Category Archives: Dessert

Butterscotch Brownies

05 Sunday Jan 2014

Posted by in Dessert

≈ Leave a comment

Butterscotch Brownies

My husband is such a sucker for butterscotch, and this recipe is definitely one of his favorites!  I hope you enjoy it as much as he does!

Butterscotch Brownies
Yield:  24 brownies
Time:  20 minutes active;  1 hour 5 minutes total

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. salt
12 oz. butterscotch chips
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1.  In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

2.  In a double boiler or in the microwave, melt together the butterscotch chips and butter.  Stir in the brown sugar and mix until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla.

3.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until well blended.

4.  Bake in a greased 9×13-inch pan at 350°F for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into 24 pieces.

Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

Butterscotch Brownies

 

 

 

 

 

 

PDF to Print Recipe for Butterscotch Brownies

Holiday Fudge

24 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Chocolate, Dessert, Quick and Easy

≈ Leave a comment

Holiday FudgeMerry Christmas Eve!!!

Here’s a fantastic recipe to make as gifts for the holidays!  It’s great for coworkers, your kids’ teachers or daycare workers, hair stylists, or anybody else you want to give a holiday gift to without breaking the bank.  Each Christmas season I usually make one batch of this with dark chocolate chips, and another batch with white chocolate chips.  This makes plenty of fudge for me to give an assortment of white and dark chocolate fudge to various important people in my life!

Holiday Fudge
Yield:  about 100 pieces of fudge (each piece being 1×1-inch square)
Time:  25 minutes active plus 2 hours chilling

4 tbsp. butter
4 cups marshmallows
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3 cups chocolate chips (dark, milk, or white chocolate)
decorative sprinkles
parchment paper
cooking spray

1.  Prepare a 9×13-inch pan by lining with parchment paper.  Lightly grease the top of the paper with cooking spray.

2.  Place butter in a medium saucepan.  Melt over medium heat.  Stir in cream, sugar, salt, and marshmallows.  Melt together over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes, mixing frequently.

Fudge

3.  Remove from heat.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Mix until smooth.

4.  Pour into prepared pan.  Top with decorative sprinkles.  Refrigerate until firm (2 hours to overnight).  Cut into squares, roughly 1-inch by 1-inch.

NOTE:  I have tried cutting the heavy cream out of this recipe by substituting it with various different ingredients, including fat-free half and half.  Sadly, without the heavy cream, the fudge simply won’t set.  It stays really soft and melty and will not hold its shape.  This is one of those recipes where you just need to use the heavy cream.

PDF to Print Recipe for Holiday Fudge

Peppermint Bark

18 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Chocolate, Dessert, Holiday, Quick and Easy

≈ Leave a comment

Peppermint BarkI simply cannot go an entire Christmas season without making this recipe at least once.  I keep some in a bowl on my counter to munch on, I bring it as hostess gifts to holiday parties, it works as a spin on cookies for swaps with friends, and it’s always a crowd pleaser at corporate potlucks!  I love getting creative in the kitchen and trying out tons of new recipes, but this is a staple that’s here to stay!  Plus, it transports really well and it’s super quick and easy to make…who doesn’t love that during this busy holiday season?

Peppermint Bark
Yield:  6-8 gift boxes (6x3x2-inches) or one gallon-sized ziplock bag
Time:  60 minutes total

36 oz dark chocolate
36 oz white chocolate
36 candy canes
parchment paper
canola cooking spray

1.  Spray the bottom of the 12×18-inch pan (I use a jelly roll pan).  Line with parchment paper.  Lightly spray the top of the parchment paper.

2.  Unwrap the candy canes (I recommend enlisting help…it gets tedious!) and place them in a large ziplock bag.  Cover the bag with a rag and hit with a mallet until the candy canes are broken up into small pieces.  (Be sure to use a rag you don’t care about since the mallet may punch tons of teeny tiny holes in the fabric!)  Set the crushed candy canes aside, but leave them easily accessible.

crushing candy canes

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave.  I find it works well to use 50% power for about 1 minute, stir, then return to the microwave in 20-30 second increments, to prevent scorching the chocolate.  Once it’s fully melted, pour it into the parchment-lined pan.  Spread it out evenly with a spatula, and tap a few times to pop some of the air bubbles that will form on the top.  Set aside for about 5-10 minutes at room temperature so the chocolate hardens.  It’s ideal if it’s not still wet and runny, but you don’t want it rock solid either.  Just firm enough that you can spread the white chocolate on top.

dark chocolate

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Melt the white chocolate in the microwave.  Pour over the dark chocolate layer, being careful not to spread it around too much.  It will warm the dark chocolate underneath and if you move it around too much you’ll get a swirled effect on the top.  I find it’s best to pour the white chocolate all around the edges of the pan, then dump the rest in the middle to allow for minimal spreading.  Tap a few times to even out the surface and release the air bubbles.

peppermint bark 8

white chocolate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  Working quickly so the white chocolate is still wet, evenly sprinkle the crushed candy canes all over the top surface of the white chocolate.  Cover and place in the fridge until hardened, about 15+ minutes.

top with crushed candy canes

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.  Once the bark is totally hardened, remove it from the pan in large chunks, and snap it into bite-sized pieces with your hands.  (You can use a blunt knife too, but I find that leaves dents that aren’t so attractive.  For the prettiest bark, use your hands!)

break it into pieces

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you’re ready to wrap up the bark to give it as gifts or just start munching!

peppermint bark 19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes about the chocolate:

* For the dark chocolate, I prefer Wilbur Dark chips or Dark Cocoa Candy Melts by Wilton.  Of course, feel free to substitute milk chocolate for the dark chocolate if you like that better!

*For the white chocolate, I use Merckens Super White chips or Bright White Candy Melts by Wilton.  I like the “Bright White” or “Super White” because I think the regular white chocolate looks too dingy against the candy canes.  It’s more creamy/tan that white.

Here are photos:

chocolatechocolate

PDF to Print Recipe for Peppermint Bark

Port Cherry Brownies

27 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Boozy, Chocolate, Dessert, Vegetarian

≈ Leave a comment

Port Cherry Brownies

Recently my birthday was approaching and I wanted to make myself a special birthday dessert, but didn’t feel like making an entire cake for just my husband and I (since we would inevitably eat the whole darn thing).  I decided that brownies are also fully capable of holding candles upright and would therefore make a suitable birthday dessert.  Since I love red wine and port, and try to sneak booze into my recipes every opportunity I get, I decided why not try to make port-soaked dried-cherry brownies?  Big time winner!  Make this recipe immediately.  Seriously, you’re wasting precious time that could be better spent baking these incredible brownies!

Port Cherry Brownies
Yield:  16 brownies
Time:  25 minutes active;  60 minutes total

4 tbsp. port
½ cup dried cherries
¼ cup butter, diced into pieces
1¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
¼ tsp. salt
5 tbsp. flour
fresh berries for garnish (optional)
whipped cream for garnish (optional)

1.  Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Prepare an 8×8 inch pan by spraying it with cooking spray, lining it with parchment paper, then spraying the parchment paper with cooking spray.  Set aside.

2.  Put the port in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down to low and stir in the dried cherries.  Continue to cook over low heat, stirring periodically, until the cherries absorb all of the liquid.  Set aside and allow to cool.

3.  Place the butter and 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a double boiler.  Heat until the chocolate melts.  Stir to combine the chocolate and butter.  Remove from heat.

4.  Whisk in the sugar and eggs.  Add the salt and flour.  Mix until fully incorporated.

5.  Gently mix in the port-cherries and the remaining ¾ cup of chocolate chips.  Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes at 325°F, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the pan comes out clean.

6.  Cool until the brownies come to room temperature.  Invert the pan, peel the parchment paper off the brownies, then invert the brownies again so the tops are facing up.  Cut into squares.  Serve garnished with fresh berries and whipped cream (and fresh mint leaves if that floats your boat).  Enjoy with a glass of port or your favorite red wine!

Pretty enough to eat!

PDF to Print Recipe for Port Cherry Brownies