Bella Baker in NYC shares her New Year’s Eve nibbles ideas read more
See 2013 in with a bang by serving up these quirky sparkler inspired pretzels from Lauryn Cohen- the face behind US dessert company Bella Baker. Let the proclaimed sweet addict add a sprinkle of sugary fun to your New Year’s eve dinner parties or bashes with these two super easy all American influenced recipes…
CHOCOLATE-COVERED PRETZELS
Chocolate-covered pretzels are easy to make. The combination of salty and sweet is simply irresistible. Kids will enjoy making this recipe with you. The options for decorating chocolate-covered pretzels are limitless, so take a look inside your pantry. You can use nuts, chocolate chips, sprinkles, or crushed cookies. Get creative!
Pretzel rods
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, melted
8 ounces white chocolate chips, melted
toppings of your choice (here, silver sprinkles were used for topping)
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. One at a time, dip pretzel rods into either the semisweet chocolate or the white chocolate, using a spoon to coat as much of the pretzel as possible. Quickly sprinkle the topping of your choice over the chocolate before it dries. Do this over a bowl to catch the remnants of toppings. Place the pretzels onto the parchment paper to dry.
NEW YEAR’S BALL CAKE POPS…
Make a show-stopping dessert in pop form! These sparkly silver pops, in perfect ball form, are meant to resemble the famous ball that drops in Times Square in New York City every New Year’s Eve at midnight…
2 ¾ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 2/3 cups of sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup of whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
In as small bowl, mix milk and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and add one third of the flour mixture, followed by one half of the milk, another third of the flour mixture, the second half of the milk, and finally the remainder of the flour. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool to room temperature.
Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces whipped cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
Combine cream cheese, butter and confectioner’s sugar in a bowl.
Note: You can use 4-6 tablespoon of store-bought cream cheese frosting instead of making frosting from scratch.
Assembly
16 ounces white candy melts
50 6-inch lollipop sticks
1 cup silver nonparell sprinkles (available in speciality baking supply stores)
Styrofoam block or cake pop stand
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using your fingers, crumble up the entire cake into a large bowl. Stir the frosting into the bowl of cake crumbs, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time. Until the consistency is thick and the mixture can be rolled into balls easily. If it is too dry or too moist, you will not be able to roll the mixture into balls, which is why it’s important to add the frosting slowly.
Form the cake mixture into 1½ to 2 inch balls with your hands. I often weigh the cake balls so they are uniform in size; they should weigh 0.6 to 0.7 ounces. Place balls on the prepared baking sheets. Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
Put the white candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring vigorously with a spoon between intervals. It should take two or three 30-second intervals for the chocolate to melt completely.
Remove the cake balls from the refrigerator. Working one at a time, dip the tip of a lollipop stick in the melted white candy melt; then insert it into the cake ball until it’s about halfway through. Holding the stick, dip the cake ball into the melted candy, rotating to coat evenly. Tap the lollipop stick gently against the side of the bowl to remove any excess candy melt. Working quickly before the cake pop dries, sprinkle the silver nonparell sprinkles all over the entire cake pops. Make sure to place a bowl underneath to catch any sprinkles that don’t adhere to the pop. Stick the finished cake pop into the foam block or cake pop stand. Repeat until all cake pops are complete. Makes about 50 cake pops.
Find other fab recipe ideas in Bella Baker’s newly released book Sweet Gifts – 95 Fabulous Holiday Desserts & Crafts