J will be the first to tell you that I’m incapable of exercising moderation, particularly when it comes to good eats.  I’m an all or nothing kind of gal.  Case in point?  These 3 layer brownies.  Homemade salted caramel sauce {a recipe that only takes 3 minutes, by the way} gets generously oozed over the salty bite of crunchy pretzels with a base of rich, dark chocolate brownies.

httpv://youtu.be/9vhai8tYDOM

5.0 from 3 reviews

Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

Brownies

• 1½ c unbleached flour
• 1 c good, unsweetened dark cocoa
• 1 ts fine salt
• 2 sticks soft, unsalted butter
• 1 c brown sugar + 2 c granulated sugar
• 1 tb vanilla extract
• ½ tb instant coffee
• 4 room temperature eggs

Salted Caramel

• 1 c brown sugar
• ½ c half and half
• 4 tb unsalted butter
• 1 ts salt
• ½ ts vanilla extract

Pretzels

Instructions

1. In the first bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt.
2. In the second bowl, cream together the butter and sugars for 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
3. Blend in the vanilla, coffee, and eggs to the second bowl, adding the eggs one at a time.
4. In thirds, sprinkle the first bowl into the second, mixing just to combine.
5. Pour into a well greased pan and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
6. For the caramel sauce, combine everything together and heat until it gets thick and smooth. Cool at room temperature or in the fridge until ready to use. {Check the link above for a step by step video on this caramel sauce}
7. To assemble, line the top of the cooled brownies with pretzels then generously drizzle with caramel sauce.

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And if you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my chocolate ganache mint brownies or my paleo brownies for a healthier option

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

These are probably my favorite sweet indulgence at breakfast right now.  They have golden crispy edges, a fluffy custardy center with melting shards of dark chocolate, swirling into a sinful sticky mess when draped with salted caramel sauce and topped with a fluffy dollop of vanilla scented whipped cream.

httpv://youtu.be/w16-xw194m4

5.0 from 4 reviews

Chocolate Pumpkin Pancakes {With Salted Caramel & Whipped Cream}

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 8 Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 c unbleached flour
• 3 tb brown sugar
• 1½ ts baking powder
• ¼ ts fine salt
• 1 ts pumpkin spice
• 1 room temperature egg
• ½ c room temperature buttermilk
• ½ c pumpkin puree
• Bittersweet chocolate

Instructions

1. In the first bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, powder, salt, and spice.
2. In the second bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk.
3. Mix in the pumpkin.
4. Slowly sprinkle bowl 1 into bowl 2 (in about thirds and take care not to over mix).
5. Brown butter in a skillet and drizzle in a bit of oil. Scoop out batter and fry until golden brown (drop in chocolate if desired). Flip once and cook on the other side. Serve with salted caramel sauce/whipped cream or maple syrup.

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{Homemade pumpkin spice, homemade pumpkin puree, homemade brown sugar}

Enjoy!

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

I’d say my love for salted caramel has been well documented here.  The fact that you can whip this up in 3 minutes or less has been a dangerous revelation for me.  So don’t tell me I didn’t warn you

httpv://youtu.be/jQFbT4IOFUc

5.0 from 3 reviews

Salted Caramel Sauce in 3 Minutes

 

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

3 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: ½ cup

Ingredients

• ½ c brown sugar
• ¼ c cream
• 2 tb butter
• ½ ts salt
• ½ ts vanilla

Instructions

1. In a very large microwave-safe vessel, pour in all the ingredients.
2. Heat in the microwave for 30 second intervals. After the first or second zap, decrease to 20, then 10 and so forth. As it cooks off, it will violently bubble. Stay with it and stir.
3. Cook for 2-3 minutes total then cool. You can use immediately or refrigerate for a better consistency.

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I’ve been going nuts with mine drizzling it over ice cream, whipped cream, brownies, cake {or licking it off by the spoonful}.

If you prefer to make this over the stove top:

httpv://youtu.be/DaYcZrOVOdA

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

Happy Birthday Daddy!  Your daughter has such love, respect and admiration for you.

My father.

He taught me to work hard and never stop trying.  He is a man of endless strength, devotion, and will power, having risen from adversity with a childhood that was robbed from him and a youth that was sucked of all its wonder.  He never stopped working to provide a better life for us.  He and my mother are my constant sources of motivation and inspiration.  I love you both.

Birthday dinner: chicken saltimbocca on wild rice with mushrooms, baked mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, , goat cheese polenta, roasted root veggies, glazed meatballs, homemade chai tea, , cookie pops for the kiddos, and J even smoked brisket and pork tenderloins.

A turtle {}

Happy Birthday to the best dad ever {and happy birthday to you if you’re an Autumn baby, too!)

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

Sure it’s a mouthful to say but it’s also a mouthful of utter deliciousness. This cookie experience should be deemed illegal. You can’t help but feel naughty when you have melting chocolate smudged all over your fingers, gooey caramel dripping everywhere and cookie crumbs that won’t be brushed off absentmindedly this time. Nope. You’ll be lapping them up just like I did. The incredible complexity of this cookie blooms in multi-layered stages. First, there’s the nutty aromatic browned butter that marries fluffy brown sugar, imparting a slight smokiness that only molasses can do. Then, there’s the aging process where for 3 days, the cookies get to know each other on an intimate level {who knows what they’re doing in there when the lights go out}? Finally, the 2-step process of the salted caramel alone could make for a decadent experience but two cookies come together to create a larger cookie, stuffed with hot caramel with tops flecked with glittering salt. Cookie foodgasm at its finest. httpv://youtu.be/4NqMWjB8jKI

5.0 from 2 reviews

Stuffed Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 1 Dozen Large Cookies

Ingredients

• 1½ c unbleached flour + 2 tb
• 1 ts baking soda
• ⅛ ts fine salt
• 1 stick browned butter
• 6 tb granulated sugar
• ½ c brown sugar
• 1 room temperature egg
• 2 ts vanilla extract
• 1 c chocolate chips
• Chocolate covered caramel candies and fleur de sel/sea salt

Instructions

1. In a pot set over medium-low, slowly melt the butter. Swirl/whisk until the pale yellow takes on a bronze color. Don’t walk away. It can go from nutty to burned in a matter of seconds.
2. In the first bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the second bowl, sprinkle in both sugars and cream together with the cooled browned butter.
4. Blend in the egg and splash in the vanilla.
5. Mix in the first bowl a little bit at a time to the second bowl. Do not over mix.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Wrap the bowl and stick it in the fridge for 3 days.
8. Before scooping, set the bowl out 15-20 minutes before use. Scoop/roll cookie dough.
9. Take on dough ball and smudge in a candy. Take another dough ball and mound it over. Roll into one cookie.
10. Sprinkle over with a touch of salt and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Notes

Does not include chilling time.

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Love, Your Squishy Monster ^.~

I woke up to a thick layer of ice glazed over my windshield so you’d better believe that after I got all the necessary things out of the way, I made a beeline for the kitchen and whipped up two gigantic mugs of this delicious hot chocolate (all for me, mind you). There’s something about the thick velvety texture and contrast of the soft pillowy cream and bite from the sticky caramel sauce that makes you feel instantly comforted. For me, it’s also nostalgia. How many of you guys can recall childhood moments where hot chocolate was just positively necessary? It’s just what happened when you came bounding in breathlessly from an epic snow ball fight and you’re tracking in dirty snow with mom telling you how she just mopped the floor. So whether this is for yourself to recreate happy memories with or you’ve now got kids of your own, I highly recommend not only making this, but whipping up two…one to warm you up and the other because more chocolate is never a bad thing!

http://youtu.be/DaYcZrOVOdA

5.0 from 7 reviews

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 2 Servings

Ingredients

Hot Chocolate

• 2 c half and half
• 5 oz chocolate
• 1 ts vanilla
• pinch of salt

Salted Caramel*

• 1 c brown sugar
• ½ c heavy cream
• 4 tb unsalted butter
• 1 ts grey sea/fleur de sel/kosher salt
• 1 ts vanilla

Whipped Cream

• ½ c cold whipping cream
• ½-1 tb sugar
• ½ ts vanilla

Instructions

1. Begin by heating your half and half.
2. Slowly tumble in your chocolate and whisk until incorporated.
3. Tip in your vanilla and salt.
4. For the sauce, cook everything but the vanilla over medium-low heat for about 5-10 minutes whisk until the entire mixture gets thicker. Turn off the heat and whisk in your vanilla. Cool, pour into a container and refrigerate until use.
5. For the whipped cream, make sure all your components are cold and using a whisk attachment, begin beating your cream.
6. Sprinkle in your sugar and vanilla and continue beating. The entire thing should come together within 5-10 minutes.

Notes

*This caramel sauce is amazing on everything! Try it on everything from ice cream to using it as a stuffing for cupcakes. Additionally, I wouldn’t be averse to bathing in this stuff!

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Love and more chocolate!

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

For me, every food has a bit of nostalgia tied to it.  Caramel macchiatos instantly take me back to high school when I worked as a barista.  Most Saturday mornings were spent at the crack of dawn, stifling yawns while peddling espressos to the antiquing-mini-van-mom or overachievers (I mean really, who voluntarily gets up at 5 am on a Saturday?)  The lure of fat steaming stacks of pancakes, fuzzy jammies, and cartoons is all too overwhelming for me.

As long as you get an accurate digital candy thermometer, making your own candy isn’t too terribly difficult, not to mention, you can really control the quality of what goes in.

http://youtu.be/F6D7Ok-uhH4

5.0 from 4 reviews

Salted Caramel Macchiato Candies

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 35-40 Pieces

Ingredients

• 3 c brown sugar
• ½ c espresso
• ½ c golden syrup
• 2 c room temperature heavy cream
• 10 tb unsalted melted butter
• 1 ts pure vanilla
• ¼ ts fine salt
• Coarse salt {for sprinkling}

Instructions

1. Spray and line a pan with parchment/wax/silpat.
2. In a tall, heavy bottomed pot, swirl-don’t stir and dissolve your sugar, espresso, and syrup until bubbly.
3. Turn off the heat and carefully tip in your butter, cream, and vanilla.
4. Return your pan to heat and cook your mixture until it reaches 244-248.
5. Pour into your well greased/lined pan, dust with coarse salt, and allow it to set for a few hours before slicing.

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This will be making another appearance in my holiday gift haul

Love and early morning jolts,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

I worked a lot but that’s to be expected and other than that, my weekend was great, how was yours?

Nothing like sugar to jump start your day!  Why yes, that would be a shortbread crust + homemade salted caramel + streusel

Spicy Tuna & Eel/King Crab Rolls for lunch

Cheesy stuffed shells for dinner and garlicky cheesy bread, for good measure {baked in my new birthday present—I hope my brother sees this from the Netherlands and smiles}

I also watched Looper

Prepping for a night out {first time in heels in a million years}  Have I ever mentioned how much I hate heels?  But for food, I’ll make an exception, and how cute are these?!

*Also, go check out my article in this weeks Creative Loafing!

I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend!

Love, love, love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

I’m still waiting for it, but chocolate ganache and caramel fell in love at first sight, got together and decided to live in a pie crust.  They were so in love, they didn’t even bother to wait.  They eloped to somewhere delicious and have lived in their scrumptious little abode ever since.  *sigh*  Until then, I’ll just snuggle up with a slice and hope that their yummy love/luck rubs off on me too.

You know how some things just go together, like milk and cookies or rice and kimchi?…or me and an economy size box of oreos forever and ever because I’ll never find him hahahaha.

Jokes aside, I highly recommend sharing this pie.  I’ve been known to consume an entire pumpkin pie by myself but I don’t even think I could finish this alone.

Chocolate Ganache Caramel Pie

 

Prep time

4 hours

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

4 hours 20 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1½ c crushed chocolate cookies
• 6 tb melted butter

For the Chocolate Ganache:

• ¾ c heavy cream
• 1½ c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 ts honey
• 1 ts espresso powder

Homemade Caramel

• ½ c brown sugar
• ¼ c granulated sugar
• ¼ c unsalted butter
• ¼ c heavy cream
• 1 ts vanilla

Topping

• Fleur de Sel is very nice

Instructions

1. Drizzle your melted butter over your crushed cookies and press onto the bottom of a pie/tart pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool completely.
2. In a sauce pan, heat your heavy cream. Turn off your heat and melt in your chocolate chips, honey, and espresso.
3. In a separate pot, slowly melt all of your caramel ingredients on low until it reaches 234 with a candy thermometer.
4. Layer your ganache and caramel into your prepared (and cooled) crust. Sprinkle fleur de sel on top and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

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Love at first bite,

XOXO

Your Squishy Monster

p.s.

I’m leaving for Toronto tomorrow!