Jumbo Chocolate Cutouts Recipes

BEST EVER CHOCOLATE CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients to form a soft dough. Divide dough into 2 pieces, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Dough is sticky so be sure to add more flour to the rolling surface as needed. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Chocolate: I use 60 percent cocoa mass pistols.A variety of percentage contents are on the market today. Usesomething that is 58 percent to 72 percent for a bittersweet.They have a great bittersweet sensation and it's relatively easyto find this percentage of cocoa mass in solid chocolate atgourmet grocery stores. They're also easier to cut-out andhandle. Milk chocolate (34 percent) will work but is alwayssofter and doesn't handle so easily. White chocolate will worktoo but faces the same handling problems as milk chocolate. Besure to chill these in refrigerator.
• All chocolate for these cut outs will have to be tempered by the user. Even if it has been tempered (which it will have been by the manufacturer for packaging), the act of melting the chocolate will require the user to re-temper it. Use a brand of chocolate that is high quality, tastes great, and fits your budget. Oil based food dye: Find these at specialty baking supply stores, or easier, on-line. Try www.chefrubber.com, or www.inidatree.com for oil and acrylic based dyes. Cookie cutters: Use metal cookie butters and quickly heat the cutters over a gas flame to easily cut through the chocolate. DO NOT dip in hot water, as chocolate and water do not mix, even if the chocolate is solid. Melted chocolate should never come in contact with water or else the chocolate will seize. Stencils Parchment paper X-acto or sharp paring knife Sheet pans Digital thermometer Double boiler Measure out the quantity of chocolate desired. Melt 2/3 of total chocolate over a double boiler over low heat and the water just steaming (this will be a slow process). Test the temperature with a digital thermometer (do not go over 110 degrees F). Remove bowl from the heat and, bit by bit, add the remaining 1/3 non-melted chocolate to reduce temperature to 89 to 91 degrees F. Spread chocolate out on parchment paper and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Lift the paper and gently tap it on the counter to even out the chocolate and get rid of any air bubbles. Place the paper with the chocolate on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is solid. Chill or leave on counter until hardened. I recommend leaving it on counter until it sets, then chill to make super hard for cutting with cookie cutter. Cut out shapes in the chocolate with cookie cutters, using shapes without close corners where the chocolate would get stuck easily. To make your own shapes, create a stencil using poster board and trace around it with a sharp knife. For bright colors use white chocolate and tint it with oil based food coloring. After you have cut out the shapes attach them to a frosted cake with a little melted chocolate.

JUMBO CHOCOLATE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Beat shortening and cocoa until blended. Beat in molasses, sugar and eggs. Beat in coffee. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves; gradually beat into molasses mixture. Dough will be very soft. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 350°. On a well floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. round cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake until edges are set, 14-16 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate as desired with confectioners' sugar.

JUMBO CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Melt 2/3 cup chunks in microwave-safe bowl on high power for 45 seconds; stir.
• Microwave an additional 10-15 second intervals, stirring until smooth; set aside.
• Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into medium bowl.
• Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy.
• Add melted chocolate and mix well.
• Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well blended, about 1 minute.
• Add flour mixture, mixing just until blended.
• Stir in remaining chunks.
• Drop dough by level 1/4-cup measure 3 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.
• Bake 16-18 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs and the tops have a cracked appearance.
• Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes.
• Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

JUMBO CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Generously grease a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan with cooking spray.
• Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
• Beat butter until smooth in a large bowl. Add sugar and beat for 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until thoroughly mixed. Stir in dry ingredients. Add milk and mix until smooth.
• Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 25 minutes more.

EASY BAKER'S CHOCOLATE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Place chocolate in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 2 min., stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
• Pour onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet; cover with second sheet of waxed paper. Use rolling pin to lightly press chocolate into 1/8-inch-thick layer.
• Refrigerate 5 min. or until chocolate is set. Peel off top layer of waxed paper. Cut chocolate into desired shapes with 2-inch cookie cutters. Store in refrigerator until ready to use as a dessert garnish.