Oatmeal (Walnut) Cocoa Nib Cookies

{recipe from Joy the Baker}

Oatmeal Walnut Cocoa Nib Cookies

makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional—I didn't use them because my family doesn't like them, but I'm sure they would be great)

1/2 cup cocoa nibs*

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, add butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat in eggs. Add eggs one at a time, beating for one minute on medium speed between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture all at once to the butter and egg mixture. Beat on low speed until the mixture just comes together. It's okay if all of the flour isn't completely mixed in.

Add the oats, walnuts, cocoa nibs, and chocolate chips. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to finish incorporating the mixture by hand. Mix together until no flour bits remain, and everything is well mixed together.

Scoop dough out by the tablespoonful onto baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat (I always use silpat for cookies.) (I got a cookie scoop for Christmas and I love it! Uniform cookie size.) Bake for 10 to 13 minutes until toasted brown on top. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Cocoa nibs are bits of crushed cocoa beans and they are fabulous! They taste vaguely of dark chocolate and provide the perfect crunch in these cookies. I bought mine in France, but apparently you can buy them on amazon or maybe even in your grocery store. Well worth it—they totally make these cookies.

Double Chocolate Raisin and Chip Cookies

My family doesn' t like the raisins, so I usually make them without. I love them with raisins, though. These make wonderful ice cream sandwiches!

1 stick butter, at room temperature
1/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa, preferably Dutch-process
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. raisins (you may omit or substitute nuts if you wish)

Cream butter and shortening together until soft and completely mixed. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time and add vanilla.

Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Mix with creamed mixture, then stir in chocolate chips and raisins or nuts, if using. Wrap dough and chill thoroughly, preferably for 3 hours or longer.

Preheat oven to 350º. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam. (I just use Silpat.)

Make 1" balls of chilled dough and place them about 3" apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each to about 2" in diameter using the heel of the hand or a rubber spatula dipped in sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies have puffed and then subsided to make a crackled surface and are just semifirm in the center. Do not overbake.

Slide the foil onto a wire rack and cool the cookies completely.

*From the Mrs. Witty's Monster Cookies cookbook.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

(I swiped this recipe from my friend Kelly's blog. Her blog is private, so I couldn't really link to it. I think it originally came from Smitten Kitchen. It's Marc's new favorite cake.)

Kelly's notes:

Here's a few of my personal notes on the cake (I know you really wanted to know.). 1. I did not use any peanut brittle. To me, that's just asking for someone to break a tooth. 2. The chocolate cake is a very unique construction, but it is great. I will use this chocolate cake recipe for any chocolate cake I make in the future. 3. The cake is extremely soft. After it was cool, I wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer until the moment I was ready to frost it, and I didn't have any trouble with crumbs. If you try to frost the cake without freezing it, I think you will be in tears. (I second that!!) 4. I kept it in the fridge, and that made it much easier to slice neatly.

This cake is incredibly rich and intense. Go easy on your pancreas. I would say you could easily feed 24 people with one cake. (I'm going to go with 18.)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle (I skipped this)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely. (Deb note: These cakes are very, very soft. I found them a lot easier to work with after firming them up in the freezer for 30 minutes. They’ll defrost quickly once assembled. You’ll be glad you did this, trust me.)

4. To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. (Deb note 1: Making a crumb coat of frosting–a thin layer that binds the dark crumbs to the cake so they don’t show up in the final outer frosting layer–is a great idea for this cake, or any with a dark cake and lighter-colored frosting. Once you “mask” your cake, let it chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm, then use the remainder of the frosting to create a smooth final coating. Deb note 2: Once the cake is fully frosting, it helps to chill it again and let it firm up. The cooler and more set the peanut butter frosting is, the better drip effect you’ll get from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze.)

5. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving. Decorate the top with chopped peanut brittle.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 5 cups

10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half

1. In the top of d double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

Best Fudge Cake

sadly, this is the best photo I got...

Denise calls this the Giant Ding Dong cake, much to Grandma's chagrin.
It's pretty much a showstopper.

3 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2  cup soft butter or margarine
2 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup sour cream
1 cup boiling water

1. Melt chocolate in small saucepan over very low heat

2. grease well and flour three 9X 1 1/2"  pans (I spray with
Pam, set a circle of waxed paper in the pan, and spray again with Pam)

3. Beat butter until smooth in large bowl with electric mixer.
   Add sugar and eggs; beat on high speed until light and fluffy,
   about 5 minutes.

4.  Beat in vanilla and chocolate with mixer on low speed, then add
baking soda and salt.   Add flour alternately with sour cream,
    beating in low speed until smooth.  Pour in boiling water;
stir with a spoon until well blended.  Pour into prepared pans.

5.  Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 30 - 35 minutes or
until center springs back when touched lightly with fingertip.
    Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.  Remove from pans;
cool completely.

6.  Split each layer with long serrated knife into 2 layers;
fill with sweetened whipped cream.  Frost with ganache.
      
Note:   Batter will be thin and makes thick layers.

** Quite often, I don't bother to sift the flour. This time I measured
the cake flour, sifted it, then measured again. There was almost
1/2 c. left over. The cake was wonderfully moist. I guess I'll
be sifting from now on.


Filling:

6-8 oz. softened cream cheese
2 c. whipping cream
sugar
vanilla

Whip cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add whipping cream
and continue beating until desired stiffness. Add vanilla and
sweeten to taste.  (I used 6 oz. cream cheese because I wanted it to
taste more whipped cream-y and less cheesecake-y.)


Ganache:

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. whipping cream
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 bar German sweet chocolate
a few grains of salt

(I used a 4 oz. bar of bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate.
Use what you like, for a total of 4 oz.)

Stir together sugar, salt and 1/4 c. cream in a small saucepan.
Cook over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Add chocolate
and stir constantly until dissolved. Add remaining cream. 

Ganache will be quite thin, and will thicken as it cools.
When completely cool, pour over the cake and smooth on the sides.
Refrigerate cake until serving.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

I decided to try a new way of using up over-ripe bananas this week because I had a LOT. (Thanks, Jill!) I found the recipe here and it was a huge hit with my family -- it's rich and delicious.

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 3)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa (I prefer dutch process)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray bottom of 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. Beat sugar, eggs, and oil in large bowl at medium speed until combined. Beat in banana and vanilla at low speed. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; beat into banana mixture at low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

3 Spoon batter into pan. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

p.s. I made a double batch and found that there was too much batter for my 2 8x4" loaf pans. Next time I'll try a 9".

Suzy's Mud Cookies

This is a bit of a funny recipe, but I made them with no problem. The hit of girls' camp!

1 1/2 + 6 T. butter
1 c. + 2 T. cocoa
3 c. brown sugar
1 T. vanilla
3 eggs
4 1/2 - 6 c. flour, as needed
1/2 - 1 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. salt

Melt butter and cocoa together in microwave. Stir to fully incorporate. Add brown sugar and mix. Add vanilla and eggs and mix.

Add 2 c. flour and mix. Add 1/2 c. buttermilk and mix. Add 2 c. more of flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add more flour as needed -- the consistency should be slightly less thick than playdough. (it should cling to a spoon or fall off in a clump)

Drop by tablespoons and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should have a cracked surface.

*Bake 2 or 3 cookies as a test batch -- if they are too flat, add more flour. If too puffy, add more buttermilk.

Cool and frost with:

4 c. powdered sugar
6 T. butter
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/4-1/2 c. milk

Makes a lot.

Hot Fudge Sauce

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 T. butter
1/2 t. vanilla
dash of salt

Stir all ingredients together and melt over hot water (double boiler). Thin with a little hot water if necessary.

Baker's One Bowl Brownies

I almost caused a rift in the family by breaking with the family brownie recipe and claiming the Baker's recipe as my standby. What can I say? I prefer fudgy brownies to cakey ones. Besides, you can make these with only a bowl and a fork!

4 squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 c. flour

Preheat oven to 350. Melt chocolate and butter together in a large microwaveable bowl on high for 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir sugar into chocolate mixture until well blended. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour until well blended. Spread batter in a 9”x13” pan lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out with fudgy crumbs. Do not overbake. Cool in pan. Makes 24 brownies.

(Several variations found inside Baker’s Unsweetened Choc. box. We particularly enjoy the variation with peanut butter swirled in.)

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

I'm going out on a limb and declaring these my favorite cookies.

1 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 c. butter, room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. oatmeal
1 c. dried cherries, optional (this makes it for me, and is a deal-breaker for the rest of my family)
1 c. semisweet chocolate chunks (or chips)
1 c. toffee pieces

Sift together flour & baking soda and set aside. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg & vanilla; mix well. Add the sifted flour in additions on low speed until well combined. Stir in oatmeal, cherries if desired, chocolate and toffee pieces and mix to combine.

Dough can be frozen in logs, chilled for 1-2 days, or baked immediately. Bake on parchment paper at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

From Martha Stewart.

Brownie Pudding

{I found this recipe in one of those funny old ward cookbooks.}

1 c. flour
2 T. cocoa
1/2 c. chocolate chips
2 t. baking powder
2 T. oil
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional
1/2 t. salt
water

Mix all ingredients until smooth; then add just enough water to make a thick batter. Spread into an 8x8 pan.

Then mix 3/4 c. brown sugar and 1/4 c. cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture on top of batter.

Pour 1 3/4 c. hot water over top of this.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. It will make a brownie top with warm chocolate pudding underneath. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Denver Sheet Cake

{also known as Texas Sheet Cake in some circles!}

2 1/3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 c. butter
1 1/4 c. water
4 T. cocoa
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla

Mix flour, sugar and soda in a bowl. Bring butter, water and cocoa to a boil in saucepan. Pour over dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Frosting:
1/2 c. butter
4 T. cocoa
6 T. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

To make frosting, heat butter, cocoa and buttermilk to a boil. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla, sugar, and nuts, if desired.

Note: A delicious, moist, chocolate cake. Cake freezes well. Serve with ice cream!

Charmaine's Ultimate Fudge

1 1/2 c. light corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 1/4 c. sugar

Put above ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pan and heat to dissolve sugar. Cook to soft ball stage (240 degrees) and remove from heat.

Combine:

2 small packages of chocolate chips
1 t. vanilla
16 oz. walnuts
1/2 stick butter
1 pt. Marshmallow topping
large Hershey bar with almonds

Pour hot mixture over above ingredients and stir well to mix and melt chocolates. Pour mixture into a greased jelly roll pan and allow to cool. Cut into squares. Makes a hefty batch of pure bliss.

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

{My grandmother invented this, which amazes me to no end. I don't invent recipes. You can't serve this to people without being asked for the recipe.}

1 angel food cake mix
Reserve 2 T. mix and replace with 2 T. cocoa

Follow instructions for cake. (must be made a night in advance)

Frosting:

Melt together 40 large marshmallows
1/2 c. milk
10 oz. giant Hershey bar w/almonds (or without, to taste)

Cool to room temperature, then fold in 1/2 pint of heavy cream, whipped.

Slice cake into three layers. Frost in between layers and around outside of cake. Chill several hours before serving. (Also may be frozen at this point.)

Jess's (now Marc's) Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter
2-3 T. peanut butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. chocolate chips
vanilla

Cream butter, peanut butter and brown sugar. Mix in vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients and add chocolate chips.

Press dough into balls. Bake at 375 for 10-11 minutes. Allow to rest for a few minutes on cookie sheet.

These have an unusual, crumbly texture, and are a definite family favorite around here.

Makes 1 dozen large cookies.

Double Chocolate Chews

1 ¾ cup Flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 ¼ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 c semisweet chocolate chips, divided
3 tbs vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 ½ tbs light corn syrup
1 tbs water
2 ½ tsp vanilla
3 large egg whites, beaten

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, powdered sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt and set aside. Melt ¾ cup chocolate chips and oil in a sauce pan over low heat until melted. Pour melted chocolate into mixing bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Add brown sugar, syrup, water, vanilla and egg whites to chocolate and stir well. Add flour mixture and remaining chocolate chips.

Space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 7-8 minutes or until just set. Cool on pans 2 minutes then transfer to wire cooling racks.

1 point!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 stick of butter, melted
3 very ripe bananas
1 egg
1/4 c. milk

1 1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. chocolate chips

Melt butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Mash bananas with butter. Add egg and milk and stir well.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add banana mixture and stir just until mixed. Stir in chocolate chips, and spoon batter into a muffin tin.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 12 muffins.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

This recipe is from Ann Hodgman's Beat This! cookbook. I just can't say enough good things about her cookbooks. Or this cake.

1/2 c. water
1 1/3 c. sugar
8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
1 c. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and brought to room temperature
6 large eggs, at room temperature
whipped cream for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9" round cake pan and line it with a round of parchment or waxed paper to fit.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the water with 1 c. of the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Boil it for 4 minutes, or until a candy thermometer reads 220 degrees. Take the pan off the heat and immediately add the chocolate pieces, stirring until they are melted and smooth. If the mixture stiffens, don't worry; it will loosen up again when you add the butter. Add the butter immediately, bit by bit, stirring until all of it is used.

Place the eggs and the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes are up, turn the mixer down to low. Add the chocolate mixture, stirring only until it is fully incorporated. Do not overbeat, or air bubbles will form.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Set the pan in a slightly larger baking pan and pour hot water all around it. Do not allow the sides of the pans to touch. Place the cake in the oven and bake it for 25 minutes. Insert the sharp point of a knife into the center of the cake; it if comes out clean, the cake is done. If it does not come out clean, continue to bake for up to 10 minutes. Don't bake the cake for longer than 35 minutes.

Remove the pan from the water bath and immediately unmold it onto a cookie sheet. Remove the parchment or waxed paper. Invert a serving plate over the cake and turn it right side up onto the serving plate. Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature. Whipped cream is mandatory.

{That last step was the tricky part for me. I wasn't careful enough about inverting the cake, and it kind of went splat on the cookie sheet. Max called it Chocolate Splat, but it was still very delicious! The recipe says it serves 6-8, but it is extremely rich, so I would say that is a conservative estimate.}

Mousse au Chocolat

200g good quality semisweet baking chocolate (preferably imported)
6 very fresh eggs
Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)

Melt the chocolate in the microwave with 4 T. water (or Grand Marnier) for about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove chocolate from microwave and stir until completely melted. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.


Separate the eggs; beat the whites with a dash of salt until stiff peaks form.

Whisk the egg yolks into the melted chocolate.


Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Carefully fold in remaining egg whites. Chill for 3 or more hours.


I like to serve it with fancy cookies, but you could also add a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves 6.

Cream Pie

(Just so you know, I had never made just a plain vanilla one before Jill requested it. I usually pour the custard over sliced bananas or mix in shredded coconut, but to each his own!)

mix in a medium saucepan:
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
rounded 1/3 c. flour

whisk in:
3 c. milk (whole is delicious here)

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil. Boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and pour about 1/3 of the mixture into a heatproof bowl with 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten. (I use the Pyrex measuring cup that I used to measure the milk.) You must whisk the egg yolks the whole time you are pouring in the hot mixture.

Immediately pour the egg mixture back into the pan and return to a boil (this will be very fast). Cook for 1 additional minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 4 T. butter and 1 1/2 t. vanilla.

Prepare an ice bath. I plug up one side of my sink and put in lots of ice cubes and about 3 inches of cold water. Place the hot pan in the ice bath. (This cools the custard down more quickly.) Stir every 5 minutes or so to prevent a skin from forming on the custard. When it has reached room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

**To make a delicious chocolate cream pie, increase the sugar to 1 1/2 c., the flour to a rounded 1/2 c., and add 1 1/2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate when you add the milk.**

To assemble the pie, pre-bake a pie crust, let cool, and pour in the chilled custard. Top with a generous amount of whipped cream. Sprinkle with toasted coconut for coconut cream pie, chocolate shavings for chocolate pie. I have tried a lot of different pie crusts, but, truth be told, I am not a crust connoisseur. For me, the crust is just a vehicle for the filling. Lately, I have been using this recipe from the old Betty Crocker cookbook.

For a 9" pie crust:

Mix together 1 c. sifted flour, 1/2 t. salt. Cut in 1/3 c. shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with 2 T. ice water and quickly mix with fingertips. (You don't want to handle the dough too much or it will not be tender and flaky.) Gather the dough together and press firmly into a ball. Roll out into a circle about 1" larger than your pan. Fit pastry loosely into the pan -- avoid stretching to prevent shrinking. Crimp the edges and prick all over with a fork. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pie
Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
2 cups crushed chocolate cookies (Graham crackers, oreos or chocolate wafers)
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon peanut butter, in all
4 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts (do not omit! unless you don't like a crunchy texture)
2 3/4 cup heavy cream, in all
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine the cookie crust with 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter. Combine the mixture thoroughly and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes.

In an electric mixer with a whip attachment, whip the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the remaining 1 cup peanut butter, milk and nuts and whip for 1 minute. Turn the peanut butter mixture into a mixing bowl. Whip 2 cups of the heavy cream and fold into the peanut butter mixture. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and refrigerate for 2 hours or until the pie is set.

In a sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the chocolate with the remaining cream, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from the heat and cool for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove the pie from the springform pan and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pour the chocolate topping over the pie, covering the top and sides completely. Refrigerate the pie for 2 hours or until the chocolate coating is set. (I often leave the pie in the springform pan and just pour the chocolate on top.)