Chocolate Crack AKA C2P2

This recipe come from Pinterest and here is the link to the original poster with detailed instructions.  Basically, you mash up potato chips.  Melt some caramels with peanut butter, then add heavy whipping cream.  Melt some chocolate and fold in the potato chips.  Pour the chocolate mess into a pan lined with foil or parchment paper.  Then plop dolops of the peanut butter and caramel mixture onto the chocolate.  Top THAT with 1/2 jar to a jar of caramel ice cream topping and then run a knife back forth through the peanut butter blops until everything is fanned out.  Throw it in the fridge for about 30 minutes and then cut into squares.  I was able to get 150 squares out of a 17 x 11 inch jelly pan. Yes, there are three layers of these chocolate nuggets! YUM!!

Be sure the peanut butter mixture is hot before you pour the chocolate mixture into the pan, and then ACT QUICKLY!  The warmer the ingredients are, the easier it will be to swirl everything together so it looks pretty and the ingredients blend nicely.  I had a phone call between the time I put the chocolate/potato chips in the pan and when I added the peanut butter mixture and had a hard time swirling the peanut butter mixture into the chocolate mixture.  Still tastes like a yummy version of Whatchamacallit candy bar though!

Bacon. Bourbon. Brownie. Bites.

Seriously. How can you go wrong?! 

Since I was cooking for the masses, I modified the original recipe a bit and used Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie mixes.  I followed the directions on the box to make them more "cake-like" by adding an extra egg.  I'm sure the original recipe tastes much better as far as the brownie part goes, so here's the link to the original recipe. 

First, heat the oven to 350 degrees and toast the pecans until you can just start to smell them.

Then fry up some bacon until it's just barely crispy. Yes, that is a pound and a half of bacon. Remember, I'm tripling the recipe to feed around 75 people!

This is where I started to cheat. Good ole Betty Crocker did most of the work.  The box said 2/3C of oil so I measured 3T of bacon grease and then topped it off with enough oil to get 2/3C.

Next, I introduced 3T of Mr. Beam to Miss Crocker. They seemed to get along quite nicely!

Pour the batter into buttered 13"x9" pans and then chopped up 1/2 pound of bacon and 1/2C of pecans.

Sprinkle the mixture on top of the brownie batter and bake for 25 minutes.

Let the brownies cool and then cut to serve!  I cut these to be bite-sized and got 48 brownies out of each pan!

They packed up nicely in a pineapple and spinach container I saved to reuse. We will be able to serve them right out of these containers. Can't wait to hear what everyone thinks!

Homemade Oreo Cookies

The first game of the season was welcomed with Homemade Oreo Cookies, and they were delicious!! They were such a hit, I wasn't able to get a picture once they hit the tailgate. I guess that means they were good, right?!

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg
*[I used Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa. You can get it at HEB or super-sized at CostCo. Definitely use a Dutch process cocoa. It gives the wafers the deeper Oreo chocolate taste!] 

For the filling: 
1/4 cup room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.  In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

2.  Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart.





[Use dough balls that are about 1/4 of a teaspoon if you want them to be Oreo Cookie size. Look at the pixs below!  I made the first batch 4 times too big! ] 

The first pan I made was rows of 3 x 4 and the
cookies were huge and spread together!  This is
the second batch and I had to make a few more big
ones to even use up the first batch of jumbo-oreos!

3.  With moistened hands or a glass that will leave a cute imprint, slightly flatten the dough.

These turned out perfect!  One my cookie  sheets
I was able to do rows of 4 x 5 and the cookies
didn't spread together.

[I used an old glass from my Grandma Lu that has a fun impression on the base.  Thank you, Grandma Lessmann!] 






4.  Bake for 10 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.  [I had better luck cooking mine for about 12 minutes. It's tricky to judge the time since you can't see if they are burning, but you want them to be crispy and and chewy...like an Oreo!] 

[I'm not a plan-aheader, but in retrospect, it would have been good for me to have made the wafers the night before and let them sit on the cooling racks overnight.  It would have given them a crunchier texture like an Oreo cookie. Live and learn!!]





5.  To make the filling, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

   

         Spread and....

...squish!! 

6.  To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. [I just used a frosting spatula, spread and squished the top on!] Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

7.  Enjoy!!


Recipe originally found via Pinterest at: http://www.sweetpotatochronicles.com/wordpress/2011/03/guest-bloggers-emma-and-henry-make-homemade-oreos/