Dark Chocolate Mint Candy

'Tis the season to make candy for sharing or just enjoying at home.  If you like chocolate mint candy as much as the boys and I do, you will LOVE this Dark Chocolate Mint Candy....it is definitely a keeper!

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Double Chocolate Mayo Muffins

Double Chocolate Mayo Muffins are the best chocolate muffins, ever!  At least according to my boys they are.  Moist and chocolaty, they almost melt in your mouth!  My oldest calls them Brownie Cupcakes.  A huge thank you to our facebook friend, Jennifer W..  for sharing her mother's Banana Muffins recipe.  (I adapted these Double Chocolate Mayo Muffins from the recipe.)  Her mother added the delicious recipe, and others, to a cookbook for one of her birthdays.  How sweet!  Her mother also left room in the cookbook for her to add her own favorite recipes. I love it!  My blog is my cookbook to my boys.  Sharing their favorites and some memories along the way.

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Dark Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Brownies

These Dark Chocolate Chip Brownies are so easy to put together with 3 ingredients!  A healthified way to eat brownies ..

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Very Chocolate Brownies

I made these for my son to share with his class for his birthday.  They are very chocolaty and moist and a Hit!  I adapted this recipe from an old clip I found for Baker’s One Bowl Brownies. 

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Dark Chocolate Coca Cola Cake From A Cake Mix

Two ingredients, well three if you add chips, nuts or marshmallows, in this moist and wonderful dark chocolate cake!  The icing, you can make as much and as thick, as you wish.
I made a lot of icing to pour over the hot cake so it ended up as a rich, very moist and almost like a pudding cake.  Gooey and decadent.  Eat it warm or cold, my preference, out of the refrigerator.  But, do, keep it in the fridge.  Grab a fork and spoon and dig in!

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Peanutty Dark Chocolate Magic Bars

These are so rich!  You only need a bite...yet, you keep going back for more!  Layer the toppings or mix them all together.  However you top it, it is intensely full of deep, sweet flavors!

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Dark Chocolate Graham Cracker Brownies

My youngest just came home from the hospital last night after staying there 3 days from an asthma attack.  The whole time there, he wanted brownies.  This morning, I made these really easy fudgy brownies for him.  I know he will be happy to share with the rest of us.  Enjoy them out of the oven while they are soft and gooey or let them cool and they are chewy outer covering and fudgy inside.  Either way, I know you will love them!  Use different flavor graham crackers, chips, dried fruit, nuts .... for a variety of new brownies.  I am thinking quite a few ways to enjoy them!

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Sour Cream Ganache

What do you do when you don't have cream to make a ganache?  You use what you have in the refrigerator, this for me meant sour cream.   I love the way it tastes on my overpowering chocolate brownie and Frozen Banana Eclair Cake.  This gets very thick as it cools so work fast.  You can use a little more sour cream if you want it thinner, but not too much.  You don't want a strong taste of the sour cream.  I used Hershey's Dark Chocolate Special Blend and it turned out almost bittersweet.  We loved it.  Next time you are out of cream, grab the sour cream.

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Chunky Banana Nut Dark Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Spice Cookies

Yes, you read it right!  These cookies are great!   At least my boys think so.   Dark chocolate, spices, bananas and nuts.  You can add dried fruit, too, if you wish.  With flax seed, wheat germ, wheat and soy flours, and of course oatmeal...what's not to love!   I bet you could even get away with eating these for breakfast, I did!

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Frozen Dark Chocolate Banana Slices

These are great for after school snacks or a cool treat after a day outside.  Yeah, it's warm in Florida at the end of January!  A delightful bite of creamy, frozen banana, deep dark chocolate and your favorite topping.

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Deep Four Chocolate Brownies

These are so light, melt in your mouth, not too sweet, deep, dark and chocolaty!  If you like rich chocolate taste without being overly sweet...this is for you!  Enjoy!

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Quinoa and Flax Seed Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

I am trying to incorporate healthier recipes in our diet.  The boys pediatrician said I could cut out gluten and and dairy to help with one of the twins over active behavior and my oldest short attention span and forgetfulness.  This is my first change and my boys really like them!  They have a slightly different taste and I'm not certain if it is because of the quinoa flour or flax seed.  I did find they taste better after they have cooled completely.  The addition of dark chocolate chips and dark chocolate ganache was a plus.   Hope you like them.  My boys have asked for them again....already!  You can find the recipe on Examiner.com.  I would love if you would subscribe to my articles there.  ~love and hugs~

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Haystack Squares

My precious Mama would make these every holiday season.  There would be an endless supply of this wonderful candy.  Lines of them on wax paper the length of the table with pieces missing here and there.  ~smile~  I made these today but wanted to make them different.  I made them in squares so they package and handle easier.  Dark chocolate was a bonus that I never had in these growing up but think I will keep for my boys.  Enjoy!

Haystack Squares

1 bag butterscotch chips

1 cup salted peanuts, I used party peanuts with sea salt

2 cups chow mein noodles, broken in pieces

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Spray brownie bite pan or line a 13 x 9 pan with parchment paper.  Melt butterscotch according to directions.  Add peanuts and chow mein noodles. Stir to mix thoroughly.  Stir in dark chocolate chips.  Press into cavities of brownie bite pan or baking pan.  Put in refrigerator to set.  Un-mold or left parchment paper from pan and cut into squares, rectangles or shapes *haven't tried this but it should work*   Enjoy! 

NOTE:  The candy mixture got hard so I put the filed silicone brownie bite pan in the microwave 10 to 15 seconds at the time until candy was just melted, about 45 seconds total.  Be careful you don't heat too much.  The next time I make these, I will do the same and may actually skip melting the butterscotch first and just mix everything together, add to the pan and melt either in the microwave or oven.

I shared this on this amazing party!
The Better Baker Weekend Potluck #46

Dark, Dark Chocolate Pie

This pie is so rich, smooth, velvety and delicious your family and friends will be asking you to make this again even before the first one is gone. There simply isn’t a comparison between this and a store bought pie. Take the time to make smiles from your kitchen.

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Chocolate Oatmeal Cake For My Birthday

Yep, it's my birthday.  My 50th Birthday.  One half of a century old.  I have boys.  A 9 1/2 year old and 5 1/2 year old twins.  Hubby of 24 years.  Beautiful friends.  Some loving family.  Dogs, cats, mini horses, big ole pigs and an old goat.  I'm a Blessed and Happy Old Girl!

Here is my birthday cake.  I didn't want an overly sweet cake.  This is dense, moist, rich and chocolaty.  You may want to use regular cocoa and semi sweet chips if you want a sweeter cake.  Love and hugs!

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Pumpkin Spice Bran Muffins

Another muffin recipe for you to enjoy.  Muffins are so easy to make and eat.  This one if full of bran, pumpkin, spice and the dark chocolate chips I added.   Eaten as a snack or breakfast is alright with me.  Enjoy!

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Dark Chocolate Bean Cake with Raspberry Sauce

I am always looking for new recipes to make.  Especially ones I can sneak something healthy into like veggies or beans.  This time I used beans and nobody was the wiser.  It has a slightly different texture but not in a bad way.  It is a thin cake and will be eaten in no time at all.  I made this last night and it is already gone.  Make it for your family and don't tell them what the secret ingredient is.  You'll smile as they eat it and rave about their newest favorite cake.  Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Bean Cake 

1 large can white beans, rinsed and drained

3 large eggs

1/2 unsweetened dark cocoa

3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 to 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped, or mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 8" springform pan. 

In a food processor, mini processor (that's what I used) or blender,  pulse or blend, beans and eggs until smooth.  Put in bowl and whisk in cocoa, sugar, soda, salt, and vanilla extract.  Stir in chocolate chips, as many as you wish.   

Pour into a greased 8" in springform pan.  

Cook in preheated oven for 15 minutes, turn and cook another 12-18 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. 

Raspberry Sauce

2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen, I used frozen

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons granulated sugar, more if desired

1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract, optional

While cake is cooling, heat water and sugar until sugar is dissolved to make a light syrup.  

Add 2 cups raspberries to light syrup.  

You can add more water and sugar to make more syrup. 

Heat raspberries.

Spoon over whole cake or individual slices.  

Keep refrigerated if sauce is over cake.  

Enjoy!  

Shared with these lovely blogs

EMM Church Supper #54
The Better Baker Weekend Potluck #33

Dark Chocolate Upside Down Cake

An old recipe my Grandma and Mama would make.  It's also known as Chocolate Cobbler.  Very simple yet wonderful.  It's just what your chocolate lovers are wanting!  A thin cake with a thick chocolate sauce. You can easily double this to make a thicker cake.  When ready to serve, cut a piece, flip it over with a spatula and see the amazement on faces gathered 'round.  

Enjoy!  Love and hugs! 

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Dark Chocolate Cake

As always in our house, nobody can agree on what kind dessert, or anything for that matter, they want.  I did as I usually do and combine different ingredients of their requested food.  It tends to make a happy dessert for everyone.  I saw a recipe on the back of Hershey's Dark Cocoa..here is their recipe for Deep Dark Cake.  I adapted this recipe from theirs.  This cake is very moist and really does not need anything to top it.   The icing is great though.  We added it to cut pieces, each person topping their own.  I did find that this cake wasn't as thick as I wanted it so I made another cake that is reduced fat.  It turned out a little thicker.  I'll be sharing that one very soon.   I am making another one tonight cake tonight in an 8x8" pan and will let you know how it turns out.  <3 and hugs! 
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Dark Chocolate Chip Strawberry Shortcakes

I'm still trying to revamp recipes to make them a little healthier than my norm.  Healthier this time was adding flax seed and cutting down on the sugar.   One of my twins was more than happy to help this morning when I told him we were making this for breakfast.  He sliced the strawberries, added the vanilla and little bit of sugar.

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