Peppermint-Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Cook Time: 10 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 12 cookies

Ingredients

* 1 (16.5 ounce) tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
* 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
* Decorating suggestion: crushed candy canes or peppermint
candies; white, red and green sprinkles; or red and green decorating
sugar
* Special equipment: a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, and a
1/2-ounce cookie scoop

Directions

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven
to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, knead together the cookie dough and 1/4 cup flour
until smooth. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough to
1/4-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles from
the dough. Knead together any scraps of dough and roll out again.
Continue to cut out pastry circles until there are 24 pieces in total.
Place the dough circles on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the
cookies are slightly golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool
for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Reserve
1 parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Combine 1 cup of chocolate chips and the cream in a small bowl. Place
the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate
has melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the peppermint extract
and refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour. Using a 1/2-ounce cookie scoop
or a tablespoon measure, place the chocolate mixture in the center of
the flat side of 12 of the cookies. Place the remaining cookies on top
and gently squeeze to distribute the filling evenly. Place on a baking
sheet and freeze until the filling has set, about 25 minutes.

Combine the remaining chocolate chips and the vegetable oil in a small
bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the
chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Dip the top of each
cookie in the melted chocolate and return to the baking sheet.
Sprinkle the tops with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies.
Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight plastic
container.

From: foodnetwork.com

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cook Time: 45 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 dozens

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 4 ounces English toffee candy (recommended: Heath or Skor bar),
finely chopped
* 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, and chopped
* 1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Finely chop the
oats in a food processor. Transfer the oats to a medium bowl. Mix in
the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl
until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and
stir just until blended. Stir in the toffee, hazelnuts, and chocolate
chips.

For each cookie, drop 1 rounded tablespoonful of dough onto sheet,
spacing 1-inch apart (do not flatten dough). Bake until the cookies
are golden (cookies will flatten slightly), about 15 minutes. Cool the
cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack
and cool completely. (The cookies can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store
airtight at room temperature.)

Chocolate-Ricotta Pie

Cook Time: 1 hr
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 1 (11" tart)

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons cornmeal
* 3/4 cup pine nuts, plus 3/4 cup, toasted (about 8 ounces in total)
* 1/4 cup sugar, plus 3/4 cup
* Pinch salt
* 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
* 1/2 cup water
* 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/3 cups)
* 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
* 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
* 1 large egg
* 3 large egg yolks

Directions

Blend the flour, cornmeal, 3/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt
in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse,
just until the dough forms. Press the dough over the bottom and about
2 inches up the sides of an 11-inch-diameter tart pan with a removable
bottom. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the tart dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or
dried beans. Bake the tart shell in the lower third of the oven until
just set, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights.
Bake the shell until golden, about 10 minutes longer. Cool completely.

Combine the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup water in a small
saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cool
the sugar syrup slightly.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate over very softly simmering water.

Pulse the ricotta cheese and cream cheese in a food processor until
smooth. Add the egg and egg yolks, 1 at a time, and process until
smooth. Add the melted chocolate and process until combined. With the
machine running, add the sugar syrup in a thin steady stream and
process until smooth.

Pour the custard into the tart shell and bake until the filling is
almost set, about 30 minutes or until the custard has set. Scatter the
remaining 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts on top of the filling. Let the
tart cool completely before serving.

The tart can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Return the tart to room temperature before serving.

Espresso Brownies

Cook Time: 35 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 36 bite-size brownies

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons espresso powder

1 (19.8-ounce) box brownie mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Whisk 1/3 cup of
water, oil, eggs, and 2 tablespoons espresso powder in a large bowl to
blend. Add the brownie mix. Stir until well blended. Stir in the
chocolate chips. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake
until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out
with a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, dissolve the remaining 2 teaspoons of espresso powder in
the remaining 2 tablespoons of water in a medium bowl. Whisk in the
vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and butter and whisk until smooth.
Pour the glaze over the brownies. Refrigerate until the glaze is set.
Cut into bite-size pieces. Arrange the brownies on a platter and
serve.

Chocolate Zabaglione

Cook Time: 6 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup whipping cream, or heavy cream
* 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 8 large egg yolks
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup dry Marsala
* Pinch salt
* 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered

Directions

Add cream and chocolate to a heavy small saucepan. Cook over low heat,
stirring often, until the chocolate chips are melted and smooth. Set
aside and keep warm.

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, Marsala, and salt in a large glass bowl
until blended. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, but do
not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water. Whisk the egg
mixture over the simmering water until it is thick and creamy, about 4
minutes. Remove from the heat.

Using a large rubber spatula, fold the melted chocolate mixture into
the egg mixture.

Divide the strawberries among 6 coupe dishes. Pour the warm zabaglione
over the strawberries and serve.

From: foodnetwork.com

Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart

Cook Time: 1 hr
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped, and toasted hazelnuts
* 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
* 1 cup corn syrup
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 store bought frozen pie crust, defrosted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and the flour. Add the eggs,
hazelnuts, chocolate chips, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt.
Stir well. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake for 1 hour.

Cool the tart for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Hazelnut Crunch Cake with Mascarpone and Chocolate

Cook Time: 30 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 8 servings

Cake:
Ingredients

* 1 box chocolate cake mix

Crunch:

* 1 cup (about 4 1/2-ounces) hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup water

Filling:

* 2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature
* 1 cup cream
* 3/4 cup powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

* 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon orange zest

Directions
For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour 2 (8-inch) cake pans. Prepare the cake mix according
to package instructions. Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans and
bake according to package instructions. Remove from the oven and let
cool on a wire rack.

For the Crunch:

Place the toasted nuts close together in a single layer on a
parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine the sugar and water in a small
saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the sugar mixture until
dissolved. Bring to a boil and let cook until the sugar is light
brown, about 8 minutes. Let the bubbles subside then pour the
caramelized sugar over the nuts. Place the baking sheet in the
refrigerator and let the sugar nut mixture cool until hard, about 30
minutes. When the sugar nut mixture is hard and cool, top with another
piece of parchment paper and pound into small pieces, or place the
sugar nut mixture on a cutting board and cut into small pieces. Set
aside.

For the filling:

Put the mascarpone cheese, cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a
large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer whip the cream mixture to
soft peaks. Fold the Crunch mixture into the whipped cream.

For the topping:

Place the chocolate, sugar and zest in a food processor. Process the
mixture until the chocolate is finely ground.

To assemble the cake:

Put 1 cake on a serving plate. Top with 1-inch of the whipped cream
crunch mixture. Top with the second layer of cake and continue
frosting the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream crunch
mixture. Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with the ground
chocolate. Serve.

Chocolate Chip and Mascarpone Cupcakes

Cook Time: 25 min
Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients
Cupcakes:

* 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
* 1 cup water
* 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
* 2 1/4 cups sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 3 large eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Nestle morsels)

Ganache:

* 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Nestle morsels)
* 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Special equipment: 2 (12-count) muffin pans with paper liners

For the Cupcakes:

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

Combine the unsweetened chocolate and water in a small saucepan over
medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted, about
2 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese until
the mixture is smooth.

Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl for 30 seconds.
Stir in the mascarpone mixture. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt,
baking powder, and chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Add the dry
ingredients to the chocolate mixture. Stir until just blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin pans. Bake for 20 to 25
minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes
out with no crumbs attached. Cool the cupcakes completely before
dipping, about 1 hour.

For the Ganache:

Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Combine the heavy cream and
vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until
small bubbles appear on the outside edge of the cream. Pour the hot
cream mixture over the chocolate chips. Using a fork, gently stir
until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Dip the tops of each cupcake in the ganache and transfer to a baking
sheet. Place the dipped cupcakes in the refrigerator to set, about 15
to 20 minutes. Allow cupcakes to return to room temperature before
serving.

Cook's Note: For puffier cupcakes allow the batter to rest in the
muffin pans for 20 minutes before baking.

Chocolate Sformato with Amaretto Whip Cream

Cook Time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

* 2 cups whole milk, divided
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 packet gelatin
* 4 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 (12-ounce) bag bittersweet chocolate chips
* 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
* 1 cup whipping cream
* 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
* 1 tablespoon almond liqueur (recommended: Amaretto)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups of the milk, the sugar, and
vanilla. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Remove from the heat. Sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining 1/2 cup
cold milk and let dissolve for 2 minutes. Combine the cold milk and
gelatin with the hot milk and sugar. Stir to dissolve the gelatin,
about 5 minutes. (Heat the milk gently if the gelatin is not
dissolving easily.) When the gelatin is dissolved combine the eggs
with the warm milk, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs.
Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring
cup or small pitcher.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate over a double boiler. When the chocolate
is melted gradually combine the milk and egg mixture with the melted
chocolate, stirring between each addition to create a smooth chocolate
mixture.

Pour the mixture into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the
top with the almonds. Place the casserole dish in a larger dish or
roasting pan. Add hot water to the outer pan until the water comes
halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until the sides are firm
and the center is jiggles slightly, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven
and let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, whip the cream to soft peaks in a medium bowl
using a whisk or electric hand mixer. Add the sugar and almond liqueur
and whip to combine. Spoon the sformato into individual serving bowls
and dollop the top with the almond liqueur whip cream.

Hazelnut and Chocolate Pie with Vanilla Whipped Cream

Cook Time: 35 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
Hazelnut and Chocolate Pie:

* 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1 cup hazelnuts, skinned and toasted
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more to dust the pie dish
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup hot water
* 4 eggs
* 1 stick butter, cut into 3/4-inch pieces, at room temperature,
plus more to grease the pie dish
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vanilla Cream:

* 1 cup heavy whipping cream
* 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

To make the Hazelnut and Chocolate Pie:
Directions

Position an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Put 1/2 of the chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and flour in the bowl of a
food processor. Pulse until the hazelnuts are coarsely chopped. Pour
the hazelnut mixture into a small bowl and set aside. Combine
remaining chocolate chips and sugar in the food processor. Blend until
the mixture is finely ground. With the machine running, gradually add
the hot water until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Add
the eggs, butter, vanilla and cinnamon. Pulse until mixture is
blended. Return the hazelnut mixture to the food processor and pulse
to incorporate. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured 9-inch
pie dish. Bake for 35 minutes. Place the pie on a cooling rack and
cool for 1 hour. (Top may crack during cooling.) Refrigerate for 2
hours. (Pie can be made 1 day in advance and stored in the
refrigerator). Allow the pie to return to room temperature for 30
minutes before serving.
To make the Vanilla Cream:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream until it forms soft peaks. Add
the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Continue to beat until
cream holds stiff peaks.

To serve: Cut the pie into slices and dollop with the Vanilla Cream.