My favorite recipes

O, chocolate, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways—brownies, fudge, cake, cupcakes ... and there may be more!

Judges of the many departments at the Palouse Empire Fair enjoy their jobs, or they would not volunteer year after year. The Melt in Your Mouth Chocolate contest judges are possibly the happiest of all.

This year there were a number of delicious entries, and although there is not space to print all of them, the top three adult and top youth entries are included. In addition, three other very interesting recipes caught the judges’ attention. The popcorn cake with chocolate, rich chocolate brownies and the X-treme chocolate mint brownies begged for attention.

All of the entrants won accolades from the judges for their chocolate treats.

Recipes:

Friesen’s Fudge

Beth Stockinger, Moscow—Adult First Place

4 cups miniature marshmallows

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 1/2 ounces milk chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 ounces toffee pieces (such as Chipits Skor Toffee Bits)

1. Line 9x9-inch pan with foil, leaving 1-inch overhang on two sides. Grease foil with cooking spray. Set aside. Combine first 5 ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring often. Boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

2. Add chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

3. Add toffee bits. Stir well. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Smooth top. Let stand until cool. Holding foil, remove fudge from pan. Discard foil. Cut into 64 pieces.

4. NOTE: Omit toffee bits. Use 4 crushed Skor or Heath chocolate bars. For best results, put unwrapped bars in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for 15 minutes. Seal bag. Hit with mallet or hammer until bars are in small pieces.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Molly DeBolt, Medical Lake—Adult Second Place

1/2 cup soft margarine

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sour milk (Combine 1 teaspoon lemon juice with milk—let set 5 minutes.)

2 3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

2 cups finely diced zucchini (Peel and remove seeds; do not shred.)

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream margarine, oil, and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and milk. Beat well at medium speed of mixer.

Combine dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture.

Stir in zucchini and 1 cup mini chocolate chips. Pour into greased 9x12-inch pan. Sprinkle top with additional chocolate cups.

Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Malanee Fudge

Kristina Ward—Adult Third Place

16-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

14-ounce can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Spray 9x9-inch cooling pan with non-stick spray.

In non-stick frying pan melt chocolate chips and milk together over low heat until smooth, folding constantly with a spatula. Add vanilla; mix well.

Pour into prepared pan to cool.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cara Christianson—First Place Youth

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 12-ounce package chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream together the first five ingredients—butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir together flour, salt, and baking soda; add to creamed mixture. Add the chocolate chips.

Spread into a greased baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Chocolate Popcorn Cake

Barbara Bothman—Unique and tasty

1/2 cup popcorn (about 4 cups popped corn

1/4 cup butter

3 level Tablespoons baking cocoa

16 ounce bag of marshmallows

1-12.6 ounce package milk chocolate M & M’s

1 cup cocktail peanuts

Pop 1/2 cup of popcorn (about 4 cups popped corn).

Melt butter and 3 Tablespoons cocoa in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well.

In a large microwave safe bowl, add butter and cocoa and 16-ounce bag of marshmallows. Cook for 2 minutes on high power. Mixture will be puffy. Stir well with large spoon so that marshmallows melt in with the butter and a thick, creamy marshmallow paste is formed. Pour over popcorn and stir well to coat.

Add one package of milk chocolate M & M’s and cocktail peanuts. Stir well.

Grease an angel food cake pan and add this mixture to the pan. Press the mixture down with a wet spoon to make a firm cake. With a knife, loosen sides of the cake and invert onto a round plate.

Cut, using a bread knife, and enjoy. Indulge yourself and eat it while it’s fresh!

Rich Chocolate Brownies

Shannon Ashworth, Rosalia—for coffee and chocolate lovers

Brownies:

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add butter; mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; add to batter and mix well.

Pour into greased 8x8-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting:

3 Tablespoons baking cocoa

3 Tablespooons butter, melted

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

2-3 Tablespoons warm water

For frosting, combine the cocoa, butter, and coffee. Gradually stir in confectioner’s sugar and enough water to achieve a spreading consistency. Frost brownies.

Double the recipe to make a 9x13-inch pan of brownies.

If you do not like the strong coffee flavor, decrease the coffee granules by 1/2 teaspoon.

Yield: 12 servings for single batch.

Prep: 15 minutes.

Baking: 25 minutes plus cooling.

X-Treme Chocolate Mint Brownie Torte

Nancy Anderson, Endicott—intense chocolate with a taste of mint

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Ganache:

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 teaspoons butter

1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips

Drizzle:

1 3-ounce cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon mint extract

1/4 cup half and half

3 crops green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 10-inch round springform pan. For brownies, melt chocolate and butter in 2-quart bowl in microwave until completely melted. Add eggs, sugar, and vanilla, and mix well. Add the flour and 6 ounces of chocolate chips and stir to combine. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 50-55 minutes. Cool.

While brownies are baking, place whipping cream and butter in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until combined. Stir in 12 ounces of chocolate chips until melted. Gently pour over cooled brownie, spreading just to edges.

For drizzle: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, extract, and half and half with hand-held mixer until smooth. Stir in food coloring. Gently drizzle over ganache in decorative pattern. Refrigerate until ready to serve.