Chocolate Macaroon Brownies

    Well, here we are.....the last day of February and the last chocolate dessert recipe (for now).  To end the month I had to give you something intensely chocolatey and decadent.  These brownies are exactly that!  The brownie and frosting are VERY CHOCOLATEY and the filling is RICH and COCONUTTY!!  If you like Mounds bars, you'll love these!

Chocolate Anise Biscotti

    Well, I'm moving right along here in this month of chocolate desserts.  Today is Dessert #6!  One week left to indulge my chocolate cravings.........then, back to that wonderful place called balance and moderation, and I don't think it will come a moment too soon!  (Feelin' a little chubby today)

    But, for now........for one more week.......I'll do my best to bring you delicious chocolate goodies.  And these biscotti fit the bill.  They have just the right amount of crunch and I absolutely love the anise flavor in combination with the chocolate!  (Actually, I love the flavor of anise, period!)  If you're unfamiliar with anise/aniseed, it's a flowering plant that comes from the eastern Mediterranean region and also from southwest Asia.  Its flavor is similar to fennel (LOVE!!!) or liquorice.  If you've never tried it, this is the time!

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate-Peanut Butter Frosting

    O.K. friends......the object of this post is not to share a complicated or extravagant recipe with you, but instead, to share a very simple, yet delicious cake that has always been one of my family's favorite birthday cakes.....nothing fancy, just plain chocolate and peanut butter deliciousness!  By now, I'm sure you know how popular that combo is around here!
    I found this recipe on the back of a Hershey's cocoa tin years ago, tweaked the frosting a bit, and have been making it ever since.  Our next to the youngest son, Brady, turned 15 today (I really can't believe it!!).  And, although there are plenty of other cakes I could make for such an occasion, this is the one he wanted.  So.....this is the one he got!  And, I have to say, simple as it was, it was yummy!

Chocolate Raspberry Truffles for Valentine's Day!

    So, it's Valentine's Day....the "day of LOVE" !  What could be better to share with your sweetie than some delicious and decadent chocolate truffles?  Pure chocolate goodness rolled into little balls and dipped in more chocolate!   And these are so easy to make!  You only need three ingredients!  THREE!  (Well, four , if you count the second kind of chocolate.) You just need a little bit of time to let the chocolate set up.....then they're ready to wrap up for a nice little gift for the kids or a friend or, like I mentioned, to share with your "special someone".

Fudge Brownie Marble Sundae Cheesecake

    Hello again to all you chocolate lovers!  Here's February's chocolate dessert #3! 

    Since yesterday was my birthday, I wanted to share some of the celebration with all of you.  I don't usually bake myself a birthday cake, but I thought, since I'd promised chocolate desserts this month, I would make something special that I could share.

    This is really like having two desserts in one......a dense, chocolate brownie layer on the bottom and a chocolate-swirled cheesecake layer on the top.......a fun dessert for a birthday party, I think.  This is a recipe I put together years ago when I had a small cheesecake business in New York.  The brownie crust is a slightly adapted recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Cookies Cookbook and the cheesecake part is just a basic cheesecake filling with some chocolate, melted and swirled through.

Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Cookies

    O.K., here's February's Chocolate Dessert #2.  Peanut butter and chocolate....a classic combination, and one of my family's favorites.  These cookies are really quick and easy to make and very rich!  They're a great alternative to a cake for a child's birthday party.  Just stack them up attractively on a cake plate, put the appropriate number of candles in some of the tops, and there you go!  Each child gets his own individual dessert!  No cake cutting, no kids complaining that someone else got a bigger piece; you don't even need forks!  These are also a fun treat to pop into a lunchbox (for the kids or the hubby), and a great, quick dessert to make for any get-together. THEY'RE JUST FUN!!    

Groundhog Cake for Groundhog Day!!

    Happy Groundhog Day everyone!  I guess old Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow so, according to this "expert", we can look forward to an early spring.  Well, that remains to be seen.  For now, let's just celebrate with a nice piece of cake! 
    First of all, let me say that I have absolutely no idea why this cake is called "Groundhog Cake".  I came across the recipe years ago on the Food Network.  The original recipe was a loaf cake, baked in a 9x13" pan.  I decided I wanted to make it a little more special, so I baked it as a layer cake and added some chocolate ganache underneath the espresso frosting.  The cake has a bit of a chewy texture from oatmeal that's baked in the batter.  And the espresso frosting, well....what can I say.  It's the same frosting I use on my Italian Espresso, Chocolate, and Cinnamon Brownies.  FANTASTIC!!!  It tastes like espresso fudge!!
So, friends, here's the first chocolate dessert for February.  ENJOY!!

February......It's such a "SWEET" month !!!

    Wow guys, do you believe it's February already?  Now the days will start to get longer.....YAY!.....and before you know it, we'll start to see signs of spring!  ( I might be pushin' it a little.)  Now, don't get me wrong....I've loved some of the blustery, snowy days we've had recently.  It reminds me of home!  Actually, this is nothin' compared to what we used to get in upstate N.Y.  The lake effect snow from Lake Ontario could really pack a punch!!  But, honestly, I liked that it made everything sort of slow down a bit.  I liked that you saw all your neighbors outside, doing the same thing........shoveling themselves out!  We're talking 5-6' snowbanks folks!!  But it gave everyone an excuse, if they needed one, to stay inside, all cozy and warm, and relax with their family (after the shoveling was done, of course).
   
    O.K., enough of my reminiscing; on to my plans for February.  This is quite a special and celebratory month, at least at my house.  You may not get too excited about the presidents' birthdays, but since I happen to share mine with old Abe Lincoln, the 12th is kind of special to me.  My next to youngest son, Brady, was born on the 17th, so obviously that demands a celebration.  And, let's not forget the 14th...... Valentine's Day..... the day of LOVE!!

    As I thought about this month and all of its "specialness", I thought....how could my posts this month express that "specialness"?  How could they express the celebration and love that's in the air?  Well, how about a month of DESSERTS? And since, as I've mentioned in a previous post, I have a deep and long-standing relationship with chocolate, how about all chocolate desserts?  Makes perfect sense to me!  I mean, what's one of the best ways you can celebrate a birthday.....yours or someone else's?.....eat Chocolate.  And ....Valentine's Day?.....well, it goes without saying......eat Chocolate!  So, that settles it!  In all of February's posts I will share Chocolate Dessert Recipes.  ( I'm getting excited just thinking about it! )  I hope you'll be stopping by to share in the celebration and get in on the goodies.  I'll do my best to mix it up a bit....cake, cookies, candy,etc. 

    Well, I'm gonna run now.  I'll leave you to imagine all the chocolatey goodness that's coming.  As for me......I've got to figure out how to step up the old work-out routine over the next few weeks!  See you soon!