I'm so glad the weekend is upon us! I've still got to work tomorrow, but I've got Sunday and Monday off, so it's not too bad.
Any plans for the weekend? We're probably going to be lazy - I know I'm going to be catching up on some sleep!
Anyway, I thought I would end the week with a sweet treat! It won the last bi-weekly poll and was a winner in our house too! The original recipe had some Caramel Frosting to go with it - but I wasn't in the mood to fool with frosting and just kept them simple with some chocolate ganache and toffee bits.
And don't forget to vote in this week's bi-weekly poll - I'm obviously in the mood for something chocolately!
1 cup flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons hot coffee
1/2 cup Heath toffee bits
Chocolate Ganache:
2/3 cups dark chocolate 2 tablespoons whole milk
In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for one minute. Stir in hot coffee.
Beat for 20-30 seconds until the batter is smooth. The batter will be slightly on the thin side.
Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Divide the batter evenly among the liners. Bake 18-22 minutes just until a toothpick inserted into a few of the cupcakes comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack to cool completely.
To make the ganache, place the dark chocolate and milk in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds. Stir until combined and smooth (you can heat again in 15 second intervals if chocolate isn't completely melted).
Once cupcakes are cooled, dip the tops into the ganache and sprinkle desired amound of toffee bits on top!
These were delicious! So simple and just enough of that toffee crunch to bring these to another level! I think Andy had one of these for breakfast everyday for the past week - so we know he liked them!
One of my favorite parts of our wedding planning is the fact that we'll be having an ice cream bar. Yeah. Ice. Cream. Bar. Need I say more?
And the Comfy Cow here in town will be providing said ice cream bar. The Comfy Cow is known for it's unique flavors like Cookie Monster Dough (jam packed with cookies galore!), Cake Batter Up, Red Velvet (we both swear you can distinctly taste the cake AND icing separately, it's amazing), and Banana Nana Fofana.
But on a recent trip to the Cow, and after a recent blog search (and not to mention this was last week's poll winner), I was after one thing - Freshly Brewed Coffee. Ice Cream. This is definitely one of the best coffee flavored ice creams I've ever had, and I could totally eat the whole quart by myself... but I decided to share and put that sucker in an ice cream pie! So enjoy!
10 Oreos 10 Golden Oreos Pack of Chocolate Graham Crackers (about 10-12) 10 Grasshopper Cookies (they're the Keebler version of Thin Mints) 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
1 quart coffee-flavored ice cream
Chocolate Ganache Topping:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the oreos, golden oreos, graham crackers, and grasshopper cookies. Pulse until cookies are crumbled finely. Obviously, I was cleaning out all of the cookies from the pantry. Feel free to just stick with one cookie for the crust if you'd like, but I thought the crust was pretty awesome with all of the different types - or maybe I just had that Cookie Monster Dough ice cream on the brain and decided to implement it into the crust.
Add the melted butter to the cookies and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Pat the mixture into a 9 inch spring-form pan, going along the sides, as well.
Bake the crust for about 10 minutes or until slightly hard. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Then place in freezer for 30 minutes to harden up.
Meanwhile, remove ice cream from freezer and sit at room temperature to soften.
You can also make the ganache during this time, as well. Place heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir in tablespoon of butter until mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly.
Remove crust from freezer. Dump ice cream into a large bowl and stir until it becomes smooth and spreadable. Spread the ice cream on the chilled crust. Top with ganache and chill for at least 3 hours.
Andy and I both loved this pie! The jam-packed cookie crust went perfectly with the awesome coffee ice cream. And it's not just limited to coffee ice cream. The possibilities are endless with this one! As the days get hotter, this is the best way to end the day and cool off =)
Hope you guys have a great Wednesday and see you all tomorrow!
TGIF! You know how excited Fridays make me. I've just 8 hours of work to get through and then the weekend is mine to conquer!
And you didn't think I'd leave you empty-handed for Valentine's Day did you? Andy received these a week early, so he's been slowly munching on them. They've made him a very happy camper, let me tell you. He even almost threatened me, as I was taking a few of them to work! But I had to explain to him that I am the boss, especially since I made them. So I can choose who receives them! Hehe. He straightened up after that. =)
So browsing the internet last weekend, I came across Mary's, over at One Perfect Bite, recipe for a Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte. My mouth was drooling and I was faced with the decision of whether to make a large torte, like Mary's, or make miniature versions to share (and of course portion control!). It was obvious, I needed to miniaturize this beauty, and that's exactly what I did!
So whether you make these for your Valentine, yourself, or just the random guy/gal walking his/her dog down the street. I urge you. Make them. They will instantly brighten your mood, and are definitely not Valentine's Day specific. Chocolate and Peanut Butter are a combination deemed fitting for any day of the year!
Oh, and don't forget this week's poll at the bottom!
Ingredients: Adapted from One Perfect Bite's Recipe
For Crust:
1-2 packages chocolate graham crackers (about 10-15)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Start by making your crust. Preheat oven to 350 F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Add chocolate graham crackers to bowl of food processor and pulse until finely ground. In a small bowl, combine graham crackers, melted butter, and salt. Mix until the crumbs stick together nicely.
Press mixture into a thin layer covering bottom and sides of cupcake liners. Freeze crust for 10 minutes.
Bake for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before filling.
For the filling, place 1/2 cup of peanuts, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until peanuts and chips are in little pieces. Transfer mixture to a bowl and set aside.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, whip 2 cups of heavy cream until it holds medium peaks. Slowly add 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and whip until cream holds medium-firm peaks. Transfer whipped cream to fridge until needed.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar until cream cheese is smooth. Add in peanut butter, whole milk, and 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts and mix until well combined.
Gently fold in about 1/4 of whipped cream to lighten the mixture. Stir in chocolate chip & peanut mixture. Then slowly fold in remaining whipped cream.
Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full of filling. Refrigerate for about 3 hours, or until filling is set.
For chocolate ganache topping, carefully melt remaining chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals. When chocolate is melted, pour in heavy cream, and mix until combined with chocolate.
Pour chocolate over each mini tart and smoothing with a spoon, if desired. Chop remaining 1/2 cup of peanuts and scatter over top of tarts. Chill for at least 20 minutes, or until chocolate is set.
Then try to resist these. It's damn nearly impossible. Well... in our household anyway. Hope you guys have a great weekend, with whatever you do!
So what should I make Andy for Valentine's Day this weekend?
Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll last week! Only had 19, but hey, not bad for the first go! Right? So maybe I can convince more to vote after I've concocted up some good eats? Maybe?
Well, there was a tie! Chocolate and Almonds were at the top of the list in a tie! And instead of taking the easy way out, and making something that included both ingredients, I've decided to split it up and do two different things! Sound good?
And I figured you all wouldn't be upset if I rocked out the chocolate first? Would you? Trust me, you won't be disappointed with these babies!
shortening, for greasing
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 & 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup York peppermint candies, roughly chopped, plus extra for mixing in to batter
1 tablespoon peppermint schnapps
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a little overhang. Grease the foil with shortnening.
Melt 1 cup of the chocolate and all of the butter in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time until melted and smooth. Mine was melted in about 1 minute. Cool chocolate mixture for about, 5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt in large bowl. Stir in chocolate mixture, then add flour. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the whole york peppermint candies, if desired. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Bake brownies toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to cooling rack and let brownies cool completely.
Bring the heavy whipping cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and add remaining 1 cup of chocolate. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk in peppermint schnapps and stir until mixture is smooth. Pour chocolate ganache over brownies in the pan and spread to cover completely. Let ganache cool for about 15 minutes and then sprinkle on crushed York peppermint patty candies. Let sit in refrigerator for at least one hour before cutting.
Using the foil overhang as an aid, lift brownie sheet from pan. Fold down the foil edges. Using a large sharp knife, cut brownies into small individual pieces, wiping your knife with a hot, moist cloth after each cut. Arrange the brownies on a platter and serve (or keep them to yourself, as Andy suggested).
These were great! I brought them into work and everybody who tried one said they were pretty tasty! I love the layer of ganache on top of the brownie, too. It just gives it that extra something special! The only thing I regret is that the peppermint candies were white and blue, and someone commented at work today that I made Colts brownies... I almost didn't let that certain someone have a brownie. =) Hehe! Enjoy guys! And definitely be prepared for an awesome almond recipe in the next few days!
Yes, this day has finally come! I know some of you may not have thought I'd post this, but I promised you I would! Better late than never, right?
I even thought, at one point, that I had ruined this cake. I blame it on the short cat nap I took while the cake portion was in the oven. Thank goodness for internal time clocks, though!
I've convinced myself that I need to do more baking, and I thought you guys could help me out! Pretty please? So anyway, once or twice a month, (maybe more if I'm (or Andy) is feeling an extra sweet tooth) I'll have a poll up with ingredients. You choose the ingredient you'd most like to see in a dessert and I'll surprise you guys with a dessert the following week. Good deal, eh? You'll find this upcoming week's poll at the end of this post.
But first, we must talk about buckeye cake!
So who knows what a buckeye is? (:::Looking around:::) Okay, some of you. Well... let's get a little history lesson for those of you who don't know, maybe you do know, but just didn't know it was called a Buckeye?
Okay, well a Buckeye tree is native to Ohio and has these nuts on them, that well... look like a male deer's (also known as a buck) eye. So that's the nut up above.
Well, some creative dessert geniuses decided to make something even better, that resembled the look of a Buckeye nut. If you look at the picture above, it looks like peanut butter in the center and chocolate surrounding it, right? And that's exactly what a Buckeye is! Chocolate dipped peanut butter balls. And they're pretty much awesome.
So wouldn't it be even more awesome to turn this into a cake? Uhh... hell yeah it would! So thanks to a Nestle Tollhouse recipe, this creation actually exists!
Ingredients: Adapted from Nestle Tollhouse's Recipe
Cake Layer
2 eggs
1 & 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1/2 to 1 cup (depending on how chocolatey you want it!) unsweetened/dark chocolate, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
Peanut Butter Layer
3/4 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup powdered sugar
Chocolate Ganache Layer
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter chips
Preheat oven to 350ยบ F.
Grease 9-inch-round spring form pan (you could use a cake pan, but unfortunately I don't have one of those). Line the bottom of pan with parchment paper and grease that, as well.
For the Cake: Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl. Stir in flour, melted butter, melted chocolate, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. I'm pretty sure I just dozed off for a couple minutes after the timer went off, so my cake came out a little more like a cookie, than a cake... but it worked out for the best! Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake and cool for an additional 10 minutes. Invert cake onto serving platter. Remove pan and carefully peel off parchment. Cool cake/cookie completely.
For the Peanut Butter Layer: Beat peanut butter, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl until combined. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread mixture on cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
For the Ganache: Heat cream in small saucepan to boiling and then remove from heat. Add dark chocolate morsels and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until mixture is spreadable. Spread chocolate on top and sides of cake.
Melt the peanut butter chips in a small heatproof bowl in microwave, about 30 seconds. Spoon mixture into a piping bag. Decorate cake as you wish (in my case, some Happy Birthday and star bits) Not bad for my first cursive cake decorating, eh? I could definitely use some work (notice the "a" and "y") Store in refrigerator until set. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
And there you have it... the most enjoyable cake Andy has ever put in it mouth. And I'm not just saying that... he told me so!!
Notice our creeper dog eying that peanut butter!
Oh, and here's the poll guys! I'll probably post the dessert recipe either on Wednesday or Friday of next week!!
