White Chocolate Chunk Krispies Treats for Valentine's Day

Are we surviving the week ok?  I thought I'd pop in with another dose of pink and red sweetness to help us find something to smile about.  Plus, who doesn't love fancied-up krispy treats?!

Things are still in transition on the home front, but actually going smoother than I was expecting.  Bo and I are going all dog whisperer on his mom's dogs, and I'm convinced that peace and quiet are just right over the horizon.  And once the weather gets a little nicer, we won't all be cooped up in the house all day.  (Am I bleeding optimism?  I hope so; I've really been working on it.)

So, anyway, to get sugar out of my house (because you know I always make creme brulee for Valentine's, and then it's all about birthday cake next week), I brought this batch of krispies treats in to work.  And immediately regretted having made only an 8" pan of them.  Word got out that I was sharing treats, and I only had enough for the desks closest to me.  Whoops!!  Maybe I'll earn back the office love by bringing in leftover birthday cake next week.  Speaking of cake (I'm incapable of focus this morning) - I've decided that this year's fancy birthday cake will be chocolate.  With caramel sauce between layers.  And covered in the most perfect homestyle chocolate buttercream.  I. Cannot. Wait.!!!

Strawberries and Cream Valentine Tarts

Aren't these little guys just too adorable?  When my girlfriend came over on Saturday, we dreamed up this delicious little dessert, and I'm so excited to share the recipe with you!

I didn't get a chance to write this up until just now because I've been fairly preoccupied this week, with Bo's mom and her little dogs arriving on Monday afternoon.  It's actually been a fairly smooth transition so far, but I haven't had a roommate in such a long time, that it's going to take some adjusting for us all.  But, I'll admit to playing dirty - I whipped up this recipe for her on Tuesday evening.  Major points right off the bat! :)

Pecan Sandies for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Bo has declared these to be "the best cookies in the whole world."  Every time he snags a cookie from the container, he says those exact words.  So we've got it on good authority that these little guys are yummy and perfect.

But why ask him?  I mean, I am kind of a cookie queen, am I not?  Well, today's recipe is a new one for me on so many levels.  It's my first time making these cookies, my first time eating these cookies, and my first time seeing what these cookies are even supposed to look like.  Yeah.

And while I'm being honest here, I'll admit that I'd always assumed that Pecan Sandies were named after some woman named Sandy, back in the 1950s.  You should've seen Bo's face when I told him that part.  He laaaaaughed at me and then said it had something to do with the sandy cookie texture.  Turns out he's right!  (I totally googled it last night.)

These cookies have a deliciously buttery, crisp texture and the hint of roasted pecans is such a perfect match.  They're the best kind of crumbly cookie, but the addition of a Dove milk chocolate Promise just puts these cookies at the top of the list.  Bo's list, that is.  I'm still a tried and true chocolate chip cookie fan.

Wishing You Heart Smiles,

          

Pecan Sandies
adapted from Allrecipes

1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. (100g) sugar
1/2 c. (109g) brown sugar
1 c. (115g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. (512g) flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
2 c. roasted, chopped pecans
48 Dove chocolate hearts, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, sugar, brown sugar, and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a separate bowl. Beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, 1/4 at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the pecans.  Dough will be a little sticky.

Chill the dough for an hour, then scoop dough into balls and place 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Keep remaining dough refrigerated. Bake cookies for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Press chocolate hearts into centers of cookies, and remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.  Makes 4 dozen.

         

Vanilla Pound Cake Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting

Ok, I'm about to share some of my favorite recipes with you here.  Favorite.

Favorite.

Favorite.

This little cupcake was dreamt up when a friend and I were testing recipes for her wedding.  And these babies made their debut at her wedding reception.  They're that good.

You start with a Pound Cake Cupcake.  We chose a pound cake recipe because my issue with standard cupcake recipes is that they end up a little on the dry side, and don't even think about trying to eat them the next day - you'll need 4 glasses of water to get them down.  Not so with pound cake.  It maintains its moisture over a couple of days, and the flavor is just so buttery and delicious.  Another thing that makes my heart flutter is the easy measurements for the recipe.  It's a cinch to 1/2 or 1/3, or even 2/3 the recipe!  When I made these last weekend, I made 2/3 the cupcake recipe below to end up with 2 dozen cupcakes.

The Raspberry Filling is perfectly raspberry-punched without being overly sweet.  I choose to leave a few of the seeds in (rather than strain them all out) so that the filling doesn't look imitation.  I like it to look a little jammy and definitely homemade.

And, that Cream Cheese Frosting is a hybrid of a standard buttercream frosting and a full-on cream cheese frosting, like you'd expect on a carrot cake.  It adds a little bit of tart to contrast with the sweetness from the cupcake and filling, but it isn't so tangy that it overpowers the rest of your cupcake.

I'm seriously so excited to share these recipes with you.  They're so pretty and just perfect for Valentine's Day.  They're a bit over the top, but definitely have that homemade, homestyle flavor that I think is essential for baking up treats to share.  I hope you love them just as much as I do!

Sugar Rush!!!!!

         

Vanilla Pound Cake Cupcakes

1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 c. (603g) sugar
6 eggs
3 c. (336g) cake flour
1 c. milk (2% or whole)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream butter and sugar together, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in one cup of the flour, then 1/2 cup of the milk. Continue alternating (flour-milk-flour), ending with the last cup of flour. Beat on medium-high for two minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 full. Place on middle rack of cold oven and set temperature to 275 degrees. Set timer for one hour, and bake until cupcakes pass the toothpick test. Makes 36 cupcakes. (Half recipe yields ~19 cupcakes, third recipe yields ~12 cupcakes.)

Raspberry Filling for Cakes and Cupcakes

12oz. package of frozen raspberries
2/3 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 c. water

In a saucepan, combine the raspberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the raspberries have broken down. Remove the mixture from the heat and strain with a fine mesh sieve. Return the strained mixture to the heat. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the raspberry mixture. Bring the mixture back to a boil and simmer 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool completely. Will thicken like a jelly as it cools. Makes about 1 ½ cups and fills 48 cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2, 8oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 c. sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large mixer bowl and using the whisk attachment, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually beat in the powdered sugar until smooth, scraping the bowl often.  Will generously frost 24 cupcakes.

         

 To fill cupcakes:

I've used those cupcake filling tools, but my favorite tool is an apple corer.
They work better, and you probably already have one on hand.

Place end of apple corer over the center of the cupcake and twist downward, to about 2/3 of the way down the cupcake.  Twist back upward and push the cake plug out of the corer.  Optional:  Snack on all the cupcake centers until you feel woozy from the sugar overload. (Just me?)

Pour your room temperature raspberry filling into a disposable pastry bag or large ziploc.

(You can store the filling for about a week in the fridge, so it can be made ahead.)

Fill cupcake centers just until level with their tops.

Frost, and then take a bite and swoon from the amazing creation you just put together.

Creme Brulee

Wooooeeeeee, this week has been a doozy.  These long, stressful work days have been taking their toll, and I keep daydreaming about that amazing Creme Brulee I made on Saturday.  You know - the recipe I only got five bites of because of my body's ridiculousness with dairy.  Le sigh.

But, now it's time to shift our focus to Valentine's Day treats!  February is my favorite month for treats (hint), and one of my favorite traditions is making Creme Brulee for Bo.  I made it for the first time for our first Valentine's Day together, because it's his favorite dessert.  But, I love it because anything that reminds me of "Amelie" is worth squealing about :)

I'll be honest - the first time I made Creme Brulee, I was freaked out about it.  But really, you just whisk a few ingredients and bake it in ramekins set in a water bath.  After they're chilled, bust out your trusty kitchen torch and give it a crunchy topping.  Done!

Tap Tap on the Sugar Top,

         

Crème Brûlée
adapted from Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee

8 egg yolks
1/3 c. sugar
2 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or extract
1/4 c. sugar (for the caramelized tops)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/3 c. sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow.  Add cream and vanilla, and continue to whisk until well blended.  Strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles.

Place a paper towel into a large baking dish and arrange 6 ramekins in it spaced evenly apart.  Divide egg custard mixture among the ramekins.  Place baking dish on middle rack of oven, and fill the dish with warm water, until the level reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake until custards are set around the edges, but still loose in the center, about 40-50 minutes.  (Longer baking time may be necessary for larger or deeper ramekins.)  Remove baking dish from the oven and leave ramekins in the water bath until cooled.  Remove from water bath and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar over each custard.  Use a kitchen torch to melt sugar, or place under a broiler until the sugar melts.  Re-chill custards for a few minutes before serving.  Makes 6 individual custards.

         

Ingredient Lineup:

When you first mix the sugar into the egg yolks, it's a dark yellow color.

After whisking, the mixture will turn pale in color and become thicker.

Pour the custard mixture through a fine mesh sieve to strain.

Place a paper towel into a large baking dish and arrange ramekins evenly spaced.

Pour custard mixture into ramekins to half full.

Place the baking dish onto the middle rack of your oven and pour in warm water so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Divide sugar among the 6 ramekins and use a kitchen torch to melt the sugar.

Chocolate Truffle Cakes

Good lands, these are amazing!

They're part of the spread of tiny and delicious desserts I'll be making for our friends' wedding this weekend.  I wanted to play with the recipe one last time, and I thought I'd share it here.  Because not sharing this recipe would be like not waving hello to you - it simply would be bad manners to keep it all to myself.

What you need to know is that their taste and texture is a lot closer to brownie than cake.  In fact, with only one measly tablespoon of flour, they're almost entirely chocolate (and easily converted to gluten free).  I thought I was in love with my brownie recipe until I made these.  They have the crackly tops of a brownie, but the insides are almost gooey, and the whole thing is what I imagine Chocolate Heaven to be like.

Also?  I'm currently on a self-imposed sugar strike, and I have to say that the smell of these little cakes baking was absolute torture.  And then having them on my kitchen counter was another eight kinds of evil.  I managed to eat only one before foisting them on a neighbor.  Phew, close one.

Enjoy!

• Chocolate Truffle Cakes
• adapted from Martha Stewart
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 7 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped *
• 7 oz. dark chocolate, chopped *
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease cupcake pan or line with papers.
•  
• Put chocolate, butter, and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; whisk occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat, and let stand until cool and thickened, about 5 minutes. Beat eggs and remaining tablespoon of sugar in a mixer until pale and doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Add flour and salt into egg mixture; mix to combine. Add chocolate mixture 1/2 at a time; mixing until combined (batter will be thick).
• 
  
• Spoon mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling cups 2/3 full; swirl tops with back of spoon. Bake until tops are springy to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately run a butter knife along the edges of each cup to loosen and then turn out onto wire racks and let cool.  Store in an airtight container, and will keep for 2-3 days.  Best eaten at room temperature.  And with a tiny scoop of your best vanilla ice cream nestled into their concave tops.  Makes 10 individual cakes.
• 
  

* Note:  Feel free to play around with the chocolate ratios.  I've made these with 9oz of semi-sweet and 5oz of dark, and they were just as delicious.  The dark chocolate I use is sweeter than most, so it's just a matter of preference.

Ingredient Lineup:

Melt chocolate, butter, and some of the sugar in a shallow bowl

over a pot of water at a low boil.

The batter will be thick and shiny (and tasty).

Either fill a muffin pan, each cup 2/3 full...

 Or use pretty papers.  I highly recommend the papers.

The cake edges won't brown too dark, and it makes cleanup much quicker.

And they bake up so pretty, like this!

And this!

Click to zoom.  If you dare.

      

Chocolate Gravy {Great for Valentine's Breakfast}

Want to make a special treat for your family? Give this chocolate gravy a try! My family was so aghast that my kids had never had any...but there are a lot regular type recipes that I don't know since I learned to cook from watching the food network. I got this recipe from my Aunt Nita. I asked her to tell me how to make it...but she couldn't. She said I'll make it and you take notes. I tried to talk her out of it since she was over to visit with Grandma and Mother but thank goodness she convinced me that it was no trouble. It's so delicious...and can make biscuits and gravy super duper special.

You will need cocoa powder, salt, sugar, flour and milk.

In a bowl measure out 6 heaping spoons of flour.

Add 12 spoonfuls of sugar and a small dash of salt.

Sprinkle your mixture with half a spoonful of cocoa.

Stir to combine really well. 

You are looking for this color...when you think you have it add another tiny dash of cocoa.

Put 3 cups of milk in a pan on medium heat. When it gets about luke warm add cocoa mixture and stir continuously until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon completely. It should look like very light melted chocolate. Makes enough gravy for about 12 biscuits.

Pour over biscuits and top with a bit of butter and serve with sausage or bacon.

My uncles all add a ton of butter to each biscuit...I added a dot and it tasted really really good. Nita said that she made this for her kids every weekend when they were little.

Sounds like a good plan to me!

What's your favorite food memory?