Dessert: Ree's Knock Naked Brownies

We were watching The Pioneer Woman on Food Network and saw these brownies. They sounded fantastic. So I tried them.

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1/3 plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• One 18.5-ounce box German chocolate cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 60 caramels, unwrapped
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-by-9-inch baking pan.
2. Begin by pouring 1/3 cup evaporated milk into a bowl with the cake mix. Add the melted butter and the chopped pecans. Mix the ingredients together; it'll be pretty thick!
3. Divide the dough in half down the middle. Press half of it into the bottom of the prepared pan to make the first brownie layer. Bake until slightly set, 8 to 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven and set aside.
4. While the brownie layer is baking, in a double boiler (or glass bowl set over a bowl of simmering water) combine the caramels and the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Stir occasionally until the caramels are totally melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the caramel mixture over the first baked layer, spreading so it's evenly distributed. Sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the top.
5. Next, on a clean surface or a sheet of waxed paper, press the remaining dough into a square shape slightly smaller than the baking pan. Carefully set it on top of the chocolate chips. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the brownies cool to room temperature. Cover the pan and refrigerate the brownies for several hours to allow them to set.
6. When you're ready to serve them sprinkle generously with the powdered sugar and cut them into large rectangles before removing from the pan.

Other Details

• Original Recipe

Dessert: Homemade Salted Caramels

I made these on New Year's Day. They are a soft caramel and delicious, but be careful not to burn them!

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly brush the paper with the vegetable oil.
2. In a small pot, bring the cream, butter, and one teaspoon of the sea salt to a simmer, over medium heat. Do not let it boil. Once it has reached a simmer, turn off the heat, and set it aside.
3. In a deep saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar. Over medium-high heat, stir only until the sugar has dissolved. Then allow the mixture to boil, without stirring, until the mixture is a warm, golden brown. Watch very carefully, as the caramel can burn quickly toward the end. (It can be helpful to use a wooden spoon and drip some of the caramel onto a white plate to gauge the exact color).
4. When the sugar mixture is done, remove it from the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful because it will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla.
5. Return the mixture to the heat and cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 248 degrees (firm ball), about 10 minutes. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. (Don’t scrape the pot). Refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.
6. Remove the caramel from the refrigerator and allow it to come close to room temperature. Pry the caramel from the pan. On a cutting board, cut the square in half. Using parchment paper, roll each piece of caramel into a tight 8- to 10-inch log. Sprinkle the logs with sea salt. Cut each log into 3/4-inch or 1-inch pieces. Individually wrap each caramel in glassine or parchment paper, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator or in an air-tight container.

Other Details:

• Prep Time: Requires a few hours of cooling 
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 16 to 20 Caramels
• Nutrition per caramel 
• Original Recipe
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Dessert: Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream Pie

I got this recipe from a cut-out recipe card. I didn't write down the original source of the card. I made it for my daughter's birthday last summer, which is why the photo has candles on the pie. This was good and a great summer treat.

Ingredients:

1 chocolate cookie pie crust, store-bought or homemade using chocolate wafers mixed with melted butter
2 flavors of ice cream (crunchy preferred)
1 jar hot fudge sauce
1 jar caramel sauce
3/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans work great)
1/2 cup chopped crunchy candy bar
1 container whipped cream

Directions:

1. Set out one carton of ice cream to soften. 
2. Spread a thin layer of hot fudge sauce over bottom of pie crust. Spread softened ice cream on top, filling slightly over half full. Smooth with a knife and place in freezer for 1 hour. 
3. A few minutes before removing pie from freezer, take out other carton of ice cream to soften. Remove pie from freezer, and spread a layer of caramel sauce. Sprinkle nuts and chopped candy bar. Spread the second flavor of ice cream on top, creating a mound. Return to freezer. 
4. At serving time, warm remaining hot fudge and caramel sauce and drizzle over pice. Top with whipped cream. 

Other Details:
Yield: Serves 8

Breakfast: Caramel Walnut Chocolate Chunk Granola

Need a snack to put out on the morning of Thanksgiving while every one waits for the turkey (or tofurkey)? This is a sweet, breakfast cereal-like granola. This is the first granola I ever attempted to make (partially because I had every ingredient on hand.) It is also probably the first recipe I attempted out of Robin Asbell's The New Whole Grains Cookbook. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup walnuts, broken into large pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, sliced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chunks (about 4 ounces)

Directions:

1. Line 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, and spray the parchment with vegetable oil spray. Preheat the oven to 300F. In a large bowl, mix the oats, nuts, and salt. In a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir together the water and sugar. Over high heat, bring to a boil, moving the pan to keep it mixed, rather than stirring. Cook until the syrup turns a medium amber, then take it off the heat and add the butter carefully - it will foam and bubble. Stir in the butter with a heat-safe spatula, and then stir in the vanilla. Scrape into the oat mixture and stir immediately. The caramel mixture will start to harden and clump, but it will melt while baking and disperse.
2. Scrape the oat mixture onto the prepared pans, and spread it out into rough chunks. Place one pan in top quarter of oven and other in bottom quarter. Bake for 15 minutes, then stir well and switch pan locations. The caramel will be liquefied and soaking into the oats more evenly. Bake for 15 minutes more.
3. Remove to cooling racks. When cool, break the granola into chunks, mix with the chocolate chunks, and store in jars or zipper-top bags.

Other details:

• Makes about 9 cups 
• Nutrition per cup
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• This granola was not initially posted as vegan. However, I recently tested it (the picture of the granola in the bowl) using sugar in the raw (sugar), Earth Balance buttery sticks (butter), with confirmed vegan dark chocolate. Everybody loved it! Some members of the house do not like the nuts, others don't like the chocolate. In general each person eats the components they like leaving more of the other for those who enjoy them!

Dessert: Pumpkin Spice Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

For a couple years, I've been trying to make a recipe similar to this one. The recipe I was making calls for a specific candy that I could not find except the one year I got it. I can find it online, but it looks like it's the same candy as has been there for a couple years and it is really expensive. However, I saw Ghirardelli makes Pumpkin Spice Caramel Squares and decided these might make a good substitute. These are available in stores in early November 2011. Hopefully Ghirardelli continues to make them so I can make this in future years. I make several cheesecakes. This one was rated as one of my best. Here's a couple of slices:

Ingredients:

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
9-10 squares Pumpkin Spice Caramel Chocolate by Ghirardelli, + extra for decoration
1 tablespoon milk
1 graham cracker crumb crust (9” pie)
whipped topping


Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside 1/4 cup batter; spread remaining batter in crust.
   
   
   
2. Remove wrappers from chocolates. Place 9-10 chocolate squares in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chocolates are melted and smooth when stirred. Gradually blend reserved cheesecake batter into melted chocolate. One teaspoon at a time, gradually blend milk into chocolate mixture. Pour chocolate mixture over the the vanilla batter already in the pie shell. You can try being decorative, but it ends up spreading over the entire thing. Gently swirl with a knife for marbled effect.
   
   
   
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven to wire rack; cool completely. Cover; refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with whipped cream and extra squares if so desired. 
   

Other Details:

• Makes 6 to 8 servings. 
• Nutrition is per slice for 8 slices.
• I found my Pumpkin Spice Caramel Squares in a Ghirardelli Limited Edition Holiday Chocolate Assortment with Eggnog and Peppermint Bark Squares (on clearance). I also saw a Ghirardelli collection of their different type of caramel squares that included the Pumpkin Spice in another store.
• The recipe calls for a packaged graham cracker crumb crust. I had Keebler Graham Cracker Crumbs on hand, and so made my pie crust according to package directions. You can use whatever graham cracker crumb crust you prefer.
• Original Recipe (Not quite original, it was modified by the site given.)
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