Thursday, October 3, 2013

Round up for Childhood Treats with a Modren Twist

Guess what time it is...


It's my turn to host the What's Baking Project! I was super excited to have the opportunity to host once more. I put a lot of thought into what I wanted to do, and decided that since it's September and it's back to school, it would be neat if we baked a childhood treat with a modern twist. I had a few ideas that I wanted to do, but  to be honest this month has been very stressful and busy that I didn't get around to making what I was really planning on making.  I'll just have to save that one for another time.  

So the next best thing was going with Twix bars.  I remember as a kid getting a Twix bar every Sunday after church. It's just one of those childhood memories that I'll never forget.




Kate from Kate recipe box mixed up a batch of Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, which reminds her of the cookies that her mother would bake for her as a child. 


Heather from hezzi-ds books and cooks Zumbaed her way into creating Caramel filled Chocolate chip cookies.  So easy I can't wait to try this. 

 


Eva from Eva bakes was able to relive a moment of her childhood when she baked up a batch of oatmeal cream pie cupcakes.  Which look amazing!


Angela from The Tiny Tyrant's Kitchen recalls her favorite childhood treat as being chocolate cupcakes.  Angela was able to Jazz them up by making them into salted Carmel cupcakes. 

Nicole from Seven ate nine Tried to save everyone’s waist line by baking up a batch of healthy leman squares.

Ok everyone now last but not least we have Jaida from Sweet Beginnings who transformed her childhood treat of chocolate chip ice cream,  into a Mint Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies.  OMG!  This is going on my baking bucket list. 

 

 
Thank you to all the took part in this month's What's baking.  Next month our host will be Jaida from Sweet Begginings and we'll be baking up batches for scones sweet or savory.  Time to start thinking on which direction I want to go with that one. 
 
Like always happy baking!
 
 
 


 

 
 
 



 

 


Twix Bars







Guess what time it is....It's my turn to host the What's Baking Project! I was super excited to have the opportunity to host once more. I put a lot of thought into what I wanted to do, and decided that since it was September and it's back to school, it would be neat if we baked a childhood treat with a modern twist. So I decided that I would make me some Twix bars. I remember as a kid getting a Twix bar every Sunday after church. It's just one of those childhood memories that I will never forget =)
 
I remember a while back I had come across this recipe for homemade Twix bars about, and I knew that I had to try them. With that said, I did make them , however I never had a chance to create a blog post for them. Time kept passing me by, and I just needed the right time to make them again. Lucky for me the right time just happened to be when I needed something for my What's Baking submission this month
 
This recipe does take a while from start to finish, but it was so worth it! I even ended up make a second batch because they were just that good. My family and I loved them so much that they disappeared within a matter of a few days.
 
 
Stay put my recap on all the submissions for this month's whats baking.  Like always happy baking.
Recipe source: King Arthur Flour

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Shortbread layer

1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups of Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Caramel layer

2 cups caramel, cut into small chunks
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Chocolate layer

3 cups chopped milk chocolate or dark chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (optional)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 300°F. Spray a 9" x 13" pan lightly with cooking spray, and line with parchment paper, and set aside.
FOR THE COOKIE LAYER:

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla.

Add the flour.

The mixture may seem dry, but will come together as you continue to beat at medium speed.

Once combined take the dough and press it evenly into the pan.

Prick the crust all over with a fork. The holes will allow steam to escape and the crust will bake evenly with fewer bubbles.

Bake the crust until it's lightly golden brown on top and the edges are deeper golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and immediately run a knife around the edges to loosen the crust.

Set it aside to cool completely.

FOR THE CARAMEL LAYER:

Melt the caramel and cream over low heat in a small saucepan.

Pour the caramel over the cooled crust and put it in your freezer while you prep the chocolate layer as it makes it easier to cut the into bars once it's harden up.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER:

Melt the milk chocolate slowly in a double boiler.

If it seems very thick, add a tablespoon of shortening to thin it.

Once melted take off the heat and set aside while you cut the cookie/carmel layer.

After the caramel layer has chilled firm, cut down the length of the pan, splitting the bars into two long, narrow bars.

Then cut each long strip into "fingers".

Dip the chilled bars into melted chocolate and place on parchment paper to set for several hours.

Pour yourself a tall glass of milk and enjoy!