White Chocolate Chip Strawberry Shortcakes

I'm not sure why I haven't posted this recipe yet.  I was going through photos and deleting and sorting and stumbled across these and went "Oh crap!".  Yep, oops!  But then again we are definitely into strawberry season so maybe this recipe was just waiting for the perfect debut to arrive.

My favorite strawberry recipe is definitely strawberry-rhubarb pie but strawberry shortcakes have a space in my heart as well.  Usually my strawberry shortcakes involve buying those bright yellow sponge cakes strategically placed next to the berries in the produce section.  You know the ones I speak off, right?  They kind of taste like a Twinkie sans cream filling. 

I feel kind of ashamed to admit that I really love those sponge cake receptacles.  That being said I know I can do better.  My grandma never used those things but would make her own little biscuits to serve the strawberry filling on.  They always tasted amazing, especially right out of the oven, and were easy to prepare.

I'm not sure why I get so lazy and use those sponge cakes when these taste so yummy.  I used my grandmother's recipe (actually found on the Bisquick container) and modified it to add some more flavor.  Chocolate and chocolate chips anyone?  Perfect combo if you ask me (or don't).  Mmm, chocolate covered strawberries!

Kind of off topic but why the heck are strawberries almost the size of apples and so tasteless these days?  I remember eating unripe strawberries in my grandma's front yard that had more flavor then these monster berries! 

A lot of my berries in this batch were a bit under ripe too.  Didn't know that until I opened the package those sneaky strawberry packers. 

Nothing a little honey can't solve.  I love using honey instead of sugar because it completely dissolves in the strawberry juices where as sugar sometimes stays a bit grainy.  It also tastes better!  We bought some local honey at the farmer's market and I swear I could just eat that stuff straight out of the bottle.  Don't be surprised if you find me passed out under the table with an empty honey bear beside me.  Hooray for sugar highs!

White Chocolate Chip Strawberry Shortcakes
slightly adapted from Betty-Crocker.com

4 cups sliced strawberries
3 tablespoons honey 
2 cups baking mix (like Bisquick brand) 

1/3

  cup unsweetened baking cocoa

4 

tablespoons sugar(divided)

2/3

  cup milk

2 

tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/3

  cup white chocolate chip
whipped cream (I use Cool-Whip)

1. Heat oven to 425°F. In large bowl, mix strawberries and honey; set aside. 

2. In medium bowl, stir baking mix, cocoa, milk, 3 tablespoons sugar and the butter until soft dough forms. On parchment lined cookie sheet, drop dough by 6 spoonfuls. Sprinkle dough with remaining sugar.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and whipped cream.

Strawberry Chocolate Cake Pop Hearts

Valentine's Day is coming up.  It used to be a day I really really hated.  I remember being in High School and getting jealous of all the girls and boys who would get roses from their secret admirers and boy/girlfriends.  The Student Council (or something) would sell them and usually do a love compatibility thingy. I always bought mine just see who it would pair me up with.  It was amusing because I'm pretty sure a lot of the people taking the quiz would lie thus making your matches questionable. 

I saw a facebook post, either from Duncan Hines or CandyQuick, stating that Frosting Creations flavor mixes could be used in chocolate melts without seizing up the product.  Intrigued I immediately rushed to the store to pick up a couple flavors to test out in some Wilton candy melts.

I made some heart shaped chocolate cake balls to coat in my flavored chocolate.  They were a pain in the butt.  For some reason they just didn't want to stay on their sticks (because I stuck them too far in).  Then after I got them coated and place in the holder, every single one toppled over.  Hooray for chipped candy coating.

On a positive note:  The candy melts didn't seize up and the coating tasted just like a strawberry candy.  I can't wait to try out other flavors in my candy melts to use in my cake pop makery.  What other cake and frosting creation flavors should I use?  Chocolate covered strawberry was a no brainier so maybe some thing a bit less traditional next time.

Oh yeah...now that I'm married, I love Valentine's Day.  Last year we went to Medieval Times and he bought me clearanced candy from Target the day after.   He spoils me rotten (and not just on Valentine's Day!) which is 10xs better than a stupid fake fabric rose.  Not that love should be about material things anyways but who doesn't like to be spoiled?

Also, I should let my husband start editing these posts.  The original title: Starwberry Cape Pops.  * le sigh*

Minty Chocolate Bark {12 Days of Christmas Treats}

This is the easiest candy to make, I promise!  All you need is some chocolate candy melts and crushed candy or flavored chocolate chips.

I get more requests for this treat than any other I make all year.  Which is funny because all it requires is a microwave!  This year I made peppermint bark and Andes mint bark.  I love minty chocolate.  York peppermint patties and Junior mints are some of my favorite candies.  It's also the only way I'll eat dark chocolate.

The Andes mint bark can be made by buying a box of the after dinner mints and unwrapping each individual chocolate and crushing it or you can save yourself a lot of time and just go to the baking aisle to see if your store carries Andes baking chips.  They also make Andes peppermint crunch chips but I couldn't find them this year.  Bummer.  They're yummy too!

I like to layer two different colored candy melts when I make my bark.  It looks prettier.  To layer the chocolate just pour your first layer and let that harden up either on the counter or put it in the fridge to hasten the process. 

Then melt your second chocolate and pour over the 1st layer. Have whatever flavored topping you want to use ready to place on top of your last layer.  If it hardens up too much your toppings won't stick!

After everything has hardened up, remove your chocolate from the pan and use a sharp knife to  chop up the bark in pieces.

To make peppermint bark all you need is some leftover candy cane for your chocolate topping.  Crushing the candy canes can be a fun task for little hands.  If you live in apartment, wait until everyone is awake before attacking the candy with a rolling pin.  Unless you like grumpy roommates and neighbors.

Chocolate Candy Bark

Peppermint Bark:

1 12 oz bag of white chocolate candy melts

1 12 oz bag of dark chocolate candy melts

2/3 cup crushed peppermint candy cane

2 tbs vegetable shortening

or 

 

Chocolate Mint Bark:

1 12 oz bag of green candy melts

1 12 oz bag of dark chocolate mint candy melts

2/3 cup crushed Andes mint candies or Andes mint baking chips

2 TBS vegetable shortening

Melt candy melts in microwave safe bowl or measuring cup in microwave set to 50% power 1-2 minutes.  Stir every 30 seconds.  Do not overcook!  

Pour melted candy melts into a parchment lined 9x13 cake pan.  Let each layer harden before pouring next layer on top.

Top final layer with desired candy topping.  Let candy harden.  Break into pieces.  Enjoy!

Helpful tips:

Line your pan with some parhment paper leaving overhanging edges to make it easy to remove the choclate from the pan.  

If it's hard to remove from the pan, put it in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.  The chocolate will shrink from the pan edges making it easier to remove.

I find that adding a tablespoon of shortening to per a bag of chocolate candy melts (I use Wilton) makes it easier to pour it in an even layer

Thump the pan on the counter to even out chocolate if it's all lumpy bumpy

Coconut Macaroons {12 Days of Christmas Treats}

I have never in my life made a coconut macaroon.  I had no idea how simple they were to make!    A bit messy, but simple.  

These cookies are so sweet that they're best scooped out into small portions then baked.  If baked up bigger they are a bit mushier and lack all that crunchiness of well baked coconut.

Crispy coconut is so delicious.  These cookies are already decadent but they can certainly use some gussying up.

They sure are plain looking even if they are very flavorful.

If your crazy like me, you hit up the after Christmas clearance and stock up on Terry's chocolate oranges.  I buy a ton of them and store them in the freezer to eat all year.  This one is the last one from my freezer.  Time to stock up again!

I figured a little chocolate orange would taste yummy drizzled on these macaroons.

What a mess of chocolate!  So worth it though.  Just be sure to store in an airtight container.  They can get sticky if left in the humidity.

Coconut Macaroons

adapted from Martha Stewart

3/4 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 large egg white

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1 bag shredded sweetened coconut (14 oz)

For chocolate drizzle:

4 slices Terry's Chocolate Ornage finely chopped

3-4 discs Wilton milk chocolate  Candy Melts

1 tsp butter flavored Crisco

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla and salt until combined. Stir in the coconut with rubber spatula until well blended.

Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto the cookie sheets. Form the cookies into loose haystacks with your fingertips, moistening your hands with water as necessary to prevent sticking.  

Bake until the cookies are light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.  Let sit for about 2 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Once the cookies are cooled to room temperature (about 30 minutes), place cookies on some parchment paper. 

Melt the chocolates and Crisco in heatproof bowl in microwave set to 50% power for 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn the chocolate!

Using a fork, drizzle the melted chocolate on your macaroons. Let chocolate set before storing in an airtight container.

Mock Toffee {12 Days of Christmas Treats}

My favorite part of Christmas is getting to hang out with family and look at old family photos.  It's amazing to see a picture and have no memory what so ever of that event but to know it had to have happened because this picture exists.

This is a Christmas I don't remember.  My Mom and Dad look so young!  I do know it was taken in Germany.  My family was stationed at an airbase called Bittberg for 3 years and it is where my little brother was born.  I don't have very many memories of Germany but I'll occasionally I'll get a whiff of new car smell and recall the new VW Bus I got to ride in.  It had a sink!

I really don't remember sitting on Santa's lap.  Ever.  I do know that Mom probably had me sleep on those pink hair roller things to get that much curl in my hair because my hair was super straight until about middle school when I decided to perm it.

Best Christmas ever!  I even remember the smell of the paints and my Dad just threw away one of the Little Tykes chairs to my play table while cleaning out the basement.  I was sad to see it go.  This is also the year I stopped believing in Santa Claus.  I followed my Dad out to the car and I saw that kitchen play set when he opened the trunk.  He didn't know I was there or that the toy was in the trunk still!  Oops!  My next door neighbor friend got the same kitchen set.  We loved playing house.

I'll share some more Christmas memories in my next post but before you move on I want to share this mock toffee recipe.  It has no special memories attached to it but it is yummy!

This is a lot easier to make than traditional toffee because you don't need a candy thermometer.  I keep meaning to buy one but I really don't have the desire to make candies often.  Unless it's fudge.  I love me some fudge!

This can be made with saltine crackers but I just use graham crackers.  I'm betting the saltine crackers would lend a salted caramel taste though!

The butter and sugar get boiled up good in a little pot.  I just make sure that all the sugar is dissolved.  DO NOT OVERCOOK!  Burned caramel is yucky.

Pour the sugar and butter mixture over your crackers of choice. It really looks unappetizing.

Then stick it in the oven for a little bit.  It will still looks unappetizing.  I promise, it gets better!

As soon as it gets out of the oven sprinkle on some chocolate chips.  The heat of the candy will melt the chips allowing you to spread it out evenly over the crackers.

If you want, sprinkle on some toasted nuts.  I used almonds.

After everything hardens up, store in an airtight container.  It will last a pretty long time but I'm not sure how long because it disappears pretty quickly around here.

Mock Toffee

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

10 Graham Cracker Squares

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Line a cookie sheet with foil, spray with Pam or coat with butter

Place crackers side by side to cover cookie sheet

Combine butter and sugar in a small heavy bottomed pot.  Cook over medium heat until bubbly about 3-4 minutes.

Pour over crackers; bake 7 minutes at 375 F.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow chips to melt and then spread chocolate over crackers with a spatula.  Sprinkle with nuts usuing spatula to press them in.

When cool, break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Noodle Clusters {12 Days of Christmas Treats}

These Noodle Cluster thingies are my husband's favorite Christmas treat.  Honestly, I'd never had them until I met him and was introduced to his family.  HE claims it just isn't Christmas without them and since his Mom gave me the recipe I figured I better make him some.

I did make some alterations to her recipe.  No way was I melting the chips over the stove.  Just.  No.  That's what microwaves are for.  It also called for peanuts.  Hmm, how about some peanut butter instead?  Yum, peanut butter!  I guess if you really like biting into nuts you could use chunky peanut butter instead or add in some chopped peanuts.

I have found out that these are also called Haystacks in some circles.  I just find it weird that something that is usually a Chop Suey topping can be transformed into something so sweet and delicious.  Who comes up with these things?

Noodle Clusters are really easy to make.  In a medium sized microwave safe bowl combine all your ingredients. Microwave on 50% power 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until all melty and smooth.

Add in the chow mein noodles and stir to combine.

Drop spoonfuls to cool and harden onto waxed paper.  Then eat till your stuffed!  Or you could share them.  I guess.

Noodle Cluster

adapted from a recipe given to me by Peter's Mom

12 oz chcolate chips

12 oz butterscotch chips

6 oz Chow Mein noodles

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

In microwave safe bowl, combine ingredients.  Melt in microwave at 50% power 1-2 minutes stirring at 30 second intervals until ingredients are melted and smooth.  Add noodles, stirring to coat evenly. Drop by tablespoonful onto wax paper to harden.  Store in airtight container. 

Twisted Peppermint Cookies {12 Days of Sweet Treats}

Welcome to day one of 12 days of Christmas Sweets!  Today, and for the next 12 days, I'll be posting my favorite Christmas cookies, candies and desserts.  Post will be Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until Christmas.  I'll also be sharing my favorite Christmas memories, decor and printables that you can download and use in your own decorating this holiday season.

The first complicated cookie recipe I ever tried to make were these Peppermint Twist Cookies.  I was in middle school and I spent all day making them and they were horrible.  Bland in color and in taste.  I was devastated because the picture in my Step-Mom's Betty Crocker cookbook looked so beautiful!

I tried to find the original recipe but it turns out that I don't have that particular cookbook!  My mom and step mom have copies.  Worn out, food splattered, pages falling out copies that I still love to look through every time I am in their kitchens.  They even smell like their kitchens.  Like the spices and extracts that have been inadvertently splashed on them.

I miss hanging out in my mommas kitchens, especially around the holidays!  There would be so much baking and good times.  I miss them something fierce, but it just isn't feasible to make a holiday visit this year.

Peter's momma comes to visit right after Christmas and his family stays until New Year's.  We're going to celebrate Christmas with a dinner and everything just like it's the 24th.  I can't wait to share some of my cookies with them!

Like I mentioned, I wasn't able to look at the original recipe but the Betty Crocker website had one posted which looked like what I remembered.  So I took that recipe and changed it up a bit based on what I remembered about my original results.  So I had more peppermint extract and flavored half of the dough with cocoa and additional sugar to jazz them up a bit.  Brown and pink is so cute together!

Twisted Peppermint Cookies

adapted from Betty Crocker

1 cup butter, room temp 1/2 and 1 tablespoon white sugar 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoon cocoa powder 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt red food coloring brown food coloring if not using cocoa white sugar or crystal sprinkles for decoration

Directions

	In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1/2 white sugar and confectioners' sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts. Combine the flour and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Cover or wrap dough and chill for at least one hour.
	Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough into halves. Color one half red by mixing in the food color. Color the other half with cocoa until desired brown color, add additional sugar (or just use brown food coloring!). Roll a small amount of each dough into a 2 inch long worm. Roll them together in a twisted rope and curve the end like a cane. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle with sugar or sugar sprinkles.
	Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Tip:  If your dough isn't co-operating, try refrigerating for up to 30 minutes.  The dough can get pretty floppy due to the heat of your hands and all that rolling and twisting! Linked up at these blogs this week=)