30 Jun 2016

Kids and Summer – and Peanut Butter Bars

by | posted in: chocolate, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Easy Peanut Butter Bars

About a month ago, I was so concerned with what I was going to do since summer was coming.  See, my older little boy is in preschool and it was letting out for 2 months.  It is hard to take two preschoolers with me anywhere, and I had grown accustomed to getting things done in the morning with just one of them.

And here, almost July, and we have one more month. A month filled with fruit picking, zoo trips, play dates, and vacation to North Carolina.  It hasn’t been as tough as I thought, but my husband has been gracious with his time off, too.

At the beginning of the week I wanted to bake something and get my older preschooler in the kitchen.  He really loves being in the kitchen with me and I love it.  So, we opened a cookbook, made a few tweaks with what we had, and put them in the oven.

The next day we got to head to Roswell and go hiking and playing in the water at Vickery Creek Falls.  So fun.  My boys are definitely water lovers and they love any time they get to spend with their daddy.  These bars were delicious and portable and had some good energy boosting carbs in them to refuel them after the hike.

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Easy Peanut Butter Bars
Author: 
Recipe type: Bar
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 20
 
Easy, portable, not-to-sweet peanut butter bar
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg (room temp)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • ½ cup roasted peanuts (halved)
  • ¾ cup chocolate chunks (I used dark)
  • ½ cup 10x sugar
  • 1½ T creamy peanut butter
  • 2 T milk (or until desired glaze consistency)
Instructions
  1. Cream first ingredients (through vanilla).
  2. While you let the mixer do its work, get a 9x13 pan, line with foil, spray with cooking spray, and set oven to 350.
  3. Combine dry ingredients and mix with sugar mixture.
  4. Fold in chips and nuts.
  5. Press into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
  6. When done, let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes.
  7. Take the bars out (made easier with the help of the foil) and put on cooling rack.
  8. Mix glaze and drizzle over the bars.
  9. Let cool completely then cut into squares.
These were easy to assemble and tasted great and have lasted well throughout the week.

10 Apr 2015

Dark Chocolate Pecan Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

by | posted in: chocolate, food, north carolina, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Dark Chocolate Pecan Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

I didn’t grow up on homemade cookies.  The closest we got were a couple of Christmas goodies I remember my Mom training me to bake and Publix cookies.  Oreos were always my favorite and of course I was a Girl Scout so the peanut butter sandwich cookies were my favorite thin – now, it is the Thin Mints, hands down.

But, now, sometimes, I wake up thinking about chocolate chip cookies.  Who knows?  But, I woke up this morning thinking about cookies.  It was raining.  I have boys.  Friends were coming over.  No time to go to the store.  This is how these amazing cookies started.

A new friend gave me some toffee on a recent trip to the Triangle.  I had mini chips in the freezer.  My mom always stocks my pantry full of pecans, and I had bars of chocolate in my baking stash.

These are the perfect chewy consistency.  Nice and big but not too flat.  I tweaked a recipe and it turned out great.  I hope you enjoy!

Chewy Cookies

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Dark Chocolate Pecan Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Cookies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24-30
 
These chewy chunky toffee cookies will be a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ tsp sea salt
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • Half cup each:
  • chopped toffee
  • mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • chopped milk chocolate
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray baking sheets.
  2. Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
  3. Cream together the butter and the sugars.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla.
  5. Add in the dry ingredients and stir together.
  6. Fold in the add-ins.
  7. Do not over mix
  8. I got 6 cookies per baking sheet - so these are pretty generous cookies.
  9. Bake for 12 minutes.
  10. Do not over bake.
  11. Let cool for 1-2 minutes and remove to a cooling rack. If you let them stay on the baking sheets, the toffee will stick to the pan.
 

1 Nov 2014

Halloween Trash Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

by | posted in: chocolate, food, The Charming South Kitchen, Uncategorized | 0

Halloween Trash Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

Now that Halloween is over and a new month is upon us, must of us are gearing up for the other two big holidays – Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Let the baking season begin (or, um, continue).

Some people wonder what inspires me to cook what I do.  One of the ways is by following great foodie people on Instagram.  That’s how these came about.  One of the best places in Savannah is Back in the Day Bakery. Cheryl Day, co-owner and baker, featured a chocolate covered rice krispy treat yesterday in her feed.

How to Use Leftover Halloween Candy

Well, I thought I would just run to target with my littles and get the ingredients.  Little did I know that it would be the worst Target run ever.  In front of our local Target store, the city has been demolishing a building.  The backhoes and front loaders and bulldozers are in full force.  Yes, I’m a mom to two little toddler boys!  My older one is mesmerized by their action.  So, cue drama and meltdown as I pushed the boy-filled cart toward the Target entrance, away from the construction site.  Then, I get in there and finally am able to calm him down, when my younger one who is usually happy as a clam in a store, completely screams his head off for 20 minutes while I’m in the store.  He was teething.  But, I couldn’t find the marshmallows.  I had everything else.  Finally just put everything back on the shelves and walked out.  Forget making dessert.

Well, later that afternoon I decided I still wanted to make them and we tried again.  This time at our local Publix.  No construction site.  Employees with candy and balloons.  They were happy. Momma was happy.

Thankfully, these were made.  I’m not usually a fan of milk chocolate anything, but I’m glad I went with the milk chocolate frosting as it was just perfect paired with the peanut butter in the rice krispy treat.

This is a perfect way to use up all of your leftover Halloween candy – or give you a perfect excuse to go buy more!

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Halloween Trash Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Sweets
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Perfect use for all of your leftover Halloween candy
Ingredients
  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • 3 T creamy peanut butter
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 1 bag mini marshmallows
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 cups crisped rice cereal
  • 1 container milk chocolate with chocolate chips frosting
  • leftover halloween candy
Instructions
  1. Grease a 9x13 pan
  2. In large pot, melt together the butter and peanut butter.
  3. Add salt and stir.
  4. Add marshmallows and stir until melted.
  5. Add in vanilla.
  6. Set pot off the heat.
  7. Stir in cereal.
  8. Press into 9x13 pan by using a piece of parchment paper so the mixture won't stick to your hands.
  9. Let cool.
  10. Frost with frosting.
  11. Immediately top with leftover crushed Halloween candy.
  12. Let sit to harden.
  13. Enjoy!
 

 

19 Aug 2014

Food Quote of the Week

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Chocolate Doesn't Hurt

Since I’m claiming this blog to be about food, family, and faith – each week I want to give you a quote regarding each of these topics.

I am a lover of Peanuts – the comic strip.  Who wouldn’t love Charlie Brown and Woodstock and a beagle who is always bossing people around!  I enjoyed the Christmas tribute to Schulz in Louisville when I lived there.  He is so right about chocolate.

 

10 Aug 2014

No Bake Fudge S’mores Pie

by | posted in: chocolate, The Charming South Kitchen, Uncategorized | 2

National Smores Day

Don’t you love how life teaches you lessons?  We all have days where we learn valuable lessons that will profit us to use them in the future.

Like don’t go out without an umbrella if skies are threatening rain.

Don’t date guys who don’t love Jesus first and foremost.

Always wear the same shoes – vital.

Love above all else.

When you get hurt (and you will), don’t hurt in return because it doesn’t do anyone any good.

Leave your heart open for new relationships and friendships.

And this S’mores Pie.

No Bake Fudge Smores Pie

I found out on Instagram yesterday that today is National S’mores Day (who is in charge of making these things up, anyway?).  So, all I had to do was get a few things from the store and this pie is all set for when we get home from church tonight.  It is dark, fudge, not too sweet, and topped with fluffy, sugary goodness.  Slightly burnt edges – just like the perfect campfire marshmallow before you smush it between some chocolate and graham crackers.

The lesson I learned in making this pie?  Buy a culinary torch.  It will just do you wonders and save bunches of time (because my life as a full-time mommy comes first to my adventures in The Charming South Kitchen, so I’ve gotta use those nap times wisely).  At least I was able to sip on my McDonald’s diet coke while I was waiting for my lighter to slightly burn the edges of the marshmallows.  (I adapted this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker)

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No Bake Fudge S'mores Pie
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Pie
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8-10
 
No need for a campfire or an oven for this pie. Chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows.
Ingredients
  • 1 graham cracker crust, chilled
  • 6 oz bittersweet chocolate
  • 2 oz dark chocolate
  • ⅓ cup plus 1 T heavy whipping cream
  • 1¾ teaspoon light corn syrup
  • 3 T unsalted butter
  • ¾ bag large marshmallows
  • handful mini marshmallows
Instructions
  1. Heat the cream and light corn syrup on stove until slightly boiling (you don't want to overheat it because it will burn).
  2. Pour the heated cream mixture over the chocolate and stir until smooth.
  3. Add the butter and stir until creamy.
  4. Gently spread the chocolate mixture in the bottom of the graham cracker pie crust
  5. Place the marshmallows on top, gently pressing them into the fudge filling.
  6. Heat with a torch or match or however you want to light them, to the crispiness of your liking.
  7. Let come to room temp before serving
  8. Cut slices and serve.
 

Marshmallows

 

12 Mar 2014

Eat This: Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Mini Cups

by | posted in: food | 0

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Mini Cups

Every time I open my fridge, I see this bowl of Brown Eyed Baker’s salted caramel sauce staring me in the face.  Its like its begging me to make something with it, or just dig in with a spoon.  That’s what spoons are good for, right?  Eating caramel!

While I was visiting a local bakery on Friday (interview and photos coming soon), I was inspired to use it in a different way.  That different way came about in my kitchen today.  Husband ate them – right out of the oven, before the caramel even had time to set!  They are that good.

Here are two important criteria to remember when baking these: quality contents produce quality baked goods.  The two stars of these mini cups are the salted caramel and the chocolate.  I used a Dutch bittersweet chocolate for some of the chocolate in these cups and then the homemade salted caramel.  Taste matters when baking – not just precision!

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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Mini Cups
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookie
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24
 
Caramel and chocolate - any complaints?
Ingredients
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ cup whole oats
  • 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used Droste Dutch chocolate)
  • Salted caramel sauce (I use the one on Brown Eyed Baker)
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Cream until smooth. Add dry ingredients then fold in chocolate and oats.
  2. Fill mini baking cups with one scoop - about 24-36 cookies.
  3. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.
  4. When you take them out immediately mash down the top to form a little holder for the caramel.
  5. Add a half teaspoon to the top. It will melt and then harden up as cookie cools.
  6. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk and a good book. Share if possible.
 

6 Aug 2013

Peanut Butter Chunk Blondies

by | posted in: food | 0

The other day I was watching The Chew, the foodie talk show that comes on right during the lunch hour – making this pregnant girl even hungrier!  One of the chefs was making blondies – I thought, hmmm, blondies.  I knew I was going to the store later and just had to pick up a couple of things to make this.  So good – we were inhaling the crumbs (and gave some away to friends here in town).

Adapted from Hersheys, a book that sweet Louisville friends gave me a while back:

Makes 9-12 bars depending on how big you cut the bars (a 9×9 pan)

3/4 cup creamy pb (not all natural)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 T milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 tsp salt

1 bag reeces mini cups

Preheat oven to 350 and grease pan.  Cream ingredients peanut butter through vanilla.  Add in dry ingredients. Fold in the reeces mini cups (wrapper-less, how kind are they)!

Bake for about 25-30 minutes until done. Serve and enjoy!

10 Jan 2011

Rice Krispy Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

by | posted in: chocolate, food | 2

 

I got to bring something to a birthday party this past weekend and had most of the ingredients for these, so I went with a new recipe.  I liked the crisp in them and of course the addition of a little hershey’s chocolate on top.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup rice krispies

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

mini hershey bars

Tools: mini muffin pan, small cookie scoop, stand mixer, measuring spoons and cups, spatula

Cream butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Mix dry together and add to wet.  Fold in cereal and chocolate chips. 

Spray muffin pans and bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.  Makes approximately 30.  Remove from oven when done.  Immediately put 1/2 of a miniature hershey bar in the top.  Let cool completely.

23 Dec 2010

Triple Layer Brownies

by | posted in: chocolate | 0

My Mom does make some great things when she follows recipes. She knows I am kidding when I say this, but she also knows its partly true…her lack of following directions when she bakes – kinda whatever she wants to put in there is what goes.
Well, let me tell you – these were in the fridge when I got home, and they were so good…so here is her recipe!

2 brownie mixes (1 supreme, 1 regular)
mix according to directions – so you’ll need eggs, oil, and water)
4 cups mini marshmallows
1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 T butter
1 cup peanut butter, creamy
2 cups rice krispies.

Brownies mixes to package, spread in 10×15 pan (sprayed and foiled) and bake according to directions, or about 15 minutes at 350.
While hot, sprinkle marshmallows on top (1 whole bag). Return to over for 3 minutes.
Take a knife, dipped in water, and spread out the marshmallows. Let cool.
Mix the pb and chocolate chips and butter, over low heat, till melted. Stir. Take off heat and add in rice krispies.
Spread over brownies.
Chill, cut, and serve at room temp.

Enjoy!

17 Dec 2010

Chocolate York Cookies Sandwiches with Mint Buttercream Filling

by | posted in: chocolate | 2
Deep chocolate with york peppermint candies and a mint buttercream filling. Yum.
I took a hint for the cookie from The Novice Chef and then made it my own. Thank you!
Here you go: great for kids of all ages…

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 Tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup York mini candies (the ones that look like m&ms)

Cream wet, add dry. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes. Let cool completely.

1 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1.5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 t milk
2 t peppermint extract

Cream butter for about 5 minutes. Add in sugar and keep beating for about 5 total minutes. Add in milk and extract. Beat a little more till light and fluffy.

Then put buttercream in between 2 cookies and enjoy!