Foxy's Gourmet: Butterscotch Appetizer

Create Your Own: Butterscotch Appetizers.Appetizer Mix

Creez Vos. Caramel Ecossais Mises En Bouche. Melange A Mises En Bouche

This month's butterscotch cravings prompted me to buy package of Foxy's Gourmet Butterscotch Appetizers on Amazon. It consists of one pouch of butterscotch powder and a recipe. When I purchased the mix, I mistakenly thought mini croissants were included.

The directions said to mix the powder with 1 1/2 blocks of cream cheese (12 ounces), pipe the mix into mini croissant rolls and dip the edges with cress. I'm not planning a party this week, so wasting two packages of cream cheese on myself was out of the question. I substituted the cream cheese with one 6 ounce cup of Liberte Mediterranee Coconut Yogurt (creamy coconut yogurt with coconut puree on the bottom of the cup). The result was what I'd dub "the dough for carrot cake cookies." I topped my new treat with  Honey Maid Grahamfuls (with the filling scraped off). So good! 

I don't know how the original recipe would've turned out. But hurray for stumbling onto new recipes!

Ferrera Pan: Boston Baked Beans

The Original Boston Baked Beans

Candy Coated Peanuts

I used to love Boston Baked Beans, the candy coated peanuts, when I was a child. I have fond memories of eating Boston Baked Beans on the drives home from t-ball games. Any time someone mentions that candy, I think "Oh wow, I haven't had any in ages. I sure could go for some now."

Nostalgia plus a 25 cent price tag convinced me to buy a mini box of Boston Baked Beans this month. When I nibbled on the peanuts and red confectioners glaze, my excitement dimmed. I realized Boston Baked Beans taste like Brach's Maple Nut Goodies, which I don't care for. Apparently that's a theme this month. I guess some things are better left as good memories in the past. 

Boyer Milk Chocolate Mallo Cup

"Made in the USA"

The other day, I was at a convenience store shopping for treats for the blog.  I saw a stack of Boyer Mallo Cups next to the cash register. I actually blurted out "OOH, MALLO CUPS! I'LL TAKE ONE OF THESE, TOO!...OOH, SNICKER'S MARATHON. I'LL TAKE THAT....IS THAT  A BASKET OF KENTUCKY FUDGE ? WHAT FLAVOR IS THIS ? I CAN'T TELL --- *notices cashier's dead stare* Cough cough, um, which button do I press for credit ?" Apparently I have the same attention span and self control my cats have when I fill up their food bowls. Oops. That aside, I bought the Mallo Cups because I always hear people squeeing about "Those are hard to find but so delicious, too!"

Each packet has two milk chocolate cups with whipped creme centers. Bits of coconut are in the chocolate. The filling is really gooey marshmallow. Without the coconut, the chocolate and the marshmallow aren't standouts. But after taking a bite of all three flavors together, I did experience that sugary kid on Easter morning satisfaction that comes from indulging in chocolate, marshmallow and coconut all at once. I would probably only buy Mallo Cups to fill Easter baskets, though. I don't crave marshmallow the way many other people do.

Random bonus shot: Mallo Cups come with play money cards, which can be redeemed for prizes or cash. This 5 point card stated I need 500 points (100 Mallo Cup purchases) to receive a $1 rebate check. Oy vey, that's crazy

*ETA: After I wrote this post, I noticed Boyer had a picture of Butterscotch Smoothie Peanut Butter Cups on their site. For real ?! Be still my heart!

Butterscotch And Biscuits

As I said in a previous post, I have been craving butterscotch like crazy. What tipped me from "butterscotch sounds nice" to "MUST HAVE IT NOW" was buying the so-so Butterscotch Krimpets last year. This week I finally got to splurge on high quality ingredients to make three butterscotch recipes:

Butterbeer Ice Cream Sandwiches from Cherry Tea Cakes

Butterscotch Brownies with Brown Sugar Frosting and Pecans from Caramel Potatoes

Ruth's Diners Mile High Biscuits from Deals To Meals

A couple of tips before you start these recipes:

- The brownies, ice cream and frosting require making hot caramel. These desserts are best made when small children are not underfoot. You cannot walk away from the stove for just a minute.  Don't stand too close to the stove, because hot caramel splatters easily. You will need to have every ingredient pre-measured or the caramel will burn / or harden.
- It took me two tries to make the Brown Sugar Frosting. The first time, I followed the instructions to boil the caramel. The caramel became dark and chewy. It had to be thrown out. The second time, I took the pan off the stove as soon as a few bubbles appeared, instead of letting it boil further. Then I followed the rest of the steps to the letter. That batch of frosting turned out perfect. I don't know if it's my stove temperature or if I misunderstood the recipe. Either way, the frosting and the brownies are to die for!
- I don't have an ice cream maker yet. So the Butterbeer Ice Cream didn't come out completely smooth, even when I followed another website's instructions to stir the freezing ice cream every hour to break up the ice crystals. I had expected that to happen, with or without the stirring. But the flavor was on point. So I will reuse this recipe when I finally get my ice cream maker. The recurring comment in the AMW family was "It doesn't have enough butterscotch flavor. It's really good, though." Next time I'll double the amount of caramel in the recipe. It was also suggested that I add bananas and pecans, so I'll include those, too.
- I didn't bake the shortbread cookies from the Butterbeer Ice Cream recipe, since I was already making brownies.
- Let me tell you how good the Butterscotch Brownies are. On their own, it's like having shirtless Jeff Goldblum show up at your door. With the Brown Sugar Frosting, it's like shirtless Jeff Goldblum came to your house and said "I hope you don't mind, I brought my friend Craig Ferguson along."'
- I bought a bag of Hershey's butterscotch chips for the ice cream. The chips tasted too much like Brach's Maple Nut Goodies. I left those out of the ice cream mix.
- Mile High Biscuits are the first flaw-free biscuits I've ever made. Seriously, don't skip the advice to use cold butter and refrain from overhandling the dough. Preheating your oven and preportioning your ingredients are crucial here, too.
- Don't cheap out on the ingredients. Normally I have fat free milk, some sort of buttery spread and maybe some dry coffee creamer packets on hand. But for these three recipes, I bought high quality European butter, full fat milk, heavy whipping cream and real vanilla. I think it made a huge difference in the taste and textures.

Kellogg's Special K Brownie Bites *Updated*

"These fudgy mini-brownies are soft in texture and rich in flavor. They're made with 100% real cocoa, which makes them 100% delicious!"

"Delicious, bite-sized brownies baked with real milk chocolate and white chocolate chips. Brownie has a moist, chewy and soft texture combined with a delightful vanilla and butterscotch flavor for a great taste and texture combination."

I received an email the other day which mentioned Kellogg's has come out with Special K Blondie Brownie Bites and Special K Fudge Brownie Bites. I was psyched, because (1) prepackaged chocolate brownies that taste good are hard to find (2) butterscotch brownies are even more difficult to procure than chocolate brownies and (3) I have been craving butterscotch. I have been checking grocery stores and drug stores, hoping to find a  couple boxes. Nope, not one box at Walgreen's, Walmart, Publix or Winn Dixie. I've been down the pharmacy aisles, the endcaps, the cookie aisle, the baking mix aisle and the granola and cereal aisle. Still nothing. Kellogg's has a "find a store that carries this" page, but it claims no stores within 15 miles of my house have it. Like a dagger to my heart, I tell you!

So I finally caved and bought one box of Special K Blondie Brownie Bites and one box of Special K Fudge Brownie Bites online. Which means tomorrow I'll find a huge display of them for $2.50 and feel silly. But whatever. As long as I get my brownies I'll be a happy girl. I'll post a review after the boxes arrive.  

_______________
**1/24/2013 Update

The Kellogg's Special K Brownie Bites arrived today.







Blondie Brownie Bites
- Six .74 oz pouches.
- Each pouch is 100 calories.
- Package claims "made with real chocolate"; vanilla extract, semisweet chocolate, molasses and white chocolate are on the ingredient list
- Strong, delicious butterscotch and vanilla cookie dough smell in the box, before even opening the pouches.
- Tastes like half baked cookie. Is too doughy. Not even close to being a brownie
- Vanilla is very heavy. It masks the white chocolate chips, semisweet chips and butterscotch
- Heavy vanilla flavor clings to the mouth too long afterwards







Fudge Brownie Bites
- Six .74 oz pouches.
- Each pouch is 100 calories.
- Package claims "made with real chocolate"; semisweet chocolate and cocoa are on the ingredient list.
- Fudgy smell, similar to Little Debbie Fudge Brownies.
- Closer to a baked brownie texture than the Blondie Brownie Bites.
- Aftertaste similar to that of the original Snackwells Devil's Food Cookies, albeit less strong (I don't care for it in either case).
- Can definitely taste the semisweet chocolate chips. Not high quality chocolate, though





The Fudge Brownie Bites had 11 pieces. The Blondie Brownie Bites had 10 pieces. Both treats are tiny. Kellogg's wasn't kidding about these being "bites."

The fudge pieces seem better a tad bit better than the blondies. But I wouldn't buy either variety again. I'll stick with Fiber One 90 Calorie Chocolate Chip Cookies and Fiber One 90 Calorie Chocolate Fudge Brownies. The Fiber One snacks are much more decadent and make me feel I'm treating myself to real sweets. The Special K Brownie Bites leave me deprived; they come across as half-as-good substitution, which is no fun for anyone cutting calories.

Chestnuts and Butterscotch Krimpets

It has been a disappointing week. First of all, I had been craving Tastykake's Butterscotch Krimpets for several months. I hadn't bought those cakes in several years, but I decided it was worth splurging. I was so annoyed when I bit into a butterscotch krimpet and discovered that (1) the icing had less of a butterscotch flavor and (2) the cake part was a bit dry, with a kind of chemical-ish taste. I don't know if Tastykake switched to a different recipe or my tastebuds just changed.

The second disappointment involves chestnuts. I had read on someone's bucket list that they wanted to try chesnuts roasted on an open fire. I thought "Gee, I've always wondered what those taste like. I should put that on my list, too." So when I saw a package of chesnuts at the grocery store recently, I snatched them up. I totally ignored the voice of reason in my head going "It's almost March. These chesnuts are imported from Italy. How fresh can they be ?" Mainly because the voice of Martha Stewart in my head hissed back, "Kindly shut your mouth. This will lead to producing marvelous handmade ornaments and hand sewn Victorian Christmas caroler costumes. A full on proper Christmas!"

The directions of the clam shell package said (and I'm paraphrasing) "Score an 'x' on the soft side of each chestnut, using a sharp knife. Stick on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Enjoy!" I cracked open one of the chesnuts before it went into the oven. The piece I pulled out looked like a fat walnut. The chesnut did not break apart when I tapped it on the counter and tried to squish it in my hand. So I only took a tentative, gentle bite, not wanting to lose any teeth. Yep, hard as a rock. I stuck the try in the oven anyway, expecting the chesnuts would soften up. Then I went to Google to see if chestnuts are supposed to be that hard. Whoops, they shouldn't be. But apparently you can boil them and they soften up.

So I yanked the tray out of the oven, cracked open all the shells and dropped the chestnuts into boiling water. After twenty minutes, I pulled a chestnut out of the pot for tasting. The flavor was a cross between walnuts, almond extract and cornmeal. Gross! That's off my bucket list now for sure.

Hopefully next week brings tastier food : P