#73) Peach Partinis

This recipe has a sordid past...

1) You know how when you come across a great ingredient you need to find a recipe that really showcases it? Well, that was how this recipe started - my fiance came home with farm-fresh eggs... Now we all know I am more of a baker than a cook, and that I have a somewhat dependant relationship with chocolate...

2) Also, I was recently invited to join the cooking/baking community over at Cook Eat Share. (I have seen plenty of online communities, but I find this one easy to navigate and full of delicious recipes with helpful reviews.)

So between my new farm-fresh eggs and Cook Eat Share membership, I thought, well I will find a great recipe in my new community to showcase these eggs... And boy did I! I am not sure how many of you are familiar with French patisseries, but they are a little bit of Heaven here on Earth, and most serve this decadent, fudgey flourless chocolate cake... It consists of lots of chocolate and lots of eggs... We're off to a good start right?

Have I mentioned fiance and I live in two different towns, separated by 285 km of gravel highway? Yeah, we are. And we drive this nearly every weekend. This means half of my kitchen supplies are in one kitchen, while the rest are in the other...

Pitfall #1 - my round cake pans are in the other kitchen.
Oh, that's fine! Let's make mini versions in the muffin pan. Great@

Pitfall #2 - fiance's oven is on steroids and burns everything in record time, including my pretty little mini cakes :(
Oh, that's fine! Let's cut off the burnt bits and use the middles for something else.

That's how these Peach Partinis were born. Thank goodness, too, because they were fantastic!!! Our friends ate them up, as you can see :)



Ingredients

12 ounces chocolate (I used semi-sweet)
2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
5 eggs, separated

Canned peaches (in water)
Cool Whip

Steps

- Preheat oven to 350 F

- Spray pan (9" round or 15 muffin tins) with spray oil.

- Melt the chocolate, butter and granulated sugar together until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Set the mixture aside to cool.

- Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate.

- Beat the egg whites in a large bowl just until they form peaks; do not over-beat egg whites.

- Add one-third of the egg whites to the chocolate batter and mix vigorously.

- Gently fold in the remaining whites. Do this slowly and patiently. Do not over mix, but be sure that the mixture is well blended and that no streaks of whites remain.

- Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake until the cake if firm and springy, 35-40 min.

- If you want the parfait dessert just layer Cool Whip, chocolate cake pieces, and fruit until your dessert dish is full :)

#61) PB Brownie Bars

Ok, I have a couple of apologies to make:

1) I am sorry to those of you who have come here looking for those super-duper healthy sweet treats I keep promising to experiment, but the baking demands of my brother always include chocolate and peanut butter, and although I use light pb, it still isn't very healthy... I am sorry if you feel misled :(

2) Apology #2 is for my future actions - or lack thereof... I am heading back to university for the summer, but there is a considerable amount of moving involved for an extra bout of teaching practice and classes so I will not have my "own" kitchen for quite some time... Although I will try my best to get some sweet treats up here for all my lovers - I can't make any promises :(

Now that that's over on to better and chocolate-ier things :)

This bar is a new take on my brother's favorite treat - Peanut Butter Balls. The brownie bottom is, I hear, excellent, seeing as it isn't "safe" for me... and the peanut butter looks so ooey, gooey that it must be amazing :) Please give 'em a try and let me know what you think!

Brownie Bottom

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chocolate (I used milk)
1 1/2 cups sugar
Dash salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup flour
2 tbsp cocoa

Steps
-Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9x9 pyrex dish with foil and spray.
-Melt butter and chocolate together. Let cool slightly.
-Add sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix until incorporated.
-Beat in eggs one at a time.
-Mix in flour and cocoa just until combined.
-Turn into dish and bake for 35-45 minutes, rotating halfway through.

Peanut Butter Filling

Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup icing sugar
Dash salt
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Step
-Beat together until well combined.

Chocolate Topping

Ingredients
1 cup chocolate (I used milk)
1/4 cup butter

Steps
-Melt together.
-Pour over cooled brownies and chill for at least 2 hours.

#47) Minty Midnight Bars

I have mentioned before my uncontrollable craving for brownies, and this past week has been no exception. I guess knowing that I am off the whole week for March break has convinced my baking conscience that I can spend all day in the kitchen whipping up sinful treats... Too bad my hips don't have a conscience :)

Anyway, back to the bars - they have a surprisingly chewy brownie base covered with a minty buttercream, then the whole thing in encased by a delicious chocolate shell.

I used food colouring in the buttercream to highlight its minty flavour (from extract), but next time I want to leave it white and use fresh chopped mint. I know that sounds like a mild request, but in Goose Bay finding any fresh herb is a challenge, never mind one like mint HaHa.

I know, I have gabbed enough. Here is the recipe!

Brownie Base

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder

Steps

-Grease 8x8 dish. Preheat oven to 350°F.
-Melt butter. Add sugar and vanilla. Mix well.
-Add eggs and beat until mixed well.
-Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended.
-Pour into prepared dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
-Let cool in pan completely.


Minty Buttercream

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tbsp water
3 tsp mint extract
4 drops green food colouring

Steps

-Cream together all ingredients until smooth.
-Spread over cooled brownies.
-Refrigerate until cold and set.


Chocolate Shell
Ingredients

4 tbsp butter
1 cup chocolate chips

Steps

-Melt together in double boiler.
-Let cool slightly.
-Pour over frosted brownies.
-Refrigerate until chocolate hardens (about 1.5 hours).
-Cut in squares and enjoy :)

#44) Fudgey Brownies

As much as I love cookies, cakes, and cupcakes, brownies are my true favorite - the fudgier the better :)

It is a well known fact I am a true chocoholic, and these rich and chewy brownies are like heaven on a plate. Made with decadent 70% cocoa chocolate the flavour is divine, and the reduced amount of flour allows the batter to bake into a chewy, fudgey brownie that will stick to your teeth! YUMMY!

Ingredients

1 cup 70% cocoa chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp flour

Steps

- Line a 9" baking dish with foil and spray with oil. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler. Set aside.
- Beat eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla until pale in color (2 minutes). Whisk in chocolate mixture.
- Fold in flour, mixing as little as possible. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out of the centre with a small amount of sticky batter on it.

*Any brownie is better with a scoop of ice cream and caramel sauce :)



PS - Don't forget to vote for my Caramel Macchiato Cuppas here! Thanks :)