Chocolate Russian Tea Cookies

These are an easy but addictive cookie.  Really rich and chocolately and perfect with a glass of milk or hot cocoa (or a nice heavy sweet drink like a berry dessert wine or Port).  Bite sized and cute, they're good for parties.

You'll need (for several dozen small cookies):

• 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• powdered sugar for garnish

The steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until fluffy
• Add dry ingredients and combine.  Will end up a pretty stiff dough.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour
• Remove from fridge & preheat oven to 350
• Roll dough into small balls in your hand (about an inch in diameter) and place on a lightly greased baking sheet
• Bake for 20 minutes
• When cooled you can roll them in powdered sugar or (my favorite) place powdered sugar in a mesh screen and sprinkle it over top.  

Delish!

Raspberry Brownies

Just another recipe to use fresh raspberries.  And I wanted to make something deliciously chocolatey.  Most recipes online use raspberry preserves or mash up and juice their berries.  I wanted something strongly and tartly raspberry, so using whole, fresh berries.

For the brownie batter, you'll need:

• 1 box of fresh raspberries (washed and dried)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter (softened nearly to melted)
• 1 16oz can of chocolate syrup

The steps

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Beat the eggs then combine all ingredients but raspberries
• Pour this batter into a grease 9x13 pan.
• Take about 2/3 of your box of raspberries and sprinkle them evenly over the batter in the pan.  Press the raspberries down until they are completely or mostly submerged in the brownie batter.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes, until it doesn't jiggle.
• Let cool in the pan.  Avoid the temptation to eat it all.

For the frosting, you'll need:

• one 8oz brick of cream cheese (softened)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon almond extract.  (If you don't have almond extract, add some vanilla).

The steps:

• Combine all ingredients until smooth.  You may want more or less sugar depending upon your taste in cream cheese frosting.  I personally like it not so sweet.  
• Wait until your brownies cool then spread over the top.  This recipe will yield enough for a thin layer.
• Use the remaining raspberries as a garnish on top of the frosting.
• Reward yourself by licking your spatula.

Chocolate Covered Blueberries

So, this is my 4th of July dish, since blueberries, to me at least, feel right for the 4th of July.  And the blue will go with the tomatoes in the quiche I made earlier today.  The white, well, I suppose I will serve them on white dishes.

This will literally take you 10 minutes.  And is delicious.

You'll need: 

I don't have quantities here because you can adjust them depending upon how many people you're serving.  Basically, one bag of chocolate chips should roughly do fine with one box of berries

• Fresh blueberries (brought to room temperature and dried after being washed)
• chocolate chips
• butter or shortening

The steps

• Melt chocolate chips with a bit of butter or shortening in 15-20 second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each go 'round in the microwave.
• Before you start assembling your deserts, be sure you have the container for them ready.  I used a flat skinny tupperware.  You may want to line with wax paper for easier cleaning later.
• Once the chocolate is melty and syrupy and delicious, add the blueberries a handfull at a time. Stir the berries in, gently, until covered with chocolate.
• Using a spoon and your fingers (best to keep spoon hand clean and only let the other hand get chocolatey), scoop out about 4-6 berries into your container.  Repeat, spacing the clusters just so they won't touch.  
• When you've used up all your blueberries, use your spoon to scrape the sides of the bowl and drizzle this chocolate on top of your blueberry clusters (it's okay to eat some too).
• Refrigerate your chocolate blueberry clusters for at least an hour or until the chocolate has formed a hard, delicious shell around the berries.

These are good on their own, with whipped cream, or over ice cream.

Declare your Food Independence and cook/eat locally for your 4th of July celebration!