Tag Archives: white chocolate

Cookie Cutter Brownies

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Ruthanne

Make a dessert that everyone will love at your holiday parties!  Brownies cut into shapes and dipped in white chocolate— so. much. FUN!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1c. butter
  • 2c. sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 c. flour
  • 1/2c. cocoa
  • 1/2tsp. salt
  • 1c. milk
  • 1 1/2 bags of Wiltons Candy Melts (in whatever colors you want!)

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Cream butter and sugar together. 
  • Beat in eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt.
  • Add flour and milk (alternating them and mixing well in between)
  • Spread evenly in greased jelly roll pan.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until done in center and just starting to pull away from sides.
  • Cool completely
  • Using a sharp cookie cutter, cut small shapes out of the brownies. (I just used my finger to gently push the brownie out of the cutter and onto a cutting board.


  • Place excess brownie pieces into a freezer bag and freeze for another day (we are having brownie sundaes later this week!) 🙂
  • Melt each color of candy melt in separate bowls, microwaving for 30 second increments and stirring in between until smooth.
  • GENTLY set brownie cut-out into melted chocolate and scoop chocolate over the top.  Lift out with fork and tap excess chocolate off.  Place on parchment paper to harden.


My thoughts:  These are SO much fun to make!!!  The brownies are very easy to cut into shapes- its a good “cake- like” brownie recipe (you would not want to use a fudge brownie with this!)  The hardest part is dipping them in the candy melts.  Its not NEARLY as difficult as those crazy cake-pops, but you do have to be gentle and really keep your fork and bowl edge clean as crumbs can get into the melted chocolate and ruin the texture of it.  If you want to skip the chocolate coating part you could easily just decorate these cute little brownies with frosting too!  Enjoy!

 

Dedicating this recipe to all the people in my life who serve or have served our country in the military— THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This recipe was shared on these wonderful blogs:

Bacon Time, Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jelly beans, Little Brick Ranch, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, Pinch of this, that and the other, Something Swanky, Two Maids a Milking

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Chocolate-covered Strawberry Cheesecake!!

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Ruthanne

White chocolate cheesecake covered with chocolate dipped strawberries??? I’ll have some of that! (in fact I went off my diet and did– just a little….)  This is my standard cheesecake recipe with a twist- it’s surrounded by Nilla Wafers and topped with loads of dipped strawberries!  Fun and fancy- you will impress your guests with this cheesecake!

INGREDIENTS:

Cheesecake:

  • 9 oz. chocolate wafer cookies (I use animal crackers)
  • 15-20 Nilla Wafers
  • 1/4 c. margarine (melted)
  • 2 (8oz.) packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
  • 1/2c. sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 c. white chocolate chips (melted)
  • 1 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp. margarine (melted)
  • 3 tsp. vanilla

Toppings:

DIRECTIONS:
Cheesecake:
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees
  • Crush cookies into fine crumbs and add melted margarine.  Combine well and press into the bottom of a 9-Inch Springform Pan
    .
  • Gently press Nilla wafers upright along the edges of the crust.
  • Beat softened cream cheese with sugar until smooth.
  • Add eggs one at a time, beating in between each one.
  • Add remaining cheesecake ingredients, beating until smooth.
  • Pour into crust and allow to sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
  • Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 60 minutes.
  • Turn off oven, open oven door a little and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and run knife around edge of pan.  Remove edge of pan. 
  • Allow cheesecake to come to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.
Toppings:
  • CHOCOLATE:  Put 1/2c. whipping cream into saucepan and heat just until bubbling at edges.  Turn heat off, add chocolate chips, cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
  • After 5 minutes, stir until smooth.
  • Pour over top of cheesecake and allow this to harden.
  • STRAWBERRIES: Take the top off each strawberry and wash well.  Allow these to dry completely on paper towel.
  • Melt both dark and white chocolate candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted.
  • Gently dip strawberries in chocolate (half in dark and half in white).  Use a fork to drain away excess chocolate and set on parchment paper to harden.
  • Put remaining melted chocolate in ziplock bags.  Clip a corner and drizzle each strawberry with its opposite color.
  • Allow these to completely harden.
  • Add powdered sugar to remaining cup of  whipping cream and whip with mixer (you could use Cool Whip to save time on this part).
  • Spoon whipped cream into a zip-lock bag with a decorative tip added into one corner.
  • Gently place hardened dipped strawberries on cheesecake.
  • Pipe whipped cream around edges and between berries.
  • Keep chilled.  Serve the same day as you place the berries (they will eventually get “soggy”  if they sit too long.
  • ENJOY!!!
My thoughts:
This is the only recipe I’ve ever won a contest with.  Two, in fact!  The 1st was a recipe contest through our local newspaper.  The second was a contest with Ferrara Pan Candy Company.  It isn’t a recipe thats quick and easy, but it’s fun to make and sure to impress!!!  Here’s a couple of tips:  Get more than enough strawberries- you want similar sizes and you will need to go through a few to find enough of the same size.  Start placing the strawberries in the middle with the largest.  The smaller berries are easier to squeeze in around the edges 🙂  Enjoy!!!  r-
This recipe was shared on these wonderful blogs:

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Raspberry Lemonade Truffles

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Ruthanne

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These soft and creamy lemonade truffles are accented with a sweet raspberry white chocolate.  Truly a unique dessert that will have you thinking summer as soon as you taste one!

INGREDIENTS: (makes 30 truffles)

  • 1 (8 oz.) bar of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened to room temp)
  • 1 packet (0.23 oz.) of Kool-Aid Lemonade mix (unsweetened)
  • 5 cups powdered sugar (plus a little extra to coat your hands as you work with dough)
  • 1 bag (12oz) Wilton White Candy Melts
  • 1/4 teaspoon imitation raspberry flavoring
  • Red and yellow food coloring (enough to get the color you desire)

DIRECTIONS:

  • Cream together Philadelphia cream cheese and packet of lemonade.
  • Add yellow food coloring to desired shade of yellow.
  • Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, blending well between each one.  After 4th cup, coat your hands in powdered sugar and mix in 5th cup with your hands until well blended.
  • Using sugar-covered hands, roll dough into 1 inch truffle balls and set on parchment paper.
  • Melt candy coating chips in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between until smooth.
  • Add raspberry flavoring and red food coloring (to desired color) and mix well.
  • Spoon about 1/2 – 1 tsp. of chocolate onto parchment paper and then press a truffle on the top of it until the chocolate is visible around the edges.  Finish the rest of the truffles this way.
  • Spoon remaining chocolate into a ziplock bag and clip the corner.  Drizzle the chocolate over the truffles.
  • Allow topping to harden (about 5 minutes)
  • Peel off parchment paper and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Makes about 30 truffles.

My thoughts:  Wow!  These have been a huge hit with everyone in my life that’s tried them!  They are an original creation for Real Women of Philadelphia.  For all of you who love to cook and bake, you really should check this contest out– its a lot of fun and the sweetest people are a part of this community!  I was longing for something to remind me that summer is coming (in spite of all the yucky weather lately!)  Raspberry lemonade is such  treat- and these truffles capture the essence of it to me.  I hope you get a chance to try them– let me know what you think!  :o)r-

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Turtle Cheesecake

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Ruthanne

This rich vanilla cheesecake is topped with a thick layer of soft caramel, smooth chocolate and pecans–YUM!

INGREDIENTS:

Cheesecake:

  • 9 oz. chocolate wafer cookies (I use animal crackers)
  • 1/4 c. margarine (melted)
  • 2 (8oz.) packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
  • 1/2c. sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 c. white chocolate chips (melted)
  • 1 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp. margarine (melted)
  • 3 tsp. vanilla

Caramel Topping:

  • 32 Kraft caramels (unwrapped)
  • 1/2c. margarine
  • 1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate Topping:

  • 1/4c. heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • About 15 pecan halves.

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees
  • Crush cookies into fine crumbs and add melted margarine.  Combine well and press into the bottom of a 9-Inch Springform Pan
  • Beat softened cream cheese with sugar until smooth.
  • Add eggs one at a time, beating in between each one.
  • Add remaining cheesecake ingredients, beating until smooth.
  • Pour into crust and allow to sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
  • Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 60 minutes,
  • Turn off oven, open oven door a little and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and run knife around edge of pan.  Remove edge of pan. 
  • Allow to come to room temperature (make toppings during this time)
  • CARAMEL: Put caramels, condensed milk and margarine into a saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth (6-8 minutes)
  • CHOCOLATE:  Put whipping cream into saucepan and heat just until bubbling at edges.  Turn heat off, add chocolate chips, cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
  • After 5 minutes, stir until smooth.
  • Pour caramel over top of cheesecake, smoothing to edges
  • Refrigerate about 10 minutes.
  • Pour chocolate over caramel and smooth into a center circle.  
  • Place pecan halves around edges and drizzle with any extra caramel you have (if desired)
  • REFRIGERATE cheesecake overnight before serving for best consistency. Remove bottom part of pan when cake is chilled.

My thoughts:

I made this for my friends Spencer and Rachel this weekend.  They are having a party to celebrate their baby’s 1st birthday!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASILINN!!!!!  

I haven’t made a cheesecake in awhile and I’ve missed it!  This cheesecake recipe is my staple recipe– the toppings and crust may vary, but the cheesecake recipe stays the same– I haven’t found another that I like better…  The caramel on this is THICK (you may want to half the recipe for it if you aren’t a huge caramel fan like I am).  This might seem like it’s a difficult recipe because of all the steps, but it really isn’t hard– start early in the evening though because its a process!  Hope you get a chance to try this!  ENJOY!   -r



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Chocolate Easter Eggs with Peanut Butter Filling!

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Ruthanne

These chocolate eggs are filled with a creamy peanut butter mixture.  Fill your Easter baskets with this easy to make recipe!!!

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

  • Combine margarine with peanut butter and add powdered sugar until mixture is thick enough to be rolled and molded by hand.
  • Form eggs in any size (I use an egg-shaped 1/3 cup measuring spoon, but you can shape by hand in other sizes as well)
  • Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring well in between until smooth.
  • Using a fork, dip peanut butter eggs into chocolate until completely covered and slide off fork onto parchment paper.  Allow chocolate to cool and harden.
  • Decorate as desired (drizzle with other colored chocolate, or sprinkle with spring candy…).

My thoughts:  This is my second year making these eggs as a fundraiser for missions trips at my church.  We have improved our technique for making these in large quantities and had a lot of fun this year.  These are HUGE peanut butter eggs.  I always warn people to not eat a whole one all at once!  The filling is so creamy and rich.  I hope you get a chance to try these out for YOUR Easter baskets!  Here’s some shots of our egg-making extravaganza:

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Coconut Carrot Cake Cookies!

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Ruthanne

Confession:  I hate carrot cake—HATE it.  But I love these cookies so much that I could eat a whole plate of them in one sitting- they are so moist and flavorful– and they use a cake mix which makes them really easy to make!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 box of Betty Crocker Carrot Cake Mix
  • 12 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese (divided)
  • 1/4c. margarine (plus an additional 2 tbsp)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp. of coconut extract (divided)
  • 1/2c. oatmeal
  • 1c. confectioners sugar
  • 1/2c. Wilton White Candy Melts

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cream together the 1/4c. margarine and 8 oz. of the cream cheese (the remaining will be used in the frosting).
  • Using a mixer, add in the egg and 1/4 tsp. of coconut extract (the remainder will be used in the frosting)
  • When the mixture is smooth, slowly add the cake mix until blended (batter will be very heavy)
  • Fold in oatmeal until well mixed.
  • Using a small cookie scoop, place scoops of batter on an un-greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
  • Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  About halfway through, pull the cookies out and gently flatten the tops with a finger and return to oven for remainder of time.
  • Cool cookies completely on parchment paper.
  • Make frosting: cream remaining cream cheese with 2 tbsp. of margarine and 1/4 tsp of coconut extract. Add confectioners sugar to a thick consistency.
  • To put together: turn one cookie bottom up, spoon or pipe a little frosting on it and top with another cookie.
  • If desired, melt some white chocolate and drizzle it over the top of the cookies.
  • Makes about 24 cookies.

My thoughts:  Mmmmm….I want to have some of these cookies now!  I am on a baking freeze because of a kitchen remodel, so I am pulling some recipes from the archives.  This recipe was inspired by my friend and coworker Tammy.  Her daughter requested carrot cake cookies for a bridal shower, and Tammy (an amazing baker!) created cookies very similar to this.  I rethought them a little and added coconut for a recipe contest on Real Women of Philadelphia (RWOP).  Whenever I make them people ask for the recipe.  They are a little time-consuming, but SO worth the extra time in the kitchen!!  I hope you love them!!  r-

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Caramel Chip Bars!!!

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Ruthanne

These chewy cookie bars are packed with 4 types of chips and a thick layer of soft caramel- YUM!!!

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 box of yellow cake mix

1/3c. oil

2 eggs

1c. each of white chips, semi-sweet chips, milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips

1/2 c. margarine

32 unwrapped caramels

1 (14oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13pan.  Combine cake mix, oil and eggs.  Blend well and stir in all of the chips (mixture will be very thick).  Press half of the mixture into bottom of pan (it will press into a very thin layer).  Bake for 10 minutes.

While this is baking, in a medium saucepan, combine butter, caramels and condensed milk.  Cook over low/medium heat until melted and smooth (stir constantly!)  Spread caramel over partially baked cake mixture.  Top with remaining cake/chip mixture (it will not completely cover, but you can press the mixture flat with your fingers and lay it in sections over the caramel.  Bake and additional 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool 20 minutes.  Run knife around edges.  Cool completely before cutting. Makes about 20 bars.

 

My thoughts:  I’ve been making these bars for years and its fun to try them with different types of chips and flavors of cake mix.  These were inspired by a recipe given to me by a friend of a friend.  Her name is Lily and for years we called these Lily Bars in her honor :0)  They have evolved into this recipe (my personal favorite combination of ingredients) –but next time I am adding some coconut!  If you like experimenting with flavors, this is a perfect recipe for you!  Another note:  the caramel sauce used in this is SO good and wonderfully soft that I’ve incorporated it into many other desserts – so when you see this caramel appear in another post you’ll know– it all started here!   Have fun with this one– I hope you enjoy it!   -r

 


 

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