Candy Bars

We recently added another monkey to our family- a little boy. Once he came, we had an outpouring of meals from our wonderful friends. As a thank you, I decided to make some treats to return in their dishes. I know most of you are probably hating candy right about now, but these are really worth making. A fudge layer topped with a peanut-caramel layer, topped with a layer of chocolate. I loved these right out of the fridge- the chocolate layer has a little bite that I find appealing. They're quick and easy and most importantly, yummy.

Candy Bars

adapted from BHG.com

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
30 vanilla caramels, unwrapped
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

directions

1.Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over edges of pan. Butter the foil; set pan aside.

2.In a large microwave-safe bowl microwave the butter, uncovered, on 100 percent power (high) for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes or until melted. Stir in cocoa powder, brown sugar, and milk. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil, stirring once. Stir again; microwave for 30 seconds more. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread in prepared pan.

3.In a medium microwave-safe bowl combine caramels and water. Microwave, uncovered, on 50 percent power (medium) for 2-1/2 to 3 minutes or until caramels are melted, stirring once. Stir in peanuts. Microwave, uncovered, on medium for 45 to 60 seconds more or until mixture is softened. Gently and quickly spread peanut mixture over fudge layer in pan.

4.In a 2-cup microwave-safe glass measure combine semisweet and milk chocolate pieces. Microwave, uncovered, on 50 percent power (medium) for 2 to 3 minutes or until melted, stirring once or twice. Spread over peanut layer. Score into pieces while warm. Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours or until bottom is firm. Use foil to lift candy out of pan. Cut into pieces. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Makes about 2-3/4 pounds (64 pieces).

CS Bakers- Chocolate Heath Bar Cake

Guess I've been MIA in Cake Slice Bakers again. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make something with Health bars. My favorite candy bar. I've always been disappointed when using the Heath baking bits in recipes, though. The whole point of Heath bars is the crunchy texture, and the baking bits always end up soggy. 
This recipe, for Chocolate Heath Bar cake (we don't drink coffee so I subbed cocoa), uses chopped up candy bars. The cake is a simple cake topped with a Heath bar streusel. The cake was a fave with our friends and family. The cake is moist, and the crunch chocolatey Heath bar is a fun topping. It tasted like a breakfast cake to us. Try it out!

February’s Cake: Coffee Heath Bar Crunch Cake
(Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)

For the Cake
1½ cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp instant espresso powder
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk

For the Streusel
1 cup/4 Heath bars (1.4ounces each), chopped *(see below)
2 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp butter, softened

Method – Streusel
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9inch round springform pan.
Combine the Heath bars, brown sugar, flour and butter in a medium mixing bowl. Work the mixture with your fingers until it resembles large crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Method – Cake
Combine the flour, espresso powder, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
With the mixer on low speed, add a third of the flour mixture and then half the milk, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Repeat, alternating the flour and milk, ending with the flour.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer with a spatula. Scatter the streusel onto the batter, distributing it evenly over the cake.
Bake the cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Release the sides of the pan and use a large spatula to slide the cake from the pan bottom to onto a wire rack. Cool completely, cut into wedges and serve.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Baked's Candy Cookies

I heart Baked. I've never been to the actual bakery in NYC, but I've made a few of their recipes- their brownies and the chocolate cake with salted caramel. Apparently, I have yet to post either of these, since I just searched for them and they're not up.
A couple weeks ago, they posted a link on Facebook for these Candy Cookies- candy bars inside chocolate-dipped chocolate shortbread cookies. Yum, right? I decided to make them for our friends for the holidays. I used Mounds candy bars for the centers, and double dipped the cookies in white and milk chocolate.

Then I finished them with a drizzle of red candy coating for a festive touch.

These little cookies are AMAZING! You have to dip them in chocolate, otherwise they're dry and not that flavorful. They were a huge hit with our friends, and our family! Make them! And then make another batch because you ate all of them!

Candy Cookies

Recipe by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3. 1/2 cup sugar
4. 1/8 teaspoon salt
5. 1 stick plus 6 tablespoons (7 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
6. 1 large egg yolk
7. 40 mini peanut butter cups and or 20 fun-size Mounds bars, cut in half
8. 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
9. 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
10. Sprinkles, dragees or nonpareils, for garnish

11. DIRECTIONS

    1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the cocoa powder, sugar and salt.
    2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Beat in the egg yolk. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until incorporated. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
    3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough a scant 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2 1/4-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out as many rounds as possible. Reroll the scraps and stamp out more rounds. You should have about 40 rounds. Set a peanut butter cup or halved mounds bar in the center of each round and roll the dough around the candy, pinching any tears. Roll the cookies into balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart.
    4. Bake in the cookies on the upper and middle racks of the oven for about 16 minutes, until the dough is firm and just slightly browned; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.
    5. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the bittersweet chocolate on high power in 30-second bursts until nearly melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until melted. Repeat with the white chocolate in another microwave-safe bowl. Dip the tops of the cookies in the melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles, dragees and nonpareils. Transfer the cookies to a parchment paper—lined baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve.

TWD- Milky Way Brownies and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cake

Ok, I don't love mint chocolate desserts. I kind of like mint chocolate chip ice cream, but not really. So these brownies, which have York Peppermint Patties mixed in, got Milky Way bars instead. Mine were really thin and fell apart. I'm more of a thick, chewy brownie fan, but these were chocolatey and moist. And chocolately. Did I say that? 
Head to Karen's blog for the recipe!

 

 And a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake: