Homemade Payday Bars

Payday bars are one of my favorite candy bars out there. They're chewy, salty, sweet, and crunchy, which are all essentials for snacking in my opinion. I had homemade payday bars for the first time while tailgating at a Penn State game and knew I had to make them myself. The only difference between the homemade bars and the store bought variety is the addition of mini marshmallows. In my opinion, adding fluffy mini marshmallows to the recipe makes this snack even better. The original recipe for homemade payday bars can be found here, below is the recipe with just a few minor changes that I made.


Homemade Payday Bars

16 oz salted dry roasted peanuts (a 50:50 mix of honey roasted and dry roasted peanuts is also delish)
1 bag peanut butter chips (approximately 2 cups)
3 Tbsp butter
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (10.5 oz) bag mini marshmallows
flaked sea salt for garnish (optional)


1. Coat a 9x13 pan with baking spray then coat the bottom of the pan with half of the peanuts, set aside.

2. In a large microwave safe bowl, heat peanut butter chips and butter in short intervals until melted (in 30 second intervals this takes about 2 minutes depending on the power of the microwave). Stir in sweetened condensed milk until smooth and heat for 1 minute more.

3. Fold marshmallows into peanut butter/milk mixture until evenly coated, then pour over peanuts in the 9x13 pan.

4. Spread remaining nuts on top of the marshmallow mixture, pressing nuts lightly to make them stick. Garnish with optional sea salt and chill for about an hour. Cut into 1.5" x 1.5" squares and serve.

 You can keep these in the fridge for at least a week and they taste just as good as the day you made them. 

Enjoy!

Zombie Skull Cookies for Halloween

This crazy summer has finally passed so I've been trying to catch up on all of the things I've lost track of. Here's a quick post of some Halloween cookies I made last week so I can get back into the swing of things.

The original cookies and tutorial that inspired me to make these cookies can be found here.

Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Torte

I saw this salted caramel chocolate torte floating around Facebook a couple of weeks ago and it looked right up my alley. I looooovvveee caramel and you can't go wrong by adding the chocolate ganache with a  sprinkle of sea salt.

The full original post with recipe and pictures can be found on the Home Cooking Adventure blog. Below are the instructions and ingredients from Tastemade's Youtube video. 

The recipe took me almost all day to make but was well worth it. To save time I would make and chill the crust the night before and roll it out in the morning.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Torte
Makes about 6-8 servings

Almond Chocolate Sweet Pastry
1 1/4 cups (160g) flour

1/4 cup (30g) ground almonds

1/4 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup (50g) sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick (110 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small (1/2-inch) cubes

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1-2 tbsp ice water

Caramel
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
1/2 cup (100g) water

1/2 cup (120 g) heavy cream

5 tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup (120 g) heavy cream

4 oz (120g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Garnish

sea salt crystals


Directions
1. Prepare the sweet pastry. In a large bowl mix flour with ground almonds, cocoa powder, sugar and salt.

2. Incorporate butter to the flour mixture, using a pastry blender, a fork or a pastry processor, until crumbs are formed. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix them in. Add water and incorporate into the dough. Wrap it with plastic, knead slowly to form a disc and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

3. On a floured surface or over the plastic wrap roll the dough to a circle with about 1 1/2 inches larger than your tart pan. Lift up the rolled dough and place it on a greased 9 inch tart pan. Remove the edges and refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking.

4. Prick the dough with a fork, line a parchment paper over the dough. Fill with dry beans, rice or pie weights.

5. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated 350 F (180C) oven. Remove the weights and the parchment paper. Return to oven for another 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from the tart pan.

6. Prepare the caramel. Place the sugar and water in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook without stirring until sugar dissolves and gets a caramel color.

*This step took me approximately 10-15 minutes and I actually had to do it twice. The first time I was afraid of burning the caramel so I took the mixture off way too early and it was nowhere near caramel when I tried to mix in the cream and butter. The second time I thought I burned and ruined the sugar mixture when I waited for it to turn a caramel color since it was smoking slightly and smelled a hair burnt, but it came out prefect after mixing the cream and butter.

7. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cream. It will bubble a little bit.

8. Cook for about 1 or 2 minutes stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until smooth. Remove from heat and add butter and salt. Stir well until smooth.

9. Let the caramel cool slightly and pour over the chocolate crust. Refrigerate for about 4-5 hours.

10. Prepare the chocolate ganache. Heat the cream in a small saucepan. When the cream just begins to boil at the edges, remove from heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth.

11. Pour the chocolate ganache over the caramel. Spread it evenly and refrigerate for another 2-3 hours before serving. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and serve.

Enjoy!

Happy Easter and Some Bunny Themed Sugar Cookies

Spring is finally here and my Easter wouldn't be complete without some sugar cookies.

I love all of the designs from Cookies with Character but when I saw the Peek-a-Boo Bunnies, my heart flip flopped. An animator by trade, her designs are adorable and original and I could spend hours looking through her blog.

I also drew my inspiration for my Easter bunny cookies from the Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle. If you haven't been to her site before she has a ton of information on cookies and cookie decorating.

The recipes for sugar cookies and royal icing are both from Sugar Belle's and can be found here and here.

Enjoy!

Coconut Panna Cotta

I looooooovvveeee panna cotta. Make it coconut flavored and I'm in heaven. This is another dessert I had never made before but it was super easy and came out great.

Coconut Panna Cotta- total time 5.5 hours including chilling
1 2/3 cups coconut milk
1 1/4 cups whole milk

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
1 tablespoon gelatine
10 strawberries cored and cubed

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine coconut milk, whole milk, and 3/4 cup sugar in a pot over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and be sure not to allow mixture to boil. Remove from heat after sugar is dissolved.

2. Sprinkle gelatin over hot water and whisk until well combined. Add to coconut mixture and mix well. Pour into 4-5 1/2 cup ramekins.

3. Refrigerate for 5 hours until set. 30 minutes before serving combine 1/4 cup sugar, strawberries, and vanilla extract in a small bowl.

To serve, top with macerated strawberries and whipped cream. Enjoy!

Cranberry and Golden Raisin Scones

This morning I was craving some homemade baked goods for breakfast. I saw someone making scones on TV a couple of weeks ago and since I've never made them before, I thought I'd give them a try.

Cranberry and Golden Raisin Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg


1. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

2. Using a large grater, grate strands of frozen butter and combine with a fork until mixture is corse and crumbly.

3. Add cranberries and raisins and mix well. Combine sour cream and egg, and add to dry mixture.

4. Combine with clean hands until dough comes together (will still feel a little crumbly).

5. On a floured work surface press dough out into a large rectangle. Cut into thirds across the short side of the rectangle and then again across each smaller square forming large triangles.

6. Transfer to parchment line baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes.

These really hit the spot, especially with a little butter right after they've cooled a little. I also paired mine with a mimosa using leftover sparkling wine from our trip to Napa

Enjoy!

Mom's Homemade Apple Strudel

My dad loves apple strudel and lucky for him my mom makes one of the best ones out there. We make it every fall, usually with apples from my cousins tree. Here's the recipe we use:

Mom's Apple Strudel

3 apples, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (approximately)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup sugar 

5 sheet phyllo dough

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon cinnamon for sprinkling

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine apples, cinnamon, lemon juice, raisins, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel.

2. Prepare phyllo for use as per package instructions. Keep dough not being used moist by wrapping it in a damp kitchen cloth (we used the excess cloth from the work station to keep the dough moist). On parchment paper or a thin, damp towel, lay down the first sheet of phyllo dough. Brush butter across the entire top of the sheet and top with 1 tablespoon each of chopped walnuts, panko, and cinnamon sugar. Lay the next sheet of phyllo dough on top of it and repeat until all 5 sheets of phyllo have been used.

3. After all 5 sheets have been laid down and buttered, drain off any extra juices from the apple mixture. Pour the apple mixture into the center of the phyllo rectangle leaving two inches of free space on the shorter sides of the dough and about 3-4 inches of space on the long sides.

4. Fold up the 2 inch short sides of the phyllo dough to keep the mixture within the rectangle. Fold over the long sides of the rectangle next, making sure to overlap all edges of the dough.

5. Seal the edges and ends with the melted butter, and place, seam side down, onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush top of strudel with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until top of strudel is flaky and slightly browned.

6. Allow strudel to cool slightly then slice and serve while still warm.

Enjoy!

Pizzookie- Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Pan

While in Arizona I was able to try one of the best desserts I'd had in a long time. A pizzookie. It's a half baked cookie thats made in a large pan and topped with ice cream. We had one while out to dinner last week and I loved it.

Last night I was half way through baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies when I was too lazy to dollop anymore onto the sheet pan. I decided to press the rest of the batter into a circular cake pan and try my hand at making a pizzookie.

I used the original Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe minus the nuts and baked until the top of the cookie was just golden brown and still slightly mushy. I was half way through the batter when I decided to bake one large cookie so you cold half the recipe and have enough for the cake pan.

I had some Breyer's french vanilla ice cream in the freezer and that went perfect with the pizzookie.

Cookie out of the oven

Close up of the ice cream and pizzookie

Enjoy!

Be sure to follow me on instagram @rocky092 for more baking and cooking posts

Skull and Crossbones Cookie Tutorial

Here's the tutorial for the skull and crossbone cookies as promised. I've been experimenting with a glaze (which has added corn syrup for more shine and a softer texture) instead of royal icing which can be a little dry and grainy for me. There are two icing consistencies that are used when decorating cookies, flood and piping. 

Flood icing aka 20 second icing is used to ice large areas of cookie and results in a smooth, even finish. Piping consistency is used for borders to keep flood icing in place and for details that need to keep their shape. 

When mixing colors I usually start with a medium consistency of icing, color it, then reserve a third of it to thicken for piping and thinning out the rest for flood. 

Piping icing should be the consistency of toothpaste and should be firm enough to hold it's shape, but not so firm that it breaks while piping. To get this consistency, I add powder sugar until the desired thickness is reached. 

Flood icing should have a honey-like consistency, thin enough so it easily smooths for an even finish but not so thin that it runs over. I add very small amounts of water (a few drops at a time) and mix until this consistency is reached. Another way to test for this is to draw a line in the icing with a spatula and count how many seconds it takes for it to smooth out again (as the names suggests, it should take about 20 seconds). 

Here are the step by step instructions for decorating the skull and crossbones sugar cookies as well as some other shots of the cookie decorating process. 

For the glaze icing 

2lbs powdered sugar 

1/4 c corn syrup 

1/4 c water 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (clear if you need bright white icing) 

1/2 teaspoon butter extract 

The icing will need to be thickened for fine details and thinned slightly for flooding

For the skull and crossbone cookies you will need: 

White piping and flood icing 

Black piping icing 

Red flood icing (or any color of your choice for the bandana) 

4 disposable piping bags 

4 icing couplers 

Two #3 and two #12 piping tips 

P.S. Read my post from earlier this week on the best icing tip ever. 

Here is a royal icing recipe which I thought was a little easier to start out decorating with.

1. Trace out eyes, nose, and bandana on each skull cookie using food safe markers

2. With piping icing, outline the skull, eyes, and nose onto the cookies. If you don't want to fill in the eyes with black icing, make sure to pipe on the insides of the lines otherwise the marker will show (hindsight is 20/20).

3. With the flood icing, pipe along the edge of the piping icing so that the two consistencies overlap slightly. Keep to the inner edges so that the flood icing doesn't run over the sides the skull. Allow to dry for at least a half hour. 

4. After the first layer has dried to the touch, use piping icing to make teeth. Starting with the top row, alternate teeth and allow to dry for a half hour. Repeat with the lower row of teeth and allow to dry for another half hour. While the teeth are drying you can skip to steps 6-8 to save time in between the drying of the teeth. 

5. Fill in the missing teeth by piping more ovals between the teeth that have already dried. 

6. Pipe bandana ouline onto top of skull cookie with the piping icing. If any marker is showing you can also fill in the eyes and nostrils with the piping icing. 

7. Flood bandana with your color of choice flood icing. Pipe outlines on the cross bones and let dry for 15 minutes.

8. Flood crossbones using the same method in step 1. Add any additional details you like to the bandanna using piping icing. 

9. Allow cookies to dry overnight. I actually find glaze to be more prone to damage in transfer as compared to royal icing, so be careful when transporting them. 

Here are some more images from my cookie decorating night including the ghosts and spider web cookies

Piped ghost pumpkin spice sugar cookies 

Finished ghosts

The cookie station 

Piped outline on spider cookies

Finished web cookies

Finished spider and web cookie set

Midway through skulls and ghosts

Complete Halloween set

Be sure to follow me on instagram @rocky092 for more cookie and baking posts

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

I had some more pumpkin purée to use before it went bad so I decided to make some pumpkin spice pancakes for breakfast this morning. Served with butter and hickory syrup, they were fluffy and delicious, the perfect fall morning treat. 

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin purée

1 egg

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons white vinegar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat two large fry pans on medium heat. Measure all wet ingredients in a mixing cup and mix well. 

2.  Measure all dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and combine. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 

3. Add one tablespoon of butter to each fry pan and melt. Using a measuring cup, ladle approximately 1/4 cup pancake mix onto pan. Cook 4-5 pancakes per pan, waiting to flip until a few bubbles rise to the top of the pancake (these pankcakes fill not form as many bubbles as normal pancakes would, be careful not to burn them).

These pancakes are just about ready to flip

Keep cooked pancakes warm either on a tray in the oven set to warm, or on a plate in the closed microwave. 

6. Serve warm with butter and syrup or any other fall toppings you may like. 

Enjoy!!

Be sure to follow me on instagram @rocky092 for more baking, brunch, and food posts

P.S. These also freeze great. Just seperate pancakes by a small piece of wax paper and stick into a sealable plastics bag. When ready to eat just remove however many pancakes you'd like and reheat.