Chewy Chocolate Cookies - Hazelnut Cappuccino Fudge- Double Swirl Apple Bread
Bunny made:
Chewy Chocolate Cookies
I made these cookies to take to work today. I past them out to the staff and my favorite customers. These are a WOW cookie. So soft , fudgey and chewy...like a brownie made into a cookie! Everybody loved them!! After I made them I put them in a sealed plastic container, when I took the lid off to get one the aroma of chocolate was intoxicating, chocolate cookie with semi sweet chocolate chips, does it get any better than that! No, no it doesn't. Wanna print just the recipe, click here!
Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Source: Holiday Taste of Home Magazine
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Combine flour, cocoa,, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until edges are set. Cool on pans for 1 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
Cyndy made:
Hazelnut Cappuccino Fudge
If you've ever tried Guittard's Cappuccino chips you'll know how captivating the taste can be. Now combine that with the flavor of Hazelnuts and fudge and your taste buds will not know what hit them. I found a recipe on the DesertCulinary blog for Cappuccino fudge. Since I had the chips and had been wanting to make it and got sidetracked by my popcorn loving husband I decided I would make the fudge. I was telling Carol about the fudge and started to get ideas (shhh, don't tell Carol she's my muse, I get the best ideas when talking with her. Okay, someone pick her up off the floor and smack her for laughing at me!!) I had a thought. Why not make it Hazelnut Cappuccino instead? The more I thought about it, I realized what I really wanted was to layer it. Hazelnut on top and cappuccino on the bottom. So, I made the capp fudge first and let it firm up some before making the second layer. I pinched a taste and man that stuff is awesome!
For the Hazelnut layer, I toasted about 1 cup of hazelnuts and removed the husks. chopped them up and tossed them into the fudge mix along with 1/2 dram of LorAnn Chocolate Hazelnut flavoring and poured that into the pan on top of the cappuccino layer. I had lots of crumbs from chopping the hazelnuts so I sprinkled that on top of the fudge. After firming up. I removed the foil and had the pleasure of slicing off the uneven sides. Randall was watching me as I took my first taste. He said you couldn't slap that smile off my face. Creamy, soft and smooth with a crunch from the hazelnuts. oh the taste was pure bliss. a nice combination of flavors that will make you smile.
Wanna print just the recipe, click here!
Cappuccino Layer
Adapted from desert culinary blog
Fantasy Fudge
Original Recipe
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. (340 g) package Guittard Cappuccino Chips
1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme
2 tsp vanilla
Traditional method:
Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling bail, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate till melted. Add marshmallow creme,and vanilla, beat till blended. Pour into greased foil lined 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool
For the Hazelnut Layer
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. (340 g) package Guittard White Chocolate Chips
1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped toasted Hazelnuts
1/2 dram Chocolate Hazelnut flavoring-LorAnn
Traditional method:
Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling bail, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate till melted. Add marshmallow creme,and Hazelnut flavoring and nuts, beat till blended. Pour on top of Cappuccino layer. remove from pan and cut into pieces
Carol made:
Double Swirl Apple Bread
I've had this recipe in my folder here for quite a while....have looked at it and thought I REALLY want to try that-and I always chickened out. No more excuses...time to dig my heels in and just DO IT.
This is a really different bread....and I mean that in a good way. It's not overly sweet, which I like......BUT I REALLY have to figure out why EVERY TIME I make a bread like this that has to be rolled, it never sticks together and leaves that big gap. That just irritates the heck out of me.
Oh well...a big gap doesn't change the taste----the bread is SO nice and soft! I think the shredded apple in the dough adds to the moisture. I love the double swirl too.
I substituted bread flour for the all-purpose flour in this...I use bread flour in all my yeast breads now. I think it rises better....overall, the dough just handles better for me....plus I find I use less of the bread flour than all-purpose. I don't know why but that's OK!
Oh-and is this ever good toasted...yum yum!!!
We'll enjoy this loaf and the other is in the freezer for another day.
Now to study up on the fine art of making a "swirled" loaf of bread...geesh...
Carol
Wanna print just the recipe, click here!
DOUBLE SWIRL APPLE BREAD
(Adapted from culinarycafe.com)
5 1/2-6 c. all-purpose flour (I use bread flour-it takes about 5 cups)
1 (1/4 oz.) pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. milk
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. butter
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. shredded apple
1 1/2 c. finely chopped peeled apple
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 slightly beaten egg white
1 Tbsp. water
Coarse sugar
In a large mixing bowl combine 2 c. of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In a saucepan heat and stir milk, granulated sugar, the 3 Tbsp. butter, and the salt until warm (120-130 degrees.) and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to flour mixture along with eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping side of the bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in shredded apple. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much remaining flour as you can.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour). Punch dough down.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, for filling, in a medium mixing bowl, combine chopped apple, nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon; set aside.
Roll half of the dough into a 14x9-inch rectangle. Spread with 1 tablespoon of the softened butter; sprinkle with half of the filling. Beginning at both short ends, roll each end up, jelly-roll style, to center. Place loaf, rolled side up, in a lightly greased 8x4x2- or 9x5x3-inch loaf pan (I used the 9x5x3-inch pans). For second loaf, repeat with remaining dough, remaining butter, and remaining filling; place loaf in a second lightly greased loaf pan.
Cover; let rise until almost double in size (about 30 minutes). Stir together egg white and water. Brush egg white mixture over tops of loaves; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. (If necessary, loosely cover with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.) Immediately remove from pans. Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves.
MAKE-AHEAD TIP: Prepare loaves as directed. Wrap in heavy foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw loaves at room temperature
