Dark Celebration (52 page)

2. Heat the water, salt, chocolate and butter. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

3. Immediately add the flour and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until smooth.

4. Set the mixture over low heat and stir for about 30 seconds. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes.

5. Add 1 egg and beat it thoroughly into the mixture. Beat in the second egg until the mixture is smooth.

6. In a small bowl, beat the third
egg
. Gradually add enough of this egg to the dough until it becomes shiny and soft enough to just fall from a spoon.

7. Shape the dough, while warm, into mounds of about 1 1/2 inches.

Gently push down any points, because they will burn. Bake 30 minutes or until puffed and brown.

8. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. The puff pastry will have a hollow center.

9. When you are ready to serve, open the pastry by making a small opening and fill with a quality chocolate ice cream, drizzle with raspberry sauce and garnish with a few raspberries.

Dark Chocolate Cool Whip Cookies

Submitted by: Soemer Simmons

Normal, IL

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 4-5 DOZEN COOKIES

1 German chocolate cake mix

1egg

1 (8-oz) container of Cool Whip, thawed powdered sugar

Put several cups of powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Put aside. In a separate bowl, beat together dry cake mix, egg and Cool Whip as well as possible. Take 3/4 batter and roll it into a ball in the powdered sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 11 minutes.

Midnight Delights

Submitted by: Marie Ohngren

Croswell, MI

1 cup washed blueberries

2 cups sliced strawberries
mixed with
1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup grenadine 2 cups cubed angel food cake

4 ounces shaved dark chocolate 1 carton Cool Whip

Alternate berries with cake, in 4 glass goblets, ending with strawberries. Top with Cool Whip. Drizzle with strawberry juice and finish with shaved dark chocolate.

Sinful Confections

Submitted by: Deborah J. Macklin

Biloxi, MS

1 jar smooth peanut butter

1-2 boxes of powdered sugar

1 package of chocolate chips

1/2 bar of paraffin wax

Mix peanut butter with powdered sugar—enough to form mixture into 1-inch balls. Melt package of chocolate chips and 1/2 bar of paraffin wax in a double boiler. Dip peanut butter balls into chocolate and set on waxed paper to dry.

Festive Punch

Submitted by: Stephanie Azmoudeh

Tampa, FL

12 cups brewed vanilla nut coffee

1/2 cup sugar

1 gallon vanilla ice cream

1 gallon chocolate ice cream

3/4
—
1 cup Frangelico liqueur

1 can Redi-Whip cream

Hershey's special DARK syrup

Brew coffee; add 1/2 cup sugar while hot. Make sure that the sugar is dissolved. Cool coffee.

Thirty to forty-five minutes before serving, put both ice creams in punch bowl. Add coffee over ice cream. Add Frangelico (can use Kahlua or Bailey's Irish Cream instead). Top with whipped cream. Drizzle chocolate syrup over top.

Prussian Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake

Submitted by: Margee Ott, great-granddaughter of Prussian immigrant

Baldwin, WI

From my German immigrant great-grandmother Magdalana Von Krusemark. Due to DARK chocolate and little sugar, this dessert has a BITE!

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup cacao powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup butter (or shortening)

1 (20-oz) can cherry pie filling

1 tablespoon red food coloring

Mix all ingredients well and pour into greased baking pan(s). May use rectangle 8 x 12-inch, or two round 9-inch pans. Bake 40 minutes at 350°.

FROSTING

Frosting is made from melting 16 ounces of DARK or bitter chocolate and then gently pouring over the cake, allowing liquid to freely flow. May garnish with maraschino cherries. The red tones from pie filling and food coloring add rich tones to the dark brown chocolate cake. Very appealing in layered effect, using cherry pie filling between layers.

Blackberry Wine Cake

Submitted by: Cathy Smith

Lynnwood, WA

1 package white cake mix (has to be white)

2 small packages Raspberry Jell-O

1 cup oil

1 cup blackberry wine

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°. Generously grease a Bundt pan. Pour mixture in and bake for 50-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to partially cool before removing from pan.

FROSTING INGREDIENTS

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup blackberry wine

Mix together and drizzle over cooled cake. Allow cake to stand and cool all the way before covering (this will give the outside a crust).

Heaven and Hell on Earth Torte

Submitted by: Cindy LaFrance

Phoenix, AZ

1 1/2 cups well-chopped cashews

1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies (38 cookies)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, melted

Dark Cocoa Cake (see below)

Heaven and Hell Mousse (see below)

Natural or Chocolate Glazed Leaves (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350°. Place cooking parchment paper or waxed paper in bottoms of 2 round pans, 9 x 1 1/2 inches. Stir together cashews, crushed cookies, brown sugar and butter. Spread about 3/4 cup mixture in each pan; reserve remaining mixture. Make Dark Cocoa Cake (below). Pour about 1 1/4 cups batter in each pan; refrigerate remaining batter.

2. Bake about 20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched lightly. Immediately remove from pans to wire rack and peel off paper. Repeat with remaining cashew mixture and batter. Cool completely.

3. Make Heaven and Hell Mousse (below). Place 1 layer, cashew side up, on serving plate; spread with about 3/4 cup of the mousse. Repeat with remaining layers and mousse. Or place mousse for top layer in decorating bag; choose a design you like for fancier decorating; garnish with natural or Chocolate Leaves (below). Cover and refrigerate about 4 hours or until chilled. Cover and refrigerate any remaining torte.

DARK COCOA CAKE INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 2/3 cups sugar

2/3 cup baking cocoa

3/4 cup shortening

1 1/4cups water

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

Heat oven to 350°. Beat all ingredients in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

HEAVEN AND HELL MOUSSE INGREDIENTS

12 ounces cream cheese

l 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

2 cups peanut butter

3/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature, divided use

In a bowl, with an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese until light and creamy. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar, then the peanut butter. Continue beating until thoroughly incorporated and fluffy. If mixture looks lumpy, add 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream. It may not smooth out, but it will be easier to blend. Set aside. Place the remaining heavy cream in another bowl, and using an electric mixer, whip until stiff. Being careful, combine both mixtures thoroughly. Set aside.

CHOCOLATE LEAVES INGREDIENTS

5 to 6 nonpoisonous (unsprayed) leaves (lemon, grape or rose leaves work well)
or
pliable plastic leaves

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
or
1 ounce semi-sweet baking chocolate

1/2 teaspoon shortening

Wash and dry leaves. Melt chocolate chips and shortening. Brush chocolate about 1/8-inch thick over backs of leaves using small brush. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm. Peel off leaves, handling as little as possible. Refrigerate chocolate leaves until ready to use.

My thoughts on the top design are finishing off with a layer of mouse, then covering it with dark cocoa cake crumbles (to represent the earth). Add well-placed leaves of choice and a possible design or formation of some sort with any leftover mousse. I know your wonderfully creative mind can think of something.

Or:

Keeping it DARK, with the dark chocolate glaze on top of a layer of mousse, finishing off with optional garnishes done in mousse with a decorating bag and chocolate-covered leaves.

DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE INGREDIENTS

4 ounce dark chocolate

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a small, heavy saucepan or microwave oven on medium, melt broken chocolate with butter. Stir frequently until smooth. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in milk, syrup and vanilla. Place cake on rack over a baking sheet. When glaze is cool, pour onto center of cake. Let glaze run down sides. Chill about 10 minutes to set glaze.

The Next Best Thing to… Feehan Novels

Submitted by: Diana M. Dennison

Oxford, ME

1 stick margarine or butter

1 cup flour

1 cup pecans

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese

1 (16-oz) carton Cool Whip

1 cup sugar

3 cups milk

1 large chocolate instant pudding

1 large vanilla instant pudding extra pecans and chocolate shavings for top

1. Mix margarine or butter, flour and pecans. Press into 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake in 350° oven for 15 minutes. Let cool.

2. Mix cream cheese, 1/2 of Cool Whip and sugar. Spread over crust. Mix milk, chocolate and vanilla instant puddings until stiff.

3. Spread over first layer. Spread remaining Cool Whip over top.

4. Garnish with pecans and chocolate shavings.

Dark Molten Chocolate Cakes

Submitted by: Abby Leavitt

Veyo,UT

6 ounce (1 1/2 package) dark bittersweet chocolate baking bars

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup flour

3 whole eggs

3 egg yolks raspberries (or other fruit)

Preheat oven to 425°. Grease 6 (6-oz) custard cups or souffle dishes. Place on baking sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwaveable bowl on medium (50 percent) for 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir with a wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Add powdered sugar and flour; mix well. Add whole eggs and egg yolks; beat until well blended. Divide batter evenly into prepared custard cups.

Bake 14 to 15 minutes or until cakes are firm around the edges but soft in the centers. (Centers should be oozy.) Let stand 1 minute. Run a small knife around cakes to loosen. Carefully invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Sprinkle lightly with additional powdered sugar and garnish with a fruit, such as raspberries. Drizzle with hot fudge or add to the side.

Serve immediately, best when warm.

Sunset Pumpkin Bars

Submitted by: Liz Kreider

Fargo, ND

BAR INGREDIENTS

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

1 can (15-oz) pumpkin

2 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoon cinnamon

FROSTING INGREDIENTS

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

2 teaspoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring

1 cup powdered sugar

Mix bar ingredients together and bake in a 9 x 13-inch pan at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Let cool. Mix frosting ingredients together and frost before cutting into sunset bars.

Chocolate Cherry Bars

Submitted by: Peggy Barker

Suquamish, WA

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 3 DOZEN

My grandmother used to make these yummy bars. She died in 1997 and I just recently found the recipe again. They are even better than I remembered them.

BAR INGREDIENTS

1 package fudge cake mix

1 can (21-oz) cherry pie filling

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 eggs, beaten

FROSTING

1 cup sugar

5 tablespoon butter (no substitutions)

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1 (6-oz) package chocolate chips

Grease and flour 13 x 9-inch pan. In a large bowl, combine first four ingredients. By hand, stir until well mixed. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

In small saucepan, combine sugar, butter and milk. Boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Pour over bars.

Dark Chocolate Tapioca Pudding with Strawoerries

Submitted by: Amanda Brown

Utica, MI

MAKES 8 SERVINGS OF 1/2 CUP EACH

1 egg

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons Minute tapioca

3 1/2 cups milk

2 squares of DARK baking chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 large strawberries (cut into slices)

Beat egg lightly in medium saucepan with a wired whisk. Add sugar and tapioca. Mix well and gradually add milk, beat well after each addition. Let stand 5 minutes. Add dark chocolate. Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until chocolate is completely melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Cool 20 minutes. Then stir. It starts to thicken as it cools. Serve warm or chilled. Put a few slices of strawberry on top of each serving of pudding.