See's Candies Giveaway

I was recently contacted by a representative of See's Candies. He wanted to know if I would be interested in trying some of their chocolates. I grew up in California, so I was no stranger to See's Candies. I've always had a sweet tooth. Growing up, and I fondly remember begging my mom to let me go into their store whenever we passed by it in the mall. You see, whenever you go in and buy something, they always offer you a free sample of their chocolate. You didn't have to make a big purchase, you just had to get something. So I would plead with my mom to let me buy a lollipop just so that I could get a free piece of chocolate. (Sad, huh?) So when I received this email about free samples of their chocolates, I immediately accepted. I mean really... who turns down free chocolate?! :) Some things never change, right? ;)


I was delighted when I received my sample box in the mail! It included a nice assortment of some old favorites I grew up loving, as well as several pieces I had never tried before. Their milk chocolate is sweet and creamy, but not overly sweet. The milk molasses chips are so fun to crunch on. If you like fruity chocolate, I highly recommend the Apricot Delights. They're little balls of apricot buttercream with chopped apricot, dipped in white chocolate then rolled in toasted coconut. My mom was raving about these the other day, and now I see why! I was also wishing there was more than one milk butterchew in my box - I love caramel, and these are heavenly pieces of vanilla brown sugar caramel coated in chocolate.



As you know, I recently returned from a trip to Paris. While I was there, I picked up a wonderful box of chocolates from Patrick Roger who, according to Dorie, is one of the best chocolatiers in Paris. I sent the chocolates to my mom for her birthday and while she appreciated the gift, guess what she told me? "You shouldn't have spent so much money on a gift for me. I'm happy with a box of See's chocolates." Ha!


They don't make chic, boutique-y chocolates, but if you're looking for good, quality chocolates that won't cost you an arm and a leg, I'd recommend See's. So if you're looking for a nice Easter gift to send this year, consider ordering some Easter candy from See's. My favorites are their lollypops and peanut butter eggs. While I haven't tried them yet, I'm also dying to taste their sour bunnies.



If my review hasn't convinced you that you need to try these, then maybe you just need a little extra nudge first. I'm excited to announce the very first giveaway on my blog! The folks at See's Candies have kindly agreed to give one lucky reader a $25 gift certificate. All you have to do to be eligible is leave a comment on this post before midnight EDT on Saturday, March 14th. Make sure you leave your email address, or at least a link to your blog where I can easily find your email address. I'll randomly select a lucky winner on Sunday, March 15th. Good luck!
(*Please note that comment moderation is enabled so your comment may not appear immediately.)

*** The giveaway has now ended. ***

Cupcake Pops

When I first saw these adorable little cupcake pops on Bakerella's blog, I thought they were cute, but figured they were also way too complicated to make. Turns out they're pretty easy to make, just a little time consuming. I found it best to divide the recipe up into a two day process.


You can save time by using a boxed cake mix and store bought cream cheese frosting, but I decided to make everything from scratch because well, everything is better when you make it from scratch :)


The recipe is actually rather simple. Crumble your baked cake into bits and then mix in some cream cheese frosting. Roll the cake into balls, then refrigerate until firm.


Initially, I thought a cookie cutter mold like this one would best, because it has more ridges and most resembles a true cupcake liner. I'm not sure if it was because the chocolate cake I baked was extremely moist, but I found it very difficult to mold the cake with that cookie cutter. The cake would just stick to all the ridges and would not come out in any recognizable shape. Instead, I found that this one was much easier to use:


It comes in a set of three, with the medium sized one being the one I ended up using. It's 1-1/2 inches in diameter, as opposed to 1-1/4 inches (the ideal size). If you're like me and you aren't able to find the 1-1/4 inch cookie cutter, the 1-1/2 inch one works just fine. You'll just have to roll your cake balls a little larger. I like to be precise in the kitchen (read: OCD), so I actually weighed out my cake before rolling it into balls. If you have the 1-1/4" cookie cutter, you'll want to weigh out 1 ounce of cake. If you're using the 1-1/2 inch cookie cutter, you'll weigh out 1-1/8 ounces of cake.


After the balls have firmed up in the refrigerator (or freezer), you shape them into a more oblong shape. I actually found that I needed to freeze the balls before molding them - they were too soft and difficult to work with when they were only in the refrigerator, even overnight. Again, I'm not sure if this was because I was working with an extremely moist cake, or if everyone else has had a similar experience.



After reshaping the cake, you mold it in the cookie cutter and then push it out from the bottom up in order to form the bottom of the cupcake.


After a quick chill in the freezer, the cake is ready to be dipped. The bottoms are dipped in chocolate bark, and then the tops are dipped in melted pink candy melts. You're supposed to hold the little cupcakes by hand and dip them in the chocolate bark, then insert the lollipop sticks into the bottoms, but I found this very difficult to do. A trick I discovered to make this much easier was to use a wooden skewer to dip them in the chocolate. I would insert the wooden skewer into the top of the cupcake, then dip the bottom of the cupcake, shake off the excess chocolate, and then insert the lollipop stick. Once the lollipop stick was firmly in place, I removed the skewer, patched up the hole where the skewer was with a gentle nudge of my finger on the surrounding cake, and then placed the lollipops on some wax paper to set.


After the bottoms have been dipped in chocolate bark, you simply dip the tops of the cupcakes in pink candy melts. Then you top the cupcakes with M&M's and sprinkles. You're supposed to stick the lollipops into a styrofoam block while they set, but I didn't really want to buy one just for this purpose. I saw that others had used egg cartons, but I had no such luck with that. Instead, you can use a large bowl of sugar or rice to stand them up while they are setting, like this:


These really are the cutest baked creation I have seen in a while. Like I said at the beginning of the post, I never thought I would make these. I recently found myself needing something special to send to a good friend, though, so I took the opportunity to try my hand at them. I was pleasantly surprised to learn how easy they are to make. These are great to bring to get togethers, especially something like a birthday party or baby shower. They're even cuter when you wrap them up and tie them with a ribbon.


I found that while Bakerella's post was very detailed in some regards (lots of photos, information on cookie cutter sizes, etc.), it was lacking in other areas. Her post doesn't specify several things, like the size of the lollipop sticks you need for this, or the dimensions of the treat bags. I used lollipop sticks that were 10cm in length and treat bags that were 3" x 4" (7.6cm x 10.2cm). The ribbon I used was 1/8" (3mm) wide. If you cut it into strips that are about 9 inches long, it's the perfect length to to tie around your treat bag and make a small bow. Most of the items required to make these can be found at your local craft store. I was able to find everything at Michael's. The only thing I did not pick up from there was the chocolate bark, which I purchased from the grocery store.


These are sure to be a crowd pleaser. Not only are they adorable, but they taste good too. They're also the perfect size for those who are worried about portion control (though when it comes to sweets, why worry about portion control?). While I used a chocolate cake, you can use whichever type of cake you're craving. You could also take these to a whole new level by shaping frozen cheesecake pops like this! (Maybe I'll try that next time?!)

Cupcake Pops and Cupcake Bites
from Bakerella
(Video Instructions from the Martha Stewart Show)

1 13x9 baked cake (from a box cake mix or from scratch … any flavor) (I made a Cocoa Buttermilk Cake - recipe below)
1 container store bought cream cheese frosting (or about 2 cups equivalent from scratch) (I made some from scratch - recipe below - will use only 1-3/4 cup next time so the cake isn't so moist/sticky)
1 flower shaped cookie cutter (1.25" wide x 0.75" tall) (I use one that was 1.5" in diameter)
1 package chocolate bark (I only used 14 ounces chocolate bark from a 24 ounce package)
1 package pink candy melts or white chocolate bark (I used a 12 ounce package)
bowls for dipping
wax paper
aluminum foil
lollipop sticks (I used 55 sticks, 10cm in length)
sprinkles, m&ms or something similar for top of cupcake (I used colored sugar crystals and sour skittles - would recommend M&M's instead since they are chocolate flavored - the sour skittle was too much of a contrast in flavors)
small plastic treat bags (I used 3x4" bags) and ribbon (I used 1/8" wide ribbon) if making the Cupcake Pops
candy cups and truffle boxes to individually package the Cupcake Bites
styrofoam block

Bake a cake from a mix or from scratch and cool completely.

Crumble cake into a fine consistency into a large bowl.

TIP: If the texture is too coarse, you can run it through a food processor.

Add can of cream cheese frosting or homemade frosting and blend together using the back of a large spoon. Blend thoroughly.

Roll mixture into 1.25" - 1.5" size balls and lay on wax paper covered cookie sheet. You may want to periodically rinse and dry your hands off in between.

Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for several hours.

TIP: You can speed this up by placing in the freezer for about 15 minutes. (I found that the only way I could work with them was by placing them in the freezer. No amount of refrigeration was sufficient.)

Remove. Begin to shape into cupcakes using a small flower-shaped cookie cutter. Take the chilled ball and roll it into more of an oval and then slide into cookie cutter.

Push it into cutter until about half fills the cutter and the rest sticks out of the top in the shape of a mound.



Then push the shaped cupcake carefully out of the cookie cutter from the bottom. Set right side up on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Continue with remaining balls.

Once shaped, cover and return to freezer. (5-10 minutes)

TIP: You can leave them covered in the refrigerator overnight if you want to do the dipping on the following day.

While cupcake shapes are chilling, begin to heat up your chocolate bark.
Brown chocolate bark for the bottoms. Pink or white chocolate for the tops.

Follow the instructions on the package for melting. Most recommend heating for 30 second intervals at a time and stirring in between. You can also do the double boiler method.

When you are ready to dip, remove from freezer and set up another wax paper covered cookie sheet.

Take the cupcake shaped mixture and dip the bottoms into the melted chocolate - just to the point where the mounded shape starts. (I found this was easier if you insert a wooden skewer into the tops first.) Remove from chocolate, turn upside down and wiggle so that the excess starts to slide down slightly. Then lay on the wax paper upside down. If you want them to be lollipops, then go ahead and insert the lollipop sticks while the chocolate is still wet. (After inserting the lollipop stick, remove the skewer and then cover up the hole on the top of the cupcake by pinching the cake a bit.) Continue with rest of the cupcakes. You can also leave some without the sticks. They’re just as cute as Cupcake Bites.


TIP: Dip end of your lollipop stick in the melted chocolate before inserting into chocolate bottoms. Not sure if this helps a lot, but it couldn't hurt. (I skipped this step and they turned out fine.)

DON'T - get water in the chocolate. Make sure your hands are completely dry. Water will cause the chocolate to separate and mess up all your hard work.

Dry completely. (15-20 minutes)

Once dry, dip the tops of the cupcakes in the pink or white chocolate. You may need to move it around a little to cover all the exposed areas.

TIP: Let the pink chocolate sit for a few minutes after heating to thicken. This will help it from dripping down the sides of the cupcake.

Remove from the pink/white chocolate and turn right side up. You may need to hold and rotate it if there is any excess so that it doesn’t drip down too far.

TIP: You can use a toothpick to help cover any areas the melted chocolate didn't cover.

For the Cupcake Bites - just turn right side up and rest on the wax paper. Then go ahead and put an M&M on the top and add sprinkles while wet.

For the lollipops, continue holding and place an M&M on the top and add sprinkles. Let them dry in a styrofoam block that you have already poked holes into.

When completely dry, cover the lollipops with small plastic treat bags and tie with a ribbon. (I used treat bags that were 3" x 4" and strips of ribbon that were 1/8" wide and 9" long.)


For the Cupcake Bites, place in a candy cup and package in small candy truffle boxes to present individually.

Makes about 50. (I was able to make about 55 with the 1-1/2" cookie cutter.)

You can store these in an airtight container and they will last for several days. You can also store them in the refrigerator if you would like them cold.

Cocoa-Buttermilk Cake
adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (I use SACO buttermilk cultures from Walmart - it has a much longer shelf life than fresh buttermilk)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (optional) (I used semisweet chocolate)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 13-x-9 inch pan, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake:
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until it is thoroughly blended into the butter. Add the eggs one at a time, then the yolks one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk; add the dry ingredients in 3 portions and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients); mix only until each new batch is blended into the batter. Scrape down the bowl and, if you want, add the melted chocolate, folding it in with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the cake pan.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the cakes feel springy to the touch and starts to pull away from the sides of the pans (I also used the toothpick test). Transfer the cake to a rack and cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound (3-¾ cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted (the frosting will be lumpy if you don't sift it)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Yield: 2 cups

'Tis the Season...

...for holiday baking! This year I decided to bake up a host of holiday delights for my friends and co-workers. I spent all last weekend baking, and put together holiday gift packages chock full of goodies for everyone. My husband got to take an assortment of leftovers to school with him, and this is just some of what they got to sample:




Talk about a baking marathon! I don't think I have ever spent that much time in the kitchen before, but I enjoyed it because it was a true labor of love :) So, if you are looking for ideas this holiday season, check out my next 15 posts! With German, Jewish, and Middle Eastern treats in addition to some traditional holiday classics like peppermint bark and molasses cookies, you're guaranteed to find something you can enjoy with your friends and family this holiday season!

Note: This post prefaces the next (or last) 15 posts; since these are all being updated to my blog on the same day, instead of placing this post at the bottom (or beginning) of the 15 posts, I am placing it at the end so that it will be the first thing you read when you visit my blog.

Nothing Short of Wonderful

When I saw these on Kyla's blog, I knew I wanted to make them part of my holiday gift packages. I love shortbread cookies, and discovered my love for chocolate dipped shortbread when we got married. We were married in Hawaii, so we gave our guests these wonderful macademia nut shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate from Big Island Candies in our 'Out of Town' gift bags as a token of our thanks to those who came all the way to Hawaii to join us. If you're looking for a sweet gift idea and don't want to spend your time in the kitchen, I would highly recommend the cookies from Big Island Candies!

Make sure you use the mini morsels in these cookies unless you are a super chocolate lover; I think they would be too chocolately (is there such a thing?!) otherwise. Using Kyla's tip to freeze these before dipping, I was able to make a whole batch and only have two cookies break on me :)

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Sticks
from Kyla's Cookies


1 cup of butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of Nestle mini chocolate chips

For dipping:
1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips (I used 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 tsp shortening)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Beat all ingredients together, except chocolate chips. Stir in chips.

Shape heaping tablespoons of dough into 3" think logs. Place on non-stick or lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake until the bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheet and place on waxed paper, carefully, to cool. Freeze overnight or longer.

Melt a half bag of milk chocolate chips in a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler, melt the chocolate in your microwave on high heat for 1 minute, at 30 seconds intervals, stirring well between each interval. If the chocolate is not completely melted, continue heating it in your microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring well between each interval, and being careful not to burn the chocolate. Dip each stick into the chocolate about 1/3 the way up. Immediately place on waxed paper. Chill to solidify chocolate.

Yield: Approximately 24 cookies.

Delectable Delights

Is it really my birthday? It's hard for me to believe that I'm 28 now. I don't feel 28. I still feel like a kid at heart... and I'm going to ignore the fact that I am rapidly approaching the big 3-0!

I'm blogging about some delectable delights I received this year, in case anyone is looking for gift ideas for their foodie friends :)

My friend Joy, who in previous years introduced me to the most wonderful chocolates at Woodhouse Chocolate (see my anniversary post about these chocolates!), is always sending me the most scrumptious gifts for my birthday. I am always eager to find out what she is going to send me next :) This year was no exception... and I was not disappointed when I opened my birthday package to find a beautiful gift box of Vosges exotic candy bars :)


The box includes 4 flavors:

- Gianduja Bar: almonds / caramelized hazelnuts / deep milk chocolate
- Black Pearl Bar: ginger / wasabi / black sesame seeds / dark chocolate
- Naga Bar: sweet Indian curry powder / coconut / deep milk chocolate
- Red Fire Bar: Mexican ancho y chipotle chillies / Ceylon cinnamon / dark chocolate


I've only sampled two of the bars so far, but the flavor combinations are amazing!

Another great food find that Joy introduced me to is an Ann Arbor favorite - Zingerman's. They have brownies that are to die for! This year, my friend Hannah sent me a box of their gigantic yummy cookies! Weighing in at nearly a quarter pound each, I received three wonderful types of cookies:

- Funky Chocolate Chunk with bittersweet Belgian chocolate chunks and toasted walnuts
- Big Oatmeal Raisin with real maple syrup and Red Flame raisins
- Ginger Jump-Ups with crystallized ginger, Indonesian Korintje cinnamon, and muscavado brown sugar


I have only tried the Ginger Jump-Ups so far, but WOW, can you taste that ginger! I see where they got the name for that cookie, because the ginger flavor really jumps out at you!

I would like to add that my cats are particularly thankful for my birthday as well, as they love nothing more than new boxes :)


Stitch, enjoying his new "bed"

Linus, trying to figure out what to do with his new box :)

Thank you, Joy and Hannah, for sending me these delectable delights! :)

There's no such thing as too much chocolate!

Today is our 2nd anniversary! I can't believe it's already been 2 years since we tied the knot in Hawai'i :) What I would give to be back in Hawai'i right now, enjoying the breezy weather and beautiful beaches!


So for our 2nd anniversary my husband gave me a huge ninety-eight piece box of my favorite chocolates from Woodhouse Chocolate, a small chocolatier in Napa Valley, CA.

I first discovered these chocolates a few years ago when I received my first box for my birthday from my college friend Joy. Since then, I cannot get enough of them... and ask for them on every special occasion :) They have a large assortment of chocolates with wonderful flavors; here are descriptions of just a few:

• Quatre Epices: milk chocolate ganache spiced with black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, enrobed in a layer of dark chocolate topped with a rectangle of white chocolate
• Thai Ginger: dark chocolate ganache infused with coconut and lemongrass surrounding a piece of crystallized ginger, covered in dark chocolate
• Honey: a milk chocolate honey butter mousse, in a dark chocolate shell dusted with gold
• Pistachio: a layer of pistachio gianduja with caramelized almonds topped with a pistachio cream, bathed in dark chocolate
  

Their assortment is great, but in general I prefer their white chocolates so that's what he got me for our anniversary. Some of my favorites:

Brown Butter Ganache:
a creamy ganache of milk chocolate and browned butter, coated in white chocolate

Champagne Truffle: white chocolate ganache with a splash of Grande Champagne Cognac, surrounded by white chocolate

Passion Fruit: a white chocolate ganache exploding

with passion fruit, covered in white chocolate

And my absolute favorite, Bananas Foster: fresh cream whipped with butter and rum flambeed bananas accompanies a layer of brown sugar caramel, in a white chocolate shell



So, as we celebrate our 2nd anniversary and look forward to many more, I have the pleasure of indulging in ninety-eight little pieces of heaven :)

And what did I get him for our anniversary? Well, there's no such thing as too much chocolate in this household :) He loves chocolate as much as I do, but he's trying to watch his weight right now. So I knew I didn't want to blow his diet by giving him a bunch of sweets. Instead, I gave him a small box of truffles from Noka Chocolate and we're going to go shopping for a new watch together.

Noka Chocolate was ranked #1 luxury chocolate in the world by the food editors of TASTE. This year, it received the distinction of being rated the best chocolate in the United States in Nikkei, the world's largest business daily newspaper.

The Grand Cru Collection™ is an exclusive offering of the finest, single-estate dark chocolate truffles. Handcrafted with rare, single-estate dark chocolate (min. 75% cacao) and fresh organic cream, each one-of-a-kind delicacy is an exploration through the finest cacao regions in the world: Venezuela, Ecuador, Trinidad and Côte d'Ivoire.