Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel

 It was time for something sweet-salty and gooey.  I figured Bon Appétit had my number with this one.  But I was actually surprised that the final product was not quite the salty that I expected.  It's because they used unsalted nuts.  Don't know why, because salted would have been perfect (I noted it in my version below.)  Also they used honey in the caramel instead of the typical corn syrup.  In addition to being sweet, honey has kind of an extra-sweet flavor to it.  But I think salted nuts would balance it better. 

I feel like altering a Bon Appétit recipe tags me as "NOT SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH", but we all kind of knew that, didn't we?  I can't be what I'm not. But I can love my new camera.  And Butterscotch Blondies with Salted Peanut-Pretzel Caramel.

Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel (print recipe)
 Makes 40

Blondie:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Peanut-Pretzel Caramel:
4 cups roasted lightly salted (or unsalted) peanuts
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey or light corn syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups 1 1/2"-wide thin twisted pretzels, coarsely crushed

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line 13x9x2" metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving 1" overhang on long sides of pan.  Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.  Stir butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned bits form at bottom of pan, 7-8 minutes.  Transfer to a medium bowl.  Add brown sugar.  Using an electric mixer, beat until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand, 2-3 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until fluffy and well combined, about 2 minutes.  Add dry ingredients; beat until smooth (batter will be thick.)  Using an offset spatula, evenly spread batter in prepared pan.

2.  Bake blondie until golden brown, edges pull away from sides of pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 20-25 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

3.  For the Peanut-Pretzel Caramel, preheat oven to 350.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spread peanuts over sheet in an even layer.  Bake, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, 5-7 minutes.  Set aside. 

4.  Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat; boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is deep amber, 12-15 minutes.  Add corn syrup or honey; return to a boil, stirring often, about 1 minute longer.  Add butter; stir until blended.  Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); whisk until smooth.  Stir in peanuts and pretzels.  Pour over cooled blondie.  Chill until cool, about 30 minutes. 

5.  Run a knife around short sides of pan to release blondie.  Using parchment-paper overhang, lift from pan.  Cut lengthwise into 4 strips.  Cut each strip crosswise into 10 bars. 

Recipe from Bon Appétit, December 2011

Easy Pretzel Fudge

 

 First of all, Happy New Year!

It's crazy how fast the holiday season went, and now here we are in the stark-mantled, bare-branched, chill-breezed letdown of January.  Have some chocolate.

Second, guess if Santa brought me an unexpected-despite-heavy-hints new camera for Christmas?  Yes, yes, he did.  So my photos may be improving...eventually.   First I have to get through the backlog of good things I still want to post but used my old camera on.  Then I have to figure out how to use my new awesomeness.  Then I should probably take a class or something.  Like I said...eventually.  But I did photo this easy fudge New Year's morning with it.  Perfect morning light always helps.

My sister-in-law loves chocolate covered pretzels, but for some reason can't stand chocolate when she's pregnant.  She just had her fourth child in December, so I wanted to give her some chocolate-pretzel-ness to help her start making up for lost time.  I may have also eaten my share, though I have no lost time to make up.  But it's January, and I'm depressed!  Easy fudge definitely helps with that. 

Pretzel Fudge (print recipe)
Nonstick cooking spray
2 T unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (16 ounces)
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp fine salt
2 1/2 cups roughly chopped miniature pretzels
3/4 cups peanuts, optional

1.  Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

2.  Place butter, chocolate chips, condensed milk, vanilla and salt in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water.  Stir occasionally until chocolate just melts and mixture is combined and warm but not hot, 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups pretzels (and peanuts, if using.)  Transfer mixture to pan and smooth top; press 1/2 cup pretzels on top.  Refrigerate until set, 2 hours (or up to overnight, wrapped).  Using parchment, lift fudge from pan and cut into 36 squares.  (Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.)  Makes 36

Recipe from Everyday Food, June 2011

Pretzel Pancakes with White Chocolate & Caramel Sauces

Um, yeah, these are just as indulgent as they sound and look. We had them for Mardi Gras dinner. I thought it would be appropriate.

The crushed pretzels do a nice absorbing number in the batter, and make the whole ensemble wonderfully sweet-and-salty. I know it's a bit over-the-top to make two special sauces from scratch for these. You could serve them with just maple syrup. But you'd be missing the full effect. The three flavors together are truly fabulous.
Pretzel Pancakes
1 cup crushed pretzels, divided (use small pretzel sticks or mini pretzels)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
Vegetable oil

1. Whisk together 1/2 cup crushed pretzels, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

2. Using a mixer on medium speed, whip egg whites in a bowl to soft peaks; set aside.

3. Whisk together egg yolk, milk and butter milk in a bowl until frothy. Stir into dry ingredients only until ingredients are moistened. (Small lumps are OK.) Let batter stand for 10 minutes (this is when the pretzels do their magical absorbing thing.) Fold in whipped egg whites, stopping when thin, white streaks still remain in the batter.

4. Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush griddle with a thin layer of oil.

5. For each pancake, pour about 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle; sprinkle each pancake with some of the remaining crushed pretzels. Cook until bubbles form on surface of pancakes, about 2 minutes. Flip pancakes; cook until golden, about 2 minutes more. Keep in 200-degree oven until ready to serve. Serve with white chocolate and caramel sauces. Makes about 14 pancakes.

White Chocolate Sauce
(Takes about 15 minutes)
1 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks, beaten
4 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped

1. Bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk a little of the hot cream into the egg yolks, then return yolk mixture to simmering cream.

2. Continue cooking and whisking until sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 1 minute.) Remove sauce from heat. Stir in white chocolate until melted. Set white chocolate sauce aside; keep it warm.

Caramel Sauce
(Takes about 15 minutes)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 T water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 T unsalted butter

1. Boil brown sugar and water in a small saucepan 5 minutes, gently swirling occasionally to prevent scorching. Whisk in cream. (Mixture will bubble furiously and begin to harden into candy-like pieces; keep whisking and it will melt again.)

2. Boil mixture 2 minutes more, then whisk in butter until melted. Set caramel sauce aside; keep it warm.
Recipe from Cuisine at Home, February 2010

VGP #24 Kari-Can't-Stop-Eating-This Bark

One year like around 2003 my friend in Boulder, Michelle Blimes, brought me a pretty cellophane bag of this stuff. It was sooo good and I think I ate it for dinner that night. Then I needed some more to keep in my desk at work. It's the addictive stuff like this that causes me a real problem; I seriously can't stop eating it! Never having really made any kind of candy before, I asked Michelle for detailed instructions. Here they are:

A bag of chocolate chips
A bag of pretzels
A can of cocktail peanuts

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, just until melted. Stir in some pretzels and peanuts. Spread out on wax paper and chill until firm. Break into bark.

Thanks, Michelle. You are a GENIUS!!!

VGP #8 Turtle Candies

And speaking of turtles, if you're more of a purest, try these. They couldn't be easier, they look amazing, and taste even better. I'd love to take credit, but these come from my clever and amazing friend Shanna Stratton.

Ingredients:one pretzel + one chocolate caramel (or Rolo) + one pecan half

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with spray or butter. Lay out pretzels on sheet. Place a Rolo candy on each (I use Trader Joe's dark chocolate covered caramels, cut in half.) Heat in oven for 3 to 5 minutes until candy is soft.

2. Press a pecan half into each candy. Allow to cool completely on wax paper (I lightly butter this too.) Impress all your friends and neighbors, or eat them all yourself!