Gooey Chocolate Toffee Coconut Bars

My awesome aunt Wendy sent me a recipe she thought I would like for Hershey’s “Rich Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars” I made them and they were amazing! I changed a few things, but that’s the good thing about this recipe- it’s infinitely adaptable!

Ingredients: Gooey Chocolate Coconut Pecan Bars (adapted slightly from here)

2 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cups dark brown sugar

3/4 cup salted butter, room temperature

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chip

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 and 1/3 cups toffee bits

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Recipe: Gooey Chocolate Coconut Pecan Bars

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9×13 pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; add the egg and beat well.

Stir in 1 and 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips and all of the nuts. Set aside 1 and 1/2 cups of the mixture.

Press the remaining crumbs on the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for ten minutes.

Pour condensed milk over the hot crust. Set aside 1/4 cup of toffee bits, and sprinkle the rest over the crust along with the rest of the chocolate chips, crumb mixture, and coconut flakes.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Top with remaining toffee bits.

Enjoy!

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Pecan Caramel Cookies

Soft, chewy cookies full of brown sugar and stuffed with caramel bits and pecans. So good. I love these cookies and you will too.

Ingredients: Pecan Caramel Cookies (makes 30)

1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup roughly chopped pecans

1 cup caramel bits

Recipe: Pecan Caramel Cookies

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix butter and both sugars together until well combined.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, flour, salt, and baking soda.

Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet until barely combined.

With a spoon, mix in pecan halves and caramel bits.

Using a medium cookie scoop, spoon onto cookie sheets and bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 10 minutes, or until the bottom is brown.

Enjoy!

Caramels

This easy caramel recipe is simple and delicious!

Ingredients: Caramels (from here)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon evaporated milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Recipe: Caramels 

Grease an 8×8 pan.

In a medium-size pot, on medium-low heat, combine all ingredients except the vanilla. Monitor the heat of the mixture with a candy thermometer while stirring. When the thermometer reaches 250F, or softball stage, remove the pot from the heat.

Stir in vanilla. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and let the mixture cool completely. When cooled cut the Carmel into small squares and wrap them in wax paper for storage.

Enjoy!

Zero Candy Bar Cupcake

 

Have any of you guys had a Zero Bar? I had one once. It was amazing. Peanut/almond/caramel nougat covered in white fudge, totally different than most candy bars. So, of course, I had to eventually turn it into a cupcake. The cupcake itself is a vanilla cake base with peanut butter and almond extract, replicating the nougat. The frosting is white fudge and then I drizzled caramel over it. You could fill the cupcake with caramel too- the caramel is amazing 🙂

Ingredients: Cupcakes

1/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup peanut butter

Caramel Layer

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 tablespoon whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

White Fudge Frosting

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup whole milk

5 tablespoons butter, unsalted

1 cup premium white chocolate, chopped

Recipe: Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350F. Line one cupcake tin with wrappers.

In a medium bowl lightly combine 2 tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons buttermilk, the eggs, and the almond extract.

In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients, mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter, peanut butter, rest of milk, and buttermilk. Mix on low speed until all ingredients are the same texture and combined. Increase to medium-high speed and beat for 1 and 1/2 minutes to develop the cake’s structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure.

Put about an ice cream scoop’s worth of batter into each cupcake tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with dry crumbs on it.

Caramel Layer

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and condensed milk to a boil, while stirring.

Carefully stir in whipping cream.

Keep stirring until the caramel reaches soft ball stage, then take off heat, and pour into a bowl to cool.

When caramel is cool, pour a little on the cupcake.

White Fudge Frosting

Bring sugar, milk, and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan while stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate.

Beat until creamy and cooled.

Pipe onto cupcakes.

Let stand for about 5 minutes until pipe-able.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Salty Brownies

Fudgey brownies topping with pretzels covered in caramel. Mmmm.

Ingredients: Brownies (Where I found the recipe)

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 rounded  teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, cold

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Salted Caramel from here

1 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 6 pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

Recipe: Brownies

Preheat the oven to 325F. Make sure there is an oven rack on the bottom third of the oven. Grease, then line with parchment paper the bottoms and two sides of an 8×8 pan. This helps when you lift the brownies out of the pan.

Add 1-2 inches of water to a medium saucepan. Heat the water until it’s barely simmering. Mix butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium heat proof bowl. Rest bowl over saucepan, make sure the bowl’s bottom does not get wet. (If it does remove some water)

Stir mixture occasionally until the butter is melted and everything is combined. Don’t worry if the batter if gritty.

Remove bowl from heat from 5 minutes until the batter is no longer hot. Stir in vanilla and then add eggs one at a time, beating hard after each one.

When the batter is shiny and well blended, add the flour. Stir until fully incorporated, then continue beating for at least 60 strokes. The batter will be very thick. Spread in lined pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave brownies in pan until fully cool, then remove from pan. Before making the ganache keep brownies in the fridge. Before putting on caramel, lay pretzels across the brownies.

Salted Caramel

Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula.

Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn.

Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.

Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.

Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter when added.

Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down for about 5 minutes before pouring over the pretzels. Then add more pretzels to the top (it doesn’t matter if they’re broken or not.)

Enjoy!

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

A moist, fluffy, chocolate cupcake with a sweet caramel buttercream frosting. What could be better?

Ingredients: Cupcakes (Makes 30- I suggest halving it) from Hershey’s.

2 cup granulated sugar

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, room temperature

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

5 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 cups caramel bits, melted with 1 teaspoon milk

1/2 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Recipe: Cupcakes

Heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups with paper cups and lightly grease.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.

Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

Cream butter for 3-5 minutes or until very light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and mix until slightly crumbly. Beat in melted caramel. When crumbly add milk and beat until smooth and creamy. Frost cupcakes.

Enjoy!