This is a fun little afternoon project that I remember doing as a kid but totally forgot about until I came across it again recently in a back issue of Family Fun magazine.

These would be a great project to do a day or so before Thanksgiving and then use them to prop up some cute, handmade place cards for your guests. See the final product here.
Chocolate Marshmallow Pilgrim Hats
from Family Fun magazine
24 chocolate-striped shortbread cookies
12-ounce package of chocolate chips
24 marshmallows
tube of yellow decorators’ frosting
~ Set the chocolate-striped cookies stripes down on a wax-paper-covered tray, spacing them apart.
~ Melt the chocolate …read more

One of my favorite things about autumn is getting to make hot chocolate again. Sure, I could make it any time of year, but when it’s 115 degrees for what seems like weeks on end, a hot drink is the last thing on my mind!

Now that the leaves in my area are finally turning and the air has a wonderful chill to it, it’s time to pick up some hot chocolate supplies on my next grocery ship to stock up the pantry.
I prefer a creamy hot chocolate, as opposed to a watery one or something from a packet, and the …read more

I tried a chocolate banana bread recipe last month, and since I had overripe bananas on my counter again this week I decided to see if I could dig up another recipe to try.

This one is from Daydreamer Desserts, and while the recipes are somewhat similar, this new one included the addition of sour cream. I have to admit that I couldn’t really taste the sour cream when the bread was finished, but it did help make for a light and fluffy batter when I was mixing it up!
Though this recipe was good, I did end up having to keep …read more

This recipe for Chocolate Chip Cheesecake recently showed up in my inbox and I nearly dismissed it because it was so short. Both the ingredient list and the instructions, especially for a non-plain cheesecake — seemed too simple!

This would be very easy to make with your own homemade chocolate chip cookie dough — in fact, that’s what I’d do instead of using store bought. Simply make the dough, roll it into a log and wrap in plastic wrap and then cut as directed in the instructions.
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
from Mr. Food
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon …read more

These chocolate Halloween mice are perfect for a Halloween party or as a fun activity to do with the kids. Make sure you let the mix sit in the fridge to firm up, otherwise you’ll have a bigger mess on your hands than any little mice should be able to make!

Chocolate Halloween Mice
from RecipeZaar
4 (1 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate baking squares or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup chocolate wafer, finely crushed (Oreos with the middle scraped off)
1/3 cup additional chocolate wafer, finely crumbled (for dark mice)
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar (for white mice)
24 silver dragees (small silver, edible balls, …read more

I made the mistake of showing this recipe to my daughters, and now I have to make a special trip to the grocery store to pick up supplies!

The recipe comes from Chef Andres Jimenez, who is the Executive Chef for The Ritz-Carlton in Denver, Colorado. Made using the standard truffle method of cooled ganache, these truffles are put on a stick and decorated with bits of candy to resemble spiders. These would be great for kids to help out with, and to give away to teachers or for a class party!
Halloween Chocolate Spider Truffles
from Chef Andres Jimenez
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate …read more

With the fall and winter holidays come a lot of fun ways to change up standard treats and desserts. This one for rocky road treats uses a fun assortment autumn and Halloween candies that would be great for a class or office party a teacher treat.

If peanuts are a no-go, you can substitue chopped pretzels or even Rice Krispies.
Rocky Road Halloween Treats
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp. butter
2 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 (10 1/2 oz.) package white mini marshmallows
Assorted Halloween candy pieces such as candy corn, M&M’s, gummies, etc.
Wax paper or Halloween …read more

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

For dessert night last night for my family, I decided to mix things up a bit and not do our now-standard M&M’s cookies. While the kids love them, my husband and I were getting a bit tired of them, so I decided to try the other recipe on the M&M’s Baking Bits package — blondies!

True, they’re not terribly different from the cookies, but it was easier to serve up with a scoop of ice cream! I made mine in a 9×9″ pan because my 13×9″ was already in use. I baked it for about six minutes longer and they turned …read more

One of my favorite fall treats are pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. When I saw this recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip squares, I knew I’d be giving it a try!

I’ll admit, these sound so great that I almost second-guessed myself with the brownie buttons I made yesterday for my sister’s visit today. But, I figure it wouldn’t hurt to have two desserts on hand, right? Especially with a couple of extra kids and some sweets-loving adults!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares
from TheStar.com
2 cups spelt or whole wheat flour
1 tsp each: cinnamon, baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each: ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground …read more