caramel popcorn

i have been eyeing homemade caramel popcorn for the longest time. i think i've had these down for the little kiddies birthday party 2 years ago but never really got around to it. well, i finally made some a couple of weeks ago for m's birthday party. and i have to say, they are so easy to make! why have i not just done it then? i don't know... but what i do know is, once you've got the caramel made (you'll need a candy thermometer for this), the rest is easy peasy. and besides, who says you have to use the popcorn kernels and not regular microwavable popcorn? i just went ahead with the classic microwavable bags of popcorn (because you can't beat an easy cleanup) and these sweet treats still turned out delicious. plus, doing the whole popcorn kernel thing with oil in a pot is just too much work! oh, and this recipe uses apple juice so it's even better. it gives you a nice hint of apple flavor which you cannot beat. and for sure a great way to use up those half gallons or whatever size of apple juice bottle that's been sitting in our fridge for days and days (maybe weeks even?) – because we can't drink it all!

alright, the recipe for this caramel popcorn is below if you'd like to make some yourself. i say go ahead because it's really that good. you'll literally eat half of it in one sitting if you don't stop yourself already. hahaha... that's what m and i did the night i made these. we had to remove ourselves away from the sheet pan while these goodies rest.

okay, enjoy! :)


this recipe is super easy to make. i never thought it was this simple!


simply made paper cones are a great way to distribute these sticky but super yummy treats. who says you can't have a bouquet of caramel popcorn?


make these sweet stuff for your next birthday party or any occasion. they'll sure to be a hit. these definitely were for m's birthday party.

caramel popcorn
recipe adapted from the food network

ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup popcorn kernels (or you can use two bags of microwave popcorn and omit the oil above)
• 2 cups apple juice
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• kosher salt

directions:

1. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (or a silpat will do too). if using popcorn kernels, heat the vegetable oil in a pot over medium-high heat. add the popcorn kernels; cover and cook, shaking the pan, until the popping subsides. remove from the heat and let any remaining kernels pop for 30 more seconds. if using microwave popcorn bags, follow the directions on the package. once popcorns are popped, divide the popcorn between the prepared baking sheets, discarding any unpopped kernels.
2. make the caramel: bring the apple juice, brown sugar and corn syrup to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. cook without stirring until the mixture is deep amber and a candy thermometer registers 280 degrees F, about 30 minutes (the caramel will bubble vigorously toward the end of the cooking time).
3. stir the butter into the caramel until melted. add 2 teaspoons salt and cook for another minute. remove from the heat. pour the hot caramel over the popcorn mixture and carefully toss with two rubber spatulas. let cool slightly, then separate the mixture into clusters while still warm. let cool completely.

note: i actually pour all my popcorn into a large bowl instead of putting them on the baking sheets. once the caramel was made, i pour those over the popcorn and tossed them while still in the bowl (kind of like making rice krispy treats). but the above method works too. i guess you can pick whichever is easiest. :)

salted caramel chocolate chip cookies

happy new year! yes, it took a whole 20 days after the new year for this post. i've been busy and lazy (yes, both at the same time) therefore that's why i haven't posted any new recipes or any entries here. plus, i haven't been baking a whole lot. haven't had the effort or energy to since the holidays. and also the fact that i've been trying to cut down on my sweets intake. decided that if i didn't bake, i wouldn't have any around. the only things i've made so far are some macaron cookie samples (testing out shell colors for a baby shower – post and recipe to come later) and your classic, chocolate chip cookies. i made some a few weeks ago. anyway, i've made some again, except for this time i decided i would try to use up those bourbon-sea salt caramels i made during the holidays. yeah, we didn't really eat all that caramel. it was a lot. plus, they didn't quite hold at room temperature. maybe i took them off the heat too quickly or who knows what. but anyway, i still got some pretty tasty caramels out of it.

alright, below's the recipe for these delicious-looking chocolate chip cookies. i made these goodies over the weekend for m's birthday party. and yes, it was a hit with all the cookie and non-cookie lovers. i've been limiting my sweets intake and i couldn't help it. i ate at least 1-1/2 cookies in one sitting. i had to stop myself. so if you're up to baking some cookies or changing up that good ol' chocolate chip cookie recipe a bit, add in some of these bourbon-sea salt caramels (or any soft caramels) to that recipe for a brand new cookie!


how can you not dig in and eat at least one, if not two, or three or four of these deliciously caramel filled cookies in one sitting? they are ooey gooey good, especially right out of the oven and cooled slightly.


i love how the caramel makes an appearance once they're baked. depending on how you cover up the caramel with the cookie dough, you'll get some like this and some all covered up. you won't see the caramel until you break into it, a really nice surprise.

bourbon-sea salt caramel-filled chocolate chip cookies

ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1-3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 12 oz (or 1 bag) chocolate chips, any kind is fine
• 18-24 pieces of bourbon-sea salt caramel or any soft caramel of your choice

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°F. line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone sheet.
2. cream softened butter (or melt butter in microwave safe bowl) and sugar together. then add in the egg. once mixed, add in the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour. mix until incorporated, then add in the chocolate chips.
3. scoop out a tablespoon portion (ball-like) and make an indent in the middle and place (or push in) the soft caramel. then spoon out a little bit more dough and cover the caramel. shape the cookie dough into a ball and place it onto the baking sheet. make sure to spread them out at least 2 to 3 inches apart. these cookies will spread so you may just want to put 9 cookies on a sheet versus say a typical 12.
4. bake for 10-12 minutes until golden but still soft in the center (baking time varies depending on how chewy or crunchy you like your cookies). let the cookies cool down a little bit on the cookie sheet before transfering them onto a cooling rack. after a few minutes, they're ready to eat! best eaten warm when the caramel is still gooey. yum. enjoy. :)

makes 18-24 large cookies. enjoy! :)

12 days of christmas baking - day 12: berries pie

i'm way slow in posting this final recipe for my 12 days of christmas baking. the last few days with christmas eve, shopping and everything else has been pretty busy and hectic here. well, here is the recipe, finally. yes, a four different kinds of berries pie. every thanksgiving and christmas i make a berry pie. sometimes just your usual raspberry or blackberry. but for this christmas, i decided to throw in all the berries. you know, the usual – strawberry, blackberry, blueberry and raspberry. the end result? hahaha, a very berry delicious pie it was. we're not big apple pie people at my house, so anything other than apple pie is always a bonus. we've become quite the pecan pie lover and i made that recipe as well this christmas. you really can't go wrong with having too much sweet stuff around the house this holiday season (or any time of year really).

below's the recipe. i've done it with just one kind of berry, or all kinds of berries. so feel free to give it a try if you like. it's pretty simple and straight forward. oh, it's even easier too if you use a store-bought pie dough, already rolled out and ready to go. yeah, that would save you some time. otherwise, you can make your own. enjoy!


we love berry pies at our house. this recipe is so easy to make, especially with already made pie dough.


here's the pie all brushed with eggwash and ready for the oven.


the pie out of the oven, cooling.


nothing finishes a nice slice of berry pie like ice cream. yummy!

four-berries pie

ingredients:

• 1 bag (16 oz) of frozen berries (any will do) or 4-5 cups fresh or frozen berries
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 store-bought pie dough (or make your own)

directions:

1. preheat oven to 375°F.
2. prepare pie dough according to pie dough directions if you're making your own. or take the store-bought dough out of the refrigerator and let it get to room temperature, about 15 minutes. then transfer the dough to pie plate; trim even with edge.
3. in a medium bowl, combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. stir to combine all the ingredients. then add in the berries filling; and dot with butter (i usally cut the 1 tbsp butter up into tiny chunks).
4. cover the filled pie with the second rolled out pie dough. note: if you want a lattice look, you can cut the rolled dough into long pieces and thread them to make it look like a lattice. i can't be bother with this so i just do the easy and simple way, cover it up.
5. once the pie is all assembled, you can brush it with milk and sprinkle some sugar on top. or, if you prefer, you can brush it with a little egg wash. bake at 375°F for 50-55 minutes. if you want to stop the browning of the pie edges, you can first cover it up with foil, then remove the foil after 25 minutes.

makes one 9-inch pie. enjoy! :)

last year's day 12 recipe: holiday biscottis

12 days of christmas baking - day 11: bourbon-sea salt caramels

i saw this recipe in the holiday issue (i think?) of bon appetit magazine sometime last month. it sounded easy enough so i took a snapshot of the recipe thinking i would make it this holiday season. well, sure enough, i did make it. and the result? some very sweet and tasty treats. instead of your usual heavy cream in caramel, this recipe calls for a can of condensed milk. and yes, it's very sweet. the added sea salt on top really balances out the sweetness and makes it a tad more interesting.

the recipe is pretty straight forward and simple. of course, the thing is, you just gotta make sure you have a candy thermometer handy. you really do need it for these kind of things. they're so worth it, i'm so glad we have one. :) oh, these guys are somewhat soft so i wouldn't let them sit at room temperature too long if you're not eating them all right away. i say you should keep them chill in the fridge and help yourself whenever you want one. or if you're making it for a party or whatever, then sure serve them at room temperature, just keep in mind it would get a little soft and sticky.

below's the recipe should you be interested in making these yourselves. they're really good and you definitely get that hint of bourbon. of course, you can make it alcohol-free too. just use good old vanilla extract in place of the bourbon. enjoy! :)


i love the added bourbon in this caramel recipe. it gives you just the perfect hint of the bourbon and the added sea salt really balances out all that sugar. yum!

bourbon-sea salt caramels
recipe from bon appetit magazine

ingredients:

• nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• flaky sea salt (such as maldon)

directions:

1. Lightly coat an 8x8" baking pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2" overhang on 2 sides; spray parchment.
2. Bring sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture turns a deep amber color, 8–10 minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat and whisk in sweetened condensed milk and butter (mixture will bubble vigorously) until smooth. Fit pan with candy thermometer and return to medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until thermometer registers 240°F. Remove from heat and whisk in bourbon and kosher salt. Pour into prepared pan; let cool. Sprinkle caramel with sea salt, cut into 3/4" pieces, and wrap individually in parchment paper.

DO AHEAD: Caramels can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store wrapped tightly in plastic in airtight container at room temperature. Or you can keep it chill in the fridge like me. :)

makes a bunch depending on how you cut it. enjoy. :)

check out last year's day 11 recipe: peppermint bark

12 days of christmas baking - day 10: eggnog cinnamon-nut bread

i couldn't help it but crave some kind of cakey bread. so this afternoon i decided that i would make some. with some eggnog in the fridge i wanted to experiment a little bit and decided on an eggnog bread. well, the end result wasn't exactly what i was hoping. you couldn't quite taste the eggnog once the bread is baked. so to even add a tiny hint of the eggnog, i drizzled it with a little eggnog glaze (unpictured, unfortunately). that did the trick a bit. the bread itself is very good, with or without the eggnog glaze.

below's the recipe should you want to try it. i love baked cakey breads. they are so good toasted with a little spread of butter. mmmm... yum! :)


the eggnog in this recipe doesn't really come out a whole lot so you can always drizzle it with an eggnog glaze. that's what i did after i took these photos, to bring out the eggnog flavor a little more.


the cinnamon and nut in this recipe gives you the nicest aroma when the bread is baking in the oven. smells so yummy and it really is yummy!


all sliced and ready to eat!

eggnog cinnamon-nut bread
recipe adapted from better homes & garden

ingredients:

• 1-1/3 cups sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup eggnog
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

eggnog glaze (optional):

• 1-2 tablespoons eggnog
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the bottoms and 1/2 inch up the sides of three 5 3/4x3x2-inch loaf pans or a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup of the sugar, the nuts, and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In a medium bowl, combine egg, eggnog, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).
3. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pans. Sprinkle with half of the nut mixture. Top with the remaining batter and the remaining nut mixture. Using a narrow metal spatula or table knife, cut down through batter and pull up in a circular motion to marble.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes for 5 3/4-inch pans (55 to 60 minutes for 9-inch pan) or until a toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on racks.
5. If you want to add the eggnog glaze, mix the two ingredients together and drizzle it on top (use less eggnog if you want a thicker glaze). Then wrap and store overnight before slicing. Or if you're like me and can't wait, then just wait until the glaze set before slicing. Enjoy! :)

makes one loaf, about 12-14 servings depending on how you slice it.

check out last year's day 10 recipe: chocolate chip cookies with nutella & sea salt

12 days of christmas baking - day 9: peppermint toffee butter crunch

happy day 9! here's day 9's recipe. i've been quite busy with some holiday festivities, so this one requires no baking. it's super easy to make and takes very little time (minus the chilling). again, nothing fancy, but your good ol' toffee. seriously, you cannot go wrong with toffee. to add a little festive feel to it, i decided that along with the crunched almonds on top, why not add some crushed peppermint candy? it gives you a nice pepperminty taste to the chocolate and toffee. and for sure, you cannot go wrong with even more added crunch.

toffees are one of my favorite things to make this time of the year. and this recipe is super easy to make. i've made it many holiday seasons in the past and again this year. give it a shot and you never know, you may just have found a new favorite yourself. enjoy! :)


you can never go wrong with toffee during this time of the year. to add a little festive feel to it, top it off with any topping of your choice.


this toffee recipe is so easy to make and they make great holiday gifts.

peppermint toffee butter crunch
recipe from better homes & garden

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds or pecans, toasted
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon light-colored corn syrup
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds or pecans, toasted
• crushed peppermint candies (optional)

directions:

1. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts in pan. Set pan aside.
2. Butter sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan. In saucepan melt butter. Add sugar, water, and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Reduce heat to medium; continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate, stirring frequently, till thermometer registers 290 degree F, soft-crack stage (about 15 minutes). Watch carefully after 280 degree F to prevent scorching. Remove saucepan from heat; remove thermometer. Pour candy into the prepared pan.
3. Let candy stand about 5 minutes or till firm; sprinkle with chocolate. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes. When chocolate has softened, spread over candy. Sprinkle with the 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts and crushed peppermint candies or any other topping (if you desire). Chill until firm. When candy is firm, use foil to lift it out of pan; break into pieces. Store tightly covered.

makes about 1-1/2 pounds (48 servings).

check out last year's day 9 recipe: chocolate-almond saltine toffee

12 days of christmas baking - day 8: cranberry apple walnut cake

i had been wanting to make this cranberry apple walnut cake since i tasted it for the first time a couple of months ago. one of my coworkers made this cake and brought it in for our company potluck. it was so good, i had to ask him for the recipe. i knew i would make it around this time of year and sure enough, i got around to baking it.

so, how was the recipe? ummm… the one he made tasted delicious. this one however, i think it was just okay. i've only had one tiny slice so far, so i don't know yet. but i can say it sounds like a great recipe and if it turns out right, it would be delicious! plus, i'm not sure if it was just me or what it is. but when i was making the batter, it was very cookie-batter-like and no cake-like at all. it was too dry. like there wasn't enough liquid ingredients in this. i looked at the person's photos and looked at mine and my batter did not look like hers. long story short, i improvised and added a couple tablespoons of water to my batter to make it more sticky or so that it would resemble a cake batter. that may have saved the cake, because it didn't come out too bad. now, if you're going to make this recipe, just be aware of that.

below's the recipe if you'd like to try it. i say go ahead, why not. cranberries, apples and walnuts are great combos for these kinds of cake. plus, it fits right in with the holiday season. so be merry and bake away! :)


i made these and gave them out as mini gifts.


another apple cranberry cake to add to the mix. these guys are great as bars too!

cranberry apple walnut cake
recipe from the bad girl's kitchen

ingredients:

• 1-3/4 cups light brown sugar OR 1 cup honey plus 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups sliced cooking apples (i used granny smith)
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh, whole raw cranberries

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 pan very well, set aside.
2. in a medium bowl, sift together the flour and dry ingredients, also set that aside.
3. then cream together oil and sugar. add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
4. once that's incorporated, add in the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. then stir in apples, cranberries and nuts.
5. bake for 45-50 minutes. let it cool, then cut into squares or whatever serving size you like and enjoy!

makes one 9x13 pan size cake. enjoy! :)

check out last year's day 8 recipe: salted caramel chocolate pecan bars