Billion Dollar Bar's

How's everyone holding up out there? Ready for Spring? Me too.  I never thought I'd say that since I'm a cold weather kind of girl but I really am ready.  We've been getting really cold weather and no snow to show for it, so it seems like we could really just skip the cold part now.

But I digress.

I recently made these bars for a girls night that I went to at a neighbors house. There are multiple steps to making them but the finished product was amazing.  I love the little butterscotch hint in the chocolate layers.  They remind me of a dessert my gramma used to make but these are smooth and dreamy.

After you make each layer you have to refrigerate for about 30 minutes in order to prepare for the next layer.  The layers themselves aren't complicated to make, you just have to allow enough time to get it finished before you plan to serve them.

This bar is basically just one big candy bar.  One big delicious candy bar. I would compare it mostly to a milky way however the flavors are different.  The texture is sort of the same though. You have some added peanut butter and butterscotch flavors which set it apart from anything else that you can buy.  I loved it.

I hope you can make this soon, if you do, let me know what you think of it.

Billion Dollar Bar

Recipe found on FoodPinsNow via Food.com

Ingredients

Bottom chocolate layer

• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup butterscotch chips
• 1/3 cup peanut butter chips

Nougat layer

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow cream
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups salted peanuts (optional)

Caramel layer

• 14 oz package caramel pieces, unwrapped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp butter

Top chocolate layer

• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/3 cup butterscotch chips

Cooking Directions

1. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch pan or double line it with plastic wrap with some hanging over the sides.
2. For the bottom chocolate layer: In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt all three types of chips and stir until smooth and melted.  Spread out on the bottom of the pan and then refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
3. For the Nougat layer, use a medium saucepan to melt the butter over medium heat.  Add both sugars and the evaporated milk and stir until it begins to boil.  Boil and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the peanut butter and the marshmallow cream.  Stir and spread on top of the chocolate layer.  If using peanuts, spread them over the top. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes. 
4. For the caramel layer: Add all of the ingredients into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat while stirring until the mixtures has melted and is smooth. Pour over the nougat layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
5. For the top chocolate layer: Use a medium saucepan to melt the three types of chips over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread over the caramel layer and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares. 

White Chocolate, Cherry and Almond Biscotti

I can't believe that I have never made biscotti before.  I love it.  I buy it in the store but why haven't I ever made it? 

Well, I had to fix that. 

There are a lot of choices out there when you want to make biscotti.  Seems like just about every flavor imaginable.  I didn't really know which kind I wanted to make first, but I saw this one had cherries in it.  I didn't have dried cherries but I did have maraschino cherries, so I cut them up and dried them really well and they worked just fine. 

The crunchy not too sweet cookie, combined with the sweet white chocolate drizzle and the chewy cherries was a hit for me and my family.  Made crunchy so you can dip it in your coffee or tea. I loved this flavor and will be trying new flavors soon!

Also, this would be perfect for Valentines Day.  Just sayin. 

White Chocolate, Cherry and Almond Biscotti

Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp oil (I used canola)
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup dried or maraschino cherries (cut in half and patted dry)
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds
• white chocolate baking squares or chips for drizzling

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the oil ,both extracts and the eggs. Mix to incorporate.
3. In a separate bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk together.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spoon to mix in the cherries, chocolate chips and almonds.
6. Lightly flour your work surface and put the dough on it, knead a couple of times to make it less tacky.
7. Cut the dough in half and shape into two patties about 1" thick. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat and bake for 35 minutes.
8. Remove the dough patties to a cooling rack and let them cool about 10 minutes.
9. Decrease the temperature of the oven to 325º
10. Once they patties have cooled a little, sliced them into 1/2" sliced and lay them back on the cookie sheet, cut side down.
11. Bake for 10 minutes and then flip over and let them bake for 10 more minutes.
12. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool on a cooling rack.
13. Drizzle with white chocolate if desired.

One Ingredient Ice Cream

As you might already know, I'm always on the lookout for recipes to use up the one's I have sitting on my counter getting browner and browner.  My daughter thinks the brown spots are poison and therefore will not touch them.  Oh sure I can sneak it into a smoothie for her but at her age now she likes to help me make the smoothies so this trick doesn't always work.

Banana ice cream works.

I was so amazed at how creamy this is with just banana's.  I mean I had no idea it would turn out this good! I'm probably going to purposely let the banana's get brown now just so I can make this.  There are so many different flavor combinations I want to try.  I'm so excited!  Heck, it's just banana's so have it for breakfast if you want.  Ice cream for breakfast!!

I love these little tricks.  I hope you love it as much as I do.

One Ingredient Ice Cream
Recipe from OneIngredientChef

Ingredients

• 4 (or more) banana's starting to brown.

Cooking Directions

1. Peel the banana's and place into a zip lock bag, then place in the freezer.
2. Freeze overnight.
3. Remove from the freezer and cut into 1/2" chunks and place into a food processor.
4. Blend for about 60 seconds until smooth and creamy.
5. At this point you can eat it, freeze it or add other flavors.

Mint Chocolate Chip  (shown above) - add a couple of drops of peppermint extract and a handful of chocolate chips.  Blend until combined. 

Check out the website link above for a couple more flavor options.