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    • Millionaires Toffee

      Posted at 7:30 am by Lisa Cavallari
      Jan 1st

      Happy 2018!  Last week was a rough one around here.  My youngest had the stomach bug and passed it along to me.  I spent Christmas Day eating dry toast and banana slices.  My older daughter had strep the week before and apparently, the antibiotics didn’t kill it completely so we scrambled to the doctor and get a stronger RX before we drove to MN.  I have a whole new appreciation for our health now and I know I’m not alone.  So many posts on FB with little ones sick on Christmas.  Let’s hope the new year brings all of us renewed health and prosperity.

      Speaking of wealth, this toffee recipe is always a big winner when I make it and it’s a cinch to whip up with just a handful of ingredients.  There’s a wonderful crunch of Heath Bar bits on top with a chocolately layer in the middle and a beautiful, brown sugar shortbread crust on the bottom.

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      Here is how your mixture should look right before you toss it into an 8×8 dish.  Very crumbly.

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      Press the dough into the pan using a sheet of plastic wrap.

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      After refrigerating the dough for 45 minutes, poke a wooden skewer or fork into the dough before baking in the oven for about 70 minutes.

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      I like the Heath toffee bits that are already chopped in the baking aisle at the supermarket.  You can also use the regular candy bars and chop them yourself.

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      Here is the finished product.  It’s tough to stop after just one.  Enjoy!

      Millionaires Toffee

      • Servings: 16
      • Difficulty: easy
      • Print

      Credit: http://www.marthastewart.com

      Ingredients

      • 2 cups all-purpose flour
      • 1 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
      • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
      • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
      • 1 cup + 1/3 cup coarsely chopped Heath bar (divided)
      • 1/4 cup heavy cream

      Directions

      1. Sift flour into a medium bowl and add salt.  Set aside.
      2. In a large bowl add butter.  Using a hand mixer, beat butter until creamy.  Add brown sugar to butter and use mixer to combine both together.
      3. Add flour mixture to sugar and butter mixture.  On medium speed, combine all ingredients until mixture is crumbly like pebbles.
      4. Spray an 8×8 glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour crumbly mixture into baking dish.
      5. Place plastic wrap over the top of baking dish and press down until you have a smooth, compact surface. Refrigerate for 45 minutes covered with plastic wrap.
      6. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Using a wooden skewer or fork, pierce top of dough all over.
      7. Bake dough on top third rack of oven for 70 minutes or until brown. Remove and allow to cool.
      8. In the meantime, put a small saucepan on the stove.  Add 1 cup Heath bar pieces and 1/4 cup heavy cream.  With the heat on medium, stir until the the chocolate pieces are melted and smooth.  There still might be a few toffee pieces, but that’s ok.
      9. Pour cream and toffee mixture over warm baked shortbread.  Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup Heath bar pieces evenly over the top.  Allow to cool completely.
      10. Cut into 16 squares.  Enjoy! Will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container.

       

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      Posted in Baking | Tagged Heath Toffee Bars, millionaires toffee, toffee bars, toffee shortbread
    • Christmas Scones

      Posted at 5:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
      Dec 18th

      I love scones, but they’re something I don’t normally think to make.   These white chocolate cranberry scones would be perfect to serve on Christmas morning.  They’re lovely with a cup of coffee or tea and not too sweet with the tart tang of fresh cranberries.  Another plus is that you can make them the day before and store them in an airtight container.  They will keep up to two days, but they’re best if eaten within 24 hours.  If you want to make them further in advance, just freeze them.  They’ll last a month in your freezer.

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      White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

      • Servings: 16 scones
      • Time: 1 hr 15 mins
      • Difficulty: moderate
      • Print

      Credit: chewoutloud.com

      Ingredients

      • 4 cups flour
      • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
      • 2 tsp cinnamon
      • 2 tsp baking powder
      • 1/2 tsp baking soda
      • 1 tsp salt
      • 2 sticks of cold butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
      • 1 cup sour cream
      • 4 tsp vanilla extract
      • 2 eggs
      • 1 cup white chocolate chips + 1/2 cup more for melting and drizzling on top
      • 2 cups fresh cranberries
      • 1 egg + 2 tsp water for egg washing the tops of scones
      • coarse sugar or regular granulated sugar for sprinkling

      Directions

      1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
      2. Whisk dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt) into a large mixing bowl.
      3. Add butter to bowl and combine ingredients with clean hands.  The mixture should be the consistency of small pebbles.  Add 1 cup white chocolate chips.
      4. In a separate bowl combine sour cream, vanilla and eggs.
      5. Pour wet ingredients in with dry ingredients using a fork to stir.  Fold in 2 cups fresh cranberries.
      6. Form two equal-sized balls from the dough.
      7. On a clean surface, sprinkle flour and form one of the balls into a circle about 8 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick.
      8. Slice the dough like a pizza with 8 equal slices.
      9. Place each triangular piece of dough onto your baking sheet.  Use a spoon or kitchen brush to coat the tops of each scone with the egg wash.  Sprinkle each scone with sugar.
      10. Bake in the oven for 14-17 minutes until the tops of the scones are golden.
      11. Do the same process for your other ball of dough and bake.
      12. Melt the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth.  Drizzle over the top of scones.
      13. Enjoy!

      Cranberry White Chocolate Scones.jpg

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      Posted in Baking | Tagged Christmas Scones, Cranberry Scone, Cranberry White Chocolate Scones
    • Grinch Cookies

      Posted at 5:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
      Dec 15th

      These cookies are minty, chocolatey and have a hint of mocha.  The perfect cookie for the Grinch to slink up to and snag all for himself.

      My daughter, who loves the Grinch, was my taste tester.  She was disappointed that a Grinch face wasn’t decorated on top.  🙂  Okay, so I lost points for presentation.  In my humble opinion, they taste great with a big glass of milk or a cup of coffee.

      Grinch Cookies

      • Difficulty: easy
      • Print

      Credit: adapted slightly from http://www.sallysbakingaddiction.com

      Ingredients

      • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
      • 1 tsp baking soda
      • 1/2 tsp salt
      • 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
      • 1 Tbl instant coffee granules
      • 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
      • 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
      • 3/4 cup butter, melted
      • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
      • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
      • 2 tsp vanilla extract
      • Green food coloring (I used gel food coloring.  Add as much to your desired level of greenness)
      • 1 1/2 cups chopped Andes Mints (you can buy the baking bits or chop them yourself)

      Directions

      1. Combine flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt, instant coffee and cornstarch in a large bowl with a whisk.
      2. In a smaller, separate bowl combine melted butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla and green food coloring.
      3. Pour wet ingredients into the dry using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
      4. Fold in Andes chopped mints.
      5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
      6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
      7. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Use about 3 Tbl and roll dough into a ball.  Place 8 balls on cookie sheet spacing evenly.
      8. Bake for 11-12 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly on pan before transferring to a cookie rack to cool completely.
      9. Enjoy!

       

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      Posted in Baking
    • Wine On Wednesday: Materra Right Bank

      Posted at 5:30 am by Lisa Cavallari
      Dec 13th

      We opened this 2012 wine while we were out in Galena and my, did it taste good!  This was a Christmas gift from my husband’s first boss out of college.  This guy knows wine!  Last year, we were lucky enough to try the Wine Spectator’s wine of the year, L Cabernet thanks to him.  This year, the wine he gave us came directly from his daughter-in-law’s family vineyard out in Napa.

      The Materra Right Bank drinks like a dominantly Cab blend so I was pretty shocked to see the breakdown with Merlot taking the lead at 96%!  Maybe Wine Spectator is onto something here because their new wine of the year is Duckhorn’s Merlot.  There’s only 2% Cabernet, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec rounding the Right Bank out nicely.

      The color is a rich ruby red when poured into the glass.  It smelled just like Napa.  I tasted some bright red fruits with cocoa, vanilla and loamy earth on the finish.  Extremely smooth and paired very well with the Sartori peppercorn cheese and Lindt chocolate truffles we served.

      You can order this wine on the Materra wines website for $50.  An outstanding wine and perfectly priced.

      Rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷1/2 out of 5 wine glasses

      Cheers my dears!

       

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      Posted in Red Wine, Wine | Tagged Cunat Family Vineyard, Materra Right Bank Wine
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