semisweet chocolate chips

Baking a chocolate babka is no casual undertaking. The Eastern European yeast-risen coffee cake has 14 steps and takes all day to make. But the results are worth every sugarcoated second – with a moist, deeply flavored brioche-like cake wrapped around a dark fudge filling, then topped with cocoa streusel crumbs.

If you want to save yourself a little work and love Nutella, you can substitute 1 1/2 cup (420 grams) of it for the homemade fudge filling. Also note that you can make this over a few days instead of all at once. Babka freezes well for up to 3 months, so if you  need only one loaf now, freeze the other for later.

Chocolate Babka

118 milliliters whole milk

(1/4 ounce 7 grams) active dry yeast

granulated sugar,

all-purpose flour, more as needed

fine sea salt

vanilla extract

lemon

nutmeg

eggs,

unsalted butter,

granulated sugar

heavy cream

kosher salt

112 grams/1 stick unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature

all-purpose flour

cocoa powder

salt

unsalted butter, melted

60 grams mini semisweet chocolate chips

Prepare the dough: In a small saucepan or a bowl in the microwave, warm the milk until it’s lukewarm but not hot (about 110 degrees). Add yeast and a pinch of sugar and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly foamy.

In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, or in a food processor, mix together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, the salt, the vanilla, the lemon zest (if using) and the nutmeg. (If you don't have a mixer or processor, use a large bowl and a wooden spoon.) Beat or process in the yeast mixture and eggs until the dough comes together in a soft mass, about 2 minutes. If the dough sticks to the side of the bowl and doesn’t come together, add a tablespoon more flour at a time until it does, beating very well in between additions.

Add half the butter and beat or pulse until the dough is smooth and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Beat in the rest of the butter and continue to beat or pulse until the dough is smooth and stretchy, another 5 to 7 minutes. Again, if the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Butter a clean bowl, form the dough into a ball and roll it around in the bowl so all sides are buttered. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place (inside of a turned-off oven with the oven light on is good) until it puffs and rises, about 1 to 2 hours. It may not double in bulk but it should rise.

Press the dough down with your hands, re-cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight (or, in a pinch, for at least 4 hours, but the flavor won't be as developed).

Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cream and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Scrape mixture into a bowl. Stir in chocolate, butter and vanilla until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Filling can be made up to a week ahead and stored, covered, in the fridge. Let come to room temperature before using.

Prepare the streusel: In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Stir in melted butter until it is evenly distributed and forms large, moist crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips. Streusel can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and stored, covered, in the fridge.

Prepare the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 2/3 cup/158 milliliters water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.

Butter two 9-inch loaf pans, then line with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of paper hanging over on the sides to use as handles later.

Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. On a floured surface, roll one piece into a 9-by-17-inch rectangle. Spread with half the filling (there's no need to leave a border). Starting with a long side, roll into a tight coil. Transfer the coil onto a dish towel or piece of plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Repeat with the other piece of dough.

Slice one of the dough coils in half lengthwise to expose the filling. Twist the halves together as if you were braiding them, then fold the braid in half so it’s about 9 inches long. Place into a prepared pan, letting it curl around itself if it’s a little too long for the pan. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until puffy (it won’t quite double). Alternatively, you can cover the pans with plastic wrap and let them rise in the refrigerator overnight; bring them back to room temperature for an hour before baking.

When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Use your fingers to clump streusel together and scatter all over the tops of the cakes. Transfer to oven and bake until a tester goes into the cakes without any rubbery resistance and comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. The cakes will also sound hollow if you unmold them and tap on the bottom. An instant-read thermometer will read between 185 and 210 degrees.

As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, use a skewer or paring knife to pierce them all over going all the way to the bottom of the cakes, and then pour the syrup on top of the cakes, making sure to use half the syrup for each cake.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

A fudge center and chocolate crumb topping give this babka a serious upgrade.

Magic Bars

graham cracker crumbs

unsalted butter, softened

sugar

condensed milk

coconut flakes

pecans, roughly chopped

chocolate chips

Flaky sea salt,

These Magic Bars Live Up to Their Name

Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies

baking soda

oats

margarine

brown sugar

banana (about 1/2 large banana)

semisweet chocolate chips chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda and oats. Set aside. Melt the margarine on the stove in a small pan; do not allow it to brown. Or place it in a glass cup and melt in a microwave oven set on high for 50 seconds. Pour the margarine into a medium-size mixing bowl and add the sugars, banana and vanilla extract. Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, stir until smooth.

Add the margarine mixture to the flour ingredients and stir until it forms a dough. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the dough by level tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the oven until lightly puffed and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. They should be a little soft, but not too squishy in the center. Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks. They will firm up further as they cool. Serve the cookies warm or cool.

This S’mores skillet cookie has extra toasty flavor thanks to a magic ingredient - browned butter. Browned butter is made by cooking unsalted butter until the milk solids turn brown. This yields a deep, rich, nutty flavor. Serve slices of this cookie warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate summer treat!

Browned Butter S’mores Skillet Cookie

unsalted butter

brown sugar (packed)

eggs

cornstarch

marshmallow cream

graham cracker sheets

bar chocolate

Vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Use a light-colored metal saucepan so you can easily see the color of the butter change. Cook until the butter foams and steams. Swirl the pan occasionally as the foam subsides and watch closely as the butter turns golden brown and the milk solids drop to the bottom of the pan. Pour the browned butter and butter solids into a small bowl and let stand until cool but not solidified.

Use a pastry brush to coat a 10-inch cast iron pan with a little of the browned butter. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the browned butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until well incorporated.

Add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, cornstarch and salt. Mix well until thick dough forms. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Press half of the cookie dough in the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with dollops of marshmallow cream. Place remaining cookie dough on top of the marshmallow cream using a spoon or an ice cream scoop. Allow some of the marshmallow cream to remain exposed. Smooth down the dough with a greased rubber spatula or by pressing it down with damp hands (dip hands in water, then press).

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top of the cookie is well set and golden brown. (The center of the cookie will be gooey, and the edges crisp).  Immediately garnish the top of the cookie with graham crackers and squares of the bar chocolate.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Bavarian Mint Fudge

Tbsp Prairie Farms Unsalted Butter, divided

Cups semisweet chocolate chips

Cups Milk Chocolate chips

oz Prairie Farms Chocolate Milk

tsp Peppermint extract

tsp vanilla extract

Line an 11x7-in. pan with foil and grease foil with 1 1/2 teaspoons butter; set aside. In a bowl, melt chocolate chips and remaining butter in the microwave; stir until smooth. Stir in Chocolate Milk and extracts until well blended. Spread into foiled pan. Refrigerate until set.

Top 5 semisweet chocolate chips recipes from across the web

The most viewed semisweet chocolate chips recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Chocolate Babka

Magic Bars

Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Browned Butter S’mores Skillet Cook...

Bavarian Mint Fudge

Top 5 semisweet chocolate chips recipes from across the web

The most viewed semisweet chocolate chips recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Chocolate Babka

Magic Bars

Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Browned Butter S’mores Skillet Cook...

Bavarian Mint Fudge

The most viewed semisweet chocolate chips recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine