Textured Halloween Bark

Posted on October 6, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

I love it when I can use a product for more than one project … guess what I used to get the impressions in this candy.

If you guessed texture tiles that were designed for fondant or icing … you were right! I found these at Michael’s and are from Duff … of course! The two tiles (5-1/2″ x 7-1/2″ each) come in one package and are pretty ~~cheap~~ inexpensive. This is what they look like …

This is what you will need …

Candy melts (I used white, dark chocolate and orange)
Texture tiles
M&M’s
Rice Krispies cereal (optional)
Skull candies (Wilton)
Rubber or silicone spatula

Decide which side of the tiles you will use … I almost used the wrong side of the “words” tile … the words would have been backwards! Scoop some melted dark chocolate on the spider webs … and spread it around …

Using a spatula, scrape off excess chocolate (it can be reused). Let the chocolate firm up …

As you can see … it is not scraped perfectly clean …

Now repeat using orange melted candy on the words tile. Then mix some Rice Krispies into the melted white chocolate … you could leave it plain, add nuts or whatever you like. Pour the white chocolate on top of the spider webs and gently spread around …

Pour dark chocolate on the words tile and spread it around … then put the tiles in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm up …

The candy will remove from the tiles very easily. The edges are not smooth … but I think that’s OK … it adds character …

To decorate … I used melted orange chocolate and M&M’s to create spiders …

I used more melted chocolate to “glue” the skull candies …

This is one of those “flexible” projects … change-up the colors … use different decorations … use the whole tile or just a small part … use your imagination!

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Frankenstein or Hulk? … Marshmallow Pops

Posted on September 20, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

The lazy days of summer are over … today I decided that I had better get on the ball and start thinking about Halloween. So … I made these Frankenstein and sons marshmallow pops. I showed them to my hubby. He said … oh you made The Hulk! I’ll let you decide.

This is what you will need …

Jumbo marshmallows
Large marshmallows
Lollipop sticks
Candy melts
Candy eyeballs
Edible markers (black & red)
Chocolate jimmies

I did mix white chocolate with green chocolate (candy melts) to get a lighter color green. Dip the marshmallow in the melted candy … tap off all the excess candy …

Then dip the top of the marshmallow into the chocolate jimmies to create hair …

Place the pop in styrofoam (or a fancy homemade pop holder) … put them in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to harden the candy …

Next give him some eyeballs, using melted candy as glue …

Use some melted candy to make eyelids …

I used some melted dark chocolate to make the mouth on the large pops … but used the black marker on the small pops …

Use the red marker to make some scars …

So … what do think … Frankenstein or The Hulk?

I ♥ comments!

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Shortbread Cookies with Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt

Posted on September 13, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Do you like sweet and salty? Then you will enjoy these cookies. I made my favorite shortbread cookies … added some dark chocolate … then sprinkled a little sea salt on top.

If you would like step-by-step photos to make the shortbread cookie dough click here.

Make the cookie dough, roll and cut … (This cutter is about 3″ … can you tell that it has had a long hard life and probably got smashed in a drawer at some point?)

Bake and cool the cookies. Melt the chocolate and pour into a squeeze bottle, disposable decorating bag or even a heavy weight Ziploc type bag, and snip off a corner …

Squeeze the chocolate on the cookie …

Since this was the first time that I made these cookies, I used both fine and coarse sea salt. I do prefer using the coarse salt … because it was easier for me to control and I like the look. Sprinkle some salt on the melted chocolate …

Here is the recipe …

Shortbread Cookies with Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt

1 pound of butter (4 sticks)

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 cups unbleached flour (or all-purpose)

1 cup melted dark chocolate

Sea Salt (I prefer coarse)

Cream together the butter, vanilla and sugar. Add the flour and salt. Mix until blended. Dough will be stiff. If the dough is too soft, cover and refrigerate the dough for a few minutes. At this point, the dough could be wrapped well and saved for future use. It keeps for weeks in the fridge. When you are ready to use it, remove from fridge and set it out until it softens enough to roll.

Roll the dough, on a lightly floured surface or between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment, to about 1/4 thick (or a little thinner). Cut into desired shapes. place on an ungreased cookie sheet, parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Cool, drizzle chocolate on top and sprinkle with sea salt.

Makes about 3 dozen 3″ cookies.

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Cheesecake Bars with Sugar Cookie Crust

Posted on August 8, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Summer time is birthday time for our family. In a five-week span we celebrate the following birthdays … my hubby (the peanut butter addict), son #2, son #3, one nephew, one brother-in-law, one sister-in-law and mine! My two sons’ birthdays are one day apart … not good planning on our part. If we aren’t careful, we could suffer from birthday cake overload. We have learned to have birthday dessert … not always cake. This is one of those desserts!

Before we start … let me explain that I sometimes use mixes for cakes or brownies. But, I always make cookies from scratch … never a mix … never ready made cookie dough … except for this recipe. I have had this recipe for many years, it calls for ready made refrigerated sugar cookie dough. After making these cheesecake bars several times, I thought it was silly to buy sugar cookie dough … so I made my own dough. I don’t know why … but the cookies made with the ready made refrigerated dough won the contest. I felt defeated … the Pillsbury Doughboy won … well, at least he’s cute!

I have altered the recipe to fit our family’s tastes … I live with picky people! Today we have one half blueberry and one half chocolate chip.

This is what you will need … sugar cookie dough, cream cheese, sugar, an egg, blueberry pie filling, chocolate chips and oil spray …

Spray a 9″ x 13″ pan … then press the room temperature sugar cookie dough on the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan …

Beat the softened cream cheese and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer …

Add the egg and beat until smooth …

It should look smooth like this … if you didn’t drop it on the floor like I did! Good news … the mixer survived and it didn’t even crack a floor tile!

Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust …

Sprinkle chocolate chips over half of the pan to make Son #2 happy …

I can’t forget Son #3 … so dollop (that’s a technical term) blueberry pie filling on the other half …

Using a butter or dinner knife, swirl the pie filling with the cream cheese and press the chocolate chips in the cream cheese a little …

Bake … and cool completely before cutting …

The original recipe called for blueberry pie filling only … I like to add a little lemon zest in the cream cheese. I am giving you the recipe for the way I made it … one half blueberry and one half chocolate chip. This is one of those recipes that can be changed to fit your needs. Have fun with it!

Cheesecake Bars with Sugar Cookie Crust

1 16.5 ounce package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough (room temperature)

8 ounces cream cheese (softened)

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup blueberry pie filling (1-1/2 cups if making all blueberry)

3/4 cup chocolate chips (1-1/2 cups if making all chocolate chip)

1. Press dough evenly in a greased 9″ x 13″ baking pan.

2. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar. Add egg and beat until smooth.

3. Spread cream cheese mixture over cookie dough.

4. Dollop pie filling on half of the cheese mixture and sprinkle chocolate chips on the other half.

5. Using a knife, swirl the pie filling and cream cheese mixture. Press the chocolate in the cream cheese mixture.

6. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until edges of crust are golden brown.

7. Cool completely, cut into bars, refrigerate.

I enjoy comments! Please leave one below …

Brownie Oreo Cupcakes

Posted on August 2, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

This was an experiment … I have made brownie cupcakes before and love the convenience of single servings, no cutting required … but I have never stuffed a Oreo in one. I have seen many recipes recently with Oreos inside cupcakes, cookies and brownies, so I gave it a try. I will do it again, but it will probably be an experiment again!

First of all, I must confess that I used a brownie mix. You see my family prefers brownies from a mix over brownies from scratch. So, I keep my family happy and my life simple!

I followed the directions on the box and filled cupcake papers with the brownie batter. I got 13 cupcakes from a mix that made a 9″ x 13″ pan of brownies …

Then put the Oreos in the cupcake batter … and put them in the oven @ 350° for 25 minutes …

This is what happened … the Oreos that I laid on top of the batter, stayed … I stood 3 Oreos on end and 2 fell down … next time I may do it differently … maybe pour a little batter in the bottom, place a Oreo on the batter and then cover the Oreo with more batter …

I made these cupcakes to take to a birthday lunch … they looked so plain … so I added a little dollop of icing …

They needed more … a few sprinkles “partied” them up … and I put them in individual cupcake boxes for everyone to take home …

These Brownie Oreo Cupcakes were very easy and tasted good. Let me know if you try it this way or another … I always appreciate input! Just leave a comment below ….

I listed this recipe on “it’s a blog party!” … click on the image below to get more great recipes!

Chocolate Dipped Nutter Butter Marshmallow Pops

Posted on July 14, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Nutter Butter cookies, marshmallows, chocolate, sprinkles and chopped peanuts … some of my hubby’s (The Peanut Butter Addict) favorite foods. I think his eyes were twinkling when he saw these treats.

What should they be called? I couldn’t come up with a name … just a description. Oh, I did decide they are pops because the Nutter Butter cookie is the stick … an edible stick … or should it be called a handle?

The whole creation came about because I have come across so many recipes for cookies and brownies stuffed with Nutter Butters or Oreos. I decided to stuff Nutter Butters in marshmallows … easier said than done. I broke several Nutter Butters trying to stuff marshmallows … and finally decided a different approach was necessary. I know that this is not a great culinary creation … just a fun little no-bake treat!

This is what you will need … about 1 pound of chocolate or candy melts, one 10 oz. bag of large marshmallows, 1 package of Nutter Butter cookies, chopped peanuts and sprinkles …

Set up an assembly line … cover a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment, cut the marshmallows in half (scissors work well), melt the chocolate … put some melted chocolate on the cut side of the marshmallow … the chocolate will act like glue …

Attach one half of the marshmallow to the Nutter Butter and then attach the other half to the other side of the cookie …

Let the chocolate harden up …

Dip the marshmallow in melted chocolate … covering the entire marshmallow … tap off the excess chocolate …

Dip in sprinkles, chopped nuts or ? … and set on waxed paper … pop them in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to harden the chocolate …

Marshmallows for the 4th of July

Posted on June 30, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Today’s 4th of July marshmallows are so simple …

I did use a different brand of marshmallows this time. The brand name is “de la Rosa” and they are flavored vanilla and strawberry! They are available in two sizes, large and extra giant. Here is a photo …

You will need marshmallows, candy melts or chocolate, sprinkles and lollipop sticks. To make the glittery star you will need Starburst (or any other candy that will work for you), “Disco Dust” (non-toxic glitter available at cake supply stores) and a star cookie cutter …

First melt your chocolate … put a stick almost all the way in a marshmallow (or 2 or 3 marshmallows) … dip it in the chocolate to coat …

Tap off the excess chocolate …

Add sprinkles …

Put it in a stand or styrofoam … pop it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to set the chocolate …

To make the glittery stars … flatten the Starburst candy … I used my fingers … cut out the star using the cookie cutter …

Now sprinkle the Disco Dust on the star … do this on a piece of parchment or wax paper so that you can reuse any excess dust … try to keep you fingers out of the dust … it flies everywhere! The Disco Dust will stick to the candy automatically …

I dipped some marshmallows and did not add sprinkles before putting them in the fridge … use some melted chocolate to attach the star to the marshmallow …

Now use more melted chocolate (just around the edges) to add sprinkles …

Disco Dust comes in many colors … I love way it adds sparkle!

Visit tomorrow to see Sweet Slider Cupcakes!

Topless S’mores Bars

Posted on June 26, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Do s’mores need graham crackers on the top and bottom? I have been wanting to make a s’mores creation for some time … but I really wanted to see the golden marshmallow … the result is what you see … topless s’more bars.

Thank goodness for family … they are always willing to be members of the “test kitchen” a.k.a. guinea pigs. Normally I think of s’mores with warm marshmallows and melty chocolate … but the consensus was “refrigerate them to chill the chocolate” … I agree. I liked using the StackerMallows … they made perfect cutting lines for servings!

You will need StackerMallows, milk chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter …

Mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar …

Melt the butter … mix it well with the graham cracker crumbs and sugar …

Press the crumb mixture into a 9″ x 13″ pan …

Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the crust …

Lay the StackerMallows on the chocolate chips … don’t let the marshmallows touch the side of the pan … 30 marshmallows fit just right …

Pop them in the oven … s’mores need toasted marshmallows …

Topless S’mores Bars

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks)

2 cups milk chocolate chips

30 StackerMallows (about 1/2 of a bag)

Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Melt butter and stir into crumb mixture. Spread mixture and press into bottom of 9″ x 13″ pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over crust. Lay StackerMallows in a single layer over chocolate chips. Bake at 400° for about 12 minutes or until marshmallows are golden. Cool or chill and serve. 30 servings

Happy Grad Marshmallow Pops

Posted on May 18, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Are all graduates happy? I think so, especially if you give them marshmallows covered in chocolate! Plus … school’s out for summer!

These Happy Grad Pops would make nice little additions to any party table or individually packed as favors. They can be made several weeks ahead of time and kept in a cool (not the refrigerator) dry place.

You will need … Jumbo marshmallows, Stackermallows (new from Kraft at Wal-Mart), AirHeads Xtremes, mini M&Ms, yellow candy melts, dark chocolate candy melts and lollipop sticks (I used 6″) …

Melt the yellow chocolate (see how to melt chocolate). Cut the Jumbo Marshmallows in half (I used kitchen shears) so that you have 2 ovals/rounds …

Insert the lollipop stick all the way thru the marshmallow half until it sticks out about 1/4″ on the end … keep in mind that this is the face and part of the grad cap (a long oval is better than a wide oval) …

Dip it in melted yellow chocolate … tap off excess chocolate … place StackerMallow on top, making sure that the stick is in the rectangular marshmallow … the melted chocolate will help “glue” the rectangular marshmallow …

Pop them in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes … melt the dark chocolate … while the lollipop is still cool … dip the rectangular marshmallow and a small portion of the oval (yellow) in the dark chocolate, forming the “cap” …

Let dry … I did fix that little spot on the cap with melted chocolate, oops! …

Put some of your melted dark chocolate in a squeeze bottle, disposable pastry bag or use a toothpick … use whatever works for you … draw a happy face … remember, squeeze lightly for a fine line … or squeeze harder for a thick line …

To make the tassel … using melted chocolate, attach an M&M (M down) … use a paring knife to slice the AirHeads in strips about 1-1/2″ long … attach with melted chocolate …

Congratulations … you have created Happy Grads!!!

Note : You can use any color of chocolate … not just yellow … I must be stuck in the 70’s.

Graduation Cupcakes with Marshmallow Grad Cap Pops

Posted on May 17, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

It’s mid May and I just can’t believe that time is passing so quickly … it just dawned on me that school has already ended for some … and will be ending very shortly for others. So, I hope this idea for graduation may be helpful to you.

The graduation caps may be made in advance and stored in an airtight container for several weeks. This is what you will need … large marshmallows, ” Stacker” marshmallows (new from Kraft – at Wall Mart), dark chocolate candy melts, 4-1/2″ lollipop sticks, Extreme AirHead Belts and mini M&M’s …

First of all, remember that marshmallows are not perfect … the new StackerMallows are rectangular (not square as I was hoping for) … round ones are sometimes are oblong … but remember – they are marshmallows … have fun with them!

I made the caps two different ways … For each cap you will need 1 rectangular and 1/2 of a large marshmallow. Cut a large marshmallow in half (check out the photo) and place it on the rectangular marshmallow with a dot of melted chocolate between …

Dip the tip of the stick in melted chocolate … insert into the marshmallows (go thru both marshmallows) … and let it dry. Now dip the entire marshmallow cap in melted chocolate … tap off excess chocolate …

Place the pop in holder or styrofoam and put in fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm up. If you get chocolate drips on the stick you can use a paring knife (smooth blade) to clean it up …

Attach a mini M&M (M down) with a dot of melted chocolate … Using a paring knife slice the AirHeads into strips … cut the lengths to about 1-1/2″ long … attach to cap with melted chocolate … you may have to hold it for a moment to prevent slipping …

Let’s move on to cupcakes … bake your favorite cupcakes … let them cool … make decorator icing (recipe found in the icing section above) … fill your decorator bag (I used Wilton tip #1M) with icing … working in a spiral pattern (start on the outside rim), frost cupcake … add sprinkles … insert marshmallow cap pop …