Summer Chocolate Mousse

Enjoy Family And Friends This New Year With Fine Chocolate

Chocolate Cookies with All the Chips

Adapted from “Deep Dark Chocolate: Decadent Recipes for the Serious Chocolate Lover” by Sara Perry (Chronicle Books, $18.95 paperback).

For the semisweet, white and milk chocolate chips, use premium products, if possible.

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

• 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or leave it ungreased.

In a small bowl, mix the semisweet, white and milk chocolate chips until blended. In another small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt until well blended. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown and granulated sugars, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla until blended. On a low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until just blended, again scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat or fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Drop the dough, by tablespoonfuls, onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the cookies are set and the tops have lost their sheen. (Because the dough is dark, the first batch will be the key to when the cookies are done.) Let the cookies firm and cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, reusing the parchment paper.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

This recipe courtesy of Betty Rosbottom
TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES. Betty Rosbottom is a cooking school director from Massachusetts.

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Chocolate May Be Beneficial For Chronic Fatigue

In a story by Journalist Sheryl Walters for Natural News .com, there is the possibility that consuming dark chocolate can be beneficial for those who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome. One of the main symptoms of the disorder is the feeling of exhaustion.

In a trial of 10 patients, Professor Steve Atkin had the group consume 45g of dark chocolate or white chocolate dyed to to look like dark chocolate for a period of two months.  They then fasted from chocolate for a month and then resumed consumption for another two months. The patients reported a reduction of fatigue during the period of consumption and a return of the symptoms during the period of abstinence.

Professor Atkin was surprised at what good results were achieved. “Although it was a small study, two patients went back to work after being off for six months.” He explained that”Dark chocolate is high in polyphenols, which have been associated with health benefits such as a reduction in blood pressure. Also high polyphenols appear to improve levels of serotonin in the brain, which has been linked with chronic fatigue syndrome and that may be a mechanism.”

The article does caution that “chronic fatigue is a very complex illness with many different causes including food intolerances, Candida, heavy metals and parasites. There is no single cure that works for everyone.”

It also states that consuming chocolate with sugar should be avoided in general especially for those “with a disabling disease”. That said “although more research was needed to confirm the findings, Atkin said that patients would not do themselves any harm by eating small amounts of dark chocolate.”

So with some common sense and moderation chocolate can be beneficial to your health.

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Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry Italian Meringue Buttercream

Recipe courtesy of: “Cake Love” by Warren Brown

For the Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

Dry:
5 oz or (1 cup) all purpose flour
½ cup dried cherries, chopped
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ unsweetened cocoa powder, (Use a good quality one. I used Valrhona)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Liquid:
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup cherry puree (recipe to follow)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Creaming Mixture:
3 oz. unsalted butter
1 ½ cups extra fine granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 egg yolk

Directions:
Make the Cherry puree first—see recipe below.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift together flour and cocoa powder into a medium sized bowl. Wisk in the baking soda and salt. Then add the dried cherries and chocolate chips and whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. In a large liquid measuring cup mix together the liquid ingredients until combined. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl using the paddle attachment (if you are using a stand mixer), add butter and beat until smooth. Then add the sugar and beat on medium low to incorporate. This may take 5 minutes so be patient. You want to get air in the mixture but you don’t want to beat all the air out of it…so don’t put this on high.
5. Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, followed by the yolk.
6. Then add the dry and liquid mixtures by alternating between the two in 3-4 additions. Starting and ending with the dry mixture. You don’t have to wait for the wet or dry ingredients to be completely incorporated before adding the next. If you do that you will overwork the batter. This process should take you only a minute.
7. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and make sure you don’t have any clumps at the bottom that haven’t been mixed in.
8. Line cupcake pans with paper liners and bake between 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Italian Meringue Buttercream
Recipe from “Cake Love” by Warren Brown

5 egg whites, room temperature
10 oz. (1 ¼ cup) fine granulated sugar, divided
¼ cup cold water
4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, broken into 1 tablespoon chunks

Directions:
1. In a heavy bottom saucepan, add 1 cup of the sugar (save the ¼ cup of sugar for the egg white mixture) and the cold water. Stir with your candy thermometer and set up the thermometer to sit inside the saucepan so you can keep an eye on the temperature. Heat on medium heat until it reaches 245 degrees. (Just above the ‘soft ball’ stage).
a. Tip: Place the lid half way on the pot to collect the condensation so the sugar crystals don’t build up. To prevent it further, use water and a pastry brush to brush down the sides of the saucepan.
2. While the sugar syrup is heating, begin mixing your egg whites on high until you get stiff peaks. Once you get stiff peaks, add the ¼ cup of sugar while the mixer is still running.
3. Check on your syrup. It should be about 245 degrees now, if not, turn up the heat and KEEP AN EYE ON IT. You don’t want it going too far or else you will get caramel.
4. Once the syrup reaches 245 degrees, remove the thermometer. Keep the mixer running and slowly pour the hot syrup into the mixer along the side of the bowl. Be careful not to splash yourself with the hot liquid.
5. Keep the mixer running on high for 2 minutes, and then turn it down to medium speed for another 5 minutes or so until the meringue is cooled.
6. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Mix until it’s fully incorporated. Add your flavorings.
Cherry Purree
1 10 oz. bag of frozen fruit, keep the juices (cherry, raspberry, strawberry)
½ cup superfine sugar

For cherries: (Cake Love) put fruit in a food processor. Transfer to a sauce pan and add the sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer, do not boil, and let reduce by half (25 minutes). Remove from heat and cool completely. For a FULL buttercream recipe, you need about 1/2 cup of the puree.

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