Come to the Table

Rice Krispies...Truffles?

If you're looking for something easy to stash in the fridge or freezer for a quick chocolate pick-me-up, I have the recipe for you.  It's a no-bake combination of peanut butter, Rice Krispies, and semisweet chocolate.

The recipe for these "Chocolate-Peanut- Butter Balls" says that it makes about 50.  I decided on my first taste of this recipe not to make that many, so I cut everything in thirds and still ended up with 23 balls. 

They couldn't be more simple to make, but you do need to allow some time for the balls to chill before and after dipping them in the chocolate.

They may not be sophisticated, but if you're a fan of chocolate & peanut butter, you won't be disappointed!  And with the main ingredient being a not-too-terrible-for-you cereal, do you think you could get away with having one or two with breakfast?

Chocolate-Peanut-Butter Balls
From the Baltimore Sun's Recipe Finder
Makes about 50

1 stick butter
2 cups (or one 18-ounce jar) creamy peanut butter
3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 pound (about 3 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
two 12-ounce packages semisweet chocolate morsels

In a saucepan, melt butter and peanut butter.  In a large bowl, combine Rice Krispies and powdered sugar.  Pour melted peanut-butter mixture over cereal mixture, using your hands to blend.  When completely combined, form into small balls.  Chill on cookie sheets covered with wax paper (or parchment paper) until firm.

Melt chocolate morsels in the top of a double boiler.  Dip balls, one at a time, into melted chocolate until fully coated.  Place on wax paper until set.  Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Mystery Retro Dessert

Can you guess what this dessert is called and what three ingredients it contains?

We're on an honor system here, so once you've guessed, click this link to find out if you were right.  Let me know how you did!

(Hint: I made this rich dessert with what I had left from the base layer of this recipe.)

bakingsheet's Cocoa Fudge Cookies

Don't you love it when you see a recipe you want to make and you happen to have all of the ingredients on hand?  I was inspired by Nic's Cocoa Fudge Cookies on her blog, bakingsheet.  Everything was waiting in the pantry or the refrigerator, even mini-chocolate chips and plain yogurt, so I started baking away. 

These cookies are deliciously fudgey.  It's surprising that they don't call for any eggs.  I guess the yogurt gives the moisture needed to hold everything together.  (But if you have someone in your house who hates yogurt, don't worry, they won't detect it in the cookies!)  I made mine a little bigger than directed, so I ended up with 17 cookies.  For the recipe, please visit bakingsheet.  Even if you aren't looking for this recipe, visit bakingsheet!  Who knows what you'll find to bake!

Tagged with: cookies chocolate

SHF #17 Ice Cream Truffle Pie

The theme for Sugar High Friday 17 hosted by Spitton Extra is dairy.  This ice cream truffle pie has got to be one of the easiest ways to get that sugar high.  All you have to do is plan out the timing of this dessert and it practically makes itself.

I stumbled across the recipe for this pie in the fantastic cookbook Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin.  From the bottom of the pie, the layers include a chocolate cookie crust, chocolate ice cream, a chocolate truffle layer, vanilla ice cream, and raspberry sauce with a splash of Grand Marnier.  You can also top it off with chopped walnuts but I've never tried that.

The combination of dairy items is delicious.  For this time around, I used Lee's Ice Cream made here in Maryland and was pleased with the richness of both the chocolate and vanilla flavors.  The truffle layer is simply heated heavy cream with semi-sweet chocolate chips, although you could upgrade that with higher-quality semi- or bittersweet chocolate.  I recommend increasing the number of chocolate wafers that go into the crust so it will fill the edges of the pie plate more fully.

This ice cream truffle pie is a staple of our entertaining menu.  You can buy the ingredients well ahead of time and work in the ice cream softening, spreading, freezing, truffle-making, and sauce-producing tasks throughout the day while you're getting ready for your guests.  Plus, leftovers keep well in the freezer so you can even make it for a small number of guests and enjoy a slice or two the next day.

SHF #16: The Sugar Quest

This month's Sugar High Friday is all about romance.  My offering are these sweet and luscious Butterscotch Pots de Creme.

One of my friends recommended the recipe.  I have trusted her guidance in all things culinary ever since she made chocolate eclairs for a class project in middle school! 

These pots de creme are as amazing as she promised.  They include dark muscovado sugar and Demerara sugar. These sugars lift this dessert above the ordinary.  You cannot imagine until you take a bite just how pleasing butterscotch custard can be. 

This was my first experience making pots de creme.  It wasn't difficult once I completed a quest for the hard-to-find-but-worth-it sugars, learned how to prepare a water bath, and set aside the time for making, cooling, and indulging in this heavenly dessert.

SHF #15 Chipper Banana Muffins

The concept for Sugar High Friday #15 is to make something sweet without using sugar.  I admit that my entry does have a bit of white sugar, and, oh, some chocolate chips.  But I think it still qualifies as low on the sugar scale.

These "Chipper Banana Muffins" from the Weight Watchers cookbook Simply the Best include bananas, unsweetened applesauce, and skim buttermilk.  You could omit the chocolate chips to make them less sweet, but who would willingly omit chocolate?!

Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Bars

This recipe could also be called "How to Make your Entire House Smell like Butter."

These shortbread cookies are another recent newspaper find.  When I read the recipe and article about them on a Saturday, I thought they would be the perfect thing to take to friend I was going to visit for lunch a few days later.

These buttery gems are simple to put together if you have the right tools: a cutting board, a good knife for chopping the bittersweet chocolate and almonds (I like to use a large bread knife), and a food processor.

Deepest, Darkest Chocolate Sauce

Why have a little bit of chocolate sauce on your ice cream when you can have a little bit of ice cream on your chocolate sauce?

I didn't really eat this inverted sundae but I hope the picture makes the point that this is a sauce to be reckoned with.

This silky concoction is from Fran Bigelow's Pure Chocolate.  It's called "deepest, darkest chocolate sauce" for good reason.  With the use of a sifter and a sieve plus two turns cooked over the stove, it's more complicated to make than the "pure chocolate sauce" I shared earlier, but worth it. 

Merry Christmas!

While I love to bake, at Christmastime it's wonderful to receive many baked gifts as well.  Eric and I are blessed to receive lots of yummy food gifts at this time of year such as the plate of cookies, candy and hot cocoa mix shown above. 

Thank you for coming to my table and being part of my new blogging adventures! 

I wish everyone a very sweet Christmas and a delicious New Year!

Cookies and Colors

We had some neighbors over for dinner recently, and the one assigned dessert brought some intriguing, light pink sugar cookies.  It turned out that there was a secret ingredient: Jell-o!

Jell-o is one of those foods that people seem to have strong opinions about.  I mean, some people love to have wobbly green "salad" filled with gelatin, cottage cheese, and shredded cucumbers.  Some people don't.  But it's likely that you can please either camp with these cookies. 

People who love Jell-o will enjoy knowing that their favorite ingredient is what gives the cookies some of their sweetness and what makes the sparkly pastel sheen on top.  People who don't normally put Jell-o on their top 10 list will simply enjoy the cookies and will likely reach for a second one.