Today is one of my favorite days of the year, because it is the official start of #Choctoberfest. This is the third annual food blogger celebration of all things chocolate, made possible thanks to our gold sponsor Imperial Sugar and the other sponsors listed below. Over 70 bloggers are participating in #Choctoberfest 2017 and will be posting 200+ chocolate recipes over the next week. Keep your eyes peeled, visit any of the blogs listed below, or use the #Choctoberfest hashtag on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to follow along. You can also check out our #Choctoberfest Pinterest board, where we post chocolate recipes all year long. You can also enter to win our #Choctoberfest prize pack. Thank to our amazing sponsors who are contributing the following items for the prize:
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When it comes to chocolate and desserts - you can 'hit the easy button' with an easy creation that still brings flavor to the table. This satisfying chocolate pie does just that - so easy to make and easier to eat! You can make your own graham cracker crust or whipped cream or use a store bought - it all works out great in this recipe! ~Enjoy! Diane
Chocolate Pudding Pie Ingredients
Instructions
Homemade Graham Cracker Crust: Ingredients:
Homemade Whipped Cream Ingredients
What? Chocolate and Cherries in a jam?! Yes!! My second luscious addition to this years #Choctoberfest. I am so there for this decadent pairing that will have you eating this jam directly out of the jar. Use this not only to top toast but, dollop onto ice cream or cheesecake, or stir into morning yogurt smoothie for a real treat!
~Enjoy! Diane Chocolate Cherry Jam Ingredients: 6 cups Sweet Dark Cherries, pitted & coarsely chopped, fresh or frozen 6 Tbs. Ball Classic Pectin 1/4 cup bottled Lemon Juice 6 cups Sugar 2/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Yield: Approx 6 half pints Directions: 1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a 4-qt. or larger stainless steel pot. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. 2. Meanwhile, stir together sugar and cocoa until blended; add all at once to boiling cherry mixture. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam, if necessary. 3. Ladle hot jam into a hot jar, leaving 1⁄4-inch head-space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band, and adjust to fingertip-tight. Place jar in boiling-water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled. 4. Waterbath Process jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat; remove lid, and let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove to a draft free area to let jars cool. Recipe by: "The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving" Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home I decided this year to make candy truffles for the first time. I think they turned out beautiful but, yes - they take a bit more time then just making a cookie dough and plopping onto a baking sheet for the oven. This is 'candy making' - no oven involved. Actually quite the opposite, you want a cold kitchen, cold filling and to refrigerate these when done. These get the 'base' filling mixed together with your favorite liqueur. You pick your filling too - do you want dark, milk or white chocolate? I went with Ghirardelli white chocolate chips, melted and added to the filling mix. I then used white chocolate and milk chocolate 'melting chocolate/bark" for the coating. As for the liqueurs - that is completely up to you! I went with Bailey's, Frangelico & Kahlua - we like the Bailey's the best but, they each have their own flavor profiles, I do have some orange infused brandy for making dark chocolate truffles as well...if you don't want to spend a lot of money on large bottles of liqueurs to use, do what I do and buy the 'sample sizes' from the liquor store...if you want to make them non-alcohol, just substitute in some flavorings that you like - like peppermint, orange, almond or cinnamon... same for the "toppings" that you roll the truffles in, I used: sprinkles, chocolate drizzle, crushed nuts and the 'traditional' cocoa powder. Traditional being that truffles are to resemble 'dirt clods' and not be 'perfectly round'...they are usually make with dark chocolate and brandy and rolled in cocoa powder to resemble 'dirt'... I must admit, I will gladly "eat dirt" with these around!! ~Enjoy! Diane
Homemade Chocolate Truffles Ingredients: 3 cups sifted powdered sugar, sift first then measure 8 oz. softened cream cheese, room temp 1 (11 oz.) bag Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips 3 Tbl. liqueur/s, *see note below Topping Choices: finely chopped nuts candy sprinkles cocoa powder toasted coconut finely crushed toffee espresso powder crushed hard candies Coating Choices: melting chocolate, (dark, milk or white) Directions: Melt your white chocolate chips for filling, in a microwave safe bowl according to package instructions (usually 30 second intervals until all melted). Once melted, set aside to cool slightly. Place cream cheese into mixing bowl, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar to the cream cheese, while on low to medium speed, until well mixed. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl, as needed. Add in melted but, slightly cooled chocolate chips. Mixing well. Place all of your filling into a shallow baking dish and stir in 3 Tbs of a liqueur. OR divide the filling into half or thirds: *Note: Divide mixture into baking dishes: Using One Liqueur: don't divide filling and add 3 tbs liqueur to filling mix Using Two Liqueurs: divide filling into half and add 1.5 Tbs liqueur to each filling mix Using Three Liqueurs: divide filling into thirds and add 1 Tbs liqueur to each filling mix Mix in well. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour. It will chill faster if spread evenly and thin in baking dish or bowl when placed in fridge. When very cold, using a melon-baller or small spoon, shape mixture into 1″ balls. Dip into melting chocolate and place into topping of choice, use fingers to sprinkle nuts or powder over top of truffle too (if coating in nuts or powder after dipping into chocolate, let the truffle set in the nuts until hardened/set before moving to a parchment lined container. Keep refrigerated until serving in an airtight container. Makes approx 4-5 dozen. Recipe Adapted from: Alton Brown and Bakerella Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home Who doesn't love a good brownie? My hubby!! he prefers blondes! LOL well, he doesn't like chocolate all that much but, white chocolate (which really isn't even chocolate but, that's a whole other story) is doable. I am sharing a family recipe that my Mom made quite often. An extra treat is to toss toasted coconut on top too...I just didn't have any on hand and needed to make some of these for a BBQ party we were invited to... Hope you like these as much as we all do! ~Enjoy! Diane
Pecan & White Chocolate Blonde Brownies Ingredients:
Directions:
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