Secret layer of deliciousness

This was my first time making banana cream pie. I did it for Thanksgiving for my auntie, who said it was her favorite. It turned out awesome! I was so excited when it got rave reviews. The success came because I made something called a black-bottom banana cream pie, which has a layer of chocolate right above the crust. Score! I don't think I could ever eat it any other way now.

I made my own custard, which isn't difficult at all. Any kind of crust will work, but I think the crunch of a chocolate or graham cracker crust is divine.

THE RECIPE:

1 prebaked crust
3 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 c. whole milk
3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 oz. semisweet chocolate
1/4 c. cream
1 or 2 Tbsp. sugar
2 ripe but firm bananas
1/4 c. orange juice
2 c. sweetened whipped cream*

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and salt. Whisk in cornstarch thoroughly. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm milk until almost boiling, stirring frequently. Drizzle hot milk slowly into egg mixture, whisking the whole time. If you do this very patiently, you will temper your eggs gradually and prevent them from scrambling.

Return combined mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool for a few minutes, then place plastic wrap directly onto custard to cool completely. The plastic will prevent the custard from forming a skin.

Combine chocolate, cream and sugar, and microwave in small increments until smooth. Let cool completely, then pour into pie crust. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Cut bananas into 1/4-inch slices. Toss with orange juice, then drain and pat dry with paper towels. Fold bananas into custard, then spread into pie crust. Pipe whipped cream on top as desired.




*Whipped cream doesn't hold up long, so if you need to make this pie in advance, or if you need it to hold up for a long time through a party or extended refrigeration, you should consider stabilizing your whipped cream. This way it will hold up for days. See recipe below.

Stabilized whipped cream:

4 tsp. cold water
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin (such as Knox)
1 c. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over top and mix in. Let stand for a minute to thicken. This process is called blooming. Microwave gelatin in small bursts, stirring each time, until melted into a translucent liquid.

Start beating cream, sugar and vanilla with mixer until cream starts to thicken. Pour in gelatin and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Makes 2 cups.

Chocolate heaven

What you see above is Michelle Snow's flourless chocolate torte -- or what's left of it. Wait a minute, I can't let those crumbs go to waste. Hang on while I leave the computer for a second...

Okay, we'll go back in time and see what it used to look like. This dessert is truly divine. Its texture is almost like cheesecake, and its flavor is rich and deeply satisfying for any chocoholic.

My sweet 20-month-old niece was just diagnosed with celiac disease, so it's wonderful to know she will always have an amazing gluten-free dessert like this to keep her from missing out.

My sweet friend and neighbor Michelle Snow is the author of several books about cooking, food storage and saving money, including "The WOW diet," "It's in the Bag," and "Queen of Common Cents." I will forever be grateful to her for this delicious recipe!

THE RECIPE:


Butter for greasing pan
Cocoa powder for dusting pan
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 c. butter
6 eggs, separated
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place a pie pan on bottom rack of oven. Grease a 10-inch spring-form pan and dust with cocoa. Melt butter and chocolate chips together in microwave. In a large bowl, blend egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and salt with an electric mixer until light yellow and thick. Add chocolate mixture and cocoa and mix well.

In a separate, clean bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until medium-firm peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold egg whites into chocolate batter, half at a time, until no streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and place on middle rack in oven. Pour 1 cup boiling water into pie pan below. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out moist but clean.

Cool torte to room temperature on wire rack. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Garnish as desired: powdered sugar, whipped cream, berries, or nothing at all.



*Note: For a truly gluten-free version, ensure that your chocolate chips are gluten-free and that your vanilla is pure, not imitation.

Fudge

This is a fun and easy way to make two delicious kinds of fudge -- traditional and cookies and cream. These recipes are meant to be shared! A 9x13 pan goes a long way. Fudge is rich, so you can only eat one or two pieces at a time or else you'll be induced into a sugar coma. Hey, Valentine's Day is coming up. It's a perfect time to spread some thick, sweet, creamy love.

THE RECIPE:

Base ingredients:

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
3 c. sugar
1 c. butter, softened
4 c. mini marshmallows
1 Tbsp. imitation vanilla extract

Traditional mix-ins:

2 12-ounce bags semisweet chocolate chips
2 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Cookies and cream mix-ins:

2 12-ounce bags white chocolate chips
20 (at least) chocolate sandwich cookies, chopped into big chunks

Prepare ingredients before starting the cooking process. In a large pot, mix evaporated milk and sugar and bring to boil. Once it starts to boil, set a timer. Cook, stirring constantly, for 7 minutes.

Remove from heat, then quickly stir in butter, marshmallows, vanilla and your choice of chocolate chips. Mix until smooth, then quickly stir in your other mix-in (nuts or cookies). Pour into 9x13 pan and refrigerate at least 3 hours before cutting into squares. Store in air-tight container.

Pacify your chocolate addiction

This week, my husband took all three of my children -- this includes a 6-week-old -- to the library by himself. I thought about running wild around the empty house. But then I thought about this French silk chocolate pie, and I had to make it. The recipe comes from Cook's Country, so you know it will be good. It is rich and thick and creamy and silky. My 7-year-old remarked that she loved the way her teeth felt sinking into its chocolatey goodness. The only drawback is the tired arm from all the mixing.

THE RECIPE:

1 c. heavy cream
3 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. water
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 cooked deep-dish pie shell*

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine eggs, sugar and water in large heat-proof bowl (I used a glass mixing bowl). On stove top, set bowl over medium saucepan containing half an inch of simmering water. Don't let bowl touch water. You are making a kind of double boiler. Beat egg mixture with electric mixer until thickened and heated through, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat several minutes more, until mixture is cooled and fluffy.

Add chocolate and vanilla to cooled egg mixture and beat until incorporated. Beat in butter. Using rubber spatula, fold in whipped cream until no streaks of white remain. Scrape mixture into pie shell and refrigerate at least three hours to set.

*Next time I'll try an Oreo crust.

Molten lava

You want some, don't you? Who wouldn't want a molten lava cake? This is what my family had for our Valentine's Day dessert, with a nice scoop of cookies and cream ice cream on the side.

The picture shows a cake made in a custard dish, which results in a runnier center. I have made baby versions in muffin tins, which also have melty centers but just not enough to run out like that. Either way is delicious. I'm sure the smaller ones are good for portion control, but only for someone who has self-control. Not I.

P.S. The recipe comes from Kraft Foods.

THE RECIPE:

4 ounces Baker's semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 c. butter
1 c. powdered sugar
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. flour

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease four small custard cups and place on baking sheet. Or, line 10 muffin tin cups with paper liners.

Microwave chocolate and butter for 1 minute, then stir together until smooth and melted. Stir in sugar, then eggs, then flour. Spoon into prepared cups. Bake for up to 12 minutes if using custard cups and up to 9 minutes if using muffin tin. (This is according to my oven, which is electric.) There might be a slight dip in the center even when they're done. The centers should jiggle. Don't overbake!

Let stand for a minute or two, then run a knife around the edges if using custard cups and invert onto a serving plate.

One of my favorite desserts ever

This cocoa tiramisu is dangerous. I could easily eat the whole pan by myself. My family loves it and can't get enough. Traditional tiramisu is made with coffee, which we don't drink, and whose flavor we do not like, so we made our tiramisu with hot chocolate mix. The idea came from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. It is flavored with rum and almond extracts. The creamy homemade custard is mixed with mascarpone cheese. It is truly divine.

THE RECIPE:

1 c. hot water
2 packets good-quality hot chocolate mix OR 6 Tbsp. hot chocolate mix
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1/8 tsp. rum extract
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream, divided
8 ounces mascarpone cheese*
30-36 ladyfingers biscuits*
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Combine the water and hot chocolate mix. When cooled, add extracts. Set aside.

In small saucepan, and over medium heat, mix egg yolks, sugar and salt. Add 1/4 cup cream. Stir for a few minutes, or until thickened enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make whipped cream by beating remaining 1/2 cup cream until stiff peaks form. Beat mascarpone cheese into cooled egg mixture. Gently fold in whipped cream.

Whisk hot chocolate mixture often. Dip ladyfingers into hot chocolate, letting each side soak for about 1 second, then layer side by side in 8x8 baking dish. The last couple may need to be trimmed to fit. Top with half of custard, spreading evenly to edges of pan. Then with a mesh strainer, sprinkle with half of cocoa powder. Repeat layers: soaked ladyfingers, custard, cocoa powder. Refrigerate at least 8 hours before eating.

*I couldn't find these at Walmart, so I had to go elsewhere.

Don't trifle with trifle

I've seen this peanut butter brownie trifle on multiple food blogs, and I finally made it. It was our Mother's Day dessert, and it was a success. My brother-in-law was "mmm"ing with every bite. See, we're Reese's fans around here.

THE RECIPE:

1 9x13 pan baked brownies, cut into 1-inch pieces*
1 large (5.1 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 c. milk
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. whipping cream, whipped and divided**
40 bite-sized or 24 regular Reese's peanut butter cups

Beat pudding mix and milk until thickened. Add peanut butter and vanilla, then mix until combined. Fold in 1 cup whipped cream.

Place half of brownies in bottom of trifle dish. Sprinkle with 16 coarsely chopped bite-sized Reese's. Spread half of pudding mixture on top. Repeat layers. Top with last cup of whipped cream and remaining 8 bite-sized Reese's for garnish. Chill at least six hours before serving. Serves 12.

*Option: Add a 10-ounce bag of peanut butter baking chips to brownie batter.

**Homemade whipped cream: With an electric mixer, beat cream with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until soft peaks form.

Truffle meets cookie

These chocolate truffle cookies are evil. They have been sent from the underworld to destroy us. They have a dense and fudgy texture, like a truffle -- perfect for sinking your teeth into. They are rich and delicious. I meant to give them away, but I couldn't stop eating them. They were in control, not me. Evil, I tell you. I got the recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

THE RECIPE:

1 1/4 c. butter, slightly softened*
2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
2 c. chocolate chips
About 1/3 c. cocoa powder for rolling
About 2/3 c. powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large bowl, blend butter and powdered sugar. Add cocoa powder and salt, then sour cream and vanilla. Blend in flour, then stir in chocolate chips. If dough is too difficult to handle, refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in cocoa powder. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Do not flatten. Bake for 10 minutes.

Get them out even if they don't look done. Let cool for a few minutes before moving to wire rack. Cool completely -- I'm talking a good 45 to 60 minutes -- before rolling in powdered sugar. I know, it's hard to wait that long, but you must or the powdered sugar will melt.

*Your butter should give a little when you touch it, but it shouldn't be so soft that your finger pokes far into it. If your butter is too soft, you are going to have to refrigerate your dough before baking or your cookies will flatten.

In the mood for an eclair?

Sometimes I'm in the mood to make dessert from scratch. Sometimes I'm not. This "quick eclair" recipe, which I got from my sister-in-law, is for those days when you want to use store-bought ingredients and still end up looking like you tried. We thought it tasted great; my kids especially loved it. Just make sure you plan ahead for the refrigeration time. I halved the recipe, but the full recipe is included below.

THE RECIPE:

2 small boxes instant vanilla pudding
3 c. milk
1 8-ounce container Cool Whip
1 box graham crackers
1 tub chocolate frosting*

Mix pudding and milk until thickened. Fold in Cool Whip. In 9x13 pan, layer graham crackers, then half of pudding mixture, then graham crackers, then other half of pudding mixture, then graham crackers. Heat frosting until softened and kind of pourable, but not melted. Spread over top graham cracker layer. Refrigerate several hours (I did six hours) or overnight.

*I used extra frosting, because I'm a chocoholic.

Fat-free dessert

If you are counting calories, these chocolate meringue bites might be the dessert for you. It's kind of a melt-in-your-mouth cookie -- very light but still chewy. They are semi-sweet, so a nice dusting of powdered sugar was a must for me. I got the recipe from a health magazine. The cookies are low in carbs and have zero fat, zero cholesterol and only 25 calories each. The magazine boasts, "In fact, you could eat ten of them and still not equal the calories in one piece of chocolate cake!" I thought the cookies were yummy, but I'm gluttonous when it comes to chocolate, so I need a nice helping of fat in order to be completely satisfied. So sad.

THE RECIPE:

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 c. sugar, divided
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. mint extract (optional)
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, sift together cocoa, salt and 1/4 cup of the sugar. (I didn't sift.) In larger bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time until meringue is glossy and stiff peaks form. Fold in cocoa mixture and extracts.

Drop by teaspoonful about 1 inch apart onto foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Cool completely before peeling off foil.

A marvelous mistake

I started out making fudge -- white chocolate cherry cheesecake fudge. I had seen the recipe in the Deseret News and had to try it. It was the easiest thing ever to throw together. The problem is, my fudge didn't set. Instead, it was more like thick frosting, but it tasted delicious to say the least. All I can figure is that I didn't drain the cherries well enough. Anyway, I got creative and decided to use my "fudge" as a filling for mini tarts. I thought about giving some to the neighbors, but then I ate them all. Give it a shot. If you end up with fudge, great! If not, you know what to do. Or just eat it with a spoon. It's that good.

THE RECIPE:

1 pound white chocolate in chunks, or real white chocolate chips
8 ounces cream cheese
1 c. drained maraschino cherries, quartered

Carefully melt chocolate in double boiler or in microwave on half power, stirring frequently. Place cream cheese in bowl and microwave about 1 minute to soften. Beat cream cheese, then add white chocolate and blend well. Fold in cherries. Spread in 8x8 pan that's been buttered or lined with foil or plastic wrap. Chill several hours or overnight, until firm. Store, covered, in refrigerator.

Tart shells:

1/2 c. butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 c. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese until combined. Add sugar, then flour. Press pastry evenly into bottom and up sides of ungreased mini-muffin tins. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes (I think -- maybe start watching a few minutes early and get them out when they are golden). If you don't have mini-muffin tins, maybe just try regular ones. I bet it would be great. You'd just put a lot more filling in them, but it would be delicious that way!

Fill tart shells with "fudge" and refrigerate until ready to use.

A Southern treat

Have you ever heard of chocolate chess pie? I hadn't, until maybe a year ago. I guess it's a Southern thing. It's really, really good. It has a crispy, brownie-type top with a chocolate custard filling.

This recipe, which supposedly comes from the award-winning Angus Barn in North Carolina, is easy to throw together. The only hard part is that you want it to cook just the right amount of time so the filling will set properly. I think I undercooked mine slightly because the middle was a bit runny. Or maybe I didn't let it sit long enough after it finished cooking. That's the other must. Don't worry, though, because it tastes good no matter what you do to it. I served mine with homemade cinnamon whipped cream. Oh, and I just used a store-bought pie crust, but feel free to make your own.

THE RECIPE:

1 unbaked pie shell
1/2 c. butter

2 squares Baker's semisweet chocolate (1 ounce each)*

1 c. sugar

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Dash of salt

If you're using a store-bought crust, follow directions on package. (For example, set shell on cookie sheet and let thaw 15 minutes.) Melt together butter and chocolate. Add remaining ingredients. Pour batter into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. It feels jiggly when you pull it out. Let pie sit AT LEAST 30 minutes -- I'd recommend more -- before slicing into it. You must resist the temptation. Serve with cinnamon whipped cream.

Note: Do not bake more than one pie at a time. I tried baking two, and for some reason they kind of explode on themselves, which requires you to take them out early and leave them undercooked.

*Or use 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cinnamon whipped cream:

1/2 c. whipping cream

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Beat together ingredients with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Makes 1 cup.

Hot fudge, anyone?

This hot fudge cake is fabulous. It's a great recipe to have on hand if you're craving chocolate. I got it from the Hershey's website. It is a pudding cake, so you pour hot water over the top before baking, and it soaks through and makes its own sauce. The result is chocolate cake floating in a sea of hot fudge sauce -- all in one pan. You might accidentally eat the whole thing. Oh, and by the way, it's a great dessert option when you're out of eggs, because the recipe doesn't call for any.

THE RECIPE:

1 1/4 c. granulated sugar, divided
1 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder, divided
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/4 c. hot water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 3/4 cup granulated sugar, flour, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spread batter into ungreased 9-inch square baking dish.

Stir together remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cocoa. Sprinkle mixture evenly over batter. Pour hot water over top. Do not stir.

Bake about 35 minutes. The top will look like the top of a cake, but it will seem wobbly and jiggly because it is floating in sauce. This is the way you want it. If you overcook it, the cake will absorb the sauce and be dry. Let stand 15 minutes before eating.

Summer refresher

This is adapted from an online recipe for watermelon sorbet. It is very easy, and it makes a unique, delicious and refreshing dessert -- perfect for summertime! I added mini chocolate chips because, well, I'm obsessed with chocolate. Plus, they add a little texture and look kind of like watermelon seeds. The sorbet is great without them, too. You could mix the chips into the sorbet, but I sprinkled them on afterward. I scooped my sorbet with a melon baller for fancy presentation.

THE RECIPE:

5 lbs. seedless watermelon, cut into small chunks (about 6 cups)
1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. lime juice
Pinch salt
1/2 c. light corn syrup OR sweetened condensed milk

Puree watermelon in blender. You should end up with 4 cups of puree/juice. In saucepan, bring 1 cup puree, sugar and lime juice to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. It's hard to tell when it's dissolved, so just know it takes a few minutes. Season with salt. Pour in remaining puree, then whisk in corn syrup OR condensed milk, whichever you chose. Pour mixture into metal pan, cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

Let pan sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes. Using a butter knife, break up frozen puree into chunks and blend again. You could use a food processor or hand mixer, but a blender is horrible. Trust me. You could serve it soft like this, or if you want to be able to scoop it, put it in a freezer-safe container and refreeze until firm. Each time you get it out, you'll have to let it sit for a few minutes before scooping.

Homemade heaven

This recipe makes a fabulous brownie. It's a nice change from the gooey, rich brownies that come from a mix or from other recipes. These brownies have a stiffer, fudgier inside and a lighter, crispier outside. They are made with butter, not oil. They only have a few basic ingredients, so they are a snap to throw together. I got the recipe from my sister's in-laws. Be advised that the batter is almost as delicious as the brownies. It tastes like whipped frosting.

THE RECIPE:

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/3 to 1/2 c. cocoa powder

Start at the beginning and add ingredients one by one to bowl, mixing with electric beaters as you go. Spread into 9 x 13 pan greased with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Note: I often make half the recipe and put it in an 8 x 8 pan.

Everything but the campfire

This recipe for s'more brownies is on the Kraft Foods website. Click here to find it. They were good, but the marshmallows were so darn sticky. I melted them for too long, though. I guess they were a little easier to cut when they were all the way cooled. Either way, the marshmallows irritated me. And I love marshmallows!

Anyway, I loved the idea of lining the pan with graham crackers. It worked great. My favorite part was the relationship between the grahams and the brownie. You can use a brownie mix instead of the ingredients listed. I put chocolate chips on top instead of chopped-up candy bar.

Love at first sight

My daughter recently told her grandma: "My mom is addicted to chocolate." What a smart girl. It's very true. Chocolate cake is divine with this chocolate cream cheese frosting. Store-bought frosting doesn't even hold a candle to this. Boxed cake mixes are fine, though. You'll want to walk around with a fork if you have this decadence at your house.

THE frosting RECIPE:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter or spread, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. cocoa powder
5 to 6 c. powdered sugar
Milk to thin, if desired

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla together. Add cocoa. Gradually add powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency. Thin with a couple of tablespoons of milk if necessary. I like mine to be really spreadable and smooth, not thick and pasty.

All for one, and one for all

Actually, I'm all for eating them all. If you want to stray from the tried-and-true chocolate chip cookie, try these minty Musketeer cookies. They are gooey and chewy and very good. The minty white part ends up kind of like a melted marshmallow. And, of course, there's some chocolate, because chocolate makes everything better.

THE RECIPE:

1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
2 8-packs fun-size mint 3 Musketeers bars, coarsely chopped

Beat shortening and butter with granulated sugar. Add brown sugar and baking soda, then eggs and vanilla. Add flour. Stir in chopped candy. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool for just a minute, but remove from pan to wire rack while cookies are still soft and hot. If they sit too long, they will really stick.

You can't eat just one

The recipe for these fudge brownie tassies comes from Better Homes and Gardens. They are yummy and unique, but mostly they're so cute! Next time I might add a little sugar to the pastry dough. We thought maybe it could use some sweetening. Other than that, they were great.

THE RECIPE:

Pastry:
1/2 c. butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. flour

Beat together butter and cream cheese, then add flour. Press a rounded teaspoon of pastry evenly into the bottom and up the sides of 24 ungreased tiny-muffin tins (you know, the kind used for tarts).

Brownie filling:
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. butter or spread
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

In small saucepan, heat and stir chocolate chips and butter over low heat until melted. Remove from heat, then stir in sugar, egg and vanilla. Drop about 1 teaspoon of mixture into each pastry cup. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is puffed. Makes 24.

P.S. You could nestle a nut inside each brownie before baking. You could sprinkle powdered sugar on top. You could top with a swirl of whipped cream. The variations are endless!

Sugar and spice

This recipe for chocolate gingerbread cookies is originally a Martha Stewart. I was clued in to it by my friend Holly at Phe/MOM/enon. The thing is, both she and Martha Stewart are really into baking, and I'm way too lazy for it. So, I dumbed down the recipe to suit my impatient needs. If you are interested in making it the right way, go to Holly's blog. The thing is, I thought it was just great without all the refrigeration and extra TLC. Maybe I'm a disgrace, though.

THE RECIPE:

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/2 c. molasses
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Granulated sugar

Beat together butter and brown sugar, then add molasses and fresh ginger. Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Form into balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, until surfaces begin to crack. Let stand for a few minutes.

The chocolate flavor is more apparent when the cookies are warm. The gingerbread flavor is more apparent when they are completely cooled.