It Was Inevitable

So, after years of blog stalking, the inevitable finally happened....I saw somebody I blog-stalk at Walmart! The funny/scary/embarrassing thing, is that I ALMOST walked up to her and started chatting her up! It was like seeing a friend whom I hadn't (or never) seen in years! I'm not kidding here, I walked right towards her with a big cheesy smile, and then reality struck, and I ducked into the closest aisle! Oh man, I need to get a life!!!!

Phew, thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Oh, I should probably get something else off my conscience: This morning I was getting Carson's cereal ready and apparently I wasn't totally awake yet because I then proceeded to drop the entire bowl, full of Cap'n Crunch and milk, onto my kitchen floor. I said "DAMNIT" right in front of Carson and Parker. Sadly, it just slipped out, I pretty much never swear. I guess my dad's bad habits are wearing me down! ha ha ha, just kidding dad! Well, it's true....yeah...anywho.....

Okay, let's talk about something else shall we?

I've had a recipe that I've been meaning to try for about 6 months and I've just never made it, until the other day. It's called "Nutty Nougat Caramel Bites" and if you have diabetes, you better give yourself an extra dose of insulin because it's so rich it will make you sweat (does that happen to anybody but me??? My nose literally gets shiney if I eat something too rich!).

I took pictures of each layer for your enjoyment:

Nutty Nougat Caramel Bites

Cookie Base:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 package (3.4 oz) instant butterscotch pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup butterscotch chips

Nougat Filling:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow cream
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 coarsley chopped salted peanuts

Caramel Layer:
1 package (14 oz) caramels
1/4 cup whipping cream

Icing:
1 package milk chocolate chips
Butterscotch chips left over from crust
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

For cookie base-In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter, brown sugar, and sugar in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in butterscotch morsels. Spread and pat dough evenly into parchment paper lined baking dish (I used a 9X13 pan). Bake at 350 degrees until golden, brown (about 25 minutes). Remove from oven and hold pan about 3 inches above your stovetop and let it drop, this creates a chewier base. Cool completely.


For nougat filling-Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and evaporated milk; stir. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in marshmallow cream, peanut butter, and vanilla. Add peanuts; stir well. Spread nougat mixture over cookie base.


For caramel filling-Combine caramels and cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. Spread caramel mixture over nougat layer. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until set.


For icing-Melt milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter in a medium bown in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Spread icing over caramel layer. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.


To serve, let stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Cut into 1 inch square pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Yummy!


If I ever make these again....here's what I would do differently.
I'm not a huge butterscotch fan. To lessen the butterscotchy flavor of the crust, I would use white chocolate chips instead of butterscotch chips. My friend Cathy Gilmore suggested something salty instead...such as nuts or pretzel chunks.

I also would only add about 1/8 cup of cream to the caramels when melting them because after these sit out at room temperature for awhile, the caramel starts to lose it's shape and it goobers out.

Now that you are all in sugar shock, go run on the treadmill!