Who Doesn't Like a Twist to a Rice Krispie Treat?

I am running on the treadmill, chanting "I really do like running, I really do like running". Who am I fooling? A black, wide rubber band wrapped around two rollers with digital controls to "really" add to my other mantra: No Pain, No Gain. I am listening to good ol ROCK on my miniature IPOD in one of those stretchy arm wraps with earplugs attached to keep the beat going while imaging myself with muscles clearly visible and flexing in my legs. I deserve a sweet and gooey treat for going through all the mental dialog and personal conniving so I had better be planning something Damn well worth the sweat! (I don't care that I will be cutting myself a 3" x 3" piece and nibbling on little crumbs that fall off the knife, knowing the crumbs are so out of bounds.) Fresh, bright, sunshine yellow lemons are sitting on my counter next to perfectly ripe, reddish green mangoes. Homemade vanilla bean ice cream with Jack Daniels swirled in just after being churned to the right thickness is waiting in the freezer, all types and colors of chocolate are sitting patiently in a dark pantry and what am I craving? A sassed up rice krispie treat. We are talking loaded with crunchy peanut butter, semi-sweet chocolate, slightly crushed and salted peanuts, local clover honey, the BIG & Fluffy marshmallows, and a few rice krispies to make sure the gooey, chewy dessert fits in my rice krispie treat category. Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup honey


• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter


• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


• 1 cup salted peanuts


• 3 cups Rice Krispies


• 12 large marshmallows

Directions:

• Melt honey and crunchy peanut butter on the stove or in the microwave. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add the chocolate chips and marshmallows, stirring until melted. Add the peanuts and rice krispies, stirring until combined.


• Spoon into a 8" x 8" pan (I did not butter my mine and had no trouble getting the treats to pop out. You can if you choose to be on the safe side.) Cut into squares.

Triple Chocolate Redemption

Chocolate Heaven; melting bliss; creamy perfection.

The first bite of any dish will always be the star bite. Taste buds come alive to surround each segment of the bite and send signals to our brain, telling us whether to melt into submission or to eat for sustenance. The crater between the two can keep many of us in the kitchen for hours; honing, tweaking, tasting, creating the perfect dish . . . always hoping to reach the pinaccle of bliss.

My culinary experience comes from wonderful, homemade dishes my Grandmother and Mother created along with an inner desire and passion to learn through reading and continual practice. I still use recipes tested by others as a base instead of venturing out, completely on my own, a point I hope to pass in the near future.


Every once in a while, I want to follow in the footsteps of a chef who feels he or she has perfected a dish and wants the kitchen cook to not deviate one iota. This is such a recipe. From Cook's Illustrated, posted on their website, in their November/December 2009 Magazine and taped for public viewing on PBS Channel 9 station.

When we post a recipe, do we care if the recipe is changed along the way or do we want others to see and experience the same finished dish we have elaborately written about and laid out?

I am reposting the recipe because I want to come back and re-create the dish without hunting for hours. I will later forget where this recipe is when I know this recipe is needed to finish the "right" dinner for entertaining.

Important Note: The recipe specifies Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate and Guittard Choc-Au-Lait White Chips. Different types and brands of chocolate were tested and these two stood out as creating distinctive layers of chocolate flavor. The end result is a melt-in-your mouth chocolate heaven with an eye-catching plate appearance.

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake
(as per Cooks Illustrated website)
Ingredients:
Bottom Layer
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, plus extra for greasing pan
7 ounces, chopped fine bittersweet chocoalte (Ghirardelli Bittersweet)
3/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs , separated
Pinch table salt
1/3 cup packed (about 2 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar, crumbled with fingers to remove lumps
Middle Layer
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
5 tablespoons hot water
7 ounces, chopped fine bittersweet chocolate (Ghirardelli Bittersweet)
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
Top Layer
3/4 teaspoon powdered gelatin
1 tablespoon water
6 ounces white chocolate chips (Guittard Choc-Au-Lait)
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
Shaved chocolate or cocoa powder for serving, optional

Directions:
FOR THE BOTTOM LAYER: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of 91/2-inch springform pan. Melt butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool mixture slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and egg yolks; set aside.

In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at medium speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add half of brown sugar and beat until combined, about 15 seconds. Add remaining brown sugar and beat at high speed until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about 1 minute longer, scraping down sides halfway through. Using whisk, fold one-third of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Carefully transfer batter to prepared springform pan, gently smoothing top with offset spatula.

Bake until cake has risen, is firm around edges, and center has just set but is still soft (center of cake will spring back after pressing gently with finger), 13 to 18 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. (Cake will collapse as it cools.) Do not remove cake from pan.

FOR THE MIDDLE LAYER: Combine cocoa powder and hot water in small bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly, 2 to 5 minutes.

In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, granulated sugar, and salt at medium speed until mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds.

Whisk cocoa powder mixture into melted chocolate until smooth. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse into springform pan over cooled cake and gently tap pan on counter 3 times to remove any large air bubbles; gently smooth top with offset spatula. Wipe inside edge of pan with damp cloth to remove any drips. Refrigerate cake at least 15 minutes while preparing top layer.

FOR THE TOP LAYER: In small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand at least 5 minutes. Place white chocolate in medium bowl. Bring ½ cup cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; add gelatin mixture and stir until fully dissolved. Pour cream mixture over white chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes (mixture will thicken slightly).

In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip remaining cup cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into white chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold remaining whipped cream into white chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain. Spoon white chocolate mousse into pan over middle layer. Smooth top with offset spatula. Return cake to refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours.

TO SERVE: If using, garnish top of cake with chocolate curls or dust with cocoa. Run thin knife between cake and side of springform pan; remove side of pan. Run cleaned knife along outside of cake to smooth sides. Cut into slices and serve.

I had a sliver last night but another for breakfast (The rest of the day is for burning the calories back off)

Chocolate Tacos

Chocolate tacos are simple to make and stunning to serve. Your imagination can go wild for the filling. Whatever fruit is ripe and fresh at the market makes the filling bright and fun. Sliced peaches (grate a little fresh nutmeg over them), fresh figs, quartered, mandarin oranges, seedless grapes, papaya and the list can go on and on.

Find a bright, fruit flavored sorbet matching one of your fruit fillings to serve in the chocolate taco. Just remember, have FUN!

Chocolate Tacos

CHOCOLATE TORTILLA INGREDIENTS:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
3 T. cocoa powder
2 egg whites
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. skim milk
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
1/8 t. cinnamon
FRUIT FILLING:
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced (grind a small bit of fresh black pepper on top)
1 c. raspberries
1 c. blackberries
1/2 c. blueberries
1 mango, sliced into 1/2-inch thick strips
2 kiwi, peeled and sliced into rounds
TO SERVE:
1/2 pint sorbet (use a flavor of one of the fruits)
8 mint sprigs
TO MAKE THE BATTER:
Place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth with an electric mixer. Cover the batter and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. TO COOK AND SHAPE THE TORTILLA:
Remove the batter from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature, which will take 20-30 minutes. Heat a small skillet or crepe pan over low heat. Pour in about 1/4 cup of batter (I use a long-handled measuring cup as my ladle) and tilt the pan quickly to spread the batter into a 6-inch or 8-inch circle. Once the edges look dry (2 or 3 minutes), loosen the edges with a knife and turn over the tortilla. Cook for another minute or two.
Life the soft hot chocolate tortilla out of the pan with a knife or spatula and quickly drape it over a rolling pin. It will become firm and crisp as it cools.
NOTE: if the tortilla doesn't firm up, it means the tortilla isn't thoroughly done, so cook it a bit longer. It should be dry when you remove it from the skillet. DIRECTIONS FOR FRUIT FILLING:
Gently mix berries together in a bowl. Keep the remaining fruit separate until assembling or they'll pick up the colors from the berries.
TO SERVE:
Place a tortilla on a serving plate. Generously fill it with the berries and then tuck in the mango and kiwi. Add a scoop of sorbet and garnish with mint sprigs.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Overload

My cooking and baking friend Sally, known as krumkake at Group Recipes, shared this recipe with me awhile back and my family loves them! How could you not? Unless you do not enjoy peanut butter and chocolate together with a wonderfully smooth icing and toasted, chopped peanuts to complete the picture.Filled Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Time: 11 minutes
Serves: 36
Ingredients
Filling ingredients:
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup powdered sugar (you may need a bit more to make the dough easy enough to handle after it's chilled)
For cookie dough:
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup butter, at room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups white flour
¼ cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
Finely chopped salted peanuts for garnish, optional (but really good!)
Frosting ingredients:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
enough half-and-half to make the frosting spreadable

Directions:

For filling, blend together the 2 ingredients until smooth. Cover and chill for a couple hours to make handling it easier. While filling is chilling, prepare the cookie dough.

For cookie dough, cream together both sugars, butter and cream cheese until batter is fluffy. Add extract and egg, beating until well blended. Stir in flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Take pieces of dough and roll into 1” balls. Make a deep thumbprint in the center of the ball and fill it with about 1 teaspoon of filling. Carefully bring the dough around the filling, covering it completely, and gently roll it again to smooth the dough and fully enclose the filling. Place the balls 2” apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees, for 9 to 12 minutes, until cookies are just barely browned on the bottom. Cool completely before frosting.

For frosting, cream the ingredients together until well blended. I add enough half-n-half to easily dip the top of the cookie into the frosting and let the extra drip off. Frost each cooled cookie and garnish with some finely diced salted peanuts, if desired.

NOTE: I have also used a peanut butter frosting instead of the chocolate cream cheese frosting. Just omit the cocoa and cream cheese, add 2 tablespoons of melted butter and about ¼ cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter (add enough peanut butter to achieve the “peanutty” taste you like best – if I use crunchy peanut butter, I don’t bother with the chopped salted peanut garnish on the frosting).

Snicker's Ice Cream Fantasy

Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice cream, Layers of caramel and Snicker's cake can make any day feel like a celebration! Vanilla Bean Ice Cream:
2 c. heavy cream (1 pint)
2 c. light cream = half-n-half (1 pint)
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla bean paste (can substitute vanilla extract)
1/2 t. salt

Directions:
Pour cream directly into ice cream machine center bucket. Add sugar, vanilla and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Process ice cream according to machine instructions. (The Kitchen Aide ice cream bowl is wonderful for ice cream projects.)

After Ice Cream is done, put in freezer for at least 2 hours before using in layered dessert.

Snicker's cake
1 German chocolate cake mix
1 pkg caramels
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
1/3 c. milk
3/4 c. chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts (I use pecans)
and 1 jar of caramel ice cream topping

Directions:

Mix cake mix according to instructions on cake box.
Pour half of the batter in a 9x13-inch pan and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Melt caramels with butter and milk; pour over the baked cake mix. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Dot remaining cake batter on top.

Bake 20 minutes longer at 250 degrees and 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Remove from oven and cool. Now the fun part: You can either make a Blizzard out of the caramel ice cream topping, ice cream and Snicker's cake by swirling chunks of cake and Tablespoons of caramel through the ice cream OR you can make layers. Let your imagination go and enjoy!

SMS - Butterscotch Pralines topping my 3-Layer Fudge Cake

Sweet Melissa Sunday consisted of delicious homemade Butterscotch Pralines this week; chosen by Tess of Cookin Chemist. Tess's butterscotch pralines turned out absolutely perfect so jump on her link and check them out!

I let my mixture whip for a little too long so I had a stiff batter. I did not realize the error until I had scooped them all out onto my silicon mat. I was tired at the time and thought the candies still tasted delicious but I did not have the pretty layout. Serves me right for making these while finishing up my 3-layer fudge cake and starting an in-depth dinner. (I was making BBQ ribs, cornbread and portabello fries.)Group Recipes site has drastically changed, a site many of us cooking and baking people are addicted too and I found out that 12 of my 202 posted recipes are missing photos. One of the recipes is my Triple Layer Fudge Cake so I baked the cake to get photos to post. The cake worked perfectly as a showcase for the pralines (or so I think).

Triple Layer Fudge Cake

Time 35 minutes
Serves 8
Ingredients:
**CAKE BATTER**
3/4 c. butter
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla
3 eggs
3 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
3 c. sifted cake flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. ice water
**DATE CREAM FILLING**
1 c. milk
1/2 c. chopped dates
1 T. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 t. vanilla
**FUDGE FROSTING**
2 c. sugar
1 c. light cream (half-n-half)
2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate, grated

How to make it
**DIRECTIONS FOR CAKE BATTER**
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla with mixer. Add eggs, beating until light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate and blend well.
Sift together dry ingredients; add alternately with water to chocolate mixture. Pour batter into three 8" layer pans which have been greased and lined with waxed paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean. Cool. Put layers together with Date Cream Filling. Frost with Fudge Frosting.
**DIRECTIONS FOR DATE CREAM FILLING**
Combine milk and dates in top of a double boiler.
Combine flour and sugar and add beaten egg, blending until smooth. Add to hot milk. Cook, stirring, until thick. Cool.
Stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread between layers.
**DIRECTIONS FOR FUDGE FROSTING**
Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Boil over high heat 3 minutes without stirring. Reduce heat and continue cooking until it reaches soft ball stage (238 degrees). Cool.
Beat until creamy and of spreading consistency. Add cream if too thick.
Spread on sides of cake first and a little over the top edge; frost top last.

Thank you Tess for picking out a fun cooking project for this week! and too check out all my wonderful baking companions on SMS, click on the link: Sweet Melissa Sunday Bakers.

SMS - Easy Chocolate Mousse

Callebaut Semi-sweet chocolate; melted, sweetened whipped egg whites; whipped into bliss, 40% heavy whipping cream; chilled and beaten into snow peaks - all swirled together, creating a light, smooth, creamy chocolate mousse.

Easy Chocolate Mousse was chosen this week by Spike of Spike Bakes for our Sweet Melissa Sunday special dessert. I think Spike picked out a wondrous and creamy chocolate dessert, absolutely perfect for Valentines! Velvety smooth and creamy . . .

I have already peeked and some of our talented bakers actually substituted liqueur for the vanilla. Had I thought of this, well I would have experimented all over the place. I used a vanilla bean paste, found at King Arthur Flour website and I am in LOVE with the stuff. Amazing with little vanilla bean seeds floating throughout.

To get the recipe for the Easy Chocolate Mousse, you can either purchase the Sweet Melissa Baking book "or" go to Spike Bakes website. You really should check her site out anyways because she altered her recipe just a tad and WoW! does her mousse's, mousses, mousse - how do you say mousse in plural? Well, anyways her choices of flavorings are brilliant!

My only complaint, I know, I know, but really - my kitchen sink is totally filled with dishes from making this easy mousse.

We swirled small mounds of creamy chocolate mousse in bite size, miniature glasses and dolloped larger amounts in bigger dishes. My daughter, Ashley, could not wait for the chilling process. She made off with one of the bowls when I wasn't looking . . .or so she thinks (smiling).

Guess what? I started my apron WAYYYY back when and just the other night I finally finished it. Unfortunately, Fluffy is looking at the apron like it is her new napping spot. Boy, did she get a wake up call =). I just HAD to share!