Irish cream and pistachio fudge
Posted: December 14, 2011 Filed under: Bars-dessert and cookie, Candy, Dessert, Holiday Recipe, Irish/St. Paddy's Day 3 CommentsH’s work was having another potluck, this time for Christmas, so I needed a couple new fun desserts. I just saw this recipe and had to make it. They love the boozy desserts, anything over the top sweet and indulgent, so these fit the bill perfectly. But for me, it was the ease of the recipe that made me want to make it. This came together quickly, chilled and then it was time to cut and sample! Excellent. It does make a lot as you cut them into small pieces so be warned!!!
ENJOY and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Ingredients:
36 ounces white chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Irish cream liquor, plus 3-4 tablespoons
1/3 cup salted pistachios, chopped
Directions:
Line a 9×9 pan with foil paper and lightly grease it.
In a sauce pan, at low heat, pour in all of the ingredients except pistachios. Stir constantly until chocolate has almost melted.
Turn off heat and continue stirring until chocolate is completely melted. Add pistachios and pour evenly into prepared pan. Let cool until set. Remove fudge from pan and peel off the foil paper. Cut fudge into small squares.
Clean eating marshmallows
Posted: September 30, 2010 Filed under: Beverages, Breakfast, Brunch, Candy, Clean eating, Holiday Recipe 1 CommentWOW these couldnt be easier or tastier! And bonus, they are clean!! Perfect to pair with your hot cocoa recipe (clean eating recipe to come soon!) From the Gracious Pantry these are a HIT!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
6 tbsp water
2 packets unflavored gelatin
1 cup agave
2 tsp mexican vanilla extract-I used one vanilla bean
Directions:
Stir gelatin into water in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds.
While that’s in the microwave, pour your agave into a mixing bowl. Add vanilla. Add warm gelatin/water mixture.
Blend for 12-15 minutes until the mixture is white and fluffy and has quadrupaled in size.
Coat a casserole dish with cornstarch. Scoop marshmallow mixture into casserole dish and smooth top so it’s level with a spatula.
Let sit for a minimum of 3 hours. Overnight is best.
Turn out onto a surface dusted with cornstarch. Slice into desired size.
Store in a plastic bag.
Peppermint bark
Posted: December 16, 2009 Filed under: Candy, Holiday Recipe, Quick 4 CommentsThe last thing I am making for H work is my all time favorite, peppermint bark. There are all kinds of recipes out there, but this is the one I always use!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
16 oz very good dark chocolate
16 oz very good white chocolate-using the best yields a better taste
1 cups crushed candy canes
Directions:
Melt the dark chocolate in micro or double boiler. When melted, pour into a parchment paper lined rimmed cookie/baking pan about 9×13 or 11×17 (makes it a bit thinner). Let cool for about a minute in the freezer. Dont let get too hard or the white layer wont stick. Melt white chocolate and carefully pour over dark chocolate and smooth out a bit to cover the entire dark chocolate area. Quickly add crushed candy canes. Freeze or put in fridge for at least 45 mins to fully harden. Once very hard, break into smaller pieces!
Chocolate Eggnog Truffles
Posted: December 5, 2009 Filed under: Candy, Chocolate, Dessert, Holiday Recipe 3 CommentsHAPPY HOLIDAYS! A great recipe I made for our neighbors! I found this recipe on the back of the Land-O-Lakes butter pack!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1/3 cup regular fat eggnog
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp rum flavoring
1/4 tsp gr nutmeg
2 cups milk chocolate chips
powdered sugar
almond bark white for dipping
nutmeg for dusting
Directions:
Line large baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.
Combine eggnog, butter, rum flavoring and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until butter is melted (4 to 5 minutes). Add chocolate chips; continue cooking, stirring constantly, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth (2 to 3 minutes). Cover; refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours).
Dust hands with powdered sugar. Working quickly, shape mixture into 1-inch balls. (Truffle mixture will be soft. Repeat dusting hands with powdered sugar to make shaping easier, if necessary.) Place balls onto prepared baking sheet; refrigerate until firm (at least 1 hour).
Meanwhile melt candy coating in deep 1-quart saucepan over low heat; stir until smooth (8 to 10 minutes). Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes.
Place 1 truffle at a time into candy coating. Use small spoon to coat truffle; immediately remove and place onto waxed paper. (Work quickly so truffles do not melt.) Sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired. Repeat with remaining truffles. Let cool 30 minutes. Place truffles in paper or foil candy cups.
Store refrigerated in container with tight-fitting lid up to 2 weeks.
Recipe Tip
When placing dipped truffle onto waxed paper, swirl the top to create a decorative design on truffle.
Recipe Tip
Spiral candy forks are available at cake and candy decorating stores and are made for dipping candies.
Recipe Tip
Stir together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg in small bowl. Roll truffles in powdered sugar mixture rather than dipping in candy coating.
Recipe Tip
Do not substitute low fat eggnog for regular eggnog in this recipe. Truffles are meant to be rich and creamy.
Nutrition Facts (1 candy): Calories: 120, Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 20mg, Carbohydrates: 12g, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Protein: 1g
Spiced Pumpkin Fudge
Posted: November 14, 2009 Filed under: Candy, Dessert, Holiday Recipe, Pumpkin 2 CommentsFor my weekly baking I was looking for something new that wasnt a cookie, cake, tart, etc. So after doing some searching I found this recipe on Joelen’s Blog found thru Libby! I did have some issue with the fudge not setting, so I used the unset fudge to use as a truffle filling. I added a bit more melted white chocolate and marshmallow cream to thicken similar to truffle filling and dipped them in dark chocolate! I sent this with H to the garage where he works on his car. I love trying out new treats on them as they are so very appreciative! Here is the original fudge recipe below. Hope it works out for you!! It did still taste AMAZING! 🙂
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) canned evaporated milk
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
LINE 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil. COMBINE sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter and spice in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 10 to 12 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234° to 240º F (soft-ball stage). QUICKLY STIR in morsels, marshmallow crème, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until morsels are melted. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Let stand on wire rack for 2 hours or until completely cooled. Refrigerate tightly covered. To cut, lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Makes about 3 pounds.
Pumpkin Pecan Pie Candy
Posted: November 12, 2009 Filed under: Candy, Dessert, Holiday Recipe, Pumpkin 4 CommentsWhat a great but super easy candy recipe. I found this on BeanTown Baker’s site and made them almost immediately. They were super good and definitely ones I will make again!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 (15oz) can pure pumpkin
2 cups white sugar – since my coconut was sweetened, I cut the sugar down to 1 1/2 cups
2 cups unsweetened coconut – I couldn’t find unsweetened, so I used sweetened coconut
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin, sugar, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. On medium heat, cook and mix together and allow sugar to dissolve. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture forms into a ball, about 15-20 minutes. Have patience, it will eventually turn into a ball once the liquid evaporates.
Remove mixture from heat and add in vanilla. Transfer to a heat safe bowl and cover mixture with plastic wrap so a skin does not form. Chill in refrigerator until cool.
Using a cookie scoop that is about a TBSP size, scoop up balls and roll in the palm of your hands. Roll balls in the chopped pecan, coating all sides. Put back in fridge to let set.
Mini caramel apples
Posted: September 23, 2009 Filed under: Appetizer, Candy, Dessert, Dips, Fruit, Holiday Recipe 6 CommentsI have seen this little cuties all over the place lately and decided to whip some up. You can make these to your liking using any kind of candies to top the caramel with or just keep them plain caramel. I tried a few different toppings-chopped nuts, coconut, chocolate drizzle, crushed m and m’s, sprinkles and crushed oreos. Pick your favorite toppings and have fun! Great and bite sized for portion controlled goodness!!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
4-5 large apples
Sticks
caramel melted
toppings for caramel
Directions:
Using a melon baller, make small balls from the apples. Discard extra apples. Dry them very well. Stick a small stick (I cut mine in half to make smaller) and poke into the top of each apple ball. Melt caramel and quickly dip in apple balls. If using toppings, dip into favorite toppings. Refridge for a few minutes to set caramel. If drizzling with chocolate, melt chocolate in a ziploc bag. Cut off a very small end of the baggie and drizzle chocolate over set caramel apple. Refridge to set chocolate. Place in mini cupcake liners and enjoy! The possibilities are endless to what you can do with these cuties!
Homemade gummi snacks
Posted: July 29, 2009 Filed under: Candy, Jello, Quick 1 CommentAfter seeing this super fun recipe on The Rookie Chef Blog, I knew I had to try to make these with my little guest chefs, Bret and Brendan who were visiting. They couldn’t have been easier to make and were very very tasty! Bret and Brendan give it a THUMBS UP and a YUM!
Do pour slowly when pouring into molds. They fill up very fast and it is hard to clean around them. I will definitely make these again neater next time, but it was a fun first try!
We used a heart mold and a party/birthday mold. I found a 10 pack of mold at Michaels for 10 bucks plus coupon, so it was less than a buck per mold. It has a variety of molds in them including letters, flowers, food shapes, sports, etc. Check it out. I will update with more pics as we make them!!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1-2 favorite candy molds sold at Michaels, Joann, Hobby Lobby, etc..
1 package of jello (any flavor, but the small 3 oz package)
7 envelopes of unflavored gelatin (these come in small envelopes, usually 4 per package. The brand I bought was Gelatine and it comes in an orange package. Look for it in the jello aisle)
1/2 cup water
Directions:
Mix everything together in a sauce pan. It will be thick, like paste.
Heat over low heat until it’s more liquid and melted.
Pour into your mold. (I put it into a small liquid measuring cup with a spout for easy pouring. POUR SLOW and gently..as you can see many of ours overflowed..but that just means we have to try again..LOL!)
Put in the freezer for five-ten minutes to firm up.
ENJOY with friends..or little helpers…
Candy Bar Brownie Cakes with Marshmallow Butter Cream
Posted: July 28, 2009 Filed under: Brownies, Cakes/Cupcakes, Candy, Chocolate, Dessert, Frosting 6 CommentsI have found my new favorite frosting. OMG the marshmallow butter cream is smooth, buttery, and not too sweet. It came together easily and was ADDICTING. I couldn’t stop tasting it! Definitely give these a try. I used mini milky ways in mine, but mini Snickers, Twix, and Hershey bars would be good too (the small square sized ones). I found this recipe on I DO…now what blog.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 – 21 oz. pkg. fudge brownie mix (I used Duncan Hines, it’s only 19.75 ounces but no biggie)
Miniature-sized chocolate candy bars ( you need one for each cupcake, about 12-24)
Marshmallow Frosting (see recipe below)…
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line twelve to fifteen 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups. Prepare the fudge brownie mix according to package directions. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the batter into each paper bake cup. Place a miniature-size candy bar or mint cream in each cup. Divide the remaining batter among the cups.
Marshmallow frosting:
2 sticks of butter ( at room temp.)
1 cup of confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 – 7 ounce tub of marshmallow cream
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy.
Beat in one fourth of the sugar until fluffy, then repeat with the remaining sugar.
Beat in vanilla, then stir in the marshmallow cream until well blended.
Top brownie cakes and decorate.
Cake Pops dressed up for spring/Easter
Posted: March 28, 2009 Filed under: Cakes/Cupcakes, Candy, Chocolate, Dessert, Holiday Recipe 23 CommentsI have seen these cake pops on Bakerella’s Site for a while now. She makes them in all kinds of ways and I have been dying to make them. Well I never found the time or need to until now. Once I saw these fabulous, super cute chick pops, I knew the time had come. Here is the directions for cake pops (decorate them anyway you want..pumpkins, ornaments, flowers, ghosts, etc..) and here is the recipe for making chicks.
These are time consuming, but if taken in steps they are worth the effort!!
ENJOY and HAPPY SPRING/EASTER!
Cake pop directions: CHICKS BELOW
1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can frosting (16 oz.)
Wax paper
candy melts
Lollipop sticks
Edible ink pens
sugars to decorate with
Directions for basic cake pops: chicks are below
After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl. Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (I use the back of a large spoon, but it may be easier to use fingers to mix together. But, be warned, it will get messy. Also, you may not need the entire can of frosting, so start out by using almost the entire can and add more if you need to.)
Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)
Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)
Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.)
Place them in the freezer for a little while to firm up.
Once firm, carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too.
Place in a styrofoam block to dry.
Once dry, draw faces/decor with an edible ink pen/decorative sugars/candies and allow ink to dry!
Chick pops:
yellow cake mix
white frosting
decorative writing pens
decoative candies for feet and wings
Once the round yellow candy covered cake pops are dry use a toothpick to dip into the melted candy coating. Dab a little dot of the coating where you want the beak to go. Then, just take one of the orange rainbow chips and attach it to the pop. It works like glue.
For the feet and wings, use the same technique to glue on the other sprinkle shapes.
Use the edible ink pen to draw the eyes.
LOVES TO EAT 