Chocoholic?

Aztec Chocolate Drink

Boil 5 dl of water (or milk). Mix in a generous pinch of cayenne pepper (less than 1/2 teaspoon!), 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 1 pinch ground ginger, the contents of a vanilla rod and 4 teaspoons of honey. Bring back to boil. Remove from heat. Add 75 g cocoa paste (or melted, really dark and preferably unsweetened chocolate) and stir until mixed thoroughly. Whisk vigorously before serving. Serve with whipped cream.

Icebox Cookies (Spicy Chocolate Cookies)

From Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts

This recipe makes around 35 cookies.

• 1 1/2 cups (3.5 dl) sifted flour
• 3/4 cup (1.75 dl) unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably freshly grained cocoa beans or possibly cocoa paste)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• a generous pinch (1/2 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
• a generous pinch (1/2 teaspoon) black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (freshly grained cinnamon bark if available)
• 6 oz (170 g) sweet butter OR 3/4 cup (1.75 dl) unsalted margarine
(the amount might be reduced when using cocoa paste or fresh cocoa beans!)
• 1 cup (2.5 dl) granulated sugar (preferably brown) or (possibly) honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (the contents of 2 vanilla rods)
• 1 large egg

Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, pepper, cayenne and cinnamon and set aside. Cream the butter, add the sugar and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Beat in the egg, the gradually add the dry ingredients until all mixed.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board. Shape the dough into a cylinder about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Wrap the cylinder of dough in wax paper (or bake/lunch paper – there's enough butter it won't really stick) and place in the freezer until firm. Or it may be kept frozen.

Before baking, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) in regular oven, or 150°C in fan-forced oven. Unwrap the dough, placing it on a board. With a sharp heavy knife, cut it into slices 1/4 inch (6 – 7 mm) thick. Place on cookie sheets (they pretty much don't spread at all).

Bake 10 – 11 minutes, reversing the sheets top to bottom, back to front once during baking to ensure even browning. The cookies are done when they are almost firm to touch – don't leave them too long as it's impossible to see if they're burning.

Let them cool for a few seconds on the sheets until firm enough to be moved. With a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to racks to cool. Store airtight.

Tip: Personally, I like to add 2.5 - 3 oz (75 - 85 gram) chopped chocolate – why not chocolate with some extra taste or your personal favourite? Chop rather fine, and mix into the dough before making the roll. If the flakes are too large, then it may prove rather tricky to cut the roll into slices, and you may have to roll every slice to a little ball and manually press it down to the right shape... However, the result will be devastatingly delicious!

Russischer Zupfkuchen

The name might be translated as "Russian Chocolate-Cheesecake". This is a German recipe from the old cooking book of the Zein family. The cake is awfully tasty and contains a sinful lot of unhealthy ingredients... An utterly eminent way of quickly increasing your waistline with grandeur and style!

Pastry:

• 250 g margarine
• 200 g (2.5 dl) sugar
• 50 g (0.5 dl) cacao
• 400 g (6.5 dl) flour
• 1 - 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
• 1 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg

Filling:

• 500 gram soft cheese (Swedish "kesella", Italian "mascarpone", German "Kvarg", French "crème fraiche" or Icelandic "skyr" - with some variation in the taste...)
• 200 g (2.5 dl) sugar
• 200 g butter or margarine
• 1 - 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar

Cooking:

• Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
• Make the pastry; mix baking powder, flour, sugar and cacao in a bowl, then add the other ingredients for the pastry.
• Use 3/4 of the pastry to cover the bottom of a round pan with a diameter around 10 inches (25 cm) and a height of 2 inches (5 cm).
• Make the filling; melt the butter and mix with the other ingredients.
• Spread the filling on top of the pastry.
• Crumble the rest of the pastry on top of the filling (the crumbles will float down into the filling and bind it together).
• Cook for around 50 minutes in the middle of the oven.
• Let the cake cool off before serving (this cake is very soft and runny when it's warm!)
• Gorge merrily in the company of good friends!

Sticky Cake with extra taste

(Based on a popular Swedish recipe)

Ingredients:

• 3 dl sugar
• 0.75 dl cacao
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1.5 dl wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 0.5 dl added taste (lemon juice, crushed bananas, marmalade)
• 100 g butter

Cooking:

• Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Melt the butter and let it cool of.
• Mix sugar, cacao and salt well.
• Add flour and mix some more.
• Add eggs and added taste, mixing to a smooth paste.
• Add the melted butter and mix thoroughly.
• Pour into a round pan with a diameter around 10 inches (25 cm).
• Bake for 30 minutes (the cake is supposed to be crisp on the outside, but must NOT become completely baked on the inside!).
• Serve whith whipped cream.