Chocolate Candy Cookie Bars

Spend quality time  with your children around the kitchen

and together you can easily whip up these sinfully delicious cookie bars

loaded with all (...or some) of your leftovers Halloween chocolate candies

I hope you had a fantastic Halloween, and a relaxing, sugar-free Sunday. I meant ... sugar-filled Sunday! We all know what really happens the day after Halloween. The kids go crazy with all the goodies they have collected, and want to eat them all.
The general rule in my house is to let the kids play, count, and compare their treasures. But they can pick only a few pieces to eat. I try to make the rest disappear. Well, not all of it! I would never get rid of chocolate candies. You all know that I LOVE chocolate. I could never say no to a melt-in-your-mouth piece of the finest chocolate, maybe filled with crunchy hazelnuts, and silky gianduia milk chocolate. Are you thinking about those fancy Italian baci too?!? So delicious!

Today I baked with one of my boy these fantastic cookie bars filled with leftover Halloween chocolate candies. This recipe is a great way to use those candies, and it's easy enough that your kids can do it by themselves, or maybe with a little help. You can let your kids decide which chocolate bars to use. From Snickers to Milky Way.Or Reese's Cups and M&Ms. Let them go wild! Just set the limit to about one and a half cups of candies cut in pieces for a batch of these cookies.

My kids love when they get to help in the kitchen.  It gets very messy, but it's so much fun. Cooking is a great learning opportunity, and an amazing way to bring the family together.  Sometimes it's hard to spend quality time with the children, when they are so busy with school, homework, sports and all that after-school activities.
After today's crazy baking experience I can honestly say that I need to bake more with my boys and work on their cooking skills. Neither of them could be the next MASTERCHEF JUNIOR. Not a chance, at least for the moment! Have you seen what the kids on the show can actually cook?!? Simply amazing!
In the finale of the last season, the remaining two contestants had to make a three course meal in only 90 minutes. One of the boys made an Italian inspired menu, starting with herbed homemade ricotta cheese, with roasted beets and pumpernickel bread. Yes, you heard correctly! Ricotta cheese made from scratch. I have never tried and never even thought about making it, until I saw this episode. If an 11 year old can whip up ricotta, I certainly can do it too. Well ... maybe  :)
Next on the menu, there was an impressive dish of beef cheek ravioli with pan gravy and shaved Parmesan. And for dessert a perfectly creamy sweet risotto (rice pudding style) with figs and verjus. Probably you wish you knew what  "verjus" is, right?! Not even my laptop spell-checker knows it really. But I do! And I learned it from the show, of course!
MASTERCHEF JUNIOR is super fun and exciting, for both adults and kids. And it's very inspiring, with all those impressive and mouthwatering dishes. I've actually decided I need to be one of the judges on the show! I can really see myself sitting next to Gordon Ramsey and sharing the fork ;)
So make sure to watch the new season of MASTERCHEF JUNIOR. It's starting this Friday November 6, 8/7 c on Fox.
Just one word of advice before the next show: make sure not to watch on an empty stomach. It will make you hungry,for sure!

Here is the recipe for these soft and gooey, rich and intense, dangerous cookie bars. Every bite is  exploding with everything you love about leftover Halloween chocolate candies.  You can make it as fun or as simple as you wish.

Ingredients: to make an 8x12 inches (20x30 cm) baking pan, cut in about 16 bars

• 4 oz (115 gr) of unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup packed (200 gr) of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 cups (300 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1 and 1/2 cups (about 200 gr) of Milky Way and Crunch bars, or other (Snickers, Butterfingers, Reese's cups, ...)
• 1/4 cup (40 gr) of M&Ms for decoration (optional)

Preparation time: about 40 minutes
Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). Melt the butter in a double boiler, or in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds. Let it cool, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a large bowl add the eggs and sugar. Mix well.

3. Whisk in the melted butter.

4. Blend in the flour, baking soda, and salt.

5. Stir in the two cups of chopped chocolate bars.

6. Press the dough to the bottom of a 8x12 inches (20x30 cm)  baking pan, covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle the top with the M&Ms if you wish, to give a colorful twist to the bars. Press the  candies down a bit with your finger, so they won't roll around.

7. Bake at 350° F (175° C) for about 20-22 minutes. Take the cookies out by pulling up on the parchment paper, and cut in pieces. To have perfectly cut bars, make sure to wait for the cookies to cool down a bit. Or if you don't mind... we didn't mind and couldn't wait to taste this - just go ahead, cut and enjoy!  I made 16 bars, about 2 by 3 inches each. You could also cut smaller portions and make 24 bars ( 2x2 in ).

Enjoy :)

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Nutella-Hazelnut Smiley Rice Krispies Treats

Make your kids happy with these quick and super easy smiley rice krispies treats

Perfectly gooey, crispy, nutty, chocolaty... and so much fun!

Rice krispies are so much fun! There are lots of ways to get creative with such simple ingredients.
Here is a sweet recipe made with rice krispies packed in individual round sizes, decorated with white and brown chocolate chips into smiley faces. Super easy and so cute!

You could really use this idea and decorate plain rice kripies treats. But why just stop at plain when you can have more?!? Rice krispies are very easy and quick to prepare. These are just as simple and as fast. All you have to do is add nutella (at the beginning with the marshmallows and butter), and crushed hazelnuts (later with the rice Krispies cereal). You can turn a simple snack into a delicious homemade goodness: perfectly gooey, crispy, nutty and chocolaty.

Listen up! Before you run to the kitchen and grab the marshmallows, here is an important advise.
Remember to set out and measure all the ingredients before you start with the microwave. You need to be quick and mix the cereals and hazelnuts to the melted mixture of mashmallows/butter/nutella when still warm. So I beg you please!  Don't try to figure out how to crush the hazelnuts when everything is cooling down and hardening into a big mass. You won't be able to incorporate the hazelnuts at that point, and it will be harder to shape anything into the muffin cups. So be ready ahead of time, and you will rock this recipe!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: to make about 24 treats

• 1 bag (10 oz = 285 gr) of mini marshmallows
• 4 oz (55 gr) of unsalted butter
• about 2/3 cup (about 220 gr) of Nutella, or other chocolate spread
• 6 cups (about 200 gr) of rice krispies cereal
• 1/2 cup (65 gr) of crushed, roasted hazelnuts
• white chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips for decoration

Preparation time:  20 minutes
Directions:
1. Crush the roasted hazelnuts. Set out and measure the rice krispies cereal in a bowl. So all ingredients are ready.

2. In a microwave safe large bowl, place the marshmallows, nutella and butter (cut in pieces). The bowl needs to be large, because the marshmallows in the microwave will inflate, and you don't want them to spill all over.

   
3. Microwave for 60 seconds. Check and mix. You will probably need another 30 to 40 seconds in the microwave to melt completely the ingredients. Mix again.

4. Add the rice krispies cereal and the crushed hazelnuts and mix quickly, until well coated.

5. Spoon the mixture evenly into about 24 round muffin cups. Press down with the back of a spoon to pack the treats into shape.

5. Flip the rice krispies (the bottom looks better than the top!). Decorate with the chocolate chips. I used 4 white chocolate chips for the mouth, two white for the eyes, topped with a mini (brown) chocolate chip to finish it up. Microwave the smiley faces for about 15 seconds, and let it sit there for  minute, so that the chocolate chips will slightly melt and stay in place (if not they might roll all over!) 

Store in an air tight container. And enjoy!

Halloween Ghost Brownies with Marshmallows and White Chocolate

Perfect recipe for your kids' Halloween party

These cute and spooky ghosts are made with deliciously rich and fudgy brownies, topped with a big marshmallow covered in white chocolate ganache

I'm feeling that Halloween is creeping up on me without warning this year. It's only two weeks away, and I'm not ready.
I just finished with my little boy's birthday party this week, and I need to start worrying about  some fun Halloween recipes for you, costumes for the boys, decorations ...yes, I have not filled my front yard with any scary things yet. Shame on me!
So, here it is - at least one recipe: Easy-to-bake, little ghosts made with a big marshmallow, covered in delicious white chocolate ganache, sitting on top of a dark, rich, and sinfully fudgy brownie.
I know. Spooky, right?!? ... definitely spooky for the waistline! Haha!

I saw this idea the other day on BettyCrocker.com. That recipe uses Betty Crocker's brownie mix and ready-to-use white frosting. You could do that, if  you are feeling lazy ... Ahem. I mean, if you want to save a couple of minutes of your time :)
Homemade brownies and white chocolate fondue sound and taste so much better. And it's really not that much more work. So check out my video, and you will see:

This recipe is so easy, that you can do it with your kids too. You could even be the amazing mom (or dad, of course!) to throw the coolest decorate-your-Halloween-brownie-ghost party!!!!! Sounds fun, right?!? The kids will love it for sure :)
Here is what you'll need to do.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:  to make 6 ghost brownies.            
For the brownies:

• 4 oz (110 gr) of unsalted butter 
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
• 2 eggs 
• 3/4 cup (150 gr) of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (75 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (35 gr) of unsweetened cocoa powder (Ghirardelli, or another good quality)
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• pinch of salt

For the top:

• 6 large marshmallows
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of white chocolate chips (Ghirardelli or other good quality)
• 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
• mini chocolate chips for decoration (to make the eyes and mouth of the ghosts) or brown/black frosting

Preparation time: about one hour and and fifteen minutes.
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). Place the half cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and the butter into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds (set on high). Check, mix and add about 15 more seconds if needed.
If you prefer, you could also melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler - Place the bowl over a steamy pan partly filled with simmering water. Mix until fully melted.

2. In another large bowl whisk together the eggs, the sugar and the vanilla extract.

3. Mix in the flour, the cocoa powder, the baking soda,  and the melted butter/chocolate mixture (which should be cool down a bit by now). Stir all the ingredients are combined, do NOT over-mix.

4. Spoon the batter into about 6 muffin cups, about 3/4 of the way. You can use silicone cup as is. If you have tin cups, please spray or grease with butter and flour. Or line with paper cups.

5. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350° F (175° C). Do not over-bake, or the brownies will dry up.
Let the brownies cool down, before removing from the mold. When cooler, remove the brownies and set aside while you prepare the topping.

6. Melt the white chocolate chips with the heavy cream. You can microwave for about 20 seconds, mix and add a few more seconds (maybe 15 more seconds) until melted. Or you can melt the chocolate with the cream in a double boiler, same as before.

7. Place one marshmallow on top of an upside down brownie. Note, the bottom of the brownie is much flatter than the top.
Hold the marshmallow with the tip of a toothpick, and pour some of the melted white chocolate on top. The white chocolate will harden quickly when it cools off, and will hold everything together.

Decorate with the mini chocolate chip and make the eyes and mouth of the ghost.

Happy Halloween!

Coconut-Macadamia-Chocolate Chips HUGE Cookies

This will be your new favorite cookie recipe!

These giant cookies are filled with chunky pieces of macadamia nuts, melty chocolate chips, and nutty-sweet coconut flakes

Everybody needs a favorite easy-to-make, quick and delicious cookie recipe. You never know when you will need to whip up a batch: for your kids' playdates, last minute office party, or snacks at the next soccer game... Yes, it was my turn last weekend and I was prepared :)
Rather than making the usual chocolate chip cookies, next time try this. Add some macadamia nuts and shredded coconut to turn your plain chocolate chips cookies into something spectacular. Chewy on the inside, slightly crunchy around the edges. Filled with the tropical flavors of coconut and the salty and buttery macadamia nuts. I use semi-sweet chocolate chips so that the cookies would not end up too sweet. But you're welcome to change it up and use white or dark chocolate chips.

And do you see the size of these cookies?!? HUGE!
I used my ice-cream scoop to pick up the dough and make perfectly round cookies in no time at all. My scoop is about 1/4 cup in size, and with the ingredients listed below, I ended up with 10 enormous cookies. You can also use a smaller size, and make more. But remember: adjust the baking time to about 10-11 minutes for regular size,

Here are some more tips.
Remove the butter and the eggs from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before starting with the recipe. Room temperature ingredients are easier to combine, make a smoother dough, and chewier cookies.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes (... or overnight if needed) to make thicker, chunkier cookies.
After baking, wait until they are completely cooled down, and then store in an air tight container. They will be fresh for several days.
And listen to this. I read somewhere that cookies will stay soft and chewy for longer if you place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. There is something about the bread giving out moisture, so the bread will dry out and the cookies will stay fresh for longer. Interesting, right?!? I will have to try it now too...But, for some strange reason, cookies do not last long enough in my house to worry about keeping them fresh. Haha!

Make sure to check out my video recipe too:

Ingredients: to make about 10 huge cookies                                PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 5 oz (140 gr) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of white sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 and 1/4 cups (185 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (80 gr) of shredded coconut 
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of semi-sweet chocolate chips 
• 1/2 cup (75 gr) of macadamia nuts, roughly chopped 

Preparation time: 40 minutes, plus 30 minutes inactive
Directions:
1: In a large bowl, cream the butter with the white and brown sugar, with a blender or mixer if you have it, until soft and fluffy.

2: Add the egg, the vanilla extract and the salt. Blend well, until smooth.

3: Gradually blend in the flour and the baking soda. Do not overmix. Mix until just incorporated.

4: Mix in the shredded coconut.

5. Fold in the chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts until distributed through out the dough.

6. To make thicker cookies, place the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or longer.
Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
Scoop the dough onto parchment paper, over a baking sheet, leaving enough space between the cookies. You will need two large baking sheets. I used my ice-cream scoop (1/4 cup) and ended up with 10 huge cookies.

7: Bake at 350° F (175° C) for about 14-15 minutes (depending on the size of the cookies), until the edges are slightly brown.

Enjoy :-)