Taste Buds: Chocolate bonbons, brownies and bundt cake

Stephanie Hansen’s love of chocolate takes her across the Twin Cities to visit some of the area’s best chocolatiers and bakers in this episode of Taste Buds.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Stephanie Hansen’s love of chocolate takes her across the Twin Cities to visit some of the area’s best chocolatiers and bakers in this episode of Taste Buds.

First up, bite-sized bonbons by Denny Rain, who founded Cocoa Flake in Robbinsdale. Originally from Italy, Denny grew up fascinated by her aunt’s cakes and pastries and developed her love of sweets into a career as a pastry chef, eventually opening her own business specializing in hand-painted bonbons. See more of Denny’s work on her Instagram.

Nearly 50 miles northeast in Marine on St. Croix, Robyn Dochterman is also serving up beautiful bonbons and chocolate creations at her shop, St. Croix Chocolate Company. Robyn’s award-winning confections are celebrated internationally, including a 2023 Gold Award at the International Chocolate Awards (Americas) for her Macadamia Bonbon. Robyn’s team also creates 3D structures with chocolate, often with detailed airbrushing and edible embellishments. Check out everything happening at St. Croix Chocolate company on their Instagram.

Back at home, Nicole Aufderhar joins Stephanie in the kitchen to make a decadent blackberry chocolate bundt cake. Nicole was a finalist on "The Great American Baking Show" in 2024 and shares all her creations on her Instagram. She loves to combine her passion for foraging with baking to build unique recipes that encourage the home cook to explore.

Stephanie caps off this chocolate-lovers episode with her gluten-free bourbon brownies, a simple recipe for any home cook to try.