Description:
I wanted to make cupcakes but I was too lazy to go to the store to buy ingredients, so I had to make do with stuff I already have. I did some web-browsing for a recipe and saw one for Nutella Frosted Cupcakes.

Fortunately, we never run out of Nutella in the house. I tweaked the recipe (specifically, I changed the amount of butter) so now it's a slightly modified version of a recipe that I found here, which is a slightly modified version of a recipe originally published in Donna Hay magazine.

Approximately 40 minutes later (including prep time), I had a dozen cupcakes. I made a second batch and, for variety, I added 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, which gave it a more chocolate-y taste but took away from the visual contrast between the cupcake and the "frosting."

Anyway, to describe this recipe, it's easy, easy, easy.
And yum, yum, yum.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups (200 grams) sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
Nutella, approx. 1/3 cup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

Cream together butter and sugar until light, 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Don't worry if the batter doesn't look smooth. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until batter is uniform and no flour remains.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner with batter, they should be 3/4 full. If you're not using a scoop, fill each muffin liner with approximately 2 tbsps of batter. Top each cake with 1 1/2 tsp Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the nutella.

Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 12.

Description:
Recipe modified from Super Cookery's Chocolate & Baking Cookbook, published by Parragon Publishing, Inc.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup soft margarine
4 tbsp light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oats

Caramel filling:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp light brown sugar
7 oz condensed milk

Chocolate Topping:
3 1/2 oz dark chocolate
1 oz white chocolate (optional)

Directions:
1. Beat the margarine and brown sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour and the oats. Use your fingertips to bring the mixture together, if necessary.

2. Press the mixture into the base of a shallow 8-inch square cake pan.

3. Bake in a preheated oven at 350^F for about 25 minutes, or until just golden and firm. Coll in the pan.

4. Place the ingredients for the caramel filling in a pan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the ingredients combine. Bring to a boil over a very lo heat, then boil very gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened.

5. Pour the caramel filling over the cookie base in the pan and let set.

6. Melt the dark chocolate and spread it over the caramel. If using the white chocolate, melt it and pipe lines of white chocolate over the dark chocolate. Using a toothpick, feather the white chocolate into the dark chocolate. Let set completely. Cut into squares to serve.

Description:
This is actually more of a cookie than it is a pretzel. I recommend using the best chocolate you can find, because it will greatly influence the pretzels' taste.

Recipe modified from the Super Cookery Chocolate & Baking Cookbook, published by Parragon Publishing 2000.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
7 tbsp muscovado sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

TO FINISH:
1 tbsp butter
150 g dark chocolate
1/2 tbsp milk
confectioners' sugar, to dust

Directions:
Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Beat together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. I used muscovado sugar but you can also use superfine or whatever kind of sugar you prefer.

Beat in the egg. Sift together the flor and unsweetened cocoa and gradually beat in to form a soft dough. Chill for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Break small pieces from the dough and roll them into thin sausage shapes about 4 inches long and 1/4-inch thick. Twist into pretzel shapes by first making a circle and then twisting the ends through each other to form a letter "B."

Place the pretzels on the prepared cookie sheet, slightly spaced apart to allow room for spreading during cooking.

Bake for 8-12 minutes. Allow the pretzels to cool slightly on the cookie sheet, then transfer on a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the butter, chocolate, and milk in a double boiler, stirring to combine. Try to use the best chocolate you can find, since it will greatly affect the taste of your pretzel.

Dip half of each pretzel into the chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place the pretzels on a sheet of baking parchment and allow to set.

When set, dust the non-chocolate coated site of each pretzel with confectioners' sugar before serving.