White Chocolate Halloween Ghost Pops

I've posted so many great Chocolate Halloween recipes and links to recipes this season, but I couldn't help posting one more. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart. It's simple and the perfect activity for Halloween. Great to do with children, too!

WHITE CHOCOLATE GHOST POPS
Makes about 15

Ingredients
12 ounces white chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli or Guittard white baking bars)
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Lollipop sticks
Mini chocolate chips

Directions
1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.
2. Melt white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water; stir occasionally. Remove bowl; mix in oil. Drop 1 tablespoon of mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Use the back of a teaspoon to quickly spread into a ghost. Place a lollipop stick at the base, spinning to coat. Add chocolate chip eyes. Refrigerate ghosts 5 minutes, then peel off.

Photo: Marthastewart.com

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

National Candy Corn Day: Chocolate Candy Corn Truffles

I love candy corn. O.K. it's very sweet, but I only have it a few times a year. So knock me over with a feather if there isn't a National Candy Corn Day! October 30. I shouldn't be surprised. It's an American Halloween tradition.

Nothing says Halloween like candy corn!  Shaped like real pieces of corn, candy corn is as fun as it is tasty.  In addition to the original candy corn or yellow, orange and white, there are different varieties, including Indian candy corn which is brown where the original candy corn is yellow, adding a hint of chocolate  (it's only a hint and a bit waxy, and it's not real chocolate, but I don't care at Halloween).

The National Confectioners Association estimates that 20 million pounds (9,000 tons) of candy corn are sold annually. The top branded retailer of candy corn, Brach's, sells enough candy corn each year to circle the earth 4.25 times if the kernels were laid end to end. Too much information?

Candy corn was created in the 1880s by the Philadelphia based Wunderlee Candy Company and, by 1900, was being produced by the Goelitz Candy Company (now Jelly Belly), which has continuously produced it for more than a century. Candy corn is shaped like a kernel of corn, a design that made it popular with farmers when it first came out, but it was the fact that it had three colors - a really innovative idea at the time - that made it popular.

Originally, candy corn was made of sugar, corn syrup, fondant and marshmallow, among other things, and the hot mixture was poured into cornstarch molds, where it set up. The recipe changed slightly over time and there are probably a few variations in recipes between candy companies, but the use of a mixture of sugar, corn syrup, gelatin and vanilla (as well as honey, in some brands) is the standard.

Candy makers use a process called corn starch molding. Corn starch is used to fill a tray, creating candy corn shaped indentations. Candy corns are built from the top to the bottom in three waves of color. First, the indentation is partially filled with white syrup. Next, when the white is partially set, they add the the orange syrup. The creation is then finished up by adding the yellow syrup and then cooled. The candy starts fusing together while it cools. After cooling the candies, the trays are dumped out, the corn starch is sifted away, and the candy corn is ready.

There are a lot of Chocolate Candycorn recipes out there for Halloween:

Elizabeth LaBau has a recipe for Chocolate Candy Corn Bark. You have to love sugar for this one.

Bake at 350 has Last-Minute Chocolate Candy Corn Cookies    Yum!

And, from Sunset Magazine: Chocolate Candy Corn Truffles. I've adapted this recipe a bit, but not much. Simple to make and delicious. Perfect for Halloween!

CHOCOLATE CANDY CORN TRUFFLES

Dark chocolate and bitter orange offset the sweetness of candy corn in these fun but fancy truffles.  
Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes, plus at least 2 1/2 hours to chill. 
Notes: You'll need 64 fluted 1-in. paper candy cups for this recipe.
Makes 64 'square' truffles. Be sure you have friends!

Ingredients
18 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1/4 cup Scottish or dark orange marmalade
1/4 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
64 candy corns (about 3 oz.)

Preparation
1. Line an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with a 12- by 17-inch sheet of foil or waxed paper.
2. In a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of hot water, use a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon to stir together chocolate, cream, Grand Marnier, and marmalade until chocolate is melted. Scrape chocolate mixture into prepared pan, smoothing top.
3. Chill until firm, at least 2 1/2 hours or (covered with plastic wrap) up to 1 week.
4. Put cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. Remove chocolate mixture from pan. With a long, sharp knife, cut chocolate mixture into 64 squares, each about 3/4 in. wide. Roll squares in cocoa powder to coat; place 1 square in each paper cup.
5. Gently press a candy corn into the top of each truffle. Store between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies: National Oatmeal Day

October 29 is National Oatmeal Day. I've posted Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies several times. As with most chocolate chip cookie recipes, you can never have too many! Variety, after all, his the spice of life!

Epicurious has a great recipe for Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. The steel cut oats (Scottish oats) give it a very chewy-crunchy flavor you'll love. If you don't have steel cut oats, you can use old fashioned oats, but you'll have a softer cookie. I use DARK cocoa powder for an even richer chocolate-y taste and dark chocolate (85% cacao bars, broken into small pieces) instead of chips, but you can use either.

Ingredients
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sweet butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract
2 tablespoons steel-cut oats
1/4 cup dark chocolate (75-85% cacao, broken into small pieces or dark chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter large rimmed baking sheet. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat until moist clumps form. Mix in oats with spatula until evenly distributed (dough will be very firm). Add chocolate pieces or chips and knead gently to blend.

Using moistened palms, shape 1 generous tablespoon dough into ball. Place on prepared sheet; flatten to 2-inch round. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing rounds about 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies until center is slightly firm and top is cracked, about 14 minutes. Cool on sheet.

Celebrate National Oatmeal Day!

Photo: Epicurious

Chocolate Covered Menu: Nutella & Marshmallow Fluff Sandwich

Today is National Chocolate Day and what better way to celebrate than a round-up of the two hour Chocolate Twitter  #fnichat this past Monday. If you're on Twitter, you can search back to see some of the questions, answers and discussions... or even better, anyone can go to Cooking with Caitlin where there's a Chocolate Covered Menu from that Chat. You can follow Cooking with Caitlyn @cookingwcaitlyn.  Really three wonderful women!

I was thrilled to participate in the Twitter Chocolate Chat. I learned a lot and made a lot of new chocolate friends.  Other participants: @savvyhost, our host @cozifamily, and a couple of chocolate-dipped aficionados besides me:  @condoblues, @saucydipper, @fujimama, and @lonelygourmet.

If you don't Twitter, this may all seem like gobbledy-gook, but the Cooking with Caitlin site and some of the comments on it will keep you amused and drive you to chocolate.

In addition, the Chocolate Post today has several links  and photos to past chocolate recipes. Here's the recipe for  a really decadent dessert from Cooking with Caitlin. I've adapted it a bit. This recipe is easy and quick and includes ingredients in my pantry!

Nutella and Marshmallow Fluff Sandwich

Yield: 2 Whole Sandwiches
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Nutella
1/2 Cup Marshmallow Fluff
4 Slices Brioche or Challah
3 Large Eggs

Instructions
1. For each sandwich, spread one side of the bread with a generous amount of Nutella spread  (or your own homemade hazelnut chocolate spread). Spread the other side with marshmallow fluff (again, a generous amount).
2. Once both sides are completely smeared, press the two sides together to create your sandwich.
3. Turn your burner to high heat and place a non-stick skillet on top.
4. In a bowl, add three eggs and whisk them together with a fork. Dunk the sandwich into the eggs, scrape off any extra mixture and place one side in the skillet.

5. After a few minutes, using your spatula, lift the sandwich to see if the side facing down is golden and crispy. When it is, flip and cook the other side of your sandwich. Because the sandwich is so hot, the marshmallow and chocolate will blend together.

6. When the second side is golden brown and crispy, the sandwich is finished and ready to eat!

Photo and Recipe: Cooking with Caitlin with permission