Terry Odell's Apricot Brandy Balls

I just love when my Mystery and Chocolate worlds collide. This holiday season I've invited several mystery writers to send a guest post with their Chocolate Holiday Recipes. Be sure and go back to check out some other great chocolate treats. Today I welcome Terry Odell. 

Terry Odell writes mystery and romantic suspense (although she prefers to call the latter "Mysteries With Relationships.") Her romantic suspense series include the covert ops team of Blackthorne, Inc., and the Pine Hills Police series, set in a small Oregon town. Her newest book, Deadly Secrets, is her first non-romance mystery. Somehow, cooking sneaks into all her books. Her current project is another Pine Hills Police romantic suspense featuring a heroine who is struggling to open her own bakery, featuring...of course...chocolate. You can find more about her at her website: http://www.terryodell.com or her blog, Terry's Place: http://www.terryodell.blogspot.com

Terry Odell's Apricot Brandy Balls

6 squares semi-sweet chocolate
½ c. brandy
3 T. light corn syrup
2 ½ c crushed Wheat Chex cereal
1 c. finely chopped dried apricots
½ c powdered sugar

Cocoa powder and/or powdered sugar

Melt chocolate; stir in brandy and corn syrup. Combine cereal, apricots, and ½ c sugar in large bowl. Add chocolate mixture; stir until well blended. Let stand about 30 minutes. Form into ½ inch balls. Roll in cocoa powder or powdered sugar (or a mixture of both, depending on your taste.) Place in candy cups in a covered container. Let mellow several days.

A few notes. I use the microwave to melt the chocolate. Took about 2 minutes. It might not look melted, but stir it, and it'll come together.

I used some of the cereal and a little of the powdered sugar and chopped the apricots in my food processor. They're sticky little critters, and the cereal & sugar provided a little extra friction so it wasn't just a gloppy mass. I also used my hands to make sure the cereal, sugar & apricots were well distributed before adding the chocolate.

Forming the mixture into balls can be messy. It's more of a 'squeeze' than a 'roll'.

Cranberry Sea Salt Brunsli: Stop Asking Questions

Dried cranberries rule.

Especially when combined with chocolate, as I was reminded after sampling that Lindt Dark Excellence Cranberry bar last week.

Obviously, I needed to bake something with cranberries and chocolate.

And salt.

Why salt? Why do YOU ask THESE QUESTIONS which have OBVIOUS ANSWERS? Stop asking questions and just read about these Cranberry Sea Salt Brunsli already.

Cranberry Sea Salt Brunsli (inspired by Saveur)

8 ounces blanched almonds

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/8 teaspoon fine salt

2 egg whites

6 ounces dried cranberries

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

Finely grind almonds, fine salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add chocolate, process until a uniform mixture forms, then add egg white and process until smooth. Remove from food processor, mix in cranberries and coarse sea salt by hand.

Roll the dough about ¼ inch think, then use cookie cutters of your choice to shape the cookies.

Let the shaped cookies dry on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet for three hours. The dough will be quite sticky before drying, but the cut cookies will be much easier to handle after the drying process. Bake at 300° F for 12-15 minutes, when they should be slightly puffed.

Slightly puffed, and very delicious.

Can you think of any cookie recipe that isn’t improved with the addition of more salt? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Chocolate Mint Bars

Today I welcome back Bobbi Mumm, just in time for some fabulous holiday treats!

Bobbi Mumm is a mystery and thriller writer in Saskatoon, Canada where she works half-time as an event planner at the University of Saskatchewan. Married to a nuclear physicist, she has four children. A year ago, Bobbi completed her first novel, Cream with Your Coffin, and through her U.S. agent, is seeking a publishing home for the novel. Cream with Your Coffin was a quarter-finalist in the 2011 http://menorahchocolate.blogspot.com/ Breakthrough Novel Award. Almost finished her second novel, thriller De Rigueur Mortis, Bobbi spends much of her day immersed in 1954 Paris.

Bobbi Mumm: Chocolate Mint Bars

I tested this new recipe last week and my family gave it rave reviews. Because we’ll have lots of guests over the holidays I made two pans. Chocolate and mint are always a wonderful Christmas combination.

The bar is rich and one of those treats that is best served in small pieces. A true dainty. Thanks to my friend, Sarah Bird, for sharing her recipe. Sarah is a lawyer as well as an outstanding baker.

Thank you, Janet, for the opportunity to appear on Dying for Chocolate. I always enjoy visiting with your friends here. Question to everyone: What is your favourite flavour to pair with chocolate?

Sarah’s Chocolate Mint Bars

Base:
2 squares Baker's unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
½ c butter
½ c flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Filling:
1 c icing sugar
¼ c butter
1 TBSP milk
1½ tsp peppermint extract

Topping:
2 squares Baker's semisweet chocolate (I used 2 oz of semisweet choc chips)
2 TBSP butter

DIRECTIONS:
Base:
Melt unsweetened choc, sugar and butter in saucepan. Let cool slightly. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Spread in greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350F for 20min. Cool completely.

Filling:
Beat icing sugar, butter and milk until smooth. Stir in peppermint. Spread onto cooled base.

Topping:
Melt choc and butter. Mix well. Cool slightly and then drizzle over filling.

Cut into squares.
Makes approx. 40-50 squares.

Chocolate Bytes: Chocolate Wonderland Opens in Shanghai

Shanghai's World Chocolate Wonderland opened yesterday, Friday (December 16), into a theme park of lifelike chocolate exhibits. The pre-opening included a chocolate fashion show. See video below.

According to Reuters, everything on display was made from chocolate, including a replica of ancient China's famous Terracotta Warriors and the traditional Chinese symbol of the dragon.

Organizers say that the choice of items on display was made based on an effort to unite the East and the West. “We generated the idea of the World Chocolate Wonderland, and it is the first chocolate theme park in the world,” said Paul Chao, the event’s organizer.

Last year's “World Chocolate Wonderland” chocolate theme park held in Beijing drew over a half a million chocolate fans. This year’s exhibit is expected to exceed those numbers as it tries to top last year’s World Chocolate Wonderland sculptures; there will be a Great Wall of China, as well as the army of 500 detailed terracotta warriors. There's also a chocolate BMW that was created out of 80 tons of Belgian chocolate. Some of the most celebrated chocolate makers will be there ready to wow visitors with handmade chocolate truffles and chocolate wine. Tutorials on how to make your own chocolate will also allow visitors to indulge by creating personally designed chocolate creations.

The World Chocolate Wonderland will be open until February 19th, 2012.

SHANGHAI CHOCOLATE WONDERLAND:



Chocolate Fashion Show:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries: Chocolate Covered Anything Day

Yes, Virginia, just about anything can be Covered in Chocolate. Although December 16 is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day, I think this holiday can easily be celebrated all year round.  One of my favorites is Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Simple to make, and they always look fabulous. You can stuff them or drizzle them, but fresh strawberries dunked in good quality chocolate is the key. 

CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES TO DIE FOR!

INGREDIENTS:
1 quart fresh large fresh strawberries, with tops
1 cup Dark Chocolate 60-65% cacao, broken or chopped
1/2 cup Dark Chocolate 72-85% cacao, broken or chopped
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
White chocolate, melted for Drizzle

DIRECTIONS:
Rinse strawberries and dry thoroughly, keeping tops on. In top of double boiler or a stainless steel bowl atop a pot of simmering water, combine chocolate and heavy cream. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
Dip strawberries 1/2-3/4 way up in chocolate mixture and place on waxpaper or parchment lined cookie sheet to allow chocolate to harden.
When hardened, drizzle with melted white chocolate.

Hints:
Wash strawberries and pat dry with paper towels; set aside. Make sure the strawberries are completely dry. A drop of water in melted chocolate can cause it to "seize" and turn the entire mixture into a mess. How to smooth out the chocolate: I just saw a chef add a tiny bit of honey and stirred. It worked!

How to dip:
Grasp stem of strawberry and dip into chocolate, swirling to partially cover with chocolate. Give the strawberry a small shake as you pull it out of the chocolate. When strawberry is completely out of chocolate, swirl it in quick, clockwise motion to let excess chocolate drip off. Place on cookie sheet lined with waxed paper or parchment. Repeat withrest of the strawberries.

Want to get a bit fancier? Here are links to Chocolate Covered Stuffed Strawberries.

Chocolate Covered  Stuffed Strawberries: Cookie Dough, Cheesecake, Marscapone

Strawberrries Stuffed with Chocolate Cream

Lindt Excellence Dark: Cranberry

Remember how Lindt sent me free chocolate to check out this summer?

Yeah, I suck, don’t I? And now, I suck more, because as a member of the Lindt Excellence Influencers club, I was sent a coupon for a free Cranberry dark chocolate bar.

Boom.

The bar has a very creamy aroma, with some berry and faint hints of vanilla and coffee.

Thin almond slivers and bits of dried cranberry are distributed evenly throughout the bar, and are small enough to not over take any bites of chocolate.

The chocolate itself has a smooth, buttery melt with a subtle cranberry flavor and a creamy edge to the flavor. It seems to almost taste like cranberry milk (does anybody make that? Somebody should). Coffee and earthy flavors also permeate the chocolate, and a bit of sugar complements the tart flavor nicely. The cranberry bits are a tiny bit chewy, and this is perhaps the only aspect of the bar that isn’t nearly perfect, but the almonds add a nice crunch without overpowering.

Well done, Lindt, well done. And a nice seasonal flavor to boot.

Do you get coupons for free chocolate all the time? Or is that just me?

Bourbon Balls, Part II

Last week my friend Janet Appel had a guest post on her family's Holiday Bourbon Balls. Great back story to these Boozy Bourbon Balls. Because Bourbon Balls are a multi-step process, here's Part II. Enjoy! I know I will. Hope Janet A saves a few for me!

JANET APPEL:  Bourbon Balls, Part II

As promised this post shows the completion of the making of our holiday Bourbon balls. For those who did not read Part 1, go here. Now I will tell you how Marty and I made his Mother’s recipe our own.

Dolly was not much on drinking. Every now and then she had a cocktail and sometimes a little wine. Being from Kentucky, Marty and I love Kentucky Bourbons, so we soak the pecans longer than her recipe calls for. Ours soaked nearly a week.

What little Bourbon that was left over Marty pours into the filling. Marty does not use water to soften the mixture, just Bourbon. Do not eat these and then drive.

Marty mixes the ingredients up, spreads them on wax paper, and uses a small cookie scooper to make the balls. He then drops the balls onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet. The cookie sheet then goes into the freezer.

Chocolate dippers:  Dolly used fingers, toothpicks, spoons.

Melting Chocolate: Deluxe Chocolate Melter. Dolly used a double boiler.

Just a little paraffin is added to help the chocolate not melt in your hands. It still will. We don’t add that much.


Dipping Bourbon Balls in chocolate: Marty dips in small batches. The filling thaws if out too long.

After dipped, into the refrigerator they go.  When good and cold again, the Bourbon Balls are placed in sealed containers and kept in the refrigerator.

Now we are ready for the Christmas Eve Bourbon Ball contest. We are so going to win!

For the Recipe, go HERE.

Hot Chocolate Cake New

Hot Chocolate Cake

Hot Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

* 8 tbsps (1 stick) saltless butter, plus additional for coating
* 3 tbsps all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
* 1/2 cup sweets, plus additional for dusting
* 10 oz. semisweet candy, coarsely chopped
* 4 big eggs
* 1 big egg yolk
* 1 tsp vanilla flavor extract
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/2 cup small marshmallows
* 2 tbsps unsweetened chocolate powder

Directions

1. Pre-heat range to 375° F. Nicely butter, flour, and sweets eight 6-ounce java servings or glasses made of ovenproof stoneware. Fresh the wheels clean.
2. Place the 8 tbsps of butter and the candy in a moderate heatproof serving over a pan of being applied normal water and liquefy, mixing once or twice until sleek. Eliminate from warm and let awesome 5 mins.
3. Using a mobile equipment, defeat the egg, yolk, vanilla flavor, sea, and 1/2 cup sweets at the best pace until the amount increases and the blend becomes foamy, about 5 mins. Mix the 3 tbsps of flour into the candy, then progressively add it to the egg blend, defeating on low until it's completely designed.
4. Ladle the mixture into each cup until it's about 1/2 in. from the rim. Make until the desserts smoke and start to split but the facilities are still a bit dripping, 13 to 17 mins. Eliminate from range. Drop with chocolate buttons, then come back to range for 2 to 4 mins, until the marshmallow clothes start to sharp. Eliminate from oven; let awesome about 5 mins. Look the chocolate on top.

Cookie Making Tips

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber

The Holidays are about Cookie Making, and I've seen some wonderful new recipes and decorating on the Internet this season. Be sure and do a few searches to expand your Cookie Repertoire! You can never have too many cookie recipes!

Today, I thought I'd post a few Cookie Tips I've gleaned from Gourmet Magazine, Sunset, All Recipes and making cookies for so many years! Love to hear any tips you have.

COOKIE MAKING TIPS

1. For me the most important 'rule' (this is not a tip) is to make sure you Chill the Dough. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. Put the dough in the refrigerator for a few hours or put it in the freezer for 10 minutes. While you're working, if the dough becomes soft, just pop it back in the freezer for a few minutes.

2. Use the Correct Ingredients. If you haven't made the recipe before, follow it exactly and measure the ingredients carefully.

3. Up for debate: Some say that you should always roll out your dough between sheets of Wax Paper, not Parchment because wax paper peels easily off the top of the dough. If you do this, you can then cut out the cookies and they'll peel right off the bottom sheet. And, yet, some people swear by parchment. Give them both a try and see what you think.

3. Add Salt and Leavening to Butter and Sugar Mixture. If you really want your salt and leavening well distributed throughout the dough, beat it in with the butter and sugar.

4. Fats are major to the spread of a cookie. Generally speaking, fat equals flat, crispy cookies while less fat equals higher, cake-like cookies. Speaking of fats: Whipped spreads are not suitable for baking. Use butter, margarine or shortening (Crisco).

5. Sugars: White sugar makes a crisper cookie than brown sugar or honey. Cookies made from brown sugar absorb moisture after baking, so they stay chewy. Most chocolate chip cookie recipes contain both brown and white sugars.
 How to keep brown sugar soft? Put a piece of white bread in the container. The white bread won’t get moldy (trust me), and you’ll always have soft brown sugar. I put the brown sugar in its own plastic container with the bread.

6. Mixing: Proper mixing is important. Some recipes have a creaming step in which the fat and sugars are beaten together until light-colored and fluffy. Other cookies require a sandy texture, so the fat is cut into the flour. Over-mixing can incorporate too much air into the dough, resulting in flat, overly spread-out cookies. Follow the recipe instructions.

7. Temperature: Unless specified, ingredients should be at room temperature before mixing. Yes, Virginia, take the butter out the night before. For cut cookies, chill the cookie dough before baking. The cookies will hold their shape better. For drop cookies, you can keep them at room temperature before baking; the spoonfuls of dough will spread and flatten out.

8. Equipment and Baking: Not surprising to anyone who bakes, different baking sheets and ovens produce different results. I use rimmed baking sheets (jellyroll pans) for cookies rather than thin flat sheet pans. Instead of greasing each baking sheet, I use parchment for easy cookie removal and clean-up. Some of my friends use a silipat liner, but I haven't yet. After a holiday cookie discussion on Twitter (#fnichat) this week, I'm going to get one.


Love to hear other tips! Please comment!

Impromptu Half Marathon and Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies

Ever wondered what Connecticut Avenue looks like at 5 am on Sunday?

Well, you’ve come to the right place.

I snapped that picture for you on Sunday on my way to meet Liz and Rachel to drive on down to Fredericksburg for the Blue and Gray Half Marathon.

Why? I mean…Liz was entered, so obviously I had to, too. Plus, I’m trying to milk as much as possible out of my marathon training before I lose that edge.

Also, it gave me an opportunity to show off my mad skills in the area of combining chocolate and sea salt.

Specifically, I made some salted chocolate thumbprint cookies (sans flour, of course).

Gluten Free Salted Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

For the cookies:

8 tablespoons butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup almond flour (e.g. finely ground blanched almonds)

¼ cup corn starch

1 cup chickpea flour (e.g. finely ground dry chickpeas)

½ teaspoon salt

2 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

For the filling:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 ½ tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon coarse sea salt

Mix together flours, salt and corn starch, set aside. Cream butter and sugars, then add egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture, then chocolate. Shape dough into 1” diameter balls, chill for 30 minutes. Using the end of a wooden spoon, make an indent in each ball.

Bake at 350° F for 8 minutes, reinforce shape of indent with end of wooden spoon, then bake 4 additional minutes.

Prepare the filling by melting together chocolate and butter, allow to cool slightly, then add sea salt. Pour into indentations of cookies.

Feed to hungry runners in the car after a half marathon, even if one of them ran past you in the last 500 yards of the race and ran a 2:05, leaving you to finish in 2:06:01 (Not. Awesome. Even if it WAS a 6 minute PR).

Have you ever been beat at the very end of a race? Did you share cookies with the person who beat you anyway?