Hot, steamy and Colonial era Chocolate Dipping sticks

Good morning Augusta

This morning we have sun with some clouds and a high of 85°F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight we’ll have clear skies and some  clouds with a low of 63°F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

The Dew Point is  66.2°F, the humidity is 98%, and the outdoor temp is 66.4°F.

The wind direction is   West Northwest between 0.0 MPH and 0.1 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.71, the Absolute pressure is 29.51 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is 4:57 a.m. Sunset is 8:27 p.m., Moonrise is 8:57 p.m., Moonset is 5:23 a.m. and we have a FULL MOON being 99% illuminated.

Visibility is 10.0 miles with clear and sunny skies.

We received 0.89 inches of rain here over the past 24 hours.

Space weather for today is:

The Solar flux is 68, the solar wind speed is 488 MPH and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

Since the 4th of July isn’t that far off, I thought this colonial era recipe would be fun to make.

Colonial chocolate Dipping Sticks

by American Heritage® Chocolate

Colonial Americans loved chocolate cake, but it isn’t the same chocolate cake we eat today. Early Americans dipped biscuits into a rich hot chocolate drink just before eating them and called that chocolate cake.

This Recipe makes 36 dipping stick cookies

Ingredients

6 ounces American Heritage® Collectible Tin OR SillyCow Hot Cocoa Mix, or other good hot cocoa mix

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, whisked

4 cups flour

2/3 cup chopped roasted almonds

½ cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Step 1

Planning ahead:

Freeze the dough: Shape the dough into three 5”x12” pieces and wrap them tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze the dough for up to 2 months. When you are ready to bake, thaw the dough overnight in your refrigerator. Sprinkle both sides of the dough with the cinnamon sugar, cut into sticks and bake.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set the oven rack to the center.

Step 2

In a large bowl, cream the butter, ½ cup of sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and blend. Slowly add the flour, one cup at a time. Mix well and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in the chocolate, almonds and cranberries. Divide the dough into equal three pieces and set aside.

Step 3

Combine the remaining ½ cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/8 cup of the sugar mixture on a clean work surface. Using your fingers or a rolling pin, press the dough into a 5”x12” rectangle, ¼-inch thick. Sprinkle another 1/8 cup of the sugar mixture over the top of the dough, covering it completely. Cut 12 strips, 1-inch wide and place them on a non-stick cookie sheet. Repeat this process with the remaining two pieces of the dough and cinnamon sugar.

Step 4

Bake the cookies until the dough firms up and turns light golden brown, approximately 16 minutes. Remove the baking cookie sheets from the oven and set on a cooling rack. Cool the cookies on the pan before transferring them to an airtight container.