This is the perfect entry to follow my Bacon Cheeseburger - Mainly because I used some of the leftover Ingredients and made these on the same day!
Something that I've always wanted to try was Chocolate Covered Bacon. Now I know most of you are the same thing that I did when I first heard the concept - "Wait... what? Yuck!"
I assure you that this recipe is a quite delicious treat.
This recipe is so simple and only really requires 2 ingredients - I used 3 because I have this bad tendency of trying to spice up all my recipes to be very different (exhibit a below is using 2 different chocolate flavors). I made enough so that my family could each try one - the recipe below serves about 10 pieces.
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Ingredients:
5 Slices of Apple Smoked Bacon
1/3 cup of Mini Chocolate (your choice) Kisses or Baker's Chocolate
1. Start by frying your bacon with a very small amount of butter. Should only take a few minutes on each side.
2. Once cooked, immediately transfer to a plate covered with a paper towel to remove any/all excess grease. Once cooled, break each piece in half.
3. Using your microwave, melt down your chocolate - milk, dark, or white - make sure to mix a few times as you heat it to ensure that the chocolate doesn't burn.
4. Simply dip the bacon into the chocolate and immediately transfer to a tray (small enough to fit in your fridge). I made the mistake of trying to fully cover the bacon with a layer of chocolate but you really just want enough where you can taste both flavors in every bite - mine batch, the chocolate slightly overpowered the bacon.
OPTIONAL 5. If you like, you can remove from the fridge and decorate with another flavor chocolate as I did. I just melted down white chocolate and carefully detailed each piece.
Any there you have it - a quick and easy dessert. Definitely one of those snacks that you wouldn't think of but is a true treat and full of flavor. Enjoy!
With no football, I found myself with quite a bit more time than usual today. So with that extra time, I choose to bake up something fun for you all - my co-workers are sure to love me tomorrow! This recipe is quite simple and can be used to make cupcakes as I did, or you could bake it as a full cake using a bundt pan with the same ingredients and quantities.
Today, I made Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes! Think of Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes as chocolate cake with a kick. They are full of flavor and incredibly moist. You can also tweak the icing to add a whole different twist on the recipe.
How about we get right to the good part - the recipe!
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: About 20 Minutes
Cake:
1 Box of Devils Food Cake
1 Box of Chocolate Pudding
4 Eggs
1/2 cup Water
1/2 Vegetable Oil
3/4 cup Kahlua
Icing:
1 1/2 cups Confectioner's Sugar
1/4 Skim Milk
These measurements are simply ratios and can be scaled based on how thick you would like the icing to be. You will get a good sense as you start mixing if you need to add more sugar or milk.
Optional Icing (This is the alternative to the above):
1 cup Confectioner's Sugar
1/4 cup Kahlua
This version of the icing sure gives the cake a kick!
1. Mix all cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer. Start on a low speed and work your way to medium speed as the batter thickens. Do not overmix - batter only needs to be mixed for about 2-3 minutes. Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Next, evenly distribute batter across your cupcake tins. You don't need to fill the tins to the top as the cupcakes will rise as they back (try to fill about 3/4 the way).
3. Now place the cupcake trays into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes (based on your oven temperature). When you remove the tray from the oven, test the cupcakes with a toothpick which should come out relatively clean.
4. Let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes. While they cool, prepare the icing. Simply mix the milk and sugar until you get a thick icing that will make for easy spreading. Ice the cupcakes to your liking.
And that is all there is to it. I hope that you enjoy the cupcakes and don't forget to share (:
Well, here we are, 11:30pm, and my dessert is on the table. What do we do now? We document it.
Anyone who truly knows me, knows that my favorite snack is a Reeses. Following my delicious dinner, I made myself homemade White Chocolate Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.
Now, this is where I know you are all asking yourselves 2 questions. 1. Why didn't he just buy them...? Simple answer is that I enjoy cooking too much and felt the need to challenge myself with trying to replicate an amazing dessert. 2. Why white chocolate...? Again, simple answer is that I strongly prefer white chocolate over milk or dark chocolate.
Anyways, let's break down this recipe.
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes (Spread across 60 minute span)
12 oz Chocolate (any type - white, milk, or dark)
1/4 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (about 4 crackers broken up)
1/3 cup Peanut Butter (preferably creamy)
1/4 cup Sugar (confectioners')
1. Using a cupcake pan, place 12 mini foil tins in the pan to fill all slots (the pan acts as support for the candies).
2. Take 4 oz of the chocolate and melt it (I used the microwave to make it quick and easy cleanup). Once the chocolate is melted, distribute evenly to coat the bottom of the 12 mini cupcake tins. Once all of the chocolate has been used, place the tray in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes.
3. While the tray is cooling, now you can make the peanut butter mixture. Mix the sugar, peanut butter, and crushed graham crackers (I simply placed 4 graham crackers in a bag and smashed it). Once mixed, you will have your peanut butter filling. I poured the filling on to a piece of wax paper and molded into a rectangle. From here, I broke down the rectangle into 12 even parts. Of these parts, I formed 12 cylinders.
4. Take the cooled tray from the freezer. Place 1/12 of the peanut butter mixture on to the chocolate base that you created.
5. Take the remaining 8 oz of chocolate and melt it. Once melted, drizzle the remaining chocolate evenly among the tins making sure to cover all of the peanut butter.
6. Once all of the chocolate has been used, place the tray in the freezer once more for about 10-15 minutes to finish shaping the peanut butter cup.
7. You are done! Enjoy your homemade Reeses peanut butter cups.
Feel free to share your experiences or any comments that you may have (:
