A friend made this for the dessert at a work gathering and OH MY GAH! It was DIVINE! Never before have I ever wanted to just stick my face in any one food but I do believe this would be it!
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers: 1 bag)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
32 ounces (4 blocks) low fat cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream, low fat
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips
For the ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi sweet)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the crust, combine the graham crackers and melted butter in a bowl until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.
To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, and vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into the cooled crust.
Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes (DO NOT open the oven door when you lower the temperature. Trust you oven, and KNOW that your cheesecake is not burning after 15 minutes). Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
*Lowering the temperature and letting it cook for a little longer allows it to cook all the way through without browning it or making too many cracks in the top. Turning off the oven and letting the cake sit inside with the door cracked is a great trick to continue cooking it, but it won’t brown or burn.
Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.
To make the topping, heat the heavy cream and chocolate chips in a double boiler over low heat. Once the chocolate has melted and is stirred in, remove the bowl from the heat and let it cool. Allow it too cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools. But you will still be able to pour it onto the cheesecake. Carefully pour the ganache into the middle of the cheesecake and spread it to the outside, leaving about 1/4 of an inch space from the edge. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
About a gazillion of you said you, too, wanted to know how to decorate a cake in such a fashion. So, here I am, willing to offer you a chocolate cage tutorial.
There’s really not all that much to it, to be honest. It just LOOKS fussy and complicated. Truth be told, if you can throw some icing on a cake, the chocolate cage will only add a few short minutes of extra time. And, if you can’t ice a cake so well, no problem…no one’s really going to see those mistakes anyway, as they are hidden by the cage.
Now, I did NOT take step by step photos when I made the original cake, which was a deep, dark chocolate cake with a hint of hazelnut, chocolate ganache, strawberry whipped cream, and chocolate covered strawberries as a garnish.
It was pretty incredible, if I do say so myself. If you all want the recipe, tell me here in the comments, and I will take one for the team and REMAKE that cake. And I’ll eat it. But then I will blog about it and give you the recipe.
Team player, y’all.
The Chocolate Cage Tutorial
To change things up, for this chocolate cage tutorial, I made a lemon cake filled with blueberry whipped cream and iced it with sweetened whipped cream. For the chocolate age, I tinted white chocolate.
Let me stop right now and tell you something.
If you are a virgin in the world of chocolate, I’m going to recommend that you do not start your cage making experience by using white chocolate. And, if you do, don’t try to tint it. Why? White chocolate is more difficult to work with. It’s temperamental to melt (if it gets too hot, throw it out, you’re done), and if you use a tint with too much liquid in it, that white chocolate will seize up in a heartbeat. Add to that it dries faster, which means you have little time to work with it.
Now, I did all right on mine, though it DID dry on me before I could wrap the cake. My solution? A quick trip to the oven for a few seconds got it back to where I needed it. But again, just know that working with dark or milk chocolate will be much, much easier.
I kid you not. I love you guys, so I’m not trying to trick you.
Now, let’s move on to the cage making extravaganza.
Step By Step
First things first – make your cake. In case you aren’t a big baker, use a box mix. Just take my advise and add a bit less water and one extra egg. That will make the cake richer and sturdier. You want this.
I made my cake in 3 six inch cake pans, so that it’s taller. And that’s one box mix, in case you are curious. Once I leveled each layer, the stacking began. As you can see, I piped a border of the plain whipped cream to keep the blueberry whipped cream contained in the center. From there, I added the second layer with the same technique, and finally, the top.
I use wooden skewers or a strong drinking straw to keep my cakes standing straight and tall, and to keep them from wiggling as I decorate them. Just measure the height you need and insert the skewer in the center of the cake from the top. Pretty easy stuff. Once that’s done, I iced the cake in the plain whipped cream, and into the refrigerator it went to cool.
How To: The Chocolate Cage
Now comes the cage.
Roll out a piece of parchment paper large enough to fully wrap around the cake. Now, I like my cage to be taller than the cake, so if you want the same thing, be sure the width of your parchment extends as high as you want it to. For my 8 inch tall cake, I made my cage 10-11 inches tall.
Once your chocolate is JUST melted (not too runny, not to hot, just melted), load it into a piping bag. Snip the end just a bit, leaving a fairly small hole for the chocolate to pipe through. If it seems too small, snip a little more. You don’t want the cage to be too fragile, so don’t make the piped lines too tiny. There’s your warning.
Now, pipe all manner of swirls onto your parchment. It will look something like this:
Again, more is better, you don’t want it too fragile.
The next step is the most difficult. You need to watch the chocolate.
Just – watch it.
It will start to set, losing it’s shine. Once it’s almost dry, but when you pick up the parchment it still bends freely, it’s time to apply it to the cake.
Applying the Cage to the Cake
Take that parchment, chocolate facing the cake, and wrap it around the cake. Do. Not. Scoot. It. In. To. Place. Put it where you want it the first time. If you wiggle it, it will smear. No good. Just tackle it with volition, and gently press it into the sides of the cake. The extra part at the top will hold up fine, really. It will be okay.
Back into the fridge with it.
In about 5 minutes, it will be all set. You can leave it longer, but I have this sneaky feeling you won’t be able to wait it out.
Carefully, very carefully…start peeling the the parchment away.
Voila! You have made a chocolate cage! Now decorate it however you like. For this blueberry cake, I piped some more whipped cream, added a bit more blueberry cream to the center, and added a few fresh berries. I also added another piped chocolate flourish. Nothing too fancy.
So did that help? Are you ready to do it yourself?
Feel free to ask me any questions you like, I’m here!
Came across this recipe on Facebook one day and it is the PERFECT adult style pudding! I will definitely be making these a standard "dish" at our adult game nights (Cards Against Humanity, anyone?) Anyway, here's how to make them...
Ingredients:
small box of chocolate instant pudding
3/4 c Kahlua
3/4 c Coconut Rum
4oz Cool Whip (extra creamy preferred, but not required)
Directions:
Whisk Kahlua and Instant Pudding together until thick (about 1-2 minutes)
Once thickened, add rum and whisk until all lumps and clumps are gone.
Once smooth, whisk in Cool Whip.
Fill almost 3/4 of a 1oz plastic shot cup (or whatever you choose to put your shots in).
Cover and place in the freezer.
*It does take several hours to set, I usually set them overnight.
**Also, I recommend serving with spoons as it is more of a pudding consistency :)
For more great pudding shot recipes visit their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/puddingshots1
This is the sweet treat for the health nut in your life.
Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, mix melted chocolate with coconut oil.
Spoon a small dollop of chocolate on the parchment and top with 4 to 5 blueberries. Drizzle chocolate over blueberries and sprinkle with sea salt.
Freeze until set, 10 minutes. Serve.
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In a blender, combine milk, flour, sugar, salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla, eggs and melted butter. Blend until mixture is smooth and foamy. If possible, let batter sit for 15 minutes at room temperature (or up to overnight in the fridge).
Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat with more butter or vegetable oil. Add about one-quarter to one-third cup batter and swirl the batter to completely cover bottom of skillet. Cook until the bottom of the crepe is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula (or chopsticks) loosen edge of crepe then quickly flip. Cook for 1 minute more then slide crepe out of skillet. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more butter or oil to the pan as necessary.
Fold crepes into quarters. Drizzle with melted chocolate and top with banana slices.
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We turning the cherry chip cookie into the almost-just-as-successful-cousin to the classic chocolate chip cookie. The cherries add a bit more sweetness with a pop of tartness that makes them unforgettable!
Preheat oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into wet ingredients then fold in chocolate chips and cherries.
Using a large cookie scoop, scoop cookies onto prepared baking sheets and bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes.
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Generously butter the ramekin/s then spoon in some sugar and tilt the ramekin to create a coating of sugar all over the butter, tipping out any excess. Repeat with the rest of the ramekins, if using, and put to one side.
Melt chocolate in a large bowl over a small pan of simmering water. Take off the heat and whisk in the condensed milk. Check the temperature and leave to cool for a few minutes if more than warm, then whisk in 2 egg yolks and put to one side to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar to firm peaks. Briskly mix in a quarter of the egg white, then gently fold in the rest in two parts. Divide between the individual ramekins or large one if using. Fill right to the top, then smooth off the top with a spatula. Run your finger around the edge of the rim to stop it sticking then place in the hot oven.
Bake individual souffles for 12-13 minutes. They should have risen well, be slightly wobbly if you prod the ramekin, but be slightly firm on top.
If you’re making one large souffle, test it’s done-ness by gently touching the middle of the top - it should have some resistance; if it’s liquid or wobbly then it’s undercooked and will deflate, so cook for another few minutes and then take another look.
Once the souffles are cooked, dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.
In honor of National Canning Forward day I thought I would repost!
It may not be bricks of Cocoa or one of your favorite brand names but you can do chocolate another way and make is safe for canning. We can use powdered Cocoa. It is amazing the kinds of flavor you can get pairing this with fruit. On a previous post I did the recipe from the canning book, “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving”, which by the way was done it Canada, for Chocolate Raspberry Topping and it was so good. When Teresa from my Facebook page said something about using Cherries I got very excited about the prospect of using the cocoa again.
Last night I finished the recipe and it is better than the raspberry but for a different reason. The dark cherries are more firm and difficult to breakdown like the raspberries so the sauce has half and parts of cherries in it. That was bonus in this recipe. The “bite” of the cherry was more a blast of fruit flavor in your mouth like biting into a chocolate covered cherry. Amazing is all that my niece could say! Thanks again Teresa for the “Black Forrest” idea!
I love camping? I love planning our menu and cooking while on a camping trip. S?mores are the proverbial camping dessert- and I enjoy them but they can be really, really, really messy. I know, that is part of the fun! But sometimes the combination of marshmallow goo, sand, leaves, and the great outdoors is just a little too much for me. I thought up this yummy treat as an alternate option for our family in hopes that it will help cut back on some of the mess.
You have two choices for when to make these- you can assemble everything, wrap the whole thing in foil, and then just pull it out and place it on the campfire when you are ready to go. Or- you can bring the ?fillings? and let everyone assemble the cones as they choose there by your campfire and then wrap and cook.
For each camper you will need:
1 ice cream cone (I prefer sugar cones)
1 piece of foil- big enough to wrap the cone
And an assortment of the fillings of your choice. They can include but are not limited to:
Chocolate chips
Butterscotch morsels
White chocolate morsels
Walnuts
Peanuts
Almonds
Toffee pieces
Mini marshmallows
Brown sugar
Coconut
Cocoa nibs (raw chocolate)
Banana pieces
Dried fruit
Allow each camper to design their cone with the fillers of choice in layers. Wrap securely with foil and place over heat near campfire or on grill to allow the chocolates to melt. Unwrap and enjoy.
For a variation you can take waffle cone bowls and fill them with the fresh fruit of choice. Try these delicious combinations:
Fresh strawberries and chocolate chips
Peaches, white chocolate, and almond slivers
Apple slices, cinnamon, raisins, brown sugar, and butter
Bananas, butterscotch morsels, and brown sugar
And yes, it is my fault that our drought is ending! We planned our big "Annual Family Camping Trip" for later this week. Just GUESS what the forecast is :-)
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3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (I used a blend of white and semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/2 cup sprinkles
Directions:
In a large bowl, sift together flour, cake mix, and baking soda. Set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed. Mix in the egg and vanilla until creamy.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not OVERMIX the dough. Fold in the chocolate chips and sprinkles.
Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 days. This step is mandatory. The dough is fairly sticky, so chilling the dough is required in order to avoid the cookie from spreading too much.
Scoop rounded tablespoons of the cold dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. Shape your cookie dough balls to be "taller" than they are wide, as pictured above. Make sure to keep dough chilled when working in batches. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are slightly browned. (Mine took 10 minutes exactly). The centers will still appear very soft, but the cookies will set as they cool.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
A caixa surpresa para namorado é um super presente que pode ser curtido a dois. Esse tipo de presente combina com várias datas diferentes: Dia dos Namorados, Aniversário, Natal, Aniversário de namoro, entre outros. E claro, também é uma opção para os casais casados que nunca deixaram a paixão do namoro acabar.
Se você quer fazer a caixa surpresa para namorado, mas está em dúvida sobre o que colocar dentro, veio ao lugar certo. Vamos te ajudar nessa missão dando dicas para escolher os presentes. São 55 fotos para você se inspirar e fazer uma surpresa incrível para o seu amor.
O que Colocar Dentro?
Ao pensar em fazer uma caixa surpresa para namorado a primeiro dúvida que surge é o que colocar dentro. É necessário conhecer bem a personalidade do seu namorado para não errar nos presentes, mas mesmo se for início de namoro é possível acertar usando as nossas dicas.
Vinho é o tipo de presente que combina com qualquer ocasião, principalmente se o objetivo da caixa surpresa para namorado é curtir um pouquinho a dois. Claro que você deve observar se o seu namorado consome bebida alcoólica, se você não tem certeza se ele gosta, é melhor não arriscar.
Quem não gosta de chocolate? É difícil encontrar uma alma viva que não seja apaixonada por esse tipo de doce. Nos supermercados e em lojas especializadas você encontra algumas opções de caixas de bombons finos e saborosos. Outra opção é encomendar essas guloseimas com aquela confeiteira de confiança que mora no seu bairro.
Com chocolate é possível criar várias formas e sabores diferenciais: chocolate com morango, pimenta, chocolate branco, ao leite, meio amargo, com avelã, com castanha de caju, com cokkies, com amendoim, entre muitas outras variações.
As canecas personalizadas com tema de casal são um charme e uma ótima pedida de presente para os apaixonados por café ou leite com achocolatado. Você pode mandar fazer uma caneca com a estampa com foto de vocês dois ou escolher um dos desenhos fofinhos que representem bem o casal.
A caixa surpresa para namorado já é um presentão, mas você pode incrementar ainda mais presenteando com artigos que podem ser úteis no dia a dia. É importante escolher itens que sabe que seu namorado gosta, como perfume, cremes hidratantes, creme de babear, barbeador, entre outros.
Seu namorado é apaixonado por games? Rechear a caixa surpresa para namorado com jogos pode ser uma ótima maneira de agradar.
São apaixonados por cinema? O kit com filme, pipoca, refrigerante e guloseimas rende bons momentos a dois. Você pode escolher um filme bem romântico ou um título que sabe que a tempos o seu amor está querendo assistir.
Fotos e Ideias de Caixa Surpresa para Namorado
A caixa surpresa para namorado pode ter diversos itens diferentes, por isso separamos por categoria para que você escolha o que mais combina com a ocasião em questão. É claro que a caixa deve ser bem romântica, com muitos corações e muito vermelho: a cor da paixão.
Com Bolo
A caixa surpresa para namorado com bolo é a pedida certa para comemorar o aniversário do seu amor. Também conhecida como festa na caixa, a caixa surpresa para namorado com bolo traz um bolo pequeno de até 1 kg, duas latinhas de refrigerante, 20 unidades de salgadinhos e alguns docinhos típicos de festa de aniversário, como brigadeiro e beijinho. Veja algumas opções para montar a sua própria caixa:
Escrever frases é uma maneira fofa de demonstrar todo o seu amor. Você pode escrever frases como “Eu te amo” e “Feliz Aniversário”.
A nossa dica para acertar na festa na caixa é escolher o bolo com o recheio preferido do seu amor. Tome cuidado para não exagerar nas quantidades, afinal, é uma mini festinha apenas para vocês dois.
Se você achar que um bolo de 1kg é muita coisa para vocês dois a saída pode ser fazer bolo no potinho. Algumas pessoas consideram esse peso como pedido mínimo e realmente sobra muito. Já o bolo no potinho é a quantidade ideal para comemorar o aniversário.
Com Frases
A caixa surpresa para namorado com frases revela todo o seu amor. A chave do sucesso para acertar nas frases é escrever algo que tenha a ver com vocês dois, que se relacione com algum bom momento vivido juntos ou que fale dos seus sentimentos. Precisa de inspiração? Veja algumas formas de fazer.
Usar as embalagens dos chocolates como parte das frases é uma opção muito criativa. Você pode se inspirar e escrever algo mais personalizado.
A caixinha com BIS é simples, mas faz sucesso. Claro que é legal colocar outros itens na caixa surpresa para o namorado além dos chocolates.
Se você quer personalizar a caixinha de BIS deixamos essa arte prontinha para imprimir. Você só precisa salvar a imagem no seu computador e imprimir em papel foto em alta resolução.
De Chocolate
A caixa surpresa para namorado com chocolate tem tudo a ver com romantismo. O chocolate é considerado um doce afrodisíaco que é difícil encontrar quem não goste.
Nossa dica é comprar chocolate de boa marca ou então encomendar docinhos na versão gourmet. Pode ser bacana experimentar sabores diferentes com o seu amor, principalmente se tratando de chocolate de qualidade.
A caixa dos 5 sentidos é um sucesso no Brasil e uma maneira divertida de surpreender o seu namorado. A ideia é colocar presentinhos que mexam com os cinco sentidos: visão, tato, paladar, olfato e audição. Pode ser presentes simples que instiguem os sentidos do seu parceiro.
Temos algumas dicas de presente para colocar na caixa surpresa para o namorados dos 5 sentidos:
Visão: Nessa categoria você pode colocar uma foto do casal, um filme que ha tempos querem assistir juntos, um quadrinhos personalizado ou mesmo uma cartinha escrita por você.
Olfato: Sabe aquele perfume que o seu amor está querendo? Essa pode ser a hora de presentear. Além do perfume você também pode investir em incensos, aromatizadores e velas perfumadas. Se o orçamento está curto as velas são as melhores opções, pois você encontra em qualquer mercado.
Tato: Para mexer com o tato de brinde você pode ganhar uma massagem: invista em hidratantes e óleos corporais. Os cartões bordados também são uma opção para que seu namorado sinta o desenho com a mãos. Nessa categoria também está as peças de roupas.
Paladar: Agradar o paladar é a missão mais fácil que existe! Invista em chocolates gourmets. Se o seu namorado gosta de vinho e cerveja, esses itens também são opções bacanas, mas você deve escolher marcas diferencidas para fugir um pouquinho do comum.
Audição: Para mexer com a audição você pode presentear com fones de ouvido. Eles duram pouco então não é tão difícil adivinhar quando seu namorado precisar de um. Fora os fones, uma play list com as músicas que marcaram os momentos a dois também pode fazer muito sucesso com o seu love. Se você canta ou toca algum instrumento é a oportunidade de planejar algo especial e surpreender quem você tanto ama.
Como Fazer uma Caixa Surpresa para Namorado: Passo a Passo
Quer aprender como fazer a caixa surpresa para namorado? Bom, com as nossas dicas você já sabe o que colocar dentro, mas para agradar é necessário caprichar na decoração da caixa em si.
A caixa surpresa para namorado pode ser de vários tamanhos, tudo depende da quantidade de coisas que você deseja colocar dentro. Se forem poucos itens você pode usar uma caixa de sapatos. Se forem muitos itens, a caixa organizadora de MDF dá conta do recado.
Essa caixa organizadora você encontra em lojas especializadas em artigos para artesanato. Para pintar o MDF você vai usar tinta latex a base de água. Nossa dica é passar duas camadas de tinta branca, deixar secar e depois passar por cima a cor que deseja. O vermelho é uma cor que combina bem com a ocasião. Passe duas camadas de tinta vermelha e deixe secar de um dia para o outro.
Para fazer os corações você pode cortar papel laminado no formato ou usar stencil para pintar direto na caixa. Se optar por uma caixa de papel a dica é encapar com EVA ou papel.
Independente do material da caixa surpresa para namorado, coloque folhas de papel de seda no fundo para dar volume. Depois é só dispor os produtos por cima de maneira organizada.
Gostou das nossas dicas de caixa surpresa para namorado? Tem alguma sugestão de presentes para colocar na caixa que não falamos nesse post? Deixe o seu comentário.