Better Than T.J.’s Snacky Clusters

 

This is yet another case of the “salty loves sweet, sweet loves salty“ thing that I talked about here. Not too long ago I had been made aware of Trader Joe’s Snacky Clusters. Joe’s are rather small, and, in my opinion anyway, a bit pricey for what you get. Thinking that nothing could be easier than to make these at home, I did. The real bonus here is that you can use those broken chips at the bottom of bags to make this delicious treat. I used essentially the same ingredients as Trader Joe’s, namely, corn chips, potato chips, and pretzel bits, but I decided to go one better and also add some bits of brickle. That took these chocolaty clusters of salty deliciousness right over the top. These are easy to put together, so much so that the kids can do it. In fact, I think they would love, smashing melted chocolate, their favorite salty snack.

Better Than T.J.’s Snacky Clusters

2 c. milk chocolate chip

½ c. broken Fritos 

½ c. pretzel bites 

½ c. broken rippled potato chips 

½ c. Heath Bits of Brickle    

 Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or a Silpat).

Place milk chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl, and microwave in intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds. I found it took me one minute and 30 seconds to melt them into smooth chocolate.

When chocolate has melted, stir in Fritos, potato chips, pretzel bites, and bits of  Heath Bits of Brickle. Drop onto your parchment paper, and allow a couple of hours to firm. If you’re in a rush, you can place them in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

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Speculoos Pancakes

I have been hearing a lot about Speculoos Cookie Butter lately, and have pretty much ignored most of it.  You see, I had heard a lot about Nutella® as well and, it turns out, I wasn’t wowed.  I love chocolate, and I like hazelnuts, but somehow this combination of a chocolate-like substance (Is it really chocolate?) and hazelnuts left me cold.  I know that I am in the minority here, and I accept that.  So, after buying a  jar of Speculoos Butter during a recent trip to Trader Joe’s I expected to have the same reaction.  No!  Yum!  I am talking serious yum!  This stuff is great.  I taste-tested it right from the jar, and could have been satisfied with that alone, but then the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a recipe for Speculoos Pancakes, and I was off and running.  This is pancake heaven -- slightly spicy, slightly sweet, and totally delicious.  If you haven’t decided what to make for Sunday breakfast, the decision has been made.

You can read the recipe online here, but for the sake of convenience, I have reprinted it below.

Speculoos Pancakes

 Yield: 10 pancakes

1 cup flour

¾ cup buttermilk

¼ cup whole milk

½ cup Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon each: baking soda, salt

1 large egg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients except vegetable oil in mixing bowl; whisk lightly. It’s OK if there are small lumps and streaks.

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, wipe away excess oil with a paper towel, leaving a thin film on entire surface. Reduce heat to medium-high; add batter in ¼ cup portions. Cook until bubbles appear at edges. Flip; cook other side. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil as necessary.

Serve pancakes topped with more Speculoos spread, along with maple syrup and sliced bananas, if you like.

If you can’t find Speculoos cookie spread in your grocer, there is a recipe for making your own here.

Per pancake: 169 calories; 9g fat; 3g saturated fat; 27mg cholesterol; 18g carbohydrates; 4g protein; 209mg sodium; no fiber.

Recipe adapted from “The Chicago Tribune Good Eating Cookbook” by former Good Eating writer Pat Dailey from a recipe by Ina Pinkney at Ina’s Kitchen.

  

This post is linked to:

Be Inspired Friday

Foodie Friday

Sugar and Spice

Sunday Sweeties

TRADER JOE'S Chocolate Filled French Toast - Product Review

Trader Joe’s knows what they’re doing.  From their colorful eye-catching displays, to their equally colorful eye-catching employees, to their clever store ad dubbed Fearless Flyer, they know a little something about luring people into their establishment.  Of course luring people is one thing, keeping them is another.  I was recently lured in by a paragraph in their latest Flyer on a new-to-me product called Chocolate-Filled French Toast.  Brioche dough, dark chocolate?  I am there!   Struggling to find it amongst the morning buns and pain au chocolat, I snagged a worker in a Magnum, PI shirt and pleaded for directions.

“Oh, honey!” he exclaimed, rolling his eyes, “Follow me!”   He crooked his finger over his left shoulder motioning me to follow, and I did.  In true Vanna White fashion, he spread out his arms at the spot in the dairy case where the product was located, winked at me and said, “You will love it.”

Having read a variety of reviews – not all of them favorable – I wondered.  Frankly I couldn’t imagine how one could possibly go wrong with this combination, so I gave it a try.  It was wonderful! (This is not a paid endorsement, by the way, I’m only too happy to spread the word when I stumble across deliciousness that is so easy to prepare.)  Crispy on the outside, custard-y on the inside, with the perfect amount of melted chocolate made this a real winner.  The secret here is to make certain that the product stays in the freezer until your oven has come up to the right temperature.  I used a countertop convection oven that, conveniently, beeps at me when the temperature is correct.  Pop it in directly from the freezer and then leave it in until it has puffed slightly.  I found that an additional five minutes in the oven yielded perfect results.

Thumbs up on this one.  I will definitely be back for more!

TRADER JOE'S Chocolate Croissants - Product Review

"The windows are full of neatly stacked palmiers and pain au chocolat and napoleons and strawberry tarts." --from Bread Alone 

Ever since reading Judith Ryan Hendricks' wonderful novel, Bread Alone (see link below), I've been intrigued by the idea of making pain au chocolat.  It certainly seems easy enough.  Essentially, it's a rectangle of puff pastry rolled around a piece of dark chocolate and baked until it is puffed and golden, and the chocolate is melted and gooey.  How tough can that be?  Somehow though, I never got around to it, so when I spied a box of 4 frozen chocolate croissants at Trader Joe's I owed it myself to give these a try.  Forget trying to make them yourself, these are sensational!  I occasionally treat us to the French croissants and morning buns offered by Williams-Sonoma (that are like a culinary trip to Paris in your own kitchen), so wasn't expecting these to be that good.  They are!  And nothing could be simpler.  You let them rise overnight, bake them in the morning, and prepare to start your day with a smile on your face.

Here is the box to look for the next time you visit Trader Joe's.

Out of the box they look like nothing special, but just wait until morning!

Puffed and beautiful is what will greet you after a night of raising.

Here's a peek inside.  Okay, for my tastes it could have had a bit more chocolate, but I'm not complaining, these are delicious.

Thumbs up! Highly Recommended.
Thanks, Trader Joe's!