Nutella Biscotti

I love everything Nutella so these were a winner in our book!

Nutella Biscotti
Ingredients
2 1/4 C flour
2 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 C sugar
1/2 C chocolate chips
1/2 C hazelnuts (optional, but why would you NOT!?)

Directions
-Preheat oven to 350
-Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, powder, and salt in a medium bowl
-Beat eggs in a large bowl until frothy; add sugar and continue beating for 2 minutes
-Stir in Nutella; add flour mixture and stir until well combined
-Add chocolate chips and nuts
-Divide dough into 2 or 3 logs and with well-floured hands (A MUST), arrange onto parchment paper and form into rectangles/logs around 1/2 inch thick.
-Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, cool, and lower oven temp to 300.  Using a serrated knife, cut logs into slices 1/3-1/2 inch thick and lay on their sides on the parchment paper lined pan.  Bake 10-12 minutes, flip over, bake additional 10-12 minutes.  Let cool.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

We are biscotti lovers. I love nothing more than brewing a fresh pot of coffee in the morning on the weekend and dunking in a fresh biscotti. I made this one for a family party a few months ago and forgot to blog about it! It was a big hit, but definitely was not peanut-y enough. I did not add the peanuts and the next time I make these, I definitely will because it needed that for a peanut-boost.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Biscotti
adapted from Food Network

Ingredients
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

Directions
Position racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Continue to cook until the butter browns and gets a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar while beating. Then slowly add the butter and vanilla until evenly mixed, about 30 seconds more. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.

While mixing slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 2 additions, mixing just until absorbed. Fold in the peanuts and chocolate pieces.

Divide the dough evenly into thirds, and put each portion in the center of a baking sheet. Shape the dough with slightly wet hands into logs about 2-inches wide and 15 inches long. Bake until set and brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool logs on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut logs crosswise, with a long serrated knife at about a 45 degree angle, into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Place cookies cut side down on the baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Cool biscotti on the baking sheets. Serve.

Brownie Pudding

February's flavor of the month from Bake at 350: CHOCOLATE!  My favorite!

I was finally able to participate!  And lucky me that this recipe popped up on my Google Reader just in time!  It was warm and deliciously rich...and FOTM gave me an excuse to make it on a random weeknight!

Brownie Pudding

as seen on Annie's Eats, from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Ingredients

½ lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish

4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
¾ cup cocoa powder
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Directions

-Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Lightly butter a 2-quart oval baking dish.  Melt the 2 sticks of butter and set aside to cool.

-In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the eggs and sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until thick and light yellow in color.  Meanwhile, combine the flour and cocoa powder in a medium bowl and whisk together until blended.

-When the eggs and sugar are finished mixing, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the mixing bowl.  Add the flour-cocoa powder mixture to the bowl as well.  Mix on low speed just until combined.  With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the melted butter and mix again just until combined.

-Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Place the baking dish in a larger baking pan.  Add very hot tap water to the outer baking pan to create a water bath, coming halfway up the side of the baking dish.  Bake for 60 minutes.  The center will appear very under-baked, that is the way the dessert should be ( I think I baked mine for just a few minutes too long because it was not as gooey as Annie's).  Allow to cool slightly before serving with ice cream.

Grandma's Do-Do's

Day 4 of The Control Freak's 12 Days of Treats

A story: When I first started baking Christmas cookies several years ago, I asked my mom for Grandma's do-do recipe. I have no idea if this is what they are really called, or if it is the wrong name, but it is always what Grandma called them. My mom dug up the recipe and I got to work. As soon as they were finished baking, before even glazing them, I tried one and was transported instantly back to my childhood and Christmas at Grandma's. She passed away when I was a freshman in college, so this was almost like she was actually with us. It was amazing.

I have made them every year since, and it is always the first cookie that my mom goes for, and in this family, the first to be completely gone.

I halved the original recipe because it was completely overwhelming the first year I made them. So I am bringing you the recipe I follow.

Grandma's Do-Do's

Ingredients:

4 C flour

1 C Crisco

1/2 C cocoa

1 C sugar

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix ingredients like a pie crust. Then add:

3 eggs

1/4 C cold water

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 C chopped walnuts

Mix all ingredients and form a giant ball. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove from fridge and kneed like bread. Form into walnut-sized balls.

Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes-be sure to watch the bottoms so they don't burn!

When cookies are cool, coat with a powdered sugar-water glaze. It may take a few coats of the glaze until it looks thick enough.

Do you have a family recipe that takes you back in time to your childhood? Post it for us!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Day 3 of 12 Days of Treats

Chocolate Mint Cookies

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

3/4 C butter

1 1/2 C packed brown sugar

2 C semisweet chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

36 chocolate mint wafer candies (which means Andes mints)

Directions:

-In a large pan over low heat, cook butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool off slightly.

-At high speed, beat in eggs, one at a time into chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, beating until blended. Chill dough about 1 hour.

-Preheat oven to 350.

-Roll dough into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. While cookies are baking unwrap mints and divide each in half. When cookies are brought out of the oven, put half a mint on top of each cookie. Let the mint sit for up to 5 minutes until melted, then swirl it using the back of a spoon to spread the mint on the cookie.

Chocolate Spider Web Layer Cake

I first saw this cake on, where else, but Katie's blog last year. I saved it and made SURE to make it this year. I did make an error when I made the glaze, which led it to become more of a frosting, but it was still delicious and so cute for Halloween! I noted my mistake in red, but had I followed directions, it would have been even easier to make.

Chocolate Spider Web Layer Cake
As seen on Good Things Catered

Ingredients
1 Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Layer Cake
filled with Perfectly Chocolate Icing (I was in a hurry so I used a canned Pillsbury Funfetti frosting, which was already orange for Halloween. Good in a pinch)
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
9 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 oz white chocolate

Directions:
-In small saucepan over medium low heat, heat whipping cream, stirring occasionally.
-Chop chocolate finely and place into large heat-proof bowl with butter (Here is where I made my error. I did not chop the chocolate finely enough and I forgot the butter. So it became more of a fudge frosting, which was still delish but NOT as easy as the glaze would have been)
-When whipping cream starts to come to a boil, remove from heat and pour over chocolate.
-Stir immediately and constantly until mixture becomes smooth.
-Let rest until thick enough to form a glaze, about 3 minutes.
-Meanwhile, place cake, on board over a wire rack over the sink (for clean-up's sake).
-Pour glaze over top of the cake and spread out evenly and over the edges with a spatula.
-In a disposable piping bag of microwave proof bag, heat white chocolate in microwave until melted.
-Cut tip off of bag and pipe a spiral onto the top of the cake, starting in the center.
-Starting in the center of the cake, drag a toothpick through the icing, toward the outside edge of the cake, every few inches, to form spiderweb decoration.
-Use remaining white chocolate to pipe spiders onto cake.
-Let icing cool completely before serving.

Chocolate Cake with PB Frosting

I saw this cake on Amber's Delectable Delights and was inspired to make it.  Alas, I was missing a few ingredients so I took her decorating ideas and frosting but used Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake.  I made this for our housewarming party and it was a huge hit!!  I didn't even get a piece (neither did C but I promised I would make him an entire cake for himself).

Reese's Peanut Butter Cake

as inspired by Amber's Delectable Delights

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

2 C sugar

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour

3/4 C Hershey's Cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 C milk

1/2 C vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 C boiling water

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 9-inch round baking pans

-Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl

-Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes

-Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin)

-Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean

-Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks

Peanut Butter Frosting:

from Ina Garten

**I doubled the recipe and made 2 batches, which was MORE than enough

1 C confectioner's sugar

1 C creamy peanut butter

5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/3 C heavy cream

Place the confectioner's sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work.  Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

In between cake layers, I chopped up some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and put that on top of a thin layer of frosting before decorating.

Seriously...even though I did not get a piece, I was drooling as I was making it.

And please do not judge me for my styrofoam plate...bad for the environment and all, but we had a crapton of people over and I was not about to do dishes for 100 people.  Sorry.