Cookies & (Irish)Cream Pie

Featuring Oreo® Baileys® Butter & Oreo® Toffee...

I truly cannot take credit for this idea. You know how when kids start carrying-on at the table & stuff just begins to snowball? Such was the case here -- I simply asked my fellas what comes to mind for cookies & cream. One said "Irish Cream?" and then it was all downhill after that.

We started by making the butter. Since we needed a full cup we tossed 2 Oreo® sleeves into the blender and used a little help from Baileys® to create this magical spread.

Next we needed to make the toffee.

(I got this idea while perusing candy recipes, but actually used a 1946 "Joy of Cooking" for the toffee recipe.)

Here we used another 35 cookies for the base, plus maybe a half-dozen more broken up to fill in the holes... (I did melt a cup and a half of semi-sweet chocolate chips to spread over the cooling candy, but next time I'll just leave it with cookies & toffee.)

So, here's the complete dessert recipe:

Didn't hear one complaint from the fellas...

(of course, their mouths were too full of cookies & cream to speak...)

I, however, was saying "Oh, oh, ohhhhhhhhhhh!"

For more information on our monthly Improv Challenge hosted by Nichole, you can visit her blog or our group's facebook page. 

And now, here are some cookies & cream recipes by fellow participants:

An InLinkz Link-up

GF Red Velvet Cheesecake

Well, today is my final post for #Choctoberfest2016 … BTW – Did you enter the Rafflecopter drawing for the prize pack worth $350? (The drawing was extended to October 22nd because of weather/transportation/shipping issues related to Hurricane Matthew…)

I’m pretty sure I saved the best for last!

This cheesecake…

OH!MY!

Let’s start with the crust:

stir together

• 2 c. almond meal
• 1 T. brown sugar
• 3 T. melted butter
• 2 T. honey

Prepare the bottom (parchment or butter) of 9” springform. Combine ingredients until crumbly. Press firmly into pan.For the cheesecake:

in the mixer

• 24 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1¹/₂ c. sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 c. Greek yogurt
• ¹/₂ c. buttermilk
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 T. baking cocoa mixed with 2 oz. red food coloring
• 1 t. white vinegar with ¹/₄ t. baking soda

Cream the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in the remaining ingredients just until everything is well-combined. Scrape batter onto prepared crust. Bake in pre-heated 350° oven for ten minutes, then reduce temperature to 300°. Bake for 75 minutes, or until firm in the center. Turn oven off, but let the cheesecake stand in there for 30 minutes. Remove to rack & let cool completely. Cover & chill in refrigerator while making the Ermine Icing.

You absolutely can not top a cheesecake with cream cheese frosting! And you should never, really, top a red velvet anything with something other than the traditional boiled milk icing. (The gentle cocoa flavor just gets too overwhelmed…) Trust me on this. {end rant }

for the icing:

• 3 T. gf flour (I used this)
• 2 T. arrowroot starch
• 1 c. whole milk
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 c. butter, room temperature
• 1 c. granulated sugar

In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk the flour & starch into the milk. Heat until it simmers, stirring constantly until it becomes thick like pudding. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Pour into a bowl & cover surface with plastic wrap and cool completely.

In the mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it’s light & fluffy. Beat for five minutes.

While the mixer is running (medium speed) add the cooled milk mixture about a quarter cup at a time. Beat until mixture is light & fluffy and resembles whipped cream. Top cheesecake and refrigerate.

The next time I attempt this cheesecake (and, there will be a next time!) I will probably add more cocoa. The chocolate flavor disappeared behind the cream cheese… But I had no complaints from the taste-testers.

Check out the #Choctoberfest links below:

An InLinkz Link-up

German Chocolate Cake Pops, gluten-free

 

(adapted from gluten-free girl)

On this fourth recipe for #Choctoberfest I decided I would try something along the lines of my grandma’s favorite cake, which was German Chocolate. But one slice was always a little bit too much sticky sweetness for me; so I decided I would turn it into a cute little round “cakelet” one can pop into one’s mouth.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE POPS  (gluten free)

for the cake:

Whisk together in mixing bowl:

• 2½ c. gf flour blend
• 1½ t. unflavored gelatin
• 2 c. sugar
• ½ c. baking cocoa
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 2 t. baking soda

In separate bowl combine:

• ²/₃ c. coconut oil
• 2 t. vinegar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 c. cold water

Pour this liquid into the flour mixture and beat for about a minute. Scrape the batter into greased pan(s) and bake in a pre-heated 350° oven for 35-40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Let cake cool completely.

to make the pops:

Add 1 c. brown sugar to 1 c. cream, heating only to dissolve sugar. Let cool. Crumble cake into mixing bowl. Add 1 cup dried coconut flakes, 1 small box (instant) chocolate pudding and the sugar/cream mixture. Stir on low until well combined. Roll into balls and chill to firm. (makes about 5 dozen)

Melt 12 oz. milk chocolate with 1½ t. coconut oil in double boiler. In a separate dish combine 1 c. chopped pecans with 1 c. dried coconut flakes.

Dip tip of candy stick into chocolate and insert in cake balls. Chill until set.Dip balls into chocolate and then in the coconut/pecan mixture. Chill until set.

Make sure you check out all those delicious #Choctoberfest recipes below:

An InLinkz Link-up

GF Mexican Chocolate Churros

Well, have you entered the Rafflecopter giveaway for #Choctoberfest2016 yet? You should probably do that here right now! The sponsors have some great prizes they would love to send you…
This is the third day of our chocolate celebration, so I wanted to try something to put a little “pep” into the middle of your week. The subtle cayenne addition will wake your mouth up! (But you can soothe it with our luscious dairy-free caramel sauce, if you’d like…)

Gluten-Free Mexican Chocolate Churros

Whisk together in mixing bowl:

• 1 c. gf flour
• 1/2 c. arrowroot starch
• 2 T. baking cocoa powder
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. cayenne
• 1/2 t. espresso powder

Heat to rolling boil in microwave-safe cup:

• 1 c. water
• 1/2 c. butter
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1/4 t. kosher salt

Pour boiling liquid ingredients onto dry ingredients, add 1/2 t. almond extract and beat until smooth. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating until the dough is shiny after each addition. Spoon into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe 6-inch length of dough into 350° oil, and fry both sides. Drain excess oil and dredge in 1/2 c. Demerara sugar mixed with 1 t. cinnamon. Serve immediately.Our gluten-free churro batter was a little too thin to pipe with the star tip, so we had to improvise with a ribbon shape using this wonderful little Wilton candy-melt tool:

Dairy-free Caramel Sauce  (adapted from a Silk® recipe)

Stir together in saucepan:

• 1 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/4 t. lime juice (to inhibit crystallization)

Heat on medium for about 15 minutes without stirring, or until the mixture turns amber. Remove from heat and stir in:

• 1/2 c. Silk® Coconutmilk (watch out! it will bubble up – just keep stirring until smooth.)

Add:

• 2 T. coconut oil
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/4 t. kosher salt

Stir to combine, then serve immediately.

The churros taste so wonderful on their own – but when you dip them in that caramel sauce… ohhhhhhhhhh!
Thank you for joining us today! Make sure you check out some more #Choctoberfest recipes by following the links below:

An InLinkz Link-up

Deets on those sweets…

We decided on four types of sweets for the graduation party: the cake, dipped Oreo^®s, Pirouline^® diplomas, and copycat butterfinger bonbons.

Alec decided the cake flavor(s) – I had already chosen Red Velvet with custard filling, but he said no, if you’re gonna have chocolate, make it chocolate! OK.

I must say, however, that he made the right choice. He picked the raspberry filling and it was all perfect! WinCo bakery for the win.

 

Next graduation (should be about 2 years from now…) we will again make dipped Oreo^®s, but we won’t be using candy coating – that stuff is waaaaaaay too sweet! We’ll be dipping strictly chocolate.

 

I was so thankful my Aunt Margaret came over to help me tie ribbons around these dark chocolate-filled “dipomas”.

A few years ago I pinned a recipe for homemade butterfinger candy. I never tried it until just before Christmas. For the graduation party I had this notion I would form it into perfectly round balls and then dip them into chocolate for a plate of some beautiful truffles. Not quite. But they sure were popular!(My sis helped me dip them in the dark chocolate – I alone get credit for their beautiful shapes!)

I guess I should also include the beverages in this post:By far the most popular was the coffee punch. We made it with Toddy^® coffee & vanilla bean ice cream -- it was delicious!

Next was the fruit-infused water. That’s always my favorite on a warm evening. We went with fresh blackberries & blueberries & cantalope & some purple basil.

Such a tasty event – you should’ve been here!

 

Can’t leave without showing a picture of Duncan helping with clean-up after the party…Silly cat! Guess he loves him some decorator icing, huh?

German Chocolate Breakfast Scrolls

I love idiosyncracies of the English language across the various countries that use it. Several years back I sent in cinnamon rolls with the hubs to a men’s prayer group. An Aussie gentleman could not stop proclaiming how delicious the “cinnamon scrolls” were… So now at our house, whenever I serve bread that has been seasoned, rolled up, sliced & baked – they are designated “scrolls.”
My grandmother’s favorite cake was German Chocolate. I believe that is the only cake she requested a repeat from me. Anyhow, I decided that would be my inspiration for this month’s Improv Challenge: Pastry/Bread Dough & Chocolate 
Having determined my flavor profile, I needed a vehicle to implement it. I went with bread dough, because Grandma was a prolific baker.The difficulty with utilizing chocolate in yeasted dough is that it is prone to inhibit the rising process. In order to try to circumvent that I was inspired to use a recipe I’d tried years ago which has pudding as a base for the dough. It worked! I had no issues with rise…And the filled scrolls rose well, too…I sampled the fresh-baked rolls – so good!
Alas, the fellas in this house proclaimed the tops were too plain, please add a glaze, or something…
What a dilemna! I thought the scrolls too pretty to cover. But in the end I made a dark chocolate glaze, which turned out too difficult to drizzle so I had to spread it over the warm rolls.
And here are more Pastry/Bread Dough & Chocolate recipes from my friends:

An InLinkz Link-up