March 1, 2014

Oscar Chocolates

Posted by HI Cookery under 03 March | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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Oscar Chocolates

Oscar Chocolates

February/March: Hollywood Awards Season

Add some edible elegance to your Oscar watch party and give guests mini Oscar chocolate statuettes! They may not walk away with an expensive Hollywood swag bag, but they still get a fancy favor from you at a fraction of the cost!

To make these knockoffs inspired by the candy creations of celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, you need a mini mold or two (we purchased one from eBay from a seller in the United Kingdom, probably because the Oscar design is proprietary in the United States). A 12-ounce bag of melted chocolate yields 10-11 mini Oscar chocolates. Paint them with gold edible powder for a fabulous finish. Place them in treat sacks and into swag bags or display them as dazzling decorations on an Oscar-themed dessert table.

These Oscar chocolates are sure to be the biggest stars at your movie night celebrations—and you definitely win the award for being the Best Host(ess)!

Recipe

(Inspired by HMH Designs)

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces chocolate wafers/candy melts (such as Ghirardelli or Wilton brands)
  • alcohol, such as EverClear, tequila or vodka (optional)
  • gold edible powder (we used CK brand)

Directions

Melt the chocolate according to the package instructions. Fill the mold, tapping lightly to level out the chocolate. Refrigerate until firm, around 15 minutes. Unmold carefully on a paper towel. If the chocolate breaks, dip a little into melted chocolate and “glue” back together. Smooth out the edges and breaks with a warm finger. Continue molding the rest of the Oscar chocolate statuettes.

Oscar Chocolates

Spread a little melted chocolate on one half of the unmolded chocolate. Press the other Oscar half together. Continue with the rest of the Oscar statuettes, taking care to keep them dry and cool.

Oscar Chocolates

When ready to paint them with edible gold powder, make a thin paste with the alcohol (make sure it is not too watery). Work quickly and brush the gold paint over the surface of the Oscar chocolates. Let dry and retouch with more gold paint, if necessary. Keep them dry and cool until ready to serve.

Oscar Chocolates

Notes

  • We tried spraying edible gold aerosol paint (such as AmeriColor brand food color spray and Wilton brand color mist) on the Oscar chocolates but they did not adhere to the chocolate very well. Coverage was uneven, leaving liquid spots on the surface.
  • Alcohol mixed with the edible gold dust is optional and the Oscar chocolates may be dusted dry instead. The surface will not be as shiny as those applied with the alcohol mixture but it still has a shimmery surface.
  • Bake some Hollywood cookies as another dessert for movie nights and Oscar watch parties.
 

February 1, 2013

Hollywood Cookies

Posted by HI Cookery under 02 February | Tags: , , , , |
1 Comment 

Hollywood Cookies

Hollywood Cookies

February: Hollywood Awards Season

Roll out the red carpet and host a Hollywood-themed party at home! With the Golden Globes and Oscars scheduled around this time of the year, snack on something sweet while watching one of the many movie awards shows or the nominated films themselves.

As an alternative to popcorn, we sometimes bake Hollywood cookies. But these are not the same as the diet products, even though they look somewhat similar. Some of the skeletal-looking stars should be eating these Hollywood cookies instead of the diet ones. These treats contain crunchy corn flakes, chocolate chips, oatmeal and shredded coconut and can give some extra weight to some of the scary-skinny celebrities.

Meanwhile, us mere mortals can indulge once in a while and during Hollywood awards season and eat delicious Hollywood cookies for an at-home film festival or Oscar viewing party.

Recipe

(From Lisa L.)

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ½ cup flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup quick-cooking oatmeal
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup corn flakes cereal
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut
  • ¼ cup chocolate chips

Directions

Cream the butter with the sugar. Beat in the egg. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Gradually add this to the mixture and blend well.

Hollywood Cookies

Stir in the oatmeal. Add the vanilla. Gently fold in the corn flakes cereal. Sprinkle in the coconut.

Hollywood Cookies

Add the chocolate chips and mix until it becomes a sticky dough. Roll into one-inch balls and place them about two-inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes until slightly flattened. Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool to a crisp. Yield: Approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Hollywood Cookies

Notes

  • Thanks to our film fanatic friend Lisa L. for the Hollywood cookies recipe. She got it from an old church fundraising cookbook in Nebraska. She does not know how the cookies got their name but says, “I think they are called Hollywood cookies because of the (coco)nuts and flakes in them!”
  • Thanks to Islander’s Mommy for the fake gold Oscar statuette which she bought as a souvenir from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.