Tag Archives: chocolate

Chocolate Peppermint Muffins with Peppermint Glaze

Chocolate and peppermint is a great combination for the holidays! I was wanting to make a Christmasy kind of muffin, so I thought I’d experiment a little with chocolate and peppermint and I came up with this Chocolate Peppermint Muffin recipe. It’s very rich and chocolatey, with some mini semi-sweet chocolate chips added in for good measure! 😉 And it has a nice, mild peppermint flavor. Topped off with a peppermint glaze and crushed candy canes, this is more of a dessert muffin than a breakfast muffin…but if you want one for breakfast, go ahead…it’s Christmastime, after all! 🙂

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT MUFFINS by NancyCreative

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 (6-ounce ) container plain or vanilla yogurt (or about 2/3 cup)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s®)
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Peppermint Glaze (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners; set aside.

In medium bowl, blend flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the yogurt, then add the vanilla and peppermint extracts, mixing well. Add the cocoa powder and blend everything well.

Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, half the amount at a time, until well blended. Fold in the mini chocolate chips and stir just until the chocolate chips are evenly distributed in batter.

Spoon mixture into the 12 muffin liners (the muffin batter is thick, so you won’t be able to pour it!). Bake at 350˚F for 22-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (your toothpick may not come out totally clean because of the mini chips being in there–you may want to poke your muffin in a couple of places). Let muffins cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

When these are completely cooled, you can add the peppermint glaze…

PEPPERMINT GLAZE

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 1/2 Tablespoons half and half (or milk)
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
3 regular-size candy canes, crushed (about 1/4 cup)

In medium bowl, blend the powdered sugar with the milk or half and half, stirring until smooth. Add the peppermint extract and blend well. This will be a thicker, creamy glaze. Top each muffin with a spoonful of glaze, then add the crushed candy canes on top…as much or as little as you want.

There…don’t these look like Christmasy kind of muffins? It’s one of my new favorite flavors now…you just can’t go wrong with chocolate and peppermint!

Do you have a favorite holiday muffin recipe?

Walnut Brownie Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting from Hello Cupcake!

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When I was asked if I’d like to review Hello Cupcake! by the publisher, I just couldn’t say no because I love cupcakes and cupcake cookbooks! Written by cookbook author and food stylist Leila Lindholm, the book is filled to the brim with sweetness and cuteness! The recipes are so yummy-sounding and the photos so delightful that I couldn’t wait to start baking! Some of the many cupcake recipes include Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes, Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes, Sticky Pecan Upside-Down Cupcakes, and Rocky Road Cupcakes. Not only that, there are also some great whoopie pie recipes sprinkled throughout the book, too…like Ginger Raspberry, Chocolate Mint, and Banoffee whoopie pies. I decided to combine two of Leila’s recipes…I made the Walnut Brownie Cupcakes, but instead of topping them with whipped cream and fresh raspberries (which would definitely be amazing), I decided to try her Nutella Frosting that she had as part of her Easter Cupcakes recipe.

The Walnut Brownie Cupcakes are rich and chocolatey, with chunks of dark chocolate, and the Nutella Frosting is pretty amazing too! The ingredient amounts in the recipe are written in ounces and grams, so I did have to make some conversions into cups and I’ve included my conversions below. The recipe also says it makes 12 cupcakes, but I ended up with 15, which was definitely a good thing, because these are so yummy! 🙂 I also filled my baking cups a little more than the recipe instructed, so my baking time was a little longer, and I’ve noted that below also.

Here’s the recipe…enjoy!

WALNUT BROWNIE CUPCAKES with NUTELLA FROSTING from Hello Cupcake!

Makes 12- 15 cupcakes

200 g (7 oz) walnuts, or 1 3/4 cup

175 g (6 oz) butter, or 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)

150 g (5 oz) granulated sugar, or 3/4 cups

150 g (5 oz) light muscovado or brown sugar, or 3/4 cups, packed

150 g (5 oz) good-quality cocoa powder, or 3/4 cups (I used Hershey’s Natural Unsweetened Cocoa powder)

50 ml (1 3/4 fl oz) golden syrup (substitute honey or light corn syrup) or 3 1/2 Tablespoons

a pinch of salt

3 eggs

150 g (5 oz) all-purpose flour, or 1 1/4 cups

1 teaspoon baking powder

200 g (3 1/2 oz) good-quality 70% dark chocolate (I used a 4 oz Ghirardelli bar of 60% dark chocolate)

Preheat oven to 175˚C or 345˚F.

Toast the whole walnuts in a hot and dry frying pan (I skipped this step).

Whip the butter, sugar, and brown (or muscovado) sugar until creamy. Add the cocoa, syrup, and salt. Whisk in one egg at a time.

Mix the flour with the baking powder and sift it into the other ingredients. Coarsely chop the chocolate and add it and the whole walnuts to the batter.

Line muffin tin(s) with paper cup liners and fill the cups 2/3 full with the mixture (I filled mine closer to 3/4 full, and I still ended up with 15 cupcakes instead of 12; if you fill them 2/3 full, you may get 16 or 17).

Bake them in the middle of the oven for about 15-20 minutes (if you fill your cups 3/4 full like I did, your baking time will be 25-28 minutes). Test cupcakes with a toothpick; they should be a little sticky in the middle. Remove from oven and cool completely.

You can either garnish these cupcakes with whipped cream and fresh raspberries or top them with Nutella Frosting (see recipe below)…

NUTELLA FROSTING

100 g (3 1/2 oz) Nutella, or 1/3 cup

400 g (14 oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar, or 3 1/2 cups

4 Tablespoons good-quality cocoa (I used Hershey’s Natural Unsweetened Cocoa powder)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

150 g (5 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 Tablespoon coffee

Mix the Nutella, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and cream cheese until creamy (I think it works best to blend the Nutella and softened cream cheese first, then add the other ingredients). Add the coffee and whip until fluffy (this is a thick frosting; if you’d like it thinner you can add a little more coffee). I went a little lighter on the frosting and had a good amount left over, so feel free to frost these heavier–you should have plenty to do that!

I love chocolate cupcakes, and these brownie cupcakes are a new favorite of mine! What’s your favorite cupcake flavor?

Linked to Sweets for a Saturday.

Shortbread Brownies

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Do you like brownies? I think I hear a “yes.” Do you like shortbread? I think I hear another “yes.” If that’s the case, there’s a very good chance you will love these Shortbread Brownies! I found the recipe over at Better Homes and Gardens. They are really yummy…so nice and thick, chewy, and fudgy. The buttery shortbread crust has mini semi-sweet chocolate chips mixed into it, which is a nice extra chocolatey touch! The recipe calls for a 9×9″ square baking pan, but I used an 8×8″ pan and baked them a few minutes longer. I also added a few more mini chocolate chips to make them extra chocolatey! The original recipe says it makes 24 bars, but I cut mine into bigger pieces, so I ended up with 16 bars. Here’s the recipe if you want to try them out…

SHORTBREAD BROWNIES by NancyCreative, slightly adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Shortbread crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Brownie batter:

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan (or an 8×8-inch pan) with foil or parchment paper; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl stir together 1 cup flour and brown sugar. Cut in the 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips. Press into prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

While shortbread crust is baking, you can mix up the brownie batter. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, 3/4 cup flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, melted butter, and vanilla; beat by hand until smooth. Stir in the 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips. Carefully spread over crust in pan.

Bake 40 minutes more (if using an 8×8″ pan, your baking time will be slightly longer). Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack. Lift brownies out of pan by lifting up on foil or parchment paper. Cut into bars. Makes 24 bars (unless you cut them bigger like I did; then you’ll get about 16).

If you want to make a bigger batch, you could double the recipe and make them in a 9×13″ pan…the baking time may be a little longer.

Hope you enjoy these brownies!

Linked to Tasty Tuesday, Sweets for a Saturday, Potluck Sunday.

Jumbo Hot Chocolate Cookies

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Lately, I’ve been in this jumbo cooking-making mode. I think it’s because jumbo cookies look so much like bakery cookies. They’re nice and thick and chewy…a cookie you can really sink your teeth into! So when I saw a recipe for Hot Chocolate Cookies at Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees, I decided to give them a try. I just used milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips, leaving out the white chocolate chips from the original recipe; but even without the white chocolate chips, these cookies are still stuffed with plenty of chocolate! The batter is very thick, too, so your arms will get a good workout when you’re stirring these up! 🙂 This recipe makes 22-24 good-sized cookies. I think they’re a great winter treat…with a big mug of hot cocoa, of course!

JUMBO HOT CHOCOLATE COOKES (adapted from Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/4 cup flour
1/2 to 2/3 cup of your favorite hot cocoa mix (don’t use sugar-free)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, hot chocolate mix, salt and baking soda. Add to wet ingredients slowly, making sure it is all incorporated. Then fold in the milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Like I mentioned earlier, this batter is really thick, so you may need to work the chocolate chips into the batter with your hands.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring scoop, place the dough on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet (I baked 6 cookies at a time on the sheet because of their bigger size).

Bake for 11-15 minutes (the original recipe says 9-11 minutes, but my baking time was longer). Let the cookies cool slightly before removing from the pans. Cool on wire racks or eat them hot and gooey from the oven–they’re great both ways!

NOTE: If you like marshmallows in your hot cocoa, you may want to make these cookies with a hot cocoa mix that has those tiny marshmallow bits in it!

Linked to Sweets for a Saturday, Sunday Showcase, Sweet Tooth Friday, Potluck Sunday, Tasty Tuesday, Show and Tell, Sundae Scoop.

The Best (Texas) Chocolate Sheet Cake

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A few posts ago, I told you about a recipe for Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes, made by Jane Ann for her department lunch. Well, Jane, who is also in that same department, madethis fabulous Texas sheet cake for the dessert. It was super-good…nice and moist, very chocolatey, and topped with a smooth layer of chocolate icing. Jane found the recipe over at The Pioneer Woman, where it’s called The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever.

Some people call this cake a Texas Sheet Cake because it’s so big…it’s baked in a big 13 x 18″ sheet pan or jelly roll pan, which measures about 10 x 15″. It’s described on The Pioneer Woman website as “…moist beyond imagination, chocolatey and rich like no tomorrow, and 100% of the time, causes moans and groans from anyone who takes a bite.” And as someone who tasted the cake Jane made, I can verify that this is all true! 🙂

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