Gourmet Chocolate Club Recipes

Chocolate Snacks

Chex & Chocolate Party Mix

9 c Your favorite chex brand cereals
2 c Shredded coconut optional
1 c Peanuts
1 c Packed light brown sugar
1/2 c (1 stick) butter
1/2 c Light corn syrup
1 ts Vanilla extract
1/2 ts Baking soda
12 oz Pkg (2 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 1/2 c Raisins

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine cereal, coconut and peanuts in large, small roasting pan. In small saucepan over medium heat, heat brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to boiling, stirring. Without stirring, boil 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla and baking soda. Pour over cereal mixture, stir until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool, stirring frequently. Stir in morsels and raisins. Store in airtight container.

Chocolate Fruit Balls

125 g Dried apricots, chopped
1/3 c Raisins, chopped
1/3 c Sultanas, chopped
2 ts Grated orange rind
60 g Dark chocolate, grated
180 g Dark chocolate, extra
60 g Butter

Combine apricots, raisins, sultanas, rind and grated dark chocolate in a small bowl. Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls, refrigerate overnight.
Break extra chocolate into pieces, place in top of a double saucepan with butter over simmering water. Stir until smooth or microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Dip each fruit ball in chocolate until evenly coated. Place balls on foil-covered trays; allow to set in a cool place. Store balls in airtight container in refrigerator.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

2 cups packed grated unpeeled zucchini

1 cup chopped nuts

Sift flour with soda, baking powder and salt. Add eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and melted chocolate. Mix well. Stir in zucchini and fold in nuts. Coat 2 loaf pans with vegetable cooking spray. Divide batter between pans. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before removing from pans to cool.

Double Chocolate Scones

3 c All-purpose flour
1/4 c Granulated sugar
4 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 c Butter or margarine
3 lg Eggs
1/2 c Milk
3/4 c Mini chocolate chips, divided
1 tb Grated orange peel
1/4 c White chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 450F. Grease a large cookie sheet. Stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to mix well. Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut in the butter until coarse crumbs form. Beat the eggs and milk in a small bowl with a wire ehisk or a fork; when thoroughly blended, stir, along with 1/2 cup of the mini chocolate chips and the orange peel into the flour mixture just until blended. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands into an 8-inch round on the prepared cookie sheet; dust with flour. Score the top of the dough into 8 wedges with a sharp knife. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Cool completely on a wire rack. Meanwhile, stir the remaining 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips and the white chocolate chips in seperate small, heavy saucepans over very low heat until melted and smooth. Drizzle each chocolate from the tip of of spoon in random lines over the top of the scones. Let stand for 15 minutes to set the chocolate. Cut the scones into wedges along the score lines. Makes 8 scones.

Nubian Chocolate Roll

Roll
6 eggs, separated
3/4c granulated sugar
1/3c unsweetened cocoa
1tsp vanilla extract
1tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp ground anise
confectioners sugar

Filling-
1&1/2c heavy cream
1/3c confectioners sugar
3tbsp unsweetened cocoa
chopped walnuts (optional)

1.) In large bowl of electric mixer let whites stand one hour.
2.) Preheat oven to 375.
3.) Lightly grease bottom of 15&1/2x10&1/2x1 jelly roll pan, then line with wax paper.
4.) At high speed beat whites until high peaks form. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup of granulated suger, beating until stiff. Using same beater at high speed, beat yolks with remainder of granulated sugar until thick and lemon colored. At low speed beat in cocoa,vanilla and spices.
5.) With wire whisk or rubber spatula, using an under and over motion, gently fold yolk mixture into egg whites. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 12 mins, until surface springs back when pressed with a finger.
6.) Onto a clean tea towel sift confetioners sugar in a 10"x15" rectangle. Turn cake out onto sugar and peel off paper. With knife trim edges. From long side roll up cake in towel, jellyroll fashion. Cool on rack, seam side down.

Filling
1.) In medium bowl, combine cream, sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Refridgerate for 1 hour. Beat until stiff.
2.) Gently unroll cake, remove towel. Spread with 3/4" filling and reroll. Place seam side down.
3.) Optional- Spread with remainder of filling and sprinkle with nuts.
4.) Serves 10.

Chocolate Nut Chews

1 1/2 c Sugar
1/4 c Cocoa
1/2 c evaporated milk
1/3 c Butter
1/3 c Peanut butter
1 ts Vanilla
1 1/2 c Quick rolled oats
1/2 c Salted peanuts

Mix in a heavy 2 quart saucepan, sugar, cocoa, milk and butter. Stir over medium heat until mixture bubbles all over top. Boil and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in until melted the peanut butter; add the vanilla, uncooked quick rolled oats and nuts. With 2 teaspoons, drop on waxed paper. Let stand until set. Makes 36 chews.

Chocolate Walnut Puffs

1c. (6oz) semi sweet chocolate chips
2 egg whites
˝ cup sugar
˝ tsp vanilla
˝ tsp vinegar
ľ cups chopped nuts
dash salt

Melt chocolate chips in double boiler. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add dash of salt. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla and vinegar. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoon on greased cookie sheet. Decorate with nut halves, if desired. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes remove immediately.

Chocolate Walnut Rum Balls

1 c Walnuts, ground or finely chopped
2 c Grated "German's sweet" or bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 c Sifted confectioner's sugar
4 tb Rum
Cocoa powder

Combine nuts, sugar, and chocolate. Moisten with rum to form a stiff dough. Form into small balls and roll in cocoa to coat. This recipe is not only simple, it's flexible. It can be made with other kinds of liquor (amaretto, sherry, and Southern Comfort work well), nuts (almonds or pecans, for instance) and coatings (ground nuts, finely grated coconut, etc.) and always comes out tasting great. Adding small chunks of nut for texture is also effective. These usually disappear in a hurry.

Sources: The above recipes were contributed by multiple sources. Our special thanks to Ruth Wakefield, Jacques Pepin, authof or Jacques Pepin’s Kitchen, the Seattle Times Kitchen and the Washington Post.