Author: Chocolate Covered Weekly

Hot chocolate bombs are the new way to enjoy the beverage — here’s how to make them! Move over coffee ice! TikTok has given the world another hot, new trend and this time, it’s the tastiest way to usher in cooler weather! Social media enthusiasts are ditching cocoa powder mixes and taking hot cocoa to the next level this season with hot chocolate bombs. But what exactly are they? Hot chocolate bombs are pretty simple. Each bomb is a hollow chocolate sphere that’s filled with mini marshmallows and cocoa mix. You put the chocolate orb into an empty mug and pour hot milk on top until the chocolate begins to melt. When the chocolate shell begins to melt into the milk, the marshmallows from the interior float to the surface. After a quick stir, you’ve got yourself the perfect sweet treat! Here’s a recipe for “S’mores Hot Chocolate Bomb! Click, here, for other recipes for “The Bomb”!

Cathy Ortiz’s S’mores Hot Chocolate Bomb

Ingredients:

Compound chocolate
Graham crackers
S’mores hot cocoa mix
Mini marshmallows

Instructions:

Melt your compound chocolate in a bowl (if you’re an expert, you can also temper the chocolate).
Brush your silicone mold with two coats of chocolate and let it dry.
After they’ve dried, remove the hardened halves from their mold and heat the edges of one side with a hot plate so the rim is melted and even.
Put a tablespoon of s’mores hot cocoa mix inside that half of the sphere along with as many marshmallows as you can fit (toasting optional, but recommended).
Heat the rim of the second half on a hot plate and connect both halves together so it forms a complete sphere.
Melt more of the chocolate compound and put it into a piping bag. Drizzle chocolate on top of the dried hot cocoa bomb and top off with some finely grated graham crackers for the full s’mores effect.

As published on TODAY.COM.

 

This recipe is the result of weeks of testing and countless bags of chocolate chips to produce what is thought to be the ultimate chocolate chip cookie! If you want a cookie that’s thick, chewy, filled with chocolate chips and big, this is it! Crispy on the exterior but gooey on the inside. And the perfect combo of sweet and salty, too.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 13 minutes

Chilling time: 30 minutes

Servings: 9 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups White Lily All-Purpose Flour*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (10- to 12-ounce) bag mini-semi-sweet chocolate chips
flaky/kosher salt

Instructions:

Combine the cold, cubed butter, white sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl and use a mixer to combine — 3 to 5 minutes — or until completely mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In another large bowl, measure 3 cups of flour by spooning it into a dry measuring cup and leveling it off before adding it to the bowl. Add the baking soda, cornstarch and 1 teaspoon salt and whisk to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture all at once. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Add the chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a light-colored cookie sheet with parchment paper.
After the dough has chilled, use a food scale to measure out 6 ounces of dough for each cookie. Place 2 to 3 dough balls 6 to 8 inches apart on the prepared pan and sprinkle with a generous pinch of coarse or flaky salt. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and just set. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving the entire piece of parchment, with the cookies on it, to a wire rack to cool. Work in batches to bake the remaining dough, being sure to keep it refrigerated until it gets baked.
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to three days. For warm cookies, reheat in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
Notes

White Lily All-Purpose Flour is important to the success of this recipe because of its low protein content. If you can’t find it in your area, see notes above, which suggest an acceptable replacement.
This recipe originally appeared on SouthernBite.com and published recently on AlabamaNewsCenter.com.

Celebrate National Homemade Cookies Day and International Coffee Day with these coffee cookies from Maria Provenzano (or make them any time of the year!).

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MOCHA SHORTBREAD COOKIES

INGREDIENTS :

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

DRIZZLE:

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil

DIRECTIONS:

In the bowl of a stand mixer add in the butter and sugar and mix together until well combined and lighter in texture.
Stir in the vanilla.
In another bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, instant coffee granules, cinnamon, and salt.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and continue to mix until well combined being careful not to over mix. It’s ok if it looks crumbly as long as it comes together when you squeeze it in your hands.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Separate the dough evenly and half and form two balls. Roll each fall in between parchment paper to about 1/3-1/2 inch thick.
Place in the refrigerator for about 30-60 minutes or until the dough is easy to work with.
Use a circle cookie cutter that is about 3 inches, or any shape you desire, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Use a sharp knife to cut a rectangle shape in the cookie as the slit of the cookie that will sit on the side of the mug; make sure you know how thick your mug is prior to cutting.
Bake about 18-20 minutes, depending on thickness and how cold the dough is.
Once the cookies have cooled, make the chocolate to drizzle on top.
Melt together the chocolate chips with the coconut oil either in a double boiler or in the microwave and drizzle it over top of the cookies.

As published on HallmarkChannel.com.

Love Hot Chocolate? Make this icy cold version! This frozen cold chocolate or Frappuccino is so refreshing that you’ll excuse “the weather Gods” for not bringing winters in sooner. After trying it once, you would want to make it again and again to enjoy its delicious and creamy taste.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

To make the creamy and frothy cold chocolate, mix sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips and cinnamon powder together and pour hot milk over it to make a smooth paste. Then blend the chocolate paste with milk and ice together till the ice is crushed. Remember, the milk should be hot, not just-boiled. And that’s it, just top the drink with whipped cream; you can also decorate it with grated chocolate, and refresh yourself. (Watch the video detailed instructions, HERE).

 

Chocolate and peanut butter come together in a most excellent pie. Those Reese’s folks got it right. There’s nothing better than a good peanut butter/chocolate combo. And, when it comes in pie form, well that’s just about the top of the PB/chocolate mountain. The filling is poured into a pre-made chocolate cookie crust, so, really, it comes together in no time flat.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pie

Makes 1 9-inch pie.

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cups whipping cream

1 (9-inch) chocolate cookie pie shells

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

1-2 teaspoons coconut oil

Directions:

1. With an electric mixer, beat peanut butter and cream cheese until creamy, scraping the bowl occasionally. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Blend in the vanilla.

2. Beat the whipping cream in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture and spoon evenly into the pie shells. Freeze for 30 minutes or longer.

3. Mix the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small bowl. Heat in microwave in 30-second intervals until smooth. Spread chocolate mixture on frozen pie. Freeze until serving time.

As published in TheAdvocate.com.

A cake without frosting is like spaghetti without sauce or a hot dog without a bun. You can separate them, sure. But why would you want to? So try this recipe for your chocolate cake.

TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
MAKES: About 2½ cups, or enough frosting for 1 (10-inch) round cake or 18 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa, sifted

Directions:

Cut butter into tablespoons. Fill a medium saucepan with 1½ inches water, bring to a boil, and lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Place egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt in a metal mixing bowl. (Use the bowl of a stand mixer if you have one.) Place bowl on saucepan, making sure bottom doesn’t touch water. Whisk constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture is opaque and bubbly and reads 160-165 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 4 minutes. Remove bowl from saucepan.
Use an electric mixer with whisk attachment to beat mixture on high speed until it is white and fluffy with stand-up peaks and bowl is no longer warm, 4 minutes. With mixer running, add butter a tablespoon at a time, scraping down sides with a spatula. Beat in vanilla and cocoa until fully incorporated. If buttercream looks soupy, ingredients are too hot. Set bowl in refrigerator to cool and beat again. If it looks dense or curdled, ingredients are too cold. Put bowl back over simmering water until it starts to melt at edges. Beat until it comes back together. Frosting can be frozen in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature and beat until smooth.
—Adapted from “Simple Cake” by Odette Williams, as published in The Wall Street Journal.

 

 

This Chocolate Cake Recipe Is So Good, It Needs No Frosting!

TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes
MAKES: 1 (10-inch) round cake or (12-by-4-by-3-inch) loaf cake.

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing pan
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk
½ cup grapeseed oil or neutral oil
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-by-3-inch round pan (not springform) or a 12-by-4-by-3-inch loaf pan with butter, line bottom and sides with parchment paper and grease paper.
Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into a mixing bowl. Whisk in sugar.
In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Gradually add wet ingredients and whisk until smooth, with no lumps. Stir in boiling water to combine.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in center of oven until a wooden skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean and cake bounces back when lightly pressed, about 50 minutes for round pan, 35 minutes for loaf pan.
Remove cake from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Run a butter knife around cake to gently release. Peel parchment from sides. Invert cake onto a wire rack and peel off bottom piece of parchment.
—Adapted from “Simple Cake” by Odette Williams, as published in The Wall Street Journal.

 

 

Makes Two 10” Pies, One for your hostess, One for your holiday hangover breakfast.

INGREDIENTS:

2 prepared, unbaked and frozen pie shells (see Lisa’s Pie Dough Recipe)

12 Medium or Large Eggs

6 cups Sugar

2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

8 oz Butter

4 oz Finely Chopped Bittersweet Chocolate

1/2 Vanilla Bean

3 cups Buttermilk

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean and place in a medium saucepan with the butter and chocolate. Over low heat, melt the chocolate mixture until the chocolate is completely melted and combined with the butter. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Whisk all the dry ingredients together, breaking up all lumps.

Whisk eggs and buttermilk together and combine with the dry ingredients, whisking until well combined.

Slowly whisk in the butter/chocolate mixture until well combined.

Pour the batter into a frozen pie shell. Place in oven bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Bake until set, about 40 minutes.

As published in The Splendid Table.

This chocolate cake is made with mayo. And it comes to us via the brand new Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook, created by author, recipe developer and food stylist Ashley Strickland Freeman. This recipe is a bit more detailed and takes a little more time than most recipes, but the extra effort is absolutely worth it. Y’all are going to love it! Ganache frosting can be used as-is or whipped with a mixer to make it lighter. (Stacey Little/Southern Bite)

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Prep time: 1 hour

Cook time: 24 minutes

Serves: 10

Ingredients

For the cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sifted cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup Duke’s Mayonnaise
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the ganache frosting

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 tablespoons corn syrup

For the chocolate mousse filling

1-1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon boiling water
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1-1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions

For the cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two (8-inch) round cake pans (I use vegetable shortening) and dust with cocoa powder.
Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat the mayonnaise and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the flour mixture alternately with the water, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat at medium-low speed for 1 minute. (Batter will be thin.) Stir in the vanilla.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for 21 to 24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to wire racks. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. Once cooled, split each layer in half.
Make the ganache frosting and the chocolate mousse filling.
Place one cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Top with one-third of the chocolate mousse filling; repeat the process twice. Place the remaining layer on top. Spread the ganache frosting on the top and sides of the cake before slicing.

For the ganache frosting

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan until the cream is hot. Pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute, then stir until smooth.
For a shiny look, let stand until spreadable (20 to 30 minutes), stirring occasionally. For fluffy chocolate frosting, beat the mixture with an electric mixer until fluffy.

For the chocolate mousse filling

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small bowl. Let stand until the gelatin softens. Stir in the boiling water to dissolve the gelatin.
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat 1/2 cup of the cream and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the cream is steaming. Pour over the chopped chocolate; add the gelatin and stir until smooth.
Beat the remaining 1 cup of cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold a small amount of the whipped cream into the chocolate; gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until combined. Use immediately. (The mixture will firm up as it stands.)

This cake is for the true chocoholic who loves a dark, rich chocolate flavor. Those who might want a little more sweetness should consider using semisweet or milk chocolate rather than the bittersweet called for in the recipe.

This recipe originally appeared on SouthernBite.com. For more great recipes, visit the website or check out ”The Southern Bite Cookbook.” You can find this post at AlabamaNewsCenter.com.