In the bowl of a food processor, combine sugar, chocolate, dutch cocoa, malted milk powder, salt, and vanilla powder. Pulse until chocolate is fully ground and mixture looks powdery and dry. Transfer to airtight container. Store at cool room temperature.
To use, stir about 1 ounce (2 tablespoons; 28g) of the mix into 6 ounces hot milk. Season to taste with additional salt or vanilla, and serve hot.
NOTE: Piled high with billowy whipped cream or toasted meringue, nothing says 1950s diner dessert quite like chocolate pie. But even 50 years earlier, at the turn of the 20th century, Chocolate Bavarian Cream, essentially chocolate pie filling with the addition of gelatin, was very popular. Here, I have modified a recipe from Knox Gelatin Dessert, Salads, Candies and Frozen Dishes (1936), adding Mexican hot chocolate spices to the filling and topping it with an ancho chili powder-and-black pepper toasted meringue. Marrying spicy and sweet flavors is a decidedly modern trend, and this pie is a perfect example of how well they pair.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C]. Grease a 9-in [23-cm] deep-dish pie plate with nonstick cooking spray or softened butter.
For the crust: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the wafers, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until combined. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. Scrape down the bowl of the processor as needed.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pie plate and, using your hands, press the mixture into the bottom of the plate and up the sides, creating a uniformly thick crust. Place the pie plate in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days, covered in plastic wrap.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating at the halfway point, until the crust is lightly browned, fragrant and dry to the touch. Let cool completely.
For the filling: Place the chocolate in a large bowl. Pour the milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let it bloom until the gelatin has been absorbed.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the heavy cream, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Once bubbles form on the surface, remove from the heat, and add the bloomed gelatin and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate melts. Whisk in the vanilla and pour the filling into the cooled pie shell until it is about 1/2 in [12 mm] below the edge of the crust. If you have extra filling, transfer it to a small bowl and refrigerate along with the pie—it is delicious on its own. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the filling to stop a skin from forming, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until set, or overnight.
For the meringue: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment add the whites, salt, vanilla, cream of tartar, black pepper, and chili powder and whisk together on medium speed until frothy. Add the sugar in a slow and steady stream and continue to whisk on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, at least 5 to 7 minutes.
If you do not have a kitchen torch, preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C].
Spoon the meringue over the chilled pie, making sure the meringue touches the crust’s edges.
Use the back of a spoon to make gentle swirls all over the top. Using a kitchen torch, toast the meringue topping. If you do not have a kitchen torch, toast the meringue in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, lightly covered in plastic wrap, and serve.
The pie is best served the day it is made, but will keep in the refrigerator, lightly covered in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
Preheat convection oven to 325 degrees. Prep baking rounds (I usually do a light coat of shortening and a dust of flour). Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
Sift in cake mix and stir until just combined. Will be thick.
Divide batter evenly into cake rounds. Bake for 25-27 minutes, depending on your oven, until centers have cooked through and spring back when touched.
Remove rounds from oven, and let cool in pans for 2 minutes, then turn over onto a wire rack to cool (I usually wrap mine in plastic wrap when they are barely room temperature, freeze for at least 30 minutes to overnight before frosting).
For the Buttercream:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter on high until light and fluffy.
Add in hot chocolate mix, cocoa, salt, vanilla, and heavy cream. Add in tablespoons of pudding mix, if using.
Slowly add in the powdered sugar with the mixer on low speed about ½ cup at a time. Add in more heavy cream or more powdered sugar to achieve desired consistency.
Turn up the speed to high for about 2-3 minutes until it's very light and fluffy, then turn the speed down to low for about 30 seconds to beat out any air bubbles. Continue the beating with a wooden spoon if needed.
For the Toasted Marshmallow Filling:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Place about 2-3 cups of marshmallows (not the jumbo size ones) on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the marshmallows have expanded and are toasted brown on top. Remove from the oven and set aside.
For the Chocolate Ganache Drip:
1. In a medium glass bowl, stir together the chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir with a small whisk until chocolate ganache has zero lumps and is smooth. Add to a squeeze bottle for ganache drip. Set aside.
ASSEMBLY:
1. Tape 8" cardboard cake round to a 6" cake round. Place the cake rounds on a cake turntable. 2. Using an angled icing spatula, place on a bit of the buttercream to act as glue for the first cake round. 3. Place on the first cake round, add on a little layer of buttercream, then pipe a dam around the outside ring of the top of the cake round. Hand place on a few of the toasted marshmallows until it fills the center. Place the next cake rounds on top and repeat. 4. Crumb coat and freeze for 10 minutes. 5. Final coat then freeze for 10 minutes. 6. Add on the ganache drip, then freeze for 3 minutes to set the ganache, then top with marshmallows.
Can we talk about all these national food holidays? What the hell is National carbonated beverage with caffeine day (November 19) all about!? Seriously, did you run out of all the good food and drinks that deserve to be celebrated? National hot cocoa day, on the other hand, should be on everyone’s calendar (December 13), as a day to celebrate drinking sugar in the form of liquid chocolate. Now that’s a national day I can get behind.
In fact, I think this hot cocoa cookie dough deserves its own day. Let’s sub out national carbonated beverage with caffeine day for this non-carbonated, caffeine-free, beverage-inspired cookie dough. You heard it here first—November 19 is now a day to celebrate, so get mixing!
INGREDIENTS:
2 1⁄4 cups heat-treated all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1⁄2 cup pasteurized egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup mini marshmallows, toasted
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the heat-treated flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated and brown sugars and mix on medium until light and fluffy; about 4 minutes will do the trick. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl. Add the egg whites and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes.
Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low just until the powdery texture of the flour disappears, about 15 seconds. Immediately add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and mix a final 15 seconds.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in the mini marshmallows.
Cuddle up with a bowl of this hot cocoa dough—it’s ready to eat!
If you happen to have some dough left over, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week or freezer up to one month.
To bake, first, transfer your cookie dough to an airtight container or press a piece of plastic wrap onto the top of the cookie dough. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 24 hours. If you can’t stand to wait, place in the freezer for at least 2 hours. (this step helps your cookies hold their shape and gives you that nice gooey cookie center, so don’t skip it!)
Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350°f.
Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Use a cookie scoop to portion cold dough onto the baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between scoops.
For soft-baked, gooey cookies, bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set. Check halfway through baking to ensure your cookies are cooking evenly. Rotate the baking sheet if needed. For crispier cookies, keep them in the oven for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Enjoy warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
2 tablespoons cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar for coating the pan
1 ¾ cups ap flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup neutral oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup heavy cream, chilled
Whipped Cream Topping
2 cups mini marshmallows
1-pint heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
Whipped Cream Topping
Heat oven to 250˚. Place marshmallows on sheet tray and cook in oven until softened, about 5-10 minutes.
Beat cream in stand mixer with sugar, salt, and vanilla until soft peaks form.
Add warm marshmallows to stand mixer and beat cream to heavy peaks.
Cake
Heat oven to 375˚. Cut a round of parchment, place in bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Grease with butter or oil, then coat with mixture of sugar and cocoa powder, shaking out any excess.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together eggs and sugar until lightened in color, and slightly thickened.
Continue to whisk egg mixture while pouring in oil and vanilla.
Stir in half of the flour mixture until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture.
Make whipped cream. Beat heavy cream with whisk or in stand mixer until doubled in volume. Stop when you’ve reached stiff peaks. Fold whipped cream into batter
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in oven until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes, then remove the springform collar. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting with whipped cream topping.
1½ pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled and shredded (3 cups)
Serves 12
DIRECTIONS:
Bring cider to boil in 12-inch skillet over high heat; cook until reduced to 1 cup, 20 to 25 minutes. While cider is reducing, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice in large bowl until combined. Place confectioners' sugar in small bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons cider reduction to confectioners' sugar and whisk to form smooth icing. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Set aside 6 tablespoons cider reduction.
Pour remaining ½ cup cider reduction into large bowl; add melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Pour cider mixture over flour mixture and stir with rubber spatula until almost fully combined (some streaks of flour will remain). Stir in apples and any accumulated juice until evenly distributed. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
Transfer pan to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Brush exposed surface of cake lightly with 1 tablespoon reserved cider reduction. Let cake cool for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack, remove pan, and brush top and sides of cake with remaining 5 tablespoons reserved cider reduction. Let cake cool for 20 minutes. Stir icing to loosen, then drizzle evenly over cake. Let cake cool completely, at least 2 hours, before serving. (Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
½ large golden beet, shaved into thin strips (~125g)
1 large granny smith apple, small dice (~200g)
¼ cup packed celery leaves
¾ cup toasted walnut pieces
Fennel fronds, to garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350˚F.
Mix ingredients for rub in small bowl.
Cut racks of ribs in half, creating 4 half-racks.
Press spice rub into racks on all sides (edges and tips of ribs too), place racks in roasting pan.
Pour water around racks, then tightly seal pan with foil over top.
Roast ribs for 1 ½ - 2 hours, until meat is fork tender and bones are exposed.
While ribs cook, prepare sauce. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and tender. Add red chili flake, sauté 1-2 minutes more.
Add cider syrup, soy sauce, and vinegar to pan, whisk to combine.
Add shaved serrano to sauce.
Cook sauce over medium heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cover saucepan set aside.
When ribs are tender, remove foil and discard. Heat broiler to high
Brush half the sauce over ribs, coating both sides. Place ribs meat-side-up back in the roasting pan and broil until ribs are sticky and sauce is caramelized in a few places, 4-5 minutes.
Remove ribs from broiler and brush remaining sauce on top.
Cut ribs apart, serve.
Cider Syrup:
Yield: ~2 cups
Boil over medium-high heat until reduced to about 2 or 2 ½ cups, (~3 hours). As the liquid reduces, adjust the temperature down so as not to accidentally turn syrup into jelly.
Fall Slaw:
Yield: 4-6 servings
To make dressing, whisk together oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Add splash of honey to taste, season with salt and pepper.
Whisk shallot and tarragon into dressing, set aside.
Add all ingredients for salad (except fennel frond garnish) to large bowl. Toss till evenly distributed.
Drizzle dressing over vegetables, tossing to coat. Season salad with extra salt and pepper if desired.
Place cinnamon sticks in a plastic bag. Crush cinnamon sticks and using a rolling pin or the bottom of a sauté pan or cast iron skillet. Mix the crushed cinnamon with the rest of the ingredients. Portion into six ready-made muslin tea bags or make your own with cheesecloth and kitchen string.
FAR EAST:
Place cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and star anise in a plastic bag. Crush cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and star anise using a rolling pin or the bottom of a sauté pan or cast iron skillet. Mix the crushed spices with the rest of the ingredients. Portion into six ready-made muslin tea bags or make your own with cheesecloth and kitchen string.
CENTRAL AMERICA:
Place cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds in a plastic bag. Crush cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds using a rolling pin or the bottom of a sauté pan or cast iron skillet. Mix the crushed spices with the rest of the ingredients. Portion into six ready-made muslin tea bags or make your own with cheesecloth and kitchen string.
Combine the eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined
Pour the whole milk into a saucepan and stir in the ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg and a pinch of salt
Whisk the egg mixture into the milk mixture
Heat the mixture over medium heat while stirring constantly. Stirring constantly is very important to prevent the milk from scorching or scrambling the eggs.
While the mixture cooks add in the candy thermometer and when the mixture reaches 165° on the candy thermometer remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract
Cool slightly before tasting and add more sugar or spices as desired
Allow the mixture to cool completely
Once cooled placed in a covered container and refrigerate overnight or until thoroughly chilled
When you are ready to serve you can either pour the mixture into cups as is or you can place in a blender or vita-mix to make it frothy, an immersion blender can work as well
Whip one cup of heavy whipping cream to make fresh whipped cream for the topping
If serving in a punch bowl you can fold the fresh whipped cream into the mixture for a traditional look or you can keep it separate and simply use it as a topping for the eggnog (using it just as a topping is my preference)
Top each cup with fresh nutmeg and fresh orange zest
3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup eggnog
FOR THE OPTIONAL GLAZE:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp eggnog
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tbs rum or 1 tsp vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg then set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer. Scrape the bowl down and beat on high until light and fluffy.
Pour in the vanilla then add the egg yolks in one at a time while mixing on medium then scrape the bowl down and mix once more. Add the eggnog and mix until combined.
Add the flour in while mixing on low and mix until just combined. Finish the batter off with a spatula mixing in any stray bits of butter or flour.
Portion out roughly two-tablespoon sized pieces of dough (40g) and drop them onto a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet leaving about 4 inches of room between each. You can roll each ball in your hands for a more finished look but this is optional. Bake in the center rack at 350f for 11-12 minutes or until the edges are set and the center appears dry.
While the cookies are baking mix the glaze up. Add a cup of powdered sugar to a medium bowl along with the cinnamon and nutmeg then drizzle in 3 tablespoons of eggnog and rum or 1 tsp of vanilla. Whisk together adding a tablespoon at a time of eggnog as needed to achieve a drizzling consistency.
Drizzle the icing onto the cooled cookies and enjoy.
1/4-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (depending on how strong you like it)
pinch of cinnamon
1/2 Cup Darigold Eggnog
pinch of salt
4-6 cups sifted powdered sugar
heavy cream if needed to thicken buttercream (you can also use more eggnog here)
GARNISHES:
Powdered Nutmeg
Cinnamon Sticks
*Buttercream Leaves
Chocolate Fondant Balls
Makes 3 6” rounds or 2 8” rounds
DIRECTIONS:
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and prep cake pans. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, eggnog, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg until uniform throughout. Sift in cake mix, then whisk until just combined. Don't overmix, but make sure all the dry ingredient is incorporated.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the center does not move, do not overbake. Remove from oven, let cool in pans for 2 minutes, then carefully flip out onto a wire rack to cool to almost room temperature.
For the buttercream:
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add in butter, and whip around until it's light and fluffy.
Add in vanilla, nutmeg/cinnamon, and mix until combined. Add in eggnog, then the powdered sugar about a half cup at a time, on low speed, until your desired consistency has been reached. (You may not use all the powdered sugar, but at least 4 cups. Add in heavy cream a tablespoon at a time to make it more of a thin consistency).
Then let the mixer go on full speed for about 2-3 minutes to add volume and air. Turn off mixer, then mix by hand with a wooden spoon to smash out all the air bubbles.
Assembly:
On a cake turntable, add on a cardboard cake round the side of your cake taped to one size bigger (6” round taped to a 8” round, for example).
Add a little bit of the buttercream in the center of the cardboard round to act as “glue” for that bottom cake layer. Place the first cake layer down, add on a layer of buttercream, then repeat step 2 again for the next buttercream layer, and then add on the top cake round.
Crumb coat the entire cake, then place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Add the final buttercream coat to the cake, using a cake knife and cake scraper for clean edges. Add on piped buttercream decor, fondant circles, and cinnamon sticks.
*For the buttercream leaves, tint the eggnog buttercream three different soft shades of green. Using a leaf tip, pipe different leaves onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Freeze until firm. Then carefully place onto the cake.
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2 (8-ounce) packages mascarpone, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon spiced rum
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Toppings:
1 ½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoons spiced rum
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
Serving:
Freshly grated nutmeg and Demerara sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Make Crust: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place macadamia nuts, and sugar cookies in a food processor, pulse until finely ground, 15 to 20 times. Add salt and nutmeg and pulse to combine, 1 to 2 times. Add butter and process until mixture is evenly moist and hold together when pinched, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Press mixture evenly in the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate. Bake 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack ; let cool. Reduce oven to 325ºF.
Make Filling: Beat cream cheese, mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and rum with and electric mixer on medium speed (If you beat at a higher speed it will create more air and you will have cracks in your cheesecake.) with an electric mixer until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour mixture into cooled crust. Bake until just set (the center will be slightly wobbly), 50 to 60 minutes.
Make Topping: Combine sour cream, rum, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl. Pour over pie and bake until set, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer pie to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill overnight.
Just before serving: sprinkle with grated nutmeg and Demerara sugar.
