Carmelitas

This recipe is simply a no brainer. Easy [check]. Scrumptious [check]. Aesthetically pleasing [check]. Foolproof [check]. If you're looking for an easy way to impress your dinner party guests, handsome next-door neighbor, or your visiting-from-out-of-town relatives, look no further.

Carmelitas
32 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c butter, melted
3/4 c brown sugar, packed
1 c flour
1 c rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda until thoroughly combined. Pat 1/2 of the mixture into a greased 8x8 pan, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

2. While the crust is baking, combine caramels & heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until completely smooth. Remove from heat.

3. Pull crust out of the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips, and crumble the rest of the oatmeal mixture over the top. Return to the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are browned. Allow to cool completely before cutting (you can put it in the fridge if you need to serve quickly).

*To make a 9x13 pan, double ingredients.

Original recipe from Lulu The Baker

St. Patrick's Day Mint Oreo Truffles

I don't feel that these bad boys need much of an introduction. If you've had Oreo truffles before, you know two things:

ONE - they are deceptively easy

TWO - they are ridiculously addicting

The mint version is no exception. In fact, I thought they were more delicious than the original. (Didn't think it was possible? Try them.)

Oh, and they can be green without being unappetizing. This will be my new go-to easy-to-make-and-impress-people-with St. Patrick's Day treat.

Mint Oreo Truffles

Ingredients:

1 box Mint Creme Oreos

1 pkg cream cheese (8 oz.), room temperature

1 bag green-colored melting candies (I used Wilton candy melts)

1 bag white chocolate chips

1. Blend the Oreos together in a food processor. Put in a bowl & mix thoroughly with the cream cheese. 

2. Roll into little balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Place in freezer & let freeze for at least an hour. (They will need to be hard to dip in the chocolate - otherwise it's just a mess.)

3. Melt the chocolate (do this one color at a time) using a double boiler, if you have one. If not, you can do it they way I do - bring a pot of water to boil, then remove from heat. Place chocolate in a glass/metal bowl on top of the pot, and allow to melt slowly, while mixing. If the chocolate is not smooth enough (can be caused by overheating or water getting in it), add vegetable oil (about 1/4 tsp at a time).

4. Roll the balls in the chocolate, and place on a non-stick surface (I found that silicon baking sheets work really well). Allow to cool, then use a spoon to drizzle the alternate color on top. Or just sprinkles some cute sprinkles on top before chocolate dries. Enjoy!

German Chocolate Pie [Happy Pi Day]

Math. It's never been my favorite (in fact, I'm pretty sure I suffer from math anxiety). However, there is one mathematically-related holiday that has never disappointed me: pi day. (If you are a normal person who celebrates normal non-math-related-holidays, read more about "pi day" here. And start celebrating now.)

This year to celebrate, I'm sharing one of my all-time favorite pie recipes: German Chocolate Pie. This rich coconut-y concoction was shared with me by a lady who baked pies her whole life for a local restaurant. Needless to say, it was a best seller. 

German Chocolate Pie

Ingredients:

-3 c. sugar

-6-7 tbsp cocoa

-1 13-oz can evaporated milk

-4 eggs, beaten

-1/2 c. melted butter, cooled

-1 tbsp. vanilla

-3 c. shredded coconut

-1 c. chopped nuts (I used sliced almonds this time, but walnuts are good too)

-2 pie crusts (this recipe makes two pies… you're welcome)

Combine sugar and cocoa. Add evaporated milk, butter, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the coconut and nuts. Pour in half in each crust. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour, or until set (sometimes it takes 5-10 minutes longer). 

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

So, I know this post features a fairly lofty title, but these cookies turned out perfectly. I've been searching for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I know will work - every time. And here it is. If you're a person who doesn't like chewy-in-the-middle, melt-in-your-mouth, pee-your-pants-a-little-because-you're-so-happy cookies, then you probably won't like these. The rest of you will.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

(adapted from recipe at food.com)

Ingredients:

-3/4 cup white sugar

-1 cup brown sugar

-1 cup butter, room temperature

-1 tbsp vanilla (use the real stuff)

-2 eggs

-3 cups flour

-3/4 tsp baking soda

-3/4 tsp salt

-1 bag milk chocolate chocolate chips (the best are the Guittard brand - they are HUGE chunks of
chocolatey goodness)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter & sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).

2. Add eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, beating thoroughly after each addition.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Add gradually to creamed mixture while mixing.

4. Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes & move onto cooling rack.

Eat warm, cold, in the rain, in the sunshine, in bed late at night, standing up, sitting down - you're not going to want to stop.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

So... I made these for Christmas because I wanted to kill two birds with one stone.

We always make fudge, we always make caramels, we never make shortbread... but shortbread is delicious... so why not?


Ingredients:
Shortbread Layer (make first):
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar

Caramel Layer (second):
1 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 cans sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate Layer (last):
8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. light corn syrup
½ cup butter, cut into pieces
Sea salt, for sprinkling



Directions:
Start with the shortbread layer. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. In one bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk. In another bowl (with an electric hand mixer or in a Kitchen Aid), cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Put the mixer on low and gradually add the dry ingredients until just combined. Press the dough into the baking pan. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until golden. Let dry completely on a wire cooling rack.

Next start the caramel layer. Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup, and condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, until the butter is melted. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and make sure to stir constantly (it will burn very easily at this stage if you do not stir). You will continue to cook the caramel until it is an amber color and reaches a soft ball stage (if dropped into water, it should form a soft ball). Pour this mixture over the shortbread layer, and smooth the top. Allow to cool completely before the last step (you can use a fridge to make it go faster).

Last, the chocolate layer. Fill a large saucepan halfway with water, and bring to a boil on the stove. Turn the water down until it's simmering. Combine the chocolate chips, corn syrup, and butter in a medium saucepan, and place the smaller saucepan in the water (to create a double boiler effect). Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is completely smooth. Pour over the caramel layer and smooth out with a rubber spatula. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and sprinkle sea salt over the top. Allow to cool completely before cutting... and enjoy! These are seriously amazing!!!!!



This recipe was borrowed from Annie's Eats

Mother's Day Strawberries

So, I took on a pretty big project this Mother's Day.. and decided to sell chocolate covered strawberries for Mother's Day.


It was a pretty crazy week... My favorite was Thursday night, when my kitchen was full of strawberries.


It looked like a candy shop!!


I also branded the boxes with my blog title... handwritten. Every one. I liked how they turned out.


It was a lot of work... but it was really fun. We'll have to see what adventure I'll take on next...

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Can you think of anything more appropriate for Valentine's Day than chocolate and strawberries together in a tastebud-titillating delectable medley of scrumptiousness? Didn't think so.



I've tried chocolate-covered strawberries before... but they haven't turned out this well.

Here's the recipe:

1 bag semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli... I think using quality chocolate helps a lot)
1/2 bag white chocolate chips
2 lbs. really really beautifully red and plump strawberries, washed and DRIED well (also a trick to making these work)

Fill one saucepan up with 1-2 inches of water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once the water is simmering, turn off the heat and place a metal bowl filled with the semisweet chocolate chips into the water. Stir the chocolate until it is all the way melted and completely smooth. Dip the strawberries in the chocolate, turning a little to let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl, and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. After you have dipped all the strawberries in the dark chocolate, melt the white chocolate chips the same way you did the semisweet ones. Use a toothpick, or something else straight (I used a chopstick...) to drizzle the white chocolate over the strawberries. Gorgeous!

Sabes a Chocolate (Yes, the CHOCOLATE blog party was another success!)

Thank you to everyone who came to my CHOCOLATE (that is pronounced cho-ko-lah-tay) party!!!! It was delish. Sorry about the delay on the post; I forgot to bring my cookbooks with me for Thanksgiving break, and I KNOW you only read this blog for the recipes :)

Well, here we go. Should I start with the least favorite or the most favorite? I will go in order of what I think was most popular at the party... (from least to most. Best for last, right?)

Rocky Road Bars
While these bars were far from disgusting, they were kind of disappointing. Maybe I had a lot of expectations for them, and they just didn't live up to them. They were the most work, and the least tasty.

In their defense, however, the rest was pretty dang tasty. They had a lot to live up to.

It was also the first time I had tried the recipe... so you never really know what you are going to get.

Anyway, I will still post the recipe, because I think they were still delicious. Just not life-changing.



Recipe: (by the way, this recipe comes from the recipe book Chocolate Never Faileth. It was a birthday gift, and I intend to wear it out).

CHOCOLATE COOKIE BASE:
1 stick butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda

TOPPING:
1 8-oz. package cream cheese (softened)
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/4 c. nuts, chopped (Your choice! I used walnuts because that's what I had, but I think almonds or pecans would be delicious)
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 c. miniature marshmallows (If I did this again, I would use more marshmallows. Probably at least another 1/2 cup.)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray; line with foil, then spray again - even better, grease the foil with butter (DO NOT skip this step. If you don't use foil and grease the foil, the cookie layer will stick like glue to the pan, and you won't be able to cut the bars out. For the cookie base, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add the vanilla and egg; mix well. Add the flour, cocoa, and baking soda; mix well. Dump the dough into the foil lined baking pan and press into a smooth layer with your fingers, covering the entire pan.

Make the topping by combining the cream cheese, sugar, butter, flour, vanilla, and egg with an electric mixer until smooth. Add nuts. Spread over the cookie dough base. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the topping. Bake or 26-29 minutes, until the topping is set. Remove from the oven for about 2 more minutes to toast the marshmallows. Remove and cool on a wire rack. When fully cooled, drizzle with Mom's Nutty Chocolate Icing.


Mom's Nutty Chocolate Icing
1/4 c. butter
2 tbsp. cocoa
2 1/2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. nuts, chopped

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat (do NOT let it cook too long. I think this was part of my problem. I was doing too many things at once and the butter cooked too long, and then the cocoa/milk/vanilla thickened way too fast). Stir in the cocoa, milk, and vanilla. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat. With a whisk, gradually add the powdered sugar until it's well blended. Stir in the nuts. Immediately drizzle over bars.

Unfortunately, I don't really have pictures of the rest of the recipes individually. I didn't have a memory card and saved them to the internal memory of my camera, which I don't know how to retrieve now. Haha. Anyway, I have a NEW camera which I will be playing with shortly, and am super excited about. So, I guess you will just have to imagine what the rest of these look like until I can figure out the camera. Or just look at this picture of ALL of the delicious chocolate concoctions together:


TOP left=Rocky Road Bars
BOTTOM left/middle= 5-minute fudge
TOP right=German Chocolate Pie
Bottom right=Skor Cake (aka Chocolate Trifle)

German Chocolate Pie
Now, this pie is an old-time favorite. I got the recipe from an older lady back home who used to make pies for a living (let's just say, you don't get much more expert than she does.) This pie was popular at the party, but it wasn't quite done when everyone got there, so I don't think it got the attention it deserves. Believe me, this pie will NOT disappoint, and is surprisingly simple (dang it, my secret's out...)

3 c. sugar
6-7 tbsp. cocoa
1 13-oz can evaporated milk
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. melted margarine
1 tbsp. vanilla
3 c. shredded coconut
1 c. chopped nuts (once again, your choice)
2 pie crusts (8" or 9"... YES, this recipe makes two delicious pies!)

Combine sugar & cocoa. Add evaporated milk, eggs, margarine, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the coconut and nuts. Pour in shell. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes, or until well set.


My recipe card after this blog party. It was already kind of worn out from so much use, but now it has a big chocolate glob on it. I think it just gives it character.

5-minute Fudge
This recipe is an old family recipe... and also surprisingly easy. AND light. I got a LOT of compliments on this fudge. This is one of those traditional Christmas recipes that we put on the plate of baked goods and take to all our friends (not after devouring at least one batch ourselves...)

1 1/3 c. evaporated milk
3 1/3 c. sugar
3 c. miniature marshmallows
2 cubes butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. chocolate chips (semisweet or milk chocolate, depending on what kind of fudge you want. Get the GOOD chocolate chips though, not the cheap ones.)

Spray a cake pan (9x13) with nonstick cooking spray. Combine evaporated milk & sugar in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes stirring continuously. Remove form heat & add remaining ingredients until marshmallows are melted. Pour into a pan and refrigerate until set.

Skor Cake (or Chocolate Trifle)
This was probably the favorite at the party. Some said because it was the least decadent, and was easier to eat a lot of than the rest of these recipes. While that is true, I think this one stands on its own pretty well too. I can never get enough of it.

1 box Devil's food cake mix (bake as directed on box, shaving off about 5 minutes so the cake is just a little underdone)
1 large tub Cool Whip
1 large box instant chocolate pudding mix (make pudding according to directions on box)
5-7 Skor bars (OR more... you really can never have too much. I used 7, and still could have used more.)

All that's left to do now is layer! Find a cool clear bowl that you can layer it in, so you can get the aesthetic effect. Layer each portion (1/3 at a time) in this order:

-cake, crumbled
-Cool Whip mixed with chocolate pudding
-crumbled up Skor bar

Continue until all ingredients are gone, or your bowl is full! I had some left over, so I made a mini trifle with a smaller bowl, and ate it later. Nothin' wrong with that.

Well, that's it! Enjoy, and stay tuned for the next party... I think I'm going to do some kind of party where other people bring samples and recipes of a traditional Christmas baked good. It should be amazing.



Gene & I... we LOVE chocolate!