Chocolate Mousse

When I was in college, I spent one semester living at the Sill Home Living Center on the University of Utah campus. It was the best experience I had while I was in college. I loved it. I lived there with my best friend, Sharon Hale. I learned a ton and had a lot of fun. Shortly after I lived there, they did away with the Home Living Center. Now it is just called, The Sterling W. Sill Building. One of Dallin's professors has her office in the building now. I think it is so sad. But I guess they think that the education we got there, is not neccessary in today's world.

A few months after we finished our semester there, all the girls that had lived there together, gathered for dinner. I was in charge of dessert. I made Chocolate Mousse. I never made it agian until Valentine's day this year. It was really good. Allan really liked it. I piped it into small heart shaped cups, I had made out of chocolate. They were quite pretty and delicious.

Chocolate Mousse

4 oz bar of high quality dark chocolate (Ghiradelli) Use 7 of the 8 squares (use last square as a garnish)

10 oz heavy whipping cream

¼ cup extra fine granulated sugar (not powdered) or just grind regular sugar in food processor

1 large egg white

1 tsp. almond extract

Break chocolate into small pieces and set aside

In a small saucepan, heat half of the cream until it begins to boil. Turn off heat, add the chocolate pieces and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

Pour the mixtureinto a bowl set over a large bowl of ice water and add the rest of the cream and almond extract. Using a hand held electric whisk, beat the mixture to soft peaks. Remove the bowl fromg the iced water.

Separate egg white into a bowl (glass or metal)

Whisk the egg white with a handheld electric beater until stiff peaks form. Add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue whisking to a soft meringue.

Carefully fold the meringue through the chocolate mixture, then spoon into chilled serving glasses.

Or refrigerate and when cold, pipe into serving cups.

Chill before serving.

Dipped Butter Drop Cookies

I've been trying to decide what kind of cookies to make for Cuyler's Mission Farewell Party. I'm pretty sure I'll make necktie sugar cookies and Spanish CTR sugar cookies. I'll probably also make Bowtie cookies (because Cuyler wore bow ties for a long time, just like Dallin). I really like these cookies too. They are pretty and taste really good. However, the chocolate on them doesn't always set up well in the summer so I may not make them. Maybe I'll let Cuyler decide. I'll leave the nuts off some of them, since Cuyler is allergic to nuts.

Dipped Butter Drop Cookies

1 cup Butter

1 ½ cup sugar

2 T. Milk

2 eggs

1 t. Vanilla

2 ½ cup flour (maybe a little more)

½ t. Salt

½ t. Baking powder

Heat oven to 375º

Cream butter, sugar and milk until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto sprayed cookie sheets. (2 inches apart).

Bake 7-9 minutes. Let cool. When cool dip in melted dipping chocolate or melted chocolate chips then in sliced almonds or chopped pecans. Let cool at room temperature.

See's Fudge

I got this recipe from Emma before I got married. One Christmas when Allan was on his mission, I went to Emma's house to make candy. We made all kinds of things. I took a big platter of it to Allan's family for Christmas. I don't remember what else we made. But they were all duly impressed, and consequently allowed me to marry into the family.
We made this fudge and molded it into hearts and dipped it in chocolate for Charis's wedding and for Valentines day. We are going to try Christmas Trees this year. If it works, I'll post a picture of them later.
When we had our neighborhood candy making class a few years ago, we experimented adding different things to the fudge after it had cooled slightly.


See's Fudge

1 large can evaporated milk
3 12 oz. packages chocolate chips
1/2 lb. margarine
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 8 oz. jar marshmallow cream
1 t. vanilla
chopped nuts (optional)


Combine all ingredients, except milk and sugar in a bowl and set aside. Mix milk and sugar in a sauce pan. Cook for 7 minutes at a full rolling boil. Pour over other ingredients and stir until smooth. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until firm.

Add in other ingredients after fudge has cooled to room temperature if desired.


Add ins:

Orange melts (chopped or slightly melted)
Mint Melt (chopped or slightly melted)
Dried Berries
Raisins
Skor toffee bits
White chocolate chips
Butterscotch chips
Mini Marshmallows
Chopped Peanut Butter cups
Macadamia Nuts
Mini M&M's
Coconut
Crushed Candy Canes

Flemmings Chocolate Lava Cake

Tonight we are going to Mary's house for dinner to celebrate Joie's, Claralyn's and Elaine's birthdays. I am supposed to bring dessert. I thought about bringing Chocolate Lava Cake because it is so good. But I decided against it because everybody always tells me how good the Chocolate Layer Cake at Costco is. It is way to big for my little family now. I decided this would be a good time to try it, when there will be more people to help us eat it. So that's what I'm getting. Besides that, candles won't melt in it. I hope it is good.

However, I decided to put the recipe for the Chocolate Lava Cake here anyway. I got the recipe from Studio Five on TV around Valentine's Day. It is pretty rich, so use little ramekins if you have them. Or you may want to share.

Flemmings Chocolate Lava Cake

1 lb. Butter
1 lb. Semi-sweet Chocolate
8 whole eggs
8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs. flour
2 tsp. vanilla

Cut butter and chocolate into small pieces. Heat on low heat in the microwave or over a double boiler until melted, stirring occasionally. While chocolate is melting, combine whole eggs and egg yolks in a mixing bowl and whip until slightly thick, about 5-6 minutes. Mix flour into sugar then pour into eggs and whip for 1 minute to blend. Lightly whip the chocolate and butter until smooth. Add to egg mixture. Add vanilla.
Pour into ramekins (sprayed with PAM or shortening and flour) to about a half inch from the top. Chill for 2-3 hours. Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. (Center will be a bit giggly.) Remove cake from oven and cool for 1 minute or a little more. Place cup on serving plate, top down and remove ramekin. Serve with ice cream or Whipped Cream. Garnish with fresh fruit or chopped nuts.
Larger ramekins take a little longer to bake (not too much, you still want it runny in the middle).

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I remember when my kids were little, Emma made the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. Everybody loved them. She was the cookie queen.But as her kids got older, I guess she stopped making them as much, because she told me a few years ago that Jordan didn't even know she knew how to make cookies.
I thought that Cuyler might be in the same boat. I thought that because I haven't made cookies in quite a while that he might not know that I once knew how to make Chocolate chip cookies too. However, yesterday, Cuyler asked if he could make some cookies. I told him he could if he would try a new recipe I had found for chocolate chip cookies. He was reluctant because he actually remembered that he likes my recipe (it's actually just the recipe on the Nestle's Chocolate Chip package with a little extra flour) and he wanted them. He finally agreed and made the new recipe. They were awful. My fault, not Cuyler's. I guess I'll just trust my tried & true recipe.
People sometimes ask me what the secret to making good cookies is. I really don't know. Except that you need to make them often enough that you get a feel for the right consistency of the dough. And I don't know how to learn that without a little practice and trial and error.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups butter
1 ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
1 ½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
5 cups flour (heaped a little)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 12 oz. pkg chocolate chips
chopped nuts (optional)

Mix sugars and margarine. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Blend in flour, soda and salt. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake at 375º for 9 minutes

Death By Chocolate

Hmmm...I just looked at the side bar of this blog and discovered that I have more dessert recipes on here than anything else. What does that say about me? I really don't make desserts that often. But, I think that when I do, I usually use a recipe. When I cook other things I often just make it up as I go. I just throw together things I have on hand and don't care too much if it turns out the same every time. If I'm going to waste the calories and the time to make a dessert, I want it to be worth the effort so I use a recipe.
Our Relief Society used to have a Christmas party every year. Each woman in the ward would submit a recipe and prepare it for the party. They would have the food at 3 or 4 different homes and we would go from home to home tasting all the food. At the end, they gave everyone a cookbook with all the recipes in them. This is a recipe that Brooke Anderson brought one year. Everybody loved it. It is really yummy! She said sometimes she uses Nutella to flavor the Cool Whip.

Death by Chocolate

Bake a 9x13 pan of brownies. Crumble when cool.

Make 2 3oz pkgs of chocolate pudding. You may use instant if desired. If you cook the pudding, cool before combining.

In a trifle bowl or glass dish layer;
½ pudding
½ brownies
1 8oz. Container of cool whip flavored with chocolate syrup

Sprinkle with 2 crushed SKOR toffee bars

layer:
½ pudding
½ brownies
1 8oz container of cool whip flavored with chocolate syrup

Decorate with chocolate curls or sprinkles

Refrigerate 4 hours before serving.

Chocolate Waffle Cookies

I got the recipe for these cookies from my friend, Danette. I really like these cookies. I usually make these in my heart shaped waffle iron. You can use a regular waffle iron as well. In fact, they probably work better that way. But they are cuter if you use a heart shaped one. I sold my regular waffle iron at a yard sale last year. I never used it for waffles (Allan likes Belgian Waffles better) and I forgot that I used it occasionally to make these cookies. Oh well. My heart shaped waffle iron is wearing out. Charis had one that she never used, so she gave it to me. My old one works better because the holes are deeper. These cookies are really cute for Valentine's day. They are a nice change from the traditional sugar cookies (but I like those, too).

Chocolate Waffle Cookies

Melt together: 3 tbsp cocoa and ½Cup margarine or
2 sq Chocolate

mix in:
2 Eggs
¾ Cup sugar
Dash of salt
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Cup flour

Drop by tbsp onto waffle iron. Cook 1½ minutes Cool and frost then top with nuts.

*These cookies are really cute if you use a heart waffle iron.

Red Velvet Cake

When Allan was a little kid, he always asked for a red chocolate cake with blue frosting, for his birthday. His mother was a nice mother and always made it for him. At least that's what I understand. I, on the other hand, am not as nice of a wife. In 31 years of marriage, I have yet to make, this cake. Charis did make him one this year for his birthday. She apparently is a better daughter than I am a wife as well. She found a cake mix for Red Velvet Cake. I have never been able to find one. I actually think Allan is OK with the fact that I have neglected this ritual. He has never really complained. In fact he ususally asks for some different kind of cake for his birthday, now.
This is actually his mom's recipe.

Red Velvet Cake
(aka Red Chocolate Cake with Blue Frosting)

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 T. cocoa
1-2 oz red food coloring
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 t. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 t. vinegar
1 t. soda
1 t. vanilla

Cream shortening, eggs and sugar. Make a paste of cocoa and pat of the food coloring. Add paste and food coloring to creamed mixture. Sift flour & salt & soda together. Add flour and buttermilk alternately a little at a time. Add vinegar.
Bake in 2 8" pans at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Rollo Cookies

A few years ago, several people in my neighborhood decided it would be fun to have a candy making class. Each week one of us would teach the rest of us how to make a different kind of candy. Bonnie Call decided that these cookies were close enough to candy (after all, they have Rollos in them). They are really good and the caramel in the middle is a pleasant surprise to the unexpecting.

Rollo Cookies

2 ½ cups flour 1 T sugar
2 eggs 4 oz white chocolate
¾ cups cocoa
1 cup chopped pecans 48 Rollo candies
1 t. soda
½ cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter (no substitutes)
2 t. vanilla


Mix butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, cocoa, soda and ½ cup pecans. Roll 1 tablespoon of dough around a Rollo. Dip in sugar and remaining nuts. Bake at 375º for 7 -10 minutes or until cookie is cracked. Let sit on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Drizzle with melted chocolate.

Picnic Cake

I think my sister, Margaret, was the discoverer of this recipe. But since she introduced it to us it has become a Martin classic. Everybody loves it. No picnic is complete without it. But it's good anytime!

Picnic Cake

combine the following:
1 cup raisins (or 1 cup chopped dates)
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 teaspoon soda
Cream:
¾ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir in:
1 ¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Add raisin mixture. Place in greased, floured pan. Top with ½ cup chocolate chips, ½ cup brown sugar and ½ cup nuts.

Bake at 350º for 40 minutes.