Dark Chocolate Caramel Oreo Bites

THESE. 

I just....

I can't....

If only....  

Salty Honey Caramel Sauce

Sauces man.  I'm into 'em lately.  I used to find them intimidating for some reason.  Caramel especially.  It just seemed so easy to screw up.  Cook it too long, it'll set or harden.  Cook it not long enough, it'll be too runny and lack caramel-y depth.  And then in comes the candy thermometer.  The moment a recipe mentioned candy thermometer, you betta' believe I x'ed outta that window like whoa.  

That's no way to live people!  

Salted Caramel Toffee Peanut Fudge

No time.  Must post.  People!  This fudge is coming to you late.  I offer my sincerest apologies.  But I really had to start my Christmas shopping at some point (like 3 days before Christmas) so time for posting became increasingly harder to find this week.  But I finally found it!

But good news!  This isn't typical fudge that requires thermometers and babysitting.  It's also not this kind of fudge that requires babysitting.  Zing!  Man, I'm good.

This fudge is made by melting the good stuff (sweetened condensed milk and chocolate) and topping it with more good stuff (toffee, peanuts, sea salt) and eatin' it.  It just needs to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes while you chill on Pinterest for 30 minutes and you got yourself some fudge.

And here's the biggest confession of all.  I was pretty confident that I kinda hated fudge.  It's like, when my brain is ready to receive chocolate in my mouth and I eat fudge, it's always a let down.  I'm expecting a different chocolate intensity.  But when I saw this recipe, the world was ok again.

This is fuddggggeeee.  It's everything you want it to be.  And it's ok to eat it before 8am, if necessary.  IT WAS NECESSARY GUYS.  So do whatcha gotta go this Christmas but please make this fudge part of it.  You're very welcome.  

Here's the recipe!  

Ingredients:
20 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped  (I used chips here because I'm lazy)
1 (15-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10-12 caramel-filled chocolates (I used Ghiradelli squares with salted caramel), chopped
3/4 cup chocolate toffee pieces, like Heath toffee chips
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
4 ounces milk chocolate, melted

sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions:  

1.  Spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick spray and set aside.  

2.  Add semi-sweet chocolate to a double boiler, and melt completely. One melted, remove from heat and slowly add in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract, stirring with a spatula until completely incorporated and the mixture becomes very thick.  Use the spatula or a large spoon to spread the chocolate in the pan, coaxing it into corners.  Don't worry about the top looking smooth because it will be covered with chocolate and candies, just spread it evenly. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.

3.  Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals until smooth.  Remove the pan from the fridge. Take a few small spoonfuls of the milk chocolate and using the back of a spoon, spread it evenly over the top of the fudge.  Immediately sprinkle with a little sea salt and cover it with the chopped caramel-filled candies, peanuts and chocolate toffee pieces.  Using a little pressure, press the toppings into the fudge to set.  Take remaining milk chocolate and drizzle it over the top to set some of the loose candy.  Let set in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.

4.  When ready to cut, fill a large cup with hot water. Dip a sharp knife into the water, then blot on a towel. Use knife to cut fudge into your desired size of squares.  I recommend small pieces since this fudge is rich.

Enjoy!  

Recipe barely adapted from How Sweet It Is

Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Brownies

Boy oh boy.  Oh boy.  Oh man.  Man oh man.  What I'm saying is, these brownies are sorta the best brownies I've ever made.  The magic just happened with these babies.  It was serendipity in my kitchen.  Or it was just 11oz of melted dark chocolate.  I like to think it was serendipity though.      

Let's start at the beginning.  Chop chocolate until your heart's content.  Just chop the day away.  Chop whatever feels right.  Now melt 11oz with butter and eat whatever is left.  You must eat whatever is left.  That is always the rule of baking.  Trust me, I know because I wrote that rule.  

I also wrote a rule that says, "Wearing heels is almost never a good idea.  Everyone knows you're in terrible pain."  And,  "Calories and money don't count on the weekends.  Woo hoo!"  Also, "I might pretend I don't see you running towards the elevator if I'm inside and I just want to get the heck home.  We all do it sometimes so don't act like you don't."

But perhaps my favorite rule lately is "If it is caramel, it shall be salted." And so it is done in these brownies.  That one is from the Bible actually.  Amen.  

Here's the recipe!  

Ingredients:  

11oz bag of caramels
1/3 cup heavy cream

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp coarse salt
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
11oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
5 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

sea salt, to salt caramel and to finish

Instructions:
1.  For caramel sauce:  melt caramels and heavy cream in a small saucepan until caramels are fully melted and smooth.  Set aside to cool slightly.  

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 inch pan with baking spray, set aside.  In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, and cocoa.  

3.  In a mircowave-safe bowl (or using a double boiler) melt the chocolate and butter.  If using the microwave, melt in 30 second increments, stirring in between,  until chocolate and butter are melted and smooth.  Allow to cool slightly before whisking in sugars and eggs.  Whisk in vanilla.  Mix in dry ingredients until fully incorporated and no flour remains.

4.  Spread half the brownie batter in the prepared pan using an offset spatula to coax it into the edges of the pan.  Pour about three quarters of the caramel sauce on the brownie batter and sprinkle with sea salt as desired.  Pour remaining brownie batter over the top in an even layer.  Drizzle the remaining caramel sauce over the top of the brownie batter and using a butter knife, swirl the caramel into the batter.  Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt.  

5.  Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan once while baking.  Allow to sit on a wire rack until completely cool before slicing.  

Enjoy!

Recipe slightly adapted from Annie's Eats