Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Fudge

Ingredients

• 16oz PB
• 16oz Chocolate Fudge frosting (from a can)
• 3c cubed chocolate cake (optional)

Directions

1. Line 8×8 or 9×9 pan, depending on what you have and how thick you want the fudge to be, with foil.
2. Pull top and metal off of can of frosting and heat in microwave for 30-40 seconds.
3. Stir together PB and frosting.
4. (Optional) Stir in cake (it will crumb and that’s okay).
5. Pour into pan and smooth down.
6. Chill in fridge until set, then cut and consume approximately 5 pieces in one sitting (not optional).

I could not stop eating this fudge, like I-might-throw-up-but-not-until-after-I-have-another-piece couldn’t stop. I definitely think it was better at room temp, albeit quite soft. The cake was an interesting textural addition, but I think it dried out quickly, especially when refrigerated.

You HAVE to make it today. Did I mention it’s nauseatingly good?

Wait, what? You don’t have any extra cake laying around? While I am still totally judging you for it, so what!? Using only the PB and frosting will be just as awesome, if not more so.  That’s my plan for the next time I make it, which, let me not lie, will probably be as soon as I’m done with this post.

These types of things are generally far too involved for me… all the steps required, they’re just too much. Even BF said he was “really impressed” with me… lol ~ I love that I can impress someone just by not being lazy. Amazing, right? So hard – make cupcakes, cool cupcakes. Make frosting, pipe frosting, chill frosting. Melt chocolate, dip cupcakes, and (worst of all) clean up melted chocolate mess.

Have you ever had to clean up melted chocolate? It’s absolutely exhausting. I might be being a little bit dramatic, but still. So hard.

The allure of chocolate and peanut butter though… I had to have these. I set aside the whole day to make these. And they were so worth it. If I could inject that peanut butter frosting straight into my veins, I’d be hooked. Light and fluffy with the perfect balance of peanut butter salty-sweetness. Amazing.

These are medium fancy and super cute… and who can resist peanut butter and chocolate? Plus the novelty of a “hand-dipped” cupcake? Irresistible. Luckily this recipe only makes 10 cupcakes – so right when I was reaching the point of being ready to give up, I was done!

Now I know 10 cupcakes is my limit before I need to lay down.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with 10 cupcake cups. In medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt until combined; set aside.

2. In large bowl, whisk sugar, buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla until combined and smooth. Whisk in dry mixture until smooth. Spoon batter into cupcake cups, dividing evenly. Bake until center is just set, about 25 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely.

3. While cupcakes are cooling, prepare the buttercream. In bowl of standing mixer, whisk sugar, egg whites, and salt until combined. Set bowl over pan of simmering water and gently whisk until mixture registers 160 degrees F on instant read thermometer. Immediately transfer to mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until mixture resembles shaving cream and is just cool. On medium speed, whip in butter, one piece at a time, until combined and creamy. Add peanut butter and vanilla and beat until smooth. Transfer buttercream to pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/2-inch tip.

4. Pipe about 1/3 cup frosting onto each cupcake. Chill cupcakes in fridge until buttercream is completely firm, about 1 hour.

5. When cupcakes have chilled, make the chocolate coating. Place chocolate and oil in a medium bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water. Gently whisk until chocolate has just melted and mixture is smooth. Transfer to a large mug.

6. Holding cupcake by the bottom, carefully dip in chocolate to submerge all of the frosting. Pull up and let excess chocolate drop off for a few seconds before turning cupcake right side up. Transfer to cooling rack and repeat with remaining cupcakes. Let cupcakes rest a few minutes to allow chocolate to set and buttercream to soften before serving.

Notes:

• When preparing buttercream, make sure the butter is soft, or it won’t easily incorporate into the buttercream.
• If you don’t have a pastry bag or tip, fill a zip-lock bag with buttercream and then snip 1/2 inch off corner.
• Avoid letting the bowl touch the simmering water, or it will overheat the mixture.
• You will have leftover chocolate coating. This is purposefully done so that there is enough to easily dip each cupcake. Freeze leftovers for the next time.
• Store the cupcakes in a cool, dry place to enjoy a creamy, soft buttercream. For continued storage, refrigerate. Before serving, allow cupcakes to come to room temperature to re-soften the buttercream.

[ original post ]

[ adapted from serious eats ]

I compiled a short list of other great super bowl menu items that all follow two criteria:

1. You must be able to make it ahead of time
2. It must be easy to make

That sounds like two pretty good qualifications, right?

So, feast your eyes on these:

Soft pretzel bites – great served with honey mustard or a store-bought queso

Homemade Cheez-Its Restaurant style salsa- serve with store-bought chips

Beef dip sandwiches - make up to 2 days ahead in your slow cooker and serve slider rolls for bite-size treats

This Caprese Salad is a great alternative to a pasta salad, and a more healthful option (but you don’t have to tell anyone else that)

You’ve still got a few days, go ahead and infuse some vodka with berries while you’re at it

Don’t forget dessert! How bout some rice krispy treats or blondies (using m&ms with your favorite team’s colors)

Oh yeah, let’s not forget the kettle corn recipe! It’s more or less like this – equal parts oil and sugar, pop your corn in it, sprinkle with salt. Done!

I did 3 Tbsp oil + 1/3 cup kernels just because that’s what was on the back of my popcorn container. You can adjust for more or less, just make sure the oil coats the bottom of your pan and that you have equal parts (or close to) sugar and oil.

Kettle Corn - makes about 4 cups popped popcorn

• 3 Tbsp oil
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1/3 c popcorn kernels
• salt, to taste

1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add a few kernels to the pan and cover.

2. Once those kernels pop, add the rest of the popcorn kernels along with the sugar. Replace lid and shake like crazy while they continue to pop. Be careful not to let the sugar burn (I usually swirl mine so that only part of the pan is over the burner at any given point in time). If you’re lucky, you might have one of these guys to stir for you.

3. When popping slows to a few seconds between kernels, you’re done! Go ahead and dump into a large bowl, sprinkle with desired amount of salt and toss. I usually pour half in, salt and toss that half, then pour the rest in and salt and toss again (for better coverage).

*If at any point you think your sugar is starting to burn, just go ahead and pour your popcorn into the bowl. No point in sacrificing all that popcorn just waiting for those last few kernels to pop!

*You can also add the salt at the same time as the sugar – but I like being able to taste and adjust

Buffalo Chicken Dip Truffles

Ingredients

• 4oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4c Ranch dressing
• 1/4c hot sauce (I used Frank’s recipe and hot sauce.)
• 1/4c shredded cheddar cheese
• 12.5oz canned white meat chicken in water, drained
• white chocolate bark

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine cream cheese, dressing, hot sauce and cheese. Stir in chicken.
3. Bake 20 min. and refrigerate until cold.
4. Scoop into 2t balls and put in freezer to harden.
5. Melt baking bark, coat chicken dip, and put in fridge to set.

I think if you come at this truffle with the knowledge that it is buffalo chicken dip coated in chocolate, you will be pleasantly surprised. The bark creates a lovely little carrying case for the dip if you aren’t a chip kinda dude. Or, if you are, the truffles nestle snugly into a Tostitos Scoop for a fabulously high dip-to-chip ratio.

I say go for it. Yours will certainly be the most talked about appetizer of the evening.

A few short hours after PEEPS announced the launch of a Valentine’s Day-timed Strawberry Creme Flavored Marshmallow Chicks Dipped in Chocolate, we now have an interesting recipe to go a long with the new product. This PEEPS Strawberry Cheesecake recipe comes from the folks who make Peeps, and is noted to serve 12 people (or one hungry person, 12 times). We’re not ones to aimlessly encourage people to find a date for Valentine’s Day, so, in this case, enjoy this dessert by your lonesome. It’ll be a night well spent:

Ingredients:

• 7 pkgs (3ct each) PEEPS® Strawberry Creme Flavored Marshmallow Chicks Dipped in (Dark or Milk) Chocolate
• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 4 pkgs (8oz each) cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, 3 tbsp. sugar and melted butter. Mix well and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
3. Using kitchen scissors, cut 9 PEEPS® Strawberry Creme Flavored Marshmallow Chicks into small 1/4″ pieces.
4. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Blend in milk and mix in the eggs one at a time. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth.
5. Fold in the 1/4″ pieces of PEEPS® Strawberry Creme Flavored Marshmallow Chicks.
6. Pour filling into prepared crust.
7. Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking.
8. Chill in refrigerator until serving.
9. When ready to serve, cut cheesecake into 12 slices.
10. Serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and a PEEPS® Strawberry Creme Flavored Marshmallow Chick on top.

Makes 12 servings

What cocktail (or mocktail) isn’t better with a splash of sweetness?

I always thought grenadine was basically just the juice from the maraschino cherry jar. Apparently, it was originally made out of pomegranates! Since I love all things pomegranate, I had to make this with the extra container of juice I had hanging around in my fridge.

I love to add it to my weekend cocktails, boyfriend uses it to make his own “cherry limeade” (sh – don’t tell him it’s not cherry).

It’s super easy, you just make a simple syrup out of pomegranate juice and sugar. I imagine you could use any (unsweetened) fruit juice you like to make a wide array of flavored syrups.

If you want it thicker, boil it longer. Be careful not to boil it too long, though, as we don’t want to make grenadine candy. (do we?)

DIY Grenadine Syrup

• 1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice (POM is fine)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Simmer juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until syrup is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (approximately 15 minutes).

Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

[Adapted from Food & Wine’s Cocktails 2008]

Cheetos Marshmallow Treats

Ingredients

• 2T butter
• 4c mini marshmallows
• 6c Cheetos, roughly chopped (I averaged 3 pieces per Cheeto)

Directions

1. Prep a 9×13 pan with whatever it is you might prep it with so the treats don’t stick in there.
2. Melt butter in a big pot on the stove.
3. Add in marshmallows and melt those as well, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in chopped Cheetos until they are covered in melted mallow.
5. Smash Cheetos mix into your prepared pan and let cool.
6. Cut and consume.

The sweetness of the marshmallow takes a second to hit you. So you take a bite, and you are like, “Cheetos…Cheetos…Cheetos…oooh, marshmallow!” Awesome.

Inadvertent bonus: The marshmallow seals in the Cheetos, so while your taste buds are covered in cheesy-mallowy-goodness, your fingers remain dust-free!

You don’t need anything fancy to satisfy Football-lovers during this Superbowl Season…especially when you have this recipe for Cheez-It smothered and breaded spicy chicken tenders.

And apparently it’s endorsed by LaDainian Tomlinson, running back for the NON playoff bound New York Jets this season (ouch?). I guess that helps? Since the truth of the matter is, you’ll be hard pressed to find a running back who doesn’t love Cheez-Its and chicken tenders, so putting them together must be magical.

To the dude that claims that he can only make a bowl of cereal, this recipe is for you. It combines a whopping 3 ingredients and 5 whole steps. It’s not going to get much easier. Trust me.

Well, I made these delightful treats for Christmas and then realized they would be even better for Halloween. These blood-red treats are a twist on the “birthday cake” rice krispy treats, just replacing the cake mix in those with red velvet cake mix, and the standard rice krispies with chocolate (since cocoa cake is the base of red velvet cake).

Just like the birthday cake rice krispies, you can use however much cake mix you like depending on how strong you want the cake flavor to be.

I finished mine with a drizzle of vanilla candy coating, but I’m sure white chocolate or even icing would do in a pinch.

Red Velvet Rice Krispy Treats

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 (10.5 ounce) bag mini marshmallows
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup red velvet cake mix (you can decrease to 1/4 for milder flavor, or increase to 3/4 for more cake flavor)
• 6 cups Cocoa Rice Krispies cereal
• Vanilla candy coating or white chocolate chips

1. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper and coat well with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add marshmallows, cake mix, and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Fold in the cereal until well coated.

3. Transfer sticky cereal mixture to the prepared pan, pressing down until the top is level.

4. Once cooled, drizzle with melted candy coating or chocolate top. Once set, cut into bars and serve.

Cinnamon Bun Bark

Ingredients

• 12oz white chocolate chips
• 3oz chocolate covered raisins
• 3oz yogurt covered raisins
• 3oz Cinnamon Bun Bites
• 1/2c cinnamon drizzle (recipe below)

Directions

1. Ready a cookie sheet with wax.
2. Cut Cinnamon Bites in half, and combine with both kinds of raisins in a bowl.
3. Melt white chocolate chips and spread out on baking sheet.
4. Drizzle most of the, uh, drizzle over the melted chocolate.
5. Sprinkle the raisins and bun bites over top of that.
6. Top everything off with the the last bits of drizzle.
7. Pop it in the freezer to set and then break apart.

I gave about half of it away and ate pretty much all of the rest. (It was hard to resist, kind of like me!)  The drizzle doesn’t actually set fully, and it melts quickly so I suggest that you either a) store the bark in the freezer, or b) mix the drizzle into the chocolate before you spread it out on your cookie sheet.  If you go with option B, I’m sure it will taste just as amazing but make less of a mess.

Cinnamon Drizzle: 1/2c powdered sugar, generous 1/4t cinnamon, 1/2t of vanilla and 2-3T milk (or, if, like me, you are out of milk, you could use vanilla-flavored coffee creamer instead of the vanilla and milk).

I’m totally into taking a dessert and turning into candy bark, so you’ll probably see more like this from me soon. In the meantime, make this Cinnamon Bun Bark, your friends, your family and your taste buds will thank you.