Velvet Chocolate Walnut Fudge with Olive Oil and Fleur de Sel

Now that is some title for a post. My first thought was "yichs" but upon further consideration and thought, I decided that I am an open-minded person and the introduction of unusual combinations of flavors is not something I am opposed to. I've experimented in the past with  basil lime macrons - amazing. So off to work.

This recipe calls for homemade marshmallow creme- fluff in layman's terms. Who remembers marshmallow fluff? That sickeningly sweet but delicious spreadable creme that some of us made fluffernutters with.

Marshmallow creme

Marshmallow creme is an American food item. It is a very sweet, spreadable, marshmallow-like confection. Marshmallow creme and peanut butter are used to create a fluffernutter sandwich. Wikipedia

Fluffernutter

A Fluffernutter is a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow creme, usually served on white bread. Variations of the sandwich include the substitution of wheat bread and the addition of various sweet, salty and savory ingredients. Wikipedia

I love making things from scratch when I have the time and energy. The marshmallow creme recipe is easy and so very different and better than the store bought stuff. I liked the fact that it makes more than the basic recipe for the fudge needs , so having leftovers is a plus. I guess... as long as I use it to make something and not spoon it out of the jar into my mouth!

puffy clouds of marshmallow creme

homemade marshmallow creme

I made the creme the night before and the fudge the following morning. It's a simple process, but you must be right there for the whole time- don't go to the bathroom, answer the phone or the door or else you will have a burnt mess that is almost impossible to clean. Not that it happened to me, but I can see the potential- scary!

my messy work area

The fudge comes together nicely and set up very quickly. The recipe calls for evaporated milk, which is virtually impossible to buy here. The one time I did see it, a small can cost something like $20.00 - uh, no, thank you! So I searched for substitutes and found that combining 2/3 cup of non-fat dried milk powder and 3/4 cup of water  will yield the same results.  Although I have not tried it with real evaporated milk, the results seem to be just perfect.    

scoring the top before the fudge settles so the oil can seep in

 The final step after cutting it into small pieces (the recipe calls for 16 pieces- I cut them smaller since I think fudge is so rich that less is better) is drizzling olive oil and Fleur de sel on top. I have a very special hazelnut oil that is something out of this world, and since the combination of hazelnut and chocolate is a winner, I decided to use that instead. Sprinkle with a touch of the Fleur de sel to counter the sweetness and you've got a delicious and a bit unusual treat.

I also drizzled some of the fudge with olive oil and that, too, is a special treat- different angle of flavor but just as good. Using a good quality olive oil is important here.

If you'd like to give these a try, you can find the recipe here at Baked Sunday Mornings.

                               

Baked Sunday Mornings- Soft Candy Carmels

Candy making is a fascinating process. It's really a lesson in chemistry. Watching what different temperatures do to sugar is something I never learned in chemistry class in high school ( which I barely got through, by the way).

One essential component of candy making is patience- not something I've won prizes for in the past! Having made caramels before ( apple cider caramels by Smitten Kitchen) and Fleur de Sel Spirals ( by Gesine Bullock-Prado), I knew the process and  developed some of that precious "patience" thing. Believe me, it's worth it. Temperature, time and keeping an unflinching eye on everything, make the difference between a success and a hot mess of either undercooked or burned (smelly and smokey) sugar. ( and a nasty clean-up as well)

This recipe from Baked Elements is easy to follow and the results are scrumptious. I had a bit of trouble removing the tin foil from the caramels, even though I sprayed it as directed. To resolve that problem, I stuck them in the freezer for about 20 minutes and other than a few stray pieces, managed to get it all off. Wrapping took a long time but the results are so fun to look at, not to mention the great taste. They're soft, very caramelly(? is that a word?) and just melt in your mouth. I packaged them in pink Chinese food type boxes, ready to give as gifts.

  You can get the recipe here.

Crazy Delicious Snack Mix

This is so crazy delicious, I decided to call it exactly that- crazy delicious snack mix.

This is my version of a recipe I found by Christina Tosi of the famed Momofuku Milk Bar.  I've never been there, but it's on  my list of places to go in New York. Also can't wait to buy the book!I found it here and knew immediately that I had to try it. I didn't have all the exact ingredients so I played around and this is what I came up with.

Crazy Delicious Snack Mix (adapted from Christina Tosi's snack mix recipe)

2 cups coarsely broken mini pretzels (I had one cup and they were the flat pretzels)

1/4 cup light brown sugar  
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup dry milk powder  ( I used Carnation Malted Milk powder, since that's what I had- adds a great smell and taste!)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
12 ounces mini chocolate candy bars, such as Reese's, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces( I used local mini chocolate bars similar to Kit Kats etc. Anything you like would be fine) ( Also used less than 12 ozs. but it's your choice)
I also added the following:
1/2 cup or so of pecans
1/2 cup or so of almonds- unsalted 
a batch of air popped popcorn ( the added butter while it's in the oven is plenty)

Preheat the oven to 275°. In a bowl, combine the pretzels, popped popcorn and nuts with the sugars, milk powder and butter. Spread the mixture on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and bake for about 20 (I gave it an extra 10 ) minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool completely. Transfer to a bowl and mix with the candy. 

Irresistible!!!!

Sugar Baby

I've always wanted to explore the world of candy- beyond eating it, that is! I have to admit to being a sugar lover. Tried many times to kick the habit, but it's more powerful than me. I think , though, in recent years , I've at least managed to cut down my sugar intake, but what the heck- only pass this road called life once, and as long as I don't overdo it, I'll enjoy every last bite.

I came across this new book Sugarbaby, by the wonderful Gesine Bullock-Prado. It's not just a "cookbook"- she writes in a way that anyone can understand the workings and magic of sugar even if you've never(like me) dealt with it before ( other than in baking and that's really different). Her writing is humorous and fun to read. I ordered the book and when I received it, just sat down and read the whole thing from cover to cover. I continue to read it and learn more about working with sugar each time. You can check out Gesine's site for the book at http://www.sugarbabycookbook.com/. She has a lots of extra tips and ideas that aren't in the book. She also has another great blog called Confections of a Closet Baker which is definitely worth following!

ANYHOO.... my first go at candy(this is the one I saw pictures of that made me buy the book.) Does anyone remember those bullseye caramel creams? I certainly do! Can't remember the brand name.

These Fleur de Sel Spirals are a vanilla cream fondant wrapped in a fleur de sel caramel. The caramel would be fantastic on it's own , but that touch of salt just takes it to a whole other level! Just like the original but 100x better. 

The process was nowhere near as difficult as I had imagined and I was soooo proud of myself! They came out great and I wrapped them individually in squares of waxed paper. Can't wait to try another project from the book. Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day to all Mommies, Grandmas, mommies-to -be etc. ,etc.!!

Just playing around

I hate to waste. When I bake, I scrape the bowl clean of any dough or batter so well it hardly needs cleaning!(Don't worry, I really do wash them!) The waste thing also goes for leftover components of a recipe. When I made that coconut cake last week , there was a lot of leftover filling and frosting. I knew that if I just refrigerated them , waiting for an opportunity to use the stuff, it would spoil. So I had to come up with something to make good use of both things. I love anything with a chocolate-coconut combination ( Bounty Bars!!) so I whipped up a batch of simple chocolate cupcakes. I put a spoonful of the batter in the muffin cup, then a scant teaspoon of the coconut filling , finally covering it with another large spoonful of batter. They baked up so beautifully! Frosted with the leftover frosting, they were a big hit with the lucky third grade class I taught the next day!!

Now, after all that, I STILL had filling leftover. Among my endless pile of recipes "to make", I found one for homemade peanut butter cups. OK- so why not just make them with coconut instead? Like a homemade Bounty bar! They are fast, easy ( no tempering) and didn't last two minutes on the table in

the teacher's room. Now the coconut filling is finally gone! Here's the  how to:

Chocolate-Coconut Cups

(adapted from Joyofbaking.com)

Line 36 mini muffins tins with paper liners (it may yield even more than that)

Chocolate part:

9 oz. (225 grams) semi sweet chcolate, coarsely chopped ( I used bitter chocolate)

9 oz.( 225 grams) milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon ( 10 grams) butter ( the original recipe calls for shortening, but I can't get it here so I used butter and it worked just fine)

Coconut Filling

Melt the chcocolates and butter in a bowl over a pot of simmering water.

Drop a teaspoonful of chocolate into the muffin cups. Place a scant teaspoon of the coconut filling over it then top with another teaspoon of chocolate. Refrigerate until set. Store in a closed container in the fridge- if they last that long! Enjoy!

TWD Caramel Crunch Bars- Candy or Cookie?

I love these kinds of bars- or are they cookies- or are they candy? Probably a combination of all three. One thing I do know is that they are sooo yummy! I had to get them out of the house beofre I ate the whole batch, so I decided to take them to my students and let them be the judges. Now, just to bring them in for no reason and let them eat away; well I suppose I could have done that, but I thought it would be better to put it under the guise of a "prize" for a Quiz Bowl type of activity. They were given a group of questions, divided into groups and told that the first group to finish with the most correct answers would get the prize. OK, so I knew in advance that everyone was going to get them , but I didn't let them on to my plan.

Towards the end of class when everyone finished, I announced that not one team had won, but all of them. (Did they really think I was capable of handing out goodies to one and not the others?!) I explained to the class that I am a member of an online baking club and from now on they will be my "taste testers". ( Yeah, they were real upset about that news!) Great way to get my baking done and not leave it in the house, since my waistline is definitely suffering the consequences of my efforts.

The verdict was happily very clear this time. It was an overwhelming thumbs up! They just about finished the whole box ( I think they were all just a bit shy about being the one to take the last one or two!)

As far as the actual making of the bars, the base was very easy and Dorie's description of the bubbling in the oven was perfect. I found that pressing the dough down in the pan was a bit sticky and messy but nothing major that couldn't be dealt with. I don't get Heath Bar Bits or even Heath Bars themselves ( this country doesn't know what it is missing!!), so I had been looking for an alternative. Luckily I found some Heath Bars in a specialty store that brings a lot of imported foods, so I just crushed two candy bars and sprinkled them over the top. Worked super!!