caramel stuffed chocolate cupcakes

i have a bunch of random thoughts floating around so i’m just going to share them. cool? cool.

i’ve been wanting to try and get my kitchen more organized and have been eyeing oxo’s pop containers. i really wanted to get one for my flour since i can’t dip my flour into the jar i’ve used for forever. i had a $10 coupon to sur la table so i finally broke down and bought the 4 qt one. now i want ALL.THE.CONTAINERS.

i just discussed how i don’t watch the nfl but i do read articles when interesting stuff happens and i read an article yesterday about suh’s low hit on sunday. can someone please explain to me why the lions made him a captain?!? at least once a season, i read about him and a dirty play. someone like that should not be the leadership of your team. sorry but no.

as i’m writing this, the 12th anniversary of the attacks of september 11 is coming to a close. it’s hard to believe that it’s been twelve years since that day. like previous generations remember where they were when pearl harbor was bombed or kennedy was assassinated, i will never forget where i was that morning. it saddens me that a country that came together that day is incredibly divided and torn apart today. i can only hope that one day we can find that sense of unity again when not being faced with a national tragedy.

on a heavier much lighter, i took body pump for the first time. i.want.to.die. i will most likely not be able to move from my bed in the morning. i’ll be lucky to be able to move next year.

do you ever feel like you have a million things but nothing going on at the same time? yeah. i’m feeling that. kinda like these cupcakes.

{nice segway huh?}

so these cupcakes.

oh.my.geez. these cupcakes.

i don’t even have the words.

i have found that chocolate cupcakes can be rather dry. not these. these are super moist. and delicious. and then you add some caramel stuff that you have leftover in the fridge in the center and top it all off with some dark chocolate frosting.

oh and these buttercream………

magical and perfection.

caramel stuffed chocolate cupcakes

• 1-1/2 c cake flour
• 2 c sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped finely
• 1 c hot fresh coffee
• 1-1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1/2 c oil
• 1/2 c sour cream, room temp
• caramel sauce {rom either of these recipes or store bought}
• dark chocolate buttercream {recipe follows}

1. preheat the oven to 350F. line 18 cupcake cups with paper liners.
2. using the paddle attachment of your mixer or a handheld mixer and large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt on low speed for 2-3 min.
3. add the chopped chocolate to a medium bowl and pour the hot coffee on top; let sit for 2-3 min before stirring to ensure all of the chocolate is melted.
4. in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil until thick; add in the sour cream, stirring until just combined. pour in the melted chocolate mixture and mix until just combined. pour into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. stir together with a rubber spatula to ensure that all the ingredients at the bottom of the bowl are incorporated. pour the batter into the line cupcake cups, filling each up 2/3 the way. bake 18-25 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. remove from the oven and let cool completely on wire racks.
5. once the cupcakes are cool, cut the center out and fill with 1-1/2 tsp caramel sauce. frost with dark chocolate buttercream.

dark chocolate buttercream

• 3/4 c {1-1/2 sticks} unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/3 c dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 1-3/4 c powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp heavy cream

1. sift together the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. beat the butter and vanilla on medium speed until it’s creamy. slowly add in the powdered sugar / cocoa mixture; add the heavy cream. beat together 1 min so it’s thoroughly combined.

for real.

make.these.now.

kisses

cupcake recipe from: bake in the day bakery cookbook ; buttercream recipe adapted from: how sweet it is

this post is linked up to these fun link parties: what’s cookin’ wednesday and wake up wednesdays

brownie sundae ice cream

FOOTBALL is back!!!

and it’s been back for a week now!!

i know… i’m late in celebrating this joyous occasion but let’s just give a girl a break ok?

let’s all just jump over enthusiastically for joy because that’s what i’m doing!

but let’s be real too… when i say football, i mean college football and not pro. i’m not a fan of pro. my rationale isn’t necessarily the soundest… i feel like there are too many egos and people out for the money rather than the love of the game in pro football. which let’s be honest, there are plenty of college players that are playing to get drafted and the money that comes with that. it’s just that a good number of the players that play college ball aren’t going pro. they know these are their last days of playing football so they give it their heart.

plus pro teams can have players that play their for YEARS. college teams are almost always rebuilding. yes i know that there are perennially powerhouses {and my team just happens to be in the conference that houses a good number of them – the SEC} but every year you have some of your best players leave for the draft. i mean i’m just saying.

college football > pro football

ya know what else i’m celebrating?

more ice cream!!

i know that monday was labor day which marks the unofficial start of fall BUUUUUUT living in the deep south means that summer NEVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER ends. i mean for real, i don’t think i turned my heater on once since 2011. which is great if you don’t like the cold but i think we know my stance on that. but what i really do like is the fact that i can eat ice cream all.the.time. it’s never cold enough here that ice cream is off the table.

and this ice cream.

oh.my.geez.

it’s all kinds of deliciousness rolled into ice cream. i had a variation of this on an ice cream date with my friend maddie and knew immediately i had to make it at home. the one at whole foods was a vanilla ice cream with brownie bits and a chocolate syrup  primarily on top. i knew we could do better so i swirled some fudge ripple throughout the ice cream and threw some salted buttery caramel sauce in for good measure. oh and just to be even more over the top, i browned the butter for the caramel sauce and the brownies i used.

brownie sundae ice cream

• 3/4 c vanilla sugar
• 1 c whole milk
• 2 c heavy cream
• pinch salt
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-1/2 c brownie bits
• fudge ripple {recipe below}
• salted butter caramel {recipe below}

1. warm the sugar, milk, and 1/2 c heavy cream to a medium saucepan. cover and let steep and infuse for 45-60 min.
2. add the egg yolks to a medium bowl and whisk together; pour the remaining heavy cream and vanilla into a large bowl and place a strainer on top. rewarm the vanilla scented milk and add to the egg yolks while whisking constantly. scrape the custard mixture back into the saucepan; stir constantly while scraping the bottom of the pan until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spatula. pour through the strainer and mix well with the heavy cream. let cool completely before placing in the fridge to cool thoroughly.
3. when your custard mixture is thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the directions. before you remove the ice cream from the canister, mix in your brownie bits. as your removing the ice cream, alternate a spoon/smear of fudge ripple, ice cream and caramel.

fudge ripple

• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/3 c light corn syrup
• 1/2 c water
• 6 tbs dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. whisk everything but the vanilla together in a medium saucepan. heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a low boil. cook for 1 min, whisking frequently. remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. let cool before putting into the fridge to cool completely.

salted butter caramel

• 6 tbs butter
• 3/4 c vanilla sugar
• 1 c heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1-1/4 tsp salt {preferably sea but kosher works too!}

1. melt and brown the butter in a large, heavy duty saucepan. once the butter browns, stir in the sugar and cook, frequently stirring, until the sugar is a deep golden and just begins to wisp smoke. remove from the heat and immediately whisk in half of the cream until smooth. whisk in the rest of the cream, vanilla and salt. let cool before placing in the fridge to cool completely.

now let me throw this out there… i made each toss in from scratch so this required some advanced planning. there are people i know {hi mom!} that are much more semi-homemade. if you fall in that camp, go for it! don’t let my from scratch self stop you from making this deliciousness. buy your favorite brownie mix or brownies from a bakery, hot fudge sauce and caramel sauce and enjoy!

kisses.

recipes adapted from: the perfect scoop

this post is linked up to these fun link parties! what’s cookin’ wednesday and wake up wednesdays

 

salted caramel brownies

i have decided that i am no longer turning on the news.

i mean it seems like every time i do something terrible happens.

so the news is no longer allowed in my house. only the stories of the good coming from the bad. which means traditional news is banned because we all know the adage, “if it bleeds, it leads.”

not doing it anymore.

i’m going to focus on the good and the things i’m grateful for. (if you want to follow along with my gratitude challenge on instagram, you have perfect timing… i just started yesterday!)

i’m also going to focus on brownies. more specifically on these salted caramel brownies. which just so happen to be some of the best brownies i’ve ever tasted. no joke. like i really really really liked them. i mean of course i liked them. ina developed them for her new book, barefoot contessa foolproof; although i found them in the food network magazine. but where i found them isn’t the issue. i mean it’s ina. i haven’t made one of her recipes that isn’t amazing. and these brownies are just that. and honestly, if you wanted to, you could leave the caramel off and they’d still be amazing. they really are that good. oh and here’s the thing…. ina uses store bought caramel sauce (gasp! i know!). nothing wrong with that. BUT there’s also nothing wrong with spending a little extra time while the brownies are in the oven baking and making your own on the stove top. also, i didn’t have instant coffee granules in my pantry but i did have instant espresso so that’s what we’re going with ok? good.

salted caramel brownies

• 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 tbs instant espresso granules
• 1 tbs vanilla
• 1 c + 2 tbs sugar
• 1/2 c + 2 tbs flour, divided
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 c caramel sauce (homemade or good quality store bought {ina suggests fran’s})
• 2 tsp good quality sea salt

1. preheat oven to 350F. spray a 9×13 pyrex dish with cooking spray.
2. in a double boiler, melt together the butter, 8 oz semisweet and unsweetened chocolate. allow to cool for 15 min.
3. in a large bowl, stir together (don’t beat!) the eggs, instant espresso, vanilla and sugar. stir in the cooled chocolate mixture and allow the mixture to continue cooling to room temp. before you continue any further make sure your mixture is no warmer than room temp!!
4. in a medium bowl, sift together the 1/2 c flour, baking powder and kosher salt. add to the chocolate mixture; stirring until just combined. toss together the remaining 2 tbs flour and the chocolate chips and add them to the batter; stir together. spread evenly into the pan. bake 35 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. if you are making your caramel sauce, you want to try to time it so your caramel is ready about 5 min before the brownies come out the oven so it has time to cool slightly before pouring. if you are using jarred caramel sauce, as soon as the brownies come out of the oven, heat the caramel sauce until it’s pourable and stir until smooth. pour your caramel sauce over the brownies and sprinkle with sea salt. cool completely before cutting into bars.

kisses.

recipe very barely adapted from: ina for food network magazine

this post is linked up to these fun link parties!! what’s cookin’ wednesdays, what’s in your kitchen wednesdays, and taste and tell thursdays

vanilla caramel cheesecake

here’s another one of those recipes that y’all are going to have to trust my friends opinions on this….

see it’s a cheesecake.

and cheesecakes are made with cream cheese.

and my feelings toward cream cheese are very similar to my feelings about bananas.

i’m slightly less forgiving toward cream cheese than i am to bananas…. i’ll actually eat cream cheese if it’s in something and i can’t taste it.

but cheesecake…. it’s nothing but flavored cream cheese.

gag me.

that’s why you have to trust my friends and family. they LOVED it. this was another one of those work birthday requests and it was made knowing full well how i felt about cream cheese. and when the request was made, i asked if he wanted strawberries or fruit or something and i got a “no… but… there’s this cheesecake at texas de brazil that has a layer of caramel at the bottom.”

that brings us here.

plus making this cheesecake gave me a reason to make caramel. um done.

vanilla caramel cheesecake

• 16 oz vanilla wafers
• 12 tbs butter, melted
• 2 tbs + 1-1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp + 1 tbs vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 lbs (6 – 8 oz packages) cream cheese, room temp
• 5 large eggs
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tbs vanilla bean paste
• 1 recipe homemade caramel, room temp

1. preheat oven to 325F with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven. spray the sides of a 10″ springform pan with cooking spray.
2. make your crust: add the vanilla wafers to the bowl of a food processor and process to fine crumbs. add the melted butter, 2 tbs sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and salt and mix well. pour the mixture into the springform pan; pressing evenly around the pan and about 2″ in up the sides. (you want a little bit of thicker crust.) pour your room temp caramel on top of the crust.
3. make your filling: beat the cream cheese until smooth. add the remaining sugar and beat until light and fluffy. beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. add the lemon juice, vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste and beat 1 min more. pour batter on top of the caramel.
4. bake your cheesecake until the edges are set and the center still slightly jiggles, 60-75 min. remove from oven and let cool completely. once the cheesecake is cooled, the cheesecake must chill at least 6 hours in the fridge.

one thing… for the recipe i gave you, i doubled the crust amount. you’ll notice in that picture that the crust is kinda skimpy so the caramel got all up in it, which isn’t a bad thing but maybe you want just a bit of crust that’s not super caramelly. i mean maybe you’re that crazy.

oh and that picture up there, aside from being the phone pictures i’m trying to get away from, is one of the hunks i brought to my parents house for them to try. when my stepdad took it out of the fridge to eat it, there was a statement made about how there was no way he could eat it all. sure enough he did.

oh oh oh… and the birthday boy, well he brought about half the cake home to share with his wife. later that night i got a text from her saying that when she cut her piece he told her she wasn’t going to be able to eat it all. so she cut some away from it to save for later, except he ate it ALL!!

so while i may not like cheesecake, you should totally make this for yourself or your loved ones. i promise that they’ll love it!

kisses.

cheesecake recipe from: pure vanilla by shauna sever

this post is linked up to these fun link parties: what’s cooking wednesday and taste and tell thursdays

dulce de leche swirled poundcake

y’all!!

thanksgiving is only 2 DAYS AWAY!

oh. my. geez. how in the world did that happen?!? i feel like just yesterday was new year’s.

for real.

ok so here’s my confession though…

i’ve totally been planning thanksgiving dinner for like a month now. shocker right? ok so maybe’s its not considering i’m a ridiculous planner and list maker but still. i feel like only yesterday i was planning last year’s thanksgiving.

and here’s the thing…

as much as i like to experiment with new items, i like my thanksgiving dinner rather traditional. there has to be turkey, cornbread dressing and pecan pie. last year, homemade green bean casserole was discovered and that’s now included in my can’t mess with category. (and for real… you need to make that. you’ll never go back.) but so far, i haven’t found a can’t mess with potato recipe (maybe this year’s the year!) and i always need a second dessert. while i’m not making this poundcake for thanksgiving dessert, it could make a perfect addition to your table. i saw this recipe on elizabeth’s site and knew i needed to make it.

like immediately.

and i did. and it was amazing. it would be a perfect ending to your thanksgiving dinner with some coffee. or you could totally have it for breakfast.

dulce de leche swirled poundcake

• 2 14 oz cans of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/3 c flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/s tsp salt
• 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/3 c packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs, room temp
• 1 tbs vanilla

1. make your dulce de leche (do this the day before you’re going to make your cake): place one can of the condensed milk in a slow cooker and cover with water. set on low and let go for 7-8 hours. carefully remove from the water and let cool completely.
2. preheat your oven to 325F. spray your loaf pan with cooking spray.
3. whisk together the flour and baking powder in a small bowl; set aside.
4. beat together the butter, brown sugar and salt until light and fluffy. add the eggs one at a time and mix each additional until thoroughly incorporated. add the vanilla and 2/3 c of the condensed milk.
5. on low speed, add the flour/baking powder mixture and blend until just incorporated. pour about 1/3 of the poundcake batter into the bottom of the loaf pan. in large spoonfuls, add 1/3 c of the dulce de leche into the pan on top of the poundcake batter. add another 1/3 of the poundcake batter and repeat the spoonfuls of another 1/3 c of the dulce de leche. pour the remaining poundcake batter over the dulce de leche and carefully smooth it out. using a butter knife, gently run it through the batter to create a swirled effect. be careful to gently do this or the dulce de leche will sink to the bottom.
6. bake the poundcake for 60-65 min until a toothpick comes out clean. if the top of the cake starts to brown too quickly, loosely cover it with foil to keep it from browning.
7. cool the poundcake on a wire rack until it’s room temp. once it’s room temp, turn it out of the pan to let it cool completely.

so yes… you’ll totally have to plan ahead if you want to make this poundcake so you can make the dulce de leche. OR you can use a really thick storebought dulce de leche and not plan ahead. your choice. neither is wrong.

and this recipe will leave you with some extra dulce de leche which you could totally thin a little and spoon it over top of your slice of poundcake. i would also recommend some whip cream on top because c’mon… how does that not make it better?!

what are your can’t mess with dishes that are going to be on your table??

i hope you and your family have a wonderful thanksgiving!!

kisses.

recipe from: sugar hero

billionaire bars

happy blogiversary to me!

can y’all believe that i’ve been blogging for a year now? um me neither.

i started this and wasn’t really sure if i would keep up with it. but for the most part, i have!! and while there have been some weeks where i posted more than others, i’ve been pretty successful about posting at least once a week. which as of right now, is a commitment i’m trying to maintain – if i post more during the week, awesome but i’m posting at least once a week and will hopefully be able to push that up to regular tues/th posts.

but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here….

i want to say a huge thanks to anyone that has read my ramblings… i know that it’s mostly my mom, dad and friends (hi!!) but there have been others and even if you just stopped by once, thanks. i feel like we’re all friends now so double hi!! i mean, i happened to glance at some of the stats (which i RARELY look at) and there have been readers as far aways as japan, brazil, the uk… for real. oh my geez. that leaves me speechless.

but anyways… the whole point of this is for me to share what’s come out of my kitchen and oh do i have doozy of a celebration treat for you!!

see i was originally trying to find something super special and fancy to make for this occasion but let’s admit it… i got lazy. but then i made these bars and to say they were a hit is putting it relatively mildly. i’ve had my eye on this recipe for a while and finally broke down and made it. and i say i broke down and made it but let’s be honest, it’s not a complicated recipe… i’m just indecisive when i crave about a billion different things.

so these bars… i’m sure you’ve heard of millionaire bars right? the shortbread crust with a caramel layer topped with some chocolate? right well these are beyond that. these add a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough between the caramel and chocolate topping. i found these over on michelle’s blog when the cookie dough lover’s cookbook came out. and knowing how well something from michelle can turn out on top of how well something from the cookbook turns out, i knew these would be a hit. i was just blissfully unaware of how much of a hit they would be.

billionaire bars

• 1/3 c + 1/2 c + 2 tbs unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/3 c + 1/2 c + 1/4 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp + 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp + 1/4 tsp + pinch salt
• 1 c + 3/4 c flour
• just shy of 2/3 c + 2 tbs heavy cream
• 1/2 c light brown sugar
• 1/2 c mini chocolate chips
• 2 oz semisweet
• 2 oz dark chocolate

1. preheat oven to 350F. line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment, leaving some to overhang the sides (if you want to be able to pull the bars from the pan) or spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray (if you plan to serve straight out of the pan).
2. make the shortbread crust: beat together the 1/3 c butter and 1/3 c sugar until light and fluffy. add the 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/4 tsp salt and beat until combined. add the flour and mix until just incorporated. firmly press the dough evenly into the prepared pan; poke holes into the surface of the dough using a fork or skewer. bake 18-22 min, until the edges are just starting to brown. remove from oven and set on a wire rack.
3. make the caramel: measure the just shy of 2/3 c of heavy cream into a measuring cup. spread the 1/2 c of sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a heavy sauce pan. place over medium-low heat and watch it carefully. when the sugar begins to liquefy, gently stir it towards the center. continue to gentle stir (i swirlled rather than stirred) until the sugar is melted and the caramel has turned a deep amber. carefully whisk in half of the heavy cream; stirring until well incorporated. whisk in the remaining cream, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp vanilla. pour the caramel on the crust and refrigerate until set; 30 min – 1 hour.
4. make the cookie dough layer: beat together the 1/2 c brown sugar and remaining 1/4 c sugar until light and fluffy. add the remaining 2 tbs heavy cream and 1/2 tsp vanilla; mix well. add the remaining 3/4 c flour and pinch of salt until just incorporated. stir in the mini chocolate chips. spread the cookie dough into an even layer on the caramel layer. place in the fridge while you make the chocolate glaze.
5. make the chocolate glaze: using a double boiler, melt the semisweet and dark chocolates. once they are melted, stir in the remaining 2 tbs butter. pour the glaze over the cookie dough layer and refrigerate until set, about 30 min.

so there’s a couple of deals with these… i know it seems like a lot of work but trust me it’s not. it’s just a couple steps that need some time between each so don’t let that make you turn away.

also, you absolutely do not have to make your own caramel from scratch. you can do as the original recipe calls for and melt 7 oz soft caramel candies in a small saucepan. once that’s all melted, add 2 tbs heavy cream and stir until combined. then continue as directed. but seeing as how easy homemade caramel is, it’s hard for me to not use it.

you’re still hesitant?? for real, don’t be. these were described as a “little taste of heaven”.  (ok… so those weren’t the exact words but they were the blog appropriate version of the exact words…..)

go. make. now.

and thanks again.

kisses.

recipe adapted from: the cookie dough lover’s cookbook via brown eyed baker

coffee caramel glazed mini bundts

true story…

i’ve been trying to pump myself up about sharing some crawfish etouffee with you but then i remembered about these little goodies. i had kinda forgotten about these little gems until i was going through the pictures on my phone and i was like DUH!! how in the heck did i forget about these?!? i couldn’t believe myself.

the best thing about these little cakes is that i maaaaaay have found a perfect vanilla cupcake. for real. they are that good. and then you throw some caramel that’s been spiked with coffee up on top of there. sold.

coffee caramel glazed mini bundts

• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 c (1 stick) + 1/4 c (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 c sugar
• 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1/2 c milk, room temp
• 1/2 c dark brown sugar
• 1/3 c strongly brewed coffee
• 1 tbs heavy cream
• 2 tbs powdered sugar

1. preheat your oven to 350F. grease and flour your mini bundt pan (or a standard 12 cup muffin tin will work too).
2. mix together the flour and baking soda in a bowl; set aside.
3. beat together the sugar, 1/2 c butter, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy. beat in the eggs, one at a time. reduce speed and add the dry ingredients until just about blended. add the milk, mixing until everything is just well blended. divide the batter among the mini bundt cups.
4. bake 10 min before rotating the pan and rapping it on the rack to deflate them a bit. continue baking 10-12 min more until a toothpick comes out clean. cool completely on a wire rack before inverting the cakes out.
5. make the glaze: combine the brown sugar, coffee, remaining butter and salt in a small saucepan. over high heat and stirring often, bring the mixture to a boil and boil until reduced by half, about 3 min. remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and heavy cream. allow to cool 20 min before adding the powdered sugar.
6. spoon the glaze over the cakes and let set for about 30 min.

y’all for real.

these were freaking fantastic.

and on top of that, shauna wrote another cookbook! it’s called pure vanilla. now… i don’t own this cookbook (yet) nor do i know shauna BUT i might have mentioned how much i like good vanilla. so in that spirit, i figure i would tell you about the cookbook. that’s it.

oh and i absolutely must share this picture of these babies that i posted on instagram (@pinktigerblog) the night i made them…

i mean i absolutely have no words.

ok maybe i have these: go make these. now.

kisses.

recipe from: piece of cake

turtle brownies

dear universe, when i say that i need a vacation i was thinking more along the lines of somewhere on a beach with a fruity drink in my hand… NOT sitting in the heat because my power went out because of a stupid hurricane. can we please do something about our little miscommunication there? k? thanks.

y’all for real.

can i just tell you how miserable it is to be without power in the south in august? it is M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E. and i’ll be honest… the first day/night without power wasn’t horrible mainly because i had jacked my ac down before it went out and it was also still overcast and rainy. but then came day numero 2 AND the sun. all that semi-comfort i had from day 1 was gone in an instant. it was blazing. and i was sweating. if you know me, you know i’m not a particular fan of sweating. i mean there is reason i pay good money to go to a gym and sweat in the ac.

and with isaac coming at us, there has been no cooking to be had around my house. you learn after living with hurricanes your whole like that you could possibly have to throw out everything in your fridge/freezer so you try to stay minimal. that’s not to say i couldn’t have baked some food (and not heard a fair amount of grief from my coworkers) but let’s be honest, i have also been supremely lazy the past couple weeks. so that coupled with 72 hours of no electricity translated into me just getting back into the kitchen this week… well last night to be exact. and it was for a very special reason…

today is maddie’s birthday!!

see recently, i proposed making everyone at the office a special birthday treat for their birthday instead of going to a local bakery and buying a cake. this way, everyone could have their favorite treat and i could try something new for here. it’s a win win. and today it happened to be maddie’s choice and i couldn’t be more excited for it. i am pumped to say i geniunely like everyone i work with but maddie’s special. she’s like the absolute nicest person you could ever meet. for real. when i was trying to get her to tell me what treat she wanted, she kept saying “whatever everyone else likes”. it was a task to get a request out of her because it wasn’t about her, she was determined to make sure that everyone enjoyed it.

she finally settled on brownies and they needed to have nuts.

one other thing about maddie is that she’s a chocolate lover. and who can blame her? so i knew that if she kept giving me the “whatever everyone else likes” line that there would definitely be chocolate involved; heavily involved. so when she allowed me to take refuge to her air conditioned house on night 2 of no-power-thank-you-very-much-isaac, i grilled her and she mentioned brownies with nuts. what goes better with brownies that have nuts than some extra chocolate and caramel? ummmm not too much.

so i researched for the perfect recipe and stumbled across these turtle brownies from annie. you may remember that i made annie’s lemon layer cake and it was delish. i knew that anything she came up with would be a winner. and these are. i mean what could be wrong about a dense, chocolatey brownie topped with pecans and drizzled with homemade caramel and ganache? um ok… maybe that dense brownie all warmed up with some vanilla ice cream but just make sure that brownie is all up in that combination ok?

turtle brownies

• 10 oz + 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 c (2 sticks) butter, room temp
• 6 tbs cocoa
• 6 large eggs
• 2 1/2 c + 1 c sugar
• 4 tsp + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp + 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 c flour
• 1 c chopped pecans
• 1 1/4 c + 1/4 c heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1. preheat the oven to 350F. spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. in a double boiler, melt the 10 oz of bittersweet chocolate, 2 oz of unsweetened chocolate and butter together until smooth, stir occasionally to prevent the chocolate from burning. whisk in cocoa powder until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
3. in a medium-large bowl, whisk together the eggs, 2 1/2 c sugar, 4 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp salt until thoroughly incorporated. whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until combined. stir in flour with a spatula / wooden spoon until just combined. pour the mixture into the greased pan and spread into an even layer. bake 20 – 25 min until the batter is beginning to set on top. remove from the oven and sprinkle with the pecans; press them slightly into the batter and return the pan to the oven for another 10 min until the brownies are slightly puffed on top. transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temp while you make the caramel sauce and ganache.
4. make the caramel: measure the 1 1/4 c of heavy cream into a measuring up. scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the heavy cream. spread the remaining 1 c of sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a heavy sauce pan. place over medium-low heat and watch it carefully. when the sugar begins to liquefy, gently stir it towards the center. continue to gentle stir (i swirlled rather than stirred) until the sugar is melted and the caramel has turned a deep amber. carefully whisk in half of the heavy cream mixture; stirring until well incorporated. whisk in the remaining cream, salt and vanilla.
5. make the ganache: place the remaining chocolate in a double boiler until just melted. remove from heat and whisk in the remaining cream until you have a smooth ganache.
6. once the brownies are room temp and both the caramel and ganache have been made, drizzle the brownies with caramel and ganache. place the brownies in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.

a quick note about the recipe…. yes, this requires a fair amount of steps but they’re totally worth it. if you didn’t want to make homemade caramel and / or chocolate ganache, you could sub ice cream toppings but nothing beats homemade caramel. like i cannot even begin to tell you how excited i am to have caramel left over for consumption straight from a spoon.

also, if you make the caramel and the sugar hardens, just place the saucepan back on a burner set to medium low and stir until everything melts and the caramel is gloriously liquidy.

p.s. sorry for the terrible iphone photo above… usually they are relatively decent but this one… eh.

oh and the birthday girl totally loved her brownies… see:

kisses.

recipe from: annie’s eats

bacon caramel brownies

ok so you know how i literally just said that this year is flying by?!? well this week… not so much. this week has been moving so sloooooooooooooooooow. like slower than molasses during the wintertime. (not that i really know what “wintertime” is since it’s always hot here.)

but seriously…

this week has been super slow. and not just slow. it’s felt like an extended monday. i’m not normally one to complain about monday but i felt like friday would never ever ever get here.

but alas. friday finally came. and i don’t want the weekend to end. thank goodness for this monday being a holiday. it’s like a little something extra. know what else has a little something extra? these brownies. not only do they have the added benefit of caramel being baked in them but they also have bacon and bacon fat. i’m gonna let that digest in your brain for a little bit.

….

….

digested?

ok good.

let’s talk about these brownies.

oh where do i even begin other than the fact that they have bacon on every level and it’s awesomeness. i mean bacon just makes everything better right? let make sure you know the right answer to that question… yes. yes it does. the idea of having bacon in a brownie (or any baked good) kinda freaks people out. they’re not quite sure what to do with that information. others are intrigued. and then there are the people who know that bacon in sweets is awesome. it combines everything you could ever love. salty and sweet all baked into this super rich chocolate goodness. and these brownies are super rich and indulgent. and something you must make today.

bacon caramel brownies

• 1.5 c (3 sticks) butter, divided
• 8 strips of bacon, divided – to start you want 4 strips uncooked and 4 cooked and crumbled
• 1 c heavy cream
• 4 c sugar, divided
• 12 oz dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 c cocoa powder
• 6 eggs
• 2.5 tsp vanilla
• 2 c flour

1. preheat oven to 350F. generously grease a 9×13 baking dish.
2. first make your caramel: fry the 4 uncooked slices of bacon in a pan until crisp. remove the bacon and reserve the bacon grease. add the cream to the bacon grease and let cool completely. (you can also bake your bacon on a sheet tray and pour your bacon grease into the measuring cup with the heavy cream. your choice on bacon cooking method.) in a pot, heat 2 c sugar over medium heat until it liquifies and turns a golden amber color. add 12 tbs (1.5 sticks) butter and the bacon grease cream mixture. stir until combined and liquid. be super careful because this is scaldingly hot. set this aside.
3. next make your brownies: in a double broiler, melt together the dark chocolate chips and remaining butter. remove from heat and add the cocoa and eggs (one at a time) until well combined. add the sugar and vanilla and stir until well combined. finally, add the flour and stir until just combined.
4. now assemble your brownie batter: pour half the brownie batter into the bottom of your pan. top this with half the caramel mixture. scoop the rest of your brownie batter onto the top and pour the remaining caramel mixture. swirl the layers together. top with the crumbled bacon. bake for 40-50 min. you want to bake it until it just starts to set around the edges. let cool completely and cut into small pieces.

ok so a couple notes. first, next time i make these (because there will most def be a next time), i’m not going to use all the caramel mixture in the brownies. i’ll only use half for the actual brownies and reserve the other half to top the ice cream that i plan to put on the warm brownie. i really felt like using all the caramel made these brownies almost too rich. these really are super super rich brownies so i feel that my plan for saving half the caramel will help that out.

also. here’s another picture just to make you drool some more:

and while i’ve gotten some comments about all the stuff i’ve posted, i just had to share an email a coworker sent me about these brownies because it was the best ever!

Julie and I watch the show “Intervention”, and all these addicts talk about is how they can’t stop thinking about the drug, how it feels and even tastes – they dream about it.   I never really understood what that was like until I ate these brownies. 

now if that doesn’t make you understand the absolute need for you to be whipping up a batch of these brownies tonight, i don’t know what else will convince you.

kisses.

recipe from: beth michelle

salted caramel shortbread crumble bars

so i flaked out the last couple weeks and haven’t posted. i warned you this might happen. that’s not to say i haven’t been cooking and baking because oh i have. i just tried to get way too much stuff while i was off that i didn’t post. oh and then it’s been a busy week this week so….

i know…

i know…

really that’s just excuses.

but it is partly the truth.

and now i’m back from outer space… (sorry, i couldn’t resist myself.)

as my peace offering to you i bring you salted caramel shortbread crumble bars. that’s a mouthful of a recipe name isn’t it? well the blog that i pintrested the recipe from just calls them salted caramel butter bars. but really i find that slightly misleading. yes they are salted caramel bars. and yes they have a fair amount of butter in them. but that salted caramel sits upon what could really be argued is a shortbread crust which is where the butter lies. and then you crumble more shortbread on top so it’s like a salted caramel sandwich of sorts. in bar form of course.

and these salted caramel shortbread crumble bars are absolutely worth it. remember those peppermint sugar cookies i made a while back that were like crack? well these are like their salted caramel shortbread crumble bar equivilant. they really were like crack. i would wake up and have one for breakfast. and then a little piece at lunch. oh and why not round the day off with another. i’m glad they are gone. because i could eat an entire tray of them. it’s awful.

deliciously awful.

salted caramel shortbread crumble bars

• 1 lb (4 sticks) unsalted, softened butter – i told you it had a fair amount of butter in it
• 1 c sugar
• 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
• 2 tbs vanilla
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 14 oz caramel candies (about 50 unwrapped)
• 1/3 c cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbs coarse sea salt – if you really want to leave this out for health reasons, ok. but i’m telling you it’s worth it.

1. preheat oven to 325F. spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.
2. beat the butter and sugars together in a mixer until fluffy. add the vanilla and beat until combined. add the flour to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until a smooth soft dough forms.
3. press half of the dough evenly into the pan to form a bottom crust. place the other half into the fridge to chill.
4. bake until firm and the edges are a pale golden brown, about 20 minutes. transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool about 15 minutes.
5. place the unwrapped caramels, cream and 1/2 tsp vanilla in a microwave-safe bowl. microwave on high for 1 minute and stir. then microwave for 30 sec intervals until the filling is smooth and all the caramels are completely melted.
6. pour the caramel filling over the crust and sprinkle with the sea salt.
7. remove the remaining chilled dough from the refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the caramel.
8. bake for 25-30 or until the filling is bubbly and the shortbread topping is lightly browned.
9. let cool before cutting into squares.

you must go make these bars now. they would be perfect to bring to that national championship party that i know you’re attending monday… just saying

kisses.

recipe from: cookies and cups