Chocolate with Caramel

Last weekend, I spent the day with a group of my quilting friends, exchanging fabric, sewing, eating and generally just having a great time!  Everyone brought a potluck and we met at our local library's community room.  For some reason I was in a Chocolate/Caramel mood and so I made a couple of desserts to take along.  Both are considered  No Sugar Added.  There is a small trace of natural sugars in pecans.

First, I made German Chocolate Cupcake Surprise.  I chose this because it is one of my husband's favorites, so I knew I would have to have a few cupcakes set aside for him...if they are his favorite kind...the better I come out in the deal.  These cupcakes are called surprise because from the outside they just look like chocolate cupcakes.  The part that makes them German Chocolate is all tucked in nice and neat on the inside.

 This recipe is going to start out by enhancing a box cake, and end up with a yummy gooey center.

• 1 chocolate sugar-free cake mix
• 1 c. milk (I used 2%)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1/2 c. non-fat, plain yogurt
• 1-2 oz. Torani, sugar-free caramel syrup, (optional)
• 1/2 jar sugar-free caramel ice cream topping
• 1/2-3/4 c. chopped pecans
• 1/2-3/4 c. unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 can chocolate sugar-free frosting

Mix up your cake mix, with the eggs and oil, but substituting the milk for the water.  Additionally, mix in 1/2 c. yogurt.  The milk and the yogurt will help keep your cupcakes extra moist.  I also happened to have some sugar-free caramel syrup in my cabinet (you know, the kind you add to your coffee...) and so I decided to add about an ounce.  If you don't have any of this, I wouldn't buy a whole bottle just for the little bit you need for this.   Bake according to package directions:  325 degrees for 20-22 minutes.

Using a scoop, add the batter to the cupcake liners and fill them about 3/4 full.  You can fill them a little fuller, but you will need to cook them an extra minute or two and you won't get a full 2 dozen cupcakes.

 Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and after a few minutes, remove them from the muffin tin and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.  Once cooled, you will need to remove a small amount of cake from the center.  I use the center to my donut cutter, but you can use any tool you might have around your kitchen that would be a small circle.  The centers make great little snacks or you can save and combine them with leftover icing and make some cake balls.

In a separate bowl, mix the caramel ice cream topping, coconut and pecans.  You may have to adjust your amounts slightly.  Just remember that you are going for something that has the consistency of German Chocolate frosting.
Spoon the filling into the cupcake centers.  No need to overfill, but do fill the holes completely.

Lastly, frost the cupcakes, covering the centers as you go.  You can either use a piping bag or you can just frost with a knife or small spatula.  Again, here I took the opportunity to add an ounce or so of the caramel syrup to the frosting.







Somehow I just couldn't stop here.  I felt the need to make some Turtle Brownies.  Although I have seen several recipes out on the internet for this type of dessert, I didn't find them and just kind of winged it myself.

• 1 box sugar-free brownie mix
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 3 T. water
• 1/2 jar of caramel ice cream topping
• 1/4 - 1/3 c. sugar-free chocolate chips
• 1/4 - 1/3 c. chopped pecans

First I mixed up a brownie recipe, using the mix, the egg, the oil and the water and followed the directions for baking.  Spray an 8 x 8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Once the brownies come out of the oven, go ahead and start adding the "turtle" ingredients on top while the brownies are warm.  Drizzle the caramel ice cream topping over the top.  A half jar should allow you to cover the entire top of the pan.  A couple of handfuls of chocolate chips and a couple of handfuls of chopped pecans will top it all off.
After the brownies cooled, I put a lid on, or you could cover with plastic wrap and I stored them in the fridge.  This just allows them to set up really well and they will last longer, well, if your family doesn't eat them all up!