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Cookbook Review: Best of Bridge Holiday Classics

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My mom has a great collection of community cookbooks from Officers’ Wives Clubs to Junior Leagues.  These are the recipes everyone asks for at potlucks and picnics.  So, I was excited when Robert Rose Publishing sent me a copy of Best of Bridge Holiday Classics to review.  Not only does it include 225 tried & true crowd-pleasing recipes, it’s full of wisdom and practical advice.  As I turned the pages, I must have tabbed at least 25 recipes to try.  But, the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Squares were irresistible.

They really do taste just like Raspberry Truffles!
They really do taste just like Raspberry Truffles!

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Squares
 
Author:
Recipe type: Brownies
Serves: 16 - 20 brownies
Print
 
Ingredients
  • Brownie Base
  • 3 1-ounce (30g) Squares Unsweetened Chocolate
  • ⅓ cup (75 ml) Butter
  • ¼ cup (60ml) Raspberry Jam
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 cup (250 ml) Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tsp(5 ml) Vanilla
  • ½ cup (125 ml) Flour
  • Topping
  • 2 TBSP (30 ml) Heavy 35% Cream
  • 2 TBSP (30 ml) Raspberry Jam
  • 2 TBSP Butter
  • 4 1-ounce (30 g) Squares Semisweet Chocolate, Chopped
  • 1 cup (250 ml) Fresh Raspberries
Instructions
  1. To Make Base:
  2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (180 C).
  3. Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with foil; grease and set aside.
  4. Combine chocolate, butter, and jam in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until smooth.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Beat eggs in a large bowl until foamy.
  7. Mix in sugar, vanilla and chocolate mixture.
  8. Stir in flour, just until blended.
  9. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake for 20 to 35 minutes or until set.
  10. Cool completely in pan on a rack.
  11. To Make Topping:
  12. Combine cream, jam and butter in saucepan.
  13. Heat to a simmer, stirring constantly until melted.
  14. Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until smooth.
  15. Let stand until cool but still soft, about 30 minutes.
  16. Spread topping over brownie base.
  17. Immediately top with raspberries and chill until cold.
  18. Cut into small squares.

These brownies came together quickly.  The only hard part was waiting for them to chill before eating them!  With only a cup of sugar in this recipe, these rich chocolate treats aren’t overly sweet.  But they are really fudgy and good.  You’ll definitely want to share these with friends.  They would be perfect for Valentine’s Day.

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You can’t go wrong with food prepared & shared with love!

These recipes come from eight ladies whose love of cooking flourished as they met to play bridge.  Over the years, they shared many meals during their gatherings to play bridge.  In 1975, at a weekend getaway, eight women friends had an idea: Since a consistent highlight of their decade-old bridge group was the food they prepared and enjoyed together, perhaps they should think about writing a cookbook. This spur-of-the-moment notion was the impetus for The Best of Bridge, which went on to become one of the most successful brands in Canadian publishing.  If you love to socialize, you’ll love this book.  It’s only one in a series of eleven cookbooks filled with recipes from these talented and creative chefs.

I’m looking forward to trying Scrumptious Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Roast Beef with Mustard-Peppercorn Crust, and Coquille David, among others.

Enjoy!

Comments

  1. Louise says

    Hi Susan,
    When I saw this post in my side bar, I just had to pop over to invite you to link up to Cookbook Wednesday over at my blog.

    I actually have a Bridge cookbook from 1975 which is one of my favorite Junior Leagues. As an avid Cookbook Collector, I will need to put this book on my wish list for sure. I know it was probably difficult to choose a recipe but, the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Square sare just perfect!

    Thank you so much for sharing…Hope to “see” you at Cookbook Wednesday, Louise

  3. mary h hirsch says

    Many of my favorite cookbooks are those created as fundraising opportunities for churches, hospitals, Junior Leagues and the like. A bridge group? That’s a new one. I enjoyed reading your well-written review and wish I were nearby to share those delicious looking Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Squares.

  4. [email protected] says

    What a fun cookbook, Susan! I find some of the best recipes in community cookbooks. And don’t you love when you can open a cookbook and immediately start plotting all of the great recipes you want to try. These truffle squares look divine! Happy New Year…..hope it’s a wonderful year for you! : )

  5. Rosemary Wolbert | Sprigs of Rosemary says

    I’m an avid cookbook collector — even though I try and weed them out once in a while, I find my collection still grows! I love them all, but the tried and true ones from the kind of social group-sourced ones you describe are always the biggest crowd pleasers. Always. I found a new (to me) Facebook group — Cookbook Junkies. Check it out.