Tag Archives: chocolate

Pretzel Peanut Butter Truffles

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I’ve got a good one today.

It’s sweet, salty, crunchy, messy and easy.

As you know, I have an unhealthy obsession with salted chocolate/salted caramel/anything sweet or salty. It’s no surprise I immediately added these to my “to make list” when I saw them on Pinterest.

I made them last night while babysitting my cousins. To me there is no better way to unwind from a long day at work than by getting in the kitchen to bake. The truffles are pretty easy to make. They get a little bit messy when dipping in the chocolate. Especially if you get chocolate all over your sweatshirt  ;-)

I think the truffles taste best cold. You can’t beat the combination of cool, creamy peanut butter, crunchy pretzels/rice krispies and the sweet chocolate coating.

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Pretzel Peanut Butter Truffles

Ingredients

    Filling:
  • 1 cup peanut butter {creamy or crunchy}
  • 2 tbsp butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cup crushed pretzels
  • 1 cup rice krispie cereal
    • Chocolate Coating:
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil {can substitute butter or vegetable shortening}
  • Sea Salt for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Beat together peanut butter, butter, sugars, vanilla and salt until creamy.
  3. Mix in crushed pretzels and rice krispie cereal.
  4. Roll the filling into small balls and place on cookie sheet.
  5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until firm.
  6. In a small microwaveable bowl, melt chocolate chips and coconut butter, stirring every 30 seconds.
  7. Using two forks, dip each truffle ball into the melted chocolate and roll around until completely coated with chocolate.
  8. Place back on the cookie sheet.
  9. Once all of the truffles are coated in chocolate, sprinkle with sea salt. Don't be shy- use more than you think!
  10. Place in the fridge again to set the chocolate. Depending on the climate where you live, you may want to store in the fridge so the chocolate doesn't melt.
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You can bet I will be making these again very soon!

Nutella Macarons

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“One of the most vexing tasks some bakers come across is making the perfect Parisian macaron, those ethereal little domes of almond meringue seen all over Paris, often filled with buttercream, ganache, or a fruity filling of jam.” -David Lebovitz, renowned Pastry Chef

I would say I am an experienced baker but as much as I love to bake, I am not an advanced baker. Cakes, cookies, muffins, cupcakes, etc are relatively easy. These baked goods require only careful measurement of ingredients and to mix them together. My favorite cookie, however, is not easy.

Parisian-style macarons are light, delicate and melt in your mouth. I adore them. It’s an obsession, really.  I love how the cookies can be made into any flavor and fit any color palette.

I’ve been wanting to make my own Parisian macarons for awhile, but these cookies require technique, not just following a recipe. Honestly, I was scared to attempt these cookies. But alas, I have nothing to do this week so I decided to finally attempt them. My cousin, Sofia, came over to photograph the process and be my moral support. It was a fun afternoon! The cookies are not impossible. They take patience, organization, and time. I would say from start to finish it took me 3 hours. Were my Parisian macarons perfect? Nope. But for my first attempt I consider it a success.

For my first ever attempt at making macarons I chose to follow Baking Bite’s recipe for Nutella Macarons. These are made with ground hazelnut instead of the more traditional almond. Nutella is made from hazelnut, so using hazelnut in the cookie works nicely.

Step 1: Gather your ingredients

Step 2: Grind hazelnuts in food processor. The finer you can grind them, the better.

Step 3: Sift in confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder.

Step 4: Add 2 egg whites and pulse mixture until a thick dough forms.

Step 5: In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a rapid boil.

Step 6: Beat the 2 remaining egg whites to soft peak while the sugar mixture boils.

Step 7: Once the sugar mixture boils, remove from heat. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF. With the mixer on medium speed slowly add the liquid into the egg whites. Beat until you have a thick, glossy meringue.

Step 8: Remove 2/3 of the meringue and set aside.

Step 9: Add the chocolate hazelnut mixture to the remaining 1/3 of meringue in the mixer. Slowly mix together.

Step 9: Gently fold in the previously set aside meringue. Note: do this gradually in 2-3 batches, your arm should hurt by the end :) The resulting batter will be airy.

Step 10: Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 11: Transfer batter into a piping bag with a 1 cm opening. I used my dessert decorator tool from Wilton.

Step 12: Pipe batter onto prepared baking sheets, forming 1 inch discs. 

Step 13: Preheat oven to 350. Let batter sit for 20 minutes before baking.

Step 14: Bake macarons for 10 minutes. Don’t be alarmed if your macarons look like mushrooms when you take them out of the oven. Once they cool they will lay flat. Let cool completely before filling.

Step 15: Take 1 cookie and spread a thin even layer of nutella. Take a second cookie and place on top to make a sandwich.

Step 16: Enjoy! You are done- time to eat your hard work!


Notes for next time:
-I am going to buy almond/hazelnut flour. This is key to getting the cookies extremely smooth. My food processor can’t grind nuts as fine as they need to be. Also, they need to be ground in a special way that prevents them from becoming oily (which happens if you use a food processor). My point: a food processor is fine, but for perfect macarons you need to buy almond/hazelnut flour.
-After piping the batter onto the baking sheets, I am going to smooth the top with a spatula. My macarons had a swirl so they were not flat.
 

***Major thanks to Sof for taking the beautiful pictures!!

Heath Bar Brownies

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Last night was my ideal Friday night. I am usually too worn out on Friday nights to have the energy to go out and do something. This is especially true on a gloomy, cold night like yesterday. Instead I took a shower, had a glass of wine, made enchiladas and plopped on the couch to watch the House Hunters International marathon. Every time I watch that show I have the urge to live abroad in Europe, or at the very least travel.

Awhile later I had this:

That, my friends, is a heath bar brownie + toffee ice cream sundae. I enjoyed it while watching the hunt for an apartment in Berlin. (I want to go to Germany!)

It was a decadent dessert but exactly what I was craving after a long week.

Heath Bar Brownies


Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces coarsely chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup heath bar toffee bits

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heavily grease an 8-inch square baking pan and set aside.
  2. Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a microwaveable bowl. Set microwave for 1 minute and stir. Repeat for 30 second intervals, making sure to stir after each time until completely melted.  Let cool slightly.
  3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.
  4. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated. Mix in toffee bits.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.
These brownies are best enjoyed with ice cream on a cold, gross night!