Green Iced Tea with Honey

Glass of iced green tea next next to honey pot
4.23 from 18 votes
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Green Iced Tea with Honey

Course Drinks
Keyword Tea

Ingredients

Supplies:

  • Metal bowl or TEMPERED GLASS bowl to handle temperature change
  • A cover big enough to fit over the bowl dinner plates work well
  • Thermometer
  • Tongs or scoop
  • Decanter or pitcher

Instructions

  1. Cut the tag string off each bag carefully so as not to cut the bag itself.
  2. Prepare a cold water bath in a stopped-up sink. It should be deep enough that when you hold the bowl in it the water comes up most of the side of, but not into, the bowl. You can also place ice and water in a bowl bigger than the bowl you've put the teabags in and use that.
  3. Place the bags in the metal bowl.
  4. Heat 1 quart of water in a kettle and monitor with a thermometer. At 180 degrees, remove the kettle from the heat. An important thing to remember about green tea is that if the water is too hot it will scald the leaves and the tea will taste bitter. If you don't have a thermometer, heat the water in an open saucepot on the stove and gauge the temperature by how the water looks. When bubbles start to pop off the bottom in pairs or groups, your water is about 180 degrees.
  5. Pour the water over the bags into the metal bowl. Immediately cover with lid and start timing your tea. It's important to cover the bowl so as not to lose heat. If the water is too cool, your tea will be under-steeped and bland.
  6. At three minutes, remove the lid and use the tongs to take out the teabags. Do this quickly as over-steeping can result in bitter flavors and higher astringency.
  7. Place the bowl in the bath of cold water (careful not to splash any into the bowl!) or over the ice water and use a spoon to stir the tea, lowering the temperature quickly.
  8. When the tea is lukewarm pour it into your serving decanter or pitcher.
  9. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey to taste while tea is still warm so that it melts and incorporates. I have a terrible sweet tooth so I added two tablespoons. Any more than that and it may overpower the tea's delicate flavors, but you should prepare it the way you like it.
  10. Pour over ice. I recommend putting ice in a glass and pouring the tea over it, as adding ice to the pitcher may water down the tea.

Fair Trade Mocha Pecan Pie

Mocha Pecan Pie
4 from 3 votes
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Fair Trade Mocha Pecan Pie

Course Dessert
Keyword Chocolate, Coffee

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 3 tablespoons cold water

Filling:

Instructions

Crust:

  1. Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2/3 of the shortening until the mixture resembles very fine crumbs. Cut in the remaining shortening coarsely. Do not overwork. Sprinkle with cold water, and stir with a fork until it clumps together, adding more water if necessary. Squeeze into a ball, then roll out on a floured board. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.

Pie:

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Blend the eggs, sugar, and syrups together. Melt the chocolate together with the butter. Mix all filling ingredients together. Pour filling into unbaked crust. Bake for 40 minutes, or until filling is slightly puffed and set. Cool on a rack.

Roasted Banana Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Roasted Banana Dark Chocolate Cheesecake
0 from 0 votes
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Roasted Banana Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Course Dessert
Keyword Bananas, Chocolate
Servings 16 servings

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 2 cups vanilla wafers ground
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted

Filling:

  • 3 8 oz. packages cream cheese room temperature
  • 3 large eggs let warm to near room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 medium Equal Exchange Organic Bananas
  • 2 Equal Exchange Organic Dark Chocolate Bars melted and cooled slightly

Instructions

Crust prep:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine dry crust ingredients first to ensure good mixture, add in melted butter mixing with a fork until everything is moistened. Press mixture into a 10" springform pan, bringing a uniform thickness throughout and then up the walls. Bake on middle rack for 8-10 minutes. I place a cookie sheet 1 rack under in case of dripping. Leave oven on.

Filling prep:

  1. Place bananas on a foil lined cookie sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Bake at 350F till the top turns almost black (about 10 minutes) take them out and turn them over and continue baking until that side also turns black (about another 10 minutes). When finished roasting, remove from oven, allow cooling.

  2. While the bananas roast, beat the cream cheese blocks at low speed for about a minute just to break them up and cream them. Add in the vanilla and then gradually add sugar beating till creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating in slowly. Peel roasted bananas and make sure to squeeze some of the rich banana oil from the skins before discarding them. Dice up any of the banana that remains solid. Make sure the bananas and oil are cool enough not to cook the eggs in the filling mixture and slowly add them and the oil to the mixture. A bit tricky is the next step. The chocolate needs to be hot enough to pour, and not too hot so it won't cook the eggs in the mixture. Slowly, drizzle chocolate into the mixture, preferably folding it into the mix. Pour filling mixture into the cooled spring form with the crust.
  3. Place on middle rack of the oven (again keeping the extra cookie sheet 1 rack below) and bake for about 50-55 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center. It should come out clean when cheesecake is done. When done, cool on a cooling rack well away from the heat of the oven. When cooled, carefully remove spring rim and refrigerate the cheesecake for about an hour. Some of the dark chocolate can be retained and re-melted, then drizzled on top of the cheesecake.

Recipe Notes

Contributed by Eugene Hasse, Woods Cross, UT

Sinful Dark Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate brownies with candy corn
0 from 0 votes
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Sinful Dark Chocolate Brownies

Course Dessert
Keyword Brownies, Chocolate, Cocoa, Olive Oil
Servings 9 brownies

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with oil and lightly dust with flour.
  2. In a saucepan heat the oil and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly until fully melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour batter into pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

Recipe Notes

Contributed by Carol Wasserman, Chappaqua, NY

Choco Coconut Balls

Coconut Balls
0 from 0 votes
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Choco Coconut Balls

Course Dessert, Snack
Keyword Cocoa
Servings 24 coconut balls

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa
  • 1/2 cup Coconut Oil/Butter melted but cooled
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups shredded coconut
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 cup crushed walnuts

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, mix shredded coconut, coconut oil, cocoa powder and vanilla. Mix it up real good. Add cinnamon and sea salt. When mixed well, add crushed walnuts.
  2. Use two melon ball scoops to shape the balls and place on a dinner plate and refrigerate until firm. Transfer to a plastic container for keeping. If your weather is hot, you can dehydrate for 4-5 hours at 95F to firm up so they will not melt during long hikes and kayaking trips.

Recipe Notes

Should make 24 coconut balls, but you can make them smaller or larger and change the quantity.

Contributed by Coleen Shaull, West Bloomfield, MI

Mint Chocolate Filled Cupcakes

Mint Chocolate Filled Cupcakes
0 from 0 votes
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Mint Chocolate Filled Cupcakes

Course Dessert
Keyword Chocolate, Cocoa, Cupcakes
Servings 32 cupcakes

Ingredients

Batter:

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1/2 cup Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups water
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 Tablespoons vinegar
  • 2 tsp vanilla

Filling:

Frosting:

  • 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Batter:

  1. Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking soda) and then add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Mix well.
  2. Put cupcake papers in a muffin tin and fill 1/2 full with the batter.

Filling:

  1. Cream together cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt, and stir in chocolate.
  2. Put a spoonful of filling into center of each cup of batter.
  3. Bake at 350F / 180C for about 25 minutes.

Frosting:

  1. While cupcakes are baking, whip up the frosting. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Frost the cupcakes after they've had time to fully cool.

Recipe Notes

Makes about 32 cupcakes.

Contributed by Katie Hanson, Davenport, IA from a 1960s church cookbook in North Dakota

Thai Iced Coffee

Thai Iced Coffee
0 from 0 votes
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Thai Iced Coffee

Course Drinks
Keyword Coffee
Servings 1 16oz glass

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Pour 2 Tbsp of sweetened condensed milk into a 16oz glass. Add 2 shots of espresso or double brewed coffee. Stir until mixed. Add some ice and stir until espresso mixture has cooled, then add more ice. Top off with cream or half and half.

Just Chocolate Cake and Ganache

Slice of chocolate cake with ganache
0 from 0 votes
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Just Chocolate Cake and Ganache

Course Dessert
Keyword Chocolate, Cocoa

Ingredients

Just Chocolate Cake

  • 4 1/2 cups unbleached flour
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cup Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 Tablespoons vinegar

Just Chocolate Ganache

Instructions

For Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease bottom of cake pans. Sift and combine all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Gradually whisk wet ingredients into dry until smooth. Do not overmix. Pour into cake pans and bake for approximately 35 minutes. To test, gently and quickly, press your finger in center of cake. If the cake springs back, it is done. (Yield: 2 – 9"-10" layers)

For Ganache:

  1. Break chocolate bars into small pieces in a metal bowl. Bring cream to the boiling point. (As it comes to a boil, it will rise. Be careful to not to boil over top of pan.) Pour hot cream over chocolate. Allow to sit 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. If chocolate is not completely melted, bring a pot of water to a boil, remove from heat. Place chocolate mixture over hot water and continue whisking until smooth. If a spreadable consistency is desired, place a piece of plastic wrap over surface of ganache and allow to cool completely and thicken. If a glazing effect is desired, allow ganache to cool until slightly thickened, then pour over cake.

Recipe Notes

These two recipes come from Lilla Woodham, a seasoned Equal Exchange Customer Service Representative who, prior to coming to Equal Exchange, worked for 11 years as a baker in fine food establishments in the Boston area.

Hazelnut Coffee Brownies

 

Stack of Hazelnut Coffee Brownies
0 from 0 votes
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Hazelnut Coffee Brownies

Course Dessert
Keyword Chocolate, Cocoa, Coffee
Servings 24 brownies

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Combine cocoa and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add coffee and half of melted butter and stir until mixture thickens. Add sugar, remaining melted butter, and eggs. Stir until smooth. Add flour, vanilla, salt. Blend completely. Stir in chopped chocolate and hazelnuts. Pour into greased 9 x 13-inch / 3.5-L baking pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350F / 180C for 35-40 minutes. Yields 24 brownies.

Recipe Notes

Contributed by Hollye Schwartz, San Antonio, Texas

From "Simply in Season" by Cathleen Hockman-Wert and Mary Beth Lind. Copyright 2005 by Herald Press, Scottdale, PA 15683. Used by permission. For ordering information call 1-800-759-4447.
www.heraldpress.com

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
4.23 from 31 votes
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Course Dessert
Keyword Chocolate, Peanut Butter
Servings 30 pieces

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1/2 cup peanut butter (more or less)
  2. Stir sugar and cocoa powder together in large saucepan. Stir in milk. Heat at medium-high heat until boiling, then lower heat and let low boil continue. Stir occasionally. Have ready a greased pie plate or similar dish. Start checking temperature with a candy thermometer when bubbles get small and glossy. (Total cooking time will be 20 minutes or less depending on amount of milk.) Remove from heat when mixture reaches 235 F degrees or “soft ball”ù stage. Set pan in cold water to cool. Add vanilla extract. Let cool slightly and add peanut butter. Remove from cold water and stir quickly to mix in peanut butter. Pour fudge into pie plate. Let cool and cut into pieces.

Directions in Mom’s Own Words

  1. In a large saucepan, put about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of white granulated sugar. Add 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Stir the two together until evenly blended. (Part of the fun is seeing the white sugar turn brown.)
  2. Pour in some milk. There is no measure for this. You want enough that the mixture is “runny”, yet if you put in too much, it will take forever to boil down. I usually judge the amount to be right if, when I drag the spoon across the diameter of the bottom of the pan, the mixture closes in behind it fairly quickly.
  3. Set the pan on medium high heat. If your pan is small, watch to see that it doesn’t boil over. If it threatens to, lift the pan off the heat. Eventually, it will boil down to where this isn’t a problem. It’s much easier to start with a big pan in the beginning. (2 1/2 – 3 quart size) At first when it boils, the bubbles will be light brown and “fluffy”. It’s okay to stir occasionally. While you are waiting, butter a pie plate and put cold water in the sink.
  4. When the bubbles start getting glossy and brown, it’s time to check the temperature.
  5. Before candy thermometers, we used a small glass of cold water to check when the fudge was ready. You wanted a small drip from the spoon to hold together and form a soft ball in the cold water. Not ready and the fudge would never harden. Cooked too long and the fudge would harden like a rock before you were ready for it.
  6. Now, with a candy thermometer, you can get just about perfect fudge most times. Take it off the heat when it is fully and exactly at “soft ball” stage. Set the pan into a sinkful of cold water (about 2 in. deep) to cool.
  7. Add a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract directly into the hot fudge. Let the fudge cool briefly and add a big dollop of creamy peanut butter.
  8. Lift the pan out of the cold water (dry off the bottom by setting it briefly on a dish towel laid on the counter) and stir. Stirring will blend in the peanut butter and cool the fudge. You want to be ready to pour it into a buttered pie plate just as it begins to hold its shape (harden). Perfect is when it hardens just as it spreads out in the plate and holds the decorative swirl you put on top. If you got the temperature right when you took it off the stove, then it will harden in the plate if you pour it in a little early. Early is better than late because otherwise it hardens in the pan, or as you are trying to pour it, and then you don’t get nice pieces. It tastes just as good either way though. If for some reason, it doesn’t harden in the plate, just eat it with a spoon.

Recipe Notes

Yields 30-35 1.5 inch servings