastry bag fitted with a shell tip and pipe a shell border around the base of the cake. Pipe 12-16 rosettes around the top of the cake to indicate servings. Serve chilled and store leftovers in the fridge. Cut the cake with a hot, dry knife.

Source: adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

I have a cookbook that my sister-in-law put together last year with contributions of favorite recipes from the family. It's definitely my favorite cookbook so I am going to attempt to post each recipe on this blog. This is one of those recipes. I can actually remember making this cake with my husband when we were dating. This is a fun recipe to make with kids. Mine were amazed how the hot fudge sauce ended up on the bottom of the pan beneath the cake.
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 T cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 T vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts (optional)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cup hot water

Directions:
Turn oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, 2 T cocoa, baking powder. Then mix in milk, oil, and vanilla into dry ingredients until smooth. It will be like brownie batter. Pour into an 8x8 square pan. Then sprinkle brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa on top then pour hot water on it and put in oven. Bake for 40 minutes.

Rice, Spice, and Everything Nice Creme Brulee

My daughter entered into a local rice cooking contest and her dessert won 1st place! She worked for weeks coming up with and perfecting her recipe. After tasting it I thought the judges would be crazy if they didn't give her first place. Of course they weren't crazy and that is exactly what she got! Here is her award winning recipe.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ habanero pepper
3 tablespoons cocoa
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ cup cooked minute rice
1 egg, 2 egg yolks, beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons Turbinado sugar (Sugar in the raw)

Directions:
Put heavy cream, 1 cup of milk, ½ cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and half a habanero pepper in saucepan. Cook on medium for 25 minutes, stirring often. Take out pepper and pour mixture into a handheld, fine mesh strainer. Pour back into another medium sauce pan, add 3 tablespoons cocoa, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 ½ cup cooked minute rice. Cook on medium until thick and creamy. Add beaten eggs and ½ cup milk. Cook 2 minutes longer. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon butter. When butter is melted, put the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour through another handheld strainer to ensure that there isn’t any unblended rice left. Scoop into six 3 inch ramekins, cover in saran wrap and cool for 2 hours. Take off saran wrap, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of turbinado sugar on top of each evenly, and torch to caramelize. Enjoy!

Oreo Dessert

If you love Oreos, you'll love this dessert. And who doesn't love an Oreo?

Ingredients:
1 pkg Oreos
8 oz cream cheese
1 tub cool whip
1 cup powdered sugar
1 stick butter
1 pkg chocolate instant pudding (the bigger box)
2 1/2 cups milk

Directions:
Crush Oreos, reserve 1/2 cup of oreos for topping. Add 1 stick of melted butter to crushed oreos (but not in the 1/2 you've saved for later use). Mix well. Layer in the bottom of 9x13 dish with just a little pressure. Do not pack the Oreos in the crust as this will cause the crust to be too hard to scoop out. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add as next layer. Make chocolate pudding according to recipe for pie filling (beat with 2/12 cups of milk). Add as next layer. Spread cool whip on as the next layer. Sprinkle with remaining Oreos. Refrigerate one hour.

Fudge Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
powdered sugar

Directions:
Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, stir dry cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla, using spoon until dough forms. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in powdered sugar. On ungreased cookie sheet, place balls about 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Best Brownies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Great and flour an 8 inch square pan. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat in 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 min.

Chocolate Covered Blueberries

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp oil
1 cup chocolate chips (use good chocolate, my favorite is ghirardelli 60%)
2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:
Heat oil and chocolate chips in a saucepan. Stir continuously until chocolate is smooth. Or you can heat in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring after each 30 seconds until chocolate is smooth. Add in the cleaned and dried fresh blueberries. Coat with the chocolate. Spread it out on waxed paper on a baking tray. Place in the refrigerator to set for about 10 minutes. Enjoy,they won't last long!

Chocolate Crunch Cake

This cake was so yummy! Chocolate cake is my favorite food ever and this was so super rich and chocolaty and good. I mainly used a recipe from Annies Eats (best website for baked goods in my opinion) and then put crushed up heath bars in the middle and top. A little more work than a cake from a box (which I totally love too) but worth it!

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
¾ cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1¼ tsp. coarse salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2¼ cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

For the ganache top:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature

For the frosting: (used in the middle)
14 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
9 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
9 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
6 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sour cream

crushed heath bars for top and middle

Directions:
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and the sugar over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally to combine, until the butter is melted. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed, 4-5 minutes, until the mixture is cooled. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture and beat until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating just until combined.

Divide the batter between 2 round pans. Bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Set aside to cool until just barely warm. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Gradually mix in the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended.

To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let stand about 1 minute. With a whisk, gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles. When the ganache has become smooth, whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time until incorporated. Transfer the bowl to the freezer or refrigerator to chill and thicken the ganache a bit. Whisk every 5-10 minutes to help it cool evenly. Once the mixture is slightly thickened and no longer runny, you are ready to smooth it on top of the cake.

Crush 2-3 Heath candy bars and sprinkle them on the frosting layer in the middle and then once the top layer of the cake is placed and the ganache is smoothed out of the top of the top layer sprinkle heath candy bars on top.

Chocolate Trifle

I had a dessert like this at someone's house who bought it from a local candy/dessert place. I loved it so much, I had to have more. This is my attempt to replicate that dessert. It's pretty simple and really good.

Ingredients:
1 box of brownies--prepared to be cake like
1 5.9 oz box pudding--prepared
1 container of cool whip
2-3 Heath or Skor bars chopped

Directions:
Prepare and bake brownies following the directions on the box for cake-like brownies. Let cool. Prepare pudding according to directions on box. When brownies are cooled cut them into small 1 inch squares. In your dish layer half the brownies on the bottom, half the pudding, half the cool whip, half the candy bars, and then repeat. Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

This is such an easy thing to make and so so good. My 10 year old made these by herself. When I'm trying to lose a few pounds this is the one treat I allow myself to have--I figure it's relatively healthy since dark chocolate is good for you now and strawberries always have been. If you want to make them look fancy, just melt some white chocolate and put it in a Ziploc bag with a tiny part of one of the corners cut out and drizzle it on top of the chocolate.

Ingredients:
Strawberries, washed and dried
4 oz ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips
1 Tbsp canola oil

Directions:
Spread strawberries on a working surface with wax paper covered tray nearby. Place chocolate chips and oil in a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high in microwave for 30 seconds. Take it out and stir. Put it back in for another 30 seconds. Take it out and stir. That should have melted all of the chunks out of the chocolate but if not you can repeat again. One at a time take a strawberry by the stem and dip into the chocolate. Place the strawberry onto the wax paper and continue with the remaining berries. When done place in refrigerator until chocolate has set and serve. They can be refrigerated for up to 24 hrs.