Chocolate Phantoms

These cookies are definitely on the rich dark side of chocolate.  I bought some specialty chocolate that was 70% cocoa and used it in this recipe, so these are very intense.    This recipe has its good and its bad, however there is no mistaking the great chocolatey taste.  I would say that these are as close as you are going to get to actual fudge in the form of a cookie.

The down side of these is that they only last for a few days.  Also, since the batter is made with very little butter, it sets up very fast and gets hard to deal with near the end of the baking session.  It actually turns into a hard fudge consistency. The recipe states to use a heaping teaspoon for the dough, yet the macadamias are left whole in the batter which makes that size difficult.  Chopping the nuts into quarters would make things easier. The up side is that due to their richness, they go a long way.  Also, they are less difficult to make than fudge.  This recipe makes about 5 dz  ( 1 1/2 inch) cookies.

As a side note, Easy Foodsmith has been kind enough to pass the "blog on Fire Award" to me.  If you are wondering about this blog, let me fill you in on a typical dinner at her place: pom limeade, saffron chicken tikka, chickpea salad with pomegranate and twisted potato bread.  Lastly, a slice of chocolate banana zebra cake for dessert!  While you probably cannot eat there, you sure can find some great recipes to prepare and enjoy at your house.  So stop in and visit Easy Foodsmith .

Chocolate Phantoms
adapted from Rose's Christmas Cookies

Ingredients
8 oz of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate bars
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate bars, chopped
1 1/2 cups unsalted macadamia nuts
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs unsalted butter
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tbs flour
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees,  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.  Set aside. Prepare a double boiler with water and place over medium heat.  Fill the top section with the chocolate bar pieces and the butter.  Stir until both the butter and chocolate are melted and blended.  Remove the bowl from the heat.

Fill another bowl with the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.  Beat for about 15 seconds until it is a creamy consistency.  Slowly pour the melted chocolate into the batter and beat.  Once all the ingredients are well blended, fold in the sifted ingredients.  Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop batter by heaping teaspoons onto baking sheet measuring about 1 inch wide.  Also, they should be and mounded as high as possible and placed about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Place in oven and bake for 6 minutes.  Rotate pans (top to bottom, front to back) and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes.

They will come out of the oven very soft and have to cool completely on the pans.  Remove from pans and serve.
                        **LAST YEAR: Inside Out Burgers**

High Octane Mini Pies & A Shout out

There are certain foods that when ate just seem to taste good, but they do not keep you full for very long.  Perhaps it may be that scrumptious donut you had for breakfast or that chicken egg roll for lunch.  While you taste buds may be happy, you are looking for something to fill the void a few hours later.  The resolve to this situation is grains.  Whole grains do have some staying power so incorporating more of them in your diet can keep you from snacking in between meals.

Which brings me to the name of this pie.  High octane is a factor that can increase the horsepower of your car.  Now considering the first paragraph here, I decided that a high octane pie must have some whole grain in it.  The mini pie contains oatmeal, so it does give you some fuel to keep going.

Outside of oats, I have included some chocolate chips, coconut and macadamia nuts.  The combo is does make for a tasty pie and you get a myriad of texture in one bite.   This pie is delicious at any temperature, but I have to say it is very rich when served warm.  If that is not enough, you can always top it with whipped cream or serve a small piece with ice cream on the side!

Speaking of sides,  I have a side note here to give a special shout out to some very nice blogger friends who gave me some awards recently.  One is Becky over at Baking and Cooking.  She has been blogging since April of 2010 and does have some power in the kitchen.  She is also not lacking in versatility either! The other is Sudha at Wit wok and wisdom. Sudha has been blogging since February of 2010.  As you go through her blog, you notice that she does temper the sinfully sweet posts by following them with a very healthy dish.  We all need a little more balance to our diet!  If you do not know of either of these bloggers, today it is a great time to get to know them, so pop on over.  I am sure you will be inspired and find something that suits your taste! 
Now on to this recipe....

High Octane Mini Pies
by flourtrader

Ingredients
six 4 inch mini pies shells par baked (plain pie pastry recipe can be found here )
3/4 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of coconut
1 cup of chopped salted macadamia nuts
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup quick oatmeal
1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium size bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars.  Then beat in the eggs for about 30 seconds.  Then add the corn syrup and milk, beating for another 30 seconds.

Then using a wooden spoon, fold in the oatmeal, coconut, choc chips and nuts until evenly distributed.   Then pour the filling into each pie crust, making sure each is filled evenly.  The filling should be just below the lip of each pie crust.

Place mini pies on cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until top outer edges of filling are browned. A knife should come out clean when inserted into the center of one of the pies.  Let cool completely before removing from pies from each pan.

Sinbad's Basra Treats

The story of Sinbad indicates that the sailors home base was the city of Basra, which is known for its high quality of dates grown there.

This candy has a chewy base layer made up of macadamias, coconut flavoring and chopped dates.  The top is laden with white chocolate and a chocolate dipped macadamia for decoration. They are quite rich and tasty.

After making these, I have been toying around with the idea of making them into balls instead of using the cups.  The chewy layer is quite sticky so they may be better for serving prepared in balls instead of of in cups, but I am wondering about the extra sweetness added by coating them with more white chocolate. The recipe below makes 3 dozen candies.

Sinbad's Basra Treats
by flourtrader

Ingredients
1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts plus 36 whole nuts for decoration
1 cup ground vanilla wafers
3/4 cup plus 2 tbs of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 tbs shortening
1 cup chopped dates
1 tsp coconut extract

Line mini muffin tins with liners.  I used paper, but next time I will definitely use the sturdier foil cups.

In a small bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and the coconut extract. Then take out a larger bowl and whisk together the ground nuts and vanilla wafer crumbs.  Pour the coconut/sweetened milk mixture into the bowl of nuts and wafer crumbs.  Stir until no dry streaks remain.  Blend in the chopped dates, making sure all is evenly distributed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.

After the dough is chilled, roll the mixture into 36 one inch balls and place each in lined mini muffin cavities.  You might have to do this in dozen batches if you have only one pan.  If so, just place dough back in fridge until the others have set so you can use the same pan again. Fill a small bowl with warm water.  Dip a soup spoon into the warm water and let the water drip off.  Using the back of the spoon, flatten the balls of candy into the paper cups.  The candy should touch all sides of the liners and be smooth on top.

Then set up your double boiler and fill the top pan with white chocolate chips and shortening.  Place over heat and stir until all chocolate and shortening is melted and smooth.  I had a problem with this because I do not have a double boiler and the steam caused the chocolate to quickly seize up.  Anyhow, spoon about a teaspoon of chocolate onto the date candy layer.  Then dip half of a whole macadamia nut into the chocolate and place on the center of each candy. Repeat this process until all candies are coated in chocolate and decorated.   Place pan in fridge for about 20-30 minutes or until chocolate has set.
                               **LAST YEAR: Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls**