Caramel Nutty Chocolate Tart

Try a new and fun mini dessert.

Here is my tart creation.

A crusty pastry cup filled with a chocolate, peanut butter, carmel filling topped

 with whipped cream and a cookie dough bite.

Printable recipe is at the bottom of the post.

start off with sifting your flour, add the butter and cream cheese and mix until doughy.

Once you have your dough, roll it into 24 small balls and 

press into your mini muffin pan.

Filling: melt all chocolate and whipping cream in microwave

add to egg yolk, sugar and whipped cream bowl

Bake and let cool. then decorate

Printable Recipe Cards

Happy Baking!!

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Chocolate Wafer Recipe

So I went to the store the other day searching high and low for some chocolate wafers to no avail. I guess nabisco is the only one that makes them and there hard to find. So I ran to the world wide web and found a HOMEMADE recipe for them from smittenkitchen.com

I was so excited about this. smittenkitchen uses hers for making icebox cupcakes. But I was on the road to making a delicious Vanilla bean cheesecake with chocolate crust and salted caramel topping. ( I will share the cheesecake later). AND another plus is there so much cheaper than store bought too. You would need 3 boxes of the Nabisco Chocolate Wafers which cost $4.00 a piece. Yes a whole whopping $12.00 for just the crust. But this way I had all of the ingredients on hand. they are all basic ingredients you should have in your baking cupboard and the butter & milk in the fridge of coarse. So it will cost maybe $3.00 in ingredients if that. 

Chocolate Wafer Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

3 tablespoons whole milk (I used 1% and it was fine)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

So here we go. Add all of the dry ingredients into your Kitchenaid.

flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking powder

Mix til blended well. maybe a minute.

Now cut your butter into several pieces and one by one with the kitchenaid mixing add the butter. Once all the butter is in an mixed in well mix the milk and vanilla together first and then add to your mixer. Mix for a minute or two and it will look like this.

Dump your mix onto your clean counter and hand knead for a couple minutes. Then shape into a 14 inch log, wrap in plastic and place in your fridge for 1 hour. until it is firmer.

Place your log onto your counter once again and using a sharp knife, carefully and slowly make 1/4 to 1/8 inch slices. 

Place onto a well greased cookie sheet and place in the oven.

Oven should be set at 350 degrees. 

Place your top rack on the 2nd to top insert and the 2nd rack on the 2nd from the bottom.

Put your cookie sheets in and time it for 6 minutes.

Now rotate your cookie sheets and turn them at the same time. 

leave in for another 6 minutes. 

Take them out and either cool them on the sheets or a cooling rack.

Once cooled and they stiffen up a bit they are now ready for your crust recipe.

Or to just snack on :)

Happy Baking!

Hard Candy Suckers!!! Caution....There addictive to make!!!

So, I think we all have childhood memories of great hard candy suckers in some sort of cute shape. BUT that doesn't mean we know how to make these magical creations. About 4 months ago I went to a friends yard sale and stumbled on a box of Hard Candy Sucker supplies...... 15 molds, sticks and wrappers and for a steal of $5 for the entire box.........killer deal and I bought it. My bestie friend Barbara told me she knew how to make them and we made them one day (note: our kids went and sold them to neighborhood kids and made $28 Hoot Hoot) Let me tell you they were EASY EASY EASY to make and they look so cool and the kids absolutely love them. I am semi-addicted to making suckers. The only reason I am not totally addicted is because I have 10 million other things I am semi-addicted to.

Anyway......Here is how I make Hard Candy Suckers and a few of my tricks to the trade.

 I made Strawberry Cream suckers

for my son, Blake to give a sucker basket to his friend on her Birthday!!! (NOTE......I WILL BE POSTING A HARD SUCKER 101 POST LATER SINCE I DO NOT THINK THERE ARE ENOUGH POST ON BLOGS ABOUT SUCKER MAKING)

Must Haves: Pot, Pam Spray, White Hard Candy Molds (at least 3-4), Karo Syrup, Sugar, 
Water, Sucker Sticks, Sucker Wrappers w/ ties or Tape, Candy Thermometer, 
Spatula, Pink Food Coloring, Strawberry Candy Flavoring & Measuring Cups.

Extras, but HIGHLY Recommended: Clear Vanilla Flavoring, White Food Coloring, Candy Eyes (if your mold has eyes),  Nerds, Large Glass Pyrex Measuring Cup.

1~ First Thing to do is get your molds ready.......make sure you have hard candy molds and NOT just chocolate molds. It is a hard white or opaque mold. You will melt your mold if it is not the right kind OR you may have the metal molds that clip on to your sucker stick!!!

 Spray your molds with Pam and add sticks. Make sure you have ALL and even extra molds ready encase you have extra. You can never be too prepared because once it's ready to pour ....you pour. Depending on the depth of each mold....it varies how many suckers you'll get. I got 21 suckers from this particular batch, but when I do ALL owls I only get 17-18. My cute owl molds have eye spots perfect to put candy eyes I got from Walmart in the cake decorating section. Add nerds to your molds now as well. I only put nerds in half my suckers.

2~ In a pot or med size pan......add 2 Cups White Sugar, 2/3 Cup Karo Syrup and 3/4 Cups Water

 and stir with spatula until mixed and on Med/High Heat.

 3~ Once your mixture is boiling you do NOT stir anymore. Stirring upsets the crystallization crap
 or something like that.....just enjoy the fact you no longer have to stir. :)  
Add your Candy Thermometer and make sure it is not touching the bottom of the pan, but is covered by the mixture!

4~ OK, this may sound weird, but put your large (4 cup) Glass Pyrex Measuring Cup in the microwave
 for 3 minutes and leave it there until I say.

5~ Do nothing until the mixture reaches 260 degrees( you may have to turn the heat up a little to reach this). Then add coloring and DON'T mix...the bubbles will do that for you. I used a gel food coloring in neon pink. Just a few squirts plus 2 drops of white food coloring...WHY you ask.....well I don't like my suckers completely clear when I am making my owls...the eyes look funny from the back of the head. Hee Hee But I DO add more (5-6 drops) white food coloring if I want a more opaque color or white ghost or something like that. It is a must have to me!!!!

6~  OK....this is babysitting time. Your heat will rise lots faster once it hits 260 degrees. Watch the thermometer like a HAWK. Once it has hit 300 degrees remove it from the heat and set it on a cool burner and remove the candy thermometer. I let the bubbles slow down a little and then add my Strawberry candy flavoring and a few splashes of vanilla ( use the clear kind so it doesn't change the color of your sucker...it's in the cake decorating section at Walmart) Stir slowly and be careful of any vapors that rise up towards your face. I use the extra potent Candy Flavoring from Loranns and I just need the tiny 1 dram bottles. Walmart does carry some flavors at my local store.

 7~ Now get that Pyrex Measuring Cup out of the Microwave......use a hot pad and place it on the counter.
 (I have you heat it up so it is doesn't cool the sucker mixture) Pour the hot Sucker mixture into
 it and use the spatula to scrap the edges.

 8~ Stop wasting time enjoying the strawberry smell and START POURING. I tend to pour by and on top of the stick first. Make sure the stick is covered well. Once you have it filled quickly move over to another mold. you will have little drip trails the entire way......no problem. When they are hard you and your kids get to munch on them. 
My kids call them the crunchy grass or hay.

9~ Your mixture will eventually start to cool off and be too hard to pour. I always have to microwave the last remnants for about 15 seconds (you may have to do it an additional 10-15 seconds, but no more than tat...it will burn... Yuck!!) Then you can get an extra sucker or two out of your mixture.

 10~ Yeah!!! Let them cool about 10-15 minutes and then it is revelation time!!! Hoot Hoot!!! Some of your suckers may have gotten too much and poured out a little. No worries when you pop them out you can break off the extra!!!

 I just love the owls...I found the molds on Ebay!!!! Note you will need at least 3 Owl molds.

11~ OK lets bag them. You have to bag them the same day or put the in an airtight container. If the suckers are exposed to air too much they will become stick. TIP: I personally hate the prices for sucker bags......so I went to the craft section and bought the 3x4 inch bead bags and cut the ziplock top off. They work great and are sturdy plastic.

12~ Tie the bag. If you buy sucker wrappers....most likely they will come with twist ties. 

TIPS: Alternatives are clear tape or pipe cleaners. You can get about 5 ties per pipe cleaner.

 

So I said Blake took a Sucker Basket to his friends Birthday party. 

Isn't he cute....well here is a little simple how to:

Supplies: Small Basket, Floral Foam, Tissue Paper and Suckers (I used 10 suckers) I ran out of time, but a little sign of Happy Birthday on a stick would have been cute!!!!

 1~ Getting your foam to fit the basket. I put the basket on top of the floral foam and made slashes all the way around with a knife. See circle shape?

 2~ Cut all extra foam off leaving only the circle. (note: ignore my finger in the picture)

3~ Put it in the basket to see if it fits

 4~ If it fits then start wrapping it in the tissue paper.

5~ Put it in the basket tissue edge side down.

 6~ If your really picky....put your suckers in order by height so you can arrange it more uniform and start poking!

 Hoot Hoot!!! Your ready to give it away or enjoy yourself. It is fun and easy to do and best of all it is something HOMEMADE. This entire basket gift cost me $3.25 to make and it was one of the highlights of the night!!!!

Notes: I used this cute tin basket, but you could use all sorts or containers like glass vase (wide mouth),

 Quart Jars (Wide Mouth), small watering can, recycle yogurt containers with wrapping paper around it,

 takeout boxes and much more!!!



BRINGING HOMEMADE BACK

Soft Pretzel Pinterest Comparison Winner is...

I am a huge fan of soft pretzels. So for my first Pinterest Comparison Contest I chose Homemade Soft Pretzel Recipes.

 Here are the 5 contestants: 

Pretzel # 1 - http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/rosemary-sea-salt-pretzels-with-rosemary-cheddar-cheese-sauce/
                          I love that she added the rosemary. It adds a little something extra.

Pretzel # 2 - Pretel 2 - http://penniesonaplatter.com/2012/02/03/homemade-soft-pretzels/
                                                                  A great basic recipe
                                           
Pretzel # 3 - http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/buttery-soft-pretzels/Detail.aspx
                         This one added an additional 1/2 cup of sugar to the dough.
                    So if you are watching what you eat, this is NOT the pretzel for you.

Pretzel # 4 - http://smells-like-home.com/2012/01/soft-pretzel-bites-with-cheese-sauce/
                                                           A great basic recipe

Pretzel # 5 - http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/05/homemade-soft-pretzels-and-cinnamon-sugar-pretzel-bites/

and the Winner is ......... Pretzel #5

When it came down to it. with minor differences # 1 , 2 , 4 and 5 are pretty much the same recipe. But # 5 went beyond the basic. You can have your regular pretzel with salt or you can choose to add cinnamon & sugar. Yumm


 here is the recipe for our winning pretzel.

Homemade Soft Pretzels
Recipe by Alton Brown, variations by Our Best Bites   WINNER

1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast (I used rapid rise yeast)
22 oz all-purpose flour, about 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
optional: additional melted butter and cinnamon-sugar
optional: powdered sugar, milk, melted butter for dipping

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour (tip: don’t add all the flour at once, just in case you don’t need it all.  Reserve a small amount and add as needed for a soft dough) and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, scrape the bowl clean and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. If you’re making pretzel “bites” put in as many as will fit without crowding.  Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula (a metal spider works great). Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with pretzel salt or kosher salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Cinnamon Sugar Version: Prepare as directed but don’t sprinkle with salt before baking.  Immediately after removing pretzels from oven, brush with melted butter and toss in a bowl of cinnamon-sugar.

Cinnamon Sugar Dippers:  Instead of shaping pretzels into the traditional shape, roll dough into ropes and cut into 1-2 inch pieces.  Continue preparing as recipe instructs, brushing with butter immediately after removing from oven and tossing in cinnamon sugar.  Create a dipping glaze by mixing about a cup of powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons melted butter and then add milk as needed, whisking until smooth.  Serve warm.

Keep an eye out for the cheese sauce comparison coming soon. You can't have a soft pretzel without the cheese now can you.