The Friday Forum!

June 25, 2004

This week’s Friday Forum questions come with a warning — they are not fat free or low calorie! I cannot be held responsible for any snarfilicious cravings this entry may induce. Proceed at your own risk. ;)
1. What’s the most decadent, indulgent, and delicious dessert
that you’ve ever tried?

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Oooh? tiramisu! One of my favorite local places, Mario?s Restaurante, makes a homemade tiramisu that will blow your friggen mind. Rich, creamy, beautifully presented, and garnished with a small chocolate-covered coffee bean on top. There seem to be lots of different ways to put it together, but the basic ingredients usually remain the same: marscapone cheese, whipped cream, marsala wine, espresso, chocolate, and lady finger cakes. Divine!

2. Which candies/treats did you enjoy most when you were a
child?

I always liked homemade treats the best as a kid, but if I had a chance to get a hold of some ZOTZ, I was a happy foaming-at-the-mouth, puckered-up little kid. ZOTZ were definitely more fun than tasty.

In fact, they were so sour and brutal it makes me wonder if they were made with battery acid or something.

3. If you could invent a brand-new ice cream flavor ~ one that
nobody has ever tried ~ what would it be?

Low-Carb Belly Button Lint Ice Cream ? it?s Atkins? friendly!! smiley

(Sorry, but the low-carb Atkins mania is driving me up the wall. Just had to vent.)

4. Which is best, in your opinion: white chocolate, milk chocolate,
semisweet chocolate, dark chocolate, or no chocolate at all?

Milk chocolate, the creamier the better. I?ve never understood the reasoning behind white chocolate. I call it ?that ugly albino stepsister of the Good Stuff.?

Uh?No offense to all of you ugly albino stepsisters out there. Hee.

5. Do you have a favorite cookie? What is it? If you have the
recipe, feel free to share it with us if you are so inclined!

I?d be hard-pressed to dislike any cookie, but when I read the question this is the first one that came to my mind, so it must be the favorite of the moment: Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies

I?ve been making them as Christmas treats for years now and they are always a hit. They are fudgy, a little chewy, and covered with a dob of creamy frosting over a cherry. What?s not to love!?

I remember tearing out the recipe from an old Better Homes and Gardens magazine back when I was a newlywed and trying to build up a cookie repertoire. I was surprised when I went to their website tonight and saw the recipe there as well. Apparently, it?s pretty popular!

Here it is, for your mouth-watering pleasure:

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Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Prep: 30 minutes
Bake: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 48 undrained maraschino cherries (about one 10-ounce jar
  • 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate pieces (not imitation)
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions

In a mixing bowl combine flour and cocoa; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter or margarine with an electric mixer on medium to high speed about 30 seconds or until softened. Add sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until well combined. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well. Gradually beat in the flour mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place on ungreased baking sheet. Press down center of each ball with thumb. Drain maraschino cherries, reserving juice. Place a cherry in the center of each cookie. In a small saucepan combine the chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk; heat until chocolate is melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of the reserved cherry juice.

Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the frosting over each cherry on unbaked cookie, spreading to cover cherry. (Frosting may be thinned with additional cherry juice, if necessary.)

Bake in 350F oven about 10 minutes or until done. Remove to wire rack; cool. Cover and store at room temperature up to 2 days. Makes 48 cookies.

Mmmmm mmmm YUMMY! smiley

OK, it’s back to bed for me. Apparently I just needed to wake up and talk about my chocolate fantasies.

(Don’t read anything into that…) ~ ~ ~

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Comments

6 Responses to “The Friday Forum!”

  1. Quackin' Maggie on June 25th, 2004 5:16 pm

    *YAY for my new laptop! Oh, how it loads the infinitepinkness at amazing speeds!*

    I think the current background may be my favorite one yet. The bubbly pink stuff in the corners reminds me of the lollipop forest in Candyland.

    Thanks for the cookie recipe! Sounds delightful… ;)

  2. Michele on June 25th, 2004 9:25 pm

    chocolate fantasy, eh????

  3. Sara on June 25th, 2004 10:50 pm

    Wahhhhh I’ve yet to get my first taste of Tiramisu. Seems like there’s none of our local haunts that serves it and I’m too chicken to try it out myself in fear of messing something up which I’ve heard should be so divine. *drooling*

  4. Cinta on June 27th, 2004 11:54 am

    Ohhhh, the LolliPop Forest in Candyland. God, I loved that. It brings back this weird feeling, I was so amazed by the bright colors of that game as a kid. Indescribable.

    Tiramisu- My friggin favorite desert ever. Maggiano’s has the best, if anyone has that retaurant near them. =)

  5. Brandy on August 11th, 2004 4:00 pm

    Oh my gosh!!! You shouldn’t have said anything about Maggiano’s Tiramisu. I am now drooling. My family and I go as much as possible for that oh soooo good food.

  6. nirmthimmic on October 27th, 2008 3:03 am

    Think about it… I recognize your interest in my pink relationships I have read a good joke in internet ;) Did you hear about the guy that lost his left arm and leg in a car crash? He’s all right now.

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