Dark Chocolate, Smoked Almond, & Sea Salt Bark

While enjoying a cup of coffee and a bowl of cherries one day with her son, a young woman (OK, not sooo young woman) STUMBLED upon a recipe that quite took her fancy. If your were a reader from the start you may already know about the woman's penchant for a certain dark chocolate, caramel, sea salt creation from a trendy store that's all the rage, I'm sure you've heard of it. That Trader Joe's. Well anyway, the recipe she found reminded her of those very chocolates. She thought perhaps even more extraordinary.
Out the door she ran, fur flying. She nearly took off the dog's tail with the door in her haste to get to the store!

OK, so really she waited for her mother-in-law to arrive, checked and double checked to make sure the baby had what he needed, put the dog outside (tail safe, intact, and still a dangerous weapon), and slowly backed down the driveway, hoping that she had remembered to put everything on her grocery list. The chocolate, almonds, and sea salt especially!!!
(Read to the end of recipe for the end of the story)

• 8 oz 53% Cacao Dark Chocolate Baking Bar

(I couldn't find this so I bought a 10 oz bag of 62% and used the whole thing)

• 1/2 cup smoked almonds coarsely chopped

(save a few to sprinkle on top)

• 1 tsp sea salt

2 hours and $175 dollars worth of groceries (for just one week!) later, the lady was back home and ready to tackle her latest desert.

Dark Chocolate, Smoked Almond, & Sea Salt Bark

It became clear very shortly that this beauty would take mere minutes. A major plus for a mommy with a 4 month old.

Melt the chocolate in a glass microwave safe bowl for 40 seconds. Stir. Replace in microwave, cooking in 10 second intervals, stirring between, until chocolate is almost but not completely melted. A little bit more melted than in the picture. The more you stir the chocolate the more it will melt. If you heat it too much the chocolate will seize up and you will have to start over with new chocolate. (I don't personally know how to save seized chocolate, or if there even is a way.)

Stir in the almonds.
(I added a handful of raisins to half of my chocolate mixture because I began to think that maybe something a little sweeter might break the monotony of all that salt and dark chocolate. Totally up to you.)

Spread the chocolate over a sheet pan covered with wax paper. Tap the pan to spread out the chocolate. (My pan was too big and its an 8 in)
Sprinkle with the reserved almonds and the salt.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.


When the woman removed the bark from her Frigidaire later that evening, broke the bark into pieces, and tasted her latest treat, she fainted right there on the floor, in the kitchen, and that is where her husband found her when he got home. With dark chocolate all over her face and a stupid grin from ear to ear.

The end!!!!!

Dairy Free Mocha Mocha Coconut Milk Ice Cream

This recipe does not come out tasting like coconut one bit. Its just as good if not better than store bought dairy ice cream. My ice cream maker is pretty small so if yours is a big one double this recipe. Also, if you leave out the egg, which is totally fine, this recipe is vegetarian.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 egg yolk
1 13-15 oz can of coconut milk
1/2 cup or more strong coffee cooled
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp vanilla
3 tbsp Nutella



In a pot that is not Teflon coated combine the sugar and the water and heat over medium high heat until sugar is dissolved. This is called a simple syrup. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the egg yolk. Add the coconut milk, coffee, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Whisk together. Return the pot to medium heat. You want to see steam coming off the top but you don't want the mixture to be boiling. Reduce the mixture for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a container and cool. Add to your chilled ice cream maker and churn as directed. When the ice cream is nearly done add the nutella and continue to churn so the nutella is spread throughout.
Please note that I did all these ingredients to taste so just add as much or as little of whatever you want until the unfrozen mixture tastes good to you. If it tastes good hot it will taste good frozen too. :))

Heath Bar Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1-1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits
• 1 8 oz. pkg. semi sweet chocolate bits.
  

Preheat oven to 350 F

Combine 2 stick softened butter with 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar. Blend with hand mixer until combined.
Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Add three whole large eggs and combine.

Add 3 1/2 cups of flour 1 cup at a time until well blended. In between 1st cup of flour and second add 2 tsp. baking soda.
In between 2nd cup of flour add 2 tsp. cream of tartar.

Add 1 bag of Heath-1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits and 1 8 oz. pkg. semi sweet chocolate bits. Mix well.

Use a tbsp. to measure out your cookies onto a greased cookie sheet and
bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes

Brownie Tester/ Valentines Day Sunday Starter/Best Brownies Ever

Yesterday I decided that what I really wanted for Valentines Day was to go out, get a huge brownie sundae, sit somewhere outside with my husgbund and enjoy this lovely sunny weather we are having. Then today I got to thinking about a discussion I recently had with my grandmother about the taboo of making deserts from a box. If you let slip that something is made from a box around that clan, the confection in question is automatically seen as inferior, you can instantly see the dismissal in their eyes.
I happen to disagree with this notion entirely. There are some things that have been perfected by the food processing industry. There just are. Brownies are one of those things. They have managed to create a mix that always comes out rich, chewy, and delicious. Its fool proof.
While I will admit that I have had some passable home made brownies, none of them compares in texture, chewiness, fudginess, just plain brownie deliciousness, to a store bought brownie mix. Most home made brownies tend to be a little dry and cake like.

That is my opinion anyway, but since others disagree, I decided today to test out a very highly recommended brownie recipe, and see if my opinion cant be swayed. Not only will I be able to test out a new recipe, but now we can enjoy our Valentines Day brownie sundae outside in our back yard with our precious pupup instead of at some crowded ice cream shop. I have to say from the start though, that the labor involved in making these brownies is already two fold what it would take to make some out of a box so there are points off already.

OK so the brownies are out of the oven and I have just had two. I couldn't be sure with just one so I helped myself to another, in order to give you the most accurate taste test results possible. Are you ready for the results? These are the best MOTHER F!@#in brownies I have ever had and I stand corrected. I STAND CORRECTED! You must try this recipe! Box brownies are good and less time consuming but these are soooooooooooooo good. Chewy, rich, fudgy goodness. Dad!!! Make these for Gramma!!!

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F


Melt 1 cup (2 sticks) butter and add 2 cups of white sugar

Mix in 1 cup of brown sugar

Add one Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

With a hand mixer add 4 large eggs and mix well

Add 1 1/1 cups flour, 1/2 a cup at a time.

Add 1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa 1/2 cup at a time. The batter will be very thick.

Add 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Pour evenly into 9 x 13 baking pan and bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes. Some of the suggestions said to pull out the brownies when the toothpick still comes out with batter on it. I removed my brownies from the oven after 40 minutes exactly, there was still batter on the toothpick, but the top looked crispy.