chocolate recipes

The Best Double Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies

March 14, 2018 by Kathryn 3 Comments

Let’s talk chocolate. Specifically, let’s talk chocolate chip cookies. Is there anything better than a tender, melty, hot-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie?

Yes. Yes, there is. And it is these fun and delicious, best-of-both-worlds Double Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies. Half regular chocolate chip cookie and half chocolate dough with white chocolate chips, this cookie is ALL yum.

These cookies were ones my mom used to make on special occasions and as a child, I called them Yin Yang Cookies because of the way the dark and light halves melted together. My husband, though, refers to them as Black and White Chocolate Chip Cookies. Look to the cookie, people! [Read more…]

This Easy Peanut Butter Chocolate Cracker Brittle Recipe Will Be Your New Favourite Holiday Treat

November 25, 2016 by Kathryn 24 Comments

I absolutely love holiday baking, and I’ve mentioned before that I often go overboard making sweet treats for family and friends during the holidays. But because I’m a busy mom, I do tend to favour quick and easy recipes over fussy and finicky ones. In fact, one of my favourites has always been a simple cracker brittle made with nothing more than crackers, butter and brown sugar.

So, when Kraft Canada challenged me to come up with a delicious holiday recipe featuring everyone’s favourite couple, Kraft Peanut Butter and Baker’s Chocolate, I decided to put a new twist on my old favourite by turning it into a peanutty, chocolatey treat. And the resulting Peanut Butter Chocolate Cracker Brittle was absolutely addictive! With just a few ingredients and less than fifteen minutes, you’ll have a full pan of decadence for your next holiday gathering! [Read more…]

Experience Chocolate Indulgence with Easy Double Chocolate Oreo Cookie Balls Recipe

October 16, 2014 by Kathryn 53 Comments

I have always been borderline obsessed with Philadelphia Cream Cheese and use it in any recipe I can, every chance I get. Pasta, appetizers, side dishes, desserts…every recipe is a good one for Philly as far as I’m concerned! But now Kraft has done something I wouldn’t have believed was possible by making my beloved Philadelphia Cream Cheese even more delicious. That’s right, Philadelphia Chocolate Brick Cream Cheese is now available in stores!

It goes without saying that I had to use this delectable chocolate dream product in a recipe and the one I chose was already so decadent that I was a little worried I was going overboard by using the Philadelphia Chocolate Brick Cream Cheese. I shouldn’t have worried. My Double Chocolate Oreo Cookie Balls are sinfully rich, it’s true, but that’s what makes them so irresistible! [Read more…]

Get Cooking with The Best of the Best and The Rest of the Best-Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Squares

June 7, 2012 by Kathryn 13 Comments

It’s been thirty-seven years since a group of eight bridge partners first got the idea of compiling some of the best-loved recipes from their bridge group into a cookbook. And the runaway success of the very first The Best of Bridge cookbook right up to the iconic status of the brand today is one of Canada’s most inspiring success stories.

Not just about cooking, The Best of Bridge has always been a brand about friendship and that is fabulously obvious in the two latest cookbooks: The Best of the Best and more and The Rest of the Best and more; which have recently been re-released with the new concealed Wire-O hardcover binding that is so handy for kitchen use. I received a copy of each of these fabulous cookbooks to review and I decided to spoil my family by whipping up the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Squares from The Rest of the Best and more cookbook.

These squares are absolutely decadent. One of the things I noticed about a lot of the recipes in the Best of the Best and Rest of the Best cookbooks is that they aren’t just designed to be delicious. For the most part, they’re quick and easy to make too! This recipe is the perfect example of that. It delivers all the flavour of a melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate Raspberry Truffle without all the work of forming the truffles and rolling them in cocoa or icing sugar. And the plump raspberry garnish on top adds the perfect acidic bite to these rich morsels.

Of course, there’s no need to limit yourself to raspberry jam when making these squares either. Try strawberry, grape or marmalade for a completely new taste sensation. I used a mixed berry jam for my squares and the combination of raspberry, strawberry, cherry and chocolate was to-die-for!

The recipes in these cookbooks are beloved favourites of cooks across North America and having tried a few of them for myself, I can see why. These books are designed for the average busy woman that wants to be able to make great food for her friends and family without spending hours in the kitchen or breaking the bank.

Check out the cookbooks for yourself and see why The Best of Bridge cookbooks have been a phenomenon for over two decades. The cookbooks are available at bookstores and online retailers throughout North America and with the new Wire-O hardcover binding, they’re sure to be loved for decades to come!

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Squares

Simple and delicious fudgy squares blended with the tangy flavour of raspberries.

Course Dessert/Squares

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate raspberry truffle

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 36 squares

Calories 90 kcal

Author Best of Bridge

Ingredients

BROWNIE BASE

3 1oz squares unsweetened chocolate 90 g
1/3 cup butter 75 mL
1/4 cup raspberry jam 60 mL
2 eggs
1 cup sugar 250 mL
1 tsp vanilla 5 mL
1/2 cup flour 125 mL

TOPPING

2 Tbsp whipping cream 30 mL
2 Tbsp raspberry jam 30 mL
2 Tbsp butter 30 mL
4 1oz squares semisweet chocolate, chopped 120 g
1 cup fresh raspberries 250 mL

Instructions

TO MAKE BASE

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8" (20 CM) square pan with foil; grease and set aside.
Combine chocolate, butter and jam in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat.
Beat eggs in large bowl until foamy. Mix in sugar, vanilla and chocolate mixture. Stir in flour just until blended.
Spread batter evenly in pan and bake for 20-35 minutes, or until set. Cool completely in pan on a rack.

TO MAKE TOPPING

Combine cream, jam and butter in a saucepan. Heat to a simmer, stirring constantly until melted.
Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until smooth. Let stand until cool, but still soft, about 30 minutes.
Spread topping over brownie base. Immediately top with raspberries and chill until cold. Cut into small squares.

Recipe Notes

Reprinted with permission from Robert Rose Inc.

mommy kat and kids RP

Green & Black’s Hot Cross Bun and Butter Chocolate Chunk Pudding Recipe

April 1, 2012 by Kathryn 5 Comments

Looking for an easy and decadent dessert for Easter Dinner or a sumptuous addition to Easter Sunday Brunch? You can’t go wrong with this absurdly rich bread pudding made with hot cross buns! The recipe calls for marmalade but mentions that you can use other jams or spreads if you prefer. I decided to use my very favourite homemade wild plum jam for this. Then I sprinkled chunks of Green & Black’s organic chocolate over the jam-covered buns.

I loved the fact that the recipe was so easy, but I made it even easier with another small change. Instead of using a whole vanilla bean in the custard, I just added a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the egg and sugar mixture. A whole vanilla bean would have added more flavour, but this saved me the hassle of sieving the custard before pouring it over the buns.

And after thirty minutes of baking, I had my finished hot cross bun pudding! I could not believe how scrumptious this was; the chocolate chunks and whipping cream make it heavy on calories but it is so worth it! It’s filling too, so a little goes a long way. Give it a try and see for yourself; if your family likes hot cross buns, they’ll love this creamy pudding!

5 from 1 vote

Hot Cross Bun and Butter Chocolate Chunk Pudding

A fun Easter or spring bread pudding made with hot cross buns!

Course Breakfast

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Author Green & Black's

Ingredients

500 ml Whipping cream
325 ml 2% Milk
1 Vanilla pod
3 Large eggs
115 g Granulated sugar
6 Hot cross buns
50 g Unsalted butter
½ jar (approx. 220g) Coarse-cut marmalade
200 g Green & Black’s Organic Dark, Milk and White Chocolate broken into pieces
Powdered or confectioner’s sugar to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF.
Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan.
Split the vanilla pod, scrape the seeds out with the tip of a knife and add them to the saucepan along with the pod. Bring the milk, cream and vanilla to a boil and remove from the heat.
Whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar.
Remove the vanilla pod from the boiled milk and cream and slowly pour the mixture on to the egg and sugar while whisking.
Return the vanilla pod to the custard mixture to further enhance the flavour.
Split the hot cross buns into halves. Butter the cut sides and spread with marmalade.
In a baking dish, stack the buns at an angle with the buttered side facing up. The buns should rest on one another resembling fallen dominos.
Scatter the chocolate pieces over the buns, making sure to tuck plenty between each layer.
Sieve the custard mixture into a container then pour it on top of the buns in the baking dish. The tops of the buns should be visible once all the custard has been added. Allow the buns to soak in the custard for 15 minutes.
Boil water in a large roasting pan. Once the water is boiled, place the baking dish with the buns and custard into the larger pan to create a double broiler.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes. The dish is ready once there is a slight browning on the tops of the buns and there is a thick consistency to the custard.
Remove from the broiler and dust with powdered or confectioner’s sugar to serve.

Recipe Notes

For an extra burst of flavour, substitute your favourite jam for the marmalade, or even create a mixture. Apricot and raspberry are delicious substitutions.

mommy kat and kids RP