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Hi ladies; here’s a little something for the chocolate, coffee, and vanilla lover! Happy February!!

Chocolate-dipped Cherries
(makes 24 cherries)

• 24 Maraschino cherries with stems (about 10-ounces)
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 8-ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
• ½ cup blanched, slivered almonds

1. Line two 15x11x1-inch jelly-roll pans with waxed paper. Drain cherries well. Place on double thickness of paper toweling and set aside.
2. Combine syrup and butter in medium-sized bowl. Stir in sugar until well-blended. Shape into 12-inch long roll on waxed paper. Wrap waxed paper around roll; twist ends to seal and refrigerate one hour.
3. Unwrap roll and cut into 24, ½-inch pieces. Flatten each piece slightly in palm of hand and wrap around a cherry, leaving stem uncovered. Set on a prepared pan; refrigerate one hour or until coating is firm.
4. Spread almonds on microwave-safe dinner plate. Microwave on high 3 minutes, stirring once. Remove from oven and let cool on plate. When cool, chop finely and place in small, shallow bowl.
5. Place chocolate and shortening in small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for one minute. Remove and stir until melted. If necessary, microwave for 15 seconds longer and stir to melt fully.
6. Holding by the stem, carefully dip cherry into chocolate to cover sugar coating completely. Scrape off excess. Dip bottom in chopped nuts and place on remaining prepared pan. Repeat to coat all cherries. Refrigerate until set, about one hour. Place candies in a single layer in airtight container and store in a cool place for up to 2 weeks.

Heavenly Heart Cake
(8-10) servings)

• ¾ cup Hershey’s cocoa
• 2/3 cup boiling water
• ¾ cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups unsifted cake flour or 1¾ cups unsifted all-purpose flour
• 1¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• Glossy chocolate sour cream frosting (below)
• Creamy buttercream frosting (below)

1. Stir together cocoa and boiling water in small bowl until smooth; set aside. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixer bowl until light and fluffy; beat in eggs and cocoa mixture. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add alternately with butter milk to creamed mixture.
2. Line the bottoms of two, heart-shaped pans with waxed paper. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely. Frost with glossy chocolate sour cream frosting and decorate as desired with creamy buttercream frosting.

Glossy Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

• 1½ cups Hershey’s semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt chocolate chips in top of double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, stirring constantly until completely melted. Removed from heat; beat in sour cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla.

Creamy Buttercream Frosting

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2½ tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Red food coloring

Combine confectioners’ sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, and a few drops of food coloring in small bowl until smooth and creamy.

Coffee-scented Tiramisu
(makes 8 servings)

• 1 package (8-ounce) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 24 crisp ladyfinger cookies (7-ounce package, see note)
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee, hazelnut
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

1. Beat cream cheese, sugar, almond extract, and vanilla extract in medium-size bowl for 3 to 4 minutes or until light and creamy.
2. Whip cream to firm peaks. Fold whipped cream into cream-cheese mixture.
3. Arrange half of ladyfingers in dish just large enough to hold them in one layer, such as 12x7-inch dish. Drizzle with half the coffee. Top with half the cream cheese mixture, spreading smooth. Sprinkle with half the cocoa. Arrange the remaining ladyfingers over cocoa. Drizzle with remaining coffee. Top with remaining cream cheese mixture, smoothing the top. Sprinkle with remaining cocoa.
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably over night. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

*Note: Look for crisp ladyfingers such as Savoiardi or Soriano at stores.

Café Mocha Tart
(makes 12 servings)

• 1 refrigerated, ready-rolled pie crust (from a 2 crust, 15-ounce package)
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons instant expresso powder
• 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• ½ cup light or dark corn syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whipped cream, optional

1. Heat oven to 350°. Fit piecrust into a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Sprinkle chocolate and walnuts evenly over crust. Set aside.
2. Microwave butter in large glass bowl, covered, 40 seconds. Whisk in espresso powder. Beat in brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into crust. 3. Bake in lower third of oven at 350° for 37 to 40 minutes. Cool on rack to room temperature. Cut into slices; serve with whipped cream if desired.

Classic Vanilla Pudding
(makes 4 servings)

• 1 2/3 cups milk
• 1 whole vanilla bean scored and scraped, seeds reserved (see note)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, heat milk, vanilla bean, and seeds for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Strain mixture into a small bowl, discarding bean.
2. In same saucepan, mix together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in heavy cream until completely smooth. Whisk in milk mixture.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until pudding begins to thicken, about 15 minutes. Cook 1 minute more.
4. Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
5. Pour pudding into medium-size bowl or individual ramekins, covering the surface directly with plastic wrap.
6. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight before serving.

*Note: To remove seeds, lay a vanilla bean on a cutting board. Slit open with paring knife, then scrape off tiny seeds with blade.

Double Vanilla Cookies
(makes 3 ½ dozen cookies)

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup vanilla sugar (see note)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 375°
2. In small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add vanilla sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla extract; mix until smooth, scraping down side of bowl. On low speed, beat in flour mixture until combined.
4. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet, spacing 2-inches apart.
5. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool on sheets 1 minute, then removed to wire rack to cool completely.

Note: To make vanilla sugar: score 2 whole vanilla beans down the middle. Place in a jar with 4 cups of granulated sugar. Cover; keep in a cool, dry place for at least 2 months. Use vanilla sugar to replace part or all of the sugar in your favorite recipes.