Chocolate Chip Cookie in the Microwave

I love chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. They aren't something I make very often though. No need, my wonderful Grandmother makes them usually a few times a month and I always seem to end up with a few. :)

This recipe gives you the taste of a fresh and hot chocolate chip cookie, without the time requirements, the mess, and another few dozen cookies that need to be eaten.

I found this recipe on pinterest, but it doesn't link to anything. You can find it on pinterest here.

Microwave Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 tbsp. butter (melted)
1 tbsp. white sugar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
3 drops of vanilla
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
1/4 c. flour
2 tbsp. chocolate chips 

Microwave for 40-60 seconds. I used a soup bowl which gave me a nice fluffy cookie.

Such an easy and quick recipe and on the bright side, it only makes one cookie.

A Lesson in Cake Pops...

I have already told you all about my super cute cake pop machine. 

I bought it last June to assist me in making a cake (that story is for another day though). 

In the very beginning of August 2012 I was helping to host a bridal shower (for my wonderful friend who is taking the Wilton classes with me).

We decided to make cake pops.

We shouldn't have made cake pops.

To be honest, making cake pops made NO sense  that weekend. It was probably one of the hottest weekends of the entire summer, and we were dipping the cake pops in chocolate, which was mistake #1. Mistake #2? we were rolling the cake pops in coarse sugar of course! 

This was one of my first big disasters in baking. We had mixed green, blue and white to create a teal colour, as well as dipping some in white chocolate. We did this in my friends basement in order to try and drop the temperature by a few degrees, with a garbage bag covering the deep freeze to concentrate the mess to one area.

Due to the heat the pops would not stay on the sticks... We decided that if that was the case, we would make cake balls instead. Again due to the heat, the chocolate would not set, it ended up funny looking and lumpy because we were just trying to get everything covered and then shoving them in the freezer. Finally, the sugar did not stick well at all and went all weird and melty due to the heat.

They actually tasted pretty good, but they sure weren't pretty.

Morale of the story? Playing with chocolate during a heat wave is a bad idea.

Needless to say I won't be becoming a professional cake pop artist any time soon...

Cake Decorating

For Christmas last year, I bought for myself and for one of my best friends the registration for Wilton's Cake Decorating Course for Beginners. I did not take any pictures of the first week, where we decorated cookies, but I did take pictures from week 2.

In week 2, you learn how to transfer a pattern onto a cake using parchment paper and and piping gel. The assignment for this week is to decorate a cake, using one of the patters that are in your cake kit. I chose to make the "cupcake cake". Personally, for a first attempt, I think it turned out pretty good!

When making my cake for week 2 of the course, I did not stack the cakes, which meant I had another cake sitting at home waiting to be decorated. Now, I can be a bit of a keener, so I decided to decorate the other cake that night. I went on the Wilton website and found a cute little Zebra, which was for a cake or cookies (to be Zebra shaped) which I adapted to practice my newfound skills. He is pretty cute if I do say so myself.

Cake Pop Maker

I thought I would change things up a little bit today and share with you a very cute, little kitchen appliance that I bought to make cake pops.

Traditionally, you make cake pops by baking a cake, deconstructing it, and rolling it into ball shapes using icing to stick it together. That is great for some people but personally, I have a few issues with it.

1) It is time consuming
2) It is messy
3) It makes them extremely sweet in the majority of cases

When I saw the Babycakes Cake Pop Maker online, I thought it was the perfect solution for me. It reminds me of a grilled sandwich maker, but it has 12 circular wells in it that you fill with cake batter, cook for an average of 5-6 minutes and you are done!

It is quick, easy, and pure cake! (Not to mention it is so cute!)

Photo Courtesy: http://thebabycakesshop.com

I bought my cake pop maker at Canadian Tire, but you can find it at places like Sears, Amazon and of course, the BabyCakes online store.

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

In my first recipe post, I briefly mentioned Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks. I will now admit to you that this is my absolute favourite drink from Starbucks,  the only problem? Starbucks is expensive to begin with, and I am lactose intolerant, so I end up paying extra for soy milk each time. Although I can handle smaller amounts of dairy without issue, a Grande Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate made with regular milk would make me miserable for hours. Since technically this drink is only available in the fall, I am going to continue on this trend of fall flavours by sharing this recipe with you!

I do have to admit that I am quite excited though because now I have a version of this that I can enjoy year round!

This is another one of those fantastic finds on Pinterest! (Seriously, I have no idea what I would do without Pinterest). Through Pinterest, I was linked to a blog called Pennies on a Platter which is a fantastic name for this blog, because it is so fitting! This hot chocolate mix makes 32 servings and cost me virtually nothing to make because it utilized many ingredients I already keep on hand.

I was a little nervous when making this recipe because it requires you to make your own caramel from sugar. I had never personally done this before, and all I could think about was the time my little sister (who was probably 13 at the time) decided she could make a recipe using homemade caramel and put a plastic spatula in the pan of hot sugar. Needless to say, we didn't get to eat that caramel, and we needed to buy a new spatula. My version turned out much better, and I may have sent her a text message rubbing in the fact that I could make caramel without having to replace any kitchen utensils.

Like the blog, I made this as a test batch to see how it would turn out because I am considering making this to give to people with their christmas gifts. When I do make it again, I will probably change a few aspects of it. I have this beautiful red cocoa that I purchased at bulk barn, which makes amazing chocolate frosting, but on its own can be pretty bitter. I did find the bitterness carried over into the taste of the hot chocolate so I will use a different cocoa next time.

Here is the recipe!

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate - The Pennies on a Platter Blog

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups good quality Dutch cocoa powder

1 to 3 tablespoons fleur de sel or good sea salt (I used less than 1tbsp)

1 cup dry milk powder (I used soy milk powder)

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

10 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Heat the 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar in a large heavy pan, over medium heat, without stirring. When the sugar begins to melt, take the handle of the pan and swirl it to melt without burning. The sugar might seem to crystallize, but it will eventually melt to a deep amber color. (Takes 15-20 minutes)

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the vanilla. Whisk the caramel until smooth again, then immediately pour it onto the lined baking sheet. Allow it to spread without touching it. Set aside and let the caramel harden, at least 1 hour.

When ready to make the mix, use the back of a large spoon to tap the caramel several times into small broken pieces that can fit into the feeding tube of a large food processor. Turn the processor on, and while running, feed the caramel pieces into the tube so the processor pulverizes the caramel into a fine powder. Continue to add the pieces, a few at a time, until it is completely powder (a cloud of caramel dust will float out of the tube). Turn the processor off and follow the next steps to complete the mix.

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the chocolate, into the food processor with the caramel powder. Replace the lid and process until smooth. Add the chocolate to the bowl and process again until the mixture is a fine powder.

Store in an airtight container, in a cool, dry place for up to one month. To serve, stir 3 tablespoons mix into 1 cup hot milk. (I used water due to the lactose intolerance issue)

Apple Butter

Continuing on with the fall theme, several weeks ago I decided to attempt to make apple butter. I do have a confession to make though. I wasn't fully sure exactly how this was going to turn out. I thought it would have been a little more spread like (I was picturing maple butter).

It turns out that it is more like a very thick apple sauce! I really like this, but if I did it again, I would probably skip using the crock pot and speed up the process by making it in a pot on the stove. It would make a great topping for something like ice cream, or greek yogurt, but it is also quite good on its own.

I found this recipe on Pinterest, which linked me to a blog called Changing my Destiny.

Again, I don't have a picture of this because I finished up the smaller jar, and have not yet opened the larger mason jar. I don't want to break the seal on it, and a picture of a sealed mason jar is a little bit on the boring side. Once I open the jar I will take a picture and add it to this post.

Crock Pot Apple Butter - Courtsey of the Changing my Destiny Blog
Makes a little more than 1 pint

1 dozen apples, peeled, cored, cubed

1/2 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon All Spice

Peel, Core, and Chop a dozen apples.

Toss the apples in the sugar and spices.

Put everything in the Crockpot and set it to medium.

This is going to cook for HOURS, i put it on first thing in the morning, and didn't put it in the jars until well into the evening.

Also, I can be a little impatient, I took it out of the Crock Pot and put it on the stove near the end and cooked it down a little bit quicker.

To ensure it was completely smooth, I also used an immersion blender to give it that beautiful smooth texture.

I am planning on going apple picking this weekend, so some more apple recipes might appear in the coming weeks.

Caramel Apple Cookies

I absolutely love caramel apples. I try to avoid the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory any time I go to the mall because of all of their amazing, delicious chocolate caramel apples- if you haven't tried one, you need to!

I have also had a pretty spectacular caramel apple cheesecake, which I have been trying to figure out how to replicate now for a few years, no luck yet.

Pretty much anything involving caramel and apples is good in my books which is why when I saw a Caramel Apple Cider Cookie recipe on Pinterest, I had to try it right away! I was led to a blog called The Sisters Cafe, which had shared this genius idea of turning caramel apples into cookies.

I do have to apologize, the cookies went pretty quickly, and I didn't snap a picture of them. I guess that means I will have to make them again sometime, and come back and add my own photo.

Here is the recipe- courtesy of The Sisters Cafe Blog!

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 packets of Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix *Not sugar free* (half of the 7.4 oz box) (I used a scoop of Instant Apple Cider Mix from Bulk Barn)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) bag Kraft Caramels (not generic caramels – they don’t melt properly)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat.2. Cream together butter, sugar, salt, and 5 packets of apple cider mix until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract, then mix in the baking soda and baking powder. Add the flour and mix until just combined.3. Use a standard (size 50) cookie scoop. Flatten the dough slightly in your hand and place a caramel in the center. Work the dough around the caramel sealing well. Place the cookies two inches apart on the sheets.

4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. If using parchment: after baking, carefully slide the parchment with the cookies onto the counter. Let cool until they are no longer soft but still slightly warm. Twist gently to remove, and cool the rest of the way upside down on the parchment or on a cooling rack.  If using silpat, just let them cool on the cookie sheet and twist them when they are sufficiently cool.

*These cookies are best straight out of the oven… or  microwaved on high for 9-10 seconds to remelt the caramel if any of these babies last long enough to completely cool off and harden.