Favorite Chocolate Desserts

If December has a flavor it has to be chocolate. I know, I know, some of you would beg to differ and insist that it is peppermint, but that’s January to me, when the weather turns icy cold and biting.

Here are some of my most favorite chocolate desserts, the easiest of all being the Chocolate Clusters. When you have a bad day and need a chocolate fix, this should be your “go to” recipe. Now some of you might question my inclusion of Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Well, let me tell you, cake or no cake, this stuff is good right out of the bowl, or on cookies, or graham crackers, or, in desperation, a piece of toast. Don't ask me how I know.

From clockwise from upper left.

Chocolate Bark with Pecans & Aronia Berries

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Creole Brownies

Chocolate Peanut Clusters

Chocolate Peanut Butter Éclair Dessert Squares

(The BEST) Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Click on the name of the dessert to take you straight to the recipe. Go!

This post is linked to:

Make, Bake, Create

Celebrate It Sunday

Silver Pennies Sunday
Sunday Down Under

Sunday Showcase Party

Cookie #2 Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Today's holiday recipe is the Chocolate Thumbprint Cookie, a new one I tried from Martha's Cookie book.  As you can see it makes a very pretty cookie, and it's very easy to do. I don't particularly enjoy rolling dough into little balls myself, so found this a bit tedious, but I suffer for my art.

The chocolate topping is equally easy, and a cinch to neatly apply to the top of the cookie.  I was all prepared with my pastry bag, ready to pipe it onto the top, but ended up just letting it roll off the end of a teaspoon, with very nice results.

The recipe claims to make 4-1/2 dozen, and perhaps it does, but as I said, the whole ball rolling thing is a bit tedious, so I probably made them bigger than they should have been and, consequently, ended up with a little over three dozen.

The chocolate topping is SUPERB! There was some left over since I didn't make the correct amount of cookies (I encourage this) and can be eaten with pleasure directly from the warming pan, or would make an excellent side dish on days when things aren't going so well and you want to hide in your room with a chocolaty treat.  I refrigerated the remainder of mine and now have a sort of loose fudge hidden in the depths of the fridge (see above reason).

I give this cookie an "A" for ease (despite the whole aforementioned ball-rolling tedium), and another "A" for attractiveness, but for the work involved, I think the flavor is only a "B."  For all of the effort, it just didn't have the taste I was hoping for, i.e. the buttery richness that I like in a shortbread cookie (which is essentially what this is).  The chocolate topping is excellent in taste, texture, and ease of application, but in my book it doesn't make this cookie a 100% winner.  A cookie fanatic, I tend to be a harsh critic, so do try these for yourself and let me know what you think.  I will make these again, but perhaps using my own shortbread dough recipe.

If you can't read it in the photo, you can find the recipe here on Martha Stewart’s website (although the recipe is doubled in her COOKIES book).

This post is linked to Tuesdays at the Table.