Dark Chocolate Coconut Almond Crunch

The secret to a happy life, in my opinion, is chocolate. There are very few things that can give me the pure satisfaction that chocolate can. It can also take away any sadness or anger I may be feeling and instantly put me in a great mood. Pair that chocolate with some salty nuts and crunchy, buttery toffee and you've got yourself a winning combination. 

Now, throw a little toasted coconut on top and you've officially arrived. This is as good as it gets.

There's something really satisfying about chopping up chocolate. Give me a sharp knife and a big hunk of dark chocolate and I'll be a happy camper.

Hello, beautiful chocolate. Hi! You're so pretty. Yes you are.

Now, a sprinkling of pixie dust. I mean coconut. And now you have yourself the perfect little treat that will satisfy your sweet tooth. And your salty tooth, if that's a thing. Which it's not. But, it should be.

Enjoy! But try not to eat them all at once... Like I did. 

Dark Chocolate Almond Crunch:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1- 1/2 cups chopped dark chocolate
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut

Directions:

Place a skillet over medium heat and heat almonds, while tossing for 1-2 minutes or until they're golden brown and smell nice and toasty. Set aside. Place coconut in the same pan and toss until golden brown, then remove from heat and set aside.

Place sugar and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Once mixture melts, cook for 6-8 minutes, or until it's beginning to thicken and turn a rich caramel color. Quickly toss almonds to the pan and coat with mixture. Place tablespoons of the nut mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to harden.

While nuts are cooling, melt chocolate over a double boiler until smooth and shiny. Spoon or drizzle chocolate over clusters and sprinkle with toasted coconut and sea salt. 

Makes about 16 clusters

Key Lime Macadamia Cookies

You know that whole thing everyone says: "stressed spelled backwards is desserts" -- yeah, that thing. Well, I believe in the power of that saying. Okay, so maybe "power" is a little strong... but, baking/creating sweet treats is really and truly a stress-reliever for me, and most people I know. What is it that makes it so relaxing and therapeutic? 

I think it has something to do with the amount of attention you have to pay to your ingredients and your measurements. When you're dealing with baking sodas, baking powders, different types of flours and sugars, there really is such thing as "too much" or "too little." It seems like there's a lot more trial and error for me when it comes to creating a new dessert recipe.

I think it also has to do with the fact that at the end of the whole process you're going to have something that's going to taste like happiness. Dessert tastes like happiness. Happiness comes in many shapes and forms, like chocolate, peanut butter, lemon, for example. But, overall, desserts in general are comforting and, most importantly, they're always there for you. Chocolate would never call you names. Caramel would never go to the grand opening of that new shoe store with your snooty next door neighbor. And pie would never make fun of you for that new "vintage" hairstyle that you're desperately trying to bring back. 

Really, I believe that food, in general is great way to relieve stress. Whether you're cooking something, baking something or even just enjoying a nice meal at your favorite restaurant, it's a wonderful escape from the every day chaos that we all go through each and every day. No matter who you are, you've got some kind of chaos. For me, it comes in the form of a 2-year-old daredevil that loves watching things break and making wet, gooey, stick-in-your-rug concoctions with anything and everything he can get his hands on.

So, you'll have to excuse me if I hide in my bedroom, pretending to shower, but secretly sneaking the last chocolate chip cookie. Or if I get away to the grocery store and eat a whole bag of chocolate covered pretzels on the drive home. Remember... Stressed spelled backwards is Desserts, people. So, it's okay.

Today I've got a tasty treat for your enjoyment that's bound to be a hit with any citrus lover you know. It's got a great key lime flavor with a bit of nuttiness from the brown butter glaze that's covering the top, and it melts in your mouth. Literally. It's got that great texture that you find in Wedding Cookies, but without all the powdered sugar mess that comes along with them. Oh, and the macadamia nuts? Don't even get me started on those... 

Key Lime Macadamia Cookies:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons key lime juice
• 1 tablespoon key lime zest
• 2 + 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

For the glaze:

• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place butter in a small pan (preferably one with a light colored bottom) over medium heat. Now, you have to pay very close attention, as your butter is going to be ready before you know it. Your butter will melt, then it will become foamy and then it will begin to turn a very light golden brown and finally to a nice, deep brown. You will smell the difference! Once it reaches the deep brown, nutty stage, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a small bowl to cool.

Place chopped macadamia nuts in a skillet over medium heat. Stir and toast nuts until fragrant, and until they're just starting to get a nice light brown color. Remove from heat. 

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Stir in key lime juice and zest. Slowly mix in flour until well combined, then fold in macadamia nuts. Shape dough into balls (I used about 1 tablespoon for each) and place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown, but not the tops.

Place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

While cookies are cooling, mix your brown butter, powdered sugar and milk in a small mixing bowl. Consistency should be runny.

When cookies are cool, use a spoon to pour glaze over the tops of cookies. I used about 1 large teaspoon for each cookie. 

Allow glaze to set slightly, then devour!

Enjoy! 

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Pineapple Upside-Down Dip

Growing up, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake was one of my mom's most commonly made cakes... It was always my favorite and to this day, I always ask her to bring it to family get-togethers and holidays. To me, it's all about comfort. I love the sweet, caramelized pineapples and cherries almost as much as I love my family. Well, that might be going a little far, but the truth is, I really do love them. That part is true.

I decided to take my love for this wonderful cake and transform it into something new. I wanted to take the components of the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake and try to turn them into a fluffy, magical dip... just to see what would happen.

The results? A fluffy, magical dip that you won't be able to stop eating. And your family won't be able to stop either. I know this from experience. My husband, Mr. No-thanks-I-Don't-Need-Dessert couldn't keep his hands off this dip. That's right there is all the confirmation I needed. Do you need any more proof than that?

I served ours with some vanilla wafer cookies (which I would highly recommend) but you could also serve it with graham crackers or even some cut up strawberries or fruit. Whatever makes your boat float. Or... Whatever floats your boat. You know that old saying...

Before you take my word on it, I highly suggest you grab the ingredients you need for this magical dip, maybe even grab some friends to share it with, and make a nice, big bowl full. Then, come right back here and tell me how much it reminded you of your granny's pineapple upside-down cake, or your aunt's or your childhood. Then, proceed in thanking me and sending warm wishes my way because you feel that your life is now just a little bit better because of this delightful dip.

Pineapple Upside-Down Dip:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup pineapple tidbits
• 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, halved
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons butter

Directions:

In a stand mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove from bowl and set aside. Add cake mix and pineapple juice to mixer and combine. Mix in the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Add whipped cream back in and mix until fluffy.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter, add brown sugar, pineapple and cherries. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, or until fruit is caramelized. Allow mixture to cool completely, then slowly fold into the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Best served cold.)

Serve with vanilla cookies, graham crackers or your choice of yummy treat.

Chinese Lantern Cake Pops for Chinese New Year!

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

My little family is a family of tradition, that's for sure. We love celebrating different holidays and events throughout the year and we especially love coming up with delicious ways to make them memorable! This year, since Chinese New Year is just around the corner (February 19th!) my daughter and I decided that we should celebrate by making some adorable Chinese Lantern cake pops!

The first thing we did was head to Walmart to grab our cake pop supplies. While we were there we headed down the frozen aisle to the Family Meals section and grabbed a box of Tai Pei® Mini Vegetable Spring rolls and a box of Pork Egg Rolls. We definitely needed some traditional, authentic Chinese foods for our celebration!  We totally had an 'ah-ha!' moment and decided that even though the egg rolls and spring rolls come with their own dipping sauce, we should also whip up a couple of new dipping sauces for them (a sweet ginger sauce and a mustard sauce -- See below for recipes!) We love sauces in this house.

Once we were home we started on our cake pops...

Chinese Lantern Cake Pop Tutorial:

Materials Needed:

• 1 baked 9"x13" yellow cake
• 1 container vanilla frosting
• 3 cups Red Chocolate Melting Disks
• 3 tablespoons Yellow Chocolate Melting Disks
• 1 roll fruity ribbon (the kind you put in your kids' lunches)
• 16 square yellow taffy candies
• Cake pop sticks or wooden skewers

Step 1: Take 12 of the yellow taffy candies and roll them into balls, then flatten slightly. Use a wooden skewer to poke a hole in the center. Basically, you're making a taffy doughnut. 

Step 2: Cut a 2" long piece of fruity ribbon, then cut ribbon into thirds (mine already came pre-cut into 3 equal ribbons.)

Step 3: Use a skewer to poke the ends of the fruit ribbon into the center of the taffy candy.

Step 4: Place all finished taffy rounds on a plate or parchment paper so the side facing down will become flat.

Step 5: Cut the remaining 4 taffy candies into thirds, roll into balls and flatten slightly.

Step 6: Place half of the baked cake into a mixing bowl and add 4 tablespoons of vanilla frosting. Mix well until all frosting is incorporated.

Step 7: Divide cake mixture and roll into 1" balls. Dip the end of your cake pop stick or skewer into your melted yellow chocolate and push into the center of each ball. Place in freezer for about 10 minutes, or until balls are slightly firm.

Step 8: Place red melting disks into a microwave-safe mug and melt, stirring every 30 seconds. 

Step 9: Dip each chilled cake ball into the melted chocolate.

Step 10: Poke the bottom of each stick into a block of styrofoam or in a cake pop stand to harden.

Step 11: Place remaining red chocolate into a ziptop bag and pipe lines around the pop going from the top of the cake pop all the way down to the stick.

Step 12: Place a squirt of chocolate on the top of the cake pop and add your small round piece of taffy. Place a small amount of chocolate at the base of the cake pop and slide the larger taffy piece (with ribbons dangling down) up to adhere to the base of the cake pop. 

Makes 12 Chinese Lantern Cake Pops

Now, sit back and admire your adorable Chinese Lantern Cake Pops! 

While we were making our cake pops we talked about the traditions of Chinese New Year and learned a few new things...

This year is the year of the sheep! 

Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is a holiday centered around wishing 'good fortune' to all. Many give 'red envelope' gifts (money) to friends and loved ones.

Did you know that Chinese Lantern Festivals are held around the world to mark the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations?  In Hong Kong it's pretty much the equivalent to Valentine's Day!

Also, a lot of the lanterns, nowadays, are much more intricate than they used to be. They have lanterns shaped like animals! You should definitely look online for some pictures and videos as they are super awesome to see!

The next step in our celebration was to heat up our Tai Pei® egg rolls and spring rolls!

Onto the baking sheet you go!

While our snacks were cooking away we whipped up our mustard dipping sauce and our sweet ginger sauce!

It's great being able to have authentic, restaurant-quality egg rolls at home and they really added that special touch to our Chinese New Year celebration!

My hubby loved the mustard dipping sauce and I was head-over-heels for the sweet ginger sauce! Yum.

After we ate our egg rolls we went outside and released our "Chinese lanterns." 

And by 'released' I obviously meant 'ate.' We ate them.

For a little extra fun you can use your phone to scan the QR Code on the side of your Tai Pei® snacks and get your very own fortune! Chinese New Year is all about good fortune (luck) so this was a great little surprise!

The Chinese New Year app on Facebook includes a Red Envelope Tab that features coupons for their delicious products (until they run out!) So, make sure to download yours!

You can visit Tai Pei® on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for more delicious Chinese New Year inspiration!

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Mustard Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice
• 1 tablespoon hot water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until sugar has melted. You can serve warm or place in the refrigerator and chill until ready to serve.

Sweet Ginger Sauce:

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar 
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon soy
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flake
• 5 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium until thickened. Allow mixture to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Churro Cheesecake Bombs

It's easy to wake up on Monday morning and think to yourself "wow, I really could have used my free time this past weekend a lot better."  Or feel like you didn't get enough rest in, or that you didn't get enough free-time or me-time. This past weekend was a perfect weekend for me, one full of relaxing, spending time together as a family and watching some sports games that didn't end at all how we had hoped. Oh well.

The hardest part about the weekend for me is trying to keep my almost-2-year-old from destroying the house so we can actually enjoy lounging, instead of sitting there, surrounded by billions of little toys, feeling like we live in a dump... a toy dump. I love my son, I do, but right now he's at the stage where his idea of "playing with toys" is actually just to take a toy, place it in a random spot in the house, then get another toy and place it in the trash, then get another toy and throw it at his sister, and so on. If I find one more puzzle piece in the sink I'm probably going to break.

On Sunday we had planned to watch the Packers vs. Seahawks game, followed by the UFC fight and it was going to be my job to make all the snacks (of course!) I made my Crispy BBQ Wings, Jalapeño Popper dip (coming later this week!) and these amazing Churro Cheesecake Bombs that I'm going to share with you right now!

The first step in making a truly delicious Cheesecake Bomb is by making a truly delicious cheesecake mixture! Then, you take that truly delicious cheesecake mixture and stuff it inside of a triangle of crescent roll dough. Easy peasy, right?

The next step is baking them until they're golden brown...

Like this! Then you roll them in some cinnamon sugar...

And Voilà! You now have yourself a plate of delicious Churro Cheesecake Bombs to serve to your sports-watching crew! How easy was that? Try not to eat them all before you serve them... I know it will be a challenge!

These bombs taste great slightly warm or at room temperature, it just depends on your preference! I haven't tried refrigerating them yet because they never stick around for very long. If you have any that do make it into the fridge, leave me a comment below and tell me how they taste ;)

Churro Cheesecake Bombs:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 2 cans crescent roll dough
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 heaping tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place cream cheese, egg, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla and lemon juice in a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes), making sure to scrape the bowl at least twice (gotta get those cream cheese clumps incorporated!)

Unroll crescent dough and divide into triangles. Place a rounded tablespoon full of the cream cheese mixture on the wide part of the crescent roll, fold over, seal all edges, forming a "ball" shape, then fold the thin end of the crescent dough over the top of your bomb. Place on your baking sheet and repeat with remaining crescent rolls.

Allow bombs to cool slightly, then combine cinnamon and remaining sugar in a shallow dish and roll each bomb in the cinnamon sugar to coat.

Bake in preheated oven for 14-16 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 16 Bombs.

Linked to:
Flour me with love, skip to my lou, the ny melrose family, buns in my oven, ducks in a row

The Monday Sundae

For years now my daughter has been talking about starting her own restaurant. She's 7 and she has decided that her goal is to have a family restaurant where the children get a sucker on their birthday. A cherry sucker, specifically. She has also decided that there will be an ice cream sundae on the menu called the "Monday Sundae" and it will help you get through the long week of work/school. She has been begging me for months to help her bring her vision of the Monday Sundae to life, so I thought it was time to finally see it through...

We wanted the Monday Sundae to be the most comforting ice cream treat in the whole world. It had to give people a warm, fuzzy, happy feeling that would help ease them into the work week... We all know how hard it can be to get out of the "weekend mode!" So, we had to start with a base of something that was so amazing, so ooey-gooey, warm-you-from-the-inside-out delicious that all other things would pale in comparison... soooo... we used a Warm Cinnamon Roll. Oh yes, we went there...

Next we scooped on a heaping pile of Butter Pecan Ice cream, because it is most definitely a comforting ice cream... We followed that up with a massive amount of Salted Caramel and finally, the pièce de résistance, Chocolate Covered Candied Bacon. How badly are you drooling right now?

Let me warn you, though... This is probably the best ice cream sundae you will ever taste. The Chocolate Covered Candied Bacon alone is absolutely mind-blowing... Plus, the caramel?! And the cinnamon roll?! You must think we're crazy... But, I promise you, this time, our craziness has paid off and because of our craziness you will be able to fly through the week and the weekend will be here before you know it. And guess what... from now on you will look forward to Mondays because the Monday Sundae is here to help you.

Monday Sundae:

{Print Recipe}

INGREDIENTS:

4 Slices Bacon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 jar caramel dessert topping

1 teaspoon sea salt

4 cinnamon rolls

Butter pecan ice cream

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack (coated with baking spray) over the top. Coat both sides of the bacon with brown sugar and place on the rack. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until bacon is firm and crisp. Remove from oven and immediately remove from rack. Place on parchment paper and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Meahwhile, heat chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl until melted, then, carefully spoon it over the top of each strip of bacon and allow it to cool. Once it has cooled you can break it into pieces.

Add sea salt to jar of caramel and mix well.

Place warm cinnamon roll into your serving bowl, top it with a giant scoop of butter pecan ice cream, as much salted caramel as your heart desires, and finish it off by sprinkling the chocolate covered bacon over the top.

You now have the most comforting dessert in the entire world at your fingertips… You can now conquer the world.  

Makes 4 Sundaes.

St. Patrick's Day Marshmallow Pops

Have you ever gotten pinched for not wearing green on St. Patrick's day? I'm trying to remember if I have. I feel like I did when I was younger... but I realize now that every year on St. Patrick's day, I make sure to always wear green. 

I think the true fun of St. Patrick's Day is in all the little things that combine to make a unique and fun celebration. In our home, we do a (somewhat) traditional dinner for the holiday and don't go too overboard. However, we do go a bit overboard on the days leading up to this

"lucky" day and these simple, fun and adorable marshmallow pops are just one way that we 

we do that. Cheers to you and I wish you the best of luck this St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day Marshmallow Pops:

Ingredients:

3 large marshmallows

Food Writers - Green, Black & Yellow "markers"

1 teaspoon melted white chocolate

Green sprinkles

Wooden Skewer or (long) lollipop stick

Instructions:

Brush the outside edge of one large marshmallow with melted chocolate and roll in green sprinkles. Place on parchment paper and allow to dry.

Using food writer markers, draw a clover on the "face" of one marshmallow and green stripes around the outside edge. Draw a pot of gold on the other marshmallow, and write "kiss me" or "lucky" or another cute, St. Patrick's day saying on the other marshmallow.

Place marshmallows on skewer and tie green ribbon around the stick.