Meatballs in sauce and s'mores popcorn

I know I am behind on posting. Sorry about that. Life has been a little busy.

Here is a picture of Paula Deen's Cheese Stuffed Meatballs and my homemade sauce.

Thursday was National Popcorn Day! We made s'mores popcorn. It is YUMMY!

Basically I popped a bag of popcorn - I use light butter.
Put it in an 8 quart bowl.
I then broke up a Hershey bar into small pieces and spread it on top.
I added my homemade marhsmallows that I cut up into small pieces. You can use mini marshmallows, I just had the homemade ones so I decided to use those.
I also broke graham crackers into small pieces. You can use cinnamon teddy grahams, or cinnamon square cereal. My family likes the graham crackers.

Then I melted milk chocolate chips and drizzled a good quantity over the popcorn, marshmallow, graham cracker mixture. Toss to coat everything with the chocolate. It won't last so you don't have to worry about storing it!

Emily giving the s'mores  popcorn 2 thumbs up

Enjoy!

Boston Cream Whoopie Pies

I am not 100% where I found this recipe....but it is so easy and really good ;-)

Boston Cream Whoopie Pies

For the Cookie or Pie part

Box of yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prep baking sheet by lining with parchment paper

Mix the cake mix, eggs, water, and oil with an electric mixer until well combined.
Drop by Tablespoonfuls (or use your small cookie scoop) Leave plenty of room to allow for spreading cookies.
Bake for 5 -9 minutes -depends on your oven. Bake until the edges are golden and tops spring back when touched.

Cool for 5 minutes on pan, remove and set aside.

To make Filling:
1 box (4 oz serving size) French vanilla instant pudding
1 cup milk (I use 2% milk)
1 cup Heavy Cream (not milk or half-n-half but heavy cream)

Whisk pudding mix, milk, and cream in a medium bowl for 2 - 3 minutes. Place in refrigerator to set.

Once the cookies have cooled, spread a spoonful of pudding on the flat side of one cookie, top with a second cookie.

When they are all finished - set aside.

Now make a glaze. My favorite glaze is a simple chocolate ganache. You can use other means (like from a can) but homemade ganache is so simple.

Heat 1 cup of heavy cream just to a boil. Pour the cream over 1 cup of chocolate (you can use what ever type of chocolate you like - semisweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate). Now pour the just boiling heavy cream over the chocolate and gently stir mixture. Once it is all combined the let it set for about 10 minutes. Dip each cookie into the ganache or spoon some of the ganache over each cookie sandwich. Let the cookies set up.

Store in container in refrigerator.

In the bowl

ready to bake

Cooling on the racks

with the french vanilla filling

Enjoy!

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

I did not forget to bake - I did not have to post. So here is the post for Thursday January 6th.

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
from Annie Eats 12/9/2011

I did make one change - I did not use the peppermint frosting that she used. I use a basic buttercream frosting but used peppermint extract as opposed to vanilla extract. Here is the recipe.

1/2 cup - 1 stick of butter, softened
3 - 4 cups of powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
1 Tbs milk
1 tsp of peppermint extract

Cream the butter until fluffy, add the powder sugar. Add the milk and extract until mixed and fluffy.

cupcake batter

Peppermint Cupcakes without frosting

my helper crushing the candy canes

Finished! They got the approval of little man. So these are a hit too!

Enjoy!

Cappuccino Crinkles

The graham crackers were a huge success. I am making the batch of marshmallows and putting together s'mores kits for a few lucky people!


Tonight -

Cappuccino Cookies!
from 100 best cookies page 24, #16 on the list

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TBS instant coffee crystals
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 egg whites
1/3 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar

350 degree oven

Large bowl beat butter on med to high speed for 30 seconds.
Add brown sugar, cocoa powder, coffee crystals, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Beat until combined, scrape the side of the bowl occasionally
Beat in egg whites and yogurt until combined,
Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Use a wooden spoon to stir in any remaining flour.

Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl.
Scoop and shape 1-inch balls of dough. Roll them in the sugar to coat.
Place 2-inches apart on a baking sheet (cover the baking sheet with parchment paper)

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until edges are firm.
Cool on wire rack.

Approx. 32 cookies. ( I got about 56 with my small cookie scoop)

Can store in air tight container up to a week or freeze for 3 months.

The dough mixed and scooping. Smells great.

rolled in sugar and ready for the oven

Finished product. These smell so great. Can't wait to sample.

Enjoy!

Picture of the Mexican chocolate cookies

These got the seal of approval from Connor and Carter!

January 2, 2012 Mexican Chocolate Cookies

Today is the first day for baking! I spent yesterday organizing recipes and listing ingredients, etc. Now I am ready for a new adventure.

I am also making bread today. I am going to make buns for sliders tonight. If I get a chance I will get that recipe posted too.

This is my first time using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients.


Mexican Chocolate Cookies
from the December 2009 Cooking Light

Ingredients:
5 oz bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate, coarsely chopped
3.4 oz all-purpose flour (3/4 cup)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
dash of black pepper
dash of ground red pepper
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to350 degrees
2. Place chocolate in a small glass bowl; microwave on High 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through ground red pepper); stir well with a whisk.
4. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg; beat well. Add cooled chocolate and vanilla; beat until just blended. Drop dough by level tablespoons (or use a cookie scoop) 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven. Cool on plans 2 minutes or until set. Remove from pans; cool completely on a wire rack.
Yield 32 cookies
serving size - 1 cookie; 80 calories

dough in the mixer

rounded teaspoons on the pan

finished product ready to eat!

Enjoy!

Vaverek Munch Caramel Popcorn

A few years ago my mom brought us some "Moose munch" popcorn. So I decided to recreate it.
I have merged a few recipes together to come up with our version of caramel popcorn.

Vaverek Munch Caramel Popcorn

6 quarts of popped popcorn. I make about 3 -4 bags of microwave. I try to use the unbuttered type. But if you can only find buttered, use light butter.
1 3/4 cups - 2 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans (can use peanuts or any other type of nuts)
1 cup butter
1  - 16 oz - package of light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of milk chocolate - chocolate chips
1 cup of white chocolate - chocolate chips
1 bag of M&Ms

Toasted Pecans

Prep your cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Popcorn placed on in a layer on a cookie sheet.

Popcorn waiting for the caramel, pecans, and chocolate

Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan. Stir in brown sugar and next 3 ingredients; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

On the stove top turning into caramel

Pour mixture over popcorn layer in an even coat.
Bake at 250 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes or so.  Stir every 15 minutes.
Take out of oven and spread the pecans and chocolate chips over the caramel popcorn. Put back in the oven for 10 minutes to melt the chocolate chips.
Take out of oven and spread the pecans over the popcorn and chocolate.

Cool for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into a very large bowl and sprinkle the M&Ms over the popcorn mixture. Stir the bowl  to combine the entire mixture.

fresh out of the oven, just put the pecans and chocolate chips on top of the caramel popcorn

out of the oven before pecans and chocolate chips

Finish product

Enjoy!

Thin Mint Truffles

These are a huge favorite! They are also perfect since Girl Scout Cookie season is coming up soon. Grab a few extra boxes to make these yummy truffles. They even got the seal of approval from the Chastain Girls.

Ingredients:
9 oz box of Thin Mints (if you can't get Girl Scout Thin Mints you can get generic Publix Brand variety that will work fine too)
4 oz (1/2 block) cream cheese, softened
Dark chocolate almond bark or dark chocolate candy melts
nonpareils or green candy melts for decoration

Crush the Thin Mints into fine crumbs. You can use a ziploc bag and rolling pin or a food processor. I used the food processor and it made the job easy.
Once they are crushed, transfer them into a large bowl.
Add the softened cream cheese. You can mix them with your hands. If you are not using a stand mixer, this is the easiest way to mix them. They just don't mix well with a wooden spoon. Mix until you can no longer see any cream cheese.

I would suggest refrigerating them for an hour or so. You can roll them into 1" balls right away but chilling them makes the job a little easier.

Roll them into 1" balls, place on a wax paper or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for an hour or so.

Melt the dark chocolate and dip them completely. I use the 2 fork method, drop the truffle in use one fork to pull out the truffle and the other fork to help get the excess chocolate off the truffle.  Place back on the baking sheet. You can sprinkle them with the nonpareils before the chocolate sets up. Or let the chocolate set up and drizzle with the melted green candy melt.
Refrigerate until firm.
Keep refrigerated to store them. Store in air tight container.

Makes 24 truffles.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Biscotti

I can't remember where I found this recipe. I think I may have found it on Pinterest? I try hard to write down where I find recipes and give credit where it is due. I truly apologize to whoever first came up with this recipe!

Double Chocolate Biscotti

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa - unsweetened
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 all-purpose flour
4 oz. white chocolate ( I used half a bag of ghiradelli white chocolate chips)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy
Beat in the cocoa and baking powder
Beat for 2 minutes.
Add in eggs, 1 at a time. Mix well after each addition.
Stir in the flour.
Stir in the chocolate chips (white and chocolate).
Cover and chill for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 2 parts - about 9" long log
Flatten each section
Place on pan with parchment paper.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes
cool for about an hour

Heat oven to 325 degrees
Cut into slices and lay on their sides on a baking sheet (covered with parchment paper)
Bake for 9 minutes, then flip to the other side. Bake for 9 more minutes

Cool for an hour or 2.
Dip in chocolate or drizzle in chocolate. You can also sprinkle with crushed peppermint pieces.

Enjoy!

Salted Caramel and Whiskey Truffles

Yes, another Pinterest find!!
I found this one on pinterest and the recipe can be found here on Baker's Royale. These were a little involved but not hard. They are worth the extra effort.

Enjoy!

Fudge

This is my fudge recipe. I found it many years ago and it is a favorite. Not an easy fix but worth the effort.

Fudge
Ingredients:
In a large bowl combine the following:
12 oz chocolate chips, semisweet
12 oz German Chocolate baking squares
2 tsp vanilla
optional - 2 cups of chopped nuts.

Set aside. I put mine in my stand mixer bowl.

Combine:
4 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tbs butter
1 can evaporated milk
pinch of salt

Bring to a boil. Keep at a boil for 5 minutes. Stir constantly while boiling. It will spill over if you just let it boil. Really keep an eye on it.
After 5 minutes - pour into the bowl of chocolate. CAREFULLY turn on the beater in the bowl. Or beat by hand until smooth and the chocolate is melted.

Pour into a 9 x 13 buttered pan.

Cool before cutting.

Enjoy!!

Caramel Filled Brownies

I made 3 batches of these. I also used a cheater - I did not make the brownies from scratch. I know, it is awful but I was trying to save a little time.

Caramel Filled Brownies

1  - 1 1/2 cups pecans - I use chopped pecans
for the Brownies:
12 oz bittersweet chocolate or chopped up chocolate
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flours
1/2 tsp salt
Or use a box of brownie mix ;-)

1 (14 oz) bag of caramels
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (more if you like)

350 degree oven. Place pecans on a cookie sheet and toast for 7 -9 minutes. Let cool and chop.

for Brownies:
13 x 9 pan - line with parchment paper and spray with pan release spray. At this point you can use the box of brownie mix. Follow the directions and put half the batter in the pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Or make them from scratch - recipe follows.

Place chocolate and butter in microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and repeat until smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes. While the chocolate cools, in a separate bowl beat the sugar and eggs on high speed of an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Stir in cooled chocolate mixture into sugar/egg mixture. Add a small amount of chocolate at a time or you will cook your eggs. Gradually add the flour and salt. Pour half of the batter into the lined pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Cool brownies for 20 minutes. Prepare filling.

Put the bag of caramels  along with 1/3 cup of heavy cream in a micro safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Put back in microwave for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Place over the brownies. Spread 1/2 the pecans over the caramel.

Put the remaining brownie mixture over the caramel and pecans. Scatter chocolate chips and the remaining pecans over the brownie mixture.  Bake for an additional 20 minutes or so. Until the brownies look dry.

Cool. You may want to refrigerate the brownies in order to make cutting easier. These are thick and rich.

Enjoy!

Buckeyes

I know - Buckeyes - not a secret recipe and I am sure everyone has their own twist on them.
This Buckeye recipe came from my Grandma McCray. She made these every year, maybe because she lives in Ohio, maybe because she likes Peanut Butter....who knows. I double the recipe, freeze the Peanut Butter filling then dip them in Chocolate.

Buckeyes

1 cup smooth Peanut Butter
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar/10X powder sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened (Use butter not margarine)
Melted chocolate, I use the chocolate candy bark

Combine the peanut butter and the softened butter until it is well mixed. You should not have any lumps.  Gradually add the powder sugar.
Refrigerate the mixture.
Scoop into balls, about a tablespoon amount.
Freeze or refrigerate overnight or several hours.
With a toothpick dip into melted 3/4 of the way.
Makes about 40 pieces.

Enjoy!