Chocolate Crackles.

Because I love chocolate.

Because it's been a crazy week.

Because these are delicious and easy and it's the weekend and there's no reason not to make them.

Chocolate Crackles
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
Confectioner's sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.  In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the egg and mix well.  Stir in the dry ingredients until a smooth dough forms, then freeze the dough for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a small bowl, dredge teaspoon-fuls of dough balls in confectioner's sugar and then place them on the baking sheet.  Bake just until the tops rise and crack, 5-8 minutes.  Let cool slightly, then gobble them up or let them cool completely and store airtight up to 3 days :)

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I had to get my chocolate fix in somehow ;) I added peanut butter and milk chocolate chips just to use up half of a bag I had in the cupboard, but feel free to add semisweet, bittersweet, white, mint chips, toasted walnuts or pecans, dried cherries, whatever makes you happiest!  I like to make these tiny for some reason but I imagine they'd make amazing ice cream sandwiches if you're feeling indulgent. 

I LOVE chewy cookies, especially when I'm craving chocolate and I found lining the cookie sheets with foil instead of parchment paper actually resulted in chewier cookies, but the trick is just to not overbake these.  Take them out of the oven as soon as they start to develop slight cracks on top if you want chewy, leave them in a tad longer if you want crunchier cookies.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from my mom's recipe box
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips (or any add-in you want)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add in the egg and vanilla extract.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, stirring until almost completely mixed.  Stir in the chips or add-ins and mix until a dough forms.

Breaking off small pieces of dough, form rounds and place them about 1/2" apart on the cookie sheets.  Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until just set on top.  Let cool on wire racks, then store airtight for up to 3 days, but I guarantee they won't last that long :)

Go-To Gluten Free Chocolate Cake.

 I used to really dislike gluten free recipes that called for a pre-made mixture of flours rather than the flours separately.  In general, I still prefer to use separate flours because I think they give gluten free baked goods a better texture.  Recently though, going through Bette Hagman's Deliciously Gluten Free, I thought of what a waste it was to have this book and never use any of the recipes because so many of them called for mixes.  So I got out a mixing bowl and put together Bette's Featherlight Mix for gluten free baked goods.

Although I haven't tried any recipes from the book using this mix yet, I plan on it, and it works wonders in cake recipes that call for a generic gluten free flour mix, like this chocolate cake.  I used it on my birthday a few weeks ago and yesterday to make little chocolate cakes for some adorable guests we had for Sunday dinner. 

A small complaint:  it seems like every gluten free website has their own set of mixes, which is unfortunate, because I'm not going to make a mix for every gluten free website I go to.  I realize everyone does what works for them, and that's fine.  For now, this is the one I'll use when it comes to cakes and pastries that call for a gluten free mix instead of separate flours.

Featherlight Mix
In a large bowl, whisk together until very well combined:
1 cup white rice flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup tapioca starch
1 tablespoon potato starch

Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Adapted fromFood.com
1 1/2 cups Featherlight Mix (or other gluten free flour mix)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
5 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9" layer cake pan (or 8x8" or 9x9" square pan) with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, baking soda and xanthan gum together.  Stir in the oil, vinegar, extract and egg and whisk or stir with a spoon until everything is very well combined and there are no lumps.  Spoon into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, or until the cake springs back slightly when pressed with a finger.

Let cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

Banana Cake with Cocoa Frosting.

 

Although I had been making heart-shaped things all last week, I didn't have anything for Valentine's Day proper.  We had 4 very black bananas on the counter, so naturally, banana cake!  This recipe translated very well to a 10" heart-shaped pan made by Wilton, but the original is baked in a 9x9 square.  The only thing I'd change next time is to either increase the amount of sugar in the batter or glaze the entire cake as it wasn't sweet enough for me.  If you don't have quite the sweet tooth I do, feel free to leave the amount as-is.

 

Banana Cake with Cocoa Frosting

Adapted from Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

3/4 cup mashed ripe banana

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and grease a 9x9" baking pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and salt.  In another bowl, combine the yogurt, mashed banana, oil, extract and egg.  Pour the liquid ingredients onto the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until everything is just mixed together.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cocoa Frosting

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

Enough water to make desired frosting thickness

Whisk or sift the sugar and cocoa powder together and add the water.  You can make this thicker if you'd like to pipe it or thinner if you're going to glaze or drizzle the cake.

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day! :)

Brownie Heart Roll-Out Cookies.

I wanted to make some heart-shaped chocolate cookies to give away for Valentine's Day and I found a great, unique recipe on Smitten Kitchen for brownie roll-out cookies. With all those comments reassuring me this was a delicious recipe, I had to go for it and indeed they were perfect!  Tender on the outside with a chewy bite, held their shape nicely in the oven, no puffing or spreading at all.  It was exactly what I had in mind, sprinkled with pink and red sugar to match the occasion.  I cut the recipe in half and it gave me about 50 2" heart cookies - plenty for gift-giving as well as afternoon snacks and after dinner treats!

Whether or not you think Valentine's Day is just a money-making ploy from card and candy companies, I hope you take the time today to let the people in your life know how much you love and appreciate them. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! :)

Brownie Roll-Out Cookies
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's!)
Colored decorating sugars (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.  In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and cocoa powder until well combined, then add the flour mixture, stirring until a nice smooth dough forms.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

When you're ready to roll out the dough, take it out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.  Roll the dough to 1/4" thick, cutting out your shapes and placing them on the baking sheets.  Sprinkle the raw cookies with sugar, if desired, and bake for 8-10 minutes, until set on the edges and slightly puffy in the middle.  Cool completely on wire racks and store airtight for up to a week.

Chocolate Coconut Almond Cookie Hearts.

These crispy on the outside, fudgy in the middle cookies are basically Almond Joys in cookie form and they're delicious!  I pressed the dough into some miniature heart-shaped tart pans, but these are originally drop cookies and obviously if you don't want to fuss around, just form into walnut-sized balls and flatten slightly before baking.  I'm using upcoming Valentine's Day as an excuse to make everything heart-shaped these days but these are perfect for the people you love any time of the year :)

Chocolate Coconut Almond Cookie Hearts
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1.5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used chocolate chips)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate together and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  When the butter-chocolate mixture has cooled, stir in the sugars, egg and vanilla extract, then pour into the dry ingredients and stir until almost completely mixed, then add the almonds and coconut.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and spray tart pans or molds with cooking spray, then using about 2 tablespoons of dough per mold, press in the dough, coming up the sides just slightly.  Bake for 10-13 minutes, depending on the size of the molds and how much dough you've used.  They should puff up in the middle and be just firm to the touch.

Let cool on wire racks, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies.

In need of something chocolatey, gooey and delicious, I found this looking through recipes I've had printed out for a while and they're the perfect after-dinner chocolate fix if you also love the combination of chocolate and tart cherries.  I made the recipe as-is but next time I'd recommend chopping the cherries up so they're more evenly dispersed among the cookies.

 

Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Adapted from Cooking Light

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

2/3 cup dried cherries

3 tablespoons chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a larger bowl, cream the sugar and butter together until well combined, then add the vanilla and egg and mix well.  Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then when almost everything is combined, add the cherries and chocolate chips and stir until they're incorporated.

Drop the dough by small tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, until just set.  Let cool on a wire rack but I do recommend eating at least one while still warm and gooey :)

Sour Cream Cocoa Swirl Coffee Cake.

 One of my favorite things to do is browse the internet for recipes so I have a large binder full of printed-out cakes, cookies, pies, anything you can imagine.  I finally got around to trying this recipe last week and I recommend it for anyone looking to make a simple, easy and not necessarily fall-centric coffee cake.  You could add cinnamon or toasted and chopped nuts to the cocoa swirl but I decided to follow the recipe as-is (seriously!) 

This recipe is known as Aunt Patty's Coffee Cake on the Martha Stewart website.  I do have an Aunt Patty  but this isn't her coffee cake as far as I know, so I've changed the name and I think it fits much better :)

Sour Cream Cocoa Swirl Coffee Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Filling:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
4 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder

Cake batter:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a Bundt pan.

In a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.  In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one.  Add the flour and sour cream alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Finally, stir in the vanilla extract.

Scrape about 1/3 of the cake batter in the bottom of the Bundt pan.  Sprinkle half of the cocoa filling on top and layer again with another 1/3 of the batter, the rest of the cocoa filling and finally end with the last 1/3 of the cake batter.  With a butter knife or spatula, swirl the batter and filling together to create a marbelized effect.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve with coffee or tea.