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

Though snacking on candy bars and other chocolaty treats is all good and well, once the kids are in bed and it’s time to pop in a movie and relax, something a little more grown up can be the perfect ending to a day!

These candy bar inspired drinks are sweet, satisfying and as easy as can be to put together.
Peppermint Pattini
1-1/2 oz Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka
1/2 oz Crème de menthe
1/2 oz Chocolate Liqueur
1/2 oz Cream
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a Peppermint Pattie candy …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 love making cheesecake, and especially love it when it involves chocolate!

This cheesecake is easy to assemble and would be perfect for a desert after a casual weekend dinner, or for a nice alternative to pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.
Chocolate Delight Cheesecake
from thedailyjournal.com
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
~ Butter the bottom of an 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan or line it …read more

Ice cream isn’t the first thing I think of when Halloween treats are mentioned, but this year our weather seems to be warming up instead of cooling down, so this might just make it into Halloween preparations! They couldn’t be easier to make, and involve homemade chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, and black and orange candy sprinkles.

6 chocolate chip cookies
Mint chocolate chip and/or vanilla ice cream
Black and orange sprinkles, colored sugars or other Halloween cookie decorations
~ If cookies are homemade, make sure they’re completely cooled before preparing ice cream sandwiches.
~ Soften ice cream at room temperature about 10 minutes or …read more

In my continuing quest to find fun stuff to make for Halloween (and to entertain my family at the same time), I found this recipe for some fun Creepy Crawly Caterpillars made with pretzels sticks, melted chocolate chips and chow mein noodles. My youngest, especially, will get a huge kick out of this!

This recipe from Rebecca Kols of Good Morning America is fast, easy and something kids will really enjoy helping out with.
Creepy Crawly Caterpillars
1 package chocolate chips
1 package chow mein noodles
1 package of red hot candies
1 bag large marshmallows
1 bag thin stick pretzels
~ Melt chocolate on low heat in …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