Peanut Butter Buttercream Truffles

I am absolutely in love with See's Candy, especially their buttercream truffles. I'll eat almost every flavor of buttercream truffles (with the only exceptions being because of flavors I'm not fond of in general). So, in an effort to use up a giant jar of chunky peanut butter my grandmother gave me after she bought it accidentally (both of us use/eat creamy peanut butter in everyday use), I decided to try to make my own peanut butter buttercream truffles.

For the buttercream center, I used a modified version of Wilton's Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing. The main differences are that I was lackadaisical about measuring the powdered sugar (I actually measured out three cups pre-sifting, but after sifting that amount was closer to four cups. And I'm not sure my hand mixer could have handled any more powdered sugar in the mix, anyways.), and that I omitted the milk at the end.

The shell was simply melted down almond bark from the store (in the baking isle), with some sprinkles to give them a festive touch. I made these for Halloween, but you can make them for any occassion by just using whatever sprinkles you want.

I dipped my candies using two plastic spoons. One spoon was kept in the chocolate and used to pour chocolate over the center and to lift it out of the bowl, and then it was rolled onto the second spoon to get off excess chocolate, then deposited on wax paper with the second spoon. There are other methods for dipping out there, so feel free to use your favorite one!




The Recipe

Ingredients
1/3 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup peanut butter (chunky)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 24 oz package almond bark (You'll only need 18 oz at most, though.)
Sprinkles as desired

Directions
Using a mixer, blend the shortening and butter together. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and blend. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until it becomes stiff. (It will reach the upper limit that a hand mixer can mix, if you're using one.) Cover and let chill a couple hours. (It will last in the fridge several days, though, so it's easy to make ahead.)

Use a small cookie scoop to scoop one-inch balls onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Once you've scooped them out, go back and compress and roll each ball so that they're a single solid mass and won't break apart while dipping.

Melt the almond bark according to package directions. Start out with 12 oz first, then melt more as needed. Dip the centers in the chocolate one at a time and replace on the wax paper. Immediately sprinkle on decorations if desired, because the shell will set up very quickly.

Let the chocolates set on the counter until the shells are completely set. I gave it overnight just to be completely sure. Then enjoy!

Yield: About 4 dozen.

Orange You Glad It's Halloween Cookies

I must admit, it was the cake mix that inspired these cookies. I love the idea of the funfetti cake mixes, especially the holiday ones. So when I saw a box of Halloween-themed funfetti on sale, I had to grab it. And then I started thinking of how I could tinker with the basic box to make it a little more special... And oranges are orange (duh!) and Halloween colors are classically black and orange, so it popped into my head to make these orange-flavored.

The orange flavor in these cookies comes from two sources: orange zest and orange juice. There's orange zest in the cookie itself that lends a subtle flavor, but the real punch comes from the orange glaze. The glaze lets these cookies balance that fine line of being sweet enough for the kids, while not going overboard. These are perfect for a quick dessert for a holiday party, or to just munch on yourself while passing out candy to adorable little kids.

The Recipe

Ingredients
18 oz funfetti cake mix (I used Pillsbury Halloween Funfetti Cake Mix)
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), softened
1 egg
1 orange
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter, egg, and half of the zest from the orange into a large mixing bowl and beat together. Add in the cake mix and the colored sprinkles and stir until it comes together. (If you used a hand-mixer for beating, switch to a spoon for adding the dry goods--the batter's much too thick for a hand-mixer.) Scoop dough onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Bake 9-12 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cook on the sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, place powdered sugar and the rest of the orange's zest in a small mixing bowl. (The bowl should be just large enough for you to fit your hand in while holding the edges of a cookie.) Slowly add juice from the orange until the glaze is a good dipping consistency. For me, this was about half the orange's juice. Once the cookies are cool enough that you can pick them up without them threatening to fall apart, you may start to dip them in the glaze. I placed the cooling racks stacked over a now-empty baking sheet still covered with the parchment paper to catch any drips.

You can serve anytime, right away if you want the glaze to be still gooey, or you can wait until it's hardened and serve then. Either way they're delicious!