Chocolate Marble Cupcakes

BATTER #1:
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 unbeaten egg
1/3 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
6 oz. chocolate chips

BATTER #2:
1 1/2 c. sifted flour
1/4 c. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. water
1/2 c. oil
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine first four ingredients for batter #1 in small bowl. Beat well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Combine all ingredients for batter #2 and beat until blended.

Using cupcake pans and cupcake papers, fill paper cups less than half full with chocolate batter (batter #2). Top each with heaping teaspoon of cream cheese batter (batter #1). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Top each cupcake with Chocolate Ganache.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder


Scald the cream; while barely simmering, stir in the corn syrup and butter, just until melted.
Turn off heat. Stir in chocolate and cocoa powder, leaving (about 5 minutes) until chocolate has melted. Stir gently until smooth.

Refrigerate for 2 or 3 hours, stirring occasionally until mixture is of a spreadable consistency.

Creamy Milk Chocolate Pie

This pie is great any time of the year; but, because it's frozen, I think more of making it in the summer. It's really simple and extra creamy. We make it for our beach condo vacation meals because it's so easy and everyone loves it. You can make it even easier if you want to substitute thawed whipped topping instead of cream. If you do, I suggest you omit the sugar from the recipe. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Milk Chocolate Pie

8 Oz. Milk Chocolate
1/4 C. Milk (I have replaced the milk with Bailey's Irish Cream as well)
1 T. Sugar (or more if you like it a little sweeter)
1 8 Oz. Cream Cheese, Softened
2 Pints Cream
1 9" Pie Shell, baked and cooled
Chocolate Curls (Optional)

Heat chocolate and 2 T. of the milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until chocolate is melted.

Whip cream and set aside in refrigerator.

In a bowl, beat sugar into cream cheese. Add remaining milk and chocolate mixture and beat until smooth.

Fold about 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten. Then, fold the chocolate mixture into the rest of the whipped cream until completely mixed. Be careful to fold the mixtures together and not stir, or you will lose the air whipped into the cream.

Spoon into the cooled pie shell. Top with chocolate curls. Freeze at least 3 hours. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes - or until you can easily cut slices to serve.

Mary Mechler has been cooking and baking since she was 5 years old. She has even won a local cooking contest or two. Although a career business professional, Mary is excited to share her love of cooking and great cooking tools with others who are cooking enthusiasts, through the website, http://cookprostore.com which offers [http://www.cookprostore.com]chefs knives, kitchen cutlery and kitchen cookware.

If you find something you like, and place an order, I'll throw in a free copy of Amy Coleman's cookbook while supplies last.

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Chocolate Pie Filling - What's it Made Of?

There are lots of different varieties of chocolate pie filling, and that's not even considering the explosion of options when you add in fruit, nuts or other flavorings. Still, there is a base or core idea of filling for pies in the chocolate family that is commonly thought of as 'normal'.

The most basic fillings for chocolate pies are made up of some type of chocolate, sugar, butter and eggs. While the number of eggs and the amount of butter and sugar varies from recipe to recipe, it's rare to find any interesting manipulation of those ingredients. The only place that you'll see a significant range of options is in the chocolate itself.

Most recipes use some form of baking chocolate. You can find those that suggest unsweetened, others that call for semi-sweet, and still more that call for regular sweetened or milk chocolate. Inevitably the chocolate will be melted down and combined with the other basic ingredients to form the filling. Which type of chocolate you choose will of course affect the flavor of your pie, but you also need to consider the amount of sugar being added in.

There are alternatives to starting with baking chocolate to make chocolate pie filling. A few recipes start with chocolate pudding, or even chocolate ice cream. Other alternatives could be chocolate sauce or cocoa powder. You will also find many recipes that use some type of whipped topping or whipped cream, which will be used to lighten up the filling, and to give it a more firm texture. The more whipped topping that is added to the pie, the more it drifts towards the realm of being a chocolate cream pie rather than just a chocolate pie.

As previously mentioned, all of this just gets you a basic chocolate pie filling. The adventure begins with all of the additives and additional ingredients from there. Mint extract will completely change the taste of the pie without making an impact on texture or consistency. On the other hand, some people like to mix whole or chopped fruit directly into the filling, altering not only the taste but also giving the pie a chunky, more interesting texture.

Chocolate pie filling means something different to everyone; the important thing is to find something that tastes the way you like while still being able to make it in a time frame that fits your lifestyle. Try out something new, maybe you'll like it.

There's a ton of good information out there on [http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/pie-recipes/chocolate-pie-recipes/chocolate-pie-filling/]chocolate pie filling, plus lots of different recipes to suit even picky pie eaters. Check out [http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=11269]french silk chocolate pie.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Chocolate-Pie-Filling---Whats-it-Made-Of?&id=3975291] Chocolate Pie Filling - What's it Made Of?