Ree's Baked Fudge Cups

By now most people are familiar with who Ree Drummond is, right?  You know, The Pioneer Woman?  the most successful food blogger out there - she gives great stuff away, makes TV appearances, has authored cookbooks, hosts her own cooking show - all the things we food bloggers dream of.    

Anyway, I was watching Ree's show the other day when she made this recipe she calls Baked Fudge.  It's kind of difficult to explain, so here's how Ree describes it:  

"Crusty, set upper crust... soft, but definitely not runny, filling.  It really is the best of both worlds. Chocolaty, but tastes like cake batter, but not as runny... but warm and delicious." 

I knew my chocoholic family would love them.

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• 4-ounce ramekins https://amzn.to/2I91ExJ

• my favorite dutch-processed cocoa powder https://amzn.to/2WU6WQY

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3AEmKg6

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Ree's Baked Fudge Cups

serves 8 (4-ounce ramekins)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 whole eggs

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs until light in color.

3. Add sugar, cocoa, flour, melted butter, salt, and vanilla; mix gently until combined.

4. Pour into 8 ungreased 4-ounce ramekins.

5. Place ramekins into a large roasting pan and fill pan with hot water until the water level reaches about half way up the side of the ramekins.

6. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until the top is crusty and the interior is moist, yet firm (shouldn't be liquidy). Serve warm, room temp, or cold - and don't forget to top them with ice cream or whipped cream - or both! PS - I tucked a few leftovers into the freezer and the Hubs loved eating them frozen.

Note

• Half the recipe above can be baked in an 8x8 casserole dish - adjust baking time and bake until batter is still moist, but set firm and no longer runny.

adapted from thepioneerwoman

Rich Dark Chocolate Gelato

The hubs really loves dark chocolate and he really loves ice cream so how do you think he feels about this Rich Dark Chocolate Gelato?  He really-really loves it!  I've said this before, but sometimes the most simple recipes are the most flavorful and that's certainly the case here.  

This easy recipe has no egg yolks and you don't need a thermometer to ensure it reaches a certain temperature as it cooks.  You'll also notice the recipe doesn't call for heavy cream which can mute the flavor of chocolate.  The addition of cornstarch provides excellent water absorbing properties to reduce the ice crystals that so often plague homemade ice creams and gelatos.  For the best flavor, be sure to use a high quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder rather than common grocery store varieties.  I've listed several recommendations below.

A word about ice cream makers.  I have two Cuisinart ice cream makers, the kind with the coolant-filled bowls that have to be frozen for 24 hours between batches.  They work very well and I would recommend them to anyone, but I recently had the pleasure of testing two self-refrigerating compressor machines.  They're more expensive than the freeze-ahead models, but the convenience of being able to make consecutive batches on a moment's notice makes the increased price so worth it to me.

Of the two models I tested, one was the clear winner - The Breville Smart Scoop.  The Breville is the quietest machine I've ever used; purrs like a kitten.  It also has 12 hardness settings so you can freeze your sorbet, frozen yogurt, gelato, or ice cream just the way you like it; it has a super neat "hold" feature to keep your frozen creation at the desired consistency for up to 3 hours; and it sings a cute little ditty to let you know when the cycle is done.  Oh, and extra bowls for this machine only cost about $10 compared to the $30-45 you have to pay for the freeze-ahead models.  I can't say enough good things about the Breville Smart Scoop and it's going on my list of favorite small appliances.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• my favorite ice cream maker https://amzn.to/3Nu0Y55

• the best dutch-processed cocoa powder https://amzn.to/3lHKx7h

• the best pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3WvZRWK

• heavy-bottom sauce pan https://amzn.to/3r69hHq

• ice cream freezer container https://amzn.to/3r3BmCn

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Dark Chocolate Gelato

Cioccolato Scuro e Ricco Gelato

makes 1 quart

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole milk, divided

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• pinch of fine salt

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup of milk, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside.

2. In a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, bring the remaining 2 cups of milk just below the boiling point (bubbles will appear around the edges of the pan).

3. Add the cocoa mixture to the hot milk and continue to heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes).

4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

5. Allow mixture to cool, then transfer to an airtight container and chill overnight (for quicker results, see my note below).

6. Process in your ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions.

7. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer (I love this one).

8. Soften at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 1 quart.

Notes

• If you're in a hurry and want to skip the chilling overnight step, pour the gelato base into a glass or metal bowl which is then placed into a larger bowl containing a lot of ice water. Stir the mixture frequently until it reaches 40F; then proceed as directed above.  

• Base can be made up to 5 days in advance - store in refrigerator until ready to churn.