Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (67 page)

OPTIONAL:
If the cream was spread smoothly, sprinkle it with coarsely grated or shaved chocolate; if it was put on to form a border, fill the center with the chocolate.

NOTE:
To measure ⅛ teaspoon, fill and level ¼ teaspoon, then cut through the middle and return half to the box.

Coffee Buttercrunch Pie

8
P
ORTIONS

This rich creation is the famous Coffee-Toffee Pie from Blum’s in San Francisco. (When we went to Blum’s in San Francisco they told me that they have stopped making this; now the only way you can get it is to make it yourself.) It has a crunchy crust, a smooth, rich chocolate-coffee filling, and is covered with coffee-flavored whipped cream. Without the whipped cream it may be frozen.

I never know what to answer when people tell me, as they often do, that this is better than sex.

CRUST

This may be doubled. The extra crust may be frozen.

½ package pie-crust mix (measure the contents into a measuring cup and use half)

1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate

¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (strained if lumpy)

2½ ounces (½ cup) walnuts, chopped very fine (they must be chopped fine, not ground)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon water

Place the pie-crust mix in a mixing bowl.

Grind the chocolate in a nut grinder, or chop it coarsely and then grind it in a food processor or a blender. Stir the ground chocolate into the pie-crust mix. Stir in the sugar and nuts. Mix the vanilla and water and gradually drizzle the mixture over the pie-crust mixture—do not pour it all in one place—while using a fork to stir and toss. The mixture will be lumpy and crumbly. Stir it very briefly, but do not try to make it smooth; it will hold together when you press it into place.

Adjust rack to the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Use a 9-inch ovenproof glass pie plate and follow the directions for lining it with aluminum foil, baking, chilling, and removing the foil (see page 176). However, for this recipe
bake the crust for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the following filling.

FILLING

This may be doubled if you have made two crusts. The extra crust with the filling may be frozen.

1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate

¼ pound (1 stick) sweet butter

¾ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (strained if lumpy)

2 teaspoons dry instant coffee

2 eggs (graded large or extra-large)

Melt the chocolate over hot water and set it aside to cool.

In the small bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat at moderately high speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the cooled melted chocolate and the dry instant coffee.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 5 (five) minutes after each addition, and scraping the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula.

Pour the filling into the cooled baked crust. Refrigerate for 5 or 6 hours, or overnight. (The pie may be frozen now or it may be refrigerated for a day or two. If you freeze it, freeze until the filling is firm and then wrap airtight. To thaw the frozen pie, unwrap it and let stand overnight in the refrigerator.)

Either just before serving or a few hours before, prepare the following whipped cream topping.

TOPPING

2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons dry powdered (not granular) instant coffee or espresso

½ cup confectioners sugar

Optional: coarsely grated or shaved chocolate (to be sprinkled on top)

In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, whip the cream with the instant coffee and sugar until the cream holds a definite shape. But do not overbeat; it must be firm enough to hold its shape when the pie is served, but it is more delicious if it is slightly creamy, rather than stiff.

Spread the whipped cream smoothly over the filling. Or apply it in fancy swirls, using a pastry bag fitted with a large star-shaped tube.

Sprinkle the top with the optional grated or shaved chocolate.

Refrigerate.

Chocolate Cupcakes

24
C
UPCAKES

These cupcakes, and Brownies, are the desserts I usually make when I am asked to make something for a cake sale.

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)

5⅓ ounces (10⅔ tablespoons) sweet butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ cups granulated sugar

3 eggs (graded large, extra-large, or jumbo)

1 cup milk

Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two pans of cupcake forms, each pan with twelve forms and each form measuring about 2¾ inches in diameter. Sift a bit of flour over the pans, invert, and tap to shake out excess. Or line twenty-four 2¾ inch forms with cupcake-liner papers (see Notes). Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa, and set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the vanilla and sugar and beat to mix. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition, and scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary to keep the mixture smooth. On the lowest speed alternately add the sifted dry ingredients in three additions with the milk in two additions. Continue to scrape the bowl with the rubber spatula and beat only until smooth. Do not overbeat.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, filling the forms only two-thirds to three-quarters full. There is no need to smooth the tops—the batter will level itself.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a fingertip. Do not overbake.

Cool the cakes in the pans for 2 or 3 minutes; then cover each pan with a large rack and invert. Remove the pan and turn the cupcakes right side up to cool on the rack.

OPTIONAL:
Ice with the following Chocolate Cupcake Icing.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE ICING

6 ounces semisweet chocolate (see Notes)

⅓ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1½ tablespoons sweet butter

Place all the ingredients in a small, heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is partially melted. Remove from the heat and stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a small, shallow bowl. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the icing reaches room temperature.

Hold a cupcake upside down and dip the top into the icing; twirl the cake slightly, and then continue to hold it upside down for a few seconds for excess icing to drip off. Repeat with all of the cakes. Then, after dipping them all, dip each one a second time. If there
is still some icing left, the cakes may be dipped a third time. When the icing gets low, transfer it to a custard cup, or a coffee or teacup, but don’t try to use up the last bit—the cakes won’t look as smooth.

NOTES:
1. When baking cupcakes, if you have only one pan with twelve forms, reserve the remaining batter and bake additional cakes after the first panful. If you bake only one pan at a time, bake it in the center of the oven.

2. Lining the pans with papers is a convenience and a timesaver. The cakes take on a better shape, they rise higher, and they stay fresh longer.

3. The chocolate for the icing may be any semisweet. If you use 1-ounce squares, they should be coarsely chopped. If you use a thinner bar chocolate, it should be broken or chopped. Morsels, of course, should be used as is.

To freeze cupcakes after they have been iced, just let them stand until the icing is no longer sticky. Then place them on a pan or tray in the freezer until they are frozen firm. Then cover them with a large piece of plastic wrap, turning it down securely on the sides and under the bottom, and return the pan or tray to the freezer. To thaw, let stand at room temperature until thawed before removing the wrapping.

Santa Fe Chocolate Wafers

36
W
AFERS

These dark, thin, crisp cookies are easily mixed in a saucepan. They are very fragile and not suitable for mailing. They are wonderful for a cookie jar or serve them with ice cream or mousse for dessert.

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

⅛ teaspoon salt

¼ pound (1 stick) butter

6 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate morsels

⅓ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg (graded extra-large or jumbo)

Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut aluminum foil to fit cookie sheets.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. Cut the butter into ½-inch slices and place in a heavy 2 - to 3-quart saucepan. Add the chocolate morsels, sugar, and corn syrup. Stir over low heat until melted and smooth. If the mixture is not smooth (some morsels do not melt completely) stir or beat it briefly with a small wire whisk. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Then stir in the vanilla and the egg. When smooth, add the sifted dry ingredients and stir and mix vigorously until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl for ease in handling.

Use a rounded teaspoonful of dough for each
cookie. Place them at least 2 inches apart (these spread) on the cut aluminum foil (8 cookies on each piece of foil), keeping the shapes as round as possible.

Slide cookie sheets under the foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes (see Note), reversing the position of the sheets top to bottom and front to back once to insure even baking. If you bake only one sheet at a time use the higher rack, and with only one sheet in the oven the cookies will take less time to bake. The cookies will puff up in the oven and then they will flatten—they are not done until they have flattened. These will crisp as they cool and they should be very crisp, but be careful not to overbake or the chocolate will taste burnt.