Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

For some reason I have been baking up a storm lately, from homemade sweet rolls, to chocolate caramel brownies, I just can’t stop.

Here is a neat little recipe I wanted to pass along:

Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies:

Ingredients:

• 1/2  cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4  cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2  cup granulated sugar
• 2  eggs
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 2  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• !/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom
• 1/2  teaspoon salt (optional)
• 3  cups Oats (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked)
• *6 – 8 oz of Cocoa Mill’s Dark Chocolate Cranberry Bark

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F.

Chop chocolate cranberry bark up into nice bite size chunks, set aside (to snack on while you assemble the rest of the cookie).

 

In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

Add combined flour, baking soda, spices and salt; mix well.

Add oats and chocolate cranberry bark; mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered or in freezer safe bags for later consumption 😉

Enjoy!

* Bark may be substituted for 6 – 8 oz chopped bittersweet dark chocolate and 1 cup cranberries.

 

Holiday Baking Ideas: Mrs. Vickie’s Dark Chocolate Shavings Cookie

 

My family was a big fan of chocolate chip cookies until one of our employees at Cocoa Mill started using Cocoa Mill’s Bittersweet chocolate shavings in their cookies… They are now converts and will accept nothing less. This is the perfect cookie for the Holidays.

Cocoa Mill’s Bittersweet Chocolate is perfect for baking. In this recipe you will need 1/4 lb of dark chocolate and a good sharp knife to shave the chocolate into small pieces.

You will need:

2/3 cup of butter (or shortening)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 cup  of brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1  3/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. of baking soda

1/4 to 1/2 a tsp. of salt (depending on how sweet you like your cookies)

1/4 lb shaved bittersweet chocolate

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream butter and sugars together, add egg and vanilla, mix well. Add flour, baking soda and salt, mix well. Add the Chocolate shavings and mix well one more time. Spoon cookies onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. When golden around the edges take out and cool on a wire rack. Enjoy with a tall glass of cold milk.

These cookie freeze well, this allows you to pull them out and enjoy them whenever you wish. They also make a beautiful and delicious gift for loved ones and friends during this season of giving.

Milk Hazelnut Truffle vs Dark Hazelnut Truffle

The series continues with The Milk Hazelnut Truffle and The Bittersweet Hazelnut Truffle. This truffle is very sweet with light nutty undertones. Crisscrossed white chocolate stripes adorn this simple but pure treasure, letting you know there is more than chocolate to be desired in this round ball of decadence.

These two truffles have the same hazelnut base flavor and both have milk chocolate centers. The hazelnut paste that is used in this truffle is made from crushed hazelnuts, nothing more, nothing less. These two initial observations may cause you to think this truffle is best when enjoyed in milk chocolate, because of the milk centers. You may also ask since they have the same base what is the use in comparing them? Let us delve a little deeper into this natural goodness that is The Hazelnut Truffle.

The Milk Chocolate Truffle is very sweet but balances nicely with the earthy hazelnut flavoring. The flavor delivered in this truffle is very natural and it almost has a woody quality in taste, but is smooth as velvet in texture.  This truffle pairs nicely with a cream sherry such as Amontillado. This sherry is noticeably darker than other sherries. Amontillado offers notes of  hazelnuts and even light cedar, enriching the earth tones already present in the truffle. When these two are a paired the flavor changes a bit giving up more of a roasted hazelnut with a hint of honey. This is a complex sherry that opens up as it sits in the glass, it is one of the most prized sherries for the connoisseur. When coupling the Anmontillado and the Hazelnut Truffle it creates an experience that will be cherished all the more.

The Bittersweet Chocolate Truffle still has the same the same center with earthy natural undertones but when dipped in the dark chocolate you loose a bit of the sweetness. The dark chocolate only enhances the woody, earthy  flavors creating a stronger hazelnut experience. This truffle pairs nicely with Ethiopia Amaro Gayo  coffee. This coffee offers a date and pastry spice aroma, with raspberry, citrus, and chocolate flavor notes. This is full-bodied coffee leaves you with a winey fruit and cocoa finish. Combining these flavors offers you a deeply sensuous chocolate experience.

I hope you will enjoy these two pairings. If you try them please let us know what you think.

Milk vs. Dark

The Great debate: Milk Chocolate vs. Dark Chocolate.

These questions and more will be answered in the upcoming series of blogs. The intent of this series will be to inform you of the subtle differences that make each flavor unique. We will pair these great chocolates with other foods and beverages to enhance the chocolate’s flavor and your overall experience. I will try to describe the flavors of chocolates and their pairings to the best of my ability giving you an idea of what you can expect from each one. Some confections/flavors taste better in milk chocolate, some better in dark chocolate, I will leave you to decide.

The first chocolates up are:  The  Milk Chocolate Truffle & The Bittersweet Chocolate Truffle .

 

The Milk Chocolate Truffle consist of a simple creamy texture delivering all the sweetness you would expect from milk chocolate. It’s slightly hard outer shell encases a soft centered milk chocolate ganache. The ganache is smooth, creamy and very sweet. There are no decorations on this truffle leaving you to surmise that the beauty lies within the flavor. This chocolate is best when served with a Red Ale such as: Devils Backbone Reily’s Red Ale. This is an Irish ale has malt, toasted caramel and grain notes with a strong dose of floral and light citrus hops. This smooth malt and toasted caramel flavors add to the simplicity of the Milk Chocolate Truffle. This is a beautiful combination of flavors to enjoy while slipping into the beauty of fall.

The Bittersweet Chocolate Truffle is again simple and creamy but there is a depth to the dark chocolate that leaves you wanting another bite. The hard outer shell holds the creaminess of the ganache which is a surprisingly complex flavor delivered by dark chocolate. This truffle is bitter and at the same time sweet (hence the name?) leaving you wanting to savor the experience. This chocolate pairs well with full-bodied red wines such as a Cabernet Sauvignon, which highlight the fruity and peppery notes in the chocolate, or a Zinfandel, which brings out the chocolate’s spicy subtleties.  This pairing is perfect anytime of the year leaving you satisfied that you have had a decadent experience.

The above chocolates, beer and wines are available from various sellers, we have chosen Virginia based  businesses.

Christmas in July: Granny’s Chocolate Fudge

Save this recipe for the Holidays.  It is super good.

My Husband’s Granny made this every Christmas without fail.  It was a treat that our whole family looked forward to. After tasting this heavenly creation I had to get the recipe from her.  I’ve made it several times and without fail it always turns out perfect. Unfortunately Granny left us in 2009.  She left behind a great legacy; from her beautiful family, to homemade recipes, to her sweet sayings we all have a little piece of Granny that lives on in each of us every day.

I hope you enjoy this sweet treat!

Granny’s Fudge:

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

2 Tbsp. butter

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups miniature marshmallows

12 oz Cocoa Mill’s Bittersweet Chocolate

1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan melt the butter, add the evaporated milk, salt , and sugar, bring this mixture to full rolling boil.  Stir continuously for 5 minutes.  Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the marshmallows, bittersweet chocolate, and vanilla. Continue stirring until the marshmallows are melted and all ingredients are well blended.

Line a 8 inch square pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 2 hours (or until firm).  Lift from the pan and remove the foil.  Cut into squares.  Makes 49 pieces (minus the piece you will eat while cutting it).

Tuck this recipe away and enjoy when the nights get longer, the days get colder and you are longing for a little piece of home.