April 29th, 2008 by alice
Tags: Banana, Cake, Caramel, Chocolate, Chunk
INGREDIENTS
- 2cupsplain flour
- 1teaspooncinnamon
- 1/2teaspoon gratedfresh nutmeg
- 1/4teaspoonground cloves
- 1teaspoonsalt
- 1teaspoonbaking soda
- 3largeeggs
- 1 1/4cupssunflower oil
- 1 3/4cupscaster sugar
- 1tablespoon purevanilla essence
- 3/4cup coarsely chopped toastedpecan nuts
- 3ounces goodchocolate, broken into chip size pieces(I favour Green and Blacks)
- 3 ripebananas, peeled and diced
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CARAMEL TOPPING
- 1 1/4cups of firmly packed softlight brown sugar
- 1tablespoonmilk
- 1tablespoondouble cream
- 4tablespoonsunsalted butter, cut into pieces
DIRECTIONS
- Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Grease and flour a 12 cup tube or bundt pan, shaking out all the excess flour.
- Sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and baking soda. Set aside. Beat together the eggs, caster sugar and oil with your electric beaters on medium speed until the sugar is totally emulsified, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla essence. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl to make sure it all gets mixed in well. Fold in the pecan nuts, chocolate and banana chunks very carefully with a rubber spatula taking care not to mush the bananas up. Scrape into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes. Test with a wooden skewer to see if it is done. It should come out clean if it is. If not, bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
- In the meantime combine all the topping ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat and cook until the butter and sugar are melted and it begins to boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes while you are waiting for the cake to finish.
- Remove the cake from the oven and poke holes all over the hot cake (without removing from pan) and spoon the caramel glaze over the top, stopping every now and then to let the cake absorb it. If it starts to pool, poke some more holes in the cake. Let cook completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and unfolding it onto a plate. I then put another plate on top and flip it over until the flat side is on the top again. Delicious!
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April 4th, 2008 by alice
Tags: Caramel, Chocolate, Chunk, Cookies, Gooie, Macadamia, Ooie
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4cupunsalted butter
- 1cupsugar
- 1/2cuplight brown sugar
- 2eggs, beaten
- 1teaspoonvanilla extract
- 1teaspoonchocolate extract
- 1tablespoonreal maple syrup
- 2tablespoonscream
- 2 1/2cupsflour
- 1teaspoonbaking soda
- 1/2teaspoonsalt
- 1cupsemi-sweet chocolate chips(chopped, I use Ghiradelli)
- 30chocolate-covered caramel candies(Rollo or Hershey’s)
- 1cuprolled oats(Quaker Oatmeal Original, dry)
- 1cup rawmacadamia nuts(toasted & chopped)
DIRECTIONS
- Cream butter & sugars in large mixing bowl.Add eggs, extracts, syrup, and cream.
- In another bowl, sift and mix flour, baking soda and salt.Stir in chocolate chips, oats, and toasted nuts.Fold dry ingredients into butter mixture.
- Chill dough for 1 hour.Preheat oven to 350 and PLACE A PIECE OF PARCHMENT PAPER ONTO YOUR COOKIE SHEET.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of dough into palm of your hand, and press one chocolate covered caramel candy into center of each piece of dough.Wrap dough around candy, covering completely.
- Bake cookies for 14-16 minutes, until lightly browned.Cool in pan until well set, then onto rack.Don’t eat hot, as caramel is LAVA-like 8-).
- Serve with *plenty* of milk.
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February 27th, 2008 by alice
Tags: Caramel, Clusters, Love, Nibbles, Pecan, Valentines
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (14 ounce)packagecaramels, unwrapped(of course)
- 2tablespoonsbutter
- 2tablespoonswater
- 2 1/2cups coarsely choppedpecans
- 4ouncesdark chocolate confectionary coating
- 4ouncesalmond bark(or white chocolate)
DIRECTIONS
- Butter two cookie sheets (do NOT try using wax paper–the caramel will stick to it).
- Combine caramels, butter and water; zap in the microwave (uncovered) on high power for about 3 minutes–STIRRING every 30-45 seconds.Add the pecans and stir.
- Drop from a spoon (use a knife to keep things neat) onto the BUTTERED baking sheets.
- Chill sheets for an hour or freeze for 15 minutes (caramel will be set).
- Coarsely chop both the dark chocolate and the almond bark/white candy coating.
- Melt chocolate and bark in the microwave, on high for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so.
- Line cookie sheets with waxed paper.
- Dip pecan clusters in the chocolate; place clusters on waxed paper. Chill until firm.
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February 26th, 2008 by alice
Tags: Caramel, Chip, Chocolate, Cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4cupunsalted butter
- 1cupgranulated sugar
- 1/2cuplight brown sugar
- 1egg
- 1egg yolk
- 1teaspoonmarshmallow extract (optional)
- 1 1/2teaspoonsvanilla extract
- 2tablespoonsheavy cream
- 2 1/4cupsall-purpose flour
- 1teaspoonbaking soda
- 1/2teaspoonsalt
- 1cupsemisweet mini chocolate chips
- 1 1/2cupscaramel filled Hersheys chocolate kisses
- 3/4cup uncookedoats
- 1cup choppedpecans
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt butter, sugar, and brown sugar together in a microwave for 45 to 50 seconds on medium to low power, careful not to burn the butter.
- Let the butter-sugar mixture cool just a bit and blend in the egg and egg yolk. Add the vanilla and marshmallow extract, and the heavy cream. Stir and set aside.
- Sift dry ingredients together and fold into wet mixture carefully.
- Add chocolate chips, candies, oats and pecans.
- Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with a spatula.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Cool on pan for 5-7 minutes and thentransfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
- Enjoy!
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January 17th, 2008 by alice
Tags: Cakes, Caramel, Chocolate, Crispy
INGREDIENTS
- 4 (2 ounce)chocolate candy bars(2 oz. bars, recommended Milky Way)
- 1/4cupunsalted butter
- 2 1/2cupscorn flakes(or other preferred cereal)
DIRECTIONS
- Break the candy bars into bits and drop them into a saucepan.
- Add the butter and melt, over lowish heat, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula.
- When everything is melted (the nougat-like layer takes the longest to go), tip in the cereal and stir them, with your rubber spatula, in the chocolate mixture until they are all pretty well coated.
- Fill the mini muffin papers (about 40) with the mixture and put in the refrigerator, on a small sheet pan or tray, for at least 1 hour.
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