Gourmet Pretzels*

Gourmet Pretzels*

Inspiration: Homemade Caramel and The Painted Pretzel

Well, I did it again. I got an itch to create something and blog about it, but the purist could convincingly argue against its inclusion here. Though I have a rebellious side to me, at my core, I am pretty much a rule follower. Therefore, I am just going to have to give myself permission to make the rules as I go along! As such, Any post marked with an asterisk will be some form of gourmet cooked or decorated food, but will not officially be baked in the cooking process. Perhaps that will allow some clarification for anyone searching the posts and will still allow the creative muse to move.

All that to say that I decided to make these pretzels after seeing a homemade caramel recipe. It made me think of caramel apples at a local candy factory at first, but then I remembered a product called The Painted Pretzel from one of my favorite TV shows, The Shark Tank. Since I love pretzels, I figured dunking them in caramel, dipping them in chocolate, and rolling them in several toppings would by pretty close to pretzel heaven. I dug out some goodies from the baking cabinet and the adventure began.

The first step was to cook the caramel according to the recipe link above to the soft ball stage.

Make sure to use a candy thermometer to get an accurate reading . Once the caramel reaches the correct temperature, dip pretzel rods into the caramel and lay out on a silicone mat to harden slightly.



 After the caramel has set, dip in melted chocolate and then roll in toppings of your choice. I chose the following: chopped pecans, chopped almonds with coconut, toffee pieces, mini chocolate chips.

Wa-La....the finished pretzels!

For me, this was a creative outlet. I enjoy trying something challenging and then being able to eat the results. The caramel tastes fabulous, but was time consuming. Save this recipe for gift giving season or for special party favors. They taste wonderful, but it is a labor of love.

The caramel was rich and buttery. I will use this caramel recipe again for fall apples! For less special occasions, or for snack purposes, I will also try my hand at other pretzels that are simply dipped in chocolate and rolled in the toppings or drizzled. If you make them, I'd love to know how your experience went!



Diva Popcorn

Diva Popcorn

Inspiration: Jello popcorn recipe and "Toddlers and Tiaras"



Ok, so I admit this recipe only LOOSELY fits in the baked category. It does spend some time in the oven, but for for a finishing effect more than cooking. Still, I was enamored with the idea of making this candied popcorn, and my life tends to run counter to the norms anyway. Therefore, I decided to stand in the loop hole and go for it!

For the original recipe, go to the any flavored popcorn recipe. When my daughter came home from college on spring break, we scheduled a Toddlers and Tiaras watch-a-thon and wanted to make this popcorn for a snack. Since Toddlers is a show all about "GLITZ" and over the top EVERYTHING, we decided to glitz up the basic recipe. This technique can be adapted for any flavored gelatin that you can find, but we preferred a fruity flavor.

First, pop some popcorn and measure out 12 cups. We used the plain brown paper bag method of popping plain kernels rather than microwaved popcorn, but I would suppose any basic popcorn would work.

 Heat one can of sweetened condensed milk and one box of flavored jello on the stove for 4-5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Be careful to watch it; it burns easily!

Remove from the heat and pour quickly over the popped kernels. Sitr to coat entire batch.

Spread out on a lined cookie sheet. I used a silicone baking mat, but you could use parchment or foil.

Bake at 300 for 20 minutes. The two things to take note of here is the oven temperature and the fact that you will need to stir the popcorn mixture about every 5 minutes. We tried to bake it straight through and burned the first batch. It starts browning on top pretty quickly, so the stirring is essential.

As soon as it comes out of the oven, "Diva-fy" it. We choose to stay with complementary colors, so added various Jelly Belly jelly beans in shades of pink or white, white and red sanding sugar, and peanuts.

Let the whole thing cool a bit while you melt 8 oz of white candy coating (or white chocolate if you prefer the real thing).

Drizzle the melted cany coating on top. Let stand about 10 minutes or so until the coating hardens. Break up the popcorn into pieces and enjoy!

DIVA POPCORN

12 cups of popped popcorn

12 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

3 oz box of flavored jello

8 oz of candy coating

garnishes of your choice (sprinkles, edible glitter, sanding sugar, candies, nuts)

Creme de Cacao

Creme de Cacao Cupcakes

Inspiration: Creme de Cacao liquer and Tiramisu

It is spring break for our family! Normally, we seem go full throttle all week, but are able to squeeze in a baking project on the weekend. I'm so excited because this week, I've already had the chance to try a few new recipes off Pinterest and have plans to attempt a few more before the week's end.

Meanwhile, I recently came across a bottle of a product called Creme de Cacao in the local Sprouts grocer here in Austin. Most people search the liquers for drinking purposes, but my thoughts tend to turn to baked goods when I see an interesting flavored liquer. My husband is the one who thought it might taste best soaked as opposed to baked, so I adapted a basic tiramisu recipe for my first attempt. To see the original recipe, go here Tiramisu Recipe. My adapted version is below.

First, I made the base cupcake and portioned it into 12 cupcake liners as seen here.

After they were baked, I poked them with holes with a fork and brushed on the Creme de Cacao.

I started with 3/4 of a cup, but I think next time I'd let it sit awhile and then add another 1/2 cup all over.

Finally, I mixed up the icing, swirled it on top, and sprinkled them with mini chocolate chips. The icing was a bit fluffy, so it didn't pipe as easily as my normal icings, but the taste was nice and light.

Cake batter:

10 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, plus one egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, plus the egg yolk. Mix well after each addition. Sift together the dry ingredients and add alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry. Scoop into 12 cupcake liners. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Poke holes in the warm cupcakes and brush with 3/4 cup of the Creme de Cacao.
For the icing:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp Creme de Cacao
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Using the whip attachment of the mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Transfer to a separate bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to a clean bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the whipped cream back into the mascarpone mixture and beat until well incorporated.

Ice the cupcakes and then sprinkle with the mini chocolate chips.

One thing to note: I like to swirl the icing on top of the cupcakes and I had EXACTLY enough for these cupcakes. If you like more icing, adjust the recipe accordingly.

This is a denser cupcake (I assume to handle all the soaking). My husband said he'd prefer a lighter base if we try them again. Happy baking!