There are numerous demos available on YouTube with directions for making cake pops from box cake mixes blended with store-bought frosting.  There’s also a little cake pop electric iron that makes the balls for you.  But, after watching a video (below) on brownie pops I decided this method was the best for me.

The candy melts are another thing entirely.  While they melt as promised the product is rather thick for dipping.  If you tap the cake pop too hard on the side of the bowl, trying to get rid of some of the chocolate, the cake will fall off and its impossible to repair it once that happens.  When melting the candy melts, the package says you can add 1 tsp of vegetable oil for every 24 candy wafers to thin it out a bit, but it still is rather thick for dipping.  Its not entirely clear how much oil can be added before the integrity of the dipping chocolate is compromised.

A  truffle coating would probably work better since its easier to thin out a chocolate with cream.  My Mom made incredible chocolate covered cherries using a ganache with a couple teaspoons of paraffin wax and the chocolate held up beautifully in gift boxes.  The other option is to dip the cake pops into Royal Icing.  It will flood and dry rather quickly so you do need to work quickly with sprinkles or marbling designs.

Marbling white chocolate on red and vise versa was successful since the dipping chocolate doesn’t dry too fast.  Marbling could also be done with Royal Icing.

All in all this was a successful attempt at making the current rage in sweet treats. So easy to make these treats!  Do give them a try, even if its just for the family.

Brownie Mix makes 3 batches:

• 4 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1-2/3 cups cocoa powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1-1/4 cups shortening or butter
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Method for 1 batch in 8X8 pan:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Butter and flour an 8″X 8″ pan.
2. Beat 2 eggs with 1 tsp vanilla, add to 2-1/2 cups brownie mix.  Mix well.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center is spongy and a toothpick comes out with crumbs.  Don’t over bake.
4. Let brownies cool.  Remove crust around edge of brownie pan.  Crumble soft brownie cake and squeeze crumbs 1-1/2 Tbsp of crumbs with your hands into a ball. Repeat until all crumbs are used.  Place on parchment and refrigerate for 15 minutes or overnight.
5. Melt candy melts according to package instructions or make Royal icing as desired.  Decorate pops and when dry, package as needed.

Make a batch before Thanksgiving, wrap with aluminum foil, place in a plastic storage bag and freeze up to 2 weeks.  Remove from storage bag and thaw in aluminum foil for a couple of hours. Reheat in 350° F. oven for 12 minutes oven while you make the turkey gravy.

The basic dough is a blank palette for other flavors and textures too.  Substitute grated cheddar cheese for the minced onion and regular salt for the onion salt.  Add fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme or, eggwash and sprinkle the tops with poppy seeds or course sea salt.    Try it with raisins, walnuts and cinnamon for a decadent sticky bun.   Make it your recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1  pkg Red Star Dry Active Yeast
• 2 cups warm milk (110° F. or like a baby bottle)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp onion salt
• 2 Tbsp dried minced onion
• 4 – 5 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted

Method:

1. In the large bowl of a food processor or mixer, dissolve yeast in warm milk.  Add sugar, butter, salt, onion and 3 cups of flour.  Whirl or beat until smooth.  Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
2. Whirl to knead for 5 minutes if using a food processor.  By-hand turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes.
3. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350° F.
5. Punch down, turn out onto floured surface, divide into 16 pieces.  Form each piece into a ball.  Dip each ball in melted butter and place in a greased muffin tin.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from tins immediately to a cooling rack.  Serve warm or let cool completely and wrap for storage.

Guavas have just come into season and their bitter sweet skins will go into the jam pot along with some ripe mango. Guava skins are 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick and tasty when stewed in a light syrup.  Guava puree and strawberries with a kiss of rosemary is my next jam creation.  More about guava in a coming up post.

Be sure to drop by again for more recipes with fresh local produce from Rincon, Puerto Rico. 

My Rum Ball recipe is from Katy Custer, an old friend from my years in Alaska.  She made these every year and had to hide them under her bed so her boys wouldn’t eat them all before they aged the appropriate time.  Pecan Sandies are from my childhood.  They just melt in your mouth and since they have no eggs they’re fairly close to being a tender bite of shortbread.  Chinese Sesame Buttons were my stand-by cookies in Tonga because they held up so well to the humidity in the islands and all the ingredients were easy to come by.  They’re nutty, crisp and buttery.  The local Chinese use lard in their cookies for Chinese New Year but I like the taste of butter in mine.

Spritz Cookies

Ingredients for 40 cookies:

•  1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2-1/2 cups flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg, vanilla extract and salt, beat until smooth.
3. Add flour gradually until all is incorporated. 
4. Fill cookie press or pastry bag with dough.  Press onto ungreased cookie sheet 1-inch apart.  Decorate with sprinkles, jam, etc.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes just until the edges turn barely brown and the dough has set.
6. Remove from sheet pan to cooling rack.  Ice as desired.
7. Store in airtight tin.  May be frozen.

Notes:

1. Substitute cardamon seeds or vanilla seeds,  or extracts such as peppermint, almond, orange, banana, or lemon or liqueur of choice for the vanilla extract.
2. Add 2 Tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tsp Kahlua to the dough for moca spritz, omit the vanilla extract.
3. To color dough add 3 or 4 drops of food coloring to the finished dough. 
4. Divide dough in half or more then color and flavor each portion separately. 

Katy’s No-Bake Rum Balls

Ingredients for 2 dozen:

• 2–1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder plus more for coating
• 1 cup powdered sugar plus more for coating
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 3 Tbsp. white corn syrup (Karo brand)
• 1/4 cup dark rum (bourbon or brandy if desired)

Method:

1. Mix all dry ingredients together.  Add wet ingredients and stir until combined.
2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. 
3. Roll each ball into powdered sugar or cocoa powder.
4. Place balls in a ziplock bag or plastic storage box with tight lid.
5. Let age in a cool, dark place for 1 week.  Re-roll in powdered sugar or cocoa powder before serving if desired. 

Pecan Sandies

Ingredients for 3 dozen:

• 1 cup butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. Cream together the butter, sugar, water and vanilla.
3. Mix in the flour and pecans.
4. Chill dough for 3 or 4 hours.  Shape into balls, crescents or fingers.
5. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 20 minutes. Remove to cooling rack.
6. When completely cool roll in powdered sugar.
7. Store in airtight tin.  May be frozen.  Roll in additional powdered sugar before serving.

Chinese Sesame Buttons

Ingredients for 100 cookies:

• 1 pound butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 Tbsp powdered milk (low-fat or skim milk works well)
• 1 Tbsp ice water
• 2 eggs
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 5 tsp cream of tartar
• 5-1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups raw sesame seeds

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Cream butter, sugars, milk powder, water and eggs until fluffy.
3. Mix together flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture just until dough holds together.
4. Roll dough into walnut sized balls then roll each ball in sesame seeds.
5. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet 2-inches apart.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until cookies have cracks on the surface.
7. Remove to cooking rack.  Store in airtight tin.  May be frozen.

For the best results buy a fresh, organic turkey from your butcher.  In lieu of a fresh bird, a ButterBall turkey is perhaps the best quality and comes with pretty fail-safe directions for stuffing and roasting.  Be sure your frozen bird is completely thawed out in the refrigerator.  This may take 2 days or more and any liquids accumulated in the drip tray should be removed at least every 12 hours.  Once the turkey is completely thawed, remove the giblets and neck, reserve for stock.  Rinse the bird under cold running water, inside and out, then dry with paper towels, or a clean cotton kitchen towel, and place in a clean roasting pan.  Be sure to use warm soapy water to wash down cupboards and cutting boards after handling any poultry.

This recipe is enough for a 10-12 pound turkey.  Sazon seasoning (Goya brand) is available at Latin markets, Wholefoods and most of the bigger supermarkets.  If you cannot find it, substitute 1 tsp ground coriander and 2 Tbsp annatto oil, or 1 Tbsp Adobo de Achiote.

Ingredients for Marinade:

• 8 garlic cloves mashed with 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 envelope Sazon seasoning with Culantro and Annatto or Adobo de Achiote 
• 1/3 cup sour orange juice or dry white wine
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, minced

Method:

• Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. 
• Liberally massage marinade on the inside and outside of the turkey.
•  Place in roaster pan, cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 12 hours.
• Loosely stuff the turkey with the stuffing.  Pull the legs together so that they overlap.  Use butcher’s twine to tie the legs together.  Tuck the tips of the wings under the back.
• Place turkey in a 400° F. oven for 30 minutes to brown the skin.  Cover with aluminum foil, reduce heat to 325° F. and roast for about 4 ½ hours or until juices run clear when the meat is pricked, the leg joints feel loose, and a meat thermometer registers 180 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.
• Check the stuffing: the thermometer should register 165 degrees when inserted into the center of the stuffing. 
• Baste turkey with pan juices during roasting.

Notes:

1. Stock made from the giblets and neck is perfect for moistening your stuffing and making gravy with pan juices.
2. Make giblet stock the night before stuffing the bird.  In a large sauce pan place cleaned giblets and neck, cover with water.
3. Add 1/2 onion chopped, 8 sprigs parsley, 3 sprigs of oregano, 1 tsp of Adobo de Achiote or 1 tsp coriander seed, 1/2 tsp salt,  6  black peppercorns and a few dashes of chili sauce.
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until giblets are fork tender.  Add more water if needed during cooking.
5. Cool to room temperature.  Remove meat, chop and return to liquid.  Refrigerate until needed. 

Chorizo and Pine Nut Stuffing:

• 8 cups dried bread cubes
• 8 oz chorizo sausage (hot or mild), casings removed
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp Sazon or Adobo de Achiote
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or 1 habanero chili, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• stewed and chopped giblets and neck meat plus broth as needed

Method:

1. Place bread cubes in a large bowl.
2. Saute onion in 1 Tbsp butter until wilted and fragrant.  Remove to bowl with bread cubes.
3. Add sausage to saute pan and saute until crumbled and fat has been rendered.  Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and add to bread cubes.
4. Add remaining ingredients to bread crumbs and toss to combine with enough giblet broth to moisten all. Reserve remaining broth for gravy.
5. Check seasoning and stuff bird loosely.  Place remaining stuffing in a buttered casserole.  Bake at 325° F. for 20-25 minutes until browned and crisp on top.

Tip for making lumpless gravy:

1.  Add giblet broth to pan drippings and bring to a boil.
2. In a glass jar with lid, pour 1/2 cup cold water, add 2 Tbsp flour, tighten lid on jar and shake until flour and water are smooth and creamy.
3. Whisk floury water into drippings until gravy thickens.  If you want thicker gravy add more flour and if you want thinner gravyadd more broth or wine to the drippings.