Making Chocolate Tarts With Delicious Milky Way Caramel Bites



I happen to be one of those people who are crazy about chocolate. I love chocolate anything, but a chocolate dessert is my absolute favorite. And a dessert made with chocolate and caramel candy? Yes, please!!

I just bought some cute little mini tart pans and have been thinking about making chocolate tarts for awhile now. Although I've made a couple of lemon tarts and other kinds, I've never tried making a chocolate one.

When I was shopping recently at Walmart, I made a trip down the candy aisle and found one of my favorite candies in the world, Milky Way.

But these were not regular candy bars, they were Milky Way Simply Caramel Bites. So cute, and the perfect snack size for myself and my grandchildren. I have been eating Milky Way candy bars since I was a kid, and I just frankly adore them.



 These are just so cute, and I decided to make my chocolate mini chocolate tarts with them as an ingredient.

 I can remember my own Mom using candy in her desserts, and they were always so delicious.

I try hard to be the best "Nana" I can be, and in my book, that includes providing yummy treats for my four grandchildren. I didn't doubt these little tarts would be a big hit with them.

I have to say that Walmart has a fabulous candy aisle, and it's pretty easy to find your favorites.

Not only did I find Milky Way Simply Caramel Bites, but Snickers and 3 Musketeers Bites, as well.

With three kinds to choose from, I can definitely #EatMoreBites in these kinds as well.
#CollectiveBias.

The thing that I have found about making tarts is that making the filling is the easy part. The hard part is getting a light and flaky tart crust. You don't want to mix the dough too much or it will end up being tough.

I wanted the Milky Way Simply Caramel bites to be inside the filling, and on top. You can never have too much of a good thing!!

I put some into my mini food processor and chopped them up so that they would blend easily into the chocolate filling and create a rich chocolate and caramel dessert. Then I used larger pies to go on top of the tarts, as a finishing touch.

Honestly, making tarts used to intimidate me. They seemed like such a fancy dessert, and I only ever ate them at a restaurant or someone's house that was an excellent cook.

But they really aren't that difficult to make, and I'm so happy I made these. Were they good?

Yeah, they were super good!! And I'm totally going back to Walmart and picking up more Bites, this time in not just the Milky Way Simply Caramel, but the Snickers and 3 Musketeers kind, too.

Here's my recipe for Chocolate Tarts With Milky Way Caramel Bites


Ingredients for Tart Shells:

 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

 Combine butter, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl and mix together with a hand mixer until smooth. Stir flour into butter mixture to make a smooth dough, but do not over mix.
Press dough into a 8 mini tart pans refrigerate  for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake tart shells until light and golden, 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven.

Ingredients for Filling:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup good quality baking cocoa
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons of butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Milky Way Simply Caramel Bites, ground up in a food processor

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in milk.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, boil and whisk for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Whisk in finely chopped chocolate and caramel bits. Refrigerate filling until chilled. Spoon into tart shells, and top with sliced Bites pieces.

I dusted the shells with powdered sugar before filling them, but this is completely optional.

Makes 8 tarts.



If you'd like to try Milky Way Simply Caramel Bites, or the two other available kinds, Walmart is offering two great money-saving coupons for you to use.

Receive $0.75 off when you buy (2) 2.83 oz. bags or $3.00 off when you buy (2) 6 oz. bags or larger

• $3.00 off 2 link:
• http://coupons.walmart.com/?cid=18153148
• $0.75 off 2 link:
• http://coupons.walmart.com/?cid=18153149

You can also join the #EatMoreBites Twitter Party on Friday, March 14, from 1:00-2:00 PM EST for a chance to win $550 in Walmart Gift Cards. 



Fighting dirt with Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle #MrCleanMorePower #sponsored

*This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Mr. Clean

Like most moms, cleaning is a part of my daily life. It seems I am cleaning something at some point all day long. Not all of the cleaning is down and dirty stuff, sometimes it is things like cleaning faces or simple spills. Those tasks are a simple swipe of a rag and we move on. But when our kitchen table is also used as an art table, getting rid of the stains and marks can be tough.

My children are in a marker phase, where to them, coloring and drawing with markers are way better than crayons. They don't always find and use the washable ones either (see above photo)! My 7 year old things that he needs a permanent marker, just to make sure it really sticks of course!

To clean our dining room/everything table I used Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle to wipe away all of the dirt, grime and marks. I filled up my bucket with water, added the liquid cleaner and went to work.

What I love about Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle is that with a squeeze of the bottle, when the exact amount needed was dispensed, it automatically stopped! No guessing needed. So simple. And look my table is looking shiny and clean! How about you, where does dirt and grime seem to live in your home?

Italian Sausage, Noodle, and Kale Soup

I seriously can't seem to stop making soup. I hadn't made it in years, and once I got started, my family loved it so much that I'm happily making it quite often.

It seems that the heartiness of those onions, carrots and garlic that are the beginnings of so many soups, are actually quite comforting on a cold winter day in the kitchen.

I could eat Italian sausage for breakfast, lunch and dinner, that's how much I love it. It's quite delicious in this soup, and the kale adds a healthy boost to it.

I shied away from kale for a long time, but now I'm a big, big fan. It adds texture and heartiness to so many dishes, and it is just so good for you.

Easy Chocolate Sugar Cookies

I've made plenty of sugar cookies, but I've never made chocolate ones. These were a real winner with my grandchildren who said they tasted like brownies, and they would have eaten all of them if I had let them.

I think these are best when they are still warm from the oven, and paired with a cold glass of milk.

The recipe is easy, and the next time I make these, I'll double the recipe. I'm putting them on the list to make when I need a cookie that is fudgy, delicious, and quick to make.

Recipe for Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:


 Preheat oven to 350. Put the sugar in a  shallow dish and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt until well mixed. Add the egg and egg yolk, and mix until combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix until just combined.
 Roll the dough into 20-24 balls (about 2 tablespoons each). Roll each ball in the sugar, then place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass. Bake 10-12 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack.


Adapted from The Baker Upstairs


Enjoy!!

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

I don't know about you, but every time I eat enchiladas, they have meat in them. Either chicken or beef, and I do like them that way.

But I have been seeing so many people talk about how fabulous and delicious butternut squash is that I decided I would try it, along with black beans, in some enchiladas.

This recipe is now a favorite of mine, to make again and again. It is really good, hearty and filling, with a sweet tang from the squash. And it passed a huge test when my son-in-law the true enchilada lover, said it was great and asked for seconds.

Recipe for Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 cup red enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups butternut squash, cut into I/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
1 1/2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup water
10 regular or whole wheat flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
4 tablespoons chopped green onion

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place 1/4 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a large rectangular baking dish.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook 2-3 minutes until onions become translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add cubed butternut squash, Rotel tomatoes, black beans, water,  cilantro, cumin and chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Place about a generous 1/3 cup filling in the center of each tortilla and roll, place on the baking dish seam side down. Repeat with the remaining filling. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
Cover dish with foil and bake until heated through, and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
Top with green onions and serve.

Enjoy!!