Werther's Caramel Creme Filled Baked Bismarcks

I love caramel.  I mean really, really love it.  I'd rather have caramel, vanilla or butterscotch over chocolate nine times out of ten.  So when I was asked to hold a baking party for Werther's Originals new soft caramels, I jumped at the chance.  I get to bake and someone's going to send me caramels?  That's really a no-brainer!

I'm always looking for an excuse to make something different that you wouldn't normally make at home.  I recently came across Glazed Filled Sugared and Dipped by Stephen Collucci.  Its an entire cookbook about making donuts!  This is something I wouldn't normally make at home, but is pretty darn impressive for a party.

I also now know why most people don't make donuts at home.  They're seriously a lot of work!  None of the steps themselves are difficult, its when you do each after the other its an all day process.  I prepped the dough and the pastry filling before guests arrived.  Oh and did you know you can bake bismarcks?  You can!  While they don't turn out as airy as fried donuts, you really can't tell a difference.

To get the caramels in the pastry cream, I melted about a dozen of them with some milk in a saucepan so I could easily incorporate the caramel.  The melted Werther's caramels gave the pastry cream amazing flavor.  If you're not up to making donuts from scratch, definitely make the pastry cream to layer in a trifle or cake.  You'll be glad you did!

My piping hot bismarcks filled with Werther's Caramel Pastry Creme were a huge hit!  My guests loved being able to fill and top their own donuts.  My recipe made a little over a bakers dozen and they didn't last long at all.

Spiked Dutch Apple Pie Minis

Did you notice that we like apples?  Apples are a go to fruit in our family.  There are banana allergies.  Plus the usual gamut of dislikes towards certain fruits.  Apples are generally the beloved fruit to all of us.  Up there with peaches and nectarines which is an entirely different discussion.

So, yet again we have an apple recipe.  One that takes out some of the work of Apple Pie.  Or at least the work of eating it.  You may eat them with a fork as we did when they were warm, but when cool they held up just fine.  An apple pie you can eat on the go, as long as you are not waving it about upside down.  There's only so much anti-gravity powers that a gelled apple mixture can contain in one bite.

This isn't your average apple pie.  We boosted the flavor with some Spicebox Whisky.  There is a vodka in the crust to make it flaky, but that alcohol will bake out.  The whisky in the apples is there to stay.  You will not be sorry as the extra vanilla makes this treat extra sweet.  Truly, this pie is a milder more adult version.  Don't count on a cinnamon or lemon zing but a succulent vanilla swirl.

Spiked Dutch Apple Pie Minis

Apple Pie Filling
3 Rome apples, peeled, cored and diced
3 MacIntire appes, peeled, cored and diced
5 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 ounces Spicebox Whisky

Dough
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
3-4 tablespoons ice cold vodka

Dutch Crumb Topping
1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Make the dutch crumb topping first.  In a small bowl, combine flour and sugar.  Using a pastry cutter, two forks or your fingers work butter into flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Set aside.

In a large skillet combine the apples, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes, until apples are tender but firm.  In a small cup, whisk together cornstarch and lemon juice.  Add to apple mixture along with whisky and continue cooking until mixture thickens.  Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.

While the apple mixture cools, work on the crust.  In a medium bowl, add flour and salt whisking to combine.  Using a pastry cutter, 2 forks or your fingers work shortening into flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand.  Add 3-4 tablespoons cold vodka and work mixture into a pie dough.  Roll out dough and cut into 5-inch circles.  By re-rolling the scraps you should be able to get 10 circles of dough.  Carefully set dough circles into a muffin pan, making sure to line bottoms and sides of cups with dough.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Completely fill dough lined muffin cups with apples.  Sprinkle dutch crumb topping over apples.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and crust is golden.  Let rest 5 minutes and serve warm.

First World Problems: Too Much Love?

There is one thing to be said about driving in the suburbs.  There is a lot of space.  So much so that you are almost never in close contact with other cars. This notion that my lane is my own space was obviously not true in the big city.  As a Chicago cab driver showed no hesitation joining me in the right lane meant for one car.  The tension was high as he was near inches from our car.  As expected he managed a fearless right turn.  While I told myself to avoid the right lane at all costs lest I lose another ten years of my life.

Thwarting scammers on the other hand seems usual practice.  Sadly, they were not clever enough to get a reply.  It is entirely unusual that my phone company would call me about my account since it's a family plan and they always text.  Much more sad, is the fact that when we called the phone company they were surprised to find scammers.  Worse still was their question of whether we had given any important information.   As if we were naive enough to give out private information over the phone.

The most unsettling of problems, this week and perhaps more to come, regards the convertible.  Recently,  I have changed cars to a convertible.  Weirdly,  almost every person on the road takes note of the  car and the occupants.   This in of itself is not unusual as many drivers will look around while driving, but most tend to not crane their necks.  Or to stare directly at you while making a left turn.  The amount of attention is disconcerting to say the least especially when the top is not down and the V-6  engine is silent.   This is almost certainly a problem of too much love for either us or the car.

Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosted Mocha Brownies

I've been dying to make brownies for a while now.  I hate using a box mix and there's really no excuse not to make brownies from scratch.  While they aren't hard to make from scratch, doing so requires a few more steps.  You've got to melt the chocolate and mix things in stages while making sure not to overmix the batter.

Another thing I've been meaning to try is this buttercream recipe I found in the Flour Too cookbook.  I've always heard buttercream is a nightmare to make.  (Well my mom says its not worth making, but she says that about a lot of things.)  Things can go wrong, but I lucked out on my first try.  It was incredibly simple to add melted caramel to the frosting.  Susie actually double dipped her brownie, the frosting was that good!

To add your brownie making delights, you can check out Desperately Seeking Sanity.  Our good friend Heather, a blogger caught up on the latest gossip, decided to give baking a try after we promised her the recipes would taste great even if they didn't turn out pretty.  It turns out that after some panicked texts that she had success with her apple galette!  She'll be certain to please her family again with these brownies!

Mocha Brownies
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 oz dark chocolate
2 oz semisweet chocolate
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder/instant coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla

Salted Caramel Buttercream
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg whites
12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
15 soft caramels
1 1/2 teaspoons milk

Let's start with the brownies.  If you don't have coconut oil, you can sub in 4 tablespoons butter or 4 tablespoons canola oil.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Depending on what you have on hand, line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil to form a sling.  A sling is where the paper hangs over the edges of the pan.  Doing this allows you to remove the entire contents all at once.  You can then easily cut them without worrying about them sticking to the pan.  Grease parchment or foil with butter or cooking spray.

Melt butter, coconut oil and chocolates in a double boiler on the stove.  A double boiler is basically a metal or glass bowl that fits over, so it hovers, the pan of boiling water.  The boiling water should not touch the bottom of the bowl.  When melted, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl.  In a large mixing bowl, cream eggs and sugar until they are light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.  Mix in vanilla.

Using a spatula or plastic scraper, gently mix in melted chocolate until incorporated.  Slowly fold in dry ingredients mix.  Bake 15-20 minutes.

While the brownies are baking, start working on the frosting.  Using the same bowl you used for a double boiler earlier, combine 3 large egg whites and sugar whisking together to form a thick slurry.  It will actually look kind of like a thick gooey mess.  Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk occasionally for 6-8 minutes.

Remove from heat and scrape into a medium sized mixing bowl and beat until mixture turns into a shiny white meringue and is cool to the touch, about 6-8 minutes.  Reduce the speed to low and add butter in chunks, mixing well after each addition.  Once all the butter has been added, beat another 3-4 minutes or until its thick and smooth.

This is when you'll want to melt the caramel.  You can do it on the stove or in the microwave.  Combine caramels and milk and heat until melted.

Pour melted caramel into buttercream and 1/2 teaspoon salt and beat to incorporate.  Stop and make sure to taste, adding more salt if needed.

When brownies are cool, remove from pan and frost.  Slice and serve.  Store remaining frosted brownies in the refrigerator.

First World Problems

Where to start this week?  Lets start with last Sunday.  We headed to the monthly model train show in Wheaton to check it out.  My dad has started giving us some of his trains to sell and besides eBay as a resource I don't know much about them.  Let me just say this train show was not the place to start.  Everything there was kind of old, dusty, dirty and big.  As far as I could tell there were no trains there in the same class as the ones we had.  Ours are all in original boxes and have never been opened.

On our way home from the train show we had a strange encounter.  As a car in front of me turned, there was a suddenly large gap in front of us.  As I began to accelerate, a car in the left lane turned on it's blinker and merged in front of me.  Perfectly normal and safe, yet the car behind them also attempted to the same thing.  Which did not work out for him.  He nearly hit us, as he tried to be first.  Then proceeded to in what I can assume was meant to be intimidating follow closely behind us, before pulling up next to us and yelling through his window.  Needless to say he had nowhere near the reaction he intended as we were laughing at how ridiculous he was.  Yet, the encounter has stuck with me as being another entitled driver who had only their own priorities in mind.  He obviously had no care as to whether we were safe and only wanted to be first.  Hilariously, and to my delight is often the case, we pulled up at a red light to see him also waiting.  His speed was for naught and we were further delighted.

Thursday it rained.  Which meant our plans to go shooting were cancelled.  So, instead we went shopping.  To which I was forced into winter coats and faced attitude for having attitude when my family clearly already know that I detest clothes shopping.  It's not my fault my dad and sister are shopaholics.  They'd spend all day in a mall happily.  I'd rather be chopping a bag full of onions with a dull knife.

Friday was salmon day.  Meaning that our local Whole Foods store had a sale on salmon. Sadly, the butcher cut me a piece bigger than one and a quarter pounds meaning that I shall have salmon for breakfast.  Alas, I did not want to trouble him to remove a small portion.

The people at the bank yet again requested that I open a savings account with them.  I can't believe that every time I go in that they ask the same questions.  Granted the person is always different but I dislike being judged for my lack of savings account at the same bank I keep a checking account.

To top it off, I realized yet again, that people are disinterested in details.  Mainly that my aunt did not know how to spell my name.  On a check no less, after seeing my name spelled properly in an email, which I failed to receive as I saw that she'd incorrectly typed my email address.  As my sister was incorrectly identified as my father for contacting a store about trains.  Apparently, reading is a lost art.

Pampers Because Sleeping Isn't Just For Babies & Giveaway

Recently Pampers asked me if I knew any new parents who needed the gift of sleep.  My cousin and his wife had the cutest little boy earlier this year.  Let's call him Peanut, that's him dressed as Popeye with his mom.  Being brand new parents, I knew they could definitely use the gift of sleep!  Pampers is out to help parents get more sleep with their new diapers that now keep baby dry up to 12 hours.  After a long day fighting, he certainly needs 12 hours of sleep to prepare for the next one!

I wanted to gift mom and dad with some special foodie treats.  Did you know there are special foods that actually help you to fall asleep and stay asleep?  There are actually about five of them.  In no special order those five are bananas, nuts, carbs, dairy (or nut milk) and tart cherries.  I also picked up a few other treats like some nice bottles of wine, herbal tea, hummus and fancy granola.  That wrapped package was a surprise for Peanut.  Can't exclude baby, even when you're focusing on the parents.  Although, he knew that really everything was for him.  As he persistently and thoroughly checked everything in his basket.  After all, he's obviously the boss.

Even though chocolate isn't on the sleep inducing food list, I made some Buttermilk Oat Tart Cherry and Chocolate Scones as an extra special treat.  Tart cherries are one of the best sleep aides.  Be on the lookout for the recipe sometime next week!

Not only is Pampers letting me give the gift of sleep to my cousins, they're also providing a nifty gift pack for me to give away to one lucky Rosie Discovers reader.  One lucky reader will win a Sleep Sheep sound machine, cozy blankets for Mom/Baby and a $50 gift card!  To enter use the rafflecopter form below.  Contest is open to US residents 18 years or older.  Contest will run from October 18th thru October 27th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Got Plans this Weekend? Check out the Chicago Fine Chocolate Show at Navy Pier!

Psst....yeah, you over there.  Got plans this weekend?  No?  Love Chocolate?  Then you'll have to join us at the Chicago Fine Chocolate and Dessert Show this weekend October 18-20th at Navy Pier.  This is the second year and from what I'm reading its going to be even bigger and better than last year!

Last year we were lucky enough to attend the chocolate show and we had a blast!  You may remember reading our sneak peaks of the show last year.  Looking at those just goes to show how much I've grown as a blogger.  This year, even though I wanted to try all the chocolate possible before the show, time got away from me and we're going to show you some of what was our fave last year.

If you're in the Chicago area and haven't yet tried Mayana Chocolates, you should run right out to pick some up.  Chef Daniel makes the most amazing, to die for chocolates with rich vibrant flavors.  If you stop by their facebook page, you'll see this amazing photo that yours truly took!  I can't wait to see what he's got in-store for us this year.

Another amazing chocolatier is flying noir.   Karen makes the most gorgeous hand painted chocolates.  Each one is truly a work of art.  There is also a surprising amount of spice in each piece.  Last year we were lucky enough to sample her hot chocolate blends.  Let me tell you, if you love a kick in your sweets these are right up your alley!  Especially if you have a hard to please chocolate lover at the very least you are giving them something handcrafted that they might even try to hang on their wall.  I'm not saying that they will but you never know.  Some of us chocolate lovers take love to an entirely new level.

You'll also see chocolate liqueurs.  We particularly loved 360 Double Chocolate Vodka.  It had a great chocolate taste that we love using in mixed drinks and pastries.  That's right, did you know you can sub vodka in for water in pastries?  Especially pie dough.  This way you get extra unexpected flavor in your desserts. Nothing like pie that doesn't scream for some chocolate!  You so rarely find a good chocolate pie crust.  Not to mention a good martini with chocolate because alcohol can do that now, make adult drinks taste like candy bars.