Flourless Chocolate Cake With Caramel Sauce

1 cup butter, cubed

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/4 cups white sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

6 eggs

 

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

 

1.	Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan, and line with parchment paper.
2.	Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in chocolate, and continue to stir until almost melted. Remove from heat, and stir until melted and smooth. In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cups sugar and the cocoa powder. Whisk in the eggs until well blended, then whisk in the chocolate and butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
3.	Bake for about 45 minutes in the preheated oven. The cake is ready when the edges have nicely puffed and the surface is firm except for a small spot in the center that will jiggle when the pan is gently shaken. Cool cake in the pan over a wire rack. Run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake, then remove the sides of the pan, and invert onto a serving plate. Remove the parchment paper.
4.	In a heavy saucepan, stir together 1 1/2 cups of sugar, water, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook without stirring until the syrup is a deep amber color. For an accurate color check, dip a metal spoon into the syrup and lift it out of the pan to check the color. Once the syrup is amber, remove from the heat. Gradually stir in the cream. The mixture will bubble vigorously. If lumps form, stir gently over low heat to dissolve them. Stir in 2 tablespoons of butter.
5.	Cut the cake into wedges while warm, and serve with caramel sauce spooned over it. You can also chill the cake and sauce, then warm again before serving.

Chocolate Peanut-Butter No Bake Cookies

My favorite cookie!  These are super easy to make!

Add sugar, cocoa, and milk to a medium sized sauce pan and mix together over medium heat.  Once the ingredients are well incorporated, add the butter and bring to a boil.  I like to slice my  butter into 8 tablespoons.

The trick to no bake cookies is cooking it at the right temperature, for the right amount of time.  If you cook it too long, the cookies will be crumbly.  If you don't cook it long enough, they won't set up right.  So make sure you don't go above medium or medium high heat while waiting for it to boil.

I love how it looks like a deep liquid bronze as you're stirring.

Once it comes to a boil, let it boil for one minute, stirring the entire time.  After the minute is up, turn off the burner and add the peanut butter and vanilla, and stir until the peanut butter is well incorporated.    You could remove your pan from the burner, but I leave my on the burner so it still continues to cook a bit while I dissolve the peanut butter.

Then add the oats.

You'll want to have your aluminum foil or waxed paper ready beforehand, so you can immediately begin forming the cookies.

Drop by spoonfuls until you're out of cookie mixture.  Let cool for about 5 minutes.

I think you know my drink of choice to go with these.  But, since I've quit drinking soda, I'll stick with milk.


Enoy!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups sugar
4 TB cocoa
1/2 cup butter (make sure it's cold, not room temp!)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups oats

Add the sugar, cocoa, and milk to the pan and mix together over medium heat, then add the butter and bring to a boil.

Once it comes to a boil, let it boil for 1 minute then remove the mixture from the heat and add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by spoonfuls and let set until hardened and cooled.

Peach Crisp

My favorite dessert, ever!

4-5 cups fresh peaches, sliced, or 2 cans canned peaches, drained (fresh is better)
3 TB flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3 TB sugar*

1 cup flour
1 cup oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cold butter

Pour peaches into a 9x13 glass pan.  In a small bowl mix 3 Tb. flour, cinammon and sugar*.  Pour this into the pan of peaches and mix. 

Next, in a large bowl mix the 1 cup of flour, oats and brown sugar. Then, slice cold butter into bowl and cut in with a fork, or pastry cuter, trying not to get the butter too warm as that will make more of a dough. We want it to crumble. Spread over the peaches.

Place in oven uncovered for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown.


Best served with ice cream.  Yummy!!
*If you are using canned peaches, omit the sugar.