Chocolate Covered Candy Eggs 3/4 stick(s) (6 Tbsp) butter, softened 1 (3 oz) brick cream cheese, softened 1 pound(s) confectioners’ sugar (5 1/4 cups) 1/2 teaspoon(s) almond extract 1/2 cup(s) almonds, toasted, cooled and finely chopped 2 cup(s) (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips 1 tablespoon(s) vegetable shortening Decorations: tubes of pastel-colored decorating icing, each fitted with a round piping tip; tiny candy bunnies and chicks; and candy dots (sequins) Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with wax paper. Beat butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl with mixer on medium speed until blended. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, extract and almonds, beating until blended (mixture will be stiff). Refrigerate airtight in a single layer up to 1 week. Here are some alternate versions of this recipe created by our wonderful community of chefs!
Chocolate Mousse December 22nd, 2010 | Category: Chocolate Two ingredients (seriously, only chocolate and water) and five minutes later, you will be eating The Best Chocolate Mousse of Your Life. I promise. And you don’t even need any fancy kitchen gadgets. This amazing discovery was made by the famous French chemist, Hervé This, who is also known as the man who unboiled an egg. Since the recipe has only two ingredients, it all comes down to the quality of the chocolate you use. Don’t take this as a mousse recipe only. You can also flavor it with spices like cinnamon or cayenne pepper or add a tablespoon of liquor like Grand Marnier, Chartreuse or Tia Maria. Or boil the water first, take off heat, place a couple of Earl Grey tea bags, let infuse and then use it as your liquid. The most important part of the recipe is achieving the right consistency. As soon as I hit the publish button, I’ll start working against a very tight deadline for the book. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
100 Banana How many times has someone spotted excess, overripe or just unused bananas in your kitchen and said, “uh-oh, looks like it’s time to make banana bread!” — as if the only things possible to do with a banana are eat it or turn it into bread? Well we say “no more.” With no particular offense meant to anyone’s banana bread recipe, we believe the humble banana is in fact as versatile as bacon or eggs, and we’ve got the internets to prove it. Here’s our carefully curated list of 100 Things to Do with a Banana (not including banana bread). Click on the photos for full recipes. From Bananas to Apples, 100 things to do with apples: Sponsored Content
chocolate banana crepes This past Friday night was meant for celebrating. The weather was sit-out-on-the-deck-in-the-cool-evening-breeze perfection. Friends gathered from all around the city with chips and salsa and salads and popcorn and laughter and stories to share. The fire pit was aflame. The candles were lit on this (gluten free and vegan) carrot cake. And a very special birthday girl turned the big 3-0. Friends, meet Stacey. Read more TGIF, friends. Hope that you all have had a lovely week, and that a relaxing weekend lies ahead. Did I mention on here that I’m leading an Easter choir at my church?! I’m kind of over the moon about it. Anyway, warm wishes coming your way for a good weekend ahead. Read more Ever since my friends and I met for a tapas happy hour at our neighborhood Spanish restaurant a few weeks ago, I’ve had sangria on my mind. Read more But amongst the thousands of recipes out there using coconut oil, I think I have discovered a new favorite. Read more That recipe is coming on the blog tomorrow.
iPhone APP sugar cookies These cookies were one of those fabulous last minute ideas you know you don’t have time for, should not even attempt, but yet you do because you can’t resist. There is absolutely nothing last minute about homemade sugar cookies. I never appreciated how much time was involved until I started making them regularly ~ make the dough, chill the dough, roll out the dough, bake, cool, make the royal icing, color the icing, make icing for the border and icing to flood the cookie, and we haven’t even talked about the dishes that have accumulated or the packaging process. I’ve learned to spread the steps over several different days to make it manageable and fun. Luckily, I had dough in the freezer and royal icing from the day before. This cookie inspiration came to me when the boy decided on an iPhone App gift card for his teacher for Christmas. The cookies dried overnight, were then wrapped individually, and arranged in a pastry box. Enjoy this last week before Christmas! Print This Post
Sweet Potato Biscuits with Honey Cinnamon Butter Have you given up on making biscuits? Do they seem like too much trouble for the end result? I was kinda in that boat. There are far more interesting things to make…or so I thought! I made these for the first time last fall to go with some Thanksgiving leftovers. And to make a good thing even better, they always turn out great! And because I live in the land of biscuits and honey, we top it all off with some must-have honey cinnamon butter! Gather Up:2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes 1 stick butter, melted 1 ¼ cups milk 4 cups self-rising flour Pinch baking soda 3 tablespoons sugar For the Honey Cinnamon Butter:1 stick butter, room temperature 3 tablespoons honey ¼ teaspoon cinnamon Pinch kosher salt Mix together the sweet potatoes, butter and milk until well blended. Shape the dough into a ball and knead about 10 times on a well-floured surface. Roll the dough out about ¾ inch thick and cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Serve warm with the butter.
Bailey’s Chocolate Pudding — No Kids Allowed Bailey’s Chocolate Pudding — No Kids Allowed Posted on 23 February 2010 by Mădălina At first glance, this looks like a cup of dark chocolate hot cocoa, but take a closer look and you’ll find the ultimate after-dinner-dessert. Finally, a treat for the adults only– a simple, yet sinful take on a classic. I added Baileys Irish Cream, and used semi-sweet chocolate instead of milk-chocolate, and feel free to splurge on the more expensive chocolate. The garnish is up to you. Bailey’s Dark Chocolate Pudding Cups — NO Kids Allowed Ingredients: (makes 6 – half cup servings) 6 oz. – semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz. used for topping; splurge for the higher quality chocolate) 4 oz. – Bailey’s Irish Cream Liquor 1/3 – cup golden syrup 2 1/2 – cups warm milk 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp – corn starch 2 – egg yolks, whisked 1 – tsp pure vanilla extract 1 – tbsp butter garnish (optional) – marshmallows, chocolate chips, whip-cream, walnuts, ice cream, etc. Directions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Garnish, and serve. Ingredients: garnish 3. 5. 6.
Raspberry Lemonade Bars Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread I’m sorry. I know it’s Monday morning and you probably came here for some pretty pictures of food that you could glance at, and then move on with your day… and here I go thrusting warm, soft cinnamon sugar bread in your face. It’s not fair. I know it’s not fair. I know that now you’re craving cinnamon rolls, and cream cheese frosting and chili fries and hot dogs. You don’t deserve this sort of torture. This bread hits all the comfort spots in my soul. I’m sorry and you’re welcome and I love you. Let’s start at the beginning. I did this all without the use of a stand mixer and dough hook. This dough can be made and left to rise , then refrigerated overnight for use in the morning. This is the dough just before it’s left to rise. After the dough has rested and risen for an hour, I knead it in a few tablespoons of flour. This is the part in the bread process where you can wrap the dough and place it in the fridge to rest overnight. I worked with my dough right away. I can’t even deal.
Puppy Chow Recipe | Muddy Buddies I LOVE LOVE LOVE when some of the most yummiest treats are also the most easiest to make. Ten years ago my friend Nancy gave each woman in our small group a beautifully packaged container of Puppy Chow aka Muddy Buddies. This was the first time I had ever had this “crazy good” treat. From the first bite I was hooked but also intrigued by what it was made of. **DISCLAIMER** Although this recipe is called “Puppy Chow” it’s not for doggie consumption – since chocolate is poisonous for dogs. Puppy Chow Recipe – Muddy Buddies Author: Savory Sweet Life Recipe type: Appetizer Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Serves: 9 cups 9 cups Combination of Corn, Rice, and Wheat Cereal squares (Chex) *For gluten-free, omit the wheat chex.1 cup chocolate chips½ cup creamy peanut butter¼ cup butter2 teaspoon vanilla *make sure to check vanilla for gluten-free1½ cups powdered sugar2 1-gallon ziplock bags Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside. Tagged as: Chocolate, gift, Holiday, Peanut Butter, treats
Samoas Samoas - my absolute favorite Girl Scout cookie - and now I can make at home!!! (And you'll get much more to eat than the what - 9 (!?) that come in the box) I was so excited when I saw this recipe - they are in a bar form so they are easier to make than cutting and shaping a bunch of circle cookies. Ingredients Cookie Base1/2 cup sugar3/4 cup butter, softened1 large egg1/2 tsp. vanilla extract2 cups all purpose flour1/4 tsp. salt Topping 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut 12-oz good-quality chewy caramels 1/4 tsp. salt 3 tbsp. milk 10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate chipsDirections 1. 2. 6. 10. 12.
Choux Paste Once you know how to make this easy Pâte à Choux dough, you can use it to make a number of different things. Pâte à Choux is cream puff pastry and is used to make cream puffs, gougeres, and even beignets. I love it because it is simple, fast and I can make it ahead of time. You can make these beautiful cream puffs and fill them as a dessert with ice cream or whipped cream. You can make them and fill them for lunch with crab or chicken salad. You can add cheese to the dough and make savory little gougeres for appetizers, which I will make for a future post. Don't be intimidated about making these. One of the fun things to do with this recipe is to make a dessert bar. Now let's make some. Cream Puffs/Pâte à Choux Dough for a printable recipe, click here Makes 12 - 13 medium sized cream puffs Ingredients: Instructions: Heat the first four ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium high heat just until the milk starts to boil. Homemade Chocolate Sauce: Homemade Whipped Cream:
Chocolate Soup for Two Valentine's day is exactly one month away and I'm elbow deep in chocolate recipes. I've been searching for ideas and inspiration for sweet, edible tokens of affection. Recently while watching a food show on TV, I saw chocolate soup being served at a popular chocolate bar/buffet. Patrons were proclaiming their love (between slurps of soup) for the warm, velvety smoothness and rich chocolaty flavor. I got out a pen and paper and wrote: In my search I've found so many variations on chocolate soup, I didn't know which one to try! I wanted to lighten the soup without compromising the richness or velvety texture. I used Ghiradelli semisweet baking chips, but the variations on this recipe are as numerous as there are varieties of chocolate. This dessert should be served warm. I think this would be an excellent Valentine's day dessert to share with someone special, even if that someone special is your Grandma.