Black Bean Chocolate Cupcakes

So, so good!! You will never know they have black beans in them.  My boys even like them without frosting!   You have to try these as soon as you can.  You will not be disappointed.  I have made them several times.  I have substituted  plain yogurt for sour cream and left out the pudding mix and they still tasted really good. 


Black Bean Chocolate Cupcakes
1 box Devil's Food Cake or Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (if you don't like using preboxed cakes, I am sure you could substitute the oil in a homemade chocolate cakerecipe with pureed beans)
1 can black beans
2/3 c. sour cream
3 eggs
1 small chocolate instant pudding mix

Drain the can of black beans and then refill to the top with water. Put beans and water in a food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour the cake mix into a large bowl and add the pureed beans. Add the sour cream, eggs and dry pudding mix to the cake mix and stir until smooth. Grease 18 muffin tins (or use muffin wrappers) and fill with the cake batter. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes, or until cooked through (don't over cook or they will dry out--who likes dry cake? Ugh!). Remove from the oven and let cool until ready to frost.

“Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting

1 stick (1/2 c.) butter or margarine

2/3 c. Hershey’s Cocoa

3 c. powdered sugar

1/3 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt butter.  Stir in cocoa.  Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on med. speed to spreading consistency.  Add more milk, if needed.  Stir in vanilla.  About 2 c.  

Double Chocolate Fantasy Bars

Double Chocolate Fantasy Bars

1 (18.25 oz) package chocolate cake mix
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup chopped nuts
1 (14 oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk (not evaporated milk)
1 (6 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease 13x9 inch baking pan.  In large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil and egg; beat at medium speed until crumbly.  Stir in nuts.  Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture.  Press remaining crumb mixture firmly on bottom of prepared pan.
 
In small saucepan over medium heat, combine remaining ingredients.  Cook and stir until chips melt.

Pour chocolate mixture evenly over prepared crust.  Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly over top.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until set.  Cool.  Cut into bars.  Store loosely covered at room temperature.
Makes 36 bars.

Mock Kneader's Mint Brownies

Who doesn't like Kneader's? Who doesn't like Kneader's Mint Brownie's? These are so yummy, I really could eat the whole pan. That is why when I make them I have to give them away to family and friends. Hope everyone enjoy's them as much as me. When I am short on time I use a box brownie mix and it turns out just fine.

Mock Kneader's Mint Brownies

Brownie
1 cup butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Melt the chocolate and butter in a 2 quart bowl in the microwave on high for 3 minutes, stirring every 20 – 30 seconds until the chocolate is melted. Cool slightly.
Add sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix well with a spatula.
Add the flour and stir to combine.
Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into a buttered 13-inch x 9-inch x 2-inch baking pan.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Do not overcook. Cool.

Filling
½ cup softened butter, margarine, or shortening
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 drops mint flavoring or to taste
1 drop pink food coloring

In a small bowl, beat the confectioners’ sugar, butter and mint flavoring until smooth.
Add food coloring to make a light pink.
Spread evenly over cooled brownies and then chill.

Chocolate Ganache

1 C Chocolate Chips (I use semi-sweet)

1/3 C Butter

Melt butter and chocolate over low heat (or in the microwave) until smooth. Spread over mint filling. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Magic Cookie Bars

Magic Bars have got to be one of my favorite cookie bars. I decided this year I would try a new recipe out of each of my cookbooks. I have all these cookbooks laying around with great recipes in them. I just need to try them. This recipe came from my Eagle Brand Classic Recipes. There are several other recipes in this book that I will be trying or retrying!
Magic Cookie Bars

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (not evaporated milk)

2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 35o F (325 F for glass dish). In 13x9 inch baking pan, melt butter in oven.

Sprinkle crumbs over butter; pour Eagle Brand evenly over crumbs. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly.

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill, if desired. Cut into bars. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen.

Brownies

I have been making this brownie recipe since I was little. No matter how many brownie recipes I try, I will always come back to these. It calls for butter or shortening. I have used both with good results, I have also used half butter and half shortening. That also works. These brownies need to be frosted. I will give my mom credit for this recipe since she is the one who taught me how to make them. Thanks Mom!!

Brownies

by: Julie Dansie

1 cup shortening or butter

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Melt shortening and mix in unsweetened cocoa, set aside. Cream sugar and eggs. Then add melted shortening and vanilla. Add flour, salt and baking powder and mix. Place in greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the center if it comes out clean the brownies are done. When cool, frost with chocolate frosting.

Thick and Chewy Double-Chocolate Cookies

These are the most amazing cookies. I love chocolate and these have plenty of it. They are chewy and the chocolate chips melt in your mouth. You can also freeze them (which I had to do so I didn't eat them all in one night!) If you are not a dark chocolate or semi sweet chocolate fan you could use milk chocolate instead and I am sure they would be just as good. These cookies are now my favorite and I know I will be making them over and over again. I found them on www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

Thick and Chewy Double-Chocolate Cookies
Adapted slightly from The New Best Recipe

**Resist the urge to bake the cookies longer than indicated; they may appear underbaked at first but will firm up as they cool.**

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 ½ ounces) baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (or melt the equivalent of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) packed light brown sugar
½ cup (3 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave (50% power for 2 minutes, then stir and microwave in 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted - be careful not to overheat or chocolate will sieze). In a small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla lightly with a fork; set aside.

Beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Beat in the sugars until combined, about 45 seconds; the mixture will look granular. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Finally add the chocolate chips. Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is fudge-like, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners (this is pretty important - if the cookies are baked on a greased baking sheet only, they will probably stick). Roll the dough into 1 ½ inch balls and place them on the cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 ½ inches apart.

Bake until the edges of the cookies have just begun to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10-11 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets about 5 minutes or until set and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake (Texas Sheet Cake)

This is the same old Texas Sheet Cake we have all probably tasted before. I have not made it for years and this reminded me of how good it really is. I saw this recipe on www.thepioneerwoman.com.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake
Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

Peanut Butter Fudge Cake

I got this off of The Sister's Cafe blog.  It was easy to make, moist and really yummy!  Everyone loved it.  I had a hard time keeping the kids fingers out of it until after dinner.  I did cheat and use canned chocolate frosting because I had some in my food storage that needed to be used.  I also did not have any buttermilk, so I just did the milk and vinegar thing.  I think this would also be great just as a regular chocolate cake without the peanut butter. 

2 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 C sugar

1 C butter

1/4 C cocoa

1 C water

1/2 C buttermilk

2 lg eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

-Combine flour, soda and sugar in a mixing bowl.  In a saucepan, melt butter.  Add cocoa and stir to combine.  Add water, buttermilk, and eggs.  Cook, stirring well until mixture boils.  Remove from heat and add to flour mixture and mix until smooth.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Pour batter into greased and floured 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 for about 25 min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool for about 10 min and then spread with about 1 C peanut butter (softened in micro for a few seconds).  Let cool completely.  Spread with chocolate canned frosting or homemade. Enjoy!

-Chocolate frosting:

1 lb. pkg powdered sugar

1/4 C cocoa

1/2 C butter

1/3 C buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

-bring cocoa, butter and buttermilk to a boil in saucepan stirring constantly.  Pour hot mixture in a bowl with the sugar and stir until smooth.  Add vanilla.