candy – Oven Love

Dark Chocolate Coconut Bites

Natalie — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 02:30:01 +0000

Let me take you back for a second- imagine it’s Halloween in the early 90s. I’m probably dressed as a black cat (it was my thing). I come home with a pillowcase full of candy and start my sorting ritual with my mom. I would hoard the peanut butter cups and Hershey bars, and I would hand over the Mounds and Almond Joys directly to my mom. Who would want to eat something horrible like coconut?? Not early 90s me, that’s for sure. Wouldn’t get near the stuff.

But now.. coconut and I are BFFs. I couldn’t make it through the day without some coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut chips, you name it. And add some chocolate? I am puddy in your hands.

If you love Mounds or Almond Joy, you’ll be on board with these. Would you be surprised if I said next time I’m going to top them with crumbled bacon? (If you’re surprised, this must be your first time here- so welcome! We eat a lot of chocolate and bacon here.)

Dark Chocolate Coconut Bites

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

35 mins

slightly adapted from Tasty Yummies- http://tasty-yummies.com/2012/03/05/dark-chocolate-coconut-treats-vegan-gluten-free-refined-sugar-free/

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 16

Ingredients

1¼ cup shredded (desiccated) coconut
¼ cup melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces dark chocolate
2 tablespoons coconut oil
thick cut coconut, almonds or pecans for garnish

Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix coconut, coconut oil, honey or maple syrup and vanilla extract. Press into mini muffin tins (should make 12-16 bites). Let cool in the freezer for 30 minutes.
While the coconut cools, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil. Spoon the chocolate into the molds over top of the coconut mixture. Top with the coconut or nuts and freeze again until firm. Keep frozen. When you’re ready to eat, let cool for a few minutes and then enjoy.

Chocolate Bacon Truffles (with a Dairy-Free option)

Natalie — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:59:00 +0000

My darlings, I am so glad to bring this post to you. All of that broken computer nonsense is over and done- how lucky and thankful I am to have a husband who can fix anything (thank you for all your help, too, YouTube- couldn’t have done it without you). And what better way to greet you than with this platter of chocolate bacon truffles? I am convinced that these are the ultimate offering of love, peace and good cheer.

Here’s the deal- I was planning on making regular chocolate truffles, and then I saw the bacon in the fridge.. and there was no turning back. You know what I’m talking about- bacon just does that to people! I only allowed myself to eat one of these.. but let me tell you. They are beautifully creamy on the inside.. and they’ve got that savory, smoky bacon taste.. and then there’s the little chewy bite from the topping.. it’s a Christmas miracle, forreals.

Gah, look at those beauties!

You can totally make these dairy-free, and even refined sugar-free if you use a very dark chocolate and use plain bacon instead of the candied bacon. They can actually be a great source of good fat if you want them to be.

And another thing- I had some melted chocolate and some bacon left and I couldn’t bear to part from it.. so I poured it into a small loaf pan and made a bacon chocolate bar.

Yeah, things are looking good around here.

And yes, these are the perfect gift for your BFF, your man, your dad, your boss.. anyone who loves bacon. (So anyone, am I right?)

Chocolate bacon truffles!

My love letter to you.

A very merry, chocolate-y, bacon-y Christmas to all!

(inspired by Martha Stewart, Michael Ruhlman and Nom Nom Paleo.)

Chocolate Bacon Truffles (with a Dairy-Free option)

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

Dairy-free changes are indicated in the recipe. If you’d like to lower the sugar content, you can always skip the candied bacon and just use cooked, crumbled bacon instead (saves time, too!).

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

8 oz bittersweet or dark chocolate
8 oz milk, bittersweet or dark chocolate (this is based on what flavors you like- milk will make them smoother and sweeter if you aren’t into dark chocolate)
1⅓ cup heavy cream (or full fat coconut milk for dairy-free)
1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 tablespoons good quality, unsalted butter at room temperature (or coconut oil for dairy-free)
8 oz good quality bacon (look for natural, pastured, nitrate-free, wood-smoked, amazingly delicious, etc)
½ cup Sucanat or turbinado sugar
3 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon baking soda
16 oz more chocolate, for dipping
sea salt or smoked sea salt (optional)

Instructions

In a large glass bowl, melt the 16 ounces of chocolate in a large bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream and vanilla bean/extract to 120 degrees (warm, but not boiling). Remove from the heat. If using the vanilla bean, let the milk steep for a few minutes and then remove the bean.
Add the cream mixture to the melted chocolate and stir until combined. Add the butter or coconut oil and combine with a stick blender (or whisk very, very quickly). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and put in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours or up to overnight. Cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
To make the bacon topping, cut the bacon into small pieces and fry until crisp. Strain the bacon over a small bowl, reserving the bacon fat (you should have around ⅓ cup). Combine the cooked bacon pieces, sugar and water and bring to a boil. Cook until caramel-colored and most of the water is gone (about 275 degrees). Add the baking soda and quickly stir (it will foam up a little) and pour onto a parchment-lined pan. Refrigerate or freeze until firm. Break up with your fingers into small pieces or put into a food processor or blender to make it look more like bacon “dust.”
To finish the truffles, scoop out the cold truffle filling by the tablespoon and and roll into balls. Return to the fridge if they start to warm up too much. When you’re ready to dip them, melt the additional chocolate with the reserved bacon fat until smooth. Drop each ball into the melted chocolate, pull out with a long-tined fork and tap on the edge of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. Place on a parchment-lined pan and sprinkle with the bacon topping and salt, if using. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Salted Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats

Natalie — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:41:00 +0000

I really wasn’t planning on sharing more sweets with you, but occasions to bake keep coming up out of nowhere! I made these last night for some friends, and then whipped up another quick batch for the hubs to take to work today. This recipe took me less than 15 minutes to pull together- talk about a Christmas miracle! I have no energy left these days (this baby is coming in a month.. woah) to slave away in the kitchen making complicated treats (even though I wish I had the time to!), especially with all of the other holiday hulabaloo going on.

I think you’ll really like these. They have just enough peppermint- certainly not the overwhelming minty-ness that you get from some Christmas desserts. The chocolate drizzle and sea salt add the salty/sweet component, and you’ve got the classic crunchy/chewy thing going on with the Rice Krispies and marshmallow combo.

If you have the ingredients on hand (or even if you don’t- you’ll probably be out shopping soon anyways), I am certain you have the time to throw these together. Yum, yum, yum!

Salted Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 20

Ingredients

¼ cup unsalted butter or ghee
4 cups peppermint marshmallows **There are a few ways to do this. You can make them homemade, you can buy store-bought (Jet-Puffed has a peppermint variety during the holidays), or you can use regular marshmallows with a dash of peppermint extract and a drop or two of red food coloring (optional).**
5 cups Rice Krispie cereal
2 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate
3-5 peppermint candies, crushed
¼-1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

To prepare, butter a 9×13 baking dish.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the marshmallows and reduce heat to low. Stir until the marshmallows are melted completely and remove from heat. Add the Rice Krispies and stir until well-coated. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and press down with a spatula or buttered fingers.
Next, heat the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Transfer into a pastry or Ziplock bag and cut the corner. Drizzle the chocolate evenly over the Rice Krispie mixture (you can also use a spoon to do this, but it will be a bit messier). Sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies and sea salt evenly over the chocolate and let rest until the chocolate is set. Cut into squares and serve.

Santa Hat Snack Mix

Natalie — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:09:00 +0000

Christmas is here!

That means stuffing your face with sugar for a whole month. No matter how hard you try to avoid it, there are treats everywhere this time of year. So I’m just jumping on the bandwagon and sharing another one with you.

I am loving this little snack mix! It is a little more time consuming than your typical Chex mix, but it’s worth it. I made it for our second annual gingerbread party (post forthcoming) and it was a big hit with all of the already sugared-up guests.

The best part is the little Santa hats. They’re made from Caramel Bugles (didn’t even know they existed until I found this recipe) dipped in red chocolate melts, with a few sprinkles and a marshmallow to top it all off. The Bugles have this salty sweet thing going that is awesome- I think next time I’ll just eat a bowl of the Santa hats and call it a day.

After you’ve prepared the Santa hats and let them dry, you just pour melted white chocolate over the rest of your ingredients, mix, let dry and then throw in the Santa hats and some Christmas M&Ms. This is a great recipe to take with you to potlucks and parties since it’s easy to travel with. Just make sure you don’t eat it all in the car.

Thank you, Cookies & Cups, for this great idea!

Santa Hat Snack Mix

via Cookies and Cups

For the Santa hats:

1 bag Caramel Bugles (or regular, if you can’t find them. they’re typically near the ChexMix at the store)
Red melting chocolate disks (one bag should be sufficient)
1 tablespoon shortening
Mini marshmallows (just a handful is enough)
White nonpareil sprinkles

Melt the candy melts and shortening together in 30 second intervals in your microwave until melted. As soon as everything is melted, start dipping the Bugles into the chocolate, letting the excess chocolate drip off. Let them set up until firm on parchment or wax paper.

When the Bugles are set, remelt the red chocolate if necessary and dip just the bottom of the Bugles into the white sprinkles. Then flip the Bugle over and dip the top in red chocolate and firmly press a mini marshmallow on top. Let set again on the parchment or wax paper.

For the snack mix:

Your Bugle Santa hats (see above for procedure)
3 cups mini pretzels
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup salted dry roasted peanuts
2 cups Rice Chex
2 cups holiday M&Ms
8 oz white chocolate

Spread all of your ingredients, except M&Ms, out on a large baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Melt the white chocolate according to package directions and drizzle over the ingredients. Use a spatula to mix and cover the ingredients evenly with white chocolate. Allow the mix to dry on the baking sheet. When the chocolate is set, break the pieces up and sprinkle the M&Ms and Bugle Santa hats over the mix. Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!

Valentine’s Sweetness from Sucre´

Natalie — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:07:00 +0000

Morning!

You’ve got some sweetness coming to you today.. buckle up.

During my macaron month research, I found this adorable New Orleans shop called Sucre´. Do you believe they’ll send you macarons in the mail? Amazing. They sent me some of their holiday (you know.. Valentine’s Day.. Mardi Gras?) treats to share with you.

First of all, can I just say how adorable their packaging is? Who wouldn’t love seeing this show up in the mail? Love. Now let’s get to the goods.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Sweetheart Macarons:

These did show up with a few broken cookies, but they were all glittery and gorgeous that I couldn’t resist giving them a try! The flavors are strong, so if you’re a fan of raspberry and white chocolate, these are for you. They would definitely be a hit for the holiday.

So would the Sucre´ For Love of Chocolate Collection. Chocolate and raspberry filled hearts?

Yes, please. Subtle raspberry flavor, very creamy.

And if you’re looking for a taste of Carnival from an authentic New Orleans company, definitely try these Mardi Gras Macarons. I can’t explain their flavor, but I can confirm that they are sugary sweet and addicting. Maybe this is what King Cake would taste like as a macaron..

Isn’t everything gorgeous? You still have time to order before Valentine’s Day, so get on it! I’d prefer these treats over flowers.. maybe your lady (or gent!) would, too. And ladies- there’s no shame in leaving hints.

Homemade mac recipes coming for you soon, promise.

Old egg whites are on my counter, at the ready.

Thanks, Sucre´, for sharing your sweets with me.

*PS. I was not paid for this review, but the kind folks at Sucre´ did supply these products.