Tag Archives: Chocolate

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

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Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies {just add chocolate chips to 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies!}

I love these cookies.

First off – it’s tough to beat a 3-ingredient cookie.  Especially one that tastes this good.

But add chocolate:  pure, unadulterated awesomeness.

And the darn things taste like Reeses peanut butter cups!

Seriously.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Okay, look at that photo.  Four things in this cookie.

That’s it.

You have no excuse not to make these.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

First, mix together some peanut butter, sugar, and an egg.

Then stir in chocolate chips.

Roll up some dough, flatten with fork, sprinkle with extra sugar.

Try not to devour them before you bake them.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

My little helping hands decided the remaining chocolate chips should be spread over the counter.

Easier access.  :)

And my oldest daughter decided that we should put chocolate chips on top of most of the cookies before baking them, but, just so you know, they didn’t stick.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Look at that beautifulness.

These cookies are seriously addicting.  Very tempting.

I may have to make half a batch next time.

{And I think I forgot to include the yield amount in the printable recipe… it makes 24 cookies.}

And, below, is a photo of little fingers making off with my photo props.  :)

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies {and sneaky fingers!}

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix the peanut butter, sugar, and egg until combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Shape a generous teaspoonful of the batter into a circle. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten by pressing a fork into the top in an X pattern.

Generously sprinkle granulated sugar over the top of the cookies.

Bake until set, about 18 minutes.

Cool on pan for two minutes, then move to wire racks to cool.

*****

Click for the Free Printable PDF:  Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Enjoy!  {I know you will.}

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“Make Your Own” Custom Chocolate Bars

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Create Your Own Chocolate Bar from 3 Types of Chocolate and Over 100 Toppings!

Today, I discovered custom chocolate bars.

That’s right:  make your own Belgian chocolate bars by mixing and matching 3 types of chocolate and over 100 toppings.

I believe that “Sweet!” would be an appropriate response to this.  {Pun fully intended.}

Create Your Own Chocolate Bar from 3 Types of Chocolate and Over 100 Toppings!

Anywho, the combinations are endless, which I love.

You can add up to 5 toppings to make “recipes,” like Peanut Butter Jelly Time Chocolate Bar which includes a milk chocolate base and toppings of dried strawberries, butter toasted peanuts, peanut butter drops, and gushers.

Heck, you can even go the extra mile and add a “Congratulations” plaque and a candle.

Create Your Own Chocolate Bar from 3 Types of Chocolate and Over 100 Toppings!

Some of the ingredients which most intrigue my taste buds include:

Diced Ginger
Himalayan Sea salt
Pumpkin Spice
Dried Raspberries
Nerds
Sour Patch Kids
Cookie Dough
Pop Rocks
23 Karat Gold Flakes
Crystallized Violet Petals
Bacon
Monkey Munch

The list goes on…

Create Your Own Chocolate Bar from 3 Types of Chocolate and Over 100 Toppings!

And I mean, seriously, does anyone really NOT know someone who wouldn’t want a pumpkin spice chocolate bar?

I’m thinking that I’d love to try the dark chocolate base topped with violet petals and gold flakes.

What about you?  What would you try?  What would you craft as a gift for a loved one?

Let me know!  (And don’t forget to check out all the ingredients for the Create Your Own Chocolate Bar on Zazzle!)

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Mint Chocolate Croissants

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Mint Chocolate Croissants Recipe

Once, when I was exploring heart of Metz, France, I came upon a little bakery.  I was entranced.  There in the bakery case were row upon row of sweet sugary goodness, and there was a particular chocolate croissant loudly calling my name.

And, since I suddenly lost every French word I knew, I clumsily, and with much waving of hands and pointing, ordered said croissant in a strange mumble of English, Spanish, and German (three more languages I can barely manage…)

But what can I say?  Chocolate pastries do strange things to me.

Anyway, enjoying the flaky delicacy in the shadow of an ancient (by American standards) limestone church is a happy memory for me.  It was a beautiful city.

And a damned good croissant.

Mint Chocolate Croissants Recipe

What you see here is a shadow of that memory, with a mint twist:  a super, super easy-to-make mint chocolate croissant.

If you live in North America, then you’re probably familiar with Pillsbury crescent dough.  The only change I made to the basic procedure was adding in some mint chocolate candy.  I just rolled the candy up inside the crescent before baking it according to the package directions, which I tried to demonstrate in this photo:

Mint Chocolate Croissants Recipe

Make sure you tuck in the ends to keep any melted chocolate from escaping.

Also, I melted an additional 10 candies so that I would have something to drizzle over the top.  I didn’t want to scald the chocolate in the microwave or bother with a double boiler, so I put them in a tiny glass dish and stuck the bowl of candy into the oven with the croissants while they baked:

Mint Chocolate Croissants Recipe

I left the candies in the oven the whole time the pastries baked, then stirred the melted chocolate with a spoon to smooth it out before drizzling it over the croissants in a criss-cross pattern.

I didn’t even wait for them to cool – just drizzled it on straight out of the oven.

I may have waited a minute or two before eating one. And another minute before eating a second.

Maybe.

Or maybe I just shoved them right into my drooling face as soon as I was finished snapping pictures.

Mint Chocolate Croissants Recipe

Either way, I suggest you eat them warm.

And, IF there are leftovers, I suggest you warm them a little because the chocolate inside will harden once completely cooled.

Mint Chocolate Croissants Recipe

Since this recipe really only had two ingredients, I tried to tell the story mainly with pictures instead of a list of instructions.  BUT, I still wrote up a recipe (including extra pictures), in PDF form which you can get here:  Mint Chocolate Croissants.

Also, I made a little graphic with the instructions right on top of a *yummy* photo, so it’s perfect for your Pinterest recipe album:

Mint Chocolate Croissants Recipe

Enjoy!

And Happy Baking!  :)

Roaming Rosie Signature

Layer Cake with Chocolate Chip Filling

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Layer Cake with Chocolate Chip Filling

I had asked my daughter what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday.

She wanted Merida.

Well, since her party was going to be a Hello Kitty party, we did a Merida (From Disney’s Brave) cake here at the house.

Which is why the cake in the photos is blue, like her dress.  :)

And for a little something different, I decided to add chocolate chips into the filling between the layers.

Wow.

This idea is a keeper!

Layer Cake with Chocolate Chip Filling

Anyway, the process is pretty simple:  bake a cake like you normally would, and when you add the icing, generously sprinkle chocolate chips over the icing that’s on top of the bottom layer.  Then place the top layer over the chocolate chips.  Finally, add some icing in between the layers at the edge (to help make the final product smoother) before icing the entire cake.  (See step-by-step photos below.)

I used milk chocolate chips, which I thought added a wonderful dimension to the vanilla cake and cream cheese icing.  I also choose the regular-sized chips, which I loved, but you could also try the miniature ones as well.

The only thing I would change in the future, is that I would add some icing to the bottom of the top layer before placing it on top of the chocolate chips.  The chips themselves don’t stick to the cake, so it didn’t stay together very well when placing the pieces on the plates.

It wasn’t a big problem, just something I think I’d change.  Honestly, I thought about it, but I only had one container of icing (yes – I used store-bought for this) and that wasn’t enough to add icing to both layers on either side of the chocolate chips.

Here’s a photo of the step-by-step process:

Layer Cake with Chocolate Chip Filling

Let me know if you try this – or something like it!

It was a big hit in our home.  :)

Roaming Rosie Signature

15 Minutes to Chocolate Pudding

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Chocolate Pudding

It was late.  I found myself in the mood for chocolate, but not wanting candy or ice cream or, even, (heaven forbid) cookies.

But I needed chocolate.

What could I make?  What would satisfy my craving?  What could be done quickly since it was already nine at night?

I couldn’t decide, so I explored Pinterest.  There were so many, many amazing foods, but nothing quite what I needed… until I came across The Best Chocolate Pudding You’ll Ever Have (in 15 minutes!).

Fifteen minutes?  That’s worth a try for silky smooth dark chocolatey goodness.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any dark chocolate cocoa on hand, so mine was more semi-sweet.  Still awesome, tho.

Chocolate Pudding

It was definitely simple.  Whisk together a few ingredients.

Chocolate Pudding

Boil some milk.  Whisk the rest of the ingredients.  Eat.

Chocolate Pudding

I was pleasantly surprised by how simple and quick the whole process was.  The thing that took the longest was stirring in the chocolate chips (above) and waiting for them to melt.  If I’d had chocolate shavings instead, it would have been even faster.

And there were a few chips that didn’t melt completely, but that didn’t really bother me.

Chocolate Pudding

The problem with taking photos was that I was in a rush to eat it, and my powdered sugar kept melting as soon as I sprinkled it on.  The thick, gooey chocolate was calling my name.

It’s awesome when it’s well-chilled, too.  Of course.  Which I know because I couldn’t eat it all in one sitting.  Which was lucky for my girls.  They got to enjoy it the next day.  :)

So be sure to check out the recipe at A Cup of Jo – and the photos, too, they’re much better than mine!

And then be sure to enjoy some homemade chocolate pudding.  :)

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Chocolate Christmas Tree Brownies

Posted in food & flavor & recipes, holidays by

Chocolate Christmas Tree Brownies

December can be dangerous.

Especially when I find myself inspired to make things like chocolate Christmas trees that perch on sprinkle-coated brownies.

And it all started because I was hungry when I walked past the candy melts in the grocery store.  Never shop hungry.

Anyway, the result was these adorable chocolate Christmas trees, which I placed on top of little, square brownies that represent crunchy Christmas presents.  :)

Making Chocolate Christmas Trees

Before baking the brownies, I coated the top with nonpareils.  While the brownies were baking, I melted the green candy in a baggy in the microwave (at 50% power).

Once the chocolate was melted, I snipped off a very small point on the corner of the baggy, and squeezed out the chocolate onto waxed paper in the pattern of a Christmas tree.

To make the trees, I went back and forth, tracing out a triangle shape.  Make sure the lines are thick enough and enough of them are touching each other.  If the lines are too thin and too far apart, the trees will probably break.  Also, be sure to draw a “trunk” at the bottom of the tree, so that you can stick it into the brownies.

As soon as you draw a tree, stick a flower or star-shaped large sprinkle at the top, preferably in yellow to represent the tree star, and sprinkle nonpareils over the rest of the tree, to represent the ornaments.

I used Christmas colored nonpareils, but you could also use the normal multicolored ones.  I used the same nonpareils for the brownies and trees.  And for the tree star, I used flower sprinkles that are available year round.  Those are easy to reuse for other holidays, since all I needed were a handful of the yellow ones.

Chocolate Christmas Trees

Let the trees completely cool and harden.  A couple hours is best.  You could also draw them on a cookie sheet that you place in the fridge if you’re in a hurry.

Once the brownies and trees are both completely cooled, cut the brownies into squares.  In the center of each brownie, use your knife or a toothpick to break through the shell of sprinkles and make a little hole for the trees.

The chocolate trees are fragile, so you don’t want to have to put much pressure on them to get them into the brownie.  Gently, but securely, insert the trunk of the tree into the hole in the brownie while holding the tree as close to the bottom of the “branches” as possible, instead of pushing it from the top.

Chocolate Christmas Tree Brownies

You don’t need a whole bag of candy melts to make trees for one tray of brownies.  About half should do it.

But I made extras because these chocolate trees will keep fresh in a container for, well, at least the rest of the season.  I’m saving my extras for the cookie trays.  :)

The Most Dangerous Video on the Web

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WARNING!  I am about to share with you a video of something very, very dangerous:

A Magic Chocolate Lava Cake.

I actually found this video by way of some gifs that reached into my chest and stole my breath straight from my lungs.  Some people would call this a gasp, but it’s really more of a gasm.

An ooey, gooey, luscious, shivering foodgasm, that is.

You can watch the the chocolate miracle being made right before your eyes:

And you can find the recipe at How To Cook That.

I now have the desire to throw a party for the sole purpose of serving this dessert.

Chocolate-Covered Football Pretzels

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For Grandpa’s birthday, the girls and I wanted to make him something special.  He loves pretzels, so my first thought was fancy, chocolate-dipped pretzels.

Then, I came across Utz’s football shaped pretzels.

Ooohhh … birthday WIN!

chocolate football pretzels

So, I grabbed a bag of the pretzels, some Wilton chocolate melts in brown (like actual footballs) and blue (just for fun), plus some mini M&Ms and some fun sprinkles.

chocolate football pretzels

After melting the candy in the microwave according to the package directions (always at 50% power!), I dipped the pretzels into the chocolate with a fork, tapped the fork on the side of the bowl to shake off the excess chocolate, and placed them on a sheet of parchment paper I’d laid across the counter.

My girls then scattered M&Ms and sprinkles over the pretzels before the chocolate set.

The 19-month-old made sure there was plenty of candy on the pretzels.  :)

chocolate football pretzels

We let the pretzels cool and set completely on the counter for a couple hours, then sealed them inside an airtight container.

You could use some type of fancy treat bag, but Grandpa was just as happy with a Tupperware wrapped in tissue paper.  :)

Momism #5: Chocolate Stash

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Momism 5

Has it already been a week since my last post?

Guess life has been keeping me busy.  Most of it is an exciting-busy:  starting up my new real estate business.  But, unfortunately, there has also been some stressful-busy, pretty much all divorce-related.

Which brings me to chocolate.

When I think of stress, I think of chocolate.  Is it just me?  Be honest…

Anyway, chocolate also comes in handy about once a month, which is what this Momism references.  The main problem with this, is that sometimes us moms NEED chocolate.  But that would make our kids hyper.  Just before bedtime.  Which is never good.

So sometimes we hide things.  Not because we’re greedy.  Because we’re busy.  And stressed.  And we need some sort of outlet for that stress so that we can pretend to be sane in front of our kids.

Chocolate is one of those outlets.

{{{This was originally posted at roamingrosie.blog.com, but I’ve since transferred my blog here}}}