Category: Food

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Chocolate Snow Peaks

This is the perfect day.

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Now we’re talking…

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Finally–weather that seems to understand what December is all about.

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So in honor of our new found snow storm…

I give you…

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Chocolate dipped “Snow Peaks.” And may I just say a heap big, “Yikes.”

When I watched some fellow make these on the Food Channel, I expected them to be cute–pretty even and fun to make, but seriously, I was a tad unprepared for how goooood they tasted. And then to have them come in a dangerously discreet bite size—well…

Warning. Danger Will Robinson.

The reason the recipe tells you to store them in an air tight container is because if you don’t you’ll have your mouth full of chocolate every time you stroll into the kitchen. You better hope nobody asks you something cause they won’t understand a word you say. Busted.

Yeah, the recipe should have read, “Store in an air tight container and bury six feet deep in the back yard.” Otherwise, you’ll just end up embarrassing yourself.

But, what the heck.

Tis the season. Forge ahead.

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Chocolate Dipped Snow Peaks

Ingredients

4 large egg whites–room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1- 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites on low-medium speed with the whisk attachment until the whites become foamy. Add the cream of tartar and turn speed up to medium, beating until just fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, so it incorporates into the whites slowly without collapsing them. Once all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and increase the speed to high, whisking until the meringue is firm and glossy, about 5 to 7 minutes.

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Place meringue mixture into a piping bag with a medium-sized nozzle attached. Pipe bite-sized “kiss”-shaped meringues onto the trays and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour undisturbed then turn off heat and leave in the oven overnight to really dry out.

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Melt chocolate over a double-boiler.

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Holding each meringue by the top—

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ooooh…be careful here or your snap off the peaks—

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dip the bases in chocolate so the bottom half of the meringue is coated. Let any excess chocolate drop off before placing on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Allow to set at room temperature – do not put in the fridge.

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Once set, store in an airtight container. Give them out as neighbor treats…or…

you could, of course…

bury them.

ha ha…

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Chocolate Snow Peaks
 
Print
Ingredients
  • 4 large egg whites--room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1- ½ cups chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites on low-medium speed with the whisk attachment until the whites become foamy.
  3. Add the cream of tartar and turn speed up to medium, beating until just fluffy.
  4. Add the sugar gradually, so it incorporates into the whites slowly without collapsing them.
  5. Once all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and increase the speed to high, whisking until the meringue is firm and glossy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
  6. Place meringue mixture into a piping bag with a medium-sized nozzle attached.
  7. Pipe bite-sized "kiss"-shaped meringues onto the trays and place in the oven.
  8. Bake for 1 hour undisturbed then turn off heat and leave in the oven overnight to really dry out.
  9. Melt chocolate over a double-boiler.Holding each meringue by the top---dip the bases in chocolate so the bottom half of the meringue is coated.
  10. Let any excess chocolate drop off before placing on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
  11. Allow to set at room temperature - do not put in the fridge.
  12. Once set, store in an airtight container.

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Pilgrim’s Remembrance

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As we gather to prepare our Thanksgiving feast for tomorrow, it’s fun for us to think about many of you–with your loved ones–perhaps doing the very same thing and likely for the very same reason…to show love and gratitude for our many, many blessings.

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During the hard winter of 1620-21 the food supplies of the Pilgrims fell so low that each person received a ration of only five grains of corn at a time. After many later years of plenty, it became a custom in early New England to place the five grains of corn at each person’s place as a reminder of the hard winter the Pilgrims had weathered in their first few seasons.

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Can you imagine?  Wouldn’t this be a wonderful way to help our families realize and appreciate the love, abundance and bounty we enjoy in our lives?

Savor these moments…

“We often take for grated those things for which we should be most grateful.”

Cynthia Ozick

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Turkey Cake Pops

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Couldn’t resist the cake pops again–only this time we’re making turkeys…a pack of them.

Or is it a gaggle?

Who knows…

You will need:

cake mix

tub of frosting

colored mini chips

red Starbursts (2 should do it)

peanut m&ms (red, orange and yellow)

food color markers

sucker sticks

candy corn

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Start with the cake pop recipe from a few months back–this time we used chocolate cake and frosting. Dip them in Chocolate melts, and insert the sucker sticks. Now take them to the freezer to chill up a bit.

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Sort out some yellow and orange mini chips–these will be your beaks.

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You will use the markers to draw on the eyes.

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Stick the mini chip beaks onto the M&Ms with the candy melts. We took tiny pinches of red Starbursts and shaped them into little waddles–and stuck them on the same way.

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Then draw on the eyes with the edible markers.

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Aren’t they just dang cute?

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Stick the candy corn “feathers” on with the chocolate melts. It worked best to lay the turkey down like this to hold the feathers on while they dry. The candy melts set up quickly–so while they are setting you can add the cute little turkey heads–stick them on with the chocolate as well.

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Now they are ready to grace your Thanksgiving table or—if you’re like us–they will make the perfect little neighbor treats.

Or you could just eat them all by yourself…

Hmmmm….splendid idea…

gobble-gobble.

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Pumpkin Patch Biscuits

I first saw these little do-dads in Taste of Home Magazine and thought, “Oooohhhh…” and then, with it being National Homemade Bread Day–I know, I know, but it IS–I figured these would just about qualify.

They don’t have any of the pumpkin spices that you would expect in a pumpkin bread, but it is nice to know that there is a good dose of vegetables in that little biscuit.

They are soft and flaky besides. Beat that. Oh, yeah and they taste really, really good.

Ask Chompy.

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Pumpkin Patch Biscuits

Ingredients

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine pumpkin and buttermilk; stir into crumb mixture just until moistened.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times. Pat or roll out to 1-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter–the top of a mason jar works great. Place 1 in. apart on a greased baking sheet.
Bake at 425° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Brush butter over biscuits. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Patch Biscuits
 
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Ingredients
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup canned pumpkin
  • ⅓ cup buttermilk
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
  2. Cut in ½ cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Combine pumpkin and buttermilk; stir into crumb mixture just until moistened.
  4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times.
  5. Pat or roll out to 1-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter–the top of a mason jar works great.
  6. Place 1 in. apart on a greased baking sheet.
  7. Bake at 425° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. Brush butter over biscuits. Serve warm

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Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes…

…with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. The kind that makes your eyes roll back in your head because you think you’ve expired and gone to Heaven.

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I tried to resist. I did.

I tried to make something–anything–without pumpkin…

but it was to no avail. It’s just so dang fabulous.

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When you taste these, I promise, you’ll forgive me. The original recipe can be found at  Taste of Home.

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Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
2-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup buttermilk
FROSTING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

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Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin. Combine the flour, pie spice, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and ginger; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and cinnamon; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 2 dozen heavenly cupcakes.

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Y.U.M.

 

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes...
 
Print
: 24
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup butter, softened
  • 2-1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
  • 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  3. Add pumpkin.
  4. Combine the flour, pie spice, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and ginger; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
  5. Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.
  6. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
  7. Frost cupcakes.
Notes
FROSTING: 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened ½ cup butter, softened 4 cups confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and cinnamon; beat until smooth.

 

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