Easy Hazelnut Fudge

I  love giving homemade food gifts during the holiday season. Last week, I made a few different kinds of treats- some old favorites, some new finds- and filled up more than a dozen holiday themed take-out boxes and festive bags, and gave them away as gifts. An assortment of goodies- chocolate truffles, bark, fudge, cookies and peppermint bark brownies- went into each bag.

This hazelnut fudge was one of the things that went into my gift bags. The fudge is rich, creamy, and smooth and melts in your mouth.

Ingredients:

(makes 64 small pieces/squares)

• 10 oz semi-sweet chocolate (I used Baker's baking squares)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp coffee powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp Nutella
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• ½ - ¾   cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped (reserve a handful to sprinkle over the fudge before it sets)
• A pinch of salt

Method:

Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x8- inch baking dish and line with parchment paper.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate and butter. Add the condensed milk, vanilla extract, coffee powder, Nutella and salt. Microwave in 45-second increments for 3-5 minutes  and mix well in between. Stir in the toasted and chopped hazelnuts.  Mix well until the mixture is smooth and everything comes together.

Pour the thick mixture into the prepared baking dish, smooth the top and sprinkle the reserved hazelnuts all over the surface.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (I let it sit overnight in the refrigerator). Once the fudge has set, take it out of the dish and cut into bite-sized pieces using a sharp knife.

Here are some of the other treats I made-

* Pistachio and Peppermint White Chocolate Bark

Line a baking sheet with foil. Melt 8 ounces of white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Pour the melted chocolate over the lined baking sheet and spread it with a spatula to get a layer that is about ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle the top evenly with crushed candy canes and chopped pistachios. Refrigerate until firm. Cut/break into pieces and serve.

* Orange-flavored truffles

Although truffles are simple enough to make any time of the year, I usually get down to making them only during the holidays.  I use this recipe as the base and make different kinds of truffles by changing the flavors (vanilla, orange, peppermint, balsamic vinegar) and toppings (toasted and chopped nuts, cocoa powder, sweetened coconut flakes, crushed candy canes, toffee bits).

This time I made orange flavored truffles and used toffee bits, cocoa powder and toasted and chopped hazelnuts as my toppings.

* World Peace Cookies

I consider myself to be a fairly decent baker, but for some reason, I’ve had no luck with cookies despite numerous attempts. This very popular recipe for world peace cookies (I found it here) is the only cookie recipe that has actually worked well for me.

Gianduia Brownies

I’ve tried a lot of brownie recipes over the years and have posted a few of the ones I’ve liked here. Although I found my perfect brownie recipe a while back, I just can’t seem to stop looking for new recipes to try out!

I recently made a batch of Gianduia brownies using a recipe I saw on Epicurious. Here is the recipe with my modifications-

Ingredients:

(For 16 squares)

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used Baker’s)
• 2 Tbsp Nutella
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
• Salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and grease well.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments. Mix well. Add nutella, vanilla extract, salt and brown sugar and mix well. Add the eggs, stir in the flour and mix again. Add the chopped hazelnuts and combine to get a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool and cut into squares.

Chocolate and Zucchini Cake

Many years back, when I first came across the world of food blogs, one of the very first recipes I’d bookmarked was a recipe for a cake from Clotilde Dusoulier’s blog.

Last week when I was on my refrigerator-cleaning mission, I finally got around to making this cake.

You can find the original recipe here; I followed it closely but did make a couple of changes, the most important one being the addition of a good amount of orange zest. My husband does not care much for chocolate or any recipe using chocolate but he does like the classic combination of chocolate and orange flavors. It also happens to be one of my favorite flavor combinations.

Here’s how I adapted the recipe to make my version of the chocolate and zucchini cake:

*I used a lot of orange zest since  I think chocolate and orange are so perfect together.

* I decreased the amount of cocoa powder, butter and eggs.

* I used melted chocolate in the recipe

*I added buttermilk to the batter. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a cake pan. I used my bundt pan.

Mix together the following dry ingredients in a bowl-

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
•  ½ tsp salt

In another bowl mix together the following-

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 6 oz semi sweet chocolate
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp orange zest (from 1 big orange)
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup buttermilk

Combine the dry and wet ingredients together and mix well.

Grate 2 medium zucchini.  I got approximately 2 cups- a little more or a little less is fine. Squeeze as much water out as possible first and then add it to the batter. Give it a good mix. The batter will be relatively thick; if you have trouble bringing it together, add a splash of buttermilk.

Dump the batter into the greased pan and bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Cool for 10 minutes; remove cake from pan.

The cake was absolutely fantastic- it had a rich chocolate taste and an  intense orange flavor that I was hoping for.  It was tender, moist and delicious- I’m definitely going to be making this over and over again!
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                        Chocolate Beet Cake

Update: I tried the cake recently using beets instead of zucchini. Although I was a bit skeptical about using beets, I decided to go ahead with it. The cake turned out to be very moist and delicious. I shared it with my co-workers the next day without telling them what was in it. Everyone loved the cake!

White Chocolate Chip And Hazelnut Blondies

I made blondies for the very first time last weekend. They turned out very well and were well received by everyone who ate them. They were so good that I’m already baking my third batch, less than a week later.

For my first batch, I adapted a recipe I came across on Zesty Cook. I tweaked that recipe and cut down on the butter and sugar, and used a combination of butterscotch morsels and white chocolate chips. For my second batch, I used only white chocolate chips and added some toasted and chopped hazelnuts to the batter.

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• A pinch of salt
• ¾ cup white chocolate chips ( I've also used ½ cup butterscotch morsels +¼ cup white chocolate chips with great results)
• ¼ -½ cup toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and grease well.

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the brown sugar, vanilla extract, egg and salt and mix well. Stir in the flour and mix again. Add the white chocolate chips and hazelnuts (optional) and combine to get a smooth batter.

Dump the batter into the prepared pan and spread as evenly as possible. Bake for about 25-30 minutes (mine took 27 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out relatively clean with a few crumbs still attached.

Chocolate Banana Swirl Cake

This wonderful cake can be made with little effort. If you like bananas, this is a cake you'll definitely love - it's very banana-y. I didn't bother frosting it but decided to create some swirls on the surface of the batter instead for a pretty finish. I baked this late one night and took it in to work the next day - it disappeared pretty quickly.

My cake was inspired by this recipe from Week Of Menus. I made a few changes to come up with a slightly healthier alternative.

Here's what needs to be done:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan.

In a bowl, mix together these dry ingredients-

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt

In another bowl, beat together:

• 5 Tbsp softened butter
• 2 oz melted semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed well
• ¾ cup yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp rum extract

Combine the dry and wet ingredients together. Mix well. The batter will be a relatively thick one.

Add 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter and mix again.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Melt 2 ounces of white chocolate. Drop small blobs of the melted chocolate all over the surface of the batter and run a toothpick through it to create beautiful swirls.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out relatively clean.

Cool, slice and serve.

Notes: I was a little disappointed that I could not taste the rum or vanilla flavors in the cake. I could not even taste the chocolate in the cake though I'd added almost 6 ounces of it in addition to the cocoa powder. The banana flavor had overpowered all of the other flavors in the cake. Next time, I'd like to try adding some coffee to the cake for a different taste.

I'm sending this over to Deeba for the Fruit in Baking edition of the Monthly Mingle event that she's hosting.

Double Chocolate Brownies

I’d been scouring the internet (food bogs in particular) for a good brownie recipe ever since I volunteered to be in charge of dessert for a recent potluck at work. This recipe caught my eye and I decided to give it a shot. I’m so glad I did because it turned out to undoubtedly be the best brownies I’ve ever eaten, and I’ve eaten several! I love a rich, fudgy and moist brownie, and this one certainly fits the bill.

(Recipe adapted from here)
Ingredients:
(For 16 small brownies)
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus some more for greasing the baking dish
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar (adjust according to the kind of chocolate used and the amount of sweetness desired)
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup all- purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup chopped walnuts (reserve about 2 Tbsp of this for sprinkling on the top)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with foil and grease well with butter.

Melt the chocolate and butter on medium heat checking to make sure that the chocolate does not burn. I use a microwave for this, but you could also use a double boiler. Mix well to combine.

Whisk together eggs and sugar until foamy and pale, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add salt, vanilla, and cocoa powder and mix well to combine.

Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix well until combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts.

Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture and whisk to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Smooth the top out with a spatula. Sprinkle the reserved walnuts on top.

Bake in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out relatively clean.

Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

To make it a little fancy, I also drizzled some chocolate sauce (prepared by mixing melted butter, sweet chocolate, milk and some vanilla extract) over the top of the brownies once they had cooled.
The brownies were a HUGE hit at work and I got a lot of compliments.
Thank you so much, Anita!

Chocolate And Prune Cupcakes

After seeing this post on Lucullian Delights, I made a mental note to pick up some prunes during my next trip to the grocery store. I brought home a pack of prunes over the weekend and wasted no time in trying Ilva’s recipe out.

(Recipe adapted from here)

Ingredients:
(For approximately 6 cupcakes)
4 oz Hershey's baking chocolate
2 Tbsp butter
1 egg
¼ cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp all purpose flour
7-8 prunes, chopped
A pinch of salt

Method:
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and the butter. Mix well.

Whisk together the egg and sugar. Add to the slightly cooled chocolate-butter mixture and mix. Incorporate the flour into the batter and stir until smooth.

Toss in the chopped prunes and mix to bring everything together.

Spoon the batter into a muffin pan. (I used a 6-cup pan.)
Bake for 10 minutes or until set but still soft in the center. Serve warm.


Prunes are a fantastic addition to the recipe and the chocolate-prune combination was absolutely fabulous. In my opinion, the prunes helped to intensify the chocolate flavor. I know that I will be making this very often.

Fruits With White Chocolate Sauce

Inspired by this recipe, I came up with this one to satisfy my sweet tooth. I substituted the heavy cream in the original recipe with 2% milk.

This is how you make it...

Melt some white chocolate chips in hot milk. Add vanilla extract. Mix well. I do not have measurements for the ingredients since I just kept adding and mixing things till I got a sauce-like consistency. Serve the warm chocolate sauce over your favorite fruits. I used what I had- blueberries, strawberries and grapes.

This was a wonderful after-dinner treat.

Chocolate Panna Cotta with Strawberry Sauce

This is one of the numerous posts that has been languishing in my drafts folder for months now. Blogging is beginning to seem like "work" these days!


Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. An Italian phrase which literally means "cooked cream", it generally refers to a creamy, set dessert from the Northern Italian region of Piedmont. It is eaten all over Italy where it is served with wild berries, caramel or chocolate sauce. (Source: Wikipedia)


Recipe source: Williams-Sonoma

For the chocolate panna cotta:
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups heavy cream
1 packet/envelope plain gelatin( Strict vegetarians, please use whatever substitutes you have available.)
2 Tbsp Mascarpone cheese
3 Tbsp sugar
A pinch of salt
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Fresh strawberry sauce, recipe follows

Method:
Coat four small ramekins or custard cups lightly with flavorless oil. I used small steel tumblers.

Pour about ¼ cup of the cream into a small microwave safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over it and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Microwave for a minute or so and mix well until the gelatin has dissolved.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, bring the remaining cream, mascarpone cheese, sugar and salt just to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and whisk until smooth.

Add the gelatin mixture to the chocolate mixture and mix well. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins and let cool to room temperature.

Cover the panna cotta loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set and thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 1 day.

To serve, dip the ramekins one at a time into a bowl of hot water for about 20-30 seconds to loosen the custard, and then run a knife around the edges and invert onto a chilled serving plate. Serve the panna cotta with the strawberry sauce spooned over the top. Garnish with toasted walnuts. Serves 4.

For the strawberry sauce:
Ingredients:
8-10 strawberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a saucepan, warm on low-medium heat till the sugar melts and the strawberries get mushy. Cool and blend well to get a sauce-like consistency. Strain if you must.

Serve over chocolate panna cotta.

Chocolate Balsamic Truffles

This blog has been gathering dust lately. It’s been so long since I did a post on food. I have been unable to use this space as frequently as I would have liked to for various reasons… work, the holidays, friends visiting, complete loss of interest for a bit and lack of motivation and just LIFE in general…
The New Year is a time for new beginnings and on that note, I bring to you my first post of 2008 - Chocolate Balsamic Truffles.

I tried my hand at making truffles yesterday. I was inspired by Giada’s recipe that I saw on Everyday Italian. The process is a little time-consuming, not to mention messy, and I quickly realized that they weren't as easy to make as they had seemed when I had first watched the segment on her show. I was however, pleased with the way they turned out and the end result was definitely well worth the effort. The truffles tasted absolutely heavenly and simply melt in your mouth.
I’ve tweaked the original recipe a bit and this is how I did it.
Ingredients:
10 oz dark chocolate
½ cup heavy cream
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
For coating the truffles:
Cocoa powder
Chopped and toasted walnuts
Toasted coconut

Method:
Cut the chocolate blocks into small, even pieces (this helps melting it uniformly easier) and place in a microwave- safe bowl.

Heat the heavy cream in a pan till small bubbles begin to form along the edges and it almost starts to boil.

Combine the cream and chocolate to form a ganache that is smooth and without lumps. (If the chocolate doesn’t melt completely, just pop the bowl in the microwave for 10-15 seconds)

Add the balsamic vinegar and mix well.

Cool the ganache completely, cover and let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two till it is firm and has set.

Using a spoon, scoop up the ganache and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (I managed to get 20 medium sized balls.)

With extremely clean hands, roll and shape the ganache into small balls. (I had some trouble here as the chocolate started to melt and my hands began to get sticky. I just popped it in the freezer for 5 minutes before continuing to round out the balls.)

Roll each truffle around in your chosen topping. I made three kinds -some with a dusting of cocoa, some with a coating of coarsely ground and toasted walnuts and some others covered with lightly toasted coconut flakes.

I don’t think that these can be stored for a very long time, but I have read in a couple of places that they will keep well for at least 2-3 weeks if refrigerated and stored in an airtight container. Let the truffles return to room temperature before serving.
I don’t expect my truffles to last long enough for their shelf life to be a concern!

This is going to Deepz at Letz Cook for JFI - Chocolate and to Bindiya who blogs at In Love with Food, for her chocolate fest.

Before I forget, I would like to thank Jaden and Hari Nayak for my personally signed copy of the cookbook “Modern Indian Cooking”. It is a beautiful book with stunning pictures and some great recipes by Hari Nayak and Vikas Khanna. I am looking forward to trying out a couple of recipes from here in the coming months. Thanks once again!

Here's wishing all my blog buddies a very happy and prosperous 2008!

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

I have recently begun to enjoy making muffins and I make a batch of some kind of muffin almost regularly. There's something very magical about the whole muffin-making process. It is amazing to see that just by addition/substitution of fruits, nuts, and/or chocolate chips, the basic muffin can be transformed into a delicious treat. I just love the smell that wafts through the entire house when the muffins are baking and I am pretty sure that this is what heaven would smell like.


Dry ingredients:
1 ¾ cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

Wet ingredients:
1 egg
½ cup oil
¾ cup milk
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp pure orange extract

For folding in:
½ cup almonds
½ cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, chopped

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well till the whole batter comes together. (Too much stirring/mixing will result in muffins that are too dense/heavy.)

Fold in the strawberries, chocolate chips and almonds. Spoon the batter and place in each paper-lined muffin cup till it is two-thirds full.

Bake for 25 minutes or so till the tops are nice and brown or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

This recipe yields 12 muffins.

Chocolate Cupcakes