Mud Cake

Ingredients

1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1 (10.5-ounce) bag miniature marshmallows

Preparation

Whisk together melted butter and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in flour and chopped pecans.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan.

Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove from oven; top warm cake evenly with marshmallows. Return to oven, and bake 5 minutes.

Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Preparation

Beat all ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Drizzle Chocolate Frosting over warm cake. Cool completely.

Chewy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the yummiest of cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cups peanuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Cream peanut butter, sugar and egg thouroughly.

2. Stir in flour and baking soda; mix well.

3. Stir in chocolate chips and peanuts.

4. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake in 350°F oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Serving size: Makes 3 dozen cookies

10 Health Benefits of Chocolate

1. High in Antioxidants
Cocoa contains Flavonols, a type of flavonoid that is only found in cocoa and chocolate. Flavonoids are naturally-occurring compounds that occur in plant foods that act as antioxidants and help counteract free radicals in the body.

2. Blood Pressure Benefits
Dark chocolate has been shown in studies to lower blood pressure in people with elevated blood pressure.

3. Lower LDL Cholesterol
Eating dark chocolate on a regular basis has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol by as much as 10 percent.

4. Natural Anti-Depressant
Chocolate contains serotonin, a natural anti-depressant. Chocolate also stimulates endorphin production, which creates feelings of happiness and pleasure. In fact, one study found that melting chocolate in the mouth produced feelings of pleasure longer than passionate kissing. This may explain why many people naturally reach for chocolate when they're depressed.

5. Cancer Fighter
Several studies have found chocolate to be one of the best cancer-fighting foods along with foods like red wine, blueberries, garlic, and tea. Two ways that chocolate works as a cancer fighter is by inhibiting cell division and reducing inflammation, though research is ongoing and will probably find additional ways in which chocolate fights cancer.

6. Prevents Tooth Decay
Research has found that the Theobromine in chocolate prevents tooth decay by eliminating streptococcus mutants, a bacteria found in the oral cavity that contributes to tooth decay.

7. Longer Life and Less Disease
One Dutch study followed 200 men over 20 years and found that those who consumed large amounts of chocolate, both milk chocolate and dark, lived longer and had lower overall disease rates than men who ate little or no chocolate.

A Harvard study on the Kuna tribe of Panama resulted in similar findings. The Kuna consumed large amounts of raw cacao every day and the study found them to have lower overall disease rates and longer life expectancy than neighboring tribes who did not consume as much raw cacao.

To further strengthen the case for dark chocolate as a life extender, the world's longest-lived person, Jeanne Louise Calment, lived to the age of 122 and many ascribed her longevity in part to her consumption of 2.5 pounds of dark chocolate a week.

8. High in Magnesium Cacao is higher in magnesium than any other plant. Magnesium is an important mineral that helps in the regulation of the digestive, neurological, and cardiovascular systems. Since many people are magnesium deficient, adding magnesium-rich dark chocolate to the diet can improve overall health.

9. Artery Cleanup
Studies have shown that the antioxidants in cacao work like brooms in sweeping plaque out of the arteries.

10. Brain Health
Many studies have shown that dark chocolate is good for the brain. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found it can protect the brain after a stroke by shielding nerve cells from further damage. Dark chocolate has also been found to improve memory. Researchers at California's Salk found that a chemical in chocolate called Epicatechin improved the memory of mice.

Here is another image showing the main effects of chocolate - this is from Wikipedia

 

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

Description:

Why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!
ENJOY!!!!

Ingredients:

1 Coffee Mug (straight sides)
4 tablespoons flour (that's plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional) - see tip below
Small splash of vanilla

Directions:

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well . Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. (mine is 1200 watts, I cooked it for 2-1/2 minutes and it was fine). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate and enjoy!

Depending on your appetite, this can serve 1 (little piggy) to 4 people (very reasonable person)........lol

TIP: if using chocolate chips (I did) put them in a small baggie and add a little bit of flour and mix it up to coat the chips lightly) this will ensure the chips do not sink to the bottom.

Servings:

1 to 4 - depending on how piggy you feel :)

Black & White Chocolate Cake

Description:

Start with a plain vanilla cake mix and end up with a luscious layered cake of vanilla and chocolate with white and dark chocolate chips. This cake mix is beefed up with an extra egg, buttermilk instead of water, and butter instead of oil. The instructions are for 9 x 13-inch sheet cake, but may be adapted for use as bundt cake or traditional layer cake. Easy to make and impressive on the table.
This cake is absolutely DELISH!!!!!!

Ingredients:

* 1 (18.25 ounces) package vanilla cake mix with real vanilla beans
* 1-1/4 cups buttermilk or sour milk (see Note)
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
* 4 eggs at room temperature
* 1 cup white chocolate chips, divided use
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided use

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick foil or grease with butter liberally.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, buttermilk, softened butter, and eggs. Beat on low speed only until combined. Some small lumps may remain. Pour half of cake batter into a separate bowl and set aside.

To one half of the cake batter, fold in 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, reserving the remaining 1/2 cup for later use.

To the other half of the cake batter, add the cocoa powder, mixing until combined. Fold in 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, reserving the remaining 1 cup for later use.

Pour the dark chocolate batter into the prepared pan and smooth to even it out.

Carefully spoon the vanilla cake batter on top of the dark chocolate layer. Gently spread to an even layer without disturbing bottom layer.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Spread reserved 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips on top of warm cake. Wait 5 minutes, then use a spatula to spread the melted chocolate on the top as a frosting. Let cool to room temperature. Sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup white chocolate chips on top of chocolate frosting and gently press into the frosting.

Cut and serve at room temperature.

Notes:

If you don't have buttermilk or sour milk on hand, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1-1/4 cups whole milk. Let rest 10 minutes to thicken before using.

The cake may also be made in a bundt pan or traditional round layers. Adjust the baking time up to about 50 minutes for a bundt cake and down to about 25 minutes for round layers. Test for doneness.

24 to 36 servings, depending on cut size

Cranberry Chocolate Banana Bread

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and made it today, but I found the instructions not as clear as they should be, if someone who is not used to cooking/baking were to follow that recipe, they might get confused (I know I was at first), so I thought I would share the same recipe, but with clearer instructions in those areas that were lacking it. The original recipe can be found here. Oh, and I did not use the pictures on that site, I took my own pictures.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 Cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 Cup butter, softened
• 3/4 Cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 Tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Cups flour
• 1/3 Cup baking cocoa
• 1 Tsp baking powder
• 1/2 Tsp baking soda
• 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Turn on the oven to 350°F
2. Place cranberries in a bowl and cover with hot water, by the time you have everything else ready they will be ready to use.
3. In a large bowl beat butter with sugar for 2 minutes. Add eggs, beating well after each addition.
4. Combine bananas, sour cream and vanilla. Then add to the butter/sugar/eggs mixture.
5. In a separate bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Combine with the banana mixture which was combined to the first mixture.
6. Drain cranberries and fold into the batter.
7. Bake in a greased 5x5-inch loaf pan for 45-50 minutes. (That's what the original recipe called for, however I didn't have a loaf pan that size, so I used a 9inX5in pan and it worked out just fine. I cooked mine 45 minutes and it was cooked to perfection.
8. Place pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then you can take it out and put on a serving plate.

This loaf is absolutely delicious, and moist. I loved it!

Chocolate Truffles

This recipe was seen on the Today show on NBC, December 13th, 2012 with Kathie Lee and Hoda. Making truffles is always a messy thing, but oh so good :)

Chocolate truffles

Jacques Haeringer

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 12 ounces semi-sweet dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (Grand Marnier), optional
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• Utensils:
• 1 quart saucepan
• 1 quart bowl
• Large spoon
• Melon ball cutter
• Large platter or baking sheet
• Double boiler or stainless steel bowl (1 quart)
• Fine sieve

Preparation

For truffle cream:
Pour the cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and add six ounces of the chocolate broken into small pieces. Stir constantly with a spoon until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in the orange liqueur. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for about 2 hours until the mixture is firm. The chocolate cream may be placed in the freezer to accelerate hardening.
For truffles:
Using a melon ball cutter or teaspoon dipped in hot water, scoop out all the chocolate onto a plate. Dust moderately with powdered sugar and shape into balls by rolling in the palms of your hands. Place the chocolate balls on a wax paper or foil-lined plate and freeze for a minimum of one hour.
Melt the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate in a double boiler, stirring once or twice. (A metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water takes the place of a double boiler.) Remove the bowl or the top of the double boiler from the hot water.
Cover the bottom of a small shallow baking pan with the cocoa powder.
Remove the truffles from the freezer and dip in the melted chocolate, one at a time, coating all sides. Drop the coated truffles into the cocoa powder and gently shake the pan in a back-and-forth motion to completely powder the truffles. Lift the powdered truffles into a fine sieve and shake gently back and forth to remove excess cocoa powder. Place the finished truffles in one layer in a covered container. Store in the refrigerator but serve at room temperature.

Serving Size

Makes 36 truffles

You can also view the video showing how these were made

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