Mocha Snow Caps

I'm happy to be joining the Secret Recipe Club again this month.  What's the Secret Recipe Club?  Basically, it's a once-a-month blog hop party for food bloggers - each month, participants are assigned another member's blog where they secretly spend time perusing the assigned blog, pick a recipe, make it, write a blog post about it, and then everyone reveals their secret by publishing their posts at the same time.

My assigned blog - Living Lou... and guess what - she's only 18 years old!  Lou has a truly wonderful blog.  She's a gifted writer and photographer, and she's a world traveler with a rather sophisticated palate for someone her age.  I'm so impressed with the variety of food she's made over the past year and a half, and I look forward to enjoying what she has to offer for years to come.

So, what recipe did I choose?  It was so hard to pick just one.  I must have glanced at every recipe on Lou's blog 3 or 4 times, each time gravitating to her Snow Cap Cookies .  Lou's beautiful photo hooked me instantly.

My review - Lou describes these cookies as "pure heaven", and I have to agree - they're amazing!  These soft and chewy chocolate and espresso cookies melt in your mouth.  Thanks for introducing our family to a new favorite, Lou.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• high quality espresso powder https://amzn.to/2Q0pYTH

• high quality dutch-processed cocoa powder https://amzn.to/2Hg2mrn

• commercial half sheet pans https://amzn.to/2vVEaUJ

• silicone sheet pan liner https://amzn.to/2Vqo0gE

• precut parchment paper https://amzn.to/2YmYURB

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Mocha Snow Cap Cookies

makes 18 cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (Dutch-processed)

• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

• 1 tablespoon milk

• 1/3 cup confectioners or icing sugar (for coating)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.  Melt chocolate and set aside to cool before adding to the other ingredients.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside until needed.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add egg and cooled chocolate; mix to combine.

4. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing well after each addition. Finally mix in the milk and shape dough into a disk and wrap in plastic and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm and easy to work with.

5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners and prepare a bowl with your powdered sugar. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll into powdered sugar to coat.  Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. The cookies will spread during baking.

6. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the cookies have spread and are cracked on top. The cookies will be soft to the touch. Allow them to cool completely.  Enjoy!!

adapted from livinglou.com

Amazing Caramelized Onion and Bacon Dip

Wow, this is an amazing homemade onion dip. Mmm, mmm, mmm.  This recipe by Lucinda Scala Quinn is a winner!  Bacon, bacon fat, 3 pounds of onions that are slowly caramelized... no wonder it's so good!  Aside from the time it takes to caramelize the onions, which you could easily do ahead of time, the recipe is a snap to put together.  It makes a ton - great if you're feeding a crowd over to watch the big game, but I'd suggest cutting the recipe in half for a smaller crowd.  Leftover dip makes an excellent sandwich spread.  Make this dip!!

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Dip

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 strips of bacon, chopped into bits

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 3 pounds yellow onions, diced

• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I used seasoned rice wine vinegar)

• 1 1/2 cups real mayonnaise

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1/4 cup mild flavored vegetable oil (canola works well)

• 3 shallots, sliced thinly into rings

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook bacon until brown and crispy; remove from pan and reserve; saving the rendered fat.

2. Add the olive oil to the rendered bacon fat, then add onions and salt; reduce heat to low and slowly caramelize onions, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown (this can take up to an hour).

3. Remove onions from pan and allow to cool.

4. In the same skillet over medium heat, cook the sliced shallots in 1/4 cup mild flavored oil until they're caramelized; stirring frequently (add a little more oil if needed); reserve for garnish.

5. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, and vinegar (definitely don't skip the vinegar - it elevates the flavor of this dip from so-so to phenomenal).

6. Stir in the cooled onions and bacon.

7. Garnish and serve. Refrigerate leftovers (great spread for sandwiches). Enjoy!

adapted from Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn