Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters

Photo courtesy of Pillsbury.com

These clusters of goodness won First Prize in the Pillsbury Cooking Contest (not by me). They are awesome, and wanted to pass along.

Ingredients

1 Pillsbury™ refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box

1 bag (12 oz) white vanilla baking chips (2 cups)

1 tablespoon Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening

1 tablespoon Creamy Peanut Butter

1 cup salted cocktail peanuts

2/3 cup toffee bits

Heat oven to 450°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper.

Unroll pie crust on work surface. With pizza cutter or knife, cut into 16 rows by 16 rows to make small squares. Arrange squares in single layer on large ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove squares from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 5 minutes.

In large microwavable bowl, microwave baking chips, shortening and peanut butter uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring once, until chips can be stirred smooth. Add pie crust squares, peanuts and toffee bits; stir gently until evenly coated. Immediately drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto lined cookie sheets. (If mixture gets too thick, microwave on High 15 seconds; stir.) Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until set. Store covered.

White Chocolate Cranberry & Pistachio Fudge

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 c confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. white chocolate (chopped)
1 c dried cranberries
1 c roasted shelled pistachios (roughly chopped)

Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and confectioner's sugar until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Melt white chocolate, add to the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Fold in cranberries and pistachios.  Add to pan and smooth top. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.  Cut into 1 1/2" squares.

Pumpkin & Butterscotch Spiced Latte Fudge w Glazed Pecans

Pumpkin Fudge?  Uh, I'm not sure about that, but I'll give it a try.  One of my followers might find it enticing.  Well, I'm eating my words (no pun intended).  I took a recipe and tweaked it to make it my own.  I threw in some butterscotch morsels and a handful of glazed pecans, and I gotta tell ya ... LOVE IT!  A little bit goes a long way here, so plan on sharing it with your friends, neighbors or co-workers.

Ingredients

1 1/3 c granulated sugar
2/3 c evaporated milk
3 T unsalted butter
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1 T espresso powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
1 c white chocolate morsels, chopped
1 c butterscotch morsels, chopped
1 3/4 c marshmallow creme
1 tsp pure vanilla or vanilla bean paste
1/3 c glazed pecans, chopped small

Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment and spray with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter, espresso powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, then boil for 12 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from the heat and stir in the white chocolate  & butterscotch chips and marshmallow creme until melted, then stir in the vanilla and pecans. Pour into the prepared pan and place in the refrigerator until set, about 30 minutes. Cut into squares and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

This recipe adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker.

Frozen Chocolate Mousse Bon-Bons w Peanut Butter Shortbread

These frozen, pop-in-your-mouth, wonders are 'da bomb'!  This recipe was created by Carla Hall of The Chew and are absolutely delicious!  They are a bit involved to make, but I was up to the task and am a better person for it!  Well, maybe not, but they sure do make me happy.  Carla placed the mousse topped peanut butter shortbread on a rack and spooned over the chocolate.  I preferred to dip mine in the chocolate, like you would dip a soft serve ice cream cone.  The cookie bottom showing add another level of intrigue to them.

The recipe below is taken from The Chew website.

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Shortbread

8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (softened)

1/3 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1/2 cup Packed Brown Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour (whisked; plus more for dusting)

Chocolate Mousse

2 tablespoons Espresso (hot) (I mixed espresso powder w/Kahlua)

2 tablespoons Almond Liquor (I used Frangelico)

1 teaspoon Powdered Gelatin

4 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate (chopped)

2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

2 large Eggs (separated)

1/8 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

6 tablespoons Granulated Sugar (divided)

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Glaze

12 ounces Dark Chocolate (melted)

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

6 ounces White Chocolate (melted)

For Peanut Butter Shortbread:

In a large bowl, beat together the Butter, Peanut Butter and Sugar until fluffy. Add the Vanilla Extract and Salt and stir to combine. Stir in the Flour, making sure not to overwork the dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and work dough together and shape into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4" thickness. Cut into 2" disks (or a size slightly smaller than the mold you are using.

Place the dough circles onto a parchment lined baking sheet and cook for 4-5 minutes or until cooked but not hard.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

For Chocolate Mousse:

Combine the Espresso and Almond Liquor in a small bowl and sprinkle Gelatin over top. Allow to bloom for 5-7 minutes.

In a double boiler, melt the Chocolate and the Butter. Mix in the 2 Egg Yolks and Gelatin mixture. Cover, and set aside.

In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, whip the Egg Whites and Cream of Tartar until foamy, then gradually add two tablespoons of Sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. The Whites should be glossy and not dry. Set aside.

In another bowl, whip the Heavy Cream, remaining Sugar and Vanilla Extract until soft peaks form.

Mix a few spoonfuls of the Egg White mixture into the Chocolate Mixture, and then gently fold the Egg Whites into the Chocolate Mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in Whipped Cream. Transfer to a piping bag.

For Chocolate Glaze: Melt the Dark Chocolate in a microwave and stir in Vegetable Oil.

Coconut Oil

To assemble bombes: Lightly grease a mini half sphere silicon mold or mini muffin tin with Coconut Oil.

Pipe the mousse into mini half sphere silicon molds so they are 2/3 way full. Place a Shortbread cookie on top of each mold and freeze for 2 hours.

Place a baking rack on a parchment or wax paper covered sheet pan. Put frozen bombes on rack.  Pour Chocolate evenly over bombes. Reuse Chocolate dripped on sheet pan if need be. Place in the freezer to set Chocolate, about 5 minutes.

Remove from fridge and drizzle White Chocolate to decorate.

Place in freeze until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

White Chocolate Holiday Bark

Everything but the kitchen sink is included in this holiday bark. Feel free to substitute, add or delete any ingredients.

This is what I used:

Toasted Cashews, Pepitas & Whole Almonds

Chopped dried pineapple and apricots

Dried cranberries and cherries

Mini M&Ms

24 oz. white chocolate, divided

Chopped red & white Andes Candies

Fleur de Sil (optional)

Combine nuts, fruits, mini M&Ms in a bowl. Set aside.

Melt 18 oz. chocolate in a bowl over a pot of boiling water.

Spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet; use two if necessary.  Use an offset spatula to smooth out the chocolate to a little less than 1/4".

Sprinkle the the fruit and nut mixture over the top leaving some white chocolate showing.  Press in slightly.

Sprinkle very lightly with Fleur de Sil. I used less than 1/4 tsp.

Melt remaining white chocolate and drizzle back and forth over the fruit and nuts.  Sprinkle with Andes Candies.

Let sit for 2-3 hours until completely set.

Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Chocolate, Whiskey, Marshmallow, Caramel & Bacon Bark

When I saw this recipe, it was so unusual, I knew I had to try it.  It is as good as it looks.  The sweet, the salty, the touch of whiskey and the chocolate all come together fabulously.

The only negative I feel compelled to point out is that it's very time-consuming and only makes an 8x8 product.  Next time I would use a large dish and make it thinner so it goes further.

Here's the recipe: http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2011/12/08/edible-holiday-gifts-whiskey-caramel-mashamallow-and-bacon-bark/

Kahlua Cocoa Balls

I looked at a few recipes and didn't like any one 100%, so I took the things I did like and added my own touch and this is what I came up with.  These are better made at least 2-3 days ahead; 1 week is best.  Gives all the flavors time to marry.

Ingredients:

2 c graham crumbs
1 c confectioners' sugar
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa
10 oz. finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/3 c Kahlua mixed with 1 T espresso powder
1/4 c dark corn syrup

Heat the Kahlua and the espresso powder in a microwave safe bowl for 15 seconds.  Stir until espresso powder is dissolved. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with your hands until they are totally blended and come together. The dough should be just moist enough to hold its shape; not crumbly. If mixture is too crumbly, add another tablespoon of corn syrup.  In another bowl sift some unsweetened cocoa.  Roll each ball into the cocoa and store in an airtight container for 2-3 days before serving.

Candied Orange Peel

My favorite thing in a chocolate shoppe is chocolate covered orange peel; however, orange peel without the chocolate is amazing itself!  I'm going to need some of this for some upcoming recipes, so it's drying on the rack for now.

Here's how it's done:

5-6 large navel oranges
4 1/2 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 c water

Score each orange thru the pith about 6 times around.  Remove from the orange and with a sharp paring knife remove the excess pith.  It's okay to leave some on but you don't want it to be too thick.  This is the bitter part.  After you have done this with all your oranges, cut the peel into 1/4" slices and place into a large sauce pan.  Add enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil.  Once it has come to a full boil, pour off the water and start again with fresh cold water.  You want to repeat this process 3-4 times in order to soften up the peel and lessen their bitterness.

Add 1 1/2 c water and 4 1/2 c sugar to a heavy sauce pan.  Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until the temperature on a candy thermometer reads 300* - 340* (thin thread stage).  At this time, add the orange peel and adjust the heat to keep the peel simmering for about 45 minutes or until translucent.  Do not stir during this time.

Have a bowl with about 1 1/2 c sugar ready.  Once the peel has finished simmering, drain off the syrup (you can reserve this and use for other recipes or beverages if you desire).  Dump the peel into the bowl of sugar and toss to coat.  Remove to a wire rack and dry for several hours or overnight.

Orange you glad I shared this with you?

Pepita, Sunflower Seed, Almond & Sea Salt Brittle

Wonderful stuff and very suiting for this time of year, I present to you a nutty brittle with notes of cinnamon, cardamon & nutmeg and an ever so slight sprinkling of sea salt!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
3/4 c light corn syrup
1/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamon
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped & bean discarded
1 c roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) sprinkled w sea salt
1/2 c roasted & sliced almonds
1/2 c roasted sunflower seeds, sprinkled w sea salt

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet; set aside.  Tear off another sheet of parchment paper the same size and put aside.  Have your rolling pin handy.  Spray a wooden spoon with cooking oil and set aside. Combine nuts together in a bowl. Include any salt that has fallen off the nuts.  Set aside.  This will save you much needed time later.

In a large saucepan add the sugar, corn syrup, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon & vanilla bean seeds.  Heat over LOW heat stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved and mixture starts to boil.  Attach a candy thermometer and continue cooking over LOW heat without stirring until the thermometer reaches 330*F.  Remove from heat immediately.  Quickly stir in nuts with the oiled spoon and pour out onto parchment covered cookie sheet. Spread with spoon as much as possible.  Cover the mixture with the loose parchment and with the rolling pin roll in each direction until the mixture is approximately 1/4" thick.  Let cool completely and break into pieces.  Brittle can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month.

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This recipe was adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker.

Munch a bunch o'brittle!