Pumpkin Bombe

Just wanted to post this picture of something fun and tasty. The pumpkin recipe is my own, the cake recipe is not. And cake will work here, but the quinoa cake is perfect. It's rich, moist, and sturdy. 

Start with the bombe pan, I got mine on Amazon. Coat them with a layer of chocolate. Once it is set up, coat them with a second layer. Once they are totally first fill them with

Pumpkin chiffon

I made a little wellin the pumpkin and filled it with caramel. 

I baked a thin layer of the chocolate quinoa cake from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and used a cookie cutter to put it in to the right size to fit in the bottom. 

Then chill again to make sure the shell is firm to remove from the pan. 

I tried to remove them with the flat side up at first and stretch the pan away from it to loosen and I ended up cracking the chocolate. I found it was easier to have the flat side down and peel the pan away from the chocolate. Mine were stick from the caramel so I put them in muffin liners.

Candy Easter Eggs

Our first guest recipe from fellow blogger Cecilotta. 

And a picture to help put things into perspective. 

If we were really lucky at Easter-time our mom would make these eggs for us. They are fun to give away, and especially fun to eat, and they look nice on the table while drooling children wait to slice them.

While a little time consuming to make, they really are not hard at all and well worth the effort. Especially if you have people in your house with allergies, you can make sure these are safe to eat.

With Easter only a little over a month now is a great time to start getting ideas together to celebrate.

4 c. white sugar

1 c. corn syrup

1 c. water

1/3 c. - 3 oz (about 3) egg white

(Make sure there isn't ANY yolk in the white or they wont beat right)

Orange - Peanut Butter - 1 c. creamy peanut butter

Blue - Chocolate Nut - 3/4 c. dark chocolate melted + 1 c. walnuts, chopped

White - Coconut - 1 c. flaked coconut
1/4 - 1/4 c. melted white chocolate
Splash of coconut extract

Yellow - Maple Nut - 1 Tbsp. real maple extract + 1 c. walnuts, chopped

Pink - Fruit and Nut - 1 c. candied fruit + 1 c. walnuts

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook syrup to 261. Remove from heat, let stand until bubbles stop.

Meanwhile beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Slowly add, in a thin stream, sugar syrup and beat until gloss is gone. Fold in desired flavor. Shape into eggs, you can make them small or large. Let cool, chill.

Coat with chocolate by dipping the egg into melted chocolate and use your hands to coat. Place on a tray lined with wax paper, place a confection flower in to top to indicate what flavor it is. Let set up at room temperature and then chill to firm.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies are perfectly soft and chewy, and the first cookie I have ever had that is fantastic right out of the oven but ever better the next day.

Adapted from Apple a Day

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

4 c. flour

4 tsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 (10 oz) bag peanut butter chips

1 (12 oz) bag chocolate chips

Beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the brown and granulated sugar and continue beating until light. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, cornstarch baking soda, and salt. Beat into the butter and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Beat in both bags of chips. 

Shape dough into 1 inch balls, flatten slightly, place on a baking tray and bake at 350 for 8 - 10 minutes. (They wont be browned on the top) Let sit on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. They are very soft when they first come out of the oven but they are cooked. 

Makes 8 dozen cookies

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Form the dough into balls, flatten slightly, and freeze until solid in a single layer on a baking sheet. When the dough balls are solid store in a plastic freezer bag. To use, let the dough thaw for 15 minutes then bake at 350 for 15 - 18 minutes

Chocolate Cake

2 c. sugar

1 c. cake flour

1 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 c. half-an-half

1 stick butter melted

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 c. boiling water

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the eggs, half-an-half, butter, and vanilla and then mix to combine everything. Do not start mixing until all the wet ingredients are in the bowl. 

Slowly drizzle in the boiling water and mix until combines.

Pour batter (it will be thin) into 2 greased 9-in cake pans and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Cook on a wire rack. 

Frost as desired. I like white chocolate cream cheese frosting.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

20 oz. (2 1/2 pkg. ) cream cheese

6 - 10 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

6 oz. white chocolate

1/4 c. heavy cream

In a large saucepan combine the white chocolate and cream over medium heat, stirring constantly until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and then 2 cups of powdered sugar. Beat in 2 more cups of sugar and then the cooled white chocolate mix. 

Continue beating in powdered sugar until the frosting is stiff enough to hold its shape. 

This makes enough to fill and frost a 3-layer 9 inch cake.

English Toffee

This candy is not hard to make, just make sure you set all the ingredients out first and it goes smoother. A problem we have had is altitude, right at sea level we cook it until 285, higher up on the western side of Virginia we cooked it until 288, in Utah we couldn't make it at all without the butter separating, you can fix that with corn syrup but then that's what it tastes like and flavor wise it ruins the candy. 

1 lb salted butter, room temperature

2 c. white sugar

1 c. slivered almonds

1 c. chocolate chips

1 - 2 c. pecan meal

1 heavy, flat bottom pot

1 rubber spoon, that can withstand 500*

1 candy thermometer

1 large metal cookie sheet

In the large flat bottom pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar and stir to mix. Keep stirring over medium heat, making sure to scrape the bottom well. The mixture will bubble a lot but you don't want it to be a heavy boil. Keep boiling and stirring until the mixture reaches 285 on your candy thermometer. Dump in the nuts and remove from heat. Stir in the nuts and immediately pour onto your cookie sheet. Spread the candy to your desired thickness. When the candy is set a little bit but still hot, sprinkle with the chocolate chips and let sit a few minutes until they melt; when the chocolate is melted spread it on top to cover and sprinkle with the pecan meal. Let sit until the chocolate is set. Sprinkle off the extra pecans, break into pieces and enjoy.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

A special thanks to "Two peas and Their Pod" for this tasty recipe. The only thing I changed was instead of the mint chips I used Andes red and white Peppermint crunch baking chips to make them more festive looking. The mint chips would also be good, as would regular chocolate, walnuts, or peanut butter chips. 

I was worried about several things with this recipe and they turned out just fine. 

First was no eggs. Don't worry about it, they turn out fine.  

Second I was worried about pulling them out of the oven before they looked done, but again don't worry, they set up just fine.

2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 c. cocoa powder 

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2/3 c milk

2 bags Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips

Beat the butter until light. Beat in both sugar until well mixed and add the vanilla. Beat in the baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Mix well and beat in the milk. Then mix in the flour, when well mixed add the baking chips.

Let the dough chill for 15 minutes before baking. Cover your baking sheet with parchment paper and shape into a 1 inch balls. Press flat a little bit so they aren't round, they don't spread.

Bake for 13 - 15 minutes at 325. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet. Remove to a cooling rack and enjoy. I baked my first batch for only 12 minutes and they didn't look done when they came out but once they cooled they where like brownies. 

Makes about 5 - 6 dozen fairly large cookies

Chocolate-Caramel-Bacon Bark SRC

It's the Secret Recipe Club reveal today! And as I perusing my assigned blog, Cheap Ethnic Eatz, I ran across a post entitled "Bacon Chocolate Bar". 

I knew I was done looking. 

Well not done looking, I don't think I will ever been done looking, she has tons of great looking recipes and is adding more, maybe even working on a cookbook, but I knew I had found my test recipe. I had to make two changes though. I wanted to add caramel, and I wanted the bacon to show, so that people who might not be appreciative of the flavor combination would not touch my candy.

I used dark chocolate in this recipe but I think milk would be really good too, and since the chocolate flavor isnt as strong as with dark the bacon would stand out more. With the caramel sauce you want one that is thick at room temperature so it doesn't run out of the candy when you cut it.

This was my first time baking bacon, and it turned out perfect. I just put it on a metal tray and baked at 400 for 10 - 15 minutes until crispy and then drain on a paper towel.

1 bag chocolate chips

2 - 3 Tbsp. caramel sauce

6 strips bacon, cooked until crispy and then crumbled

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. If using the microwave, only melt until most of the chips are soft and stir to melt the rest of the chocolate.

Spread half of the chocolate on wax paper into a 6 to 8 inch circle. Drizzle with the caramel sauce and stick in the freezer until the chocolate is set and the caramel is thick, about 15 minutes. I actually did that while cooking the bacon. 

When the chocolate and caramel are firm, spread the remaining chocolate on top and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon. Return to the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Remove and chop off pieces as you want to eat them, the caramel gets soft and runs out if you cut it all at once. This is good for about 2 days afterwards due to the bacon getting soggy if you leave it. 

But why would it last that long?

Chocolate Cream-Cheese Swiss Buttercream

 I consider Swiss Buttercream to be one of the best frostings out there, it's light and silky. The added cream cheese and chocolate just made it all that much better.

3 egg whites

3/4 c. white sugar

9 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 (8 oz) pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cook the chocolate chips in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. If its not mostly melted cook another minute, repeating until melted. Don't cook until completely melted, you can get the last of the lumps out by stirring it. On that note, stir the chocolate until the lumps are out. Place in the refrigerator to cool, removing every few minutes to stir. Leave in the fridge until the chocolate is no longer hot but not solid either. Around room temperature.

Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in a large bowl. 

Place in a pan over water and cook, 

whisking, until the egg whites reach 160. 

Place the bowl on a towel to dry the water and

prevent water from falling into the mixing bowl.

Pour the egg white into a mixing bowl, 

beat on high until doubled in size, opaque white, 

and the sides of the bowl are no longer warm.

Drop the butter in, one tablespoon at a time. 

Then drop in the cream cheese and beat until it is

of spreadable consistency again.

Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate, 

scrape the bowl and beat until smooth.

I used this to filled and frost a three layer 8-inch 

cake and even had about 3/4 c. frosting left over.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I love chocolate chip cookies. I mean who doesn't? But I hate dropping them into cookies, baking, cooking, lifting them off the tray, trying not to eat them all as they come out of the oven, and then shaping more for the next tray. It's all a hassle. So that's why I like cookie bars. You dump them all in the pan, spread it out and bake. It's even better if someone else makes them for you.

These are perfectly crumbly without being dry and hard, and chewy without sticking to your teeth and being too gluey. Thats cause of the addition of cor syrup. I know what you are thinking, "CORN SYRUP??? Do you know how bad that stuff is for you??" But come one people, it's a dessert!! It's not going to be good for you no matter WHAT you do to it. So add a little, it makes them perfect. The recipe looks really familiar to me, I think it might be the Neslte chocolate chip cookie recipe with corn syrup added baked in bar form.

2 1/4 c. all- purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. corn syrup
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (12 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup oats (or nuts)

Cream together the butter and corn syrup. Next beat in the white sugar and the brown sugar. Then add the eggs and vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat into the butter mixture.

When combined beat in the chocolate chips and oats. Dump into a 11x13 casserole dish and spread out so it's even. Bake at 375 for 20 - 25 minutes.

They are darker in color than a chocolate chip cookie, I thought they were burned, or at the very least going to be too dry to eat. Not so! Just take it from me but don't ask how I know, eating half the pan in one sitting will give you a stomach ache. 

S'more Cake

1 (9x13) baked chocolate cake or brownies, marble cake might be nice

2 c. mini marshmallows

2 c. chocolate chips

1 c. Graham crackers, crushed

Combine the marshmallows, chocolate chips, and graham crackers.

Immedietly after you take the cake out of the oven top with the marshmallow and chocolate mixture. Let sit for 30 minutes, until the cake is starting to cool and you can touch the pan with your hands.

Position an oven rack on the second to top notch. 

Place the pan under the broiler and broil for a few seconds until the marshmallows are golden. Watch this very carefully, it only takes a few seconds to cook, and just a few seconds longer to burn.

I think this would be really tasty if you mixed just marshmallows and graham crackers and them added small dollops of hot fudge around the cake before broiling so the chocolate stays gooey.


You could also try and make this more interesting looking by making it as cupcakes or individual brownies, topping with ganache and pipe marshmallow cream swirls on top.

Peanut Butter Silk Cups

Today is my 8th anniversary. While we were on our date last weekend I picked up come chocolate cups without any real thought as to what I was going to fill them with yet, just that I though they would be fun yet simple. And while with peanut butter I can take it or leave it, my hubby on the other hand LOVES the stuff. So that's what I settled on

1 batch swiss buttercream
I used 2 egg whites and 1/2 c. sugar, basically the smallest recipe, doubled.

Once you have made the Swiss buttercream, beat in

1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
generous pinch salt

Taste the stuff before you add the salt. I found it cloying, thats why I added a little, if you like it like that leave it out.

Then using a large star tip I piped it into chocolate cups. Or you could use it to fill cakes or crepes or frost cupcakes. My kids are currently eating it with a spoon.





And I'm gonna send them over to Cast Party Wednesday, cause linking parties are fun

And to Double takes Peanut Butter Challenge

Chocolate Popcorn

My husband makes this treat for us all the time. Its so simple and very tasty all at once. Todays version was the original plain chocolate.

First take some freshly popped popcorn without anything anything on it

And melt some chocolate.

Then combine the two by tossing it.

Start with less chocolate than you think, you dont want it saturated, just lightly coated. Besides, you can always add more

Then experiment. Its great with mint chips, white chocolate, toffee pieces, peanut butter chips. Create your own flavor combination's. Then stick it in the freezer to let the chocolate and enjoy.

It's fun to give as gifts. Spread it flat on a cookie sheet until it's set, then put it in a cute cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon.

Pumpkin and Lots of Other Stuff Muffins

Apples are great in this, as is the chocolate, I just don't like the two flavors together so I do one or the other. Raisins, coconut or nuts would also be great in the batter.

I really recommend the almond milk for these, it really makes a difference, but if you dont want to use it milk subs great. Because the milk I originally made these with was sweetend vanilla almond milk if you don't use it add 1/3 cup white sugar or 2 Tbsp agave and a tsp of vanilla extract.

Don't chop the chocolate too fine, large chucks are great in these muffins


Pumpkin and Stuff Muffins

2 c. flour
1 c. packed brown sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt (scant)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 egg, lightly beaten
1 can pumpkin
1/2 c. sweetened vanilla almond milk (regular works fine too just add an additional 1/3 c. white sugar)
1/2 c. canola oil
1 c. old-fashioned oats
1 large carrot, grated
6 oz. dark chocolate, chopped OR 1 apple peeled and grated

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine the egg, pumpkin, milk and oil; add to the dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in oats and carrots. Stir in chocolate.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Super Tasty Caramel Chocolate Slush

I very strongly recommend the Da Vinci brand caramel syrup. You can usually find it at Sams club in the coffee isle.

Torrani brand caramel tastes like windex, so I don't use it, though their fruit flavors are really good.

Monin brand caramel syrup tastes like brown sugar, more a penuche than caramel. It's still good, just different, you need more of it, it's not as strong

Stirling brand is well, bland. And way over priced.

1/4 c. cocoa powder
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. water

2 c. ice cubes
1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. caramel syrup

Whisk together the chocolate and sugar. Add the water and simmer until smooth. Chill

Blend together the cream, and remaining sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add the ice and pulse until ice us all crushed. Add chilled chocolate syrup and caramel syrup.

Bon appetit!

Icebox Cake

Start with

1 pkg. Nabisco Chocolate wafer cookies
Whipped cream, sweetened and flavored with vanilla

Ice one side of a wafer with a fairly generous amount of whipped cream. Top with another wafer

When done ice the entire thing with whipped cream. Let chill 8 hours. Slice on a diagonal so you see the layers.

Or you can check out Smitten Kitchens recipe for making your own wafer cookies from scratch. I haven't tried it, but I have a lot of faith in Deb over at Smitten Kitchen so I am pretty certain they are good.

I tired this with Annas brand chocolate mint cookie thins, and while I like the mint, the cookies get really soft really fast and instead of being like soft cake they just get soggy.

I found a more elegant way to serve this, here (scroll almost to the bottom)