Category Archives: Food Presentation

Holiday Peanut Butter Chocolate Meltaways

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If you are looking for quick and easy recipes for holiday sweets, this is one you’ll want to try out! There are  just 4 simple ingredients: white chocolate (or vanilla) baking chips, dark chocolate (or semi-sweet chocolate) chips, creamy peanut butter, and coconut oil (or shortening). I like using coconut oil instead of shortening myself.

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Now I’m not much of a candy-maker, but these are so easy, anyone can make them! You don’t even have to decorate them–you can just pour the melted candy mixture into the mini baking cups and be done with it. But I decided to decorate mine and bought these Wilton supplies in the baking department of my local craft store.

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You can probably find these items or similar items in a store near you. Or, you can make your own icing and decorate with that–I bought my icing to save a little time.

The important thing to remember with these is to keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to serve them…if they sit at room temperature for a length of time, they soften and are hard to eat!

I’ll give you the Peanut Butter Chocolate Meltaway recipe first and then tell you a little more about how I decorated them…

HOLIDAY PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE MELTAWAYS by NancyCreative, adapted from Taste of Home

Makes about 4 dozen

  • 1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate (or vanilla) baking chips
  • 1 cup (6 ounces) dark chocolate chips (or you can substitute semi-sweet)
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil (or you can use shortening)
  • 4 to 5 dozen miniature baking liners or candy cups (it doesn’t hurt to have a little extra!)
  • assorted decorations, frosting, icing, etc. (optional)

Combine first four ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir. Then return to microwave and cook an additional 30 seconds on high; remove and stir until mixture is smooth.

Separate and arrange empty mini baking liners or candy cups on a clean 10×15″ jelly roll pan. Pour melted chocolate mixture into the mini liners, filling until almost full (if you have a microwaveable mixing bowl with a narrow lip or spout, you can pour the mixture right from that. I didn’t have a lip on my bowl, so I poured the melted chocolate mixture into my liquid glass measuring cup and then poured the mixture into the mini baking liners with that, refilling my measuring cup several times). Place the sheet of filled mini liners into your refrigerator and chill until set. After they’re set (I let mine chill for about an hour), you can decorate them if you want. If you’re not eating these right away, keep stored in refrigerator until ready to serve.

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TO DECORATE: You can make little star shapes with a tube of Wilton Decorating Icing, which is very quick and easy to do (make sure you get those plastic tips–sometimes they’re sold separately). Or do the same thing with your own frosting and decorating tools. You can also use small pre-made cookie decorations (I chose some candy canes)–just put some purchased or homemade icing on the back of the decorations (using purchased cookie icing makes this easy because the container has a small tip), then turn the little shape over and place on top of your Peanut Butter Meltaway (the icing works as a “glue” to stick the little shapes onto your candies).

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So easy, cute, and festive!

Do you have a favorite candy recipe you like to make at the holidays?

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Desserts for a Sweet Fourth of July

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Here are a few yummy desserts I found over at MarthaStewart.com. All of these great photos are from Martha’s site, too. Some of these don’t involve any baking, so even if it’s really hot out you can still make some yummy no-bake treats! The Red, White, and Blue Berry Trifle (shown above), is one of the no-bake desserts, and it’s so fun and festive, even without the sparklers! (The sparklers shown are special cake sparklers, recommended for outdoor use only!)

I love these Flag Cupcakes, decorated in a simple and easy way with piped blue buttercream dots and red licorice stripes!

These Pretzel Sparklers are a lot of fun, too! All you do is melt 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate, then coat the top third of each pretzel rod with the chocolate, using a pastry brush. Cover with sprinkles, stand upright in a glass and refrigerate about 5 minutes, or until firm. You could also use white chocolate instead of semisweet chocolate and add some edible glitter to make them more sparkly if you want.

Here’s another Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle…this one is made with cream cheese; the other trifle (the first photo in the post) is made with mascarpone cheese.

These Red, White, and Blue Parfaits look cool and refreshing with their red and white striped layers!

I like the idea of using raspberries and blueberries to decorate these Fouth of July Cupcakes…such a simple and easy idea, and so pretty!

These are just a few of many ideas at MarthaStewart.com…there are 30 fun and patriotic ideas for you to take a look at!

Wishing you a sweet Fourth of July! What kinds of treats will you be making for your celebration?

Burrito in a Cup from CATCH!

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If you’ve seen the popular reality show Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel, you’re probably familiar with Travis Lofland, one of the adventurous crew members who travels the Bering Sea on an Alaskan King Crabbing boat. Lofland also has a passion for cooking and has recently come out with a new cookbook called CATCH!: Dangerous Tales and Manly Recipes from the Bering Sea. I received a review copy from the publisher and found quite a variety of recipes as I looked through the book. The book is divided into nine chapters that include recipes for soups, salads, sandwiches, appetizers, entrees, sides, desserts, and more. In addition to seafood recipes, there are also recipes that include beef, chicken, and veggies, so there’s quite a selection to choose from including…

  • Rockin’ Red Pepper Crab Bisque with Cilantro Sour Cream
  • Sure to impress Avocado Brie Melt
  • Mango, Papaya, and Brie Quesadilla
  • Grilled King Crab Pizza
  • Blackened Fish Tacos
  • Slap a Smile on Your Face Ahi Sandwich
  • Captain’s Cornbread
  • High Seas Stroganoff
  • Reckless Red Salmon
  • Slimy Limey Coconut Sundae
  • Seafoam Peanut Butter Pie

This would be a great gift for Dads (Father’s Day is coming up!), or any other guys you know who love to cook.

I decided to try out a really tasty and very easy recipe, the Burrito in a Cup. You just can’t go wrong with something like this…it’s quick, doesn’t involve any cooking because you’re using leftovers, and extremely easy to put together. Keep this in mind for a simple summer meal!

BURRITO IN A CUP from CATCH!

Makes 6 servings

Travis: “This recipe came from Doug Stanley, a producer from the show and a former river guide in the Grand Canyon. He was telling me how he used to layer all the fixin’s for a burrito in paper cups so he wouldn’t have to deal with a tortilla with gloved hands…I tried it, and he was right.”

  • 2 (15.5-ounce) cans of black beans
  • leftover taco meat
  • shredded cheese
  • salsa
  • sour cream
  1. In each of six paper cups, start with a layer of black beans.
  2. Next layer with meat, cheese, and salsa.
  3. Top with sour cream and a little more cheese for garnish.

Well, you can’t find a recipe much easier than that! The recipe says to make it in six paper cups, but I decided to be eco-friendly and make it in six 6-ounce canning jars which worked out great! I put 1/3 cup black beans in the bottom of each jar, then layered 1/4 cup taco meat (you could substitute chopped cooked chicken or chopped avocados for a veggie version), then 1/4 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, then 2 Tablespoons of salsa, and a dollop (about 1 Tablespoon) of sour cream. And then sprinkled a little more cheese on top. So yummy and easy!

Chocolate Malt Cake Pops from 175 Best Babycakes® Cake Pops Recipes

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I think cake pops are cute and fun, so I was looking forward to reviewing this new cookbook, 175 Best Babycakes® Cake Pops Recipes (softcover) by Kathy Moore and Roxanne Wyss. Moore and Wyss are expert food consultants who develop recipes and test products like the Babycakes® Cake Pop Maker, which is designed to make cake pop-making quick and easy. The recipes in this book were especially created to be used with this cake pop maker, and there are all kinds of fun flavors you can make! The cake pops featured on the cover give you an idea of the many ways you can decorate cake pops. There are more ideas and some colorful photos inside to inspire you, too, along with helpful cake pop-making and decorating instructions. This book shows you how to do basic and not-so-basic things like coating the cake pops, decorating with sprinkles, adding decorative swirls and spirals, triple-dipping or marbleizing the pops, and making simple faces. Some of the yummy-sounding recipes include Caramel Cake Pops, Cream-Filled Chocolate Cake Pops, Chocolate Truffle Cake Pops, Root Beer Cake Pops, Almond Cream Cake Pops, and Classic Red Velvet Cake Pops.

The Babycakes® Cake Pop Maker not only makes cake pops–you can also bake doughnuts (or what many of us call donut holes), mini Ebelskivers, and cute little round biscuit and muffin bites! These would be great for brunch, showers, or parties. There are even recipes for savory nibbles you can serve as appetizers. So you can make lots of yummy things with this handy appliance!

If you’re not familiar with the Babycakes® Cake Pop Maker, here’s what it looks like…

It bakes 12 cake pops at a time in just 4 to 6 minutes, so it would be especially great for using in the summer months–you wouldn’t have to use your oven and heat up the kitchen. I don’t have this cake pop maker myself yet, but looking at all these recipes and ideas makes me want to try it out! When I get one, I think one of the first recipes I’ll try is the Chocolate Malt Cake Pops. So I thought I’d share that recipe with you. If you don’t have a cake pop maker, you might be able to make cupcakes with this recipe…I don’t know that for sure, but I don’t see why you couldn’t!

CHOCOLATE MALT CAKE POPS (from 175 Best Babycakes® Cake Pop Recipes)

Makes 26 to 28 cake pops

  • 2/3 cup (150 mL) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) chocolate malted milk powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 ounces (90 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/3 cup (75 mL) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) packed brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 mL) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 mL) sour cream
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 mL) milk
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) finely chopped chocolate malt candies
  • Nonstick baking spray
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, chocolate malted milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2. Place semisweet chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave on High in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted. Set aside to cool for 2 minutes.
  3. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat brown sugar and granulated sugar into melted chocolate mixture. Add egg and beat well. Add egg yolk and beat well. Beat in vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture. Beat in sour cream, then another one-third of the flour mixture, then milk. Beat in the remaining flour mixture. Stir in chopped candies.
  4. Spray cake pop wells with nonstick baking spray. Fill each well with about 1 Tablespoon (15 mL) batter. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer cake pops to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter.
  5. If desired, attach sticks to cake pops.

TO DECORATE: Dip cake pops in melted chocolate candy melts, then immediately sprinkle with additional finely chopped chocolate malt candies. If not attaching sticks to cake pops, use the fork tool (or fork) to dip the cake pops, then place them on a wire rack over a sheet of foil or waxed paper to set.

Excerpted from 175 Best Cake Pops Recipes by Kathy Moore and Roxanne Wyss © 2012 Robert Rose Inc.www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Have you made cake pops before? What’s your favorite flavor?

Fun Springtime Treats from Martha Stewart

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I always find great ideas on Martha Stewart’s website and thought I’d share some really fun, yummy-looking decorating ideas I saw the other day (all photos are from marthastewart.com). These treats are perfect for Easter and all through the spring season. Maybe you’ll have a chance to try some of these ideas out this weekend!

From the top, right to left, there are cute Butterfly Cupcakes with pretzel wings, candy-coated chocolate heads, and licorice antennae; Lollipop Cupcakes with mounds of buttercream covered in sprinkles, taffy leaves, and lollipop flowers; Chrysanthemum Cupcakes with beautiful buttercream flowers; Coconut Nest Cupcakes with chocolate egg candies; and Spring Cupcakes decorated with flowers using jellied citrus slices for the petals. And I had to include these bunny-shaped sugar cookies…I thought they looked so cute with the ribbon tied around each bunny’s neck!

If you don’t have time to bake, here are a few fun ways you can package candy…

…make these fun Envelope Bunnies or Jelly Bean Carrots! So cute!

I just had to include this item too…it’s not edible, but it’s definitely eye candy and very pretty…

Delicate flower arrangements in eggshells…really sweet!

Hope these ideas have inspired you! What’s your favorite Easter or springtime treat?