Biscoff Carmelitas

Carmelitas aka caramel cookie bars are my newest obsession! We had them at my sister in law's and I knew I had to make them again and make them my own. If you know me you know that in my world biscoff makes everything better. If you are looking for a unique twist on a classic treat or crowd pleasing dessert this combination promises to be a hit! 

I make the caramel layer from scratch. It is so good and easy, but if you don't want to make a homemade caramel you are welcome to just use a bottle of caramel sauce. I personally think the homemade caramel is 100% worth it!

Biscoff Carmelitas

Base/Topping Layer

1 cup butter softened

1 cup plus 2 tbs brown sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups oats

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 bag milk chocolate chips

1 cup biscoff spread

Butterscotch Caramel Layer

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup butter (I use salted)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a 9X13 pan

For the base layer: Combine the first 6 ingredients (butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, salt, and baking soda) in a stand mixer and mix just until combined. Take out 1/4 of the mister and save for later. This will be your topping. Press the remaining 3/4 of the mixture into the prepared 9X13 pan. (I usually press it first with my hands and then roll it smooth with a small rolling pin) Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes. While that bakes make your caramel.

Caramel Sauce: In a medium sauce pan add the brown sugar, heavy cream, butter and salt. Cook over medium low heat until the butter is melted, stirring occasionally. Once the butter is melted increase the heat to medium. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring constantly. Take off heat and stir in vanilla.

Once the base layer is cooked remove from the over. Spred  biscoff over the base layer. I find it is easier if I warm up my biscoff and just pour it over the base. I then spread it out to evenly cover the base. Once my biscoff is in place I pour my prepared caramel over the biscoff. I don't alway use the whole recipe of caramel. Just pour it until it seems to cover the pan. The caramel is delicious so any extra should be eaten over ice cream or just by the spoonful. Now take your chocolate chips and sprinkle them on top of the caramel layer. Now take the saved base/topping and sprinkle it over the chocolate chips. Bake for another 10-12 minutes at 350º. Let cool before cutting and enjoy!

I give credit to Mel's Kitchen Cafe for the amazing Caramel Recipe!

Twix Brownies

My sister in law saw this recipe and thought of me. As soon as I saw this recipe I knew why she thought of me. This recipe is kind of everything I love about baking. I have always love twix. I have also always loved brownies. So if you ask me if brownies with a cookie bottom, caramel, then chocolate on top could ever go be a bad thing I would have to emphatically say no. After my husband tried these brownies (and ate about 5 of them) he said they might be the best brownies ever. I would have to agree that these brownies are pretty darn amazing. I will definitely be making these again (possibly as soon as our current pan runs out).

Twix Brownies

Crust Layer
 2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 squares (14 tbs or7 oz) butter melted

Brownie Layer
1 box of brownie mix or your favorite homemade brownies.
Ingredients called for in directions on back of box
1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping

Caramel Layer
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cream
1/4 tsp salt (optional)

Chocolate Topping
1 (11.5 oz.) bag milk chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream

*Note - If you don't have any cream on hand, and don't want to purchase for such a small amount, just use milk. Things will still turn out deliciously. I bet no one even notices, unless you tell them.

Grease bottom of 9x13-inch baking pan. For easier cutting, line the pan with foil first. 

 

For Crust Layer: Using a food processor, pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt until combined. In a medium bowl, melt butter. Add butter to the flour mixture and pulse a few times until well combined. Press into bottom of prepared pan.

For Brownie Layer: Prepare brownie batter as directed on the back of the box, mixing 1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping into brownie batter (straight from the jar, unheated). Pour batter on top of cookie crust and bake as directed. If baking at a high altitude, don't forget to follow special instructions. Cool.

For Caramel Layer: Pour water into s medium sized saucepan. Pour sugar into the center of the pan making sure not to get any sugar on the sides of the pan. Do not stir! Heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Once sugar has all dissolved turn heat up to medium-high heat. Cook until sugar water turns a nice golden brown color. Please try and control all urges to stir, trust me you do not want to stir the mixture. This process for me took about 20-30 minutes. While the sugar mixture is cooking place cream and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until butter is completely melted. Once sugar is a nice golden brown color slowly pour warm cream/butter mixture into the sugar  mixing to combine. Mix quickly to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom. Add salt if desired. Pour hot caramel onto cooled brownies and spread evenly on brownies.

For Chocolate Layer: Melt chocolate, butter, and cream together in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until melted and creamy. Pour over cooled caramel layer. Again, cover as much of the brownies as possible while pouring to make spreading easier. Cool. If you are in a hurry pop them in the fridge for a bit. Cut and enjoy.


Recipe Source: Recipe idea courtesy of  Jasey's Crazy Daisy, Caramel recipe adapted from: Always With Butter

Honey Caramel Sauce

I can't believe I have almost completed my month with no sugar! It hasn't been nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be (probably because I have been making recipes like this to satisfy my sweets need). It really has been great. I think I feel healthier than I did. It is also nice to have an excuse to not needlessly eat all sorts of junk food (although sometimes I really want to).

This caramel sauce was a great find! I was making the dessert for a friend get together and made everything using absolutely no cane sugar. I made my new favorite ice cream - agave sweetened chocolate ice cream, brownies (I'm still working on perfecting this one), and this caramel sauce.

Honey Caramel Sauce 

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1-1/2 cups honey
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine honey and cream in a heavy saucepan.  Cook stirring constantly over medium-high heat until it reaches 238°.   Take off the heat, stir in butter, vanilla and salt.   Cool slightly and serve warm, or refrigerate.  Microwave briefly to warm for serving. 

Recipe Source: Simply Cooking

Microwave Carmels

Do any of the rest of you have a feeling that Pinterest is going to make you fat? No? So its just me then? Hmmm, well maybe I should work on that. I just can't help it. There are so many yummy and fun things on there that I just can't help but want to try all of them! It is one more site (along with all the other ones I look at almost daily) that shows me lots of yummy pictures of food that seriously makes my mouth water! I think I might be getting fat just from looking at the pictures. At least with Pinterest it also inspires me to look cute, make crafty things, decorate my house really cute, and there are even workout tips. So if the the pictures of food are making me fat then logically the pictures of people exercising should make me skinnier right? Note to self pin more workout tips!

Moving on...This recipe is another great find. This recipe is seriously amazing. I mean how can you go wrong with caramels right? I absolutely love soft chewy caramels. The thing I love most about this recipe though is that  it was done in 10 minutes! Start to finish it only took me 10 minutes. I let them cool in the pan while I went out and then voila I had some delicious caramels waiting for me when I got home. I would have never thought to make caramels in the microwave, but they worked like a charm!

Microwave Caramels



Cook time: 6 minutes
Yield: 12-24
 
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1.  Combine all ingredients.

2.  Cook 6 minutes, stirring every two minutes.

3.  Stir and pour into lightly greased dish.

4.  Let cool.

5.  Cut, wrap in wax paper & store in air tight container.

Recipe Source: Food.com

I also have to give a shout out to these cute little sock snowmen! A friend and I made these and I just think they are adorable. I kept mine pretty simple but you could doll them up anyway you like! They are super simple to make, and make great watchman over my caramels :).

Butter Toffee Popcorn

I know I have several different popcorn recipes on this site. I kinda love sweet delicious popcorn! I also love the salty, buttery and even cheesy kind of popcorn (note to self - figure out how to make cheese popcorn). I mentioned when I posted my soft caramel popcorn recipe that I also had a crunchy popcorn recipe that I loved. I have a really hard time deciding which one I like better. My husband on the other hand chooses this one. I will admit that once I start eating this popcorn I can't stop! It is kinda like Cracker Jacks but better! The salty peanuts also give it a new depth of flavor that is fantastic. Don't worry I have made it without peanuts too and I love it just as much, so if your not a peanut fan feel free to leave them out. Either way you make it this popcorn is bound to disappear fast!

Butter Toffee Popcorn

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 1 hr
Makes about 18 cups of toffee popcorn

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup unpopped popcorn kernels, white or yellow
2 sticks butter
2 1/4 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-3 cups roasted, salted peanuts
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Grease two large rimmed baking sheets and set aside.

Pop the popcorn kernels, in shifts if needed to ensure your popcorn popper doesn’t burn the popcorn, and place the popcorn in a large bowl, sifting through to remove the unpopped kernels.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. When melted add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil while stirring. Once the mixture starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, for 3 minutes. The mixture will be slightly thickened. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda. The mixture will bubble so be careful. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and mix slightly. Add the peanuts and mix well but gently (so you don’t break apart the popcorn) until the popcorn is evenly coated and the peanuts are distributed through the mixture.

Turn the popcorn out onto the baking sheets, spreading into an even layer. Bake the popcorn for one hour, stirring and tossing every 20 minutes. Move the bottom tray to the upper rack and vice versa each time you stir. The popcorn will deepen in color and harden a bit as the caramel bakes and sets. Cool the popcorn to room temperature. Store in an airtight container. I’ve found the popcorn will keep, stored tightly, for 1-2 weeks.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Divine Caramel Sauce

I have been in an ice cream mood recently. I have mostly been thinking about ice cream toppings recently. Maybe its because we went to my favorite ice cream place this last weekend. Or maybe it is because I can't help but dream about sweet ooey gooey things. Either way I have been thinking about caramel sauce and all its wonderfulness. I absolutely adore a good caramel. None of this low fat or no fat stuff. I actually really don't like store bought caramels (most of them). I love the kind of caramel that is made with lots of good butter and cream. I mean if you are going to eat it on ice cream what is the point of going low fat? That's right, there is none, so go ahead, give in to your inner caramel snob self, and make this delightful caramel. You won't be disappointing!

Divine Caramel Sauce

*Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce

1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream (room temperature or slightly warmed preferably)
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Set the pan over low heat and stir the mixture gently until the sugar is dissolved. I don’t ever get a completely clear syrup but I let it warm over medium-low heat (a 3 on my stovetop) for at least 6-10 minutes before moving to the next step. To be sure the sugar is dissolved, I’ll dip a spoon in the sugar mixture and then gently slide my finger over the mixture on the spoon and take a taste. If the sugar is dissolved, the syrup will be smooth and not at all grainy. If you still feel grains of sugar, keep stirring over low heat until it is completely dissolved. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved before letting the mixture come to a boil. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, increase the heat to medium or medium-high and bring the syrup to a boil. Cover the saucepan and let the syrup boil for 2 minutes. Uncover, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to boil the syrup until the edges start to turn golden brown. Carefully and gently stir the syrup until it turns a deep amber, caramel color. On my stove, this takes about 5-7 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the butter. Gently but quickly stir until the butter is incorporated. Stir in the cream. If the sauce becomes lumpy and isn’t whisking together, set the pan over low heat and stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and salt.

Serve the sauce warm or at room temperature. Store the sauce in a jar or airtight container, tightly sealed, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Reheat on low power in the microwave or in a saucepan, adding a tablespoon of two or water, if needed, if the sauce is too thick.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

If you are having trouble you can also check out This site for helpful hints and tips

Soft Caramel Popcorn

I have a battle that goes on within myself every time I want to make caramel popcorn. The battle isn't whether or not I should make it. No, it is whether to make a gooey popcorn or a crunchy popcorn. I love them both for different reasons. A few years ago I thought I was a gooey person all the way. I then decided to make a crunchy popcorn and couldn't stop eating it. It has been a while since I have made this soft gooey popcorn and now I can't stop eating this one either. The moral of the story is that caramel popcorn is divine no matter what form it comes in!

Soft Caramel Popcorn

1 cube butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 bag (1 lb) brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add corn syrup and brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling mix in sweetened condensed milk. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until mixture almost reaches a soft ball stage. I like mine a little softer so I brought it to about 220 degrees. Pour over one large bowl popped popcorn. I used air popped popcorn but microwave popcorn works well too. I used about 1 cup un-popped popcorn that turned into one large bowl of popcorn. Use more or less popcorn depending on how much caramel you like on your popcorn.

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

I am all about anything unhealthy that involves chocolate. These brownies have been at the top of my favorite list for as long as I can remember. You really can't beat a brownie that has all sorts of yummy caramel oozing out of the middle. My sister especially has become an expert at making these. She made these for our last family get together and it just reminded me how much I love them! These brownies are bound to impress any guests and if you have any left overs then that means you get to eat them!

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

1 box Swiss chocolate cake mix (Swiss chocolate cake mixes can be hard to find, any chocolate cake mix will work just fine)
1 cube (1/2 cup)  butter softened
1/3 cup evaporated milk

6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

40 caramels
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Mix the first 3 ingredients, press half into a 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with 6 oz chocolate chips. In a medium sauce pan mix 40 caramels and 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Cook over medium low heat stirring frequently until melted. Drizzle over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining brownie mixture over top. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350. Serve warm if you like gooey brownies or refrigerated if you want them to stay together.