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La Cucina di Betty: Candy bar desserts
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Anonymous user Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:53:27 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments There is a bit of the child in all of us. As adults, the candy counter in the grocery store or drug store is one place where we can all go back to our childhoods for a little while. Purchasing a candy bar and indulging in every bite, whether it is a Hershey Bar, Butterfinger, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, or a Milky Way, to just name a few, can be a nice retreat into days gone by.
I thought it would be fun in this issue to take some of these popular treats and turn them into sophisticated sweets. So take yourself back in time, go ahead and visit your friendly grocer’s candy counter. These recipes I offer truly will capture your candy bar flavors. They are fun to make, fun to serve and definitely a lot of fun to eat!

Heath Bar Brownies
Serving these easy-to-make brownies with vanilla ice cream and a warm store-bought caramel sauce transforms them into a lavish dessert. To jazz up your brownies, cut them into diamond shapes. Spoon warm caramel sauce onto individual dessert plates, place one brownie in the center of each. Surround each brownie with three small scoops of vanilla ice cream. Dust the brownies with a splash of powdered sugar. Add a fresh raspberry and a mint leaf to each.
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into 1/2 inch
   pieces
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped Heath bars or other choco-
   late covered English toffee candy (about
      6 1/2 ounces)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with 2 inch sides. Combine butter and both chocolates in top of double boiler set over simmering water: stir until melted. Remove from over water and cool mixture slightly.
Using an electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla in large bowl until slightly thickened, about one minute. Beat in chocolate mixture. Add flour, baking powder and salt, mix until combined. Stir in the Heath bars. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 25 to 27 minutes.
Cool before cutting into bars.
Note: I also like to make these brownies using Heath Bits ‘O Brickle Toffee Bits (I use the whole 8-ounce bag). You can find them in the grocery store by the chocolate chips.

Frozen Milky Way                Chocolate Mousse
Remember the frozen Milky Way Bars from your childhood? Here’s a grown-up mousse to bring back those sweet memories.
• 1 1/2 cups Milky Way candy bars cut into 1/2-
   inch pieces (about 8 1/2 ounces)
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Line a 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan with parchment or wax paper. Combine Milky Way pieces, semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Stir constantly until melted (mixture will look grainy). Remove pan from over water and cool mixture slightly.
Combine sugar and water in small, heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil syrup until temperature reaches 230 degrees on candy thermometer.
Meanwhile, beat egg whites and cream of tartar to form soft peaks in mixing bowl.
Gradually pour boiling syrup into egg whites, beating until stiff peaks form and whites are cool, about five minutes. Using rubber spatula, fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in two additions, gently, until the mixture is totally incorporated. Beat chilled whip cream and vanilla extract to soft peaks in medium bowl. Using rubber spatula, fold cream into chocolate mixture in two additions, until thoroughly mixed. Spoon mousse into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least six hours. (Can be prepared one week ahead. Keep frozen.)
To serve, remove plastic wrap from top of mousse. Invert mousse onto platter. Remove pan and peel off parchment or wax paper. Slice mousse into 12 slices. For each serving, place one slice on a plate, cover with a dusting of powdered sugar (by putting the powdered sugar into a sieve), and dust the whole plate with powdered sugar. Top with a fresh raspberry and mint leaf and serve. Serves 12.

Butterfinger Pie
This ice cream pie made with Butterfinger candy bars is a great make-ahead dessert that only takes minutes to put together. It will be gone right before your eyes. You better buy an extra Butterfinger to eat while assembling the pie!
Crust:
• 1 package graham crackers
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
Mix all ingredients in food processor then pat into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, or a deep pie dish.
Filling:
• 1 graham cracker crust
• 1 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
• 9 (2.1 ounce) Butterfinger candy bars, finely
   chopped
• 1 small carton whipping cream
• 1 cup sugar
Add eight chopped Butterfinger candy bars to the softened ice cream. Mix well and pour into the graham cracker crust. Put in the freezer to set for about two hours.  Whip the whipping cream and add sugar then spread over the ice cream pie. Crush the remaining Butterfinger bar and sprinkle it on top of pie. Return to freezer until set.  Let it freeze at least two hours, or better yet, make it the night before. Serves 12.

Hershey Peanut Butter     Chocolate Kiss Cookies
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 bag chocolate Hershey’s Kisses, about 48
    (unwrapped)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients (except the Hershey’s Kisses) into a bowl and mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll them in granulated sugar. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a Hershey’s Kiss into each cookie. Makes four dozen cookies.

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