Rolo Pretzels Bites

/0 Comments/in , /by

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  I feel like I have been eating non stop this holiday season, and it has been wonderful.  We spent Saturday night with a bunch of friends and one of the many yummy nibbles served were Rolo pretzel bites.  Such a simple yet awesome snack- salty, sweet, crunchy, chewy- they have everything you could want.  I know I will be making lots and lots of these!

Rolo Pretzel Bites

Ingredients:

20 mini pretzels

20 rolos

20 pecan halves

*or however many you want to make*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Place one chocolate-covered caramel candy on each pretzel.
Bake for 4 minutes. While the candy is warm, press a pecan half onto each candy covered pretzel. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Now Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding

/0 Comments/in , , /by

I have always wondered about figgy pudding- what is it?  I do very much like the line in the Christmas carol about it, demanding figgy pudding is just kind of funny to me.  So, of course, I googled it, and while I don’t think it will make it into the holiday repertoire of traditions, it does sound interesting.

Figgy Pudding

Ingredients:

16 ounces dried figs
1 3/4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a a medium saucepan, heat milk and chopped figs over medium-low heat but do NOT bring to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. The the milk will soften the figs.  In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.  In a large bowl, beat eggs one minute on high. Reduce speed to low and add butter, bread crumbs, orange peel, and warm fig mixture.  Slowly incorporate flour mixture. Beat until just blended.  Pour the mix into the greased bundt pan. Level top as much as possible. Cover the mold with a piece of aluminum foil greased on one side, greased side down.  Place the mold in a roasting pan and place on oven rack. fIll with hot tap water 2 inches up the side of the mold. Bake for 2 hours or until the pudding is firm and it is pulling away from the side of the bundt pan.  Remove the pudding from the water bath. Remove the foil and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before unmolding. Invert bundt pan onto a serving plate and remove mold. It should come away easily.   Serve with a hard sauce.

A Lesson in Chocolate

/0 Comments/in , , /by

This past Saturday, we were invited to a friend’s house for a chocolate-making lesson, which might be the best kind of lesson ever.   Chefs Mark Gray and David Vagasky have started Cacao’s Artisan Chocolate in Charleston (www.cacaoscharleston.com), and their chocolate is really, really amazing.  They sell their chocolates in Southern Season in both Charleston and Chapel Hill, as well as online.

We had the best time learning all about chocolate (you should never refrigerate it) and tasting many different flavors of truffles, chocolate caramels, chocolate strawberries, etc.  The sugar high was pretty epic. Walker was at the other end of the counter, right by the chefs, and much to his delight and my half-hearted dismay, he ate his weight in samples.  At one point, Chef Gray gave him a piece and said, “It will melt in your mouth.”  Walker ate the piece, and with delighted surprise, he exclaimed, “It melted in my mouth, it really melted in my mouth- right then!”

So, if you are looking for a super special and delicious gift, look no further than Cacao Chocolate- just divine.

Peppermint Kiss Cookies

/1 Comment/in , , /by

My sister-in-law is an excellent baker.  She makes the best chocolate chip cookies, brownies, etc, and she is incredibly generous with her baking.  I am not sure where she finds the time as she is also a lawyer.  We went to an oyster roast this past weekend with her and my brother, and she brought for the hosts a mason jar filled with peppermint brownies on the bottom and ginger snaps on top all tied with a pretty ribbon and hand made note card.  I brought nothing (except Michelob Ultra Light in my purse because I knew that they would only have dark fancy beer to drink- pretty classy of me).  Anyway- they were giving us a ride home before they were headed to another party where she had another mason jar filled with treats, and fortunately, they were both tired, so at the last minute decided not to go to the other party, and we got the mason jar!  So, one I should be better about hostess gifts and two, I looked up some ideas for baked gifts, and these peppermint kiss cookies (from www.raininghotcoupons.com) looked like they would be great.

Peppermint Kiss Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1 cup softened Butter
1 tsp Peppermint Extract
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
3 cup Flour
3 Candy Canes
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup chopped Candy Cane Hershey Kisses
Sugar (to roll cookies in)
36 unwrapped Candy Cane Hershey Kisses

Directions:

Place candy canes in food processor and pulse until they are completely crushed.
Make sure you have room in your refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet.
Combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg in large bowl.
Beat until fluffy at medium speed.
Combine flour, crushed candy canes, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
Add flour mixture to wet mixture and beat until well blended (mixture will be kind of dry).
Stir in chopped kisses.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in granulated sugar.
Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes in 350 oven until firm up and set.
Remove from oven and immediately press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie.
Place cookie sheet into the freezer or refrigerator to keep kisses from melting.

Nutella Mug Cake

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

I did not grow up with Nutella, and  I actually only tried it about two years ago.  It was ok, but I didn’t love it.  I have never bought Nutella nor made anything with Nutella and to be honest, I don’t really get it.  Is it healthy chocolate because friends I know who are real health nuts feed their children Nutella sandwiches- which is just a chocolate sandwich right?  However, I think I will change my tune because this Nutella Mug Cake looks so easy, so yummy and you can just make one when you need a chocolate fix and top it with ice cream, whip cream or whatever you desire- so perfect.

Nutella Mug Cake

Ingredients (makes 2 servings):

1/4 cup self rising flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egghttps://thesouthwillrise.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp milk

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp Nutella

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Stir self-rising flour, sugar, egg, vegetable oil, milk, cocoa powder, chocolate-hazelnut spread, salt, and vanilla extract together in a large mug until batter is smooth.
Cook in microwave oven on full power until the cake has risen in the mug and is set in the center, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes.