CHOCOLATE............

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cookessentials, May 25, 9:19pm
Chocolate anything... . from a dessert to a sweet to a cake or slice.
I am starting with these little beauties. I make my own hazelnut meal which is easy to do - just use an electric coffee grinder ( just for nuts and seeds only, not coffee as well! )

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SELF SAUCING PUDDINGS

1/2 cup (125ml) milk
40g dark chocolate, chopped coarsely
50g butter
1/3 cup (35g) cocoa powder
1/2 cup (75g) self-raising flour
1/4 cup (25g) hazelnut meal
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten lightly
3/4 cup (180ml) water
40g butter, chopped extra
200g vanilla ice cream

For the chocolate hazelnut sauce:
1/2 cup (125ml) cream
2 tablespoons brown sugar
50g dark chocolate, chopped finely
1/3 cup (110g) 'Nutella'
1 tablespoon 'Frangelico'

Preheat oven to moderate. Grease four 1-cup (250ml) ovenproof dishes. Or do it as one large one if you prefer.

Stir milk, chocolate, butter and half of the cocoa in small saucepan over low heat until smooth.

Combine flour, hazelnut meal, caster sugar and half of the brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add chocolate mixture and egg; stir until combined. Divide mixture among prepared dishes.

Stir the water, extra butter, remaining brown sugar and remaining cocoa in small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Pour hot mixture gently and evenly over puddings; bake puddings uncovered in moderate oven for about 25 minutes. Stand 5 minutes; top with ice cream then chocolate hazelnut sauce.

for the chocolate hazelnut sauce:
Combine cream and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil; remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until smooth. Add 'Nutella' and 'Frangelico'; stir until smooth.

cookessentials, May 25, 9:25pm
CHILLI HOT CHOCOLATE

Now, this is pretty decadent, but I just love the combination of chocolate and chilli. This will sure warm you up!

2 cups milk
100g good quality chocolate, broken into small pieces
pinch cinnamon
pinch of chilli powder

METHOD

Place milk and chocolate in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate melts. Whisk to combine. Pour into 2 glasses. Sprinkle with cinnamon and chilli powder. Serve immediately

cookessentials, May 25, 9:28pm
Flourless Chocolate Tart:

This could be a goody for all you gluten free people - just use the right icing sugar.

200g dark chocolate, chopped
200g unsalted butter, diced
4 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar

mixed summer berries
2 tablespoons icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180°C and line a large 22cm flan dish or spring form tin with baking paper.

Melt chocolate and butter together in the microwave. Mix with a fork to combine. Beat egg yolks with half of the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add chocolate and butter mixture and mix well.

whisk egg whites into soft peaks and gradually add remaining sugar whisking until smooth and shiny.

Gently fold into chocolate mixture until combined.

Bake in 35- 40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

When cool and the cake has sunk down (as it does in the middle) dust with icing sugar fill with fresh mixed berries and dust again with another layer of icing sugar.

cookessentials, May 25, 9:42pm
CHOCOLATE ROUGH

1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup desiccated coconut
125g butter, melted

For the topping:
1 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon softened butter
2/3 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup condensed milk

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 20 x 30cm slice tin. Line with baking paper.

Sift flours and cocoa powder into a bowl. Stir through sugar and coconut. Make a well in the centre and pour in melted butter. Press into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, sift icing sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl. Stir through softened butter and then coconut and condensed milk. Spread over cooled base and refrigerate until set.

cookessentials, May 25, 9:48pm
ROCKY ROAD

500g milk or dark chocolate pieces
200g top quality marshmallows, cut in half
300g top quality Turkish delight
1/2 cup nuts (either peanuts, pistachio kernels or almonds) I love pistachios and they add a bit of colour to it as well.

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Heat a saucepan of simmering water, then place a stainless bowl over the top and add your chocolate, keep stirring until melted.

Mix the other ingredients together in a large bowl, and then pour over the melted chocolate.

Put the mixture into the trays and press down gently.

Refrigerate until set, then cut into slab

cookessentials, May 25, 10:48pm
Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding

1½ cups (375ml) milk
2 cups (500ml) cream
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon
vanilla bean paste
4 eggs
2 small (200g) brioche, sliced thickly
100g dark eating chocolate,
chopped coarsely
1/3 cup (40g) coarsely chopped
toasted pecans

METHOD

Preheat the oven to moderate (180°C/160°C fan-forced).

Combine milk, cream and sugar in a small saucepan. Split vanilla bean in half lengthways; scrape seeds into pan, then place pod in pan, or if using, add vanilla bean paste. Stir over heat until hot; strain into a large heatproof jug (not necessary to strain if using the paste). Discard pod.

Whisk eggs in large bowl; whisking constantly, pour hot milk mixture into eggs.

Grease a shallow 2-litre (8-cup) ovenproof dish; layer brioche, chocolate and nuts, overlapping brioche slightly, in the dish. Pour hot milk mixture over brioche.

Place the dish in a large baking dish; add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ovenproof dish. Bake, uncovered, in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes or until pudding sets. Remove the pudding from the baking dish; stand for 5 minutes before serving

cookessentials, May 26, 3:46am
Bumping up for the flourless chocolate tart for someone wanting gluten free.

griffo4, May 26, 7:46pm
Oh cooks you have me drooling again off to copy and paste, lol

waswoods, May 26, 8:04pm
What is Frangelico please?

elliehen, May 26, 8:14pm
TASHA'S PEANUT BUTTER BALLS
Combine well:
1 cup extra-chunky peanut butter
1 cup rice bubbles
1 cup icing sugar
3 Tablespoons softened butter (NOT melted)
Note: You can add extra chopped peanuts if you like, but they're not necessary if you use the extra-chunky peanut butter.

Mix and roll into tsp-sized balls and chill in fridge.

Melt 375 gms of Whittaker's dark chocolate - I prefer Dark Ghana. To melt chocolate, bring water to boil in a saucepan, take off heat, fit bowl with chocolate in it on top tightly without it touching the water and stir till melted - about 3 to 4 minutes.

Take chilled balls, dip into chocolate using two forks and place on baking paper to set. Store in fridge.

kay141, May 26, 9:06pm
One of my granddaughters is allergic to nuts so I make Rocky Road but substitute sultanas or chopped dried apricots for the nuts. I add glace fruit as well. Cherries are popular.

cookessentials, May 26, 9:19pm
Frangelico is a lovely hazelnut liqueur.

cookessentials, May 26, 11:42pm
MOCHA HAZELNUT BISCOTTI

Biscotti means "twice baked" and it really is quite easy to make.

INGREDIENTS

1¼ cups (185g) hazelnuts
3 eggs, beaten lightly
½ cup (100g) firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
1½ cups (225g) plain flour
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
1/3 cup (35g) cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons Frangelico liqueur
100g dark chocolate, grated finely

Note: this recipe makes about 50 biscotti and can be made two weeks ahead.

Preheat the oven to moderate (180°C). Spread the nuts in a single layer on an oven tray, bake in a moderate oven for about five minutes or until the skins begin to split. Rub the nuts firmly in a tea towel to remove the skins.

Beat the eggs and sugars in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and changed in colour. Stir in sifted dry ingredients, combined coffee and liqueur, grated chocolate and nuts; mix to a firm dough.

Gently knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth; divide in half. Shape each half into a 7cm x 20cm log. Place logs on greased large oven tray. Bake, uncovered, in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes or until firm. Cool on the tray for 30 minutes.

Using a serrated knife, cut logs on an angle into 5mm slices. Place slices on oven trays and bake in a moderate oven for 15 minutes or until both sides are dry and crisp; cool. Serve with coffee

crystalmoon, May 26, 11:46pm
Waswoods frangelico is the drink of heaven :) Its a beautiful hazelnut liquer made in Italy, Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... ... . -

crystalmoon, May 26, 11:47pm
will be making your Chocolate Hazelnut pudding this weekend Cooks, thank you, thank you thank you :)All I need to accompany it is a great book and I'm all set. :)

greerg, May 27, 4:51am
And the biscotti will be made here. Daughter has already pronounced the hot chocolate with chilli to be very cheering in a chilly student flat in Dunedin with exams coming up and I am fighting the urge to make chocolate hazelnut puddings although I do have hazel nuts to use up ...

cookessentials, May 27, 4:57pm
We had the MOST amazing chilli hot chocolate at the Lyttleton Market a coule of years ago - there is a chocolate caf'e in Governors Bay who come to the market and they have two flavours, this being one of them - this is REAL hot chocolate and is basically thick and creamy-just like melted choclate with a "kick" they have it in steaming "crockpots" ready to ladle into a mug. So if you are ever in Lyttleton on a Saturday morning, the market is an absolute must do - they also have fabulous organic fruit and vegetables croissants, pain au chocolat etc etc... ... .

greerg, May 27, 6:26pm
It is still a great market Pam and the chocoalte people were there recently. I wish we weren't on the other side of Christchurch or I would go more often. Will try the chilli chocolate next time. We do have a couple of the Theobroma mugs with tealight containers under them for making decadent chocolate coffees with an espresso base but do have to reserve them as an occasional treat as they do need a LOT of chocolate. The weather is so foul here that a chilli chocolate tonight might be justified I think.

cookessentials, May 27, 7:02pm
We are definately going back! next time we go to Akaroa, will have a night in Lyttleton and stock up at the market before driving on to Akaroa. I can't think of the people that have the chocolate place in Governors Bay - they were on television recently.

cookessentials, May 27, 7:06pm
I have found them, they are called "She"
IP: For the best hot chocolate - dare to use lots and lots of dark chocolate!

Bring 300mls of milk and 100mls of cream to the boil
Chop 100g's of fine chocolate (66% would be great)
Pour boiling milk and cream over chocolate and blend
Add sugar/honey to taste

Serving - Top with whipped cream and grated chocolate

Play with adding some of the following flavours:

Vanilla and Cinnamon
Grand Marnier
Shot of coffee
Chilli powder and nutmeg

check them out
http://www.shechocolat.com/ I see they are open seven days 10am - 5pm and lunch till 3pm. The Mayan chocolate is divine as well.

cookessentials, May 27, 7:07pm
I think it was the Mayan spice hot choc - sure it had chilli in it.
A rich, true hot chocolate experience, made with the finest Belgian chocolate. Our secret? Daring to use outrageous amounts of chocolate, combined with our love and passion.

We offer the following flavours in our Chocolaterie and at theLyttelton farmer's market:Ginger spice, Yin and Yang, Extra dark, Hazelnut, Mayan Spice, Jaffa, Plain.

We also offer take home hot chocolate bombs in Mayan spice and Jaffa to allow our hot chocolates to be created in your home.

cookessentials, May 28, 7:27pm
MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 cups caster sugar
3 cups SR flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa
3 eggs separated
2 cups milk
2 tbsp malt vinegar
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups Canola oil
1 egg

Combine all dry ingredients. In a large bowl. Beat the 3 egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, combine milk and vinegar, then add the rest of the wet ingredients together, including the whole egg and 3 egg yolks, and beat. Mix wet and dry ingredients together, then fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour into two well greased or baking paper- lined tins about 20- 23 cm in diameter. Bake for 25-30 minutes in a moderate oven 180C. Cool on a wire rack. To serve, pile whipped cream on one cake, place the other cake on top and frost top with chocolate icing. Or you could fill with a nice creamy chocolate filling.
Chocolate Icing
25g butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
few drops vanilla essence
2 cups of icing sugar
milk to mix
Melt butter, stir in cocoa & essence. Add icing sugar and stir in enough milk to make spreading consistency. Beat well until smooth.

cookessentials, May 29, 4:36pm
bumping for choc cake recipe

cookessentials, Jun 1, 4:45pm
bumping up for the self saucing puddings

cookessentials, Jun 3, 4:46am
some more please... ... ... ... ... ... ...