Recipes

Some Great Recipes

*Chocolate Cherry Pecan Cake*

3/4 cup unsalted butter

9 oz dark semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

2 eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour sifted

1 3/4 cup pecans, toasted & finely chopped

1/4 cup canned pitted, drained bing cherries, finely chopped

butter to grease pans

Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Melt butter & chocolate together in a bowl over barely simmering water.

In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs & sugar until light, fluffy & pale in colour. Incorporate melted butter & chocolate into the egg & sugar mixture. Add flour, pecans & cherries & mix well.

Butter one 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan, pour mixture into pan & bake for 55-60 minutes or until set. Cool completely on wire rack.

Make at least one day ahead, slice cold & place on baking sheet & warm in oven at 300° F (150° C) for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with Bing cherries & ice cream.

*Monster Fudge Walnut Cookies*

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

12 ounces Hershey's miniature semisweet kisses

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Position 2 baking racks near the center of the oven & preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 large baking sheets.

Place the chopped chocolate & the butter in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate melts & the mixture is smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler & let the chocolate mixture cool.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, & salt. Set aside.

In an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed until blended. Gradually beat in the sugar, then increase the speed to high. Continue beating for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is thick & light.

Stir the vanilla into the cooled chocolate & add to the egg mixture, beating on medium speed until combined. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Using a wooden spoon, fold in the miniature kisses & nuts. Cover with plastic wrap & chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Using a 1/4-cup ice-cream scoop or cup measure, drop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the mounds 2-inches apart. Bake the cookies, switching the position of the sheets halfway through baking, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until set on the outside, but still slightly moist on the inside. Place each cookie sheet on a wire rack & let stand for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack & cool completely. Serve the cookies slightly warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days

Makes 21 cookies.

*Chocolate Raisin Cookies*

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 (10 ounce) pkg NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate-Covered Raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda & salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar & vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate-covered raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*Chocolate Chip-Popcorn Bars*

1 (18 ounce) roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough

4 Nature Valley Oats and Honey crunchy granola bars, crushed*

(2 pouches from 8.9-oz. box)

3 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

2/3 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 (10 ounce) bag peanut butter chips

1 (3 1/2 ounce) bag microwave popcorn, popped

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°F In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir in crushed granola bars. Press mixture in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until puffed & edges are golden brown. Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven; bake an additional 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows begin to puff. Remove from oven; place on wire rack.

In 3-quart saucepan, heat corn syrup, butter & peanut butter chips over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in popcorn (mixture will be thick). Spoon mixture over marshmallows; spread evenly to just barely cover marshmallows. Cool 30 minutes.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips on High for

1-1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring once halfway through

microwaving. Pour melted chocolate into quart-size resealable

food-storage plastic bag. Cut off tiny bottom corner of bag; drizzle

chocolate over bars. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Cut

into bars. Makes 36 bars.

*Calypso Chocolate Bars*

2 & 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate

2/3 cup hot water

1 & 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 & 1/2 cup (1 pkg.) chopped dates

1 cup butter or margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

1 & 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 & 1/2 cup sifted flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup chopped nuts

1 & 1/2 cup quick cooking oats

Melt chocolate in hot water over low heat. Add granulated sugar; stir until dissolved. Add dates. Cook over low heat 5 minutes. Blend in 1/4 cup butter. Add vanilla. Cool. Cream 3/4 cup butter & brown sugar until fluffy. Sift together flour, salt & soda. Add to creamed mixture; blend well. Add nuts & oats. Mix until crumbly. Press 1/2 onto bottom of greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Add date mixture. Top with remainder of nut mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool.

Makes 30 squares.

*Chocolate Hazelnut Mini Cakes*

1 (200g) block dark chocolate, chopped

150g butter, chopped

½ cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup hot water

1 ¼ cups caster sugar

1 ¼ cups hazelnut meal

4 eggs, separated

extra 50g dark chocolate, melted

2 (150g) punnets (small basket) raspberries

icing-sugar mixture

fresh mint to decorate

Grease a 26cm x 32cm Swiss roll pan; line base & two long sides with baking paper. Place chocolate & butter in a small heatproof bowl. Place over a pan of simmering water; stir until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Blend cocoa with hot water in a small jug; stir into chocolate until smooth. Add sugar, hazelnut meal & egg yolks; stir until combined. Beat egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form; fold into chocolate mixture, in two batches. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Cook in a slow oven, 150ºC, for about 40 minutes, or until firm. Stand cake for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. Using a 5cm round cutter, cut out rounds from cake. Top each cake round with extra melted chocolate, then raspberries. To serve, dust cakes with sifted icing sugar mixture &

decorate with fresh mint. Makes 24.