Category Archives: Confections and Candies

Millionaire’s Rice Krispie Bars

These bars are a riff on Millionaire’s Shortbread, which got their name, presumably because they are so rich and decadent. For my version of this triple layered treat, I replaced the bottom shortbread layer with Rice Krispie treats. Now, what I’m about to reveal may blow your mind. There are no marshmallows in the Rice Krispie base. Mars Bars (called Milky Way Bars in the USA) were used as the “glue” to hold together the Rice Krispies.

We have been making Rice Krispie Squares this way in our family for years. Not sure who to give credit to for this brilliant adaptation, as I can’t remember where the recipe came from.

Sandwiched between the bittersweet chocolate layer and the chewy bottom Mars Bars Rice Krispie layer is a ribbon of creamy caramel. Pure bliss.

Check out the video to see how it all comes together.

As usual, when testing this recipe, I had to make several batches to get it just right. My neighbours, chiropractor, HVAC serviceman, and UPS delivery guy were all very grateful that I shared. May I suggest you make a batch this weekend and spread the love.

Double Chocolate Almond Butter Bark

Today, an old favourite gets a makeover. I have been making this treat for many years to give away as part of a holiday cookie box. It is always met with awe at how pretty it is and, more importantly, how addictively delicious it is. The original was made with peanut butter but this year, I went rogue and used almond butter.

There is no baking involved and that gorgeous marbling effect on top takes about 40 seconds to create. No skill involved. It’s the perfect last minute holiday present or hostess gift. Everyone loves it and people will be impressed by your mad pastry chef skills.


A few tips to make sure yours comes out perfectly.

  • Line the baking pan with foil and then lay a piece of parchment paper on top of that.
  • Use real white chocolate, not white compound coating chocolate. Real white chocolate is ivory coloured. Compound coating chocolate is white and tasted like wax.
  • Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over gently simmering water, or on very low power in the microwave. White chocolate does not like high heat. You will scorch it.
  • I suggest adding chopped almonds to the mixture for extra crunch. Please use toasted almonds. Untoasted almonds take like sawdust when you chew them. Salted roasted almonds are an excellent choice.
  • Use good quality bittersweet chocolate for drizzling.
  • Don’t forget to finish it with flaky sea salt while the chocolate is still wet.
  • Give the bark at least 2 hours to chill before cutting it.
  • A large sharp chef’s knife or serrated knife is easiest for cutting into nice squares, although no one will complain if they get irregular shards.

Go forth and create. This confection is one of my favourites to make. I feel so artistic when I swirl the wet chocolate and create beauty.

Click here to print recipe for Double Chocolate Almond Butter Bark.

 

Hazelnut Praline Truffles

Happy Valentines Day to all of you who celebrate this Hallmark holiday. Guess I just revealed my bias. My husband and I are not even going to be in the same city together tomorrow. And if I were to make him treats, it would not be chocolate. Anything apple is the way to his heart.

Truthfully, I  just made these truffles to have something beautiful to shoot and put on my Instagram feed and blog. I have been delving deep into learning food photography and editing on Lightroom with Rachel Korinek. I have learned so much from her and feel very grateful she has decided to devote time to teaching. She is a natural educator and her passion is evident.

I am not what you would call a romantic person. But I do love beautiful things and these chocolates are stunning. I was inspired by Carla Hall on The Chew when I saw her make these truffles.

I decided to flavour mine with hazelnut praline. Toast some hazelnuts and set them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cook some sugar with a few tablespoons of water to a deep amber colour (360°F) and pour it over the hazelnuts. Let harden and then blitz it it to a powder.
Use good quality chocolate, for the best results. I bought a big bar of Trader Joe’s Belgian 72% Chocolate. 
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. While it is melting, get your candy molds ready. I used square and round silicone mini ice cube trays. I decided to make my truffles extra fancy by using a bit of edible gold leaf on top. I had a jar left over from another project. You need just a tiny bit to really make a statement. You will need to use tweezers to put the gold into the bottom of the molds, as the gold will just stick to your fingers.
Once the chocolate is melted, add some coconut oil, to make the truffle mixture extra creamy, the hazelnut praline and some salt. To make your life easy, transfer the truffle mixture into a disposable piping bag. Trying to pour or spoon it into the tiny molds will only end in a mess and cursing.
Chill for about an hour and then pop them out of the molds. Because the chocolate was not tempered, they need to be stored in the fridge. They will keep for several weeks.

Click here to print recipe for Hazelnut Praline Truffles

 

Marbled Peanut Butter Truffles

dipped 1Just in case you haven’t had enough chocolate or sugar by this point in December, I’m bringing you Marbled Peanut Butter Truffles. You’re welcome! what you'll needThis is an old recipe, from the December 1988 issue of Gourmet Magazine. It has stood the test of time. My girlfriend Marla and I would spend a weekend in my kitchen every December creating hundreds of these truffles for gifts. We kept it simple and just rolled them in cocoa powder. I have updated the recipe slightly, by dipping them in a mixture of bittersweet, milk and white chocolate to create a marbled coating.

Bittersweet chocolate, peanut butter, cream, and butter are melted together. melting_Chill for about 3-4 hours and then use a small scoop to form truffles. scoopingMelt bittersweet, milk and white chocolate. Get organized and set up the dipping station. ready to dipOnce you start, the dipping goes fairly quickly. Check it out in this video I created.

 

Click here to print recipe for Marbled Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles.

dipped 2

 

 

 

 

Chicago Popcorn and Sleepovers

3 cones in glassMy youngest sister is a kindergarten teacher. I tell you this because it will help to explain the sentence that comes next. For my mom’s 82nd birthday, she organized a sleepover party. Mom’s 6 children, assorted spouses, and 14 grandchildren were all invited over to mom’s for the night, complete with pajamas and sleeping bags.mopmop with her grandchildrenSuch a momentous occasion called for an epic party snack. I knew immediately what I wanted to bring ….Chicago popcorn. In case you’ve never heard of it, Chicago popcorn is a mix of caramel corn and cheddar cheese popcorn.That sweet-salt combo is delicious and highly addictive.

I started with the cheddar popcorn first. Most of the recipes I found online called for a mixture of cheddar cheese powder, dried mustard and a pinch of cayenne. Melted butter was the instrument of choice for getting all that powder to stick. In the midst of all these similar recipes, there was one that stood out like a beacon, calling to me. It was the headline of this one that got my attention. “Alton’s convinced he’s “cracked the code” on the cheesy dust found on Cheetos.”

Cheetos are my guilty pleasure. But not all Cheetos are created equal. Alton Brown put it much more eloquently than I ever could, “The best flavor on earth is that of crunchy Cheetos. Not the regular ones. They’re crap. Just the crunchies.”

If Alton Brown could recreate that flavour to put on popcorn, I needed to learn the secret. cheddar ingredients 2The first ingredient is the requisite cheddar cheese powder, which you can buy at Bulk Barn, or online, or just rip open a bag of the powder that comes in the box of KD. In addition, Alton includes buttermilk powder, nutritional yeast and Kraft parmesan cheese (that stuff in the green can). Those last 2 ingredients are real umami bombs.popcorn in pot 2For the caramel corn, I started out with my favourite caramel corn recipe (minus the nuts).  When I tasted it with the cheddar popcorn, the texture was all wrong. It was way too hard. I did a quick online search and learned from Sally, that a tiny bit of baking soda added at the end of the cooking process will cause the mixture to foam up. This foam contains thousands of carbon dioxide bubbles. Once the caramel is poured over the popcorn and cooled, the trapped air bubbles create a softer texture. So you won’t break a tooth.

I slightly adapted the caramel corn recipe from the charming blog, Sally’s Baking Addiction.pouring caramel 2

Click here for recipe for Chicago Popcorn.

two cones with kernels 2