Chocolate Delights

For Chocoholics and the people who love, and bake, for them

It is a rare soul who doesn’t like chocolate and even those who say they aren’t fans, are still likely to gobble up a chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven. Or maybe even snitch a taste of raw dough, thumbing their nose at health warnings about raw ingredients.

In general, use the chocolate called for in a recipe. Semi-sweet is not the same as unsweetened, nor is German chocolate the same as white chocolate, which purists say isn’t really chocolate at all.

These recipes pair chocolate with some of their most amiable ingredient-partners, including peanut butter, marshmallow, citrus and, of course, nuts. But they all feature chocolate as a dominant flavor. The more, the better, I say.

Caramel Bars
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An oatmeal-laced base helps to hold the sticky-sweet store-bought caramel topping. How many you’ll get from a batch depends on how big you cut them.

Base:

  • 1 cup oatmeal (not instant)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • Filling:
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 jar (12.15 ounces) caramel topping
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all base ingredients together in a large bowl. Save half of the mixture for the top of bars. Press the other half of the mixture into an 8- by 8-inch pan that has been lightly coated with a nonstick spray. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine filling ingredients. Spread mixture over baked base and top with remaining unbaked mixture. Bake an additional 30 minutes. Cool and then firm in the fridge.

Freezeworthy: So-so results. The caramel is likely to be runny after thawing.

Makes 14 to 20 bars.

Carolyn Smiley

© 2010, Cookielicious. Seaside Publishing All Rights Reserved.

 
Black Mountain Cookies
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Ooey, gooey and lots of fun, this cookie is truly a mountain of chocolate. It is a close cousin of the fireside s’more, but the beauty is you can make them indoors.

  • 12 large marshmallows, cut in thirds horizontally, set aside
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup soft shortening
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting:

  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Sift flour, baking soda, sugar, cocoa and salt in a large bowl. Add shortening, water, evaporated milk, egg and vanilla.

Beat with mixer for 3 minutes at low speed. Stir in walnuts. Drop by tablespoons on greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Immediately after removing from oven, place one marshmallow slice on each cookie, cut side down. Cool cookies on rack.

While cookies cool, make frosting. Stir chocolate chips and evaporated milk over low heat. Add confectioners’ sugar after the chocolate is melted. Stir until smooth. Spoon frosting over cookies to cover marshmallow.

Makes 3 dozen.

Freezeworthy: No.

Marlene Hagstrom

© 2010, Cookielicious. Seaside Publishing All Rights Reserved.