We Should Cocoa - Spicy Chili Chocolate Cookies

This batch of cookies will last a nanosecond, once Silent Bob gets winds of their smell. They're full of dark chocolate and cayenne pepper and they deliver a hot kick when you've swallowed a bite - that warm chili-spice heat that stays with you until you swallow some milk.

Random Recipe and We Should Cocoa - Chocolate Rugelach

Soft and lighter than air with a dark chocolate crumbly filling, and a shiny sugar glaze  ... mmmmm!

SB needed a special something to take to a potluck dinner that he is attending this evening for his tree-hugger group. Wendy, the director of the home office requested something with chocolate. How fortuitous! Dom has told us that this month's Random Recipes is having a sweet collision with Choclette of We Should Cocoa. Sometimes the stars align.

Makin' Cake ... We Should Cocoa

I was looking back at past posts and realized that it has been an age since I made a cake. A chocolate cake - a cake that is so rich and gooey and crumbly that it makes you tremble with the initial sugar hit and puts your teeth on edge (in a good way). I realized that this chocolate cake deficit must be rectified almost immediately.

We Should Cocoa - Mango Chocolate Mousse

It couldn't get any easier than this ... a blender mousse that's healthier than the traditional version! What's not to love? I happened upon this recipe when I was searching for chocolate pudding recipes ages ago ... it has lingered on my 'favorites' bar for weeks. I found another chocolate pudding recipe for a pie that I needed to make, but this mango chocolate concoction sat patiently waiting. The chocolate cream pie has come and gone, but I still yearn for a small bowl of creamy custard goodness now and then!

Honey and Chocolate - A Sweet Combination!

Image by Brad Smith 

I recently was looking around the Web for a chocolate/honey combination recipe for this month's We Should Cocoa challenge and found this interesting article about honeybees and honey production. It explains how we, as consumers, can support local honeybees and beekeepers. I know the article is published by a British agricultural site, but the tips and information given are good for any and all, world-wide. Our bee populations are in trouble and the more we do to support local beekeepers, organic farming methods, and safe recycling methods, the more robust our local bee populations will be. Just a thought ...

Our neighbors have begun caring for bee colonies. Last year, they had two active hives and we noticed the increase in honeybees in our flower and vegetable gardens. They are so welcome!  I can't wait to see how their hives wintered and have started looking for the first bees to show up. This past week, I noticed the pussywillows beginning to put out their catkins and our crocus are finally beginning to blossom. The bees will be buzzing soon enough! Can't wait for warmer weather and the beginning of gardening season!

As for this recipe, I was intrigued to use honey in a chocolate 'block' recipe because I have several loved ones who are trying to cut processed sugar out of their diets, but still wish for sweet treats sometimes. The thought of being able to pass on an acceptable way of having a chocolate treat or glass of hot cocoa would be a nice kick. So here, I go! I am starting by making a small amount of this chocolate and will use it in another recipe ... this is an easy recipe, but it required more honey for my taste buds. I got it from Shannon over at Nourishing Days.  Her recipe creates very close to 120 grams of a soft chocolate paste.

Fame and Chocolate - A Heady Combination

This month's 'We Should Cocoa' could go a million ways ... what's the first thing you think of when someone says the word 'chocolate'? For this person, it becomes a link to chocolate chip cookies. I wonder why that is?  Whatever the reason, chocolate chip cookies are surely a favorite chocolate fix for many a chocolate hound. The recipe goes together fast, and the different varieties of chocolate chip cookies have only increased over the years, as different types of chocolate have been transformed to 'chips' by manufacturers like Nestle and Ghiaradelli.

Chocolate-Ginger Sandwiches with Apple-Ginger Cream Filling

Let's get this right out of the way straight up! I would never have thought to play around with the amounts of ginger and chocolate that I have today, had I not become drawn into the monthly chocolate extravaganza called 'We Should Cocoa'. This month, Jen over at Blue Kitchen Bakes is hosting and she likes the ginger/ chocolate connection! Who knew that putzing about with a favorite recipe and digging about on the Internet would make for such a happy accident as these little sandwich cookies?

Thanksgiving Breakfast - Coffee and Chocolate Kugelhopf

This month's We Should Cocoa almost brought a tear to my eye - a joyful tear, for what better combination could there be than bread and chocolate? Bread AND chocolate!

We Should Cocoa ... Pumpkin Eclairs!

These little devils have been on my culinary bucket list for a good while ! Eclairs are one of Silent Bob's favorite pastries. We oogle them whenever we go into a bakery of note and I always tell him that  I will learn how to make them for him! I'm so glad I screwed up my courage and tackled them! They weren't perfect - there was a bit too much salt in the choux and the eclair shells didn't stay as puffed as I would have liked, but they were fantastic for a beginner eclair maker ... me!

Triple Chocolate Cherry Biscotti

Perfect cookies for dunking in a good strong cup of coffee



My friend Brenda from over at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen made biscotti this past week and I have not been able to get those beautiful crunchy biscuits off my mind. To boot, this month's 'We Should Cocoa' challenge has been playing with my imagination. The challenge is chocolate and cherries and as the image of biscotti stewed around abit, I began plotting the next 'sweet tooth treat' for SB. Yes, chocolate biscotti would be just the ticket ... but let's add chocolate chips AND dried cherries! Then, let's dip those little guys in bittersweet chocolate so that when they get dunked in coffee or milk or tea or whatever ... oh my! And almonds! Why not almonds too ?

Nigella's Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake with Embellishment

You've gotta love a dessert that can come together in stages over the coarse of a couple days, especially when the days are as hot and sticky as the last few have been. In Saturday's post, I told you about picking over black currants and making a sweet currant sauce. It was all very slap dash ... a lemon infused simple syrup with black currants added and cooked down to a thick sauce. Twenty minutes at the stove in 90 degree heat was enough for me! I strained the sauce, reserved the sweetened berries and popped the containers in the fridge.