Chocolate Chess Pie

Chess pie is a southern holiday tradition. It is a custardy pie with a texture similar to pecan pie (minus the nuts).
This year for Thanksgiving I wanted to make something a little different so I dug around on the Internet with the idea of making a chess pie. Low and behold, I stumbled upon this recipe for a chocolate chess pie and boy howdy am I glad I did. This may be the best pie I've ever made.
Down to the nitty gritty:

Your favorite 9-inch deep-dish pie crust
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon fine yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2teaspoons vanilla extract
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
Follow the prebake instructions in steps 1 and 2 of the Pumpkin Meringue Pie recipe, but lower the heat to 325° after prebaking.
Put the butter in the top of a double-boiler set over, but not in, slow-simmering water (or place a heat-safe glass or metal bowl in a similarly sized pot). Scatter the chocolate over the butter without mixing and let it stand until the chocolate and butter have melted, about 6 minutes. Whisk the chocolate mixture until it's smooth, then remove it from the heat and set it aside for 10 minutes to cool.
In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the sugar, cornmeal, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, lightly beat together the eggs and yolk. Add them to the sugar mixture, along with the milk and vanilla extract, and whisk together until they're evenly blended. Then whisk in the chocolate mixture until smooth and pour the filling into the piecrust.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake it for 35 minutes. Rotate it 180 degrees, then continue to bake until it puffs up and forms a thin crusty layer, about 20 minutes more. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool for at least 1 1/2 hours. Serve it slightly warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if you like. Serves 10.

Nutritional Information
Per serving (one slice): Calories 429 ● Total Fat 25 g (38% DV) ● Saturated Fat 13 g (66% DV) ● Cholesterol 115 mg (38% DV) ● Sodium 220 mg (9% DV) ● Total Carbohydrate 48 g (16% DV) ● Fiber 1 g (6% DV) ● Sugars 31 g ● Protein 5 g (10% DV)

Percent daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

No-Bake S'Mores Cookie

I was having an epic chocolate craving after church today, so I decided to make some "no-bake" cookies. I whipped out my trusty Terrenton ID Ward cookbook (graduation present from my sister Kristy), and turned to page 272, only to realize I lacked the required ingredient. In my desperation I just started grabbing things from the pantry and the unholy concoction that emerged may be the best no-bake recipe I've ever had. Wow.

Mix:
1 c. sugar, 1/3 c butter, 1/2 c. evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a pot. Melt and mix together. Let boil for 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add 1-1/4 cup mini marshmallows and 3 tbsp. peanut butter. Mix well, allowing the marshmallows to melt.
Add 1-1/4 cup oatmeal and 1 more cup of mini marshmallows. Mix until equally blended and drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper or a greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool.

Move over, Curtis's "Dinosaur Food" recipe and Mom's "Chocolate Oatmeal Stuff"- we've got a new most addictive substance ever!

Easy Fudge- Better Homes and Gardens

This is a pretty basic easy fudge recipe. I've seen variations of this that use powdered sugar instead of granulated, but you have to double the quantity or something like that. I'm not sure what the exact conversion rate is. 

I won't lie and say this is the most delicious fudge recipe around, but it's probably the easiest (microwave? Hello!), and one of the most versatile. You can substitute the chocolate chips for any flavor you wish, marbleize it, add chunks of delicious goodness, etc. For instance, this year I used dark chocolate chips and added in crushed up chocolate oranges in lieu of walnuts to make dark chocolate orange fudge. Yummers! The possibilities are endless, and it's so fast and easy to whip up that you'll find yourself making multiple batches just because you can.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2  cups  sugar
• 1  5-ounce can (2/3 cup)  evaporated milk
• 1/2  cup  butter
• 2  cups  tiny marshmallows
• 1  cup  semisweet chocolate pieces or chopped bittersweet chocolate (the higher quality of chocolate, the better your fudge will turn out so splurge on the Ghirardelli vs. the generic store brand)
• 1/2  cup  chopped walnuts
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla

Directions

1. Line an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan. Butter the foil; set pan aside.
2. Butter the sides of a 2-quart heavy saucepan. In saucepan combine sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils (about 10 minutes). Reduce heat to medium; continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 6 minutes.
3. Remove saucepan from heat. Add marshmallows, chocolate pieces, walnuts, and vanilla; stir until marshmallows and chocolate melt and mixture is combined. Beat by hand for 1 minute.
4. Spread fudge evenly in the prepared pan. Score into squares while warm (super important- this stuff is a beast to cut when it's chilled if you don't). Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours or until firm. When fudge is firm, use foil to lift it out of pan. Cut fudge into squares. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Makes about 2 pounds (64 pieces).
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Fudge: Prepare as above, except substitute 1/2 cup peanut butter for the butter and, if desired, peanuts for the walnuts.
Nutrition Facts per piece: 58 cal., 3 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 1 mg chol., 14 mg sodium, 9 g carbo., 0 g fiber, 1 g pro.
Daily Values: 0% vit. A, 0% vit. C, 1% calcium, 1% iron
Exchanges: 1/2 Other Carbo., 1/2 Fat
Microwave Directions: In a 2-1/2-quart microwave-safe bowl microwave butter, uncovered, on 100 percent power (high) for 45 to 60 seconds (for 1,000- to 1,300-watt ovens) or 60 to 75 seconds (for 600- to 800-watt ovens) or until melted. Stir in the sugar and evaporated milk. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 7 minutes (for 1,000- to 1,300-watt ovens) or 10 minutes (for 600- to 800-watt ovens), stirring every 3 minutes. Carefully remove bowl from microwave oven. Add marshmallows, chocolate pieces, nuts, and vanilla, stirring until marshmallows and chocolate are melted and mixture is combined. Beat by hand for 1 minute. Pour into prepared pan; continue as above.

PB and Chocolate Chip Cups

Tollhouse
3/4 c butter
1/3 c sugar
1-1/2 c flour
1-2/3 c PB and Chocolate chips
2 lg eggs
1 c sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat to 350
Grease 36 mini muffin cups. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add flour and beat. Roll a rounded teaspoon of dough and press onto bottom and halfway up side of muffin cup. Place 5 chips in each cup.
Beat eggs in medium bowl with whisk. stir in sweetened condensed and vanilla. Spoon into muffin cups, filling almost to the top. Bake 15-18 minutes, while cooling on wire rack. Top with 1/2 of remaining chips. (they will soften) Repeat with remaining chips. Cool completely on racks.

Buttery Oatmeal Crisps

1-3/4 c quick cooking rolled oats
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c butter, melted
1/4 c corn syrup
1/4 c whipping cream
1-1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
3 tbsp shortening

1. Preheat to 350. Line a cookie sheet with foil, set aside. In a large bowl combine oats, sugar, flour, and baking powder; set aside. In another bowl combine melted butter, corn syrup, and cream. Add butter mixture to oat mixture and stir until combined. For each cookie, drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 3 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until bubbly golden brown around edges. Cool cookies on foil. Carefully lift edges of cookies, then peel cookies off of foil.
2. In a small heavy saucepan heat chocolate pieces and shortening over low heat until melted, stirring occasionally. Dip one half of each cookie into chocolate mixture. Place on waxed paper to cool until chocolate is set. Makes about 60 cookies.

Raspberry Pistachio Cookies

1/2 c butter or margerine, softened
1/4 c powdered sugar
1 egg separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 unsalted pistachios, shelled and finely chopped
1/4 c raspberry jam or jelly

Combine butter, powdered sugar, egg yolk and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. Stir in flour and salt; mix thoroughly. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes or until dough hardens.

With the palm of your hand, shape dough into small balls, about 1 to 1-1/4 inch in diameter. Beat egg white until foamy; dip balls in egg white then roll in chopped pistachios. Place on baking sheet that has been very lightly coated with cooking spray; make deep indention in each cookie.

Bake at 350 for approx 12 minutes. Remove from oven; cool. with back of a small spoon, fill indention with raspberry jam or jelly.

Hershey's Rich, Dark Tiger Kisses Cookies

1-1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c veg oil
1/2 c Hershey's Cocoa
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1-1/4 c flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
48 Dark Chocolate Kisses, unwrapped
Powdered sugar

Combine granulated sugar and oil in large bowl. Add cocoa, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to cocoa mixture beating well.

Cover, refrigerate until dough is firm enough to handle at least 6 hours.

Heat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheet. Shape dough into 1 inch balls (will be sticky). Roll in powdered sugar to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake 11-13 minutes or until almost no indention remains when touched lightly and tops are cracked. Immediately press 1 kiss into center of each cookie. Cool slightly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.