Common Cuisine |

Chocolate Cookie Crust

• 12 chocolate sandwich cream cookies
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted

Crush cookies or spin them in a food processor until crumbly. Stir together with melted butter and press evenly into the bottom of a greased 9″ springform pan.

Milk Chocolate Filling

• 3-8 oz packages cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 12 oz milk chocolate chips (plus extra for garnish)

Before beginning, set cream cheese and eggs on counter to come to room temperature. If you are in a hurry, set the cream cheese in a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes and set the eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips in microwave by heating for 30 seconds on high, stirring, then heating for 30 seconds again.

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure to incorporate each one before adding the next. Be careful, though, too much beating will result in a cracked cake. Add vanilla and melted chocolate, stir to combine.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 200 degrees and allow the cake to continue baking for another 75 to 90 minutes. You will know it is time when the center loses its wet or shiny appearance.

Take the cake out, run a knife around the inside edge of the pan, and put the cake back in the oven. Turn the oven off and let the cake sit in the oven for 2-4 more hours to finish cooking while it slooooowly cools.

Refrigerate, uncovered, several hours to overnight. Consider slicing the entire cake into 12-18 slices before adding the topping. I slice with dental floss, or you may use a hot, dry knife.

Top with dollops of whipped cream and sprinkled milk chocolate chips.

Diana Dyer is a Registered Dietitian and cancer survivor. She pursues a cancer-fighting diet that is chock-full of veggies and other healthy foods, including flaxseed. This is one of her recipes.

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 can (15 oz) pureed pumpkin
• 1 cup freshly ground flaxseed

Preheat oven to 350. Coat 3 mini-muffin pans with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pumpkin into a smooth, slightly stiff batter. Drop 2 Tbsp bater into each muffin cup and sprinkle generously with flaxseed. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Makes 36 mini-muffins

I grew up calling these Texas Sheet Cake. Last year I moved to Texas and discovered they just call them brownies here. Doesn’t matter what they are called, frosted bars of chocolate cake are divine.

• 2 C flour
• 2 C sugar
• 1 stick (½ C) butter or margarine
• 1 C water
• ¼ C cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup buttermilk or sour cream
• 1-2 tsp vanilla, to taste

Frosting:

• 1 stick (½ C) butter or margarine
• 6 Tbsp milk
• ¼ C cocoa powder
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease and flour a 12″ x 18″ (jelly roll) pan, or line with foil and grease foil. Sift together flour and sugar.

In small saucepan, heat ½ cup butter, water and ¼ cup cocoa powder to a boil; add to flour and sugar.

Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk; add to flour mixture. Stir in eggs and vanilla.

Bake 20-30 minutes until done.

Meanwhile, mix frosting: In small saucepan, combine ½ C butter, milk, and ¼ C cocoa powder and bring to a boil. Stir in powdered sugar. Frost cake while still hot.

Makes about 2 dozen 3″ squares.

• 3 cups peanut butter crunch cereal, crushed to 1 ½ cups
• 1 ½ C quick cooking oats
• ¾ C packed brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ C (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/3 C corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 C peanut butter
• 2 T powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13″ x 9″ baking dish. In large bowl, combine cereal, oats, sugar, salt and margarine. Add corn syrup and vanilla; stir until mixed. Press mixture into prepared dish. Bake 13 to 15 minutes until bubbly. Cook in pan on wire rack.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and powdered sugar in small saucepan, stirring until smooth. Spread over cereal layer. Chill 30 minutes or until set. Cut into bars and store in airtight container. Makes 48 little squares, or 24 generous ones.

Our final MOPS craft project of the semester was to make a gift jar of this mix. Make a label including Bars and Directions info, and include with the jar of yummy stuff. Here is the formula:

Into a 1 quart mason jar, layer the following in order:

• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 1 ½ cups graham cracker mix, in a closed sandwich bag

Five Layer Bars:

• 1 jar mix
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 350.

Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press into bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish.

Sprinkle remaining ingredients over graham cracker crumbs. Drizzle with sweetened condensed milk.

Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 12 oz. white chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. peppermint oil
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy (about 5 large candy canes)

Line a jellyroll pan or cookie sheet with foil. Have a wooden spoon and a rubber spatula on hand.

In a double boiler, melt semisweet chocolate chips over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. As soon as it is fully melted, remove from heat and stir in peppermint oil. Pour mixture onto lined pan and use spatula to spread to about 1/4″ thickness. Place in refrigerator or freezer to harden.

Wash double boiler pot and utensils, and dry carefully. A drop of water can spoil a batch.

Melt white chocolate chips over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove pan from freezer and pour white chocolate on top. Spread quickly. Sprinkle crushed candy over top. Return to freezer.

When hard, break bark into 1″ x 2″ pieces. Makes 1-1/2 pounds bark.

from the kitchen of Valerie Mace

• ½ C flour
• ½ C butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp cocoa
• ½ C powdered sugar
• ½ C pecans, chopped
• ½ jar fudge topping
• 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
• 1 C powdered sugar
• 1 C cool whip
• 2 C milk
• 2 pkgs instant pudding (any chocolate flavor)
• 1 C. cool whip
• Chocolate shavings

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix flour, butter, cocoa, ½ C powdered sugar and pecans in medium bowl. Spread evenly in 9 x 13 dish. Bake 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Mix pudding powder and milk, and set aside.

Spread fudge topping over crust. Combine cream cheese, 1 C powdered sugar, pudding mixture and cool whip, and gently mix. Spread evenly over fudge topping.

Top with final 1 C cool whip and chocolate shavings.