Chocolate Sundae

Summer is right around the corner and the mercury is shooting up. Schools are out and the kids are enjoying their new found down time. The afternoons are so hot, everyone is looking for something to cool down with. Ice cream fits the bill perfectly. It is even better if the ice cream is decorated with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. That brings me to this sundae. It is easy to put together. You can make your own chocolate sauce like I did or use store bought sauce. You can whip up the whipped cream or buy it at the store. A few crushed nuts on the top add a nice crunch.

The other day I asked my husband to get a small tub of ice cream to make some ice cream soda. He bought two large tubs. He had a pretty good reason for buying so much ice cream but I cannot remember what it was. You cannot return ice cream so I had to use up the two tubs. As a treat my family got to eat some new and old favorites with ice cream. Watch this space for more.

You will need
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 tbsp. or more chocolate sauce
whipped cream as needed or whip heavy whipping cream
chopped peanuts
maraschino cherry (optional)

To assemble: If using heavy whipping cream whip it until light and fluffy just before using it. Scoop the ice cream in a bowl. Add the whipped cream. Pour chocolate sauce. Garnish with nuts and a cherry.

Enjoy!



This is my entry for week three, day one of BM #53 for the theme Ice cream all the way. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#53.

Toblerone Chocolate Fondue

In Switzerland fondue usually refers to cheese fondue. But a few decades back in an attempt to popularize Toblerone chocolates a restaurant owner introduced the chocolate fondue made with Toblerone. This is an attempt to recreate that recipe.

Chocolate is very much loved in my family. When we were kids my father used to bring home these huge bars of Toblerones from his Europe trips. They would last for days. Though it is pretty rich I sometimes bring home a small tobler from the checkout area. I made made chocolate fondue before but this is the first time I used a tobler. I usually use chocolate chips. This version was simply delicious. It had the rich taste of the toblerone.

The chocolate is melted in a double boiler and mixed with melted butter and cream. The resultant gooey chocolate is served in a fondue pot. Apples or cake are used to as dippers.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need for a small batch
2 Toblerones 1.7 oz. each
2 tbsp. or a splash of cream or half and half
1/4 tbsp. of butter

Dippers
apple chunks
pound cake cubes

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Add the melted butter and cream (or half and half). Cook for a couple minutes until it thickens. Transfer to a fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with chunks of fruit or cake.

Enjoy!

Mexican Fudge

Fudge is usually a favorite of chocolate lovers. That is true in my house too. What I really like about fudge is that one piece is usually enough to satisfy that chocolate craving. So a small batch lasts for days of gooey goodness.

Mexican fudge has a little secret ingredient - red chili pepper. The pepper gives the fudge a little kick and really brings out the flavor of chocolate. I wanted to make the fudge using the 70% cacao bar we get at Whole Foods but in the end I used Nestle Toll House semi sweet mini chocolate chips.

My Dad was visiting when I made this fudge and as someone who has always enjoyed good chocolate he enjoyed it a lot too.

You will need
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (I used Eagle brand)
3 cups chocolate chips (I used Nestle Tool house semi sweet mini chips)
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp Mexican red chili pepper powder

Prepare a pan by covering it with parchment paper. I used a loaf pan as I wanted square thick pieces.

In a double boiler melt the chocolate chips on medium heat. Add the condensed milk, cinnamon powder and red chili pepper and mix well. If you like a bigger kick add more pepper. Continue to stir for about a minute and you will feel the mixture thickening.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Ensure the fudge is spread out evenly and smooth out the top. Let it cool down. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Take out the fudge from the pan using the parchment paper as a handle.

Cut it into 1 inch squares. Let them dry out on the parchment paper.

The fudge is done.

Enjoy!

What do you do if it does not set? Don't panic. Put the mixture back on the double boiler and melt it. Add a handful of chocolate chips and another tablespoon of sugar. Mix it well and transfer to the prepared pan to set.

Coconut Cookie Roll

Cookie crumb base with coconut cream filling! What is not to like? This dessert was very tasty and had just the right amount of sweet. A dessert lovers delight. It is very rich and a small cookie roll goes a long way.

This is by far the best cold cookie I have made. I would have never thought of using cookie crumbs as the base for the cookie roll. In fact if you tasted the end product you would never guess it was made with cookie crumbs, in my case crumbled Nilla wafers. I have already been asked to make them on a regular basis.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
For the dough
2 cups cookie crumbs (I used Nilla wafers)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
3 tbsp. whipping cream

For the cream
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. salted butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar (I ran granulated sugar through the blender)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup shredded (desiccated) coconut (I used fresh frozen)

Crumble the Nilla wafers in a food processor such that you have 2 cups of the crumbled mixture.

Rub in the butter evenly over the crumbs. Mix in the cocoa powder. Using the cream form a ball of dough. Knead it to soften. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Roll out the cooled dough on wax paper. Put it in the refrigerator until it is needed.

Make the coconut cream. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy and frothy. Add the shredded coconut and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined and creamy. Take out the rolled dough from the refrigerator and add the coconut cream on it.

Spread it evenly all over the dough. Place the sheet in the refrigerator for another 15 minutes.

Using a knife cut the uneven edges from one of the shorter sides to form a straight edge. Share the discarded pieces with the little ones in the house or enjoy them on your own. Starting from the short side roll tightly using the parchment paper to light the dough where needed.

Before you roll to the end cut off the uneven edges to form a straight edge. Roll the cookie roll in the parchment paper and refrigerate for a few hours.

Take it out of the refrigerator and unwrap the parchment paper. Using a sharp knife cut the roll in 1/2 inch cookies. Keep cool in refrigerator until needed.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Banana Bites

Banana, chocolate and peanut butter - what more could your child want? Bite sized treats are always the most loved and these chocolate covered bananas filled with peanut butter are no exception.

My daughter has a sweet tooth and likes something small after a meal. She is not really fond of anything very sweet so this is a perfect treat for her. She can make it herself and it satisfies her need for something sweet.

I made these on a very hot day and even in my temperature controlled kitchen I had a hard time piping the peanut butter. I finally put the piping bag in the refrigerator for a few minutes along with the chocolate dipped bananas and that did the trick.

You will need
1 banana
1 handful of chocolate chips (I use Nestle semi sweet chips)
1 tbsp. milk
3 tbsp. peanut butter

Peel and cut the banana into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces. Using a spoon scoop out the center.

Place the chocolate chips in a bowl and melt them in the microwave. About 30-35 seconds stirring twice should do the trick. Add in the milk and stir the chocolate well. Swirl the banana pieces in the chocolate and place them upright on a plate. Refrigerate for an hour until the chocolate hardens. Put peanut butter in a piping bag with a wide nozzle. Pipe it into the hollowed banana letting it spill over the top. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week three, day one of BM #43 for the theme Healthy Desserts. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#43.

Chocolate Truffles

Three layers of chocolate make up these delectable truffles. The core is made of dark chocolate ganache covered with melted dark chocolate and rolled in dark chocolate shavings.

The theme this week for the 2014 52 week challenge is Belgian. For some reason I could not look past chocolate. I had to make these truffles.

You will need
For the ganache
4 oz. dark chocolate (I used 60%)
2 oz. heavy whipping cream
1 oz. unsalted butter

For the covering
2 oz. dark chocolate
1/4 cup dark chocolate shavings

To make the ganache cut the chocolate into small pieces and place in a mixing bowl.

In a separate pan heat the heavy whipping cream. Mix in the butter and heat until very hot but not boiling.

Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate pieces and whisk together. Ensure all the chocolate has melted. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

To put it all together shred the chocolate over a grater and spread the chocolate shavings in a plate.

In a double boiler melt the dark chocolate.

Cover a sheet with parchment paper and keep it aside. You will need a toothpick or something similar to fish out the ganache balls from the melted chocolate. Take the ganache out of the refrigerator. It will have thickened considerably.

Take a 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp. of ganache and form into a ball. Roll it in the melted chocolate. With the help of a toothpick take it out of the chocolate bath and roll it in the chocolate shaving. Place on the parchment paper. Repeat until you use up all the ganache.

Chill for a couple hours before serving.

I am submitting chocolate truffles as my entry for the 2014 52 week challenge for the theme Belgian.