Category Archives: Baking

January 12, 2015 · 5:06 pm

Baking Up #BigGameTreats With SNICKERS® & Skittles®!!!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.#BigGameTreats #CollectiveBias

The older I get, the more I can’t stand winter and in New York we are experiencing extreme, frigid temperatures. The kind of dangerously low, temperatures causing our schools to close for! We went into NYC this past Saturday and after going to the circus, I so badly wanted to walk with my husband and little ones on the streets of Manhattan, pick up some Italian pastries and show them the sites of the city that never sleeps.

However, literally a couple of blocks and we felt like we had frostbite so we ducked into a restaurant, had a late dinner and hailed a taxi to go back home. Very disappointing. It’s times like now I love when I see stores putting up spring displays and anything that makes January and the winter go faster. Which is why when I went to Walmart to pick up some candy I needed for baking, I soaked in the spring merchandise on the shelves.

I am focusing on the next big event, we will be entertaining friends and family for the “Big Game” in a few weeks. I love to bake and so I tried out some recipes this past weekend. Who doesn’t love chocolate, caramel and peanuts? Not any one I know, so I was excited to mix it up in the kitchen with SNICKERS®. I first made some decadent, SNICKERS® Cupcakes.

Don’t they look fabulous? See the ooey, gooey filling! SNICKERS® Minis on top is so much better than a cherry.

Would you like to make these? I knew you would. First thing is to bake up some chocolate cupcakes. I used just a boxed Devil’s Food cake mix and prepared and baked according to the package directions.

When the cupcakes are cool you make the filling by mixing milk, butter, soft caramels, chopped peanuts and marshmallow fluff. You add milk, butter and caramels to a saucepan and melt on the stovetop over medium heat until melted stirring constantly.

Then add peanuts and marshmallow fluff to the melted confection and stir until everything is combined well. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool and thicken for approximately 30-35 minutes.

When you are ready to fill the cooled cupcakes, you cut out a hole in the middle of the top of the cupcake where the filling with go. Then you can fill with a pastry bag and decorator tip all the cupcakes with the filling.

For the cupcake frosting I made a peanut Butter Buttercream by mixing butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, peanut butter and milk. Put the frosting in a pastry bag and top all the cupcakes with the frosting.

Last I make a chocolate glaze by mixing confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder and milk and drizzle the glaze over the cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a half of a SNICKERS® Minis. Yum, these made the final cut and it was a unanimous decision that they will be found on our game day buffet. If you want to try the list of ingredients is below.

Chocolate Cake Mix of Your Choice ( Prepare and Bake Cupcakes According To Package Directions)

Cupcake Filling:

3 Tbsp of Milk
6 Tbsp of Butter
8 Oz. Caramels
1/4 Cup Marshmallow Fluff
1/2 Cup Chopped Peanuts

Peanut Butter Icing

1 Cup Butter
4 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar
1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2/3 Cup Peanut Butter
2-3 Tbsp Milk

Chocolate Glaze and Topping

1/2 + 1/8 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar
1 Tbsp. Cocoa
1 1/2 Tbsp of Milk
18 SNICKERS® Minis

SNICKERS® Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies were the next treat on my baking agenda. These are an easy peanut butter cookie that is stuffed with a SNICKERS® Mini.

First step is to make your cookie dough so cream butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with your electric mixer. Add egg, vanilla, milk, salt and baking soda and mix until completely combined. Slowly add your flour a little at a time and mix until the dough comes together. Chill your dough for at least 30 minutes.

Take your chilled dough and scoop out two tbsp. size balls of dough, flatten slightly with the palm of your hand and place a SNICKERS® Mini in the center of one of the flattened dough balls.

Top with the other slightly fattened dough balls and seal the edges and form into a ball. Continue this process placing the cookies on a cookie sheet approximately 2″ apart.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 13-16 minutes or until they just begin to brown.

Cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container or freeze them between layers of paper towels for up to 1 month.

So what did my family think? Was this cookie a game day winner? You betcha and it will have its special place on our big game day buffet extravaganza! Want to try them? The recipe is below.

SNICKERS® Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Salted Butter
3/4 Cup Peanut Butter
3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Large Egg
1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Milk
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1-1/2 Cups Flour
SNICKERS® Minis (about 20-24)

Okay one more but we are going to appeal to those who are looking for something less chocolatey and more tangy. For those guests I tried a Skittles® Drop Sugar Cookie. Big thick, soft and chewy sugar cookies with a colorful mix of Skittles® are easy to make and oh so good. The cookie even has a lemony, citrus flavor from the candy. It was quite remarkable when I tasted that because I was surprised they would flavor the cookie itself but it was a delicious surprise.

I first made a drop sugar cookie batter. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy then beat in one egg plus one egg yolk. Add vanilla and mix well. Then incorporate the flour, baking soda and cornstarch (first combine the dry ingredients ) and mix until well blended.

I used a cookie scoop to scoop out the dough onto a cookie sheet and then pressed in the Skittles® candies on top. If you had a favorite team that was yellow and red, purple and yellow etc, you could use just those 2 colors to show your support for your team!

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for about 12-14 minutes or until edges look set and just beginning to brown. Remove and let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes and then remove them to cool completely on a cooling rack. This recipe makes about 24 large cookies. See full list of recipe ingredients below.

Skittles® Drop Sugar Cookies

2 Cups Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Tsp Cornstarch
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Salted Butter
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Egg plus 1 Egg Yolk
1-1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Skittles® Candy

From January 21-31, enter to win by purchasing 1 qualifying MARS Chocolate product and 1 qualifying Wrigley product at Walmart. All you have to do is snap a photo of the receipt to show proof of purchase and text or email to biggame@drvsusa.com. 14 winners will be drawn randomly at the end of the contest period (1 for each day of the contest), and will receive a $250 Walmart gift card! For more information on the contest, visit drvsusa.com/biggame.

I would love you to share with me your results if you make any of these recipes and also share what you are planning on whipping up for the “Big Game!”

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Filed under Baking, Cooking, Entertainment, Family, Family Fun, Kitchen, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings

Tagged as #BigGameTreats, #CollectiveBias, Apple Baker, bake, baking, candy, cookies, cupcakes, Entertaining, Lifesavers, Shop, Skittles, Snickers, Starburst, yummy

December 17, 2014 · 11:25 pm

Glee Gum, Make Your Own Candy Kit, Review & Giveaway!!! #HolidayGiftGuide

In the past you may have read about how we made our own milk chocolate with kits from Glee Gum. We decided to mix it up a bit this year and try a different kit. We opted for the Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit. So recently we set out to test out our gum making skills. The kit comes with all you need, even a disposable tray to melt the chicle gum base which resembles small beads or popcorn kernels. The reason for the disposable tray is because the chicle gum base when melted is so incredibly sticky.

We used the microwave to melt the chicle gum base and when it was melted we added the corn syrup and tried to stir.

I say tried to because the stickiness really makes you add some serious muscle to the mix. after that you roll it in the confectioner’s sugar and then knead in one of the flavor packets. After that you roll it and cut it into pieces. The best part is last and you can taste your creation.

My kids thought it was fun and as a parent it was very educational like all their “make your own” kits. For parents, educators and home school the website has a lesson plan with resources to expand on and more. You can see more educational material HERE. We have also added Glee Gum Make Your Own Candy Kits to our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide.

Glee Gum is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings and one lucky winner will win their choice of Make Your Own Candy Kit! Thank you Glee Gum for the review kit and for sponsoring this sweet giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US Residents.

Glee Gum, Make Your Own Candy Kit Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

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Filed under Baking, Christmas, DIY, Family, Family Fun, Giveaway, Kitchen, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Recipes, Review

Tagged as #HolidayGiftGuide, Candy Kit, Chewing Gum, Chocolate, Educational, fun, giveaway, Glee Gum, Holiday Gift Guide, learning, Make Your Own, Mommy Ramblings, review

September 19, 2014 · 10:01 am

Save $10 At Lovable Labels 3 Day Spooktacular Weekend Sale September 19th-21st!!!

Lovable Labels is having a Spooktacular Weekend Sale from September 19th thru September 21st. Save $10 on any order of $25 or more when you use the promo code SPOOKY2014. It’s not too late to label all that school stuff and take a look at their new Halloween products that are only available for a limited time. So head on over to Lovable Labels now and take advantage of this great sale because it will be over before you can say BOO!!!

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Canning Labels

How To Bake a Perfect Artisan Round Bread and French Baguettes Easily

I consider myself a good baker but I never thought I could make bread the way I did last weekend. I had help from Emile Henry. I was sent the Emile Henry Bread Cloche and Baguette Baker in beautiful, warm red.

Bread 53

Bread 54

Bread 55

Bread 56

As I looked at the recipe book, I marveled at how quickly you could make bread, artisan style bread that looked delicious. I still doubted mine would turn out as perfectly. I started making the quick-bake recipe of the round bread and it was so easy.

3 cups of bread flour

1 cup of warm water (95 degrees F)

2 tsp of salt

2 tsp of granulated sugar

2 tsp of dried baker’s yeast

2 tbsp. of milk

In a large bowl mix the bread flour, salt, sugar and dried yeast.

Bread

Bread 2

Pour in the warm water and knead for about 2-3 minutes.

Bread 3_edited-1

Bread 4

Form the dough into a ball and cover with a dish towel.

Bread 6

Bread 7

Put the covered bowl in a warm place away from drafts to rise for 20 minutes. Uncover the dough and knead to remove the carbon dioxide, form the dough into a ball. Sprinkle some flour on the platter of the bread cloche and place the ball of dough on the platter.

Bread 8

Bread 9

Bread 10

Bread 11

Cover with the cloche and let rise for another 45 minutes at room temperature.

Brush a little milk over the top at the end of the rise time and sprinkle with flour.

Bread 16

Bread 17

Bread 18

Make several incisions on the top and cover again with the cloche. Bake in a preheated oven of 460 degrees F for 35 minutes and then allow the bread to cool on the platter with the cloche removed.

Bread 20

Bread 21

Bread 22

Bread 23

The whole process was fast and easy and I cannot tell you how impressed I was when I removed the Cloche after baking and saw that beautiful round artisan style bread on the platter. It tasted as good as it looked and the whole family enjoy it right from the oven.

Bread 24

Bread 25

Bread 26

Bread 27

Bread 28

The baguette baker was the next thing I tried and even though the first time baguettes could use a little artisan tweaking the taste of them was better than anything we have ever tasted. The way the baker cooks the crust but leaves the middle soft and chewy is unbelievable. My kids ate those faster than you could say Bon Jour. The are definitely one of our new favorites and I only wish my parents were still alive to taste these breads because they would have loved them! I never knew that you could bake this kind of bread at home and now that we know, we are baking bread almost daily.

For the Baguettes we used the “Real French Baguette” recipe below:

2 cups of bread flour

1 cup of warm water (110 degrees F)

1 tsp of fine salt

1 tsp of dried yeast

I added about 2 tsp to 3 tsp of granulated sugar ( I added by eye)

Mix flour, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl and add the warm water and knead the dough about 5 minutes until you can form a smooth ball. Cover the bowl with a dish cloth and let rise in a warm location, away from drafts for about 40 minutes.

Bread 29

Bread 30

After 40 minutes, knead the dough again to remove the carbon dioxide and then divide into three equal portions. Sprinkle each piece with flour and shape into a rectangle about the size of your hand then roll the dough a little longer in length than the depression in the baguette pan and about 10 cm wide. Fold one side about 2/3 of the way over and then the other side 1/4 of the way over to form a cylinder shape.

Bread 31

Bread 32

Bread 33

Bread 38

Bread 40

Bread 41

Sprinkle the baguette pan with flour and turn the formed dough with the folded side on the bottom and place in the pan. Repeat with the other 2 pieces. Cover with the lid and let rise for 2o minutes while you preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Bread 43

Bread 467

After 20 minutes open the cover and brush with water, sprinkle with flour and make several diagonal cuts in each baguette.

Bread 44

Bread 45

Replace cover and bake for 25 minutes and then remove the cover and continue baking for 2 minutes until they are nice and brown.

Bread 48

As soon as these came out we ate them hot with fresh butter and they were gone in minutes!

If you like to bake bread or if you have never made bread, you have to try these Emile Henry accessories. You will not believe the bread you will be making and neither will your family.

Quality Bakeware For Breads:

Emile Henry enters the artisan bread baking category with the Bread Cloche. The ceramic Bread Cloche with its bell-shaped cover allows you to proof your bread directly in the bread cloche. The lid also traps steam from the baking bread to create an environment similar to a steam-injected oven. The steam gives the bread a crunchy, chewy crust. The Emile Henry Bread Cloche is sized for a round loaf made with 3-cups of flour. Recipe and Instruction booklet included. Like all Emile Henry products, the Bread Cloche is made of all natural materials and is backed by a ten-year warranty, which is not offered by any other ceramic manufacturers. Emile Henry is located in the Burgundy town of Marcigny, France.

The new ceramic Baguette Baker from Emile Henry bakes three, 13½inch long by 2¼ inch wide, artisanal French baguettes. The Baguette Baker traps steam from the baking bread to create an environment similar to a steam-injected oven. The steam gives the bread a crunchy, golden crust and a chewy interior. The Baguette Baker simplifies the process so home bakers have more consistent, delicious results every time they make bread. A recipe book is included with the product so even a novice baker will be confident in baking bread at home. The Baker, made in France from Burgundy clay.

Emile Henry’s Oven Ceramic bakeware and tableware is made in Marcigny France since 1850 from high fired Burgundy clay. The natural clay is unsurpassed for conducting and retaining heat. Emile Henry’s Oven Ceramic is made with an exclusive process to produce strong and durable ceramic bakeware and tableware for everyday use.

Resistance Against Mechanical Shocks: During everyday use, there are many opportunities to bang a dish or a set of plates. Particularly resistant to shocks, our ceramic is even used in restaurants!
Resistance Against Temperature Changes: A dish or stewpot should be able to withstand wide variations in temperature. Our ceramics allow our products to be taken directly from the freezer to the hot oven (+250°C/500°F).
Resistance Against Fading Colors: Heat, the dishwasher or sharp instruments will all have an ageing effect on a product. Our glazes are particularly resistant to the dishwasher and the most aggressive of detergents.

The quality of these pieces is extraordinary and the ease of use and clean up is absolutely divine.

Emile Henry is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will receive their own Bread Cloche and Baguette Baker- A $260 value!!! Thank you to Emile Henry for the review pieces and for sponsoring this awesome giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.

Emile Henry Bread Cloche and Baguette Baker Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Enter to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!

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Filed under Baking, Cooking, Giveaway, Kitchen, Main Page Post, Mommy Ramblings, Recipes, Review

Tagged as Artisan, Baguette, Baguette Baker, Baguettes, baking, Bread, Bread Cloche, cooking, Emile Henry, giveaway, Kitchen, Mommy Ramblings, recip, recipe, recipies, review

December 27, 2011 · 11:00 pm

No Bake Cake Pops Using OREOS

Long time Mommy Ramblings’ readers, probably remember that my first sponsored review and giveaway was for, My Little Cupcake Cake Pop Mold. At that time, there was only one style available, the little cupcake.

Well, it has been some time since that first review, and as Mommy Ramblings has grown so has My Little Cupcake. They now feature other cake pop molds. and I recently had the opportunity to review their set of 4 different shaped cake pop molds available in their variety set.

Now, you may recall when I did my original review, I did not use the no-bake Oreo recipe. but instead used two 9 inch layers of red velvet cake that was freshly baked and crumbled and my own cream cheese frosting.

This time I decided to go with the Oreo recipe that comes with the molds. It was so easy to prepare. You just take 1 package of Oreos (3 Sleeves if you buy the family pack) and crush them in your food processor.

Then, add an 8 ounce package of cream cheese and process until it is all combined and makes a sort of dough. Chill the dough for 20-30 minutes. One of the things I noticed was, if the dough is not chilled enough or becomes warm while waiting to be molded, it is harder to work with and will not mold as well. You may want to work with half at a time, and keep the other half chilling.

Once you get the knack of how much dough you need to make a complete mold, you will easily mold the dough into the variety of shapes. It is a bit of a messy process, because you need to overfill the molds a little, and the excess will be squeezed out. Be prepared for your hands to get very messy!

When you have finished molding all the dough, you chill or freeze them for another 20-30 minutes. I found it best to take only a few out at a time and keep the others in the fridge until you are ready. This prevents them from getting warm before you dip them. I found the best results came from the pops that were the coldest, because they are more solid and easier to work with. So for best results the colder the better because they are more solid and easier to work with.

You need to melt chocolate for the coating. You can use a variety of dipping chocolate, I have found the Almond Bark or the Candi Quick give me the best results. Some of the wafer varieties do not melt thin enough and Crisco is recommended to thin it. I don’t like using Crisco, so that is why I opt for Almond Bark or Candi Quick.

You need to have your pop sticks handy and a block of styrofoam to hold the pops as they dry. First dip the stick top in some chocolate, and then stick it in one of the molded tops. You can place the pop in the styrofoam while you do a few others, and then you can start to dip the first one.

Now, you can get as creative as you want with the dipping. For instance, with the cupcake style if you want a two-tone color, you need to dip the bottom first and then place it on the stick. Then, when the bottom is dry, you can dip the top in another color.

Another option, is to dip the entire cupcake in the color you want on the bottom, let dry and then, dip the top in a different color. You can also quickly add sprinkles or other decors before the chocolate dries. I will repeat the key tip is to keep the pops as cold as possible until you are ready to work with them.

You can go crazy with these pops, transforming them into people, animals and more! The Variety Assortment gives you the ability to create many different kinds of cake and cookie pops. The molds are so easy to clean. I throw mine right in the dishwasher, and it could not be easier.

The heart mold is one of my favorites because it makes a nice plump pop and there are a lot of ways you can embellish it to look like different things. I still like the cupcake and think it is pretty easy to get a great two-tone result using it. The cone is a nice unique shape that can be used for christmas trees, candy corn, hats, and lots of other things. The ball is good if you want perfectly shaped cake balls or truffles.

In conclusion, I found it much easier working with the Oreo mixture and it was much faster, letting me get to the fun part faster. Beyond that, the Oreos and cream cheese have a great flavor and moist texture inside the pop.

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Filed under Baking, Cooking, Recipes

Tagged as cake pops, Cookie Pops, My Little Cupcake, No Bake Treats, Oreo Truffles, recipe, review

October 2, 2011 · 1:13 am

The Best Coconut Oil, Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe!

If you are ready to try the best chocolate chip cookie recipe made with coconut oil, look no further. Seriously, everyone I have shared this recipe with raves about it. They are absolutely one of the easiest and best chocolate chip cookies you will ever make and eat. So let me show you what to do so you can get baking.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. With an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat coconut oil, butter and sugars together until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

2. In a small bowl, mix flours, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to the wet ingredients until a soft dough is formed. Don’t over mix the dough, or the chocolate chip cookies will be tough.

3. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if using.

4. Refrigerate dough at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

6. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, drop chocolate chip cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-15 minutes, until cookies are golden brown around the edges, but still soft inside.

When my husband saw that I was using coconut oil he was skeptical, he does not like coconut. When they were done I could taste a hint of coconut but the cookies were soft, chewy and delicious. The true test came when my husband tried them. He did not mention any taste of coconut but did say they were absolutely delicious and helped himself to a few more.