Category: Light Shine University

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Hot Chocolate Sticks

Now, I bet you’re thinking, “Oooh, yum. Chocolate suckers!” but careful now…somehow, this is even better. How about Hot Chocolate on a stick? Hmmmm? The idea is that you warm up some milk or cream and stir it with these little chocolate melties. Clever. Scrumptious. Adorable.

And easy.

Ingredients:

8 oz. chocolate –your favorite kind will do- milk, semisweet, white–whatever.

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, being careful not to let the water get above a simmer. This will help your chocolate not get too hot and keep it’s pretty sheen. Be sure not to get even one drop of water in your chocolate or it will become grainy and sad. Once it is nearly all melted, take it off the heat and stir to finish the process.

Pour chocolate into a mixer and beat on low. Add the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. It should be quite thick now.

Press about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the chocolate mixture into each well of an ice cube tray. Insert a popsicle stick into each cube. I rolled some into balls because I only had one ice cube tray. That worked just fine too. Let them cool in the fridge.

After about 2 hours they should just pop right out of the tray. We dipped one corner or the bottoms into warmed red candy melts–just for fun.

Then while they were still warm, we found some other things to make them interesting–Valentine decos…

and red hots–and some we left just their plain, old selves.

You can use them yourself or give them out for the perfect little sweetheart gift. When giving them away, be sure to label them clearly and give instructions for their use.

“One Hot Chocolate Stick stirred into 1 cup of hot milk or cream for the perfect winter evening.”

Sweet dreams.  :}

 

 

“Hot Cocoa Mood”

Hot Chocolate Sticks
 
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Ingredients
  • 8 oz. chocolate –your favorite kind will do- milk, semisweet, white–whatever.
  • ¼ cup cocoa
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler, being careful not to let the water get above a simmer.
  2. Once it is nearly all melted, take it off the heat and stir to finish the process.
  3. Pour chocolate into a mixer and beat on low.
  4. Add the other ingredients and mix thoroughly.
  5. Press about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the chocolate mixture into each well of an ice cube tray.
  6. Insert a popsicle stick into each cube.
  7. Let them cool in the fridge.
  8. After about 2 hours they should just pop right out of the tray.
Notes
“One Hot Chocolate Stick stirred into 1 cup of hot milk or cream for the perfect winter evening.” Sweet dreams. :}

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Steamed Chocolate Pudding…

…with Caramel Sauce…AND a giveaway. That’s what I said.

Oh baby–the room is starting to spin. Grab something stable and hold on.

For some odd reason, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of making real Plum Pudding–you know just to see if it tastes like…dirt, or if it’s actually good. Now, it takes a special pan to make traditional Plum Pudding, so, I’ve been on the look-out for just such a pan for many years. Finally, after checking each holiday season, at Williams Sonoma–at last, at last, they had one. But, fortunately for all of us–the recipe included with the pan was for “Steamed Chocolate Pudding with Caramel Sauce.”

Oh my…oh my.  Are you sitting down? Rock beats scissors. Paper beats rock. Chocolate beats just about anything–but certainly…plum.

Dude.

Steamed Chocolate Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

9 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

9 Tbsp. butter, cut up

6 eggs, separated

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1-1/2 Tbsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup caramel sauce

whipped cream

Directions:

Grease a steamed pudding mold. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler and allow to cool. Beat the egg yolks and brown sugar on high speed for about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add vanilla, cooled chocolate and salt and beat until combined–about 1 minute. Transfer mixture into another bowl.

In a clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a clean whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until medium-firm peaks form–about 4 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites and the chocolate mixture together until no whites are visible. Sift the flour over the batter and fold in until well blended. Pour the mixture into the greased mold. Place the lid securely on top.

Next, set the mold on an inverted colander or steam rack, set in a large pot. Fill the pot with water to come halfway up the sides of the mold. Cover the pot, and set over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes.

Remove mold from pan and let cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes. Uncover the mold and pour caramel sauce over the pudding.  Let cool in the mold for another 30 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate and…

and serve warm.

Hot dang.

We loved this so much–especially the Bald Kid and I–that I can’t bear not to have a partner in-steamed-pudding-crime. Therefore my friends–I’m giving away a true, live, steamed pudding pan to one lucky reader–on Friday at 10:00 am…sharp. To enter, leave me a comment on this post. In fact, I’ll give you one entry for each comment you leave on any previous post–from this moment on. Ha ha! Comments for EVERYone!

 

 

“C-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e”

Steamed Chocolate Pudding...
 
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Ingredients
  • 9 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 9 Tbsp. butter, cut up
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 Tbsp. vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp flour
  • ½ cup caramel sauce
  • whipped cream
Instructions
  1. Grease a steamed pudding mold.
  2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler and allow to cool.
  3. Beat the egg yolks and brown sugar on high speed for about 4 minutes.
  4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add vanilla, cooled chocolate and salt and beat until combined–about 1 minute.
  5. Transfer mixture into another bowl.
  6. In a clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a clean whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy, 2 to 3 minutes.
  7. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until medium-firm peaks form–about 4 minutes.
  8. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites and the chocolate mixture together until no whites are visible.
  9. Sift the flour over the batter and fold in until well blended.
  10. Pour the mixture into the greased mold.
  11. Place the lid securely on top.
  12. Next, set the mold on an inverted colander or steam rack, set in a large pot.
  13. Fill the pot with water to come halfway up the sides of the mold.
  14. Cover the pot, and set over medium high heat.
  15. Bring to a boil.
  16. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes.
  17. Remove mold from pan and let cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes.
  18. Uncover the mold and pour caramel sauce over the pudding.
  19. Let cool in the mold for another 30 minutes.
  20. Invert onto a serving plate and… and serve warm.

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Chocolate Mint Cookies

Here’s a little slice of Heaven you may just want to sneak into your holiday preparations this year. It has all the right stuff to earn a regular spot on the “Santa plate.”

The elves and I used the Brownie cookie recipe from a few years back and–how shall we say–tweaked it a little. We just sprinkled in–ok, ok, dumped in Andes Mint Morsels with wild abandon, and we haven’t recovered yet.

DIVINE I tell you…di-vine.

So fill up the plate–if there are any left for the old bearded fellow.

Ours are long gone.

Dude’s getting Oreos.

 

 

“Chocolate”

 

 

Chocolate Mint Cookies
 
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:
Ingredients
  • 1-1/4 cup butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • ¾ cup cocoa
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 10oz Andes Cream de Menthe Chips
  • OR
  • 10oz Andes Peppermint Crunch Chips
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients slowly. Stir in Andes Mint Chips and mix well. Drop on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Allow to rest on pan for a minute or two before removing to cool.

 

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Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Marvelous twist on a classic favorite.

And tell the truth–you know that positively everything is genetically enhanced when chocolate is involved. I read it somewhere–therefore, it is of course true. You will also be pleased to know that this sweet little cookie was approved by the State Childcare Program as a good snack choice for daycare children because it has so darn much oatmeal in it. So you can breathe easy while you snarf these down…they’re good for you…heh, heh.

Have them for breakfast with a glass of milk.

Call it oatmeal.

Heh.

 

 

“C-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e”

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups butter

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1cup sugar

2 eggs

3 tsp. vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

2 tsp. baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

6 cups oats

12 oz. chocolate chips (optional…ok, not really)

Heat oven to 375*. In a mixer bowl, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from pan.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
 
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:
Ingredients
  • 2-1/2 cups butter
  • 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2-1/2 cups flour
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 cups oats
  • 12 oz. chocolate chips (optional...ok, not really)
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375*. In a mixer bowl, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from pan.

 

 

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Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

If you have a glorious weakness for chocolate, and if you love the creamy flavor of malt, AND if you have any respect whatsoever for that fact that it is National Milk Chocolate Day…and how could you not?…then, my friends, these sweet little morsels are liable to just flip you around backwards in all their chocolaty loveliness. Pretty sure I ate them…all…by…myself. I suppose I should be ashamed. I’ll work on that…soon.

 

 

“Chocolate”

Milk Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1- 1/2    cups Bisquick® mix
3/4    cup sugar
1/3    cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4    c malted milk powder–plain or chocolate
2/3    cup milk
1/4    cup vegetable oil
1    teaspoon vanilla
2    eggs

Frosting
2    tablespoons malted milk powder–plain or chocolate
2    tablespoons milk
2    cups powdered sugar
1    tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1/4    cup butter, softened

1.    Heat oven to 357 F. Line 16 regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups. In large bowl, beat all cupcake ingredients on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Spoon evenly into muffin cups.
2.    Bake about 15 minutes. Immediately remove from pan. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3.    In medium bowl, stir together malted milk powder and milk; let stand 5 minutes. Add remaining frosting ingredients; beat with electric mixer on medium speed 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Spread frosting over cupcakes.

Happy National Milk Chocolate Day!
Chocolate Malt Cupcakes
 
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Ingredients
  • 1- ½ cups Bisquick® mix
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
  • ¼ c malted milk powder--plain or chocolate
  • ⅔ cup milk
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 357 F. Line 16 regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups. In large bowl, beat all cupcake ingredients on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Spoon evenly into muffin cups.
  2. Bake about 15 minutes. Immediately remove from pan. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
  3. In medium bowl, stir together malted milk powder and milk; let stand 5 minutes. Add remaining frosting ingredients; beat with electric mixer on medium speed 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Spread frosting over cupcakes.
Notes
Frosting 2 tablespoons malted milk powder--plain or chocolate 2 tablespoons milk 2 cups powdered sugar 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa ¼ cup butter, softened