Category Archives: Candy

Oreo Pops~ a recipe revisited!

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Ruthanne

Day #4 of our celebration of past recipes. This week is going fast! Today’s recipe is the 4th most viewed recipe on the Easybaked site. It has had nearly 60,000 visits since it was published in February of 2012. Can you guess what it is????

These little treats are a favorite of mine. They have been remade as mummies and snowmen already- the decorating possibilities are just endless!

These have been the star attraction at birthdays, showers, picnics, retirement parties, and even as favors at weddings. They have been decorated in flowers and butterflies and school colors and even with Barney the Dinosaur! The end of July they will be featured in Women’s World Magazine (so be on the look-out and grab a copy!).

For the Fourth of July holiday I simply dipped them in red white and blue and decorated with drizzles and sprinkles. SO easy. I tied these up in little favor bags and they are all set to travel to all of my upcoming holiday parties and picnics! I just love things you can make ahead!

To see the original recipe and get directions for how to insert the stick and dip these, click here.

To print a copy of the recipe and directions, click here.

Don’t miss our very last recipe remake tomorrow morning~ you’re going to love it!!!

Want to know what our other most-visited recipes are? Here’s what’s at the top of the list:

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Flip Flop Cookies~ a Recipe Revisited!

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Ruthanne

I’m excited to be back for day #2 of our walk down memory lane! Today’s treat just had to make the list of fun and colorful recipes to revisit. It’s not only fun and colorful, but the perfect summer treat…

This recipe was originally published during my first summer of blogging, on June 11, 2011. It is particularly memorable for me because it was my first photo published on Foodgawker. If you even knew how hard I was trying at the time to get a photo accepted on that site….oh my. I’m very competitive and I had about 60 photos rejected before this one. I was jumping up and down for joy! I took this photo at my friends Tom and Tina’s house at the lake. I knew the lighting was perfect that day and I pulled my little point and shoot out to snap some photos. Tom suggested I try his higher-end camera and Tina popped that pretty orange flower in the background and I learned two things: 1.Staging food is a must in photography and 2. I needed a better camera.

Since that date I’ve had 55 photos accepted on Foodgawker and SO many rejected. It has been so good for me to have outside judgement on my photography though. It is making me better. Will today’s photo be accepted? I think not. I’m not happy with the exposure in any of the pictures, but we will see!

These are white chocolate dipped Nutter Butter cookies (in case you were wondering!) Originally dipped in rainbow colors, these are dipped in patriotic red, white and blue and garnished with a little star sprinkle. Serving them on brown sugar gives them a beach feel. These are a perfect summer treat and really easy to make.

To see the original recipe (along with photos showing how to dip them) click here.

To print the original recipe and instructions click here.

Enjoy! ~r

We dip lots of things into candy melts and chocolate here at easybaked. Here are a few of our favorite candy melt treats:

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Posted in Candy, Cookies and tagged baking, cookies, desserts, flip flop cookies, fourth of July, fun, Labor day, Memorial day, nutter butter cookies, Nutter Butters, rainbow colors, recipe, summer cookies, Wilton candy melts. Bookmark the permalink.

Lemonade Cookies…with a twist!

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Ruthanne

Chewy lemonade cookies made with bits of strawberry licorice…a fun treat that every kid (or kid at heart) in your life will love!

Months ago I received a baking challenge from an 8 year old boy named Zao. His mom Erika works with me and he asked her, “Do you think Ruthanne could make cookies with red licorice in them?” Well, of course we can!

Now, as a little warning to you: the bits of licorice are yummy, but they are very chewy and you end up eating licorice after the cookie is all gone in your mouth. Remember bubble gum ice cream? It’s a little like that sort of dilemma. The taste combination is wonderful though and if you can get past the consistency you will love these!

For those of you not-so-brave folks out there….the cookies are soooooo yummy without the licorice too! I made two batches– one with and one without the licorice. I loved both varieties (and it gave me an excuse to eat TWO cookies instead of one!)

Here’s how to make them: (printer- friendly recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 packet (0.23oz.) Kool Aid Lemonade
Yellow food coloring gel
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of chopped Twizzler Strawberry Licorice. (I just chopped them into chocolate chip-size bits using a sharp knife)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees
Using a mixer, beat together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Add Lemonade powder and coloring gel (if needed) to create a nice yellow color. Mix well.
Blend in the dry ingredients, using clean hands to knead the dough together at the end.
Add chopped strawberry licorice bits at the very end and blend well (this step can be skipped if you aren’t feeling wild and crazy– you’ll just have yummy lemonade cookies!)
Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls and place on baking sheets that have been covered in parchment paper.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are set.
Slide parchment paper (with the cookies still on top) onto a cool counter and allow cookies to cool right on paper.

My thoughts: With or without the strawberry bits, these are great cookies. I think they balance perfectly between sweet and tart. I was surprised at how many people loved the idea of putting licorice bits into cookies. I think they would be great with a strawberry or raspberry icing on top. Yum….! Enjoy!

Enjoying his cookies– thanks for the recipe idea Zeo!

You might also enjoy:

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Posted in Candy, Cookies and tagged baking, candy, cookies, cookies for kids, crazy cookie ideas, fun cookies, lemonade, lemonade cookies, recipe, red licorice, strawberry, strawberry lemonade cookies, strwaberry licorice, taste combination, Twizzler licorice, unique cookies. Bookmark the permalink.

Opera Creams

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Ruthanne

Opera Cream Candy These cream-filled chocolates are so smooth and rich you won’t be able to stop at just one!

I work in a genetics lab. Every year at Christmas my co-worker Gail brings in the most wonderful candy I’ve ever eaten. Every year I ask for the recipe and she smiles and says that she can give me the recipe but that I’d need to visit and learn the recipe from her. Now that I’ve made it, I understand. This is not a typical Easybaked recipe, it’s very involved. It’s fun and challenging and oh- soooo worth the effort though!

Gail recently retired and about a week ago I visited her in her kitchen to learn how to make opera creams.

This is a recipe passed down to her from her mom, who had all kinds of thoughts about the making of this candy. My favorite was that the recipe works best on sunny days and if it’s raining you might as well just wait to make it another day. We had a beautiful sunny December day to make our candy on, so I’m sure she would have approved.

Lets start with the recipe– that’s the easy part. I’m going to post it twice– once with pictures and videos and once just straight so you can read it easier.

Gail's moms recipe card

INGREDIENTS:

4 c. sugar
2 c. heavy cream
1/8 t. cream of tartar
2 T light corn syrup
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 t butter
1/4 t. salt
Chocolate (of your choice) for dipping- we used tempered dark chocolate bits

DIRECTIONS:

Put sugar, cream, cream of tartar and corn syrup into a large saucepan and mix well.
Use a pastry brush and a little water to brush all of mixture down the sides of the pan to remove any sugar stuck to the sides.

Use a pastry brush to brush water down sides of pan Gail and her moms candy thermometer

Cover pan and bring to a boil.
When boiling, uncover and clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
Bring mixture to 240F degrees
(While you are waiting for this to come to temp, butter the bottom and sides of a shallow glass or ceramic dish.)

Bring to 240F degrees Don't stir!!!

Remove from stove and add salt, butter and vanilla– do not stir!
Pour mixture into buttered dish (don’t use plastic!) and allow this to cool completely (we put it on the back porch where it was cool and this took 2 hours)
Spoon cooled mixture onto clean countertop (it will be like a very sticky caramel)

Pour into a non-plastic dish Cooled mixture Knead into a soft cream

Work with hands until firm and creamy- it takes 20-30 minutes and this is pure craziness….here are the stages to expect:

sticky caramel- fairly firm
slimy/ buttery texture– almost like its falling apart
sticky but workable
so sticky that you literally cannot move your fingers and you are sure you will have to get the mixture surgically removed.
no longer sticky- but like playdough with little crumbs falling off at the edges…keep kneading!
Finally creamy and smooth- kneads together in one beautiful dough- like ball.

I filmed Gail as she went through this process. Click HERE to see the near-miraculous transformation from sticky to creamy smooth!

Place this ball of filling in a dish, cover with a damp towel and refrigerate for 2 days….yes. TWO DAYS.
Bring cream filling back to room temp and roll into balls.

Roll into balls Dip into chocolate...

Dip into melted chocolate and cool.
You can mix nuts or coconut into the cream if you like, or just leave them plain.

My thoughts: amazingly yummy. The cream is just like no other candy I’ve tried. It is worth every bit if the effort it took us to make these. I found myself cringing as people popped them whole into their mouths though…I kept thinking, “SAVOR those!!! You’ve no idea how hard I worked on them!!!” So hard, in fact that I took a two hour nap when I got home!

Now for the recipe in an easy-to-read format:

INGREDIENTS:

4 c. sugar
2 c. heavy cream
1/8 t. cream of tartar
2 T light corn syrup
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 t butter
1/4 t. salt
Chocolate (of your choice) for dipping- we used dark tempered chocolate bits

DIRECTIONS:

Put sugar, cream, cream of tartar and corn syrup to a large saucepan and mix well.
Use a pastry brush and a little water to brush all of mixture down the sides of the pan to remove any sugar stuck to the sides.
Cover pan and bring to a boil.
When boiling, uncover and clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
Bring mixture to 240F degrees
(While you are waiting for this to come to temp, butter the bottom and sides of a shallow glass or ceramic dish.)
Remove from stove and add butter and vanilla– do not stir!
Pour mixture into buttered dish (don’t use plastic!) and allow this to cool completely (we put it on the back porch where it was cool and this took 2 hours)
Spoon cooled mixture onto clean countertop (it will be like a very sticky caramel)
Work with hands until firm and creamy.
Place this ball of filling in a dish, cover with a damp towel and refrigerate for 2 days.
Bring cream filling to room temp and roll into balls.
Dip into melted chocolate and cool.
You can mix nuts or coconut into the cream if you like, or just leave them plain.

A huge “thank-you” to Gail for spending so much time teaching me her family recipe! We had such a fun day together cooking AND trying lime phosphates while we waited for candy to cool!

Enjoy!!!!! ~r

Other (easier!) Christmas recipe ideas from Easybaked~ Click on the image to be taken to the recipe:

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Posted in Candy, Complicated recipes and tagged almonds, baking, candy, candy thermometer, chocolate, Christmas candy, coconut, dessert, family recipe, food, handmade candy, light corn syrup, old-fashioned candy recipe, opera cream, opera cream candy, pastry brush, pecans, recipe, whipping cream. Bookmark the permalink.

Oreo Snowman Pops!

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Ruthanne

These cute little snowmen are easy to put together and make cute stocking stuffers or party favors!

What could be better than an Oreo cookie?? An Oreo cookie dipped in white chocolate and decorated as a fun hat-wearing snowman!

These are really fun. If you’ve tried making Oreo pops already, these will be a breeze for you. If this is your 1st time, you will want to refer to my original Oreo pop recipe to see pictures of these steps. Click HERE to see the tutorial.

INGREDIENTS:

One package of Double Stuff Oreos
2 (12oz.) bags of Wilton White Candy Melts
24 Lollipop sticks
Small amounts of colored Wilton Candy Melts for eyes, nose and hats
24 M&Ms in colors that match your hat colors.
Fun ribbons to tie on as scarves

DIRECTIONS:

Carefully twist apart all of the Oreo cookies.
Using one of the pop sticks, make an indentation in the white filling of each cookie.
Melt the Candy Melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring until completely melted and smooth.
Dip the end of one stick into the melted white chocolate, drizzle a little in the center of the white cookie filling and then gently press it into the indentation made.
Place the top of the cookie back on and allow white chocolate to harden (5 minutes or so), cementing the cookie back together with a stick inside.
Holding the stick, lower the entire Oreo into the bowl of melted white chocolate, spooning it over the top and sides to cover it completely.
Allow the excess chocolate to drain off and gently place covered Oreo on a piece of parchment paper to harden.
Melt small amounts (about 2 c. TOTAL) of Wilton candy melts in your hat colors.
Hold coated Oreo over bowl and gently spoon color over top edge of cookie at an angle to make a hat shape. Use spoon to shape this.
Tap cookie over bowl and slide bottom edge against edge of bowl to remove excess.
Gently place an M&M on the cookie- against the melted candy melts and wait a few seconds for it to stick.
Set pop back on parchment paper to harden.
Use a toothpick to add eyes and a nose with Wilton candy melts in black and orange. (If you want to color your white candy melts for these tiny bits of color you can use Wilton Icing Colors in them.)
Allow pops to harden completely and add a cute ribbon to the lollipop stick for a scarf.

You can put these into cute clear cello bags, tie them shut and give them as gifts or put them in a cute jar or basket as a Oreo Pop arrangement for your Holiday party!

The best part???? There’s an OREO inside!!

Enjoy these yummy winter treats!!!!!!

Click on the banner below to get more Holiday ideas and free printable gift tags:

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Posted in Candy, Cookies, Seasonal dessert and tagged Chocolate covered Oreo, christmas cookie recipe, christmas recipe, dessert, food, hat colors, oreo cookie on a stick, oreo pops, parchment paper, snowman cookies, snowman oreo pops, stocking stuffers, wilton candy, Wiltons candy Melts, winter cookies. Bookmark the permalink.

Dulce de Leche Caramel Sauce

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Ruthanne

This creamy sweet caramel sauce couldn’t be easier to make. Ingredients? One can of Sweetened Condensed Milk and a very brave spirit…..

I had heard from several people about the “boil a can of condensed milk to make caramel” idea, and I knew someday I would try it. That “someday” arrived when I was asked to bring a birthday cheesecake for my brother this weekend. He likes PLAIN cheesecake. For those of you who have followed easybaked for awhile, you know I don’t do “plain” anything. I take plain and add peanut butter, chocolate, glazes, ganache, frosting, candy….nothing plain. But for my wonderful brother John….I present: a plain white cheesecake…..

so…..plain. In case you are wondering, this recipe is the basis for almost all of my cheesecakes, and you can click on one of the following pictures to get the recipe using white chocolate (plus fun toppings!!!!) Using other chip flavors gives you chocolate, peanut butter, cinnamon or even butterscotch cheesecakes.

In any case, I made the plain cheesecake, but I wanted a fun topping sauce to serve with it. Dulce de Leche. Now, I don’t know about you, but in my mind boiling a can of any sort sounds like a disaster….so I looked up the technique- just to be sure I did it right and didn’t explode anything.

I found a cute blog called Not Without Salt that gave instructions….scary instructions….and I quote:

“In a large pan, completely submerge the can of sweetened condensed milk in water. Make sure it is covered by at least one inch of water and remains covered throughout the entire process – this is VERY important otherwise it could explode. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for three hours. Continually check to make sure the can is completely covered with water.”

Yes, it could explode. Needless to say, I obsessively checked my water level for 3 hours. I never needed to add any…but I imagined lovely dulce de leche covering my ceiling and walls and I obsessed.

After 3 hours of fear, I took the pan off the stove and had a debate with my friend Danielle about if I should leave it in the hot water to cool…or take it out…? I took it out. And I set it outside on my sunporch to cool- or explode.

It cooled beautifully and when I opened the can….oh my.

I love it. I would do this again in a heartbeat— it is SO good. I’m so excited to serve it with my cheesecake in a few hours. It would be good over ice cream or apples…so many possibilities. ENJOY!!! (and be very careful that your water doesn’t evaporate!!) ~r

Happy Birthday!!!

Dulce de Leche in your coffee???

Other recipes you might enjoy: Click on the image to be taken to the recipe.

Shop Amazon – Cyber Monday Deals Week

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Posted in Candy, Cheesecakes, Easy recipes, Miscellaneous and tagged baking, brave spirit, candy, caramel, caramel sauce, cheesecake, dessert, dulce de leche, easy recipe for caramel, food, how to make dulce de leche by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk, sweet caramel, sweetened condensed milk, white chocolate. Bookmark the permalink.

DIY Caramel Corn and other great gift ideas from Easybaked!

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Ruthanne

I love making and getting creative edible gifts. I’m not talking just a plate of Christmas cookies here…I’m talking unique and different. Take Caramel Corn, for example. It is my grandmother’s favorite and I remember spending long evenings watching my parents try various caramel corn recipes in search of the perfect (yet not too messy!) one. There was the giant brown sack method (where you shake the caramel in) and the cookie sheet one where you pour the caramel on and try to mix it on the sheet (my dog liked that method– lots of popcorn on the floor!)

A few years ago a friend handed me an adorable little Christmas package with mysterious items inside (all tied up with a cute tag and bow) and when I opened it I found ingredients for caramel corn. All I needed was butter….. I promptly made it and YUM!!! Quick, easy, delicious and SUCH a creative gift. This post is dedicated to the recipes you can use this Christmas to make creative and memorable gifts for your friends and families.

CARAMEL CORN:

Place 1/2c. packed brown sugar in a small bag and zip or tie it tightly.
Place 8 large marshmallows in a small bag and zip or tie it tightly.
Place both of the above ingredients in a larger bag or gift box with one packet of microwave popcorn.

Close the bag or box with the following directions:

Pop corn in microwave according to package
Place brown sugar, marshmallows and 1/2 stick (4T) butter into a 2 qt. bowl
Microwave for 3 minutes, stirring well at 1 and 1/2 minutes. Syrup should be smooth and bubbly.
Pour over popped corn and enjoy!

Click on the photo below to get free printable tags to use with this gift:

OREO POPS:

These fun chocolate-covered Oreos on a stick are great for any season. I made them for the 1st time last spring for a baby shower. Change up the sprinkles and tie some cute Christmas tags on and you have a great stocking stuffer- or even a holiday centerpiece bouquet! All the how-to tips, including pictures are available if you just click HERE. I also made up some free tags for you to tie on your pops~ Click on the picture below to get the free printable file:

HOT CHOCOLATE POPS:

I made these as gifts for SO many people last year. I made extra for myself. These are so easy and SO delicious~ everyone will LOVE them. What are they? Chocolate (in a variety of flavors and colors) hardened over a marshmallow on a stick. You stir them into hot milk and make the most creamy, delicious hot chocolate ever. The best part? You can make them WAY ahead. I made some in December and used them in March…still wonderful. The recipe and directions can be found by clicking HERE. If you want to print some free tags to tie on your pops click on the image below:

SPICED MOCHA MIX:

My cousin Eden made little jars of this wonderful mix for us several years ago at Christmas and I’ve used the recipe ever since. It’s just wonderful, easy to make, keeps for months in a sealed bag or jar and makes a great gift. Want the recipe and easy directions? Click HERE. Free printable tags? Click on the picture below to get them: (I actually printed these on full-sheet labels, cut them apart and made stickers for my jars…just another idea…)

I hope that these ideas have inspired you to create your own fun and unique Christmas gifts!!! Enjoy! ~r

Want to try some other fun Christmas recipes by Easybaked? Click on an image below to be taken to the recipe:

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Posted in Beverages, Cake Pops, Candy, Cookies, Easy recipes, Miscellaneous, Seasonal dessert and tagged baking, candy, caramel, caramel corn recipe, caramel corn recipes, chocolate, Chocolate covered Oreo, christmas, Christmas candy, Christmas printables, Cocoa mix, cooking, creative dessert, creative gifts, dessert, desserts, DIY gift ideas, edible gifts, food, free Christmas tags, free printable tags, Gifts in a Jar, great stocking stuffer, Holiday treats, Hot chocolate pops, Mocha mix, Oreo on a stick, oreo pops, popcorn, stir in hot chocolate. Bookmark the permalink.

Fall Acorn Cupcakes

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Ruthanne

A rich vegan cupcake recipe topped with vanilla buttercream and a cute little candy acorn.

INGREDIENTS: (makes about 24 cupcakes)

3 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons of vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cups oil
2 c. water

For acorns:

24 Nabisco Nutter Butter Cookie Bites
24 Hershey kisses
24 butterscotch or peanut butter chips
1/4 c. Wiltons milk chocolate candy melts.

DIRECTIONS:

Add dry cupcake ingredients together and mix to remove lumps.
Add liquids and mix until smooth
Divide equally into cupcake liners in muffin tins.
Bake at 350F degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Allow cupcakes to cool completely and frost with your favorite buttercream recipe (click here for mine) tinted with fall food coloring.
Make acorns by melting candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between. Dip unwrapped hershey kiss in chocolate and attach to bottom of cookie. Dip butterscotch/peanut butter chip in chocolate and attach to top of cookie. (Click HERE for more details on making these)
When hardened, gently place one acorn on the top of each cupcake.

My thoughts: Ever since I posted these cute little acorns last fall I’ve wanted to put them on cupcakes!! This was that day. The vegan cupcake recipe is SO yummy. The buttercream frosting isn’t vegan, but you can drizzle your cupcakes with a bit of powdered sugar glaze to keep them a treat for your vegan friends. You can use the cupcake recipe to make a yummy bundt cake too– and that is PERFECT with a light sugar glaze on top. I use this cake/cupcake recipe all the time- it is very moist and flavorful. Enjoy!!!~r

Other recipes you might enjoy (click on the image to be taken to the recipe):

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Posted in Cakes, Candy, Cupcakes and tagged acorn candy, acorn cupcakes, autumn, baking, buttercream frosting, buttercream recipe, chocolate, chocolate cupcake, cupcake, dessert, fall, fall cupcake decorations, fall dessert, food, fun cupcake toppers, hershey kisses, milk chocolate candy, nabisco nutter butter, original recipe, powdered sugar glaze, thanksgiving, thanksgiving dessert, vegan dessert recipe, vegan recipe, vegan thanksgiving recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Mummy Oreo Pops for Halloween!!

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Ruthanne

These make me smile– aren’t they cute? I saw the idea on a regular cookie at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (along with a really cute mummy hot dog idea!) and I immediately thought of my Oreo pops recipe from last spring and decided to turn some Oreos into mummies! It was a little time consuming, but not difficult. I think the results were worth the effort! Here’s how we did it:

INGREDIENTS:

1 package of Double Stuff Oreo cookies
2 bags (14oz) Wiltons candy melts in white
About 24 4 inch lollipop sticks
One package of Wilton Candy Eyeballs
One box of Wilton Pure White Rolled Fondant
Little candy bags and ties (if you want to package them up to give away!)

DIRECTIONS:

Carefully twist apart all of the Oreo cookies.
Using one of the pop sticks, make an indentation in the white filling of each cookie.
Melt the Candy Melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring until completely melted and smooth.
Dip the end of one stick into the melted white chocolate, drizzle a little in the center of the white cookie filling and then gently press it into the indentation made.
Place the top of the cookie back on and allow white chocolate to harden (5 minutes or so), cementing the cookie back together with a stick inside.

(For a picture tutorial on this click here)

Before dipping the entire cookie, unwrap your fondant, split it in half and immediately place one half in an air-tight zip-top bag (you will only use half of the fondant).
Roll the remaining fondant out with a rolling pin as directed on the box. Using a sharp knife, cut strips (about as wide as an oreo) in the fondant and then cut narrow strips across (see photo)

Now it is time to dip your Oreo pops (you may need to put your candy melts back in the microwave for a few seconds to remelt them)
Holding the stick, lower the entire Oreo into the bowl of melted white chocolate, spooning it over the top and sides to cover it completely.
Allow the excess chocolate to drain off and gently place covered Oreo on a piece of parchment paper to harden.
Immediately place two eyes on the front and gently lay strips of fondant back and forth across the cookie. It took me a little bit to figure out a pattern that looked good and worked– copy mine if you want!!
Allow everything to harden and place in treat bags with ties.

My thoughts: These are a little time-consuming, but if you enjoy the process (I do!) and you have a free afternoon (I did!) these are just really fun to put together. The smiles when people see them make all that work worthwhile! Enjoy! ~r

Other recipes you might enjoy (click on the image to see the recipe):

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Posted in Cake Pops, Candy, Cookies and tagged baking, candy bags, candy eyeballs, candy eyes, chocolate covered oreos, cookies on a stick, cookies suckers, dessert, fall, fondant, food, Halloween, lollipop sticks, mummy, Mummy cookies, Mummy oreos, oreo cookies, oreo pops, recipe, rolled fondant, white chocolate, wilton candy, Wiltons candy Melts. Bookmark the permalink.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes (with Halloween MISfortune cookies!)

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Ruthanne

Caramel cupcakes dipped in gooey caramel cream and topped with tangy green apple frosting~ yum! Add a caramel MISfortune cookie on top to celebrate Halloween with some laughs.

INGREDIENTS:

One box of Duncan Hines Caramel cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to box)
One bag (14 oz) Kraft Caramels
1/2c. sweetened condensed milk
1/4c. butter or margarine
1 stick (4oz) salted butter
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter
2 c. powdered sugar
2 t. clear vanilla flavoring
1 packet of Crystal Light drink mix- Appletini flavor

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Make cake mix according to box and divide into 24 cupcake liners in a cupcake tin.
Bake according to box. Remove from oven and cool completely.
In a small saucepan, combine 16 unwrapped Caramels, 1/2c. sweetened condensed milk and 1/4 c. butter.
Melt (stirring constantly) until creamy and smooth.
Pour warm caramel into a small bowl. Dip tops of cooled cupcakes into caramel to coat the top. Stir caramel occasionally to keep it smooth. (I had to spoon the remaining caramel onto the last few cucpcakes instead of dipping them)

Allow caramel to cool completely.
Make frosting by adding butters, powdered sugar, vanilla and Crystal Light drink mix together in a mixing bowl. Beat together on low until combined and then beat on high until light and fluffy. **note: the apple flavor in the drink mix is strong and tart– I LOVED it, but you might want to add it a little at a time and taste as you go to decide how strong a flavor you want.**
Pipe frosting over the caramel on each cupcake and enjoy!!!

To add fun little misfortune cookies on the top for Halloween party:

Unwrap the rest of your Kraft Caramels and place about 15 in a large ziplock bag. Microwave for about 15 seconds to soften them, remove them from the bag and knead them into a ball.
Place the ball back in the bag and using a rolling pin, roll the caramel out flat and thin.

Carefully remove the flattened caramel from the bag and use a round cookie or fondant cutter to cut circles out of the caramel.

Slide a funny misfortune in the center and fold into a fortune cookie shape (fold lightly in half and then pull the corners back and together).

Need ideas for MISfortunes? Print a free PDF of my favorites here

Place each MISfortune cookie on a cupcake and enjoy!

To give credit where it is due: this GENIUS idea of using Kraft Caramels to make fortune cookies came from a wonderful book called What’s New, Cupcake? I was browsing the cookbook aisle a few weeks ago and came across this book- it is AMAZING. If you click on the title it will take you to Amazon and you can see pictures of some of the cupcakes other people have made using this book…..amazing creativity!

My thoughts: These are such a unique cupcake– the tart green apple frosting is the perfect balance to the sweet caramel and the misfortune cookies just make everyone laugh. The frosting is a tart and strong green apple flavor- a little like Jolly Rancher candies. You can add less drink mix to tone it down if you’d like- just add a little at a time and taste as you go. I loved it exactly the way it turned out!

I want to apologize ahead of time to my international fans. I’m pretty sure you are going to have a hard time finding caramel cake mix and almost positive you won’t be able to get your hands on the Appletini drink mix. A homemade caramel cake would work, and any powdered drink mix with a green apple flavor..? As I said- my apologies!!!

I hope you really enjoy surprising people with these unique cupcakes!! ~r