Almond Joy or Mounds Eggs

If you are looking for a fun Easter treat to make with the kiddos, this is it! Noah and I are huge coconut and almond lovers so this was an ideal sweet for us.

Noah loved dumping all the ingredients into the KitchenAid and turning it on. Needless to say, we may have had a powdered sugar shower. Once the dough chilled, I formed the eggs and the dude put the almonds on top. This is my disclaimer to any of you that received these (in case there were two on top of each other or they were pushed down to the bottom). After awhile, he got a little bored and decided he would just eat the almonds while I finished them up. And like a typical boy, he put too much in his mouth and decided he would spit them out into the bowl of almonds…lovely I know. After that little incident, the eggs became Mounds. Oh, the joys of cooking with kids.

These turned out absolutely perfect! They taste a lot like almond joys and are the perfect small bite when you have a sweet tooth. The recipe states that it makes 28-30 eggs but I decided to make them a little smaller and came out with about 40. I still placed two almonds on each egg (you know, before the spitting incident) so keep that in mind when considering how many almonds you will need. I sprinkled the Mounds version with sprinkles so that we could tell the difference and well, because sprinkles make everything happy.

Coconut Cream Almond Joy {or Mounds} Easter Eggs
recipe from food.com

1/4 lb. butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
15 ounces flaked coconut
20 -23 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (almost 1 lg. bag)
Unsalted almonds, 2 for each egg

1. Mix the butter and cream cheese together (I use my KitchenAid) Add the confectionary sugar about 1 cup at a time, salt and vanilla then mix well. Add the coconut and mix until well blended (it will be very thick).
2. Place the mixture in the freezer to chill for at least 20 minutes.
3. Take out of the freezer and form into egg shapes with your hands. (It is helpful to put some confectionary sugar on your hands so the eggs don’t stick to them when rolling out the dough).
4. Place each egg on a cookie sheet, covered with aluminum foil. When you are done, add 2 nuts on the top of each egg, pressing in slightly, so they don’t fall out.
5. Place in the freezer again for at least 25 minutes.
6. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
7. Dip the bottom of the egg into the chocolate, then place it on a small flat dish. Take a large spoon and spoon some melted chocolate on top, spreading around with a butter knife. Make sure you don’t get it on too thick, or you won’t have enough for the whole batch. To put the egg on the cookie sheet, use a sharp knife, and run it under the egg to transfer to the cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.
8. When done making eggs, put in the freezer for a few minutes to harden. Store in the refrigerator, covered with aluminum foil.

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark {Christmas Tray 2012}

If you are on Pinterest, I’m sure you have seen this recipe floating around. The second I saw it, I knew it would have to be featured here for the Christmas Tray series! What is more perfect than pretzels, chocolate and salted caramel for Christmas?

I know this is the second salted caramel recipe I have shared for Christmas this year but it’s a huge favorite in our family (as well as pretzels) so I knew it would be a big hit. My parents watched Noah recently so I whipped this up for them as a thank you. I sampled it before giving it all to them. I had to be able to tell you all what it tasted like. Oh, the sacrifices I make for this blog.

This is another simple and quick recipe to whip up at Christmastime. It seriously only took about 15 minutes from start to finish (not counting the freezing time). Throw a big handful in a cute cellophane bag, tie it up with a ribbon and hand out the happiness.

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark
recipe from Mama Say What?

½  bag of mini pretzel twists
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 bag of chocolate chips
Sea salt or table salt (I used coarse sea salt)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then line a large jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and lay a single layer of pretzels down.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Let it boil gently just until it starts to stick to the bottom and it forms a nice smooth caramel. You’ll want to let it bubble a little and get really thick. Remove from heat and pour evenly over the top of the pretzels (don’t worry if every single pretzel isn’t covered).

3. Place in the oven at 350 degrees for five minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. You can let the caramel melt the chips, but I prefer to put it back in the oven for one minute. Spread the chocolate chips around with a spatula until mostly melted. Sprinkle generously with salt.

4. Let cool on the counter top for a few minutes and then pop in the freezer for at least two to three hours. When it comes out of the freezer, break it up into uneven chunks with your hands and serve.

Crock Pot Peanut Clusters {Christmas Tray 2012} + An Announcement

I have a very exciting announcement to FINALLY make. After a lot of thought, prayer and consideration we decided to move to Nebraska. Joel accepted a position at a sports software company in Lincoln, Nebraska (where we both graduated from college). We are so unbelievably excited to be moving so close to our families. We will be 1 hour from my parents and brother (vs. 6 hours) and 3 hours from Joel’s parents (vs. 9 hours). We were incredibly lucky to sell our house in about 3 weeks and we found a new house in Lincoln.

Although we are ecstatic about moving, we are really going to miss this place that has become our home. We have made some amazing friends and found a great church family that we are going to be so sad to leave. This is where we started our married lives and it’s the only place we have called home together…it’s the only home Noah has ever known.

It really hasn’t hit me yet. We have started packing things here and there, set up mail forwarding and gotten moving estimates but it still doesn’t seem real. It’s less than a month away! I think the week before is when it will finally set in and when I close that door for the last time. Eeee, when I think of it that way then it gets emotional.

So, I’m sorry if this little piece of the internet that I rule has been lacking. I wrote a bunch of posts and set them to autopost so that you wouldn’t feel abandoned but it still feels lacking to me somewhat. I haven’t been cooking and experimenting as much; I’ve been trying to use up all the crap in my pantry and freezer that we don’t want to move. What that really means is that our meals have been easy and weird and boring and totally not blog-worthy. And I’ve been using a lot of shortcut and store-bought ingredients so that I don’t go and re-stock the pantry by accident. It’s been really hard and I’m really looking forward to getting settled into our new home so I can get back to my cooking routine. Plus my new kitchen is way better, yay! Well, except for the appliances and builders grade cabinets and ugly 90s light fixture. But that is all going to be fixed with stainless steel appliances (I just squealed a little, I’m so excited), painting of the cabinets (thanks mom in advance *wink wink*) and recessed lighting.

The month of December is going to be totally crazy for us, so you might not see as much of me. But please don’t worry, things will be back to normal very soon. I promise!

Now onto the recipe. I’ve had my eye on this recipe for awhile now and knew it would be perfect to try for Christmas this year. I have really been trying to provide a variety of Christmas treats this year so that you all have great options and aren’t bombarded with cookies (not that there is anything wrong with lots of cookies…they are our favorite around here).

These peanut clusters couldn’t have been easier. Noah dumped all the ingredients into the crock pot and turned it on. So, if a two year old can do it so can you! The only problem with the recipe was the waiting. Once he had dumped, he was ready for candy and didn’t understand why he couldn’t have candy NOW. Oh, the joys of toddlers! I finished them up while he napped so they could harden and would be ready when he woke up. What’s better than a little bit of chocolate after waking up? For him, nothing.

While it was great and classic with the peanuts, I personally prefer almonds with chocolate so next time I may do half peanuts, half almonds to mix it up. It would be great with some cashews or pecans thrown in there too.

Crock Pot Peanut Clusters
recipe from Trisha Yearwood via Redbook

2 lbs (36 oz) salted dry-roasted peanuts
4 oz (4 squares) German’s sweet  chocolate
1 12-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 2  cups)
2½ lbs white almond bark (I cut this along the perforated squares, doesn’t need to be small)

1. Put the peanuts in  the bottom of a 4-quart slow-cooker. Layer the chocolate over the peanuts,  beginning with the sweet chocolate, followed by the chocolate chips, and then  the almond bark. Set the temperature on low and cook for 3 hours. Do not stir  the mixture.

2. After 3 hours, stir the mixture with a wooden  spoon until smooth. Drop the candy into cupcake pan liners, using about 2  tablespoons per liner. Allow the candy to cool completely before removing the  cupcake liners. Makes 30 to 40 pieces.

Butterfinger Truffles

Making truffles is a messy business. I could never be a chocolatier. I hate getting messy and dirty, even in the name of food. Luckily, this handy mini cookie scoop that I received for Christmas was just perfect for my truffle scooping needs. I’m pretty sure a light shone on it as I opened my messy utensil drawer in search of my melon baller.

I scooped out the chocolate with it and dumped it on the wax paper. Mind you they weren’t perfectly round but I thought that was ok because it made them look homemade. I can sacrifice looks a bit to keep my hands gunk free.

But I didn’t totallly think this through. Because after they were chilled there was the business of dipping them in chocolate. Darn. That lead to messy chocolatey hands. But it was worth it because they were so good and I don’t even care for truffles all that much.

The outside is hardened and has a nice crunch while the inside is soft and creamy with bits of butterfingers running throughout. The perfect treat for your valentine!

Butterfinger Truffles
recipe from Recipe Girl

Yield: About 40 small truffles
Prep Time: 45 min + chill time
Cook Time: 4 min

5 ounces semisweet chocolate (not exceeding 61% cacao), chopped
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup chopped Butterfinger candy bars (about 4 ounces)
additional chocolate for dipping/coating
additional chopped butterfingers and/or sprinkles for decor

1. Place chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. Bring cream to a boil by using a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Heat 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or just until the cream begins to bubble. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate mixture. Let it stand for 1 minute, then stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in chopped butterfingers. Cover and chill until this mixture is firm (at least 2 hours- and up to 24 hours).

2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper. Using a small spoon or melon baller, scoop 3/4-inch balls from the firmed-up chocolate mixture. Roll the chocolate gently between your hands to form a ball. It will be sticky and messy. Place it on the prepared sheet. Continue rolling until you have used up all of the chocolate. Place the rolled balls back into the refrigerator to firm them up again (about an hour).

3. Melt some additional chocolate in a small bowl. I just used more of the semisweet chocolate that I used for the truffles. If you melt 1 1/2 cups at a time, that should work out fine. Melting in the microwave works great- just melt in bursts of 45 seconds, stopping after each burst to stir until all is melted and smooth.

4. Remove the chilled chocolate balls from the refrigerator. Use a small spoon to dip the chocolate ball into the melted chocolate. Use another spoon to help cover the ball entirely in a layer of chocolate, and then gently place the chocolate dipped ball onto the waxed paper. Immediately sprinkle chopped butterfingers or decorative sprinkles on top. Continue with remaining chocolate balls and decor.

5. These truffles are best if kept refrigerated until they are ready to serve. They’re not a great truffle for gifting in a box. When you bite into them, you will notice how delicate they are. They have a hard chocolate exterior, but when you bite into them the interior will melt right in your mouth.

Recipe linked to These Chicks Cooked, Mangia Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Full Plate Thursday.

Homemade Gumdrops

Yep, you heard me right. Homemade gumdrops. And it’s all thanks to Bakerella….she is a genius…go check out the site if you have never been, you will be amazed.

I have had this recipe bookmarked for awhile now and have just been waiting for the perfect time to give them a try. And what better time than Valentine’s Day? Those bright, sparkly cubes are just so cute packaged up and would be the perfect gift for kids and adults alike.

These little gems involved quite a process to make and took about 3 full days to complete from start to finish but they turned out so darn cute and tasty. After reading what Bakerella had to say about these, I decided to spray disposable foil mini loaf pans with non-stick spray. I sliced each loaf 3 times vertically then cut the foil pan and peeled it off.

From there, I placed the gumdrop strips on a sugared cutting board and finished cutting them into cubes.

I decided to go with orange, lemon, raspberry and peppermint extracts to flavor my gumdrops and the orange was definitely my favorite. When making them, I wasn’t too sure how the peppermint would turn out but I was pleasantly surprised. It was nice and minty but not overpowering as I suspected it would be.

They were softer and chewier than store-bought gumdrops. To be honest, I just thought these would be fun to make and I didn’t have too high of hopes for actually enjoying them but they were pretty darn delicious.

As you can see, I didn’t really measure them to exactly 3/4-inches. I just cut them to approximately the same size then rolled them in sugar. After they dried for 2 days, I wrapped them up in clear cellophane bags and tied them up with a tag and sparkly ribbon.

Homemade Gumdrops
recipe from Bakerella

4 Tbsp gelatin (that’s about 6 envelopes)
1 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups boiling water
4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp flavored extract
1-2 drops food coloring (I used four colors)
extra sugar for coating

1. In a large pot, soften gelatin in cold water for five minutes.

2. Stir in boiling water until gelatin dissolves.

3. Stir in sugar.

4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 25 minutes. Stir constantly.

5. Pour mixture into 4 – 3X5 pans.

6. Add 1/4 tsp extract and 1-2 drops food color to each pan.

7. Stir until thoroughly combined.

8. Cover pan and chill overnight in the fridge.

9. Cut gelatin mixture into 3/4 inch cubes using a knife dipped in hot water.

10. The gelatin may pull, but continue cutting.

11. Separate cubes and roll in sugar until coated on all sides.

12. Place gumdrops on wax paper and leave at room temperature for two days to crystallize.

Store in an airtight container. Makes about 8 dozen 3/4 inch gumdrops.

Recipe linked to These Chicks Cooked, Mangia Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Full Plate Thursday.

Homemade Snowcaps

Snowcaps have always been one of my favorite kinds of candy. I don’t know why…they are just chocolate and sprinkles. And I don’t even like plain chocolate. But alas, every time I see them at a store I get giddy and grab several boxes. You don’t see them that often these days so I thought why not make them. I made some traditional ones with white nonpareils and some with Christmas colored nonpareils. They turned out so cute and yummy and were perfect to sprinkle around my cookie trays.

Homemade Snowcaps
recipe from Martha Stewart

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/2 teaspoon pure vegetable shortening
1/4 cup white or colored sugar beads

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In the top of a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth.

2. Spoon the melted chocolate in nickel-size circles onto prepared baking sheet. Cool for 20 minutes; sprinkle with sugar beads. Let nonpareils harden in a cool place for 4 hours before serving. Yield: about 50 candies.

Recipe linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Mrs. Fox’s Sweet Party and What I Whipped Up Wednesday.

Drunken Chocolate Cherries

Joel always loves chocolate covered cherries at the holidays so instead of buying them this year, I went on the hunt for a fun homemade recipe. I have never made chocolate cherries before and when I came across this recipe I knew they would be a simple and yummy little addition to my holiday baking. But let me warn you, they pack a huge punch.

Drunken Chocolate Covered Cherries
recipe from The Kitchen is My Playground

1 (10 oz.) jar maraschino cherries with stems
1/2 c. Southern Comfort (or brandy)
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or some dark chocolate candy melts)
1 Tbsp. shortening

1. Drain the juice from the jar of maraschino cherries.  Pour Southern Comfort over cherries in the jar, filling the jar.  Refrigerate for 2 days, or for up to 1 month.

2. Drain cherries and pat them dry with some paper towels (you may want to reserve the cherry-infused Southern Comfort to drizzle over vanilla ice cream or to use in mixed drinks!).  Melt the chocolate chips (or candy melts) together with the shortening in a bowl by microwaving for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.

3. Dip cherries quickly into melted chocolate, coating the entire cherry; let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.  Place cherries, stem sides up, on wax paper.  Let stand until chocolate is firm.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Recipe linked to Totally Tasty Tuesday, Crazy Sweet Tuesday, Fusion Fridays, Everday Sisters Sharing Sunday, Foodie Friday, Feature Friday, Seasonal Inspiration, Sweets for a Saturday and Strut Your Stuff Saturday.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge {Crazy Cooking Challenge}

It’s that time again….Crazy Cooking Challenge time that is! This month’s ultimate recipe quest is fudge and I have to tell you I wasn’t as excited as I normally am. I’m not a huge chocolate fan and have never really like fudge. It’s just so sweet and overpowering to me. But not liking something never stopped me from making it! Joel is a fudge fan so I knew he would be excited. And it’s a great little gift to give away to friends or neighbors this time of year!

I searched the blog world for the perfect recipe and came across a few too many to decide so it was up to Joel since he was the one eating it. Before even asking him, I knew what he would choose. I don’t even know why I bothered asking because the second I said “Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough” I heard a loud, enthusiastic, resounding YES! He didn’t need to hear the rest. I should have saved that for last.

I found this unexpected fudge recipe at one of my favorite baking blogs, Bake at 350. Bridget creates the most beautifully decorated cookies (majorly jealous of her skills) and totally decadent desserts. It didn’t have the typical texture or flavor of traditional fudge but it was still rich and sugary. And it really did taste like cookie dough.

Please be sure to vote for your favorite below by clicking “Click Here” and liking your favorite recipe. The winner will be featured as the Ultimate Fudge Recipe over at Mom’s Crazy Cooking!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge
recipe from Bake at 350

1 3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Oil an 8×8″ pan. Bring the sugar, dark brown sugar, cream, milk, syrup and salt to a boil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.  Stir occasionally with a heatproof spatula. Boil to 242 degrees, stirring frequently.

2. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, and flour. Pour the syrup into a 9×13″ pan and let sit undisturbed at room temperature about 20 minutes, or until it reaches 110 degrees.

3. Scrape the syrup into the bowl of a stand  mixer. Beat on medium speed with a paddle attachment until the fudges thickens and holds its shape, 3 to 5 minutes.  Scrape into the prepared 8×8″ pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top, lightly pressing them into the fudge.

4. Let the fudge cool and set, at least 2 hours.  Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes if the chocolate chips are still soft. Store in an airtight container, or like we did, in the fridge.  I thought the fudge was even better after a day or two.

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Recipe linked to These Chicks Cooked, What I Whipped Up Wednesday, Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays, Full Plate Thursday, Sweet Treats Thursday, Fusion Friday, Friday Food, Strut Your Stuff Saturday and Sweets for a Saturday.

Chocolate-Almond Pralines {12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies}

So I’m starting to worry more about Christmas now that it’s November. I don’t have any lists started yet. Joel hasn’t given me any ideas. Not that I should be surprised. That happens every year. And his birthday is 6 days before Christmas so I need even more ideas from him. Darn him. He is just asking to be nagged. So it’s not my fault when it undoubtedly happens. Anyway, onto the food. That’s why you are here anyway.

Ok, so these aren’t cookies but they just sounded way too divine and perfect for Christmas to pass up. I’ve never made pralines before and they turned out to be surprisingly easy. These are great but I could only eat one…they are very very sugary. Make sure that the mixture get thick before scooping them out. I think I jumped the gun on some as the first half were a little thin and soft when scrapped off of the parchment.

The perfect little sugary pick me up!

Chocolate-Almond Pralines
recipe from Southern Living Christmas Cookbook

1 1/2 cups slivered almonds, toasted*
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. Kahlua, optional

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugars dissolve and butter melts.
2. Cover and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes to wash down sugar crystals from sides of pan. Uncover and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches soft ball stage or candy thermometer registers 238 degrees F.
3. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in chocolate and Kahlua, if desired. Beat with a wooden spoon until mixture begins to thicken. Working rapidly, drop by tablespoonfuls onto lightly buttered parchment paper. Let pralines stand until firm. Yield: 2 1/2 dozen.

*To toast almonds: scatter in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Recipe linked to Mangia Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, What I Whipped Up Wednesday, Sweet Treats Thursday, Holiday Sweet Swap, Cast Party Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked, Sweet Treats Thursday, Fusion Friday, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Sweets for a Saturday, Sweet Indulgences Sunday and Full Plate Thursday.

Halloween Peppermint Patties

This is one of those recipes that I knew I had to try as soon as I saw it. But that didn’t make sense. I am not a huge fan of peppermint patties. We usually have them at Christmastime. I  eat way too many get my fill and don’t think about them again until the next Christmas. But they just looked too fun to pass up. They tasted just like the real thing!

My original idea was to roll the “dough” out then cut it with mini pumpkin cookie cutters then fully dip them in chocolate. I was sadly defeated by the sticky, uncooperative mixture. It just wasn’t stiff enough to cut with a cookie cutter. But I think I will try them again and just keep kneading in powdered sugar until it is stiff enough. I didn’t want to go there this time as I wanted to be able to report to you what the real recipe tasted like. I’m thinking green Christmas trees will be my experiment. Speaking of Christmas, you could make these in red and green and sprinkle them over cookie trays for friends and neighbors. Or make them in pastel colors for the kiddos Easter baskets. I always love giving and receiving handmade treats, they radiate love.

You don’t expect peppermint when you bite into something orange so that makes them even more fun for Halloween. They would be great for any Halloween themed party. Give them a try, you won’t regret it!

3  1/2 cups powdered sugar, plus extra, as needed
1/4 cup pasteurized liquid egg white product
1 teaspoon water, plus extra, as needed
1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
Orange food coloring, as needed, optional
2 (4-ounce) bars 53 percent cocoa dark chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (recommended: Nestle Chocolatier)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1.Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the powdered sugar, egg white product, 1 teaspoon water, peppermint extract and 1 to 2 drops of food coloring, if using. Mix on low speed until smooth. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture forms a stiff dough (if the mixture becomes too stiff, add extra water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time and beat until smooth). Put the mixture on a work surface dusted with powdered sugar and roll it into a log about 12-inches long and 1 1/4-inches in diameter. Slice the log into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces, form them into balls and flatten into discs. Arrange in single layers on the prepared baking sheets. Let the candies dry, uncovered, at room temperature for 3 hours.

3. Put the chocolate and vegetable oil in a small bowl and set it over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Dip 1 half of each candy into the melted chocolate and return them to the parchment paper until the chocolate has set, about 3 hours.