Halloween Spicy S'mores Cookie Bars

It was just innocent at first, I came across the recipe for Smore's Cookie Bars at church; we all baked them for the men at church for Father's Day.  I should have known, Miss Tina, the lady we got the recipe from is a very good cook, and she always finds the best S'mores recipes.

I mean I don't even like the kind of S'mores that you eat as you sit around the campfire.  Chocolate and graham crackers yes, but no thank you on the burnt marshmallows!  Then when we were in Pennsylvania at our son's home, and we were talking about desserts -- as we always do -- they had been making them too, but as a pie.  We all agreed that the graham crackers in the crust made these bars special. 

So naturally, Zoulah wanted to put her spin (some might call it magic) on things and make them Halloween-y, and we loved them even more.  In fact our daughter said, we would never make them again without the spices.  Ooh-la-la the chocolate and the spices taste sooooo good together.

So here goes the recipe.

Halloween Spicy S'mores Cookie Bars

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 2/3  cups flour

1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs -- about 1 sleeve and use cinnamon ones for an extra punch of cinnamon-y goodness

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Orange food coloring

Hershey Chocolate Bars -- 24 snack-sized bars

1 container of marshmallow fluff -- not marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan.  Cream together butter and sugars until light.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmegs.   Add orange food coloring if desired -- use about 1/2 teaspoon gel coloring.  Add to butter mixture and mix at low speed until combined.  Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of prepared pan.  Place chocolate bars  over dough.  Spread chocolate with marshmallow fluff.  Wet your hands or use a wet spatula to ease in the spreading of the fluff.  Next, put the remaining dough on top.  This is easiest if you sort of flatten small shingles of dough and lay them out piece by piece.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool completely before cutting.  I like to cut them in 3 by 4 squares, so about 9 to a pan.

Thanks Tina for the original recipe, and thanks Zoulah for adding some Halloween magic to it.  I am sure there is an original source, but I do not know it.

Use 2 Packages of 12 Pack Snack-Sized S'mores Bar (or the equivalent)

Take a Deep Breath of the Chocolate Goodness

I know I am supposed to like European chocolate better, but I love Hershey's chocolate bars, especially with almonds in them!

The Bars Laid Out on the Bottom Crust

Marshmallow Fluff

Pat the Cookie Dough for the Top Crust in Thin Shingles and Then Piece it Together

The Bars Waiting to be Baked

I hope you make a batch soon.

Zoulah thanks you for stopping by!

Lemon and Lime Cookies

Hello, I thought I would share a few pictures of some cookies that I made.  Making lime or lemon slices are just about the easiest cookies to make, using the wet-on-wet technique, and I think that they are so cute!  

The lime cookies have a sad tale.  My daughter wanted to bring some to a friend.  So we had a few errands to attend to before bringing them to a friend,  It was a hot day, and we left them in the car.  You guessed it!  They got soft and mushy and they kind of melted!  Lesson:  Do not leave cookies in the car.

We also made some lemon ones.  

I just haven't posted in months, and all of a sudden today, I thought I would make a post.  I am sorry for not posting more often.  It is not that I haven't been up to things, it is just a factor of time and priorities.  I hope that you are well.

Thanks for dropping by the Couch.

Aunt Ionia's Toffee Bars

The weather has snapped cold and we are getting a lot of rain.  It is kind of dreary, but the rain is very much welcomed.  I do not know about you, but when it is cold out,  my thoughts turn to baking.  These toffee bars were always on the cookie tray at my Aunt Ionia's for Christmas.  My sister Jacqueline and I are redoing a memory and recipe and memory book for our dear aunt; we are including pictures of her recipes. 

 

 

 

My Aunt Ionia passed away on Halloween night in 2003, but her memory lives on in her acts of kindness and in her recipes.  Aunt Ionia hosted the Christmas Eve party at her apartment every year.  For many years I was honored to be able to help her prepare for the tribe coming over to her home for the big Christmas Eve dinner.  One of my duties was to make up the cookie trays.  These toffee bars were always on the cookie tray.  If memory serves me right, these were a favorite of Mary, her sister.  I forgot how good these taste!  They DO taste like English Toffee, but they are so much simpler to make.  No thermometer needed to make these goodies.

 

 

The Cousins at Christmas Eve at Aunt Ionia's Apartment.  I am the one peeking my head in at the far right.

 

Aunt Ionia's English Toffee Recipe

 

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg yolk

2 cups flour

Pinch of salt

1 (12-ounce) bag of milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together butter, sugar, and egg.  Add the flour and mix well.  Pat the mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.  Bake for 15 -18 minutes or until golden brown.  Do not over bake.  Remove from oven and place pan on a cooling rack.  Let sit for a couple of minutes.  While the crust is still warm add chocolate chips.  Let them sit for awhile, until the chocolate is melted.  Sprinkle the pecans on the bars before the chocolate is dry.

 

Notes:  I have also used a whole egg and the recipe turned out fine.  The Culps, my family, always liked nuts on them, and the Clark family, our cousins, never liked nuts.  Ionia would always be accommodating and make two batches of something or leave off nuts on half of a recipe.

 

 

 

I sure hope you make these as they are super easy to make and really delicious.

 

Thanks for dropping by the Couch.



Donut Eyeballs -- Halloween Dessert in a Flash

Zoulah has one more spiffy Halloween idea which comes together in a flash!  Yup, Donut Hole Eyeballs!  They are quick and delicious!

 

 

Just get some eyes.  Zoulah got hers at Hobby Lobby in the cake decorating section and apply some corn syrup to the back.  If you let them sit awhile, the corn syrup will dry and the eye will become fixed to the donut holes.

 

 

 

Put them on a skewer, as in skewered eyeballs in a bowl or in little cupcake liners.  Zoulah thinks they will be a hit at your Halloween party.

 

 



 

Zoulah saw this concept on the blog Eighteen25.

 

Thanks for dropping by Red Couch Recipes.

 

Posted with Home Sweet Home.

Pumpkin Beignets

 

Zoulah, naturally, is in love with pumpkin-anything this time of year.  She had a hankering for some sweet confections, and she remembered the hot and delicious beignets at Disney.  What to her wondering eyes she did find was a recipe for Pumpkin Beignets served at Disneyland at MagicalRecipes.net.  We have eaten the incredibly good beignets at New Orleans Square, but apparently, the pumpkin ones are only served at a club at Disney.  Just in time for pumpkin season, you can make these at home.

 

 

Now, we don't fry too much at the Red Couch home, but we let Zoulah give a try.  Be warned, these will disappear like magic at your home.  They are a bit heavier than normal beignets, because of the pumpkin, but they were sheer delights.  We made them large; this recipe yielded about 12.  Instead of the maple syrup icing as was suggested, we sprinkled powdered sugar laced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and the spiced powdered sugar really complimented the beignets.  Zoulah tried the maple sugar glaze, but liked the powdered sugar dusting much better.   

 

Pumpkin Beignet Recipe

 

1/2 teaspoon dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees F)

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup hot water

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

Vegetable oil for frying

See below for ingredients for Powdered Sugar dusting

  

Pumpkin Beignet Instructions

 

1.  Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

 2.  Combine flour, pumpkin puree, sugar, heavy cream, hot water, egg, shortening, and salt in a large bowl; stir in yeast mixture. 

3.  Mix dough just until combined and smooth.  Let dough rest in bowl, covered with a clean kitchen towel, 30 minutes.

4.  Transfer dough to a well-floured surface.  Pat to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch squares.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

5.  Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees F in a deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat. 

6.  Fry beignets until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, turning as soon as they brown on one side. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.

 

Zoulah used our electric wok for frying,

 

 

Powdered Sugar Dusting

 

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

 

Place ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Mix together well.  While beignets are warm, place powdered sugar mixture in a small holed sieve and sift over the beignets generously.  If desired adjust spices according to your desires.

 

Posted with Home Sweet Home. 



Pumpkin Scones -- Spicy, Delicious, and Moist

 Zoulah welcomes you to Red Couch Recipes where she has been a bit busy in her Bewitchen Kitchen this year.  She and her little witchy Red Couch Family have made these scones three times.  Talley, the youngest witch, made these first.    They are so deliciously moist and are enrobed in two icings; the pumpkin icing makes Zoulah drool.  They are perfectly spiced, and Zoulah wishes she could claim this recipe as her own, but it is from Cooking Classy, and it is a Starbuck's copycat recipe.  Here in the Pacific Northwest Starbuck's no longer serves these, so it is a good thing we can make them!  Zoulah wouldn't change a thing in the recipe, and she plans to include this in her fall baking repertoire.  You are going to love this moist scone.  Yes, Zoulah knows this has a lot of ingredients, but she also knows it is worth it.

 

Zoulah kindly put  a fork out so you could taste one.  See, Zoulah is a good witch, not a bad witch.



Scone Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and diced into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon canned pumpkin puree -- tablespoon is for pumpkin icing

3 1/2 tablespoons buttermilk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon  vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon half and half (for brushing tops before baking)

 

Glaze Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons half and half, then more as needed

Pumpkin Icing
3/4 cup powdered sugar
 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon half and half

 

Scone Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor, pulse together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well blended (if you don't have a food processor you can whisk by hand in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry cutter). Add butter and pulse mixture several times to cut butter into mixture (large pieces of butter should no longer be visible). Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl and create a well in center.

 

In a bowl whisk together chilled pumpkin puree, buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract and honey. Pour mixture into well in flour/butter mixture. Stir mixture with a wooden spoon to incorporate, then knead in bowl (or on work surface) by hand several times to bring mixture together. Dust a work surface with flour then invert dough onto surface. Pat and shape dough into an even 8-inch round. Using a large knife, slice into 8 equal wedges (dust knife with flour as needed while cutting, it will be fairly sticky).

 

Transfer scones to a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush tops with 1tablespoon  half and half then bake in preheated oven 13 - 15 minutes until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool 10 minutes (no longer) before spreading with glaze and pumpkin icing.

 

Glaze Instructions:

In a mixing bowl whisk together powdered sugar and half and half, adding more half and half as needed to reach desired consistency (it should be fairly thick, not runny). Spoon and spread mixture on scones to evenly coat tops (use all of it). Let glaze set at room temperature.

 

Pumpkin Icing Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and half and half. Transfer mixture to a small Ziploc bag, seal bag, cut a small tip from corner and drizzle mixture over tops of scones. Allow icing to set. Best served day prepared.

 

Yield:

Eight nice-sized scones.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for dropping by Zoulah's Bewitchen Kitchen!

 

 

 

Posted with Home Sweet Home, Foodie Friday

 

 

Peanut Butter S'mores in a Jar

 

 

Hello Dear Red Couch Readers!  These little goodies will be so much adored for the Summer S'mores Season.  A graham cracker crust, with gooey marshmallows and brownie, and a drizzle of peanut butter, make these little individual desserts really delicious   A friend bought one by for me, and I fell in love.  It was such a fun little dessert to receive.  Enough with the gushing.  Look below for an update on my son.

I found these little jars at Hobby Lobby.  They were on sale and were a little bit over a dollar.  There is a rubber ring in the lid that you need to take out before baking.  Any glass container, such as a canning jar, with about an 8-ounce capacity will do.

 

 

Update on my son:  After a year-long illness, we feel that we have turned the corner on his bone infection.  He has had five PIC lines, three emergency hospital visits, stayed in four different hospitals in 2 states for a  total of 26 days, 3 ambulance rides, and two breaks in his legs, one severe, and one not so severe, physical therapy, both in-home, and in-clinic, and 18 weeks on crutches or with a walker.  The plate and nine screws are out, a titanium nail, or rod is in. During the last surgery in April to place the titanium rod in his femur, his leg was broken when they placed the rod.   We hope and pray for the best. Tomorrow they are pulling the PIC line. Hopefully, soon he will be off crutches.  It has been an adventure. 

 

 Recipe for Peanut Butter S'mores in a Jar Recipe

Adapted from Taste and Tell, Originally from September 2014 Family Circle

 Ingredients:

 

1 sleeve graham crackers, nine whole crackers, finely crushed

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon sugar

1 (7-ounce) container marshmallow cream

1 box (18 ounce) brownie mix, plus ingredients called for on the box

1/4 to 1/2  cup chocolate chips

4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

3 cups miniature marshmallows ( I did not use this much.)

 

Directions:

 

 1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare the brownie batter, as directed on the box and add chocolate chips.  I used a Ghiradelli Double Chocolate mix.  Do not bake batter at this point.  2.   Place 8 (8 ounce) oven-proof jars on a baking sheet.  3.  In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar, and mix well.  Reserve 1/4 cup of graham mixture for topping the desserts.  Press remaining mixture into the bottom of the 8 jars.  Use a spoon for pressing.

4.  Microwave the marshmallow cream for about 8 seconds.  Place a large spoonful, divide evenly, in each of the jars on top of graham cracker crust.  Try to get the marshmallow cream to touch on the sides to anchor it in place, to minimize the marshmallow layer from rising above brownie layer. 

5.  Divide the brownie batter between the 8 containers, placing it upon the marshmallow layer.

6.  Bake containers in oven for about 30 minutes, or until the brownie mix is done.  The marshmallows may rise, and the brownie layer may fall after baking  This is okay.

7.  Remove from the oven, and allow to cool slightly.  Place the peanut butter in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.  Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon on each cooked dessert. Place reserved graham crackers on each dessert.  Place mini marshmallows on top and broil in the oven until marshmallows are lightly brown.  Watch carefully to avoid burning.   Serve warm or cold.

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy this yummy dessert

White Chocolate Mousse Eggs Dessert Tutorial

 

Hippity Hoppity, Hippity Hoppity, Easter is on it's way!"  Here at Red Couch Recipes we have a very delicious dessert for Easter Sunday.  It is designed to look like the Cadbury Eggs, so popular at Easter.  The white chocolate mousse is killer --- it really is!  The lemon curd "yolk" center goes so well with the mousse, and adds a little bit of tang.  So delicious even the Easter Bunny would approve of these himself.

I have added a new Facebook Like button on the side.  Please "Like" Red Couch Recipes on Facebook.

 

My very talented friend Shannon used to host a local cable television show that features cooking and crafts.  A few years ago I was one of her guests when she made these White Chocolate Mousse Eggs, and we have been making them ever since at Easter. 

 

 

The dessert is comprised of a chocolate egg shell, white chocolate mousse, and lemon curd.  I will take you through the steps.  None of it is difficult.  Making the mousse generates a few dirty dishes, but it really is an excellent tasting mousse, well worth the effort.  But if you are not in the mood for making a homemade mousse, buy a mix.  So let's start with the chocolate egg shells.

 

Chocolate Egg Shells

 

1.  Blow up water balloons.

 

2.  Melt some good quality milk or dark chocolate chips in a medium -size glass bowl in the microwave.  We used milk chocolate chips.  Melt the chips first for about 30 seconds, then stir, and then return to the microwave and melt another 10-15 seconds, and then stir,  repeating the steps until the chips are completely melted.  Be careful as the chips can be easy to burn. 

 

3.  Then take an offset spatula, or the backside of a spoon, and spread the chocolate around the bottom of a small water balloon.  You don't want to make the egg shell too large.  You can also dip the bottom of the balloon in chocolate which will give the chocolate egg shell a cleaner look.  I like using a spoon because it gives it a more rough look.

 

 

 

4.  Place the chocolate covered balloon on a goblet or a half-pint sized mason jar to dry.

 

 

 

5.  Take the chocolate covered balloons  and place them in the freezer or refrigerator until the chocolate is firm.  The chocolate covered balloons should be ready for filling in about 10 minutes or less if you place it in the freezer, and a bit longer if you place it in the refrigerator.

 

6.  Pop the balloon and peel away the balloon from the chocolate shell.  Set aside the chocolate shells.

 

 

 

White Chocolate Mousse Filling

Adapted Food Network Recipe

 

 Ingredients

 

7 ounces white chocolate chips -- I used Ghiradelli White Chocolate Chips

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons sugar

1-1/4 cups heavy cream, divided into 1/4 and 1 cup portions

 

Directions

1.  In a large glass bowl, place the chopped white chocolate  and set aside.

2.  Add the egg yolks and sugar to a small bowl and whisk until pale in color.

3.  In a saucepan, over low heat, bring 1/4 cup of the cream to a simmer, and slowly add the cream into the yolk and sugar mixture to temper.

4.  Pour the creamy mixture (the egg, sugar and cream) back into pan and stir with a wooden spoon until it coats the back of it.  The mixture should be quite hot, hot enough to melt the chocolate chips.

5.  Pour hot mix into a fine mesh sieve placed directly over bowl with the chopped chocolate. Stir until completely smooth.  Then set aside.

6.  In another bowl, whip remaining 1 cup of the cream to almost stiff peaks. Fold half the whipped cream into the white chocolate mix to lighten and then fold in the remaining whipped cream.

 

With a spoon, fill the chocolate shells about half full.

 

 

Place a small amount of lemon curd in the center.  We used Trader Joe's Lemon Curd.

 

 

 

All of the steps can be done ahead except for adding the lemon curd.  After about 30 minutes or so the lemon curd does tend to sink down into the mousse, so place the lemon curd on the mousse right before you serve the dessert.

 

 

I hope you make this dessert and let me know how you liked it. Thanks for dropping by my Red Couch.

 

 

Posted with Foodie Friday

 



Wok Caramel Corn

 

 

Hello everyone  I am happy to bring you this fun, tasty, and easy caramel corn recipe today.  It whips up in about 5 minutes, and the result is sugared caramel corn deliciousness. 

 

Wok Caramel Corn

 

12-14 cups of popped corn -- I used an air popper.

1/2 cup butter --  I wouldn't recommend using margarine.

1 cup brown sugar

5 tablespoons water

 

Place the butter, sugar, and water in a wok.  On medium to medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil, all the while stirring constantly.  Return heat to medium, and then allow mixture  to boil for another 2 minutes, without stirring.   Then add popcorn and stir to cover popcorn.  Don't eat just yet.  Allow to cool until the caramel sugars somewhat.  Note:  You could make this without a wok, but with a wok it is so easy to coat the popcorn in caramel, and it is also fun!

 

 

 

My husband is working out of state this year.  One of his former students and wife have been so kind to him by including him in their family activities, inviting him to dinner, and basically amazing people!  When I was visiting him last month, Kyle had told me about the caramel popcorn they make.  When they invited us over to dinner, I mentioned I would like their caramel corn recipe.  Even though we had another dessert, Bucky, his former student, made us a batch, and I was smitten.  Thank you Bucky and Christy, I don't know what he would do without you!

 

 

 

 

This has been added to our Sunday Snack Recipes  --  delicious, easy, and with ingredients we always have in our cupboards.

 

Thanks for dropping by my couch!

Skull Medallion Cake

Welcome to Red Couch Recipes where Zoulah had a "magical" time coming up with this cake!  She has thought about doing something like this for awhile.

 

Zoulah bought the ceramic skull cookie stamp at World Market this year.  She has a good collection of cookie stamps and she is excited to have another use for the ones she has.

 

She made up a batch of homemade marshmallow fondant or you can just buy some fondant.

 



She set out the fondant to dry a bit on some waxed paper.  She made sure that there was a bit of confectioner's sugar on the bottom of each medallion.  She did not totally dry the fondant medallions before applying them to the cake.

 

 



 

Then she made a 3-layer cake using 2 boxes of cake mix.  She wants you to know that you will have a bit of leftover cake mix.  Then before baking she swirled in some orange food coloring. 

 

 

Then she made a batch of buttercream frosting and tinted it black.  The recipe for the buttercream frosting is 3/4 cup of butter, 4 cups of confectioner's sugar, and 4 to 5 tablespoons of water, and 1 teaspoon flavoring.  Zoulah used almond extract.  Mix well and adjust water or sugar to get the right consistency.  She added black gel food coloring. 

 

 Then she frosted the cake and she used a bit of water on her knife so that she could get the frosting extra smooth.

 

 

Before the buttercream frosting dried, she applied the fondant medallions that were not completely dry.  Because the frosting was also  not dry the medallions were able to stick by themselves. 

 

 

 

Then for fun she added some pearly white sixlets at the bottom of the cake and randomly all over the cake.  Zoulah's Wal-Mart has begun to stock these near the cake mixes.

 Then she added two skeleton pops for a whimsical effect.

 

  

 Zoulah wants to share a secret with you.  For a final touch she added some confectioner's sugar to hide the imperfections on the cake!  If you already knew this secret then you are Zoulah's kind of witch!

She hopes you like her cake!  It was a focal point of her "Crossbones Inn Tablescape."

 

Zoulah and her twin Beaulah

 

 

 

Zoulah thanks you for dropping by Red Couch Recipes.