CHOCOLATE CANDY BAR, CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY KISSES, CHOCOLATE NUTELLA HEARTS & MONTHLY GIVEAWAY!

MONTHLY GIVEAWAY!
I am starting a Monthly Giveaway. I will be drawing names from
followers that comment. The drawings will be on the 1st of each month!

Sending a bunch of Prim Dried Carrots with some Dried Grass to a lucky FOLLOWER that has commented during February!
These will be perfect for your Spring Decor. Remember each new posting you comment on, will be another chance for you to win the Prim Dried Carrots & Dried Grass!

VALENTINE'S DAY CHOCOLATE CANDY

Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to make candy for your friends, family, and loved ones. Although heart-shaped boxes of chocolates swarm store shelves, homemade candy is a great expression of love and friendship…and it tastes better than dusty store-bought versions! Here are some great recipes to get you in the Valentine’s spirit.
This chocolate candy will go perfect with those coffee filter Roses from yesterday.



CHOCOLATE CANDY BAR

INGREDIENTS:

(24-ounce) bag chocolate chips
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (24-ounce) bag pretzel sticks (recommended: Snyder Old Fashioned Dipping Sticks)
1 1/2 cups skinless hazelnuts
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Put the chocolate chips in a bowl and place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir until the chips are melted. (Alternately, put the chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave in 30 second intervals until the chocolate has melted. It should take 2 to 3 minutes.) Add 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and stir well.

To form the base, dip two pretzel sticks in the chocolate and lay them side by side on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have 24 bases made. Put the baking sheet into the refrigerator to harden the chocolate. Pour the remaining chocolate into a squeeze bottle.

Meanwhile, add the hazelnuts, sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of a food processor. With the machine running, pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Continue processing until the nuts form a smooth spread. Scoop the spread into a plastic bag and snip off a corner to make a piping bag. Remove the bases from the refrigerator and pipe a strip of hazelnut spread between each pair of chocolate covered pretzels. Squeeze chocolate over the top of each one to cover and return the baking sheet to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Trim off any excess chocolate with a knife and wrap each bar individually. Keep refrigerated.



CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY KISSES

Chocolate Raspberry Kisses feature crunchy chocolate cookies topped by a luscious chocolate-raspberry ganache, formed into a cute chocolate-dipped kiss shape. These candies are smooth yet crunchy, rich yet fruity, and entirely addictive!
This recipe calls for Oreo cookie thins, which are commonly sold in 100 calorie packs. It will take about two 100-calorie bags to get 48 cookie thins. You can substitute any other small, thin cookie of your choice, or you can make these candies without the cookie base, and pipe the ganache directly onto the baking sheet. This recipe will yield 48 kisses.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bag (12 oz) frozen raspberries (2.5 cups)
8 oz chopped semi-sweet chocolate (approximately 1.25 cups)
3/4 cup cream
48 miniature Oreo cookie thins
1 lb chocolate candy coating

DIRECTIONS:

Place the frozen raspberries in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave them until defrosted, about 1-2 minutes. Blend the defrosted raspberries in a blender or food processor until they are reduced to a liquid.

Pour the raspberry liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove the seeds and measure out the remaining puree. You will need ½ cup of puree for this recipe. If you have additional puree, save it for a different use

Place the 8 ounces of chopped semi-sweet chocolate in a medium heat-safe bowl. Put the cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring it to a simmer, but do not allow it to boil. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and allow it to soften for a minute, then gently whisk the cream and chocolate together until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is entirely smooth. This is your ganache. Whisk in the raspberry puree until incorporated.

Place a layer of cling wrap on top of the chocolate ganache and place it in the refrigerator to firm up for about an hour. The ganache should be firm enough to pipe and hold a shape, but not so hard that it cannot be worked with--the consistency should resemble a firm frosting. If you will not be working with the ganache an hour after you’ve made it, it can be left out in a cool room overnight to firm up, without fear that it will get too hard to work with.

When your ganache is the proper texture, continue to the next step. Place the Oreo cookie thins on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Put the ganache in a piping bag fitted with a ½” round tip, or in a large Ziploc bag with a round hole cut from the corner. Pipe a kiss-shaped dab of ganache onto each cookie: hold the bag perpendicular to the cookie, and squeeze until the ganache comes out and forms a circle the same size as the cookie. Stop squeezing and begin to pull the bag up toward you, forming a kiss shape. Repeat with remaining ganache and cookie thins.

Return the tray to the refrigerator to set the ganache until it is firm enough to dip, about one hour.

When you are ready to dip the kisses, place the chocolate candy coating in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stirring after every 45 seconds to prevent overheating. Heat and stir the coating until it is entirely melted, smooth, and free of lumps.

o dip the kisses, balance a kiss on the tines of a fork and submerge it briefly in the melted candy coating, then remove it and allow the excess coating to drip back into the bowl. Replace the kiss on the foil-covered baking sheet and repeat with remaining kisses and candy coating. If desired, the kisses can be decorated while the coating is wet by adding red sprinkles or sanding sugar. Refrigerate to set the candy coating, for about 15 minutes.

Store Chocolate Raspberry Kisses in an airtight container in the refrigerator in layers separated by waxed paper. Although the chocolate coating will help prevent the cookies from getting too soggy, as time passes they will lose their crunch. The candies will still taste good, but for maximum texture these should be served within a day of making them.


CHOCOLATE NUTELLA HEARTS

Chocolate Nutella Hearts are soft and creamy chocolate-hazelnut candies. Their heart shape makes them perfect for Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion. If you can’t find Nutella, you can substitute peanut butter or another nut butter in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tub (16 oz) chocolate frosting
1 cup Nutella or other chocolate-hazelnut spread
2-1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 lb chocolate-flavored candy coating
Sprinkles or other decorations, as desired

DIRECTIONS:

Place the chocolate frosting and the Nutella in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until combined.

Stop the mixer and add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, then turn the mixer to low. Mix until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

After mixing you should have a candy that is soft enough to shape, but firm enough to hold its body--similar in texture to Play-Doh. If it seems too soft, you can add additional powdered sugar, if it is too stiff, you can knead in an extra spoonful or two of Nutella.

If you don’t have a small heart cookie cutter, you can form the hearts by hand, although this method is more time-consuming. If you do have a small cookie cutter, roll the candy out between two sheets of waxed paper until it is about 1/2-inch thick or a little thicker.

Use the cutter to cut out as many small hearts as you can fit. You can knead the candy scraps back together and roll it out again to cut more hearts.

Once you have your hearts cut out, melt the chocolate candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring after every 45 seconds to prevent overheating. Stir until the coating is smooth and free of lumps.

Use a fork or dipping tools to dip a heart into the melted candy coating. Remove it from the coating and scrape the bottom against the lip of the bowl to remove excess coating. Place the dipped heart on a foil-covered baking sheet and repeat with remaining hearts and coating.

f desired, decorate with sprinkles while wet, or drizzle the hearts with white or red candy coating. Chocolate Nutella Hearts can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at cool room temperature for up to two weeks.
Recipes from about.com