Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt #BundtBakers #Choctoberfest

 Chocolate, pumpkin and warm fall spices combine to make a wonderful seasonal dessert.

Join me today as Bundt Baker collides with Choctoberfest.......

Fall Salad with Chocolate Vinaigrette #Choctoberfest

This salad is chock full of all the flavors of Fall and then dressed with a wonderful chocolate vinaigrette.

Welcome to Day 3 of Choctoberfest......

Copy-Cat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread #BreadBakers #Choctoberfest

I haven't been to a Cheesecake Factory in years.  I think the last time may have been when we took an impromptu trip to Chicago probably 8 years ago now.  Frank loves going to the Cheesecake Factory.  I think it's a fun place to visit but I am overwhelmed by the menu that is pages upon pages upon pages.  Too many choices gives me anxiety. That's why I'm happy that they place a loaf of this bread on the table to soothe you while you peruse that booklet.

Welcome to Bread Bakers which is colliding with Choctoberfest for me this month.......

Daube de Boeuf À la Gasconne to Welcome you to #Choctoberfest

 This rich and delectable beef and root vegetable stew is slow braised in wine and then finished off with dark chocolate before serving over a pile of mashed potatoes.  What a perfect fall comfort meal!!

It is my first recipe that I will be sharing this week as we celebrate a fun event that we call Choctoberfest!!

Leftover Chocolate Donut Pudding #Choctoberfest #BundtBakers

This is a sponsored post.  I received product for use in creating recipes for Choctoberfest.  Sponsors also provided gifts for me to offer in a giveaway during this event.  All opinions, writings and content are my own.

Decadent and rich, this baked pudding is made from leftover Chocolate Donuts with Chocolate Chips.  You could easily use any flavor donuts or any cake that you have as well. It is a great way to re-purpose those desserts into a brand new dish.

Today is my final installment for the week long Choctoberfest that we have been enjoying and also my post for this month's edition of Bundt Bakers.........

Pumpkin Brownies with Chocolate Swirl #Choctoberfest #FantasticalFoodFight

This is a sponsored post.  I received product for use in creating recipes for Choctoberfest.  Sponsors also provided gifts for me to offer in a giveaway during this event.  All opinions, writings and content are my own.

Pumpkin Brownies with a Chocolate Swirl made from scratch and baked up in an adorable Jack-o-Lantern pan.  Brownies have never been so much fun.

This is what happens when Choctoberfest meets up with Fantastical Food Fight.......

Homemade Chocolate Sandwich Cookies #Choctoberfest

This post is sponsored by Imperial Sugar and Divine Chocolate.  I received product to assist in the creation of this recipe.  There was no monetary compensation given.  All content, opinions and writings are strictly my own.

I cut these chocolate sandwich cookies into fun Witches Hats and Black Cats for Halloween but you can just cut them into rounds if you want a more traditional cookie that reminds you of those that you buy in the store.

Welcome to Day 2 of Choctoberfest.......

Chocolate Donuts with Chocolate Chips #Choctoberfest #BakingBloggers

This is a sponsored post.  I received product for use in creating recipes for Choctoberfest.  Sponsors also provided gifts for me to offer in a giveaway during this event.  All opinions, writings and content are my own.

Sweetest Day is coming up fast and these chocolate cake donuts studded with chocolate chips are sure to put a smile on the face of all your sweeties.

C'mon in!!  We are celebrating the first day of Choctoberfest and this month's edition of Baking Bloggers in addition to Sweetest Day today........

Halloween Marble Bundt #Choctoberfest #BundtBakers

Starting with 2 boxed cake mixes makes this cake quick and easy.  Perfect for surprising your little ghosts and goblins this Halloween.  As an added bonus you will have enough batter left for a dozen cupcakes.

This wonderful bundt cake starts with an orange flavored batter and then has rich chocolate batter marbled throughout for a classic flavor profile.

Chocolate Bread #Choctoberfest #FestiveFoodies

Surprise your kids with this Chocolate Yeast Bread for breakfast in the morning.  It is wonderful slathered with Nutella or Peanut Butter.

This is what happens when World Bread Day falls smack in the middle of ChoctoberFest......

Adult Hot Chocolate #Choctoberfest

And here it is....The Final Day of Choctoberfest.  I have had so much fun playing with all of the great sponsor gifts and I hope that one of my readers is a lucky winner in the giveaway that can be found in my Welcome Post.

I so much enjoy getting sponsor gifts but I want to let you know that, as much as it is appreciated, I would never write anything in my posts that were not my true feelings.

You have until tomorrow at Midnight to enter so please make sure you head over and get your name in the drawing.  I want to thank the ladies over at The PinterTest Kitchen for all of their hard work on this event.  It is truly appreciated.  I also want to thank all of our sponsors, Imperial Sugar, Rodelle and Barleans for their support during this event.

I am ending this event with a well deserved and delicious cocktail.  This chocolaty and spicy hot chocolate is the perfect ending to a hectic week.

Whether you are spending your Friday evening in front of a bonfire after the local high school football game or kicking off your shoes and curling up on the couch with a good book, make sure you have this mug of chocolate deliciousness in your hand.

Featuring Chocolate Silk Greens and Omega Swirl Essential Woman from Barleans this hot chocolate also offers some nutritional value.  If you want to make it without the cinnamon whiskey you will still get a nice minty taste from the Omega Swirl.

Adult Hot Chocolate

1 c. milk, heated
2 scoops Chocolate Protein Powder (I used Barleans Greens)
1 T. chocolate mint syrup (I used Barleans Omega Swirl)
1 shot cinnamon Whiskey

Place the milk, protein powder and syrup into a blender and mix well.  Place a shot of cinnamon whiskey into a mug, add the blender ingredients and enjoy.  Print Recipe

More Choctoberfest Deliciousness

An InLinkz Link-up

The Secret Kiss Cookie #Choctoberfest

Disclosure: I received and used sponsor products in the making of this recipe.  All opinions contained in this post are 100% accurate and 100% mine.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post.

Today is the third day of Choctoberfest hosted by the ladies over at The PinterTest Kitchen accompanied by our Gold Sponsor, Imperial Sugar, who every year supports this fun event.

If there is any better way of making memories than creating in the kitchen with your family, I don't know what it is. Imperial sugar has been helping families make memories since 1843.  That is a heck of a lot of memories!!

While Imperial Sugar is our Gold sponsor, sending each of the bloggers involved in this event a huge selection of granulated, powdered and brown sugar, they are not the sole sponsors.  I also received product from Barleans and Rodelle.  All of these sponsors are also offering some great prizes for you, our readers, to receive.  You can enter the raffle and, hopefully, be a lucky winner by going to my Welcome Post.

You can also enter another contest being sponsored by Imperial Sugar and win a year's worth of sugar by going to their Scary Recipe Scramble that is going on right now.

I am excited to share with you today a recipe in which I was able to use products from all three of our sponsors.  These chocolate pecan cookies make a crisp, melt in your mouth covering for the chocolate kiss hidden inside.

I adapted this recipe from one found in the Hershey's Classic Recipes Cookbook called  Cocoa Kiss Cookies.  I used the Rodelle dutch processed cocoa instead of that called for in the recipe and the butter flavored coconut oil provided by Barleans in place of the butter or margarine.

We each ate a couple (you have to taste test, you know) and then packaged the rest to be sold at the bake sale table at the Harvest Dinner held annually at our church.  I hope those who supported our parish by buying these cookies enjoyed the rich decadence provided as much as we did.  

Reminder: You will find links to more amazing chocolate recipes at the bottom of the post.  Don't forget to enter the raffle.  I would love one of my readers to be a lucky winner.

The Secret Kiss Cookie

adapted from Hershey's Classic Recipes

1 c. butter flavored coconut oil (I used Barleans)

2/3 c. granulated sugar (I used Imperial)

1 t. vanilla

1 2/3 c. flour 

1/4 c. baking cocoa (I used Rodelle)

1 c. pecans, finely chopped 

1 (9 oz) bag chocolate kiss candy

Powdered sugar (I used Imperial)

In large bowl of stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the coconut oil, granulated sugar and vanilla.  Combine flour and cocoa and gradually add to the creamed mixture beating until blended.  Add pecans, mixing well.  Refrigerate dough for about an hour.

Mold a scant tablespoon of dough around each candy kiss from which the wrapping has been removed, shaping into balls, and placing onto ungreased baking pans.  Place baking pans containing the balls into the refrigerator while preheating the oven to 375*.

When oven is preheated, place refrigerated cookies inside and bake for 10-12 minutes or until set.  Cool on pan for a minute or two before removing to a wire rack set over parchment paper. 

Sift powdered sugar liberally over the cookies once completely cooled.   Print Recipe

Day 3 Choctober Recipes

An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate Chili #Choctoberfest

Welcome to Day 2 of Choctoberfest, where we are sharing all things chocolate all week long.  This fun event is hosted by the gals over at PinterTest Kitchen and sponsored by Imperial sugar among others.

You can read all about our sponsors and enter to win some great prize packages by going to my Welcome Post.  As an added bonus, you will also find a recipe for some Bootiful Halloween Bark.

Today I am sharing with you a savory recipe.  Yes, chocolate can be savory too.  This chili gets it's deep, gorgeous color and great depth of flavor from the addition of  cocoa.

We were sent some Gourmet Baking Cocoa from one of our sponsors, Rodelle.  I was happy to use this product in my chili today and in baking that I will be sharing with you during the week.  The cocoa is of high quality and dutch processed.  I did not receive any monetary compensation from Rodelle or any of the other sponsors and, as always, all opinions voiced in this blog are 100% my own.

Topped with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream and served with a side of jalapeno cheese cornbread or tortillas, this chili makes a hearty lunch on a brisk fall day.

Chocolate Chili

inspired by a recipe from Paula Deen

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 small onion, chopped

1/2 T. chili powder

1 t. cumin

1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Rodelle)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 dash hot sauce (I used Tobasco)

1/2 t. dried basil, crushed

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with juices

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 c. beef broth

Shredded cheese and sour cream for garnish, if desired

Place the ground beef in a large pot or dutch oven placed over med high heat. Cook and stir, breaking up the beef for a couple of minutes.  Add the onions, chili powder and cumin.  Cook and stir until combined and onions are starting to soften.  Add the cocoa,  garlic and jalapeno and cook for a few more minutes.  Stir in the the beans, hot sauce and basil.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, tomato sauce and beef broth.  Cover and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with cheese and sour cream if desired.  Print Recipe

More Day 2 Choctoberfest Recipes

An InLinkz Link-up

Halloween Bark to Welcome You to #Choctoberfest

 

Welcome to  #Choctoberfest! This is the third annual food blogger celebration of all things chocolate, made possible thanks to our gold sponsor Imperial Sugar and the other sponsors listed below.

Over 70 bloggers are participating in #Choctoberfest 2017 and will be posting 200+ chocolate recipes over the next week. Keep your eyes peeled, visit any of the blogs listed below, or use the #Choctoberfest hashtag on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to follow along.

You can also check out our #Choctoberfest Pinterest board, where we post chocolate recipes all year long.

You are absolutely going to want to enter to win our #Choctoberfest prize pack. Look at the great prize packages being awarded by our generous sponsors!

• $100 gift card to Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table from our gold sponsor Imperial Sugar
• 1 case of granulated white sugar (40 pounds), 1 case of light brown sugar (24 pounds), 1 case of dark brown sugar (24 pounds), and 1 case of powdered sugar (24 pounds) from our gold sponsor Imperial Sugar
• 16 oz Barlean’s Butter-Flavored Coconut Oil, 9.52 oz canister of Chocolate Silk Greens, and 8oz bottle of Essential Women Omega-Swirl Chocolate Mint from our silver sponsor Barlean's
• 300-piece Lindt LINDOR Truffles gift bag (you choose the flavors!) from blog sponsors The PinterTest Kitchen

This prize pack is valued at over $450! To enter, simply follow participating sponsors and bloggers using the below giveaway widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stay tuned all week to see the delicious recipes bloggers have cooked up using Imperial Sugar and Barlean's products.

I want to say thank you also to Davis Chocolate and Rodelle for being #Choctoberfest shoutout sponsors! Watch Instagram and Facebook to find out more about about their chocolate products.

Here is a complete list of all the bloggers participating in #Choctoberfest 2017, so you can see the recipes they are posting throughout the week.  I am sharing my first recipe with you today and will be linking to all the others who are sharing a recipe today, as well.

The PinterTest Kitchen ♥ Fix Me a Little Lunch ♥ Savory Moments ♥ Crumbs in my Mustachio ♥ House of Nash Eats ♥ Bake It With Love ♥ That Recipe ♥ Hardly A Goddess ♥ Cooking With Carlee ♥ A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures ♥ Body Rebooted ♥ Cindy's Recipes and Writings ♥ The Redhead Baker ♥ Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice ♥ Sweet Coralice ♥ Seduction in The Kitchen ♥ Cooks&Books&Recipes ♥ Everyday Eileen ♥ Under My Apple Tree ♥ Family Around The Table ♥ Bottom Left of the Mitten ♥ The Spiffy Cookie ♥ Fairyburger ♥ Join Us, Pull up a Chair ♥ Jonesin' For Taste ♥ Jane's Adventures in Dinner ♥ Take Two Tapas ♥ Jennifer Bakes ♥ The Unlikely Baker ♥ Hostess At Heart ♥ Karen's Kitchen Stories ♥ Kate's Recipe Box ♥ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats ♥ Wildflour's Cottage Kitchen ♥ Chocolate Slopes ♥ Little House Big Alaska ♥ Makes, Bakes and Decor ♥ 2 Cookin Mamas ♥ That Skinny Chick Can Bake ♥ Books n' Cooks ♥ Mildly Meandering ♥ Living Ideas ♥ Restless Chipotle ♥ Get the Good Stuff! ♥ The Weekday Gourmet ♥ An Affair from the Heart ♥ West Via Midwest ♥ Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt ♥ The Bitter Side of Sweet ♥ Cookaholic Wife ♥ Daily Dish Recipes ♥ For the Love of Food ♥ The Saucy Southerner ♥ Cook's Hideout ♥ By the Pounds ♥ Tramplingrose: Cooking, Baking & Ranting in Small-Town South Dakota ♥ Sarah Cooks the Books ♥ Chef Sarah Elizabeth ♥ Fantastical Sharing of Recipes ♥ Sarah's Bake Studio ♥ The Pajama Chef ♥ Frankly Entertaining ♥ Long Distance Baking ♥ Palatable Pastime ♥ The Freshman Cook ♥ The Food Hunter's Guide to Cuisine ♥ A Day in the Life on the Farm ♥ Wendy Polisi ♥ Tampa Cake Girl ♥ My Southern Sweet Tooth ♥ Canning and Cooking at Home ♥ Full Belly Sisters ♥ SuperSizeGuy.com ♥ Our Good Life ♥

As you can see it is going to be one huge, chocolate filled extravaganza this week so.......

 LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!

Because you are being inundated with so much information in this post, I decided to keep my recipe very simple.

Simple enough that a toddler could do it.  Well, a toddler could at least help do it.  An older child or adult might need to be in charge of melting the chocolate.

But once the chocolate is melted and spread onto an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, a toddler can go to town sprinkling on any candies you happen to like and have on hand.  I melted my chocolate in a makeshift double boiler but if you have older kids helping you can have them do it in the microwave.  I had some candy corn and fall colored M&M's in candy dishes in the house so I grabbed a couple of handfuls of each.  I had the eyes and Halloween sprinkles in my baking cupboard from other projects so I pulled them out.

When the sprinkles are all scattered about, simply place the baking pan in the refrigerator and go about your day. After puzzles, walks, singing, coloring, viewing Frozen (for the 1,123rd time), lunch and a nap, pull out the bark, peel it from the foil and break it into pieces.  Then it is time for the most important toddler task of all...the taste test.

Now is the most important part for the Executive Chef.....convincing the toddler sous chef that if she eats to much of this her belly will be hurting so we should put the rest into a bowl for later.

Make sure you stop by and see what Chocolatey Treats the others are serving up today following this simple and fun recipe.

Halloween Bark

2 c. good quality semi sweet chocolate chips

Assorted Halloween Candies, sprinkles and edible novelties

Place the chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl over simmering water and melt, stirring often, until smooth.  While chocolate is melting, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.  When chocolate is melted and smooth, pour it onto the lined baking pan, and spreading it with a spatula.  While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle the Halloween additions over the chocolate.  Place the baking pan in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set.  Break the bark into pieces and serve.  Print Recipe

More Day 1 Choctoberfest Recipes

An InLinkz Link-up