Homemade Caramelitas Experiment

A couple of weekends ago I experienced my first Caramelita. I bit into this chewy, moist, square of chocolate, oatmeal and caramel and was instantly in heaven. I promptly found myself losing all self control and reaching for another, and then another, and then another! In my defense the maker cut them into the tiniest squares EVER {at least that's what I've been telling myself}. I had never heard of a Caramelita, so the first opportunity I got I googled the recipe and once I saw that it was relatively simple and straight forward I decided to brave an attempt. So here we go - Keep in mind, my baking skills are spotty at best:

I first started by making some homemade caramel:

Ingredients

1 CUP of sugar
6 TBSP butter
1/2 CUP heavy whipping cream

If you've never made caramel before, it's a super speedy process, so. . .

1. Gather and measure out all of your ingredients and have them lined up and ready to roll.

2. Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on.

3. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted, immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

4. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. {Note: When you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will begin to bubble up considerably and quickly. This is why you should definitely use a pan that is at least 2-quarts.}

5. Whisk until the caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool. 

Onto the main event. . .

Ingredients

3 CUPS, plus 3 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 1/2 TSP baking soda
1/2 TSP salt
4 STICKS unsalted butter, softened
3 CUPS quick-cooking rolled oats
2 1/4 CUPS light brown sugar
16 OZ caramel
1 1/2 CUPS semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 CUP chopped pecans

5. Preheat the oven to 350° and butter a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan. 

6. In a large bowl, whisk 3 cups of the flour with the baking soda and salt. Add the butter, oats and brown sugar and mix until combined. 

7. In a small bowl, mix the caramel with the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour.

8. Pat half of the oat mixture into the baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. 

9. Remove from oven and first begin by scattering half of the chocolate chips and pecans over the crust. Then, drizzle half of the caramel mixture on top. Continue to layer by crumbling the remaining oat mixture evenly into the pan. Cover with the remaining chocolate chips, pecans and caramel. 

10. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the edges are set. Let cool to room temperature before cutting. 

Survey says: A crowd pleaser for sure! While mine were a much thicker than the originals, they were just as delicious. If I could do it over again I think I would use an extra 1/2 cup of caramel. I also intentionally let them stay in the oven for an extra 5 minutes and that resulted in a much crunchier bar, but I'm more of a chewy fan so I probably wouldn't do that again. 

Homemade Chocolate Pie Experiment: aka, The Terrible Awful

If you haven't already read the book and/or seen the film, The Help, I highly recommend both in a major way. This at home experiment was inspired by the character Minny, from The Help, 

and her infamous chocolate pie (sans the "terrible awful", of course). 

I had never tried my hand at a pie before, not that this bears the same level of difficulty as say the likes of a fruit pie, but nevertheless when it comes to any kind of baking my skills are a mixed bag regardless the simplicity of the recipe. I decided right off the bat not to make the pie crust from scratch {the margin of error felt too great!}, so I opted for a pre-formed, frozen pie crust to fill with this chocolatey, fudgy, custard-like filling.

{Recipe}

1 packaged pie dough crust, such as Pillsbury, or a frozen pie crust pre-formed in the pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract {I used pure vanilla powder instead}
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whipped cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350°. Ease the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges decoratively. Prick the crust lightly with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes or until pie crust is set, but not brown.
{If you choose to use a pre-formed frozen pie crust there's no need to pre-bake before filling.}

In a bowl, whisk {or use an electric mixer} to combine the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs {make sure you've beaten the eggs, it does actually seem to make a difference}, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt until mixture is smooth.

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a little jiggly in the center. 

Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.

*If you want to make this pie ahead, you can easily refrigerate it overnight until serving time!

Survey says: Terrible awful, indeed!!!! This pie is so dang good that I found myself desperately wanting to slay it piece by piece, entirely on my own and before anyone else had a chance to taste it. In fact, I recommend making two pies... you know, just in case you get carried away with the nibbling!

Martha, you're a genius.

You can totally DIY & make your hot cocoa time crazy cute.

To me, this is an amazingly sexy snack for any time!

Chocolate Eclair hearts. Swoon. 

 Food coloring = Friend!

Martha Stewart Living is pretty awesome for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert ideas when you're experiencing an at home entertainer's block. I've turned to Martha many a time. Above are a few "of the moment" ideas on her site that just happen to align with Valentine's Day and it's abundance of heart shaped foods, but frankly, these suckers are good for ANYTIME! 

Get the Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow Hearts Recipe

How to Make the Calimyrna Fig Hearts

Get the Chocolate Eclair Hearts Recipe

Get the Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Multicolored Frosting Recipe