My Chocolate Fantasy

Here is the cheesecake recipe for chocolate lovers and cappuccino addicts.  This cheesecake is not hard to make but is impressive. The chocolate cookie crust filled with cream cheese, chocolate, espresso, cinnamon, etc. is then topped with an espresso cream.  This cake is perfect for entertaining guests, especially your friends who are cappuccino aficionados.CAPPUCCINO CHEESECAKE1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs6 tbsp butter, melted1 1/4 cups mini milk chocolate chips, divided4 pkgs (8-oz each) cream cheese, softened2/3 cup sugar3 eggs1/3 cup milk1 tbsp instant espresso powder1/4 tsp ground cinnamonPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cookie crumbs and butter. Press the mixture into bottom and 1-inch up the side of a 9-inch spring form pan; set aside.In a small saucepan, melt one cup of the mini chips over low heat, stirring constantly. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until well blended using medium speed of an electric mixer. Add eggs, milk, espresso powder, and cinnamon; beat on low speed until well blended. Add melted chips; beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Spoon into the crust. Bake 55 minutes. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack to cool. Cool for 15 minutes then using a knife, loosen cake from the sides of the pan. Cool completely then remove the side of the pan. Cover cake and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Before serving, garnish with the Espresso Cream, recipe follows, and the remaining mini chips.Espresso Cream: Beat 1/2 cup cold whipping cream, 2 tbsp powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder until stiff. Enjoy!

Anyone in the sales field would agree that it’s easier to turn warm leads into sales. So why continue to work with cold calls? Who wouldn’t get a kick out of turning something into nothing. There’s a feeling of satisfaction after you pull it off.It is a thrill, I admit it. However any of us would rather make MORE sales than gloat how good we are at selling to complete strangers. So why don’t we have more referrals? We’re too afraid to ask! Wouldn’t the people most likely to help us be the people we’ve helped already? Just picking up the phone and calling your clients will work, but your gift and a clever message will break the ice again and help rekindle the relationship. And what better way to warm someone up than to give them a quality, heart-felt gift- something good enough that gets their attention and draws a smile.

“Ok, then what would make a good, quality, but inexpensive gift and then how the heck do I get the referrals?”

This is where you turn your kitchen into a prospecting factory- yes, your kitchen! You want a gift that most everyone will like? OK..how about chocolate! There are some easy recipes to make some inexpensive candy gifts in bulk so you can make a big batch for many. Don’t be too concerned in the beginning if you don’t know much about cooking someone can show you how to create gifts from easy recipes.For your clients you are most comfortable with you may consider ordering some desserts online and having all the work of packaging and delivery done for you. It’s simple, tasty and…NO ONE ELSE DOES THIS!

First, you must only choose a sampling of your best clients since it will be too costly and time-consuming to send or drop off too many gifts. The easiest to make and send will be chocolate cookies of some type, but you can also do chocolate covered pretzels or cup cakes.Pick an item to start with and place them in an airtight bag within a decorative bag or box for pretty presentation. Check with a local courier for packaging and delivery options.Place a catchy, creative message inside…

With a box of cookies it could say, “These cookies won’t last long, but I want you to know my good service will. (Name of your client) now it’s me that needs some help and I thought of you pretty quickly. I was hoping you could help me.”

Or a baggie of chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles on top with a note that says, “I hope these pretzels are as much fun to eat as they were to make. I have been feeling a little twisted like a pretzel myself regarding a problem I have and thought you could help.”

The gift itself, combined with the enticing note creates enough curiosity that they are itching to know what you have to say and will be practically waiting for your call or they may even beat you to it. People feel the need to help those in need. When you speak with them you explain how until recently business has slowed down a bit and you are hoping to get a little help from just a handful of your best clients. In this article I won’t be able to go into the step-by-step process, but here are some of the basics for asking for referrals: stress that you need their help, people can’t resist helping those in need, asking for 10-12 names (they usually give you less), seeing them in person and giving details of the ideal prospects: married with kids, home owners, business owners, people active in the community, etc.Just asking them who they know who needs a product or service is leaving it too wide open, they won’t give you any names.Not everyone will help, but enough will. And when they do those FREE, warm leads are golden since they have a higher conversion rate! And just think- NO ONE ELSE goes this far to meet with their clients. You will definitely stand out from the crowd!

Cookies are a very popular choice for wedding favors, possibly due to the fact that they are easily customized to suit any wedding, can be produced in large quantities fairly cheaply and edible wedding favors are always a hit with the guests!

Purchasing custom made cookie favors which are iced to your requirements could cost you as much as $8 each, but cookies are so easy to make at home and icing them is really not all that hard!

Here are some ideas for cookie shapes for seasonal weddings which you could use for your favors:

Spring:

Summer:

Fall

Winter

Mostly favor cookies will be plain vanilla flavored cookies, but you could make flavored cookies according to the season of your wedding or to whatever flavor takes your fancy! For instance, chocolate, orange, lemon, cherry biscuits, ginger, cinnamon or treacle are just a few flavors you could experiment with. Winter cookies would be lovely made from gingerbread or flavored with a hint of cinnamon, which would make them smell festive and invoke seasonal cheer in your guests! Whilst chocolate cookies are favorite all year round!

Try baking some at home and adding in different flavors to find which works best. You can then use these to practice your icing skills on, that is if you haven’t eaten them first!

When it comes to icing you can use roll out fondant icing to great effect and only need to use your cookie cutter to cut the fondant to the same shape as your cookies. You can then use pipe icing to highlight any details or to add words, such as your names, your guest’s names (if you use them as place cards as well) or simply ‘thank you’. Cake making supply shops have a range of templates available which can make this very easy.

To wrap your cookies I would use simple plain cellophane bags tied with ribbon at the top. These bags allow your handiwork to be shown off to best effect, whilst protecting the goods inside, they are also very cheap! Be careful not to make your cookies too early either as they may be stale by the time the wedding comes around. Many cake making suppliers sell cookie mixes which can have a long shelf life when baked, but you may want to test them first to see if you like the end result!

And, if you didn’t want to ice cookies then making simple round cookies will do just as nicely! Why not make batches with a range of flavors that accompany the season of your wedding. You could make mini cookies and give your guests a selection of flavors inside a goodie bag. Or alternatively you could create sandwich cookies with a delicious buttercream flavoring inside.

You see smoothies everywhere, so much that you finally decide that you’ll make some for yourself and your family (or friends, if you’re single). You have the fruits and vegetables you need, but there is one particular ingredient that makes the smoothie craving go on a different level, yet you hesitate to put it in. Yes, the everlasting question remains: How to make smoothies healthy but flavored with the guilt-ingredient called Chocolate?

One only has to look at chocolate ads to know that there is a tempting yet forbidden aura to it. To us not endowed with the perfect body, to even smell it is a sin, a crime worthy of capital punishment. But did you know that chocolates have health benefits too?

Cocoa, most especially dark chocolate, contains antioxidants – surprisingly 8 times more than found in strawberries. The flavonoids also help lower blood pressure and lowers blood cholesterol. If you’re depressed you are allowed to eat chocolate because it contains serotonin, the happy neurotransmitter that makes you a little happier. Plus, it tastes good – correction, very, very, very good – and keeps you awake. So this is good news.

That said, here are some recipes that are sure to tickle your taste buds:

Cocoa-Banana Smoothie (finally, a recipe that doesn’t need a blender)

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons cocoa mix, 1 cup of frozen whipped topping (thawed), 2 ripe bananas, 8 chocolate cookies (crumbled. Note: These are sandwich cookies, not chocolate chip ones.)

Procedure: Stir cocoa and whipped topping. Fold in the banana and half of the crumbled cookies. Divide into 4 glasses and top with remaining cookie crumbs. Refrigerate.

Choco Protein Smoothie

Ingredients: 2 cups of milk, 2 tablespoons of chocolate milk syrup, 1 frozen banana (or half a teaspoon of dry chocolate pudding mix), one-fourth cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of ice, 1 to 2 tablespoons of whey powder (optional).

Procedure: Blend and process for about 30 seconds. Serve while cold.

Chocolate Mint Smoothies

Ingredients: half a cup of instant cocoa drink (made with a heated half cup of milk and one-fourth cup of instant cocoa mix), half a teaspoon of vanilla extract, one-eighth teaspoon of peppermint extract, 1 pint of vanilla ice cream, 1 and a half cups of milk.

Procedure: Blend almost all the ingredients (except for the ice cream) until smooth, for about 30 seconds. Add ice cream and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Requirements for the dish

a) Semi sweet choco chips – one and a half cup

b) whipped cream – half cup

c) Coffee granules- one tablespoon

d) Powdered sugar- three fourth cup

e) Unsalted butter- six tablespoons. The butter should be at room temperature.

f) Vanilla extract- one tablespoon

g) flour- one cup

h) Cocoa powder- three tablespoon

i) Baking soda- one tablespoon

J) salt- half tablespoon

k) Unsalted butter- half cup

l) Brown sugar – add two third cup

m) Sugar – one forth cup

n) Egg (large) – one

o) water- two tablespoons

p) pecans- one cup

Nutrient value of the dish

How to cook mocha filled chocolate cookies:

Firstly the batter for filling is prepared- mix the chocolate chips & coffee granules in a large vessel. Now add to it cream. Now mix all the contents thoroughly. Now place the vessel on a medium flame and heat it till all the chocolate melts and a uniform mixture is formed.

Now cool the mixture for about twenty minutes. Now mix sugar, vanilla essence and butter in a bowl. Mix all the contents with the help of a mixer. Form a homogeneous mixture and mix with the chocolate mixture. Keep in the refrigerator for around eight minutes.

Now the cookies are baked- set the oven at three hundred and twenty five degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the baking dish by basing it with the parchment paper. Mix the flour, baking soda, cocoa & salt into a bowl. Now mix sugar and butter using a blender. Now add to it the eggs vanilla essence and coffee. Now add two teaspoons of water to the mixture. Mix well. Now add flour choc chips and pecans to the bowl. Mix it well.

Now place the batter on the prepared dish and then bake them for around thirteen minutes. Now cool them for sometime.

Now comes the time to prepare the mocha filled chocolate chip cookies. Place a cookie with its flatter side facing up. Spread the mocha filling on it. Now cover it with another cookie. Press it properly. Now refrigerate the cookies for two hours at least. Then serve them cold. The cookies should be served with something to drink may be lemonade or apple juice.

Deepawali or Diwali signifies the victory of good over evil  and the lights that illuminate our homes and hearts. From darkness unto light — the light that empowers us to commit ourselves to good deeds, that which brings us closer to divinity. Diwali is certainly the biggest of all Indian festivals. The tradition of exchanging gifts and shopping is quite prominent because Diwali is associated with prosperity. The motive behind the tradition of exchanging Diwali Gifts is to accentuate the feeling of love and brotherhood in the society. Through gifts people convey their respect, good wishes, blessings, love and appreciation for a person and his family. As Diwali is a religious festival, sending Diwali Gifts also reflects one’s prayers to the almighty for the prosperity and good health of the recipient. Make the most of this Diwali by commemorating the auspicious festival by gifting Monginis Cakes, Cookies and Chocolates & conveying your enormous love to all the loved ones like your friends, relatives, neighbours, colleagues and business associates.

Amazingly crafted and attractive Monginis Gift Hampers for Diwali are made with lip smacking pure veg. cakes, crunchy Cookies and yummy hand made chocolates that will just add more sweetness and joy to your festivity. 

Monginis has always been offering its freshly baked products to consumers on several occasions throughout the year. Serving you delicious cakes, pastries, chocolates, cookies, snacks, etc. With its all new range of gift packed pure veg. cakes like Milk Caramel; cookies like Kesar, Badam, Choco Chips, Shrewsbury, Tutti Fruity, Oats & Butterscotch, etc. and a variety of hand made chocolates, indulge into the memorable celebration of the festival with your dear ones and exchange beautiful Monginis Gifts as token of love. Should you have visiting friends and relatives who are health conscious or diabetic do not deprive them from sweets. You can offer them 100% sugar free Cookies from Monginis.

So, to cherish the special bonding of love by presenting scrumptious Diwali gifts to your loved ones, rush to your nearest Monginis outleT                                                                   

    Availability –

Monginis stores across Mumbai.

Products –

 

To Buy online Just Log on to – www.monginis.net

Price Range – Rs.85/-Onwards..

Chocolate is a popular choice for wedding favors and has to be said, normally greeted with joy by the wedding guests! The usual chocolate favor consists of candy coated dragees or foil wrapped hearts – the quality of which can be a bit hit and miss. However, these types of confectionary are cheap to buy and readily available in bulk purchase options.

If you are considering chocolate for your wedding favors then here are a few ideas to consider:

Chocolate Bars: These are available as wrapped mini bars or as slabs of chocolate.  Both of these though can be personalized, with the wrappers coming in a choice of designs and the slabs being iced in a contrasting color of chocolate (usually white chocolate) with your names and wedding date.

Chocolate Lollipops: These are available as round foil wrapped lollies or go for the more unusual brownie pops which consist of a brownie coated in chocolate on a stick!  Again personalization is available on both these wedding favors.

Chocolate Cookies: Why not give out some mini chocolate cookies instead of the more expensive custom iced versions? You can easily make these yourself and make three flavors including chocolate, choc chip and double choc chip, your guests can then have a goody bag containing the three flavors. An alternative to mini cookies would be giant cookies which again you could make yourself.

Chocolate Coated Coffee Beans: For a favor with style and elegance why give your guests a bag of chocolate coated coffee beans along with some gourmet coffee and a stylish mug.

Hot Chocolate: If your wedding is in the Fall or in winter then give your guests a warming favor with sachets of hot chocolate, a bag of min marshmallows and a mug to enjoy it from.

Chocolate Cakes: As an alternative to a large wedding cake give your guests cupcakes or mini cakes instead. You can set them on the table settings as normal wedding favors if you wanted to or hire a large stand and display them with your now smaller wedding cake! There is no end to the possibilities with cupcakes and mini cakes but they can be costly, sometimes costing more per cake then per slice of a large cake.

Chocolate Scented Candles: Ok so not an edible favor but a delightful none the less and one which won’t have your guests counting calories! Votives are the most popular size of candle for favors although a set of tea lights with a decorative holder can make a nice alternative.

Perfect for a snack or if you fill them with tons of chocolate and eat them still hot out of the oven with a glass of milk then they become a real luxury. If you like tons of chocolate then you will love this if not then just reduce the chocolate a bit. I hope you like it if you do you can find more cookie and muffin recipes on my website the link is at the bottom of the text.

Ingredients

- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Method

PREHEAT oven to 375° F/ 190° C.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto lightly greased baking sheets, grease with oil. Another great way is to use an ice cream scoop to drop your cookies then flatten with baking paper.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely. Or for those who can’t wait they are best when still hot so once there safe to handle.

Find more fantastic recipes from chocolate cookies to triple chocolate muffins and blueberry muffins that will blow your mind.

http://www.cookiesandmuffinsrecipes.com

When I am writing articles I am always thinking of ideas or ways to make life a little easier. Cooking can be very time consuming but enjoyable and I know that America is changing it’s thinking on the what we eat. We are becoming a more health concern country and that is very good we need to make some changes for the good. But I must say we have to have our goodies or snacks from time to time. It’s nothing like a good treat that’s bake right in our homes. Cookies are always a snack that most people enjoy. Have you ever thought about making cookies from cake mix, yes cake mix and it’s very good and doesn’t take a lot of time to make. Moms can make a batch of cake mix cookies for the kids to take to school or for little snacks at home. Now remember we are changing the way we eat so we can’t eat to many of these good cookies. I know once the smell is in the house it’s very hard to resist but we have to be strong or all the cookies will be gone. (Smile) Today we are very busy people and it’s good to be able to wipe up a quick snack for the family or kids and there friends. It’s nothing like having a nice cup of milk with these cookies. And you can do them in so many different flavors, like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, orange frosting and so much more. I know they sound so good but remember only a few at a time or the kids will be upset at you. Baking cake mix cookies gives you home baked cookie flavor without the effort of baking cookies from scratch. You can even make sandwich cookies, your own soft chocolate cookies sandwiched together with a creamy filling.

DIRECTIONS

Rip open a box of cake mix, plop in two eggs and a little oil, mix together cake mix, eggs and oil in a large bowl. Just follow the recipe and make ” little balls” and you’ll be good to go. I made these the next night with lemon cake mix. I’ve tried several variations so far yellow cake mix, with a chocolate drizzle this were ok. Then I tried chocolate cookies, rolling some of the balls in powdered sugar, and some in cocoa powder. I followed the recipe exactly choosing a butter yellow cake mix. Then I rolled the balls in a mixture of powdered sugar and cinnamon. They were DIVINE! I think they’re my favorite cookie of all time, even better than chocolate chip cookies. These are great cookies when you don’t want to mess with a lot of ingredients.I used a cookie scoop, patted the cookies flat and dipped them in a mix of cinnamon and sugar. From cooks.com 1 package of cake mix (any flavor) 1 large egg 1/4 cup of oil 1/4 cup of water 1 cup of chopped nuts, raisins, oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chips, M&M’S® etc.(anything you like in cookies)Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, egg, oil, and water. Beat until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredient (s). Drop by teaspoon about 1 inch apart onto greased cookies sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until done. Makes about 4 dozens. Yummy! Submitted by: Jan White For more tips on cooking go to http://www.Teegoes.com

Gather your friends and/or family in the kitchen to make your own homemade cookies.  Making cookies doesn’t always have to be a time consuming chore.  Have some fun in the kitchen and make cookies in a matter of minutes.  These Shortcut Cutout Cookies use refrigerated dough that you can decorate for whatever occasion you want to celebrate.  They are quick, easy, and make very little mess to be cleaned up.  What could be better?  Want to avoid decorating but have some tasty homemade cookies warm from the oven?  Try this recipe for Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Is there anything better than a warm chocolate cookie with chocolate chips?SHORTCUT CUTOUT COOKIES1/4 cup all-purpose flour1/2 of an 18-oz roll of refrigerated sugar-cookie doughHeat oven to 350 degrees.Knead the flour into cookie dough until completely blended together. Roll out dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out cookie shapes and put about 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Re-roll the scraps and cut more cookies. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes or just beginning to brown around the edges. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Frost or decorate as desired. PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened3/4 cup granulated sugar3/4 cup packed light brown sugar1 tsp vanilla extract2 eggs2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1/3 cup cocoa powder1 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt1 pkg (12-oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips1 cup chopped nutsPreheat oven to 375 degrees.In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla together until creamy. Add eggs to the sugar mixture and beat well. Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool slightly on cookie sheets then remove to wire racks to cool completely.Yield: About 5 dozen cookies Enjoy!