Molten Chocolate Cakes

 If you are looking for a dessert to celebrate a special day - anniversary, bday, promotion, awesome report card - these Molten Chocolate Cakes are just for you. But if you want them on any ordinary day, they totally work for that, too!!!

You do need baking ramekins for this dish. I only have 4, but the recipe calls for six. I was able to bake the remaining batter a day later in my clean ramekins, and they turned out just as awesome as on day one. The batter did firm up quite a bit, but that was the only change. Side note: I must order more ramekins!

These little cakes would go perfectly with ice cream or whipped cream. We just sprinkled some powdered sugar on top. My son absolutely loved them. 

Handle with care when flipping them from the ramekin to the plate. I used a spatula to get under the ramekins and used kitchen mitts as the ramekins are hot when plating.

Check out my son Evan digging in! What a treat!

Molten Chocolate Cakes

From Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Serves 6

Unsweetened baking cocoa

6 oz. semisweet baking chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. butter

3 whole eggs

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease bottoms and sides of 6 (6-ounce) custard cups with shortening; dust with cocoa.

2. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Cool slightly.

3. In large bowl, beat whole eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk or hand beater until well blended. Beat in 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Beat in melted chocolate mixture and flour. Divide batter evenly among custard cups. Place cups on cookie sheet with sides.

4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until sides are set and centers are still soft (tops will be puffed and cracked.) Let stand about 3 minutes. Run small knife or metal spatula around side of each cake to loosen. Immediately place heatproof serving plates upside down onto each cup, turn plate and cup over and remove cup. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar. Serve warm.

Make ahead directions: Batter can be made up to 24 hours ahead. After pouring batter into custard cups, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours. You may need to bake the cakes 1 to 2 minutes longer.

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

White chocolate and dried cranberries are a culinary union that will withstand the test of the time. Literal taste perfection.

These Soft White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies from Sally's Baking Addiction are a delightful addition to your dessert table for any fall or winter celebration. They have a browned butter taste that will send you over the moon. The tartness of the cranberries and the smoothness of the white chocolate chips are such a fab combo. I will definitely make these again.

I used dark brown sugar for these. Be sure to not overcrowd your baking sheets. I did not use extra chips or cranberries for garnish.

Soft White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

From sallysbakingaddiction.com

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks to 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I use dark)

1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)

2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (135g) white chocolate chips, plus a few extra for garnish

1 cup (140g) dried cranberries, plus a few extra for garnish

1. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt together. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be soft and thick. Add the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and beat on low speed until combined. Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 3-4 days. Chilling is imperative to prevent the cookies from over-spreading.

3. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3-4 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This makes the firm cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

5. As the oven preheats, scoop and roll dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each, into balls. The dough may be slightly crumbly, but it will come together as you work it with your hands. Arrange dough balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

6. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. The centers will still look soft. If cookies didn’t spread much, lightly bang the baking sheets on the counter a couple times while the cookies are still warm. They’ll stretch and deflate.

7. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. During this time, press extra white chocolate chips and dried cranberries into the warm tops. This is optional and only for looks. After 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Please note: The Jersey Girl did not use extra cranberries or chips for garnish. She did use dark brown sugar. 

Chocolate-Dipped Brown Sugar Shortbread

 My son and I have decided that all Barefoot Contessa desserts are extremely decadent. Meaning: Eat one cookie and it sends you over the moon on a sugar high.

These Chocolate-Dipped Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies are no exception. 

The recipe says the batch makes 30 to 36 cookies, but I got 45 out of one batch.

The recipe says you can bake two trays at a time, but I would do one tray at a time on my next go around. I ended up using three baking sheets. The one sheet that baked on its own produced the cookies with the best browning around the edges. Plus, they were sturdier.

Which leads me to my next finding: Dip the cookies fast and use a light hand. These cookies are delicate and are easily breakable. But, of course the baker gets to eat the rejects. Ha.

The dough was very easy to shape. It does not need to chill. It was not crumbly like a traditional shortbread dough that uses powdered sugar. The brown sugar component definitely makes the actual cookie extremely sweet.

The recipe calls for milk chocolate chips, but we roll with semi sweet or dark chocolate in this house, so I went with the semi sweet.

I omitted the nuts as I am deathly allergic. I was thinking of decorating with sprinkles but my son ixnayed that, and in retrospect I think that was a good call because I don't think they need anymore sweetness. Although, sprinkles would look cute. When I make them again - and I definitely will - I will still go no sprinkles. I'm sure pecans add a salty finish, but we can't do that here.

These were so much fun to bake and eat.

I hope my tips help you!

Chocolate-Dipped Brown Sugar Shortbread

From "Modern Comfort Food"

By Ina Garten

Makes 30 to 36 cookies

3/4 lb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

For the chocolate coating:

1 cup milk chocolate morsels, such as Hershey's (6 ounces)

6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup toasted pecans, minced and lightly salted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven.

Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed just until the butter and sugar are combined so you don't whip a lot of air into it. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix just until the dough comes together.

Scoop out 1-ounce pieces of dough (about 1 Tbsp.), roll each one into a ball, then roll it into a 2 1/2-inch-long log. Place the logs 2 inches apart on two sheet pans lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until the cookies start to brown around the edges and spring back when lightly touched. Set aside to cool on the pans.

For the coating, place the chocolate and the butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture vigorously and continue to microwave in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted.

Drag half of the rounded top of each cookie through the chocolate and place it, chocolate side up, on a piece of parchment paper. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle on the pecans. Repeat with all the cookies. Set aside for at least 30 minutes for the chocolate to firm.

Please note: The Jersey Girl omitted the pecans due to a food allergy. Her batch yielded 45 cookies. She used three baking sheets instead of two. She used semi-sweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate. She melts the chocolate on the stove top instead of the microwave.

Lovely Lemon Cookies

Do you want something sweet and citrusy but not too heavy? These Glazed Lemon Cookies are just what you asked for!

All ages love these circles of sweetness. They are soft and light. A kiss of lemon

This is a great recipe to make with your kids. Using a cookie scooper helps shape the dough into perfect shaped balls. I recommend using Silpat mats on your baking sheets for best results. You can also line your baking pans with parchment if you do not have Silpats.

If you have a squeeze bottle, it is perfect for drizzling the glaze over the cookies. But the plastic sandwich bag with a snipped corner works just fine, too!

Glazed Lemon Cookies

From "Cooking Classy"

Makes about 30-36 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

Zest of 2 lemons (About 1 1/2 Tbsp.)

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, whip together butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium-high speed until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Blend in egg, then egg yolk. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla extract. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Scoop dough out by the heaping tablespoonful, form into balls and drop onto silicone baking mat or parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven 9 - 11 minutes.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

For lemon glaze:

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to reach a drizzable consistency.

Pour mixture into a resealable bag, seal bag and cut a small tip off one corner then drizzle glaze over cooking. Allow glaze to set at room temperature.

Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container.

Garlic Knots

Garlic knots are a fun baking project to do at home, especially with the kids. I always keep pizza dough in the freezer, so these are easy to whip up anytime.

They go great with soup and a salad or really as an accompaniment to any dinner.

You can dip in marinara or pizza sauce as well.

The ingredients are the basics I always have on hand: butter, garlic, dried herbs and parmesan cheese. 

These puffs of deliciousness make the house smell so warm and savory. I hope you get to make these soon! They are amazing. Have no fear if you are not a baker at heart. I feel like any amateur can get this done. Enjoy!

Garlic Knots

From Two Peas and their Pod

(Makes 12)

1 lb. pizza dough, store bought or homemade

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. dried parsley

Pinch of salt

4 Tbsp. grated Parmesan Romano cheese

Pizza sauce or marinara sauce for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.

Cut the pizza dough into 12 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into about an 8-inch long rope. Take the ends of the dough and tie into a knot (over, under and through). Place each knot on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and cook the garlic for 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and stir in dried basil, oregano, parsley and a pinch of salt.

Brush the garlic knots lightly with the garlic butter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the knots are golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with remaining garlic butter. Sprinkle each garlic knot with Parmesan Romano cheese. Serve with warm pizza sauce or marinara sauce.