Molten Lava Cakes, revisited

You would think that one posting on Molten Lava Cakes should be sufficient, but I have been hooked on a new recipe and have to share it.  Who can say no to Molten Lava Cakes?  If you can, then I'm sorry, we can't be friends.  :)  This is one of those things that people assume you can't make at home, and if you can then they must be difficult.  Well as long as you have ramekins ( even muffin tins work), then yes, they can be made at home and quite easily too.
I have made these for company multiple times and everyone always Oohs and Ahhs.  Although I did have one guest who didn't know what it was and proceeded to smash and stir it up, then eat it with a spoon.  He got teased a lot after that.  I have also made these for myself on several occasions when Jared is gone for the night for a conference or camp out.  He is always impressed (shocked?) by just how many I can eat all by myself.  Most people can only handle one, but I've built up a tolerance over the years I think.
So what makes this new recipe so great?  I think it's three things- less sugar, a little salt, and the addition of cocoa powder.  I love the salt in this recipe, I think it really makes it, so don't leave it out.
So here's the recipe, so simple, so delicious.

Molten Lava Cakes
1/3 C flour
3 T cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick butter, cut up
2 large eggs and 1 egg yolk, at roomp temp
6 Tbs sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare 6 ramekins (mine are about 4 .5 ounces) by spraying with baking spray (the kind with flour in it).
Melt chocolate and butter over low heat until just melted.
In large bowl, whisk eggs, yolk, and sugar until well blended.  Add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, and salt) and stir them in.  Then, slowly, stir in the melted chocolate.
Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins, I use a 1/3 C measure for this, and they come out perfect.  Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes.  The sides will have risen, but the center will still be sunken and look a little wet.  Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before overturning onto plate.  Serve with whipped cream. 

Extra Tip!!  If you don't have ramekins, just use muffin tins!  Regular size is fine.

Coming Soon: Cream Puffs!

Toot Toot!

Not to toot my own horn or anything...but my Hot Mulled Apple Cider recipe was just published in this week's Food section of the Columbus Dispatch.  Every week readers request recipes they're looking for or would like to try, then other readers submit a recipe as an answer.  The editor then chooses the best one as the answer.  So...it's not like it's a big deal, but I smiled when I saw my name in print this week.  :)

Chocolate Covered Caramels

The first Christmas after Ann was born, I started dipping my own chocolates.  They make a wonderful gift and are a lot of fun to make.  Some of my friends and family know of my obsession with See's Candies.  Their chocolates are my absolute favorites ( I turn up my nose at Godiva and others that try to be fancy, but just don't taste as good).  But sadly my closest See's is in Chicago, a quick 5 hour drive away.  So I try to make a couple on my own.  Jared's and my favorite are the vanilla caramels with almonds in them.  They so yummy and chewy, I can sit down and eat them all.  This recipe in and of itself can explain my holiday weight gain so far this year.  So this recipe is my attempt to make something delicious for my family.  I've discovered that Ann isn't a fan of the caramel if it has nuts in it, but loves them plain.  Evelyn will eat anything if it's covered in chocolate. 
Learning how to do my own chocolates has been a work in progress and I feel like I've learned a little more each time I do it.  I think the best piece of advice I can give is to use the best ingredients you can.  That especially goes for the chocolate you dip them in too.  I have been using Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate, but would use Guittard if I coud find it out here.  Using good quality ingredients makes a surprising difference. 
Things you will need- Candy Thermometer, and if you want, a Chocolate Thermometer, and Parchment Paper.

Vanilla Almond Caramels
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 C light corn syrup
1 C granulated sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C butter
1/4 t salt
2 t vanilla
1 C almonds (roasted, salted, I prefer Diamond brand)
Tempered dipping chocolate

Place parchment paper in 13x9 in pan and spray with pam.  Set aside.
In a heavy 4 quart saucepan, combine milk, corn syrup, sugars, butter, and salt.  Place over medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil.
Clip on candy thermometer.  Stirring constantly to precent scorching, cook to 242 degrees or soft ball stage.  remove from heat and immediately pour in vanilla and nuts, stirring quickly.  Pour into prepared pan.  Cool at room temperature until firm. 
Remove from pan and cut with a good strong knife into squares.  Dip into tempered chocolate.
For an extra touch, sprinkle on a little kosher salt before the chocolate cools.

Store in a cool dry place or else they will 'bloom' (when they get streaky or grey).

Holiday drinks

Well, obviously I have taken a bit of a hiatus from blogging recently.  I've been taking a class online this semester which required me to post to a class blog three times a week.  So I've been all blogged out, which is a shame because this time of year is such a great time for baking! 

So let's see if I can catch up a bit and to start things off, I'm going to share a couple of my favorite drinks.  There's nothing better than enjoying a hot cup of something delicious when it's cold outside.  Hot Mulled Apple Cider makes the whole house smell amazing and couldn't be easier.  I've also recently discovered a new hot chocolate recipe that I'm really enjoying.  It's a bit untraditional, but I love it.  Having a drink like one of these just seems to make any evening or get-together that much more special.  The girls love it and have been very spoiled with excellent hot chocolate, no water and carnation instant packets for us! 

Hot Mulled Apple Cider
3 whole cloves
2 strips of orange peel
2 whole allspice
1 cinnamon stick
1 piece (1/2 in) peeled fresh ginger
12 Cups of apple cider
1/2 C apple jelly
1/4 t nutmeg

Place first five ingredients in a piece of cheesecloth and tie to close.  Add everything to a slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours.  Tastes wonderful and serves a crowd!


Nutella Hot Chocolate
1 1/3 C whole milk
3 T Nutella

Yup, that's it.  Heat the milk until almost boiling( I will also often use half and half) then add the Nutella and whisk until creamy.  To make it even more decadent add a handful of dark chocolate chips, such as Ghiradelli 60% cacao.  Let them sit for a few minutes in the hot milk, then whisk together. 

The Nutella adds a great hazelnut flavor that I'm really loving lately.  Just try not to think about the calories!
This recipes serves one or two.

Also, I know I've mentioned this before, but I absolutely love to use a blender or immersion blender when making hot chocolate.  It makes it so creamy and frothy, it seems like you got it at a cafe.  Just put the nutella or chocolate chips in the blender, then when the milk is fully heated, pour it over the chocolate and turn on the blender for a full minute.  Simple, but makes a huge difference!

Eating Nutella makes me think of when Jared and I were in Paris.  After going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, we found this great crepe stand and got a huge banana-nutella crepe.  It was amazing, and became a great memory.  A lot of my favorite memories are attached to food...

Apple Turnovers

Although they're mostly considered a breakfast food, apple turnovers are good as a snack pretty much anytime.  Growing up we used to 'make them' with the Pillsbury can we bought at the store.  You unroll the dough, squeeze on the fruit filling, seal, and bake.  Well, this recipe honestly wasn't very difficult. The only time consuming part was peeling and cutting the apples. 
This also gave me an opportunity to use one of my favorite store bought products- frozen puff pastry dough.  I love using this stuff because it tastes great and looks impressive.  This with the combination of the homemade apple filling made a delicious turnover.  And don't forget the icing! I also love the combination of apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg which makes it very fallish.  Perfect for the weekend.

Apple Turnovers
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
2 T butter
3/4 C brown sugar or dark brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1 t lemon juice
1 T cornstarch
1 T cold water
1 package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

Icing
1 C confectioners sugar
1-2 T heavy cream (or milk if you prefer)
1 t vanilla

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat, then put the apples in.  Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes.  Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Cook and stir for another 2-3 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice.  Stir together cornstarch and water, then pour it into the skillet and mix well.  Cook until sauce has thickened.  Remove pan from heat and let cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Unfold puff pastry sheets.  Mine are the shape of a large square, so I cut mine into 4 smaller squares.  You can cut them into 8 if you prefer mini turnovers.  Spoon the apples into the middle, then fold over and seal.  Putting a little water around the edges with my finger helped seal it together nicely.  Place turnovers on baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about an inch of space in between. 
Bake for about 20-25 minutes until puffed and lightly browned.  Cool on wire rack.
TO make the glaze, mix the sugar, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Drizzle over turnovers.

Chocolate Almond Tart

When I think of fall foods and flavors, things like pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg come to mind immediately, but I think that nuts also definitely have a fall feel to them.  I'm severely allergic to pecans and walnuts (which sadly often leaves me out of a delicious dessert) so my go-to nut of choice is obviosly almonds.  But hazelnuts are also on my okay list, and when I came across this recipe I had to try it.  You can use either nut (almonds or hazelnuts) for this recipe without any changes though hazelnuts can be harder to find. 

It came out beautifully with this awesome crispy crust on top, while the middle stayed soft and chewy.  Perfect texture, and very decadent.  Be sure to wait until it's mostly cooled ( I know it's hard to wait, but with this one it's a must), otherwise it will be too runny and gooey.  You can pop it in the fridge if you're too impatient!  I'm told that this is a bit similar to a Pecan Pie, but seeing as how I've had to run away screaming from that type of thing for most of my life, I'll just take their word for it. 

Also, I feel like I say this about most of my recipes, but this was seriously easy with no skill required.  Anyone can whip this up quickly and it's sure to impress if you have guests.

Chocolate Almond Tart

1/2 C sugar

2 T flour

3 eggs, beaten and at room temp

1 1/2 C chopped hazelnuts or almonds

1 C semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (milk chocolate is just too sweet for this recipe)

3/4 C light corn syrup

2 T melted butter

1 t vanilla

1/4 t salt (if your nuts are salted, you can skip this)

pie crust (store bought or home made, your choice)

In large bowl mix together the sugar and flour.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir together until blended.  Pour into crust and bake at 325degrees for 1 hour.  Cool on wire rack.

Fall is here!...at least for the moment

Well thankfully the heat has passed and the leaves are falling.  It is beautiful outside, but I'm suddenly reminded of just how much fun it wasn't raking an acre of leaves last year.  Oh well, my pumpkin bread makes up for it!  I love pumpkin recipes.  I have more than I can post on here, but I will start this week by posting my favorite pumpkin bread.  I made it last night (2 loaves) and by late morning, we were down to one.  I can't think of anything better to make my house smell wonderful.  I have had this recipe for a long time.  I can't remember if I got it in high school or college, but it's always been a hit.  And thankfully, it's ridiculously easy (anyone who knows me well, knows I have an odd aversion to yeast).

Pumpkin Bread

1 can pumpkin (16 oz)

1 2/3 C white sugar

2/3 C veg oil

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

 3 C flour

2 t baking soda

1 t salt 

1 T cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1/2 t apple pie spice or ground cloves

1/2 t baking powder

Blend together the first five ingredients.  In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients to be sure there aren't any lumps.  Then stir into the wet ingredients.  Grease two loaf pans ( I use Pam with flour, it's awesome) and separate the batter.  I use a measuring cup to be sure of even distribution. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. 

To make it a bit healthier, you can substitute in some whole wheat flour.  As a general rule, you substitute a third without a big difference.  I also suggest using Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.  It's ground much finer and it's even less noticable.