Tag Archives: chocolate

Squamish Bars

Squamish is a community on the Pacific coast of Canada, just north of Vancouver, British Columbia, not far from the place of my birth. It is known as the “Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada.”  What’s there to do in Squamish? Hike, climb rocks, watch the bald eagles and other wildlife, go kayaking, and simply enjoy the incredible coastal landscapes.

Squamish bars are a variation on Nanaimo Bars, named after another west coast community.

  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup Rice Crispies cereal
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup Cornflakes cereal
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
  • 2 cups icing sugar
  • 2 T light cream
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1-1/2 t vanilla
  • 3 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
  • 1 T butter

In a large pot over low heat, beat peanut butter, sugar, and corn syrup until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in cereals. Press into a lightly oiled square pan and let cool.

In a bowl, beat icing sugar and butter; beat in cream and vanilla. Spread over cereal base and chill for 1/2 hr.

In double boiler over hot water, melt chocolate and butter. Let cool and spread evenly over filling.

Chill for 20 minutes. Cut into squares. May freeze.

Turtle-Shaped Chocolates

These homemade chocolate candies are modeled after DeMet’s (formerly Johnston Candy Co.) Turtles® brand chocolates, which were candies fashioned into turtle shapes by combining pecans halves, caramel, and chocolate into the appropriate shape.

Here’s a recipe to which you can apply your artistic turtle-making abilities. Good luck.

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 6 oz. pecan halves
  • 2 bars (4 oz. each) German chocolate

Line an 8×8″ pan with foil. Butter lightly. In pot, combine all ingredients except vanilla, nuts, and chocolate. Cook, stirring with wooden spoon, over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking to firm ball stage (244ºF).

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Turn into pan; let cool 30 minutes. With sharp knife, cut into 26 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball; place on buttered cookie sheet 1/2″ apart.

Press 5 pecan pieces into each side to form head and feet. Melt chocolate in double boiler. Spoon 1 t melted chocolate over each caramel. Refrigerate to set chocolate.

Loretta’s Chocolate Cake

Who doesn’t like chocolate cake? Loretta’s rich, dark, moist version has always been very much in demand in our family.

Ingredients for Loretta’s Chocolate Cake

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 4 squares shaved chocolate, unsweetened
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 2 beaten eggs

Preparing Loretta’s Chocolate Cake

For cake: Combine flour and sugar. Boil together the butter, shaved chocolate, and water. Pour over flour. Mix buttermilk, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, and eggs. Add to flour mixture and combine well. Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

For icing:

  • 3 squares chocolate, unsweetened
  • 3-6 T milk
  • 1 stick margarine
  • 1 box powdered sugar
  • 1 t vanilla

Boil together the chocolate, milk, margarine, and icing sugar. Spread over cooled cake.


 

Quick Chocolate Fudge

I remember watching my oldest sister making fudge; I was always waiting for some chocolate-encrusted utensil or bowl to come my way for “cleanup”…

Ingredients for Quick Chocolate Fudge

  • 1 egg, well beaten
  • 1 T cream
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1/4 t salt
  • 1 lb powdered sugar
  • 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
  • 1 T butter
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation for Quick Chocolate Fudge

Mix the egg, cream, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar together. Melt the chocolate with the butter. Add to the first mixture. Stir in the nuts and spread in a buttered pan. Cut into squares.

fudge

Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo is a city on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada. It touts itself as the city so beautiful that it’s all right to stare.

The Nanaimo bar, said to be the product of local culinary ingenuity, is a no-bake chocolate-based bar that bridges the gap between a cookie and candy. Nanaimo bars are a typically Canadian dessert and incredibly decadent.  You can read about the possible origin of Nanaimo bars at Wikipedia: Nanaimo Bar.

  • 3/4 cups butter
  • 10 T cocoa
  • 2 cups coconut, unsweetened
  • 1/2 to 1 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 10 T sugar
  • 4 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 t vanilla

For custard layer:

  • 5 T butter
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 pkg. instant vanilla custard or pudding powder
  • 2 cups icing sugar

For chocolate topping

  • 5 squares semi-sweet chocolate

Melt butter and add cocoa powder. Beat eggs with sugar, add cocoa butter mix, vanilla, coconut, walnuts, and cracker crumbs. Press into bottom of greased pans.

Mix vanilla custard powder with 1/4 cup milk, 2 cups icing sugar, and 5 T butter to make a pasty thick custard. Spread on top of graham cracker base.

Melt semi-sweet chocolate squares and spread evenly on top.

Servings:  two 8×8″ pans


For vegans, here’s a vegan version of the Nanaimo bar:  http://about.spud.com/blog-nanaimo-bars/

Nanaimo, B.C., Canada: Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo, B.C., Canada

Bakeless Fudge Cookies

These easy-to-make chocolate and oats treats were always a great favorite in our household while growing up.

Ingredients for Bakeless Fudge Cookies

Bakeless fudge cookies
The bakeless fudge cookie monster. Kati’s, perhaps.
  • 6 T cocoa
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cups butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • salt
  • 3-4 cups rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 1 t vanilla

Combine cocoa, milk, butter, sugar and salt together in pot and bring to boil. Remove from heat and add oats, walnuts and vanilla. Stir well. Drop onto waxed paper and cool.

 

 

Loretta’s Hazelnut Torte

A rich torte of hazelnuts (filberts) combined with chocolate that uses almost no flour.  A Loretta specialty.

  • 1 cups hazelnuts
  • 1/3 cups dry crumbs
  • 1 T flour
  • 1 square shaved chocolate, unsweetened
  • 6 egg white
  • pinch cream of tartar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 6 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Toast and grind the hazelnuts. Add crumbs, flour,  and shaved chocolate. Beat egg whites stiff with cream of tartar. Add 1/2 cups sugar slowly. Beat yolks and whole egg with the other 1/2 cup sugar. Add to nut mixture. Fold carefully into whites.

Turn into a greased torte pan and bake at 300 F until firm.

hazelnuts filberts

Dobosh Torte

Our Hungarian relatives made this dessert for me on my twelfth birthday, and I will never forget the layers upon layers of cake interspersed with the creamy chocolate filling.

  • 7 or 8 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Cream egg yolks with sugar until fluffy. Add flour gradually with the vanilla. Fold in stiffly beaten whites. Grease a cookie sheet and lines with greased wax paper. Pour dough on sheet and bake about 15 to 20 minutes at 350ºF. When done, turn out onto a towel sprinkled with sugar. Peel paper from the cake. Let cool, then cut into four equal oblong slices, then again to make 8 layers.

For Filling:

  • 1 stick butter
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 pkg. chocolate bits, melted
  • 1 whole egg
  • Vanilla
  • Whipping cream

Cream sugar and butter until smooth. Add chocolate, egg and a few drops of vanilla. While beating, add the whipping cream slowly until the mixture is the right consistency for filling and spreading.

Spread thinly between the layers and on the outside of the torte.