Grandma's Chocolate Pudding

My grandmother wrote this recipe card out especially for my father so that he could make this pudding even when she was not visiting. I follow the recipe, but cut the sugar in half.

2 c milk

1.5 ozs unsweetened chocolate

2 eggs (for a super-silky pudding, use 4 egg yolks)

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

Warm milk and chocolate over medium heat in a pot at least triple its volume until chocolate is melted. Stir regularly to avoid scorching. 

While milk is heating, combine sugar and cornstarch; whisk well to combine (this is what ensures no lumps). Then add eggs. When you put them in the bowl, it won't look like it will come together, but it will: just keep whisking!

Whisk some hot milk into the mixture to lighten it, then pour the lightened mixture into the pot, whisking furiously.

Finished product.

Family tradition: eat warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! 

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Warning: the dough needs to be made the day before. Otherwise they just don't taste the same. But that's OK, because it's a good thing to keep around. (You know, for emergencies.) The process described here for browning the butter is the same process I use to make ghee. If you'd rather have ghee, strain and discard solids. For this purpose, though, they add flavor.

1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 c Sucanat
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 c unbleached flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c bittersweet chocolate chips
coarse sea salt, to sprinkle on top (optional)

Line two baking sheets with parchment. Melt 1 stick butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally. Butter will foam and make popping noises. Once crackling stops, pay close attention. When brown bits have formed in bottom of pan and butter is fragrant, remove butter from heat. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

Beat remaining stick butter with brown sugar for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is lightened and very smooth. Add vanilla. Pour cooled brown butter into bowl. Add granulated sugar. Beat 2 minutes, until smooth, fluffy and lightened in color. Add eggs; beat another minute.

Add flour, salt, and baking soda, beating on low speed just to mix. Fold in chocolate chips. Scoop dough into a container; refrigerate at least overnight. Yes, really! Letting the dough rest overnight improves flavor and texture. Dough can also be scooped into tablespoon-sized balls once cold, then frozen. (Add 2 minutes to baking time if doing this.)

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350. Scoop dough by tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle balls with sea salt to taste. Bake 9 minutes or until lightly browned. (Less is better.) Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 3 minutes before moving them. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Simple One-Bowl Chocolate Bundt Cake

This weekend I needed to make a cake for a function, but I was out of butter, and being a holiday, all the stores were closed. I made an oil-based recipe instead, which turned out to be easy and very tasty.

2 1/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
2 c sugar
2/3 c cocoa, sifted (can use up to 2 Tbsp black cocoa)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp instant espresso powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 c water
3/4 c orange juice (I used more water)
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c sunflower or other neutral-flavored oil

Preheat oven to 350 F. Set rack to second-lowest position. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until very well combined.

Pour batter into pan. Tap twice on counter to remove bubbles. Bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with just a few crumbs. Cool in pan on rack 20 minutes. Unmold onto rack, let cool, and dust with powdered sugar just before serving. 

Amazing Overnight Waffles, Chocolate Style

This recipe, adapted from Mollie Katzen, lives up to its billing. Better yet, it's easy. The majority of the work is done the night before, allowing even the most bleary-eyed of cooks to produce a showstopping breakfast. This past weekend I had waffles on the table in the morning for my daughters and their sleepover guests before my coffee was even ready. A recipe like that? Keeper.

Go ahead... lick the screen

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 c milk
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/4 c Guittard miniature chocolate chips
1/3 c Nutella
1/3 c half-and-half
Powdered sugar
Whipped cream (optional)

The night before: Stir together flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk; whisk to blend. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

In the morning: Preheat waffle iron. Heat butter until just melted. Crack egg into melted butter; beat to combine. Stir into batter. Add chocolate chips. Ladle batter into waffle iron. Cook until browned.

While the waffles cook, stir together Nutella and half-and-half until mixture reaches the consistency of a sauce. Top each waffle with a drizzle of sauce, a dusting of powdered sugar, and a dollop of whipped cream if desired. Serve immediately.

Leftovers (if any) can be cooled completely on a rack, then frozen in a zip-top bag for later reheating in a toaster or toaster oven.

Berries with Honey Ricotta Cream

A delectable springtime dessert. Please don't try to use the waxy and flavorless "chocolaty" sprinkles you can find in supermarkets. Substitute miniature chocolate chips instead, or simply go without.

I'm sorry there's no picture. This dish got eaten before it could get photographed. Some things are too good to last, I guess...

1/3 cup ricotta cheese
2-3 Tbsp cream, to taste
2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp almond extract
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries
a dusting of Guittard chocolate sprinkles

Place ricotta in a small bowl. Add cream, honey and almond extract. Stir to mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Place strawberries and blueberries in a serving bowl. Dollop ricotta cream atop berries. Top with sprinkles and serve.

Hot Chocolate for the Winter Solstice

I make this beverage for my family as a special treat, once a year on the winter solstice. We spend the evening outdoors, away from electric illumination, to honor the darkness; and cups of hot chocolate made with melted chocolate (not cocoa) have become part of the ritual.

3/4 c half-and-half
2 Tbsp raw sugar
1 c high-quality bittersweet (60%) chocolate chips
4 c milk
3/4 tsp real vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cayenne
pinch sea salt

Heat half-and-half and sugar until simmering. Remove from heat; add chocolate chips. Let sit a moment, then whisk to combine. Chocolate should be thoroughly melted. This chocolate base can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week to make individual cups of hot chocolate; when ready, proceed with recipe as follows.

Combine chocolate base and milk. Stir to combine, then heat thoroughly; do not boil. When piping hot, stir in vanilla, cayenne and sea salt. Decant into 4 preheated mugs.

Salted Chocolate Nutella Fudge

I took this recipe to a potluck tonight where there were about 30 people. No fudge was left at the end of the evening.

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
8 ozs (1 1/4 c) high-quality bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate chips
1 cup Nutella
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 to 1 tsp sea salt

Line bottom and sides of a 9" baking pan with waxed paper, leaving a 2" overlap. It helps to dot the center bottom of the pan with a bit of butter to help the waxed paper stick.

In a medium glass bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, bittersweet chocolate chips, Nutella and butter. Cook over gently simmering water, or in the microwave, until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, spread the top smooth with a spatula, and sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Using paper, lift fudge out of pan, then peel off waxed paper. Dip a knife into hot water, dry it, and cut the fudge into squares, dipping and drying knife as needed. Store fudge refrigerated in an airtight container. Makes 64 pieces.

Baked Chocolate Cake Doughnuts

While still definitely a treat, these doughnuts are baked, not fried, elevating them a notch on the healthfulness scale. Do they still taste good? My children – self-proclaimed experts on all things sweet – praised them as the best doughnuts they'd ever eaten.

This recipe makes 18 doughnuts, requiring the special equipment of 3 doughnut pans (or 1 used in heavy rotation).

1 3/4 c white whole wheat flour (or 2 c pastry flour)
1 c plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon, or 1/2 tsp espresso powder (optional)
6 Tbsp butter
4 large eggs
6 Tbsp buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside.

Melt butter in a small bowl. Beat in eggs until thoroughly incorporated. Add buttermilk and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients all at once into dry ingredients; stir just until combined. Batter will be thick.

Scrape batter into a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Cut off one corner, making an opening about 3/4" in size. Squirt the batter into the openings in the doughnut pans to fill each doughnut form half full.

Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 12 to 14 minutes. When done, they'll spring back when touched lightly. Remove pans from oven, remove doughnuts from pan (mine lifted straight out with a slender silicone spatula), and allow finished product to cool slightly before glazing.

Chocolate Lava Cakes with Pistachio Cream

These were absolutely the hit of my Thanksgiving menu this year. The sauce would be good on many many things; I took great pleasure in licking the spoon when no one was looking.

1 c shelled dry-roasted pistachios
1 3/4 c sugar, divided
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
2 large eggs
5 large egg whites
2 ozs bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1 c milk
Dash of salt

Place pistachios in a food processor; process until a crumbly paste forms (about 3 1/2 minutes), scraping sides of bowl as needed.

Place half of pistachio butter in a metal bowl with 1 1/4 cups sugar, cocoa, eggs, and egg whites. Stir well (I used beaters). Add chocolate; cook over simmering water until chocolate melts and sugar dissolves (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat; add baking powder and vanilla. Stir with a whisk until smooth. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray and sugar. Chill a minimum of 2 hours. (I chilled them for 10 and they baked fine.)

Place remaining half of pistachio butter with 1/2 cup sugar in food processor; pulse until combined. Add milk and salt; process until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve into a small saucepan. (Solids can be eaten on toast - YUM.) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes or until thick. Pour into a bowl, cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 450°. Bake cakes 8-9 minutes or until almost set (centers will not be firm). Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Invert cakes onto a cutting board, then place each on a dessert plate. Drizzle with sauce.