No. 1 : Quick Recipe
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Chile Chocolate Frosting
- 2 1/4 Cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
- 2 Cups Raw Sugar
- 1 Cup Cocoa Powder – *NOT Dutch Processed
- 2 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 Tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 1 TB Vanilla
- 2/3 Cup Coconut Oil
- 2 Tsp White Vinegar
- 1 Cup Cold Strong Brewed Coffee
- 1 Cup Cold Water
Step One
Preheat the oven to 350F. Place liners in 2 muffin pans.
Step Two
In a large bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Step Three
In a medium bowl, mix the vanilla extract, oil, and vinegar, coffee and cold water. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix. The mixture will be quite wet.
Step Four
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 – 25 minutes. When cool, frost with Chile Chocolate Frosting and garnish with a berry.
No. 2 : Kitchen SCOOP
Chocolate Chile Frosting
- 6 TB Unsalted Butter, Softened (Can use Earth Balance Spread to make them vegan)
- ¾ Cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Tsp Ground *Ancho Chilies
- ¼ Tsp Cayenne
- 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Almond Milk, more as necessary
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Place the cocoa powder, cinnamon and chile powder in a bowl and blend. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter until creamy. Add the cocoa mixture and powdered sugar alternately with milk. Beat to spreading consistency adding more milk if needed. Blend in the vanilla.
No. 3 : Clever Idea
*Dutch Processing is used to make chocolate less bitter, but just like any other food that has been processed, when you process the chocolate, (with alkali), it removes some of the heart-healthy good-for-you antioxidants that chocolate and cocoa powder contain. Here in the U.S. in the past we liked softer, sweeter chocolate, so this process made chocolate more palatable. Today we like a darker chocolate flavor, so no need for the dutch process!
No. 4 : Wine FIND of the Week
Niepoort Ruby Port
Portugal
About $19.00
This port with its beautiful dark ruby color has a fresh bright aroma of dark fruits and a taste to match. Made from a blend of grapes, the wine gets its “kick” of alcohol from the addition of grape spirit, or brandy, to the wine at some point during the production process. Ruby port is a young wine that needs no aging – and a perfect partner for chocolate desserts.