Sorry for the baking hiatus, but with spring break I didn't get a whole lot done. Now the kids are back in school, so let the fun begin. First up are these super easy delicious little morsels. I love this recipe because it only has a few ingredients and I can whip them up in a short time. Plus they taste just like the store bought ones. The recipe came from Homemade Peppermint Patties on Savory Sweet Life.
Here are the ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
5 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons shortening
Directions:
1. Add condensed milk, 2 cups of powdered sugar, and peppermint extract to a large mixing bowl. Mix everything on medium speed using the paddle attachment until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Add more powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is stiff but still pliable.
(I didn't read the directions fully and just dumped everything in together and mixed. They came out fine.)
2. Roll 3/4 inch balls of dough between the palms of the hands.
3. Press each ball down slowly and set the flattened disk on a flat cutting board or plate. Transfer peppermint disks to the freezer for no longer than 30 minutes. While the dough is chilling, temper the chocolate coating. (I put mine on cookie sheets lined with wax paper.)
4. Place chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl. Melt the chocolate in 30 second increments, making sure to stir after each time until chocolate is smooth. Stir in shortening to thin the chocolate. Remove patties from the freezer. (Again I dumped it all together and melted the chocolate and shortening.)
5. Place a patty on the tines of the fork and dip in the chocolate until completely covered. Allow excess chocolate to drip off the patty before setting each one on top of wax or parchment paper. (Work in small batches, they will get soft the longer they sit out.)
6. All the chocolate coated peppermint patties to completely set up. This can be done quicker by placing the patties in the refrigerator. The peppermint patties are ready when they are dry to the touch.
These were so good, especially when cold. A little messy with the dipping, but the dough was really easy to make and handle. Once frozen, they soften quickly so you have to work in small batches to dip. I stored them in an airtight container in the fridge. They only lasted a few days (we ate them), so not sure how long you can store them for. Will certainly keep these on my make again list. (Sorry I forgot to take pictures).
Monday, March 19, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Peanut Butter Fudge
This is the easiest quickest recipe ever. It only has 4 ingredients and takes about 5 minutes to put together. It came from Alton Brown and his show Good Eats. Can I just say that I love Alton Brown. If I could meet any Food Network star it would be him. He is a cross between Bill Nye the Science Guy and America's Test Kitchen. I love his simple recipes and easy instructions. Plus he always includes the science behind what his is doing. I forgot to take pictures as I was making the fudge, but there is a great video of how to make it on the Food Network. The recipe came from Peanut Butter Fudge on their website. It is so easy that kids could make it with very little supervision.
Here are the ingredients:
8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks), plus more for greasing pan
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pound powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Combine the butter and peanut butter in a 4-quart microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
2. Microwave for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. (Use caution when removing this mixture from the microwave, it will be very hot.)
3. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with wooden spoon. The mixture will become hard to stir and lose its sheen.
4. Spread into a buttered 8 by 8 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Fold excess parchment paper so it covers the surface of the fudge and refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours.
5. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
This recipe was so easy. The hardest part was waiting for it to fully cool. We did have to sneak a piece a little early to try it out. My kids loved it and even took some for their lunch kit dessert.
Here are the ingredients:
8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks), plus more for greasing pan
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pound powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Combine the butter and peanut butter in a 4-quart microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
2. Microwave for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. (Use caution when removing this mixture from the microwave, it will be very hot.)
3. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with wooden spoon. The mixture will become hard to stir and lose its sheen.
4. Spread into a buttered 8 by 8 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Fold excess parchment paper so it covers the surface of the fudge and refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours.
5. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
This recipe was so easy. The hardest part was waiting for it to fully cool. We did have to sneak a piece a little early to try it out. My kids loved it and even took some for their lunch kit dessert.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Red Velvet Cheesecake brownies
I was looking for a some what easy dessert to put together for dinner last night. I saw these, and thought I would give them a try. Mine didn't come out quite as swirly as the original pictures, but they were very good anyway. These came from Sweet Pea's Kitchen Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies.
Ingredients:
1.2 cup butter
2 oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp red food coloring
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 inch pan (I used Pyrex). Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both sides. Butter the parchment.
2. In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave. Stir until combined and very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Add chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Add flour and salt and stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
4. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
5. To prepare cheesecake mixture, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth. Distribute the cheesecake mixture in 8 dollops over batter in the pan. Swirl in with a knife or spatula.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted in to the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned.
7. Let cool completely in pan on a cooling rack before lifting out the parchment paper to remove the brownies.
Ingredients:
1.2 cup butter
2 oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp red food coloring
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 inch pan (I used Pyrex). Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both sides. Butter the parchment.
2. In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave. Stir until combined and very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Add chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Add flour and salt and stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
4. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
5. To prepare cheesecake mixture, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth. Distribute the cheesecake mixture in 8 dollops over batter in the pan. Swirl in with a knife or spatula.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted in to the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned.
7. Let cool completely in pan on a cooling rack before lifting out the parchment paper to remove the brownies.
I thought these were really easy to make. I didn't have any dark chocolate, so I used unsweetened chocolate and it still tasted great. I also didn't have any liquid red food coloring, so I just added a large blob of red gel coloring. We couldn't wait until they cooled completely to try them. They were so good warm. Even though they don't look as pretty as the original recipe, they were delicious. I will certainly make these the next time I need a dessert for my husband's work.
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