Fantastically Chocolate Popcorn

This popcorn is cocoa-y and delicious if you are looking for a lighter tasting chocolate! It's crunchy and tasty and a great snack for your next movie night!

Ingredients:
2 quarts popped popcorn
1/2-1 c peanuts (optional)
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c corn syrup
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 c butter
1 t vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Oil a 10x15 inch baking pan with sides

Place popcorn and peanuts on baking sheet and set aside.

Stir together the sugar, corn syrup, cocoa powder, and butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a full boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and pour over the popcorn. Stir until the popcorn is well coated. Spread evenly in pan.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 mintes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperatures. Store in an airtight container or eat it all in one sitting. Enjoy!!!

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

Holy Schmoly, this frosting is THE MOST DELICIOUS thing I've had in a long, long time! It has the perfect amount of peanut butter, and is perfectly creamy and fluffy. You'll need a whole batch of cupcakes for this date, because you won't be able to stop chomping these puppies down!

Ingredients:
1/4 c butter, softened
1/2 c peanut butter
3-4 c powdered sugar
2-5 T milk
1/8 t salt
2 t vanilla

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, half of the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and 2 T milk. Mix well, adding more milk and powdered sugar as needed to make a fluffy, spreadable frosting.

Try with:
Tasty L'il Yellow Cupcakes
Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Mini Tarts

These little guys are so tasty and so fun, you and your date will have a blast chomping them down one by one! It's especially fun (and delicious!) if you go the extra mile and make a variety of fillings and toppings combinations!

Ingredients:
Fillo pastry shells
chocolate, peanut butter, vanilla mousse or whipped cream or a mix of the above
garnishes- get creative- try fruit like berries or kiwi, chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter cup or chocolate

Directions:
Fill pastry cups with mousse or whipped cream. Garnish how you like- see photo above for delicious ideas! I've gotta say I was partial to the peanut butter/chocolate mousse with peanut butter cup on top and the chocolate with raspberry. Yummm. Top with a variety of garnishes to create more excitement on your date!

Chocolate Mousse

This mousse is super easy- for reals- and so, so yummy! Creamy, peanut buttery, and light! If you love peanut butter like me, then this is heaven!

Ingredients:
2 oz semi sweet chocolate (chocolate chips or chocolate bar chopped up, just make sure it is good chocolate!)
1 1/4 c heavy whipping cream, divided
2 T powdered (confectioner's) sugar
garnish (peanut butter cup slice, crumbled peanut butter cup, chocolate cube, chopped peanuts and chocolate, etc.)

Directions:
Have a piece of saran wrap prepared to fit over your microwave safe bowl. Measure 1/4 c cream and heat in your microwave safe bowl until very hot (but not burnt!) about 2 minutes. Pour chocolate chips into bowl and cover with saran wrap. Let sit until chocolate is softened- about 3 minutes- then stir until smooth. Let sit until cooled and thickened. It may need 1/2 hour to an hour to cool sufficiently so allow time for this. It may be a good idea to do this step before your date shows up if you're making the mousse on the date so that you don't have to wait to eat up!

Measure 1 c heavy whipping cream and 2 T powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix until stiff peaks form. Once cream is whipped, scoop it into the chocolate mixture and fold carefully until well blended.

Finally, scoop it into four dishes and garnish! You can garnish however you like-use a leftover dollop of whipped cream, peanut butter cups, chocolate slices, fruit like bananas or berries, chopped peanuts and chocolate, etc. Get creative!

More ideas- use this as a filling for cupcakes, layer with vanilla or other flavored pudding, layer with peanut butter mousse (as shown in the photo above), layer between peanut butter or chocolate chip cookies, in mini tarts, etc.

If you are using this for cupcake filling, you can do one of two things: the first option is to put it in a plastic bag or frosting bag and pipe it into the hole. (See cupcake recipe for instructions on how to prep them for filling.) The second option (which is what I tried) is to spread the mousse cream in a cube shaped ice cube tray OR use a cookie scoop to do small scoops on a cookie sheet OR use another spoon/measuring spoon and scoop little dollops onto a cookie sheet. Then freeze for 1 hour. Once they are frozen, you can place them in the cupcake hole, cover with the cupcake top, and frost.

Super Easy (and Super Delicious) Chocolate Ganache

This makes a delicious frosting for cupcakes or cakes, filling for layer cakes, or even topping for ice cream It's super rich, super easy, and super delicious! I'm not kidding!!!

Ingredients:
3/4 c cream
2 T real butter, melted
8 oz semi sweet or dark chocolate, chopped up

Directions:
Place chocolate in a bowl and pour the melted butter over the top. Put the cream in the microwave and heat for approximately 2 minutes until it is simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips, give a quick stir to make sure the chocolate is immersed in the cream, and quickly cover with plastic wrap.If you like it more of a frosting-y consistency (as is shown in the picture) it will need to cool for at least an hour. Do not put it in the refrigerator unless you want it really firm- it doesn't soften up again once you refrigerate it! You can spread it on with a knife or you can put it in a frosting bag/plastic baggy with a frosting tip or simply with the corner cut off and squeeze it on. There you go, super easy! This stuff is to die for- gooey, delicious, amazing!

Try With:
Banana Cupcakes
Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes
Tasty L'il Yellow Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes

This recipe works perfectly for filling with mousse cream- a total throwback to when you were eight and you got a Hostess cupcake in your lunchbox. Only way better. Try not to lick the screen, people.

Ingredients:
1 c flour
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
4 T unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 c luke warm water
1/4 c buttermilk

Directions:
1 hour in advance- take butter and egg out of the refrigerator so they can settle to room temperature

Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Place 12 liners in a standard 12 cup muffin tin.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. It's important for it to be really smooth, so make sure you don't skip the sifting! If you don't have a sifter (like me!) use a strainer instead. It works just as well.

In a separate bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy- 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture in three installments, alternating with the water and buttermilk, beating on low speed until just combined. Beat on medium-high speed until no traces of flour remain, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Do not over beat!

Divide the batter evenly between muffin cups (should be about 2/3 of the way full)- use a cookie scoop or 1/3 cup measuring scoop for even filling. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Make sure to check on the earlier end of the time frame so they don't over bake, and then put them back in if they're not done. It's a matter of 1-2 minutes between being totally runny in the middle and fully cooked, so keep a close eye on them! Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then remove them and let them cool.

Choose your favorite frosting recipe for topping these bad boys! These are also delicious with the vaniilla mousse filling if you're a Hostess cupcake junkie!

Try with:
Chocolate Ganache
Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Mousse
Vanilla Mousse
Chocolate Mousse