663229 Thu Oct 29 06:41:55 -0700 2009 19 31 Home Cooking 0 5139752 One of my child's teachers has been teasing/hinting very strongly about wanting the kids' dark chocolate from their trick-or-treat bags. We know he's just pulling the kids' legs, but I thought it would be nice if I could knock out some type of dark chocolate treat for him. If I had time I wouldn't mind tempering chocolate and doing a nice candy but right now my primary requirements include not being too time-intensive and not requiring me to buy many expensive ingredients. I have a well-stock pantry, especially when it comes to baking ingredients, so tossing something exotic my way isn't a problem. Also, my definition of not-too-complicated is very broad. I was thinking of something that might go Mexican-style, maybe include chili or smoked paprika, something along those lines. Dark chocolate is key, though. I don't especially care if it's Halloween-themed, either. And, of course, it needs to be transportable to school. Can anyone throw some fast ideas at me? TIA Thu Oct 29 06:41:55 -0700 2009 25244 rockycat 1 5139825 http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1575596&adsqs=raid:1648554 rockycat, these are super easy and delicious. You can make indiv servings in plastic cups or one large bowl version. If you have a concern about using a liquor, you can sub strong coffee. Thu Oct 29 07:09:30 -0700 2009 5139752 36312 HillJ 2 5140020 The flavors sound lovely and I have all the ingredients at home already. I'm not too sure about transfering the baked servings into disposable cups. Won't that mess them up? Thu Oct 29 08:16:40 -0700 2009 5139825 25244 rockycat 3 5140038 Yes, it does "crack" the baked seal so you may prefer a large baking dish instead. Thu Oct 29 08:23:16 -0700 2009 5140020 36312 HillJ 4 5141457 http://www.chow.com/recipes/18717 rockycat, on the CHOW side of this site, they offer an even faster version. and, here's another using cayenne pepper http://www.chow.com/recipes/11121 Thu Oct 29 16:13:56 -0700 2009 5140038 36312 HillJ 1 5139831 what a nice sentiment, but do you really want to make something out of hershey's fun size mr. goodbars? the quality of the chocolate most people hand out isn't worth cooking with, imho, sorry. does that make me a halloween scrooge? Thu Oct 29 07:13:19 -0700 2009 5139752 30273 hotoynoodle 2 5140008 No, I most certainly do not want to use trick or treat candy. What I have in the house is bulk Callebaut in varying degrees of bitterness. That was what I expected to use. I just want to make something nice and tasty in a relatively short amount of time. I certainly wouldn't be talking about tempering if I meant to use candy bars, Thu Oct 29 08:14:17 -0700 2009 5139831 25244 rockycat 3 5140023 phew, ok, sorry. truffles are a snap to make. Thu Oct 29 08:17:28 -0700 2009 5140008 30273 hotoynoodle 4 5140460 And I'm sorry if I sounded short or snippy. It was unintentional. Thu Oct 29 10:28:15 -0700 2009 5140023 25244 rockycat 1 5140011 Bark - easy and infinitely variable. One good version is with roasted almonds and chopped crystallized ginger. (can't send to nut-free school of course) I love chili in chocolate but a lot of people don't. Thu Oct 29 08:14:34 -0700 2009 5139752 242971 maple99 2 5147697 I took my own advice and made this so-called Aztec chocolate bark <http://elise.com/recipes/archives/006212aztec_chocolate_bark.php> with pumpkin seeds and chili powder - fabulous. Sun Nov 01 16:30:59 -0800 2009 5140011 242971 maple99 1 5140040 You can make ganache truffles w/ smoked paprika and roll in cocoa powder. Don't dip in chocolate so you don't have to temper. These Chow brownies are good, intense dark chocolate--instead of a tsp of espresso, I use a tsp of espresso powder. http://www.chow.com/recipes/10451 To make it more chocolatey, you could cover w/ good ganache. Thu Oct 29 08:23:34 -0700 2009 5139752 39874 chowser 2 5140941 Wow -- have you made the smoked paprika ones, chowser? How were they? Sounds very intriguing. Kind of the reverse of chocolate in chili -- a peppery flavor in chocolate. Thu Oct 29 13:02:01 -0700 2009 5140040 123744 karykat 3 5141235 I've used chili in chocolate but not specifically smoked paprika. I can't imagine it being substantially different from chipotle or other peppers that it wouldn't work. I had a chili dark chocolate ice cream that was so good. Sweet, spicy and cold with a dark richness from the chocolate. Thu Oct 29 14:43:32 -0700 2009 5140941 39874 chowser 4 5145971 I had that ice cream flavor in Bar Harbor, ME, it was excellent. Sat Oct 31 18:50:46 -0700 2009 5141235 133381 mcf 2 5142608 I've made very dense brownies before, cooked them in a bigger pan that called for so they are thin, and then topped w/ a thin later of ganache. Cut into very small peices. It looks so much more elegant that a hulking brownie, almost like a candy (especially if you top each peice w/ a garnache...choc covered espresso bean, citrus curl, etc.) Super easy and fast though. Fri Oct 30 07:34:38 -0700 2009 5140040 10471 danna 3 5142746 Good idea with the chocolate covered espresso beans. I'll try that next time. I've done bite sized pieces--and the best hint about cutting them from Dan and Steve (remember the old Food Network Star winners?) was to freeze them and then cut to bite sized pieces. Easy. Although, I've done them in mini-muffin tins and it's pretty w/ nice holders. Fri Oct 30 08:18:34 -0700 2009 5142608 39874 chowser 1 5142927 Peanut butter cups. You can spike with peanut butter with some chili or paprika if you'd like. Fri Oct 30 09:17:59 -0700 2009 5139752 11583 ipsedixit 1 5143189 Champurrado Chocolate Brownie Start with this recipe for Champurrado: 1/4 cup Masa Harina para Tamales (masa flour) 1-1/2 cup Water 1-1/2 cup Cream or HalfnHalf 3 oz Unsweetened chocolate 1/3 cup Brown sugar Cinnamon and powdered Chiles to taste When it gets all nice and dissolved, just keep adding more and more masa and stirring until you get a VERY stiff dough. Taste as you go and add a little brown sugar or additional spice if necessary. When the dough is really stiff, turn it out into a pan or mold, smooth it out and refrigerate to let it set up. Plate with a dollop of real whipped cream. Fri Oct 30 10:36:47 -0700 2009 5139752 225234 KiltedCook 1 5146932 A lot of great ideas. I ended up making this recipe from Epi http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mexican-Chocolate-Cake-109342 as cupcakes, using the reader suggestions concerning the cayenne, cinnamon, and vanilla. I also used the pecans to sprinkle on top of the glaze rather than mix into the glaze. I got a yield of 17 (?). They look and taste great. Could have used a touch more cayenne or maybe a little bit of ancho powder. However... the piggy flu hit our house this weekend and I have no idea if said teacher will be able to get his treats before they go stale. Oh well. More goodies for us. That is, if anyone feels like eating any time soon. Sun Nov 01 10:26:42 -0800 2009 5139752 25244 rockycat