Peanut Butter Balls

I know that in some parts of the US, these are called Buckeyes and made around the Christmas season.  I've never made them before, but wanted to after sampling one around Christmas time.  We had too many sweets at Christmas, so we never ended up making them then.  About two weeks ago, though, my daughter begged and begged to do these together, so I gave in.  I used Joy the Baker's Recipe.  I like her method of only dipping half the ball; it's easier and less messy that way.  These are SUPER sweet. Addicting, though.  Good for every once in a while.  (BTW I loved using coconut oil while melting the chocolate.  It made everything so smooth, even though I used chocolate chips (semi-sweet mini.)

Peanut Butter Balls

adapted from Joy the Baker

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
6 cups powdered sugar
12 ounces semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (one bag of mini's)
1 tablespoon coconut oil

1.  In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine peanut butter, butter, vanilla, salt, and half of the powdered sugar.  Blend on low speed until the mixture begins to come together. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the remaining powdered sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be very thick, but not dry. The powdered sugar should incorporate easily.

2.  Remove the bowl from the stand and use a small cookie scoop (about one tablespoon; smaller than a standard cookie scoop) to scoop dough and roll peanut butter balls between your hands to make a tight, round ball. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

3.  In a heatproof bowl (or double boiler) combine chocolate chips and coconut oil. Place the bowl over a small pot of simmering water and let sit until chocolate begins to melt. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and reduce heat so the water is just at a low simmer.

4.  Remove the balls from the refrigerator and using your fingers, dip half of each ball into the melted chocolate, and return to the parchment lined sheet. Repeat until all balls are dipped and place in the refrigerator to chill and harden the chocolate.

5.  Keep peanut butter balls covered and stored in the refrigerator.  They last up to 2 weeks if covered well and cool.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Oreo & Peanut Butter Truffles

I made Oreo Truffles again, and this time, I only had 6 oz. of cream cheese (actually, Neufchatel) on hand.  To make up the difference, I used peanut butter.  At first I used 1/3 cup pb, but the mixture was too dry, so I added more, probably for a total of about 1/2 cup.  Start with 1/3 cup, and then add more as needed to make a mixture with a sugar-cookie dough texture. 

I had a hard time with melting the chocolate this time around- I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I had to try three times to get it right.  It seized on me the first two times.  :(  Finally, it worked well using a new, un-opened bag of semi-sweet chips.  Maybe it was the humidity here.  Who knows.  It's been pretty easy before, though, so don't be scared.  If you've never melted chocolate before, you can read these tips, or find your own on the internet.  I'm not a fan of using the microwave for this, but I know many do like it, and obviously, I'm no expert.  :)   (My absolute favorite way to eat these truffles is dipped in melted white chocolate- but that is really hard for me to do now for some reason.  I can melt a small amount just fine- I did that for the drizzle, but a larger amount seems to seize quickly on me). 

Oreo & Peanut Butter Truffles

1 package (about 1 lb. 2 oz, or so) chocolate creme-filled sandwich cookies (Oreos), finely crushed (in food processor)

6 ounces Neufchatel or cream cheese, softened

1/3-1/2 cup peanut butter (use more of less as needed.  I used natural pb)
1 bag (10-12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (may need more or less than this)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine crushed cookies and cream cheese to form a stiff dough that is not too dry- like sugar cookie dough. (A stand mixer works well for this). From balls (I use my smallest cookie scoop). Roll in your hands to form a perfect ball and set on a large, wax-paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate or freeze until firm.

2. In a large heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate chips. You may need more or less. Dip with a fork or toothpick in melted chocolate. Tap off excess. Let rest on waxed paper until set. If you want to decorate with sprinkles: add while chocolate is still wet. If you wish to decorate with a white chocolate drizzle: wait till chocolate is dry and then add the drizzle. Store in fridge.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Oreo Truffles

I'm posting this recipe here; I've talked about it before, in my early blogging days, but I've never posted the actual recipe.  You can see these Oreo truffles all over the internet.  I made these for end-of-school-year teacher gifts.  They are pretty simple- just cream cheese (Neufchatel, for me), Oreos, and melted chocolate. 

Dipping them in chocolate is definitely the most annoying part.  Semi-sweet chocolate melts the smoothest, and is easiest to work with.  I prefer milk or white chocolate, but I was going for ease when I made these.  I use a toothpick to pick them up, then I cover them with chocolate, and then tap the toothpick (with truffle still attached) on the side of my bowl to get rid of excess chocolate.  I use another toothpick to get them off of the toothpick, and then I tap the toothpick hole with the back of a choc-covered spoon (my stirring spoon) to cover the hole.  Then, you can add some sprinkles, while the chocolate is still wet, or you can let it dry and then add a drizzle of white chocolate. 

To use up leftover chocolate, mix in peanut butter, heat again, and pour into mini cupcake liners to make little chocolates.  Store in fridge. 

Oreo Truffles
adatped from Allrecipes

1 package (about 1 lb. 2 oz, or so) chocolate creme-filled sandwich cookies (Oreos), crushed (in food processor)
1 (8 ounce) package Neufchatel or cream cheese, softened
1 bag (10-12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1.  In a large mixing bowl, combine crushed cookies and cream cheese to form a stiff dough.  (A stand mixer works well for this).  From balls (I use my smallest cookie scoop).  Roll in your hands to form a perfect ball and set on a large, wax-paper lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate or freeze until firm. 

2.  In a large heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate chips.  You may need more or less.  Dip with a fork or toothpick in melted chocolate.  Tap off excess.  Let rest on waxed paper until set.  If you want to decorate with sprinkles: add while chocolate is still wet.  If you wish to decorate with a white chocolate drizzle: wait till chocolate is dry and then add the drizzle.  Store in fridge.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Vanilla Bean Truffles

I've posted about truffles a few times on this blog, so this may be redundant, but I couldn't help posting about these... I just loved how they look in those little pink and white baking cups! Also, I've never made truffles this exact way before. They taste similar to the mascarpone cake truffles I made a while ago, but these were a little simpler to make. I used a whole box of Trader Joe's Vanilla Bean Jo Jo's (vanilla sandwich creme cookies, as opposed to chocolate) for this recipe, and one 8-oz. block of cream cheese. Other vanilla creme sandwich cookies would work, too. I originally made these as a gift for my daughter's kindergarten teacher. Today is her last day of kindergarten and her teacher is just wonderful. My daughter has had a great year (she just loves school!) and I can only hope that her 1st grade teacher is great as well.

In the past, I've used my medium cookie scoop to form truffles, but they turned out too big. This time, I formed a ball with my cookie scoop, but then cut that ball in half, and then rolled each half into a ball. I got about 60 truffles this way.

I don't how much chocolate I used- I just dumped it in until it looked right, so use as much as you think you need!

Vanilla Bean Truffles

1 box vanilla sandwich creams (I use Trader Joe's)

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (optional)

8 oz. real white chocolate, melted

6 oz. milk chocolate, melted

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted

Crush the cookies into fine crumbs (filling and all) using a food processor. Mix in the cream cheese, using a stand mixer or a wooden spoon. Then mix in vanilla bean seeds, if using, and vanilla extract. Form into small balls using a mellon baller, or small cookie scoop. (I got about 60 out of this recipe). Set on a tray or baking sheet covered with wax paper. Chill in the refrigerator until hard- a few hours to overnight.

Melt the white chocolate in one small pan, and the milk and semisweet together in another small pan. Using a toothpick, dip the cookie balls into the chocolate, tapping the toothpick against the side of the pan to get rid of excess chocolate. Set on a tray covered with wax paper to set. When they are all dipped, refrigerate until set. Drizzle with remaining chocolate in contrasting colors.

Mascarpone Cake Truffles

What do you do with 20 ruined cupcakes? And what do you do when you're up at 11pm making said cupcakes for your kid's birthday at school the next day, and they have to be delivered in the morning? When one is tired, and it's late, and they've just thrown a birthday party for a zillion loud kids at their house, and they still have to make cupcakes, it's not a good idea to try to increase the recipe by 50% (no, not double the recipe, not cut it in half, but increase it by 50%). Obviously I messed up in some of my calculations. My cupcakes expanded above the pan at least one inch, and then sank terribly, and were all crumbly and just looked awful. However, they still tasted great. It wasn't any consolation to me at the time. I think I cried just a little and then went to bed. I got up extra early the next morning to make and frost some drop sugar cookies. Then, as I was leaving the school (after delivering them) I locked my keys AND my two youngest kids in the van. (We just bought a van a few weeks ago, by the way). My middle child was able to save the day by unlocking the doors in the passenger side. But anyway, back to the cupcakes.

I have seen many recipes on the internet for Cake Balls, which call for one 9x13 cake plus a can of frosting, mixed together, shaped into balls, and dipped into almond bark. I liked the general idea of these, but didn't like the idea of mixing the cake with the frosting, and then dipping it in almond bark. I have a sweet tooth, but that seemed like it would be way too sweet, even to me. So I made up my own version.

I had half a container of mascarpone cheese that needed using, so I decided to incorporate that into my cake truffles. I don't like using almond bark (or confectioner's coating- but I will use it once in a while) so I decided to try melting chocolate chips instead. I used real white chocolate chips (not vanilla chips- look for cocoa butter in the ingredients. Should not contain hydrogenated oils, if you're snooty like me, at least. This provides a better flavor. They can be hard to find but I've actually found them at Wal-Mart, believe it or not. Another good place to get them is Trader Joe's, but I believe they only have them around the holidays.) For the dark chocolate, I used half semi-sweet chips, half milk chocolate chips. I didn't really measure the chocolate chips, so I'll just estimate. You do want to work quickly during the dipping process, and keep the chocolate in your pan over very lowest heat so it doesn't start to solidify. You'll probably have some chocolate leftover, but it's better to have too much than too little, in this case. Just use the rest for dipping pretzels!

My cupcakes were made from a yellow cake recipe, but I'm sure any flavor of cake would be great.

Mascarpone Cake Truffles

20 unfrosted cupcakes

4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons spreadable cream cheese

2 tablespoons leftover frosting

10 ounces white chocolate chips

5 ounces semi-sweet chips

5 ounces milk chocolate chips

Crumble cupcakes (or use an equal part cake) into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add mascarpone, cream cheese, and frosting. Using a paddle attachment, mix everything together until it is well-incorporated. It should look like cookie dough. Using a medium or small cookie scoop, scoop dough into balls and roll in your hands until the ball is uniform. Place on a tray or baking sheet covered with wax paper and refrigerate a few hours, until very firm. Melt white chocolate chips in a small pan over very, very low heat (I used the absolute lowest heat setting on my stove). In another small pan, melt the semi and milk chips together until smooth, using very, very low heat. Using a toothpick, spear a ball, and dip it into one of the pans of chocolate. Spoon chocolate over the top and then pick up the toothpick. Tap the toothpick against the side of the pan so the excess chocolate drips off. Place back on wax paper to dry. Repeat with all of the cake balls, making half white chocolate ones and half dark chocolate ones. Put in fridge for a few minutes to set the chocolate. Spoon the leftover chocolates into separate Ziploc bags, and pipe a drizzle design over the truffles, using contrasting colors. Store in the refrigerator.

Food Blog Fun

Lately, I've been really interested in reading other food blogs. I think I'm getting addicted, because I spend way too much time on the computer lately, and I have to pull myself away! I was introduced to the blog "Simply Recipes" by a friend, and I tried a great recipe from that blog last week. It was a Tuna Salad Sandwich recipe. I like tuna, but I don't eat it because of mercury concerns. I find that canned salmon makes a great substitute. So that's what I used when I made this recipe last week. It was my first experience using capers, and I liked the little guys! The cottage cheese was an interesting addition and I loved the Dijon mustard in it. I toasted a piece of whole-wheat bread, topped that with a romaine leaf, and piled the salmon salad on top for a delicious open-faced sandwich. The night before, I had made some yummy potato soup so I had a delicious lunch with the salmon sandwich and soup.

Here is the potato soup recipe. I got this recipe from my friend LadyJayPee's blog. I used regular cream cheese though, since I had that on hand. But I am a fan of Neufchatel, and use it all the time. And if you don't have one already, get an immersion blender! They are just great for soups, and can be used for other things as well.

Potato Cheddar Soup

2T olive oil

2c onions, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

4-5 medium unpeeled red potatoes, coarsely chopped

1 large unpeeled carrot, chopped

3c chicken broth

1T fresh dill

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 scant tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

4oz Neufchatel cheese

1-1/2 c milk

1c grated sharp cheddar cheese

fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1) In a large soup pot, sauté onions in olive oil until translucent.

2) Add garlic and sauté for one minute.

3) Add potatoes & carrot and sauté for 10 minutes.

4) Add chicken broth, dill, salt, black pepper, & cayenne pepper, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

5) Add the Neufchatel & milk.

6) Purée the mixture with an immersion blender, leaving some potato chunks.

7) Stir in the cheddar cheese and reheat gently.

8) Serve with garnish of chopped parsley.

This Tuesday, I made another delicious recipe recommended by one of my Cooking Friends. (I get so many good ideas from those ladies!). This recipe was for Oreo Truffles, and they were decadent! The recipe can be found here. That blog, Picky Palate, is full of wonderful-looking recipes and is great to look through. I've found a lot of recipes I'd like to make there. The Oreo Truffles were easy to make, although time-consuming. They were so delicious! And I usually don't like/don't use almond bark. I prefer real white chocolate, but was nervous that it wouldn't stay at a good consistency during the whole dipping process. So I went with the almond bark, which was still good. I might try the white chocolate another time and see how it holds up. I have dipped using real white chocolate before, but only on a small scale. :) I did use milk chocolate chips for the drizzle on top. I loved these little guys, and so did everyone who tasted them!!