Chocolate Puddles Recipes

FUDGE PUDDLES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter and sugars until blended. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour or until easy to handle., Preheat oven to 325°. Shape into forty-eight 1-in. balls. Place in greased mini-muffin cups. Bake 14-16 minutes or until light brown. Immediately press a 1/2-in.-deep indentation in center of each cookie with the end of a wooden spoon handle. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., For filling, in a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Whisk in milk and vanilla until smooth. Fill each cookie with filling; sprinkle with peanuts. (If desired, refrigerate remaining filling; serve warm with ice cream.)

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Spoon into individual serving dishes. Chill until serving. If desired, garnish with whipped cream and M&M's.

FUDGE PUDDLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
• Cream butter, peanut butter and white and brown sugars. Mix in egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir the flour mixture into creamed mixture. Shape the dough into 48 balls, 1 inch each. Place each ball in one compartment of a mini muffin tin.
• For filling, put chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir in milk and vanilla, mix well.
• Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and immediately make wells in the center of each using a melon baller. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Then carefully remove to wire racks. Using a measuring cup fill each shell with the chocolate mixture. Top with a pecan half.

BROWNIE PUDDLE (WITH CARAMEL VARIATION)

Steps:

• Equipment
• A 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan, with removable bottom, bottom greased, lined with parchment,* and then lightly sprayed with Baker's Joy or nonstick vegetable spray.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F at least 15 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven before preheating.
• Place the pecans on a cookie sheet and toast them, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or just until the color deepens slightly. Cool completely.
• In a double boiler over hot water or in a microwave-proof bowl, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring two or three times. If using a double boiler, transfer the mixture to a bowl.
• Beat the cocoa, then the sugar, into the chocolate mixture, beating until incorporated. (If you are doing this by hand, use a whisk.) Beat in the eggs and vanilla. When incorporated, beat in the cream cheese until only small bits remain. Add the flour and salt and mix only until the flour is fully moistened. Stir in the nuts.
• Place the prepared tart pan on a cookie sheet to catch any possible leaks. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it evenly. It will fill the pan almost to the top.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the batter has set. A toothpick inserted 1 inch from the side should come out clean. The mixture will puff and rise a little above the sides but sinks on cooling.
• MAKE THE GANACHE PUDDLE
• While the brownie is baking, prepare the puddle. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot but not simmering water, stirring occasionally, or in a microwave, using 15-second bursts on high power and stirring several times. Add the cream and stir gently until the mixture is smooth and dark. If necessary (if the cream was too cold and the mixture is not entirely smooth), return it to the heat and stir until totally fluid and uniform in color.
• As soon as the brownie is removed from the oven, grease the end of a wooden spoon (1/2-inch diameter) and insert it into the brownie at 1-inch intervals, all the way to the bottom, twisting slightly as you insert and withdraw it, to create 23 to 28 little holes. Using a small spoon or a reclosable freezer bag with a small piece cut off one corner, fill the holes with the ganache until slightly rounded on top (you will need at least 1/2 teaspoon for each). Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely. The chocolate puddles will sink in as the brownie cools and more ganache can be added to fill in any depressions as long as the brownie is still warm enough to melt it. (If necessary, you can set the tart under a lamp to heat the ganache puddles and make them smooth.)
• Unmold the tart. To remove the parchment, refrigerate the tart or allow it to sit at room temperature until the puddles are firm to the touch. Cover a flat plate with plastic wrap, spray it lightly with nonstick vegetable spray, and set it on top of the tart. Invert the tart, peel off the parchment, and reinvert it onto a serving plate.
• To serve, use a thin sharp knife to cut wedges.
• VARIATIONS
• CARAMEL VARIATION: Caramel blends perfectly with the chocolate and pecans and is wonderful both at room temperature and refrigerated, when it becomes more sticky and chewy. Make a half recipe of the Caramel Sauce and use it in place of the chocolate puddle glaze. It is easiest to pipe it into the holes. The caramel will pipe when warm or at room temperature.
• MOCHA VARIATION: Two tablespoons of Medaglia d'Oro instant espresso powder can be added with the cocoa to give the brownie a slightly bitter coffee edge.
• STORE
• Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container, room temperature, up to 1 week; refrigerated, up to 1 month; frozen, several months. Try it frozen or chilled if you like a chewy brownie, at room temperature for a softer, creamier texture.
• POINTERS FOR SUCCESS
• Make the holes in the brownie for the puddles as soon as it is removed from the oven to prevent the crust from cracking. Fill them as soon as possible so the ganache melts and settles smoothly into the openings.
• *A 9-inch parchment circle is the perfect size because the bottom of the tart pan is slightly smaller, so that the parchment goes a very little way up the sides, preventing any leaking.

CHOCOLATE PUDDLE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put 12 cases in a 12-hole cupcake tin. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy - this will take about 5-8 mins with a stand mixer or 10 mins using an electric hand whisk. The mixture will have increased in volume and should be thick enough to leave a trail when the whisk blades are lifted.
• Gently fold in the melted butter. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder over the surface and fold in using a large metal spoon, trying not to knock out too much air. Divide the mixture between the cases, then bake for 15-20 mins until well risen and the sponge springs back when gently pressed. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 mins, then lift out onto a rack.
• To decorate, microwave the chocolate on medium for 20-30 secs, stirring every 5 secs, until melted. Gently stir until smooth. Spoon 12 'puddles' of chocolate onto a piece of foil. Divide the chocolate eggs and bunnies between the puddles, to decorate. Leave to set in the fridge or in a cool place.
• Beat the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and and 2 tsp boiling water together using an electric whisk for 4-5 mins until light, pale, fluffy and nearly doubled in size. Spoon into a piping bag with a star nozzle. Pipe onto the cupcakes, then stick the chocolate puddles on top.

CHOCOLATE PUDDLE PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F).
• Measure the flour and vanilla sugar into a large mixing bowl with two tablespoons of the cocoa powder and the baking powder. Melt the butter and chocolate together, and when melted, add them to the bowl with the milk.
• Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is well blended, and spread the mixture (which should be a thick paste) into the bottom of a baking dish. (I used a 20×30 cm dish.)
• Mix the soft brown sugar with the remaining four tablespoons of cocoa, and sprinkle them over the top of the sponge mixture.
• Pour over the hot water (this should be hot from the kettle but not boiling) and put in the oven for 45 minutes. The sponge pudding will rise through the puddle of chocolate sauce.