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Chocolate Covered Easter Eggs…

March 25, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

2013.03.24@15.45.04With Easter less than a week away… you must be thinking about bunnies, coloring eggs and of course chocolate in the Easter basket.2013.03.23@15.50.08  I got my 20# box of chocolate out this weekend and my favorite filling recipes and turned my kitchen into the Easter Bunny’s workshop.  I added a new filling this year that is filled with Fresh From Oregon flavors, hazelnuts and cranberries.  I took some hazelnuts out of the freezer (the best place to store them) and toasted them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 3-4 minutes.  I then opened a box of dried cranberries I found the other day while shopping.  These dried cranberries are grown and produced by the Vincent Family on the Southern Oregon coast, they cultivated their first cranberries in 1957, read more here about their story.   So with these two great Oregon flavors and my fudge recipe I created a Hazelnut Cranberry Fudge filling.  I also made my 2013.03.23@15.43.27family’s other favorite fillings: coconut almond, peanut butter and pecan fudge caramel.  These melt in your mouth recipes are easy and quick to make and the taste of homemade chocolate eggs will be the perfect surprise for your family and friends this coming Easter.

Once you have made your fillings and shaped them into eggs they will be ready to dip in the chocolate.  I use a good grade of melting chocolate wafer, Merckens.  You can find them at your local stores that sell candy making supplies or order online.  It is best to melt in a double boiler or a bowl placed over simmering water.  I find it is easier to dip just the bottoms in the chocolate first and let it set, about 10 minutes.  Then when you dip the top into the chocolate you will have something to hold onto, the only downside you will need to lick the chocolate off your fingers often.  You can also place that set chocolate bottom on a fork and dip it into the chocolate.  Remember to place a piece of parchment paper on the pan you will place the eggs on to set the chocolate, this keeps them from sticking to the pan as the chocolate sets.

Hazelnut Cranberry Filling:
1 pound semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 bags)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares, chopped2013.03.23@16.10.06
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing extra to hang over the sides and spray lightly with cooking spray, set aside.
In a double boiler toss chocolates, baking soda and salt.  Stir in condensed milk and vanilla.  Stir 2-5 minutes until only a few pieces of2013.03.24@11.18.422013.03.24@11.20.032013.03.24@13.07.47 chocolate are left.  Remove from heat and stir another 2 minutes, the mixture will become a little glossy.  Stir in the hazelnuts and dried cranberries.  Spread evenly in the prepared pan and let set for 3o minutes.  Once cool enough to handle cut into 12 even pieces and make into an egg shape.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let set for about 1 hour before you dip them in the chocolate.

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 cup butter
2 1/2 cups peanut butter
5 cups confectioners sugar
Cream together butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an stand mixer until creamy.  Gradually add the confectioners sugar and mix until combined.  Shape into the size eggs you want.2013.03.24@15.36.562013.03.24@15.39.352013.03.24@15.44.382013.03.24@15.48.57

Coconut Almond Filling:
1 cup butter
4 cups confectioners sugar
1 pound shredded coconut
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 cup almonds, finely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In bowl of a stand mixer cream butter and confectioners sugar.  Add coconut, condensed milk, almonds and vanilla, mix until fully combined.  Chill in refrigerator about 30 minutes and then shape into any size egg you want.

Pecan Carmel Fudge Filling:
1 pound semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 bags)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares, chopped
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
6 ounce caramel squares
2 tablespoons milk
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing extra to hang over the sides and spray lightly with cooking spray, set aside.
In a double boiler toss chocolates, baking soda and salt.  Stir in condensed milk and vanilla.  Stir 2-5 minutes until only a few pieces of chocolate are left.  Remove from heat and stir another 2 minutes, the mixture will become a little glossy.  Stir in the pecans and spread evenly in the prepared pan and let set for 3o minutes.  Once cool enough to handle cut into 12 even pieces and make into egg shapes.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let set for about 30 minutes before pouring caramel over.  To melt caramels unwrap and place caramels and milk in a bowl over simmering water and stir until melted.  Pour about a tablespoon of caramel over each egg, if it drips over the side its Ok.  Let set 5 minutes and eggs are ready to dip in the chocolate.

Filed Under: candy, Chocolate, Easter, hazelnuts, Oregon made products · Tagged: Candy, caramel, Chocolate, coconut, cranberries, Easter, eggs, hazelnuts, peanut butter, pecans

Christmas Baking Countdown

December 9, 2012 · by Carrie Trax ·

Thumbprints 3 waysIt is only 16 days until Christmas and holiday baking and candy making has started in my house here in Oregon. I made my list and checked it twice for all my family’s favorite recipes.  Now that I live in the Pacific Northwest and have picked and enjoyed some of its local flavors I have added them to some of my baking this holiday.  In the next few weeks I will share with you some of my holiday recipes and you will see some flavors of Oregon added to old family recipes.

Thumbprint Cookies – 3 waysThumprint balls

Original Thumbprints
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix shortening, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla together.  In small bowl blend together the flour and salt and then stir in to shortening mixture.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls.  In small bowl beat the egg whites slightly with a fork.  Dip balls into egg white then roll in the nuts.  Place about 1-inch apart on a cookie sheet.  Press thumb gently into the center of each.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown.    Cool and fill with Icing.

IcingThumbprint maironberry
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring
In small bowl whisk all the icing ingredients together and spoon into the center of each cookie.

Pacific Northwest Thumbprint
In the cookie recipe above use hazelnuts instead of the walnuts.  With the icing add an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar and 3 tablespoon of marionberry jelly that has been slightly melted in the microwave.  Add to the center of each cooled cookie.  This makes a beautiful purple color icing.

Turtle ThumbprintsThumbprints turtle
In the cookie recipe above use pecans instead of walnuts.  In a small bowl melt 13 caramels and 2 tablespoons of milk in microwave about 1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  Add to the center of each cooled cookie.  Melt some chocolate wafers and drizzle over the cookie and caramel.

Filed Under: baking, cookies, desserts, hazelnuts · Tagged: Bob's Red Mill, caramel, cookies, hazelnut, maironberry, pecans, thumbprint, walnuts

Apple Caramel Cake

October 10, 2012 · by Carrie Trax ·

Apple season started weeks ago here in Oregon and after a trip to Kiyokawa Family Orchards & Fruit Stand in Hood River, Oregon my refrigerator is bursting with apples.  I left with 9 varieties of apples and have several recipes ready to share with you over the next few weeks.  The Apple Caramel Cake is a easy recipe to make, very moist and the frosting adds a great finish.  I like to use a nice sweet apple so I used Ginger Gold in this cake.

1 3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup butter, softened

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups apples, peeled & finely chopped

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup golden raisins

Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

5 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13×9-inch baking pan, set aside.  In large bowl combine flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  In bowl of a mixer cream brown sugar and butter 2 minutes, add eggs and vanilla until combined.  Add flour mixture, mix for 3 minutes on medium speed.  By hand stir in apples, walnuts and raisins.  Pour into greased baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on rack.

Frosting:  In small bowl with whisk blend powdered sugar, cinnamon, butter, vanilla and milk.  Add more milk if need to make spreading consistency.  Spread over cool cake and sprinkle with nuts.

Filed Under: apples, baking, desserts · Tagged: apples, Bob's Red Mill, cake, caramel, ginger gold

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