Ghirardelli Chocolate Brownies with Peppermint Bark

Now these are good peppermint bark brownies. Those other ones I tried are nowhere near as good. These are fudgy and delicious. And these are definitely best when kept cold. Yum.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Brownies with Peppermint Bark
Courtesy of Ghirardelli



1 1/2 cup(s) 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (12 tablespoons)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup(s) sugar
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
8 Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares, chopped into large chunks (for the brownies)
18 Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares, broken in to large chunks (about 8 pieces per square) (for the finishing)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with foil and grease with pan spray. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a gentle simmer. Put the 60% chips and butter in a heatproof bowl and set it over (but not touching) the simmering water. Stir the mixture with a rubber spatula until the better is melted and both ingredients are completely combined. Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the warm water. Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture and whisk together gently. With a spatula, fold in the flour. Immediately pour ½ the mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread it evenly. Next, sprinkle the chopped peppermint bark over the batter and then pour the remaining batter over this. Spread evenly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. The center should be fudgy but not dry. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Place Peppermint Bark chunks on top of warm brownies and allow them to soften for 1 minute. Using a spatula, gently swirl the melting Peppermint Bark to create swirls of melted chocolate. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Trim the 4 edges of the brownies by ¼ inch. And cut into 18 squares.

Chewy Candy Cookies

I wanted to take the mounds of Halloween candy we have in the house right now and make something a bit more interesting out of it... And I'm a big fan of these kinds of cookies, so here's my version. It has certainly curbed any desire whatsoever to dip into the remaining candy in our pantry. The cookies themselves are wonderfully chewy and delicious, and the candy adds a lovely addition of sweetness and flavor. I will happily make these cookies, post-Halloween and other times when these candies pop up in my life, for years to come.

Chewy Candy Cookies
A variation on this recipe from Fun and Food Blog



2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup combination of M&M’s and Reese's Pieces, divided

Heat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and keep ready.

Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well.

Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in 2/3 cup candy. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet, leaving enough space in between to let them expand. Press 4-5 of remaining candy on each cookie before baking.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly, then remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool completely on the wire rack. Eat a few immediately, storing others in air-tight containers for later.

Pumpkin Cake Pops

I made these for Jillie's preschool Halloween party. While they are cute, fun, and very tasty, they were a pain in the butt to make, so I'm not sure I'll do it again. I didn't have nearly enough candy melts to coat all of the pops, so I have a bunch of naked cake balls in my fridge (that sounds so very wrong). There was also no way I could dip the cake balls in the candy coating without having them completely fall apart. So I ended up having to carefully spread on the coating. Which was a pain. in. the. butt.

However... In making this pain in the butt treat... I have discovered the tastiest pumpkin cake and chocolate frosting I've ever had in my life. I may not make these cake pops again, but I will happily make the cake and frosting, either together or separately, over and over in the future. Scrumptious!

Pumpkin Sheet Cake
A variation on this recipe from allrecipes.com

1 (15-ounce) can canned pumpkin puree
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, 2 cups white sugar, and oil. Add eggs, and mix well.
In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, and beat until well blended. Pour batter into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool.

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Creamy Chocolate Frosting
Courtesy of allrecipes.com

2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa, and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with evaporated milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.

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Pumpkin Cake Pops
Courtesy of Elizabeth LaBau, About.com Guide



One 9 x 13 cake, any flavor
One can (16-ounce) prepared frosting, any flavor
1 pound orange candy coating
About 48 lollipop sticks
Food-safe markers, gel icing, or 2 tablespoons chocolate chips

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil or waxed paper.

Place the cake in a large bowl, and crumble it roughly with your hands. Once it's in fine crumbs, add about 2/3 of the frosting and begin to mix it with your hands into the cake crumbs, working until the mixture is evenly moistened. You want the cake mixture to easily hold together when you press it into a ball, but still retain a little texture. My personal preference is to have some “crumb” left to the crumb, so that it is not just a gooey ball. Of course, tastes vary, so if it seems as if the cake mixture is too dry, or you like a gooier taste, add more frosting until you're happy with the taste and texture.

Using a cookie scoop or teaspoon, form the mixture into small balls. Roll the balls between your palms to round them, then press them down slightly so that they're squat balls, similar to a pumpkin shape. Once all of the pumpkins are formed, place them on the prepared baking sheet and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour.

After the pumpkin cake pops have been frozen, remove them from the freezer. Melt the candy coating in the microwave and stir until completely smooth.

Use a skewer to poke a hole in the top of a pumpkin, then dip the tip of a lollipop stick in the candy coating and press it into the hole. This will help anchor the stick into the cake pop.

After all of the pumpkins have been skewered, dip a pumpkin fully into the candy coating until it's submerged. Take it out of the coating and gently tap the stick against the lip of the bowl so that excess coating drips off. Sit the pumpkin back on the baking sheet with the stick up in the air and let the coating set completely.

Once all of the pumpkins are dipped and the coating has hardened, melt chocolate chips and put the melted chocolate in a plastic bag. Snip a corner off the bag and use it to pipe on their eyes and mouths. An easier alternative is to use a food-safe marker to draw faces on the pumpkins.

Store pumpkin cake pops in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. For the best taste and texture, allow them to come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.

Christmas Chocolate Bark

This was a tasty addition to this year's holiday baking. Some of my layers of chocolate came apart when I was cutting up the bark, and my M&Ms had a very hard time staying put, but the pieces that had all the elements were well worth the work. I'm going to give this batch away as Christmas presents, and I'm thinking another batch will be in order for the friends we'll be seeing the week between Christmas and New Year's. I have some candy bowls to fill...

Christmas Chocolate Bark
Courtesy of BakedBree.com



1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate chips
2 cups Rice Krispies
Candy canes, crushed
Red and green M&Ms

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. Spread it out on a parchment lined baking sheet in a thin layer. Sprinkle the top with Rice Krispies. Put the bark in the fridge to set up.

Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. Pour the white chocolate over the chilled semi-sweet chocolate layer and spread it out. Sprinkle M&Ms and crushed candy canes on top. Put it back in the fridge until it sets up and hardens, about 30 to 45 minutes. Break apart the chocolate bark. You can either do this by hand, or you can use a sharp knife and cut it into squares.

Vanilla Fudge

I'm very proud to have successfully made fudge. Especially since it was a totally out of the blue thing.

Vanilla Fudge
Courtesy of Food.com

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
Walnut pieces (optional)

Butter sides of heavy 2 quart saucepan.

In saucepan, combine sugar, milks, and salt. Cook and stir over medium-high heat to boiling. Clip on candy thermometer and cook and stir over medium-low heat to 238°F, soft ball stage.

Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, DO NOT STIR. Cool to 110°F.

Remove thermometer. Beat with wooden spoon till fudge becomes thick and starts to lose its gloss. Pour into a buttered 8-inch pan. Score into squares. If desired, top each square with with a piece of nut.

Chocolate Fudge

I'm not a huge chocolate fudge fan (which is why I also made vanilla fudge), but I know other people are, and since we're having people over a lot over the next few days due to the holidays, I gave this a shot. It was totally a spur of the moment thing though, so I didn't add the vanilla because I had run out. And I forgot to add the salt. But it still tastes good. So woohoo.

Chocolate Fudge
Courtesy of JoyofBaking.com

2 cups granulated white sugar
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2/3 cup half-and-half (or light cream)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x8x2 inch pan with about 1 tablespoon of room temperature unsalted butter. Set aside.

In a heavy 2 1/2 - 3 quart saucepan, place the sugar, chocolate, light corn syrup, and half-and-half. Over medium-low heat stir the ingredients, with a wooden spoon, until it comes to a boil. Cover the pan with a lid for about 2-3 minutes to allow the sides of the pan to wash themselves down and dissolve any sugar crystals. Remove lid and clamp a candy thermometer onto the side of the saucepan and, making sure it does not touch the bottom of the pan, boil the mixture gently (adjust the heat as necessary) until the temperature reaches the soft ball stage (236°F). Do not stir or shake. (Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water if any granules form.)

Remove from heat and drop the 2 tablespoons of butter on top of the fudge, but do not stir the butter into the fudge. Allow the fudge to cool to lukewarm (110°F). Remove the thermometer and add the vanilla extract and salt. Beat the fudge (you can do this by hand with a wooden spoon or with an electric hand mixer) until it begins to lose its shine and is nice and creamy. Pour into the prepared pan and let cool for several hours before cutting into squares.

Store and serve at room temperature.

Makes one 8x8 inch pan of fudge.

Truffle Pops

I have to be honest that I didn't try these... Everyone else liked them so much that I didn't get a chance to nab one. From what I could gather, they're quite rich, but that was to be expected. I enjoyed adding all of the different toppings and felt like the addition of the lollipop sticks helped make them easier to eat and more attractive for plating.

Truffle Pops
Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis



Ganache:
8 ounces (1 1/2 cups) bittersweet (60 percent cacao) chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups (12 ounces) bittersweet (60 percent cacao) chocolate chips

Toppings:
Finely chopped nuts, such as pistachios or walnuts
Mini-chocolate chips
Milk chocolate-toffee candy bars, such as Heath or Skor, finely chopped

For the ganache: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium stainless steel or glass bowl, combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, about 6 minutes. Whisk in the cinnamon. Refrigerate the ganache until very firm, about 2 hours. Using a 1-ounce cookie scoop or a round tablespoon measure, scoop the ganache into 18 (1-inch) round pieces and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Working quickly, with dry hands, roll the mixture into balls. Put a pop stick into each ball and freeze, stick side up, until firm, about 30 minutes.

Add the 2 cups of chocolate chips to a medium stainless steel or glass bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted, about 4 minutes.

Put the chopped nuts, mini-chocolate chips and chopped candy bars in 3 small bowls.

Dip the pops in the melted chocolate, allowing the excess chocolate to drip off, and then dip into the toppings until coated. Arrange the pops, stick side up, on the baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until the chocolate has set. Let the pops stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Store the pops, refrigerated, in an airtight container.

Cook's Note: If the scooped ganache is too sticky to roll into balls, put the pan in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to harden.

Peanut Butter Cups

This was my first attempt at peanut butter cups, and I think it was, overall, a successful experience. I used dark chocolate instead of milk, since that is what I prefer. And the filling is definitely much more goopy than the peanut butter cup filling that we're all used to. Despite the differences, they were mighty tasty. And were definitely better the longer they sat in the fridge. I will be trying another recipe when I make them again closer to Christmas, but I'm glad to know that I have this one if the other one falls flat.

Peanut Butter Cups
A variation on this recipe by Rachael Ray

8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup honey

Place baking liners in a mini muffin tin. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Reserve the pot of hot water to keep the chocolate liquid, as necessary.

Place about 2 teaspoons of the melted chocolate in a baking cup, swirling to coat about halfway up the side of the cup. Repeat with the remaining cups. Refrigerate until set.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the peanut butter and honey. Transfer the mixture to a resealable plastic bag and snip off one corner.

Fill the chocolate cups about three-quarters full with the peanut butter mixture, smoothing the surface. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Top each peanut butter cup with melted chocolate to enclose, smoothing the surface. Refrigerate until hardened. To serve, remove the candies from the baking liners.

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Terrine

SO tasty and delicious. And super easy to make. It's especially tasty with the dark chocolate peanut butter cups. YUM!

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Terrine
Courtesy of Real Simple

3 pints vanilla ice cream, softened, divided
20 mini peanut butter cups, chopped
3/4 cup pretzels, broken

Line a loaf pan with parchment, leaving an overhang. Press half of softened vanilla ice cream into the pan, top with peanut butter cups, remaining vanilla ice cream, and broken pretzels. Freeze until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

To serve, remove from pan and slice.

Salted Caramels

That's it. I've done it. I've made it so that Jonathan will never buy me candy again. These are awesome. And ridiculously easy. A candy thermometer is essential, but honestly, it was easier than I ever thought it could be.

I didn't use fleur de sel because I didn't feel like spending a whole ton of money on salt. But kosher salt worked fabulously.

Also, the original recipe on FoodNetwork.com is incorrect, as many of the reviewers note. I used the revised version that's used on the episode that has Ina making the caramels, and it worked. Enjoy these!!

Salted Caramels
A variation on this recipe by Ina Garten



1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fleur de sel (or kosher salt), plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan (or loaf pan) with parchment paper, then brush the paper lightly with oil, allowing the paper to drape over 2 sides.

In a deep saucepan (6 inches diameter by 4 1/2 inches deep) combine the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil until the caramel is a warm golden brown color. Don't stir - just swirl the pan to mix. Watch carefully, as it will burn quickly at the end!

In the meantime, bring the cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a small pan over medium heat. Remove from the heat, set aside and keep warm.

When the caramelized sugar is the right color, slowly add the cream mixture to the caramel - it will boil up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer. Very carefully (it's hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate until firm.

When the caramels are cool, use the parchment paper to pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Starting at 1 end, roll the caramel up tightly until you've rolled up half of the sheet. Cut the sheet across and then roll the second half tightly. You will have 2 (1 by 8-inch) logs. Sprinkle both logs lightly with salt, cut each log in 8 pieces. Cut parchment papers in 6 by 4 1/2-inch squares and wrap each caramel in a paper, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator or at room temperature.