Dark Chocolate Caramel Oreo Bites

THESE. 

I just....

I can't....

If only....  

No Bake Chocolate Malt Cheesecake and an Anniversary!

Eeeepppp!  Annie's City Kitchen is 1 year old!! 

I sort of can't believe it.  It certainly hasn't felt that long and I still feel like I'm learning more about baking and blogging every.single.day.  I'm SO thankful for my readers and everytime I blog I try to imagine what recipes would excite me as a reader.   I hope to keep challenging myself in the next year and providing recipes that people love to bake and eat.  

I knew when I hit my one year anniversary I wanted to make something colorful, fun, special, and (duh) chocolate.  

This recipe is an adaption of a Sprinkles Bakes recipe that originally used a graham crust and strawberry milk for flavor.  I made it for my sister's birthday last year and just new that a chocolate adaptation was in order at some point.  It was such a simple ingredient swap and SO worth it. 

This cheesecake is light and fluffy and topped with chocolate whipped cream.  It even tastes great frozen!  It does need a little time to set up (in the fridge or in the freezer) so plan according.  OR just make, store it in your freezer, and eat a slice a day for a whole week.  JUST AN IDEA that I totally didn't try myself.  

Here's the recipe!  

No Bake Chocolate Malt Cheesecake

serves 8-12

Ingredients:

Crust: 

2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (I used Teddy Grahams)

1/2 cup multi-colored sprinkles

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Chocolate Malt Filling:

2 1/4 cups heavy cream

1lb (2 8oz packages) cream cheese, softened

1 cup chocolate Ovaltine mix or other chocolate malt drink mix

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy shipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions: 
1.  Lightly spray a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.  
2.  Prepare the crust.  Put crushed graham crackers, sprinkles, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine.  Drizzle in melted butter and mix until graham crackers resemble wet sand everything is well combined.  Place crumbs in springform pan and gently and evenly press into the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the side.  Set aside. 
3.  Prepare the filling.  In an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachement, beat cream until soft peaks form.  Add softened cream cheese and beat again to combine.  Add chocolate malt mix and sugar to cream cheese/whipped cream and mix to combine.  Pour mixture onto prepared crust and set aside.  
4.  Prepare the whipped topping.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk cream until soft peaks form.  With the mixer still on, slowly add the sugar until fully combined.  Gently fold in cocoa to combine.  
5.  Put whipped cream into piping bag fitted with desired tip (I used the Wilton 1M tip) and pipe stars around the edge of the cake and in the center.  Adorn with multi-colored sprinkles, if desired.  
6.  Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 4-6 hours or overnight.  Gently unmold the pan (you can use a warm towel wrapped around the outside of the pan to help losen it a bit) and allow to thaw in the refrigerator slightly before serving.  It's easiest to slice while still partially frozen.  

Enjoy!

Recipe slightly adapted from Sprinkle Bakes  

Chocolate Banana Bread with Almond Streusel

Banana bread is one of those things that I can easily eat way too much of.  Sorta like Goldfish crackers and M&M's.  My brain seems to have no sensor that tells my stomach I'm full and before I know it, I ate half a loaf of banana bread, one slice at a time.

It's the reason I try to give away baked goods almost as soon as they're out of the oven.  I'm too weak to resist the temptation.  I can't be trusted!

I've even resorted to hiding M&Ms in weird places so I forget that I have them and then only find them occasionally.  Like, in a drawer with Alka Seltzer and random screwdrivers.  Then it's a pleasant surprise when I stumble upon them later when I'm reaching for the Alka Seltzer.

You do the same thing right?  You hide your M&M's with screwdrivers?  Good.  Just checkin'.

So I probably wouldn't recommend hiding this banana bread with screwdrivers though.  Hammers, maybe.  Screwdrivers, no.  

So this is sorta my go-to banana bread recipe and then I sometimes jazz it up with whatever is around the house.  This time it was chocolate and almonds.  But use what ya' got girl.  Walnuts.  Dried fruit.  Peanut butter.  Or M&M's!  

Here's the recipe!  

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Streusel:

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Instructions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly spray two 9"x5" loaf pans with cooking spray.  Set aside.  

2.  Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl to combine.  Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.  Do not overmix.  Fold in chocolate chips.  

3.  For the streusel, combine all ingredients in a small bowl until crumbly and well incorporated.

3.  Divide the batter evenly between loaf pans. Divide streusel evenly and sprinkle on top of loaves.  Bake 35-45 mins or until a toothpick in the center of the loaves comes out clean.  Allow to cool on wires rack before serving.  

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker and Food.com

Salted Caramel Toffee Peanut Fudge

No time.  Must post.  People!  This fudge is coming to you late.  I offer my sincerest apologies.  But I really had to start my Christmas shopping at some point (like 3 days before Christmas) so time for posting became increasingly harder to find this week.  But I finally found it!

But good news!  This isn't typical fudge that requires thermometers and babysitting.  It's also not this kind of fudge that requires babysitting.  Zing!  Man, I'm good.

This fudge is made by melting the good stuff (sweetened condensed milk and chocolate) and topping it with more good stuff (toffee, peanuts, sea salt) and eatin' it.  It just needs to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes while you chill on Pinterest for 30 minutes and you got yourself some fudge.

And here's the biggest confession of all.  I was pretty confident that I kinda hated fudge.  It's like, when my brain is ready to receive chocolate in my mouth and I eat fudge, it's always a let down.  I'm expecting a different chocolate intensity.  But when I saw this recipe, the world was ok again.

This is fuddggggeeee.  It's everything you want it to be.  And it's ok to eat it before 8am, if necessary.  IT WAS NECESSARY GUYS.  So do whatcha gotta go this Christmas but please make this fudge part of it.  You're very welcome.  

Here's the recipe!  

Ingredients:
20 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped  (I used chips here because I'm lazy)
1 (15-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10-12 caramel-filled chocolates (I used Ghiradelli squares with salted caramel), chopped
3/4 cup chocolate toffee pieces, like Heath toffee chips
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
4 ounces milk chocolate, melted

sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions:  

1.  Spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick spray and set aside.  

2.  Add semi-sweet chocolate to a double boiler, and melt completely. One melted, remove from heat and slowly add in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract, stirring with a spatula until completely incorporated and the mixture becomes very thick.  Use the spatula or a large spoon to spread the chocolate in the pan, coaxing it into corners.  Don't worry about the top looking smooth because it will be covered with chocolate and candies, just spread it evenly. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.

3.  Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals until smooth.  Remove the pan from the fridge. Take a few small spoonfuls of the milk chocolate and using the back of a spoon, spread it evenly over the top of the fudge.  Immediately sprinkle with a little sea salt and cover it with the chopped caramel-filled candies, peanuts and chocolate toffee pieces.  Using a little pressure, press the toppings into the fudge to set.  Take remaining milk chocolate and drizzle it over the top to set some of the loose candy.  Let set in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.

4.  When ready to cut, fill a large cup with hot water. Dip a sharp knife into the water, then blot on a towel. Use knife to cut fudge into your desired size of squares.  I recommend small pieces since this fudge is rich.

Enjoy!  

Recipe barely adapted from How Sweet It Is

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Like these really even need a recipe.  Pretty simple: chocolate.  pretzels.  mouth.  And that's the recipe.  I present them to you as an idea, really.  A reminder, perhaps.  Why not make them as a quick, no bake option for Christmas?

For me, chocolate covered pretzels are especially Christmasy and it's not just because of the pretty sprinkles.  Growing up, every year my family and I would visit downtown Chicago during Christmas time.  We'd see the lights, go out to dinner (at "D.B Kaplan's" where they had a sandwich called an "Ike and Tina Tuna") and visit the HUGE FAO Schwartz store on Michigan Ave. It was magical.  FAO Schwartz is now an H&M, by the way.  (<< not complaining).

But we always ended the night with a chocolate covered pretzel that we'd eat on the way home.  It became a tradition but was really born out of necessity.  My parents, not ones to waste money, needed their parking validated.  So we found the least expensive place in the Bloomingdale's mall, what I remember to be a weird safari store that sold chocolate-covered pretzels for some reason, we'd all chose a pretzel and eat it on the ride home.

And so I always just associated chocolate-covered pretzels with Christmastime.  Did I warm your heart with that story?  It was all made up.  KIDDING.  That was real life and making chocolate covered pretzels every year at Christmas is real life too.  

So I recommend you make this a holiday tradition too.  Whether you need your parking validated or not. 

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients: 

package of long pretzel rods

Baker's Semi-sweet chocolate

Baker's white chocolate

assorted sprinkles, chopped nuts, etc. 

Instructions: 

1.  Melt the chocolates in separate double boilers until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Remove from heat.

2.  Create an assembly line with the 2 bowls of chocolate, your choice of toppings, and a baking tray lined with tin foil.  

3.  Using a spoon, spoon the chocolate over the pretzel, leaving a few inches bare as a "handle."  Allow the excess chocolate to drip off the pretzels by twisting and wiggling the pretzel.  This will help to avoid the chocolate pooling under the pretzel or into the toppings.  Check out the (weird) technique I used:

4.  Immediately cover chocolate with desired toppings and place on foil-lined baking sheet.  When the sheet is full, place it in the freezer to set for about 10 mins.  

5.  Once set, they're ready to be served or kept in an air-tight container for a few days.  

Enjoy!  

Mint Chocolate Crunch Cookies

I am entering these Mint Chocolate Crunch Cookies in the Creative Holiday Recipe Contest hosted by Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and Cookies and Cups!

So let me tell you the harrowing story of this cookie.  Get your tissues ready.  I heard about this contest on one of the many baking blogs I follow and I was immediately pumped.  I feel like I'm finding my voice when it comes to blogging and I'm slowly developing my style.  It seemed like the perfect opportunity to possibly get my blog to a wider audience AND challenge me to come up with a recipe that fit the requirements: Creativity, Use of Ingredients, and Ease of Preparation.

So I racked my brain to come up with a recipe that I thought would be a breeze to whip up but still had a little something special.  Then I thought, "Well I sure love cookies.  I wish I could eat three cookies at once.  Take that society!"  And so this cake mix cookie came to be.  I was SURE that this was a fun, original idea.  Then this happened the next day.  And this happened a few days later.  And my poor little heart broke.

Just as I was gleefully passing around these cookies to my coworkers the next day, my silly smile left my face when I sat at my computer and saw my "original idea" was barely original.  I almost decided to not post the recipe at all because I was so darn discouraged that someone had the same idea as me and beat me to the punch.  But the heck with 'em!  Cuz I've got gumption!  Or something.

This recipe was too delicious not share with my reader(s) anyway.  So with my head held high, I present my Mint Chocolate Crunch Cookies!  Give them a shot.  And give me credit please?  

Here's the recipe!  

Ingredients
1 box 18.25oz chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp milk (if necessary)
approximately 15 peppermint patties
approximately 15 grasshopper cookies
sugar, for rolling

Instructions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment or silicon baking mat and set aside.
2.  In a medium bowl,  combine cake mix, eggs, and oil until dough forms.  If necessary, add milk if the dough seems dry.  
2.  Stack patty and cookie, and on either side, add one tablespoon of dough (see picture above).  Use your fingers to meet the dough around the edges of the patty and cookie, making sure to create a seal.  Lightly roll in granulated sugar and place on baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. 
3. Bake 8-10 minutes until center is puffed and edges are set.  Allow to cool 5 minutes on the tray before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy!  

An Annie's City Kitchen original  

Chocolate Cloud Cake (Gluten free!)

Ok, no more messin' around.  Let's get serious about decadent holiday food.  Bring on the holiday lights and spiked cocoa and spiced rum and mulled wine!  Do I have a drinking problem?  

This little beauty is a Nigella Lawson recipe.  And she is the best ever.  I want to be her.  She's gorgeous, she lives in London, she has a beautiful kitchen and she does everything effortlessly.  I find her show (which doesn't air much in the US because I don't even know why) to be so comforting.  It's like a slice of life that is totally not my life at all.

So, in lieu of moving to London and living Nigella's life, I've made this cake.  It's super rich and intensely chocolately.  The top will puff up and then sink down and that's tooottally ok.  Just cover it in dollops of freshly whipped cream.  

I've found that dollops of freshly whipped cream tend to be the solution to many a thing.  Or a bag of Doritos.  That's a solution too.  

Here's the recipe!  

Ingredients

9 oz bittersweet chocolate, minimum 70%
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs, 2 whole, 4 separated
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the whipped cream: 

2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, for garnish

Instructions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with baking parchment.
2.  Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave (in 30 second intervals), then add the butter and let it melt in the warm chocolate.
3.  Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 1/3 cup of the sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture.  Add vanilla extract.
4.  In another bowl (or using a stand mixer), whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining sugar and whisk until the whites hold their shape but are not too stiff. 

5.  Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites and stir to combine.  Then fold in the rest of the whites gently so they don't deflate.  

6.  Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the center is no long wobbly. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack.  The middle will sink as it cools.
Prepare the whipped cream:
Whip the cream in a stand mixer in high speed until it's soft and then add the vanilla extract.  Whip until the cream is firm but not stiff.  Fill the center of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake, and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed through a tea-strainer.

Enjoy!

Recipe barely adapted from Nigella Lawson

Coconut Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Definitely don't make this dough and then pretty much eat half and then actually make some cookies after you've eaten half the dough.  Not that I did that though.  It just seems like something that could maybe happen to someone.  

But maybe if you really really like tiny little coffee granules mixed in with chocolate and coconut and butter and sugar then MAYBE you should eat some of the dough.  Someone has to test the product, right?  Life is so hard sometimes.

Like when you make a batch of cookies and you have to eat a fresh warm one right out of the oven.  So difficult.  Or when you have a lazy Sunday and are forced to read Game of Thrones or watch a Tudors marathon.  Exhausting.  Or when you order a gigantic iced coffee on a warm May Saturday while you read The Onion.  LIFE ISN'T FAIR.

These cookies make it a little easier though.  So you'll just have to make a batch.  It's only fair.  

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp instant coffee 
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking sheet (or spray with cooking spray).  Set aside.  

2.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and instant coffee and whisk to combine.  Set aside.  

3.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until combined, about 1-2 mins.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and then add vanilla until combined.  

4.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar and butter mixture until fully incorporated.  Using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape the sides of the bowl and fold in chocolate chips and coconut.  

5.  Drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 tablespoons in size and 2 inches apart.  Bake cookies one sheet at a time for about 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan half way through baking.  These cookies don't spread a lot when baking so you can slightly flatten with a spatula when removing from the oven.  

6.  Allow to cool on sheets for about 3 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Enjoy!

Recipe from Baker Girl

Whopper Blondie Bars

Hey, remember the last time you ate some Whoppers? Yeah, me either. No one does. Nobody at all. So when I saw this recipe for the first time, I thought to myself, "Yeah but where's the peanut butter? Or caramel? Or peanut butter?" And I think that's how most people feel about Whoopers too. Who cares about malt and where's the good stuff?!

It turns out, the good stuff happens when you put some Whoppers in the oven with some flour, sugar, and butter. It's magical. The malted center lends to a wonderful....maltiness? The bars take on an almost toffee-like flavor with a slightly chewy texture. The lowly Whopper finally has its day!

The original recipe for these bars calls for malted milk powder, which I didn't have on hand. And when I say "didn't have on hand" I mean "I have no idea where to find that and I'm kinda lazy." I decided to give it a try without the powder because life is all about taking risks guys. I definitely loved these bars even without the malted milk powder but I would imagine the powder would add even more malty depth and caramel-y flavor. Mmmmm... depth.

Do Whoppers a favor and make these beauties. Here's the recipe:

Whopper Blondie Bars (yields 18-24 bars)

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 sticks (14 Tbsps) unsalted butter, room temperature, and cut into cubes

1 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsps vanilla extract

1 cup of Whoppers, coarsely chopped

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 Tbsps malted milk powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt and (optional) malted milk powder

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium until combined. Scrape the bowl and add eggs and vanilla and beat again until completely combined.

4. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add in the Whooper and chocolate chips and mix on low until evenly incorporated. The batter is thick and somewhat sticky.

5. Turn batter into the prepared pan and press evenly into the pan. It helps to dip your fingertips in water combat the stickiness.

6. Bake 25-30 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting and serving.

Yum!

recipe adapted from Smells Like Home