Candy

Santa’s Popcorn

December 19, 2017 by Amy Leave a Comment

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by G.H. Cretors. All opinions are 100% my own.

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season involves making delicious goodies for the people that I care about. Family, friends, coworkers…you name it. After all is said and done, I typically make 300+ cookies, as well as various other homemade goodies. However, for the first time in years, I decided to not do the grand bake-palooza.

The simple why is that I just haven’t found the time to do it. As you guys can tell, my blog has become more of a back-burner project. It’s a bit sad, since I love spending time in the kitchen, and I look forward to sharing my big bake-palooza post with y’all every single holiday season. However, this is the first season without it, and hopefully the last. 🙂

This year, I’ve focused on easier homemade goodies, like this popcorn mix. Within half an hour, you have a tin-full of this delicious mix, which I’ve lovingly named Santa’s Popcorn. I imagine if Santa had a favorite popcorn, it would be something like this. 🙂

One of the biggest time-savers is using pre-made caramel popcorn. One of my favorite pre-made caramel popcorns is G.H. Cretors “Just the Caramel Corn”. The popcorn is still crunchy, the caramel is rich and flavorful, and it’s affordable!

Santa’s Popcorn
Source: a Nifty Foodie original

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. bag “Just the Caramel Corn” popcorn

1 cup M&Ms

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted

various sprinkles

Directions:

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Pour the bag of caramel popcorn onto the lined baking sheet, in one even layer. Pour the M&Ms over the popcorn in one even layer.

Drizzle the semi-sweet and white chocolates over the popcorn and M&Ms. Immediately sprinkle the popcorn mixture with as many sprinkles as you’d like, being careful to finish this step before the chocolate hardens. Wait for the mixture to cool.

Enjoy!

Thick & Chewy Double Chocolate M&M Cookies

November 15, 2016 by Amy Leave a Comment

A couple of weeks ago, I had the itch to bake. Life has been a bit crazy since the flood happened out here, but when work brought up that there was going to be a Halloween potluck, I just needed to bake SOMETHING.

Baking is one of those things that just makes me stop thinking about the other stressors in life. When it comes to baking, I just need to follow a recipe…no other thoughts required. 🙂 Also, the end product is usually something delicious.

I was flipping through my Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book, and this recipe just stood out to me. It calls for one full pound of chocolate, which to me, is always a winner. I just happened to have one of those pound bars of Trader Joe’s chocolate, so I think it was fate. These cookies had to happen. 🙂 In this recipe, there’s the option to make them triple chocolate, by mixing in chocolate chips, but I decided to add in some M&M candies instead.

These cookies were almost like fudge-y brownies in cookie form. They were soft/chewy and super rich, which always makes for a good cookie! You definitely need a glass of milk with a cookie like this, and I really couldn’t eat more than one. It is jam-packed with chocolate! I imagine these are going to be added to my holiday baking list, since they were such a hit with coworkers. How festive would these be with holiday M&Ms?

Thick & Chewy Double Chocolate M&M Cookies
Source: Cook’s Illustrated

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. table salt

16 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

4 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. instant coffee or espresso powder

10 tbsp. unsalted butter (1 ¼ sticks), softened but still firm

1 ½ cups light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup M&M candies

Directions:

Melt the semisweet chocolate in the microwave, by heating the chopped chocolate at 50% power for 2 minutes. Then, stir the chocolate, and heat the chocolate again at 50% power for 1 minute. Stir again, and if it isn’t melted, heat the chocolate for an additional 30-45 seconds at 50% power. Allow to cool, while completing the next steps.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set the dry mixture aside. Place the eggs and vanilla extract in a small bowl and beat the mixture lightly with a fork. Sprinkle the espresso/coffee powder over the egg/vanilla mixture and set it aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed for about 5 seconds, until smooth and creamy. Mix in the light brown and granulated sugars on medium speed until combined, for about 45 seconds (the mixture will look granular). Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and gradually add in the egg mixture, beating for about 40 seconds (or until incorporated). Turn off the mixer, and scrape the bottom and sides of the mixer bowl with a rubber spatula. Putting the mixer back on low speed, add in the melted chocolate in a steady stream and beat for another 40 seconds (or until combined). Turn off the mixer, and scrape the bottom and sides of the mixer bowl with a rubber spatula once again.

With the mixer on low speed again, add in the dry flour mixture and mix the dough for another 40 seconds (or until combined). Be careful not to overbeat the dough. Carefully fold in the M&M candies. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and allow it to stand at room temperature until the dough appears to be scoopable and fudge-like (about half an hour).

While the dough is resting, adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Once the dough is ready, scoop the dough using a 1 3/4 inch diameter ice cream scoop and place each dough ball on a cookie sheet, being sure to leave about 1 1/2 inches between each dough ball.

Bake the cookies until the edges have begun to set, but the centers of the cookies are still very soft (about 10 minutes), being sure to turn the cookie sheets from front to back and switching from the top rack to the bottom rack about halfway into baking the cookies.

Remove the cookie sheets from the oven, and allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for about 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to the cooling sheets, and allow the cookies to finish cooling until they reach room temperature. Enjoy!

PEEPS Butterscotch Nests + GIVEAWAY!

March 18, 2016 by Amy 5 Comments

Disclosure: Quarto Publishing Group provided me with a copy of the book, as well as one to giveaway, in exchange for a post. All opinions are 100% my own.

I absolutely love Spring. 🙂 The warmer weather, more daylight, pretty flowers and of course, I’ve professed my love for Easter candy! I’m a sucker for pastels, and Easter candy is everything pastel. Plus, there’s PEEPS!

I know a lot of people either hate or love PEEPS, and for me, I LOVE them! It’s kind of a childhood nostalgia thing. I have to get a pack (or three) every Easter. So, when I was offered a review copy of Just Born’s latest book Peeps-a-licious!, I was so excited to flip through this book! Not only are these recipes from Just Born, but quite a few food bloggers contributed their recipes to the book, too. There’s recipes from cute butterscotch nests to s’mores brownies and creme brulee. I also love that there are different holiday PEEPS featured throughout the book, like Christmas and Halloween. To me, it’s a really cute/fun book, and if you’re a PEEPS lover, I think you’ll enjoy it. 🙂

I decided to make the butterscotch nests, because I thought it would be a simple, festive recipe to share with coworkers. All you have to do is melt the butterscotch chips, and the rest is mixing/assembling. They are just too adorable. The original recipe calls for jelly beans to be the eggs in the nest, but you can really use any egg-shaped candy.

PEEPS Butterscotch Nests
Source: Peeps-a-licious

Ingredients:

11 oz. bag butterscotch morsels

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1 1/2 packages (18 oz.) crispy chow mein noodles

15-20 PEEPS Marshmallow chicks (assorted colors)

1-2 packages of egg-shaped candy

Directions:

Melt the bag of butterscotch morsels in a medium microwave-safe bowl, in 30 second increments (being sure to stir the morsels after every microwave cycle).

Once the morsels are fully melted, mix in the smooth peanut butter, until it’s a smooth consistency. In a large bowl, add the crispy chow mein noodles, and then drizzle the butterscotch/peanut butter mixture over it. Carefully mix everything together, until the noodles are well-coated in the butterscotch/peanut butter mixture.

Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with wax paper or parchment paper. Then, spoon about 2 tbsp. of the mixture onto the wax paper sheet, shaping it into a nest shape (with a slight indentation in the middle). Repeat until the all of the mixture is used up.

Refrigerate the nests for about 30 minutes, until the butterscotch mixture has set. To assemble the nests, place 3-4 egg-shaped candies in the middle of the nest and place a PEEP chick on top. Repeat until all of the nests are assembled. Enjoy!

Do you want to win a copy of Peeps-a-licious? The generous folks at Quarto Publishing Group are offering a copy to one lucky reader of The Nifty Foodie!

To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below (continental US readers only):

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Note: This giveaway is supplied by the publisher and is open to readers in the continental US only. Entries will be accepted until March 25th, 2016 at 11:59pm (central standard time). Winner will be emailed (make sure you leave an email address in the form), and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Halloween Candy Muddy Buddies

November 6, 2015 by Amy Leave a Comment

Last week, our Trick or Treat night was moved to Friday night. We’ve been having some crazy rain lately, so they wanted to allow the families to enjoy Halloween with nicer weather (which Friday night was forecasted to be rain-free).

I had some grand plans of sitting out on the patio, and giving the neighborhood kids fun little treats. However, by the time the work week was over, and I had fought crazy Friday afternoon traffic, I was pretty much done. We picked up dinner, and turned off the front porch lights. LOL.

So, needless to say…leftover Halloween candy is a biggie this year in our house. I’m probably going to throw quite a bit of the chocolate in brownies for our coworkers (as usual), but I also thought that chopping it up and adding it to a batch of muddy buddies would be an easy way to get the leftover candy out of our house.

I’m surprised that I’ve never shared muddy buddies with y’all before. They’re a great, simple party food/snack, and each batch makes a LOT. With the addition of leftover Halloween candy, this batch filled up a huge party bowl, and almost all of it was gone by the end of the day. 🙂

Halloween Candy Muddy Buddies
Source: mildly adapted from Chex

Ingredients:

9 cups of Chex cereal (rice, corn, and/or chocolate)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1-2 cups of chocolate candy, chopped

Directions:

Place the cereal in a large bowl and set aside. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside.

In a microwave-safe medium-sized bowl, add the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Microwave the mixture for 1 minute on high. Stir the mixture well, until smooth. If you need to heat up the mixture more, microwave the mixture for 30 more seconds and stir (repeat if necessary). Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the chocolate/peanut butter mixture over the cereal, as well as the chopped chocolate candies, and gently stir until the cereal is evenly coated in the mixture. Add the mixture evenly to two 1-gallon plastic resealable food-storage bags.

Add half of the confectioners sugar to each bag, and seal each bag well. Shake each bag until the mixtures in each bag are well-coated.

Spread the muddy buddies evenly onto the baking sheet, and allow the mixture to cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, until you are ready to serve. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Dipped Cocoa Marshmallows + GIVEAWAY

October 13, 2015 by Amy 4 Comments

Disclosure: I was sent a review copy of this book from the publisher at no cost to me for a fair and honest review. The giveaway book is also supplied by the publisher. All opinions are 100% my own.

With the holidays fast approaching, it’s time for me to start brainstorming for homemade holiday gifts. I usually make dozens of various cookies, but this year, since we’re in the process of building a house, things will be scaled back a bit.

Sure, I’ll probably bake up a few things, but I want to try to branch out a little bit. So, when I was approached to review a book about candy-making, I was totally eager to try it. Sally of Sally’s Baking Addiction just released a new cookbook: Sally’s Candy Addiction.

Now, while candy-making can be fairly intimidating, I’m noticing that most of these recipes are fairly approachable. There’s a section which explains candy-making basics, to help you understand the supplies that are needed, as well as the different stages of cooking sugar. As far as the recipes go, there’s a nice variety of recipes included…from fudge to caramels to truffles and taffy. I think it would be an awesome cookbook to have if you want to get started with candy-making, especially with the holiday season coming up!

While sifting through the cookbook, these chocolate-dipped cocoa marshmallows caught my eye. I thought that they would be perfect to try before the holidays, since you can pretty much top them with any candy or sprinkles after you dip them in chocolate. For the upcoming holidays, I thought it would be festive to crush up some peppermint candies!

Chocolate-Dipped Cocoa Marshmallows
Source: Sally’s Candy Addiction
(Recipe shared with permission from the publisher.)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup natural unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder, divided

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/3 cups cold water, divided

3 x 1/4 oz. packages unflavored gelatin

1 cup light corn syrup

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

sprinkles or crushed candies (for topping)

Directions:

Prepare a 9×13 inch glass or ceramic baking pan by lining it with non-stick foil or parchment and spraying the inside with non-stick cooking spray (just an added step to make absolutely sure that nothing will stick). Set the pan aside. Sift half of the cocoa powder (1/3 cup), confectioners’ sugar, and cornstarch together in a small bowl, and using a fine sieve, very lightly sprinkle some of the mixture around the prepared pan. There will be a good bit of the mixture left for later on in the recipe.

Place the remaining 1/3 cup of cocoa powder and 1/3 cup of water in a heatproof bowl or mug. Microwave the mixture on high power for 90 seconds. Stir the hot mixture very well until combined and set aside.

Place the gelatin and 1/2 cup of the water in a bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the mixture on low speed for 1 minute to briefly combine. Add the hot cocoa powder/water mixture to the gelatin mix and whisk on low speed for another 30 seconds. Allow the mixture to sit in the mixer as you cook the sugar syrup, being sure to stir the mixture for 20 seconds every 3 minutes or so.

To cook the sugar syrup, place the last 1/2 cup of water, corn syrup, granulated sugar and salt in a 3 quart heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved. Then, attach a candy thermometer to the pan. Make sure you don’t let the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan, as that can give a false reading. As the sugar syrup begins to cook, brush down the sides of the pan with a water-moistened pastry brush to prevent crystallization. Cook the sugar syrup, being sure not to stir the mixture, until the temperature reaches 240°F (116°C; soft ball stage).

Turn the stove off and remove the pan from heat. Turn the mixer on the lowest speed and slowly (and carefully, since the syrup is extremely hot) pour in the hot syrup to the gelatin/cocoa mixture.

Gradually increase the mixer speed until the mixer is on high speed. Whip the marshmallow mixture for 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture is light brown, thick and appears to be shiny.

Working swiftly (since the mixture cools down and sets fast), pour/spoon the marshmallow mixture into the prepared baking pan and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered at room temperature for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Once the marshmallows are completely firm and set, get a work station ready for cutting the marshmallows. Cover the surface of your counter with wax or parchment paper. Sprinkle the cocoa/confectioners’ sugar/cornstarch mixture on the surface, as well as on top of the marshmallow.

Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife coated with some of the cocoa/confectioners’ sugar/cornstarch mixture, cut the marshmallow into 2 inch squares. If it starts sticking even more, run the blade of the cutter under hot water and wipe dry with a paper towel. Roll the cut edges of the marshmallows in the cocoa mixture to ensure that they will no longer be sticky.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. Melt/temper the chopped semi-sweet chocolate, and dip each marshmallow halfway into the warm chocolate. Lift out the marshmallow and gently shake off the excess chocolate. Carefully place the marshmallow onto the prepared baking sheet and top with the toppings of choice. Repeat with the rest of the marshmallows, and allow the chocolate to completely set before serving. (If you don’t eat the marshmallows immediately, layer the marshmallows between sheets of parchment or wax paper in an airtight container and store at room temperature in a cool/dry place. They will keep for about a week.)

Would you like to win a copy? The publishers of this book are offering ONE lucky reader of The Nifty Foodie a copy of “Sally’s Candy Addiction”!

To enter the giveaway, just use the Rafflecopter widget below.

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Note: This giveaway is supplied by the publisher and is open to readers in the continental US only. Entries will be accepted until October 20th, 2015 at 11:59pm (central standard time). Winner will be emailed (make sure you leave an email address in the form), and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Pumpkin Spice & Chocolate Swirl Fudge

October 23, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

I absolutely adore fudge for the holiday season. My mom’s fudge, especially. It’s a little bit of work, since it involves cooking the sugar to the soft ball stage, but it’s SO worth it! It’s really the only fudge I knew for a long time, but one year at a Christmas potluck, I tried microwave fudge. It’s not the same texture as regular fudge, but it’s still delicious!

This fudge only takes a few minutes to cook in the microwave, and then you just have to pour it out in a pan and let it chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. The original recipe just calls for semi-sweet chocolate, but since I adore Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice kisses (I’ve seen them at Target and Walgreens out here.), I just had to swirl these two together.

Because of the pumpkin spice kisses (which are usually softer than regular chocolate at room temperature), I recommend serving these just out of the fridge. As the fudge sits out, it doesn’t melt, but it does get fairly sticky.

Pumpkin Spice & Chocolate Swirl Fudge
Source: adapted from Nestle

Ingredients:

8 oz. pumpkin spice kisses, unwrapped (in weight)

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (in weight)

14 oz. can condensed milk, divided

1 tsp. vanilla extract, divided

Directions:

Line an 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray the parchment paper with cooking spray and set aside.

Place the pumpkin spice kisses and 9 oz. of the condensed milk in a medium bowl. Microwave the mixture on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring well after each microwave cycle, until melted. Stir in 2/3 tsp. of the vanilla extract and set aside. In another bowl, add the semi-sweet chocolate chips and the remaining 5 oz. of the condensed milk. Microwave the mixture on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring well after each microwave cycle, until melted. Stir in the remaining 1/3 tsp. of the vanilla extract and set aside.

Spread the pumpkin spice kisses fudge into the bottom of the lined baking pan, and then drizzle the semi-sweet chocolate fudge over the pumpkin spice fudge. Swirl the two together with a fork or butter knife.

Refrigerate the fudge for 2 hours or until the fudge is firm. Lift the parchment paper from the pan, and cut the fudge into 48 equal pieces.

Classic Caramel Apples

October 20, 2014 by Amy 2 Comments

Do you guys ever watch QVC? I usually only watch around the holidays when the kitchen show is on, and OMG…half of the time, I’m so jealous of the guy who hosts the program. The other day, they were advertising for these really fancy caramel apples, and the craving hit me. I had to have caramel apples. HAD to.

So, I grabbed a sack of small Granny Smith apples and got to work. I always get a bit anxious when it comes to candy-making, but we recently purchased this thermometer (it was on clearance at Target), and it worked like a charm! I usually have to use the bowl of ice water trick, because my thermometer is always a bit off, but these came out perfectly. I think the hardest parts were waiting for the caramel to cool down for dipping, and then cool completely for enjoying!

This recipe is a little different than the usual caramel that I’m used to…there’s a hint of molasses and maple flavor to it, which just makes you want to wear a pair of fuzzy socks, make my house smell like fall spices and take a nap. Perfect fall afternoon, right?

Classic Caramel Apples
Source: Epicurious

Ingredients:

1 lb. box dark brown sugar

16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened and at room temperature

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup dark corn syrup

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. dark molasses

1/4 tsp. salt

12 popsicle sticks, chopsticks or long cookie sticks

Heavy whipping cream, just in case the caramel thickens too much during dipping

Optional: decorations (I used crushed candy corn M&Ms and a mixture of graham cracker crumbs with sprinkles) and/or melted dark, milk or white chocolate

Directions:

Place the first 8 ingredients in a deep (at least 3 inches), heavy saucepan or dutch oven. Stir the mixture with a wooden or silicone spatula over medium-low heat, until the sugar dissolves (about 15 minutes). Have a wet pastry brush handy for brushing down the sides of the pan/pot.

Add a clip-on candy thermometer to the side of the pan/pot. Then, increase the burner to medium-high heat, cooking the caramel to a rolling boil, stirring constantly (yet slowly) until the candy thermometer reaches 236 degrees F. If needed, use the wet pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pan/pot.

Carefully pour the caramel into a metal bowl, making sure not to scrape the pan/pot. Place the candy thermometer in the bowl, and allow the caramel to cool, without stirring, to 200 degrees F. This step will take 20-30 minutes.

While the caramel is cooling, prep the apples by washing them in warm water, and wiping the excess water off of the apples once they are cleaned. Carefully stick in a popsicle stick/chopstick/cookie stick a couple of inches into the stem side of the apple. Place the apples on buttered foil or a silicone baking sheet.

Once the caramel cools, dip one apple into the caramel, submerging all of the apple, except for the very top of the apple. Take the apple out of the caramel, and allow the excess caramel to drip back into the caramel bowl. Once that’s done, turn the caramel apple upside down, and hold the apple like that for several seconds, in order for the caramel to sort of set around the apple. Place the apple on the foil or silicone sheet. Repeat with the remaining apples, being sure to space the apples apart on the buttered foil/silicone sheet. Just in case the caramel thickens too much, add 1-2 tbsp. of heavy whipping cream to the caramel, and briefly whisk the caramel in the bowl over low heat to thin it out.

If you are using decorations or chocolate, prepare them at this time for the apples.

Place the apples on baking sheets in the fridge for about 15 minutes, or until the caramel is partially set and cool to the touch. Remove the baking sheets from the fridge. Lift one apple from the foil/silicone sheet, and using your hand, press the pooled caramel from the bottom of the apple, back onto the apple. Place the apple back on the foil/silicone sheet. Repeat with the rest of the apples.

At this time, firmly press the decorations into the caramel, and then return the apple to the foil/silicone sheet. You can also dip the caramel apples into melted chocolate (allowing the excess to drip off for a few seconds), and then roll the chocolate coated caramel apple into your decorations. Another option for decorating the caramel apples is to drizzle melted chocolate over the apples and press on decorations that way too.

Place the apples on the baking sheets back in the fridge for about an hour to allow everything to set. Cover or place in food-safe cellophane bags, and chill the apples for up to a week. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Almonds

August 12, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

The other day, I went to the mall and saw fall merchandise in the stores. I know it’s August, and it’s too soon…however, if you’ve read this blog for a while, you know I get crazy excited about seasonal changes early on. 🙂 In fact, this past weekend when I was at Starbucks, I asked the barista if they had pumpkin ANYTHING in the store. They had bread, and I totally ate it in 100 degree weather, while dreaming about cool, crisp fall weather and pumpkin spice lattes. 🙂 Is anyone else itching for fall?

I made these almonds a while back for my husband, since he’s crazy obsessed with almonds lately. He really loves Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Sugar Almonds, and I knew it would be a lot cheaper for me to purchase the raw almonds myself and make these for him.

I decided to make these when he was out of the house, so it could be a surprise when he got home. This recipe was super simple to throw together, and oh man, it made our house smell like one of those roasted nut carts that they have in the mall around the holiday season. It was well worth making this recipe, and I’m thinking about making these around the holidays for gifts now!

Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Almonds
Source: Taste of Home

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

6 tsp. vanilla extract

4 cups raw almonds

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk/beat the egg whites until they turn frothy. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add in the raw almonds, and fold the mixture gently until the almonds are coated.

In a smaller bowl, mix the sugars, salt and cinnamon together. Then, add that to the almond mixture, folding gently until everything is mixed well.

Divide the almond mixture into two pans, and then spread the mixture evenly inside the pan. Bake the nuts for 25-30 minutes, or until the mixture is crisp, taking the pans out once at 15 minutes to stir the mixture and re-spread the mixture out. Allow the almonds to fully cool, and place in an air tight container to enjoy later.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

July 22, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

Last week, I went on an impromptu trip to Sonic. Since I’m back to calorie counting, I try to keep my splurges to a minimum, but that night, I couldn’t shake the craving for peanut butter + chocolate (pun intended) :-). So, I fulfilled it with a PB Chocolate milkshake at Sonic that was probably my entire calorie count for the day. It was delicious. DELICIOUS.

I haven’t gone back to Sonic since, though…even though I drive by it every.single.day on the drive home from work. Willpower struggles, y’all.

Speaking of willpower struggles…I stupidly made this dessert cheese ball for an office party. I managed to avoid the break room for a good part of the day, but once I went in there for lunch, I couldn’t help myself. I served these with Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Chips. I received a few packs of these a while back as a complimentary sample to try and just had to get more for this dessert! You could also use graham crackers or animal crackers with these, but I thought PB Chocolate Chip cheese ball with PB/Dark chocolate cookie chips? I mean…c’mon.

This went over really well at the office party. The cheese ball itself is a peanut butter/cream cheese combination, mixed with chopped Reese’s and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Then, I put some refrigerated Reese’s cups in a food processor, and chopped them up until they were crumbly. THEN, I coated the cheese ball in the candy. Yeah….I’m not sorry at all. In fact, this snack went over so well that I ran out of Cookie Chips just after lunch. I seriously thought that meant I’d have a ton of this to bring home, but um…some people had to have eaten this straight up with a spoon, because there wasn’t much left at all when I went to bring my dish home! 😛

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball
Source: slightly adapted from Buns in my Oven

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (NOT natural)

3 tbsp. packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 bag Reese’s miniature cups, divided and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Place the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Beat the mixture until everything is well-mixed, about two minutes. Stir in half of the Reese’s and all of the chocolate chips. Wrap the mixture in plastic wrap, in a slightly flattened ball shape.

Refrigerate the ball for 2 hours, as well as the remaining Reese’s cups. Remove the Reese’s from the fridge, and place them in a food processor. Process the candy until crumbly, and place them in a large plate. Remove the cheese ball from the fridge, and coat the ball thoroughly in the crumbled Reese’s.

Place the cheese ball on a clean serving plate, and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight, until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I was sent samples of Cookie Chips at no cost to me. All opinions are 100% my own.

Apple Cider Caramels

January 24, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

Happy Friday! Today is a snow day out here in Louisiana, believe it or not. I’m sure some of you up north are rolling your eyes right now, but we’re not at all equipped for snow or ice, so schools and some businesses shut down. I think there were 38 car accidents this morning, according to the news, and some of our interstates are shut down. It’s a mess! I was hoping to do some grocery shopping this afternoon, but I’m not sure if that’s gonna happen. :-\

Since I’m in the mood for something indulgent today (ahh gloomy weather), I thought I’d share these caramels with you. I made them for the holidays (for gifts), and completely forgot about them until I went through my SD card this week! I was pretty skeptical that these wouldn’t turn out well. First of all, I’m not good with candy (I always either overcook or undercook them), and also, because these caramels aren’t made the standard way. However, I should always trust Deb of Smitten Kitchen….these caramels were delicious, and they turned out perfectly! They were like apple pie in caramel form, and I couldn’t stop eating them haha! It was the one treat I just kept snacking on, actually. No willpower when it comes to these. Also, another bonus besides having a ton of caramel candies? Your house will smell fantastic after making these!

Apple Cider Caramels
Source: The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients:

4 cups apple cider

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. flaky sea salt

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Place the apple cider in a 3-4 quart saucepan, and boil it over high heat for about 35-45 minutes (stirring occasionally), until it has reduced to about 1/3 and 1/2 cup in volume and turns into a dark, thick syrup.

While the cider is boiling, prepare an 8×8 inch square pan by fully lining the bottom and sides of the pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper. Set the pan aside. Then, stir together the cinnamon and flaky salt in a small bowl or dish.

Once the apple cider has reduced, remove it from the heat and add in the butter, sugars and heavy cream. Stir the mixture well, and place the pan over medium-high heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side. Allow the mixture to boil until the thermometer reads 252 degrees, which will take about 5 minutes.

Once the mixture reaches temperature, immediately remove the caramel from heat and add the cinnamon/flaky salt mixture. Stir well to distribute the cinnamon/flaky salt mixture evenly. Then immediately pour the caramel into the prepared 8×8 pan. Let the caramel cool in the pan fully, for about 2 hours, until it’s firm.

Once the caramel has cooled enough, use the parchment paper to move the block of caramel to a cutting board. Add oil to a pizza cutter or knife, and cut the caramels into 1″ squares (being sure to oil your knife/cutter as often as necessary, since the caramel is very sticky). Wrap each 1″ square into a 4″ square of wax paper, and twist the sides to close. Keep them stored in an airtight container (they’re good for about two weeks, according to the cookbook…I have no idea from experience because they were probably consumed within a couple of days).

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