Peppermint Candy Brownies!

These might just be the best brownies you'll ever consume.

This is a "cocoa brownies" recipe adapted from Bon Appetit magazine to be much more festive, and delicious!

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 cold large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Starlight mints or candy canes, crushed

4 oz. white chocolate

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy over the top, saving about 1 tablespoon of the finest powder from the crushed candies.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.

Melt white chocolate carefully in microwave, or on double boiler. Drizzle over warm brownies, sprinkling with leftover peppermint candy powder for a frosty look.

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Homemade Nutella

This is more on the Nutella side of chocolatey hazelnut spreads than most.

2 cups hazelnuts
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup nut, canola, or vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Process hazelnuts in food processor until finely ground. Add cocoa, salt, and sugar. Process until combined. Slowly add milk and oil, and blend until smooth. Add vanilla, and process until as smooth as possible.

Hazelnut Cinnamon Granola

2 cups oats
3 rice cakes, finely crushed (pieces should be about a quarter inch in diameter)
1/4 cup 9 grain, buckwheat, grits, or other hot cereal, uncooked
1 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla or hazelnut extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl. In separate pan, melt butter. Mix in the sugar, extract, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over dry ingredients. Thoroughly combine until completely coated. Bake at 325 for about 15 minutes or until crispy and browned, stirring occasionally.

Cinnamon Roll Rice Pudding

Who needs Cinnabon?

Combine over medium heat until simmering:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Simmer until slightly thickened-should leave a thin layer on a spoon dipped in mixture.


In separate pot, bring to a simmer:
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
2 cups water
2 1/2 cups 2% milk

Cook, covered, over low heat for 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Add cinnamon mixture to rice, plus:
1 cup 2% milk

Cook until thickened. To test this, place a spoon with the pudding in the freezer, and see if it thickens to pudding consistency.

At this point, take the pudding off the heat, and cool briefly. Stir in:
1 cup sour cream

Serve rice pudding warm or refrigerated, with vanilla wafer cookies.