Chocolate Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

This started out as an experiment. I had tried other recipes for peanut butter cups, but they never tasted quite right. My husband said they just weren't "peanutty" enough. So like the proverbial mad scientist, I went into the kitchen, determined to make a more "peanutty" peanut butter cup!! After a couple of tries, I made some ingredient adjustments and came up with this recipe. I recommend you use a high quality milk chocolate, but it must be tempered. If tempering chocolate seems too intimidating, you can use milk chocolate flavored candy melts.

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Jacque's Peanut Butter Cups

1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts

1/2 cup peanut butter

2  Tablespoons softened butter

dash salt

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

3/4 cups powdered sugar

Melted Milk chocolate ( tempered)

Grind peanuts very fine in a blender or processor. In a bowl, Mix together  ground peanuts, peanut butter, butter, salt and brown sugar. Add Powdered sugar and incorporate until you have a nice dough, about the same feel as a pastry dough. 

If it is too crumbly, add more peanut butter. If too soft, add more powdered sugar.

Roll out on a silicone mat or wax paper about 3/8" thick.

 Using a 3/4" circle cutter, cut out patties and set aside.

Use only what you need. Wrap remaining dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Fill a medium sized Peanut Butter Cup mold  almost half full with milk chocolate.

Using a stiff artist brush, paint the chocolate up the sides of the molds.

Place peanut pattie in each cup. 

Drop enough chocolate over the top of the patties to fill cups.
 Lightly tap mold on counter to remove bubbles. Place in freezer for 5 minutes. Pop out of mold.

Wash mold and repeat process.

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For Easter Eggs, use a chocolate egg mold.  Form the peanut butter centers into ovals instead of round.

 Follow the directions as shown above.

Pop out of mold for your own Chocolate Peanutbutter Eggs.

Now if you want the Easter Bunny to deliver these, you will have to hide them!

Because they are likely to disappear "mysteriously".  ;-)

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Photography and Tutorial by Jacque Benson 2010- All Rights Reserved

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

St Patrick’s Day Pistachio Candy

Ingredients:               

• 1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 3.5oz pkg pistachio pudding mix                            
• 6 oz bag flaked coconut                                                         
• 2T butter or margarine, melted (1 ounce)
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened  
• 2 cups finely chopped pistachios
• 5 ½ -6 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 drop leaf green coloring gel (opt)                                                   
• Semisweet and/ or white Chocolate chips , melted
• Paramount Crystals
• 1/2 cup Dark Green Confectioners Melts

Preparation:

Pour sweetened condensed milk into a bowl. Heat milk in microwave for 1 minute until warm. Pour pudding mix into milk and stir well.  Return to microwave and heat for 60- 90 seconds, checking after 60 seconds so as not to overcook. Stir again for 2 minutes until the pudding mix is well dissolved. Set aside.

Place coconut in blender and pulse a bit until the coconut is finely chopped. Mix with finely chopped pistachios.

Stir butter and cream cheese into pudding mixture, incorporating well. Add nuts and coconut and mix well.

I added a drop or two of leaf green coloring gel just because it's St Paddy's Day candy, but it's not necessary.

Add confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup at a time until too difficult to stir.  Sprinkle a board generously with confectioners’ sugar and turn the mix onto the board. 

Knead in sugar

until the dough is soft and not sticky.

Using a melon baller, scoop out a heaping teaspoon of dough. Shape into 1 inch balls, then chill in refrigerator until very firm.

When ready to dip in chocolate, melt semisweet and/or white chocolate .

I used Ghiradelli brand chocolate chips.  I also added some paramount crystals to
thin the chocolate.

 Too thick a layer of dark chocolate will overwhelm the flavor.

When melting white chocolate, melt carefully over hot water in a double boiler.

Do not allow the water the boil as the white chocolate burns easily.

Because this was for St Patrick's Day, I added 5-6 dark green Confectioner's melts at the last
making a pretty soft green.

 Dip chilled balls into melted dark or white chocolate using a fork.

Then carefully slide off the fork onto wax paper or a silicone mat using a small spatula, as shown.
Set aside to cool completely.
To decorate, melt about a 1/3 cup of green confectioner's melts.
Pour into a piping bag and clip just the tip off the bag.
Have fun decorating your candy.
I used stripes on the dark chocolate and swirls on the white chocolate.

Mmmmmmm -Chocolate on the outside,
gentle flavors of pistachio and coconut on the inside!

With this candy, there's plenty of Green on hand for St Paddy's Day!

 

May you have:
A world of wishes at your command.
God and his angels close to hand.
Friends and family their love impart,
and Irish blessings in your heart!

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Recipe, Tutorial and Photography by Jacque Benson 2011
All Rights Reserved.
Please note
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Cinnamon Chocolate Fudge!

With the Holidays fast approaching it’s time to start thinking about your favorite Holiday goodies!

I tried this new fudge recipe and it was delicious!

It’s very melt in your mouth- creamy goodness.

It’s also super simple.

Cinnamon-Chocolate Fudge!

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing the pan

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 pound (about 2 cups) bittersweet (60 percent cocoa) chocolate chips

(recommended: Ghiradelli) see Cook's Note*

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature

Kosher or flake salt, optional

*Note::::I used the bittersweet chocolate

And also sprinkled some of the flake sea salt on a few rows

of the fudge it was very good both ways!

Directions

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8-inch baking pan.
Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper, about 14-inches long and 7-inches wide, allowing the excess to overhang the sides. Set aside.

In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the condensed milk, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Stir in the chocolate chips and butter. Put the bowl on a saucepan of barely simmering water and mix until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes (mixture will be thick).

Using spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.

Run a warm knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the fudge. Remove the fudge to a cutting board. Peel off the parchment paper and cut the fudge into 1-inch pieces.


Store refrigerated in an airtight container or freeze.


*Cook's Note: The fudge can also be made using 1 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) of semisweet chocolate chips. I suggest using the bittersweet the flavor is Amazing !

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/cinnamon-chocolate-fudge-recipe/index.html

Photography by Diane Marks-2010 all rights reserved.
The photos may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Spooktacular Halloween Cupcakes

How fun is Halloween. This year, I would like to

share the step by step instructions to create

Fun and Spooky  Key Lime Cupcakes!

You will need:

2 dozen of your favorite cupcakes, baked and iced

( I used Rhonda's Pink Lemonade Cupcakes,

substituting Limeade for the Lemonade concentrate along with green food coloring

and iced the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.)

Airbrush

Americolors Airbrush colors

Avocado, Violet, Orange

White and Black Confectioner's Melts

Plastic Piping Bags

1-1/2" Egg Molds

White and Black Candy Clay*

1" and 3" circle cutters

#8,#4 Piping Tips

PME Wheel Cutter

* Candy Clay Recipe

I used a half recipe and have some left over.

(Be sure to Check out A&H CakeDesign for

Americolors, PME tools and Ateco Cutters.)

 Melt 1/2 cup white confectioner's melts. Pour into a plastic piping bag and

cut off tip. On Parchemnt paper, pipe 8 lines intersecting in the center, as shown above.

Connect the lines, creating a "spider web".  You will need two dozen webs.

Make extra to allow for breakage. These are easier to handle if piped in heavier lines.

Allow to set and carefully lift off parchment paper with a thin spatula.

 With remaining white chocolate, fill 8 egg cups.

Allow to harden then pop out of mold and set aside.

Wash and dry chocolate mold.

Melt 1/2 cup black confectioners melts and fill 16 cups.

Allow to harden and set aside.

 Roll out white candy clay on surface dusted with confectioner's sugar.

Using 3" circle cutter, cut 8 circles.

 Stand white egg on end and drape the 3" circle over it, creating

a ghost's body.

 Set aside and allow to firm.

 Using the black candy clay, roll out between sheets of wax paper
Cut a 1-1/2" wingspan using the PME wheel cutter.
Make 8 batwings

These do not need to be perfect. In fact the presentation

is much cuter if they all are a bit different.

Place 8 eggs, narrow end up, over the wings and allow to firm.

They should attach to the chocolate, but if they are difficult, you

can use melted chocolate to attach.

Using the 1" circle cutter, cut 8 circles.

Using the large end of your piping tube, cut 8 circles.

Score the wings, as shown above. ( Please forgive the blurry photo!)

Then cut down the center, creating a set of wings.

Place on the sides of  8 black egg, narrow end down.

Set aside.

Using the large end of your piping tube, cut a curve from both

sides of the 1/2" circles.

Cut in half, as shown, using the PME wheel cutter.

These will serve as ears to the bats and owls.

Set the ears in place.

Roll out white and black

candy clay somewhat thin.

Using the end of the #8 piping tube

Cut 16 circles for the owls eyes.

Then cut 16 pupils using the end of the #4 piping

tube as your cutter.

Place the black pupils on the white eyes

and set in place on the top side of the owl.

Cut 8 more circles using the #8 piping tube as the cutter.

Cut evenly in half and place, as shown, to create eyes for the bat.

Cut 16 Black circles using the #8 piping tube.

Set in place on ghost, as shown.

Spray 8 each of the cupcakes in purple, orange and green.

Carefully place the spider webs in place. Expect breakage.

Then set the owl, ghostie, and bat on top of the cupcakes.

Now go PARTAY!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Tutorial and Photography by Jacque Benson

All Rights Reserved 2010

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.