Chocolate Caramel Slice is a dessert with a buttery shortbread crust, creamy handcrafted caramel, and a silky smooth chocolate glaze. A gourmet Twix candy bar!

It’s DAY #5 of Modern Honey’s 12 Days of Cookie Christmas. We are keeping with the chocolate caramel theme and bringing you an out-of-this-world Chocolate Caramel Bar.

A “slice” is a decadent dessert popular in Australia.  It’s basically a slice of heaven. Am I right?

This Chocolate Caramel Slice is made up of three layers — a shortbread crust, caramel, and chocolate ganache. The buttery shortbread is made up of a few simple ingredients — butter, brown sugar, egg yolk, flour, and cornstarch baked until lightly golden brown. It has such a pronounced rich buttery flavor in a cookie crust. It is the perfect base for handcrafted caramel and silky chocolate.

The homemade caramel is super simple to make and is made up of sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, dark corn syrup, and vanilla. I am going to break down how to make a perfect caramel.

The chocolate glaze is a smooth ganache made up of chocolate and heavy cream. I am amazed at the beauty of ganache in desserts. This Chocolate Caramel Slice can be made with semisweet chocolate or milk chocolate, depending on taste. I used both just because I love the contrast of color and flavor.

If you love Twix candy bars, you will go crazy over this Homemade Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Candy Bar. If you want to make a copycat Twix Candy Bar version, drizzle milk chocolate ganache all over the top.

I used a rectangle fluted tart pan with a removable bottom to make these bars. I prefer to use pans with removable bottoms since these tarts can be slightly fragile.  This is a reasonable tart pan and costs about $13. You can also use a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square pan to make these bars.

How to make Chocolate Caramel Slice Bars:

1.  Bake the crust until light golden brown. This helps to bring out the rich buttery flavor. Bake for 18-22 minutes until you start to see some color on the crust.
2. To make the homemade caramel: cook sweetened condensed milk, sugar, butter, dark corn syrup, and vanilla in the medium saucepan over medium heat. It is helpful to use a candy thermometer to know when the caramel is done. Bring to a gentle boil and watch for the thermometer to reach 225 degrees. It is imperative to whisk constantly to evenly distribute the heat. Once the caramel is done, pour it over crust.
3. Melt the chocolate and cream in the microwave in 20-30 second intervals until smooth. Spread chocolate over caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes. You can find Maldon Sea Salt Flakes HERE. Let chill for at least 1 hour.

Chocolate Caramel Slice

 

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Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

Chocolate Caramel Slice is a dessert with a buttery shortbread crust, creamy handcrafted caramel, and a silky smooth chocolate glaze. A gourmet Twix candy bar!

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1 cup Flour
• ¼ cup Brown Sugar, tightly packed
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• ½ cup Salted Butter, cut into cubes
• 1-2 Tablespoons Cold Water
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 
  
• Caramel Topping:
• 1 - 14 ounce can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) Salted Butter, cut into cubes
• 2 Tablespoons Dark Corn Syrup
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 
  
• Chocolate Ganache: **
• 1 cup Semisweet or Milk Chocolate, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• **may do double layers -- one layer of semisweet chocolate and one layer of milk chocolate.
• Flaked Sea Salt (to sprinkle on top)

Instructions

1. To make crust:
2. Preheat to 350 degrees.
3. Butter or spray 12 x 8 or 14 x 4 rectangle fluted tart pan with nonstick cooking spray. May use 8 x 8 baking pan.
4. Stir together flour, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Add butter and cut into mixture until coarse crumbs forms. May use a food processor. Stir in water, starting with 1 Tablespoon and add more as needed, up to 2 Tablespoons. Add egg yolk and mix until it begins to come together.
5. Press dough on the bottom of the pan. Pierce bottom with a fork. Bake until lightly golden brown -- 18-22 minutes.
6. To make caramel: whisk sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, dark corn syrup, and vanilla in medium saucepan and cook over medium heat. Attach a candy thermometer to side of a pan. Bring to a gentle boil and keep cooking (8-10 minutes) or until caramel is pale golden and thick and temperature registers 225 degrees. Whisk constantly.
7. Once the caramel is thick, pour evenly over crust. Let set for 15 minutes.
8. To make chocolate ganache: melt chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-30 second increments until melted and smooth.
9. Pour chocolate over caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
10. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
11. Cut into slices.
12. 
    
13. Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts Cookbook

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DAY #2  — Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cookies

DAY #3 — Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

DAY #4 — Caramel Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Christmas Bucket List — list of ideas and traditions to help feel the Christmas Spirit

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Happy Baking, my friends! xo

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Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Sandwich Cookies are soft cinnamon sugar snickerdoodle cookies filled with dulce de leche caramel. 

I am a sucker for all things caramel. I am also a sucker for soft, chewy cinnamon sugar snickerdoodles. So why not marry the two together? This was a no-brainer, of course. It was a marriage that was meant to be because these sandwich cookies taste amazing!

It’s DAY #7 of Modern Honey’s 12 Days of Cookie Christmas. I wish it could even be longer! See below for links to ALL of the Christmas cookie recipes thus far. I have a ridiculous amount of recipes to share with you and need 1,458,932 hours in the day to get everything done that my mind wants to do.

So what is dulce de leche? So glad you asked. Dulce de leche is a South American caramel made by slowly cooking sweetened condensed milk until it reaches a warm amber color. It is smooth, creamy, and has a rich buttery flavor.  It is very popular in Mexico and can be found in many desserts.  Where to find dulce de leche? It can be found in grocery stores in the baking aisle near the sweetened condensed milk or in the international aisle. I love how convenient it is and the creamy texture lends itself perfectly to these cookies.

As many of you know, I have loved cookbooks since I was a little girl. Shocker, I am sure. I am also a very picky cookbook shopper. I study them for a long time before I even buy them. There are certain ones that I trust and will usually shell out the money for when they come out. America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks are generally always good. I am so impressed with the time and effort they put into testing and re-testing their recipes.

America’s Test Kitchen recently came out with a cookie cookbook and I was all over it. I found these Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Sandwich Cookies in their cookbook and had to play around with the recipe. I made a few changes to it and had to share it with you, my friends! If you are looking for a gift for any of your foodie friends — this is of my favorite cookbooks — Best of America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook.

Let’s get back to these Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Sandwich Cookies. This recipe starts off with making a soft, chewy cinnamon sugar snickerdoodle cookie.  The key is to double roll the cookie dough into the cinnamon-sugar mixture to make sure it is completely coated. I am a big fan of soft snickerdoodle cookies so I usually pull them out of the oven when the edges start to turn lightly golden brown and the center is still puffy.

Let the cookies cool and then slather on the dulce de leche. The canned dulce de leche is heated up with a touch of butter to make it even easier to spread and a touch of cinnamon. Be generous with the dulce. People love the dulce de leche.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Sandwich Cookies

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Sandwich Cookies are soft cinnamon sugar snickerdoodle cookies filled with dulce de leche caramel

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Cookies

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup Butter, softened
• 1 cup Sugar (plus ½ cup for rolling)
• 1 Egg
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon (to be mixed with remaining ½ cup of sugar for rolling)
• 
  
• Dulce de Leche Filling:
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 - 13.4 ounce can Dulce de Leche (such as Nestle Dulce de Lechera)

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 cup of sugar for 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
2. Add egg and vanilla and mix for 1 minute.
3. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Let mixture chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
5. Combine ½ cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
6. Roll into 16 - 24 balls, depending on the desired size of cookies.
7. Drop into cinnamon sugar mixture and coat well.
8. Place on parchment or Silpat covered baking sheet.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 - 11 minutes or until lightly golden brown on edges but still soft.
10. May sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar as soon as removed from the oven.
11. To make filling: melt butter in small saucepan. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the can of dulce de leche. Spread dulce de leche on the bottom of cookie and top with another cookie.
12. *Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen Cookie Cookbook

3.5.3208

12 DAYS of COOKIE CHRISTMAS:

DAY #1 — Soft Chewy Sugar Cookies

DAY #2  — Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cookies

DAY #3 — Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

DAY #4 — Caramel Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

DAY #5 — Chocolate Caramel Slice

DAY #6 — Grandma Geri’s Gingersnaps

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Happy Baking, my friends! xo

The post Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Sandwich Cookies appeared first on Modern Honey.

Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies are a rich, chewy double chocolate cookie with creamy mint chips.  A chocolate mint lover’s dream cookie!

It’s DAY #8 and we are bringing the MINT to our 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. These chocolate chunk mint chip cookies literally melt-in-your-mouth. Where are my mint chocolate lovers? Find all of the recipes for Modern Honey’s 12 Days of Christmas Cookies down below.

Years ago, I went up to a women’s conference up at Brigham Young University with some of my sister-in-laws. I watched in awe as droves of women went crazy for their famous mint chocolate brownies. The line was ridiculously long to snatch up these coveted brownies. They were buying dozens to bring home to their family and friends. Note to self: the chocolate mint love affair is real.

Chocolate and mint go perfectly together, especially during the holidays. I love all Guittard chocolate and they came out with a creamy mint chip that is silky smooth and full of real mint flavor. I couldn’t wait to pair it with a double chocolate cookie. The results were downright amazing.

This Chocolate Mint Chip Cookie is the real deal. Let’s break down how to make these babies. It is completely normal to refer to cookies as “babies”, right? Don’t answer that.

How to make Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies:

1.  If you have read my blog for even 5 seconds, you know how I feel about creaming. It is IMPORTANT. Take the time to cream the butter and sugars. A rule of thumb is to cream the mixture until the butter starts to turn a pale yellow and it looks light and fluffy – about 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl halfway through to ensure even creaming.
2. Add eggs one at a time — mixing well after each addition.
3. Use high-quality mint chips. It makes a difference. My favorite is Guittard Mint Chocolate Chips because their creamy flavor is perfectly mint. You can also use Andes Mint Baking Chips.
4. If time is on your side, chill the dough. The cookies will be that much better if you chill the dough for 24-48 hours before baking. If you don’t have time and are just craving cookies RIGHT NOW, it is all good. They still turn out magical.
5. Bake just until the sides begin to crisp and the centers are still chewy. No hockey pucks here!

Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

11 mins

Total time

26 mins

 

Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies are a rich, chewy double chocolate cookie with creamy mint chips. A chocolate mint lover's dream cookie!

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Cookies

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 1 cup, Butter, cold cut into small cubes
• 1¾ cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 teaspoon Vanilla
• ½ cup Cocoa (high quality) **
• 2¼ cup Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1½ cups Guittard Mint Flavored Chips or Andes Mint Baking Chips
• 
  
• **Notes: I use Callebaut cocoa powder. It is high quality but it can be found for an incredibly low price at a Winco grocery store in their bulk bins. It's 4 times as much on Amazon. Trader Joe's has a nice cocoa powder as well.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream cold butter cubes and sugar for at least 4 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway through mixing.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in vanilla.
4. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
5. Stir in chocolate chips and mint chips.
6. Drop large spoonfuls onto cookie sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.
7. Bake for 10-14 minutes.

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12 DAYS of COOKIE CHRISTMAS:

DAY #1 — Soft Chewy Sugar Cookies

DAY #2  — Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cookies

DAY #3 — Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

DAY #4 — Caramel Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

DAY #5 — Chocolate Caramel Slice

DAY #6 — Grandma Geri’s Gingersnaps

DAY #7 — Ghirardelli Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Cookies

Happy Baking, my friends! xo

The post Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies appeared first on Modern Honey.

Peppermint Frosted Chocolate Brownies are made with a decadent homemade chocolate brownie with creamy chocolate frosting topped with crushed candy canes. A festive chocolate peppermint brownie!

It’s officially DAY #11 of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies and I am sharing a recipe for killer Peppermint Frosted Chocolate Brownies. It’s technically not a cookie but seriously when it is a brownie, there is no apology needed. Find all of the cookie recipes down below.

I am a total window shopper. I was born into a family of five brothers so my Mom loved to finally have a shopping buddy. We spent hours and hours shopping and eating waffles cones filled with frozen yogurt. I didn’t have to buy anything to have a good time with my Mom. I just loved the whole experience.

Some of my favorite stores are Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table. I rarely buy things, except when I have my husband along with me, who encourages me to actually buy something nice.  I will walk around, peruse, test out kitchen tools, and thoroughly enjoy being in my element, surrounded by things I love. I recently saw a food photo from Williams-Sonoma of the most decadent peppermint chocolate brownies. I looked at the price tag and thought…I will definitely make these at home!

I went home and by the next day, I made a fresh batch of Peppermint Frosted Chocolate Brownies. They were everything a good brownie should be — rich, decadent, and chocolatey. The silky smooth chocolate frosting put them over the top and the crushed candy canes made the brownies look so festive.

How to make perfect Peppermint Frosted Chocolate Brownies:

• Don’t overbake. Holy cow this is a big one. Ask my kids how crazy it makes me when I see the cooking times listed on a brownie mix or cake mix box and it’s such a long baking time listed that you’ll end up with hockey pucks! No wonder people think they are bad cooks when really we can just chalk it up to bad directions. Can we do that? Yes, we can. Anytime you are baking up a cookie, cake or brownie….watch those precious gems like a hawk. You want laser beam focus because a few minutes can be a difference maker. Here is my favorite pan — USA 8 inch Bakeware Square Cake Pan

• Cream butter + sugar for 4 minutes to ensure you don’t end up with grainy brownies. Creaming works wonders in baked goods as it helps to dissolve sugar crystals and it creates little pockets of air. The butter wraps around the sugar as it coats it and helps say goodbye to the grainy texture.

• Don’t overmix your flour. You know how kneading bread makes it better….well it’s the opposite with baked goods. If you overmix your batter, it creates more gluten which can leave you with a tougher brownie. We want a tender one! Mix until just combined or even turn off your mixer and fold in your flour.

• Use high-quality cocoa. It’s the star ingredient and it’s integral to the overall success of the brownies. I buy Callebaut cocoa powder in bulk at Winco and even though it’s high-quality stuff, it is actually less expensive than buying one of the other popular brands in the store. It makes a huge difference in the depth of flavor.

• Add chocolate chunks or chips. Because if you are going to eat chocolate, you want to really eat chocolate. Adding semi-sweet chocolate adds a richness to it and another depth of flavor. Guittard and Ghiradelli are some of my favorite brands of chocolate. Trader Joe’s makes a killer chocolate bar and it melts beautifully.

Peppermint Frosted Chocolate Brownies

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 1 cup Butter, softened
• 1⅔ cups Sugar
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 1 cup Flour
• ½ cup Cake Flour
• 1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks or Chips
• 
  
• Chocolate Frosting:
• 12 Tablespoons (3/4 cup) Butter, softened
• ½ cup Cocoa Powder
• 2½ cups Powdered Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream or Milk
• ¼ teaspoon Pure Mint Extract (made add more until desired taste)
• 
  
• Garnish:
• Crushed Candy Canes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla.
3. Stir in flour, cake flour, cocoa, and salt until mixed together.
4. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Pour into 8 x 8 pan and spread evenly. May use 9 x 13 pan but the brownies will be thinner.
6. Bake for 28-36 minutes. Check the center to see if a toothpick comes out clean.
7. To make frosting:
8. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter for 1 minute. Add cocoa powder and powdered sugar and whip until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add heavy cream and whip until smooth.
9. Spread over cooled brownies.
10. Top with crushed candy canes.

3.5.3208

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12 DAYS of COOKIE CHRISTMAS:

DAY #1 — Soft Chewy Sugar Cookies

DAY #2  — Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cookies

DAY #3 — Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

DAY #4 — Caramel Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

DAY #5 — Chocolate Caramel Slice

DAY #6 — Grandma Geri’s Gingersnaps

DAY #7 —  Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Sugar Sandwich Cookies 

DAY #8 — Ghirardelli Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Cookies

DAY #9 — Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

DAY #10 — Mrs. Claus Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies

Happy Baking, my friends! xo

The post Peppermint Frosted Chocolate Brownies appeared first on Modern Honey.

Cream Cheese Pecan Jam Thumbprint Cookies are a chewy pecan cookie baked until golden and topped with fresh berry jam.

The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies is officially coming to an end. Sniff, sniff. Let me give you a little background on how it came to be. Since I am such a cookie girl, I couldn’t wait to dig in and create 12 new Christmas cookies. It was extremely hard to even narrow it down to 12 cookies! I narrowed it down to 20 different cookies to test and try out. Some made the cut, some didn’t.

My Mom, who is an amazing baker and dish washer, came over to help. She walked in to find my cupboards were lined with sheets of paper taped all over them with the recipes we were going to make. Her mouth just dropped. So. Many. Cookies. We literally worked for 10 hours the first day and she came back the next day just do it all over again.  We tried bites of every single cookie and were completely sugared out at the end of it all. But what a fun few days! The baking didn’t end there. Of course, I had to try out more recipes but I think my kitchen stayed clean for a day or two.

It has been so much fun creating all 12 of these Christmas cookies. I can’t wait to see which ones you make in your own kitchen. Use hashtag #modernhoney or tag me @modern_honey on your instagram and instagram stories. I love to see your creations!

Here’s your final cookie! These Cream Cheese Pecan Jam Thumbprint Cookies will make you want to keep eating them! They aren’t overly sweet and have such a nice crunch to them. It is a recipe that I have been tweaking for the past 10 years and something I make every Christmas for my kids. They get so excited to see mama’s jam cookies coming out of the oven. I used to make jam thumbprint cookies where you baked jam inside a buttery shortbread cookie. Even though they are so delicious and popular during the holidays, I wanted to experiment doing something different and add the jam AFTER the cookies came out of the oven.

These Cream Cheese Pecan Jam Thumbprint Cookies are made with softened cream cheese and butter, whipped until nice and creamy. A mixture of both brown sugar and sugar are added and creamed for several minutes. An egg and a generous amount of vanilla extract are added. Flour, baking soda, salt, and pecans are mixed in.  These Cream Cheese Pecan Jam Thumbprints are baked until golden brown and then topped with fresh jam.

Cream Cheese Pecan Jam Thumbprint Cookies

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Cream Cheese Pecan Jam Cookies are a chewy pecan cookie baked until golden and topped with fresh berry jam

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Cookies

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• ½ cup Butter, softened
• 6 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• ¼ cup Sugar (plus more for sprinkling on cookies)
• 1 Egg
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 1 cup Flour
• ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Pecans, chopped
• ½ cup Jam (your favorite kind)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream softened butter and cream cheese for 2 minutes. Add brown sugar and sugar and cream for 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and mix together, scraping the bowl.
3. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Add pecans.
4. Chill for 10 minutes.
5. Drop cookie dough onto parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown on edges.
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sugar.
8. Lightly place thumb in center of cookie lightly pressing down to make an indention.
9. Drop a heaping 1 teaspoon of jam in the center of the cookie.

3.5.3208

12 DAYS of COOKIE CHRISTMAS:

DAY #1 — Soft Chewy Sugar Cookies

DAY #2  — Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cookies

DAY #3 — Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

DAY #4 — Caramel Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

DAY #5 — Chocolate Caramel Slice

DAY #6 — Grandma Geri’s Gingersnaps

DAY #7 —  Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Sugar Sandwich Cookies 

DAY #8 — Ghirardelli Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Cookies

DAY #9 — Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

DAY #10 — Mrs. Claus Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies

DAY #11 — Peppermint Frosted Chocolate Brownies

Find ALL of my cookie recipes by going to http://www.modernhoney.com/category/cookies/

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Happy Baking, my friends!

The post Cream Cheese Pecan Jam Thumbprint Cookies appeared first on Modern Honey.

Pesto Parmesan Sundried Tomato Tartlets are made with flaky puff pastry baked until golden brown and filled with freshly made Buitoni Pesto Sauce, a parmesan goat cheese cream cheese layer, and topped with sweet sundried tomatoes. 

It’s that time of year! It is officially the party season which means we are all searching for easy, flavorful appetizer recipes. I have the perfect one for you.  I was recently asked to bring an appetizer to a party. I always like to whip something new and creative in the kitchen to bring to my friends. Of course, it has to pass the inspection process in our home. I have all of my kids and husband try every single recipe so I can get their honest feedback. They don’t hold back and I love it!

When I created these Pesto Parmesan Sundried Tomato Tartlets, I waited for the kids to come home from school. They are so accustomed to being my taste-testers that they know there is usually something to try when they arrive home. As each of them walked through the door, they grabbed a tartlet and plopped it into their mouth. And then I wait…

The oohs and ahh’s began and they all grabbed seconds. That’s usually my sign. If they want just one, then I know it’s probably not a winner. The Pesto Parmesan Sundried Tomato Tartlets were a hit!

The key is to use refrigerated Buitoni Pesto sauce. It is such a time saver and is made of the high est-quality ingredients I know are crucial to the start of a great recipe. The Buitoni makes their Pesto with Basil a recipe from the Italian Riviera, and it combines fragrant basil, garlic, pine nuts, walnuts, aged Parmesan and Romano cheeses with extra virgin olive oil. Doesn’t that sound just heavenly? I love that all Buitoni offers sauces are made with no gmo ingredients and free from artificial flavors and colors.  This is my go-to pesto sauce!

Buitoni refrigerated Pesto with Basil offers fresh flavor you won’t find in jarred sauces. You can find all of Buitoni fresh pasta sauces in are found in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store. I often find mine along the perimeter or near the deli by the fancy cheeses.

Next, I use frozen puff pastry sheets. These are so convenient and produce buttery, flaky tartlets every single time. Bake these ahead of time in mini muffin tins until golden brown for the perfect bite-size appetizer.

The creamy cheese center is made with Buitoni shredded parmesan cheese mixed with cream cheese and soft goat cheese. The goat cheese gives it a real tang. The parmesan cheese adds a sharp nutty flavor to the cream mixture.  The cream cheese adds another level of creaminess. Buitoni shredded parmesan cheese is another fabulous time saver!

These little Pesto Parmesan Sundried Tomato Tartlets are topped with a few ribbons of sweet sundried tomatoes. This is the perfect balance to go with the flaky tartlet, fresh pesto, creamy parmesan mixture, and sweet sundried tomatoes. These are off the charts in flavor!

Pesto Parmesan Sundried Tomato Tartlets

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

18 mins

Total time

48 mins

 

Pesto Parmesan Sundried Tomato Tartlets are made with flaky puff pastry baked until golden brown and filled with Buitoni fresh pesto sauce, parmesan goat cheese cream cheese layer, and topped with sweet sun-dried tomatoes.

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 1 - 17.3-ounce package Puff Pastry Sheets (2 sheets), thawed
• 1 Egg (for egg wash), whisked
• 7-ounce Buitoni Pesto with Basil
• 8-ounce pkg. Cream Cheese softened
• 4-ounce Soft Goat Cheese
• ½ cup Buitoni Parmesan Cheese
• ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
• ½ cup Sundried Tomatoes, in oil, sliced

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375° degrees.
2. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut each pastry sheet into 3 strips. Cut each pastry strip into 4 squares, making 12 per sheet. Press the pastry squares into (1¾-inch) mini muffin-pan cups.
3. In a small bowl, whisk egg until blended. Brush puff pastry with egg wash.
4. Bake for 16 - 20 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Remove the pastries from the pan and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
5. In mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and goat cheese for 4 minutes. Add parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Cream for 1 minute, scraping down the sides.
6. Place a teaspoon of Buitoni pesto sauce in each tartlet, top with parmesan cream cheese, and top with sliced sun-dried tomatoes.

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The post Pesto Parmesan Sundried Tomato Tartlets appeared first on Modern Honey.

Chicken Bacon Alfredo Dip with Sautéed Chicken, Buitoni Alfredo Sauce, Crispy Bacon and baked with Mozzarella and Buitoni Parmesan Cheese. Served with sliced French Bread. A savory and cheese-filled baked appetizer that will please the masses!

Since it is the season for parties, I have been sharing some of my favorite appetizers to bring to events. Chicken fettuccine alfredo is one of the most popular pasta dishes in the United States. I thought why not make it into a tempting dip and serve it as an appetizer? My mind was blown.

This Chicken Bacon Alfredo Dip is so easy to pull together. It all starts with fresh Buitoni Alfredo Sauce which is freshly made with a blend of cream, butter, Parmesan cheese, and a hint of nutmeg. I am salivating just thinking about those ingredients. Buitoni refrigerated Alfredo Sauce offers fresh flavor you won’t find in jarred sauces. This heavenly Buitoni Alfredo Sauce can be found in the refrigerated aisle of your local grocery store. 

How to make Chicken Bacon Alfredo Dip:

1. It all starts in a skillet. I love to use a cast iron skillet for dips. Sauté chicken breast in a touch of oil and spices until nicely golden brown and fully cooked.
2. The bacon is cooked in another pan, microwave, or oven, or whatever method you prefer until it is nice and crispy. We don’t want floppy bacon. It has to be crispy so it provides a perfect texture to the dip. Chop it into small bite-size pieces.
3. Add the Buitoni Alfredo Sauce. This is when the magic happens! The alfredo sauce transforms the dip and makes it creamy and indulgent.
4. Mozzarella and Buitoni Shredded Parmesan Cheese are added to the dip. The mozzarella melts beautifully and the parmesan cheese gives it the sharp, nutty flavor. They work in perfect harmony. I love to put the dip under a hot broiler so the cheese gets bubbly and melted.
5. Serve it with hot French bread slices or toasted baguettes. Serve warm.

Chicken Bacon Alfredo Dip

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Chicken Bacon Alfredo Dip with sautéed Chicken, Buitoni Alfredo Sauce, Crispy Bacon and baked with Mozzarella and Buitoni Parmesan Cheese. Served with sliced French Bread. A savory and cheese-filled baked appetizer that will please the masses!

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 lb. Chicken Breast, cut into small cubes
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
• ½ teaspoon Pepper
• 1 lb. Bacon, cooked until crispy and cut into small pieces
• 2 - 10-ounce pkg. Buitoni Refrigerated Alfredo Sauce
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Buitoni Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 
  
• Italian Parsley (garnish)
• French Bread Baguette Slices

Instructions

1. In 9-inch cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add cubed chicken and cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.
2. Cook bacon according to package instructions in another skillet, in the microwave, or in the oven until crispy. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
3. Pour Buitoni alfredo sauce on top of chicken and stir. Turn heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in bacon, reserving some for garnish.
4. Pour cheese over chicken mixture.
5. Set oven to broil and place oven-proof skillet on the top rack of the oven.
6. Watch carefully as it cooks quickly. Bake for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted.
7. Keep oven propped open slightly so you can keep an eye on it.
8. Remove from oven and garnish with remaining bacon and Italian parsley, if so desired.
9. Serve hot with french baguette slices.

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 I hope you love this Chicken Bacon Alfredo Dip as much as we do! It will be a surefire hit at your next party.  I partnered with Buitoni but all opinions are my own. #sponsored

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Happy Cooking, my friends!

The post Chicken Bacon Alfredo Dip appeared first on Modern Honey.

Homemade Creamy White Vanilla Fudge is unbelievably rich, decadent, and so easy to make! There are a few secret ingredients for making perfect vanilla fudge every single time.

For many years, I was afraid of fudge. As a kid, I remember receiving goodie plates during Christmas time and getting so excited about the creamy fudge on the holiday designed plates. Sometimes the fudge would be rich and creamy and melt in my mouth and other times it would be chalky and rock hard. I never knew what I was going to get!

When you make fudge, you want it to be soft and creamy.  When I was going to college, I would save all of my pennies so I could get a small piece of the famous fudge at the bookstore.  It was everything fudge should be and I craved it like no other. I wanted to figure out how to make it just like them.  I am happy to report we have had success in the kitchen!

I took an online class on candy making through Craftsy and Elizabeth LaBau and learned so much about the tips and tricks for making perfect Creamhy White Chocolate Vanilla Fudge. I am going to share all of the secrets with you!

How to make PERFECT CREAMY WHITE VANILLA FUDGE:

1.  It all starts with BUTTER.  Butter makes everything better so it is only logical to put it into fudge. It helps to create a base for the creamy texture.
2. Add the SECRET INGREDIENT — Sour Cream. The beauty of sour cream is that it adds a thick creaminess to the fudge without adding more sweetness.  It is all about balance and the acidity from the sour cream lends itself to making creamy vanilla fudge.
3. Cook and stir until the SUGAR is completely dissolved.  You don’t want grainy fudge! Let it come to a boil so the sugars are completely dissolved.  If you have a candy thermometer, it is highly recommended. Bring the fudge to 235 degrees and then remove from heat. Click HERE to buy a Wilton Candy Thermometer.
4. Another game-changing ingredient is MARSHMALLOW CREAM.  It is what helps to create a smooth texture and make this fudge so easy to make.
5. Add high-quality WHITE CHOCOLATE chips. This is what gives it such a sweet, rich flavor.  I use Guittard or Ghirardelli white chocolate.
6. Use pure VANILLA extract or real vanilla beans.
7. Stir in your favorite accompaniments — caramel, nuts, dried fruits, candy canes, etc. Once you have this recipe down, you can make peppermint fudge, candy cane fudge, caramel pecan fudge, OREO fudge, turtle fudge, apricot pistachio fudge, cranberry pistachio fudge, white chocolate fudge, and so many more!
8. Let fudge set, covered, at room temperature for 2 hours.

 If you want to make Caramel Pecan Fudge, swirl in some homemade or high-quality store-bought caramel into the fudge and top with pecan halves. If the caramel is thick enough, you can place it on top of each piece of fudge with a pecan on top.

If you want to make Cranberry Pistachio Apricot Fudge, stir in a combination of dried fruit and nuts.

To make homemade OREO fudge, stir in 2 cups of crushed OREOS before pouring into pan.

To make Peppermint Candy Cane Fudge, add 1/4 – 1/2  teaspoon of peppermint extract and crushed candy canes.

Here’s my favorite pan to use to make fudge — USA 9 x 9 baking pan.

Creamy White Vanilla Fudge

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Creamy and smooth white vanilla fudge with a few secret ingredients to make it melt in your mouth.

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• ½ cup Butter
• 2 cups Sugar
• ½ cup Full-Fat Sour Cream
• 2 cups High-Quality White Chocolate Chips or chopped white chocolate bar
• 1 jar (7 ounces) Marshmallow Cream
• 1½ teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 
  
• Optional add-ins:
• *2 cups crushed OREOS for OREO fudge
• *3/4 cup Crushed Candy Canes and ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract for CANDY CANE Fudge
• *1 - 1½ cup Chopped Dried Cranberries, Apricots, and Pistachios for Holiday Bark Fudge
• 1½ cups Thick Homemade Caramel and 1 cup Pecan Halves for Caramel Pecan Fudge

Instructions

1. Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with aluminum foil, pressing down the sides of the pan, and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.
3. Add the sugar and sour cream and raise the heat to medium.
4. Keep stirring frequently while the sugar dissolves. Brush down the sides of the pan occasionally with a spatula to remove sugar crystals.
5. When the mixture comes to a boil, insert a candy thermometer. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until it registers 235 F.
6. Remove from the heat and add the white chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, salt and vanilla, stirring until the white chocolate is entirely melted and the fudge is smooth. If adding any accompaniments, stir into fudge now.
7. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth out.
8. Let the fudge set at room temperature until firm, about 2 hours. Remove from the pan using the foil as handles and cut into small squares to serve.
9. Store in airtight container so the fudge stays nice and fresh.
10. 
    
11. *Recipe adapted from Elizabeth LaBau Craftsy Cooking Class

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I hope you love this Creamy White Vanilla Fudge. This is so perfect for your Christmas goodie plates and for baking at home during the holiday season. Happy Baking, my friends! xo

The post Creamy White Vanilla Fudge appeared first on Modern Honey.

I have been a quest to figure out how to make the Perfect Red Velvet Cake. I have to admit that I have made A LOT of red velvet cakes in the process. All of the recipes were good but I was looking for an out-of-this-world recipe. I am picky about my cakes and am determined to create a recipe that will be the only red velvet cake I make in my future.

THIS is the reason I can’t fit into my jeans.

There’s always January 1st…

I have always been a red velvet cake fan but there are some that are just better than others. I was looking for a deep, rich flavor and a tender, moist crumb with a sweet creamy cream cheese frosting.  This Red Velvet Cake recipe is by far the BEST red velvet cake I have ever tried. Now it is time to share it with you!

Since Christmas is one week away (I can’t even believe it how quickly it snuck up on us), this is such a beautiful cake to serve on Christmas Eve or Christmas day. The red and white colors are so vibrant and perfectly represent the season.

I am sharing my tips, tricks, and baking advice with you below so you can make the best red velvet cake ever. When making cakes, there is a rhyme and reason to even the order of adding the ingredients. After much testing, this creates the best tasting red velvet cake.

Tips and tricks for making perfect Red Velvet Cake:

1.  Use a combination of sweet cream Butter and Oil.  This is when you get the best of both worlds. Both butter and oil will provide a moist texture to the cake but butter brings the flavor where oil elevates the texture.  I have tried using just one of them and found that the best cake is when both butter and oil are used together.
2. Use Buttermilk.  Buttermilk is one of my favorite ingredients to use in baked goods. It is such a game changer and makes such a difference in the texture of the cake. It is worth it to buy buttermilk (you can use the remaining in my buttermilk pancakes or ricotta pancakes).
3. Use Cake Flour. Cake flour has less gluten than all-purpose flour which creates a more tender crumb.  You can find cake flour in all grocery stores. I buy it in bulk in grocery stores that sell items in bins (Winco, Sprouts, etc).
4. Use a combination of Butter and Cream Cheese in Frosting.  A smooth, creamy, and sweet cream cheese frosting is unlike anything else. I love to use a mix of butter and cream cheese as butter brings some richness and the cream cheese adds a subtle tang. Adding powdered sugar is the finishing touch!

Red Velvet Cake

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

The perfect red velvet cake recipe with sweet cream cheese frosting

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 3 cups Cake Flour
• 1¾ cups Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ½ cup Butter, cut into cubes
• 3 Eggs
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• ¾ cup Canola Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Red Food Coloring (may do less depending on preference)
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 
  
• Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 2 - 8-ounce pkgs. Cream Cheese, room temperature and softened
• 12 Tablespoons Butter (3/4 cup), softened
• 4½ cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Vanilla Bean or 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a standing mixer, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Beat the butter into the flour mixture, one cube at a time. Continue to beat until it resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil, red food coloring, and vanilla.
5. Add the buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and beat the batter until thoroughly mixed.
6. Take a spatula and scrape the sides of the bowl.
7. Spread into two greased 8 or 9-inch cake pans and smooth tops with a spatula.
8. Bake for 16-22 minutes, depending on the depth of pans. If the cake layers are thin, they will cook for less time than the thicker layers.
9. Let cakes cool. Run a knife around edge of cake pan and flip over. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
10. To make frosting:
11. In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. If using a Kitchenaid mixer, use the whisk attachment.
12. Add powdered sugar and mix until creamy.
13. If using a vanilla bean, split vanilla bean in half and use the tip of the knife to scrape the vanilla bean paste from each side of the vanilla bean pod.
14. If using vanilla extract, add to frosting and stir until combined.
15. Spread on cooled red velvet cake. Cover tightly.

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Here are some of my favorite classic cakes on Modern Honey:

Love at First Sight Chocolate Cake — a moist, rich chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting. A 5-star rated cake!

Yellow Birthday Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting — this cake recipe has a secret ingredient to make the cake light and fluffy with a killer chocolate frosting.

Here are my favorite cake pans to use for this red velvet cake recipe — USA 9-inch Cake Pans. I couldn’t frost a cake without my angled spatula. It is such a huge help and smooths out the frosting.

Happy Baking, my friends! xo

The post Red Velvet Cake appeared first on Modern Honey.

Chocolate Peppermint Bark made with layers of melted white chocolate with a touch of peppermint, melted chocolate, and topped with crushed peppermint candy canes. 

This is the BEST Chocolate Peppermint Bark Recipe!

My husband and I had a marathon Christmas shopping day! We set out on a Saturday with a long list of things to buy for our kids and we ended up shopping for 9 hours! We had a great time and loved being amongst the crowds of people, hear the Christmas music, and focus on what our kids would love to receive on Christmas morning. However, my feet ached like no other!

My husband laughed at me as I would sneak the famous peppermint bark samples out of the bowls in Sur La Table, William-Sonoma, and even Pottery Barn. It kept me going and heaven knows how much I love peppermint bark. However, it can be expensive so I wanted to figure out how to create it at home so I can gift it to my friends and neighbors. Who else loves peppermint bark?

I found that making homemade chocolate peppermint is actually so easy! I am going to break down the simple steps so you can make this famous copycat peppermint bark at home.

How to make the BEST Chocolate Peppermint Bark:

1. It all starts off with high-quality chocolate. Since chocolate is the star of this bark, it may be worth spending $1 more on high-quality chocolate. You can use bars of white chocolate or chocolate or melting wafers.  I love to use the Ghirardelli white melting wafers because they melt so beautifully and leave such a glistening shine. I also used Callebaut semi-sweet chocolate but you can use Guittard, Ghirardelli, or Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Bars.
2. Slowly melt the chocolate. This is a key tip for making smooth chocolate. I tend to use a microwave because it is convenient and easy. A double boiler works well too. First of all, use a heat-proof bowl. Some bowls will get so hot and will make it take forever for the chocolate to melt. Cook at only 50% power or use defrost setting. This ensures that it doesn’t burn. Also, cook the chocolate in only 30-second increments, stirring well after each cooking interval. It is especially important with white chocolate as it can burn easily. Vigorously stir the chocolate until it is completely melted.
3. Pour on wax or parchment lined baking sheet or pan.  To ensure the chocolate doesn’t stick to the pan, line with a non-stick paper. I use parchment paper and place it on top of a quarter-sized baking sheet.
4. Chill the chocolate before pouring on white chocolate. Place in freezer for 10 minutes or refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes or until mostly set.  Pour melted white chocolate over top of chocolate and evenly spread. Top with crushed candy canes while the white chocolate is still melted. Place in freezer or refrigerator to set.
5. Store completely covered in refrigerator or at room temperature. I prefer to keep mine in the refrigerator and take out just before serving or giving as a gift.
6. Cut into squares or triangles with sharp knife ensuring to cut completely through all layers.

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Chocolate Peppermint Bark made with layers of melted white chocolate with a touch of peppermint, melted chocolate, and topped with crushed peppermint candy canes.

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Candy

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 2 cups Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate, high-quality*
• 2½ cups White Chocolate, high-quality*
• ¼ teaspoon Peppermint Extract
• ½ cup Crushed Candy Canes
• 
  
• *Notes:
• High-quality makes a difference. I used Ghirardelli white melting wafers but you can use any high-quality white chocolate bar or chips. If using chips, I would suggest Guittard or Ghirardelli. I used Callebaut semi-sweet chocolate but you can use Guittard, Ghirardelli, Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bars, or any high-quality chocolate bar.

Instructions

1. To slowly melt the chocolate, use double-boiler method or microwave.
2. If using a microwave, start with a heatproof bowl. Cook at only 50% power or use defrost setting. This ensures that it doesn't burn. Also, cook the semi-sweet chocolate in only 30-second increments, stirring well after each cooking interval. After chocolate is melted, stir in peppermint extract.
3. Once chocolate is melted, pour on waxed paper or parchment paper lined baking sheet or pan. I use a small quarter baking sheet but you can use any type of baking pan, such as a 9-inch square pan.
4. Chill the chocolate before pouring on white chocolate. Place in freezer for 10 minutes or refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes or until mostly set.
5. Repeat with white chocolate. It is especially important to reduce the microwave power to reduce the heat with white chocolate as it can burn easily. Cook in 30-second increments, remove the bowl and vigorously stir the chocolate until it is completely melted. Repeat
6. Pour melted white chocolate over top of chocolate and evenly spread. Top with crushed candy canes while the white chocolate is still melted. Place in freezer or refrigerator to set.
7. Store completely covered in refrigerator or at room temperature. I prefer to keep mine in the refrigerator and take out just before serving or giving as a gift.
8. Cut into squares or triangles with sharp knife ensuring to cut completely through all layers.

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Happy Baking, my friends!

The post Chocolate Peppermint Bark appeared first on Modern Honey.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are made with high-quality chocolate and creamy peanut butter filling with a secret ingredient. Tastes even better than what you find in the store.  How to make out-of-this-world chocolate peanut butter cups at home.

My love for peanut butter cups is REAL.

I can’t go to Trader Joe’s without picking up a bag or box (depending how weak I am at the moment) of their famous chocolate peanut butter cups. They are made of rich, high-quality chocolate and creamy peanut butter. I can’t stop at 1…or 2….or 3…or whatever. Who is counting? I wanted to discover a recipe that tasted like the peanut butter cups you can buy at Trader Joe’s. Mission accomplished.

How many of you have tried homemade chocolate peanut butter cups, only to be left disappointed? Me! There are some secrets for making them taste more like what we know and love.  I am so excited to share this recipe with you!

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are super simple to put together. This recipe only calls for 6 ingredients and you may have everything in your pantry ready to go!

I shared that I recently took a few candy classes online through Craftsy. I LOVE to learn and am constantly wanting to become more knowledgeable about all things baking and cooking.  Elizabeth LaBau sure knows her stuff and I thoroughly enjoyed learning from her. Now I get to share everything I learned with you, my friends!

She was teaching how to make homemade chocolate peanut butter cups. Since I have been disappointed in the past with many recipes, I was anxious to find out how she made them. She shared her secret to making copycat chocolate peanut butter cups like the ones you get in the store. Are you ready for it? Graham Cracker Crumbs! I kid you not. It creates a texture to complement to the creaminess of the peanut butter. What a genius!

I made a batch of the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and was blown away by how easy they were and how they tasted exactly like the Trader Joe’s peanut butter cups. YES! The true test was when my daughter came home. She is my partner in crime and we share a bag of peanut butter cups everytime we go to TJ’s.  I didn’t want to say anything about them but wanted her to discover the peanut butter cups on her own and see what she had to say about them.

I was in the office and I heard a loud, “MOM!” I ran in, wondering what could be wrong, and Sierra was holding a large chocolate peanut butter cup in her hand. “Mom, these taste exactly like Trader Joe’s. Did you make them?” It validated everything I believed too and was so excited to finally be able to make them at home.

How to make Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups:

1.  Start with high-quality chocolate. Since the star is the chocolate, you want it to be smooth and melt beautifully.  If you have access to a Trader Joe’s, I would suggest using their Pound Plus Bar in Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate, depending on preference.  You can use other types of chocolate bars as well.  Guittard and Ghirardelli are also high-quality chocolate.  If you want to really simplify the melting process, you can use Ghirardelli chocolate melting wafers or disks. You can use semi-sweet chocolate or milk chocolate, if you are looking for Reese’s copycat peanut butter cup recipe.
2. Temper your chocolate.  Tempering chocolate is an essential step to create a smooth, glossy chocolate that has a snap to it.  The beauty of tempering chocolate is you don’t need a fancy double-boiler but it can be done in your microwave.  So simple! It is just a technique to help create a chocolate conducive to making homemade peanut butter cups.
3. Brush sides and bottom of mini-cupcake liners with melted tempered chocolate.  This is the base of your peanut butter cup.  You start off with painting on your chocolate all along the edges and bottom of liners.  Set aside to chill and set before adding filling.
4. Make your peanut butter filling.  The creamy peanut butter filling is made by whipping together smooth peanut butter, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and finely crushed graham crackers.
5. Place peanut butter filling inside liners layered with chocolate. Press down and then cover with more tempered chocolate to completely cover cup.
6. Let chill and set up at room temperature or in the refrigerator.  May keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.  Bring to room temperature before serving or serve slightly cold, depending on preference.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are made with high-quality chocolate and creamy peanut butter filling with a secret ingredient. Tastes even better than what you find in the store. How to make out-of-this-world chocolate peanut butter cups at home.

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Candy

Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 12 ounces High-Quality Chocolate Bar, Chocolate Chips or melting wafers, Milk or Semisweet, depending on preference.
• 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• ¾ cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Graham Cracker, finely crushed
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Salted Butter softened
• 20 miniature muffin or cupcake liners (may use an assortment of sizes)

Instructions

1. To temper chocolate, start with chopping chocolate bar, if using a chocolate bar. Place 1½ cups of chocolate, reserving ½ cup chocolate, in a large microwave-safe bowl.
2. Microwave the chocolate at 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring every 30 seconds. Continue to microwave until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Vigorously stir chocolate after each cooking block.
3. Add the reserved ½ cup of chocolate to the melted chocolate. Stir frequently until all of the chocolate is completely melted.
4. Place 20 foil miniature muffin liners on a baking sheet. Fill a liner about one-quarter full of tempered chocolate or melted candy coating. Brush the chocolate up the sides and all around with pastry brush or clean paintbrush. Repeat.
5. Let set at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the peanut butter filling by creaming peanut butter, powdered sugar, finely crushed graham crackers, vanilla, and butter in large bowl for 4-5 minutes.
7. Once the chocolate in liners has set, place a ball of peanut butter filling in each cup and lightly press down. Leave room to add chocolate on top.
8. Spoon more melted chocolate on top of each cup. Smooth out the top of chocolate. Let the chocolate set completely at room temperature. If you are in a hurry, you may let the cups set up in the refrigerator.
9. Once the chocolate has set, carefully peel off the liners or you can leave them on.
10. Store covered in refrigerator or room temperature. I prefer to chill mine and eat them slightly cold but some prefer room temperature.
11. **Recipe adapted from Elizabeth LaBau, Sugar Hero.

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If you love peanut butter chocolate recipes, check out some of these Modern Honey favorites:

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

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Happy Baking, my friends! We are 4 days away from Christmas and I literally can’t believe it. Time is flying by and my to-do list isn’t getting any shorter! I am looking forward to spending good quality time with my husband and kids over the break so I will be posting less on Modern Honey over the next week. Thanks for all of your amazing support!

The post Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups appeared first on Modern Honey.

Charmina’s Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies are a classic chocolate chip cookie with a mix of melted butter and softened butter creamed with brown sugar and sugar and mixed with semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. It’s a chewy, sweet chocolate chip cookie.

I am sharing another fabulous chocolate chip cookie recipe with you because it has been well-established that I love experimenting with new methods, techniques, and ingredients. You can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes!

What is with the name? My brother, Jeff, loved to come up with crazy nicknames and decided that mine was going to be Charmina. He loved to call me it as a kid.

I was 13 years old and had my very first crush. My friends and I used to turn on our radios and listen to the Affection Connection every single night with Delilah.  I would play it on my little alarm clock radio as I went to bed at night and would imagine falling in love. Such a hopeless romantic.

One night my friends put me up to calling Delilah and making a dedication.  I never in a million years thought she would answer….live on the show but it happened. I was a bumbling idiot as she started asking me questions. She started out with my name. Oh no! I couldn’t use my real name so I blurted out, “my name is Charmina.” I tried to say it without bursting out laughing. Her response was, “wow that is the most beautiful name I have ever heard.” She preceded to say, “Charmina, who would you like to dedicate a song to?” I basically laughed my way through it but dedicated “More than Words” to my first little crush, Brian.

So I decided to call this classic chocolate chip cookie recipe —  Charmina’s Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This chocolate chip cookie recipe starts out with butter. The key is to melt 1/2 cup of butter in a saucepan until melted and slightly browned.  This allows the butter to deepen its nutty flavor.  The other 1/2 cup of butter is whipped and creamed with brown sugar and sugar. This allows for air to develop in the cookie dough.  The melted butter is added and creamed for 3 more minutes. It’s the best of both worlds in one cookie! It has slightly more brown sugar than sugar which creates chewy chocolate chip cookies.

This recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. This helps to create a depth of flavor in the chocolate chip cookie dough.  Two leavening agents — baking soda and baking powder are added to give the cookies a nice loft. A mix of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips put these cookies over the top.

Charmina's Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Save Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Charmina's Chocolate Chip Cookies are a classic chocolate chip cookie with a mix of melted butter and softened butter creamed with brown sugar and sugar and mixed with semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. It's a chewy, sweet chocolate chip cookie.

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Cookies

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 1 cup Butter (1/2 cup melted, ½ cup softened)
• 1¼ cup Brown Sugar
• ½ cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 cups Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¾ teaspoon Salt
• 1½ cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 385 degrees.
2. Melt ½ cup of butter in small saucepan. Once butter is melted, turn on a timer for 1 minute and cook for 1 minute, swirling pan often.
3. Meanwhile, place remaining ½ cup butter, brown sugar, and sugar into large mixing bowl and cream for 2 minutes. Add melted butter and continue to cream for 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs and vanilla and cream for 1 minute, scraping down sides.
5. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix just until combined. Avoid overmixing the dough once the flour is added.
6. Stir in semisweet and milk chocolate chips.
7. If time allows, tightly wrap cookie dough and let chill.
8. Drop onto parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet.
9. Bake for 8 - 11 minutes or until color begins to develop on the edges.
10. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

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Happy Baking, my friends!

The post Charmina’s Chocolate Chip Cookies appeared first on Modern Honey.

There’s nothing like homemade ranch dressing made from scratch with fresh herbs.  The shelf-stable bottled ranch dressing has nothing on homemade ranch made with the freshest ingredients.

I have been on a quest to create the perfect ranch dressing.  In my quest…there was a lot of taste testing to ensure that the ratios were just right. After much research, I discovered that in my humble opinion, the perfect balance is a combination of mayonnaise, buttermilk, and sour cream. It is the diversity that keeps you on your toes!

A crucial part of ranch dressing is the seasonings. It’s the fresh, earthy flavors that set it apart from the rest. Too many herbs and you feel as if you are eating out of your Grandma’s garden and if you add too little herbs, you forget it’s ranch dressing. Just like life, it is trying to figure out the balance.  I discovered that fresh dill (or dried dill if you can’t find fresh), garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, paprika, a touch of sugar, salt, and pepper round it out so nicely.

How to make HOMEMADE RANCH DRESSING from scratch:

1.  Use a combination of mayonnaise, buttermilk, and sour cream.  Each of them plays an important role. The mayonnaise is the creamy base of the dressing. The buttermilk adds a nice creamy acidity to the dressing without adding much fat. The sour cream makes it thick and creamy.  It is the winning trifecta!
2. It is all about the seasonings.  Fresh dill plays a major role in homemade ranch.  You want that fine balance of earthy flavor without it being overkill.  If you can’t find fresh dill, you may substitute with dried dill.  It isn’t an even swap as you will use less dried dill than fresh.  Garlic and onion powder give it a depth of flavor while parsley brings the freshness.
3. Chill the dressing. Chilling is a magical trick as it gives the ingredients time to get to know each other.  It also softens the herbs. Chilling also helps to thicken the dressing.  Chill for at least 30 minutes but 2 hours is ideal.

This is perfectly paired with the Ultimate Wedge Salad with crispy bacon.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Homemade Ranch Dressing with fresh herbs is way better than anything you can find on a grocery shelf.

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Dressing

Ingredients

• ¾ cup Mayonnaise
• ½ cup Sour Cream
• ½ cup Buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons Fresh Dill (or ¾ teaspoon Dried Dill), finely diced
• ¾ teaspoon Garlic Powder
• ¾ teaspoon Onion Powder
• 2 teaspoons Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Dried Parsley (or 2 Tablespoons Fresh)
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper

Instructions

1. In a small bowl or shaker bottle, whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk until creamy. Stir in finely diced dill, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, parsley, salt, and pepper.
2. Add more seasonings according to taste.
3. Chill for at least 30 minutes. 2 hours is ideal to give time for dressing to thicken.
4. Drizzle on your favorite salad or use as a dip for vegetables.

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I hope you love this homemade ranch dressing recipe! Have a great day, my friends!

The post Homemade Ranch Dressing appeared first on Modern Honey.

The Ultimate BLT Wedge Salad made with crisp iceberg lettuce, crispy bacon, fresh cherry tomatoes, all drizzled with a creamy homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing. A drizzle of balsamic glaze puts it over the top! This is the easiest and most flavorful salad.

Whenever we get that special opportunity to go to a nice steakhouse, we always have to order the wedge salad.  There is just something about the crisp, salty, and creamy combination that you even forget you are eating salad! I wanted to figure out how to create a steakhouse quality iceberg BLT wedge salad at home.

There is a local pizza joint right by our house called Local Eats and they serve an incredible wedge salad.  They drizzle their wedge salad with a balsamic glaze and we have been hooked ever since. It’s optional but if you love balsamic vinegar, you will love a rich, thick balsamic glaze for a punch of flavor.

HOW TO MAKE the ULTIMATE BLT WEDGE SALAD:

1.  Start with iceberg lettuce.  This is the best lettuce to use as you need something that will stand up once it is quartered. It is also crisp so it holds up to a creamy dressing.
2. Use small cherry or grape tomatoes.  These are so easy to cut in half and give a robust fresh tomato flavor. Sprinkle the tomato halves with a touch of salt before adding to salad.
3. Use high-quality bacon and cook until crispy.  No soft, wilted bacon here! Cook bacon in a skillet until crispy or in an oven at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes.  The oven method is so easy and a much easier clean-up.
4. Drizzle with homemade ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing. My kids prefer homemade ranch dressing on their wedge salad.  If you like blue cheese, stir in 1/2 – 1 cup of high-quality blue cheese to my homemade ranch dressing recipe.
5. If you love to add a bit more flavor, drizzle salad with a balsamic glaze. It is amazing!

Ultimate BLT Wedge Salad

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Ultimate BLT Wedge Salad made with crisp iceberg lettuce, fresh cherry tomatoes, crispy bacon, with a homemade creamy ranch or blue cheese dressing. A classic, crowd-favorite salad.

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Salad

Serves: 4-8

Ingredients

• 1 - 2 Heads Iceberg Lettuce (each lettuce cuts into 4 wedges)
• 2 cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved
• 8 Slices Bacon, cooked until crispy
• ½ - 1 cup Blue Cheese, crumbled (optional)
• Balsamic Glaze (optional)
• Homemade Ranch Dressing:
• http://www.modernhoney.com/homemade-ranch-dressing/

Instructions

1. To make homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing -- click HERE for recipe.
2. Cook bacon until crispy. If using a skillet, cook according to package instructions. To cook in the oven, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil. Cook bacon for 20-22 minutes or until desired crispiness. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
3. Quarter each head of iceberg lettuce into 4 wedges.
4. Top with halved cherry tomatoes, crispy bacon, and blue cheese, if using. You can also stir blue cheese into the dressing.
5. Drizzle with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
6. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, if so desired.

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Who is a BLT Wedge Salad fan? I hope that I am not alone in my love of this classic salad.  Have a great weekend, my friends!

The post Ultimate BLT Wedge Salad appeared first on Modern Honey.

TACOS!

Easy Oven-Baked Beef Tacos are spicy seasoned beef tacos sprinkled with Mexican cheeses and baked in the oven until melted. These delicious tacos are topped with sour cream or crema, guacamole, fresh tomatoes, and even lettuce. These are basically PARTY TACOS, all done at once, which makes dinnertime a breeze.

We are IN LOVE with these Oven Baked Beef Tacos. I mean…we all love TACOS but these just took our love to another level. This dinner is ridiculously popular in our home and these tacos are gone within seconds.

When I first got married, I discovered really quickly that my husband’s favorite meal was ground beef tacos. Simple tacos.  I would watch in wonder as he would down 6 tacos in one sitting.  To this day, it is one of his absolute favorite dinners.

How to make EASY OVEN BAKED BEEF TACOS in 4 simple steps:

1.  Cook ground beef with onions, red pepper (if you love them), poblano or jalapeno pepper. The peppers and onion and going to give these tacos the huge FLAVOR pay-off.
2. Season with Mexican spices.  A mix of chili powder, cumin, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper are what makes these tacos so mouthwatering.
3. Fill flat-bottomed taco shells (such as Stand N’ Stuff) with meat and sprinkle with Mexican cheeses.  Line baking pan with two sheets of foil to help keep the tacos nice and crispy.  Bake until cheese is melted.
4. Top with sour cream (or Mexican crema), zesty guacamole, fresh salsa, diced tomatoes, and even lettuce (if you like it gringo style). Serve immediately to your hungry friends and family. They will THANK YOU.

This recipe will become a family favorite in no time at all! These Oven Baked Beef Tacos are beyond easy and a real crowd pleaser.

Easy Oven Baked Beef Tacos

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

33 mins

 

A family favorite recipe! Easy Oven-Baked Beef Tacos are spicy seasoned beef tacos sprinkled with Mexican cheeses and baked in the oven until melted. These delicious tacos are topped with sour cream or crema, guacamole, fresh tomatoes, and even lettuce.

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Oil
• 1 Onion, finely diced
• 1 Red Pepper, finely diced
• 1 small Poblano Pepper or Jalapeno Pepper, deseeded and finely diced
• 1½ lb2. Ground Beef
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Pepper
• 1 - 8-ounce can (1 cup) Tomato Sauce
• 8 - 10 Tacos Shells (flat-bottomed shells, such as Stand 'N Stuff work best)
• 1½ - 2 cups Mexican Cheese Blend (or Sharp Cheddar, Pepper Jack, or Monterey Jack)
• 
  
• Toppings:
• Sour Cream (or Mexican crema)
• Guacamole
• Salsa
• Hot Sauce
• Diced Tomatoes
• Shredded Lettuce
• Green Onions

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, onion, and peppers and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in ground beef and begin to break up using a wooden spoon.
4. Let ground beef cook and sprinkle with chili powder, cumin powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat.
5. Stir in tomato sauce and cook for 5 minutes longer until mixture thickens.
6. Line 9 x 13 baking pan with two pieces of foil. Line baking pan with flat-bottomed taco shells.
7. Scoop ground beef mixture into each taco shell. Sprinkle with Mexican cheeses.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
9. Remove from oven and top with your favorite toppings.

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It’s TACO TUESDAY tomorrow so the perfect way to celebrate is to whip up some of these Oven Baked Beef Tacos! Am I right?

Happy Cooking, my friends!

The post Easy Oven Baked Beef Tacos appeared first on Modern Honey.

The Best White Chicken Chili Recipe is so creamy, delicious, and full of flavor. A family favorite meal!

A creamy white bean chicken chili made with tender shredded chicken, green chilies, white beans, jalapeno, chicken broth, Mexican spices, and cream cheese. The cream cheese makes it extra rich and creamy and is the game-changing ingredient. My Mom swears by adding cream cheese to her soups.

My kids beg for this white chicken chili. There are never any leftovers to be found! This white bean chicken chili is so easy to throw in the crockpot. It can also be put together on a stovetop in less than 40 minutes.

My favorite way to make this white chicken chili is to throw it together in the morning in the slow cooker. Here’s how to make Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili. It is as easy as putting in the chicken breast, onion, jalapeno, mexican spices, and chicken broth and let it cook low and slow for 5-6 hours.  Add green chilies, beans, cilantro, and cream cheese, and heat for 1 hour longer.

If you want to make Quick and Easy White Chicken Chili, you can make it in a pot in 30-40 minutes.  It is as simple as sauteeing the onion and peppers in a little oil until nice and tender.  The Mexican spices and chicken broth are added and then bring it to a simmer.  Add the green chilies, beans, shredded chicken, cilantro, and cream cheese and heat.

If you want a quick and easy White Bean Turkey Chili, you can find the RECIPE HERE. 

White Chicken Chili

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

A creamy white bean chicken chili made with tender shredded chicken, green chilies, white beans, jalapeno, chicken broth, Mexican spices, and cream cheese. The best white chicken chili recipe.

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. Chicken Breast
• 1 Large Onion (or 2 small onions), finely diced
• 1 Jalapeno, finely diced
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder
• 2 teaspoons Cumin
• ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano (optional)
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 4 cups Chicken Broth (32 ounces)
• 2 - 4-ounce cans Green Chilies, diced
• 2 - 15-ounce cans White Beans (such as White Northern), drained
• 1 - 8-ounce Cream Cheese
• ½ cup Cilantro Leaves, chopped
• 
  
• Toppings:
• Cheese
• Avocado
• Sour Cream
• Tortilla Strips

Instructions

1. To make White Chicken Chili in slow cooker crockpot:
2. Place chicken breast, onion, jalapeno, spices, and chicken broth in slow cooker and cook for low for 5-6 hours. Remove lid and shred chicken.
3. Add green chilies, white beans, cream cheese, and cilantro leaves. Cook for 1-hour longer or until cream cheese is melted.
4. Top with cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips, and avocado
5. 
   
6. To make quick and easy White Chicken Chili:
7. Use rotisserie chicken or 2 lbs. of poached shredded chicken breast.
8. In a large pot, saute finely diced onion and jalapeno in 1 Tablespoon of oil for 7-8 minutes over medium heat. Sprinkle with spices. Stir in chicken broth, shredded chicken, green chilies, white beans, cream cheese, and cilantro.Cook on medium-low for 20 minutes or until cream cheese is melted.
9. Top with cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips, and avocado

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PIN on PINTEREST:

I hope you love this White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe! Let me know what you think about it. I always love to hear it!

The post White Chicken Chili appeared first on Modern Honey.

Chinese Orange Chicken made with crispy fried chicken covered in an authentic orange sauce. The ultimate Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe which is way better than take-out. 

My kids are always begging me to take them to grab Chinese food.  They are obsessed with orange chicken but I am never really sure what’s in it….especially if they get it from a drive-thru. I wanted to create a version at home, made from scratch, with only ingredients I can pronounce. It still has the same incredible flavor they love. It’s definitely a win-win in our home.

It is winter time in Arizona which means that the citrus is ripe for the picking. I am surrounded by neighbors who have a plethora of fresh oranges and lemons hanging from their trees. This is the perfect time of year to whip up orange and lemon dishes especially this Chinese Orange Chicken.

This Chinese Orange Chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, dredged, and then fried until golden and crispy. The orange sauce is divine! It is a sweet orange sauce made with orange juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red chili flakes, and orange zest. It is both sweet and spicy and full of flavor.

How to make Chinese Orange Chicken at home:

1.  Start with boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs.  Cut into bite-size pieces.  Dredge the chicken in whisked eggs and cornstarch/flour mixture until nice and coated. Get these chicken pieces ready for the oil.
2. To make your homemade orange sauce, place orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch and water and cook until thickened. Stir in orange zest.
3. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When frying foods, it is so helpful to use a thermometer. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees.  Once the oil is ready, in batches, cook chicken for about 2 minutes until light golden brown.  Repeat with remaining chicken.
4. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
5. Toss fried chicken with the sweet orange sauce.  Top with grated orange zest and green onions. Serve immediately.

Chinese Orange Chicken

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Chinese Orange Chicken that is way better than take-out!

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Asian

Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients

• Chicken:
• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 Eggs, whisked
• ⅓ cup Cornstarch
• ⅓ cup Flour
• Oil (for frying)
• 
  
• Orange Chicken Sauce:
• 1 cup Orange Juice
• ½ cup Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar (or White Vinegar)
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• ¼ teaspoon Ginger
• ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder (or 2 garlic cloves, finely diced)
• ½ teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
• Orange Zest, from 1 orange
• 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
• 
  
• Garnish:
• Green Onions
• Orange Zest

Instructions

1. To make orange sauce:
2. In a medium pot, add orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. Heat for 3 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add to orange sauce and whisk together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add orange zest.
4. To make chicken:
5. Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Add a pinch of salt. Stir.
6. Whisk eggs in shallow dish.
7. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on plate.
8. Heat 2 -3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, watch for it to reach 350 degrees.
9. Working in batches, cook several chicken pieces at a time. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, turning often until golden brown. Place chicken on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat.
10. Toss chicken with orange sauce. You may reserve some of the sauce to place on rice. Serve it with a sprinkling of green onion and orange zest, if so desired.

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This Orange Chicken is going to make you forget take-out. Let me know how it turns out by reaching out on instagram at @modern_honey. Have a great night, my friends!

The post Chinese Orange Chicken appeared first on Modern Honey.

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Soup with all of the creamy, tangy, and spicy flavor of your favorite chicken wings but in a soup!

My family is obsessed with wings.

It all starts with my husband. If he ever goes on a diet, he asks to splurge on wings and ribs for his last meal.

If he ever takes the boys on a “guys night out” they always order wings. If I am ever out of town on business, they order wings. You are probably getting the picture by now. They love themselves some chicken wings.

Guy Fieri, from Food Network, is one of my favorites and his food is always over-the-top delicious. He is always bringing the intense flavors! I saw him make a Buffalo Chicken Soup and I knew that it had to go on our dinner menu. It was everything I wanted it to be but needed a little more wing flavor. I am tweaking the recipe and sharing it with you!

This Creamy Buffalo Chicken Soup is made with everything you love about wings — the robust flavor of the wing sauce paired with the freshness of carrot and celery sticks dipped in blue cheese (or ranch) dressing.

This Creamy Buffalo Soup starts off with sauteeing onion, carrots, and celery in butter until softened. This is going to bring out the rich flavors of the vegetables and add some freshness to the soup.  Chicken stock is added to give it a depth of flavor. This is a good time to puree in a blender or by using an immersion blender.  This creates a silky smooth creamy soup.

Once the soup is pureed, bring it back on the heat and add the heavy cream.  The Frank’s Hot Sauce or Wing Sauce is what gives it that perfect chicken wing flavor.

I am salivating just thinking about this soup and want a bowl right this very second.

You may use any type of chicken you desire — pulled chicken meat from a rotisserie chicken or poached chicken. If you want to know how to make tender, poached chicken that shreds easily, just follow the easy directions below.

How to poach chicken breasts:

Place chicken breasts in a pot and cover with water. Sprinkle with some salt and any other seasonings you desire. Bring water to a boil and once the water has reached the boiling stage, quickly reduce to a simmer at low heat. Cover and allow to cook for 10 – 14 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from water and shred using two forks.

This Creamy Buffalo Soup can be topped with blue cheese crumbles (if you dig it), sour cream, green onions, and homemade croutons. The croutons are ridiculously good with this soup!

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Soup

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Soup with all of the flavor of chicken wings in one soup!

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Carrots, diced
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 Celery Stalk, diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, diced (or ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• ¼ cup Flour
• 6 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• ¾ cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce or Wing Sauce
• 2½ cups Chicken, cooked and shredded
• Garnish:
• 1 cup Sour Cream (optional)
• ½ cup Blue Cheese (optional)
• Green Onions
• 
  
• Buttery Croutons:
• 2 cups French or Sourdough Baguette, cut into cubes
• 3 Tablespoons Butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt

Instructions

1. To make soup, heat a large pot over medium heat. Add butter, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 - 7 minutes, until vegetables become tender.
2. Add the flour and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring often.
3. Pour vegetable mixture and chicken broth into a blender or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.
4. Return to pot and add heavy cream and hot wing sauce over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Add pulled chicken and heat for 5 minutes.
6. To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Top with garnishes of choice -- sour cream, blue cheese, green onions, homemade croutons.
7. Homemade Croutons:
8. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and olive oil. Add the bread cubes to the pan and stir to coat. Cook until golden -- 6 - 8 minutes. Season with a sprinkle of salt. Serve on top of the soup.

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Happy Cooking, my friends!

The post Creamy Buffalo Chicken Soup appeared first on Modern Honey.

Rich chocolate cake layered with whipped cream cheese raspberry filling, topped with creamy chocolate frosting and fresh raspberries. 

Every single year on Valentine’s Day, I make my husband a chocolate cake. We have been married for 21 years (this will be the 24th Valentine’s Day we are celebrating together) so that’s a lot of cake! For years, I worked and tweaked to create the ultimate chocolate cake recipe and the Love at First Sight Chocolate Cake was born. This year I decided to mix it up a little and instead of a traditional chocolate cake, I made a Chocolate Raspberry Cake with a Fresh Raspberry Cream Filling.

This Chocolate Raspberry Cake is what dreams are made of. 

Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I am declaring it CHOCOLATE WEEK on Modern Honey! I am going to share some of our favorite chocolate treats and desserts, just in time for the holiday.  Is there any better food holiday than an entire week dedicated to chocolate? The answer is NO. This Chocolate Raspberry Cake is the perfect start to the week.

I have made a CRAZY amount of cakes in my days.  This chocolate cake ALWAYS turns out. It is so dependable because it is always a winner. The cakes come out beautifully every single time.

How to make a Perfect Chocolate Raspberry Cake:

Baking is all about ratios and you have to find that perfect balance. Here are some of the most important things I have learned about baking cakes:

• Even though I am the biggest butter fan in the world, oil just works best in chocolate cakes (in my humble opinion).
• A high-quality cocoa powder can change the depth of chocolate flavor. If you can use high-quality cocoa powder, it can be a difference maker. I use Callebaut Cocoa (which I find in the bulk section at Winco for a steal of a price).
• Cake flour does make a difference in the tender crumb of the cake but you can substitute all-purpose flour.
• Using both baking soda and baking powder gives it the best rise.
• Buttermilk is a must because it gives it the melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Once you add the hot water, the cake batter will be thin. Don’t panic. It’s ALL GOOD.  It just means that the cake will be extra moist.
• Don’t overbake your cake. You want that moist, tender crumb so watch it carefully.

• My favorite baking pans are these ones — Wilton 8 Inch Round Pan and USA Round Cake Pan, 9 inch. A flat spatula to frost a cake is essential and is only around 5 bucks — Wilton Angled Icing Spatula.
• Whip the cream cheese for 2 minutes before adding the powdered sugar. Keep scraping down the sides of the bowl.  Once you add the powdered sugar, cream for 2 more minutes before adding heavy cream. Whip until soft peaks form.
• Pick out the largest and most beautiful raspberries for the top of the cake. Use the tasty “rejects” (the most amazing “rejects) for the filling.
• If you want some extra raspberry flavor, you may spread a thin layer of seedless raspberry jam on the cake layers. You can also make a simple syrup and add a few raspberries in it for extra flavor. This cake is so moist, I don’t even have to use simple syrup.

Chocolate Raspberry Cake

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

24 mins

Total time

54 mins

 

Rich chocolate cake layered with whipped cream cheese raspberry filling, topped with creamy chocolate frosting and fresh raspberries.

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• Chocolate Cake:
• 1¾ cup Flour
• 1¾ cup Sugar
• ¾ cup Cocoa (high quality)
• 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ cup Oil (such as Canola)
• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1½ teaspoons Vanilla
• 1 cup Hot Water
• 
  
• Raspberry Cream Filling:
• 1 - 8-ounce pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
• 1½ cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 12 ounces Fresh Raspberries (reserve 6 ounces for the top of the cake)
• ¼ cup Seedless Raspberry Jam (optional)
• 
  
• Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
• 1 cup Butter, softened
• ¾ cup Cocoa
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Cream, Half n Half or Milk
• 2 teaspoons Light Karo Syrup (optional for shine)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. If you have a flour sifter, sift all dry ingredients.
3. In mixing bowl, beat oil, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla for 1 minute. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour in hot water and mix together. The batter will be liquidy but that's a good thing -- it will create a moist cake.
4. Spray two or three 8 or 9-inch cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. You can use three 8 inch cake pans for this recipe. Pour batter evenly into each pan. Bake at 22-27 minutes. Place toothpick or cake tester in the center of the cake to check if it comes out clean.
5. Let cool before frosting.
6. To make Raspberry Cream Filling:
7. In a large mixing bowl, whip cream cheese for 2 minutes, until fluffy, scraping down the sides of
8. the bowl. Add powdered sugar and beat for 2 more minutes. Add heavy cream and beat until soft peaks form. It needs to be thick enough that it will hold its shape once on the cake layers.
9. To make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
10. In mixing bowl, cream together Butter, Cocoa, Powdered Sugar, and Cream until light and fluffy. You may want to add more cream or milk depending on consistency.
11. To assemble cake:
12. Once the cake has cooled and has been removed from pans, spread cream filling over each cake layer (I used three 8-inch pans). Place raspberries over cream layer. Repeat. *If using raspberry jam, spread it on cake layer before adding the cream filling.
13. Frost with chocolate buttercream frosting. Top with fresh raspberries in center of the cake. May dust with powdered sugar.

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This Chocolate Raspberry Cake will knock your socks off! I can’t wait to hear all about it. Have a wonderful night, my friends!

Happy Baking!

The post Chocolate Raspberry Cake appeared first on Modern Honey.

Chocolate Nutella Cookies are soft chewy chocolate cookies with creamy Nutella and chocolate chunks. A perfect chocolate hazelnut cookie.

I buy Nutella in the largest jars possible at Costco. Just don’t leave me home alone with the said jar. It’s downright dangerous….and I can’t be trusted.

Neither can my daughter. This is how I found her one day and I just had to document it. Her love affair with Nutella is strong.

This heavenly chocolate-hazelnut spread came into my life years ago and I have been wanting to create a soft chewy chocolate chunk Nutella cookie. I really wanted the Nutella to be the star of the show and for the flavor to come through once the cookie is baked. Thankfully, the cookies came out of the oven and you better believe my little daughter was first in line to be my taste tester. These Chocolate Nutella Cookies passed with flying colors.

The key is to use Nutella similar to butter. Since it has a good amount of oil in it, it adds that creaminess that I was seeking. I replaced some of the butter with Nutella and the rest is history.

How to make PERFECT CHOCOLATE NUTELLA COOKIES:

1. Use a combination of butter and Nutella. I found that balance of sweet salted butter and creamy Nutella to bring balance to these cookies. I dare you not to take a few tastes of Nutella. It’s not easy (speaking from experience).
2. Use both brown sugar and sugar in this recipe. Brown sugar gives these cookies the depth of flavor and chewy texture. The sugar gives it those slightly crunchy edges.
3. Use unsweetened cocoa powder for that extra boost of chocolate flavor. The more chocolate, the better! Am I right?
4. Use chocolate chunks or chips. I chop up a real, high-quality chocolate bar because it melts so beautifully. I use the Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Chocolate Bar. It is imported from Belgium and the price is right for such high-quality chocolate.
5. CHILL the dough.  It gives the dough time to solidify and helps to keep the cookies from spreading so much once the dough hits the hot oven. The Nutella can encourage spreading so by chilling the dough, it slows down the process. Chill for at least 30 minutes – 1 hour but overnight is ideal.
6. Bake until the edges start to crisp and the center is still chewy.  You will see indentions start to form on the edges of the cookie.
7. Sprinkle with a light dusting of sea salt if you like the sweet and salty combo. It’s a great balance to these sweet cookies.
8. If you want to elevate these Chocolate Nutella Cookies, add chopped Milky Way candy bars and you have Chocolate Nutella Caramel Cookies. Oh my word. They are ridiculous.
9. If using caramel bars, use a silicone Silpat baking sheet or parchment paper to keep the caramel from sticking to the pan.

I experimented and made these into Chocolate Nutella Caramel Cookies. I tested these Chocolate Nutella Cookies using two different kinds of Milky Way Bars. I used the traditional Chocolate Caramel Milky Way Bars and cut them into bite-size pieces. However, I opened up my baking cupboard and found a stash of Fun-Size Dark Chocolate Milky Way Candy Bars with Marshmallow and Caramel and I knew that I had to throw those babies in there as well.  Basically, I am here to confirm that ALL are viable options. My husband couldn’t pick a favorite. When I asked him which cookie he liked best out of the 3, he said, “all of them.” He’s so helpful.

These Chocolate Nutella Cookies will literally melt in your mouth. They are so soft, chewy, and chocolatey that you will not want to stop at one. Just a fair warning. It’s Chocolate Week so indulge with zero guilt.

Chocolate Nutella Cookies

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Chocolate Nutella Cookies are soft chewy chocolate cookies with creamy Nutella and chocolate chunks. A perfect chocolate hazelnut cookie.

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Cookies

Serves: 20

Ingredients

• ½ cup Butter, softened (not melted)
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• ½ cup Sugar
• ½ cup Chocolate Nutella Spread
• 2 Eggs
• ⅓ cup Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
• 1¾ cup Flour
• ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 - 1½ cups Chocolate Chunks (chocolate bar chopped)
• Sea Salt (for sprinkling)
• Milky Way Candy Bars, optional (cut into bite-size pieces)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars for 4 minutes or until creamy.
3. Add Nutella and cream for 1 minute longer. Add eggs and mix.
4. Stir in cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until combined.
5. Stir in chocolate chunks.
6. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes - 1 hour, preferably overnight.
7. Once the dough is chilled, roll into balls and place on baking sheet.
8. If you using Milky Way candy bars, place two bite-size pieces in the center of each cookie dough.Parchment paper or Silpat silicone baking sheets are helpful to keep the caramel from sticking.
9. If using sea salt, lightly sprinkle with a touch of salt.
10. Bake for 9 - 12 minute.
11. Let cookies set up for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

3.5.3208

This is the second year for our Valentine’s event! We want to make a difference in the fight against pediatric cancer!

Did you know that cancer is the #1 cause of death of children by disease in the U.S.? There are 40,000 U.S. children actively battling cancer right now. With less than 4% of the National Cancer Institute’s budget going to all childhood cancer combined, I knew it was important for me to get involved.

Help us make a difference by donating to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer! Our goal is to raise at least $3000. Because these three companies: Dixie Crystals, Mediavine and OXO have each pledged to match our donations raised through this campaign up to $3000!!!

Thanks to many of you, we have reached our goal. You can still donate and help us make an even bigger difference!

Donate here.

Here are some awesome food bloggers recipes to support Cookies for Kids’ Cancer:

Yellow Heart-Shaped Rainbow Funfetti Cookies from Julie of The Little Kitchen
Peanut Butter Cookie Cake from Julie of Julie Blanner
Cherry Coconut Macaroons from Miranda of Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
Brownie Cookies from Mel of Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
No-Bake Chocolate Candy Cookies from Debi of Life Currents
Double Dark Chocolate Chery Black Forest Cookies from Jamie of Southern Revivals
White Chocolate Valentine Madeleine Cookies from Marlynn of Urban Bliss Life
Pillowy Soft Sugar Cookies from Stephie of Stephie Cooks
Steak with Peppercorn Sauce from Sonja of Ginger & Toasted Sesame
Creamy Beet Risotto from Rachel of Copper & Verdigris
Valentine’s Day Chocolate Sugar Cookies from Denise of Chez Us
Red Velvet Donuts from Gwynn of Swirls of Flavor
S’mores Brown Butter Panbanging Cookies from Marybeth of babysavers
Gluten-Free Chocolate Kiss Cookies from Audrey of Mama Knows Gluten Free
Gluten-Free Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies from Brianna of Flippin’ Delicious
Rose Meringue Cookies from Kirsten of Comfortably Domestic
Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Curry from Shashi of Savory Spin
Double Chocolate Meringue Cookies from Dee of Meatloaf and Melodrama
White Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie from Sarah of Sarah Cooks the Books
Cream Wafer Cookies from Kelly of Live Laugh Rowe
White Chocolate and Raspberry Cookies from Wanda of My Sweet Zepol
Raspberry Fudge Cookies from Jessica of A Kitchen Addiction
Raspberry Cookies from Courtney of Know Your Produce
Syltkakor Raspberry Jam Cookies from Megan of Stetted
No-Bake Chocolate Tart from Rachel of Rachel Cooks
Heart-Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies from Angela of About a Mom
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies from Lisa of TasteCookSip
Chai Latte Shortbread Hearts from Sue of It’s Okay to Eat the Cupcake
Soft and Sweet Sugar Cookie Bars from Carlee of Cooking With Carlee
Strawberry and Cream Cookies from Ashley of A Cup of Charming
Cherry Cream Cheese Cookies from Lisa of Blogghetti
Galete Waffle Cookies from Shaina of Food for My Family
Almond Shortbread Cookies from Denise of addicted 2 recipes
Easy Strawberry Fudge from Chrysa of Thrifty Jinxy
Valentine’s Day Mug Hug Cookies from Aimee of Southern From Scratch
Doughnut Sandwich Cookies from Bree of Baked Bree
Chocolate Nutella Cookies from Melissa of Modern Honey
Easy Crinkle Cookies from Amy of The Nifty Foodie
Chocolate Sugar Cookies from Becca of The Salted Cookie
Love Cake from Sara of Confectionary Tales
Meringue Cookies from Sara of My Imperfect Kitchen

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Happy Baking, my friends!

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