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Layered Peppermint Crunch Bark

November 4, 2010 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
BonAppetite Dessert Cookbook

This bark features white chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, and peppermint candies—perfect for the holidays. To crush the candies, place them in a resealable plastic bag and tap them firmly with a rolling pin. Makes 36 pieces

17 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
30 red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed (about 6 ounces), divided
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Turn large baking sheet bottom side up. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Mark 12×9-inch rectangle on foil. Stir white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water until chocolate is melted and smooth and candy thermometer registers 110°F (chocolate will feel warm). Remove bowl from over water. Pour 2?3 cup melted white chocolate onto rectangle on foil. Using icing spatula, spread chocolate to fill rectangle. Sprinkle with 1?4 cup crushed candies. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.

Stir bittersweet chocolate, cream, and peppermint extract in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted and smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour bittersweet chocolate mixture in long lines over white chocolate rectangle. Using offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.

Rewarm remaining white chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water to 110°F. Working quickly, pour white chocolate over firm bittersweet chocolate layer [1]; spread to cover [2]. Immediately sprinkle with remaining crushed candies [3]. Chill just until firm, about 20 minutes.

Lift foil with bark onto work surface; trim edges. Cut bark crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips. Using metal spatula, slide bark off foil and onto work surface. Cut each strip crosswise into 3 sections and each section diagonally into 2 triangles.

Do Ahead: Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container. Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Technique Tip: Spreading the Chocolate

To keep the white chocolate layer from remelting when you add the bittersweet chocolate, pour out the bittersweet chocolate mixture in three thick lines down the length of the baking sheet. This speeds up the spreading so that there isn’t time for the white chocolate to melt.

—From Bon Appétit Desserts by Barbara Fairchild/Andrews McMeel Publishing
Filed Under: Candy, Chocolate, Christmas, Desserts, Recipe Cards

Budget Candy Bar Bars

April 22, 2010 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
barcookies

What You Need:

1 C brown sugar, packed
2/3 C of butter
1/4 C light corn syrup
1 C of peanut butter, divided
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 C quick cooking oats
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate baking chips
1/2 C of chopped nuts

How to Make It:

Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly spray a 13X9 baking pan with cooking spray.
Stir together in a saucepan the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup.
Place the pan over medium low heat and stirring constantly cook 2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat.
Stir in the 1/4 C of peanut butter and the vanilla.
Pour the mixture over the oats in a large bowl and stir until combined.
Press the mixture into the bottom only of the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until just beginning to brown.
Place the chocolate chips into a saucepan over low heat.
Add the remaining peanut butter and stirring constantly cook for 2 minutes.
Spread the mixture over the baked crust and sprinkle the top evenly with the nuts.
Cool on a wire rack until the chocolate is firm.

Makes 15 bars

These little bars are a sweet treat that can take the place of those expensive candy bars. As a dessert these will put a smile on everyone’s face while you count the dollars you saved. Use whatever baking chips you have on hand such as white or mint chocolate chips or even butterscotch. Do the same with the nuts. Whatever you have on hand will work just fine.

Preparation Time: approximately 30 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 14 minutes
Total Time: approximately 44 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 166; Fat 9g; Saturated Fat 4g; Carbohydrates 16g; Fiber 2g; Protein 3g;
Cholesterol 7 mg; Sodium 64 mg

Filed Under: Cakes and Cookies, Candy, Chocolate, Desserts, Kid Friendly, Recipe Cards, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Butterscotch Potato Candy Drops

October 7, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
potato-sticks

potato-sticksWhat You Need:

1 (11 oz.) pkg. butterscotch chips
2 T of creamy peanut butter
1 (12 oz.) jar dry roasted peanuts
1 (4 oz.) can potato sticks

How to Make It:

Place the chips and peanut butter into a saucepan over low heat.
Heat the mixture 5 minutes stirring constantly or until very smooth.
Take the pan from the stove and stir in the peanuts until well coated.
Carefully stir in the potato sticks and coat them well.
On a pan lined with wax paper drop the mixture by teaspoonfuls.
Chill the candy drops until firm.

These make great goodies to give to trick or treaters. They will come back again and again for these sweet salty drops. You may use semisweet chocolate chips if you prefer instead of the butterscotch and the peanuts are optional.

Makes 5 dozen drops

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Filed Under: Candy, Halloween, Kid Friendly, Recipe Cards, Recipes, Side Dishes, Snacks, Soups and Salads Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Chocolate Marshmallow Graham Nachos

October 5, 2009 By The Recipe Mom 1 Comment
smores

smoresWhat You Need:

8 graham crackers
3/4 C of milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 C of mini marshmallows

How to Make It:

Preheat the oven for the broiler.
Break all the graham crackers into 4 squares.
Place all the graham cracker squares into a 9 inch aluminum pie plate.
Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over the graham crackers.
Lay the marshmallows over the top of the chocolate chips.
Place the pie plate in the oven 6 inches from the heat.
Broil 45 seconds or until the marshmallows are lightly browned and puffy.

Watch closely so your nachos don’t burn. Do not use a glass pan when making these as it will break from the intense heat of the broiler.

Makes 4 servings

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Broiling Time: approximately 45 seconds
Total Time: approximately 10 minutes 45 seconds

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving):
Calories 340; fat 12 g; sodium 190 mg; carbohydrates 55 g; sugars 40 g; protein 4 g

Filed Under: Candy, Halloween, Kid Friendly, Recipe Cards, Recipes, Snacks Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Fruit Snack Pretzel Ghosts

September 29, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
candies

candiesWhat You Need:

1 (3 ft.) roll of chewy fruit snack
14 (3 inch long) pretzel sticks
2/3 C white baking chips
1 t miniature semisweet chocolate chips

How to Make It:

Using wax paper, completely cover a cookie sheet.
Unroll the fruit snack and cut the long end of it from end to end into 1/2 inch fringe.
Using a sharp knife cut the roll into 2 segments.
Around one end of each pretzel stick, wrap a piece of the fringed fruit snack.
Press the fruit snack with your finger onto the pretzel to make sure it is secure.
On the prepared cookie sheet lay the pretzel sticks.
In a saucepan over low heat put the white baking chips.
With a wooden spoon stir almost constantly and heat the chips 5 minutes or until melted.
Remove from the stove.
Pour 1/2 tbsp of the melted chips over the middle of a pretzel to make a ghost shape.
Continue this process until you have made 14 ghosts.
3 of the chocolate chips are used to make the eyes and a nose on each ghost.
Let the ghosts set at room temperature 45 minutes or until hardened.

If you want to save time melt the chips in the microwave instead of the stove. Put the chips into a small microwaveable dish and microwave 30 seconds on high. Stir until the chips are completely melted. The completed ghosts can be put in the freezer 5 minutes to harden to save time.

Makes 14 candies

Preparation Time: approximately 20 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 5 minutes
Hardening Time: approximately 45 minutes
Total Time: approximately 1 hour 10 minutes

Nutritional Information (approximate values per candy)
Calories 50; fat 3g; sodium 20 mg; carbohydrates 7g; sugar 6g; protein 0g

Filed Under: Candy, Desserts, Halloween, Kid Friendly, Recipes, Snacks, Soups and Salads Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Halloween Peppermint Lollipops

September 11, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
lollipop1

lollipop1What You Need:

1 1/2 C of sugar
3/4 C of water
2/3 C of light corn syrup
1/2 t cream of tartar
1/2 t peppermint oil
Black and orange paste food coloring
10 lollipop sticks

How to Make It:

On a parchment lined baking sheet put 10 assorted sizes of buttered round cookie cutters.
In a saucepan over medium heat put the sugar, water and corn syrup.
The cream of tartar is stirred in, and then cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved.
Do not stir and bring the mixture to a boil.
Cook without stirring until a candy thermometer reaches 300 degrees.
Take from the heat and stir in the peppermint oil.
Keep your face away from the pan while stirring in the oil as the aroma is very strong.
1/4 C of the mixture is spooned into 2 separate custard cups.
One cup is tinted orange and the other one black.
The remaining mixture is poured into the buttered cookie cutters.
The orange and black mixture is drizzled over the cookie cutters and the mixture swirled around with a toothpick.
Before the lollipops are completely hard remove the cookie cutters and put a lollipop stick into each one.

You can use any size or shape of cookie cutters. Wrap the hardened lollipops in plastic wrap and tie with a Halloween bow. These are great hand out treats for all your trick or treaters.

Makes 10 lollipops

Filed Under: Candy, Kid Friendly, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,