Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

3/4 pound cream cheese
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
Garnish: chocolate shaving and raspberries

Instructions:

1.  Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until blended and fluffy.

2.  Reduce speed and add cocoa a little bit at a time (or else it will go all over the place).  Mix until well blended.

3.  In a separate bowl, whip the cream with an electric mixer until peaks form (meaning when you remove your mixer, peaks stick up where you pulled it out).

4.  Slowly fold the cream into the other mixture a little at a time until no white streaks are left. (Folding means to mix without stirring, so its good to use a rubber spoon and slowly fold the mixture over itself until blended).

5.  Spoon into serving cups.  Can garnish with chocolate shavings or strawberries.

Attributed to: Nordstrom Entertaining at Home Cookbook

Oreo Truffles

Ingredients:

1 package of oreo cookies
1 package of cream cheese
3 packages of bakers chocolate of your choice: (I usually do 2 packages of semi-sweet and then use white
chocolate for the drizzle)

Instructions:

1.  Crush oreos with a pestal or hammer.  You can put them in a big bowl or a big ziplock bag, or even try to keep them in the package at first.

2.  Make sure that your cream cheese is soft enough, and then combine with oreos and mix well.

3.  Roll oreo mixture into 1 inch size balls and put on cookie sheet with wax paper.  Place in refrigerator to harden (about 20 minutes).

4. Once the oreos are hardened, remove them from the fridge.  Melt chocolate on low in a pot.

5.  Dip the oreo balls into the chocolate mixture (which for me is semi-sweet usually) one at a time until covered and place back on the pan.  Place back in the refrigerator to harden (about 1 hour)

6.  If you have different colors of chocolate, you can melt the other color (white chocolate) in the pot slowly.  Take a fork and drizzle the other color over the hardened truffles.  Put back in the fridge and let harden.

Attributed to: Nancy Liberman

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. butter
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, peanut butter, and butter in large bowl and stir until well mixed.

2.  Put mixture into lightly greased 9x9 pan (you can use a larger or smaller one, but I find this size works best to get the best thickness).

3.  Melt the chocolate chips however you want.  I usually use the microwave, but you can use a pot or double boiler, just be careful not to burn the chocolate.

4.  Pour chocolate over the peanut butter mixture.  Put in the refrigerator to harden, and viola!