Pam’s Forgotten Mocha Kisses

As I walk down the aisles of my local Shopper’s Drug Mart I notice an abundance of valentine items. I look around and see all the lovely chocolate treats that are out for the ‘holiday’ and think to myself “Damn you Valentine’s Day chocolates, how I want all of you”. I then ponder what I could turn any of these delicious treats into. I pick up a few bags of Hershey’s Kisses, Hugs, and Cookies’N’Cream knowing I can make a delicious treat out of them if I only put my mind to it.  

Looking at the Kisses reminded me of the Valentine's Day episode of The O.C. that features a cookie called Forgotten Kisses. And don't lie to me; we all remember the show. It inspired me for this post and I knew I could work with that idea. I tried to make my own version of the cookies, so this is an all around experimental recipe.

I settled in to watch Once Upon a Time (yes I am 21 and love a show about fairy tales) this past Sunday night and started baking. I made a batch of chocolate mocha cookies and as soon as I took them out of the oven pressed a Kiss on top of each cookie. I think they turned out pretty well, although I do not like my cookies that dense so I will need to keep playing with the recipe!

Pam’s Forgotten Mocha Kisses

Ingredients

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

3 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon instant coffee, crushed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips, optional*

*I did not include the chocolate chips since I opted to put a kiss on top, which the recipe never called for.

1.     Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler.

2.     In a separate bowl, mix together sugar and eggs until they are thoroughly combined. Add to the chocolate mixture and stir. Add in remaining ingredients, including the chocolate chips if you’re going to use them.

3.     Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour since it will be really runny.

4.     Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line your cookie sheets with a Silpat.

5.     Drop cookies by tablespoonful (size of a ping pong ball) and bake for 11 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven put a Kiss on top. Be careful they melt and keep their shape so long as you don’t touch them. Enjoy!

Don't forget you can get a printable copy of the recipe here! 

Tips, Tricks and Tools

I promised to share some of my best tips, tricks and tools with all of you; so let me fill you in on one of my favourite tools.  Instead of using mass amounts of parchment paper to protect my mother's pans, I have used a Silpat.  A Silpat is the must have non-stick mat for all bakers. Seriously, it will be one of the best investments you ever make.

My 9-year-old Silpat

This is one I have had since I was 12-years-old. It still works just as well as the day I got it. I know it looks battered and abused, but I prefer to think of it as well loved. I have invested in a couple of them so that I can bake on multiple pans.

My 1-year-old Silpat

I bought mine at Cayne's, but you can get them at a lot of different kitchen supply stores. They usually retail for $17.99
so you can all afford this investment. You are bettering the environment by cutting down on waste from parchment paper, and saving yourself a few dollars over the years by not having to buy it either.

I am currently working on my next sinfully delicious creation and I will be using my Silpat. Can anyone guess what it is? Hint: it involves Kisses. 

Pam's Mini Molten Lava Cakes

Over the winter break, my mother had a few dinner parties and always asked me if I would be willing to bake a delicious dessert so that she could end the dinner on a sweet note. I was more than willing to oblige since I like to bake and I was going to be around.

Over these numerous dinner parties, I was able to perfect this recipe and make it my own by figuring out the best ratios for the different ingredients and the best selection of chocolate to use. Since I had spent so much time over the break perfecting my recipe, I knew it would be the perfect thing to bake for my first post.

Over the years my house has usually been the one that all my friends come to hang out at on a Saturday night. This was like other Saturdays with my good friends Brian and Nick coming over to be the guinea pigs for my Mini Molten Lava Cakes. I suppose I cannot really say they were guinea pigs since I had already worked out the kinks for this recipe.

Nevertheless they were more than willing to eat my delicious creation. As I baked and watched my little cakes rise in the oven, making sure their centres stayed gooey, they had a lively debate with my dear old Dad about politics. Can anyone say thrilling… Giving my Dad a cake was the only way to change the subject.

So here is the recipe for my Mini Molten Lava Cakes. If anyone tries them out I would love to hear how it goes!

Pam’s Mini Molten Lava Cakes

Ingredients

12 oz of Chopped Dark Chocolate*

¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature

¼ cup White Sugar

¼ cup Brown Sugar, packed

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Flour

Pinch of Salt

*I found the best combination of chocolate for this recipe was one 100g bar of Cadbury Dark Chocolate and 8 squares of Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate.

1. Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit
2. Place chopped chocolate, butter, white and brown sugar into a double boiler. For anyone that doesn't know, a double boiler is a pot of boiling water with another pot that sits directly on top so that the steam from the water melts the chocolate since direct heat tends to burn chocolate and we don't want that. If you don't have a double boiler just put a microwave safe bowl on top of a pot.
3. Mix it slowly until all ingredients are melted and combined.
4. Let it cool for a little while so that when you add the eggs in they don't get cooked. I usually wait about 10 minutes. 
5. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until combined. Then you can add in the flour and mix it slowly so that it doesn't go all over the place. We want as little clean up as possible. 
6. Grease 8 ramekins, 3 oz. in size, with butter. I found that if you actually greased them with real butter instead of cooking spray the cakes slid out easier when plating. Fill the ramekins almost to the top leaving about a thumbs width of space at the top.
7. Place them on a cooke tray equal distance apart and cook for about 8 minutes. I found this to be the best time to ensure they were cooked but that they still had their lava centres. Always make sure to watch them though as all ovens differ.
8. Let cool a couple minutes before plating. Flip upside down on a plate and dust with icing sugar for a nice effect. Serve with raspberries (or any berry, I just happened to have raspberries) and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

To print the recipe click here!

My Sweet Idea

Having a giant sweet tooth has led me to learn many tips and tricks in baking my own sinfully delicious treats. It is my goal to help all of you learn the easiest ways to make a lovely dessert or a cookie to satiate that chocolate craving. I have always loved seeing the look on my friends’ faces when they bite into a delicious double brownie and ask, “How did you make this so good?”

Well my friends, I am finally going to share the secret behind that brown sugar icing that I have been hiding for all these years. I hope you all enjoy salivating over my delicious concoctions and decide to take the dive and make your own.

I’ll be sharing my current knowledge of baking, as well as what I learn along the way in this culinary adventure. If there is ever anything you have wondered about or want to see made, feel free to let me know and I’ll be sure to try and help you sin just as much as I do.