Let's just start by saying. HOLY SHIT, I HAVE NEVER MADE SOMETHING SO AMAZING. I'm not even going to put an exclamation point because I'm sure you get the idea. Things have been pretty hectic around here recently so I haven't taken the time to blog, and I miss it. I think this cake is worth coming out of blogging hibernation. It's beyond worth it. You need to see this cake. You need to love this cake. It's my new go-to recipe and Thomas has already put it on the holiday baking list. And I have to agree. If I could legally marry this cake I totally would. It's a triple chocolate mousse cake. Wow. Let's just think about that for a second. 
One. Two. Three layers of chocolate. The bottom layer is a decadent flourless chocolate cake that's deep, dark and full of drama. It grips the back of your tongue and holds on for dear life. Then the second layer is a fluffy, rich chocolate mousse that's light and very creamy. Then you top it off with a cool, mild white chocolate mousse that turns the entire experience into edible velvet. We found the recipe on America's Test Kitchen, a cooking show on PBS. We've tried tons of their recipes and each time they've turned out perfectly just like on the TV show. This cake was no exception. I wish I had some more right now.
Ruffles have ridges... of chocolate!
I gave my friend Marsha a couple of the illustrious Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies and that led to an in depth salty/sweet food conversation. She said her favorite combination is Ruffles dipped in chocolate which made us all recoil. Gross, right? Wrong. Amazing. I love trying new foods and after her reassurances of their heavenly deliciousness, I decided we needed to try them. I used this Dipped Chocolate Anything recipe from the New York Times and proceeded to cover myself, the kitchen and a few potato chips in chocolate. I snuck a few strawberries in there for good measure, too!
{Recipe} Bacon & Chocolate Chip Cookies
My new love affair. Salty, chocolatey, sweet, savory. It's all right here in one perfect little package. You brown the butter to add a rich nutty flavor and then the bacon takes it over the top. Yum!
Brown Butter, Bacon & Chocolate Chip Cookies
(from Mouth From the South)
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
4 oz semisweet chocolate bar, diced into 1/4" pieces
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chops (I like Ghirardelli 60% cacao)
3 tablespoons milk chocolate, grated
1 cup bacon that's been fried until crispy and diced into roughly 1/4" pieces
Adjust your oven rack so it's in the middle position. Pre-heat to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Heat 10 tablespoons of butter in a 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly. Watch this carefully - butter can go from brown to burned very quickly. When butter is dark-golden brown and has a nutty aroma, remove from heat and immediately transfer to a heatproof bowl. Stir the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter into hot butter until melted.
Add granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until completely mixed. Add egg and egg yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth and there are no lumps of sugar remaining.
Let sugar/egg/butter mixture stand for a few minutes. Then whisk again for 30 seconds. Do this several times - you want to make sure that the sugar has "melted" into the liquid. When ready, mixture will be smooth, thick and shiny.
Using wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in grated chocolate, chocolate chunks, chocolate chips and bacon pieces. Don't overmix but make sure no flour pockets remain.
Using a teaspoon, place a heaping teaspoon of cookie dough on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I get about 14 on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-14 minutes (my oven takes 11 minutes) until cookies are golden-brown and set along the edges but the middle is still soft. Remove from oven and set baking sheet on a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes.