Tiramisu

There is not a much better dessert than a rich tiramisu. This is a classic Italian dessert found in almost every Italian restaurant. If you've never tried it, you should! It's made with a soft cookie, in this recipe it is Ladyfingers; dark chocolate; cocoa; and marscapone cheese, which is similar to cream cheese but smoother and sweeter. Tiramisu is lovely layers of rich chocolately yumminess. It's not a difficult recipe to follow; you just need to make sure to follow the steps correctly. I found this recipe on Pinterest at: Bailey's Hazelnut Chocolate Tiramisu. 

3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup espresso or strong coffee, divided
6 tablespoons and 4 tablespoons Bailey’s Hazelnut Liqueur, divided
1 pound Bel Gioso Tiramisu mascarpone cheese*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (7-ounce) package Ladyfingers
1/2 cup Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips, melted and cooled
cocoa powder for dusting
dark chocolate covered espresso beans for garnish, optional

First melt your chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Check it; stir, and then microwave for another 30 seconds. Check and stir, and then microwave in 15 second intervals until smooth. Do not overcook or the chocolate will burn. Set chocolate aside to cool. In a large bowl, beat 3 egg yolks, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon espresso, 6 tablespoons Bailey’s Hazelnut Liqueur for a couple of minutes until well combined and thickened.

 

Add the mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract and beat until well combined and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

In a separate (very clean) bowl (use a stand mixer if you have one for this part), whisk 3 egg whites until foamy. Add 1 teaspoon powdered sugar and whip to stiff peaks.

 

Stir about 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it; then fold the rest of it in gently. Taste for flavor.

Pour the rest of the espresso and Bailey’s into a flat dish. Dip one side of each Ladyfinger in this mixture for just 5 seconds (so it doesn’t get soggy) before layering them, soaked side up, in a deep serving dish.

 

Repeat, lining the entire bottom of the dish with the cookies. Drizzle cooled melted chocolate all over the cookies. Dollop about 1/3 to 1/2 (depending on how many layers you think you’ll be able to get in your dish) of the mascarpone mixture (called zabaglione) over the top and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.

 

Dust this with cocoa powder. Repeat layering dipped cookies, melted chocolate, zabaglione, and a dusting of cocoa powder, ending with a layer of the zabaglione dusted with cocoa powder.

This is the second time I made this recipe. The first time I used a very deep oval casserole dish and ended up with about three layers of ingredients. This time I used a 10X14 rectangular dish and got two layers, but there's not quite enough zagablione in each piece for my taste. Next time, I'm going to use a 9X13, and I think it might just be perfect.

Chill at least one hour before serving. Dot with dark chocolate covered espresso beans and serve. Eat within 36 hours or so, or things start to get soupy.

Triple Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Today I thought and thought about what goodies I was going to bake for "Monday treat" at work, and I just kept coming up blank. So, I raided my pantry and looked to see what I had. I took mental note of a few of the ingredients, and then searched the web for recipes. That's when I found White and Dark Chocolate Cranberry Almond Cookies. It sounded good, so I decided that's what I would try. Oh. My. Gosh. Best decision I ever made! lol I did adapt the recipe a bit from hers, and the results are amazing! The cookie is so soft. The mix of chocolates is divine, and the cranberry adds just a hint of fruity sweetness. You've got to give this recipe a try. 

1 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt

6-8 ounces white chocolate chips (to taste, these are sweeter and the more you use the sweeter the cookie becomes)

6 ounces dark chocolate chips

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 ounces dried cranberries

1 cup nuts (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt; set aside. In large bowl or stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until smooth.

Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. Add flour mixture, and stir until combined. Add chocolate and cranberries.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on tray for a minute or two, then transfer to cooling rack.

Make-Your-Way Chocolate Chip Cookies

I will always love Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies. I grew up making those with my dad, and they will always be special to me. But I have found THE PERFECT chocolate chip cookie recipe...  Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, on Pinterest, of course. I saw the picture, and they looked so good I followed it and read the blog. I decided to give it a try, and I've since made three versions of the cookies. I made one batch with triple chocolate chips - white, semi-sweet, and dark, one with all white, and one with all dark. They were all absolutely amazing. This is important enough to repeat... absolutely freakin' amazing! None of the batches lasted long, and I have a few other plans for this cookie as well. Following is the recipe from the blog for the triple chocolate chips. Substitute whatever chips you prefer, and I'm sure they will come out fantastic.

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (or light brown - dark is preferred)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup SNO-CAPS (or other kind of chocolate chip)

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. 

Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. 

On low speed, mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Dough will be thick and sticky. Chill for at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days).

Preheat oven to 350F. The original blog suggests lining the ungreased cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. I did not do this. Drop balls of dough onto cookie sheet (about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie) OR used a standard-sized cookie scoop. Press a few chocolate chips onto the tops of cookies for looks, if desired. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. Do NOT bake them longer than 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for 3 minutes on the cookie sheet. If the cookies are too puffy, try gently pressing down on them with the back of a spoon. Transfer to cooling rack. Cookies remain fresh in an airtight container for up to 7 days.