At Home with Kristi » chocolate

Toffee Bars

Kristi — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 03:14:13 +0000

I first had these bars when a roommate of mine in college made them. I never got the recipe so I winged it when I started making them a few years ago. They are very simple with a nice crunch.

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp corn syrup
1 package graham crackers
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
nuts or heath bits

Directions

1. Line a large sheet pan with sides with either aluminum foil or a silicone mat

2. Cover the bottom of the pan with a single layer of graham crackers

3. In a saucepan combine butter, sugar, vanilla and syrup, heat over medium heat until all ingredients are combined

4. Place a candy thermometer in the pot and cook the mixture to hard ball stage

5. Pour the mixture over the graham crackers

6. Place in a 375 degree oven for 7-8 minutes until the entire toffee mixture bubbles

7. Remove from oven and let sit for 2 minutes

8. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top evenly

8. Let sit for 2 minutes

9. Spread the now melted chocolate chips evenly over the top of the toffee

10. Sprinkle the top with either chopped nuts or Heath bits

11. Chill for 1-2 hours

12. Break into pieces

Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Kristi — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:32:34 +0000

I saw this recipe for Irish Cream Cupcakes over at Sweet Tooth and thought about making them. Matthew however, believes that its not really a dessert unless it contains chocolate, so I started considering my options. I found a recipe for Chocolate Whiskey Chocolate cupcakes over at Smitten Kitchen and combined it with this one over at Java Cupcake to make my own Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.

Guinness Chocolate Cake, Jamieson Whiskey Ganache and Irish Cream Buttercream Icing. A few days late for St. Patrick’s day, but hey, I’m party Irish every day!

I followed the cake recipe from Smitten Kitten. The batter is black as the inside of a cow. I made giant size cupcakes and cooked them for about 22 minutes.

For the ganache

4oz bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Irish Whiskey
6 tablespoons powdered sugar

Cook over low heat until smooth, stirring often.

Stash in the refrigerator to thicken up. Once its thickened but not set, spread it over the top of the cooling cupcakes

Stick the cupcakes in the fridge to chill the ganache and make your buttercream

I HIGHLY recommend that you use the Smitten Kitchen buttercream recipe and procedure, it made AMAZING buttercream

Pipe or spread the buttercream on anyway you like

Dig in and enjoy!

Cooking with friends

Kristi — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:49:01 +0000

Our friends Jocelyn and Nancy came over tonight and all four of us made dinner together. Pork Wellington, Crash Hot Potatoes and Chocolate Lava Cake. I can’t take credit for any of the recipes, I borrowed all of them.

It was a lot of fun and all of the food was great.

For the Pork Wellington, you saute mushrooms and onions, stuff them inside a pork loin then roll that in prosciutto

Then that whole thing is wrapped in puff pastry dough.

Meanwhile, the potatoes are boiling and once those are done we SMASH them (sorry this was too intense for pictures)

Once we get the dinner items in the oven we start the batter for the chocolate lava cakes

You have to separate eggs

Melt chocolate into butter

Mix in some sugar and flour

Put it in the greased cups

Have a little pink wine out of a tumbler

Snack on some sausage and cheese

FINALLY the food is ready to come out of the oven. But the wellington has to rest for 10 minutes!

But finally, its dinner time

NOM! NOM! NOM!

Throw the lava cakes in the oven while eating.

If the lava cakes won’t come out of their ramekins intact, that’s okay, spoons work!

Matthew, do you like chocolate?

Play an enthusiastic game of Farkle to work off some calories

And round off the evening with a bit of snow

I will post the Pork Wellington recipe I used soon.