IOTD

Can’t resist posting more more than one today. Enjoy!

Chocapocalypse Cookie

Chocapocalypse Cookie

Total Time: 2 hr 30 min
Prep: 45 min
Inactive: 1 hr 15 min
Cook: 30 min

Yield: 55 cookies

Ingredients:

6 ounces 54-percent bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 ounces light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 ounces 70-percent bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 ounces 40-percent milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 ounces cocoa nibs

Directions:

Place the 54-percent bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate in a medium glass mixing bowl and microwave on high for two 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval. If still not smooth, heat for 10 additional seconds at a time and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool to 90 degrees F, approximately 15 minutes.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together, transfer to a paper plate and set aside.

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until combined and looks like wet sand, about 2 minutes.

Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add the egg mixture until fully incorporated. Pour in the melted chocolate and mix to combine. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until integrated. Add the 70-percent bittersweet chocolate, 40-percent milk chocolate and the cocoa nibs and mix until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Scoop the dough using a 1 1/4-inch-diameter disher or ice cream scoop onto parchment-lined half-sheet pans, placing 2 inches apart, 12 cookies per pan. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, rotating after 5 minutes. Do not over-bake; the cookies may look wet and doughy.

Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer on the parchment paper to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2011
Thank you, Skeen! xoxo

Calendar day; December 20, 2014

Saturday, the 20th of December, 2014 is the 354th day in 2014 and in the 51st calendar week.

General Events:

International Human Solidarity Day
December 20, 2014 in the World

Solidarity refers to a union of interests, purposes or sympathies among members of a group. In the Millennium Declaration world leaders agreed that solidarity was a value that was important to international relations in the 21st century. In light of globalization and growing inequality, the UN realized that strong international solidarity and cooperation was needed to achieve its Millennium Development Goals. The UN was founded on the idea unity and harmony via the concept of collective security that relies on its members’ solidarity to unite for international peace and security.

On December 22, 2005, the UN General Assembly proclaimed that International Solidarity Day would take place on December 20 each year. The event aimed to raise people’s awareness of the importance of advancing the international development agenda and promoting global understanding of the value of human solidarity. The assembly felt that the promotion of a culture of solidarity and the spirit of sharing was important in combating poverty.

http://www.un.org/en/events/humansolidarityday/index.shtml

Where is International Human Solidarity Day?
Worldwide

Go Caroling Day
December 20, 2014 in the World

Go Caroling Day takes place on December 20, 2014. Go Caroling Day is a wonderful, rewarding, and memory filled day. By far more popular decades ago, Christmas holiday caroling is a great opportunity to enjoy the holiday and appreciate its meaning.

Though declining in popularity, carol singing is still an important part of our cultural and social psyche. We expect carol singers to come knocking on our doors, or to go out carol singing ourselves. Buck the declining trend and organise a carol singing trip with your friends and family on Go Caroling Day.

Where is the event?
Worldwide

National Sangria Day
December 20, 2014 in the USA

National Sangria Day is observed on December 20, 2014. Sangria normally consists of wine, chopped fruit, a sweetener, and a small amount of added brandy. Chopped fruit can include orange, lemon, lime, apple, peach, melon, berries, pineapple, grape, kiwifruit and mango. A sweetener such as honey, sugar, syrup, or orange juice is added.

Because of the variation in recipes, sangria’s alcoholic content can vary greatly, usually from 4 percent up to about 11 percent. The ingredients in sangria vary, particularly in the type of fruit used, the kind of spirits added, and the presence or lack of carbonation. Instead of brandy, other liquids such as Seltzer, Sprite or 7 Up may be added.

Sangria has become popular in the UK and the U.S., with many supermarkets stocking it during summer months. Sangría Señorial, a sangria-flavored non-alcoholic soft drink distributed by Tipp under the Jarritos family, has become popular in the United States.

Where is National Sangria Day?
Nationwide USA

Historical Events on 20th December:

1192 – Richard the Lionhearted captured in Vienna

1522 – Suleiman the Magnificent accepts the surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually settle on Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta.

1606 – Virginia Company settlers leave London to establish Jamestown, Virginia

1699 – Russian Tsar Peter the Great ordered Russian New Year changed from Sept 1 to Jan 1

1803 – French flag lowered in New Orleans to mark formal transfer of Louisiana Purchase from France to US for $27M

1812 – “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm is published

1820 – Missouri imposes a $1 bachelor tax on unmarried men between 21 & 50

1892 – Phileas Fogg completes around world trip, according to Verne

1892 – Pneumatic automobile tire patented, Syracuse, NY

1900 – Giacobini discovers a comet (will be 1st comet visited by spacecraft)

1917 – Cheka formed – Soviet state security force and forerunner to the KGB, under Felix Dzerzhinsky after decree by Lenin

1919 – Canadian National Railways established (N America’s longest, 50,000 KM)

1922 – 14 republics form Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics (USSR)

1938 – Vladimir K Zworykin (Penn) receives patent on Iconoscope TV system

1951 – Walter Zinn’s Experimental Breeder Reactor I, the first nuclear reactor to produce electric power, goes live at the Argonne National Laboratory, USA

1963 – Berlin Wall opens for 1st time to West Berliners

1974 – Ethiopia becomes socialist one-party state

1977 – 1st Space walk made by G Grechko from Salyut

1983 – El Salvador adopts constitution

1987 – Dona Paz ferry sinks after crash with oil tanker Vector, 4,386 die

1990 – Pentagon warns Saddam that US air power is ready to attack on 1/15

1995 – NATO begins peacekeeping in Bosnia.

1999 – Portugal returns Macau to China