food

No Bake TWIX ghosts and pumpkins – WARNING: Almost too cute to eat!

lizellyn Sweets , , , ,

Warning: These are almost too cute to eat!

Twix bars are delicious. But turn them into chocolatey ghosts and pumpkins? Even better!

With just 5 ingredients and NO OVEN, these Halloween treats are a fun baking project to make with kids.

And here’s the best part: PERFECTION IS NOT REQUIRED.

Real gourds aren’t perfectly shaped, so why should your pumpkins be? And ghosts? Think body positivity! Every ghost deserves to feel good about its curves.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

  • Hold your food processor firmly when crushing the Twix and graham crackers. Mine bounced so much I thought it was going to run off the counter!
  • Chill the mixture before shaping. If it’s too soft, pop it back in the fridge.
  • Heat the frosting in short intervals until it’s thin enough to coat the treats while keeping those cute pumpkin lines and ghost skirts visible.
  • Don’t stress about the shapes. This is supposed to be FUN!

TWIX HALLOWEEN GHOSTS & PUMPKINS

RECIPE

Ingredients

  • 1 package graham crackers (10 crackers; you may need an extra sleeve if yours has only 9)
  • 24 TWIX candy bars (approximately 13.3 oz. total)
  • ¾ cup peanut butter
  • ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 (16 oz.) containers vanilla frosting

For decorating:

  • 32 M&M’S MINIS chocolate candies, or mini chocolate chips
  • Orange and green food coloring

Instructions

  1. Make the mixture. Blend the TWIX bars and graham crackers in a food processor until finely crushed and combined, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the peanut butter and sugar. Blend until the mixture comes together.
  3. Chill. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes if the mixture feels warm or soft.
  4. Divide. Portion the mixture into 32 pieces.
  5. Shape the pumpkins. Roll 16 pieces into balls. Use a toothpick to create pumpkin grooves, then gently press down on the center.
  6. Shape the ghosts. Shape the remaining 16 pieces into ghosts. Use a chopstick to create the wavy skirt.

Place all shapes on wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

  1. Color the frosting. Tint about ⅓ cup of frosting green for the pumpkin stems. Tint the remaining frosting in that opened container organge. Reserve the other container of white frosting for coating the ghosts.
  2. Melt for dipping. Microwave the frosting in a shallow bowl for 15–20 seconds at a time, stirring between intervals. Heat only until thin enough to coat. Avoid overheating.
  3. Decorate. Dip the pumpkins in orange frosting and the ghosts in white frosting. Let excess frosting drip off on a wire rack. Add two mini M&M’S or chocolate chips to each ghost for eyes.
  4. Add the stems. Once the orange coating has set enough, use green frosting to add stems to the pumpkins.
  5. Chill again. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to set the coating.

#TwixRecipes #NoBakeDesserts #EasyHalloweenTreats

A LITTLE RECIPE REALITY CHECK

Can we talk about shrinkflation for a second? It’s messing with our recipes!

When a recipe calls for a certain number of graham crackers or ounces of candy, and the packages don’t match anymore, it gets frustrating!

My graham cracker sleeve had only 9 crackers instead of 10, and I couldn’t find the specified 13.3-ounce bag of TWIX. No problem. A little math told me I needed 24 Twix bars. Recipe saved!

Banana Bread Recipe that never fails

lizellyn Sweets , , , ,

The banana bread recipe I ALWAYS come back to!

I’ve tried plenty of banana bread recipes. This is the one that never lets me down. Soft, buttery, packed with banana flavor, and even better with chocolate chips.

A few banana bread tips:

Bananas matter! Brown spots are good. Completely black bananas? I skip those. You want ripe bananas, not bananas that have gone too far.

Give the bananas a little squeeze before peeling. You want them soft, but not so much that the fruit oozes out of the peel.

Are chocolate chips required? No. Do they bring happiness? Absolutely.

Look, I’m not a purist. Sometimes I add chocolate chips. Sometimes I throw in chopped walnuts. Sometimes I leave it plain. Traditional? Maybe not. Delicious? Every time.

My biggest baking tip: Add the ingredients in the order listed in the recipe. There’s a reason for it! The ingredients incorporate better, giving you a more consistent banana bread.

No-Fail Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 ripe bananas (give them a little squeeze before peeling, but not so rough that the fruit oozes out the peel)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1½ cups chocolate chips (optional, but why not?)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 365°F. Grease a loaf pan.

Beat the brown sugar and softened butter until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and bananas. Mix until combined.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, checking at the one-hour mark. It’s done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes.

Cool before slicing. If you can wait that long!

Now settle the great banana bread debate: Are you an END PIECE person or a MIDDLE PIECE person?

Luckily, two people in my house love the ends, and one prefers the middle. I cut the loaf into thirds, and everyone wins.

Tell me your pick in the comments: END or MIDDLE?

#BananaBread #EasyBakingRecipe #BakingTips

Spooky Ube Pancakes for Halloween

lizellyn Sweets , , , , , , , , ,

Ube Pancake Recipe (with Ube Powder)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (or substitute with oat flour or cake flour)
  • 2 tablespoons ube powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (adjust to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup milk or coconut milk (warm, to help dissolve ube powder)
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter or neutral oil
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon ube extract (for strong ube flavor and deep purple hue)

Instructions

  1. Bloom the ube powder:
    In a small bowl, whisk ube powder with 2-3 tablespoons of warm milk until it forms a smooth, deep-purple paste. This step intensifies flavor and color.
  2. Mix dry ingredients:
    In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
  3. Combine wet ingredients:
    In another bowl, whisk egg, remaining milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and the ube paste.
    Add ube extract here as well.
  4. Combine and rest:
    Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until no dry flour remains. The batter should be slightly thick. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes for fluffier pancakes.
  5. Cook:
    Heat a nonstick pan over medium-low heat and lightly grease it. Pour about 1 cup batter per pancake. Cook 2-3 minutes per side until bubbles form and edges set before flipping.

White Chocolate Stabilized Whipped Cream

ingredients

  • 8 oz (about 230 g) white chocolate bars, not baking chips
  • 1½ cups (360 ml) heavy whipping cream, divided

Instructions

  1. Melt the chocolate:
    Chop white chocolate into small pieces and place it in a heatproof bowl.
  2. Heat the cream:
    In a small saucepan or microwave, heat ½ cup of the cream until just below boiling (tiny bubbles forming at the edges).
  3. Make a ganache:
    Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir slowly from the center outward until smooth and glossy. If any clumps remain, pour through a strainer to remove.
  4. Cool completely:
    Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (touching the surface) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, until well chilled.
  5. Whip the remaining cream:
    Once the ganache is cold, place it in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup of chilled heavy cream.
  6. Whip to soft peaks:
    Using a whisk or electric mixer, whip on low speed and gradually increase to medium-high until soft-stiff peaks form. The mixture will lighten to a creamy ivory shade.
  7. Use or chill:
    Use immediately for frosting or piping. For best stability, chill the finished cream 15-30
    minutes before using. It stays stable up to 5 days in the fridge. foodmeanderings +1