Chocolate Marshmallow Cinnamon Rolls

 All my favorite flavors - in one delicious roll! This recipe from the 2021 National Festival of Breads was a big hit with my family. 

This year's contest was held virtually instead of the in-person event that is usually held in Manhattan every other year in June. It has been a popular learning and tasting experience for several years and something I've enjoyed helping with as a Kansas Wheat Commission spokesperson. This recipe was submitted by Marilyn Blankschien of Clintonville, Wisconsin and received an Honorable Mention in the Sweet Breads and Rolls category. 

Marilyn developed the recipe from a cake recipe of her mother's. I used pecan halves instead of English walnut halves because that is what I had and what we prefer. The finished product is very light, be careful not to add too much flour as it is a very sticky dough. Using the dough hook for the kneading then turning it onto a lightly floured surface and a few folds with bowl/dough scrapers were enough to get the dough to the rise stage. And it does become less sticky as it rises. 

CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW CINNAMON ROLLS

 

Ingredients:

Dough – 

2 ¼  - 2 ½ cups all -purpose flour, divided 

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup granulated sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

1 ( ¼ oz.) package yeast

¼ cup water

½ cup whole milk

3 tablespoons salted butter

1 large egg, beaten

 

Filling – 

1 tablespoon salted butter, melted

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

Topping & Icing –

6 large marshmallows, cut in half

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 tablespoon salted butter

¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips

12 English walnut halves (or pecan halves)

 

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle, combine 1 ½ cup flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and yeast. 

2. Heat water, milk and butter to 120 – 130 degrees F. Add to flour mixture along with egg. Beat at low speed 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. 

3. Using dough hook or by hand using a wooden spoon, gradually stir in enough ( ¾ - 1 cup) of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. The dough may appear sticky, but avoid adding excess flour. It becomes less sticky as it rises. 

4. Knead 8 – 10 minutes with dough hook or on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic. Transfer dough to greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until almost doubled, 35-45 minutes. 

5. On a nonstick surface or very lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 10”x12” rectangle. Brush with melted butter keeping it ½” from one 10” side. In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the buttered area. Starting at buttered 10” side, tightly roll dough; pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 even slices and arrange cut-side down on parchment-lined cookie sheets, keeping them at least 2” apart Flatten rolls slightly by pressing down, make them about5/8” thick. Cover; let rise in warm place until almost doubled, about 40-45 minutes. 

6. Near the end of the rise, preheat to 375 degrees F. Bake until rolls just begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately place one-half marshmallow, cut -side down, in center of each roll. Return rolls to oven 2 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed and softened. 

7. Remove from oven and flatten marshmallows slightly with back of large, metal spoon. Remove rolls to cooling rack. 

8. For icing: In small saucepan combine sugar, milk and butter. Place over medium heat and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Add about ¼ teaspoon of water at a time until drizzling consistency; drizzle over warm rolls. Top rolls with walnut halves. 

Its Jes' Pie

Photo and original recipe from Taste of Home

 Pie of the Month is my son-in-law's favorite Christmas gift. My husband likes it also, since I usually make 2. One of my goals last year was to improve my pie crust so this has given me lots of practice. Its also fun to find pie recipes that are seasonal, some new and some old favorites. In last year's line up, the traditional pumpkin pie was the least liked. After tasting several new flavors it just didn't hold up! 

So this year I'm looking for some new ideas. Upon searching for January pies I found quite a selection - who knew that was a thing? Common ideas were lemon meringue and pecan. To me those are spring or summer (for the lemon) and December (for the pecan) flavors. Then a new idea - Chess Pie. One I hadn't tried and it looked easy and with ingredients I had on hand. And the chocolate version sounded even better! 

Chess pie is a Southern favorite that starts the year right. It's ingredients are butter, sugar, and eggs (sounds good already), things commonly in the kitchen. Its a simple custard pie similar to Buttermilk pie. Some recipes have cornmeal for a bit of texture. The name "Chess Pie" has several pieces of lore connected. One story is that at a time when pecans and other nuts were scarce, a cook made a pie with these simple ingredients and when asked what kind of pie she had made, she replied, "Oh, its jes' pie". Another story is that with these ingredients combined with sugar the pie could be kept unrefrigerated in a 'chest' (pie safe or cabinet) and the flavor became better the longer it lasted. 

When I found this recipe for Chocolate Chess pie I knew it was one I wanted to try. I subsititued cocoa powder for the original recipe's unsweetened chocolate. (original - 1 ½ oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled and without the oil).

 Everyone in my family (s-i-l  proclaimed it "incredible") liked it, I think you will also. 

CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE 

Use a favorite pie crust recipe (or boughten) for a one crust pie. 

After fitting the crust into the pie pan, trim and flute the edges. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line unpricked crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights. Bake on a lower oven rack until light golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is golden brown, 3-6 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 325 degrees. 

 

Filling Ingredients: 

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup sugar

4 ½ Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 ½ Tablespoon oil

2 Tablespoons 2% milk

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup butter, melted

 

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk sugars and flour. Whisk in eggs. Mix liquids – milk, oil, vanilla extract and melted butter. Whisk cocoa powder into the liquids to dissolve. Gradually whisk liquid mixture into dry ingredients. Pour into crust.

Bake at 325 degrees until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cover edge of crust with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove foil and cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered for 3 hours or until chilled. 

 

 

 

Angel Food Cake - a winner!

Since we found the greatest homemade ice cream recipe (May 9 blog post), I wondered what to do with all those egg whites left from the ice cream process. My husband, remembering his childhood and mother's cooking, was quick to suggest "Angel Food Cake, of course". My experience with angel food cake was limited - mostly helping my kids try to come up with a fair entry (and a very sticky kitchen) or a box mix. But I remembered a former 4-Her entering a chocolate angel food cake in fairs past and it always won. I didn't have her recipe but a search yielded one from Taste of Home that promised to be a "contest-winner". Although I haven't taken this to a contest, it is a winner at our house! (even when the granddaughter calls it 'fairy cake')

CHOCOLATE ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups egg whites (about 10 large eggs)

¾ cup cake flour

1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

¼ cup baking cocoa

1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.    Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Sift the flour, ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and cocoa three times. 

2.    Add cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar (3/4 cup), about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Gradually fold in flour mixture, about ½ cup at a time. Mixture will be thick. 

3.    Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through the batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake on the lowest oven rack at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until lightly browned and entire top appears dry (internal temperature should be 205-209 degrees). Immediately invert pan; cool completely, about 1 hour. 

4.    Run a knife around the side and center tube of pan. Remove take to a serving plate. 

We like it without frosting. But this frosting recipe was with the recipe from Taste of Home. 

CHOCOLATE FLUFF FROSTING

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

½ cup baking cocoa

Dash salt

            In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add the sugar, cocoa and salt; beat until stiff peaks form. Frost top and sides of cake. 

Chocolate + Strawberries = Summer Dessert Tart

This dessert features fresh strawberries, chocolate, cream cheese, and drizzles of fudge. How can it not be good??! It is the perfect summer dessert - it looks patriotic, it tastes yummy, and it is cool and refreshing. It also is pretty!

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE TART     

CRUST:

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup finely chopped almonds toasted

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

½ cup baking cocoa

¼ cup packed brown sugar

FILLING:

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups halved fresh strawberries

3 Tbsp. hot fudge ice cream topping

1.    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine crust ingredients; press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Bake 12-15 minutes or until crust is set. Cool on a wire rack.

2.    In another small bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over bottom of the prepared crust. Arrange strawberry halves, cut side down, over filling. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. 

3.    Just before serving, drizzle fudge topping over tart. Refrigerate leftovers. 

Yield: 12 servings

No-Bakes Just Got Even Better!

"There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate" (Linda Grayson). 
I agree! Chocolate is the perfect taste to celebrate friendship, love, and Valentine's Day. These easy to make no-bake cookies are so quick you can make several batches to share with friends. I've loved this basic recipe for years, but this version from Sally's Baking Addiction has a different twist. I used 3 squares of 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate instead of the usual powdered unsweetened chocolate and I think it enriched the flavor. Also soaking the oats for 5 minutes incorporated the ingredients better. Be sure to use quick oats or pulse regular oats in the food processor 4-5 times to make them finer cut. The original recipe suggested using coconut oil instead of butter, I'm going to try that next time. Coconut oil solidifies like butter when cooked and cooked. 

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER NO-BAKE COOKIES

Ingredients:

3 cups quick oats

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup milk

¼ cup natural unsweetened or dutch-process cocoa

⅔ cup creamy peanut butter

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions: 

1.    Place oats in a large bowl. Set aside. 

2.    Combine the butter sugar, milk, and cocoa together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the butter melts, then bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 minutes without whisking. Remove from heat and, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until completely combined. Pour this mixture over the oats, then stir to combine it all. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes. This allows the oats to soak up some moisture.

3.    During the 5 minutes, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. And make sure there is enough room in your refrigerator for the baking sheets. 

4.    Using a 1-Tablespoon cookie scoop (or a spoon), drop a tablespoon of dough onto the lined baking sheets. If desired flatten out and shape into a cookie. Repeat with the rest of the dough. 

5.    Refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and enjoy! Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Its still Chocolate Month

February is National Chocolate Month. Of course, Valentine's Day accounts for much of that, but the entire month of February is for lovers of chocolate. Chocolate has a long history, dating back to early civilizations who believed chocolate to be an aphrodisiac and mood booster. It is still definitely a mood booster!
Besides its sweet history, we also know know that chocolate does have some healthy benefits, in moderation of course! Chocolate contains iron, potassium, fiber and some antioxidants. These antioxidants, flavonoids, may be able to do things like relax blood vessels and promote healthy circulation. Polyphenols, another antioxidant, helps protect the body from free radical damage which can be a protection from cancer. The darker the chocolate, the healthier it is.
I love to bake with chocolate and my family loves to eat those chocolate baked goodies. This recipe combines two of our favorite flavors, chocolate and peanut butter. The preparation of this sheet cake reminds me of the brownie recipe I make often. Keep this cake in the refrigerator to keep it fresher (and to slow down the munchers!).

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE

Ingredients for Sheet Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) butter

½ cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup water

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup sour cream

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredients for Icing: (I cut the icing recipe in half and thought it was enough)

½ cup (1 stick) butter

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

6 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 ½ - 4 cups powdered sugar, as needed to reach desired consistency

¼ cup chopped salted peanuts

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 13”x9” baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2.     In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3.     In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the peanut butter over low heat. Stir in the water and cocoa powder and increase heat to medium-low to bring just barely to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add to the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

4.     Add sour cream, lightly beaten eggs, and vanilla, whisking until completely incorporated. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

5.     Prepare icing while cake is baking.

Directions for icing:

1.     Melt butter with peanut butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. Whisk in cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla. Whisk in powdered sugar, a little at a time, until you’ve reached the desired consistency. It should be thick but pourable. Continue whisking vigorously until powdered sugar has dissolved and icing is smooth.

2.     Remove from heat and immediately pour icing over warm cake. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread it out evenly over the surface. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

3.     Allow to set for at least 30 minutes or longer before slicing and serving.

Next Best Thing to... or Better Than...dessert

This creamy layered pudding dessert has been a crowd pleaser  since the 1970's when it was called "The Next Best thing to Robert Redford", later versions of the recipe were called "Better Than Robert Redford". I've never heard what  Robert Redford thinks of this dish named after him, but in our community it is a popular dessert for pot lucks and group dinners. This week our UMW served it, in lemon and chocolate flavors, for the high school honors dinner. Since this was a group of teens, perhaps we should have called it "Next Best Thing to Justin Bieber".

THE NEXT BEST THING TO ROBERT REDFORD

Recipe from UMW cookbook (adjusted for more crust)

1 ½ cup flour

¾ cup butter or margarine, melted

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 (8-oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 (12-oz) whipped topping

1 (3-oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding

1 (3-oz) pkg instant chocolate (or lemon) pudding

3 cup cold milk

For crust, combine flour, butter or margarine and pecans. Press into the bottom of a 18x12-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool completely. Blend cream cheese with sugar; spread over cooled crust. Spread half of the whipped topping (6 oz) over the cream cheese layer and refrigerate. In mixing bowl, combine both pudding mixes with milk. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Set aside until thickened. Spread thickened pudding over whipped topping layer, then top with remaining topping. Garnish if desired with chocolate, nuts, or both. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Church Ladies handle this dessert well. 

Six pans of RR dessert served around 100.