Tasty and Easy Recipes

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 tbsp. melted unsalted butter or margarine
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine
1-1/2 cups sliced almonds
5 ounces melted semisweet chocolate, cooled
5 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar

Chocolate Glaze:
2 tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine
3 tbsp. honey
1/4 cup water or coffee
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Method:
Generously brush 9″ round cake pan with 1 tbsp. melted butter. Line bottom with round of parchment or wax paper. Brush with remaining melted butter. Sprinkle generously with sugar. In food processor fitted with knife blade, cream butter. Add almonds and beat until mixture comes together. Add melted, cooled chocolate and blend well.
Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, and continue blending until smooth and fluffy. In large bowl of electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar and beat until smooth and firm. Fold in 1/3 of egg white mixture to lighten and fold in remaining egg whites gently but thoroughly. Spoon batter into prepared cake pan. Bake at 400°F 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 250°F and bake 1 hour and 30 minutes, until cake is crusty on top and toothpick inserted in center comes out dry. Cool on rack. Invert onto large plate, peel off parchment paper and invert onto cake plate. Pour Chocolate Glaze over cake and spread or tilt cake until completely covered.

Make Chocolate Glaze:
In heavy saucepan, combine butter, honey, and water. Bring to boil, remove from heat and add chocolate. Beat until stiff enough to spread or drizzle over cake. If glaze is not thick enough, return to heat and simmer 3 to 5 minutes, mixing constantly.

Yield: 18 muffins

Ingredients:
1-2/3 cups (10 ounces) chocolate chips
10 tablespoons (1 stick + 2 tablespoons, 5 ounces) unsalted butter (If you use regular salted butter, leave out the additional salt)
1/4 teaspoon salt (see above, under butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, but good)
8 large eggs
3 cups (12 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
1 cup (4-1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

Method:
In a saucepan set over low heat, or in the microwave, melt together the chocolate chips and butter, stirring until smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat together the salt, vanilla, espresso powder (if you’re using it), and the eggs, beating until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, and beat again until smooth; the mixture will start to build in volume. Add the chocolate mixture, then the flour, stirring till smooth; the batter will be a light “hot cocoa” color.
Use vegetable oil pan spray to heavily grease 18 muffin cups. We used two muffin pans—all of one, and half of the other. If you don’t have two muffin pans, we’d assume you could use individual foil baking cups. The muffin tin we used has cups that are 2-3/4″ across the top, and hold a generous half-cup (9 tablespoons) of batter each.
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them right to the brim. Refrigerate the cakes until they’re thoroughly chilled; I refrigerated mine for 3 hours, though longer would be fine, too.
Preheat your oven to 450°F. Bake the cakes for 13 minutes exactly! poke open the top of one cake with a sharp knife tip; you should see molten batter inside. However, the cake should also appear well-set all around the edges.
When you’ve determined they’re done, remove the cakes from the oven, and set the pan on a rack for 5 minutes; run a dull (butter) knife around the edge of each, and very carefully lift them onto a serving tray or onto individual serving plates. Serve immediately, with whipped cream, ice cream, and/or raspberries, and/or hot fudge sauce, if desired.

Ingredients:
Chocolate Cookie Dough
2 cup all-purpose Flour
1/2 cup creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Shortening
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 Egg
3 tblsp Milk
1/4 tsp Salt

Method:
As directed make and chill chocolate cookie dough.
Beat peanut butter, sugar and shortening until fluffy.
Mix well egg, milk and vanilla.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat flour mixture into peanut butter mixture until blended well.
Shape dough into disc and wrap it in a plastic wrap.
Let is freeze in refrigerate for about 1 to 2 hours.
lubricate cookie sheets.
fold peanut butter dough on floured waxed paper to 1/8-inch thickness.
Cut dough using heart-shaped cookie cutter.
Place cutouts on prepared cookie sheets.
Repeat with chocolate dough.
Remove small section from centers of hearts using a small cookie cutter.
Set small peanut butter hearts into large chocolate hearts.
Set small chocolate hearts into large peanut butter hearts.
Press together slightly.
Bake it in a preheated oven at 350°f till the edges are lightly browned, it will take about 10 to 14 minutes. Let it cool completely on the wire racks.