December is a month filled with holiday planning, and best of all, baking and creating treats for your sweet table, or to give as gifts.

The following recipes can be enjoyed any time of the year, so if you don’t have time before the holidays, you can whip them up to ring in the new year, or celebrate PJ weekend, birthday’s….any time is a good time to celebrate with chocolate.

 

 

Chocolately Baking—main ingredients fun & love.

Blog recipes include:

– Bacon Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies
– Peanut Butter Chocolate Cups
– Paper Thin, Feather light Crepes with Chocolate Sauce
– Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies with Sea Salt
– Chocolate-Insert your Favorite Liqueur-Truffles

Bacon Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

4 slices maple-cured bacon, cooked crisp, crumbled
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup sugar (set this aside)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cups good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips — you can use milk chocolate if you prefer, your choice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a bowl, stir together: flour, baking soda, and salt, then set aside

In a separate bowl, cream together: butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the bacon bits, and vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just blended.

Roll the cookie dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in 1/4 cup of sugar.

Place cookies 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet with parchment paper (or un-greased cookie sheet), and flatten slightly, or use your favorite cookie cutter to make different shapes.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Remove from baking sheet and decorate with your favorite icing.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of each cookie so they stick to the icing.

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cups

Ingredients:

12 ounces Belgian Milk Chocolate (trust me, it’s worth the investment)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
paper or foiled candy cups
have your candy cups lined up and ready to be filled

Directions:

In a glass measuring cup, add chocolate about ½ way in the cup and microwave on medium high (for 1 minute, take out and stir and then put back in for another 30 seconds). Stir chocolate until it’s all melted.

When melted, immediately pour chocolate into the foiled cups, filling them only half way.

Let chocolate cool and harden.

Once hardened, add a dollop of peanut butter in the center of each cup.

Top with melted chocolate.

Let cool and then store in the fridge.

Paper Thin, Feather light Crepes with Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1 cup good quality dark chocolate (or milk chocolate)

For Gluten-Free Crepes: Substitute the wheat flour for 1/2 Almond Flour and 1/2 Potato Flour (or you can use Gluten-free flour already

Directions:

In a bowl whisk together; flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and cocoa.

In another bowl, add eggs, vanilla, and 1/2 cup of milk and mix well together.

Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, whisking continuously.

Then gradually add the remaining milk, still whisking continuously.

Whisk in the melted butter.

Heat your skillet over medium-high heat.

Ensure your crepe batter is smooth.

Once skillet is ready, add the batter to the center of the skillet. Tilt pan to spread batter evenly until the entire bottom is covered. When edges peel off easily and begin to brown, use a spatula and flip the crepe over (carefully). Continue continue the other side for about 20 – 30 seconds, until lightly browned.

Remove from skillet and put on a plate and make your next one. Cover each crepe with some aluminum foil until you are all done.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, until smooth and creamy, remove from heat.

Spread your filling all over the crepe, then roll tightly, then top with melted chocolate

Crepe Filling:

Strawberries, blueberries, or if you don’t have fresh berries, then berry jam or jelly, you can also top with whipped cream, or ice-cream, sprinkled with chocolate chips, raisins or nuts.

Use your imagination, as anything goes when it comes to enjoying crepes.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies with Sea Salt

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter (you can use chunky peanut butter for more texture if you’d like)
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. table salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips (in my experience, Hershey’s milk chocolate chips are the tastiest)
Sea Salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk butter and brown and white sugars together until creamy. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla and mix until everything is well combined and smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and table salt, then add the chocolate chips and mix together.

Slowly fold in the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture, until everything is combined.

Put the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

When oven is ready, drop tablespoon-size balls of cookie dough onto cookie sheet, and press each cookie down to slightly flatten.

Bake for 9-10 minutes until set and light in color. They will appear under-done.

Remove from oven, and sprinkle each cookie with a few grains of sea salt.

Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Store at room temperature in a cookie tin.

If you can manage to make them last, they are good for 5 days in the tin.

Chocolate-Insert your Favorite Liqueur-Truffles

 

Ingredients:

6 ounces good quality dark chocolate
2 TBSP of unsalted butter
2 TBSP heavy cream
6 TBSPS of (choose one: Rum, Bourbon, Grand Marnier or Bailey’s or any other liqueur you like to pair with chocolate)
1 pound confectionary sugar (also known as icing sugar)
Powdered chocolate and/or chopped nuts

Optional: 2 tsp. cayenne pepper (I love the sweet and spicy mixture, so if you’re adventurous give this a try, or roll in chili peppers)

Directions:

Get all your ingredients out and measured, ready to go and cut a sheet of parchment paper on your working surface.

Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate but DO NOT let it become too hot. Put it on medium-low, just enough to melt the chocolate nicely, while you stir with a wooden spoon.

Add the butter. Mix well until butter is melted.

Add the Liqueur you have chosen plus the cream and mix well.

Gradually fold in the powdered sugar, stirring it into the chocolate (you may not even need the whole pound of sugar). What you’re looking for is a soft paste to be formed.

Turn the heat off.

Using a melon baller (or a teaspoon), form the chocolate into little balls, then roll in the chocolate powder (you can roll some in chopped nuts) and put them on the parchment paper to cool.

When done, let them cool completely and store in a tight fitting glass jar.

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For more recipes (over 100 family dishes), PLUS, two stories (children’s book, and a comedy short story for adults) download a sample or purchase WISHES. STITCHES & DISHES: Bundle of Family Fun.

Available on AMAZON for only $0.99

 

From our home to yours.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa,
Happy Pancha Ganapati, Bright Yuletide
Happy Holidays to all!