Blog / Desserts & Chocolate

Mic Drop: Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Coconut Honey Caramel Balls

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Mic Drop: Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Coconut Honey Caramel Balls

The only good thing Verizon has ever done for me was sending me an ex-chef to fix my internet. When Jay, the ex-chef technician, told me he was making these Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Coconut Honey Caramel Balls for Thanksgiving, I knew I had to as well. Here’s the recipe…(drops the microphone).

How To Make A Make Your Own Profiterole Bar

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - How To Make A Make Your Own Profiterole Bar

The words “empty cream puff shells” almost sound sad and lonely, but not when they’re the centerpiece of a Make Your Own Profiterole Bar! They become catalysts for excitement and “profiterole-abilities” when paired with ice cream and whipped cream for filling and chocolate sauce, raspberry sauce, and caramel sauce for drizzling and all sorts of sprinkles, nuts, candies, etc. for dazzling.

Open Sesame Insert Chocolate Bark

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Open Sesame Insert Chocolate Bark

You have to make chocolate bark at your cafe a friend said before I opened Divalicious Chocolate Cafe, on the edge of Chinatown, in the neighborhood of NOLITA. I said, “Sure”, but I had no idea what she was talking about.

I envisioned a chocolate confection that resembled bark from a tree. It seemed fascinating and complex. How is it made? Did you have to pump air into the chocolate? How does that even happen? Perhaps it would look like a Cadbury Flake bar since it resembles layers of peeling. A Flake bar would be challenging to make without a machine. I seemed hard in my imagination.

Later, when I found out that chocolate bark was just thin sheets of chocolate with dried fruits, nuts, cookies, etc on top, I realized I’d really overthought this. I wondered “Is bark too easy to make and sell at my chocolate cafe?” Absolutely not. It turned out to be a hit and my Salted & Toasted Black and White Sesame Chocolate Bark was best-seller

I Dream Of Toffee With The Light Salty Air

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - I Dream Of Toffee With The Light Salty Air

There’s something about a toffee. I think it’s the dame of the candy world. Sexy, snappy and buttery with a nice, little bite. I could see a gorgeous gal named Toffee rushing into a third rate detective’s office in a 1950’s B movie, breathless and scared saying, “You gotta help me.” He melts at the sight of her and does her bidding.

When you make Salted Chocolate Cappuccino Buttercrunch Toffee you will not need help eating it. People will offer and if you’re nice you may give them a little. I hide mine.

Salted Chocolate Honey Roasted Peanut Caramel Crunch Bars

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Salted Chocolate Honey Roasted Peanut Caramel Crunch Bars

My friend Justin who writes the blog Just Cook NYC stopped eating gluten last year before the New York Food Blogger Bake Sale.

He looked great and felt much better, but it was challenging for him when it came to eating out with friends. When you go gluten-free, you’re limited by what you can eat, especially when it comes to sweets because there’s a whole lotta gluten going on.

I’ve always loved to bake. Not because I have such a sweet tooth, but because it makes people really happy. So there’s always lots of gluten in my oven. But, challenged and inspired by Justin and knowing that there’d be more people with gluten allergies at the Brooklyn Flea, where the bake sale was held, I thought let me make something for those folks.

How To Temper Chocolate Without Losing Your Temper

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - How To Temper Chocolate Without Losing Your Temper

While chocolate has been very, very good to me, I don’t consider it a friend, especially when it comes to making chocolates. It’s made me stomp, scream and cry. I’m certain that at least half my gray hairs are from chocolate. Still I make chocolates because they delight people. So here is a recipe for the easiest way I found for hand tempering chocolate. The seriously easiest way is with a tempering machine, but that is not always an option.