Valentine’s Day May Be Over!

 

But guess what! My chocolate supply is holding steady. In fact, I made a batch of wonderful brownies yesterday. These Triple Chocolate Brownies, as I named them, distracted me from possibly feeling sad about the end of my favorite holiday.

Today I bought a 72-ounce bag of Costco’s chocolate chips. That should last a while and keep my sweet tooth happy.

Meanwhile, try making these brownies as soon as possible. You won’t regret it.

Triple Chocolate Brownies – serves 8-10

 2 tablespoons butter + more for greasing

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8- or 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, making sure two ends of the foil overhang the pan by about 2 inches so you can easily lift the brownies out of the pan later. Lightly rub the bottom and sides of the foil with butter. Set aside.

Combine the chocolate, water and butter in a medium, heavy pot over low heat, stirring occasionally. When the chocolate is just melted, turn off the heat and add the cocoa. Stir until combined and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla and stir until well blended. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until no flour shows. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts (if using).

Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top feel firm and the brownies pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the ends of the foil and remove the brownies from the pan. Cut into 25 squares and serve. Store in an airtight container or wrapped in foil or plastic wrap.

              For more chocolate recipes get “Chocolate on the Brain”  

Having a Bad Day? Try This Chocolate Brownie Recipe!

 

Chocolate has always been my comfort food, so I guess it’s not surprising that when things aren’t going well I head for the chocolate chips.  Long ago I learned to stock up on the two-pound bags, not the dinky 12-ounce bags most stores sell.

A New Twist on an Old Favorite: Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

I make very few desserts that are better than Chocolate Chip Cookies.  This latest version was perfected by my sister-in-law, an excellent cook who enjoys experimenting with both classic and untried recipes.  In this recipe she doubles the baking soda and leaves out the traditional baking powder.  She also undercooks the cookies slightly so they will be soft and chewy.

How to Make Chocolate Granola Bars in 10 Minutes

 

Whenever I think of granola bars, I think of school lunches.  But with my new recipe for Chocolate Granola Bars, snack time can be much tastier.  The secret ingredient is unsweetened cocoa powder.

Messy but Tasty: Stuffed Cupcakes

My mother-in-law used to make cupcakes stuffed with a chocolate chip mixture.  It was a unique dessert that was gobbled up as soon as it appeared on the dinner table.  She wrote down the recipe, but unfortunately I immediately misplaced it.

Years passed before I found the recipe, and I wondered if these cupcakes were really as good as I remembered. 

Question for Mom

While I was self-isolating at home, I cleaned out my larder and found several boxes of unsweetened chocolate.  In both the use-by date is obscured, so I can’t tell how old it is.  Is it safe to use this chocolate to bake brownies?  --Susan W.

Yes, proceed with baking.  Chocolate does not spoil, although eventually it may develop ‘bloom’ if not tightly wrapped and kept at room temperature.  ‘Bloom,’ which gives the surface of the chocolate a whitish or grayish cast, is actually cocoa butter migrating to the surface when the storage temperature rises.  It will disappear when the chocolate is melted. 

                                            See all Questions for Mom

Want a Chocolate Fix? Try This!

I admit I am a chocoholic.  At Halloween I always make sure I have extra Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups so some will be left for me.  In the summer I turn to fresh strawberries and melted chocolate.  It’s hard to think of a better dessert or a mid-afternoon snack than chocolate-covered strawberries.

Mom Cooking Tip 177

If you’re making a graham cracker crust, it’s useful to know that 15 graham crackers equal 1 cup crumbs.  If you don’t have any graham crackers, substitute 16 (half a package) Oreos, Hydrox or store brand sandwich cookies, including the filling.

                                                   See all my Cooking Tips!

Question for Mom

I am almost out of granulated sugar but want to bake cookies or a cake.  Can I substitute brown sugar or powdered sugar? –Jody K.

Yes, you can substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar. 

Cheer Yourself Up in This Stressful Time: Make Cookies!

Walking around the house with nothing to do but worry, I contemplated what would take my mind off everything.  Making cookies popped into my head.  I associate cookies with happy times, especially cookies with chocolate in them.

Here is a recipe for my absolute favorite of moment: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies: https://momscookinghelp.blogspot.com/2020/01/one-cup-ofchocolate-chips.html

If you have a peanut allergy, try this traditional Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe instead: https://momscookinghelp.blogspot.com/2016/01/best-ever-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

One Cup of...Chocolate Chips

Normally when I read a recipe, I take a quick look to see if I have the ingredients.  If I do, I may start preparing it right away.  If I don’t, I either add what’s missing to my shopping list or decide not to make that dish after all.

But what if I start with an ingredient I have and then search for a recipe that calls for it?  One of my favorite ingredients when I’m baking is chocolate chips.  What could I make with one cup of them?  Here’s what I found:

Question for Mom

I like bananas but often they become over-ripe or turn black before I can eat them.  How can I use them up? –Shirley Z.

Super-soft bananas are one reason why Banana Bread was invented.  Here’s my Chocolate Banana Bread recipe.  My family loves it. 
                                              See all Questions for Mom

Question for Mom

Where does powdered sugar come from?—Eli B.

Powdered sugar (also called confectioners sugar) is crushed white sugar with some cornstarch added to keep it from clumping..  It is often used to make icings or is sprinkled onto cakes, cookies and other pastries as decoration.  In England it’s called icing sugar.  Substituting regular white sugar is not recommended as the taste and texture of what you’re making may be affected. 

                   For more recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"

Best Use of Your Time in the Kitchen

Mississippi Mud Pie

Some days I feel like spending hours cooking. It allows me to not think about other things.  Other days I can barely force myself to get a meal on the table.  So I have developed some tricks to keep us from going hungry.

1) Examine what’s in the freezer. Is there a main dish in there, hiding behind the ice cubes?  Sometimes there actually is.  It could be a leftover or an actual main dish, deliberately prepared and frozen when I was in the mood to cook.

Calling All Chocoholics

Even if I just whisper the word ‘chocolate,’ every family member in my house will find their way to the kitchen in 30 seconds.  They have good reason to be optimistic. 

My son Kevin and I wrote a chocolate cookbook--“Chocolate on the Brain”--so we have a wide range of desserts and snacks to draw from.  You may have baked some of our favorites--Chocolate Chip Bagels,  Chocolate Banana Bread and Lava Cookies.

Now it’s time to introduce you to

Lure of the Chocolate Chip

Mom's Jaffa Cakes

I’m proud to be a chocoholic.  I’ve tried weaning myself off this addiction.  Once I managed to avoid chocolate for two weeks, but that was a long time ago.  Without the invention of chocolate chips, I might have succeeded. 

A 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips is incredibly versatile.  Eating a handful now and then is one way to empty the bag.  Making Chocolate Chip Cookies is another way. 

Tired of Chocolate Chip Cookies? Try Chocolate Biscotti!

A huge box of biscotti somehow found its way into my shopping cart at Costco, and soon after I got home every adult in the house was standing next to it.  Maybe the see-through packaging was too inviting to ignore.  Within a few days the box of 20 individually wrapped 8-inch-long biscotti was empty.

Why Are They Called Lava Cookies?

How do certain foods get their names?  Consider Toad in the Hole, a British concoction featuring sausages baked in a flour-egg batter that puffs up in the oven.  Could it be named after the character Toad in “Toad of Toad Hall,” a play written by A.A. Milne of “Winnie the Pooh” fame?

Cooked Apples for Breakfast

If I eat an apple, it’s almost always as a snack—or in an apple pie.  But now that I’ve tasted my friend Judy’s Cooked Apples with Honey, Yogurt and Granola, I make a point of keeping apples on hand for breakfast.

Thanks to the honey, Judy’s cooked apples don’t have the overwhelming sweetness of apple pie filling, but they’re not tart either.  Topped with a tablespoon or two of plain yogurt and a sprinkling of granola, they are a novel way to start the day.  Or serve this dish as a healthy dessert.

Is It Possible to Eat Just a Little Bit of Chocolate?

Anything is possible. But when chocolate desserts are sitting on the table, I’m not one to walk away—or turn down seconds.  There is no real way to deal with my chocolate passion.

I’ve tried the Jodie Foster method of not keeping chocolate in the house.  She claimed it worked for her.  I’ve tried this approach, but the rest of the family rebelled and brought in their own chocolates.  And I knew where they kept them.