CHOCOLATE PECAN ENCRUSTED BACON CHEESE BALL (CHOCOLATECHOCOLATEANDMORE.COM)
Ingredients
· 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
· 1/3 cup milk
· 2 cups finely shredded Jarlsberg cheese
· 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
· 1/4 cup chopped green onions
· 1/4 cup chopped cooked bacon
· 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
· salt and pepper
· 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
· 2 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add in cheeses, onion, bacon and parsley. Mix until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Shape mixture into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in freezer for 1-2 hours to firm up.
3. Mix together chopped pecans and chocolate chips. Spread mixture in the bottom of a pie plate. Remove cheese ball from freezer, and unwrap. Roll cheese ball around in pecan mixture to coat, patting extra mixture into cheese ball with hands to cover any bald spots.
4. Rewrap cheese ball in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
5. Serve with plain crackers or melba toast.
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EASY CHOCOLATE CROISSANT RECIPE
Ingredients
· 2 Croissant Dough, sheets, thawed
· 16 oz Chocolate (I used bars of chocolate)
· 1 Egg
· 1 Tbsp Water
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Open up the thawed croissant dough and cut into triangles along dotted lines.
3. Cut chocolate bar into 12 strips (about 1 oz each) and place a strip of chocolate at the wide end of each triangle.
4. Roll the dough up from the wide end of the triangle to the pointed end.
5. Repeat this for each piece of dough.
6. In a small bowl beat together egg and water.
7. Brush a little of the egg wash over each croissant and place them on a lined baking sheet.
8. Bake for 15 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let cool to room temp before drizzling with the remaining 4 oz of melted chocolate.
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FROZEN FRUIT SKEWERS WITH CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE
Ingredients
· cubes (1/2 inch) fresh pineapple
· fresh strawberries, cut in half
· medium bananas, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 24)
· kiwifruit, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 24)
· bottle (7.25 oz) chocolate topping that forms hard shell
(8-inch) bamboo skewers
Instructions
1. Thread fruit alternately onto skewers, using approximately 2 pieces of each per skewer; place in single layer on cookie sheet with sides. Freeze 1 hour or until fruit is frozen. About 5 minutes before serving, drizzle fruit with chocolate topping; return to freezer until ready to serve.
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CHOCOLATE CITRUS SLUSHIES (GIADA DE LAURENTIIS)
Ingredients
· 1 pint chocolate sorbet
· 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
· 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
· 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
· 2 tablespoons jarred caramel sauce
· 4 orange candy slices, for garnish
Instructions
1. Add the sorbet, almond milk, orange juice concentrate, vanilla extract and salt to a blender. Puree on high speed for 1 minute.
2. Drizzle the caramel sauce evenly among 4 glasses. Divide the slushy among the glasses. Make a small slit in each of the orange candy slices and place one on the edge of each glass. Serve with a spoon.
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SPINACH SALAD WITH DARK CHOCOLATE BALSAMIC VINEGAR
Ingredients
Dressing: Mix 2 parts basil olive oil to 1 part dark chocolate balsamic vinegar
Salad: Spinach (or kale), strawberries, red onion, oranges, dark chocolate shavings, and candied pecans
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SEARED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH COCOA-CHILI MEXICAN SPICE RUB
Ingredients
· 2 pounds pork tenderloin
· 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder.
· 1 tablespoon ancho powder.
· 1 tablespoon coriander powder.
· 2 tablespoons cocoa powder.
· 2 tablespoons cumin powder.
· 2 tablespoons paprika powder.
· 1 tablespoon black pepper.
· 2 teaspoons salt.
· 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
Instructions
1. Preheat oven at 400 degree.
2. In the large mixing bowl, mixed all Mexican spice rub until it combine. Rub a great amount on pork tenderloin. Cover the bowl and let it sit in the fridge in about 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.
3. Heat the large skillet pan over medium high heat, not until smoking. Sear pork tenderloin each side until turn golden brown in about 2 minutes each side. Transfer skillet to the oven and let them cook, about 10 minutes or until it cook through.
4. Transfer pork tenderloin on the cutting board or out of the pan. Rest it at least 10 minutes before cutting.
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ORZO SALAD WITH SPICY BUTTERMILK DRESSING
Ingredients
· 1 cup uncooked orzo
· 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed and drained
· 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
· 3 green onions, sliced
· 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
· 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
· 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
· 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
· 2 tablespoons light sour cream
· 2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
· 1 teaspoon chili powder
· 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
· 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
· 2 garlic cloves, crushed
· 1 peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges
· 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse; drain well. Place orzo, corn, and next 3 ingredients (through beans) in a large bowl; toss.
2. Combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over orzo mixture; toss. Top with avocado; garnish with remaining cilantro and parsley.
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MANGO SALSA
Ingredients
· 1 mango, peeled and diced
· 1/2 cup peeled, diced cucumber
· 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno
· 1/3 cup diced red onion
· 1 tablespoon lime juice
· 1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
· Salt and pepper
Instructions
1. Combine the mango, cucumber, jalapeno, red onion, lime juice and cilantro leaves and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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EVIL FUDGE BALLS
Ingredients
· 2 lbs. Symphony bar chocolate
· 8 oz. frozen Cool Whip
· Vanilla Wafers–crushed
Instructions
1. Melt chocolate over a double boiler being careful not to even get one teensy tiny drop of water in the bowl.
2. Cool slightly.
3. Spoon the frozen cool whip into a mixing bowl and pour the chocolate over it.
4. Mix on medium speed until well blended.
5. Refrigerate for about 1 hour or until the chocolate is firm enough to spoon and roll into balls.
6. Drop into crushed Vanilla Wafers and coat thoroughly.
7. Refrigerate in an air tight container
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ÉCLAIR PIE
Ingredients
· ½ cup butter
· 1 cup water
· 1 cup flour
· 4 eggs
· 2 3.5oz boxes vanilla instant pudding. Made according to direction.
Instructions
1. Mix and bring to a boil ½ cup butter, 1 cup water. While mixture is boiling add 1 cup flour. Remove from heat, mix to form ball, then add 4 eggs. Mix until dough is formed. It will be sticky. Spread into greased cookie sheet with sides. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or till brown. If crust is bubbled when removed from oven, just flatten down. Let it cool.
2. Filling: 2 3.5oz boxes vanilla instant pudding. Prepare according to directions, when completed, fold in 8oz softened cream cheese. Mix until well blended. Fill cool crust, let stand till formed.
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NUTELLA STUFFED CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT DREAM CAKE
Ingredients
· One recipe Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (or you can use store-bought Nutella or similar)
· 8-10 Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles (I used Fererro Rocher)
FOR THE CAKE:
· 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
· ⅓cup Cocoa Powder
· 2 cups Unrefined Cane Sugar
· 1 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt
· 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
· 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
· 2 Eggs (XL), room temperature
· 1⅓cups Buttermilk, room temperature
· ⅔cup Coconut Oil, melted
· ¾ cup Hot Water
FOR THE FROSTING:
· 2 cups Fine Raw Cane Sugar
· 6 Egg Whites, room temperature
· 3 cups (6 sticks) Salted Butter, room temperature
· 1 teaspoon Vanilla
· ⅓cup Cocoa Powder
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
· ¾ cup Dark Chocolate Chips
· 2 tablespoons Butter
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Brush 3, six inch round cake pans with melted coconut oil and line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper. Brush the parchment with melted oil, as well. Set aside.
2. Place the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
3. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, and buttermilk. Add mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Add the hot water to the cake batter. Whisk until smooth and combined.
5. Divide the mixture between the prepared baking pans.
6. Bake cakes in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (moist crumbs attached are ok).
7. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the egde of the cakes and remove from pans. Use a serrated knife to make sure each cake layer is level. Wrap in plastic wrap and place on a level surface in the freezer.
FOR THE FROSTING:
1. Fill a saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium/high heat. Place a metal or glass bowl on top of the pan. Add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl and whisk constantly for several minutes, until the mixture is hot to the touch and sugar has completely dissolved. When you rub the mixture between your fingers it should be smooth, not grainy.
2. Pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and whisk on medium speed for several minutes. Once the mixture has cooled down completely, whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form.
3. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time, until all the butter has been added and mixture is thick and creamy. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and mix in until evenly distributed.
FOR THE GANACHE:
1. Place chocolate chips and butter in a small saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring constantly once the chips begin to melt, until you have a smooth, pour-able mixture. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
1. Remove cakes from freezer and peel off the parchment rounds on the bottom of each layer.
2. Place one cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread a layer of chocolate hazelnut spread over the cake, making it level. Place another cake layer on top and spread chocolate hazelnut spread over it so that it is smooth and level. Place the last cake layer on top of the nutella spread, bottom side up.
3. Add a crumb coat of frosting to the cake to make the whole cake smooth and even.
4. Frost the cake with the remaining frosting, reserving about 1 cup of frosting. Smooth the top and sides of the cake out with a bench scraper or off-set spatula. Since the cake layers are frozen, the frosting should firm up quite quickly. When the smoothed frosting is cold, add a few swipes of chocolate hazelnut spread randomly around the cake. Smooth the spread out with the spatula, giving the cake a tone on tone watercolor look.
5. Drizzle the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake, letting it run down the sides a little bit. Place in the fridge.
6. When the ganache has set, remove from fridge and place the remaining frosting in a piping bag fitted with a Large French Star Tip. Pipe rounds of frosting around the top of the cake, two high.
7. Top each frosting mound with a truffle.
8. Refrigerate until service.
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DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI
Ingredients
· 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off)
· 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural, such as Hershey's Cocoa)
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
· 3/4 cup granulated sugar
· 2 large eggs
· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
· 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
· 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl and mixing well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips and stir on low speed until just combined.
4. Dust a work surface with flour. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sticky dough out onto the work surface and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Using your hands, shape the dough into a rough ball (if it's still too sticky, dust with a bit more flour) and cut in half. Form the dough pieces into two short logs by rolling back and forth. Place the logs onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into longer logs about 3/4-inch high and 2 inches wide. Allow enough space for the logs to spread a few inches while they bake. Bake for about 35 minutes, until firm to the touch. Let the biscotti logs cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, or until just cool enough to touch (if you wait any longer, the biscotti will be difficult to cut); then, using a sharp knife, slice the logs on the diagonal into 3/4-inch slices (I do this right on the baking sheet). They will crumble just a bit; don't worry about it. Turn the biscotti on their sides (so that the cut sides are down) and place back in the oven for 10 minutes to dry and crisp up. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. When cool, push all the biscotti together (this prevents the Confectioners sugar from getting on the sides of the cookies) and use a fine sieve to dust with Confectioners sugar.
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DARK CHOCOLATE CLUSTERS {NO-BAKE}
Ingredients
· 2 ounces walnuts
· 1 ounce raw almonds
· 1/2 ounce pumpkin seeds (shelled raw)
· 3 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (at least 60% cacao)
· 1 pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
1. Line a baking sheet with a piece of wax paper. Begin assembling each cluster by gathering 4 walnut pieces and 2 or 3 almonds per cluster. Place on baking sheet, ensuring pieces are compact so they will stick together easily.
2. Place chocolate in a medium-sized bowl and microwave on high for 1½ to 2 minutes (or you can use a double boiler). Stir chocolate to make sure it has melted evenly.
3. With a small spoon, drizzle melted chocolate onto clusters. Sprinkle 5 to 10 pumpkin seeds per cluster on top of melted chocolate and add a pinch of salt (optional). Place clusters in freezer for at least 20 minutes to set. Enjoy!
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Chocolate Sugar Scrub
Ingredients
· 1 cup natural raw sugar
· 1/4 cup cocoa
· 1/8 cup coconut oil, melted
Instructions
1. Add ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Store in a mason jar.
Brown sugar can be substituted for the raw natural sugar.
