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!

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 COVERED SNOW PEAKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed with the whisk attachment until the whites become foamy. Add the cream of tartar and turn up the speed to medium, beating until just fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, while whisking, so it incorporates into the whites slowly without collapsing them. Once all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and increase the speed to high, whisking until the meringue is firm and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Place the meringue into a piping bag with a medium-size round tip attached. Pipe 48 bite-size tear-drop-shaped meringues onto the sheets and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour undisturbed, and then turn off the heat and leave in the oven overnight to really dry out.
• Melt the chocolate over a double-boiler or in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Holding each meringue by the peak, dip the bases in chocolate so the bottom half of the meringue is coated. Let any excess chocolate drip off before placing on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Allow to set at room temperature; do not put in the fridge. Once set, store in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips., Shape dough into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until set and bottoms are lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. Cool completely on wire racks. If desired, reroll cookies in confectioners' sugar.