Ingredients
1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
1/3 cup Evaporated Milk
1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (additional)
1/2 cup Butter, Melted
60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.
Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.
In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.
Verdict: These are amazing. I did a lasagna pan and not a 9 X 9 pan. The recipe also had pecans added in the batter but I opted not to put nuts in. Also I didn't put any powder sugar on top. I should try that too!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
6 to 8 drops green food color
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.
2. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
6 to 8 drops green food color
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.
2. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Pumpkin Ravioli
Ingredients:
8 Tbs unsalted butter
1 can pumpkin puree
2 cups heavy cream
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs fresh sage, minced plus extra leaves for sauce
2 tsp fresh thyme
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
6 sheets of fresh pasta or wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten for egg was
1/4 cup flour for dusting
2 cups Vegetable stock
2 shallots or 1 small onion.
Directions:
1. Heat a medium saucepan over low heat and add 4 tbsp of butter. When butter is foamy, add pumpkin and add half of heavy cream and half the herbs, cook over low heat for approximately 30 minutes , or until puree is thick and the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally.
2. Whisk in the beaten eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. (I put it in the fridge)
3. Lay out 3 sheets of pasta. Using a pastry bag or teaspoon, place 8 equal mounds of pumpkin puree on each sheet dough, about 2 inches apart. Brush around each mound with egg wash. Cover mounded dough sheets with second of pasta and press around mounds to seal the dough. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out the ravioli. Dust a with flour and place the ravioli on it.
4. If you don't have time or not brave enough for fresh pasta, like me, purchase some wonton wrappers. Place a small dollop of the pumpkin mixture, wet edges and seal with a fork.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil while you make the sauce.
6. To prepare the sauce, in a medium saucepan, add in the stock and shallots/onions and bring to a boil to reduce to 1/2 cup. Add remaining heavy cream and reduce by half.
7. Over low heat, whisk in remaining 4 tbsp butter, a little at a time. Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan and add remaining sage and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Add ravioli to rapidly boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes for fresh pasta or 2-3 minutes for wonton ravioli. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add ravioli to the sauce and bring just to a boil. Correct the seasonings.
Note: I didn't have unsalted butter so the salted butter did make this a little saucy. Also, I could have used a fresh pumpkin if I had the time. Also this made a lot more filling than I anticipated and ended up freezing some of it so I did not have 300 raviolis. The wontons were good but had the consistency of, well, wontons and not really pasta ravioli. With that being said, it was delicious. I ended up putting some extra leaves of whole sage in the sauce and that also was a nice touch. I am going to see if I can make it with fresh pasta next time...in my free time.
8 Tbs unsalted butter
1 can pumpkin puree
2 cups heavy cream
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs fresh sage, minced plus extra leaves for sauce
2 tsp fresh thyme
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
6 sheets of fresh pasta or wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten for egg was
1/4 cup flour for dusting
2 cups Vegetable stock
2 shallots or 1 small onion.
Directions:
1. Heat a medium saucepan over low heat and add 4 tbsp of butter. When butter is foamy, add pumpkin and add half of heavy cream and half the herbs, cook over low heat for approximately 30 minutes , or until puree is thick and the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally.
2. Whisk in the beaten eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. (I put it in the fridge)
3. Lay out 3 sheets of pasta. Using a pastry bag or teaspoon, place 8 equal mounds of pumpkin puree on each sheet dough, about 2 inches apart. Brush around each mound with egg wash. Cover mounded dough sheets with second of pasta and press around mounds to seal the dough. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out the ravioli. Dust a with flour and place the ravioli on it.
4. If you don't have time or not brave enough for fresh pasta, like me, purchase some wonton wrappers. Place a small dollop of the pumpkin mixture, wet edges and seal with a fork.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil while you make the sauce.
6. To prepare the sauce, in a medium saucepan, add in the stock and shallots/onions and bring to a boil to reduce to 1/2 cup. Add remaining heavy cream and reduce by half.
7. Over low heat, whisk in remaining 4 tbsp butter, a little at a time. Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan and add remaining sage and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Add ravioli to rapidly boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes for fresh pasta or 2-3 minutes for wonton ravioli. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add ravioli to the sauce and bring just to a boil. Correct the seasonings.
Note: I didn't have unsalted butter so the salted butter did make this a little saucy. Also, I could have used a fresh pumpkin if I had the time. Also this made a lot more filling than I anticipated and ended up freezing some of it so I did not have 300 raviolis. The wontons were good but had the consistency of, well, wontons and not really pasta ravioli. With that being said, it was delicious. I ended up putting some extra leaves of whole sage in the sauce and that also was a nice touch. I am going to see if I can make it with fresh pasta next time...in my free time.
Curry Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, halved and seeded (3-4 lbs)
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
1 medium head garlic
2 cans vegetable broth or more depending on the consistency you want
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup plain yogurt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. Place squash halves and onion onto the prepared baking sheet. Wrap garlic in foil and set with other vegetables. Brush with olive oil and dash of salt and pepper.
3. Roast in the center of the oven for about 60 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
4. Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skin like paste into a food processor. Scrape the flesh from the squash and place into the food processor along with the roasted onion. Puree until smooth. Add vegetable broth as necessary.
5. Transfer the pureed mixture to a stockpot and stir in any additional vegetable broth depending on how thick/thin you would like the soup. Season with the bay leaf, brown sugar, curry powder, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.
8. Remove bay leaf and serve hot.
Note: I didn't have a whole head of garlic so I just added some minced garlic to the food processor with the squash and onions. I also was having trouble making it smooth in the food processor so I used a blender and added cream instead of yogurt. I think I will try yogurt next time. What I did find with the cream is that it dulled the spices so I had to add more spices. Of course if you don't like curry, you don't have to add it in the first place.
1 butternut squash, halved and seeded (3-4 lbs)
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
1 medium head garlic
2 cans vegetable broth or more depending on the consistency you want
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup plain yogurt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. Place squash halves and onion onto the prepared baking sheet. Wrap garlic in foil and set with other vegetables. Brush with olive oil and dash of salt and pepper.
3. Roast in the center of the oven for about 60 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
4. Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skin like paste into a food processor. Scrape the flesh from the squash and place into the food processor along with the roasted onion. Puree until smooth. Add vegetable broth as necessary.
5. Transfer the pureed mixture to a stockpot and stir in any additional vegetable broth depending on how thick/thin you would like the soup. Season with the bay leaf, brown sugar, curry powder, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.
8. Remove bay leaf and serve hot.
Note: I didn't have a whole head of garlic so I just added some minced garlic to the food processor with the squash and onions. I also was having trouble making it smooth in the food processor so I used a blender and added cream instead of yogurt. I think I will try yogurt next time. What I did find with the cream is that it dulled the spices so I had to add more spices. Of course if you don't like curry, you don't have to add it in the first place.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Whipped Cream Frosting
1 Cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
Whip all ingredients together in the mixture until stiff.
Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting:
Add to the above 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder plus an additional 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated white sugar.
Raspberry Whipped Cream Frosting:
Add to the above 1/2 cup lightly sweetened raspberry puree or seedless raspberry jam.
This was FABULOUS! I was out of butter for my butter cream frosting and made this instead. It was incredibly light. The chocolate was absolutely amazing but didn't overpower the chocolate cupcakes I made. I will have to try the raspberry sometime and I am sure I could make any flavor with all the jams available to make other berry frosting flavors.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
Whip all ingredients together in the mixture until stiff.
Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting:
Add to the above 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder plus an additional 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated white sugar.
Raspberry Whipped Cream Frosting:
Add to the above 1/2 cup lightly sweetened raspberry puree or seedless raspberry jam.
This was FABULOUS! I was out of butter for my butter cream frosting and made this instead. It was incredibly light. The chocolate was absolutely amazing but didn't overpower the chocolate cupcakes I made. I will have to try the raspberry sometime and I am sure I could make any flavor with all the jams available to make other berry frosting flavors.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Hamentashen
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
variety of fillings
Directions
1. Beat eggs, add oil and mix. Add the sugar, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Add the flour gradually and mix well. Don't overwork it though!
2. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight in a sealed container.
3. Kneed dough until it becomes soft enough to roll. Cut dough with three inch cup or three inch round cookie cutters. Put about 1 tablespoon of pie filling into the middle of each circle. Fold up the edges of the circle into the middle and pinch together.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 20 minutes.
NOTE: This was very tasty. Just make sure you roll the dough fairly thin and don't overstuff them. I had a few turn inside out and the filling on the sheet pan.
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
variety of fillings
Directions
1. Beat eggs, add oil and mix. Add the sugar, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Add the flour gradually and mix well. Don't overwork it though!
2. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight in a sealed container.
3. Kneed dough until it becomes soft enough to roll. Cut dough with three inch cup or three inch round cookie cutters. Put about 1 tablespoon of pie filling into the middle of each circle. Fold up the edges of the circle into the middle and pinch together.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 20 minutes.
NOTE: This was very tasty. Just make sure you roll the dough fairly thin and don't overstuff them. I had a few turn inside out and the filling on the sheet pan.
Pie Crust
Ingredients
1-½ cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
3 cups All-purpose Flour
1 whole Egg
5 Tablespoons Cold Water
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt
Preparation Instructions
In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)
When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.
With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.
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