Favorite Chocolate Recipes

February is National Chocolate Month. So to pay tribute to chocolate, I decided to spotlight a few favorite chocolate recipes from Recipe Shoebox. (scroll down...) Look for some more new chocolate recipes this month as well!

A couple months ago I had the opportunity to go to a Chocolate Expo. It was so neat to see all the different kinds of chocolate from all over the world. Not only were there samples (the best reason to go to a chocolate expo!), but there were all sorts of different ways the chocolate was being used. These "tarts' and "pastries" are not at all what they seem. They are completely made out of chocolate to look like something you'd find in a bakery. Believe me when I say that it definitely got the chocolate part of my brain ticking away. (and yes, I'm sure that there is a chocolate part of my brain!)How would you like to have a chocolate dress? Or chocolate fountains higher than your head?!



















We may not have recipes for chocolate dresses or 5-foot tall chocolate fountains, but we have some super good chocolate recipes right here. Plus I can guarantee that they will be easier to make! Here are some of my top dozen chocolate choices:

Hot Chocolate cookies Molten chocolate cakes Crockpot chocolate fudge cake
Chocolate magic shell ice cream topping Flourless chocolate cake Chocolate chip cookie dough topped browniesFrozen hot chocolate Best hot chocolateMacaroon brownies 30 minutes fudge pie Rocky road fudge bars Oreo truffles

Posted by Jen. Some of these recipes are either my favorite or look like they could be new favorites. So much for the idea of getting in shape. Now if only I could find a recipe for carrots that taste like chocolate...

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Most Popular Recipes of 2011

It was interesting to look back at our stats through the year to see which recipes were the most popular.  Some of them I knew about and expected, but others were a surprise to me.  All of them, however, are recipes we love at our house too, so I'm happy that they're getting out there in the blog world too! 

10.  Thai Chicken Pasta--this dish is also on my favorite meal list, so it didn't surprise me to find it on our top 10 most viewed recipes as well. 

9.  Blueberry and Spinach Smoothie--this recipe is one we have at least once or twice per week at our house

8.  Fresh Strawberry Frosting--this frosting isn't the prettiest if you're looking to make a cake look fancy, but if you're looking for fresh strawberry taste, this is the recipe for you!

7.  Easy Chocolate Pretzel Bites--super easy and tasty too, we love to keep the ingredients for these on hand during the holidays

6.  Potato Kielbasa Skillet--my husband loves this meat and potatoes meal

5.  French Peasant Bread--another favorite of ours, we make this one at least once a week at our house!

4. Chicken Pasta Salad--full of veggies and yet it's one of our family's very favorite meals of all time.  I find it humorous when my son puts "pasta salad" down as his favorite food on his star-of-the-week forms at school, while everyone else's say cookies or cake or something of the sort. 

3.  Chicken Parmesan in the Slow Cooker--easy, cheesy, and oh so good!  

2.  Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach--full of flavor and healthy, my daughter is always asking when I'm going to make this next

And the #1 most viewed recipe in 2011 was:

1.  Makeover Chicken Crescents--a 'healthified' version of an old favorite, this meal is one of my family's most requested meals of all time and this year has found a few more fans out there too! 

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Top 10 Referrers from 2011--
To fellow bloggers and facebookers--thank you for linking up to Recipe Shoebox. 
Here's a glimpse of our top referrers from the year. 

1.  Organizing Junkie
2.  Facebook--Someday I'll figure out how to better intertwine Facebooking with blogging, but in the meantime a big thanks to all of you who link up their favorite recipes from Recipe Shoebox onto their Facebook feed!
3.  Cookie Crazie
4.  Pinterest--check out all the recipes I've been eyeing!
5.  Finding Joy in My Kitchen
6.  Coleen's Recipes
7.  See Jane in the Kitchen
8.  Tried and True Cooking with Heidi
9.  Stumble Upon
10.  A Blog About Food

Thanks for visiting Recipe Shoebox this year! 
Happy new year! 

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Head on over to Finding Joy in my Kitchen for lots more Most Popular recipes of 2011.

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Best Dessert Recipes (of 2011)

The final day of Finding Joy in My Kitchen's countdown to 2012 is perhaps the sweetest of all...BEST DESSERTS of 2011!  This was exceptionally hard to whittle down to only our favorites, but with the help of my family (and google analytics) I've come up with the following list.  Happy New Year! 

Easy No-Bake Cheesecake--with just four ingredients to whip together, this is the easiest cheesecake you'll ever make! 

White Chocolate Strawberry Cookies--after searching for a way to use up some fresh strawberries, I serendipitously came up with this unique cookie

How to Make the Perfect Pie Crust--a full picture tutorial on how to make the perfectly flaky pie crust

Brownie Bottom Cheesecake--with brownies as the crust, this cheesecake is as beautiful as it is unforgettably delicious!

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix--you'll never go back to the cheap powdered stuff again after trying this delectable version



Strawberry Cheesecake Bars--yep, they're as good as they sound!

Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting--my daughter's discovery, this recipe is great for when you're out of powdered sugar and need to make frosting

Hot Chocolate Cookies--with 4 packs of  hot chocolate mix inside and marshmallows on top, these cookies are oh so perfect for a winter day (or any day of the year for that matter)

Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping--you won't believe how cool it is until you make your own magic shell!

Easy Pretzel Turtle Bites--so simple, yet so good, these are great for a last-minute party food

Crockpot Chocolate Fudge Cake--better keep some vanilla ice cream on hand for this fudgy, chocolatey treat, straight out of the crockpot

Cinnamon Roll Cake--we just discovered this treasure, but already it's a big hit at our house!

Melting Snowman Cookies--a hit with kids and adults, these adorable cookies are a perfect way to liven up a snowy winter's day!

Head on over to Finding Joy in my Kitchen for lots more Best Dessert recipes today.

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Best Crockpot Recipes (of 2011)

I actually only got my first real crockpot  last Christmas, so it was fun for me to discover the joys of slow cooker cooking this year!   We definitely found some keepers along the way and Day 5 of Finding Joy in My Kitchen's countdown to 2012 spotlights our favorites.  If you're interested in seeing a full index of all of our crockpot recipes, click here. 

French Dip Sandwiches in the slow cooker

Chicken Parmesan in the Crockpot

Slow Cooker Cornbread

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

Crockpot Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Bratwurst in a Slow Cooker

Lemon Custard Cake

Root Beer Pulled Pork

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Head on over to Finding Joy in my Kitchen for lots more Best Crockpot recipes today.

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