Chocolate Fest!

Chocolate is one of those divine foods that is unlike anything else in the universe. I have yet to find someone who isn't allergic to cacao and thoroughly detests it - not being an overly polarizing ingredient, there is a place on the "like / love" spectrum for everyone. I'm a "more bitter"-bittersweet or salty-bittersweet fan myself, opting for 70%+ plain or smooth cocoa-nut paste concoctions. My sister also likes "dark" chocolate, but closer to the 55-60% end of the line. Mom is good with pretty much anything chocolate, with bonus points if it has "stuff" in it like dried fruit, flavouring or nuts (her favourite bar is Cadbury Fruit and Nut Dark), and dad - well, like I've mentioned before, if you add peanut butter and / or bananas to it it's almost guaranteed to be a shoo-in.

Bittersweet Espresso Chips

So I figured it was long past due for me to combine a bunch of my "non-recipe recipes" for the random cocoa-laced creations that have emerged from my kitchen over the past few months. Most of them were created simply out of the need to use up the last of some chocolatey goodness after making a recipe calling for almost all of what I bought at Bulk Barn, while two also use some leftover cookies from making fudge. Then, being on a roll as I was, I made my own version of a bittersweet, slightly spicy hot cocoa mix that when mixed with unsweetened almond milk is like drinking a molten Taza disc (in the best way possible).

And now, without further ado, enjoy the Malted Milk Chocolate Chips, Butterscotch-Peanut Chocolate Chips, Bittersweet Espresso Chips, Chocolate Peanut Butter Shards, Peanutty - Chocolate Cups with a Crunchy Centre, Chocolate Drenched Cookie Sandwiches and Cacao - Chile Mix! Don't feel bad about indulging either - chocolate is good for you, remember?? Plus, if you make all these recipes, you'll burn off the calories you'll consume eating them... right?? The door to cocoa nirvana is open, and I've saved you a seat for the ride.

Chocolate Drenched Cookie Sandwiches

Malted Milk Chocolate Chips
4 oz good quality milk chocolate
2 tbsp malted milk powder (i.e. Ovaltine)

1. Melt chocolate and beat in the malted milk powder until smooth.
2. Pipe into chips on a waxed-paper-lined sheet and let set. 
3. Store in a cool, dark, dry place or in the freezer.

Butterscotch-Peanut Chocolate Chips
1.5 oz Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (2 "normal" cups or just shy of 1/4 cup of minis) 
1.5 oz butterscotch chips
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 oz semisweet chocolate
1 tsp salted butter

1. Melt peanut butter cups, butterscotch chips, chocolates and butter, stir smooth.
2. Pipe into chips on a waxed-paper-lined sheet and let set. 
3. Store in a cool, dark, dry place or in the freezer.

Bittersweet Espresso Chips
4 oz 75% chocolate
1 1/2 tbsp instant espresso powder

1. Melt chocolate and beat in the espresso powder until smooth.
2. Pipe into chips on a waxed-paper-lined sheet and let set. 
3. Store in a cool, dark, dry place or in the freezer.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shards
3 oz Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (4 cups or 1/4 of a 12-oz bag of minis)
2 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder

1. Melt together the peanut butter cups, chocolate and peanut butter.
2. Beat in the cocoa until smooth.
3. Spread as thin as possible onto a waxed-paper-lined sheet and let set. Break into shards.
4. Store in a cool, dark, dry place or in the freezer.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shards

Peanutty - Chocolate Cups with a Crunchy Centre
Makes 12 
Chocolate Peanut Butter Shards recipe (above)
1 tsp coconut oil or shortening
6 Kamut® Cookies for Creme, broken in half (you can use Teddy Grahams / broken chocolate cookies if you like)

1. Melt together the Chocolate Peanut Butter Shards and coconut oil.
2. Spoon half the mixture between 12 foil-lined mini muffin cups.
3. Place 1/2 a cookie piece in the centre of each and cover with remaining chocolate mixture.
4. Let set completely. Store in a cool, dark, dry place, in the fridge or in the freezer.

Peanutty - Chocolate Cups with a Crunchy Centre

Chocolate Drenched Cookie Sandwiches
2.5 oz good quality milk chocolate
1 tsp smooth peanut butter
Kamut® Cookies for Creme
dried strawberry slices

1. Melt together the chocolate and peanut butter until smooth.
2. Smear a small amount on one cookie, top with a strawberry slice and smear with a little more chocolate.
3. Top with another cookie and let set for 2 minutes.
4. Dip sandwiches in the melted chocolate, place on a sheet of waxed paper and let set completely.
5. Repeat until one or more of the ingredients runs out!
6. Store in a cool, dark, dry place, in the fridge or in the freezer.

Cacao - Chile Mix
Makes  a generous 13 tbsp
1/2 cup raw cacao powder

1/3 cup raw sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ancho chili powder
pinch chipotle chili powder

1. Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Store in an airtight container up to 6 months.
3. For hot cocoa, use 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp of the mix to 8 oz of warm milk (or my favourite, unsweetened vanilla almond milk). This is also great for baking or even in BBQ rubs.

Cacao-Chile Mix