Chipits Giveaway Winner!

Sue and I held a giveaway on our blog a few days ago for 20 bags of Chipits thanks to the very generous Hershey's Canada. 

(Click HERE to see what the giveaway was all about.)

We did a random drawing and the winner is:

Melissa Thomas!

Congratulations Melissa. We will be sending your information on to Foodbloggers of Canada so Hershey's can send you your Chipits package!!

Thank you to all who entered. 

Hopefully we will be able to hold another giveaway in the near future!

Lemon Raspberry Trifle

Your probably really busy right now, right?

I mean, it's mid-December, the holidays are upon us, and there is just SO much to get done. Oh, what's that? Now you have a dinner party to go to tonight and you have to bring the dessert?

Don't panic.

We have the best idea ever for you to whip up and it will only take you like 5 minutes, 

Not even lying people.

A quick trip to the grocery store to pick up 4 simple ingredients and you can have an impressive, looks-like-you-slaved-all-day, delicious dessert.

*Boom*

Just like that. 

Done.

Lemon Raspberry Dessert

Ingredients

1 angel food cake, cubed

1 jar of lemon curd

1 tub Cool Whip (I used 95% fat free)

2 containers raspberries (about 2 cups)

Directions

Break out your prettiest trifle dish (or glass bowl). 

Divide each or your ingredients into groups of 3 (as you will be doing 3 layers).

First layer - 1/3 of the cubed angel food cake, 1/3 of the lemon curd, 1/3 of the Cool Whip, 1/3 of the raspberries.

Repeat layers 2 more times.

Chill until ready to serve.

Yup. Done already. Boo-yah!

It's even pretty when it's scooped out onto a plate.

And, it's so light - perfect for after a big holiday meal!

Okay, okay, okay. 

For those of you opposed to "cheating" first let me say - it's okay to cheat once in a while. Especially when a last minute invite to dinner is sprung on you. Secondly, if it truly does offend you - feel free to make your own angel food cake, your own lemon curd, and whip some real whipping cream. It will definitely take more time.

This is now my go-to recipe for dessert in a pinch. 

5 minutes.

For realz.

P.S. - you can also make this the day before and leave it sit, covered, in the fridge overnight if you want to plan ahead. 

 

We are sharing at these fab linky parties - Dizzy Busy & Hungry, Mama Buzz, Nap Time Is My Time, My Turn (for us)

 

Elf Cookies

Jo isn't the only one that was busy baking with Chipits. We split the bags we got from Hershey's Canada for a blogger promotion and I decided to recreate my Elf Cookies that I first made last year.

The Chipit's Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips work perfectly in these teeny tiny little cookies. 

First off, let me just say - YES. They take a some time. Patience will come in handy. You are making a bazillion teeny tiny, itsy bitsy mini cookies BUT - the kids go nuts for these. 

So worth the time.

They are totally adorable. 

Plus, I'm pretty sure you can eat more for less calories because they are so tiny. That's my theory. Just sayin'

(**NOTE - we were compensated for participating in Hershey's blogger promotion BUT, as always, our opinions are our own!!)

Elf Cookies 

(aka Sue's Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies)

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

2/3 cup Chipits Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter until smooth, scraping sides as necessary. Beat in brown sugar and vanilla until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

In another bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well mixed.

Lastly, stir in mini chocolate chips.

Using a measuring tsp, scoop dough onto prepared cookie sheet. You want the cookie dough balls to be very small! Before baking, press 2 or 3 more mini chocolate chips onto the top of each ball.

Bake at 375 for about 8 -10 minutes - do not over cook, keep an eye on them.

Remove from heat, let cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet before moving to wire rack to cool completely.

Sooooo cute, right?

You can also use colored chocolate sprinkles to make these, but I prefer the mini chocolate chips -- 

These sold really well at a Christmas bake sale we held. They are also perfect to leave out as cookies for Santa and his helpers on Christmas Eve. 

The mini chocolate chips are one of my favorite baking ingredients. I find them so versatile! 

We are sharing at Carole's Chatter. Be sure to pop by and say hi!

Condensed Milk Chocolate Chip Caramel Pecan Shortbread

Are you prepared to meet your new favorite Christmas cookie?

Well, I suggest you get ready. This melt-in-your-mouth amazingness is about to blow you away.

I wouldn't lie about something like that. It takes about 2 seconds to whip up, 12 minutes to bake, and then you can eat until you explode. 

For realz.

Ready in under half an hour (Okay, a bit longer if you don't have giant cookie sheets but still.....)

I don't think I will ever run out of recipes to make using the Hershey's Canada Chipits that we received as part of a blogger promotion through Hershey's Canada. (Yes, we were compensated for participating but, as always, our opinions remain our own!!). 

We used the Chipits Skor Toffee Bits and the Chipits Dark Chocolate Chips to create this madness.

Want to win your own Chipits?

That was a rhetorical question. Of course you do.

Go HERE and enter to win 20 bags of Chipits! 

Condensed Milk Chocolate Chip Caramel Pecan Shortbread

Ingredients

2 cups butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 cups flour

1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

pinch salt

1/2 cup Chipits Skor Toffee Bits

1/2 cup Chipits Dark Chocolate Chips

9 dozen pecan halves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in the condensed milk, flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Stir in the Skor and chocolate chips.

Using a small cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp), scoop batter onto prepared cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Press one pecan half onto the top of each cookie, flattening the cookie just a little.

Bake at 350 for 8 - 12 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown and edges are tinged with brown.

Let cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

I love this recipe for a holiday cookie exchange as it makes 9 dozen (using the small cookie scoop).

It looks pretty on a cookie tray too.

Oh, yeah, and it tastes AMAZEBALLS.

Seriously my new favorite cookie this year. I mean, chocolate, caramel, pecans, shortbread - what's not to love?

Don't forget, you can win your own Chipits bonanza by entering HERE!!

 

Be sure to visit these fab linky parties - Simple Life of a Fire Wife, Hun...What's For Dinner?, Memories By The Mile, Horrific Knits,

 

Double Chocolate Biscotti

Sue and I were so happy to receive our package of Chipits from Hershey's Canada that we even shared with our sister, Orra. She was pretty happy to get some free chocolate chips and decided that she would share her recipe for these adorable and tasty double chocolate biscotti. 

These are the perfect thing for gift giving during the holidays. You can decorate them in tons of different ways to make them look festive! We used Chipits White Chocolate and then dyed some of the white chocolate red and green with some food coloring. 

DON'T FORGET TO GO HERE TO ENTER TO WIN your very own Chipits package! (That's 20 bags of Chipits!!) 

Double Chocolate Biscotti

(From Orra)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa 

1/2 cup Chipits Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp strong coffee (prepared)

1 egg white, beaten (for brushing tops)

1 bag of your favorite Chipits Chocolate Chips (for dipping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, Hershey's cocoa, and mini chocolate chips.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, and coffee. 

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Form dough into 2 - 12" logs. 

Place on prepared cookie sheet and brush with beaten egg white.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and slice logs into 1 inch pieces, on the diagonal. Lay flat on cookie sheet and bake another 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. 

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips in 20 second intervals, stirring well in between, until melted. (Be careful not to overheat them!)

Dip biscotti in chocolate and set back on parchment paper to solidify. (Pop them in the fridge for a few minutes to speed the process.) You can also place the melted chocolate into a Ziplock bag, snip off the corner, and drizzle the chocolate over your biscotti for a different look. 

Note - if you don't have a microwave you can melt the Chipits over low heat in a saucepan, again, just be careful not to over heat them.

See, easy peasy.

These really are some of the most delicious biscotti I've ever tasted. Orra might just know what she is doing. (Just don't tell her I said that.) They are crispy like biscotti but still are soft enough that you don't feel like you are going to chip a tooth. 

And they taste like brownies. 

Want to see what happened to the cookies she brought me to photograph for the blog?

Yeah, that container used to be full. 

I accidentally ate them. 

Oh well, They are super easy to whip up - I'm sure she can just make some more.

*Cheshire cat grin*

Anyway - there is just sooooo many ways to use Chipits in your holiday baking I'm sure you want to pick some up for yourself. Or, you know, WIN SOME!!

Go HERE if you want to try and win some. And by some, I mean A LOT. 

(**We were compensated for our giveaway post and received free Chipits products BUT, as always, our opinions are our own!!**)

Mulled Wine Cranberry White Chocolate Squares

Sue and I are very excited to be posting this recipe today.

See, Hershey's Canada has sent us a package with 20 bags of Chipits to use to come up with some cool holiday baking recipes to share with our readers. They are also, very generously, going to send one of our readers a Chipits package of their own!! (Sorry, Canadian residents only!)

Yeah.

So, anyway, it was seriously like Christmas morning when our package arrived. I mean - check out this photo - 

So many holiday baking recipes to be made!!

We have decided to make this week Chipits week on our blog so we can share as many of our new recipes as possible.

(**We were compensated for this post and received free Chipits products BUT, as always, our opinions are our own!!**)

Starting with my favorite new recipe: Mulled Wine Cranberry White Chocolate Squares. 

With it's cheery color, spicy flavors, and the smooth white chocolate - this is sure to become a new Christmas favorite. 

Mulled Wine Cranberry White Chocolate Squares

Ingredients

Base/Topping

2 1/4 cup flour

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

pinch salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 small orange (zest only/reserve juice for filling)

1 (225 gr) bag Chipits White Chocolate Chips

1 cup butter, chilled

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, room temp

Filling

2/3 cup honey

1 cup red wine

juice from small orange (about 1/4 cup)

3 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 X 13 pan with parchment paper, set aside. 

Prepare Base/Topping -  In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, orange zest, and Chipits White Chocolate Chips. 

Stir to combine. 

Cut in butter using 2 butter knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Next, using your hands, mix in the cream cheese until a soft, crumbly dough forms. 

Press 2/3 of the dough into the prepared 9 X 13 pan. Set aside.

Set aside the remaining 1/3 of the dough for topping.

Prepare Filling - In a medium saucepan over med/high heat, Combined honey, wine, orange juice, cranberries, and spices. 

Bring to a simmer, turn down heat, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes. 

Remove cover, stir, and let simmer for another 10 minutes or so, stirring often, until mixture is thickened and cranberries have all popped.

While filling is simmering for the second ten minutes, place the 9 X 13 pan with the base in it into the oven to bake for 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes is up - remove base from oven and set on cooling rack. Evenly spread the filling mixture over the base.

Crumble the remaining 1/3 of the oat/flour mixture over the filling evenly.

Bake at 350 until topping is browned and dish is bubbling, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Let cool completely. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the square from the pan then, using the parchment paper "handles", lift the square out of the pan.

Slice and serve.

Perfect for a more adult oriented Christmas party! 

Orange, cranberry, wine, spices - tastes like Christmas to me.

Now, you are probably wondering about how to get in on that giveaway...

One lucky reader will be drawn at random to receive a Chipits holiday baking package from Hershey's Canada (Canadian residents only!). 

Contest runs from December 01, 2014 to December 10, 2014 (7:00 am).

Thank you to all who entered!!

You can see the winner HERE.

We're sharing at these fun linky parties. Be sure to check them out! - Ms. enPlace, Memories By The Mile, Simple Life of a Fire Wife, Horrific Knits, Hun...What's For Dinner?,  New Mrs. Adventures, Anyonita Nibbles, Carole's Chatter, Six Sister's Stuff