Peppermint Mocha Cookies

Personal note first:

Our Christmas was lovely and we've been particularly blessed with good health this winter - for which I am exceedingly grateful.  I don't know how many of our friends have suffered through the flu. We do not get flu shots...but we do take lots of Vitamin D and C, try to eat healthy, get plenty of rest, and take probiotics.

My newest health kick is water kefir. I bought some grains from someone at our Azure Standard drop-off and have been brewing it ever since. We flavor it with fruit juice and call it homemade soda. :) The kids and I drink some every day and I'm convinced it's helping us stay healthy. What an inexpensive way to get probiotics!

Next step is milk kefir. I'm a little hesitant about it, since I've heard it's runnier and more tart than plain yogurt, which none of us like to begin with....but I guess you can make smoothies and not notice the taste too much. I'm still deliberating on that one.

So I'm a little late in posting....but I made these scrumptious cookies for an exchange before Christmas and just fell in love with them.

Featuring a soft and chewy texture, a slight coffee flavor accentuating the chocolate, and a sweet peppermint kick in each bite, this is a fabulous recipe for Christmas, Valentine's, or anytime you're craving a sweet treat.

Too bad they don't have probiotics too.....or I'd make them a lot more often! :)

Peppermint Mocha Cookies 
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun
Yield: about 30 cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups peppermint baking chips, plus more for garnish if desired
1/2 cup chocolate chunks
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon sheets

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and egg yolk, and then the vanilla and peppermint extracts.

In a separate medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, instant coffee granules, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together. The coffee may not go through the sifter - if so, just dump in with the flour.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined. Mix in the peppermint baking chips and chocolate chunks.

Using a medium cookie scoop, portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Press a few peppermint baking chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips on top of each cookie ball for a garnish if desired.  Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set.
The centers may look underdone - but don't overbake! Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool for a few minutes, then remove the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature. These cookies will stay chewy for at least 3 days after baking.

Source: adapted slightly from Tracey's Culinary Adventures 

Cappuccino Fudge

The countdown to Christmas is on for REAL at my house, y'all.

Every day I'm hearing kids saying things like "5 days and a wake-up!"

The pressure for last minute shopping is looming over my head. Primarily what we're lacking is the kids' gifts for each other. I had them draw names so they would only be buying something for one sibling, and so far, only the two little ones have their gifts bought.

 Because I bought them during our grocery trip. Ha.

I had every good intention of taking kids shopping yesterday, but the day just got too busy. I decided it would be the best evening to deliver goody trays to our neighbors, so I spending my spare hours of the day, aside from the five hours we spent at Corban's two basketball games, lunch, and some time with my parents, making treats like this fudge, Peanut Brittle, and Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles (which, for the record, I ended up modifying significantly because the original dough just wasn't very good).  I already had a double batch of my favorites, Hint of Berry Bon Bons, in the fridge, which I made on Thursday.

Ok, so this fudge. Wowzer!

Now admittedly, I've never met a fudge I didn't like. I love the different flavors, add-ins, whatever.
So when I saw this version, a fairly traditional recipe flavored with coffee or espresso powder, I was just dying to try it.

It did not disappoint.

Like any cooked fudge (assuming its cooked properly), it has a dreamy, creamy, melt in your mouth texture. No grittiness, no stickiness, just pure, simple smoothness.

I used instant coffee granules, a little more than originally asked for, and I found the coffee flavor to be really complementary to the chocolate. Not too overpowering, but certainly present.

There is an interesting addition of cinnamon, which I find mostly interesting because I can't taste it. Maybe its adding some complexity to the fudge that I would miss if it wasn't there????
I dunno. Well anyways, I won't omit it, because it's not like it costs much to toss in there.

So if you're looking for a simple, yet definitely different version of fudge to make this year, I highly recommend this one. I'm going to have to use some serious restraint to make sure we have some leftover pieces to share with my family on Christmas!

Cappuccino Fudge
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

7 (oz) jar of marshmallow cream
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. instant coffee or espresso powder
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Line an 8" square pan with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the bottom with butter and set aside.
In a 2 qt. saucepan, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, cream, butter, coffee granules, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth.

Pour immediately into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Place on cutting board and cut into 64 1-inch squares.

Source: Adapted slightly from Annie's Eats

Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies

It's Cookie Season! 

I'm sure you've seen more cookies than you know what to do with on Pinterest and everywhere else....but I figured I might as well contribute to the madness and post a couple of recent cookie recipes I've tried and had great success with. 

If you love chocolate and mint, these beauties will be an instant winner in your book. 

And if you don't love chocolate and mint, these might just make you a convert. 

I made these for a cookie exchange a couple of weeks ago and they were a smashing hit. With a soft, brownie-like cookie, a creamy chocolate mint frosting, and some festive sprinkles on top, they're hard to resist. 

My kids were quite unhappy with me for taking nearly the entire batch with me and would be delighted for me to make another round. Fortunately, since I found the Andes mints on sale, I bought enough for two batches, so another one may be appearing at our house soon. :) 

Marissa (9) is exceedingly interested in baking these days and thought it was great fun to help make these, especially the part with the mints and sprinkles. 

Note: Be sure to plan ahead, since the dough does require some chilling time. 

Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies

from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

Yield: 3-4 dozen depending on how big you make them

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 (4.5 oz) pages Andes mints

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, water, and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter melts. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Pour mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer and allow to cool 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda. 

Using the paddle attachment on the mixer, blend in the eggs one at a time with the chocolate mixture. Add vanilla and stir gently. With the mixer set on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. 

Cover and refrigerate dough for at least one hour. 

Preheat oven to 350°. Scoop dough out by rounded tablespoons and shape into balls. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicon liners 2 inches apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until edges are set and cookies are slightly crackled. Allow to cool for 1 minute (meanwhile, unwrap chocolates) then add 1 Andes mint to the top of each cookie. Allow to rest for a minute or so, then spread over the top the cookie gently with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. 

Decorate with sprinkles if desired. 

Transfer to a cooling rack and allow chocolate to set. You can speed up that process by refrigerating the cookies for a few minutes if necessary. 

Store in an airtight container.

Source: adapted slightly from Allrecipes

Peanut Butter Frosted Brownies with Whipped Chocolate Ganache - SRC

Most people find a pan of brownies pretty irresistible, right?

How about if you cover the brownies with a layer of peanut butter topping?  Oh, don't stop there, let's add a layer of whipped ganache frosting!!

This pan of decadence got 2 big thumbs up from my crew of eaters. I never saw them eat their soup so fast, knowing this was waiting for dessert.

The recipe came from my Secret Recipe Club assignment for the month, It's Yummi, where Chef Becca uses her culinary expertise to create and share from-scratch, mainly healthy recipes. She has a wealth of amazing recipes, like Key Lime Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust , Slow Cooker BBQ Baked Beans and one that Grant would cheer for  - Double Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Tart. 

(I need to ask for a tart pan for Christmas. Seriously, how have I baked for so long without one?)

All that to say, I thoroughly enjoyed browsing her blog and have found plenty of pin-worthy recipes to add to my list of things to try.

These brownies just sounded too good though. And they did not disappoint. I ended up halving her ganache layer ingredients - I mean, I LOVE ganache, but I figured we could cut the calories a little bit without sacrificing the flavor.

The peanut butter layer, which is just a package of peanut butter chips melted with some butter, hardened up more than I was expecting and I wondered if it would matter - turned out it added a nice texture variation and great flavor. Just don't expect it to be light and fluffy like a peanut butter buttercream frosting would be.

It still cuts fine with a sharp knife at room temperature, but I imagine if you chilled the brownies in the fridge, they would be harder to cut neatly.

These brownies were a huge hit and would be a great gift for that chocolate-peanut butter fan in your life.

Peanut Butter Frosted Brownies with Whipped Chocolate Ganache

from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

Yield: 9"square pan of brownies

Brownie Layer:

5 oz (1 stick plus 2 Tbsp) salted butter, room temperature

3.5 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

3.5 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3 oz (2/3 cup) all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Peanut Butter Layer:

10 oz (1 bag) Reese's peanut butter chips

2 oz (1/2 stick) butter

Ganache Frosting:

5 ounces chocolate, finely chopped (I used mostly semi-sweet and some white chocolate)

4 ounces heavy cream

For the Brownies:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line an 8 or 9" square baking pan with foil, extending up the sides by 2 inches. Spray with cooking spray.
3. Melt butter and chocolates in a medium bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each one before adding the next.
4. Continue to whisk until mixture is completely smooth and glossy. Add flour and baking powder and stir just until incorporated.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with wet crumbs - about 20-25 minutes.
6. When the brownies have about 5 minutes left to bake, make the peanut butter filling.

For the Peanut Butter Layer:

1. Place the peanut butter chips and butter into a microwaveable glass bowl. Heat at medium power for 1 minute. Stir and continue to heat on medium power in 30 second intervals until the mixture is melted and glossy in appearance.
2. When the brownies come out of the oven, pour peanut butter mixture over the top of the warm brownies. Spread evenly over the top. Cool brownies completely.

For the Ganache: 

1. Put chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring cream to a simmer (do not boil). Pour cream over chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Place in refrigerator until completely chilled, whisking occasionally.
3. After ganache has chilled, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Spread on top of brownies.

Source: adapted slightly from It's Yummi

An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate Pumpkin Delight Cake - SRC

It's time for the explosion of pumpkin recipes again!  I couldn't be left out of the fun, especially since pumpkin baked goods are some of my very favorites. So when I saw this cake on the blog of my Secret Recipe Club assignment this month, it was a no-brainer.

Deb blogs over at Cooking on the Front Burner, and let me tell you, she takes some of the most beautiful food photos!  I just couldn't stop looking at everything and admiring how tempting everything looks.
Raspberry Peach Cobbler,  Strawberry Bruschetta, and Grilled Pork with Chile Lime Sauce were just a few of the options that caught my eye, but I just kept coming back to that cake. I mean, chocolate and pumpkin, with a caramel cream cheese frosting???? How could I resist that??

Now Deb's cake is absolutely fabulous with chopped nuts pressed into the sides and garnished with pecan halves on the top. But seeing as I'm the only person in my family who likes nuts with baked goods (boo), that was really out of the question.  Also, she made hers in 8" pans and had leftover batter - I just used 9" pans and used it all. I ended up modifying her recipe a little to increase the frosting so I would be sure to have enough and used less ganache inside the cake. I didn't want it to overpower the salted caramel frosting.

Oh, and I made my own caramel sauce - using this recipe. It's a fantastic sauce and very simple - and one batch of it makes exactly enough for the frosting.  (And if you happen to make a batch that ended up not cooking quite long enough to get that perfect color, you can always save it in the fridge and add it to your coffee. YUM.)

This cake is really big, so be sure you have a crowd to feed!  But it lasts well in the fridge for several days as well, so don't sweat it if you have leftovers.  They're just as delicious!

Chocolate Pumpkin Delight Cake
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

For the Cake:

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

For the Frosting

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

8 oz. caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought)

5 cups powdered sugar, sifted

For the Ganache

4 oz dark chocolate bar 

4 oz (1/2 cup) heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly butter (3) 9" cake pans and line each with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl or mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.  

In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla. In another bowl, sift the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg). Alternating adding the dry ingredients and the pumpkin mixture to the large mixing bowl, blending well after each addition. 

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.  Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then remove and cool on racks.

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth, then add the caramel sauce.  Mix well and add the powdered sugar a cup at a time and mix until fluffy.  

To make the ganache, chop the chocolate bar into small bits and place in a bowl.  Heat the cream  in a small saucepan until bubbles form around the edges, then remove from heat and pour over the chocolate.  Let sit for a few minutes, then stir until smooth. 

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a serving dish or cake stand (I prefer to put it on a small board so I can put it in the fridge easier). Place pieces of wax paper tucked around the cake to help with the mess factor.  Put about a cup of frosting on top of the cake and spread within a half inch of the edges.  Drizzle some ganache on top and spread thinly. 

Repeat layers until you get to the last one.  Spread frosting around the top and sides of the cake, smoothing as desired. Drizzle or spread the remaining ganache over the top and allow to drip down the sides.  Use an offset spatula to blend the edges in with the frosting if desired.

Remove wax paper from the bottom of the cake.  Store covered in the refrigerator. 

Source: Adapted slightly from Cooking on the Front Burner

An InLinkz Link-up

(Healthy) Chocolate Oat Breakfast Cookies

As much as I love things like scones or cinnamon rolls for breakfast, I make them a special treat. We most often eat things like scrambled eggs, baked oatmeal, cereal, or banana muffins. The girls are fine with that.....especially the muffins part....but Corban (9.5) , who is in general my least picky eater, has started complaining about most of those offerings. He's not crazy about the non-sugary cereal I buy, doesn't care for homemade granola, and he hates bananas in baked goods.

So you can imagine his delight when one recent morning the kids came downstairs to see me baking cookies and then heard the announcement, "These are for breakfast!"

What???

Chocolate cookies for breakfast????

You're the Best mom Ever!  
An elation that wore off sooner than I would have preferred......when I still insisted in doing schoolwork for the day.

So yes, these fall into the "occasional treat" category....or they could even fall into dessert sometimes.....because although they are healthy, with coconut oil and oats  and whole wheat flour, they still have chocolate. And they taste surprisingly decadent.   They're a little chewy, a little crisp, have a wonderful salty/sweet contrast, and are definitely hard to stop at just one.

I even heard a couple of kiddos declare that these would be their Birthday Breakfast choice.

That means they're really good.

(Healthy) Chocolate Oat Breakfast Cookies
adapted  from Fit Mama Real Food  and The Tasty Cheapskate

1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. natural cane sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, but highly recommended)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional - I used unsweetened)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional - I didn't use)

1 .Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a different bowl, whisk melted coconut oil, egg, and sugars together.  Add in vanilla.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix.  Stir in oats, then add chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans if using.
4. Drop mounds onto an ungreased baking sheet.  The cookies don't spread much, so I found it best to flatten them with the bottom of a glass before baking.  Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until set.

Soft and Chewy Double Chocolate M&M Cookies

Remember the Strawberry Dream Cake I told you about last week - that we took to our friends' home when they invited us for dinner?  (In case you need a plug for how good that cake was, my friend caught up with me on Sunday at church and requested the recipe, saying that she had woken up that morning with that cake on her mind - that it was the best strawberry cake ever!)

These are the other dessert I decided on making.  Just in case anyone didn't like cake or strawberries or whatever.  And because I really don't need an excuse to make something chocolate.

These cookies have an ingredient that I'm not really used to seeing in cookies - cornstarch. 
Just a couple of teaspoons - but apparently it's the secret to making the cookies soft and tender, and they stay that way for several days.

I couldn't get enough of these cookies, to tell you the truth.  The texture was absolutely perfect, and I loved the combination of chocolate chips and M&Ms giving it plenty of chocolate flavor and a little crunch from the candies.  They were definitely popular with kids and adults alike.

Note: You could, of course, use only chocolate chips or only M&Ms - the original recipe called for using the mini M&Ms, which I'm sure would be lots of fun.  Personally, I like the combination of candy and chips in these cookies.

Soft and Chewy Double Chocolate M&M Cookies
adapted slightly from Tracy's Culinary Adventures

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
M&Ms (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa power, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in the egg and then the vanilla.  With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined.  Mix in the chocolate chips.

Using a medium cookie scoop, portion the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.  Press a few M&Ms on top of each cookie.  Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set.  The centers may look underdone - don't overbake!  Let the cookies cool a few minutes on the pans then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with all the dough.

Turtle Brownies

I had a busy day on Saturday.

We hosted a birthday party for my mom in the evening, which involved making 6 homemade pizzas, plus some chocolate syrup to serve with the ice cream and these brownies, which I had made on Friday.  My Aunt Bonnie brought an amazing salad with spinach, strawberries, candied pecans, feta cheese, and a fabulous dressing.....and Anna pitched in with a fruit platter of orange slices and grapes.

We dined well.

It was nice to end the day with such a lovely time...since the morning was......well, challenging.

A couple of months ago, I got the urge to sign up for a 5K.  I have never been a runner or even enjoyed running remotely.  I played basketball and volleyball in high school and tolerated the running those required because I loved the sports, but I truly always hated running.
However.
The realization hit me a few years ago that people who are really runners are never overweight.  They always look great - and they usually are just super healthy people.  I figured that if I started running occasionally, it would be a good variation from the exercise DVDs I was accustomed to doing. We bought a used treadmill from Grant's brother and I used that exclusively.  Very convenient in any weather and I could pop in a video for the kids to keep them busy.  I still disliked running but I did like making progress.
Pregnancies took a big toll on me and I ended up with some recurring knee issues, so my running was never as consistent or my achievements as quick as I wanted.

Then we moved and my exercise routine went out the window for a few months while we were settling in and dealing with various illnesses.  Finally, I started back up my twice a week runs on the treadmill and worked up to running 3 miles in 30 minutes.  I decided that I would be much more motivated to keep running if I signed up for a real race.  I thought that early May would be perfect timing - not too cold, not too hot...you know, because I wasn't used to running outside and didn't want to deal with any extreme elements.
My sister Anna signed up with me - so we could race together.

I started training outside about 4 weeks ago, running on a paved trail near our house.  I quickly discovered that running outside is significantly harder than the treadmill.....wind resistance and hills and all that.  But race day was soon approaching and I had to get those runs in - at least three a week.

Last Wednesday, we had 80° weather.  Friday, there was an inch of snow on the ground when we got up.

Saturday, the big race day, we had a lovely 35° morning, with a wind chill a few degrees colder.  Oh, and we can't forget the snow.  The constant, light drizzle we had on the drive over there turned to huge snowflakes that soaked into our clothes and pelted us in the eyes while we ran.  Seriously.  This is Arkansas on May 4th, not North Dakota.

My face nearly froze off.  I couldn't even talk for minutes after the race because my lips were so numb.  But we finished, with a grand time of 30:37.  Anna could have finished faster.....she stuck with me as I walked up part of the looooonnnngggg hill near the end of the route.  I actually ran the route a minute and a half faster a few days earlier (you know, back in normal spring weather), but running in winter conditions was entirely new to me.  I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold.

     Pre-Race - in the car staying dry!     Almost to the finish line.                   We did it.  I was so relieved to
                                                                                                                    be done.

So on to the brownies.  Mom didn't want the usual cake for her birthday - she requested this specific recipe, which she got from a friend years ago.  I have no idea where the original is from.

They're rich, chewy, and super easy to make, and a great ending to a 5K day....or pretty much any day.

Oh yeah, and they're killer with some vanilla ice cream and homemade chocolate syrup.


Turtle Brownies

1 German Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
2/3 cup butter, melted
1 (5 oz ) can evaporated milk, divided use
14 oz bag caramels
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°.
Unwrap caramels, place in a medium sauce pan and add 1/4 cup evaporated milk.  Set aside.
Mix cake mix, melted butter, and remaining milk (by hand, using a fork) in a bowl.
Spread 1/2 of dough mixture in a lightly greased 13 x 9" pan.  It will look like you won't be able to cover the bottom of the pan, but just press it in thinly.
Bake 10-12 minutes and remove from oven.  Let cool a little - slightly warm to touch.
While dough is baking, melt caramels and 1/4 cup evaporated milk on the stovetop. (Alternately, you can melt them in a bowl in the microwave on low for 2-3 min - stir and check consistency - repeat for 2-3 minutes on low until smooth).  
Pour melted caramel sauce on top of baked dough.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips and pecans.
Drop remaining dough by teaspoons full on top.  It probably won't completely cover the top.
Bake until the cake portion is dry (15-20 minutes).
Cool and serve.

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Layer Cake

I had a birthday last Friday......and I am now officially 35.  That's still young, right?   Right???

Grant surprised me with a bouquet of pink roses on the Monday before my birthday.....flowers to enjoy for the whole birthday week.  They were so beautiful and I just loved seeing them brighten our dining table.

On my actual birthday, he got goodies from Panera Bread for the family to share and he and Corban made scrambled eggs to accompany them.  Then Corban made me a birthday crown and the kids insisted that I dress up like a queen.....so I went all out and donned the bridesmaid dress I wore in my sister Sarah's wedding (11.5 years ago), high heels, and bright lipstick....oh, and I can't forget the fancy jewelry.....
the children were so delighted!  I have to admit, it was really fun to be a queen for a morning.

This was the first birthday I've gotten to celebrate with my family (parents and some siblings) since we moved to Virginia 9 years ago.  Although my mom and sister offered to make my cake, I insisted on doing it myself.  It's all part of the fun.....deliberating for at least a month ahead of time on what to bake.....and then actually doing it.  

So salted caramel is all the rage right now....you can find it everywhere.  And for good reason - it's fabulous.
But.
Let me just tell you something.
Anyone who tells you that making homemade caramel sauce is "easy" is either incredibly lucky, incredibly talented, or just wants to make you feel like an idiot.
I am a pretty decent baker - and I have failed at caramel sauce five times over the past year.  And each time, I convinced myself for at least a few days that I would never attempt it again.  But of course, I just had to try "one more time".
Cooking sugar is a finicky business.  Cook it too fast, you get crystallization.  Hard lumps. Giant mess, not fixable. Cook it too long, just seconds too long....and it's burnt.  Not fixable.  I've done both.  Ick.

I found that following Mel's instructions were very helpful.....although the first time with this caramel sauce, I failed miserably again.  I might have shed a tear.  But I decided to give it one more shot.....lo and behold, when I cooked the sugar at a lower temperature in the first stage, it worked out so much better.  The sauce was perfection. I almost hated to make buttercream with it because it was so darn good by itself.
But I didn't regret it.

The original recipe called for a Swiss meringue buttercream, which I'm sure would have been delicious, but I went with a traditional buttercream because it doesn't take as long and I thought the caramel flavor would be more prominent.  It turned out even better than I imagined.  I just wanted to eat it by the spoonful.

But the chocolate frosting is also amazing.....it is so silky and smooth, rich and dreamy......like having a truffle melt in your mouth.  I can't even tell you how amazing this frosting is.  Paired with my favorite chocolate cake and the caramel buttercream - it was a match made in heaven.

I could seriously eat this cake every day and not get tired of it.

Oh, so the cake is humongous.  I made 1-1/2 times the original recipe of cake (change is reflected in my recipe) so it would be 3 layers instead of 2.  You could easily just make a 2 layer cake and fill and frost it with the caramel buttercream and leave off the chocolate frosting altogether, and it would be a great cake.  Or you could just decrease the amount of frosting and filling if you wanted a smaller cake. Personally, I don't mind having extra frosting around the house.   You can always find something to do with it.

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Layer Cake

Cake:
3 cups sugar
2-1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder (I use Hershey's Special Dark)
2-1/4 tsp. baking powder
2-1/4 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup oil (I use expeller-pressed coconut oil)
1-1/2 cups boiling water
2 tsp. instant coffee granules (optional)

Filling: 
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla

1-1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
5-6 cups powdered sugar

Frosting:
12 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used 8 oz. Bakers semisweet, 4 oz. Ghiradelli bittersweet)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup very hot water
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt

Fleur de sel, for garnish (optional)

To make the cake: 
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour three 9" round cake pans and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder (sifted), baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add eggs, milk, and oil and stir on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Add coffee granules to boiling water if desired (it enhances the flavor of the chocolate but isn't necessary) and pour slowing into the batter, mixing on low speed.  Batter will be very thin.
Distribute evenly between the three cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

To make the filling:
In a heavy saucepan, slowly combine the sugar and water, taking care to not let any of the mixture splash up onto the sides of pan.  Set the pan over low heat and stir the mixture gently until the sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes.  Don't stir vigorously or the syrup will splash onto the sides of the pan and cause crystallization later, which is very bad.  Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved before letting the mixture come to a boil.
Once the sugar is dissolved, increase the heat to medium-high and bring the syrup to a boil.  Cover the saucepan and let the syrup boil for 2 minutes.  Uncover, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to boil, without stirring, until the edges turn golden brown.  Then carefully and gently swirl the pan until the syrup turns a dark amber color.  Do not scrape the sides of the pan.
Remove from the heat and add the butter.  Gently stir until the butter is melted. Stir in the cream.  Mixture will foam up, so be careful.  If the sauce becomes lumpy and isn't whisking together, set the pan over the still-warm burner and stir until smooth.  Stir in the vanilla and salt.  Strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any lumps if necessary.
Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature.  Use the fridge or freezer to help you out if you're in a hurry, like I was.

Once it's room temperature, place 1-1/2 sticks of butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add caramel sauce and slowly add powdered sugar, beating until the frosting is desired consistency.

To make the frosting:
Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Set aside and let cool to room temperature.  In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and water and stir until smooth.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, powdered sugar, and salt.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, gradually blend in the melted and cooled chocolate until well incorporated.  Blend in the cocoa powder-water mixture until smooth.

To assemble the cake:
Level the cake layers if necessary.  Place one of the cake layers on a cake board or serving platter.  Top with a little more than 1/3 of the caramel buttercream and smooth in a thick, even layer.  Place a second cake layer on top and smooth an equal amount of buttercream on it.  Place the final cake layer on top.  Cover the top and sides of the cake with the chocolate frosting and smooth with an offset spatula.  If desired, use additional caramel buttercream to pipe decorative accents on the cake.  Before serving, sprinkle with fleur de sel, if desired.

Sources: Cake adapted from Hershey's, inspiration and frosting from Annie's Eats, Caramel Sauce from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Brownies with Browned Butter Frosting

We're on spring break this week.  It is so, so refreshing.
It's been wonderful to spend lots of time with my sister Sarah, whom I hadn't really seen in nearly two years and her girls, who are 9 and 6, just right there with my kiddos.
It's so nice to see that even with two years of not seeing each other, the cousins love each other so dearly and have the time of their lives. They've had a couple of sleepovers at my parents' house and one at ours, and they're not tired of each other yet.  That's good.

I volunteered to make dessert for a family dinner last Friday night and was excited to have the chance to make these brownies. I found them when I was assigned to The Tasty Cheapskate for the Secret Recipe Club last month and they were immediately on my list of "Make Soon" desserts.

I'm so glad I made them.  Grant's verdict: His favorite brownie ever.
And that's no joke coming from Mr. Chocoholic himself.

You take a dense, fudgy brownie and cover it with a luscious browned butter frosting and top that with a dark chocolate glaze - I mean, it is hard to beat that.

The browned butter flavor is so interesting.  Members of the family were trying to guess what it was, and I got answers like mocha, caramel, and coconut.  But nobody was convinced that their guess was correct, they just didn't know what else to call that remarkable flavor.  If you've never tried browned butter, you just have to try these brownies.  Seriously.  Just try them.

Brownies with Browned Butter Frosting 
adapted slightly from The Tasty Cheapskate

Brownie:
1/2 cup butter
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I used Bakers)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla

Glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (or 2 ounces unsweetened, 2 ounces semi-sweet)
3 Tbsp. butter

Heat oven to 300°F.  Butter a 13 x 9 " pan and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate.  Remove from heat and cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs, and salt on medium speed for 6-8 minutes, until fluffy and thick.  Fold in the chocolate, then flour and vanilla.

Pour into the pan and bake for 30-33 minutes, until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.
Cool completely.

To prepare frosting, melt the butter on low heat until it browns.  The butter will melt, reduce in volume, get foamy and slowly start to change color.  There will be some dark flecks in the bottom of the pan.  You want the butter to get to a nice caramel color and smell nutty.  Swirl the pan or stir it so it doesn't burn.  When it gets sufficiently browned, which may take 10-20 minutes, depending on how high your heat is (and I recommend medium heat at the most...you don't want to burn it!), give it a minute to cool then pour into a bowl.   Beat in the sugar, cream, and vanilla.

Frost the brownie layer.  Let cool for at least 15 minutes.

To prepare the glaze, melt the chocolate and butter in a small pan on very low heat.  Pour over the icing layer and gently spread it by tipping the pan back and forth.
Let it cool and set up for about an hour, then cut the brownies into squares.

Classic Chocolate Layer Cake

It's my blogiversary!

Five years I've been at this blogging thing.....it's really hard to believe.

I know I don't have the most beautiful pictures, the most frequent postings, or the snazzy features of the popular food bloggers, but I enjoy my blog and the few minutes I carve out each week to post about one of the new recipes I made and actually got a chance to photograph.  And I appreciate each and every one of you who stop by and check things out, leave sweet comments, and maybe even give one of my recipes a try.  Truly I do.

So this cake wasn't really for my blogiversary.....it was actually a belated birthday cake for my sister Sarah, who lives in Tennessee and is visiting this week with her precious girls.  Her birthday was last week and so I thought it fitting to have a little family celebration, complete with a dark chocolate cake.
I was going to go all fancy and add a raspberry mousse filling.....but I just ran out of time for the extra shopping that would have required.

But Sarah didn't mind.  This cake is incredibly rich and decadent, with the frosting/filling reminding me of a truffle.  Creamy, intense, and so delicious.  Even the chocoholics among us had to stop with small pieces and savor each bite slowly.  Oh, except for Miranda (17 months), who couldn't shovel it down fast enough.  And then move on to mooch off someone else who still had some on their plate.  Girl after my own heart, that one.  

So here's to many more birthdays for my sister, and to many more years of blogging for me!

Classic Chocolate Layer Cake
adapted slightly from Annie's Eats

Cake:
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting the pans
2 tsp. instant espresso or coffee powder
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature (I used salted)
1-3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting
10 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used a full package of Ghiradelli 60%)
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder, sifted
2/3 cup sour cream
2-3 Tbsp. heavy cream or milk (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Butter the edges of two 9" round cake pans and dust with cocoa powder, shaking out the excess.  Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.  In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, coffee powder, and boiling water.  Whisk until smooth; set aside to cool slightly.  When cooled down a bit, whisk in the sour cream and vanilla.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth.  Gradually blend in the sugar and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; whisk to blend.

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the chocolate mixture, beating each addition just until incorporated.  Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.  Bake the cake layers for about 23- 27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack in the pans for at least 30 minutes before inverting onto the rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Set aside to cool until just barely warm.  In the bowl of  a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.  Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream.  Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended.  If frosting is too thick, add cream or milk to get the proper spreading consistency.

To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a cake board or serving platter.  Spread an even layer of the frosting over the top of the cake.  Top with the second cake layer.  Frost the top and sides.  You can do a crumb coat and then refrigerate for 30 minutes before doing the final coat if you want, but I didn't find it necessary.  The cake wasn't crumby at all.  Use an offset spatula or spoon to get a soft, billowy appearance if desired.

Note: I stored this cake at room temperature and it was fine.....but you might choose to refrigerate it.  I would recommend letting it come to room temperature before serving it, though. 

Snickers Peanut Butter Pie

Happy Pi Day!

To tell you the truth, I'm definitely not a math geek.  

But I like any excuse to make pie, especially since we don't eat it nearly often enough for my preference around here.  

To tell another truth, I'm terrible at making pie crust.  Maybe because I refuse to use shortening - it's all butter around here - maybe my technique is all wrong - I don't know....but I can follow directions exactly and my crusts never turn out good.  So these are store-bought.  And I'm not sorry.  

Okay, so if you wanna know a little more about me, keep reading.....if not, just skip to the recipe at the end, and believe me, you'll want it.  

Many years ago, like almost 14 years ago, *gulp* I graduated from college, with a degree in therapeutic recreation.  (3 cheers if you have any clue what that is) 

Side note: I am the middle of five children.  All of us have college diplomas, and not a one of us got a job related to what we studied. How do you like those stats?  Raise your hand if you actually do (or did before having kids) have a job that correlates to your degree.  

So after graduation, my older sister and I moved to Nashville and I got a job at a alternative school as an associate teacher/counselor (in other words, I made $20,000 a year.)  I was desperate for something.  Those pesky bills weren't going away.  In case you aren't familiar with alternative schools, this particular one was for kids who had been kicked out of the metro school system and additionally had some sort of special needs (some were genuine disabilities or disorders, others were just the results of poor family situations.)

It was a K-12 school with about 150 students with severe behavior problems.  

It was a difficult job, to say the least.  

In my first couple of days there, another teacher (older black male) commented, "You'll never make it here a month."

"Why?" I retorted defensively.

Nonchalantly he replied, "You're young, you're white, and you're female."

Well, he was right about me wanting to leave, probably within the week, but I think because I wanted to prove him wrong (and those pesky bills), I stuck it out for two years. 

Oh, the stories I would tell my sister at the end of the day.  She couldn't believe I would go back for more. 

Some days were really good, actually.  On those days I would go home with no new bruises.  

There were some truly rewarding encounters, some good relationships built, but overall I think the stress level would have done me in if I had stayed longer.  Thank goodness I got married and moved an hour away!

Anyways, I mention all of that because the recipe for the bottom portion of this pie came from my boss at that school, the lady who had founded it with her husband.  She would make a couple of these "Fudge Pies" for every work potluck and they would be gone in minutes.  Staff members would be fighting over them, hiding pieces in their desks, etc.  It was pretty funny.  

I love it too.....it's absolutely delicious by itself.....but in honor of Pi Day, I decided to take it up a notch and make it into this Snickers Pie, which I saw on Crazy for Crust awhile back.  

Unfortunately for me and the kids, the pies went with Grant to work for a potluck. We only sampled a piece last night.  It was amazing.  

Slightly gooey chocolaty brownie bottom, a rich peanut buttery nougat, caramel and peanuts, a chocolate drizzle, and Snickers bars for garnish.  Just in case you didn't have enough sweet in there.  

I took the nougat recipe called for in the original pie and divided it between two pies, which I thought worked out just fine. If you want it lots of nougat, double the amount of marshmallow fluff and peanut butter.  I also decreased the amount of peanuts on the top and made my own chocolate drizzle, although you could certainly just use store bought hot fudge sauce.   

Snickers Peanut Butter Pie 

(adapted slightly from Crazy for Crust)

1 pie crust

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp salt (omit if you used salted butter)

Filling and Topping:

1/2 of a 7 oz. jar marshmallow fluff 

1/2 cup peanut butter

17 caramels, unwrapped

2 Tbs. milk

3/4 cup to 1 cup peanuts

3 Tbs. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted with 1 Tbs. cream OR 2 Tbs. hot fudge sauce

3 Fun Size Snickers bars, cut into fourths

Preheat oven to 325°.  

Stir melted butter, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, vanilla, and eggs together.  Add salt if using.  Pour over unbaked crust.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until set. 

Cool completely before topping.

Stir together peanut butter and marshmallow fluff in a large bowl.  Spread evenly over brownie layer.

Place caramels and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir often until melted and smooth. Remove from heat, stir in the peanuts, and spread over the fluff mixture.

Melt chocolate chips with cream and stir until smooth.  Place in a ziploc bag and snip a corner off, then drizzle over the pie.  

Place sliced Snickers bars around the edge for decoration. 

Store and serve pie at room temperature. 

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cheesecake

You know the old saying, "Better late than never"?  

So totally applies here. Nearly three months has passed since we indulged in this incredible cheesecake.    

This was the dessert I made for Christmas Eve......and I made a second one as a Christmas gift for my brother and his girlfriend.  

However, I think that peppermint is a perfectly acceptable flavor all year round, and I refuse to wait till next Christmas season to share this recipe.  

It certainly takes several steps and requires at least a couple of days to make, since you have to make the peppermint bark a day before making the cheesecake.  (Well, I suppose you could toss the bark in the freezer to firm up faster, so you could rush the process, but it doesn't hurt to plan ahead. )

But it is definitely worth the wait.  

Here's the breakdown:

Creamy white chocolate cheesecake on an Oreo crust, studded with chunks of white and dark chocolate peppermint bark, topped with a luscious white chocolate mousse, and garnished with those scrumptious little Andes peppermint baking bits (or peppermint candies if you prefer).  

Yep.  Pretty hard to resist.  And a perfectly festive finale to a Christmas Eve dinner, or a Christmas dinner, or a Tuesday night dinner.  Just sayin'.

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cheesecake 

(adapted slightly from Baked by Rachel)

Peppermint Bark: 

4 oz milk or dark chocolate

4 oz white chocolate

1 tsp. oil, divided

1/4 tsp peppermint extract, divided

Crushed candy canes or peppermint candies, powder removed

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. 

Prepare candy canes by unwrapping and tossing in a ziplock bag.  Smash with a meat tenderizer, rolling pin, or other heavy object.  Don't pulverize the candy, but don't leave any huge chunks either.  Place in a fine-mesh strainer and shake gently (over the sink or garbage) to remove the dust.  

In a medium sized bowl, place milk or dark chocolate and 1/2 tsp. oil.  Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals at 50% power.  Stir well after each 30 seconds.  When fully melted, add 1/8 tsp. peppermint extract. Stir well.  Spread out evenly on prepared pan.  Sprinkle with crushed candies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chocolate has set.  

Repeat process with white chocolate.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Crust:

2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (or 22 regular Oreos with filling - not double stuffed)

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Filling:

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

4 oz. white chocolate, melted (I used a Ghirradeli bar)

1-1/2 Tbsp. flour

1-1/2 Tbsp. heavy cream

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. peppermint extract

3 eggs

Peppermint Bark Recipe, broken into chunks 

Mousse:

1/4 cup heavy cream, chilled

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 oz. white chocolate, melted

1-1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Peppermint pieces, Andes peppermint baking bits, or shaved chocolate for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°.  In a blender or food processor, blend cookies until they're fine crumbs. Stir together with melted butter.  Press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Set aside.

Reduce oven temp. to 325°.  

Cut up peppermint bark into small pieces.  Set aside

Melt 4 oz. white chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler.  Stir until smooth.  

In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and mix well.  Scrape bowl well prior to each new addition and as needed.  Add melted chocolate, flour, heavy cream, salt, and peppermint extract.  Mix well.  On medium/low speed, add one egg at a time.  Mix until smooth, but don't overbeat. 

Stir in peppermint bark pieces by hand. 

Pour filling into crust and bake at 325°F. for 1 hour.  Turn off the oven.  Keeping the door shut, leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional 45 minutes.  Remove and allow to sit for at least 1 hour before chilling.

Chill 4 hours or overnight before adding the mousse.  

To make the mousse, begin by making whipped cream. Pour the heavy cream in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  

In another medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese, melted white chocolate, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in whipped cream until fully incorporated. 

Carefully remove the side of springform pan.  Spread mousse mixture evenly over cheesecake. Chill for at least a couple of hours before serving.  

Serve slices with Andes peppermint baking bits or crushed peppermint candies and chocolate shavings if desired.

Store covered in the refrigerator.