Showered With Love...

 Here are just a few pictures of cupcakes that 

I recently  made for a friend's bridal shower.

It was such a beautiful party!

A special thank you to Febe at After February

 for providing the wonderful and elegant cupcake toppers!

People we Meet Along the Way...

     I'm not sure if it's the time of year (Lent), the season (Winter) or simply just my female hormones that have me feeling so introspective lately. Whatever the reason, I've been thinking a lot about the people in my life. Not in a melancholy way, but in a gratified way. We are so often caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey, especially the goodness of the people we meet along the way.  It may sound simple but, I feel that the best things in life are the people we love (and those who love us), the places we've been, and the memories we have made along the way. It's rewarding to stop and remind ourselves of that once in a while.

    Yesterday was what I like to call "Treat Tuesday."  It's my little way of letting my co-workers (and a few select patrons... you know who you are!) know how much I appreciate them. It's also a way to show my gratitude for once again having a job that I love. These truffles were a hit (if I do say so myself) and didn't last long! I did manage to hide a few in the back of our freezer (they freeze well) but I highly doubt they'll be in there long enough to get freezer burn.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles

You will need:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
• 3 3/4 cups icing sugar
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 sleeve of graham crackers, crushed
• 3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips, melted

Directions:

• Place graham crackers in a large resealable freezer bag and crush them with the back of a large spoon on your counter top until they are a fine consistency
• In a large bowl, mix butter, icing sugar, peanut butter and crushed graham crackers together until combined
• Roll into 1" balls (or use a small cookie dough scoop as I did) and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet
• Place cookie sheet in the freezer for at least 20 minutes to allow them to set before dipping
• To make the dipping chocolate, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring after each 30 second interval (be careful not to burn your chocolate!)
• If your chocolate seems too thick you can add a few tablespoons of milk to thin it out
• Once the peanut butter balls have had time to firm up in the freezer, dip them in the melted chocolate using a fork, being sure to tap and scrape off the excess
• Place dipped peanut butter balls back on the parchment lined cookie sheet and allow the chocolate to harden

• In a small (sandwich sized) resealable bag, place a few tablespoons of peanut butter.
• Seal the bag and place it in the microwave for approximately 30 seconds, watching it closely (trust me, you don't want that bag to burst!)
• Once the peanut butter has melted, cut one of the bottom corners of the bag with a pair of scissors. Be sure you are holding the bag over your parchment lined, truffle filled cookie sheet. The smaller the hole the better.
• Begin drizzling the melted peanut butter over the tops of your truffles in a diagonal pattern.

A bit of a messy endeavor, but very much worth it! 

  

 

*This recipe yields approximately 60 truffles 

(enough to share, indulge in, or store in your freezer).

Thanks to Six Sisters' Stuff for inspiring this recipe.