When the world hands you a day you’d rather forget, treat yourself to some much needed dark chocolate comfort. This pan cookie recipe calls for chunky peanut butter and dark chocolate morsels– a winning combination!
Ingredients
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose baking mix (Bisquick)
1 (12-ounce) package dark chocolate morsels, divided (Hershey’s Special Dark Chips)
Preparation
Stir together peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl.
Stir in brown sugar until combined. Add baking mix and 3/4 cup dark chocolate morsels, stirring just until moistened. Spread mixture in a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan.
Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate morsels; let stand 5 minutes or until chocolate melts. Spread melted chocolate evenly over top. Cut into triangles, bars, or squares.
For history buffs, this is a great read and a necessary repost. Thanks Marilyn!
America was born bankrupt. We won the revolution, but lost everything else. Our economy was dependent on Great Britain. We produced raw material, but Great Britain turned those materials into goods for the world’s markets.
Not merely did we depend on the British to supply us with finished goods we could not produce ourselves, we depended on British banks, British shipping, and British trade routes.
Everything has a price and we had no money. We had hoped we could reach an agreement with England…
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Happy Easter all! I hope that you feel the Son on the inside and outside of your hearts today.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Come on guys, this scene is played for real. Don’t get played and don’t serve. #Selflove, #Queensfirst!
PREP TIME: 25 min. | TOTAL TIME: 1 hr. 30 min.
MAKES: 18 servings
Ingredients
2-1/2 pkg. (4 oz. each) BAKER’S Unsweetened Chocolate (10 oz.), divided
1-1/2 cups MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2-1/2 tsp. vanilla, divided
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup milk
Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F.
MELT 6 oz. chocolate as directed on package; cool. Meanwhile, beat dressing, brown sugar and 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla in large bowl with mixer until blended. Beat in eggs and melted chocolate. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to chocolate mixture alternately with water, mixing well after each addition.
POUR into 2 parchment paper-lined 9-inch round pans sprayed with cooking spray.
BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 10 min.; remove from pans. Immediately remove parchment paper. Cool cakes completely on wire racks.
MEANWHILE, microwave remaining chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 to 1-1/2 min. or until butter is completely melted, stirring every 30 sec. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool.
ADD powdered sugar, milk and remaining vanilla to butter mixture; beat until blended. Use to fill and frost cake layers.
“The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all” – African proverb.
Happy Thursday! Atlantic Starr is one of my all time favorite groups. If you have never heard of them, please check them out. I was wondering why all my “20 Something” family members stayed in my music stash. And as I am advised, they have grown up on Old School Music through sampling by newer artists. Well, here’s just a sample for today. Enjoy!
Atlantic Starr was an American R&B band. Among their biggest hits were “Always” and “Secret Lovers.”
The group was started in 1976, in Greenburgh, New York, by trumpeter Duke Jones (who left the band prior to their first recordings), along with drummer Porter Carroll Jr., bassist Clifford Archer, percussionist and flutist Joseph Phillips, Sheldon Tucker (Guitar; parted ways with the band before the first recordings), and three brothers: David Lewis (vocals/guitar), Wayne Lewis (keyboards and vocals), and Jonathan Lewis (percussion and trombone). The band’s membership eventually stabilized around Carroll, Archer, Phillips, the three Lewis brothers, lead singer Sharon Bryant (who was later replaced by Barbara Weathers), trumpeter William Sudderth, and saxophonist Damon Rentie (who was later replaced by Koran Daniels). In 1977, the band came to Westwood, California, and performed on the nightclub scene under the name “Newban,” which they agreed to change at the request of A&M executive Herb Alpert when they were signed. Having already agreed to keep the Starr part of an early idea for a new band name, the members decided to add the word Atlantic, because of their East Coast roots. The nine-member band were now A&M employees.
Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, Atlantic Starr scored several hits on the R&B charts. However, significant crossover success (onto the pop charts) did not come until halfway into the 80s, with the release of their As The Band Turns album, and the single “Secret Lovers.”
The band would continue to score hits on both the R&B and Pop charts into the early 90s. 1991 saw the introduction of yet another new female lead singer, when Martin was replaced by Rachel Oliver for the album, Love Crazy. This album featured the band’s biggest hit of the 90s, with “Masterpiece” reaching #3 on both the pop and R&B charts in early 1992. Credit: Wikipedia
Never mistake my kindness for weakness.
These macarons are simply delicious. However, better bakers than me will attest it really comes down to one thing—it’s all in the macronage. That’s the process by which the dry ingredients are folded into the meringue.
Under fold and you will have uneven cracked macarons or macarons that may they look good on the outside but have a noticeable pocket of air from the middle to the top. Over fold and you will have feetless macarons that resemble cookies instead.
Be patient. These cookies don’t require or warrant some of the fuss you may have read about. What they do require is some practice. If you aren’t one of the lucky few that nails it on the first run, you’ll get it—baking fails are a great way to learn, so keep going.
YIELD: Makes approximately 70 shells
Ingredients:
CHOCOLATE MACARONS
135g egg whites
45g granulated sugar
215g powdered sugar
115g almond meal
25g cocoa powder
3 Snickers bars, regular size
To make caramel creme filling:
Place butter in a bowl and beat until creamed. Add in confectioner sugar and salt and beat until light combined. Add in caramel and beat until combined.
Directions
Heat oven to 330 degrees. Line bake sheet with parchment.
1. Trace out 1 inch circles on parchment and set this aside as a “master copy”. Reserve two extra sheets of parchment and set aside.
2. Place egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and fit mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium low speed until egg whites start to form loose translucent bubbles. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until meringue turns foamy and white and starts to resemble well lathered shampoo, about 2 minutes. Increase mixer to high and beat until meringue holds glossy stiff peaks, about another 2-3 minutes. Turn off mixer.
3. Place all dry ingredients in a food processor and process for two minutes and then push it through a fine mesh sieve. Return any large almond granules to food processor and process until fine. Add dry ingredients to meringue.
4. Add dry ingredients to meringue. Using a sturdy spatula fold and smash dry mixture into meringue against the bowl for about 20-25 folds. Don’t worry about being gentle the idea is to knock the air out of it. The batter should hold its shape when spooned on itself and start to slowly flatten out after about 15-20 seconds. Start checking the batter after 20 folds for readiness. Transfer batter to pastry bag and let rest for 20 minutes before piping.
5. Place master copy of drawn circles on a bake sheet and then place a second sheet of parchment on top. Fill a pastry bag with batter and pipe until batter reaches edge of circle. Remove master copy from underneath piped layer and place on second bake sheet and pipe remaining batter (remove master copy and save for future use).Take hold of each pan and give it quick hard tap against the counter, turn the pan 90 degrees and give it another quick hard tap. This will deflate any bubbles and prevent cracked shells.
6. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Leave shells to cool completely in pan. Shells should cleanly peel away from parchment.
ASSEMBLY
1. Slice Snickers into 1/8inch slices and then quarter each slice. Place quartered slices around perimeter onthe bottom of one shell. Pipe filling in the middle and place a second shell on top with bottom side down to create a sandwich effect.
Egos & Buffaloes 