Marbled Chocolate Bars Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Pour into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup chocolate chips. , Drop by tablespoonfuls over batter. Cut through batter with a knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. , Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the water, butter and chocolate; cook and stir over low heat until smooth. Cool. , In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add eggs and sour cream; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate mixture until smooth. , In another bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla; set aside. Spread chocolate batter into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Drop cream cheese mixture by tablespoonfuls over batter; cut through the batter with a knife to swirl. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. , Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine water, butter, and chocolate; cook and stir over low heat until smooth. Cool. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs and sour cream; beat on low just until combined. Stir in chocolate mixture until smooth.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In another bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla; set aside. Spread chocolate batter into a greased 15 by 10 by 1-inch baking pan. Drop cream cheese mixture by tablespoonfuls over batter; cut through the batter with a knife to swirl. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• For the Box: Start by drizzling both white and dark chocolate onto a sheet of acetate paper. Next, dip your clean, dry fingers in the bowl of dark chocolate and use them to spread the chocolate over the drizzles, creating a marbled effect. Dipping your fingers in chocolate coats them and makes it easier to create the marble pattern. You can use a plastic glove if you prefer. When the sheet is marbleized, add a ladleful of dark chocolate to the sheet and, using an offset spatula, spread it to create a 1/4-inch layer. Be sure to spread it all the way to the edges. Lift the chocolate-covered paper by its corners and move it to a clean space on your work surface. Let the chocolate set slightly, 4 to 5 minutes, until firm but not hard. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife or X-Acto knife, cut 1 bottom piece and 2 side pieces. A box of any size can be made using this method, however, if you make a 5 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch base, cut 2 strips that are 1 1/2-by-8 1/2 inches long. Repeat the process a second time to create the top and 2 strips for the shorter sides that are 1 1/2-by-5-inches long. Remove the acetate from each piece of chocolate. The shiny side should face up or toward the outside. Place the base on the work surface in front of you. Use chocolate to "glue" the sides of the box in place. Allow the chocolate to set then fill the box with bon-bons. Set the top of the box in place. For the Chocolate Ribbon: Mix the cocoa butter and the powdered food coloring together to make chocolate paints. Place a sheet of acetate lengthwise on the work surface in front of you. Using a paintbrush, cover the surface with a thin layer of your choice of paints. When the paint has set, use an offset spatula to spread some white chocolate over the color to create a very thin layer, about 1/16-inch. Use the back of a paring knife to score the chocolate in lengthwise strips that are approximately 2-inches wide. Score across the middle of the sheet horizontally. When the chocolate begins to set, fold each short side of the sheet to the center so that the ends meet but do not overlap. Tape this closed and allow the chocolate to set completely. When set, untape and remove acetate. Break the strips along the scored lines. Assemble the ribbon using chocolate to "glue" the pieces in place on top of the box.;
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.
• From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make at Home, by Jacques Torres.

Steps:

• In a 3 quart saucepan, heat white sugar and corn syrup until bubbles form. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter.
• Add chocolate flavored crispy rice cereal; stir to coat well. Gently stir in chocolate chips to give marble effect.
• Press into 9x13 inch pan and cool until firm. Cut into bars.

Steps:

• For cream cheese mixture, cream together cream cheese, butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
• Add egg and vanilla extract and mix well.
• In a microwave-safe container, melt together chocolate chips and butter.
• Add sugar and mix well.
• Stir in eggs and vanilla extract.
• Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and stir into chocolate mixture.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease and flour a 9-inch tart pan.
• Spread two-thirds of the chocolate mixture on the bottom of the pan.
• Top with the cream cheese mixture.
• Dollop the remaining chocolate.
• Using a knife, gently swirl the chocolate into the cream cheese mixture to create a marbled effect.
• Be careful not to overmix.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Steps:

• Place the strawberries in a large bowl with the water, vinegar, and baking soda. Soak for 15 minutes to clean the berries. Transfer to a plate or tray lined with towels or paper towels and let dry completely.
• Insert a toothpick into the center of the stem end of each strawberry.
• Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
• In a 1-cup glass measuring cup or small microwave-safe bowl, melt 8 ounces of white chocolate in the microwave at half power in 30-second intervals, stirring between, until melted. Using a spoon or rubber spatula, stir in 1 teaspoon of melted coconut oil and ½ tablespoon of candy color maker until evenly distributed. Add ½ teaspoon (about 8 drops) of black food coloring to the cup of white chocolate. Using a toothpick, marble the food coloring into the white chocolate, being careful not to completely mix together.
• Dip 1-2 strawberries and 1-2 old-fashioned pretzels in the black and white marbled chocolate, slowly and carefully turning the berries in either direction for a more drastic marbled effect. Wipe off any excess chocolate before placing on the prepared baking sheet. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon (about 8 drops) of black food coloring as needed between dips to ensure the marbling remains visible.
• Make the marbled sandwich cookies: Tap the bottle of black food coloring in the bottom of 1-2 sandwich cookie molds so that a small amount of food coloring transfers to the bottom of the mold(s). Top with a spoonful of the marbled chocolate and swirl with a toothpick to create a prominent marbled look. Gently place a cookie in the center of the mold(s), being careful not to push all the way to the bottom, and top with more of the colored white chocolate, smoothing the surface and wiping the edges clean. Tap the mold on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. If using a clear mold, look around the sides to be sure the white chocolate completely encases the cookie(s).
• Working with one color at a time, repeat with the remaining white chocolate, coconut oil, candy color maker and the blue, red, and purple food coloring to make more marbled white chocolate to dip the remaining strawberries, pretzels, and sandwich cookies. Let everything set at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
• Once set, carefully remove the cookies from the mold. If they do not release easily, transfer to the freezer for 2-3 minutes, then try again. Transfer to the baking sheet with the strawberries and pretzels.
• Make the edible gold paint: In a small bowl, mix together the gold luster dust and vodka until smooth with a consistency slightly thicker than water. If too loose, slowly add a small amount of luster dust until the right consistency is reached. If too thick, slowly add 1-2 drops of vodka to thin. If the gold paint evaporates while working, add 1-2 drops of vodka to rehydrate.
• Paint the strawberries, pretzels, and cookies with the gold paint as desired. Let dry at room temperature for 10-15 minutes without disturbing, then transfer each strawberry to a mini cupcake liner.
• Assemble the boxes: In the bottom of a 10-inch square windowed box, place a 10-inch round cake board, white side up. Arrange 5 red roses with the petals at the top of the box and stems toward the bottom. Cover the stems evenly with shredded white paper. Place 3 strawberries at the base of the stems of the roses. Arrange 3 pretzels above the strawberries, and 3 cookies above the pretzels, just below the roses. Repeat with the remaining items in a second box.
• Serve immediately or store the boxes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Enjoy!