English Toffee
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
1 1/3 Cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
3 Tablespoons Water
1 Pound Bittersweet Chocolate
1 Pound Ground Pecans
Melt the butter and sugar in a medium size saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the corn syrup and water. Boil over a high heat until the candy thermometer reads 300° F. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet. Melt the chocolate over a low heat in a small saucepan. Evenly spread the toffee with the melted chocolate. While the chocolate is still warm cover with the ground pecans. Cool for 20 minutes and then cut into pieces. Serves 10
Peanut Butter Kisses
Simple to make!
INGREDIENTS
1 ¼ Cup Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Softened Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Creamy Room Temperature Peanut Butter
½ Cup Sugar (Plus a Bit More For Coating)
½ Cup Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
36 Unwrapped Chocolate Kisses
In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate medium sized bowl beat the butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Add the sugar and the brown sugar and beat for 3 more minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat for 30 seconds. Slowly add the flour mixture beating for 2 minutes. Transfer the dough to a medium sized clean bowl and refrigerate overnight. You want to be able to roll into balls so the dough needs to firm up. When you are ready to bake the cookies preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1 ½ inch balls. Roll the balls into the extra sugar. Set the dough balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Gently flatten the cookies. Bake for 18 minutes until they are just light golden brown on the bottoms. Remove the cookies from the oven and press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for 1 minute. Remove from the oven and cool for 2 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 36 cookies.
Christmas Fudge
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Milk Chocolate Chips
1 Pound Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 ½ Tablespoons Butter
1 Pint Marshmallow Cream
2 Cups Chopped Walnuts
1 Twelve Ounce Can Evaporated Milk
4 Cups Sugar
Lightly butter one 9×13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl combine the milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, butter, marshmallow cream and walnuts. Set aside. In a large saucepan combine the evaporated milk and sugar over a medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil for 4 minutes. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the chocolate mixture and stir with a large spoon until well blended. It is best to do this quickly before the fudge begins to harden. Once this is well blended pour the fudge into the prepared baking pan. Spread out and smooth into the pan. Set aside for 6 hours to cool and harden. Cut into 1 inch squares when you are ready to serve. Makes 115 pieces.
Pumpkin Biscuits
These Pumpkin Biscuits are melt in your mouth good! Easy to make too!
INGREDIENTS
1 ¼ Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Tablespoons Plus 1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Plus 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
¾ Cup Pumpkin Puree
¼ Cup Melted Butter
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 450° F. In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add the pumpkin puree and melted butter to the flour mixture. Stir well. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 8 times until the dough is smooth. Roll the dough to ½ inch thick. Use a 2 inch round cutter or the mouth of a glass. Cut the dough. Reroll the scraps once. Place the biscuits on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until they are lightly golden. Serve warm with butter and honey. Makes 1 dozen biscuits.
Brownie Bites
All you need is a round biscuit cutter!
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Butter
2 ¼ Cups Sugar
1 ¼ Cups Cocoa Powder
1 Tablespoon Espresso Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
4 Large Eggs
1 ½ Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Chopped Pecans (Optional)
Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a saucepan melt the butter over a low heat. Add the sugar to the melted butter and stir. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa, espresso powder, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs. Stir until smooth. Add the flour, chocolate chips and pecans (optional). Stir until smooth. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. The brownies should feel set on the edges and barely set in the center. Remove from the oven and cool for 1 hour. Using a 1 ½ inch round biscuit cutter cut out as many circles as possible. You should get about 38 circles. Wrap well to store. When you are ready to serve, garnish the Brownie Bites with whipped cream, cherry topping or shaved chocolate. You can save the scraps and crumble on top of ice cream for a whole different dessert. Makes 38 Brownie Bites
Camille’s Black Friday Pasta Salad
If you’re tired of cooking and want to lighten up a bit try making this Pasta Salad. It’s easy to make and is delicious. Happy shopping today!
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Corkscrew Pasta
12 Ounces Marinated Artichoke Hearts
8 Ounces Cubed Smoked Mozzarella
8 Ounces Cubed Pepperoni
3 Tablespoons Chopped Peperoncini
¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Basil Leaves
½ Cup Halved Cherry Tomatoes
¼ Cup Chopped Kalamata Olives
Dressing
1 Clove Finely Chopped Garlic
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
¼ Cup Olive Oil
1/3 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/3 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as directed on the package. Make sure that you don’t overcook the pasta as you always want it al dente. Drain well and cool. Drain and quarter the artichoke hearts. In a large bowl combine the pasta, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, pepperoni, tomatoes, peperoncini, olive and basil. Combine well. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with the pasta mixture. Serve chilled or room temperature. Serves 4
Holiday Cheddar Biscuits
These Holiday Cheddar Biscuits are so good. They go with everything! Piercing the tops of the biscuits lets the steam escape and helps the biscuits to rise tall. Serve with room temperature butter.
INGREDIENTS
5 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Tablespoon Plus 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
2 ½ Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1/8 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
4 Ounces Shredded Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese (Room Temperature)
4 Ounces Shredded Sharp Orange Cheddar Cheese (Room Temperature)
6 Tablespoons Cold Unsalted Butter Cut Into ½ Inch Pieces
2 Cups Heavy Cream
¼ Cup Buttermilk
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 425° F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cayenne pepper. Add the grated cheeses. Work the cheeses in well with your fingers. Add the cold butter and quickly rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers until the mixture resembles the texture of oatmeal with some larger marble size pieces. Stir in the heavy cream and add the buttermilk. Combine just until absorbed. The dough will be in chunks and pieces. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. This is a sturdy and forgiving dough so don’t be afraid to knead firmly. With your hands, press and knead the dough firmly until it forms cohesive dough. Roll to ½ inch thickness. With a fork dipped into flour pierce the dough all the way through at ½ inch intervals. Stamp out 2 ½ inch rounds with a biscuit cutter or a drinking glass. Place the biscuits ½ inch apart on the baking sheet. Gather the scraps, re-roll, cut out and place on the baking sheet. The biscuits may be refrigerated, lightly covered, for 1 hour before baking. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 16 minutes until well browned. Rotate the pan if needed to ensure even browning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Makes 24 biscuits.
Chocolate Truffle Cake
If you love chocolate then this cake is for you! It is dense and pure chocolate. Chocolate Truffle Cake is great for special occasions and especially birthdays!
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Butter
14 Ounces Semisweet Chocolate
2 Ounces Unsweetened Chocolate
9 Large Separated Eggs
½ Cup Sugar
¼ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
Almonds for Garnish (Optional)
Preheat the oven to 300° F. Remove the bottom from a 9×3 inch springform pan and cover the bottom with foil. Wrap the foil around to the underside. This will make it easier to remove the cake from the pan. Replace the bottom. Grease and flour the foil bottom and side of the pan. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter with all of the chocolate over a low heat. Stir constantly. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl. In a small bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar for about 5 minutes with a mixer and 10 minutes by hand. The goal is to get the mixture very thick and lemon colored. With a rubber spatula, stir the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. In a separate large bowl beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Make sure that the beaters are clean before beating the egg whites. With a wire whisk or rubber spatula gently fold the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the egg whites one third at a time. Do not mix them in. We want to be gentle with the egg whites. Now, spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Do not over bake because the cake will firm up when chilled. Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight in the pan. To remove the cake from the pan run a hot knife around the edge of the cake. Remove the side of the pan and invert the cake onto a cake plate. Unwrap the foil on the bottom and lift off the bottom of the pan. Carefully peel the foil from the cake. Garnish with almonds or other nuts if you like. Makes 20 servings
Cheese Bread
This cheese bread is so good. I am certain that you will get hooked on this bread! You can make dinner rolls out of this recipe by simply dividing into smaller pieces.
INGREDIENTS
¾ Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Yeast
3 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 ½ Teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Softened Butter
½ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ Cup Cottage Cheese
4 Tablespoons Grate Parmesan Cheese
Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup of lukewarm water. Make sure that the water is NOT hot or it will kill the yeast. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Knead by hand. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes. This is a great workout for your arms! Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise, in a warm place, for 1 hour until doubled. Punch down the dough and form into a 9 inch log. Place it in a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Loosely cover with greased plastic and let it rise until the bread is one inch above the rim of the pan.
If you are making dinner rolls divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into rolls. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with greased plastic and let rise, in a warm place, for 30 minutes.
Bake the risen dough in a preheated 350° F oven for 20 minutes for the rolls and 30 minutes for a loaf. Remove from the oven and serve the rolls warm or let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes removing from the pan to cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 rolls or 1 loaf (16 slices).
Chocolate Crackle Cookies
These cookies are a chocolate lover’s dream.
INGREDIENTS
12 Ounces Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (Divided)
¾ Cup Flour
2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ancho Chili Pepper
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Cup Softened Butter
½ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Packed Brown Sugar
2 Lightly Beaten Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Melt 8 ounces of the chocolate. It is a good idea to use a double boiler, but you can also melt it in the microwave. After melting the chocolate set aside. Coarsely chop the remaining 4 ounces of chocolate. Mix the flour, cinnamon, ancho chili pepper, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. In a medium bowl beat the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add the melted chocolate and beat until well blended. Gradually beat in the flour mixture on a low speed until well mixed. Stir in the chopped chocolate. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons 1 ½ inch apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake in a preheated 375° F oven for 10 minutes. You want the cookies set and slightly cracked on top. Transfer the cookies onto a wire rack and cool completely. Makes 3 ½ dozen cookies.
