Blog

Aug 24 min read

German Chocolate Cake Truffles

"These German chocolate truffles have toasted coconut, mini chocolate chips and pecans inside of them! You know that German chocolate filling for cakes? Yeah, that's what these truffles are made of, along with some German chocolate to help firm them into balls. Seriously, the tastiest treat ever."

Do I have any German chocolate cake lovers out there? I don't have a cake today, but I do have truffles and they are so damn good.

I have to confess to you that I was never a huge German Chocolate Cake fan. It was just never chocolatey enough for me. You know? Well this is my Hubby's favorite cake, and it's tradition that I make one every year for him. This year, he asked for a smaller cake with more frosting, so I did what any wife would do... I made it happen! With that, I ended up having cake batter left over and made extra cupcakes and of course I had extra frosting too! So what was a girl to do.... These little bite sized... well two bites... bundles of German chocolate deliciousness were born! They were created with toasted pecans, toasted coconut, mini chocolate chips and a sweet secret... As always, my favorite part of any truffle and/or cake pop is the snap of the chocolate shell.

I brought these little gems to the office to share. I anxiously waited for someone to take the first bite, and tell me what they thought... Friends and family are the best critics... because they are completely honest! Ugh the waiting game was killing me... It would be rude to force the truffles onto them, right? Mehhh. Patience is only my specialty when it comes to baking. Does anyone else get this excited about feeding people their creations? I'm sure it's not just me... right?

In fact, I just watched a video on Facebook talking about how baking for others releases endorphins and baking, in general, helps keep your mind sharp. Not sure how factual it is, but I liked what I heard... and I'm sticking to it!

German Chocolate Cake Truffles

Servings – 20-30 depending on the size you make. Prep Time – 20 Minutes Cook Time – 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines German Chocolate Cake Mix
3 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 stick butter or margarine, melted - I use Land O'Lakes or Blue Bonnet
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 container of Duncan Hines Coconut Pecan frosting
6 oz of marshmallow cream/fluff
1 cup of sweetened coconut, toasted
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
16 oz chocolate melting wafers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13" cake can or baking dish. You can use a bundt pan or even line a muffin tin with paper liners if you don't have either pans.

Sprinkle coconut and pecans on baking sheet. Place into the oven for about 10 - 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Set aside.

In a large bowl add cake mix, eggs, melted oil or butter, vanilla and milk. Whisk until completely mixed and well combined. But, don't over mix.

Pour mixture into greased or lined pan, bake according to directions on box.

Remove cake from oven, let cool for 20 minutes.

Once cake is cool enough to touch, start breaking and crumbling cake into a large mixing bowl. Add pecan frosting, marshmallow cream/fluff to crumbled cake. Mix until combined into the truffle batter.

Add in 3/4 cup toasted coconut, 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and 3/4 cup chopped pecans to the truffle batter. Fold in ingredients until combined.

Cover bowl and set in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes to firm truffle batter.

Line two baking sheets with wax paper or foil.

Remove batter from fridge. Using a 1" cookie scoop or a table spoon, scoop out dough and roll in between your hands and fingers, making the perfect little ball. Place on 1 of the baking sheets. Repeat until batter is made into all the truffles.

Add chocolate melting wafers to a small bowl. Microwave for 60 seconds, remove to stir continue with 30 second intervals until completely melted. * You can also do the double boiler method. By using a pot of water, adding a glass bowl over the top to sit right above the water. Add chocolate and stir constantly until melted.

Dip each truffle in the melted chocolate using the two fork method... I found this the easiest way... tap off any excess chocolate. Place onto 2nd lined baking sheet.

Using the remaning 1/4 cup toasted coconut and pecans, top each truffle. Repeat until all truffles are dipped and decorated. Let sit about 20 minutes until hardened.

Enjoy! 🍫🤗

Notes:

You can place each truffle into a pretty cupcake liner, or little decoarative boxes if you want to gift them. You can also place them on a pretty platter from the dollar tree!

You can turn these into cake pops by dipping the tip of a lolipop stick into the melted chocolate, then into the bottom of the truffle. Let sit in fridge for 10 minutes to harden before dipping the entire truffle into melted chocolate. Place dipped pop, stick end into stand or bowl of rice to dry completely. Decorate as normal.

Nutrition:

"These are TRUE GOURMET!" ~ David M.

CWT is not a certified dietician or nutritionist. Any nutritional information shared on this site is an estimate counted through measurements and package nutritional information used in each recipe. If calorie, macro counting and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through your choice of nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on national brands used per recipe.

Aug 25 min read

B-L-T & A Sandwich

"You might think it’s silly to have a “recipe” for a BLT&A. Do I really need to write an entire blog post about this? YES...YES I DID"

I will show you exactly how to make the best BLT sandwich of your life! Sometimes the simplest recipes are the easiest to mess up. Nobody wants a soggy sandwich, or one that is flavorless and bland! I will show you all the tips and tricks you need to make a perfectly toasted, crispy-yet-tender, juicy and drippy Bacon Lettuce Tomato & Avocado Sandwich!

B-L-T & A Sandwich

Servings – 2 Prep Time – 20 Minutes Cook Time – 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

4 thick slices hearty white bread - Texas Toast Loaf works fantastic
8 teaspoons butter, soft
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
8 slices thin cut bacon, trust me.... make 4 extra... at least 🤣
4-8 pieces green leaf lettuce
1 perfectly ripe tomato
1 perfectly ripe avocado
salt and pepper

Directions:

Prep and cooking the bacon:

You can fry your bacon according to the package, or you can try my easy method Bakin' Bacon!

Preheat your oven to 400°. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, then place the bacon side-by-side on the tray.

Cook the bacon for 10 to 20 minutes or until it's reached your desired level of crispiness. Make sure to check on it after about 10 minutes, as some ovens cook faster. Remove the tray from the oven and transfer the bacon with tongs to a paper towel-lined plate. Don't eat it all before you get to making your sandwiches. I always cook extra because of this reason!

*If you're rendering the bacon fat, line a fine mesh sieve with a paper towel. Then place the sieve over a glass storage container and pour the bacon fat from the sheet tray into the sieve. Cover the glass storage container and place it in the refrigerator for future cooking needs.

While the bacon is cooking, prepare your bread. Spread both sides of your bread with butter. Place in a skillet over medium heat and toast lightly, it will only take a couple minutes. Flip each piece of bread and toast the other side. Don’t overdo it! You only want a light browning. Set aside. You can also use a toaster to toast your bread, skip the butter if you choose to do it this way.

Wash and dry your green leaf lettuce; slice your tomato into slices about 3/8 inch thick. Place the tomatoes on a paper towel-lined plate so absorb some of the water.

Cut your avocado in half, then slice one half into strips.

Assemble your sandwich:

Spread about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise on your toasted bread. Top with lettuce. Add 2 tomato slices, sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper.

Add all the bacon. You should have 8 half-strips of bacon. Pile ’em on! 🤤

Top the bacon with avocado strips.

Spread the other slice of toasted bread with mayonnaise. Top the sandwich and gently press down. (Don't attack the messenger, it's a must!) Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the sandwich in half, I like it on an angle.

Stop what you are doing and eat it right away! 🤣 No if's, &'s or buts about it!

Notes:

The Bread

A good sandwich is only as good as the bread it is sandwiched with. For the perfect BLT&A I recommend a hearty white bread. Some will say this is too flimsy; you need a hearty French bread or Italian loaf to hold up to all that juicy tomato. Wrong! The crusts are too chewy, now don't get me wrong... I LOVE crusty bread! You can find me in a corner eating a warm fresh loaf all by myself... It's my weakness... You need a nice and tender crust, So it's easier to bite into. Those chewy crusts will ruin that first bite, and make all the slippery ingredients fall out.

The Sauce

🙌🏻 MAYONNAISE!! Mayonnaise is God’s greatest gift to the condiment kingdom, by a long shot. It is the perfect seal for so many sandwiches and salads: creamy and smooth and perfectly tart. You choose the brand you love.

The Lettuce

The lettuce you choose is directly related to how much crunch you prefer. I like green leaf and butter lettuce. It’s green enough to make you feel healthy but not so crunchy that you’re overwhelmed and literally can’t hear anything that’s going on in the room when you take a bite. Romaine is my second choice. Good'ole iceberg will do in a pinch!

The Tomato

The tomato is arguably the most important element of a BLT&A, mostly because there are so many ways for it to go wrong! Have you ever had one of those tomatoes that wasn't ripe enough... and it ruins the whole damn sangwich... So you end up pulling them out... Ugh...🙄 Tomatoes bring the flavor. Home grown garden tomatoes are the absolute best of the best... if you don’t have access to great tomatoes, my advice is to wait until summer or grow your own, if you can. I like vine ripe tomatoes, Beefsteak, or Heirlooms are best. But really, any type of tomato will do as long as it is perfectly ripe. It should be bright red and ridiculously juicy!

The Bacon

The main rule here with the bacon is that there has to be a freaking ton of it. You can use thin or thick here... It's your preference; I personally prefer thin bacon... Now that I have changed my lifestyle and eating habits, I prefer turkey bacon... Yeah yeah... it's a sin and a dishonnor to the BLT&A! Shhhh... 🤫 I won't tell the real bacon if you won't. Thin crispy strips that SHATTER with every bite is the way to go! No skimping... this is the star of the show... The more strips the merrier. Pile those suckers on!

The Avocado

I have a secret: This is the A of the BLT&A. Sorry... Not sorry... BLT's were born without the A... But I am here to tell you... Once you go back, you never go back to just a BLT! Make sure your avocado is nice and ripe. It has to be smoosh-able. Slice it up and add it on top of your bacon. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on there too, if you’re feeling extra.

Make a BLT&A next level...

But... my personal opinion... You can't make this sandiwch any better! But you can try!

Here are some variations and additions to try. This is your sandwich! Don’t let this lil ole food blogger tell you any different!

Add a fried egg, with a slight soft drippy center
Sprouts for crunchy yummy-ness
Add pickled cherry peppers
Add roasted red pepper, an Italian twist
Use Pimiento cheese instead of mayo, check out my recipe
Cheddar cheese, Feta, Provolone, Goat Cheese, Muenster one of my favs, or mozzarella. You really can’t go wrong with cheese!
Make fried green tomatoes and use that instead of tomatoes, check out my recipe
Thinly sliced radishes, for an extra peppery punch

"This recipe has to be in everyone's box, it's a staple for everyone's household. Go get your ingredients... you need this sandwich... NOW!"

Aug 24 min read

Easy Souped-Up Cinnamon Rolls

"Gooey, sweet, and oh-so-simple, these viral TikTok Cinnamon Rolls are the canned cinnamon roll hack that you didn't know you needed. So easy to make using canned Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls, we're taking these refrigerated favorites to the next level with just a few extra ingredients that make them extra delicious and taste like they are homemade with just 5 minutes of prep!"

This was one of the silver linings during the 2020 Pandemic. Everyone started experimenting in the kitchen; new and experienced cooks. It was one way to escape the tragic reality we were all handling in our own ways. Some started making "Pandemic Bread" others played with thier food and came up with hacks for easier ways to do something. And this by far was one of the best recipes that came about! This hack makes the cinnamon rolls softer and more gooey throughout. Like the inside of the cinnamon roll except the WHOLE THING is that way. Trust me, they are the easiest cinnamon rolls you will ever make! So of course I had to put my own twist on it!

If you know or are the creator of the original recipe during the pandemic... Please reach out to CWT I would love to give the proper homage to you!

Easy Souped-Up Cinnamon Rolls

Servings – 10 Prep Time – 5 Minutes Cook Time – 45 Minutes Ingredients:

Cinnamon Rolls

2-17.5ounce cans refrigerated cinnamon rolls, I like Pillsbury Grands or similar*
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Icing

Icing from cinnamon rolls, from above
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with baking spray.

Open cinnamon roll dough and arrange in the prepared pan, spacing them apart so they have room to rise. Set aside icing.

*If you are using or can only find the smaller 8 count of cinnamon rolls, you can make them larger by opening two and connecting the ends. Then rerolling them back up to create one large one. (Pictures below are from the smaller cans due to not being able to find the Grands at the time.)

Pour heavy cream over and around the cinnamon rolls until it covers the bottom of the pan.

Combine melted butter, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir until combined, then spoon or pour over the cinnamon rolls. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned on top and cooked through. You may want to remove the foil during the last 5-10 minutes if they aren't brown enough for you.

Beat softened cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer until creamy and smooth. Add vanilla extract and the icing from the cinnamon rolls, mixing well. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then mix in the powdered sugar until combined.

Let the cinnamon rolls cool for 3-5 minutes before topping them with the prepared icing. Serve warm.

Notes:

Amount adjustments: Many popular versions of this recipe use 1 cup of heavy cream, but I found during recipe testing that 3/4 cup was plenty while the full amount was just a bit too much.

Icing: The extra icing can be omitted, but I found making the extra icing helped it taste even more homemade. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon maple extract for a yummy maple version.

Storage: Although these are best eaten fresh, they will keep at room temperature on the counter in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Freezing: You can also freeze the baked cinnamon rolls for up to 2 months. Thaw completely on the counter and reheat. Keep in mind that the frosting will sort of melt into the cinnamon rolls, so if your plan is to freeze them you might want to freeze the frosting separately (it freezes great!) then thaw and add it when you are reheating the cinnamon rolls before serving.

Add fruit: Add some fresh peach slices, apple pie filling, cherry pie filling, blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries right on top and down between the cinnamon rolls before adding the cream and baking.

Add nuts: Add 3/4 cup chopped pecans to the brown sugar and butter mixture. You could even do this first, then place the cinnamon rolls on top. After baking, flip the whole thing upside down for easy pecan sticky buns.

Nutrition:

"I have also made these with the regular sized cinnamon buns and combinging two of the rolls making one large one. This was because they were out of the grands size at my local grocery store, and they swelled up to bigger than grands. So yes, this works too! it These were a great Christmas morning hit! I even added chopped pecans and drizzled with maple syrup for an alternative flavor!"

10 11

13 14