Category Archives: Sweets

Toffee Crack(ers)

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Veronica

Salty + sweet = addictive for me in most cases, and this saltine toffee is no exception. It’s very easy to make, and very delicious to eat. I’ve made it with and without the nuts and really, I like it both ways!

Toffee Crack(ers)

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40 saltine crackers
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ c chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 10×15 cookie sheet with foil and spray with oil. Cover cookie sheet with the whole saltines (don’t crust them). Melt the sugar and butter together in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour mixture over saltines and spread evenly. Bake 5 minutes, or until the toffee is bubbling evenly over the whole surface of the crackers. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips Let sit for one minute, then spread melted chips with spatula. (An offset spatula works very well here.) If using nuts, sprinkle them on now, and press down lightly. Cut on diagonal immediately or cool until firm, then break up; pieces can be frozen in an airtight container.

Yield: about 30 pieces

Recipe source: adapted from the back of a Kroger saltine box.

8 Comments

Posted in Candy and tagged chocolate caramel crackers, christmas, Christmas crack, easy, edible gifts, holiday, saltine toffee, toffee crack, toffee crackers. Bookmark the permalink.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Truffles

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Veronica

Here’s another easy-peasy recipe that you can add to your holiday spread, or package up for gifts! And it makes a ton, so there really is plenty for a crowd. And did I mention they’re delicious? Because they are.

The original recipe instructs you to refrigerate the truffle mixture for an hour, but I take a shortcut and roll them into balls immediately. This is particularly beneficial if you decide to roll them in nuts,* because they adhere much easier to the softer truffles than when they’re hard after refrigerating.

*I like to use ice cream nut topping because the nuts are chopped nice and fine, salted, and have a little sugar added.

As a last note, if you like the look of truffles rolled in cocoa powder but don’t like the bitter edge to them, you can add powdered sugar to your cocoa to sweeten it before rolling. It’s been a while since I made these, but I’m 95% certain this is what I did, and that little white spot on one the truffle in the back on the right most likely confirms it. (Might want to sift your powdered sugar so it blends perfectly!) I think I remember remarking that they seemed more likely to be approved by the general public, but I do like the bitterness of pure cocoa to contrast the sweet truffle. Whatever floats your boat!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Truffles

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1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until no streaks remain. Shape into 1 inch balls, then roll in cocoa powder, finely chopped nuts, or powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container and serve at room temperature. You may refrigerate the truffles if you won’t be serving them for several days, but remove them at least ½ hour before serving.

Makes about 60 truffles.

Recipe source: Allrecipes

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Posted in Candy and tagged chocolate, cream cheese, easy, edible gifts, gifts, holidays, recipe, truffles. Bookmark the permalink.

Pecan Toffee Fudge and some sad/happy news

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Veronica

Usually I don’t include my daily life in food posts, but I wanted to honor sister June, whose funeral I’ll be attending this morning. June was 95 years old and it was her time. She spent her last night on Earth in good spirits with her family in Christ at our weekly Bible study, then she passed gently in her sleep. It is such a joy to think of her with her heavenly family now, that I have not shed more than a few tears, but I’m sure they will come in abundance as we remember her life here and how she touched each of us. It was a privilege to know this dear & faithful lady, who I knew only to miss a handful of church services due to health concerns. She was such a treasure and such a blessing to everyone who knew her–she had a great sense of humor and some really great stories!

I thought I would share this video of June from our preacher’s holiday party last year, in which she got quite the hilarious white elephant gift from Dennis. (That’s her son, Mike, helping her open it, and I would appreciate your prayers for him during this time of mourning. He never married and lived with her all these years, so this will be hardest for him.)

OK, let’s talk fudge. (Sorry, terrible segue, but how do you segue from a funeral announcement to fudge??? Maybe that’s why I don’t talk about my personal life in these posts-LOL!) I’m featuring only simple holiday recipes this week, since Christmas is less than a week away and you might need a little help with last-minute goodies ideas. This one certainly fits the bill! It doesn’t involve cooking or a candy thermometer, just beating some ingredients together and voilà! Absolutely perfect, delicious, soft fudge, studded with toffee and pecans. Fantastico!

Pecan Toffee Fudge

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1 teaspoon butter
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Dash salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup English toffee bits

Line an 8 or 9-in. square pan with foil and grease the foil with butter; set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar. Beat in the melted chocolate, extract and salt until smooth. Stir in pecans and toffee bits. Spread into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight or until firm. Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Gently peel off foil; cut fudge into 1-in. squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Yield: 2-1/2 pounds.

Recipe source: slightly tweaked from Taste of Home

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Posted in Candy and tagged candy, christmas, fudge, gift, holidays, pecan, recipe, toffee. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Chip Macaroons

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Veronica

Jacqueline is in the front, kneeling on the far right.

After I started The Postcard Project, I went to anysoldier.com and got the address for a female soldier in Afghanistan that I could correspond with. (If you don’t know any soldiers that are currently serving, I recommend this site–it’s the only place I’ve found where you can get an address for a soldier you don’t know.) Through our letters, I have come to understand how important mail is to soldiers. I was moved by how happy I could make this woman just by sending her a few pages of my craziness, blabbing about things most people could care less about. When she replied with her gratitude, answering all the questions I had asked and telling me about herself, I felt the connection we had made, all thanks to the Postal Service and the exchange of a few letters.

I asked her in my first letter if there was anything I could send her to make her happier while she was serving overseas. She replied, much to my glee, that her team (I love how she said “her team” and not “I”–it just shows how selfless soldiers are) loves snacks, especially homemade, and if I could send some that would be great, but if not, “the letters are great also, it shows that someone really cares and values what we are doing.”

I don’t think she had any idea how happy her request for homemade snacks would make me. Anysoldier.com tells us not to send homemade goodies if the soldiers do not know us (for safety reasons, most likely), so I had not hoped that I could take my baking love out on her. But she must have felt like she knew me after only one letter, and I couldn’t have been more delighted by her request. My favorite way to make people happy is by making them goodies, so I literally was jumping up and down and squealing to my husband “she wants homemade snacks!!!” like I had just gotten a Kitchenaid stand mixer for Chrstimas. I think it makes me happier to make and give the treats than it makes the people who receive them!

I did some research and found a good article on the best cookies to ship long distances, and macaroons were listed as a cookie that gets better with time, so I immediately decided I would be including some macaroons in the boxes. (Yes, there were more than one. I couldn’t help myself.)

So along with a batch of homemade butterfingers and 3 pounds of seasoned crackers, I included a tin of these chocolate chip macaroons. I had saved a very simple & easy (also multiple blue ribbon-winning) recipe using sweetened condensed milk, and I kicked them up a notch by adding in some mini chocolate chips…because chocolate makes everything better.

These were wonderful fresh from the oven, and as promised by the article mentioned above, did taste even better the next day! They are moist and chewy–nice and soft when warm from the oven, and more dense & rich the next day. Hopefully they were like bites of nirvana by the time they made it to Jacqueline and her team, and from the feedback I got, they must have been close!

Chocolate Chip Macaroons

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2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (14 oz) package sweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla, then stir in the coconut and chocolate chips with a spoon or your hands until well blended. The mixture will be very sticky. Refrigerate for two hours, or overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat to prevent sticking (like I said, this dough is sticky!). Using a cookie scoop, drop dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about golf ball size. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until coconut is toasted. Cool completely on a wire rack and store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag(s).

Recipe source: adapted from Allrecipes

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Posted in Cookies and tagged Afghanistan, baking, better with time, chocolate chip macaroons, Cookies, exchange, holiday, Iraq, overseas, shipping. Bookmark the permalink.

Turtle Cookies

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Veronica

Since this is my second cookie post in a row, and I have enough cookie recipes to share every day this week*, I’m officially declaring it “Cookie Love” week on Veronica’s Cornucopia! Next to dog love, this is the best kind of love there is. ;)

*Except for Thursday, of course, when I will be doing my Thankful Thursdays feature.

These are the cookies I made for The Postcard Project Cookie Swap. I had purchased a bag of Kraft Caramel Bits on sale, because I couldn’t resist the 75-cent sale price, even if I had no specific purpose in mind for them. As with the Snickers and the Sneaky Snickers Cookies, thought maybe I could use them in my cookies for the swap. My first idea was to use them in a vanilla dough with chocolate and pecans, and it turned out to be a great one! These are now in my top five favorite cookies, for sure.

I based the dough off the recipe for these blue-ribbon chocolate chip cookies and just stirred in chocolate chips, toasted pecans, and the caramel bits. I was surprised how something so simple (no browning of the butter, no toasting & grinding of oatmeal!) could be so wonderful. Soft, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, gooey with caramel and studded with chocolate & pecans. Just soooo wonderful. If I do say so myself. :)

Turtle Cookies

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1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
½ teaspoon white vinegar*
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup caramel bits
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped**

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats to prevent the caramel from sticking.

Cream the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and vinegar together until light and fluffy, five minutes. Add the eggs and baking soda and beat until combined. Add the flour and mix just until combined. Add the chocolate chips, caramel bits, and pecans, and either stir them in or beat just until combined.

Using a cookie scoop, portion the dough out onto the cookie sheets, leaving an inch between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes or just until the cookies are beginning to get golden brown around the edges. Remove and leave on pan for 5 minutes before removing cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

*The vinegar helps make the cookies tender. You can not taste it, as the extra baking soda neutralizes its flavor.

** To toast the pecans, place them in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between with fingers, until toasted and fragrant, 1-2 minutes total. Set aside to cool. Chop before using in recipe.

***

I wanted to share the cookies I received in this swap like I did yesterday for the ones I received in the blogger cookie swap. Amber sent me four each of three kinds in a holiday tin (I had no idea you could ship in a tin–very cool!): gingerbread cut-outs, chai snickerdoodles, and spiral slice-and-bake cookies.

And check it out–I even got a stocking with my name on it! :)

The chai snickerdoodles were fantastic–they were (were because they have long since departed this world through my belly) all-butter snickerdoodles and instead of a plain cinnamon-sugar coating, there are other spices in the mix to give them a chai flavor. I can’t even imagine how great these must be fresh from the oven! However, despite their yumminess and being Amber’s favorite, I have to say my favorite in the tin was the spiral sliced cookies. I know, I’m so boring, but I just love a good sugar cookie (much like my favorite cake is white with white icing!) and these were perfect–nice and soft with a kiss of almond. Yum! Thanks, Amber!

Katie sent me two kinds of cookies, both recipes from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. I was so tickled when Katie wrote that is her favorite baking blog because it is one of my favorites too–in fact, I think I trust Mel more than any other food blogger! Her recipes have never failed me.

Katie sent me cranberry white chocolate cookies that she adapted from Mel’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut:

These were nice and soft and chewy and I really loved the white chocolate and cranberry combo.

However, the other cookies Katie sent are the ULTIMATE and my favorite of ALL COOKIES SENT IN BOTH SWAPS. Yes, I needed caps for that statement, that’s how strongly I feel about these cookies. These are Mel’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, and they arrived tasting so fresh, I doubt they were any better the day she made them.

Seriously, just like with the Sneaky Snickers Cookies, I have been dying to make this recipe ever since I first laid eyes on it over a year ago. But I was able to steer clear for the sake of my thighs. Do you even understand how wonderful it was to receive just six of these cookies, the best cookies perhaps of all time, and maybe, just maybe, even better than my favorite cookies, so that I could savor them without risking my health by eating an entire batch made in my own kitchen?!?!?! Thank you Katie, you rocked my world. :)

I haven’t received my third dozen yet, but as I wait patiently, I have a few cookies stashed in my freezer to keep me happy until it arrives. See you tomorrow for a cookie that is perfect for shipping!

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Posted in Cookies and tagged candy, caramel, chocolate chip, pecans, turtle cookies. Bookmark the permalink.

Sneaky Snickers Cookies

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Veronica

The Cooking Photographer posted this recipe over two years ago and her picture, with the caramel and peanuts oozing out, planted itself and made deep roots in my cranium. Then she had to go and use that same picture in her website header, reminding me weekly how much I wanted to make them.

Well, as I may have mentioned before, cookies are my favorite food group (in my perfect world, yes, they would be a food group, and a prominent one), and as I may have also mentioned, I do not make treats that I REALLY like very often because I simply can not trust myself with them. I knew I would be in trouble if I made these without a specific purpose in mind and without a good reason to get rid of most of the batch.

That reason finally arrived with The Great Blogger Cookie Swap of 2011. (If you missed this year’s, sign up to be notified of of next year’s swap here!) I had just picked up a bunch of half price Halloween candy when I was brainstorming what kind of cookies I could make for the swap, and how I could use up some of the candy I bought and of course, the first thing I though of was Laura’s Sneaky Snickers Cookies.

Well, the batch made enough that there was still plenty for me to sample and go a little overboard on, but it was well worth it! Soft peanut butter cookies surrounding a chewy chocolate, peanut, caramel, and nougat center is just a lovely combination. I especially love them warm so that the middles are oozing gooey caramel when you bite into them, and might have kept a few for myself in the freezer to nuke in the microwave for cookie-craving emergencies. They are so yummy!

Sneaky Snickers Cookies

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 (11.5 ounce) bags Snickers Miniatures (Half a bag is for snacking during cookie making.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla until light and fluffy, five minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat until combined, another minute. Add the eggs and baking soda and beat until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl. Add the flour and beat until just incorporated. Don’t over-mix. Press plastic wrap down over the surface of the dough and refrigerate at least two hours before baking.

Unwrap 52 mini Snickers bars. Then with a standard cookie scoop (size 50), scoop the dough into your hand. Press the dough together and flatten. Place a Snickers bar in the center of the dough and push the dough around to seal, rolling into a ball.

Place cookies 2 inches apart on cookie sheets and bake for about 12 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Recipe source: The Cooking Photographer, with slight changes in preparation method.

***

I wanted to share the cookies I received through this swap as well! Click the blog links to get their recipes, which are posting today.

Christian of M.E. sent me these Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing and they were a lifesaver. It was 4 PM when I received them, and I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I was running on empty and didn’t have time to stop and figure out something to eat. I ripped into the cookies and ate half a dozen right away, which got me through to the party I was preparing for. Thanks, Christian!

Check out the carrots, nuts & raisins these cookies were loaded with!

Lauren Brennan of Lauren’s Latest sent me these soft and buttery Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie Stars (aren’t they beautiful?):

Julie M. of Burnt Carrots sent me my favorite batch of cookies, at least for the blogger swap. Her Chocolate and Butterscotch Chip Cookies took me by surprise because I would have thought they had butterscotch chips in them, and maybe they do, but they also have toffee chips and I looooove toffee. The combination of chocolate chips and toffee is a winner!

I also received cookies through my own cookie swap for non-bloggers, and will share those with tomorrow’s cookie recipe that I sent out for that swap!

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Posted in Cookies and tagged baking, desserts, gifts, holiday, peanut butter, sneaky snickers cookies, snickers, soft, stuffed cookies, sweets. Bookmark the permalink.

Puppy Chow/Muddy Buddies

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Veronica

Puppy Chow. Muddy Buddies. Monkey Munch. Reindeer Chow. This recipe goes by a lot of names, but what it boils down to is an addictive, peanut butter & chocolate, crispy & crunchy, sweet & salty treat that abounds at parties and in gift baskets during the holiday season. (And despite the name, it is most certainly not intended for dogs. Please do not give this to any dogs-chocolate can kill them!) I know most of you probably have been making this for years, but I’m sharing this for the .00001% that have never heard of it. The added bonus is that if you are in need of some gluten-free treats, this one fits the bill if you make it with Rice Chex.

You must make this! I promise you will love it. Unless you don’t like chocolate and peanut butter, in which case I advise you seek counseling immediately. Or maybe you’d like to trade that dislike in for my dislike of exercise? Because I could use a lot more exercise and a lot less Puppy Chow. Anyone?

Puppy Chow

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Printable recipe with picture

1 (12 oz.) box Rice Chex or Crispix Cereal
1 (12 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 (1 lb.) box confectioner’s sugar

Pour cereal into a large bowl that has a lid you can snap on and set aside. Gently melt the chocolate, peanut butter, and butter in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring well in between and removing when almost melted to stir until the residual heat melts the chocolate completely. Pour over the cereal and stir well until the pieces are evenly coated. Add the confectioner’s sugar, cover bowl with lid, and shake well to coat thoroughly. Alternately, if your bowl doesn’t have a lid, you can pour the cereal into a large paper grocery sack, pour the sugar in, fold the top, and shake until combined. Two Ziploc gallon-size bags will do the trick as well. Spread out onto wax paper to cool, then store in an airtight container or Ziploc bags.

Recipe source: Kim D.

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Posted in My Favorites, Snacks & Appetizers, Sweets and tagged cereal, chex, christmas, corn, crispix, easy, gift basket, goody bags, holiday, monkey munch, muddy buddies, party, puppy chow, reindeer chow, rice, treats, wheat. Bookmark the permalink.

Double Chocolate-Rum Amish Friendship Bread

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Veronica

It’s been a while since I posted any Amish Friendship Bread recipes, and that’s because this is the last one I made and I wanted to save it for December, since the flavor combination reminded me of Christmas.

Are you one that identifies certain foods with certain seasons and holidays, like I do? For me, pumpkin and pies are fall and Thanksgiving. December and Christmas is cookies, chocolate, and anything spiked with alcohol. Like this bread!

This was actually my favorite variation that I came up with, though I haven’t made very many yet. The bread is so incredibly moist, is nice and chocolatey with a punch of rum and just a hint of cinnamon from the sugar coating. Very festive, and so yummy! This would make great gifts, and I plan to break out one or two of the starters I froze in order to give some away this year. (If you don’t have any starters in your own freezer, you can click here to learn how to make your own.)

Double Chocolate-Rum Amish Friendship Bread

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¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread starter (or whatever is left after you’ve divvied it up)
3 eggs
1 cup oil
½ cup dark rum
¼ cup Dutch process cocoa
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Generously butter two loaf pans, then dust with the cinnamon sugar. Tap out excess and save for topping.

Whisk the eggs into the starter, then whisk in the oil and rum. Add everything but the chocolate chips and whisk until blended. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Divide batter between pans, then sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar over the tops. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the top and bake for an hour. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool completely on wire rack.

Recipe source: adapted from Friendship Bread Kitchen

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Posted in Bread, Sweets and tagged amish friendship bread, baking, christmas, double chocolate rum, edible gifts, food gifts, holiday, recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Dixie Pie

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Veronica

This is one of the pies my friend, Teri, and I made during our pie-palooza, which is why the pie pictured is so small. We made each recipe into two small pies so each of us could have one to keep.

This pie was the most popular of the four we served before a Bible study at her house that night. It was gone in a flash! It’s similar to a pecan pie, but it has chocolate chips (or raisins, if you prefer) and coconut in it too, so it’s even richer.

Which brings me to the reason I’m sharing it with you now instead of back in July, when we made it. Something this rich is what I deem a winter holiday dessert, and it certainly fits the bill! It would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving and Christmas spreads.

*Note: I cut this pie when it was still warm, hence the gooey runniness. It will set up nicely if you give it time!

Dixie Pie

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Printable recipe with picture

1 9-inch pie crust
3/4 cup chocolate chips or raisins
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup flaked coconut
Whipped cream, for serving

Bake pie crust at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes; remove to cool on a wire rack and reduce oven temperature to 350.

If using raisins, place in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth. Drain raisins. Stir Raisins, coconut, and nuts into creamed mixture ( mixture will appear curdled). Pour mixture into crust, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until set. Cool completely, ideally 6-8 hours to allow it to completely set up, before serving. Serve with whipped cream.

Recipe Source: adapted from Desserts In My Kitchen