Mousse-Filled Witches Hats

Photo: Taste of Home

- Taste of Home

1-3/4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 package (4 3/4 ounces) chocolate ice cream sugar cones

Chocolate candy coating or 4 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate, chopped plus 1/2 teaspoon shortening

Halloween sprinkles
12 thin chocolate wafers (2 1/4-inch diameter)

1. For mousse, in a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup cream to a boil; remove from the heat. Stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Transfer to a bowl; cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

2. In a small mixing bowl, beat the remaining cream until stiff peaks form; fold into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate.

3. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt semisweet chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip pointed tips of ice cream cones a third of the way into melted chocolate; roll in sprinkles. Refrigerate until set.

4. Just before serving, spoon mousse into cones. Top each with a chocolate wafer. Invert onto a serving platter.

Serves 12

Chocolate Wafer Cookies

-RecipeZaar

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (2 squares)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
2 ounces sweet butter (1/2 stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons light cream or milk
1 egg (graded large)

Directions

1.Place the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler, over hot water, on moderate heat. Cover until partially melted, then uncover and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool slightly.

2.Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.

3.In the large bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter.

4.Add the vanilla and sugar, and beat to mix well.

5.Add the melted chocolate, and beat until incorporated. Then add the light cream or milk and

the egg, and beat to mix well.

6.On low speed add the sifted dry ingredients, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula, and beating only until incorporated.

7.Place the dough on a piece of wax paper, fold the sides of the paper over the dough, and press down on the paper to flatten the dough to a scant 1" thickness.

8.Wrap in the waxed paper and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes (no longer or the dough will crack when you roll it out). (However, if you do refrigerate it for longer (even overnight) let it stand at room temperature for about 1 hour before rolling it out.)

9.Adjust two racks to divide oven into thirds, and preheat oven to 400.

10.Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil.

11.Flour a pastry cloth and place the dough on it. (If you have doubled the recipe, roll only half of the dough at a time.)

12.With a floured rolling pin (which should be refloured frequently to avoid sticking), roll the dough out until it is only 1/8" thick (thin). I use a round cookie cutter that is 2 3/4" in diameter. Use any size you like, and cut the cookies as close to each other as possible.

13.Place the cookies 1/2" apart on the aluminum foil. (It might be necessary to transfer the cookies from the pastry cloth to the foil with a wide metal spatula. Handle them carefully in order to keep them perfectly round and flat.

14.Leftover pieces of the dough should be pressed together and rerolled.

15.Bake 2 sheets at a time, for 7-8 minutes, reversing the sheets top to bottom, and front to back once, to insure even taking.

16.Bake until the cookies feel almost firm to the touch.

17.These are supposed to be crisp (they will become more crisp as they cool) and they should not be underbaked, but watch them carefully to be sure they do not burn. (If you bake one sheet at a time, bake it on the upper rack.)

18.With a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to racks to cool.

19.Store in airtight container.