Memorial Day and chocolate frozen custard

Chris and I love to go to Culvers for frozen custard.  I always choose the chocolate.  Sometimes with crushed oreos blended in, but most of the time just the pure creamy plain chocolate is all I want.  

I found a recipe very similar to Culvers.   It's delicious!    I made 3 kinds of ice-cream for Memorial day.

Chocolate, Strawberry-Banana, and vanilla.  Guess which one is all gone?   Yes the chocolate.  I wish I could go down and dish up a bowl from the freezer.    It's pure creamy goodness. 

Chocolate Frozen Custard
Ingredients:

5 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy cream, divided
3 Tbs cocoa powder 
1 cup milk (2% or whole)
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Place chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Prepare an ice bath in a bowl slightly larger than the bowl your chocolate is in.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup of cream and the cocoa powder over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a bowl and then reduce heat to medium. Let simmer for 30 seconds. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Stir in remaining 1 cup of cream. Place a mesh sieve over the bowl.

Using the same saucepan (no need to clean it out) warm the milk, sugar and salt. Place egg yolks in a medium bowl and slowly pour warm milk mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly. Immediately pour the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan. Use a spatula to move the mixture (making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan) while cooking over medium heat. Continue to stir until the mixture is thickened and reaches a temperature between 170-175F. Do not let it boil! Remove from heat and pour through the mesh sieve into the chocolate mixture. Immediately move the bowl into the ice bath and whisk until the mixture has cooled. I remove it from the ice bath once the temperature has come down to about 100F. Stir in vanilla and cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Once the mixture is chilled give it a stir and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instruction. For a soft-serve consistency, serve immediately. For a traditional ice cream consistency, freeze for several hours before serving

Chocolate Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening
1/2 c. real butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 12 ounce bag Guittard chocolate chips can also throw in some mini choc chips
 Candy Cane Kisses

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Meanwhile, combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

 Use cookie scoop and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake until just set, but centers are still soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 min.   Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss.  Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden.     Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Chocolate zucchini bread

Our dear neighbor Bro. Westerman loves to speak of the "Noxious Weed" known as Zucchini.  He really makes me laugh.
I just had to send him a loaf of my Chocolate Zucchini bread :)

The recipe is from the girls at Our Best Bites here:

Chocolate Zucchini Bread {makes 2 loaves}
Recipe by Our Best Bites

2 C flour
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C canola oil
1 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 C sour cream
3 C grated zucchini
3/4 C mini chocolate chips
optional: zest from one orange

Topping:
2 T brown sugar
2 T white sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside. I actually used one 8″ disposable pan to give away and a larger 9″ one for me and the batter divided perfectly. So you should get 2 very full 8″ pans or slightly less full 9″. Do one of each like I did!

Birthday Brownies

This is my favorite Fudge Brownie recipe - it's kind of fudge and kind of cake.

It's great to serve a crowd and I always make it for family birthday's with the cousins

 1 cup butter
   1/2 cup cocoa
   4 eggs
   2 cups sugar
   1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   1 1/2 cups flour
   1/2 teaspoon salt
 
   frosting:
   1/4 cup butter
   1/4 cup cocoa
   5 tablespoons milk
   3 cups powdered sugar

Melt 1 cup butter (or margarine) and stir in 1/2 cup cocoa. Cool. Beat eggs; gradually add sugar a little at a time. Add vanilla and chocolate mixture. Sift together the flour and salt and add to creamed mixture.  Pour into 9x13-inch greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 30 minutes, till wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Cool.
Make frosting by melting butter (or margarine) and stirring in cocoa. Add milk and beat in powdered sugar to spreading consistency. Pour and spread over cooled brownies. Frosting will become more firm as it cools. Cut into bars. Makes 2 dozen brownies.

I almost always 1 1/2 times the recipe and bake it in a large baking sheet.  :)

Eclair Cake

Here's the eclair cake I made for Ben's setting apart:

• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 3 cups milk
• 1 (16 ounce) package graham cracker squares
• 1 (16 ounce) package prepared chocolate frosting

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk.
2. Arrange a single layer of graham cracker squares in the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Top with another layer of crackers and the remaining pudding mixture. Top with a final layer of graham crackers.
3. Spread the frosting over the whole cake up to the edges of the pan. Cover, and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Fall Friday

It's the Friday before Thanksgiving - so since I know these favorite fall days of mine will soon be gone I made some yummy oatmeal cookies.  They were two-in-one.  After I made the cookie dough,
I divided it.  In one bowl I stirred in Guittard Chocolate Chips and Butterscotch Chips to make oatmeal Scotcheroos.
The other bowl I stirred in leftover fresh cranberries and white chocolate chips.  They turned out to be my favorite.  The tart cranberries with the sweet, white chocolate is just perfect for my tastebuds!

I got the recipe from Melanie over at My Kitchen Cafe

Classic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Printable Version

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 3/4 cups oatmeal
2 cups chocolate chips
Cream together the butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add Baking soda, powder, and salt and mix. Add flour, oatmeal and chocolate chips. Mix until combined. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

I also went to the Temple this morning and did initiatory and then I went to the hospital to visit Mom.  She is doing OK considering her difficult surgery on Tuesday. 

Kaitlyn is such a character!  This afternoon she has dressed up as "Savanna", a made-up neighbor girl and she is visiting us and charming us with her Southern Drawl Accent.  Brycen and Ty Geddes are playing right along ....   I asked Brycen who left their cookie on the counter and he said, "That's Savanna's"

Meet Savanna:

Yes That's grandma Lynne's old old wig....  and Chris' old pair of glasses

Chocolate Soup

Last night we went to Kelly and Bev's for dinner.  They asked me to bring hot fudge sauce, so I thought I would post the recipe here.  I got the recipe from Your Home Based Mom one of my fav blogs.
This is sooo good and chocolatey I really really could eat a bowl of this!


Mom’s Hot Fudge Sauce
2 C chocolate chips (your choice – dark, semi sweet or milk)
1 can  (1 1/3 C) evaporated milk
1/2 C butter
2 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Melt chips, butter, milk and powdered sugar.  Bring to a boil.  Cook for 4 minutes – stirring constantly.  Take off heat and allow to thicken.  Add vanilla

Chocoholic

Today I really tried to say NO chocolate.  But by 3 pm I gave in.  I saw a mix for chocolate crinkle cookies at Costco but I didn't buy since I knew I could make my own.


The recipe is easy:


1 box chocolate cake mix
1 egg
1/3 cup veg oil


Mix together.  Roll in balls and then roll each ball in powdered sugar.  Bake at 350 for about 9 minutes.

Fall Recess

All 5 kids are out for Fall Recess so today was the perfect day to make my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread.
This is my ultimate fall recipe when the days are perfectly autumn.

I like to use mini chocolate chips because it makes the pumpkin bread sooo chocolately.

I use the Lion House Pumpkin Bread recipe and the secret is adding a box a instant vanilla pudding

I use the chocolate chips instead of the nuts.

1 1/3 cups vegetable oil

5 eggs

1 16-ounce can pumpkins

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 3-ounce packages instant vanilla pudding

1 cup walnuts chopped


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix oil, eggs, and pumpkin in mixing bowl and beat well. Sift together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix till blended. Stir in pudding mix (regular or instant) and nuts. Pour into greased large loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour. Makes 2 loaves.

Brycen and Ty love it!

Chris took Kaitlyn to work with him today.  He spoiled her by taking her to the Lion House Pantry for lunch she had salmon and he had prime rib!   They also went over to Temple Square