Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge

6 Servings

1 lg Can Evaporated milk
1/4 lb Butter
4 c Sugar
2 pk Chocolate pieces ( 6 Ozs ea)
1/2 Jar marshmellow cream

Combine first three ingredients in saucepan and cook to 234 degrees, until it forms a soft ball in cold water.

Stir often.

Remove from heat and fold in remaining ingredients. If desired add chopped nuts.

Pour into greased 8 X 13 inch pan.

Refrigerate until firm.

Cut into squares.

Chocolate Scotch Truffles

1 1/2 lb Good-quality unsweetened chocolate
2 Egg yolks
1 c Confectioner’s sugar
1/2 c Heavy (or whipping cream)
4 T (1/2 stick) butter,Unsalted
1/4 c Scotch whiskey
30 Whole hazelnuts,Shelled
1 c unsweetened cocoa,Sifted powder,for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. Place 10 oz. of the chocolate in a heavy saucepan, and melt over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

3. Combine the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl, and cream until well blended.

4. Combine the cream, butter, and remaining 1/2 c. sugar in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the butter and sugar are thoroughly melted.

5. Slowly pour the hot sugar mixture over the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Mix thoroughly and set aside to cool slightly. Then stir in the melted chocolate and the Scotch; beat for 1 minute.

6. Place the mixture in the refrigerator and chill until firm, 30 to 45 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and rub handfuls of nuts in a kitchen towel to remove the skins. Set them aside.

8. Roll a spoonful of the chilled chocolate around each hazelnut to form a truffle about 1 inch in diameter. Set them on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper, and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator 2 to 3 hours.

9. Melt the remaining 14 oz. chocolate in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat.

10. Sprinkle a shallow dish generously with cocoa. Dip each truffle in the melted chocolate, covering it completely. Then lift it out with a fork and roll it in the cocoa. Arrange the truffles on the baking sheet again, and chill before serving.

Chocolate Walnut Fudge

6 Servings

2 c Icing sugar
1 c Cocoa
1 1/2 Butter (or margarine)
1 1/2 walnuts,Chopped
Walnut halves

Sift together icing sugar and cocoa. Melt butter in a saucepan.

Continue cooking until butter is hot and bubbly.

Remove from heat.

Blend hot butter into cocoa mixture. Stir in chopped nuts.
Spread in a greased 8 inch square cake pan. Garnish with walnut halves.

Chill until set.

Store in refrigerator.

Chocolate Wreath Cake

12 Servings

3 c All-purpose flour
1 T Baking powder
1 T Baking soda
1 1/2 t Salt
3 c Sugar
3 c Water
6 oz Semisweet chocolate
-finely,Chopped
1 lb Unsalted butter,softened
3 Large eggs,lightly beaten
2 1/4 c Confectioners’ sugar
1/2 t Vanilla extract
-Few drops green food colori
Fresh raspberries,dried
-cranberries,or cherries,
-for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan with a non-removable bottom.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium pot, combine the sugar and water and bring them to a boil.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chocolate and 1 stick of butter. When the chocolate and butter have completely melted, whisk the mixture to combine completely. Whisk in the beaten eggs.

Pour about half the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk vigorously to thoroughly combine the ingredients and remove any lumps. Working quickly, add the remaining chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, cream together the remaining 3 sticks of butter and the confectioners’ sugar, until light and fluffy.

Remove 1/3 cup of the icing, place in a small bowl, and color
it with a few drops of the green food coloring. Put the remaining icing in a pot, add the vanilla.

Over low heat, stir the icing until it becomes a pourable consistency. (If it overheats, causing the butter to separate, put the icing in the refrigerator to chill and stir to bring it back together.)

Pour the icing over the cooled cake so that it drips down the center and outside. Cluster the red berries in groups of 3 on top of the cake. Fill the green icing into a pastry bag fitted with a leaf tip and pipe a few leaves around each cluster of berries.

Serves 12 to 16.

Chocolate-Pumpkin Layer Cake With Brown-Sugar Frosting

12 Servings

2 3/4 c All-purpose flour
3/4 c Cocoa powder
1 T Pumpkin-pie spice
2 t Baking powder
1 t Baking soda
1 c Butter (or margarine),at
-room
-temperature
2 c Granulated sugar
4 lg Eggs,at room temperature
1 cn (16 ounces) solid-pack
-pumpkin
1/2 c Milk
2 t Vanilla extract

Timing Tip: Can be stored at room temperature up to 5 days.

Cake

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with waxed paper.

2.CAKE: Mix flour, cocoa powder spice, baking powder and baking soda.

3. Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until mixture looks like mayonnaise.

4. With mixer on low speed, beat in pumpkin, milk and vanilla (mixture will look curdled). Gradually beat in flour mixture, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula 2 or 3 times.

5. Divide batter between prepared pans. Smooth tops. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Run knife around cakes to loosen. Invert on wire rack, remove pans, peel off waxed paper and let cakes cool completely.

7. FROSTING: Put brown sugar, butter and milk in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Stir until butter melts, sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth.

8. Using a hand-held electric mixer gradually beat confectioners’ sugar and extract into hot mixture. Or
pour hot mixture into a bowl and beat in sugar and extract with a stand mixture.

9. Immediately place 1 cake layer upside-down on
serving plate. Spread with warm frosting (if frosting cools it will set and a crust may form on the surface. Beat again until smooth.)

Place other layer right side up over sides and top. Cover with plastic wrap or store in cake keeper.

Serves 12.

Chocolatey Peanut Brittle

6 Servings

1/4 c Cocoa
1 t Baking Soda
1 T Butter
1 c Sugar
1/2 c Light Corn Syrup
1/4 c Whipping (Heavy) Cream
1 1/4 c Salted Peanuts

About 1 Pound Of Candy

Adding chocolate to peanut brittle makes the brittle taste different from any you’ve ever had before.

Lightly butter a cookie sheet and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda then add the butter. Set aside.

In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and whipping cream. Cook, over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the peanuts. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 300 Degrees F. or when syrup dropped into very cold water separates into threads which are
hard and brittle.

(Make sure that the bulb of the candy thermometer
is not resting on the bottom of the pan when using one.)

Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa mixture. Immediately pour onto the prepared cookie sheet. With tongs or wooden spoons, quickly spread and pull into a 1/4-inch thickness. Place the cookie sheet on a wire rack to cool completely. When the candy is cold, snap into pieces and store in a tightly covered container.

Christmas Cookie Bonanza

2 c Unsifted all-purpose flour
1/4 c Sugar
1/4 t Salt
1/2 c Butter, softened

BASIC COOKIE MIX

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt; mix well. With pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Place in airtight container; store in refrigerator (mixture will keep for up to 8 weeks).

Bring to room temperature before using. Recipe can be doubled or tripled.