Tag: chocolate

Mini Chocolate Hand Pies for Pi Day

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Mini Chocolate Hand Pies by Brownie Mischief

Pi Day is a day to celebrate mathematics, or more specifically, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to it’s diameter. While I do appreciate math for it’s precision, I also feel a bit annoyed at math for making my brain hurt! Ok, I’m sorry math. I forgive you. I do need you! How would I bake without you? So today I will celebrate math (and also my love for puns) with these tender, fudgy mini hand pies!

Mini Chocolate Hand Pies by Brownie Mischief

Since pi is all about circles, I used a 2 3/4-inch circle cutter to make round pies, but you can cut them into any shape you like. You could cut larger circles, fold them in half and call them empanadas. Rectangles are very popular with Pop Tart fans and you don’t need a special cutter, but a ruler would be helpful. I think squares would be cute, too! Whatever your shape of choice, math is always there to help!

I used a stencil to add some powdered sugar polka dots to my mini pies. I may have gone a little overboard with my circles, but who’s going to stop me? I think they look pretty cute, but If you don’t have a stencil, a sprinkle or two of powdered sugar will do just fine! Alternately, you could drizzle them with some melted white chocolate. I had a bit of white chocolate on hand, so I can confidently say, that version is yummy too!

Mini Chocolate Hand Pies

by Mari Vasseur
Mini chocolate pies with fudgy filling and a tender chocolate crust.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

Crust

  • 1 â…› cup (142g) all purpose flour, sifted plus more for your work surface
  • 3 tablespoons (17g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
  • â…› teaspoon fine sea salt
  • â…› teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup (113g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • 3 ounces (85g) cold cream cheese, cubed
  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) cold water, divided
  • ½ of 1 whisked egg

Filling

  • ½ cup (85g) bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips *see notes
  • â…“ cup (107ml) sweetened condensed milk

Finishing Touches

  • 2 tablespoons (15g) powdered sugar optional
  • OR 2 tablespoons (22g) melted white chocolate optional

Instructions
 

Crust

  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking powder until well blended.
  • Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter and cream cheese into the flour mixture until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.
  • Add 2 tablespoons (30ml) of the cold water to the mixture. Stir gently just until the dough comes together.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a couple of times. Form the dough into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Filling

  • In a small microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together in the microwave. Heat for 10-15 second bursts, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Assembly

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) water.
  • On lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 20 rounds with a 2 3/4-inch circle cutter (or cut into desired shapes of your choice).
  • Place 10 dough rounds about 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Top each with 1 tablespoon of filling.
    Mini Chocolate Hand Pies
  • With a small pastry brush or your finger, brush the egg mixture around the perimeter of each of the filled dough circles.
  • Top each with the 10 remaining dough circles. Crimp the edges together with a fork. Brush the pies with the remaining egg mixture.
    Mini Chocolate Hand Pies
  • Bake until the crust is crisp and browned, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Sprinkle the cooled pies with powdered sugar or drizzle with melted white chocolate.
  • Mini Chocolate Hand Pies

Notes

*The chocolate chips you use depends on personal preference. Bittersweet chocolate chips give a more intense chocolate flavor, while semi-sweet chocolate chips yield a slightly sweeter finished product.
To find my favorite circle cutters click here.                                                                                  To find the polka-dot stencil click here.

Chocolate Lovers’ Valentine Cake for Two

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

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!

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!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Cake for Two

  • â…” cup (3 ounces) all purpose flour
  • â…“ cup (1 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ plus â…› teaspoons salt
  • ¾ cup (5.25 ounces) sugar
  • 1 small egg
  • â…“ cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup hot coffee

White Chocolate Buttercream

  • 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
  • 1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch salt
  • â…” cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted

Chocolate Drip Glaze

  • 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon corn syrup or honey

Cake Decorating Supplies

  • cake board
  • piping bag
  • chocolate sprinkles
  • assorted chocolate candy

Instructions
 

Chocolate Cake for Two

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease & flour three 4-inch cake pans. *See note below.
  • Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Add sugar and stir to combine.
  • Combine egg, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk lightly to combine.
  • 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.
  • Add hot coffee and stir until incorporated.
  • 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.
  • Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool.

White Chocolate Buttercream

  • 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.)
  • Set white chocolate aside to cool until lukewarm and still soft.
  • In a medium bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and creamy.
  • Add vanilla extract, salt and melted white chocolate. Beat at low speed until combined. Stop mixer. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula.
  • 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

  • When cakes have cooled completely, trim the cake layers to 1-inch tall.
  • 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.
  • Apply a crumb coat (thin layer) of buttercream to the cake. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
  • Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream. Apply chocolate sprinkles to the bottom edge of the cake.
  • Melt chocolate drip glaze ingredients together in a double boiler over gently simmering water. Let cool slightly.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Notes

*Click here to find 4-inch cake pans.

Cocoa Meringue Brownies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

One of my favorite things to top desserts with are meringue cookies. They’re as light as air and they look so pretty and whimsical! The color and flavor combinations are endless, so you can really have some fun getting creative. I decided to whip some up, especially for placing on top of my favorite brownies. They take even the most humble brownies to a new level. You can use your favorite brownie recipe or even a boxed brownie mix. I won’t judge! I like to make the meringues a day or two ahead since they take quite a while to bake in the oven. While they bake, a subtle chocolate scent will waft through your kitchen, reminding you of the smell of hot cocoa. They even taste like hot cocoa! You can make your brownies a few hours ahead or the night before. I cut mine into rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter. I cut 12 rounds of this size from a 13 x 9-inch batch of brownies. Right before serving, spoon some thick, glossy chocolate ganache on the brownies, then top them with your pretty meringues! To make these little bits of chocolate heaven, you’ll need:

  • 1 batch Cocoa Meringues (recipe below)
  • 1 batch of your favorite brownies
  • 1 batch chocolate ganache (see notes)

Cocoa Meringues

Pretty, light and crispy treats that taste like hot cocoa!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 1 batch

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large egg whites, room temperature
  • â…› teaspoon cream of tartar
  • â…› teaspoon fine sea salt
  • â…“ cup (67g) fine granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • Brown gel food coloring *optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 200ºF (95ºC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until well blended.
  • Place the egg whites in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites with the whip attachment of an electric mixer, at medium speed, until foamy.
  • Add the cream of tartar and salt to the egg whites. Whip at medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
  • Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue whipping, at medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form.
  • Stop the mixer. Sprinkle the powdered sugar and cocoa mixture over the egg whites and whip at low speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds.
  • *This step is optional. Place a large, disposable pastry bag, fitted with a round piping tip, into a tall drinking glass. (I used a Wilton tip #12.) Fold the top third of the bag over the glass, forming a cuff. Using a small, clean paintbrush, paint thin, vertical stripes of food coloring on the inside of the bag, from the piping tip to the edge of the fold.
  • Spoon the egg white mixture into the pastry bag. Pipe small kisses, 1 inch apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. (I made mine about 3/4-inch to 1-inch in diameter. If you'd like larger kisses, use a larger size piping tip.)
  • Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in oven to cool and continue drying out for an additional 2 hours. Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

To make the chocolate ganache, I used a ratio of two parts semi-sweet chocolate to one part heavy cream. (Weighing the ingredients will give you the most accurate ratio.) Place 8 ounces. (227g) of chopped semi-sweet chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat 1/2 cup (4 oz/ 118ml) of heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the cream just to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, making sure to cover it completely. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir gently until smooth.