Ingredient: chocolate sprinkles

Chocolate Hedgehog Cookies

Chocolate Hedgehog Cookies

Hedgehogs are such charming creatures that I just had to make a cookie in their honor. They come out of hibernation in early spring so it’s the perfect time to share these cookies as we anticipate spring’s arrival. These delightful cookies are made of a chocolate cookie dough which is similar in texture to shortbread. It makes a delicious base for the white chocolate filling. Chocolate sprinkles make perfect hedgehog “fur’ and dabs of white chocolate make cute snouts and paws. The finished cookies are 2 1/2 inches wide which makes them a bit easier to decorate, but you can make them smaller if you wish. Baking times will be shorter for smaller cookies.

Print Recipe
 Chocolate Hedgehog Cookies
Chocolate thumbprint-style hedgehog cookies with chocolate sprinkles and white chocolate filling by Brownie Mischief
Course Dessert
Keyword chocolate, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword chocolate, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at time until incorporated, followed by the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the flour mixture just until the dough comes together. The dough will seem crumbly at first, but it will come together.
  4. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and roll them into balls. It's helpful to use a kitchen scale for accuracy. The balls should be about 1 1/2-inches (3.8cm) wide. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Using your thumb, press an oval indentation into the center of each dough ball. Brush the perimeter of the cookies with egg white.
  5. Place the sprinkles in a small bowl. Dip the tops of the cookies into the sprinkles, pressing gently to adhere the sprinkles to the egg white. Bake until the cookies are set and slightly puffed, about 9-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
  6. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave for short bursts. Transfer the melted white chocolate to a piping bag. Pipe the white chocolate into the indentations of the cooled cookies. Swirl each cookie gently to settle and smooth out the melted white chocolate. When the white chocolate centers have set up, reheat the remaining white chocolate. For the hedgehog paws, pipe 4 small blobs on each cookie. For the snouts, pipe a blob on each one. Use a toothpick dipped in black food coloring for the eyes and noses.**
Recipe Notes

*To find chocolate sprinkles, click here.

**For the eyes and noses, it's helpful to snip the pointed tip off of the toothpick to create a blunt end.

For all baking recipes, I recommend using a kitchen scale for the best results. To find one, click here.    

Chocolate Lovers’ Valentine Cake for Two

Chocolate Lovers' Valentine Drip Cake for Two

My relationship with Valentine’s Day has transformed over the years. When I was a child, I joyfully skipped home from school with my bounty of tiny Valentine cards, candy hearts and a cupcake someone’s mother baked. As I grew older, I was hot and cold towards Valentine’s Day, depending on the state of my love life at the time. After having kids, Valentine’s Day became about red construction paper, doily hearts and glue sticks. I happily cleaned up sprinkles and kissed chubby, frosting-stained cheeks. Now I think of Valentine’s Day as simply a day to celebrate love. I embrace Valentine’s Day and all the hearts, roses and chocolates that go with it! Show your loved ones that you love them on Valentine’s Day, but more importantly, show them throughout the year, by loving, respecting and accepting them for who they are every day.

If your heart beats for a chocolate lover, then this Valentine cake for two will have them swooning. It’s small in size, but grand in chocolate indulgence. It has three layers of moist chocolate cake, rich, white chocolate buttercream and a silky chocolate glaze. As if that isn’t enough, I loaded the top with chocolate candy! Some of the candy is store bought and some I made with candy melts and chocolate molds. Click here to find the cherub mold. Click here to find the heart mold.

Chocolate Lovers' Valentine Drip Cake for Two

I hope you share this Valentine cake with someone you love! However you celebrate the day and whoever you love, have a happy one!


Print Recipe


Chocolate Lovers' Valentine Cake for Two

A mini chocolate cake with white chocolate buttercream, topped with chocolate glaze and chocolate Valentine candy. Perfect for sharing!

Course Dessert

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 1 1/2 hours

Servings


Ingredients
Chocolate Cake for Two

White Chocolate Buttercream

Chocolate Drip Glaze

Cake Decorating Supplies

Course Dessert

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 1 1/2 hours

Servings


Ingredients
Chocolate Cake for Two

White Chocolate Buttercream

Chocolate Drip Glaze

Cake Decorating Supplies


Instructions
Chocolate Cake for Two
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease & flour three 4-inch cake pans. *See note below.

  2. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Add sugar and stir to combine.

  3. Combine egg, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk lightly to combine.

  4. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix on low speed with a handheld electric mixer, until combined. Stop mixer. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula. Turn mixer up to medium speed and beat for 1 minute.

  5. Add hot coffee and stir until incorporated.

  6. Pour batter into prepared cake pans, dividing batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

  7. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool.

White Chocolate Buttercream
  1. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler over gently simmering water. (Alternately, you can melt the white chocolate in the microwave. In a small microwaveable bowl, heat the white chocolate for 30 seconds, then stir. Heat again for 10 second intervals, stirring until melted, being very careful not to overheat it.)

  2. Set white chocolate aside to cool until lukewarm and still soft.

  3. In a medium bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and creamy.

  4. Add vanilla extract, salt and melted white chocolate. Beat at low speed until combined. Stop mixer. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula.

  5. Add powdered sugar. Beat at low speed, until powdered sugar is combined. Beat at medium speed until buttercream is smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl occasionally. Keep covered at room temperature until ready to use.

Cake Assembly
  1. When cakes have cooled completely, trim the cake layers to 1-inch tall.

  2. Attach one of the layers to a cake board with some of the white chocolate buttercream. Apply 1/4-inch thick layer of buttercream to the top of the cake layer, followed by the second cake layer, another 1/4-inch thick layer of buttercream, then the final cake layer.

  3. Apply a crumb coat (thin layer) of buttercream to the cake. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

  4. Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream. Apply chocolate sprinkles to the bottom edge of the cake.

  5. Melt chocolate drip glaze ingredients together in a double boiler over gently simmering water. Let cool slightly.

  6. Spoon chocolate glaze into a piping bag. Snip off the end of the bag with kitchen scissors. Drizzle chocolate glaze along the edges of the perimeter of the cake, then fill in the middle. Smooth top with a small offset spatula.

  7. Top cake with assorted chocolate candy. If desired, you can stack some of the candy and adhere them with melted chocolate to give some variation in height.


Recipe Notes

*Click here to find 4-inch cake pans.