Fudge Dipped Triple Chocolate Brownie Biscotti

I've started my holiday baking! I LOVE holiday baking I love everything to do with the holidays really (except the inevitable panic that hits me every Christmas Eve at about 10pm when I start to think I forgot someone on my gift list). The shopping, the wrapping, the Boney M Christmas album (if you don't have it you need to go to iTunes RIGHT NOW and buy it). Every year my tree goes up earlier and earlier.

I'd like to say the majority of my Christmas baking gets shared but sadly, I end up eating most of it, which is why every January it seems I'm buying a new piece of gym equipment... a small price to pay for cookies! This year I couldn't get the thought of Biscotti out of my head. I went looking for a recipe and found the one I based this recipe on. Chocolate, chocolate, and ... oh yeah, more chocolate. You can wake me from my sugar coma on January first with a mimosa and a Bowflex cause I'm going to have a hard time sharing these!

Like crispy little brownies, these cookies are great served with coffee or hot chocolate (spiked or virgin). They're not too sweet and have a rich chocolate flavour. They can be made with plain ol' chocolate chips but if there's a store that sells President's Choice products within 100km of your house I highly recommend you use the Fudge melts, they're to die for!

I'll be posting more Christmas cookie and treat recipes over the next few weeks, come on back for some more yummy holiday nibblies!

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Fudge Dipped Triple Chocolate Brownie Biscotti

1/3 c butter
2/3 c white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 c PC fudge melts (or chocolate chips)
1/2 c white chocolate chips
1/4 c chopped almonds
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tbsp water

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
3. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking powder; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Dough will be stiff, so mix in the last bit by hand.
4. Mix in the almonds, white chocolate chips and a 1/2 c of the fudge melts.
5. Divide dough into two equal parts. Shape into 9x2x1 inch loaves. Place onto baking sheet 4 inches apart.
6. Brush with mixture of water and yolk.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in a 375˚F preheated oven, or until firm.
8. Cool on baking sheet for 20 minutes. Using a sharp knife, slice the loaves diagonally into 1 inch slices.
9. Return the slices to the baking sheet, placing them on their sides.
10. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on each side, or until dry.
11. Cool completely.
12. Melt the remaining fudge melts in the microwave. Dip 1 end of the biscotti in the melted fudge and sprinkle with quinns, crushed candy cane or leave plain.

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enjoy!

Stacked Meatloaf with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Onions

Say 'meatloaf' out loud. Doooo iiiiiit. What happened? Did your kids run screaming from the room? Did your husband/wife? Did your dogs ears perk up? Meatloaf doesn't exactly have the best reputation. Most kids hate it before they even try it. It's the name. Meat Loaf. Not exactly yummy sounding. Some people can't get past the taste. Crazy!

I grew up LOVING meatloaf. My mom hated it though so I only ever got it at my grandma's house. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts was my favourite dinner at grandma's... yes I was a weird kid, quit making fun of me! My husband however, not a fan. I usually only make meatloaf when he goes away on his semi-annual golf trips, and then I gorge myself on it. (Seriously, gorge.) But I've grown tired of only having it once a year so when I was watching a restaurant review show on TV and they showed a picture of a meatloaf dish from a restaurant that was beyond your standard loaf smothered in ketchup I knew I had just witnessed the answer to my husband's meatloaf snobbery. (Yeah, that's right, I said it. Snobbery. He thinks he's too good for meatloaf.)

A thick slice of garlic bread, topped with a thick slice of juicy meatloaf, a dollop of roasted garlic & cream cheese mashed potatoes, rich gravy and caramelized onions take meatloaf Monday to a whooooole new level. Not only does this dish sound delicious, it IS delicious, and it's so pretty it's fancy enough to serve at a dinner party! I put this bad boy down in front of my husband and he said "THIS is meatloaf?". He gave me his best "okaaaaay, I'll try it for the kids" look and then proceeded to have two plates of it. A forkful of bread, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy and onions is just the definition of comfort food in my books.

Even if you've never liked meatloaf in the past, give this a try, it's unlike any other meatloaf you've ever had before! (Just ask my husband.)

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Stacked Meatloaf with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Onions

For the meatloaf:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 egg
1 c bread crumbs (I use seasoned)
1/4 c shredded parmesan
1/4 c ketchup
salt & pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

For the potatoes:
1 bulb of garlic
1 tsp olive oil
5-6 medium sized potatoes
1/2 pkg garlic & onion cream cheese
milk
salt & pepper

For the gravy:
2 c beef stock
1/4 c flour
water
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
(or you can use your favourite canned/powdered gravy mix)

For the onions:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced

For the Base:
Sourdough Bread (or any other dense bread you like)
garlic butter

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350˚F. Cut the top off a bulb of garlic and drizzle with a little olive oil and wrap it in tin foil. Roast in oven for 20-30 minutes or until the cloves are soft.
2. For the meatloaf: In a bowl combine the egg, bread crumbs, parmesan, ketchup, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
3. Add the ground pork and beef and knead with your hands until just combined. Place meat mixture into a loaf pan and shape into a loaf.
4. Bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes, then remove from oven, drain excess fat and return to oven for another 15-20 minutes.
5. While the meatloaf is baking, peel and boil potatoes until fork tender.
6. For the gravy: Heat the beef stock in a small pot over medium-high heat until just boiling. Combine flour with a bit of water to form a runny paste and whisk into the stock stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Reduce to low heat and season with worcestershire and salt and pepper and allow to simmer. (You may wish to add a gravy browner to enhance the colour of the gravy)
7. For the caramelized onions: Slice onions into rings. Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the onions. Cook on medium heat stirring often until they reach a rich caramel colour. Remove from the heat before they start to go too dark as they become burnt tasting.
8. When potatoes are done cooking, drain the water and return the potatoes in the pot to the burner for a minute to evaporate the excess water.
9. Remove from the stove. Squeeze the cloves of garlic from the roasted bulb into the pot with the potatoes and add the cream cheese, milk, salt & pepper. Whip until creamy.
10. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and drain any additional excess fat and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
11. Slice the bread and place on a cookie sheet. Place under the broiler until the top side is lightly browned. Flip the bread slices over and butter with garlic butter. Return to the oven garlic butter side up and allow to brown lightly.
12. Assembly (not a necessary step but it sure is purdy!): Place a slice of garlic bread on the plate. Top with a thick slice of meatloaf, then a dollop of mashed potatoes and ladle on some gravy. Top with the caramelized onions and serve.

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enjoy!