Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

This is a holiday favorite of mine. It's not a "holiday" dessert but I can never justify making this without having several people to share with. Great to stick in tins and give to coworkers!

THE INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 cup brown sugar

2 bags chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate but pick whatever you like)

1 bag of salted pretzels

Sea Salt

THE RECIPE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay your pretzels in a single layer.

Melt butter in a saucepan with brown sugar. Stir until it starts to bubble. Before its thickened completely, pour over your pretzels. The spoon or whisk should leave a trail in the caramel, but you don't want it thick enough to stick to the spoon.

Bake pretzels and caramel for 5-7 min, until the caramel has spread out over the bottom of the pan. Remove and poke any shifted pretzels back into place with a fork.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler until completely smooth. Pour over the pretzels and smooth out with a spatula.

Sprinkle sea salt over the top of the chocolate.

Refrigerate 2 hours or until completely firm. Remove from pan and break apart into pieces (you really shouldn't eat the entire sheet whole, people might judge you).

Enjoy!

Belated Banana Bread

So. As I do with most projects I start, this one fell to the wayside. Like the way, way, wayside. Oops. Anyway, I've recently started baking A LOT (thanks, holidays) and I just made the most delicious banana bread ever. 

THE RECIPE

3 overripe bananas - I personally prefer when they're spotted brown, not completely

1 egg

1 tap vanilla extract

1 stick of salted butter

Dash of salt

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup flour + extra

3/4 cup sugar

Chopped pecans or walnuts

Smash bananas with a fork. Stir in egg, butter, and vanilla. Add salt and baking soda. Mix in sugar. Slowly fold in the flour. If the consistency is too runny, add a bit more flour until it's a batter consistency. Mix in the nuts. 

Bake at 350 in a ceramic bread dish for 25-35 min or until knife comes out of center of break clean. 

THE REVIEW

So, this was actually my third try at banana bread. I tried a couple of recipes and picked out the hints I liked. The first one was moist but rose WAY too much in the pan, which caused some unnecessary anxiety and required me to put a baking sheet under the pan which left my top a bit over-brown. I decided to cut out the baking powder and leave just the baking soda. My second bread came out good as well (I think it's just impossible to ruin banana bread) but it was a bit too dry for me. I reduced the flour and upped the butter for the third and final try and this one is perfect! It's so deliciously buttery and moist. The outside browned awesomely and is just sticky enough to leave you licking your fingers. Or fork. Or plate.

You can swap whatever nuts you prefer (or none, if you swing that way), but I found the flavor of pecans most complimentary to this mix. 

There's no picture because my family ate it all. So, sorry about that -- but I'm not complaining!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Awhile back I made a Coconut Custard Pie and we had some coconut flakes left over. Since it's not an every day ingredient, I've been struggling to find ways to get rid of it! So I got this idea on a whim.

THE RECIPE
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Stick Unsalted Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Coconut Extract
1 Whole Egg
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Flaked Coconut

Mix softened butter (not melted) and sugar in mixing bowl until combined. Beat in egg and coconut extract.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Slowly pour dry ingredients into the butter/salt mixture. Combine just until flour disappears - do not over mix!
Pour in chocolate chips and flaked coconut.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll dough into balls and bake on greased baking sheet 15-20 minutes, until bottoms are light brown.

THE RESULT
The cookies came out of the oven delicious!! They were cooked perfectly, light brown on the bottom and chewy in the middle.

I took the cookies off of the baking sheet right away so they didn't over cook and they held their shape well. However, after the cookies cooled, they hardened immediately! I was really disappointed in that, as I love a soft, cakier cookie. I think the issue here is that there is a bit too much flour in the recipe. If you're going to try at home, I'd suggest cutting the flour to 3/4 cup to see how it works. I haven't tried it yet, but I will keep you updated!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Quest to Home-Made Chef!

Hello, Blogging World.

I'm no food connoisseur. I've been a picky eater most of my life. This is definitely not going to be an other worldly food adventure. But something I have always wanted to do is expand my culinary prowess. I can sit and watch the food network for hours. It's amazing to see what some chefs can put together out of simple ingredients.

So, this is my new quest. Become a self-taught "home chef." Here, I'll be posting my baking and cooking adventures, sharing recipes (failed and successful ones, of course), and maybe one day will become skilled enough to call myself a pseudo chef. I don't have 20,000+ to sink into culinary school, so the internet and television will have to do to teach me!

If you've decided to follow me on this adventure, then welcome to the madness. :)

My name is Kristyn, and I am a 26-year old woman who works a full-time job in a large electronics retail store, selling mobile phones and plans all day. I'm also a type 1 diabetic, for 15 years now! Being a diabetic has been a huge part of my food life. Many people have stereotypes about what diabetics CAN'T eat -- no sugar, no fat, no carbohydrates. Most of that is a myth. There's no way we could cut all of that out of my life.... plus, I don't want to! But moderation is the key, as well as smart substitutions. This is something I have struggled with for a long time and I hope that this quest will help me strengthen my resolve in finding a healthier way to eat every day.

Now... on to the food!