Caramel Fudge Rounds

I was thrilled to have the opportunity for this month's SRC to do double duty and help out a future orphan.  To my surprise and absolute joy, it turned out to be Katrina from Baking and Boys.  Katrina is as sweet as the treats on her blog, which is really saying something.  And, if you're a chocoholic, you'll find yourself a kindred spirit in her.  She even has her own little army of men to cook/bake for - four sons and a husband.  I can just imagine how wonderful her house must smell.  Not to mention any lucky neighbors who live close enough to be the recipients of those treats (shucks, I'm too far).  

Like I said, Katrina loves chocolate.  Even if a recipe doesn't initially contain chocolate, she'll find a way to add it in some way, shape, or form.  In fact, she has so many chocolatey recipes on her blog that I just couldn't choose one.  So, I did what any sensible person would do.  I made two recipes.  The first, was her Homemade Fudge Rounds.  She said that they're her husband's fave and I can certainly see why.  These chocolatey cookies are nicely crunchy on the outside and soft and cakey within.  This makes them perfect for filling since the harder exterior keeps them from falling apart and the softer part makes them easy to bite into.  

 

Since I had used up my cocoa powder to make these cookies, I opted to fill them instead with a whipped chocolate ganache.  I also had some caramel leftover from the other recipe I made, so I used that as well.  The finished product was oh so good.  Katrina said that these are based off of the Little Debbies, but who needs storebought when you can have these?  

Like I said, I couldn't choose just one recipe.  Especially not when I saw her Caramel Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookies.  That's quite a mouthful of a title, and a yummy mouthful at that.  What I loved best about these cookies is that they held their shape in my oven and did not go flat.  If you didn't know, my oven flattens any and all chocolate chip cookies, not any other type of cookies, just the ccc's.  I've tried everything - chilling the dough, mounding it higher, more flour, but nothing seems to work, till now.  

These cookies were everything I'd dreamed of - puffy, thick, chewy.  It was the best combo of textures too - crispy on the outside and chewy throughout.  Also, since they weren't too sweet on their own, they worked really well with the caramel drizzle.  The only change I made was to use my own recipe for the caramel drizzle.  These cookies were awesome!  They get an "A" in my book.   

Thanks Katrina for two yummy recipes!  

Caramel Fudge Rounds (adapted from Baking and Boys)

 

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1  1/4 cups all purpose flour (150 grams)
6 tablespoons cocoa powder (30 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

whipped chocolate ganache (for filling)
caramel (for filling)

Cream the butter and sugar.  Add the cocoa powder and mix well.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Chill the dough for one hour.

Form into small balls and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350F for 10-12 min.  Let cool completely on a wire rack.

When cooled, fill with your choice of filling. 

 Caramel Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted slightly from Baking and Boys)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I used the 1/3 less fat kind)
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
12 ounces (2 cups) semi sweet chocolate chips

Caramel Drizzle (Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

1/2 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. salted butter, cubed
1/4 c. heavy cream, at room temperature

Cream the butter and cream cheese till smooth.  Beat in the sugars.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt till well combined.  Add in the chocolate chips.  Chill the dough for one hour.

Form into balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350F for 12-15 min.  Let cool completely on a wire rack.  When cooled, drizzle with caramel.  

For the caramel, cook the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking as it melts.  When it turns a deep amber color, add the butter and stir until it is melted.  Add the heavy cream and whisk until the caramel is smooth.  Remove from heat and let it cool.

An InLinkz Link-up

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes

For this month's SRC, I was assigned to Angela's blog, Spinach Tiger.  Her blog is simply gorgeous.  It's like looking at a cookbook in a bookstore, even better because many of the recipes are her own special creations, so it's really her own unique cookbook.  And, unlike other cookbooks you find where the recipes look good but are practically impossible to follow, have no fear, Angela's recipes are all super easy and anyone can make them.  Did I mention she has her own cooking channel too?  I'm totally impressed!

Her husband is from the South, so her blog likewise, has a lot of Southern influenced recipes, including numerous recipes for the biggest, fluffiest, yummiest looking biscuits ever.  I made her Parmesan Honey Biscuits and they were so fluffy that I would have sworn they were bread rolls.  Unfortunately, I have no pictures because they all got eaten up before I could take them.  But, believe me, they were good.

So, since I missed the photo op on the first recipe, I went ahead and made another Southern based oldie but goodie - Red Velvet Cupcakes.  I decided to do what Angela recommended in another post and turned them into Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes.  I did make one substitution.  Since I had run out of cocoa powder, I substituted one ounce of unsweetened chocolate and removed one tablespoon of butter from the recipe.  It seemed to work just fine.  Now, onto the cupcakes themselves.

 

I apologize, Angela, but I just don't seem to have your touch with these.  They did not come out half as pretty as yours did.  So, to sort of cover up my flaws, I drizzled them with melted chocolate.  As for taste, however, I am sure that these were spot on.  The red velvet taste was just right, that sort of tanginess, a bit of chocolate that's not too overpowering, not too sweet, and moist.  I've been looking for a good red velvet cake recipe, and have tried several others, but I think this is it!      

Thanks Angela for a real keeper of a recipe!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes (adapted from Spinach Tiger)

1 1/4 c. cake flour (I used 1 c. + 1 1/2 Tbsp. flour + 2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch)
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. liquid red food coloring
1/2 c. buttermilk (I used 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar + milk to make 1/2 cup)
1/2 c. + 1 Tbsp. butter
1 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar

Cheesecake filling:
6 oz. cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine the cake flour with the baking soda and salt and set aside.  Cream the butter with the sugar.  Stir in the melted chocolate.  Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla.  Add in the red food coloring.  Add half the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk mixture, and add in the rest of the flour.  Mix in the vinegar.  

For the cheesecake mixture:  Beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add in the sugar and mix well.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.  Fill each one with 1/4 c. cake batter.  Spoon 2 Tbsp. of the cream cheese mixture into each cup.  Bake at 350F for 30-35 min.  Let cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before removing.  

Notes:  I had some leftover batter, so I made 12 mini cupcakes.

An InLinkz Link-up

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes

For this month's SRC, I was assigned to Angela's blog, Spinach Tiger.  Her blog is simply gorgeous.  It's like looking at a cookbook in a bookstore, even better because many of the recipes are her own special creations, so it's really her own unique cookbook.  And, unlike other cookbooks you find where the recipes look good but are practically impossible to follow, have no fear, Angela's recipes are all super easy and anyone can make them.  Did I mention she has her own cooking channel too?  I'm totally impressed!

Her husband is from the South, so her blog likewise, has a lot of Southern influenced recipes, including numerous recipes for the biggest, fluffiest, yummiest looking biscuits ever.  I made her Parmesan Honey Biscuits and they were so fluffy that I would have sworn they were bread rolls.  Unfortunately, I have no pictures because they all got eaten up before I could take them.  But, believe me, they were good.

So, since I missed the photo op on the first recipe, I went ahead and made another Southern based oldie but goodie - Red Velvet Cupcakes.  I decided to do what Angela recommended in another post and turned them into Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes.  I did make one substitution.  Since I had run out of cocoa powder, I substituted one ounce of unsweetened chocolate and removed one tablespoon of butter from the recipe.  It seemed to work just fine.  Now, onto the cupcakes themselves.

 

I apologize, Angela, but I just don't seem to have your touch with these.  They did not come out half as pretty as yours did.  So, to sort of cover up my flaws, I drizzled them with melted chocolate.  As for taste, however, I am sure that these were spot on.  The red velvet taste was just right, that sort of tanginess, a bit of chocolate that's not too overpowering, not too sweet, and moist.  I've been looking for a good red velvet cake recipe, and have tried several others, but I think this is it!      

Thanks Angela for a real keeper of a recipe!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes (adapted from Spinach Tiger)

1 1/4 c. cake flour (I used 1 c. + 1 1/2 Tbsp. flour + 2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch)
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. liquid red food coloring
1/2 c. buttermilk (I used 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar + milk to make 1/2 cup)
1/2 c. + 1 Tbsp. butter
1 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar

Cheesecake filling:
6 oz. cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine the cake flour with the baking soda and salt and set aside.  Cream the butter with the sugar.  Stir in the melted chocolate.  Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla.  Add in the red food coloring.  Add half the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk mixture, and add in the rest of the flour.  Mix in the vinegar.  

For the cheesecake mixture:  Beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add in the sugar and mix well.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.  Fill each one with 1/4 c. cake batter.  Spoon 2 Tbsp. of the cream cheese mixture into each cup.  Bake at 350F for 30-35 min.  Let cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before removing.  

Notes:  I had some leftover batter, so I made 12 mini cupcakes.

An InLinkz Link-up