Oh Fudge!

Few sweets are quite as welcoming to a novice baker or cook first entering the world of homemade candies as fudge. Don’t be scared off by recipes that call for boiling sugar to temperatures sounding comparable to the surface of the sun, or ingredient lists sourcing oddities such as evaporated milk; there’s truly an easier way! Sure, it may not be the traditional method, but who needs the hassle when instant gratification is knocking on your door? Not to mention the fact that it makes for excellent quick-fix gifts as well. Forget about that anniversary, date, or birthday? No problem, because this simple indulgence comes together in a snap.

Much less inspired than necessitated, the original purpose for creating this recipe was merely to use up some of the odds and ends slowly accumulating in my pantry. A handful of almonds, an ounce of pistachios, random scraps of half-melted chocolate bars, and not a single dish that they could create individually. Even combined, there simply wasn’t enough substance to cover the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan. Not one to waste, I knew that there must be some solution. Out of the depths of my baking supplies, I unearthed a forgotten package of little bonbon papers, and that cinched it – Fudge bites it was!

Since this recipe is all about using what you have, go ahead and try whatever you think might work; Combining multiple types of chocolates, nuts or “milks” as needed to use up any remnants. Get creative – Use unusual ingredients, try new combinations, use different shapes to mold them in! Anything goes with this uncomplicated fudge, so the most important tip I can give you is to have fun with it.

Yield: Makes 12 - 16 Servings

Fudge Bites

Fudge Bites

Use up any leftover chocolate and scraps in your baking drawers to make super fast fudge bites! Get creative – Anything goes with this uncomplicated recipe.

Ingredients

  • 4 Ounces Chocolate (Dark, Semi-Sweet, Bitter Sweet)
  • 1 Tablespoon Vegan Butter
  • 2 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar
  • Up to 2 Tablespoons Non-Dairy Milk
  • Splash Baking Extract (Vanilla, Almond, Peppermint, Orange, etc)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 Cup Toasted and Chopped Nuts (Almonds, Pecans, Walnut, Pistachios, Peanuts, etc)

Instructions

  1. Begin by placing small bonbon papers into a mini-muffin pan so that your fudge bites retain their shape and don’t accidentally spill out.
  2. Put all of your chocolate into a microwave-safe dish along with the vegan butter and heat for about 1 minute. Stir it until you get a nice smooth mixture, reheating for bursts of 20 seconds at a time if necessary.
  3. Once completely smooth, slowly stir in the confectioner’s sugar, followed by the non-dairy milk. Only use enough liquid as needed to give you a pourable but viscous mixture. Depending on the humidity and your location, you may not even need any at all, so trust your intuition on this one.
  4. Finally, mix in your extract and nuts before pouring about a tablespoon of the fudge into each waiting bonbon paper. Let sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours for it to set up and become firm.
  5. 66If you want to speed things along, you could probably let them chill in the fridge or freezer for the to solidify, but do not store them there!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 150Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 30mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 2g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.

 

Now that I’ve managed to clean out the pantry a bit… I think it’s time to go grocery shopping again!

Chip Off the Old Block

While I tend to focus my cooking efforts on sweets, I do certainly appreciate the salty spectrum of the snacking kingdom as well. In attempts to please both my own and my sister’s tastes, I chose fairly basic but widely agreeable materials to experiment with. Pitas, garlic, salt – What’s not to love?

Feeling relatively confident in the munchablility of my chips, I whipped up a fairly large batch Saturday afternoon and carefully packed them away into a large Tupperware container. The very next morning, when I went riffling through the kitchen cabinets in search of a decent breakfast cereal, I discovered my container of chips… Nearly half empty! Was there a black hole in this used plastic Chinese food receptacle?!

Still befuddled, I looked over to the nearby counter to discover the following note: “Hannah – Your crackers are the best. EVER. Massive Success.” I was so thrilled to learn that I had somehow fed my picky sibling, I’m not exaggerating in the least! And there were also numerous underlines to emphasize the “ever” part.

The technique is so brainless, I could make chips in my sleep. Or perhaps like my sister, just eat a whole gallon of them. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to buy commercial snack foods again knowing I have such a fool-proof recipe in my arsenal!

Yield: Makes 6 Servings

Garlic Pita Chips

Garlic Pita Chips

Fool-proof, crunchy,pita chips are mere minutes away! This simple formula is a great way to use up leftover flatbread before it goes stale.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 Medium Pitas
  • 3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 6 – 8 Cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
  • 1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
  • 1/4 - 3/4 Teaspoon Salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Begin by slicing your pita pockets along the circumference, so that you have 2 slices of bread. Cut these circles into 8 even wedges across the center like a pizza. It’s not vital to have them all the exact same size, but it’s best to get them fairly close so that none burn when you cook them.
  2. Toss the pita wedges into a large bowl with the oil, garlic, thyme, and salt and toss until your pitas are nicely coated. You could of course increase or reduce any of the seasonings, or change them up altogether. Rosemary is a common accompaniment to garlic, I’m just not a huge fan so I decided to try something different. Get crazy, play around with stuff and make it your own!
  3. Spread all of the pieces onto one layer on a baking sheet. Toss them into the oven for 5 – 8 minutes, but don’t walk away until they’re completely done toasting and safely out of the heat. It takes only an extra minute to turn your lovely snacks into smoldering piles of ash. It took me 7 minutes to get them perfectly crisped, but everyone’s oven is different.
  4. Allow your chips to cool, and store in an airtight container. Munch away! (I highly suggest dipping them in garlic hummus – So good! Just make sure you don’t go on a date afterwards, or have them eat some too! Garlic is the stuff of love anyways.)

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3985mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Scones

…And as always, I return to the world of chocolate. Nothing sinfully rich, but definitely a treat nonetheless. I wanted to congratulate my mom on making it through the whole week of passover without having any wheat or leavened items, so I baked her scones with a new recipe. It’s something I ear-marked a long time ago from Baking Sheet and converted easily to veganism.

With peanut butter mixed into the batter and chocolate chips speckled throughout, this recipe may be a bit much for breakfast and could even be considered a dessert. Whenever you choose to eat it, though, these delicious scones will have you coming back for seconds.

Wee Bunny

More free stuffed animal patterns? A very generous motion by Wee Wonderfuls – Go take advantage of the opportunity and make your own! It’s even the perfect time of year to make a sweet little bunny, with Easter on its way and all.

I liked the end product a lot more than my rendition of the pointy kitty, and it would have been even better if I hadn’t read the instructions as if I had the brain power of a green bean. Meaning; I didn’t really read them at all. Brilliant, huh? That’s why I ended up with the opening for the stuffing on the bottom, instead of the back. Let me too you, it’s surprisingly difficult to hand-sew in a perfect circle while trying to keep the stitches invisible. The bunny butt looks like it got mangled or chewed on! Bleh! Just… don’t turn it over and it looks fine. I guess.

Another stupid mistake left my bunny with a bit of blush, if you noticed. This is due to… crazy glue. You know how it is… I was busily gluing on the little beady eyes when – Oops! – I hit the side of the fabric with the glue brush. Of course, crazy glue give no margin for error, and it was immediately set in, with only chemicals strong enough to melt through skin that would be able to remove it. Considering my options (None), I decided that this is exactly what I had intended all along. Yeah, isn’t it cuter with blush?! ..Yeah…

Oh, and those ears… I managed to instantly loose the pattern piece for the ears, forcing me to draw my own… Not too horrible, in my opinion. I had a lot of trouble accepting that you were supposed to just zig-zag across the raw edges… I really hated the way it looked. Cutting out new pieces, I made them slightly larger for a seam allowance, and turned the pieces just like the body was made.

At least one thing worked out exactly right: I had just enough matching light pink yarn scraps to make the little pom pom tail.

Fits Like a Glove

With all of the dazzling, intricate stitches and patterns that can take shape in any of knit item you can dream up, sometimes the simple cable just has a certain simplistic appeal.

I happen to love making them; So simple, barely any interruption from the regular knit stitch, just a few select strands weaving around and around, dancing for all time. These in particular made me think of the ocean, with modeled blue waves ebbing and flowing toward the beach of my pale, sandy skin.

Alright, enough lame prose from me today.

This is the perfect time of year for arm warmers, as the temperatures begin to finally rise, but are not quite warm enough for t-shirts alone.  I have tons of arm warmers made from old knee socks because I have an inability to throw anything out, but these are really much nicer.  Especially the fact that they won’t fray at the end, and even have snug little thumb holes.

From the March issue of MagKnits, I might suggest these to someone who’s slightly weary of cables.  It’s a great way to practice, since there’s nothing else more complicated going on.  I was slightly confused over which needle size to select, since I didn’t understand the directions on how to make the stitches “ridged,” so I just knit normally on… Oh, what was it?  Maybe #3 DPN?  I don’t even remember anymore.  They came out very small, which worried me at first, but since I’m a small person, they fit just fine.

I was so happy to use this yarn, since it’s probably been hiding at the very bottom of my stash longer than any of the other skeins.  I only wish I could get more, but strangely enough, I got it for free from a library book that my mom was processing (She works at an elementary school library) because she couldn’t include the extras on the shelf.  Heh, don’t they always say that the best things in life are free?

Family Favorites: Revisited

After that last batch of confusing cookie bars, I sought a recipe that I knew a little bit better to send off with my sister for her return to college. Those poor malnourished college kids… Judging by the way she comes home and cleans out our cabinets, you would swear they’re trying to force-feed her something inhumanly disgusting and unbearable… like Brussels sprouts for every meal. That’s why I wanted to give her some reserve supplies before leaving, since no one deserves to eat Brussels sprouts, not even the most hardened criminals. *shudders* …Anyway.

The very first recipe that I ever learned to make on my own as a child was my Great Grandmother’s chocolate chip cookie recipe. Sadly, it of course contains animal products, and I’m honestly afraid to be let down by other, lesser versions, compromised by their noble quest to remain cruelty free. Not spending too much time to think it through, that’s when it occurred to me – I could try to just replace the offensive ingredients [Ener-G egg replacer for the egg, margarine for the butter, etc] and follow it exactly for the rest, and at least use this as a jumping off point if it didn’t work. (I’m sure you will see more revisions and multiple attempts in the future, so I sure hope you like chocolate chip cookies everyone!)

Tentatively sliding the pan out of the oven, I was overwhelmed with joy. They were perfect, just as I had remembered – soft, moist, and chewy, with the exact same flavor as when my mom had helped my operate the mixer when I was 5 years old. I bounced around in a sugar rush for a few minutes, thrilled that the first attempt had been so completely successful. …Or so I thought…

Sadly, after cooling off entirely, the cookies became much crunchier, crisper than I had aimed. I had come so close but still so far. Despite the texture though, they were still delicious. Maybe next time we’ll just have to eat the whole batch before it has time to cool. Hmm… I bet my family could handle that, too.

(Sorry, no recipe this time… Family secrets!)