Mint Chocolate Brownies & Hot Chocolate

For the December recipes, I made the chocolate mix and mint brownies! All were fantastic, so thanks to those who contributed. I'm happy to have the chocolate mix to last the rest of the winter, and I think I might introduce mint brownies into other seasons besides Christmas. Yum! If you'd like to read the rest of my post, please feel free to check out The Lovely Lady Baker blog. 

Happy New Year!

December Recipes

I asked Joanna, one of our newest to share a recipe with us. I was specific though... I've known Joanna since college and she is super sweet. She shared her Hot Chocolate recipe with me once and after that I was addicted. Here is what Joanna has to say about her recipe:

"I grew up making this Hot Coco Mix with my mom every winter. We would fill a big tupperware container and keep it near the stove. When I moved away, my mom would mail me a bag of it.

A fun way to incorporate this into Christmas gifts is to fill a mason jar with the mix, top it off with some mini marshmallows, and tie a ribbon with instructions around the top. It is also a big hit at retreats, holiday parties, or just to snuggle up on the couch during a cold winter day. Enjoy!"

Hot Chocolate Mix

8 quarts dry milk (11c)

8 oz French vanilla powdered coffee creamer

16 oz nonfat powdered dairy creamer

1 lb milk chocolate mix (Quik or off-brand, both work well)

2 cups powdered sugar

Mix well (pouring the ingredients in layers helps). Store in air tight container. Fill cup or mug 1/2 full with coco mix then add hot water. (I like to save room to add a little cold milk to make it creamier and cool it off faster.)

You can substitute 24 oz of nonfat dairy creamer instead of using the French vanilla creamer. However, my mom believes the French vanilla is what makes it so creamy and delicious :)

Who can resist an incredible warm brownie with hot chocolate? I hope none of you. I've posted two brownie recipes below, but feel free to use your favorite and share your recipe with us! 

Mint Brownies

Mint seems to be a  good pairing with chocolate, no? Here is a recipe from Smitten Kitchen that looks delicious! 

Check out the link above for the full recipe! 

and one more just for fun

Espresso Brownies

mmmm.... coffee and chocolate. 

1/2 C butter

4 oz bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped

3 oz unsweetened chocolate coarsely chopped

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1 T espresso powder

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 C all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 C miniature semisweet chocolate pieces

chocolate cream cheese frosting

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, bittersweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate. Cook and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cool. Preheat oven to 350˚F and line an 8x8x2 inch pan with foil extending over the edges. grease foil and set aside.  

Add sugar to cooled chocolate. Add eggs one at a time beating until just combined. Stir in espresso powder and vanilla. In a small bowl combine flour, soda and salt. Add flour mix to chocolate and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate pieces. Spread batter into pan and bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Spread with chocolate cream cheese frosting and top with chocolate covered espresso beans. 

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

In a small saucepan heat and stir 1/2 C semisweet chocolate pieces over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and cool. In a medium bowl, stir together 3oz cream cheese with 1/4 C powdered sugar. Stir in melted chocolate until smooth. Store in a single layer in an airtight container. 

from Better Homes and Gardens 30 Blissful Brownies Recipes 

What's next? maybe a contest?

Share with us your own creation for a savory baked item by December 30th, and you'll automatically be entered into our February recipe contest. Anything you can imagine. We're going to have a vote in early January and your recipe will be featured as one of our February recipes. What's in for you? Well, I'm glad you asked! Our very first winner will receive a copy of Savory Baking by Mary Cech! So how do we do this? I'm going to submit all of your recipes in random order in one post. You'll have the entire month of January to vote, and the winner will be announced February 1st on our monthly recipe post. More on voting to follow.

The fine print:

1. You MUST use your own recipe. If your recipe is based on another fantastic recipe, you must have changed at least 4 things about it to call it your own. Please be honest!

2. All entries must be received by December 30th at 12:00pm PST to be considered.

3. You must have made this recipe at least twice. Preferably, it should be something you really love and would like to share with everyone. 

4. There is no restriction on difficulty. We like a good challenge every now and then. 

Puffs & Pies

I love the holiday baking season!

I altered the Pumpkin Puffs recipe to a gluten-free alternative by adding an extra egg, 1/2 tsp of both soda and powder, and using GV flour. I also wanted it to be "old fashioned gingerbread"-like so I put all the batter on my pizza stone at once, slid it in the oven, and crossed my fingers that it would turn out like I expected....I took it to a LIFE group lunch and it was a hit! I added a layer of cream cheese frosting to the top and sprinkled with with pumpkin pie spice for appearance sake. I then cut it into squares and let people serve themselves straight off the stone. It worked really well.

This week for my husband's family's traditional, don't rock the boat, Thanksgiving dinner I made the Pear & Plum Pie. Usually when I serve them something non-traditional they take a small piece and I get, "mmm...that's good; it's really different" (which translates to: "that's too weird for me, don't make that again") I expected this with the pie, but it sounded really good, so I took it anyway. I followed the recipe as stated except for the cinnamon. My brother-in-law is allergic so I used just a bit of ginger and nutmeg. It turned out beautifully and I went home with an empty pie plate. Success! I loved the combination of flavors and will definitely make this one again!

November Recipes

Hello fellow bakers. I've been meaning to write this since the beginning of November, but life got in the way! Anyways, if you haven't already planned your Thanksgiving feast, and since Pie is an essential Thanksgiving dessert, I've added some pies for you to try. Some are fairly traditional in concept, but have a little twist or flair. I was inspired by my Better Homes and Garden magazine this month with recipes from a local bakery, Mission Beach Cafe, from pastry chef Alan Carter. I've included the recipes below, but feel free to use them as a base and create something fantastic. 

Dress up a store bought pie with Hazelnut cream! Or, if you're not into pie, share with us your favorite Thanksgiving dessert, or try the pudding recipe I added here! Can't wait to see what you all make.

Pear Plum Pie

2 rolled, refrigerated unbaked pie crusts
1 1/4 C sugar
1/4 C cornstarch
1 tsp lemon peel
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 C cored and coarsely chopped pears
2 C chopped plums
1 small quince, cored, sliced, and poached (or 1 C coarsely chopped pear)
2 T lemon juice
2 T port (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg beaten
1 T whipping cream

To prepare quince, simmer 5 minutes in water and drain. 

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Roll out pastry on floured board and place in a 9" pie plate without stretching the crust, trim pastry even with the rim of tin.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon peel, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. In a large bowl combine pears, plums, and quince. Add lemon juice, port, and vanilla. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat. Transfer to prepared pie tin. 

Roll remaining pastry portion into a 12 inch circle. Place on filling, gently molding over the fruit. Trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie tin. Fold top pastry under bottom pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Cut 4 small slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Combine egg and cream; brush on pastry. Pace pie on a foil lined baking sheet. 

Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes covering edge of crust with foil, if necessary, to prevent overbrowning. Cool on wire rack. Makes 10 servings.  

Hazelnut Mousse

1/4 C pasteurized egg whites
1/4 C water
1/2 C sugar
1 C whipping cream
1 8oz carton mascarpone cheese
2 T Frangelico or other Hazelnut liqueur (optional)
1/2 C toasted, peeled, and ground hazelnuts

In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form (tips curl over when beaters are lifted). In a small saucepan combine water and sugar; cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and comes to a boil. Using a candy thermometer, cook at a steady boil over medium heat until mixture reaches 240˚F (about 5 minutes). 

Beat egg whites on high speed, slowly pouring in hot liquid mixture (pour against side of bowl and not beaters). When all the sugar mix is added, continue beating 5 minutes more to cool. 

IN a large bowl, whisk whipping cream and mascarpone; whisk in liqueur and 1/3 cup of hazelnuts. Whisk in cooled egg whites. Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts. Serve with pumpkin pie. Makes 10 servings. 

Banana Pudding
Courtesy of Tyler Florence via Better Homes and Garden

2 C half and half
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
2 T unsalted butter
2 T vanilla extract

2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 C powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/2 of a 12 oz box of vanilla wafers (about 44)
3 ripe bananas, sliced 1/4 inch thick

For the pudding, combine half and half and sugar in a stainless steel bowl or top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Whisk in flour and salt until combined, about 2 minutes; remove from heat. Place egg yolks in a separate bowl. Gradually add half of the hot cream mixture, stirring constantly to temper eggs. Whisk egg mixture into remaining hot cream and place back over simmering water. Cook whisking constantly until mixture has thickened to the consistency of pudding, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 350˚F. For the meringue, beat egg whites in a bowl with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add the cream of tartar, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until the whites form stiff peaks. 

To assemble, cover the bottom of a 2-quart square baking dish with half of the wafers. Top with half of the banana slices and half the pudding. Make a second layer, ending with pudding. With a spatula, spread meringue over entire banana pudding, forming attractive peaks. Place dish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until mixture is golden brown on top. Makes 8-10 servings. 

For individual servings, layer pudding and wafers in serving dishes. Spread meringue on top and using a torch, brown meringue. 

Yummy Pumpkin Puffs!

As a newcomer to the cOven and first time blogger, I am excited to share my baking experience. I am part of the audio/visual team at church and practice every Thursday. It was the perfect opportunity to try out the pumpkin puff recipe. They were quick to make and turned out great! Since I have a sweet tooth, I decided to go ahead and drizzle them with frosting. Unfortunately, my camera battery died before I could take a picture of the finished product with the frosting. Overall, the team approved and said I can use them as guinea pigs any time. I plan on making a second batch for the girls study tomorrow.

Pumpkin Puffs

I made the pumpkin pumpkin puffs! I might try and make one more recipe before the end of the month. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Check out my post on The Lovely Lady Baker's blog. Can't wait to see what all of you chose to make! 

The Lovely Lady Baker

October Recipes

This month we have a variety of things to choose from. One is an old favorite, and one was suggested by Elisa. The other seemed easy and festive for the month of October. 


I love fall because it means pumpkins are in season! What better dessert to make than something pumpkin? Well, if you think otherwise, the brown sugar cupcakes are for you. Elisa thought these cupcakes looked tasty, and cupcakes are quite the craze these days. 


Please feel free to make any of the recipes for your entry this month. Try to post within the last week of the month with a few words and a picture if you can. 


For the next few months, I'd like all of you to share a recipe you would like to make. I'm thinking we are a group who likes options, so if we have a couple of recipes to try each month, everyone might be able to participate more. I'll try and combine them into November and December - and if you send me a lot of recipes, we will be set for the new year.


Pumpkin Cookies 
(I like to call them Pumpkin Puffs)
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt


1/2 C butter softened
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla


Frosting Optional (I don't think it needs frosting)
2 C confectioners sugar
3 T milk
1 T melted butter
1 tsp vanilla


Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Mix together the dry ingredients including spices. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in egg and mix until incorporated. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Using a cookie scoop, drop dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes. Cool and drizzle frosting over the top if using. 


Cookies are cake-like in texture and get better with age. I think they are best the next day. Store up to one week in an airtight container. The cookies will be puffy - hence the name "puffs" and should not spread out on the pan. If you want them to be less puffy, press the dropped dough down with your fingers before baking. 


Pumpkin Truffles
2 1/2 C white chocolate chunks divided
1/3 C gingersnap cookie crumbs (more for garnish)
1/4 C canned pumpkin puree
1/4 C graham cracker crumbs (more for garnish)
1 T confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/8 tsp cinnamon
pinch of fine salt
2 oz cream cheese softened


Melt 1/2 C of chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Remove from heat and add all of the ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Transfer to a shallow bowl, cover and chill until solid enough to roll (about two hours). 


Line a baking tray with parchment. Melt remaining two cups chocolate and transfer to a small deep bowl. Working quickly, roll heaping teaspoons of the pumpkin mix by hand. Dip each ball into the melted chocolate making sure to cover each side fully. Let excess chocolate drip off the sides and set on parchment to dry. Sprinkle gingersnap or graham crackers over the top. Complete all balls and chill for one hour until chocolate is set. Keep refrigerated until serving. Makes about 30.  


Nigella's Burnt-Butter Brown Sugar Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
1/2 C plus 2 Tbs unsalted butter
3/4 C self-rising cake flour
3 T sugar
5 T light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
2-3 T milk
12-cup muffin pan lined with 2 paper baking cups
For the icing:
1/2 C plus 2 T unsalted butter
1 2/3 to 2 C confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 T milk

Preheat the oven to 400˚F and then get on with burning your butter. Put it in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring all the time until it turns a dark golden color. Take the pan off the heat and strain the butter into a bowl or cup, as it will have made a sediment. In other words, this is like clarified butter, but with a smoky note. Let the butter solidify again but don't put it in the refrigerator; you need it to remain soft for the cupcakes. This shouldn't take long, except in hot weather, in which case leave the preheating of the oven till after the butter's been burnt.

When the butter is solid but still soft, put all the cake ingredients except the milk in a food processor and blitz to a smooth batter. As normal, add the milk down the funnel, pulsing sparingly to form a soft, dropping mixture.

Divide among the paper cups, and cook for 15-20 minutes. While the cupcakes are baking, get on with the icing. It's the same procedure for the butter--burn, strain, solidify--then beat it with half the sugar or enough to make it stiff. Add 1T of milk and the remaining sugar alternately to reach a good consistency, and finally the vanilla.

While the icing's still soft, smear messily over the cooled and waiting cupcakes. Makes 12.

Last Year's Recipe