Chocolate-Cherry-Walnut Thumbprints

Makes: 36 to 40 servings
Yield: 36 to 40 cookies

Prep: 40 mins  

Bake: 350°F 8 mins per batch

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder
• 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts
• 3/4 cup cherry pie filling (with 36 to 40 cherries)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the chocolate pieces and 1 tablespoon of the shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Beat on low speed until just combined.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in chopped walnuts. Place balls 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Spoon a cherry with some of the sauce into cookie centers. In the same small saucepan, heat and stir remaining chocolate pieces and shortening over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate mixture over tops of cookies. Let stand until chocolate is set. Makes 36 to 40 cookies.

Almond-Hazelnut-Chocolate Crescents

 

Makes: 48 servings
Yield: about 48 cookies

Prep: 30 mins  

Chill: 2 hrs 

Bake: 350°F 15 mins per batch

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups finely ground almonds
• 1/2 cup finely ground toasted hazelnuts (filberts)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted    

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, almonds, hazelnuts, and cocoa powder; set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Add the flour mixture, beating on low speed just until combined. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. To shape crescents, roll each ball into a short log with tapered ends. Curve log slightly into a crescent shape and place crescents 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes or until edges are set. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.

3. Drizzle melted chocolate over cooled cookies. Let stand until chocolate sets. Makes about 48 cookies.

Peruvian Chocolate Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup cocoa

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1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

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1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups whole milk

2 tbsp. vinegar

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3 eggs

2 1/2 cups sugar

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Mix first 4 ingredients.

-Add oil and mix well.

-In a separate bowl mix milk, vanilla & vinegar. (Let stand for 5 min.) Then mix with the previous ingredients.

-Beat eggs in a bowl. Add to batter.

-Add sugar.

Preheat oven @ 350 F. Spray a 10 inch springform pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. I place a cookie sheet under pan just in case it overflows.

FROSTING

3 tablespoons cocoa (dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water)

2 cans Dulce de Leche Nestle ( you can find it in the mexican isle, right next to the Sweetened Condensed Milk)

-Mix both. ( If you want to make the lines save some of the Dulce de Leche about 1/4 cup in a sandwich Ziploc bag. Make a little cut with scissors in one corner.) After cake has baked let rest for about 15 min. Slide a knife around the perimeter of cake. Carefully remove the sides of pan and then the bottom. With a piece of thread cut cake in half. (You want to use the cake upside down since that will be the smoothest surface) Cover half cake with frosting, then lay on the top part. Complete frosting the cake. You can leave it like that. But if you want to do the lines...start with a little circle in middle of cake and then go around several times like picture. Then with a toothpick from center out slide the toothpick towards the outer part. Keep doing that all around, trying to keep widths as equal as possible.

Lasagna Soup

for the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Servings:  8