Vanilla Gelato Bites with Chocolate and Hazelnuts Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Vanilla Gelato Bites with Chocolate and Hazelnuts Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
1 pint vanilla gelato or ice cream
1 (12-ounce) bag chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts (about 5 ounces)
Special equipment: bite-sized ice cream scoop and wooden popsticks
Place a small tray or a plate in the freezer. Remove the gelato from the freezer to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove the chilled tray from the freezer. Scoop out 16 bite-sized balls of gelato and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and quickly insert a wooden popstick into each gelato ball. Return them to the freezer for at least 1 hour.
When the gelato balls have frozen with their sticks in place, place the chocolate in a double-boiler over very gently simmering water until melted. Next to the pot of chocolate, place the toasted, chopped hazelnuts in a shallow bowl.
Remove the gelato balls from the freezer, 4 at a time. Working quickly, hold the gelato ball by the stick and dip into the melted chocolate, then dredge it in the hazelnuts. Return them to the freezer and continue with 4 more gelato balls, until all the gelato balls are covered in chocolate and nuts. Freeze the chocolate-and-nut-covered gelato for at least 1 hour.
These are very fun, festive, and tasty. The ice cream scoop I used is a number 40 (holds 1 tablespoon, is 1 1/2 inches in diameter.)
Sex in a Pan – My niece Julia named this
————
SEX IN A PAN
————
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1/2 c. butter
1 c. flour
1 lg. carton Cool Whip
1 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
2 sm. pkgs. chocolate pudding
3 c. milk
Mix nuts, butter and flour. Press in 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees
for
10 minutes. Cool.
Mix 1/2 of the Cool Whip, powdered sugar and cream cheese.
Spread on crust. Mix pudding and milk and spread over crust. Spread
other
1/2 of Cool Whip on top. Chill.
Janes Poor Man’s Toffee
My next door neighbor Jane used to make up huge platters of yummies on the holidays and then bring it to our house….and these things are just totally addictive….
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
Enough graham crackers to make a layer on a cookie sheet (regular size cookie sheet… if it’s a large sheet you will need to increase butter and sugar to 1 1/2 cups of each!)
1 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips
1/2 12 ounce bag of toffee chips (you can substitute SCOR bars or Heath Bars if your store is out of toffee chips)
Line a cookie sheet with foil(cleanup easier). Bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil in a saucepan and simmer it for about 5 minutes. Put a layer of crackers on the cookie sheet, close together. ‘
Pour the brown sugar mixture over the crackers and bake for about 6-10 minutes(I do the 10 it should be bubbley) at 350F.
Remove and immediately pour the chocolate chips over the crackers, evenly distributing them. Let it sit a minute and then spead the chocolate across the mixture with the spatula gently so as not to disturb the crackers underneath. Let it sit for another 30 seconds and at this point it pretty much spreads like frosting.
Then I top with toffee bits. You can top with whatever you like.
My favorite is just some chopped walnuts, but you can also try dark chocolate with candy cane bits, white chocolate with dried cherries, rocky road, m&m’s…just about every combo you can think of. Put it in the refridgerator to let it set up… then break apart into toffee shaped pieces. I’ve seen recipes using other types of crackers too, but the graham crackers are my favorite.
This makes alot.. but it won’t last long!
MAHOGANY SOUR CREAM CAKE
I had this last night at a Chef’s birthday party.. it was to DIE for!
Here are the two versions I found online… she said she used Chocolae Gnash so I stuck a chocolate gnash recipe after these two.
MAHOGANY SOUR CREAM CAKE
A lusciously moist cake, with a rich, creamy frosting – a delicious delight for all chocolate lovers!
3 sqs. Baker’s unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. water
1 c. sour cream
1 3/4 c. unsifted SwansDown cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. Calumet baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2/3 c. butter
1 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
Continental Flair Frosting (recipe follows)
Heat chocolate and water in saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool thoroughly; stir in sour cream. Mix flour with baking powder, salt and soda. Cream butter. Gradually beat in sugars; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, mixing well. Add vanilla. Pour into 2 generously greased and floured 9-inch layer pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans; finish cooling on racks.
IN HIGH ALTITUDE AREA: Use large eggs; increase flour to 2 cups and water to 2/3 cup; reduce baking powder to 1 teaspoon, soda and salt to 1/2 teaspoon, brown sugar to 1/2 cup and granulated sugar to 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon; bake at 375 degrees.
CONTINENTAL FLAIR FROSTING:
Combine in saucepan:
1 c. sugar
1 c. heavy cream
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; boil gently for 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add:
4 sqs. Baker’s unsweetened chocolate
Stir until melted. Stir in:
1/2 c. softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Chill until slightly thickened; then beat until thick and creamy. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
MAHOGANY SOUR CREAM CAKE
3 sq. Baker’s unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. water
1 c. sour cream
1 2/3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. butter
2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
Melt chocolate in water in saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Cool; then stir in sour cream. Mix flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Cream butter. Gradually beat in sugars; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each. Alternately add flour and chocolate mixtures, beating after each addition until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour into 2 well greased and floured 9 inch layer pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and finish cooling on racks. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.
CONTINENTAL FLAIR FROSTING:
1 c. sugar
1 c. heavy cream
4 sq. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. rum extract or vanilla
Combine sugar and cream in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted. Blend in butter and rum extract. Chill until mixture begins to thicken; then beat until thick, creamy and of spreading consistency. Makes about 2 1/2 cups or enough to cover tops and sides of two 8 or 9 inch cake layers. The top and sides of one 9 inch square or 13 x 9 inch cake, or the tops of 24 cupcakes.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE
1 Hershey’s special dark sweet chocolate bar (8 oz.), broken into pieces
1/4 c. heavy or whipping cream
1 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. creme de cacao
Combine chocolate bar pieces, cream, and butter in medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is melted and smooth. Stir in creme de cacao. Cool to lukewarm (glaze will be slightly thickened).
