Here’s another one of those recipes that is so minimalist in both ingredients and preparation, I’m a little embarrassed to post it. Much like my Honey Dill Dipping Sauce Recipe, it may be simple and easy, but it’s a hometown memory for me. I always enjoy exposing people to “new” ideas – even if only new to them! Clodhoppers are a very well known candy back home in Canada. One Winnipegger wanted to market his grandmother’s candy, got together with a childhood friend of his, and got to work. Within a few years, the candy was selling all over Canada.

The candy is apparently no longer made in Winnipeg, having been sold to a company on the West Coast – and I’ve since become allergic to gluten, rendering these treats toxic to me – but I’ll never forget em. Super, super addictive stuff.

Was thinking of them, the other day. I’ve never seen them here in the USA, so I decided to create a homemade version for my husband. The proportions turned out beautifully!

Clodhoppers have only 3 simple ingredients – white chocolate, cashews, and graham crackers – and they whip up in no time. Have bowls of this out at holiday parties, or package them up for a hostess gift, stocking stuffer, or “Thank you” that your friends and family will love!

Clodhoppers

Graham crackers
1 cup salted cashew pieces
11-12 oz bag GOOD white chocolate chips

Prepare a baking sheet or other flat surface with a large piece of parchment paper.

Smash up about a sleeve worth of graham crackers, into bite sized pieces. Measure two cups of the graham bits into a large bowl. I measured out chunks AND the fine particles, which makes the Clodhoppers as shown. For a “prettier” candy, don’t include the fine particles in your measurement. Add cashews, stir lightly to distribute.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips – I usually do 45 second increments, stirring in between each.

When chocolate is fully melted, pour over graham/cashew mixture, stir well to coat everything. Turn mixture out onto parchment paper, spreading mixture out to form bite sized chunks.

Cool until set, store in airtights bags / containers.

When I was a kid, my mom used to make peppermint patties… out of mashed potatoes. I thought it was the weirdest thing in the world, but they sure were tasty! I don’t know what got me thinking of this recently, but I decided to use that information, and come up with my own peppermint patties recipe. Knowing that I’d only need a small amount of potato, I got a bit lazy .. Err.. CREATIVE, and picked up a couple “sour cream and chive” baked potatoes at Wendy’s!

It only took a minute to scrape off the chives, and voila! Tons of time saved. Suck it, Martha Stewart!

Knowing that my husband hasn’t been fond of peppermint patties – but was willing to have his opinion changed over homemade ones! – I picked up some good dark chocolate to dip these in. You can dip them in whatever chocolate you want – chocolate chips, a few good chocolate bars, or baking chocolate. Also, feel free to play with the flavoring in this! If you’re not a fan of mint, ANY extract can be used! Add a little food coloring, and you can make an assortment of cherry, orange, maple… whatever fillings you can imagine!

This recipe works up quickly. It only takes about 5 minutes to mix it up, another 5 or so to roll/flatten, and probably 10-15 to dip them. SO worth it.

Enjoy!

Homemade Peppermint Patties Recipe

2 russet potatoes
2 Tbsp butter, softened
Pinch of salt
6+ cups powdered sugar (icing sugar, confectioner’s sugar)
1-2 tsp peppermint extract
~ 12 oz chocolate of choice

Bake potatoes until soft all the way through. (Or cheat and buy baked potatoes from Wendy’s!. )

Cut potatoes in half, scoop the insides into a mixing bowl, being careful not to include any of the skin. Add butter and salt, mash as well as you can – you want it as smooth as possible!

Carefully stir in 1 cup of powdered sugar – the mixture will go VERY liquid, don’t worry when this happens!

If there are any lumps in the mixture at this point, run it through a wire sieve, mashing the mixture as you go. Discard any lumps that you can’t force through.

Stir in peppermint extract (1 tsp for mildly minty, up to 2 tsp for “in your face” minty!) until well incorporated. Gradually add the rest of the powdered sugar, stirring until it forms a thick dough. (You may need more than 6 cups, depending on how wet your potatoes were!). Knead the dough a couple times, until it forms a smooth ball.

Pinch off bits of the dough that are big enough to make balls that are about 1″ in diameter. Roll each bit into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Place disks on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Once all of the dough is made into disks, place cookie sheet into a freezer for at least 2 hours.

When you’re ready to dip the mints:

Chop up the chocolate into little pieces, place in a glass bowl, and melt them. I like to microwave them in 30 second intervals (stirring after each), because I can’t be bothered with a double boiler.

When chocolate is fully melted and smooth, remove cookie sheet from the freezer and dip them one at a time.

I placed a disk on a fork (on it, not speared with it!), and gently turned it over a few times in the chocolate. With the mint on the flat surface of the fork, I gently knocked the fork against the bowl a few times to get rid of excess chocolate.

For a smooth top, carefully slide the mint off of the fork, and onto foil or parchment paper. For the more textured top, flip the mint upside down, and use the fork to swirl chocolate on any “bald” spots.

Let mints cool until chocolate is hardened, then enjoy!

If you’re looking for a little pre-Thanksgiving dinner treat, a hostess gift to bring along with you, an after dinner sweet…. or just want to get your chocolate on – here’s a great recipe for you! These truffles are based on our famous Chai cake flavor. The warmth of the spices – cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg – pair fabulously with creamy milk chocolate, for a super satisfying sugar rush. Truffles are easy to make – much easier than their retail cachet would have you think! Even a novice cook can turn these babies out, with very little effort, stress, or cost.

While chocolate chips may be a highly unusual medium for truffle making, they are easy to find, and lack the sticker shock that comes with the more traditional chocolate options. Anyone can make these truffles at home, with common ingredients, for only about $4.00/30 truffles!!

Chai Truffles

10-11 oz bag good quality milk chocolate chips
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp instant tea powder
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Cocoa to roll them in

Place chocolate chips into a glass mixing bowl, and put aside.

In a small saucepan, combine heavy whipping cream, tea powder, and spices. Heat to a boil, remove from heat.

Pour hot cream mixture into bowl of chocolate chips. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Starting in the middle of the bowl, slowly start stirring the chocolate and cream until all of the chocolate is melted and the cream has disappeared into it – it should be smooth.

Cover with plastic wrap, preferably resting right on top of the surface – this prevents a skin from forming while it cools. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour or two, until it’s pretty solid. Once solid, scoop out small amounts (a teaspoon or two), and roll them into balls. Try to handle the chocolate as quickly as possible, or it will melt.

Once all of the ganache is rolled into balls: wash and dry hands, then roll ganache centers in cocoa, or whichever other truffle coating(s) you’d like. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Glazed popcorn was the first recipe I ever had published, back when I was in grade 5 (Classroom cook book)! I used to make this for bake sales in my front yard, as gifts, and whatever. I guess it was only appropriate that glazed popcorn was also the first recipe I posted on this blog, way back in September 2008!

While a single batch of this popcorn is a ton of fun – and super tasty – on its own, doubling the batch while using 2 different colors? Awesome. For this batch, I used grape and lemon Jello flavors – to replicate “Minnesota Vikings” colors! While the lemon was vibrant enough on its own, I find that the darker colors need a little more “oomph”. I highly recommend adding a few drops of gel food coloring. To achieve this depth of color, I used a few drops of Americolor’s “Regal Purple”. Perfect! Between the flavors / colors of Jello available, & the huge variety of gel food colors available, you can totally customize the flavors and colors to match any sports team out there.

Not so into sports? Consider using your wedding colors for bridal shower favors … or light colors for baby showers! Orange popcorn can be combined with ANY flavor – dyed black – for Halloween popcorn, and festive holiday popcorn could be made with cherry and lime Jello! The possibilities are endless!

This is an insanely easy recipe to make, and only takes about 10 minutes per flavor.

Fruity Glazed Popcorn
(Per flavor/color!)

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1 small package Jello, any flavor
10 cups popped popcorn

Melt butter and corn syrup together in a heavy pan. Add sugar and Jello, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Let boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat.

Carefully pour Jello mixture over popcorn – mixture is HOT NASTY LAVA, so it’ll burn you if you’re not careful. Mix well.

Spread popcorn out on a greased cookie sheet, and allow to cool. (Some people like to bake this for 10 minutes at 350F… personally, I like the slight gooeyness it keeps without being baked!).

Make a second batch in another flavor/color, and also allow to cool/dry. Break popcorn up into pieces, and either serve side by side in a bowl, or mix together.

If you’re not using the popcorn right away, store it in an airtight container, or package into baggies.

Happy “National Coffee Day!” We’re pretty big on caffeine in this house. While I prefer mine to come as energy drinks or shots, I am keenly aware of my husband’s coffee addiction. (Read: He’s a miserable bastard before his morning coffee!) A few years ago, I created these truffles for my husband – kind of like an inside-out version of a chocolate covered espresso bean. They’re super easy – and cheap! – to make, and are a perfect gift for your favorite coffee junkie. I’ll warn you – rolled in straight-up ground coffee, they’re pretty hardcore. For a more delicate caffeine kick, be sure to cut the coffee with chocolate or powdered sugar, as described in the notes below!

Dark Chocolate Coffee Truffles Recipe

Truffle Ganache
12 oz Hershey Special Dark chips
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup good quality coffee beans*
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar

Stuff to Roll Them In **
Ground coffee
Cocoa (optional)
Chocolate chips (optional)
Powdered sugar (optional)

Place chocolate chips into a glass mixing bowl, and set aside.

On stove top, bring heavy whipping cream, coffee beans, and butter to a light simmer. Remove from heat, allow to steep for 10 minutes. Once steeping time is complete, bring to just a simmer again.

Strain hot cream mixture into bowl of chocolate chips, discarding coffee beans. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Starting in the middle of the bowl, slowly start stirring the chocolate and cream until all of the chocolate is melted the cream disappeared into it – it should be smooth.

Cover with plastic wrap, preferably resting right on top of the surface – this prevents a skin from forming while it cools. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour or two, until it’s pretty solid. Once solid, scoop out small balls (a teaspoon or so), and roll them into balls. Try to handle the chocolate as quickly as possible, or it will melt. Then, roll them in your chosen “stuff”, and enjoy!

* If you don’t have whole coffee beans, you can use 1-2 Tbsp of ground beans – just make sure your sieve is fine enough. (Or line one with a coffee filter… appropriately enough!).

** My husband likes them rolled in straight up ground coffee beans, but there’s a lot of room to play with this. Try running coffee beans and chocolate chips through a food processor, or mixing finely ground coffee with either cocoa or powdered sugar.

I know that the idea of making “fancy” desserts – like truffles – can seem intimidating to some. Many foo-foo desserts don’t seem to come across as something that can be made at home, or at least definitely not by a beginner. I swear that’s not true of this recipe – or any of the other ones in my cookbooks, The Spirited Baker and Evil Cake Overlord! Truffles, cream puffs, baklava… all deceptively easy to make. Go ahead, try some! Chocolate chips may be a highly unusual medium for truffle making, but they are easy to find, and lack the sticker shock that comes with the more traditional chocolate options. Anyone can make these truffles at home, with common ingredients, for only about $4.00/30 truffles.

Tropical White Chocolate Truffles

10 oz white chips
1/3 cup cream
1 1/2 Tbsp Midori Melon liqueur
1 1/2 Tbsp Creme de Banane liqueur
2 tbsp butter
Shredded coconut (about 2 cups)

Place white chocolate chips into a glass mixing bowl, and put aside.

In a small saucepan, combine heavy whipping cream, liqueurs, and butter. Heat to a boil, remove from heat.

Pour hot cream mixture into bowl of white chocolate chips. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Starting in the middle of the bowl, slowly start stirring the chocolate and cream until all of the chocolate is melted and the cream has disappeared into it – it should be smooth.

Cover with plastic wrap, preferably resting right on top of the surface – this prevents a skin from forming while it cools. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour or two, until it’s pretty solid. Once solid, scoop out small amounts (a teaspoon or two), and roll them into balls. Try to handle the chocolate as quickly as possible, or it will melt.

Once all of the ganache is rolled into balls: wash and dry hands, then roll ganache centers in coconut flakes. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Interested in boozy culinary experiments? You’ll LOVE my first cookbook, The Spirited Baker! Combining liqueurs with more traditional baking ingredients can yield spectacular results.Try Mango Mojito Upside Down Cake, Candy Apple Flan, Jalapeno Beer Peanut Brittle, Lynchburg Lemonade Cupcakes, Pina Colada Rum Cake, Strawberry Daiquiri Chiffon Pie, and so much more. To further add to your creative possibilities, the first chapter teaches how to infuse spirits to make both basic and cream liqueurs, as well as home made flavor extracts! This book contains over 160 easy to make recipes, with variation suggestions to help create hundreds more! Order your hard copy here, or digital edition here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

You know, this is my very first Thanksgiving as an out-of-the-closet immigrant! Feels good to not have to worry if wishing “Happy Thanksgiving” in the beginning of October will “out” me!

Unfortunately, this is also my first Canadian Thanksgiving that I’m actually too busy to celebrate. Normally, we celebrate both Thanksgivings each year. It kind of snuck up on me, too. I was listening to the Z103.5 morning show online, as I always do.. and they were excitedly talking about their long weekend plans. Drat!

So, while I didn’t have time or energy to really do much for Thanksgiving this weekend (because today isn’t a stat holiday in the USA), I decided I’d do something that was at least Thanksgiving-ish and Canadian – I’d invent a new, Thanksgiving themed Nanaimo Bar! It may not be a full turkey dinner, but as desserts go – you can’t get more Canadian than a Nanaimo bar. Done! Click through for a photo and the recipe!

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Pumpkin Nanaimo Bars Bottom Layer: 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped 1 cup coconut ½ cup butter (unsalted) 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 egg, beaten Middle Layer: ½ cup butter 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp ginger 1/8 tsp cloves 4 tbsp Cook-and-Serve vanilla pudding powder (NOT instant!) 3 cups+ confectioner’s sugar Top layer: 10 oz white chocolate chips 6 tbsp butter

In a large bowl, mix together graham crumbs, chopped walnuts, and coconut. Set aside.

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add sugar and cinnamon, mix well. Add egg, stir well. Egg will cook and thicken. Once thickened, remove from heat and pour into a larger bowl containing the last first 3 ingredients. Mix well and press firmly and evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 8 x 8 pan. Set aside.

Cream butter. Add pumpkin puree, beat until well incorporated. Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pudding powder, beat well. Slowly and carefully add confectioner’s sugar. Mixture should be VERY thick – add a little extra confectioner’s sugar if needed. Spread evenly over bottom layer.

Melt butter and white chocolate chips over low heat. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then pour over middle layer, spreading to an even layer. Chill in fridge before slicing into bars.

And here we are, the final day of my “blood orange plus cranberries” candy making freakout! If you missed the past few blog entries, be sure to check out our recipes for Blood orange cranberry toffee, Easy blood orange cranberry white chocolate fudge, and TRADITIONAL blood orange cranberry fudge. Whew.

Today’s recipe is very similar to Friday’s recipe, but ends with a very different flavor profile. Again, this one takes about 2 minutes to make – let’s get to it!

Blood Orange Cranberry Dark Chocolate Fudge (Easy Fudge)

3 cups dark chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp blood orange essential oil
1 – 1 1/2 cups sweetened dried cranberries
Pinch of salt

Before getting started, line an 8″ square pan with parchment paper, or grease generously with butter.

Combine dark chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. (Alternatively, combine in a microwave safe bowl and nuke for 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth)

Remove from heat, stir in blood orange essential oil, cranberries, and salt. Spread into prepared pan, chill until set.