It’s not Five Golden Rings, but Golden Pretzels, all dipped in chocolate
Pretzels and almond bark
Tag Archives: snacks
#4/52: Chocolate Covered Cherries
29 Jan
Week 4: Project 52
In honor of National Chocolate Day, National Candy Day, or Valentines day (hey you pick, I don’t need an excuse for chocolate) I’m presenting one of my favorite candy recipes. Chocolate covered cherries. They are a favorite and even people who say they don’t like chocolate covered cherries like these.
I normally make them at Christmas, but this year was a little busy and these take a little time. It’s not a mad almond bark dipping marathon with these delicacies. Enjoy, I don’t think mine will make it to Valentines Day
Ingredients
- 30 maraschino cherries (one jar)
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 1 pound chocolate confectioners’ coating (I use good chocolate almond bark)
Directions
- Drain cherries and set on paper towels to dry.
- In a medium bowl, combine butter and corn syrup until smooth. Stir in confectioners’ sugar and knead to form a dough. Chill to stiffen if necessary.
- Pinch off a teaspoon bit of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten in your palm
- Wrap each cherry in about 1 teaspoon of dough. Gather the excess sugar dough on the ends and pinch off. You want the thinnest layer of sugar paste around the cherry without any juice seeping through
- Place on waxed paper and place in the freezer to chill for one hour or until firm.
- Melt confectioners’ coating in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Dip each cherry in by its stem, and place on waxed paper lined sheets. Chill until completely set. Wrap in candy foil squares
- Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
- Best after 1 or 2 weeks when the sugar paste melts and merges with the cherry juice. (yeah, if they last that long!)
Don’t have the patience, or time, or ambition to try them yourself, then you can buy Chocolate Covered Cherries and no one will complain. a
Related articles
- Ghirardelli Chocolate-Covered Cherry Brownies (annumography.wordpress.com)
- Cherry Chocolate Larabar Squares (ourlittlefamilyadventure.wordpress.com)
Day 302-306: Marine Corp, Boot Camp Family Day
13 NovAfter thirteen weeks of intensive training Marine recruits see their families for the first time the day before graduation on Family Day. Up until then there are no phone calls, no emails, no Facebook, nothing. They are totally immersed in concentrated training and focused on the task. In this day of instant communication it is definitely a culture shock not only for the recruits but the families who are used to being in touch with their kids at all times.
MCRD Family Day Moto Run, Formation
Boot Camp, Liberty Formation
My youngest son had a different experience in boot camp. He left right after high school, and experienced more homesickness than his older brother who had been in college for two years prior. My new Marine was craving food of all types and during his five hour liberty on Thursday he ate continuously.
All we could do was watch in amazement as two bags of homemade treats, beef jerky, oreo balls, “Memaws “(bran) muffins, swedish fish, pringles, cheeseburger, ice cream disappeared AFTER a full buffet lunch. Since Marines cannot eat and walk in uniform at the same time there was a lot of stopping to snack.
New Marine at MCRD San Diego
Open the Feed Bag for a new Marine
Related articles
- Dueling Knife-Hands (ndjmom.wordpress.com)
- Marine recruit caught running across runway at San Diego airport (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
- Required Reading for Marines
Day 286: Chocolate Cupcake
10 Nov
Heavenly delight, a chocolate chocolate cupcake, yum! What’s better is I didn’t have to make these myself, my step daughter did for a friends birthday.
Day 287/365: Caramel Apple Dip
8 NovFound this Caramel Apple Dip recipe several years ago, and it’s the best I’ve every had. I should know, I’m a caramel apple addict. Every year I lose my index card and have to dig for it again, but it always turns up in a drawer, or my recipe box, in the wrong section.
So I’m posting it here for posterity, then I can always do a search where ever I am. Yes, the recipe is at the bottom and I did eat all the apples on the plate and the 1/2 cup of dip in the bowl. Yes, I’m a pig, oink, oink, smile.
Caramel Apple Dip
Caramel Apple Dip recipe
Here’s the recipe as I found it in Taste of Home’s Simple & Delicious magazine 2006
Ingredients
- 1 package (14 oz) caramels
- 20 large marshmallows
- 1/2 cup butter, melted (mmm butter)
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (full octane cream, mmmm)
- Apple slices
Place caramels in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 minute. Add marshmallows (which in my opinion don’t count as sugar) ; microwave for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted, stirring occasionally. whisk in butter and cream until combined. Serve with apple slices. Refrigerate leftovers.
Yield 2 1/2 cups
Day 239/365: A Friendly’s Perfect Ending
14 Sep
Friendly's Sundae, a perfect ending to any outing
Does anyone need any reminders that I love Friendly’s sundaes? Don’t think so. Since Friendly’s restaurants have yet to open a store in Nebraska I have to get my fill when I return to Connecticut. This was my third and last stop of my Connecticut trip and it was a perfect way to end our Block Island trip.
Day 222/365: Ding, Ding, Ding, It’s the Ice Cream Truck
3 Aug
Summer and the Ice Cream Truck, Perfect Match
Ding, Ding, Ding, yup I hear it. In the distance some where is an ice cream truck. Doesn’t matter that I spent twelve hours in 100F garage cataloging the left over contents of my Mom’s house. I can find the energy to run to the road for the ice cream truck. I do believe it’s the fastest I moved that whole week.
Thanks Steve by the way for supper and treating us for ice cream. I was so excited that I forgot to grab my wallet.
Instant Childhood with Orange Creamsicles
One last photo, (Can I really call this a 365 project anymore, or a photo of the day? Don’t think so) Orange Cream Popsicle are my favorite, what is yours?
Day 215/365: Banana Pudding Dessert
11 Jul
Banana Pudding
Simple yet delicious dessert. Instant banana pudding, slice up two bananas, place some vanilla wafers strategically around the edge and decorate with Redi-Whip. Disappears fast and it’s fast. It’s so simple I can’t even format a recipe for it, just mix, add and eat.
Day 202/365: Easy Chocolate Trifle
27 Jun
Easy Chocolate Trifle
Food, chocolate, rich chocolate covered in Cool Whip and Heath bars. Decadent and actually not as rich as it appears. Thanks to Pampered Chef I made this wonderful Easy Chocolate Trifle for my party and it was a hit. My kids fought over it and said I had to make it again.
You expect a recipe maybe? Ok, here it is
Ingredients
- 1 pan of brownies
- 1 qt (4 cups) cold milk
- 2 pkg (4 serving size each) Chocolate Instant Pudding & Pie Filing
- 1 tub (8 oz) Whipped Topping, thawed
- 4 pkg (1.4 oz each) Heath Bars
Directions
Bake brownies. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. ADD mild to dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. LAYER half each of the brownie cubes, pudding, whipped topping and crushed chocolate bars in large glass trifle bowl.
REPEAT all layers, Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Day 176/365: Homemade Granola Bars
31 MayThis recipe is courtesy of Red Feather Guides in North Park Colorado. We had a wonderful half day horse back ride into the mountains and the guide brought these delicious granola bars. Can’t say enough about the company and the people.
Homemade Granola
Recipe is at the bottom, but needless to say the “goodies” inside the granola bars can vary, instead of raisins I used dried blueberries (I have 6 lbs a friend gave me). Dried cherries substituted for cranberries too. I added dates too. Can I ever leave a recipe alone?
Homemade Granola Bars- before baking
The first batch was so popular I ended up making two batches. So I’ll be taking these to work this week and have snacks for the kids during their summer school vacation.
Homemade Granola Bars
These weren’t nearly as good as eating them at 12,000 feet. But then again is anything. Here’s a picture from that trip and another shout-out to Red Feather Guides. If you ever are in northern Colorado and want to go on a horse back ride into the mountains they are the ones to call.
Horseback Riding in the Rockies
Here is the snack spread the guide shared with us at the summit. We sat on this ledge which overlooked Lake Agnes, it’s behind us in the valley, sorry you can’t see it, and ate our lunch.
Snack at the top of the Rockies
Ok, enough of the teasing, here is the recipe.
Red Feather Granola Bar Recipe
- 1/2 Cup Butter
- 1 1/4 cup sugar (brown packed, or white)
- 2 Eggs
- 1/3 cup Molasses
- 1 3/4 cup Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 cups Old Fashioned oatmeal
- 1/2 cup nuts
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- 1/2 cup Cranberries
- 1 cup Chocolate Chips
Directions
- Combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda together in a bowl
- Combine butter, molasses, sugar and eggs together in 2nd bowl
- Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients
- Combine oatmeal, raisins, chocolate chips, nuts together then add to mixture
- Spoon into a 19′ x 13′ pan (parchment paper and spray with Pam-don’t forget this)
- Cook for 20 minutes at 350, check for doneness at this point and length time 5 minutes until the consistency desired.
- When cool turn upside down with parchment paper, seems to be easier to cut up into bars this way.
I tend to be generous with the “goodies” and find myself adding an extra cup or so of nuts, fruit or chips, still turns out fantastic! Enjoy
