Soft and Chewy Chocolate Drops

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Chocolate. I can never seem to have enough of it in my house. And now that Easter is right around the corner, it's even more of a problem. Those little Reese's peanut butter eggs don't stand a chance. I'm secretly hoping the Easter bunny forgets and gives Bradley some chocolate in his basket. Since he can't eat it yet, there's only one possible solution to get rid of it all. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it...

If you want to make a delicious chocolate dessert for your guests, these little chocolate drops are a perfect treat. These cake-like cookies aren't too overbearingly sweet (not that anything would be wrong with that), but offer just enough sweetness so that even my meat-and-potatoes-lover husband enjoyed them. The chocolate frosting is the icing on the cake (literally). Serve with a tall glass of milk, and your day will be made. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. (4 oz.) Baker's unsweetened chocolate
• 3/4 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tub (4 oz.) light Cool Whip whipped topping
• 3 squares (3 oz.) Baker's semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces

Microwave unsweetened chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high for 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar; mix well. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Refrigerate 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 8-10 min. or just until set. (Do not overbake.) Cool on baking sheet 1 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Microwave Cool Whip and semi-sweet chocolate in microwaveable bowl on high for 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 1 min. Let stand 15 minutes to thicken. Spread over cookies. Let stand until glaze is firm.

Source: Adapted from Kraft

Italian Easter Pie

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Italian Easter Pie is stuffed full of different cheeses and meats. It's an Italian-Catholic tradition to eat this pie at noon on Easter. This time marks the end of Lent, and what better way to celebrate than stuffing your face with this decadent dish?

Any Italian meats will do (Genoa salami, pepperoni, ham, prosciutto, sausage, etc.), so if you can't find one ingredient, feel free to substitute it for something else. The house smells SO good while this is baking. The pockets of pepperoni were my personal favorite, so I'll be sure to put in some extra next time. My Nanny (maternal grandmother) used to make a similar dish called a Meat Pie. If I'm able to find her recipe, I'll definitely be trying that out to compare. Enjoy and Happy Easter!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 pie crusts, unbaked, 9 inches each
• 8 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup part-skim Mozzarella cheese, grated 
• 1 cup ham, cooked and chopped
• 1/2 cup pepperoni, chopped
• 1/4 cup prosciutto, chopped
• 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, add ricotta and then beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in the mozzarella cheese, ham, pepperoni, and prosciutto. Combine thoroughly.

Line a 9-inch pan with pie crust.

Add the cheese mixture into the pan. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and cover with the top pastry.

Crimp edges with fingers and then cut slits to create vents in the top of the pie.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until crust is golden brown.

Source: Adapted from Holidays Central