chocolate, monkey's and Chili pepper oh my!

ALL MOOOOVED! No internet yet. The place is a mess BUT the kitchen has already been chrisened(sp?). Over the weekend I made the following:

-chocolate mint thins
-chocolate mint fudge
-chili pepper chocoalte bark
-Monkey Bread via The Pioneer Woman (the woman is a goddess!)

I know that seems like a lot but it wasn't really.

Chili pepper Bark

Wax paper
1 baking sheet pan
1-2 bags of semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 to 1 tsps of cayanne pepper
sea salt

Cover baking sheet in wax paper and set aside. In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips stirring frequently. Once Completely melted, add pepper. Stir to combine. Pour chocolate onto wax paper and spread out evenly. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to set either at room temp or in fridge. Once set break into pieces. Voila!

The contrast of salt, sweet and spicy is strangly delicious! I don't like spicy a lot but I like this chocolate! Yum. Give it a whirl and see peoples faces go WHOA!

Adapted from ifood.tv

Mint chocoalte thins

1 bag of dark chocolate mint chips (yes the do exist)
1 squeeze bottle (for like hot fudge or sauces, etc)
wax paper
1(or 2) baking sheets

Lay wax paper on baking sheet and set aside. Melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Once melted, CAREFULLY pour chocolate into squeeze bottle. On your wax paper, squeeze about a nickle to quarter size (depending on how big you want your thins to be) of the chocolate out. Continue doing so until there is no chocolate left. This will make a TON of mints. Allow to set either in Fridge or on your counter until solid. Store in a airtight container in freezer or fridge. I like the freezer.

Use them as dessert toppers, snacks, little gifts, etc. They are so easy and beat the store bought mints.

Moneky Bread

4 mini cans of buttermilk biscuts
1/2 c. Brown Sugar (or more, yeah baby)
1 C. (2 sticks) of butter (sweet nectar of life)
1 Bundt Cake Pan
1 C. sugar
2-3 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350. Open up all 4 cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit in half (they tiny biscuits).

Next, combine the white sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon in a zip lock bag. Gallon size. The more cinnamon flavor you like the more you add. I think I O.D.'d on cinnamon but who cares? Drop all of the biscuit pieces into the cinnamon-sugar mix. Seal bag and shake it like a polarid picture! That is shake the bag to break up the stuck together nuggets and get them allll nice and covered. Once coated, spread the nuggets in bundt pan evenly.

Now you have two choices here. You can A) let it sit over night like I did or B) bake it now. Either choice you make, DO NOT skip the following step!

On a side note, can any one say the word bundt pan and NOT think of My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

Melt the two sticks of butter together with ½ cup of brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the brown sugar butter has become one color, you can pour it over the biscuits.

Pop it in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is a deep dark brown. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Place plate on top of pan (using protective gear to save your poor patties!) Flip the pan and plate over and remove pan. and Voila! Yum yum Time! Because of the hot sugar please use a fork at first. Once the bread is cool enough, USE THOSE FINGERS! WOO!

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Now because I suck (and my hungry coworkers) I haven't been able to get a good picture of ANYTHING i've baked! But I promiss i will be better! Now that there is light in my kitchen I will be able to get good pics! That is all for now! TATA!

Of Chocolate and Oatmeal!

SO Ive been slacking in the cookie baking department for my coworkers. Granted I do it because of personal reasons like lack of funds. But my coworkers have been amazing lately and I wanted to make them something. My cabinets are bare and because I plan on moving soon I'm not buying any baking stuff ( I whimper as I pass the aisle in the grocery store). So i looked around my kitchen...instant oatmeal, leftover melting chocolate, fondant, corn syrup, molassas....not much.

SO i melted the almond bark (half a big block) in my fabulous double boiler, and poured it over about 6 of the packages of maple and brown sugar oatmeal...rolled it into a ball, chilled it...omg. Yumyum.

I then repeated this step with dark chocolate chips and 3 packages of cinnamons swirl oatmeal. and then again with 2 oz white chocoalte and 3 packages of maple and brown sugar. granted the white chocolate ones didn't come out just right due to me adding a liiiittle too much water to the chocolate. but they are still yummy. They were a mix of a bonbon, a cookie and a ball. Hopefully my coworkers will like it because 1) it's food 2) that food is chocolate.

Instant Oatmeal BonBon's

5-6 packages (more or less depending on how chocolate-y or how oatmeal-y you want your bonbon) of instant oatmeal, any flavor I suppose

1/2 of large block of almond bark, or 4-5 oz. white chocolate, dark chocolate, whatever chocolate

1 tbsp of butter

warm water

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Pour oatmeal into medium bowl. Set aside. In microwave or double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. It will get clumpy, so whisk in 1 to 2 tbsp water and whisk smooth. Pour melted chocolate over oatmeal. Stir until all is combined. Allow to cool for a few minutes. With your hands, shape "dough" into 1" balls and set on parchment paper. Place balls in fridge until set.

These would probably make a great gift too. Best part is: Not much of a mess! SO no messy kitchen tonight! YAY!

Now it's time for my chocolate filled belly and me to go to bed.