chocolate recipe | Caffeine and You

Nutella Truffles

September 4, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Bite into one of these truffles and what a surprise – a caramelised hazelnut in the centre!

Makes 15 truffles

Preparation: 20 min. Cooking: 5 min. Chilling: 30 min.

30 g (2 tbsp) caster/superfine sugar
15 whole hazelnuts
50 g (2 oz) plain chocolate
150 g (1/2 cup) Nutella
2 tbsp single/light cream
30 g (1 oz) hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

1. In a saucepan, dissolve the caster/superfine sugar with 2 tbsp water to make a caramel. When it is ready, add the hazelnuts and mix thoroughly. When the hazelnuts are well coated with caramel, place them on a sheet of baking parchment and leave to dry.

2. In a saucepan, melt the plain chocolate cut into pieces with the cream and Nutella. Mix thoroughly until well combined, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.

3. Use a teaspoon to scoop up a nut-sized piece of the chocolate mixture. Add a caramel-coated hazelnut and roll in the palm of your hand to form a small ball. Repeat until all the mixture has been used, then roll the balls in the toasted, chopped hazelnuts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

For more recipes:

Nutella: The 30 Best Recipes, by Ferraro U.S.A. Also available as an ebook.

No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Mini’s

June 28, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

When it’s 100 degrees outside, I head indoors to make cheesecake – miniature no-bake cheesecakes, in muffin tins.

Just for fun, I make them in multiple sizes. Part of the joy is finishing the cheesecakes with different toppings: berries, whipped cream, sprinkles…you get the idea.

This recipe fills 12 standard muffin cups plus 12 mini-muffin cups (fitted with paper cupcake liners). Or, make several custard cups (again with liners). I suggest one standard muffin cup portion per person, but realistically, some people will clamor for seconds, so give them a mini or two.

Tips:

Serve well-chilled: the filling and crust are more fragile than a baked cheesecake, and are at their best when cold.
To tamp down the crumbs in the liners (very important), use the bottom of a plastic-wrapped spice jar, one that just fits the cavity. Jars with tapered bottoms (like McCormick) work great.
No maple syrup? Use agave nectar or other syrup (or skip the syrup)
Espresso powder boosts the chocolate flavor; if you prefer, omit it and the water, and increase the vanilla extract to 1 tablespoon.

No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Mini’s

By Kate Heyhoe

Serves 12

You’ll need an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer for this recipe, a saucepan, muffin tins and paper liners, and at least 4 hours for the cheesecakes to chill.

Crust:

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Filling:

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1-1/4 cups powdered sugar (5-1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Crust:

Stir the crumbs, butter and syrup together until evenly mixed. Place paper liners in muffin tins. For medium tins, spoon about 2 tablespoons crumbs into each cavity. For mini-muffin tins, use about 1 tablespoon crumbs. Tamp down the crumbs to form an even layer (see Tips).

Filling:

In a small bowl, combine the espresso powder with the water until dissolved. Add the vanilla extract.
In a mixing bowl with a electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and espresso mixture together until smooth (no lumps).
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stir the cream and both chocolates together until the chocolate melts and forms a smooth, shiny sauce. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.
Pour the chocolate sauce into the cream cheese mixture. Beat on low to medium speed until uniformly mixed.

Layer the filling over the crust in each muffin cavity, adding enough mixture to completely fill the liner. This will be messy. Use two utensils, such as a silicon spatula and a spoon.

Place a sheet of waxed paper or plastic wrap over the entire muffin tin, and run your hand over it to smooth the tops. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.
To serve, peel away the paper liners. Garnish with glee: powdered sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate shavings, sea salt, chopped nuts, whipped cream, or berries. The sky’s the limit. Serve well-chilled (see Tips).

Swirled Matcha-Chocolate Brownies

May 27, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

An Easy Upgrade: Swirled Matcha-Chocolate Brownies

By Kate Heyhoe

When my chocolate Jones needs a fast fix – and a bigger rush than a chocolate bar can provide – this treat rescues me. It’s the reason why boxed brownie mixes were invented – they deliver a flavor flood that’s quick and also creative, because tinkering with mixes is so easy. (The Cake Mix Doctor’s made a career out of it.)

Matcha tea, that vivid green tea powder with seductive flavor, meets cream cheese in this swirly chocolate brownie. Any chocolate brownie mix works, though super fudgy brownies tend to overpower the matcha. But go with your heart and what’s in your pantry. (And yes, of course you can always make the brownie batter from scratch, instead of a mix.)

The process is simple: Whip up the matcha-cream cheese mixture from scratch, then do the cheat: swirl it on top of the brownie batter, and bake. It takes less than an hour from mix to mouth.

Swirl the matcha batter into the brownie batter

Instructions

Follow the package directions for the brownie mix, including the oven temperature and pan preparation (such as greasing the pan bottom or whatever it says), and baking time. After you’ve poured the batter into the pan, swirl the Matcha-Cream Cheese batter into the top, and bake.

Matcha-Cream Cheese Batter

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dump all ingredients into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixture (stand or handheld), combine all ingredients. It’s okay if tiny bits of cream cheese remain unblended; I like seeing little white spots poke through the swirl after baking. Let cool. Cut, serve, and swoon.

Swirling tips: Drop clumps of matcha batter on top of brownie batter. Use a knife to draw through the matcha batter and create swirls. If you want green streaks inside the brownies, fold the matcha batter deeper into the brownie layer by rolling the knife down, through, and up.

Ginger Options: If you want to gild the lily, stir 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger into the matcha batter before spreading. You can also mix a teaspoon or so ground ginger into the brownie batter, for twice the ginger flavor.

Swirled Matcha-Brownies take minutes to mix, then bake

S’more Nachos

May 22, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

S’more Nacho by Kate Heyhoe, from Macho Nachos

Got the munchies? S’more Macho Nachos are fast treats and don’t require an open flame.

From Macho Nachos (Kindle; Apple/iTunes) by Kate Heyhoe

As a Camp Fire Girl, I‘m not sure which part of s’mores I enjoyed more—the process of browning (or more often, blackening) the marshmallows on skewers over an open flame and then smooshing them between chocolate bars and graham crackers, or actually eating them.

S’mores remain a popular treat for kids and a nostalgic one for adults. Nouveau S’mores have been popping up in fine dining restaurants coast to coast. Some establishments actually let you toast your own marshmallows at table over small pots of red-hot coals. Even The French Laundry (which some consider America’s finest restaurant) serves s’mores, albeit with premium Valrhona chocolate, made-from-scratch marshmallows and homemade whole-wheat honey graham crackers.

Not to be outdone by s’more mania, the Macho Nachos version adopts the motto “the s’more the merrier.” Nutty peanut butter, thinned with a touch of maple syrup, “glues” tiny marshmallows and chocolate to a flour tortilla wedge, edged with a border of crunchy, buttery graham cracker crumbs. Just 3 minutes in a hot oven for golden, pillowy, marshmallow treats. One bite and off you go down memory lane—widened and repaved, but nonetheless, a merry pathway back to younger days. Makes one 8-inch flour tortilla; serves 3 to 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons nutty peanut butter
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 8-inch flour tortilla
Nonstick spray
20 to 30 mini-marshmallows
2 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles or semisweet mini chocolate chips

1. Heat the oven to 475˚F. with an oven rack in the second position, about 7 inches from the top of the oven.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the peanut butter and maple syrup.

3. In a separate small microwave-safe bowl, toss together the graham cracker crumbs and the butter. Microwave on high, 10 to 15 seconds or until the butter is melted enough to mash into the crumbs with a fork; the mixture should resemble coarse sand. (Or, melt the butter and mix it into the crumbs.)

4. Slice a flour tortilla into 6 wedges. Arrange the wedges on a baking sheet. Lightly spritz the wedges with nonstick spray. Flip the wedges over. Lightly spritz the other side.

5. Smear a layer of the peanut butter mixture on top of the wedges. Gently press the marshmallows into the peanut butter. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs around the edges of the wedges, as a border. Toss the chocolate sprinkles in between and around the marshmallows.

6. Bake for about 3 minutes, until the marshmallows are toasty and golden on top. The nachos will be very hot, so cool them on the tray 1 or 2 minutes before serving. Serve warm, preferably with tall glasses of cold milk or a hot cuppa joe. Makes one 8-inch flour tortilla; serves 3 to 6

Chocolate Chip Cappuccino Biscotti

May 15, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Whoa! These babies are like cappuccinos that crunch. Each bite is rich and dreamy with cinnamon, almonds, coffee, and tiny chocolate chips. Dunk into coffee or nibble on them as you sip. Butter and eggs make them crisp yet tender. They’re good for dunking, and hold their shape nicely. And unlike liquid cappuccino, they don’t spill.

Chocolate Chip Cappuccino Biscotti

By Kate Heyhoe

2 teaspoons warm water
1-1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12-3/4 ounces (2-3/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 ounce (2 tablespoons) coarsely ground coffee beans
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
5 ounces (2/3 cup) fine or regular granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
4-1/2 ounces (1 cup) chopped slivered blanched almonds
4 ounces (2/3 cup) mini-chocolate chips (like Nestle semisweet mini), or chopped bittersweet chocolate
Turbinado or demerara sugar as garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheetpan with parchment. Place a second sheetpan under the first to prevent scorching.

2. In a small bowl, microwave the water to warm it if it’s not already warm. Stir in the espresso until dissolved. Add the vanilla extract. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, stir or whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground coffee beans.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium until smooth and slightly shiny, 2-3 minutes. Mix in the espresso mixture and scrape down the sides as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well (15 seconds) and scraping the sides after each addition.

5. Set the mixer to low and blend the flour mixture into the eggs, just until there are no more patches of flour. Scrape down the sides.

6. Add the almonds and chocolate chips. Mix on low just until blended and all ingredients are evenly incorporated. The mixture will be thick and stiff, in large clumps – good! That’s what you want.

7. Dump the dough onto a floured surface, and with floured hands, shape into 2 logs, each about 13 inches long. Press down on the top and flatten to 2-inches across.

8. Place the loaves 4 inches apart on the sheetpan. Dampen them with wet hands to add sheen. Press some turbinado or demerara sugar into the top. Bake 30-35 minutes until firm but not too hard. (Rotate the pan halfway through.) The tops should have a slight give when pressed. Set the pan on a cooling rack and let cool completely, so the chocolate doesn’t smear during slicing. You can turn off the oven now and let them cool for an hour or several hours; or reduce the heat to 275 degrees F. and bake the second time as soon as they’re cool enough to cut.

9. Using a serrated knife, slice the logs into 3/8- to 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange the slices evenly on the same sheet pan and parchment; the slices should be standing upright, with some space between them.

10. Make sure the oven is preheated to 275 degrees F. Bake 40-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Biscotti should be slightly soft in the center when touched, and will crisp up on cooling. Cool on the pan on a rack. Biscotti may be wrapped well and frozen for up to 3 months. Makes about 40 biscotti.