bounty chocolate: Christmas

Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

WORLD'S MOST SCRUMPTIOUS ENGLISH TOFFEE WITH MILK CHOCOLATE & TOASTED PECANS!!!!

Ingredients
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted (8 minutes at 350º)
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla

8-12 ounces milk chocolate, chopped (I used the huge Hershey bars, closer to 8 ounces)

Instructions

Cover baking sheet with silpat or lightly grease with Pam. (I used silpat to be safe)
Cut butter into pieces and mix with sugar, corn syrup and water. Bring to boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Insert candy thermometer and allow to boil, stirring occasionally, until liquid turns amber and temperature reaches 290º. Remove from heat immediately and add vanilla. Stir to combine and pour onto prepared sheet. Spread a bit.
Allow to cool about a minute, then sprinkle with chocolate. Allow heat to melt chocolate, then smooth out with spatula. Sprinkle with nuts and gently pat down so nuts adhere to chocolate. Chill for 2 hours, then break into small pieces. Store in refrigerator.

Adapted from my wonderful friend Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake via Gourmet Check out her blog-you'll love it!!!

Red velvet cookies and another German movie

I’ve been really into Europeans movies lately and, so far, I have seen really good films: after the Danish directors I went a little South and watched the excellent The Edukators (with the now Golden Globe nominee Daniel Brühl).

Since I’d already loved Soul Kitchen and The Wave I got into a German state of mind and decided to watch another movie from my grandmother’s home country, one that

CHRISTMAS TREE CUPCAKES

THE PERFECT PLAYDATE ACTIVITY!!!!

1. BAKE SOME CUPCAKES AND FROST.
2. TOP WITH AN UPSIDE DOWN SUGAR CONE.
3. FROST THE CONE GREEN.
4. GO CRAZY ADDING CANDIES!!!!!!

THESE CUTE CANDY CANE SPRINKLES ARE FROM ABC CAKE & DECORATING COMPANY!!!
CHECK OUT THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE HERE!

YOU CAN ORDER THEIR PRODUCTS HERE ON THEIR WEBSITE

CANDY CANE HEARTS

Super cute and it doesn't get easier than this!!!! Lay 2 candy canes together to shape a heart. Lay on a pan lined with wax paper. Melt chocolate disks in a pastry bag and pipe into the center to fill the hearts. Top with crushed candy canes or sprinkles and chill until set.

Christmas torrone and a very overrrated movie

I was reading something about Spring Breakers yesterday and decided to watch the notorious Kids, which script was written by Harmony Korine. I remember all the fuss created by the movie when it was released many years ago and now that I have seen it I know it was only because of its “controversial” subject, not because it’s any good. It’s a poor movie, uncomfortable to watch and completely

HOLIDAY CUPCAKES

THESE CUTE CANDY CANE SPRINKLES ARE FROM ABC CAKE & DECORATING COMPANY!!!

CHECK OUT THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE HERE!

YOU CAN ORDER THEIR PRODUCTS HERE ON THEIR WEBSITE

CHOCOLATE DIPPED CHRISTMAS PRETZELS

JUST LOOK AT THESE ASSORTED SPRINKLES FROM

ABC Cake Decorating Supplies!!!!!!

WHAT A SELECTION!!!

CHECK OUT THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE HERE!

YOU CAN ORDER THEIR PRODUCTS HERE ON THEIR WEBSITE

1. MELT CHOCOLATE DISKS.
2. DIP PRETZELS. LAY ON WAX PAPER.
3. ADD SPRINKLES AND CANDIES! CHILL A FEW MINUTES UNTIL SET.

ROLO CARAMEL PRETZEL CANDIES

Line a cookie sheet with nonstick foil. Lay pretzels on sheet and top each with 1 rolo. PLace in a 250 degree oven for 3-4 minutes until rolos are soft. Remove and press a pretzel m & m into each! Or a pecan, or a candy you like! Add sprinkles and cool.

White chocolate ginger buttons + the best horror film of all time

Much like my “to make” recipe list, the list of movies I want to watch grows longer every day – there is always something interesting I haven’t seen yet, new releases every week... I don’t think I’ll be ever done with either list. :D

To make things harder, now and then I feel like watching my favorite movies again, especially the ones I saw in my teenage years – it seems that now that I’m

PLATTER MAKING IN SESSION!

PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS

...Because a holiday platter is not complete until you ad the peanut butter blossoms!

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg

2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Additional granulated sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on parchment lines cookie sheet.

4. Bake 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each

cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 48 cookies.

Christmas rocky road + two out-of-this-world performances

Days ago, thanks to wonderful people who post movies on the Internet (thank you so much!), I could finally watch Behind the Candelabra and what an excellent movie it is: I expected something good because, well, it is a movie directed by Steven Soderbergh, but it turned out to be so much more than what I’d expected because of Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. I could never have thought Douglas

Vanillekipferl (Viennese vanilla crescents), and a not so fair competition

The people behind the Oscars have apparently developed a strategy of leaving the most powerful performances out of the competition (maybe to make sure the-not-so-great ones get the awards? Who knows). Last year both Tilda and Michael Shannon weren’t included in the game (and they were absolutely magnificent in We Need to Talk About Kevin and Take Shelter, respectively), and 2013 will be

GRINCH MILK

For the "grinch" in your life! hahahah Serve up some Grinch milk and cookies!!! Just add a drop or two of green food coloring to the milk, pop in a green and white straw and serve! Also fun to serve to the kids while you are cuddled up watching The Grinch movie!

Eggnog bars and messing up with iconic things

Many people I know are against remakes – I’m not; there are wonderful remakes out there – some are even superior to the originals – and there are bad ones, too. That’s life, right?

I think it’s hard to deal with traditional and iconic characters (unless you’re David Fincher), and maybe some of them should be left alone in all their glory. Chloë Grace Moretz has done a disservice to her career

Chewy speculaas blondies and one of the most beautiful trailers I've ever seen

My sister and I love watching the trailers when we go to the movies, and after each one we turn to each other and say “yes” or “no” (if we will or will not watch that movie once it premieres). Weeks ago, on the Catching Fire session, we saw the trailer for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and I must confess that when Ben Stiller’s face first appeared onscreen I was more than ready to say “no” –

Chocolate pain d’épice, two versions of the same song and of the same baked good

One day, back when I worked as a teacher, I told my students I liked Soft Cell and, two days after that one of them brought me the “Memorabilia” album and begged me to listen to it – he was sure I would love it, and in fact I did. On that CD there was a slightly different version of “Loving You, Hating Me” from the one I knew (and already liked) – the arrangement was a little less metallic,

Gingerbread stars because Christmas is around the corner

One of the things I hear the most these days is that time flies and I couldn’t agree more – I cannot believe that December has already arrived; it’s time to decorate the Christmas tree, to buy gifts for the loved ones and to start thinking about the food – since it’s too early for turkey I kicked things off with these cute and delicious gingerbread stars. :)

I usually shy away from cut out

BEST SUGAR COOKIES FOR HOLIDAY DECORATING!

RECIPE TIME!
3 c flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 sticks butter
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
ELECTRIC MIX BUTTER & SUGAR. ADD EGG, MILK, VANILLA. ADD FLOUR & BAKING POWDER. PAT INTO DISK. CAN BE CHILLED AT THIS POINT BUT DOES NOT NEED TO BE!!!! PREHEAT OVEN TO 350. ROLL DOUGH ON FLOURED BOARD TO DESIRED THICKNESS. CUT SHAPES AND BAKE 12-15 MINUTES DEPENDING ON SIZE OF COOKIE. IF SMALLER, CHECK THEM EARLIER. LET COOL ON SHEETS.
ROYAL ICING Ingredients

1 pound confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
Scant 1/2 cup water

Directions

Beat ingredients in a mixer bowl on low speed until smooth, about 7 minutes. If icing is too thick, add more water; if too thin, beat 2 to 3 minutes more. Add coloring.

APPLY SPRINKLES WHILE ICING IS WET!

Another ideas: Dip the unfrosted cookies in melted chocolate and add sprinkles!!!!

CHOCOLATE DIPPED MARSHMALLOWS WITH CRUSHED CANDY CANES & CANDY CANE OREOS

Trader Joe's makes candy cane "oreos"...fabulous!

1. Insert a mini candy cane into your marshmallows.

2. Dip some marshmallows in melted chocolate disks and set on wax paper.

3. Sprinkle on crushed candy canes (I used crushed peppermint candies by Andes) and crushed candy cane cookie crumbs. Will set in just a few minutes.

Wrap up with some hot chocolate packets for the perfect Christmas gift!