Friday Recipes: Chocolate

January 27th was Chocolate Cake Day, and Valentine's Day is right around the corner. So it seems fitting to share some tasty chocolate treats with you on this cold recipe Friday!

Stacked Heart Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tablespoons evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and chocolates, beating until smooth. Stir in nuts. In a another bowl sift together next four ingredients. Stir dry mixture alternately with milk into creamed mixture, mixing until a soft dough form.

On a lightly floured surface. use a floured rolling pin to roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes by using a set of heart cookie cutters in varied sizes or make your own templates out of paper and cut around them with a sharp knife. Transfer cookies to a greased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Starting with the largest size stack two of each size cookie together. Tie each stack with a gold ribbon, then wrap in plastic wrap or cellophane. Gather at the top and tie with again with a ribbon and attach a gift tag.


Chocolate Shortbread

1 cup butter
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
Confectioners sugar

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Press dough into a 15x10x1 inch jelly roll pan. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cut out warm shortbread in pan using a 2 inch wide heart shaped cookie cutter. Remove cookies from pan and cool on wire rack. Sprinkle cookies with confectioners sugar and store in airtight container.

Notes: Cookies may be given in decorator tins (Victorian designs would be extra special),or decorator cellophane bags. You can also sew very simple tapestry bags and gather the top with a ribbon after inserting a plastic bag with the cookies inside. Wicker baskets lined with antique doilies can be used as well for a beautiful old fashioned look.

More recipes like this here
http://oldfashionedliving.com/lovecookies.html


Moist Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup hot water
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Mix cocoa with hot water. Set aside to cool. Mix mayonnaise, sugar and egg together. Add cooled cocoa mixture. Add flour, baking soda, and vanilla. Pour batter into two 8 inch layer cake pans that have been lightly buttered or sprayed. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Frost with your favorite icing or sprinkle with confectioner's sugar for a snack cake.


Mississippi Mud Cake

1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs slightly beaten
1-1/2 cups self rising flour
Mini marshmallows

Frosting:

1 box powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
4 oz. butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Melt butter and cocoa together. Add sugar and eggs, then the flour, mixing well. Pour into a 9x13x2 inch greased pan and bake for 25-35 minutes. For icing: Mix all ingredients until smooth. While cake is still hot, but not directly out of the oven, cover top with marshmallows and allow to melt. Spread icing on top of the marshmallows

More chocolate cake recipes here:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/chocolate3.html


Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake

1 7 ounce package caramels
1/4 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup chopped pecans, divided
1 9 inch chocolate crumb piecrust
2 3 ounce cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups milk
1 package chocolate instant pudding
1/2 cup fudge topping

Place caramels and milk in a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat stirring continually, until smooth, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Pour into piecrust.

Combine cream cheese, sour cream and milk in a blender. Process until smooth. Add pudding mix: process for about 30 seconds longer. Pour pudding mixture over caramel layer, covering evenly. Chill, loosely covered, until set, about 15 minutes. Drizzle fudge topping over pudding layer in a decorative pattern. Sprinkle top of cake with remaining pecans. Chill, loosely covered until serving time.

More recipes like this
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/chocolate2.html


Read about the history of chocolate here
http://oldfashionedliving.com/chocolate.html

Cookie Baking, Decorating, Storing & Shipping Tips
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/cookietips.html

Visit our Valentine's Day section
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/main.html



Our friends at Annie's have some Chocolate Cake recipes here
http://anniesrecipescom.blogspot.com/2010/01/chocolate-cake-recipes-tips.html


and some tips for baking great cakes
http://www.anniesrecipes.com/Article/12/Tips-for-Baking-Great-Cakes.htm