Growing up, we would always have a plastic bottle of Hershey’s syrup ready to go. I used to mix it in with milk for a constant supply of quick chocolate milk. I hadn’t done that in a while because my wife grew up with Nesquik powder and that’s what we usually have on hand. So, it was about time for me to make my own homemade chocolate syrup.

I have long established my love of chocolate (see my homemade hot chocolate, dark chocolate ganache, white chocolate chunk cookies, and gooey German chocolate caramel bars for example). And a simple chocolate sauce like this makes it possible to add chocolate to anything!

Amazingly, it only takes 5 simple ingredients to make this syrup. And you will likely have most of them available in your kitchen already. So with just a small amount of time and effort over the stovetop, you can make your own homemade chocolate syrup.

Follow along below for a super easy recipe alternative to store-bought chocolate syrup. It is a delicious treat that everyone will love and it is easy to make!

Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup History

Hershey’s is a famous brand of candies and confections that originated in Pennsylvania. According to Hershey Community Archives, their chocolate syrup was first made commercially available in 1926 to bakers, soda shops, and restaurants. Then in 1928, it was sold for home use.

Originally sold in metal cans, they changed to their iconic plastic bottles in 1979.

According to Hershey’s website, their syrup currently contains the following ingredients: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Water, Sugar, Cocoa, Potassium Sorbate, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60, Vanillin.

With some of those complicated ingredients, you may think it is a bit scary to try and make this at home. But the homemade recipe is simpler and doesn’t use anything unique or complicated.

Easy Chocolate Sauce Ingredients

The 5 simple ingredients to make chocolate syrup are water, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. That’s it. Most kitchens will have the majority, if not all, of these ingredients on hand.

Seeing that this is a chocolate syrup, cocoa is the central ingredient for flavor in this recipe. So, while you can use any unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe, I recommend using one of higher quality for the best results possible. I would suggest either this Valrhona cocoa powder or this Rodelle cocoa powder.

You could also use Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder since it is a Hershey’s copycat.

A touch of pure vanilla extract provides a good depth of flavor to the sauce. Many recipes call for this to be added after cooking, but I found that it made no difference to add it before or after. And it is a lot easier to just mix everything together to start. So that’s what I did. Take it or leave it.

For the sugar, we’ll just use simple granulated white sugar. Then finish things off with tap water and fine table salt.

How to Make Chocolate Syrup

Making a delicious dessert sauce isn’t difficult. So, don’t be afraid to give this a try.

When you start thinking about chocolate syrup, you need to understand that there are different kinds of syrups. Some are made with milk and or butter, while others are made without. You can use either kind of syrup in a recipe. However, I choose to use no dairy in this recipe.

It keeps things simple and straightforward with no real chance for mistakes.

Just measure out and mix together all of the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan. I recommend using a whisk to help get the cocoa powder to stir into the water.

Note that when it is first mixed the cocoa powder will not fully stir into the water. You’ll likely have some dry-looking cocoa sitting on top of your sauce. This is normal. Once it heats up it will fully mix together into a beautiful chocolate syrup.

Put the pan over medium heat and stir it occasionally until it comes to a light simmer. At this point, all of the powder should be mixed in and it should look like a fairly smooth, dark sauce – though with some bubbles on top from stirring and simmering.

Turn the heat to low and let it simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. This will let it thicken up a little and make the consistency more like Hershey’s syrup.

After 10 minutes you’ll have chocolate syrup ready to go.

Storing Chocolate Syrup

This recipe makes enough chocolate syrup that you’ll likely not use it all in a single go. If you do, let me know because I’ll be impressed.

So, we need a good way to store it. First off, it needs to be refrigerated and stored in an airtight container. You can use any food storage container or Tupperware to hold the sauce.

Store it in the fridge for up to 2 months.

But, I highly recommend storing this in a squeeze bottle with a cap like these plastic squeeze bottles from Amazon. This lets you store it in an airtight container while also making it very very easy to pull out and squeeze onto whatever your heart desires.

To get it in there you can pour it carefully or use a funnel to easily get the sauce in without spilling.

Using the Chocolate Syrup

Now comes the best part – chocolate syrup at home that is available for whatever you need. Top desserts and breakfasts, or just tip back and squeeze some straight into your mouth. It’s okay, I won’t judge you. Nobody will find out anyways.

As I noted above, my favorite use of this recipe is making quick chocolate milk. Just pour milk into a glass and squeeze or spoon in some chocolate syrup and stir it together. Keep adding the chocolate until it reaches your perfect milk-to-chocolate ratio. Everyone is different. My wife tends to like it with a hint of chocolate, while I tend to aim for chocolate overload. To each their own.

Also, try using this as a topping for any of the following:

• Homemade Crepes
• Fry Bread Scones (they’re basically like unglazed donuts…)
• Homemade or store-bought ice cream
• Pancakes and buttermilk waffles

When drizzling food with this chocolate syrup, also consider using some homemade whipped cream and/or salted caramel sauce for true sugary perfection.

This recipe is the perfect little dessert addition that is great for storing in your fridge for whenever the mood strikes.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this simple chocolate syrup recipe! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Easy Chocolate Syrup (Hershey’s Copycat)

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Dessert, CondimentsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

15

minutes

This recipe makes easy chocolate syrup and it tastes just like Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. It is so simple, anyone can make it.

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/4 cups water

• 1 and 1/4 cups granulated white sugar

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Mix together all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan, note that the cocoa powder will not fully mix in until heating
• Put the saucepan over medium heat while stirring occasionally until it just begins to bubble
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool
• After cooling, use it or store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 months

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Can you go wrong with candying anything? Especially some tasty almonds. Add in a bit of cinnamon and vanilla and you can easily make these cinnamon candied sliced almonds.

If you like almonds, you will love this simple cinnamon candied sliced almonds recipe. This is super easy and delicious, and it’s great for topping salads or ice cream, and as a sweet snack. They are somewhat similar to my candied walnuts, though those end up a bit more on the caramelized side of sugar than the flavored crystals that form on the almonds here.

When you add these almonds to a sweet treat, it adds extra flavor and crunch to the recipe. Candied almonds are also a great addition to baked goods like bread, brownies, cookies, muffins, and cake. I made these almonds specifically to pair with my almond and berry salad.

For a sweet, savory snack, make your own delicious cinnamon candied sliced almonds. They’re easy to make, inexpensive, and taste great. Read on for more details and the final recipe.

Ingredients and Tools Needed

I love a simple recipe, and this one fits the bill.

And good news – you don’t need any super fancy equipment or tools to make candied almonds. No double boilers, candy thermometers, or candy molds.

All I used besides the measuring cups were a wide frying pan, a spatula, and some parchment paper. So, most kitchens should be equipped to make this recipe.

There are a few basic ingredients that need to be in place for this: sliced almonds, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and a bit of water.

Making cinnamon candied sliced almonds is easy.

A sweet, cinnamon flavor pairs perfectly with the kind of toasted flavor that the almonds take on when cooking them with this process.

Candied Almonds Process

Essentially, we’ll be boiling the almonds in a flavored sugar syrup to get the candied sliced almonds.

Start the process by combining all of the ingredients except the almonds in a large frying pan. Make sure to stir everything together until well mixed before turning on the heat.

Then turn the heat up to medium and stir constantly. The sugar will begin to heat up and melt. And then the whole mixture will start simmering and bubbling up.

And that is the time to strike with the almonds.

Pour in the sliced almonds and stir to mix them in so that all the almonds get coated in some of the sugar mixture. Then keep on stirring as you let it cook. The sugar will start to kind of crystallize on the top sides of the pan first. Then on the almonds and the bottom of the pan.

The main trick is to pull them off the heat before either the sugar or the almonds start to burn. When the sugar mixture is no longer liquid, crystallizes on the almonds, and is fully coating the bottom of the pan, then it is time to remove them from the heat.

Spread them out on parchment paper and let them cool.

Storing Candied Sliced Almonds

Because this makes a decently large batch of candied sliced almonds, you will likely need to store some of the almonds.

They can easily be stored in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container. They should keep for a few weeks at room temperature in the pantry.

For longer storage, put them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two months, or the freezer for up to 4 months. To prevent them from absorbing moisture while in colder storage, I recommend wrapping the almonds in plastic wrap before putting them in the airtight container.

The best part about these candied sliced almonds is that they can be used on so many different occasions—you can serve them as a sweet snack, or you could sprinkle them onto a salad, over ice cream, in oatmeal, and even as a topping for cake.

Try them on whatever could use a sweet, nutty crunch.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out these cinnamon candied sliced almonds! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Cinnamon Candied Sliced Almonds

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Condiment, ToppingDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Cooling Time

10

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

The crystallized cinnamon-vanilla sugar on these candied sliced almonds lends a perfectly flavored crunch that can top salads, ice cream, and more

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup water

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups almond slivers

Directions

• In a wide nonstick frying pan, combine the white sugar, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and mix well
• Place the pan on the stovetop, turn the heat up to medium, and bring the mixture to a simmer while stirring constantly
• When the sugar mixture begins bubbling, add in the sliced almonds and stir thoroughly so that all of them get coated
• Continue to cook and stir the mixture until the water evaporates and crystallizes onto the almonds – it will also crystallize on the sides and bottom of the pan
• When all of the moisture is gone, the sugar has all crystallized, and it begins to smell of toasted almonds, pour the almonds out onto a sheet of parchment paper, spread them out with a spatula, and let them cool for at least 10 minutes
• Use the candied almonds or store them in an airtight container

Notes

• You can grease the parchment paper with a bit of butter to help prevent sticking

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The post Simple Cinnamon Candied Sliced Almonds Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

Thin, delicate, buttery goodness that can be paired with toppings to your heart’s content. Learn how to make crepes for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. Basically pancakes that lost weight and got all French and fancy, crepes are a delight.

From batter to pan-frying, the most difficult part of crepe making is getting them perfectly thin. It takes starting off with a thin batter that can spread around the pan. Then working quickly when you add batter to the pan to swirl it evenly around the pan. And finally, making sure not to overcook the crepes.

While you can make savory crepes, I tend to go with sweet toppings and fillings with them. For a more savory breakfast option try breakfast burritos, quiche lorraine, or buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy.

Dessert for breakfast!

Crepe Making Equipment

You can probably make crepes with the items you currently have in your kitchen. But there are a few more specialized tools to have handy that can help things out.

The first few times that I made crepes, I found it somewhat difficult to just plop the batter down and swirl it to get those perfectly thin pancakes. Maybe my batter wasn’t as good as it is now – you do need just the right consistency.

But I find it helpful to have a squeeze bottle to pour the batter out onto the pan and then swirl it around. It just seems to work better for me.

To make the batter itself, it is easy to use a blender or hand mixer. This will whip things together in no time flat and is a bit easier than hand mixing. Though the tried and true hand mixing method will work if you don’t have either tool available.

You can use a regular frying pan or a special crepe pan – but the special pan is probably only useful if you really plan on making a lot of crepes in your life. So for me, a regular frying pan always works. I recommend a 6 to 8-inch pan to get the perfect size crepes.

Make Crepes Taste Even Better

Let’s face it, you aren’t learning how to make crepes just to roll one up plain and eat it. Though it would still be tasty, crepes are merely vehicles for other fillings and toppings.

As I said above, these are mostly sweet and not savory crepes. And so my toppings and fillings fall in line with the sweetness. And making these always seems like the perfect excuse to eat dessert for breakfast. It is truly a win-win all around.

Fill, top, sprinkle, spread, and mix and match any of the following on your crepes for pure delight:

• Salted Caramel Sauce
• Homemade Whipped Cream
• Triple Berry Syrup
• Cookie Butter
• Sweet & Spiced Ricotta Cheese
• Powdered Sugar
• Banana
• Nutella
• Chocolate Sauce
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Lemon or Orange Juice

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try making crepes for the first time! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

How to Make Crepes

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Breakfast, DessertDifficulty: Easy

Servings

5 to 6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Resting Time

30

minutes

Total time

55

minutes

Learn how to make sweet and buttery aromatic crepes that are pillow-soft for all your fillings and toppings

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk

• 4 tablespoons melted butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup water

• 3 large eggs

• 2 cups flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 3 tablespoons butter

Directions

• Blend or whisk together the milk, melted butter, vanilla, water, and eggs
• Add in the flour, salt, and sugar and then blend or whisk together until smooth
• Put the batter in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day – pour it into a squeeze bottle if you plan to use one for dispensing the batter
• Place a small pan over medium heat
• Grease the pan with a small amount of butter
• Pour or squeeze 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter into the hot pan, and swirl it around to create a thin layer of batter
• Cook 60 to 90 seconds, until the top of the crepe is set and has lost its sheen, then flip it to the other side
• Cook another 30 to 60 seconds and then remove the crepe to a warm plate
• Repeat steps 5 through 8 until all of the batter is used up
• Serve the crepes hot with desired toppings and fillings

Notes

• If you are storing the batter overnight, then make sure to cover the top so that it doesn’t form a film

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These simple, sticky, and delicious vanilla Rice Krispie treats will delight nearly everyone.

I don’t know what’s up with this theme lately, but this one is another that my wife taught me. Just like the easy pumpkin muffins, this was one my wife always whipped up for us. Until I wanted to post the recipe here, and so I had her walk me through how to make them.

We made a whole lot of these batches together. The Rice Krispie treats are taking over…

Luckily, Rice Krispie treats are one of the most shareable desserts ever. So we’ve spread the love to some of our neighbors with friendly plates of treats.

So, if you aren’t one of our neighbors and would like to have your own vanilla Rice Krispie treats, read on and try this easy recipe today.

Tips for Success

While I am a fan of butter (see brown butter sage sauce, buttermilk biscuits, or steak with gorgonzola butter for proof), most Rice Krispie treats recipes call for too much. This recipe scales back a bit on the butter. But still does not skimp on flavor.

But a bit of butter on your fingers can help when flattening the vanilla Rice Krispie treats out into the pan. Spread a small amount out on your fingers before pressing the treats down and it will be much less likely to stick. And yes, you will be a true butter-fingers when you do this.

Just make sure to wash your hands before picking up anything dangerous or expensive so you don’t lose your grip.

And, if you would like to decorate your treats (see below), you can flip over the cooled Rice Krispie treats for a pretty flat top. At least for me, the bottom settled flat, much better than the top did.

Or you could also try using a similar-sized pan to press down the treats in order to try to get them as flat as possible.

Mix-ins, Mix-ups, and Flavors

One of the best things about this recipe is its versatility. It is simple and basic, so it takes well to any kind of experimentation.

Try mixing in any of the following when adding the rice cereal into the melted marshmallow:

• Chocolate chips
• Sprinkles
• Mini marshmallows
• Crushed Oreos
• M&Ms
• Crushed pretzel sticks

Or, make a drastic change by switching up the cereal used as the base. Instead of Rice Krispies, use some Cocoa or Fruity Pebbles. Cap’N Crunch, Reese’s Puffs, Froot Loops, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms could also be delicious changes.

I mean, most breakfast cereals are like 99% sugar anyways, so it would make sense to turn them into dessert.

You could even stir in a few tablespoons of any of the following flavors to the melted marshmallow before adding the cereal:

• Salted caramel
• Butterscotch
• Chocolate syrup
• Peanut butter

And, finally, you could also let the butter cook a little longer before moving on to the next steps. Let the butter brown and it will add more depth of flavor to your final treats. Just make sure you don’t let the butter burn.

Decorating Vanilla Rice Krispie Treats

Rice Krispie treats are like a blank canvas for your decorative creativity.

Top them with sprinkles, royal icing, or candy melts. Or use cookie cutters to cut the treats into whatever shape your heart desires. Or, do both and cut them and then decorate them on top. You can even mix in a little bit of food coloring with the melted marshmallow to completely change the final color of the Rice Krispie treats themselves.

You can turn them into treat pops by pushing lollipop sticks through the center.

But they take really well to some Halloween creativity. Make a mummy by drizzling white melting chocolate across the treat and adding some beady eyes poking through. Or dip it in green melting chocolate and then add some black hair and a stitched mouth to make Frankenstein’s monster.

I am, admittedly, not the best at decorating. Nevertheless, it was really fun bringing our little Frankenstein’s monsters to life with some green and black candy melts. The purpose isn’t to have perfect-looking treats to post on social media, it is to have fun and delicious treats for your home.

At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Simple Vanilla Rice Krispie Treats

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: DessertDifficulty: Easy

Servings

9

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Cooling Time

30

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

Simple, sticky, and delicious vanilla Rice Krispie treats delight nearly everyone with just the right amount of sweet and crunch

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons salted butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 10 ounce package mini marshmallows

• 6 cups Rice Krispies, or other cereal

Directions

• Melt the butter in a medium-large pot over medium heat
• Once the butter has fully melted and foamed up a little, add in the vanilla extract
• Pour the marshmallows into the pot and stir to coat them in the melted butter
• Continue to stir as the marshmallows melt, pressing and breaking them apart to help them melt faster
• When the marshmallows are fully melted with no lumps, remove the pot from the heat, add the Rice Krispies, and stir until they are thoroughly combined and there are no dry cereal spots without marshmallow
• Pour the Rice Krispie treats into a greased or lined 9×13 pan and press them down to spread them in an even layer
• Wait at least 30 minutes for them to cool, cut them into rectangles, decorate if desired, serve and enjoy

Notes

• Use a smaller or larger pan when pouring out the Rice Krispie treats to achieve thicker or thinner final treats

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The post Simple Vanilla Rice Krispie Treats Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

I actually wasn’t planning on making my own butterscotch sauce. But I had another recipe to make that required butterscotch and the store was all out. Normally I just purchase some Smucker’s butterscotch sundae syrup. But the section where ice cream toppings are was empty, as were the end caps near the freezer section with the ice cream. But in the end, it was kind of nice to be forced to make this from scratch. It added to my overall kitchen repertoire.

Basically, I’m saying I’m that much more awesome now. And you can be too!

This recipe hews very closely to the buttery salted caramel sauce that I have made before. However, there are some key differences that will make this taste entirely different than that caramelized sauce.

Making this took me a couple of tries actually. I was thinking too much of my caramel sauce. I’ve made that sauce many times, so I wasn’t approaching this recipe fresh. There were some preconceived notions and methods. And they were wrong. Though I have failed, you do not have to. Learn from my mistakes.

Butterscotch vs Caramel

So what was my great mistake?

I tried cooking everything for far too long. When making caramel, you have to cook the sugar long enough that it will melt and then begin to caramelize. And because I was so used to making that caramel sauce, I tried to do it the same way but with the main altered ingredient (more on that below). Butterscotch does not need to cook long, and in fact, should not caramelize. Essentially I kind of made a toffee sauce.

So in my first attempt, I ended up making a weird hybrid caramelized butterscotch. It wasn’t bad, but the flavor had too much caramel to it. And it wouldn’t work for my purposes. So I looked more into making butterscotch and changed the error of my ways.

Besides the cooking time, the biggest difference between a caramel and a butterscotch sauce is granulated white sugar vs brown sugar. Brown sugar is what helps give butterscotch its signature flavor.

Brown sugar is a type of sugar that still has some molasses content in it. This can be due to how the sugar is processed, or by just adding molasses to some refined sugar.

Using Your Butterscotch Sauce

The recipe I wanted to make with butterscotch sauce was some good old Harry Potter Butterbeer. It is an interesting combination of cream soda and butterscotch. Plus it is really fun and great for drinking while watching any of the Harry Potter movies.

However, butterbeer is not the only option for using your homemade sauce. Try topping ice cream, pancakes, or waffles, whisking it into hot chocolate, filling a cake with it, drizzling it over cupcakes/frosting, mixing it with whipped cream, or just eating a straight spoonful.

Note that if you are using it with ice cream you will definitely want to let the sauce cool down before topping it. No sense melting your ice cream with hot-off-the-stove butterscotch.

Whatever your end goal with butterscotch, it is relatively easy to make your own sauce at home and well worth the effort. In no time you can have your own homemade golden-yellow sauce cooked to perfection.

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Homemade Butterscotch Sauce

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Desserts, SaucesDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

15

minutes

A golden-yellow sauce homemade from brown sugar, butter, and cream that is perfect for drizzling over all sorts of desserts

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon large flaky salt

Directions

• Add the butter and brown sugar to a saucepan on medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter is all melted and fully combined with the brown sugar – it will look kind of like dark wet sand
• Whisk the cream into the brown sugar mixture until fully combined
• Add in the vanilla and salt and whisk it together
• Cook it to the desired consistency then remove from heat and let cool before using – cooking longer will release moisture and lead to a thicker sauce

The post How to Make Homemade Butterscotch Sauce appeared first on Do You Roux?.

Ice cream + popsicle = creamsicle. And orange is the most iconic flavor. In order to imitate the orange creamsicle flavor in our own smoothie recipe, we’ll use oranges, yogurt, vanilla, cream, and frozen mango. I mean, the easiest way might be to just throw some of the frozen treats into the blender. But it would also be rather sweet, and I am trying to keep it a bit healthier.

I say a bit healthier because smoothies tend to have a lot of fruit. Which is good, but they also do have a high sugar content. So you have to be careful. Though it is possible to hide other things within smoothies as well. We had some friends who would add spinach to make green smoothies and call them Hulk smoothies so their kids would love them. And it worked.

For this smoothie, I have added carrots into the mix before if I have them on hand and wanted an extra punch of veggies. The Vitamix does quick work of everything and you are left with a delicious drink.

Smoothie Recipes

Smoothies are some of my favorite things to make. In fact, I first created a website dedicated to smoothies long before starting this one. It may or may not still be up and running today. And this recipe may or may not be adapted from one I have on that site. Because it is important to recycle.

But making smoothies is easy peasy lemon squeezy. Or I guess orange squeezy in this case. You don’t need to be extremely accurate in measurements and it will still taste basically the same. And to make it you basically just toss it all in the blender, fire it up, and it does all the work.

The hardest part may be remembering to clean up the blender after making the smoothie. The easiest way to do this is by throwing some water and dish soap into the blender container after having poured out the smoothie. Then put it on the blender and turn up the power to have it almost wash itself. A little more scrubbing and rinsing and it is basically done. Except for if you ever blend up blueberries. Cause little pieces of blueberry skin seem to stick to the sides of the blender no matter what.

Orange Creamsicle as a Smoothie

Anyone could probably guess a lot of the ingredients for this smoothie recipe. Oranges, obviously because of the whole orange part of orange creamsicle. Vanilla for the vanilla ice cream center. The yogurt and cream for the creaminess factor. And ice to make the smoothie thicker.

But the mango is a bit of a surprise. I mean why is there mango in an orange creamsicle smoothie recipe?

I think that it helps with the texture, lending to the smooth creaminess of it all. In my opinion, it also has a complementary flavor. Though if you are like my mom and hate mango then it may be best to leave it out and substitute more ice to replace it. I, on the other hand, love mango. And it is always welcome in my smoothies.

So let me know what you think of having mango in this smoothie. And whether or not you think that the ratio is off and it overpowers the orange too much. Tell me if you change or adapt the amount of mango at all when you try this recipe for yourself. Then pair it with some german pancakes to make it a full brunch spread.

Mouthwatering Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: DrinksDifficulty: Easy

Servings

3

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

5

minutes

A deliciously quick smoothie recipe that tastes like the signature orange creamsicle frozen treat

Ingredients

• 3 large oranges

• 2/3 cup vanilla yogurt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cups frozen mango

• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1 cup ice cubes

Directions

• Peel the oranges and throw them whole into the blender
• Add all remaining ingredients to the blender
• Blend on high until smooth
• Pour and enjoy

The post Mouthwatering Orange Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

A few years back, my wife and I went to a World Market store to peruse the shop. We may have had some goal in mind, but I can’t recall. A smaller, more square-ish than normal little cookbook caught my eye with a photo of pancakes dripping with a deeply purple blueberry syrup.

I flipped through a few pages but ended up leaving the store without it. A couple of months later I opened a birthday present to find that little cookbook. It turns out my wife saw that I enjoyed it and went back later that same day to get it for me.

So very thoughtful of her.

The Cookbook That Could

That little cookbook is Pancakes, Waffles, Crêpes & French Toast: Irresistible recipes from the griddle. Obviously, the book focuses on breakfast items. But the single recipe that I have used the most is one for salted caramel sauce. The book basically opens right to that page if you open it up. Though last time it was stuck together with a little residual caramel.

The funny thing is, the sauce isn’t even a recipe unto itself in the book. It is a recipe for a kind of waffle and the sauce, to be used in combination. But I’ve only ever made the caramel.

The photo of it was so enticing that I just could not resist. I had never tried making caramel before. I thought it was too complicated.

But those photos.

So I just set out and attempted it one Saturday morning for brunch and deliciousness ensued. Since then I have made the sauce many times, and then eventually adapted and updated it with my own variations.

Making Salted Caramel Sauce

Caramel sauce is easier to make than I guessed it would be.

Caramel is essentially sugar that is slowly melted and heated until it browns and develops that signature flavor. Combine that with cream and you’ve got a caramel sauce. Some other ingredients help lend flavor – salt, vanilla, butter, etc. But that is the gist of it.

There are also two main methods for making caramel – wet and dry methods. The dry method is melting sugar by itself in a pan. The wet method is melting the sugar with water. The dry method is more traditional and is generally more difficult during the initial melting phase to let the sugar evenly melt. With the wet method, it is easier to melt the sugar but you have to wait for that water to evaporate and my research shows that it may be more prone to crystallization.

This recipe uses a form of the wet method by melting butter with the sugar at the start. Looking around at other caramel sauce recipes, I don’t seem to see many that add butter at this stage. But that is the way I first tried it and how I tend to do things.

Even though caramel is sticky and can get messy, it actually cleans up real easy with hot water. So don’t be afraid of cleaning the saucepan or the counter after cooking.

I recommend using high-quality butter, cream, and vanilla in this recipe for it to reach its fullest potential. Sometimes it is worth the splurge.

I have heard of issues with caramel crystallization, but haven’t had a whole lot of issues with this recipe. It seems that melting the butter with the sugar really helps keep those issues at bay. Who knows. If you are having any issues with the sugar crystallizing, let me know in the comments and we can try to work it out.

Caution – melted sugar is extremely hot and dangerous, especially to a person with a penchant for sneaking tastes while cooking.

Steps and Stages

I will walk through the stages that I see while cooking, referencing the image below with the numbers on how it tends to look throughout the different steps.

First add the butter and sugar to a saucepan to melt together (stage 1). The butter will melt first. Whisk it together with the sugar (stage 2) until it is all melted and combined. Continue to cook the sugar mixture and it will start to bubble and foam up (stage 3). Then the mixture will kind of look like it is dried out and clumping together (stage 4).

Continue stirring as you heat the mixture and the butter will start to separate, almost like oil and water (stages 5 and 6). Keep it on the heat, stirring occasionally, and the clumped sugar will melt underneath the butter and start looking like a melted caramel under butter (stage 7). At this stage, cook the sugar until it reaches the level of caramelization that you want. Shorter time for a lighter, sweeter, more buttery caramel. Slightly longer for a deeper flavor with some almost burnt notes. If it starts to smoke at all, immediately remove it and move to the next steps. It may be a little burnt, but it might not overpower the flavors yet.

Add the cream into the sugar mixture and whisk together (stage 8) – note that it will bubble up violently when adding the cream. Also add the vanilla and salt at this stage. Now the caramel is made, but you can continue cooking to get it to the consistency you want. For a more runny sauce, take it from the heat immediately. For a thicker sauce, continue cooking for a few more minutes to cook out some liquid (stage 9). Let the sauce cool a bit before using (stage 10).

Uses for Salted Caramel Sauce: Topping ice cream, pancakes, or buttermilk waffles, whisking into hot chocolate, filling a cake, drizzling over cupcakes/frosting, mixing with whipped cream, or just eating a straight spoonful

Buttery Salted Caramel Sauce

Course: DessertDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

Buttery and sweet or a little bitter and biting, this salted caramel sauce is versatile, quick and easy to make for topping almost anything

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 tablespoon large flaky salt

Directions

• Melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan on medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has melted and is no longer clumped together
• Once the sugar is melted, continue to cook the sugar until it reaches the level of color and caramelization you want (less time for a sweeter, lighter sauce and more time for a more bitter, darker sauce) – if it starts smoking at all, move immediately to the next steps
• Whisk the cream into the sugar mixture until they are fully combined – it will sputter and bubble up when first adding the cream
• Add in the vanilla and salt
• Cook it to the desired consistency then remove it from heat and let cool before using – cooking longer will release moisture and lead to a thicker sauce

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Crème brûlée sounds super fancy, somewhat snobbish, and seems like it should be difficult to make. But it isn’t too hard once you’ve given it a shot. Remember that its name literally means burnt cream. And if ‘burnt’ is in the name, then you really don’t need to be worried about messing it up, right?

I think it seems difficult because it is just not very similar to anything else a home cook might have made before. The custard and water bath are just different enough that it appears inaccessible. One of the closest things that you may have tried making before is pumpkin pie. It is also a custard but cooked in its crust instead of in a ramekin with a water bath.

The first one I had was on an anniversary dinner date with my wife at the restaurant Maggiano’s Little Italy. It was a pure vanilla custard with the signature crunchy top, sprinkled with a few fresh berries to pack a punch of flavor.

And I was in love. With my wife too, but the dessert was amazing.

Naturally I decided I must learn how to make it. So now for crème brûlée we’ll go into it step by step:

1. Make the Custard

The somewhat tricky part.

We start out by making a crème anglaise. Heating up the cream and vanilla on the stove is simple enough. The tricky part is tempering the eggs. High heat + eggs = scrambled eggs. And nobody wants sweet vanilla scrambled eggs. So we temper the egg mixture.

By tempering the eggs I mean slowly bringing them up in temperature. We will have the blended egg and sugar mixture to which we will add about a cup of the heated cream by slowly drizzling it in while furiously whisking it together. If you properly whisk with a slow drizzle, you will have gradually heated the eggs up without cooking them. And then you will remove the cream from the heat and whisk in your tempered egg mixture to make your crème anglaise.

We have a bit of insurance here because we end this step by straining it all through a fine-mesh strainer. So even if some small bits of egg decided they wanted to cook, they’ll get strained out along with the vanilla bean pod.

2. Start the Water Bath

The easy part.

One of the things that truly makes the custard cook properly is a water bath. Called a bain-marie, you can set it up by getting out a large 13″ x 9″ baking dish. Then get out the ramekins (the name of the little dishes used to cook crème brûlée) and space them evenly inside the baking dish. Turn your faucet to hot and use a mug, measuring cup, or whatever else you’d like to fill the baking dish with hot water so that the ramekins are surrounded by water 2/3 of the way up their sides.

The side-view photo shows you how the setup works. This helps heat the custard consistently and evenly as well as letting it steam up and keep the oven very moist. After the ramekins are in the baking dish, surrounded by water, you can pour the custard out evenly into the six containers. The easiest way to get an even amount is to fill all of them about halfway and then you can see how much is left to divide between the ramekins.

3. Cook Until Just Done

The second tricky part.

For me, the hardest part was learning when to take the custards out of the oven. I think I just never trusted that even though they were still kind of jiggly that they were indeed cooked. The sliding image above shows the poured custard before and after cooking in the oven.

We want the custard to be just set in the center. So if you shake the custards, they will be just set in the center with a fair amount of jiggle to them. The best way I have found for testing proper doneness is to lightly touch the top of one of the custards. It should feel kind of spongy-firm. It won’t feel like liquid – keep cooking if that’s the case. Start checking around the 35-minute mark and then every few minutes after that. Mine average somewhere between 40 and 45 minutes.

If it has a very solid feeling then it is probably overcooked and you should immediately remove it from the oven. Overcooked crème brûlée will still be quite delicious. The custard won’t be quite as delicate, it may crack on top, and it may be a little bit dense. But definitely do not toss it out. Just remember to adjust the next time you are baking.

4. Remove and Chill

The super easy part (as long as you can have patience).

Literally taking the custard out of the oven, letting it cool on the counter for 30 minutes, and then putting it in the fridge to cool for at least 3 hours and up to a day. This lets the custard fully set. Also, custard tends to taste best when chilled. I mean a lot of ice cream is a custard base, and that stuff is pretty cold…

5. Torch the Top

The REALLY fun part, if you do it the fun way with a torch.

You can also use the broiler feature on your oven but it is not nearly as fun. And I have a lot less practice at that method so I don’t have any great instructions for it. For this method, just turn on the broiler and put your sugared custards underneath it on a sheet pan. And try not to burn things.

For the butane torch method, get out the sugar, top all of the custards, fire up the torch, and start blasting away. Note that you will need butane fuel to go along with your torch. In practice, you want to keep the flame pointed at the top of the custard but sitting a couple of inches off of it. The heat will still reach the sugar but you will have less chance of burning things. Make sure to move the flame around the entire top so that you are evenly melting the sugar. Once you no longer see many individual sugar crystals on your custard, you can move on to the next one.

After all of the custards have been torched, put them back in the fridge to chill again. This won’t be for quite as long, maybe 15 to 20 minutes. They can be eaten right away, but I think that they are best served cold. When heating up the sugar the top portion of the custard also gets some of that heat.

Crème Brûlée Flavors and Toppings

Flavoring your crème brûlée typically occurs with step 1 above while making the crème anglaise. This is because you want to flavor the custard base and many times you will do that by steeping your heavy cream with the flavor. In this recipe, I do that with the vanilla. Chocolate, lemon, lavender, pumpkin pie spice. Get that flavor in before baking your custard.

Topping your custard will happen after you have torched the sugar and right before you eat it. Fruit is the topping that most easily pairs with this dessert – the natural sugars and flavors really do complement the vanilla custard. Berries are especially delicious. However, chocolates, sauces, or compotes could also go nicely, almost like with a nice slice of cheesecake.

How to Make Crème Brûlée

Course: DessertsDifficulty: Hard, Easier the Second Time

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

55

minutes

Chill Time

3

hours 

20

minutes

Total time

4

hours 

40

minutes

Follow the steps carefully to get a velvety smooth vanilla bean custard with crackly, caramelized sugar on top

Ingredients

• 1 vanilla bean, or 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

• 6 large egg yolks

• 1/2 cup sugar, plus about 6 tablespoons for topping

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C)
• If using a vanilla bean, slice it down the middle and scrape out the seeds
• Combine heavy whipping cream, vanilla bean pod (or extract), and the scraped seeds in a saucepan
• Bring the cream mixture to a simmer over medium heat, lower the temperature, and cover for about 10 minutes
• While it is simmering, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar
• When the cream has simmered at least 10 minutes, remove it from the heat and scoop out about 1 cup of the heated cream
• Slowly, slowly drizzle the cream into the egg and sugar mixture while constantly whisking
• Now slowly whisk the cream/egg/sugar mixture back into the saucepan
• Place the saucepan on the lowest heat setting for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Remove the pan from the heat, and strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer
• Prepare the water bath by getting out a 9″ x 13″ baking dish, placing 6 small ramekins (I used 6 ounce glass ones) inside the baking dish, and then fill the baking dish with hot water to cover 2/3 of the ramekins
• Pour the custard mixture equally into the 6 ramekins
• Carefully place the baking dish into the oven, water will want to slosh around so try moving steadily
• Bake the custards in the oven, checking for doneness around 35 minutes in and every few minutes after up to 50 minutes – it should be jiggly but not liquidy and be almost spongy to the touch
• Remove the baking dish from the oven (extra careful since water will be very hot) and remove the ramekins from the baking dish, placing them on a cooling rack for 30 minutes
• Put the ramekins in the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day
• Remove the custards from the fridge, evenly cover the top of each one with about 1 tablespoon of sugar each
• Use a butane kitchen torch or the oven broiler to caramelize the sugar on top of the custard
• Chill again in the fridge for about 20 minutes, then top with your favorite fruit and enjoy

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