Chocolaty Cheesy Panini
A Cookin' Teens Original
There's little as comforting as real hot chocolate when you come in from the cold after a long day at school. But when you're famished, a mug of the stuff just won't do; you want something you can sink your teeth into. Looking for a little inspiration, we took a page out of Giada de Laurentiis' new cookbook and put an American, French and teen-friendly spin on one of her " New Italian Favorites." The result is a gooey, cheesy, hearty, absolutely fabulous snack that you can put together in a flash.
© Rising Moon Media, 2008
Ingredients
1 loaf of whole wheat French bread or thin loaf of whole wheat Italian bread (non whole wheat will do in a pinch), about 12 inches long
4 ounces cream cheese
2 ounces good-quality, semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 apple (Golden Delicious is nice with this but any apple will do), washed and cut into six thin slices with the core removed
Preparation
Preheat broiler.
Slice the loaf in half lengthwise. On one half, spread the cream cheese. On the other half, sprinkle the chocolate chips and cover them with the apple slices one next to the other.
Put both halves crust-side down on a cookie sheet, and put the sheet on a rack under the broiler. Cook until the edges brown (just a couple of minutes) then take out and squish and press the two halves together so that the chocolate and the apple and the cheese form a tasty, oozy, sweet and crunchy concoction that tastes part panino and part pan au chocolate. Wait a couple of minutes so the flavors can blend (if you can stand it!), cut into sections and enjoy!
Makes six 2-inch panini.
Want to explore Giada's new book, "Giada's Kitchen"? Click on Giada in the box.
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