Category Archives: Bars

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

April 13, 2012 – 6:00 am

If you had to enter an eating contest, what food would be your best bet for eating the most of and winning the contest? Mine would be Scotcheroos/Special K bars/whatever you choose to call the peanut butter/chocolate cereal bars. I know some would say the these bars are “too sweet” but (un)fortunately for me, I don’t know the meaning of “too sweet”. I could literally eat row after row of the perfectly crunchy yet creamy bars until I literally make myself sick. There are many variations of these cereal bars, and I honestly have never met one that I did not enjoy.

When I was choosing the first recipes I wanted to try after I received a copy of the Baked New Frontiers in Baking Cookbook, these bars caught my eye right away for all of the reasons I just explained.

This variation on my favorite bar is totally over the top. The cereal is mixed with a sweet syrup and there are two perfectly complimentary creamy layers on top. The first layer that tops the cereal is a sweet mixture of peanut butter and milk chocolate. FInally, a top layer of rich and buttery dark chocolate makes these bars just rich enough to keep my devouring under control.

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: no-bake dessert snack chocolate peanut butter bar

Ingredients (12-16 bars)

Cereal layer

1 3/4 cup crisped rice cereal
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp light corn syrup
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer

5 oz. (~3/4 cup) milk chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Dark Chocolate Layer

3 oz. (~1/2 cup) dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp light corn syrup
4 Tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

Cereal Layer

Spray a 8-inch square glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray then wipe out excess with paper towel.

Place cereal into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and corn syrup. Place a candy thermometer onto the pan and bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until mixture reaches soft-ball stage (235 degrees).

Remove from heat and gently stir in melted butter.

Pour mixture cereal and stir to coat cereal evenly. Pour cereal mixture into prepared pan and press down gently to form the bottom layer.

Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer

Place milk chocolate and peanut butter into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until chocolate is melted, stirring in between heating. Stir to combine.

Pour over cooled cereal layer and spread evenly.

Cool in refrigerator for ~1 hour or until peanut butter layer is set.

Dark Chocolate Layer

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine dark chocolate, butter and corn syrup and microwave in 30 second increments until chocolate and butter are melted stirring in between heating. Stir to combine and pour over cooled peanut butter layer.

Cool in refrigerator for ~1 hour or until dark chocolate layer is set.

Cut into desired size and serve.

Recipe adapted from Baked New Frontiers in Baking

in a small saucepan, combine water, sugar and corn syrup

bring to a boil and heat until temperature reaches 235 degrees

remove from heat, add butter, stir to combine and pour over cereal

press cereal mixture into prepared pan

combine milk chocolate and peanut butter and heat until melted

spread over cooled cereal mixture, refrigerate to set

melt together dark chocolate, corn syrup and butter

spread over cooled milk chocolate layer

refrigerate to set before cutting and serving

What is your “eating contest” food? Come on, don’t make me feel bad, admit that you have thought about this too!

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags Chocolate, peanut butter | Comments (9)

Toasted Coconut Caramel Brownies

February 9, 2012 – 11:52 am

Valentine’s Day was always my favorite holiday growing up. I know it sounds strange, but I have always been quite a girly-girl and I have always melted over anything pink, red and/or heart-shaped. I was the girl who made my valentines out of paper doilies and would go so far as to string ribbon through the edges of the doilies! Naturally there was also plenty of glitter and stickers involved. There was nothing better to me than coming up with a clever idea for my valentine box for school and I just loved bringing it home, dumping it out and reading notes from friends, trying to decipher what the boys really meant with the messages on the conversation hearts they gave me and eating candy! While my love for Christmas has probably surpassed my feelings about Valentine’s Day, the holiday is still a close 2nd. And not for any of the materialistic reasons either. I don’t want or expect anything from my husband. A thoughtful card means more to me than any roses or jewelry. I just love making treats for others and being able to whip out my pink and red food coloring!

So with Valentine’s Day only a few days away, my brain has gone to all things pink, hearts and chocolate. I came home on Monday and my sweet valentine had some lovely red tulips waiting for me which was completely unexpected and therefore made my day. So now I want to make my Valentine’s Day complete with some delicious and festive treats.

With how much of a chocoholic I am, it is surprising that I don’t make brownies more often. I have had this recipe tucked away for a while and it combines two of my favorite ingredients: chocolate and coconut. There is even a layer of caramel in these brownies, so they are pretty close to perfection. Even without all of the toppings, the brownies themselves are rich and fudgey due to the combination of melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and unsweetened cocoa powder. And the toasted coconut gives just enough crunch to keep you very interested. If you need a sweet Valentine treat for a chocolate lover in your life, these will earn you serious brownie points (pun intended ).

Toasted Coconut Caramel Brownies

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: bake dessert caramel chocolate coconut bar brownie

Ingredients (16-20 brownies)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cooca powder
1/4 tsp salt
20 caramel candies
1 tsp milk
3/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted

Instructions

Spray 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray then line with parchment paper overhanging edges.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To toast coconut, line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and spread coconut in one layer over paper. Place under broiler set on low until lightly browned. Watch very closely as it will burn quickly. (I like to set 1 minute timers after each time I check it so that I don’t forget it.)

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, butter and 3 Tbsp water. Microwave for 1 minute increments until chocolate is melted. Whisk together to combine.

Whisk in sugar and eggs to combine.

Whisk in flour, cocoa powder and salt to combine.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.

Cool brownies completely.

Place caramel candies and milk into small microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or until caramels are melted. Stir and pour over cooled brownies.

Immediately sprinkle toasted coconut over caramel and press down lightly.

Allow caramel to cool completely before lifting brownies from pan using parchment paper, cutting and serving.

Recipe adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

A few tips:

After making this recipe, I think you could simply grease your pan and not line it with parchment paper. Your choice, I just felt like all the parchment paper did was make the sides of my brownies and uneven shape. And if you grease the pan well, you shouldn’t have any trouble removing the brownies.
Spray the bowl that you use to melt the caramels in with nonstick cooking spray and it will be much easier to clean when you are finished .
Nuts would be another lovely addition to these brownies.

combine chocolate chips, butter and water and microwave until chocolate is melted

whisk in sugar, then eggs

whisk in flour, cocoa powder and salt

pour batter into prepared pan and bake

melt caramel candies and milk together and pour over cooled brownies

sprinkle toasted coconut over the top and press gently

allow caramel to cool completely, then cut and serve

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags Brownies, caramel, Chocolate, coconut | Comments (6)

Top 11 of 2011

January 3, 2012 – 2:44 pm

When Satisfy My Sweet Tooth came into existence this past summer, I had no idea where this adventure would take me. What I started as something to share recipes with friends and family and hone my photography skills has slowly developed into a full-time obsession that I just can’t get enough of! Experimenting, writing, taking photos and sharing all of it with you has been such a pleasure and I thank you sincerely for following along with my on my culinary adventures!

I thought I would sum up my first 6 months of blogging with some highlight of my favorite recipes and yours.

1. Possibly my most popular recipe are these Coffee-Spiked Chocolate Caramel Bars. Rich and buttery graham cracker crust topped with homemade caramel, chocolate ganache and sea salt. Need I say more?

On another note, did you know that “espresso” is one of the most commonly mispronounced words? I read a list of words in the newspaper this week. People usually stick a “c” in there to make it “ek-spress-oh”. Just thought you would want to know.

2. I was surprised how gaga you all went for these sweet and salty beauties. I mean don’t get me wrong, I drool over these Peanut Butter, Pretzel and Chocolate Chip Cookies, but I am so happy at how many of you lovelies have let me know that you have made and enjoyed these as well.

3. Next are these Coconut, M&M Cookie Bars. These bars combine two of my favorite ingredients: chocolate and coconut. The flavor of these cookies is almost like the Samoas Girl Scout cookies and they are just so chewy and addicting.

4. One of my favorite savory recipes that I have shared with you is this pasta with Red and Green Pesto. I can’t believe I have only made it once and I also just realized that this would be a very festive Christmas recipe! I really should start making a list for next year’s holiday season already…..

5. And of course, my all-time favorite pasta, Grandma Suzy’s Fettucini Freddi. This sauce is so clean and simple, yet every time I eat it, I cannot stop oohing and aahing over it. And especially now that I received the pasta maker attachment for my mixer, I cannot wait to make homemade noodles with this silky, delectable sauce!

6. I was so thrilled when I stumbled upon this Crock Pot Apple Butter this fall! Talk about an easy food gift to share with others. This will be a staple that I make every fall when friends and family give me apples from their fall harvests.

7. Nothing really satisfied my craving for crunch like these Heath and Macadamia Nut Blondies. Chocolate, toffee and nuts are such a rich combination and all of the textures together makes these bars particularly drool-worthy.

8. I took my first cooking class in 2011 with Emily. The recipe that I have made the most often from that evening of learning is these Fresh Spring Rolls. I love how diverse they are because of all of the possible fillings and the sauce is so perfect that I do not even want to order them out at restaurants anymore! And they are a perfect healthy recipe to start off 2012 right.

9. I never realized how starting my own blog would lead to an obsession with other blogs! There is just so much inspiration to be found by browsing through other people’s creative ideas. No ingredient was more prominent in the blog world during the fall than pumpkin. I have a few pumpkin classics that I make each year and possibly my favorite is this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake. It is so moist and incredible.

10. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars. These bars are a perfect example of how i see a recipe and then brainstorm about how I can change it to fit my preferences. These are chewy, nutty, filling and healthy. A breakfast treat or snack that you can really feel good about.

11. And finally, one of my favorite combinations, chocolate and peanut butter combined in these soft and chewy Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Cups and Sea Salt. Cookies are my absolute favorite dessert! I’ll take a perfect cookie over a rich chocolate tart or cake any day. They are also very dangerous though because I can never eat just one! This is a cookie that you could easily put your own spin on with several different ingredients. Let your creativity shine!

I am not big on resolutions, but a new year does make me think about what improvements I would like to make in my life. As always, I know that I want and need to exercise more. I actually feel excited about it after lounging non-stop and eating way too many holiday delights.

I have an email folder, Pinterest board and cookbooks full of recipes that I cannot wait to try this year. I hope that you will continue to join me on my adventures in the kitchen. I do so appreciate your readership and support. I always love hearing from you and please let me know if there is anything special you would like me to share with you in 2012. Happy New Year sweet teeth!

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags Apples, caramel, Chocolate, Cookies, Frosting, Fruit, Garlic, Italian, Nuts, peanut butter, Shrimp | Comments (13)

6th Day of Christmas: Caramel Pecan Turtle Bars

December 21, 2011 – 7:23 pm

On the 6th Day of Christmas my sweet tooth gave to me Caramel Pecan Turtle Bars.

I don’t need too look at a calendar to know how near Christmas is. I can simply look in the mirror. Yesterday when I looked, I had frosting on my cheek and powdered sugar in my hair and today I have acquired some nice burns on my hand thanks to caramel making. Yep, no need for a calendar.

I have a secret confession to make: I am loving the Justin Bieber Christmas album! I have never had the Bieber Fever before and I still don’t know if I have a full case yet, but I have been jamming out the Glee Holiday station on Pandora and they throw in quite a bit of the Bieb and I am becoming a Belieber! My sister swears that if you watch his movie you will become a convert so I really should watch that with her over the holiday.

(source)

Anyway, enough about J Biebs, lets talk sweets. I posted a photo of these Caramel Pecan Turtle Bars when I hosted the Fine Cooking giveaway a couple of weeks ago and promised that the recipe was to come. These bars have a shortbread crust which is topped with pecan-studded caramel and all topped with an irresistible chocolate ganache. Everything a sweet tooth needs to be content and then some.

Caramel Turtle Bars

by Fine Cooking Cookies

Keywords: bake dessert caramel chocolate bar

Ingredients (about 48)

For the crust

7 oz. (14 Tbsp) unsalted butter melted and cooled to just warm
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
9 oz. (2 cups) flour

For the caramel

2 cups toasted pecans, chopped
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter cut into chunks
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt

For the ganache

6 Tbsp heavy cream
2 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate finely chopped

Instructions

For the shortbread crust

Preheat oven to to 325 degrees.

Prepare a 9X13 baking dish by lining it with foil allowing it to overhang the edges of the pan. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl and with an electric mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar and salt. Add flour. Dough will be stiff.

Press dough evenly into prepared pan and prick all over with a fork.

Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 300 degrees and bake about another 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle pecans over crust.

For the caramel

In a medium heavy saucepan, combine all caramel ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat stirring until smooth. Insert a candy thermometer and continue to boil mixture without stirring until it reaches 240 degrees. Immediately pour caramel over crust and cool completely.

For the ganache

Place chocolate into a small bowl.

In a small saucepan, heat the cream to a simmer.

Pour hot cream over chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes then stir to combine. Drizzle ganache over bars and let set for 1 hour.

Remove bars from pan by lifting foil. Remove foil and set on a cutting board and cut into 1 1/2-inch bars.

make shortbread crust dough and pressed into foil-lined and greased pan

bake

sprinkle pecans over crust

combine ingredients for caramel in heavy saucepan

bring to a boil and heat until thermometer reaches 240 degrees

pour caramel over crust and cool

make ganache and drizzle over bars

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags caramel, Chocolate, Nuts | Comment (0)

Fine Cooking Giveaway!

December 3, 2011 – 5:45 am

Now that it’s December, each day I can just hardly contain my enthusiasm for all of the things I want to bake and do before Christmas arrives! So many treats to bake, presents to buy, decorating to do and GIVEAWAYS to host!!!

I have told you before that I am an absolute cookbook and cooking magazine junkie. I subscribe to an embarrassing number of magazines and there are things I like and dislike about each of them. One magazine in which I cannot find anything to dislike however is Fine Cooking. Each issue is filled with fabulous photos, inspiring recipes and there are no ads! So cover to cover, each page is filled with mouthwatering recipe ideas, new kitchen products and extremely helpful tips.

I flipped open the Holiday Baking book and was immediately impressed with explanations about which ingredients and methods serve which purpose in baking. For example:

Did you know that the reason we cut butter into more delicate pastries is to coat the flour with fat so that less gluten is formed and thus the dough is not tough?
Or did you know that the reason we butter and flour pans when baking to prevent sticking is so that the proteins in the batter will not touch the side of the pan and therefore we will not end up with muffins half stuck to our pans?
Or did you know the ideal temperature for creaming butter is 68°?

I know, how have we lived our whole baking lives without fully understanding these concepts?! These tidbits of useful information are, as I mentioned, one of the may reasons that I love Fine Cooking products.

I browsed through the Cookies book which is filled with Fine Cooking’s 200 favorite recipes and these little beauties are just one of the many temptations I encountered.

recipe to come….

So sweet teeth, in the spirit of Christmas, I am pleased to offer one lucky reader copies of all three books! You not only get the Cookie book and the Holiday Baking Book, you also get the Appetizer book! Will that make your holidays a little more merry and bright? I hope so!

Did you like this? Share it:

Comments (27)