One of my favorite celebrity chefs on the Food Network is Giada De Laurentiis. Aside from the yummy-looking Italian dishes she creates, she also has an affinity for chocolate that many people can relate to! She uses this, well, obsession for all things cocoa to come up with some fun and tasty desserts as well!

Using Nutella, a chocolate hazelnut spread, and chocolate chips Giada has created an easy chocolaty pizza dessert that’s sure to hit the spot after any meal. This would be a lot of fun to have the kids help out with and after the pizza has cooled …read more

In just two days, on August 27th, it’ll be National Pots de Crème Day! But… what are pots de crème?
Translated from French, pots de crème means “pots of cream.” It’s a French dessert of a usually baked then chilled custard served in small dishes, or ramekins. It’s traditionally made with eggs, cream, milk and vanilla, and chocolate is easily added.
The video above shows you how to make a version of chocolate pots de crème using chocolate chips, egg substitute, vanilla and scalded cream. The ingredients are placed in a blender and blended until smooth. The mixture is then poured into …read more

In this video, Chef Jean Pierre shows how to make an amazing Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle using a tool right out of the hardware store. It’s not a truffle in the traditional sense — it’s actually more oof a deconstructed truffle — but it’s got the basics!
Using sections of PVC piping, Chef Jean creates a dessert using hazelnuts (or almonds, walnuts or pecans), ground chocolate chip cookies, ganache, whipped cream, cocoa powder, and raspberries.
What’s so great about this is that I’ve got everything in my kitchen to make this right now (except for the PVC, but I could make a …read more

Twice a week we do dessert night with our kids; instead of them bugging us for dessert after dinner every night, we’ve planned when it can be expected.
Of course, even with it planned out there are nights I completely space. And instead of serving “boring” ice cream — which is usually a good standby — you can mix it up a bit with some root beer and chocolate milk and make Mud Sodas!
Mud Sodas
Chocolate milk, chilled
Root beer, chilled
Chocolate ice cream
Pour 1/2 cup of chocolate milk and 1/2 cup root beer in an 8 oz glass and stir. Top with 1/3 …read more

For this week’s dessert night I made a chocolate cherry pie. I’ve been craving cherries lately and when I found this recipe that included chocolate and whipped cream I had to give it a try!
Needless to say it was a hit and aside from the cooling down periods it was fast and easy to make.
Cherry Chocolate Pie
11 large marshmallows
1/3 cup milk
3 oz milk chocolate (the only milk chocolate I had on hand was some Dove, which worked well)
1 8 oz container Cool Whip, divided
1 graham cracker crust
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
In a saucepan, combine marshmallows, chocolate and milk …read more

What could be better than coffee served in a chocolate mug? The mug above apparently held some Bailey’s coffee mousse, and the spoon and little bean are both chocolate as well.
This yummy-looking picture is from flickr user diongillard.

During the summer months I try to avoid dessert recipes that require turning the oven on, but I make an exception for this one! We like ours topped with strawberries and peaches.
Chocolate Pizza Pie
3/4 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
FILLING:
10 oz. chocolate chips
1/4 c. whipping cream
8 oz. cream cheese
GLAZE:
1/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. pineapple juice
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Mix butter, sugar and flour and press in pizza pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Melt chocolate chips and whipping cream in microwave, then beat cream cheese into the mixture and spread on top of crust. …read more

I had a van full of kids to drive to dance class the other day, so I thought I’d whip up a batch of cookies for them. However, I used a new recipe that turned out way to runny to be cookie batter. With a few minor changes I poured it all into a square pan, hoping for the best. Luckily for everyone, these turned out to be decadent, fudgy brownies that were thoroughly devoured by all.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Preheat …read more

 
Last weekend I made a chocolate tiramisu torte that was heavenly. It was not the tiramisu recipe, but rather a much less fiddly version. I like that. Then it is much quicker getting to the eating part. Not all my family was impressed though. It was a little too boozy for some, which you could probably get around by using rum extract in place of the rum, or just leaving it out altogether. It is also a more bittersweet flavour of chocolate than some people are used to. I had to take matters into my own hands and finish it …read more