Friday Favorites: Valentine's Day Desserts
February 10, 2012 Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have had a fantastic week! Corey & I have been SO EXCITED all week, but not because we're about to finish another home DIY project; not because we have a coupon from our favorite restaurant (Zio's) that is only good for this weekend; not even because it's the weekend. But because the movie Safe House is in theaters today!! I LOVE guy movies. If it has guns, shootouts, car chases, drug smuggling (not that I am for that), mobs, CIA people or Brazilian rap music (i.e. Fast Five :) ), there's a 95% chance I am going to love it. Add a hottie like Matt Damon, Ryan Reynolds or Paul Walker into the mix, and it doesn't matter what language that movie is in or what the plot is, I am seeing it. Twice. Maybe three times.
I mean look at that hunka burnin' love on the left. He has a gun; he's showing a little chest. He means business. There's a reason he was People's 2010 Sexiest Man Alive. Yow!
Anyway, next Tuesday is Valentine's day which means I will have an excuse to bake lots and lots of sugar-filled, chocolate-covered, peanut butter-topped bits of awesomeness. For those whose New Years' Resolutions were to lose weight, you can consider it to be game over on Valentine's Day. Isn't that ironic? It's like Mr. Saint Valentine was on to us from the get-go. He knew all we ever wanted was to lose weight, be healthy, etc. So he decided to throw a wrench in our self-betterment plans by creating a "holiday" to celebrate being in love by adding five inches to our waistlines and 15 pounds in places we were trying to lose them from in the first place! You got us Mr. Saint Valentine. Thanks a lot. (Now, where are my heart-shaped Reese's?!)
In light of V-Day, a dessert contest is being held at work. In past dessert contests, I have won first place with Paula Deen's Butterfinger Cake (find it here, third from the bottom), second place, third place, and at times I haven't placed at all. It's always fun to see what my co-workers make so I can steal their ideas (one of my favorite recipes, the chocolate chip cheesecake, was obtained using this method). Not to worry though, I have had a recipe or two stolen from me as well. Okay, it's more like we share our recipes because we all have the worst sweet-tooths (sweet-teeth? haha) ever. In fact, my supervisor and I are in a constant battle over who likes chocolate more. I think we all know who wins this one. Just kidding. I'd like to keep my job so...you win. :)
Also on V-Day, we will be meeting with our small group from the wonderfully awesome Journey Church for a potluck game night and I, of course, volunteered to bring dessert. That's assuming it survives the entire day without being devoured by me and my boss. :) Needless to say, I will be making A LOT of dessert Monday night. Wait...that's The Bachelor night...oh, well. Nothing interesting can happen as America has already seen all they can of Whoretney Courtney. Speaking of. Have my fellow Bachelor fanatics seen this HILARIOUS video of her? If not, you must watch it now! If you have...watch again :)
Okay, now on to what I will be making as part of my gigantic V-Day dessert collection. These are shockingly easy and, even though I haven't actually tried them yet, I know they will be DE-lish. My goal is to make something that is easy to take on-the-go so the guys working out in the field can take it with them and we office personnel can bring it back to our desks. We will be having a pancake breakfast at the same time, so I highly doubt anyone will be hungry for dessert for at least a couple of hours.
Up first is the...
Creamy Chocolate Fudge
This will be easy to cut into squares, and it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Perfect!
Ingredients:
1 (7 oz) jar name-brand marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup evaporated whole milk
1/4 cup butter, not margarine
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
Line an 8x8 in. pan with foil, set aside. Prepare chocolate chips and vanilla extract, set aside. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow creme (easier to remove from jar if you microwave it for about 10 seconds), sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and immediately pour in chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour into prepared pan and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours. After about 30 minutes, remove from refrigerator and add toppings*. This will allow you to press the toppings into the fudge so they are stationary, then return to refrigerator.
*Optional toppings (my favorite part):
— "S'mores" - Crushed graham crackers & roasted marshmallows
— "Peanut Butter Delight" - Peanut butter glaze & mini Reese's peanut butter cups or Reese's pieces
— "Grasshopper" - Mint-flavored icing (vanilla icing with a couple drops of mint extract and green food coloring) and crushed Andes mints
— "Strawberry Delight" - Strawberry glaze & sliced strawberry
— "Banana Split" - Sliced banana, caramel & a cherry on top
— "Piña Colada" - Pineapple slice & shredded coconut
— "Colorful Confetti" - M&Ms & multi-colored sprinkles
— "Cookies & Cream" - Crushed Oreos
— For lack of a better term...crushed almonds :)
— "Smokin'" - Red Hot candies and/or Hot Tamales
Oreo Cookie Truffles
Here's what they should look like when finished:
Ingredients:
1 bag Oreo cookies, ground in food processor
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 package white Almond bark
1 square chocolate bark for drizzling
Yep...that's it...
Mix ground Oreos and cream cheese until well combined. Roll into 1-inch balls and place onto baking sheet or tray. Refrigerate overnight or until very firm. Melt white almond bark according to package directions. Using 2 little spoons, dip balls into melted white almond bark and place onto parchment paper to harden. Once dry, melt chocolate bark and spoon into the corner of a ziploc bag. Snip a small corner and drizzle back and forth over the truffles. Let dry. Can be stored in refrigerator or at room temperature.
And their sisters...
Nutter Butter Cookie Truffles
Which should look like:
Ingredients:
1 bag Nutter Butter cookies, ground in food processor
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 package chocolate bark
1 square white almond bark for drizzling
Look familiar?
Mix ground Nutter Butters and cream cheese until well combined. Roll into 1-inch balls and place onto baking sheet or tray. Refrigerate overnight or until very firm. Melt chocolate according to package directions. Using 2 little spoons, dip balls into melted chocolate and place onto parchment paper to harden. Once dry, melt white almond bark and spoon into the corner of a ziploc bag. Snip a small corner and drizzle back and forth over the truffles. Let dry. Can be stored in refrigerator or at room temperature.
Can I just stop here and say there is something very wrong with you if at this moment you are not craving some Oreos or Nutter Butters. Just sayin' :)
I'm liking this no-bake idea, how about...
No-Bake Chewy Cookies & Cream Bars
Ingredients:
16 oz. package Oreos, ground in food processor
5 cups large marshmallows
4 tbsp butter
Not kidding...that's it....
Melt marshmallows and butter in microwave until puffed, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove and combine with ground Oreo cookies. Stir to combine then transfer to a foil-lined 8x8 in. baking pan. Let set for 10 minutes. Remove bars out of pan with edges of foil and cut into squares. Makes 9 large bars.
All of these recipes I found at http://www.picky-palate.com/. One of my favorite new sites (thanks Sasha!).
This next recipe came from http://www.kevinandamanda.com/. Simple, but awesome!
Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 (11.5 oz) bag milk chocolate chips (Hershey's)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a standard size muffin tin with cooking spray. Place 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a Ziploc bag and seal shut. Lay the Ziploc bag flat in the microwave, spreading out chocolate chips in a single layer. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove bag & flip, microwaving for an additional 10-15 seconds until all chips are softened. Set aside to cool.
With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Add to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined. Add remaining chocolate chips (1 cup) and stir to combine. Using half the cookie dough, scoop 1.5 - 2 tbsp dough, flatten it out a bit, and place it in the bottom of the muffin tin. Repeat for a total of 10 to 12 cookies. Cut a small tip in the corner of the Ziploc bag and gently squeeze a layer of chocolate over the cookie. Scoop and flatten the remaining dough and place on top of the chocolate layer. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are just browned. As soon as they come out of the oven, run a knife around the edges to make for easy removing later. Cool completely before removing from the muffin tin, running a knife around the edge to help loosen. If you want to serve them warm, microwave for 10 seconds and serve with scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with remaining melted chocolate.
...mouth watering...
Chocolate "Berried Treasure" Bars
Ingredients:
2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup plain granola cereal
1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) dark chocolate morsels, divided
1 1/3 cups (6-oz. pkg.) dried cranberries, blueberries and/or cherries
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted (I will be leaving these out. Gross.)
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
Preheat oven to 350º F. Melt butter in 13x9 in. baking pan in oven; remove from oven. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter. Stir well; press onto bottom of pan. Layer granola, 1 1/4 cups chocolate morsels, dried fruit and almonds (yuck) over graham cracker crust. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and bubbly around edge. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Microwave remaining morsels in small, heavy-duty plastic bag on high for 30 to 45 seconds; knead. Cut tiny corner from bag and drizzle over top. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes or until chocolate is form. Cut into bars.
That should be plenty of desserts, right?
Wrong.
A friend of ours who is part of our church small group can't have gluten, which brings to light a new challenge. I like those. :) I will let you know what I do and how it turns out.
Now, I will leave you with some Bible verses I ran across this week that are point-blank and undoubtedly unmistakable (just a few characteristics I am loving about the Message version. If you haven't tried it yet, you should. It makes reading the Bible so much easier to understand and relate to).
- Romans 2:1 (MSG) - Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors.
- Romans 2:11 (MSG) - God pays no attention to what others say (or what you think) about you. He makes up his own mind.
- Romans 3:28 (MSG) - Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade.
- Luke 14:11 (MSG) - If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face. But if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.
See ya next week!
1 comments
I'm surprised you didn't put me up against your boss about the chocolate thang!!!!!!!! You know I'd win..........hehe.
ReplyDeleteAnd that chocolate lava cookie looks amazing!
Miss you.