Ghirardelli Gluten-Free Brownies

I've often mentioned that product websites are great places to find terrific recipes.  Ghirardelli Chocolate just introduced Gluten-Free Ghirardelli Chocolate Recipes starting with a fabulous recipe for Gluten-Free Brownies. Only thing I'd add to this recipe would be more chocolate chips  (or chopped chocolate chunks) when you add the walnuts or pecans, but then I'm big on extra chocolate. There's also a great recipe for a Gluten-Free Walnut Torte, and I'm sure there will be more gluten-free recipes in the future.

GHIRARDELLI GLUTEN-FREE BROWNIES

1 cup 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup whole almonds (or 2/3 cup almond flour)
1/3 cup brown rice flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Line the pan across the bottom and up two sides with parchment paper. If using whole almonds, add them to a food processor with the rice flour and pulse until nuts are finely ground. If using almond flour, mix it with the rice flour. Set aside. Place the chocolate, butter and salt in the top of a large double boiler over barely simmering water. Stir frequently until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar and vanilla. Stir in the eggs one at a time. Add the almond and rice flour mixture and stir until moistened, and then mix briskly, about 40 strokes. Stir in the walnuts or pecans if using. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the brownies are slightly puffed all over and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out moist but clean.

Cool the pan on a rack. Run a knife along the unlined sides of the pan to detach the brownies. Lift the edges of the parchment paper to remove the brownies. Cut into squares

You can substitute Ghirardelli Bittersweet 60% Chocolate Chips with 1-1/2 bar of Ghirardelli Bittersweet 60% chocolate, broken into small pieces.

Photo: Ghirardelli Chocolate

Ghirardelli All Natural Chocolate

My beloved readers know that, in my book, politics and chocolate don't mix.  I don't care if chocolate is made by underpaid farmers or if it is produced by highly paid factory workers.  I only care if it is good.

Ghirardelli has this new all natural line, but they don't beat you over the head with it.  They aren't screaming about the evils of chemicals.  Their other stuff has the chemicals, so I guess that wouldn't be very wise of them.

Ghirardelli's PR people sent me some coupons for free samples and I managed to find all the first three flavors (milk, almond and hazelnut), but couldn't find the crisp to save my life.  I finally resorted to buying a combo bag that was on massive sale at Kohl's. (On sale because it was in a Christmas package - lucky me!)

I swear sale chocolate somehow tastes better.  And if it's a really great deal, I feel I must buy it.  Look to see me on an upcoming Hoarders episode.  I'll be the crazy candy lady.  They'll try to take my candy away and I'll claw their eyes out.

The first flavor is milk chocolate:

Love the Ghirardelli logo.

A nice, creamy and delish milk chocolate.  If you've been looking for an all natural chocolate - here you go!

This is my favorite of the bunch - hazelnut:

Look at all those nuts!

I like the mix of the hazelnut with the milk chocolate - a great combo.  The slightly bitter hazelnut sets off the sweet milk chocolate very well.  Love this one!

Here's almond:

It looks like a lot of nuts, but the almonds got lost in the chocolate - I would have liked more of them.

Here's my crazy assorted Christmas sale bag:

Seems to be a lot of rice crisps.

I gotta tell you, I've never been a big fan of the rice crisp.  Nestle Crunch is lame to me.  Why take up space that could be filled with about 1,000,000 better things?  Nuts, caramel, fruit, peanut butter, even just chocolate.  Yeah, yeah - they have an interesting texture.  Whatever!  They have zero taste.

Here's the bottom line - if you want a natural chocolate line - you've got it!  Delicious, creamy Ghirardelli milk chcocolate in four flavors.  It.s good - and with the hazelnut - possibly great. 

Pumpkin and Elusive Childhood Memories

I have to say that Ben's comment on my last post shamed me into getting a real post done.  Ben - good for you!  I'm a slacker!!

As promised - pumpkin!

I found these at Target - Ghirardelli Squares in Milk & Pumpkin Spice Caramel:

What a great idea!  Love the creamy Ghirardelli milk chocolate, and they have a whisper of pumpkin.  But I like a stronger pumpkin flavor.  If you want a hint of pumpkin with your chocolate, this is for you.

Harry & David has these Pumpkin Spice Caramel Balls:

Gotta say I like them better!  Much more pumpkin flavor.  No chocolate, however.  But I just LOVE these!  Great texture, chewy caramel - yum!!

Harry & David also has these Pumpkin Spice Milk Chocolate Maltballs:

This is the perfect solution - a little chocolate and a LOT of pumpkin.  These are great too!  Harry & David rock the house on maltballs - TONS of flavors.  These are seasonal.

Chewy or crunchy?  Harry and David has your pumpkin balls covered!  Wait, that didn't sound quite right....

Pumpkin Delights by my girl Little D.  I'm so glad these are only available for a short period of time.  They are impossibly delicious:

Moist and cakey and chewy - sooooo good.  I really do love Little Debbie - these are awesome!!!

And they smile at you!  What more can you really ask for?

I found these Pumpkin Pie with Cream Cheese Topping cookies at World Market.  They are by Too Good Gourmet.

Great idea!  Love the cream cheese topping!  And the cookie is moist and has good pumpkin flavor as well as the delicious nutmeg and cinnamon of pumpkin pie.  Well done!!  So far I like everything I've tried by Too Good Gourmet.  Look for them in World Market and TJ Maxx.

I was over the moon when I heard about these - thanks to our other Ben who tipped me off several posts ago - PUMPKIN PIE POP-TARTS!  When Ben told me they existed, I searched for them.  I read online reviews gushing about how great they were.  I HAD to find some!  They became my holy grail.  When I finally saw then in Target, I was so excited; I bought up six boxes.   I snuck home from Target like a junkie who just scored a fix.

Okay, not really like the picture on the box, but we know how this goes:

Promising?

The result?  BOO!  Not nearly enough pumpkin filling.  These should be called Pumpkin Pie CRUST Pop-Tarts.  I mean, I'm down with pie crust, I like it, but I was expecting more here.  I was expecting some filling.  These were a heart breaker.

Pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors so I'm definitely biased in demanding more.  And it's only available seasonally, so I gotta get as much of it as I can! 

What have we learned?

Some flavors need more chocolate, some need less.  Pumpkin and chocolate is a tricky mix and should best be left to professionals.  I think there should always be more pumpkin.  I feel the same way about peanut butter - the more peanut butter, the better.  Although mixing it with chocolate isn't tricky at all - any combination is good - and complete amateurs can mix away with abandon.

Little Debbie remains a goddess (and the poor man's Paula Deen).

Childhood memories are tricky.  Pop-Tarts are not as good as I remember them.  Prolly because I was forbidden to have any.  I could only get the amazing sugary treats when at friends' houses. I remember more filling - strawberry was my fav.  

But you know how tricky those childhood memories can be!  Some of the things you thought were so amazing you have today and you're shocked.  The best example I can think of is the game Pong.  My brother and I used to play that for hours.  Kids today would be like, "Are you serious?  Do you have a wooden paddle and a ball on a rubber band too?"  Our reply?  "Yeah, to smack you with you little Xbox, Wii playing brat!  Let me get my wooden gun that shoots rubber bands and I'll teach you some respect!"

We've tried so many different foods from so many different countries over the course of our lives, how can a poor childhood favorite keep up?

Never fear, there's always Reese's my dears.  Always.

Ghirardelli "Ground Chocolate" Vintage Ad

Ghirardelli LUXE MILK Chocolate Contest: Triple Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

Are you a MILK Chocolate fan? Here's your chance to win a coupon for any One Ghirardelli Luxe Milk Bar or Bag. Just comment below on why you are a Milk Chocolate Fan. Winners will be chosen randomly. Contest closes at 5 p.m. October 5.  You never know, there may be consolation prizes.

In 2009 Ghirardelli created a new line: Ghirardelli LUXE MILK to honor milk chocolate lovers looking for the ultimate chocolate experience. 100% ALL NATURAL ingredients. Ghirardelli controls the entire chocolate-making process, beginning with selecting the best cocoa beans, to its proprietary methods of roasting to intensify chocolate taste, refining for velvety smoothness, and conching extensively to bring out sophisticated, nuanced flavors.
The LUXE MILK Chocolate collection is available in four flavors in 3-ounce bars and as wrapped singles in a bag format. The bars are available in your local grocery store as well as popular retailers such as CVS, Rite Aid, Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Borders, or online at www.ghirardelli.com. So enter the contest now!

LUXE MILK Almond – Toasted almonds complement and enhance the flavors of the creamy-sweet milk chocolate base.
LUXE MILK Hazelnut – Lavished throughout this bar, all-natural deep-roasted hazelnuts add crunch and a distinctive, sophisticated flavor.
LUXE MILK – This bar delivers the ultimate premium milk chocolate experience – pure, all-natural milk chocolate with a velvety texture that melts smoothly in your mouth.
LUXE MILK Toffee – This all natural, rich and creamy milk chocolate is perfectly matched with buttery, crunchy toffee bits.  (My favorite!)

Just comment on why you like Milk Chocolate in order to win a coupon good for A Ghirardelli Lux Milk Bar or Bag. Entries chosen randomly.

Want to bake something special with Ghirardelli MILK chocolate? You've got to try this Afternoon Ghirardelli Delight Cheesecake Recipe from Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship winner Judy Olson from Braham, MN at the 2010 Minnesota State Fair. This incredible cheesecake includes all kinds of great Ghirardelli chocolate.

Afternoon Ghirardelli Delight: Triple Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups shortbread cookie crumbs (about 22 cookies)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
4.5 oz Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate, melted
3.5 oz Ghirardelli intense dark evening dream chocolate, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup MILK chocolate crunchy toffee bits, divided
3/4 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Garnish: additional whipping cream; Ghirardelli White Chocolate

Method:
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine cookie crumbs, melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar in small bowl. Press onto bottom of ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Bake 4 minutes.
Combine cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl; beat until creamy.
Add melted chocolate, eggs and vanilla; beat until well mixed.
Stir in 3/4 cup toffee bits.
Spread cream cheese mixture over crust.
Continue baking for 50-55 minutes or until center is set. Cool in pan 1 hour.
Remove from pan; place onto serving plate.
Meanwhile, place chocolate chips in small bowl.
Place whipping cream in small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat (2-3 minutes).
Pour over chocolate chips.
Let stand 5 minutes; stir until smooth.
Cool until mixture falls in ribbons off spoon (about 1 hour).
Spread over top of cheesecake; sprinkle outer rim of cheesecake with 1/4 cup toffee bits.
Cover; refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Garnish with additional whipping cream and drizzle with melted white Ghirardelli chocolate if desired.

Winners of the Ghirardelli LUXE Chocolate: Janet A, Pattie T, Elena Santangelo, and Gerry S

They'll be in the mail shortly.  This was a random selection process. Be sure and check out the next contest. Thanks for participating!

More Fruit and Chocolate

Let's get back to chocolate!  But still fruit!!  As you all know, I am not a big drinker.  But when I saw these, I wanted to try them.  That's part of my problem - I see a new chocolate candy (or cookie or cake or ice cream or frosting) I want to try it.

These are chocolate-covered wine grapes by Bissingers:

The verdict?  If you like wine, you'll like these.  I think I was hoping for something a little more grapey and a little less winey.  But wine lovers will love these and Bissinger's does chocolate right.  They're also unique - I've never seen them anywhere else.  And I love unique!

Bissinger's also makes these Fig Truffles:

They look pretty good, (white chocolate drizzle is a nice touch) but they reminded me of fruitcake.  Not chocolately enough.  They also have cognac in them - ugh.   Where's an alcohol-loving boyfriend when you need one? 

Lindt has a so delicious raspberry truffle:

You just can't go wrong with Lindt.  So creamy, so delicious and this has just the right amount of raspberry and chocolate - LOVE them!!

These little treats are AMAZING!!!  This one is Wildberry Yogurt Eisdessert - a mix of blueberries, raspberry and blackberry filling over yogurt covered in smooth milk chocolate (Eisdessert means ice cream dessert - Lindt suggests you slightly chill these):

This is raspberry:

These are sooooo good - they taste like little fruit and chocolate cheesecakes!  I'm telling you - get to a Lindt store and buy a few - soooo worth it!

This is dark chocolate covered strawberry:

While WAY better than orange, after the awesome baby cheesecakes, why bother with these?  I actually thought the dark chocolate overpowered the strawberry.

Ghirardelli has a dark chocolate square with raspberry filling:

It was okay.  Nothing earth shattering.  Lindt truffles kick Ghirardelli butt.

Lindt also has a raspberry bar:

Lindt's bar has a liquid center sealed in that amazing creamy milk chocolate.  It has a good flavor, but I don't really love the liquid center.  I'd rather have a raspberry cream  filling.

Perugina has a raspberry bar:

It has an interesting center - almost like a raspberry jelly.  I liked it better than the liquid, but I don't love the jellyness.  But what I really like is a creamy raspberry filling (like the filling in the strawberry Lindt above).  So I can't really suggest you run out and get any of these bars.  Get the yogurt/cheesecake eisdessert!!!  Do it, do it!!

One of the big flavors at Candy Expo was black currant (some kind of weird berry).  Lindt has a dark bar in their Excellence line with it:

The bar also has almonds (yum!).  When you open it, all you smell are the weird black currants - a grapey, berryish smell.  I'm not big on blackcurrent (as you heard with the purple bear cookies).  Too bitter.  Don't like it.

This one I got at the Anthon Berg booth at Candy Expo - most of their chocolates are infused with alcohol:

This one was super sweet with just a hint of the blackcurrant bitterness.  While not bad, I don't really want to eat another one.  Not really a rousing endorsement, huh?

Go with the amazing, awesome cheesecake (yogurt, whatever) eisdesserts!  They are fabulous!!!!!  Oh - and if you need some motivation - keep a couple in the fridge!  Yay!!