Orange Chocolate Dirt Balls-The #GreatHallowTweet Bloghop

It is day 1 of the #GreatHallowTweet Bloghop hosted by Renee from Flamingo Musings, and it is sure to be a ton of fun and give lots and lots of those Halloween treats that we love...either it be simple and sweet...or gross, either way..check out the linky on the sidebar and see what 17 other bloggers are coming up with.

For today, I chose to go a little short and sweet but something that just says Halloween when you look at them. Orange chocolate dirt balls, or oreo bon bons. When I think of Halloween, sweet comes to mind...chocolate, candy bars...the sticky gummy candies..cookies. So what better way for me to kick off this week than these little balls. You have the darkness, the blackness...from the oreo cookies and then the hard shell of the orange chocolate...the perfect colors for the day right?

Dirt Balls

1 package of oreo cookies
1 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 package of white chocolate melts, I used Wilton Candy Melts

Put all the Oreo cookies in a food processor and process until all cookies are finely crushed. Put into a medium bowl and mix with the cream cheese. Roll into balls and put onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.

Melt the candy melts in a double boiler and dip the oreo balls until completely covered. Place back on the waxed paper and let sit until the chocolate is set..or if you are like me and not that patient..put into the freezer for a minute or two.

Orange Chunk Cookies- Week 2

This week I chose to bake Orange Chunk Cookies, they should have been chip, but my grocery store didn't have white chocolate chips, WHAT?! I know, so I had to substitute a bar of it and chunk it up. That just added to the fun, I don't know why, but food prep makes me happy. The more I can chop, the happier I am. I know, I have issues!

So, here we are at week 2, and that means 11 weeks until Christmas now and I don't have the slightest idea of what I will be buying the kids. I asked Abby what she wanted and she said "Joy". I said, "Joy, as in happiness? Are you not happy?" She said, yes, I am happy, but that is what I want. Crazy child!! Maybe I'll get something that has JOY written on it and stick it in her stocking.

On to the cookies, I liked them, the hubby and kids liked them. The hubby was a little concerned of the orange, he doesn't like orange flavored things, but the orange flavor was subtle. It mostly tasted like a white chocolate chip cookie and once you chewed it and swallowed was when you get the hint of orange. So, I would give this cookie a thumbs up!

You also need to go and see what Megan from Megan's Cooking, Barbara from Barbara Bakes, and Megan from My Baking Adventures is joining us as well!

Orange Chunk Cookies

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 cup (6 oz) white chocolate chips
1 Tbsp grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into small bowl. Beat the butter and both sugars in large bowl until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix well. Gradually add the flour mixture, until just combined. Stir in white chocolate chips and zest. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.

TWD: Black and White Chocolate Cake

This week of TWD, it was my turn to choose the recipe. I had been eye balling this cake from the day that I bought the book, so it wasn't hard to choose this weeks recipe. Of course, it looks nothing like the picture in the book, but it is very yummy. There are 4 layers of cake, with dark chocolate cream and a white chocolate cream. This cake has several steps, and the white chocolate cream made me say a few choice words, because only on the third time making this cream it turned out. Now, both of the times before were completely my fault and I choice not to relive them. :)

What is my ending thought on this? I would make it again. It is very light and it is a cold cake (you let it chill for at least 3 hours) and would be wonderful as a summer dessert.

This week, we have more than doubled our TWD Chicks, so make sure to go and check them out. They are listed on my sidebar as well as here.


Black and White Chocolate Cake
For the cake:
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 (10 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

For the dark chocolate cream:
2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
6 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp corstarch, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces, at room temp

for the White chocolate whipped cream:
6 oz. premium quality white chocolate
1 1/2 cups heavy cream


Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9X2 inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To make the cake: Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Working with a stand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minutes after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients); scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 28-30 minutes, rotating the pans at the midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes, then unmmold, remove the paper and invert to cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

To make the dark chocolate cream: Bring the milk to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolk with the sugar, cornstarch and salt until thick and well blended. Whisking without stopping, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle-then, still whisking, add the remainder of the milk in a steady stream. Put the pan over meduim heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (make sure to get into the edges of the pan), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the melted chocolate, and let stand for 5 minutes. Then whisk in the pieces of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the chocolate cream is smooth and silky. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create and airtight seal and refrigerate the cream until chilled, or for up to 3 days. Or, if you want to coool the cream quickly, put the bowl with a cream into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water and stir the cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.

To make the white chocolate whipped cream: Put the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl and put the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir frequently to melt the chocolate evenly. Meanwhile, bring 1/2 cup of the heavy cream to a boil.

When the white chocolate is melted, remove the bowl from the pan. Pour the hot cream into the melted chocolate and let it sit for a minute. Using a small spatula, stir the chocolate gently until it is smooth. Let it sit on the counter until it reaches room temperature-it can't be the least warm when you add it to the whipped cream.

Working with the stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream only until it holds the softest peaks. Turn the machine to high, add the cooled white chocolate all at once and continue to beat until the whipped cream holds firm peaks. Turn the whipped cream into a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap gently against the surface to create an airtight seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 6 hours.

To assemble the cake: If the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Slice each layer horizontally in half. Place on layer cut side down on a cardboard cake round or on a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment.

Remove the dark and white chocolate creams from the refrigerator and whisk each of them vigorously to loosen and smooth them. With a long metal icing spatula, spread enough dark chocolate cream (about 1 cup) over the cake layer to cover it completely. Top the cream with another cake layer, cut side up, and cover this layer with white chocolate whipped cream, making the white layer about the same thickness as the dark layer. Cover with a third layer, cut side up, and cover with another cup or so of the dark chocolate cream. (You'll have some dark chocolate cream left over) Top with the final layer of cake, cut side down, and frost the sides and top with the remaining white chocolate whipped cream. Decorate with chocolate shaving or curls, if you wish.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

TWD #2;aka..Tuesdays with Dorie

......ok, so I realize that I don't have #1 posted, but that is because I missed out on that one. Laurie from Quirky Cupcake received the book, Baking from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan for Christmas and vowed to "try" to make one recipe a week from the book and post on Tuesdays about it until she has tried every recipe. Once she posted about this, Michelle from Sugar and Spice joined in, and now I have decided to join in as well.

Michelle chose Quintuple Chocolate Brownies, and oh my word...these have got to be the best brownies ever! Warning, they are very rich, and you put you into a chocoholic shock, but it is well worth it. :)

This recipe calls for 3 types of chocolate and then topped with a 4th chocolate, white chocolate....I didn't add the nuts, because my kids and hubby aren't crazy about nuts, but it is perfect without them.

Week one was devoted to Brown Sugar Pecan Shortbread cookies, go and check out Laurie and Michelle's take on this one.

And, don't forget to check back next week for week #3!

Quintuple Chocolate Brownies
For the Brownies:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 oz bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp strong coffee
1 Cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz premium-quality milk chocolate, chopped into pieces, or chocolate chips
1 Cup chopped nuts

For the glaze:
6 oz premium quality white chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and add, in the following order, the butter, the two chocolates and the coffee. Keeping the pan over low heat, warm just until the butter and chocolates are melted-you don't want the ingredients to get so hot they separate, so keep and eye on the bowl. Stir gently, and when the mixture is smooth, set it aside for 5 minutes.

Using a whisk or a rubber spatula, beat the sugar into the chocolate mixture. don't beat too vigorously-you don't want to add air to the batter-and don't be concerned about any graininess. Next, stir in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. You should have a smooth, glossy batter. If you're not already using a rubber spatula, switch to one now and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. Finally, stir in the milk chocolate chops and the nuts. Scrape the batter into the pan.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes our streaked but not thickly coated. Let rest for at least 30 minutes.

Turn the brownies out onto a rack, peel away the foil and place it under another rack-it will be the drip catcher for the glaze. Invert the brownies onto the rack and let cool completely.

Make the glaze:
Put the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cram to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Wait 30 seconds, then gently stir until the chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth. Pour evenly over the brownies and spread to cover the entire surface. Refrigerate brownies for at least 20 minutes for glaze to dry, and cut into squares.

Strawberry Blossom Tart

This weekend was my cousin's fiance's "thunderstorm" and for those of you like me, that had never heard of such a thing...it is a shower for the groom. As always, I was in charge of a dessert..so, as I was looking through one of my Chocolatier magazine, I found this recipe and thought that it sounded great and light for an outside event, and how can you go wrong with a White Chocolate pastry cream and strawberries, when it is almost 100 degrees. It was a ton of fun to make and looked very pretty...although, I am not sure if I liked the taste of it or not. It is kind of iffy.. Here is the recipe and if anyone else out there tries it, I would love to hear from you and what you thought about it.

Strawberry Blossom Tart

Pate Sablee:
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 large egg yolk
2 Tbsp ice-cold water

White Chocolate Pastry Cream
1/2 C granulated sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 C milk
3 oz. high-quality white chocolate, chopped

Assembly:
1/3 C raspberry preserves
2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
Powdered sugar for dusting

1. Make pate sablee: Put butter and sugar in bowl of food processor and pulse until combined. Add flour and pulse several times, until butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add yolk and water and pulse until dough is combined, but still crumbly. Transfer dough to work surface and shape into disc. Wrap disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Make pastry cream: In medium bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks until smooth.
In a large saucepan, heat milk over medium-high heat until bubbles begin to form around edge of pan. Whisk about 1/3 of milk over yolk mixture until well blended. Pour in remaining hot milk, then return entire mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Let mixture boil for 1 minute while continuing to whisk. remove pan from heat and add white chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Transfer pastry cream to bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
Place plastic wrap directly on surface of cream and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Line tart pan: Remove dough from refrigerator and let softened 15-20 minutes, until pliable. Place dough in center of tart pan with removable bottom and press dough into bottom and up sides of pan, covering it completely and removing excess dough from edges. Chill dough in pan for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven for 425 degrees. Line the pan with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, beans or rice. Place pan in center of oven and bake for 7 minutes. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temp to 350 degrees. Remove parchment paper and weights from crust and bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, until it is just beginning to turn light golden brown around the edges. Cool completely and remove tart from pan.

4. Assemble the tart: Brush bottom and sides of the tart crust with raspberry preserves. Fill with the white chocolate pastry cream and top with the strawberries, pointed end up. Lightly dust with powdered sugar before serving.

**I cheated a little with the crust part :) ...and it turned out fine. I didn't have any pie weights, so I docked the bottom of the crust with holes, and baked it on 350 for about 15 minutes. It turned out the same that it would have if I used the weights, it didn't puff at all.

Happy Baking!!