caramel Archives - Eat. Drink. Love.

December 20, 2012 by Stephanie

Too…many…cookies….

I’m not sure I can eat another cookie right now. I know, I sound like a crazy person, but I just can’t eat any more for a while…maybe for like 3 days or something.

But, before I start my cookie hiatus, I have to tell you about these cookies first. Earlier this week, I told you I don’t like peppermint. Today, I am going to tell you that chocolate and caramel are two of the greatest things in the universe. Yup, the universe.

So I am not going to waste any more time and will go straight the recipe. Hubs and I are off to Ohio to spend Christmas with my family. And yes, we are driving. Why? Because we hate ourselves. And also, plane tickets were out of control.

Chocolate Caramel Blossoms

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes

Yield: About 16 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. instant espresso (optional)
about 16 Hershey's caramel kisses (chilled in the refrigerator or the freezer)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup sugar. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder.
Mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients until well-combined.
Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Place the remaining sugar in a small bowl. Using your hands, roll the dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 tablespoon). Roll each ball into the sugar until lightly coated and place on the baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart.
Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for about 2 minutes. Place a kiss in the center of each cookie and press down gently.

http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/12/chocolate-caramel-blossoms/

Sugar-Free Caramel Apple Crisp

October 12, 2011 by Stephanie

Yesterday was a bad day at work. I lost some of my data I had been working on and I can’t get it back so now I have to re-do some of my work! Wahhhhhhh!! Why do computers have to be so darn complicated?! After having a bad day at work, I was really looking forward to coming home to this caramel apple crisp. I’ve been so into using pumpkin in my recipes lately that I realized I forgot one of my other favorite fall ingredients, apples! I wanted to make a good dessert this week, but without all the sugar. This apple crisp was so easy to throw together and it tasted really good for a sugar-free dessert! If you don’t mind the sugar, you could just swap out the Splenda for regular sugar. There is nothing better than apples baking away in the oven!

Sugar-Free Caramel Apple Crisp

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Apple Filling:

– 6 apples (I used McIntosh), peeled and sliced into small slices or cubes

– 1/2 cup Splenda granular

– 1 tbs. lemon juice

– 1 tsp. cinnamon

– 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

– pinch of salt

– 1 tbs. unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Topping:

– 1 cup oat flour

– 1 cup quick oats

– 1/4 cup Splenda granular

– 3 tbs. butter, melted

– 1/4-1/2 cup sugar-free caramel topping

Optional toppings: Sugar-free/no sugar added vanilla ice cream, additional caramel, nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add diced apples to a bowl. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, splenda, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well. Add mixture into a small baking dish. Evenly distribute the small butter cubes around the dish. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, and splenda. Add melted butter and stir well into the mixture. If mixture still seems really dry and powdery, you may want to add some additional butter. Sprinkle the flour and oat mixture evenly over the apples. Drizzle with the caramel topping on top. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until the topping has browned and apple mixture begins to slightly bubble over the topping. Serve with ice cream and additional caramel!