Chocolate Snowquakes Recipes

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE SNOWQUAKES

Steps:

• Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
• Cream the butter until it's smooth in a large bowl with an electric mixer, on medium speed(sometimes I'm just too lazy to get out my mixer and do this by hand).
• Add the brown and white sugars and beat until well mixed. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well . Reduce speed to medium low, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, and mix until a soft dough forms(again, I usually do this by hand).
• Add chocolates and mix well. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350* F.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside(Sometimes I just spray generously with cooking spray when I don't have parchment paper).
• Place the confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Keeping dough well chilled, form 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball. Roll the ball in the confectioners' sugar to coat generously(don't shake off excess sugar).
• Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake cookies 10-12 minutes or until they have puffed up and cracked and are slightly firm to the touch.
• Move the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Enjoy!

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SNOWQUAKES

Steps:

• Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
• Cream butter until fluffy.
• Add brown sugar and white sugar to creamed butter, beating well; beat in eggs and vanilla.
• Beat flour mixture into butter mixture until a soft dough forms.
• Stir in chocolate chips; cover with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.
• Shape 1 T dough into ball and roll in powdered sugar, repeating with each cookie.
• Bake cookies (on pan lined with parchment paper) at 350° for 10 minutes, and remove to rack to cool.

CHOCOLATE SNOWFLAKES

Steps:

• In electric mixer, beat butter and sugar at high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg, baking soda, and salt and beat at medium speed until blended. Add cocoa powder and mix at low speed until incorporated. Add flour and mix at low speed until just combined. Divide dough in half, form into 2 disks, and wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove 1 dough disk from refrigerator. On lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/4- to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 3- to 4-inch snowflake cookie cutter, cut out cookies; transfer with spatula to baking sheets. Gather and reroll scraps and cut out additional cookies. Chill cookies 10 minutes.
• Bake until somewhat firm to the touch, about 10 minutes. (Do not overbake or cookies will be bitter.) Cool on pans 2 minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
• To decorate, lay lacy doily on top of cookies and dust with confectioners' sugar.

CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND TIGER CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Center a rack in the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan and fit a circle of parchment paper at the base.
• Bring the butter just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Turn off the heat and leave the saucepan on the burner to keep the butter warm while you make the cake batter.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until thoroughly blended. Add the almond flour and whisk. If the almond flour is lumpy, use your fingers to break up the clumps. Switch to a spatula and add the egg whites in 3 additions, stirring until the batter is smooth and easily flows off the spatula. Stir in the vanilla until incorporated. Add the butter in 3 additions, folding until it is completely incorporated and you've got a smooth batter with a light sheen. Stir in the chopped chocolate, mixing well. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly.
• Bake until golden brown, evenly risen and pulling away from the sides of the pan, 37 to 40 minutes. A tester inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and leave for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the sides of the pan, flip the cake over, remove the pan, peel away the parchment and invert the cake onto another rack. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving or covering with ganache.
• If you'd like, make the topping: Put the cream in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Gently stir the chocolate and cream together until blended, thick and shiny. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and use an offset spatula or kitchen knife to spread it across the cake. Scatter over the toasted almonds. Either leave the cake on the counter to allow the ganache to set a bit (it will never be really firm) or refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes to set the chocolate. The cake is best at room temperature. Covered, it will keep for about 3 days at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE SNOWQUAKES

Steps:

• 1. Make the dough: Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Cream butter until smooth in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed. Add the sugars and beat until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Reduce mixer speed to medium low, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, and mix until a soft dough forms. Add chocolate chips and mix to incorporate. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. 2. Bake the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper and set aside. Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and set aside. Keeping dough well chilled, shape 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball. Roll the ball in the confectioners' sugar to coat generously -- do not shake off excess sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking pans. Bake until cookies have puffed and cracked and are slightly firm to the touch -- 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.