Caramel Apple Slices

Today is Halloween and our last apple post as well. Our final apple post is a yummy one, we’re doing a variation of the caramel apple which is quite fitting as caramel apples remind me of Halloween. We’ve tried a sliced dipped apple with toppings that you can dip your apple in. You can try so many different variations and toppings. Check out our apple dipping Friday night...

First of all we sliced up some Granny Smith apples in some good bite sized slices.

We got some bamboo skewers; you can also just dip or use a fork as well.

We found some toppings and for fun we put them in muffin wrappers in a muffin tin. You can also put the toppings in little bowls or ramekins as well.

For toppings we decided on chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, ground Graham crackers, crushed pretzels, sprinkles, and crushed Oreos. We also melted some white chocolate and made some caramel sauce and went to town! 

S'more the Merrier

I think the name of the ice cream says it all, S’more the Merrier (Baskin Robbins), yes this week our blog is about S’mores.

I’ve never actually had an actual S’more before so this inspired treat that we’re making will be my introduction to them.

We’re making a S’mores dip that was inspired by this recipe that we found at https://www.ifyougiveablondeakitchen.com/2017/06/17/how-to-make-smores-dip/

This dip is really quick and easy to make. You can make it right before you’re ready to serve it; you can measure out everything beforehand.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

When preheated, place the pan in there for 5 minutes to warm up.

Remove the pan from the oven and melt in the butter evenly (about 1 Tbsp).

Pour in 1 ½ cups of chocolate chips. We decided to use a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips.

Top all of the chocolate chips with 16-18 halved large marshmallows. You definitely want to pre-cut these earlier.

Bake for 5-7 minutes or until the marshmallows are golden. Serve with Graham wafers. Be so careful as the pan will be extremely hot as will the dip.

It’s really yummy as well as gooey and messy so make sure you have lots of napkins nearby!

Banana Splits and Homemade Ice Cream

So we have a very exciting and fun Summer theme planned out this year. We are picking some very unusual ice cream flavour names and then creating things that come from the inspiration of that name. Some will be baked goods, some will be crafts, and some will be fun activities.

To kick the ice cream theme off, we are going to share with you how to make the very popular classic, a banana split, from scratch (with your own homemade ice creams).

I love to make my own homemade ice creams in the Summer. I often try out new flavours, but also stick to many classic ones as well. I sometimes make frozen yogurt as well with my ice cream maker.

For the banana splits, we’re sticking with the basics, chocolate and vanilla.

I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker which I love. I always keep the bowl in the freezer so that it stays nice and cold. Having a completely frozen bowl and really cold ingredients are keys to success when making your own ice cream otherwise it can affect the process and it turns icy and slushy instead of creamy.

Usually the day before I make my ice cream, I’ll mix the ingredients and then let them get cold in the fridge.

For the vanilla ice cream, mix 1 ½ cup of whole milk with 1 cup of sugar. Then add in 3 cups of heavy cream along with 1 ½ tbsp. of vanilla. Chill overnight.

For the chocolate ice cream, mix 1 cup of cocoa powder with 2/3 cup of sugar, ½ cup of brown packed sugar, and then stir in 1 ½ cups of whole milk. Add in 3 ¼ cups of heavy cream along with 1 tbsp. of vanilla. Chill overnight.

When mixing day comes, I follow the machine’s instructions and pour the mix into a frozen bowl right out of the freezer. For the vanilla, it usually takes about 45 minutes for it to thicken up and for the chocolate, about 30 minutes. Once the ice cream is mixed, transfer into a Tupperware container and freeze. It’ll be soft serve for the first few hours, so if you want a more frozen ice cream, then let the ice cream stay in the freezer overnight.

Other than bananas, no banana split is complete without toppings so before you have your banana split/sundae party, gather up some toppings. You can use crushed pineapple, sprinkles, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, Maraschinos cherries, whipped cream, and sauces. Speaking of sauces, I have included my famous gooey butterscotch sauce that you can drizzle on top.

Butterscotch Sauce:

In a sauce pan on medium heat, mix 1 cup of packed brown sugar, 2 tbsp. of butter, and 1 tbsp. of vanilla. Heat until all dissolved and bubbling. Usually 3-4 minutes. You can use after cooling slightly or if you want a thicker sauce, then let it cool sompletely.

A good fudge sauce is one that you’ll see us using as a glaze in a future post about Boston Cream cupcakes, but I like it as an ice cream sauce too.

Chocolate Fudge Sauce/ Glaze:

1 cup of semisweet chocolate

2/3 cup of heavy cream

¼ cup of light corn syrup

½ tsp. of vanilla

Microwave the chocolate, cream, corn syrup, and vanilla all together in a heatproof bowl. Stir every 30 seconds for 1-2 minutes until all of the ingredients are melted and smooth. Let it thicken for about 20 minutes.

Now it’s time to assemble your splits. There is no right or wrong way; make it exactly how you like it.

Comfort Foods Part 2 - Hot Chocolate & Cookies

It’s rainy and windy, it’s my time of the year! I love cuddling up under the blankets and being comfy cozy while watching a good movie or reading a book. In keeping with the comfort food theme, we are going to share a decadent hot chocolate recipe and a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. Both are perfect for the cold rainy days that we have ahead of us this Fall/Winter.

This is my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I make this all of the time. I could probably make it blindfolded. We have made the plain recipe for a Back to School post in the past, but today we are going to make it with some yummy oats in it. 

You will need...

1 cup of brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup of margarine

2 eggs

2 tsp. of vanilla

2 ¼ cups of flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups of chocolate chips

2 ½ cups of oats

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. I usually do about two.

Cream the softened  margarine and the sugar. Then add the vanilla and the eggs.  

Mix the flour and the baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet gradually. Once it’s all mixed, then add the oats and then stir in the chocolate chips. 

Using two teaspoons, scoop the dough onto the cookie sheets. You want average sized dough scoops, not too big, not too small. 

Cook one sheet at a time for about 7-8 minutes each. 

This hot chocolate recipe was good, but it was very rich and super sweet, so you can dilute it a bit with extra milk or hot water. This makes enough for two.

Gather your ingredients...

2 cups of milk  

2/3 cups of cream

2/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips/shavings

¼ cups milk chocolate chips/shavings

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Warm 2/3 cup of the milk in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the chocolate. Stir the chocolate in until it is completely melted and then whisk in the rest of the milk and the cream. If you don’t want the cream, you can use more milk if you want to; that’s what we did. 

Continue to heat until the mixture is hot but be careful not to boil it. Add the cinnamon and the salt and then pour into cups.  Top with whipped cream or with marshmallows if you want a real sugar rush!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/jan/12/how-to-make-perfect-hot-chocolate

So there you have some perfect hibernating day treats!