Marshmallow Peanut Butter/ Butterscotch Bar

2 pkg. butterscotch chips, or peanut butter chips
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 cups miniature marshmallows (the colored ones are the best)

Place the first 3 ingredients into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1-1/2 minutes, then stir. Microwave for an additional 1-1/2 minutes. Continue at 30 second intervals until melted. Stirring in between each setting. Let cool a couple of minutes and add 4 cups marshmallows and stir well. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan and spread evenly. Let cool completely, then cut into squares.

Slow-Cooker Hearty Beef Stew

 Photo Source

This is a seriously tasty stew! Perfect for this cold weather!

 Ingredients 
1 Tbsp. oil
2 lb. (900 g) boneless stewing beef, cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes
5 carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into chunks
6 small red potatoes, quartered
3/4 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
1 Tbsp. Instant Coffee
2 cups frozen peas


Directions:
HEAT oil in nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat, in batches; cook until evenly browned, stirring occasionally. Layer carrots, onions and potatoes in bottom of 5-qt. slow cooker; top with meat. Pour 1/2 cup barbecue sauce over meat; sprinkle with coffee granules. Cover with lid.

COOK on LOW 7 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 5 hours).

STIR in peas and remaining barbecue sauce; cover. Cook 15 min. or until heated through.

Adapted from here

Monte Cristo Bread Pudding

Yum right!? Sometimes it's nice to just have some comfort food. Check out the recipe here.

Sweet Chili Sauce

Marshall loves sweet chili sauce and so I thought I better learn how to make it! I found a few recipes but this one is the best and most like the store bought type.

Note: If you want it more sweet then spicy don't use as much chilli sauce (at this amount is is pretty spicy). 

3 tbsp White Vinegar 
2 tbsp Water
2 tsp Corn Starch
1/4 cup Light Corn Syrup
6 tbsp White Sugar
2 tsp Chilli Sauce
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
Pinch of Chilli Pepper Flakes


Combine vinegar and water. Whisk in corn starch.

Add the rest of the ingredients and put into a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat. Bring sauce up to a boil for one minute. Take off heat and let cool. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Store in a air tight jar or bottle. 

Makes 1/2 cup


Source

Baking My Way: Ranger Crispies

 These cookies are really simple to make and taste just as simple. Can't say I love them, but they're perfect for camping, throwing in your bag for a beach day or for lunch. They also work really well with puffed wheat instead of rice cereal.

1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup margarine or butter, softened
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups crisp rice cereal

Heat oven to 375º F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, margarine and shortening until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in cereal. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375º F for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely. 5 dozen cookies.

Salted Caramels

I followed the directions exactly and here are the things I found for myself:

- You have to boil the heck out of it to get it up to 248 degrees and even then it doesn't form a firm ball but the caramels still set so that was good 

- I used coarse sea salt and that worked great

- Whip cream also works great! 

- I added the salt when the caramels where just starting to chill in the fridge. It seemed to stick better then. 

- Be careful when you're "boiling the heck out of it" it will start to burn if you're not on it! 

- It took me 25 minutes of cooking to get it up to 248 degrees so get it to a boil sooner then later; doing it on medium heat didn't do it for me, I just stayed right at 220 for a while.

 

Other then that great recipe! Time consuming but good! 

Ingredients 

Vegetable oil
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fine fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then brush the paper lightly with oil, allowing the paper to drape over 2 sides.

In a deep saucepan (6 inches wide x 4½ inches deep), combine ¼ cup water, the sugar and corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. Don’t stir – just swirl the pan to mix. Watch carefully, as it will burn quickly at the end!

In the meantime, in a small pan, bring the cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When the sugar mixture is a warm golden color, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful - it will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees (firm ball) on a candy thermometer. Very carefully (it’s hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.

When the caramels are cold, pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the sheet in half. Starting with a long side, roll one piece of the caramel up tightly into an 8-inch-long log. Repeat with the second piece. Sprinkle both logs with fleur de sel, trim the ends, and cut each log in 8 pieces. Cut glassine or parchment papers into 4 x 5-inch pieces and wrap each caramel individually, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator and serve the caramels chilled.

Wine Jelly

•2 cups wine
•3 cups granulated sugar
•3 ounces liquid pectin

Directions
1.Stir sugar into the wine and warm in a stainless steel pan until sugar is dissolved.
2.Remove from heat and stir in pectin being very careful to dissolve pectin completely.
3.Pour into small jars and keep refrigerated.

So yummy!! I got wine jelly from a girlfriend for my birthday last year (great gift idea by the way!!) and it was just amazing!

Baking My Way: Texan-sized Almond Crunch Cookies

Not sure why they call them Texan-sized but I'll forgive that because these are such wonderful cookies! They were a huge hit for my buyers as well. They're on the list of recipes I will be making again! 

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 cup oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
3-1/2 cups Pillsbury's® All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Pillsbury® Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups coarsely chopped almonds
6 or 7.8-oz. package almond brickle baking chips
Sugar


Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

2. In large bowl, blend sugar, powdered sugar, butter and oil until well mixed. Add almond extract and eggs, mix well.

3. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup, level off.

4. Gradually blend in all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, soda, salt and cream of tartar at low speed. By hand, stir in almonds and bricklechips. Chill, if desired.

5. Shape large tablespoonfuls of dough into balls, roll in sugar. Place 5 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With fork dipped in sugar, flatten in crosscross pattern.

6. Bake at 350°F. for 12 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Cool cookies 1 minute before removing from cookie sheets.

Sugar Cookie Bar

 YUM!!! It was pretty good! I was having a craving so I made this great bar. It was pretty, I'd for sure make it again! (And yes, so much easier then making cookies!)


Cookies: Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg white

1 Tbsp sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13″ x 9″ baking dish, set aside. In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy about 3-4 minutes. Stir in egg and egg white. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until blended. Slowly add dry mixture and stir until well combine. With buttered hands, gently press (so gently almost patting) mixture into buttered baking dish. Bake 16 – 19 minutes until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and edges are lightly golden. Cool completely, then frost and cut into squares.

(I used half white and half whole wheat flour) 

Vanilla Frosting: Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp half and half (or yogurt, or milk)

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

Several drop food coloring (optional)

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, whip together butter and powdered sugar and half and half until fluffy. Stir in vanilla and salt. Add in food optional food coloring and mix until well blended.

(I ended up using more butter and closer to 1/4 tsp salt because I found the icing tasted powdery and just a bit too sweet) 

Source

Baking My Way: Peanut Butter Macaroon Brownie

Looks pretty tasty right? Two of my favorite things put together; chocolate and coconut. The brownie was pretty dry so I would add maybe some more butter, or apple sauce in it next time, but other then that it was very good! (Also, next time, I think I would put a layer of chocolate frosting on top of the coconut layer. YUM!!)

Brownie 
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour 
2/3 cup cocoa
1 cup peanut butter chips 


Topping 
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk 
2 2/3 cup coconut 
1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. 

Grease 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan. 

Combine sugar, butter and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. 

Add eggs 1 at a time.  Beat after every addition. 

Add flour and cocoa; mix well. 

Stir in peanut butter chips. Spread in greased pan. 

Combine topping ingredients. 

Spoon topping over brownie; spread carefully. 

Bake for 27-32 minutes or until topping is light golden brown. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Cut into bars.

(I ended up having to cook it another 15 minutes because the brownie was still very doughy) 

Baking Goal: Coconut Macaroon Brownie Bites

How decadent do these look? I think I'll save making these for a really chilly winter day where I know we are going to curl up and watch a movie. These would make a great treat!

Check out the recipe at Inside BruCrew Life

Sweet-n-Sour Meat Balls

I love meat balls! So tasty! My mom gave me this recipe for Marshall's birthday one year and I realized I hadn't shared it with you all! So here it is!

Meat Balls:
4 lb Hamburger Meat
½ lb Onion (grated)
1 head of Garlic (grated of crushed)
Salt
Pepper

2-3 eggs
And any other seasoning you want (to taste)
2 cups cooked oatmeal

(I like to add a little cinnamon for spice)

Sauce:
1 can Pineapple (crushed- with juice)
¼ cup White Vinegar (or to taste)
2 cans of Tomato Soup
1 can of Tomatoes (crushed)
1 can of Tomato Paste
2 cups Water
2 tbsp Brown Sugar (or to taste)


Sauce: In a crock pot (preferably) combine all ingredients, mix well, or until smooth. Cook on medium for 1 hour, or until flavors have blended.

Meat Balls: Combine all ingredients, roll into 1’’ meat balls. Add meat balls after sauce has been cooking for at least 30 minutes.

Baking My Way: Rainbow Cookie Brittle

  I'll be honest, I don't get this recipe. There's a lot of butter, and it's very greasy (don't get me wrong, I love butter, but now when it just makes the final product really greasy). I don't really get how it's supposed to be like a brittle, it's more like a cookie bar. I tried it, and thankfully I split the recipe and didn't make a full batch. 

Ingredients

• 1  cup sugar
• 3/4  cup margarine or butter, softened
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2  cups All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
• 1/2  cup miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces or miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. 1Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Add vanilla; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Stir in flour; mix well. Stir in miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces. Press dough into ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan.
2. 2Bake at 375°F. for 10 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely; break into irregular shaped pieces.

Source

Baking My Way: Chocolate and Vanilla Chip Biscotti

Finally I got biscotti right! I'll be honest, I don't really like the stuff. I like chewy soft baking, not crunchy stuff like this but there were around 5 biscotti recipes in this book so I had to do them all! I think this might be the last one and I got it right finally (I seemed to always under or over bake). This biscotti is pretty good. It's nice and chocolaty and the vanilla chips add a good sweetness in there.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 cup white vanilla chip

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking powder; mix well.

In large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar and butter; beat until blended.

Add eggs; beat well.

Add flour mixture; mix well.

Stir in vanilla chips.

With sprayed hands, shape dough into three 7" rolls.

Place rolls 3" apart on sprayed cookie sheet; flatten each to 7" x 3" rectangle.
 

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 22 to 28 minutes or until set and light golden brown.
 

Remove from cookie sheet; place on wire racks.
 

Cool 5 minutes.
 

With serrated knife, cut rectangles into 1/2" slices.

Arrange slices, cut side up, on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 6 to 8 minutes or until top surface is slightly dry.

Turn cookies over; bake an additional 6 to 8 minutes or until top surface is slightly dry.

Remove from cookie sheets; cool 15 minutes or until completely cooled.

Store in tightly covered container.

Source

Egg Substitutes In Baking

 

 I started mixing a recipe and realized too late that I had used the last of the eggs. It was 11pm (yes, I bake late sometimes; you know, the second wind!) so I really didn't want to go out to the store. I remember my mom saying she'd done apple sauce or something like that once and it worked well so I did a little research and found some great options! 

Apple sauce/fruit puree 

1/4 cup sauce for every egg 

Best in: 

Cookies, cakes, quick breads, brownies

Vinegar 

1 teaspoon of baking soda along with 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Apple cider vinegar and white distilled vinegar can be used.

 

Best in:

Cakes, cupcakes, breads 

Buttermilk

If there are no other ingredients to make the baked item rise, then one of these can be used in place of the egg. Replace the liquid in the recipe with same amount of buttermilk or thinned yogurt. Replace baking powder with 1/4 as much baking soda.

Best in: 

Cookies, bars, flat breads

Flax Seed Meal

Whisk/blend together 1 teaspoon of flax seed powder with 1/4 cup of water for each egg to be replaced.

Best in: Cakes, pancakes, bran muffins, oat cookies, waffles 

 

Tofu

Substitute 1/4 cup of whipped silken tofu for each egg

Best in: Dense cakes, bread, cookies, brownies 

 

Source

Baking My Way: Cranberry and Orange Pinwheels

So as you can see my cookies didn't turn out so well. I'm not too sure what happened. The dough seemed fine, I rolled it just the way they said and in transfer to a cookie sheet, to put it in the fridge, it all fell apart. I decided instead of baking it like a blob I'd make it into a sort of cake. I lowered the temperature to 325 and back for around 45 minutes and you know, it turned out really great! I can't say I'm going to give this another go, still so many other recipes to try, but it's pretty great like a cake too, ha ha.

Cookies 
 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

 Filling 
3/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
 1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon cornstarch

In large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in remaining cookie ingredients until well blended, scraping bowl occasionally. Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour for easier handling.

Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, mix filling ingredients. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cover; refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

On lightly floured work surface, roll dough with rolling pin into 16x8-inch rectangle. Spoon and spread cooled filling evenly over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Starting with one 16-inch side, roll up. Cut roll in half to form 2 (8-inch) rolls. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Heat oven to 375°F. Generously grease cookie sheets with shortening or cooking spray. With sharp knife, cut dough into 1/2-inch slices; place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. 5 Bake 9 to 13 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets.

Baking My Way: Frosted Pepparkakor

I'm never making these again! Ha ha. Maybe there is a trick to it, but I didn't figure it out. They taste amazing but the frosting stayed sticky and was like melted marshmallows sticking together when you stacked the cookies (glad I took the picture now before!). Again, they tasted amazing so I guess if I wanted to eat them all at once it would be alright.  

Cookies:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup margarine or butter softened (I used butter)
3 tablespoons molasses (3 ounces, I used Bre’r Rabbit full-flavored)
1 egg
2 tablespoons water or milk (I had Musgovian evaporated milk)
3-1/3 cups all-purpose or unbleached flour (465g)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Frosting:
3/4 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (1 tbsp)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder (not a mistake)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Cookies: 
In large bowl, beat sugar, margarine, and molasses until light and fluffy. Add egg and water, blend well. Stir in flour, soda, salt, spices; mix well to form a smooth dough. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour (minimum) for easier handling.

Heat oven to 350 deg F. On floured surface, roll 1/3 dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. Keep remaining dough refrigerated. Cut with floured 2-1/2 inch cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 deg F for 9-11 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets and cool completely.

Makes 8-10 dozen thin cookies.


Frosting: 
In 2-quart saucepan, combine 3/4 cup water and gelatin. Let stand 5 minutes to soften gelatin. Stir in 3/4 cup granulated sugar, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in powdered sugar, beat until foamy.

Stir in baking powder and vanilla; beat at highest speed until thick, about 10 minutes. Spread frosting on cooled cookies or pipe frosting following outline of cookies. Allow frosting to set for several hours before storing. Ample frosting for outlining 10 dozen cookies.

Baking My Way: Glazed Fruitcake Squares

I'm not a huge fan of fruit cake but this square is good! Still very fruit cake like but it's almost like a blonde brownie meets fruit cake. I'd make it again and it would make a great gift for those fruit cake lovers we all seem to know.

INGREDIENTS

Bars
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup brandy
2 eggs
2 cups All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups diced mixed candied fruit
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon margarine or butter, softened
1 to 2 tablespoons brandy

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 15x10x1-inch baking pan. In large bowl, combine 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup margarine, 1/4 cup brandy and eggs; mix well.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. With spoon, stir in all remaining bar ingredients until well mixed. Press mixture evenly in greased pan.

Bake at 375°F. for 15 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. 4 In small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients, adding enough brandy for desired drizzling consistency; beat until smooth. Drizzle glaze over bars. Let stand until set. Cut into bars.

Christmas Baking List

Salted Caramels

  Cookie Dough Truffles



 

Lebkuchen

Berlinerkranzer

  Whole Wheat Gingerbread Cutouts

Spicy Molasses Bars

Sugar Cookies

  Cherry ChocolateBrown Sugar Shortbread Bar

Baking My Way: Chocolate Ginger Zebras

Photo Source 

I'll be honest, these Pillsbury Chocolate Ginger Zebras cookies aren't very interesting. They're a little dry and fall apart very easily. So what I ended up doing was using some left over chocolate frosting and making sandwich cookies out of these. And you know, wow, it made them 100% better and the different spices and ginger really popped and added a good flare to all the chocolate. I wouldn't make this cookie again as is in this recipe but I would make them again in the sandwich cookie form.

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup sugar
• 1/3  cup shortening
• 1/4  cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4  cup dark corn syrup
• 2  tablespoons milk
• 1  egg
• 1 1/2  cups All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
• 1/2  teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon ginger
• 1/2  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon cloves
• 3  oz. vanilla-flavored candy coating
• 2  tablespoons shortening

Directions

1. 1In large bowl, beat sugar and 1/3 cup shortening until light and fluffy. Add cocoa, corn syrup, milk and egg; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and cloves; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 1/2 to 2 hours for easier handling.
2. 2Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. On floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with floured 2 1/2 to 3-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350°F. for 6 to 9 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool.
3. 3In small saucepan, melt candy coating and 2 tablespoons shortening over low heat, stirring constantly. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Allow to set before storing.

Truffles, Truffles, Truffles!

Cookie Dough

  Birthday Cake

Oreo

  Coconut

Peanut Butter

  Thin Mints 

Honey Sauced Chicken

This recipe looks so tasty and easy! Can't wait to try it. Check it out here.

How to temper chocolate

 So I made these last nigh!! YUM!! I had never tempered chocolate before and so I'm pretty proud of my first go! If you've ever wondered how to do it here you go!

Chop your chocolate. It is best to use at least 1 pound of chocolate, as it is easier to temper (and retain the temper) of larger amounts of chocolate. If this is more than you need, you can always save the extra for later use. Be sure that your chocolate is in block or bar form, not chocolate chips. The chips have additives that allow them to retain their shape at higher temperatures, and so they will not temper properly.

Melt 2/3 of your chocolate. Place it in the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water. Securely clip a chocolate or instant-read thermometer to the side of the boiler to monitor the chocolate’s temperature.

Stir gently but steadily as the chocolate melts and heats up. Use a rubber spatula, not a wooden or metal spoon.

Bring the chocolate to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 C) for dark chocolate or 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 C) for milk or white chocolate. Do not allow the chocolate to exceed its recommended temperature. When it is at the right temperature, remove it from the heat, wipe the bottom of the bowl, and set it on a heat-proof surface.

Add the remaining chunks of chocolate and stir gently to incorporate. The warm chocolate will melt the chopped chocolate, and the newly added chocolate will bring down the temperature of the warm chocolate.

Cool the chocolate. Once the chocolate gets below 84 degrees F (29 C), remove the remaining chunks of chocolate. They can be cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and saved for another use.

Reheat the chocolate briefly. Place the chocolate bowl over the warm water in the double boiler for 5-10 seconds, remove it and stir, and repeat, until the temperature reaches 88-89 degrees F (31 C), or 87 F (30 C) for milk and white chocolate. Do not leave the chocolate over the hot water, or allow it to exceed 91 degrees.

Your chocolate should now be tempered! To make sure it has been done properly, do a spot test: spread a spoonful thinly over an area of waxed paper and allow it to cool. If the chocolate is shiny and smooth, it is properly tempered. If it is dull or streaky, it has not been tempered correctly.

Source

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Oh yum!! I'm not a beer drinker but I think I would really like this cake! Check out the recipe here.

Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

So yummy! I can't wait to make this! It seems that every veggie is 150% better when we add bacon to it right? Check out the recipe here!

Biscoff Candy Fudge Bars

Doesn't this look wonderful? I'm a sucker for anything that's got fudge, chocolate and defiantly Biscoff in the name! I don't even know where to buy these in Canada but I love them so much! Check out the recipe here.

Chocolate Fudge Pie

Doesn't this look great!? AND the recipe is so simple! Check it out here.

Baking My Way: Chocolate Almond Linzer Bar

 This bar is super tasty! I love this bar! I didn't use raspberry preserver but cherry and apple butter and it gave it a little tart taste which went really well with the dark semi-sweet chocolate I used. I love the almond paste in this bar and it really adds to the richness of the dough. It makes it more dense but I sort of like it that way! I would make it again.

3 1/2 oz. almond paste
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
3 cups flour 
1 1/2 cups raspberry preserves
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp icing sugar

Hear oven to 350. Grease 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan. Combine almond paste and butter, blend until smooth. Add sugar, brown sugar, salt, almond extract and eggs; mix well. Add flour gradually, stirring to form a smooth dough.

Divide dough in half. Roll out half of dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to form 15 x 10 inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. To make decorative top cut hearts or circles in the one layer of the dough. Return cut outs to other half of the dough. Set top dough layer aside.

Roll out other layer same as first layer, then press it into greased baking pan.  Bake for 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. 

Spread evenly with preserve; sprinkle with almonds and chocolate chips. Lifting top crust with wax paper, place dough side down over filling; carefully remove wax paper. Trim edges if necessary.

Bake at 350 for additional 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 hour. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Cut into 48 bars with heart cut out in the middle of each bar.

Baking My Way: Chocolaty Caramel Pecan Bars

 This bar was seriously good!! I would make it again and again! I think I would reduce the amount of caramels because and have no nuts, more like a Twix bar. It's crazy rich but I see why you need all the nuts, it makes it a little less intense. Either way, so good!!

Base

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 tablespoon whipping cream

1 cup all-purpose flour

Filling

24 caramels, unwrapped

1/3 cup whipping cream

2 cups pecan halves

Topping

1 teaspoon butter or margarine

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

2 tablespoons whipping cream

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 9-inch square pan. In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter and 1 tablespoon whipping cream until well blended. Add flour; mix until crumbly. With floured hands, press mixture evenly in pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until firm to the touch.
• Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, place caramels and 1/3 cup whipping cream. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Add pecans; stir well to coat. Immediately spoon over baked base; spread carefully to cover.
• In small saucepan over low heat, melt 1 teaspoon butter and the chocolate chips, stirring constantly. Stir in 2 tablespoons whipping cream. Drizzle over filling. Refrigerate 1 hour or until filling is firm. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.  

Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Cake

How amazing does this look??? I know we're past Canadian Thanksgiving but we're pretty close to American Thanksgiving right? Check out the recipe here!

Snowballs

Another great Snowball recipe. I can't believe I've never made these before! I think I'll give these a go as well for Christmas this year! Check out the recipe here.

Sparkling Lemon Snowballs

Don't these look amazing?! Yum!! I can't wait to try them. I think they're going on my Christmas baking list! Check out the recipe here!

Puppy Chow

I've come across a lot of people that don't even know what Puppy Chow is!!! I find that so crazy!!! SO I thought I'd post a little photo/link reminder or (for some) education! Check out the recipe here! I think once you've made it you'll forever be hooked!!

Baking My Way: Autumn Leaf Cookies

 I was really looking forward to making these Pillsbury Autumn Leaf cookies and they were a pretty big let down. They didn't turn out at all like how the photo showed and the icing just taste like the icing sugar, it doesn't look like the photo or like that rich sugar cookie type of icing like it reads as. AND the colouring directions are wrong. I had to add heaps more to get the colour even close to orange. I won't be making these cookies again. It wasn't a great recipe and there are many other sugar cookie recipes I love way more. The one thing I do like is the cream cheese in there. It does make the cookies softer and creamier. I might take the recipe and change it around to make it more interesting. What I ended up doing is making chocolate filled sandwich cookies with these. It made them a ton better! (Chocolate has been saving the day a lot lately)

Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup margarine or butter, softened

1 (3-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups powdered sugar

2 to 4 tablespoons milk

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

8 drops red food color

8 drops yellow food color

• In large bowl, combine sugar, 1 cup margarine and cream cheese; beat until light and fluffy. Add orange peel, orange juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla and egg; blend well. Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Using stockinette-covered rolling pin and floured pastry cloth, roll out 1/4 of dough at a time to 1/8-inch thickness. (Keep remaining dough refrigerated.) Cut with floured leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 375°F. for 4 to 6 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets; cool 15 minutes or until completely cooled.
• In large bowl, combine butter and shortening; beat until light and fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. Add 2 tablespoons milk; beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Add enough additional milk for desired spreading consistency.
• Divide frosting into 2 small bowls. To one bowl of frosting, add melted chocolate; beat until well blended. To other bowl of frosting, add red and yellow food color; blend well. Spread cooled cookies with 1 of the frostings; pipe veins on leaves with other frosting. Let stand until set.

Chicken Pot Pie

Photo source

I love chicken pot pie. I hadn't made one before so I found the recipes I wanted, twisted them a little, and man, was it good!! I highly recommend this recipe! I want to make it again right now! So good for a chilly day!


Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup ice water

 In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball.

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

(Double the recipe to make a crust for the top and the bottom of the pie) 

Pie Filling
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
 1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)

In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery.

Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, drain and set aside. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent.

Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough.

Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipes adapted from here and here 

Link: Homemade Butterfinger Candy Bars

Oh yum! I have a lot of candy corn now so I think trying this is a must! Check out the recipe here.