Day 6 Of The Rosiethon. Rosie Makes Snickers® Bars.

 
The decadence continues.

Today, I'm trying out another new recipe -
Snickers® Bars.

It has three glorious layers -

nougat, caramel, and chocolate.

Snickers Ingredients

Nougat

1 large egg white

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup corn syrup

1/3 cup water

1 1/2 cups roasted, salted peanuts, chopped

Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9 inch square baking dish with non-stick spray.

Fit the dish with 2 long pieces of parchment paper with about a 2-inch overhang.

Lightly spray the parchment with non-stick spray.

Set aside.

Add egg white to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add sugar, corn syrup, and water.  Stir gently to combine.

Bring mixture to a simmer, then gently cook until mixture reaches 240° on an instant-read thermometer.

Once the mixture reaches 240°, begin beating the egg white on medium-high speed, until the egg white holds medium peaks.  While whipping the white, continue cooking the syrup until it reaches 260°.  Once the white holds medium peaks, continue to whip them while slowly pouring the hot sugar syrup into the mixing bowl.  Continue whipping until the outside of the bowl is cool enough to touch, about 2 minutes.

Scrape the whipped egg and sugar mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Working quickly, with buttered hands, press the nougat out into an even layer.

Sprinkle peanuts evenly over top, gently pressing them to get them to stick to the nougat.

Caramel

1 1/2 cups sugar

12 TB unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

In a small, heavy saucepan, add the sugar and melt it slowly over medium low heat.  Continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until it becomes an amber color and has reached 340°.

Add the butter and cream and stand back.  Mixture will sizzle and spatter.  Continue to cook until the caramel temperature reaches between 250° and 260° on an instant-read thermometer.

Immediately pour the caramel over the nougat, tilting the pan to even out the topping.

Set the baking dish aside until the caramel sets up, at least 2 hours.

Chocolate

8 ounces bitterseet chocolate, finely chopped

1 TB heavy cream

In a small bowl, add the chocolate and microwave until chocolate is completely melted.

Stir in the cream, then pour the chocolate over the caramel.  Set aside to set up, preferably overnight.

Cut into squares.

For the nougat:

Gradually add sugar mixture to the egg white.

Whup away.

And this is what the nougat looks like.

Press the nougat in the parchment lined pan

and press the peanuts in.

For the caramel:

Caramel

1 1/2 cups sugar

12 TB unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Slowly melt the sugar over medium low heat.

When the melted sugar reaches 340°,

add in  the butter and ...

... the cream.

Whiskee Whiskee!

You want it between 250° and 260°.

Immediately pour the caramel over the nougat and peanuts.

For the chocolate:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 TB heavy cream

Nuke the chocolate, then add in the cream.

Spread chocolate evenly over caramel.

I let this sit in the refrigerator overnight.

You may need to set the pan in hot water for a few minutes,

then invert it to release.

Oooooh.

Pretty.

Rosie's December Garden.

Hello, my Friends.
I had to take a break from baking.
Please join me in appreciating the small stuff.

 Welcome to Rosie's December Garden.

It's December 9 and the temperatures are in the 60's.

Three days ago, the temp was 81° here.

 It's a Froggy Morning!

 One of the most perfect roses is Mister Lincoln.

I love it.
The petals, the shape, the color...
all perfect.

 My gaillardia/blanket flower is thriving.
Notice the dead heads.
They'll self-seed all over the place.

 Beautemous!

 

 Yellow makes me happy.

 Yellow Creeping Jennie in foreground.

Assorted larkspur seedlings of unknown coloration.

Fatsia Japonica blooming in the background.

 Purple/blue larkspur in foreground -earliest blooming yet.

They usually wait until February and March to flower
and by April they're about 6 feet tall
and come in pinks, blues, whites, lilacs, and purples.

White salvia blooms in the middle.

Rosie always has something blooming and doing!

Oh...

I saw Brutus the BullFrog in my whiskey barrel last Friday!

On Friday, when the temperature was in the 80s,
Middle Hawthorne released Lizzie-the-Anole.

The Hawthorne Boys found Lizzie on the deck two weeks ago.
It was a very cold and windy day.
Poor lizard was weak and near frozen
 and a distressed brown in color.

They brought her inside and placed her on my indoor plants
that are in front of the sliding glass door..
Lizzie relaxed and turned a happy, calm green.
She camouflaged extremely well.
She lived on my indoor plants for 2 weeks.
For feedings, Lizzie had a container with small crickets.

I'm sure she's thriving outside now.

Day 5 Of The Rosiethon. Rosie Makes Homemade Kit Kat® Bars.

 
  Today, I'm making homemade Kit Kat® bars.

 

The recipe is adapted from Paula Dean,

so you know it's ridiculously and unabashedly excessive and indulgent.

It's loaded with butter, peanut butter, butterscotch, and chocolate.

 Homemade Kit Kat® Bars

75 Club crackers

That's 2 packs plus 1 cracker.

Each pack holds 37 crackers.

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or 4 oz. of semisweet squares

Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with one layer of 25 Club crackers,
breaking two crackers to lengthwise to cover the pan

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  

Add graham cracker crumbs, both sugars, milk, and cream.

Bring to boil and boil five minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour half of the butter mixture over the layer of Club crackers.

Smooth with an offset spatula.

Arrange a second layer of 25 crackers over the butter mixture.

Pour remaining butter mixture over surface and smooth out evenly.

Arrange the third and last layer of Club crackers.

Combine peanut butter, butterscotch, and chocolate chips in a small saucepan.

Melt over low heat, stirring constantly,

or nuke it in a microwaveable bowl.

Evenly spread mixture over crackers.

Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Cut into bars.

 First layer of Club crackers.

 

 This mixture is insanely good.

 I ladled half the mixture over top the crackers.

 Spread evenly out to the edges.

 Second layer of Club crackers.

Pour the rest of the butter mixture over top

and place a third layer of crackers on top.

 I put this in a pan at first,

but then decided to nuke it instead,

so I wouldn't have to stand here and stir it.

 Stir peanut butter mixture until smooth and creamy.

 Pour mixture over top of the third layer of crackers.

Spread evenly.

Let cool, then cover and refrigerate.
When chilled, cut into bars or squares.

When I offered this to Mr. Hawthorne and to Alverado
 and asked them what it tasted like, and after a few seconds,
 they both responded with, "Kit Kat® Bars.  Only better."

  

Rosie Makes A Birthday Pie For Middle Hawthorne.

 Whenever one of my Hawthornelets

has a birthday,

I let him or her pick out whatever cake they want

and I will make it.

Middle Hawthorne always picks chocolate pie.

This is a pie for chocolate lovers.

  It's intense.

I must admit I cheated and used a store-bought pie crust.

If you're not going to make your own pie dough,

I recommend the crusts that come rolled up and 2 to a box,

not the crusts that come in the tins.

 Chocolate Pie

1 baked pie crust

Filling:

3 yolks 

(Reserve whites for meringue

and leave them out so they come to room temperature.)

 1 1/2 TB cornstarch

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup skim milk

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

1 TB butter

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 tsp vanilla extract

In medium saucepan,

beat yolks, cornstarch, and sugar.

Stir in cream, milk, salt, and butter.

Cook over medium low heat, 

stirring constantly, about 5-6 minutes.

Break chocolate squares into pieces

and drop into bubbling mixture.

Stir until chocolate is melted and well-blended.

Stir in vanilla.

Remove from heat and place plastic wrap

touching the surface of the chocolate and refrigerate.

Meringue:

3 egg whites, room temperature

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

6 TB sugar

I like to have my egg whites at room temperature.

You get a better volume at room temp

than you do with cold eggs. 

Beat egg whites.

When soft peaks form when the beater

is lifted out of the batter,

add in the salt and cream of tartar.

Pour in sugar, one tablespoon at a time, 

beating until meringue forms firm, glossy peaks.

Heat oven to 375°.

Spoon cooled chocolate filling into cooled pie shell,

spreading it evenly.

Spoon meringue over top,

leaving it in decorative swirls and peaks.

Bake for 12 minutes or so

until meringue is delicately browned.

Cool and refrigerate before serving.

Enjoy!