Barking Up the Chocolate Coffee Tree

Busy, busy, busy! It’s October again and the days are rushing forward like a quarterback during the Homecoming game! There’s no stopping him and there’s no stopping the autumn leaves falling or the cold weather creeping in. It also doesn’t help that we turn back the clocks and the days are shorter. When the moon shows its face at 6 PM instead of 9 PM, I want to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and a good movie.

Yet when the morning comes, it comes too fast. I hear it from everyone. “I’m so tired.” No one seems to get enough sleep and everyone wants the jolt of caffeine to give them an extra kick start. Why do you think the coffee shops are so busy from 7 to 9 AM every morning? They know their clientele. They know that first cup of the morning is going to make or break their routine. Coffee is the magic potion to open eyes and ease us into Monday madness or pull us over the Wednesday Hump. On Fridays we celebrate with a salted caramel espresso topped with extra whipped cream and sprinkles. It is the weekend and we deserve a little treat. It seems every day is a day that deserves coffee and during the autumn and winter months, we need it even more.

Mornings call for coffee, however, afternoons demand chocolate. From school children to busy office workers, from stay at home parents to governmental officials, when 3 PM rolls around we all want a snack. Or maybe I should say, we NEED a snack. Our stomachs begin to grumble and our energy plunges. Vending machines scream our names and convenience stores throw chips and candy bars at our heads. We clamor for something to get us through the afternoon until its time for dinner.

It was one of these demanding afternoons that I discovered a marvelous delicacy called Espresso Beans. I couldn’t believe that those little beans we grind for our favorite drink could actually be eaten! I wondered how that idea came about and who was the first daredevil to give it a try. Did he try them freshly picked and raw or did she wait until the beans were roasted. For the newest coffee connoisseur, it is important to know that the difference between coffee beans and espresso beans is the amount of time the seeds are roasted. Both coffee beans and espresso beans are seeds of the coffee “cherry” produced from the same coffee plant. The only difference between regular coffee and espresso is that the bean is roasted at a higher temperature for a longer time in order to release more oil inside the bean to produce espresso. That’s why the flavor is more intense and bolder.

Imagine then the perfect combination of rich, deep coffee wrapped in creamy, smooth and indulgent chocolate. My mouth could barely grasp the passion of flavors. And no one can eat just one! Each piece entices your taste buds to pop one more and then another. If my family hadn’t been there to share my new found pleasure,  I probably would have eaten the whole pound.  I was hooked.

My recipe today is a product of my obsession. Although chocolate covered espresso beans are delectable on their own, I wanted to experiment with them and create a new candy for my holiday parties. Whether it was Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s, I wanted something unique with a more mature taste.  I developed Chocolate Espresso Bark. Based on the traditional Peppermint Bark sold in all the stores and made by faithful friends, I switched out my ingredients for a sweet treat that melts in your mouth in the afternoon and keeps you charged on those blustery winter mornings.

Chocolate Covered Espresso Bean Bark

Ingredients:

1 package (12oz) white chocolate chips ( I used Wilton White Candy Melts for easy melting.)
1 cup Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans. ( I found Dove Chocolate Discoveries has the best flavor and bean.)

9x13 pan
Parchment paper/ wax paper

Instructions:

Line pan with parchment paper so ends hang off the sides. This will make it easier to remove bark and break into pieces.

Chop ¾ cup of espresso beans with a food processor, or place in Ziploc bag and crush with a hammer. Pieces should be broken, but not minced. Some powder is acceptable, it adds more flavor.

Place white chips or candy melts in microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir. Repeat melting for another 30 seconds. Stir again. Candies should be melted, if not, heat again at 10 second intervals. Always remember to stir. Do not over melt!!

Add crushed beans to white chocolate and stir completely. Pour into prepared pan. Let sit and harden. If you want to rush the process, place in the refrigerator.

When completely hardened, break into various size pieces. Store in airtight container until there is no candy left!

Makes great presents for your family, friends and all those people who love chocolate and coffee!

If you prefer, milk or dark chocolate can also be substituted for the white. Wilton makes a variety of colored melts, experiment with your favorites.


**For Dove Chocolate covered espresso beans, check out this site to order. https://www.mydcdsite.com/pws/aprilhale/tabs/index.aspx

**To purchase my cookbook with more of these delicious recipes,  go to
http://amzn.com/150080598X

Shots On The Hood

Shots on the Hood

Life passes by so quickly. We all say it from time to time, especially as we grow older. I could use this as an excuse as to why I haven't blogged lately, but the truth is - I was writing a novel. I got so caught up in the story line that my site suffered. Funny part was - my novel is all about a zombie apocalypse. ironic how my last blog was all about cream filled goodies and Zombieland. I can at least say I'm consistent. So, it's been awhile since I've written.

The holidays have come and gone. The Christmas tree was up, then down, and put away for another year. My New Year popped its head up and then quietly went back to sleep. And suddenly, my little boy's birthday is coming around the corner. Only he isn't a little boy anymore. He is 21. He passed 10 (double digit importance). He passed 13 (teenage alert). He soared past 16, 17, and 18 and finished high school. I think I blinked while he was in college, those years raced by me and knocked me to the floor. When I found my balance and stood up again, Jay was 21.

When your son turns of legal drinking age, he usually doesn't celebrate his birthday at home with a nice party. He goes out drinking with his buddies. They buy him drinks and he comes home drunk with a bad headache and a fascination for the chilly porcelain toilet in the bathroom. As a parent, we expect it. We don't reprimand him; we don't ground him (he's 21 - what good is that?). We smile and bring him a glass of water with aspirin, knowing full well what is coming in the morning. We've been there - we did that.

I expected the same from my son. It was a rite of passage. I was a little disappointed and sad at the same time. It would be the first year I didn't make Jay's favorite "funfetti" cake decorated with some theme of monsters, television, or anime character. The party was to take place at a comedy bar in Burbank. Everyone would eat, drink, and watch a bunch of comediennes take their 5 minutes of fame on stage. It was all so grown up - no helium balloons, no festive plates, no singing Happy Birthday and blowing out candles. I held back the tears as the traditional birthday celebration took its last deep breath and gave up its life for the sake of adulthood. I surrendered too.

My son, however, was not ready to give it all up. He had his own ideas of how his 21st birthday was going to go down. Jay had decided years ago that when he turned the legal drinking age, he was going to party like his favorite singer, Ke$ha. He was going to brush his teeth with a bottle of Jack, wear his ripped jeans, dance with glitter on the floor, and do "Shots" on the hood of his car. Jay stayed true to his childhood - a new theme for every birthday. Birthday traditions were not dead. They were resuscitated and I was ready to keep it alive. Jay challenged me with finding a way to make a cake that was Ke$ha worthy and befitting of one of her songs.

Challenge accepted. In order for Jay to complete his whole fantasy, he had to "do shots on the hood of his car." I knew it was illegal to drink alcohol in a public forum (in a garage in downtown Burbank), but not to eat cake. Cake Shots were thus created. I began by researching shot glasses and found out that they are not oven proof. Someone tried it once, but the results were sketchy. I couldn't take the chance. If one broke, all would be ruined. I knew then I couldn't bake cake in the actual glasses. Instead I baked a large sheet cake in a 9X13 inch pan. I made sure the height of the pan to was comparable to the shot glasses I bought, with a little extra room at the top for frosting. This was going to work. I baked the cake and let it cool completely. Then I began to have some fun.

Once the cake was cooled, I flipped it out of the pan and onto my large flat cookie sheet. (You can use a piece of cardboard too.) I then pressed one of the shot glasses into the cake like a cookie cutter into dough. I gently lifted the glass making sure none of the cake was missing. If the cake began to stick, I gently pulled the shot glass to the edge of the pan and lifted it up. I could then press the cake into the glass easier. If the cake rose very well, you only have to do this once and the shooter is full. If your cake is thin, you may have to do this twice to double up the content and make it full. It happened to me and it was easy to fix.

Once the glasses were filled, I made my frosting and decorated my new creation. Jay always enjoys my white almond frosting with his funfetti cake, so that's what I made. To complete the Ke$ha theme, there had to be glitter. I sprinkled gold and clear edible sprinkles all over the top of the shooters. I have to admit - they definitely looked festive and I would like to think that Ke$ha herself would be proud. For Jay's birthday, I bought miniature numerical candles to put on top of his shot glass and bought a few ice cream spoons in order to scoop the cake out of the glasses. I did manage to personalize the shooters by writing on them with Sharpies. (One more touch of Ke$ha I thought.) I boxed up the little cakes for traveling and I was done! Jay checked them out and loved it! With a gold glittered tablecloth and his fur vest and sunglasses, my son was ready for his 21st birthday - Ke$ha style. 

Directions for Cake Shots

Personalize shot glasses with a Sharpie before filling for best results.

Bake your favorite cake in a 9X13 inch pan. The cake can be from a box or your favorite recipe. Bake according to the directions. Let cake cool completely. Flip cake over on large cookie sheet or flat piece of cardboard. Press glasses into cake like its a cookie cutter. Remove and set aside. Continue until all glasses are full.

Decorate with your favorite frosting. Jay's favorite is my homemade Almond White.

My frosting recipe:
1/2 cup of shortening
1 Tablespoon of Almond Extract
1/2 cup of milk
16 oz. of confectionary sugar

In large bowl mix together shortening and extract. Add half of the milk. Mix thoroughly. Add half of conf. sugar and mix completely. Add milk and then conf. sugar again, beating after each addition. If frosting is too soft or thin, add more confectionary sugar, one tablespoon at a time. If frosting is too thick, add more milk one tablespoon at a time. Consistency should be fluffy, but thick enough to stay on a spoon. If you don't like almond, use clear vanilla instead.