Oh Fudge!

Although I’ve left Ann Arbor for the summer, the blogging adventures are sure to continue. It’s only Day 3 at home and I’m already starting to get a little stir crazy here in suburbia. With no job, yet, and no friends at home, yet, my only solution was to break out the baking goods and make one of my favorite classic and easy recipes, chocolate fudge. This “Never Fail Fudge” is fool-proof and makes enough to share with family and friends.

Here's what you'll need:

-2 ½ cups of white sugar

-5 oz. evaporated milk

-2 tbsp. butter or margarine

-1 7oz. jar of marshmallow creme (or Fluff)

-½ teaspoon salt

-¾ teaspoon vanilla

-½ cup of walnuts, finely chopped (optional)

-1 12oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

And here's how it's made:

1. Combine the first five ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir over low heat until blended.

2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then boil slowly, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.

3. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate, vanilla and walnuts (optional) until the chocolate is melted entirely.

4. Line a 9x13" pan (or 9x9" if you prefer thicker fudge) with aluminum foil, pour fudge in and allow to cool.

5. Once cooled, cut a slice for yourself and enjoy!

Note: I've found that the best way to store this fudge is by wrapping it in parchment paper and storing it in a tightly sealed container in order to ensure freshness.

A New Twist on Cupcakes

Cupcakes are the latest trend to hit the baking world with “cupcake boutiques” popping up across the nation. Magnolia Bakery, Cupcakes by Melissa, Sprinkles, Crumbs and Georgetown Cupcake are all offering their own unique twist on America’s favorite birthday dessert.

Tired of baking the same cupcake over and over again, Sarah and I put a new, yet equally as easy spin on this tasty dessert: the cupcake in a cone.

Don’t be intimidated by its name, “the cupcake in a cone” is just as easy to make as its more simple sister and yields a much more eye popping result.

Here’s how we did it:

What you need:

-1 large disposable metal baking tin (approx 1- 1 ½” deep)

-12 sugar ice cream cones

-1 box Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip Cake Mix

(egg, vegetable oil and water measurements on box)

-1 container Betty Crocker vanilla icing

Directions:

1. Cut 12 1” wide circles in the disposable metal baking tin. (To measure if this is the right size, check to see if cone fits properly inside of circle. Cone should fit firmly into the circle and not move while baking)

2. Preheat oven to 350° F.

3. Prepare cake mix as written on cake mix box.

4. Fill cones about ¾ full leaving the batter ½” from the top.

5. Flip baking tin over so that the side with the circles is on top and place filled cones into circles.

6. Bake in oven for about 15 to 20 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

7. Allow cupcakes to cool, then frost and decorate. Enjoy!

Little bites of heaven.

When making baked goods in your dorm becomes the norm on a weekday night, you know you’ve reached procrastination at its finest. What sets this recipe apart from others is that it requires no baking and only three, easy to find ingredients.

Jessie, Susie and I made a dorm-friendly version of this recipe earlier this week using cream cheese from the dining hall and Hershey kisses as a substitute for milk chocolate chips. Hershey kisses are great on their own, but their distinct flavor overpowered the rest of the dessert. While the end product was still delicious, I would advise sticking to the original recipe for best results. Feel free to any variations of milk, semisweet and white chocolate to dip the truffles. I’ve tried many different combinations and the most popular have been milk and white chocolate.

Either way these treats are quick to make and will impress anyone whose lucky enough to get a bite.

Enjoy!

Oreo Truffles

Yields 3 dozen truffles

1 (16 ounce) package of Oreo sandwich cookies

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

16 ounces of baking chocolate (milk, semisweet or white), melted

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate completely. This can either be done with a double-boiler on the stove-top or in a microwave.

2. Remove 9 Oreos from package and crush finely in food processor. (Cookies can also be finely crushed by placing them in a plastic bag and using a rolling pin)

3. Crush remaining 36 cookies into fine crumbs, place in medium bowl and add cream cheese until well blended. Mixture will be moist when done.

4. Roll cookie mixture into balls approximately 1-inch in diameter.

5. Dip balls into melted chocolate, place on wax paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle on reserved crushed cookies or drizzle extra chocolate over the top for decoration.

6. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Then, eat up!

Trick:

How to easily dip the truffles: place truffle in melted chocolate and roll, if necessary. Lift truffle from chocolate using 2 forks (allowing excess chocolate to run off) before placing them on wax paper.

Cost:

About $12 for entire recipe

Challah in the house.

Nothing gets a group of Jewish girls more excited than the idea of making fresh challah. The sisters of Sigma Delta Tau were graced with the presence of Chanchi from the University of Michigan Chabad House, who taught us how to knead, braid and bake the most unbelievable homemade challahs.

I have had my fair share of bakery challahs over the years, but trust me this homemade challah cannot be rivaled. This recipe requires a little bit more time and yields a lot of challah, but it’s worth it.

Enjoy!

Homemade Challah Recipe

Courtesy of the University of Michigan Chabad House

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water

2 pkgs dry yeast

1 Tbsp salt

½ cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

½ cup oil

7 cups flour

Glaze:

1 egg beaten

Cinnamon sugar blend

Sesame seeds

Poppy Seeds

Raisins

Cooking:

1. Dissolve yeast in water with a sprinkle of sugar. (If water is too hot, the yeast will die. If water is not warm enough, yeast will not be activated). Wait about 5 minutes. Yeast mixture should start to bubble. If not, start over.

2. Add the sugar, salt and ½ the flour. Mix well.

3. Add the egg and oil and mix until thoroughly combined.

4. Slowly stir in the flour while mixing the dough. The easiest way to do this is by kneading the dough with your hands. Dough should become thick, but smooth and elastic.

5. When finished kneading dough, coat with a thin layer of oil. Place dough in a large bowl and cover with a clean hand towel.

6. Let dough rise 2 to 3 hours until it doubles in size.

7. Separate dough into smaller portions, braid, and place on floured bake pans. (You can braid or fold the dough into any shape. We tried the traditional way of 4 braids, as well as folding it into a cinnabun shape. Both tasted great.)

8. Brush top with beaten egg. Top with cinnamon sugar blend, sesame seeds, poppy seeds or raisins. (Our favorite was cinnamon sugar)

9. Bake at 375° for approximately 30 minutes or until nicely brown.

Healthier option: For whole wheat Challah, replace 5 cups of flour for 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Then add 2 cups white flour.

Most of the challah disappeared within minutes of coming out of the oven, so I highly suggest trying it while it’s warm. For added flavor, spread cream cheese, margarine or hummus on top.