Caramel Chocolate Toffee - New Version

Ingredients:

Chocolate Chips & Pecan Mixture – layer 1:

 1 cup milk chocolate chips

½ cup white chocolate chips

1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup pecan chips, toasted

Toffee -  layer 2:

1 ½ cups butter (3 cubes), cubed

1 ½ cups sugar

4 ½ tablespoons water

4 tablespoons malted milk powder, divided (the malted milk powder helps the candy layers to stick together)

Caramel -  layer 3:

1 (14 oz. ) bag Kraft caramels, unwrapped

3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Melted Chocolate – layer 4:

3 cups melted chocolate (I used Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips)

Combine all the chocolate chips in a medium bowl.  Add in toasted pecans.  Stir.  

Spread the chocolate chip mixture in a prepared 13 X 9 inch baking pan (lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil).

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons malted milk powder.  

In a 2-quart heavy saucepan combine butter, sugar, and water. 

Cook over medium heat to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until thermometer registers 290 degree F (soft-crack stage), about 15 minutes. Mixture should boil at a steady rate over the entire surface. (Adjust heat as necessary so that mixture does not boil over.)

Remove from heat; remove thermometer. Pour mixture quickly over chocolate layer. 

Let COOL for a half an hour.  Sprinkle 2 tablespoons malted milk powder over toffee. 

In a small saucepan, melt the caramels with the 3 tablespoons whipping cream, stirring constantly.  

Pour melted caramel over cooled toffee.  Let cool for about 15 minutes.   Melt approximately 3 cups chocolate and pour over Caramel layer. 

Cool in the refrigerator about 1 hour before breaking into pieces. 

Break into pieces and serve.

CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM & GRASSHOPPER MINT CHEESECAKE FANTASY

Ingredients:

2 (10 oz.) packages Grasshopper Mint Cookies (put through the food processor)

2/3 cup butter, melted

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon mint (not peppermint) extract

1 teaspoon chocolate extract, optional

Green food coloring (add drops as desired) – optional

2 cups heavy cream, whipped

3 quarts (two 1 ½ quart containers) chocolate ice cream , somewhat softened

Andes Mints, crushed (for garnish)

Directions:

Line two 9-inch round cake or springform pans with parchment paper or foil.

Combine grasshopper mint cookie crumbs and melted butter in large bowl.

Place half of the mixture in each springform pan.  

Press crumbs firmly onto the bottom and part way up the sides of the pans.  Chill crust for 5 – 10 minutes in the freezer.  Remove from freezer. Beat the ice cream with a mixer to help make it smoother and easier to work with.  Place 1 ½ quarts chocolate ice cream over the crust in each pan.

No mixer used to smooth ice cream

A mixer was used to smooth ice cream

Return to the freezer.  Meanwhile, begin the grasshopper mint cheesecake layer.  Add the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk into a large mixing bowl.  

Beat until smooth.  Stir in mint extract and chocolate extract.  Mix in green food coloring, optional.  

Fold whipped cream into cheese mixture. 

Pour half of the cheesecake  filling into each pan. 

Garnish with crushed Andes Mints.  

Gently press the Andes Mint crumbles into each cheesecake.  Cover (I use those shower cap looking plastic covers); freeze 12 hours or until firm.  Serve with fudge topping and chocolate whipping cream (see recipe), if desired.

FROZEN GRASSHOPPER MINT CHEESECAKE

Ingredients:

1 (10 oz.) package Grasshopper Mint Cookies (put through the food processor)

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon mint (not peppermint) extract

2 teaspoons chocolate extract, optional

Green food coloring (add drops as desired) – optional

2 cups heavy cream, whipped

Andes Mints, crushed (for garnish)

Directions:

Line a 9-inch round cake or springform pan with parchment paper or foil

Combine grasshopper mint cookie crumbs and melted butter in the springform pan.  

Mix well.  Press crumbs firmly onto the bottom and part way up the sides of the pan.  

Whip the Heavy Whipping Cream.

Chill crust. Add the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk into a large mixing bowl. 

Beat until smooth.  

Stir in mint extract and chocolate extract.  Mix in green food coloring, optional.  

Fold in whipped cream. 

 Pour filling into pan. 

Garnish with crushed Andes Mints.  

Gently press the Andes Mint crumbles into cheesecake.  
Cover (I use those shower cap looking plastic covers); freeze 6 hours or until firm.  Serve with fudge topping, chocolate ice cream and chocolate whipping cream (see recipe), if desired.