Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Chocolate Cake In A Jar

1 stick plus 3 T. butter or margarine
3 c. white sugar
4 eggs
1 T. vanilla
2 c. applesauce, unsweetened
3 c. white flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt

Prewash 8 pint-sized wide mouth canning jars (be sure to use the kind
that have no shoulders) in hot, soapy water. Rinse well, dry and let
them come to room temperature. Grease insides of jar well with
butter.

Beat together butter, and half of sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and
remaining sugar, vanilla and applesauce.

Sift dry ingredients together, and add to the applesauce mixture a
little at a time. Beat well after each addition.

Pour 1 c. of batter into each jar, and carefully remove any batter
from the rims.

Place jars in a preheated 325 oven, and bake for 40 mins.

While cakes are baking, bring a saucepan of water to a boil, and
carefully add jar lids. Remove pan from heat, and keep lids hot until
ready to use.

When the cakes have finished baking, remove jars from oven. Make sure
jar rims are clean. (If they're not, jars will not seal correctly)

Place lids on jars, and screw rings on tightly.

Jars will seal as they cool.

Cakes will slide right out when ready to serve.

Eat within 1 month.

White Chocolate Pretzels 


1 pkg. long pretzel rods
1 pkg. almond bark, or vanilla candy coating
Decorations, such as red and green sprinkles, holiday M&Ms or crushed
up candy canes

Place the candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl. Make sure you do
not get any water in the bowl. Any water at all will cause the candy
coating not to melt properly and separate.

Microwave the candy coating for 1 min., then stir and microwave an
additional min., until it is completely melted and smooth.

Stick a pretzel rod into the chocolate, and with a spoon, cover about
3/4 of the pretzel with chocolate. Let the excess drip back into the
bowl.

Sprinkle the chocolate with either red and green colored sprinkles,
crushed up peppermints, or stick red and green M&Ms to the chocolate.

Place the decorated pretzel on a piece of waxed paper or aluminum
foil, and let it dry completely, about 1 hr. Gently pull the pretzels
off the paper.

25.) Pretzel Bouquet

Lay about 10 White Chocolate Pretzels on a sheet of red or green
tissue paper.

Wrap the pretzels up like a bouquet of roses would be wrapped, and
tie red, green and white curling ribbon around the middle to secure.

With scissors, curl the ribbon, then tie on a small gift card.

26.) Pretzels In A Glass

Find a tall glass, such as a parfait glass, or one of those neat
glasses mixed drinks are served in.

Pour some holiday candies, such as M&Ms or hard mints, in the bottom
of the glass. Put as many pretzels as you can in the glass sitting on
the candies, but leave a little room for them to move around, so they
don't break when they are pulled out.

Cover the top of the glass with a piece of colored plastic wrap, or
you can cut a piece of holiday fabric, and double the width of the
top with pinking shears to cover.

Tie a pretty ribbon around the glass to secure, and you have a neat
gift for someone special!

Mocha Fondue


Update chocolate fondue with a hint of coffee, and serve it with meringue cookies as crispy dippers.

1 4-ounce package sweet baking chocolate, broken up
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup light cream or milk
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee crystals
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
Assorted fruits (such as star fruit slices, pineapple chunks, kiwi
fruit wedges, strawberries, pear slices, banana slices)
Meringue cookies

1. In a heavy saucepan combine chocolates, cream, sugar, and coffee
crystals. Heat and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in liqueur. Pour into a fondue pot; keep warm over low heat. Serve with fruit and cookies. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Oatmeal, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chunk Cookies


3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-2/3 cups rolled oats
1 10-ounce package miniature milk chocolate kisses


1. Beat butter and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric
mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown
sugar, baking powder, and baking soda; beat until combined, scraping sides
of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in
flour. Stir in rolled oats with a wooden spoon. Stir in chocolate kisses.
2. Drop dough from a #50 or #60 scoop, or from a tablespoon, 3 inches apart
onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Slightly flatten dough with your hand, if desired. Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks and cool. Store in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature up to 3 days. Makes 60 to 72 cookies.
Make-Ahead Tip: Cool cookies completely. In an airtight or freezer
container, arrange cookies in a single layer; cover with a sheet of waxed paper. Repeat layers, leaving enough air space to close container easily. Freeze up to 1 month.

Rich chocolate brownies


Ingredients
3/4 cups flour
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. margarine or butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 ripe banana, well mashed
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup broken walnut meats
No baking powder or soda. This makes them extra dense and moist.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F, (325 for a glass pan). Combine flour and
salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Melt margarine or butter and
unsweetened chocolate in a small pan on low heat. Cool to room
temperature. In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add
mashed banana. Stir in chocolate mixture. Gradually sift and
stir in flour mixture. Add chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour
into an 8"x 8" pan that has been sprayed with Pam or cooking
oil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Ball


INGREDIENTS:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth.
Mix in confectioners sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in
chocolate chips. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic,
and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight. Roll the
cheese ball in finely chopped pecans before serving. Serve with
chocolate graham crackers.

No comments: