One of my favorite childhood memories is drinking creamy hot chocolate with some buttered toast on the side on rainy days. Now that the weather’s turning cool, cup of thick, dark cocoa is what I want on most nights- and would have, if it wasn’t so calorie-filled and decadent.

Because, believe me, this recipe is extremely decadent. If you like milky, watery hot cocoa, stop now and look elsewhere. This is seriously thick, heavy stuff.

Thick Hot Chocolate

1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup (generous) superfine (or caster) granulated sugar
1 100-gm bar (3-1/2 ounces) dark bittersweet chocolate, finely sliced or given a couple of whirls in the food processor
1/4 cup (1 ounce or 28 gm) cocoa powder, loosely packed, preferably Valrhona, Callebaut or Ghirardelli

In a medium saucepan, stir together the milk, cream, and sugar- bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder, and bring to a boil again, all the time whisking with a good whisk. You want the chocolate and cocoa to dissolve, and the mixture to thicken.

Serve immediately, and optionally with a side of whipped cream.

I mean Yellow Gold Oolong Tea, which my husband and I have been enjoying every day. It’s excellent piping hot, of course- but we’ve also been making pitchers of it and storing it in the fridge, the perfect refreshment to accompany us while we work.

Oolong (also known as Wu Long) Tea’s nutritional properties lie somewhere in between Green tea and Black tea. It’s said to be “anti-aging” because it lowers high blood pressure, prevents heart disease, and is awesome for digestion- something I can certainly attest to. Best of all, though, is its taste.

Nothing tastes like Oolong Tea. The Yellow Gold we’ve been enjoying is unbelievably fragrant, a little caramelly, with a touch of citrus tang. Because it’s similar to Green tea, it’s great on its own- and because it’s similar to Black tea, it’s also wonderful with cream and sugar. Mmm.

I’m not exactly sure why, but I’ve been on a bread baking kick lately. From simple White Bread (made with milk and brushed with butter before baking for optimum yumminess) to the loaves and loaves of Brioche I made tonight, our house smells absolutely heavenly.

Speaking of Brioche: apparently, this is what Marie Antoinette actually said in her infamous line. Not Let them eat cake, but Let them eat brioche- so what she actually meant was, let them eat sweet eggy bread made with tons of butter.

Let them eat Brioche Recipe
Recipe from Bon Appetit

1/4 cup warm water (110°F to 115°F)
1/4 cup warm whole milk (110°F to 115°F)
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Combine 1/4 cup warm water and warm milk in bowl of heavy-duty mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Sprinkle yeast over and stir to moisten evenly. Let stand until yeast dissolves, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add flour and salt to yeast mixture. Blend at medium-low speed until shaggy lumps form, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in sugar. Increase mixer speed to medium; beat until dough is smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until blended after each addition, about 4 minutes (dough will be soft and silky). Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and climbs paddle, 8 to 9 minutes.

Lightly butter a large bowl. Scrape dough into bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

Gently deflate dough by lifting around edges, then letting dough fall back into bowl, turning bowl and repeating as needed. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill, deflating dough in same way every 30 minutes until dough stops rising, about 2 hours. Chill overnight.

Butter 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; cut each piece into thirds. Roll each small piece between palms into ball. Place 3 balls in each prepared cup (dough will fill cup). Place muffin pan in warm draft-free area; lay sheet of waxed paper over. Let dough rise until light and almost doubled (dough will rise 1/2 inch to 1 inch above top rim of muffin cups), 50 to 60 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Place muffin pan on rimmed baking sheet. Gently brush egg glaze over risen dough, being careful that glaze does not drip between dough and pan (which can prevent full expansion in oven). Bake brioches until golden brown, covering with foil if browning too quickly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to rack. Cool 10 minutes. Remove brioches from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

My dearest friends and family know how much I adore all cookbooks, but those I love the most are the ones that delve deep into the science of cooking and baking. Which is why I was so pleased to receive a copy of Sherry Yard’s The Secrets of Baking: Simple Techniques for Sophisticated Desserts!

Yard is the executive pastry chef at the famous Spago, so she obviously knows what she’s talking about… but what appeals to me the most about this book is how instead of the usual “Cakes, Cookies, etc.” chapters, she’s created her chapters based on 12 “Master Recipes”. For example, one of these is Pate a Choux- once you’ve mastered it (and it’s actually very simple), you’ve opened up a world of possibilities, from eclairs to profiteroles to gougeres.

I’ve already made several of the Master Recipes, including her Ganache (perfect) and Genoise (needed some work- but come on, it’s Genoise after all!) A cookbook I love. Available at Amazon for $23.73 »

There was a big storm yesterday, and hardly anyone came trick-or-treating at our house. Sad, but what might be even sadder is the amount of leftover candy we have! We’re packing up most of it to give away to needy children, but keeping some to make some Halloween leftover candy treats- and for decorating our gingerbread house next month.

Of course, I’m here to share what might possibly be my favorite leftover Halloween candy recipe: Candy Corn Fudge! It’s so good that even if you don’t have leftover candy corn, you might want to go out and buy a bag just for this.

Leftover Candy Corn Fudge

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
20 oz. candy corn (about 2 and a half cups)
2 cups roasted peanuts or pecan pieces

Prepare a brownie pan by rubbing some butter all over it. Set aside.

In a skillet over very low heat, melt together the butter and marshmallows, stirring constantly so the bottom doesn’t burn. You want to melt the marshmallows. Add peanut butter, and mix until combined well. Add powdered sugar, stir ’til smooth. Add candy corn and nuts (peanuts or pecans- or both!), stirring until nicely combined.

Transfer to your buttered pan, evening it out with a rubber spatula. Allow to cool. If it’s hot where you are, refrigerate until firm.

Cut into small (these are sugary little suckers!) squares, and enjoy.