Irish Cream Magic Bars

I am going to keep this post short and sweet.   I leave for Florida tonight.  Well we leave to go to Buffalo to then fly out tomorrow morning so there is much to do to get ready.   Our first trip with the little one,  so I am making sure I have enough but not too much.  Shocking how much I can bring for 3.5 month old.  Her stuff is over flowing into my suitcase. I am exhausted already. Alas,  I am really looking forward to getting out of this slush and into some warm sunny weather.  The LO will get some  quality time with Grandma and Grandpa and I will get a tan.

Since St. Patricks day is coming and I will miss 6 days of baking I am getting you a dessert early.   When its St. Paddy's day you bake with Irish cream and make it green and that is exactly what I did.

Enjoy.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Magic Bars

Are you a chrome,  explorer or maybe even firefox fan?  If you have a mac I guess maybe you use safari.  I am a huge chrome fan.  I in fact despise Internet explorer,  it is slow and inefficient.   I have no reference for Mac users as I don't have one.  But I do love Chrome.   Chrome is so smooth, well integrated and has apps.   All sorts of cool apps that you can play in your browser, just like a tablet.  Photo apps, fitness apps, food apps, games and more.  Many apps are just quick jumps to their web pages, sort of like a quick bookmark.   The above photo had the text added through one of the photo apps, similar to pic monkey My husband has recently introduced me to an app called Feedly.   It is a news/blog reader app, it is very cool.  It takes items you follow and puts them into a nicer format, categorizes them and makes it streamlined and neat.   Hopefully this will allow me to keep track a bit more of some of my favorite blogs.  They also have it on android, not sure about Apple but I really like it so far.

One of my favorite blogs Crazy for Crust has been getting super creative with magic bars. All these cool bars she keeps making is making me crave some. I figured I should try to come up with my own kicked up version.   A peanut butter lovers dream bar.   Thanks Dorothy for the inspiration.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Magic Bars

10 Days of Cookies - Day 6 & Cookies & Crafts for SHES

One of my favorite things about blogging is how we all come together to support each other and the community. Today's posts is in tribute to Sandy Hook Elementary School as part of Cookies and Crafts for Sandy Hook.  Many Bloggers are posting cookie or crafts recipes in tribute.  There are also several bloggers who have Etsy shops who are donating a portion of their proceeds today to Newton Youth and Family services. If you would like to a list of the Etsy shops participating check out the following link from Crazy for Crust - Etsy Shops.   I am on my way over to take a look and I hope you do to.

I choose this recipe because what kid doesn't love to eat cookie dough...and now they can.

Chocolate Cookie Dough Sandwiches

Cookie

• 1/2 cup (135 gr) butter
• 1/2 cup (125 gr) light brown sugar 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 1 large egg 
• 1 2/3 cups (250 gr) unbleached all purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder 
• 2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder

Cookie Dough  (You will have extra dough to eat)

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 can (14 ounces) fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 2/3 cup crushed Hershey's Eggies or Cadbury Mini Eggs
• Coloured sugar for rolling 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and espresso powder
2) Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl/mixer bowl and beat together until creamy. Add egg, and vanilla, combine until incorporated
3) Add flour mixture to wet mixture, beating at medium speed until just combined.
4) Turn out cookie dough on to a lightly floured surface and form into a disc. Cover in saran wrap and refrigerator for an hour. If the cookie dough is too firm to roll, allow to soften slightly.
5) On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thick and cut into 2 ½ inch scalloped circles. Place a on a parchment/silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Make the cookie dough

6) In your mixer bowl or a large bowl, cream the butter, vanilla and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
7) Slowly add flour, alternately with condensed milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in the Eggies/Mini Eggs

8) Depending on what size cutter you use , will depend on how much cookie dough you use.  Make it about 1/4 inch thick.  Then roll in the coloured sugar. 

I love edible cookie dough.  It is so addicting.  I love how you can almost turn any dessert festive.  

MEG's RATING: D-EEEEE-LICIOUS!

This event is brought to you by: Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks, The Red Headed Baker, Real Housemoms, Crazy for Crust, Something Swanky, Life After Laundry, Two Kids Cooking, Frugal Foodie Mama, The Doctorate Housewife, Heather's French Press, Operation Dinnertime, Lovely Pantry, What's Cooking Love?, Cupcakes and Kale Chips, Occasionally Crafty, Pint Sized Baker, Pineapple and Coconut, Wine & Glue, Lemonsforlulu, A Sweet Baker, Mom On Timeout, The Freshman Cook, Sweet Twist of Blogging, A Family Feast, Julie's Eats & Treats, Eat at Allie's, Here Comes the Sun, The Kitchen is My Playground, Just My Crazy Kitchen, The Sweet Chick, The Tasty Fork, Wholly Delicious Dishes, Chocolate, Chocolate and more , Yours and Mine ARE Ours, Kitchen Meets Girl, Daily Dish Recipes, Sweet Bella Roos, Mom's Test Kitchen Persnickety Plates Food Done Light


Here are a few of Etsy Shops

Ashton Swank (http://www.somethingswanky.com)

On Friday, 12/21/12, the money from all orders I receive for blog designs will be donated to Newtown Youth & Family Services.

Becca Heflin (http://www.itsyummi.com)

In memory of the lives lost yesterday, and in an effort to help the families monetarily, I will be donating 50% of my personal commission from all sales of the online Pampered Chef party that my boyfriend (Brian Donovan) is currently holding, to the following organization: http://www.newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org/donate.php

Sales for the party will close at 6:00pm CST Saturday night. Your payment will not be processed until tomorrow or Monday at the latest, and your shipment will arrive in time for Christmas. (I can only accept orders for delivery within the contiguous United States) 

If you're interested in making a purchase, here is the link to the party's FB event page. Once there, you will see directions and a link to where you can order http://www.facebook.com/events/134060313417873/

Lisa Longley (http://www.wineandglue.com)

I will donate 100% of the profit from orders placed in my Etsy Shop, Hummingbird's View (http://www.etsy.com/shop/HummingbirdsView) on 12/21/12 to Newtown Youth & Family Services.

Heather (www.hezzi-dsbooksandcooks.blogspot.com)

I will donate 100% of the profits from all orders placed in my etsy Shop, HezziD's Baked Goods and Crafts (http://www.etsy.com/shop/HezziDBakesandCrafts) on 12/21/12 to the Newtown Youth and Family Services.

Emily Bruno (www.sweetbellaroos.com)

I will donate 100% of the sales of my 'Sandy Hook Hairbow' tomorrow to the Newton Youth and Family Services.  My goal is $260.  (https://www.etsy.com/listing/118584292/sandy-hook-hairbow-100-donation)

My Version of Pralines and Cream Ice Cream

The list of ice creams for me to try  is growing as I type.  My husband is a huge fan of pralines and cream ice cream.  This is his summer staple and we always have to get some when we go to the cottage.  The other night we were supposed to go to a friends house for dinner so I figured I would show them my new obsession and bring ice cream and chocolate cake.  Dinner, however got cancelled but not after I already had the ice cream liquid cooling in the fridge. More for Brad I guess.  I decided to spin what seems to be a no fail recipe and try to make this recipe a little more figure friendly since I seem to be making ice cream a little too often now.   Maybe I should get myself another freezer?  I am going to run out of space,  who wants to take some home?

Pralines and Cream Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 cups half and half (10% cream)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tbsp agava nectar or honey
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2-3/4 can of sweetened condensed milk turned into dulche de leche  - see how here

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Preheat the oven to 350F.  Combine the pecans, agava nectar and sugar in a small bowl.  Place the pecan  mixture on a silpat on a baking sheet.  Bake for 5-7 minutes until pecans are slightly fragrant.  Let cool.

2) Add egg yolk and vanilla paste in a medium bowl and whisk together.   Set aside
  

3) Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a sauce pan and whisk together.

4) Slowly stir in milk and half and half, heat over medium-high heat whisking constantly until milk begins to boil and the liquid begins to thicken.  Remove from heat.

5) Temper in the hot liquid into the yolk/vanilla mixture pouring about 1/2 cup or so in and whisking to combine and not scramble the eggs.   Pour in the remaining liquid and whisk to combine fully.

6) Cover the liquid with saran wrap, placing the saran directly on the liquid to prevent a film from forming.
Let the mixture cool in the fridge for several hours.
7) Place the mixture in your ice cream maker or frozen bowl attachment.   Follow the instructions as provided. Mine is 20-30 min of churning.   Add the pecans and dulche de leche mixture to the ice cream in the last stage.   This is the last 10 minutes for me.
8) Freeze for 3-4 hours, or overnight preferred.

This ice cream is better overnight after the flavours have had time to incorporate and meld together.  There is a reason pralines and cream ice cream is one of the number one selling flavours, it is simply divine.   This is Brad's favorite so far in my ice cream trials.  Enough typing, I am off to grab a spoon.

MEG's RATING: D-EEEEE-LICIOUS

How to make Dulche de Leche

This might be the easiest thing you do with the most amazing reward.    The beginning is a typical can of condensed milk,  the end is 14 ounces of wonderfully sweet dulche de leche.  Is this possible you wonder?  Oh yes it is.

I first saw this happen on Chef at Home.  Michael Smith who makes everything look so easy, put a can of condensed milk into a pot of water,  brought it up to a boil,  turned it down to simmer and let it remain in the water for about 2-3 hours.  He opened up the can and the once creamy liquid became a thick rich caramel sauce.  I had to try this.



INGREDIENTS:

• 1 14oz can of condensed milk
• 1 large pot of water - enough to cover the can by 1 inch

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Place the can into the pot of water, ensuring the can is covered by 1 inch.  Bring the water to a boil. 

2) Once the water is boiling reduce to a simmer and keep this going for 2 1/2- 3 hours.   Adding more liquid as the water evaporates.
3) Remove from the water and open the can.  VIOLA!


Careful not to eat the entire can.  This is truly gooey sweet milk candy.    Stay tuned for pecan and dulche de leche ice cream.