Starburst Jelly Bean Cocktail

Step 1: Buy a bag of Starburst jelly beans, several weeks before Easter, in the seasonal candy aisle at the grocery store, intending to turn it into jelly bean liqueur. 

Step 2: Put recently-purchased bag of jelly beans into the pantry & promptly forget about it for a week or two. 

Step 3: Re-discover jelly beans & remember intended liqueur & cocktail blog post.  

Step 4: Separate all the jelly beans into their separate colors. 

Step 5: Slowly begin snacking on aforementioned separated jelly beans, over several days, after procrastinating buying necessary cocktail ingredients (i.e. vodka). 

Step 6: Buy a second bag of Starburst jelly beans, because you seem to have nearly eaten all the batch.... 

Step 7: Repeat step 4…. 

Step 8: Add vodka to two mason jars with selected jelly beans (pink and orange; yellow and purple). Cover & let sit for a minimum of 24 hrs. Shake every so often.  

Step 9: Discover that yellow and purple Starburst jelly beans may taste really good together (actually, my favorite combo), but together they turn into a most terrible color, which you decide not to photograph.....   

Step 10: After 24 hours (or more), strain vodka into a decanter. If your prefer, se a damp coffee filter to line the strainer (to strain out any jelly bean sediment). 

Step 11: Mix jelly bean liqueur with club soda, a little simple syrup, and ice. 

Step 12: Enjoy immediately!  

Starburst jelly beans are one of my all-time favorite Easter candies (see step 5) and I’ve been thinking about making jelly bean cocktails since last Easter.  I know, Easter is less than 2 days away--I’m a little late in posting this idea (see step 2)--but, you’ve still got time!  Hurry and buy the ingredients immediately :) 

Starburst Jelly Bean Liqueur 

This recipe is more guidelines than anything.  Could be easily doubled (or reduced) if necessary. 

1/4 c Starburst jelly beans

1 c Vodka (don’t go with the high quality stuff, but do check to make sure it is GF, if necessary. I used Smirnoff, because it was the cheapest GF option I could find.) 

1. In a mason jar (or other jar with a lid). Combine the jelly beans and vodka. Cover and shake. 
2. Allow to sit, at room temperature, for at least 24 hrs. Shake occasionally. 
3. After 24 hrs, strain into a separate jar. Line the strainer with a damp coffee filter, if you prefer al the sediment strained out. Note: the jelly beans may not be entirely dissolved, but that’s ok. 
4. Store liqueur in the refrigerator, until ready to use. 

Jelly Bean Cocktail

again, mostly guidelines....  

1 part Starburst Jelly Bean liqueur 

2 parts club soda (or substitute lemon-lime soda, if prefer a sweeter cocktail)

Ice

Simple syrup, to taste

1. Mix together the liqueur with the club soda and ice. 
2. Taste.  Add simple syrup to your own sweetness preference.
3. Enjoy immediately. 

Chocolate Stout Truffles & GF White Chocolate Lavender Truffles

Chocolate and I..... we’re not the best of friends. It’s been a couple years since I’ve ventured much into the world of candy making (well, excluding my love of marshmallows and peeps and homemade candy corn). 

But Valentine’s Day is soon! Friday! I’ve been in such a cookie fog the past couple weeks.... Baking, decorating, packaging, shipping cookies to a few of my family members and the winner of the contest. So, instead of making more cookies, I decided to put aside my distain for working with chocolate and make truffles!  

I don’t mind the mess of bread dough, or cookie dough, or icing etc. But as soon as there’s melted chocolate in the mix, I tend to go a bit crazy. . Somehow, even though I try to keep things as clean and tidy as possible, chocolate making seems to be eternally messy.... Even the littlest bit of melted chocolate on my skin makes me instantly want to wash my hands... And don’t even get me started on tempering chocolate at home! My past attempts have been less than stellar.....  

But truffles are a little different....  They’re easy, yet still impressive! And they don’t require tempering chocolate!  yay!  Hot cream is poured over chocolate pieces and mixed to form a ganache--the ratio of cream to chocolate varies depending on whether white, milk, or dark chocolate is used. Once the ganache cools, it is portioned and rolled into bit-sized balls. After rolling, the truffle is usually coated in something (cocoa powder, nuts, coarse sugar, sprinkles etc.) and then it is ready to be served. Pretty simple, in the world of candy-making :) 

But you can customize them too, as I’ve done today.  I like to think of my two combinations as “His and Hers” truffles.  I’m not trying to actively give them gender roles... But I know my husband really enjoys my chocolate stout desserts, thus “his” is a chocolate stout truffle rolled in crushed pretzels--who doesn’t love a little salty with their sweet). “Hers” is the one created for me: gluten free white chocolate lavender truffles coated in sparkly sanding sugar. Due to some health issues, I’ve had to cross into the white chocolate camp, but I decided to make my white chocolate truffle a little more exciting by infusing it with one of my favorite scents/flavors: lavender.  

In addition to the essential ingredients of heavy cream and good quality chocolate--seriously, truffle-making is not the time to skimp on chocolate... buy the best quality you can find and/or afford)--I’ve added very small quantities of a couple additional items. Butter helps to enhance flavors, while keeping the truffle center smooth and firm with a good mouthfeel. Corn Syrup (or glucose would be even better, if you have access to it) binds with moisture particles, thus decreasing the water activity in the truffle and increasing the overall shelf life. It also reduces the risk of crystallization--a truffle should be creamy in the middle, not crunchy from sugar crystals. If you ever want to read more behind the science of chocolate, one of my favorite resources is Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner by Peter P Greweling. 

While I *technically* made these truffles for Valentine’s Day, don’t tell anyone if we start sampling them early. In addition to eating them outright, I intend to drop a couple into mugs of hot milk to make a somewhat “instant” hot cocoa :)  Even with the short amount of time before Valentine’s Day, you could still quickly whip up a batch of truffles for your loved ones :) 

Chocolate Stout Truffles

yields approximately 22 truffles 

inspired by  Edible Ireland & The Modern Cafe

1 c Stout, (I used Guinness Extra Stout) 

7 oz Milk Chocolate, finely chopped 

1/2 c Heavy Cream

1 Tbl Corn Syrup**

Pretzel sticks, for coating

1.  In a small sauce pan, bring the stout to a boil over medium high heat--watch it carefully, just in case it boils over. Once it boils, turn the heat down to medium and allow the beer to simmer until it is reduced to 1/4th the original amount (approximately 1/4 c). For me, the process took between 15 and 20 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, chop the chocolate & place it into a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Once the stout is reduced, heat the heavy cream in another small saucepan until it just barely simmers (some steam should be visible & there should be tiny bubbles around the edges of the pan). 
4. Pour the heated cream over the chopped chocolate. Allow to sit for 30 seconds, then whisk until all the chocolate is melted.  Add the stout and the corn syrup & whisk until smooth. 
5. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill until the mixture firms, but is still pliable enough to mold. Stir every 30 minutes during the refrigeration process.  Mine took several hours to come to a cookie-dough-like consistency.  If it gets too hard to scoop, allow to sit at room temperature for a bit. 
6. Meanwhile, prepare the pretzel coating. Chop small pretzel sticks into small bits, using a very sharp chef knife. Alternately, a food processor may be used, but I find it pulverizes the pretzels a bit too much for my liking. Place the pretzel pieces into a small bowl. 
7. Use a small cookie scoop to portion the truffles onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Refrigerate the whole pan for 20 minutes, if the truffles become too soft. Otherwise, after the truffles are scooped, roll them gently with clean hands to make them round & roll them in the chopped pretzels.  
8. Store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Allow them to sit at room temperature for a few minutes to warm up (they’ll taste better that way) before serving. Know that the pretzels will begin to get soggy over time, so it is best to serve these as soon as possible.  

**The corn syrup helps to keep the truffle from crystalizing and also increases the shelf life.  Glucose is preferred to  corn syrup, but I don’t have any available to me where I live...  You can skip the syrup all together if it really bothers you to use it.

Gluten Free White Chocolate Lavender Truffles

Yields approximately 18 truffles 

Inspired by Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner

46 g Heavy Cream, plus extra, as needed

1/2 tsp Lavender Buds

250 g White Chocolate, finely chopped (I used Lindt White Chocolate)   

10 g Butter

10 g Corn Syrup**

1 drop Essential Lavender Oil 

Sanding sugar

Additional Lavender for decoration, optional 

1. Combine the heavy cream and lavender in a very small sauce pan.  Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then cover & remove from the heat. Allow to steep, covered, for 20 minutes.  
2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces & place into a medium sized heat-safe bowl (such as stainless steel, tempered glass or ceramic) that fits over a medium saucepan. Set the chocolate aside. Fill the saucepan with 2”-3” of water, and bring to a simmer on the stove. 
3. After the cream has steeped, place the chocolate bowl onto the scale with a fine strainer in the bowl. Zero the scale with the strainer on it. Pour the liquid into the bowl, straining out any lavender buds. If the scale does not measure 46g of cream, add some additional fresh cream to make up the difference. Remove the strainer & discard the used lavender. 
4. Place the chocolate/steeped cream over sauce pan with simmering water to form a double boiler. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a spatula until the chocolate is completely melted. The mixture may look a little grainy or separated, but that is ok.  Remove from the heat and add the butter and corn syrup.  Stir until well combined. If the mixture continues to look separated, return to the double boiler system & stir constantly until everything has emulsified (i.e. come together) into a ganache. 
5. Remove the white chocolate ganache from the heat & taste a little bit of it.  If you prefer a stronger lavender flavor (which I did), add a drop of essential lavender oil. Only add a little bit--we don’t want it to taste like soap! Remember that when the chocolate is cold, the lavender flavor will not be as pronounced. 
6. Transfer the ganache to a separate bowl & chill in the refrigerator until it firms slightly, but still is pliable enough to mold. Mine took about an hour to set up. 
7. Use a 
8. 1 tablespoon scoop to portion the truffles onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Refrigerate the whole pan for 30 minutes. 
9. Once the truffles are chilled roll them gently with clean hands to make them round & cover each truffle in coarse sanding sugar. Press a single bud of lavender to the top of the truffle, if desired. 
10. Store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Allow them to sit at room temperature for a few minutes to warm up (they’ll taste better that way) before serving.

**The corn syrup helps to keep the truffle from crystalizing and also increases the shelf life.  Glucose is preferred to  corn syrup, but I don’t have any available to me where I live...  You can skip the syrup all together if it really bothers you to use it.  

GF Oatmeal Creme Pies

The beginning of a new year is “supposed” to be about renewal, setting new goals & starting fresh. But here I am, bringing a recipe for homemade oatmeal creme pies, which doesn’t exactly fit into the “eating healthier” goal many people set at the start of a new year.  Sorry, not sorry :)

By making your own, at least you have complete control over the ingredients go into (or are left out of) your version? These homemade oatmeal creme pies may not have the same shelf life as their pre-packaged Little Debbie predecessors, but these particular ones are gluten free, yet very tasty. In fact, I may need to send the remaining oatmeal creme pies with my husband to work because I can’t seem to stop eating them!

Because I attended a private elementary/middle school that didn’t have a hot lunch program, we had to bring a packed lunch from home. Bless my poor mother for packing lunches for myself and my sisters for 12 years!  On very special occasions, we were allowed a treat, like Little Debbie oatmeal creme pies, in our lunch box.  Sometimes there were zebra cakes or star crunch, but I think the oatmeal creme pie was my favorite :)

It has been years since I’ve had a Little Debbie oatmeal creme pie.... Especially now that I eat a mostly gluten free lifestyle, many of my favorite childhood lunchbox items are out of the question.  Instead, I’m experimenting with making my own versions to fit my changing dietary needs.

I looked at many recipes online for homemade oatmeal creme pies before settling on the one I used. Many images showed the cookies much puffier than my memories of  the prepackaged version.  Some used a straight frosting as the filling, while I wanted something more marshmallow-y.

The cookie dough for these pies is much more sticky than traditional dough. And it really spreads in the oven during the baking process. In fact, during the baking process for my first test pan, I did have serious doubts about whether the recipe would work! Thankfully, it did.

Instead of sandwiching the cookies with a frosting or meringue, I turned to one of my favorite marshmallow recipes (the one I used for homemade peeps and adapted to top chocolate stout cupcakes) and used that recipe for the filling. I do have a serious love for homemade marshmallows :)

Stay tuned, there may be more Little Debbie copycat recipes in the future!

Note: If you’re following a gluten free lifestyle, please make sure the oats you use are certified gluten free.  While traditional oats themselves do not contain gluten, they are often processed on equipment shared with gluten products, thus resulting in cross-contamination.  Or the oat fields are cross-pollinated with glutinous grains, again resulting in cross-contamination. I personally have had good luck with Trader Joe's Gluten Free Rolled Oats and Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats but everyone is different. Also, some people who cannot tolerate the proteins that make gluten also cannot tolerate the proteins in oats, so check with your doctor before consuming.

Oatmeal Creme Pies
Yields approximately 60 cookies or 30 sandwiches. 

Cookie Base
adapted from Babble 
8 oz / 2 stick unsalted butter, room temp
5.6 oz / 3/4 c Light brown Sugar
3.5 oz / 1/2 c Sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbl Honey
1 tsp vanilla
7.45 oz / 1.75 c GF Flour (I used Jeanne’s Gluten Free AP mix or substitute AP if not GF)
1 t Baking Soda
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
4.7 oz / 1 1/2 c GF Oats (I used Trader Joe's version or substitute regular if not GF)

Marshmallow Filling 
note: do not make until ready to assemble or else the gelatin will set in the bowl not on the cookies!) 
2/3 c Cold Water
0.5 oz / 2 packets Granulated Gelatin
14 oz / 2 c Granulated Sugar
1/2 c Water
2 tsp Vanilla

1. To make the cookies: Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together on medium speed the butter and sugars until the mixture has completely combined, and is lighter in color and fluffy in texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
3. Add the eggs, honey and vanilla and mix on low until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
4. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, soda, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. Set aside. Pulse the oats in a food processor or clean coffee grinder until coarsely chopped. Mix the oats in with the dry ingredients. 
5. Add the dry to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
6. Use a small 1 Tbl scoop to drop batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Pan the cookies 3 rows by 4 rows. Always start by portioning the outer edges (see photo below) & then filling in with the remaining rows. 
7. Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 F.
8. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are light brown.  Rotate the pans halfway through baking. 
9. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets. 
10. To make the filling (do so just before assembly): Bloom gelatin in cold water in bowl of a 6 qt stand mixer. Attach the bowl (during the blooming process) & whisk attachment to the mixer.
11.  In a 3 qt saucepan, combine the sugar & water. Stir just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Heat the pan over medium high heat to 238 F (softball stage). Do not stir during the heating process. 
12.  With mixer running on low, pour syrup over gelatin.  Increase speed to medium for 3 minutes. Put on the splash guard as a precaution against burns.  Increase speed to high & beat for 3 additional minutes.
13. Add the vanilla extract. Beat on high for an additional 7 minutes (splash guard is not necessary). 
14.  While the marshmallow is whipping, prepare a large piping bag by fitting it with a large round tip (I used an Ateco 804).  Prepare the cookies by matching like sizes & flipping over the bottom cookies for piping. Also gather a back up baking sheet with sprayed parchment for the extra filling. 
15. Once the marshmallow is very thick & holds its shape/a stiff peak, use a portion scoop to scoop it into the prepared piping bag.
16. Pipe the marshmallow in a spiral pattern onto the bottom of one cookie & top with another cookie to make a sandwich. Press slightly to adhere. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Work quickly so that the marshmallow does not set up in the mixing bowl or in the piping bag.  
17. Pipe any remaining marshmallow (there will be extra) into sprayed, parchment paper. 
18. Allow the sandwiched cookies to set at room temperature. 
19. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Eat within a few days, though they really do taste best have the best texture the day they are made. 

panning example from step 6 

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Wednesday marked one year since my Grandma Jones unexpectedly passed away. Even though she’s been gone a whole year, it still somehow feels like she’s just on a very long trip & will be back anytime. I cannot tell you how many times over the past months I have thought to myself that I should call her to tell her something, only to remember that she’s gone.... I miss her terribly.

Last year, when I heard the news about Grandma, I flew back to ND as quickly as I could. In addition to the grieving part (and the blessing of being able to grieve with my family), there was lots to be done: arrangements to be made, an obituary to be written, a funeral service to be confirmed (though true to Grandma’s nature, she had already left written instructions in her Bible of what she wanted in the service), photos to be compiled, scanned & turned into tribute collages.

Food really wasn’t at the top of our lists. Usually, food & making food is a very therapeutic process for me, but sometimes, there are other tasks that take precedent.

But that’s when the outpouring of love from friends and neighbors began.  So many people showed us their support and love by bringing food. Every time we turned around, someone was knocking at the door, ready to give their condolences, share in our grief & bless us with some sort of delicious food.  Baked goods, sandwich ingredients, casseroles, soup, beverages.... I can’t even remember everything!

I do know what a huge blessing it was to not have to think as much about food.  And while I know it isn’t exactly a great thing to “eat your feelings,” sometimes just knowing you could go to the kitchen for a cookie (or anything else) really helped.  In those days right before and right after the funeral, we ate most of what people brought.  Some things we froze for Grandpa to eat after everyone had gone back home.  

One food gift in particular has stayed on my mind, even a whole year later.  Chocolate Sauce. Mom and I stayed with Grandpa in the couple of weeks following the funeral. There were still so many things to be figured out, not to mention an enormous list of thank-you notes to be written.  Barb Kress, a dear friend of my grandparents, brought over a container of the most fudge-y homemade chocolate sauce & a gallon of ice cream. I don’t think I’ve ever had such delicious chocolate sauce! Yes, it was good on the ice cream, but it was also great stirred into a cup of hot coffee, or just eaten by the spoonful.  I helped write and address many of the thank you notes & sometimes often I would reward myself for writing a certain number of notes by allowing myself to have a spoonful of the sauce. Totally not healthy, I know.... 

Even after returning home, I kept thinking about that amazing chocolate sauce.... Craving it even. I looked online & in my many cookbooks for a similar recipe.  I made countless batches (it’s a good thing my husband likes chocolate sauce!).  Some recipes were good, but none came even close to the sauce that Barb brought us. After many “failed” batches, I wrote her a letter and asked if she would be willing to share her recipe.  Thankfully, she was willing :)

On Wednesday, as I reflected once again on Grandma Jones’s passing and all that has happened over the last year, I made a batch of the chocolate sauce. I enjoyed the therapeutic process of measuring, melting, pouring, stirring and tasting. I am comforted knowing my dear Grandma is in heaven and that I’ll see her again one day. At the same time, though, I’m so very sad that she’s gone. I know she would hate that anyone is sad about her. But I also know how much of a chocoholic she was :) And she would approve of chocolate sauce therapy.

Chocolate Sauce
recipe adapted from Barb Kress courtesy of her Grandma Bohlman

This chocolate sauce is really more fudge-y than syrup-y. My husband tasted it & told me “it tastes like eating brownie batter.” Note that it may not be completely smooth, but I tend to really love the grainy consistency of it. One full batch does make quite a bit, so I might be tempted to make a half batch in the future, simply because I have little to no self control over eating it by the spoonful!

4 oz Unsweetened Chocolate (Barb recommends using the pre-melted chocolate, but my grocery store didn’t have it, so I used the regular)
1/2 c / 1 stick / 4 oz Unsalted Butter
1/2 tsp Salt
3 c / 21 oz Granulated Sugar
1 c / 8 fl oz Evaporated Milk

1. Melt chocolate in microwave: begin with a 30 second interval on high, then stir, then repeat on 15 second intervals (with stirring) until chocolate is melted. Alternately, if you find the pre-melted chocolate, place the packets in a bowl of warm water to warm them. 
2. In a 3 qt sauce pan over low heat, melt the butter. On our electric stove, I set it to a level 2 heat. Once melted, add the melted chocolate and salt. Whisk to combine. 
3. Alternate adding the sugar and the evaporated milk, little by little, constantly mixing.  Keep the heat very low & do not allow the mixture to bubble.  Keep heating & stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  This process may take 15 to 20 minutes, but the results are worth it! Check to see if the sugar is dissolved by rubbing some of it between your clean fingers (it should not ever be hot enough to burn you) or by tasting it.  
4. Remove from the heat, transfer to a storage container and allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  As time goes on, the sauce may become a bit grainy (but I tend to like the grainy effect).  

Barb’s recommended way to serve: pour a little chocolate sauce into a bowl.  Microwave to warm, then scoop ice cream directly on top of the warmed sauce & spoon the sauce over the ice cream.  Less dishes that way :)

One final note: the authentic blue ball jar, the ice cream vessel, and the spoon pictured in this post are all treasured pieces from my prop collection and were given to me by Grandma Jones.