Soft Caramel Popcorn

Tiffany’s Soft Caramel Popcorn
by Tiffany Thornton

Ingredients:
3 bags microwave popcorn, popped
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (I like to use salted butter since the rest of the popcorn is so sweet)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions:
Pop popcorn according to package directions and make sure you get rid of any unpopped kernels. Kim prefers the movie theater popcorn but it’s good with really any kind of popcorn. This seems like a lot of popcorn but trust me it will get eaten! Place popcorn in a large bowl…larger than you think you will need.

In a large saucepan melt together the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Bring mixture to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to medium heat and add the can of sweetened condensed milk. With the rubber spatula, stir constantly for 5 minutes scraping the sides and especially the bottom of the pan to
prevent any burning. The longer you cook it the firmer the caramel will be. I like mine a little on the soft side so I like to cook it shy of 5 minutes…around 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

Pour caramel over popcorn and stir until coated. This will take a lot of stirring to get it all incorporated. It’s great warm or at room temperature. Feel free to add in M&Ms, nuts, or drizzle it with chocolate. I like it plain and classic. Enjoy!

Hot Chocolate in Edible Chocolate Cups

"There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with Chocolate" Linda Grayson 

This is my take on 'Hot Chocolate'. Instead of the typical cup of steaming hot chocolate, these cups are made 100% out of chocolate. Perfect for a party to entertain your guests. They'll get a kick out of the velvety smooth mousse and edible cup that holds it.


The 'hot' aspect comes from the addition of cayenne pepper, which pairs nicely with chocolate. Don't be afraid of the heat!

You get a cold creaminess from whipped cream, sweetness and crunch from chocolate cup, and heat from the cayenne pepper. 



Prepare to have your taste buds dancing to a sweet and spicy tune!

















I seem to be doing more social media now a days but I still enjoy baking up a storm in the kitchen. Lots of things happening this month! Check out Ghirardelli, I'm featured on there every month. I will be baking for the Austin Blogger Bake sale to raise money for Japan and the online bake sale for Japan. Check back for posts on those. And I will be going to the Texas Wine & Food Festival. Nevertheless, hopefully it's not too late for hot chocolate! I know some of my friends who are in the northern States are still experiencing cold weather. Thankfully it's been warm and sunny in Austin Texas.

Hot chocolate.

Chocolate cups.

To make these chocolate cups, melt about 4 ounces to make 3 cups. Allow the chocolate to cool to slightly lukewarm but before the chocolate hardens up again. This is very important unless you want to see a balloon covered with chocolate exploding on you (don't ask me how I know).

I suggest using a high quality melting chocolate. I recommend usingGhirardelli baking bars. You can either use the double boiler, direct heat, or microwave method. Remember to break the chocolate bar into small pieces to ensure even melting.

Place the chocolate covered balloons on a pan covered with parchment paper.

You can either let the balloon sit for 30 minutes or stick them into the fridge to harden up faster.
Be careful when you pull the balloons off the parchment paper. And don't hold them to tight or else the sides will crush in and that's not fixable. If there are slight cracks along the sides or on the bottom, fix them with a piping bag filled with melted chocolate


Chocolate Mousse.
Adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients
3/4 cup whipping cream
6 ounces quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 ounces espresso or strong coffee
1/2 tbsp dark rum
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp flavorless, granulated gelatin
pinch of cayenne powder 

• Chill 1/2 cup whipping cream in refrigerator. Chill metal mixing bowl and mixer beaters in freezer.
• In top of a double boiler, combine chocolate chips, coffee, rum and butter. Melt over barely simmering water, stirring constantly. Remove from heat while a couple of chunks are still visible. Cool, stirring occasionally to just above body temperature.
• Pour remaining 1/4 cup whipping cream into a metal measuring cup and sprinkle in the gelatin. Allow gelatin to "bloom" for 10 minutes. Then carefully heat by swirling the measuring cup over a low gas flame or candle. Do not boil or gelatin will be damaged. Stir mixture into the cooled chocolate and set aside.
• In the chilled mixing bowl, beat cream to medium peaks. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Sprinkle in cayenne powder and fold in the remaining whipped cream in two doses. There may be streaks of whipped cream in the chocolate and that is fine. Do not over work the mousse.
• Makes 3-4 servings. 

Fill first with chocolate mousse

You can also add a topping of fresh whipped cream and garnish with a dash of cocoa powder.

Enjoy!

Chocolate cup cut right down the middle

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PLEASE NOTE: This post is undergoing publication, if you do use any of these pictures or reference, please email me at jane@atasteofkoko.com and let me know. I want to keep record of where it's being featured

DIY Chocolate Cups Filled with Fruit and Cream

How easy can a dessert be?  Buy some candy wrappers (1" size from Wilton that you can buy in any craft store or specialty cooking store, (they look like mini-cupcake papers).  Then use a small paint brush to paint the inside of the wrappers with melted chocolate (no licking your paint brush please!), and let it set until it's completely dry and formed.  Then carefully peel the paper off leaving you with a great chocolate shell.  Now comes the big decision--what to fill it with? Martha Stewart Weddings offers a recipe for a light filling that you can top with anything from fruit to edible flowers that we featured in a previous post on our cookie blog.  Any broken leftover chocolates are your bonus (snack for finishing the project, or just to keep you going!).  You can buy the chocolate dessert cups at a variety of specialty stores but that will up your cost considerably. 

A similar trick can be used to make larger bowls using small balloons and chocolate.  Ghiradelli Chocolate has a recipe on their web site and the photo above is theirs.  They do recommend using these the day you make them so it might be a better project to hand off to your favorite aunt and cousins or someone not closely involved in getting you ready for your wedding so your day isn't too insane.  They can also be used for wedding showers.  I'd check and see how long these survive in your freezer--some chocolate recipes will last a couple of weeks in the freezer.  My friend Debbie E. turned me onto this idea and the chocolate nests below--kudos Deb! These are a great option--for any party any time! 

Chocolate Cups

Peppermint Bark

This peppermint bark is so easy to make – I can’t believe that this is the first year that I’ve taken a crack at it. I made up a batch to give as Christmas gifts – but you could also use these as winter wedding favors. If you buy the white chocolate in bulk, this is an inexpensive way to say thank you to your guests.

Peppermint Bark Tutorial

Ingredients

1 lb white chocolate chunks or chips

1/2 cup of crushed candy canes

few drops of peppermint oil (I used creme de menthe flavor oil)

Unwrap candy canes, place them in a bag and crush them. I used a rolling pin to crush them.

Place white chocolate into double boiler and melt.

Place crushed candy canes into a sifter and let small pieces fall into the melted chocolate. Stir.

Pour melted chocolate onto parchment covered baking sheet.

Using spatula, spread chocolate as evenly as possible and sprinkle remaining larger chunks of candy cane onto the melted chocolate.

Refrigerate for 45 minutes. Remove from fridge, flip over onto a cutting board and cut into wedges.

Enjoy! If you are giving these as favors, place a couple of pieces into a small cellophane favor bag, tie and add a thank -you tag.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

If you love Krispy Kreme doughnuts just as much as the rest of the world, but you don't live near one, or you just want to make your very own. Then here is a nearly exact replica of the original Krispy Kreme doughnut recipe.

There is one warning that comes along with this great recipe, you'll be asked to make them for every one of your friends and family for years to come. Once people find out you are capable of making your own Krispy Kreme doughnuts (taste a-likes), they'll be knocking your door down for doughnuts every day.

Here are the ingrediants you will need:

{2 Eggs, Vegetable Oil, 5 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 packages of regular or rapid rise yeast, ¼ cup of warm water, 1 ½ cups of slightly warmed milk, 2/3 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of salt, 1/3 cup of shortening, and a Creamy glaze}

If you choose to make your own creamy glaze, to match the Krispy Kreme recipe, you'll want to get these ingrediants:

{1/3 cup of butter, 2 cups of powdered sugar, 5 tsps of hot water, and 1 ½ tsp of vanilla}

Time to start baking:

Step 1: Start by dissolving the yeast in warm water in a 2 ½ quart bowl.

Step 2: Add the eggs, milk, shortening, 2 cups of the flour and salt.

Step 3: Grab your electric mixer, and beat the mixture on a low speed for about 30 seconds to a minute. Continue to beat on a medium speed for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes.

Step 4: Pour in the remainder of flour.

Step 5: Cover and allow the mixture to rise in a warm place for about an hour. (You know its read y when you push slightly on the dough and the indentation doesn't fill in again)

Step 6: Put the dough on a well floured surface and roll around lightly in order to cover with flour.

Step 7: Carefully roll the dough into a ½ inch thick with a well floured rolling pin.

Step 8: Cut with a floured doughnut cutter.

Step 9: Cover again, and continue to allow the dough to rise, until it's doubled its height. This will take about 45 minutes.

Step 10: Heat up the vegetable oil in a deep fryer and make sure the temperature reaches 350 degrees.

Step 11: Place all of the doughnuts into the oil very carefully to avoid splattering burns, and to make sure the mixture stays in the doughnut shape.

Step 12: Fry the doughnuts until they reach a golden brown color, which will take about 1 minute on each side.

Step 13: Remove very carefully from the oil, and place on a draining spoon.

Step 14: Dip the doughnuts into the glaze, and then set aside to dry and cool.

Here are the directions to making the creamy glaze:

Step 1: Melt the butter in a sauce pan.

Step 2: Remove from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar, and then add the vanilla.

Step 3: Stir until smooth, and then slowly add in the water 1 tbs at a time. You can make the mixture thicker by adding less water.

That's all there is to it. Now you have your very own home made Krispy Kreme replicated doughnuts!