blog - Mom's Dinner

Marinated Chicken Spiedini with Amogio

October 18, 2021 by Susie Weinrich 10 Comments

I live in Kansas City, which just so happens to be the home of Garozzo's Ristorante, a place that's legendary around here. If you Google "chicken spiedini," you'll likely see that it's widely credited as being invented at Garozzo's. And honestly, that wouldn't surprise me one bit-it's certainly the first place I ever heard of this delicious Italian dish.

Skewers of chicken spiedini on a plate with green beans and spaghetti

Now, whether they truly invented chicken spiedini is probably up for debate (as with most great food origin stories). But what I can tell you for sure is that they make an absolutely killer Spiedini – That flavor is what inspired this recipe, with all the juicy chicken, herby breading, and that unmistakable garlicky punch.

Listen to the Recipe

You can also listen to a podcast episode sharing all the tips and tricks for making amazing chicken spiedini, plus the full audio recipe. There is a convenient audio player in the recipe card below!

What is Chicken Spiedini?

Pronounced “Spee-dee-nee” or “Spah-dee-nee”.

Spiedini is a traditional Italian dish made of marinated meat, rolled in fine Italian bread crumbs, skewered, and baked or grilled.

It was traditionally made with veal or beef (eye of round).

Chicken Spiedini at Garozzo’s

I live in Kansas City where Garozzo’s Ristorante is located. If you search “chicken spiedini” on Google, it comes up that Chicken Spiedini was actually invented at Garozzo’s.

It definitely is the first place I ever heard of this Italian dish.

However, whether this is true or not is up for debate. But I will say they make some damn good Spiedini.

Ingredients

Here are the things that you need to make this Chicken Spiedini Recipe and Amogio Sauce, plus some helpful tips on a few ingredients:

Ingredients for amogio sauce with text labels

Chicken – buy good quality boneless skinless chicken breasts. I like to buy Smart Chicken. If you can find chicken that has been “air chilled” you are on the right track to having really good chicken.

Garlic – for this recipe you just want to crush the garlic cloves to release thier flavors into the marinade. If you chop or mince the garlic it will stick to the chicken and you risk it burning in the oven.

Italian Bread Crumbs – make sure you use fine/traditional bread crumbs. Now is not the time for the coarser panko bread crumbs.

If you do not have “Italian” bread crumbs, just use traditional bread crumbs and mix in 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – definitely use the “extra virgin” type of olive oil. It has a very distinct buttery flavor that you want, especially in the Amogio sauce.

White Wine

Did you know that you can actually freeze white wine to use in recipes.

I don’t drink a ton of white wine, but I love to use it in recipes like Shrimp Risotto or Shrimp Scampi Linguine.

I buy chardonnay in an aseptic container (looks like a small carton) and after I have used a little I will just pop the whole carton in the freezer.

You want to make sure you leave a little room for the container to expand when freezing. You can also pop the whole carton in a freezer safe bag to make sure there are no wine explosions in your freezer.

It will freeze like a slushy so you can scoop out what you need, when you need it.

How to Cook Chicken Spiedini

This is a 24 hour recipe, including marinating time, so make sure you leave time to make this the right way. It is FULL of flavor!

Marinating Prep

Start by cutting your chicken breast into 1 ½ inch chunks.

Grab a large zip lock baggie for marinating.

Add the chicken chunks to the bag, also add in the crushed garlic cloves, lemon zest, extra virgin olive oil, water, white wine, and kosher salt.

Now seal the bag and squish it around in your hands so that the marinade mixes and coats the chicken.

Pop in the fridge for 24 hours (24 hours preferred… can go up to 48 hours too).

Assembly and Baking

Grab 6-8 skewers.

If you are using wooden skewers you will want to soak them in water for about 15-20 minutes while you bread the chicken chunks. This will prevent them from burning up in the oven.

Set up an assembly:

The bag of chicken in marinade.
A plate or shallow bowl with the bread crumbs
A plate lined with a paper towel
Large rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non stick spray.

With tongs pull a couple chicken cubes out of the marinade, roll in the bread crumbs making sure the crumbs adhere to the chicken cubes. Place on the paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all the chicken pieces are breaded.

Skewer the chicken pieces, about 5 pieces per skewer. Then place on the prepared baking sheet.

Spray the tops of the skewers with the non-stick spray. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, flip the skewers and bake another 10 minutes.

Amogio Sauce

While the skewers are baking prepare the Amogio Sauce.

Over low heat in a small sauce pan melt together the butter, evoo, salt and red pepper flakes.

If you really love garlic you could add one minced garlic clove too.

Once the butter melts remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and parsley.

Give it a taste for additional seasoning- more lemon, salt or red pepper flakes.

Serving

These marinated chicken skewers are amazing served with pasta and a side salad (basil vinaigrette is a great dressing)! Here are some of our faves:

Pesto Pasta (number one choice!)
Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Make an alfredo pasta (or Instant Pot Alfredo), and replace the chicken in the recipe with this Spiedini.
Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes (great for summer!!)

Chicken Spiedini Skewers on a plate with Amogio Sauce

Other Delicious Italian Recipes

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Copycat Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden

October 12, 2021 by Susie Weinrich 2 Comments

If you are looking for that sausage, potato and kale soup recipe that you had at Olive Garden you are in the right place. This is a great Copycat Zuppa Toscana recipe, just like the popular restaurant version, but made in one-pot at home! It is loaded with potatoes, sausage and kale. It comes together really quickly and can be made on the stove top, in the Instant Pot or in a slow cooker.

a big pot of copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

What is Zuppa Toscana

If you haven’t been to Olive Garden and aren’t sure what Zuppa Toscana is, let me tell you! Zuppa Toscana translated from Italian means Tuscan Soup. It is Pronounced “zoo-pah toe-skaw-nah”.

It is a broth based soup that is made slightly creamy with heavy cream. It is full of Italian sausage, onions, potatoes, kale, and red pepper flakes. The soup was made popular by the chain restaurant Olive Garden in the United States.

Ingredient Details

It doesn’t take a lot of ingredients to make Zuppa Toscana!

ingredients for zuppa toscana on a table with text overlays

Sausage – use what your family likes, any crumbled Italian sausage will work; pork, turkey, mild, sweet, or spicy.

Potatoes – a russet potatoes holds up best in this soup recipe, although others will work too; Red or Yukon. If you use russet I recommend peeling the potato. If you use Yukon or red potatoes you can leave the skin on.

Kale – make sure to remove the hard stem pieces from the kale, those bits will not soften in the soup. Only use the leaf portions and chop those into bite sized pieces. You can also buy bags of kale that are already processed and ready to use (near the packaged salads at your grocery store).

Heavy Cream – this helps make the soup slightly creamy… not thick and creamy, just creamy based. You can also sub in half and half for a less creamy (and less caloric) soup.

You will notice there is not salt included in the recipe. Do not salt this soup until you taste it at the end. The sausage and chicken broth add a nice amount of salt, so add it to taste before serving.

How To Make Zuppa Toscana – Step by Step

Copycat Zuppa Toscana is pretty easy to make, the majority of the work is slicing the potatoes and then waiting for them to boil. If you have a mandolin, it makes quick work of the potato prep!

Start by crumbling and cooking the sausage in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic and soften for another 5 minutes.

Drain any excess grease.

Pro Tip

Push the meat and onions to one side of the pot, tip the pot up and let the grease drain to the empty side of the pot. Mop it up with paper towels being held with tongs. Discard the paper towels and move on to the rest of the recipe!

Add the broth and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. This is called deglazing and will add amazing flavor to your broth.

broth, potatoes, sausage and onions in a pot

Add the potatoes and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender but not falling apart.

Add the cream and kale, simmer for another 5 minutes.

kale and cream added to zuppa toscana in a large pot

Taste for additional seasonings – salt, red pepper flakes and pepper.

Thickening The Zuppa

This is absolutely a broth-ey soup. If you prefer something a little creamier you can do one of two things:

Mix 2 tablespoon corn starch with 2 tablespoon cream and add it to the soup at the end. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes and it will thicken nicely.
OR reduce the broth to 5 cups, and then at the end increase the cream to 2 cups.

Serving Zuppa Toscana

Just like at Olive Garden this soup is PERFECT served with warm bread or bread sticks and a big veggie filled salad.

To recreate the bottomless soup, salad and breadsticks from Olive Garden here are the other copycat recipes you need:

Copycat Olive Garden Salad & Breadsticks

Storing & Reheating

Store any leftover soup in the fridge in a covered container. It will be good for up to 5 days. To reheat simply warm on the stove top or microwave individual bowls for a minute or two.

I do not recommend storing this soup in the freezer, the milk content tends to separate in the freezer.

copycat zuppa toscana in a bowl with bread to the side

TL;DR Recipe Tips

Taste the soup before you add salt! The sausage and chicken broth both have salt content.
Make sure to drain some of the sausage grease before adding the broth.
Cook the potatoes until they are fork tender, but not until they are falling apart.
Use the sausage you like – mild, sweet, spicy, turkey. They all work.
Make it extra spicy by adding an extra helping of red pepper flakes.
A mandolin slicer makes really quick work of the potato prep. I have the OXO Simple Mandolin, it is under $40 and a great investment!

Other Great Italian Soup Recipes

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Overnight Ham and Egg Breakfast Casserole

October 11, 2021 by Susie Weinrich 14 Comments

Overnight Ham and Egg Breakfast Casserole is a delicious and super simple breakfast recipe. Bread is soaked in a flavorful egg and milk mixture and topped with ham and cheese. It is made ahead and stored in the fridge overnight (up to 2 days!) , then is ready for you to bake the next morning, which makes it a great recipe to use when you have house guests!

9x13 baking dish with ham breakfast casserole

Of course if you don’t have time to wait overnight… pop over to these sausage egg cups or healthy breakfast egg cups.

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Why It Is Such A Great Breakfast Casserole

Wonderful after the holidays when you have all the ingredients in your house. You can use up leftover bread or rolls, eggs, and ham.
Easy to put together. Cut, Whisk, Pour.
Simple ingredients!
No sautéing before assembly!
Can be made up to 2 days ahead for easy breakfast.
Kids will love it too… no onions no green stuff (just like my Chicken Noodle Soup for Kids)

Perfect for an overnight casserole. Easy to put together. I used a pound of ground ham and had ham in each bite. I'm saving this recipe and will make it again. Thanks. – Avon

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients that you need to make this overnight ham and egg breakfast casserole, plus some helpful tips on a few ingredients:

Leftover Ham

If you are using leftover ham, you will need about 2 ½ cups.

Ham Steak

If you are purchasing a ham steak at the grocery store, choose one that is around 1 lb. This will allow you to trim the bone and fat and still have the right amount of ham.

Bread

This recipe is a great way to use up day old bread. The recipes calls for “French bread” however you can use what you have.

If you have sourdough, use it. If you have leftover rolls, use them. I have made this with leftover slider buns, and it worked great!

Fresh Shredded Cheese

As always, I recommend that you shred your cheese fresh instead of buying pre-shredded bagged cheese. The fresh shreds will melt creamier and more delicious! The bagged cheese will work, but it is coated in anti-clumping agents and preservatives that prevent it from properly melting.

Watch The Recipe

How To Make Overnight egg Bake

Start by cutting your bread into cubes. If you have a bread with a thick or crusty crust, you will want to remove that and discard.

Prep a 9×13 casserole dish by spreading 1 tablespoon softened butter across the bottom and slightly up the sides. Now add the bread cubes.

bread cubes and cubed ham in a buttered 9x13 casserole pan

Top with the cubed ham and finish by sprinkling on the cheese

Crack your eggs in a bowl, add the Dijon mustard, Lawry’s, onion powder, garlic powder and whole milk. Whisk so everything is combined and the eggs are all whisked.

eggs, milk, and seasonings mixed together

Now pour it over the bread/ham/cheese. Making sure you pour it evenly over the entire casserole.

Pouring egg mixture over breakfast casserole

Give the casserole a gentle press so all the bread touching the egg/milk mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours, up to 48 hours!

I accidentally made this a day too early one time and it had to sit in the fridge and extra day… came out totally fine!!! So you CAN make this breakfast casserole up to 2 days in advance.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

Let the casserole cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

Serving

Cut the Ham and Egg Breakfast Casserole into squares. It is excellent served with fresh fruit, vanilla yogurt and sweet breakfast pastries, blueberry breakfast cake, Banana Bread or coffee cake muffins.

It can also make a great breakfast for dinner! Serve it up with a green side salad dressed with vinaigrette (this basil vinaigrette is amazing!).

two breakfast plates with ham and egg casserole, fruit and yogurt

Storing

Keep any leftover breakfast casserole in the fridge in a covered container for 2 days. After that the casserole will still be fine to eat up to 4 days, but it will start to “dry out”.

Overnight Ham & Egg Breakfast Casserole Recipe

An amazing breakfast casserole that has bread cubes soaked in a flavorful egg and milk mixture. Great make-ahead breakfast that is easy to prepare!

4.96 from 23 votes

Print Pin Rate Save

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Refrigerating: 1

Total Time: 1 1

Servings: people

Calories: 593kcal

Author: Susie Weinrich

Equipment

▢
9×13 baking dish

Ingredients

▢ 4 cups French bread - cubed
▢ 8 large eggs
▢ 2 cups whole milk
▢ 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
▢ ½ teaspoon each – Lawry's Seasoned Salt, onion powder & garlic powder
▢ 2 ½ cups (up to 3 cups) cooked ham - cubed, ham steak or leftover ham works great
▢ 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese - grated
▢ 1 tablespoon butter - softened

Instructions

Spread the softened butter across the bottom and sides of a 9×13 casserole dish.
1 tablespoon butter
Cube your bread (about 1-1.5 inches). Place the bread in the prepared 9×13 dish.
**If your bread has a thick or tough crust remove that and discard, only using the inside, soft parts of the bread.
4 cups French bread
Add your cubed ham on top of the bread cubes, then sprinkle on the cheese.
2 ½ cups (up to 3 cups) cooked ham, 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese
In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, and seasonings.
8 large eggs, 2 cups whole milk, 2 teaspoon dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon each – Lawry's Seasoned Salt, onion powder & garlic powder
Pour the egg mixture evenly over top of the bread/ham/cheese.
Cover and refrigerate over night (12-24 hours).
Can be made 2 days in advance.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 375°.
Meanwhile, uncover the casserole and set on the counter.
Once the oven is fully heated, bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
Let the casserole rest for about 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Serving

Cut the casserole into 8 large squares or 12 smaller squares.
This is excellent served with fresh fruit, vanilla yogurt and breakfast pastries or sweets like Blueberry Breakfast Bread, Cranberry Cake, Coffee Cake Muffins or Banana Bread.

Recipe Tips and Notes:

Bread – this recipe is a great way to use up day old bread. I call for “French bread” however you can use what you have. If you have sourdough, use it. If you have leftover rolls, use them. I have made this with leftover slider buns, and it worked great!

Ham – if using leftover ham you will need about 2 ½-3 cups. If you are purchasing a ham steak grab one that is about 1- 1.25 lbs. That gives you enough meat after you have trimmed the bone and the fat.

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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MOre recipes you will love

Bloody Shirley Temples

September 23, 2021 by Susie Weinrich 2 Comments

Bloody Shirley Temples are a kid-friendly, but super spooky way to serve drinks (mocktails) on Halloween. Sprite is mixed with cherry grenadine, BUT the grenadine is added to the cocktail through a gruesome bloody syringe! It’s the perfect Halloween version of a classic Shirley Temple.

bloody Shirley temples in mason jars with syringes

This is a great mocktail, perfect for kids, but if you want an adult cocktail perfect for October 31st, check out this Devil’s Margarita, El Diablo, Apple Cider Margarita or Halloween Margarita.

RELATED: Bloody Guts Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Just three two ingredients to make Bloody Shirley Temples: Sprite and Grenadine.

Grenadine: You can usually find grenadine in the drink aisle or liquor aisle at your grocery store. It is a non-alcoholic cherry flavored sugar syrup. It is traditionally used in Shirley Temples and Roy Rogers.

Sprite: You do not have to use Sprite, any lemon-lime flavored soda will work.

Supplies

The most important part of your Bloody Shirley Temples are the syringes for the BLOOD (aka. grenadine)!!! If you are like me then you have 5000 in your medicine cabinet from years of kid’s meds.

But if you don’t have a back stash – you can grab a pack of 10ml plastic medicine syringes on Amazon for under $15.

Another fun supply to serve these mocktails are science lab beakers used as glasses.

Serving The Mocktail

If you will be serving a few of these then I recommend filling the syringes before guests arrive or the party starts.

Then to make each mocktail, fill a glass with ice and pour in the sprite. Once it stops fizzing slide the bloody syringe (grenadine) into the glass and shoot out just a smidge so it colors the bottom of the glass.

Let the kids shoot the rest into their drink!

Optionally you can garnish the cocktail with a maraschino cherry, gummy worms, gummy eyeballs, or spiders!

Other Spooky Recipes

Bloody Shirley Temple Recipe

A spooky drink perfect for kids on Halloween. Sprite is mixed with cherry grenadine, but served up with a syringe.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate Save

Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 0

Servings: drink

Author: Susie Weinrich

Equipment

▢
small plastic syringes (from local pharmacy or order on Amazon)
▢
science lab beakers optional

Ingredients

▢ 8 oz Sprite - or similar lemon/lime soda
▢ 1.5 oz. Cherry Grenadine Syrup
▢ optional garnish – maraschino cherry, gummy eyeball, gummy spider or other spooky Halloween treats.

Instructions

Pour Sprite in a small clear glass with ice.
(short mason jars or beakers are fun to use in place of glasses)
8 oz Sprite
Fill a syringe with grenadine syrup.
1.5 oz. Cherry Grenadine Syrup
Squirt just a little of the grenadine in the bottom of the glass, then lay the syringe in the glass leaving the rest of the grenadine for the kids (or adults) to squirt into their glass.
Optional – top with a cherry or other spooky Halloween garnishes.
(gummy eyeballs, witches finger, gummy spider, etc…)

Recipe Tips and Notes:

Syringes– if you need to order them, here is a great option on Amazon.

Science Beaker Glasses – beakers make a fun glass, Find Science Beakers on Amazon.

This is a great mocktail (non-alcoholic drink), but for a spooky adult beverage pop over to this Devil’s Margarita!

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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Stuffed Shells with Italian Sausage

September 22, 2021 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

Sausage Stuffed Shells with Tomato Cream Sauce is an excellent family dinner. Pasta shells are stuffed with a delicious mixture of sausage, beef, mozzarella and diced tomatoes. Then finished with a tomato cream sauce and more cheese. Plus, they can be made up to 2 days ahead!

If you need a delicious Vegetarian Option – Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells are excellent, or these Sausage Lasagna Rolls Ups are great too (not vegetarian though)!

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Why You’ll Love these Meat Stuffed Shells

The combo of beef and sausage in the shells is perfect.
Mozzarella cheese melts into the meat mixture and makes the filling creamy and delicious.
The shells can be prepped up to 2 days ahead!
This recipe is a crowd pleaser!
Makes an excellent Sunday Family Dinner recipe or Meal Train Dinner idea!

Sausage Stuffed Shells Ingredients

Here are the ingredients that you will use for this Sausage Stuffed Shells Recipe, plus some pro tips on a few ingredients.

Large pasta shells – Cook them just until al dente, they'll finish softening in the oven. Overcook them, and you'll have torn shells that are tricky to stuff.
Yellow onion & garlic – Dice the onion finely so it slightly melts into the meat. Add the garlic with the sausage and beef so it doesn't overcook and become bitter.
Italian Sausage & ground beef – The ultimate flavor combo! The sausage brings spice, fat, and seasoning; the beef adds heartiness and depth. Using a mix keeps the filling rich but balanced instead of too greasy or heavy.
Canned diced tomatoes – These add juicy pops of tomato flavor to the filling without watering it down. Draining is key, you want all that tomato goodness without excess liquid making the shells soggy.
Mozzarella cheese – As always shred your own (even though we hate doing it, it's worth it!). Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agents that stop it from melting smoothly. Half goes into the filling for creaminess, and the rest melts into that irresistible bubbly topping.
Salted Butter – we only recognize salted butter at Mom's Dinner. this is the fat base to making a roux, which will thicken the tomato cream sauce perfectly.
All purpose flour – The thickener for your sauce it gives body to the butter and cream mixture. Cook it for a minute or two before adding liquid to avoid that raw flour taste.
Heavy whipping cream – The cream in the tomato cream sauce. It creates a velvety sauce that clings to every shell and balances the savory filling with a touch of richness.
Marinara – Just use your family’s favorite store bought marinara. Keep it simple! We like Rao’s Marinara.
Shredded parmesan cheese – the perfect melty cheese to mix with some of the mozzarella for the topping. When broiled or cooked long enough parmesan can make those beautiful browned spots on top.

How to Make Stuffed Shells with Italian Sausage

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grab a 9×13 pan so it is ready to use. Boil salted water and cook your pasta shells.

Run the shells under cool water so they stop cooking and so they don’t stick together. Set aside.

Mom’s Tip – Always boil a couple extra shells than you need. This accounts for any shells that tear or fall apart while boiling.

Step 1

Melt the butter then stir in the flour.

Whisk the heavy cream into the butter/flour. Bring to a very light simmer for about 1 minute. Stir in the marinara sauce. Remove from the heat.

ground beef and ground sausage mixed with diced tomatoes and mozzarella

Step 2

Soften the onions in oil. Add the garlic, sausage, and ground beef, crumble while cooking through. Stir in the tomatoes. Let cool slightly.

Add 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella.

Step 3

Pour half the creamy marinara on the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Stuff the shells with the meat mixture and lay in the pan. You will have 20-25 shells.

Pour the remaining creamy marinara over top. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

sprinkling cheese mixture over stuffed shells

Step 4

Remove the foil and sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella and parmesan, bake another 10 minutes.

sausage stuffed shells baked in a 9x13 pan

Step 5

Let the Sausage Stuffed Shells cool for about 10 minutes then it’s time to eat!

How to Make Sausage Stuffed Shells Ahead of Time

These can absolutely be made ahead. Just prep until the directions instruct to bake in the oven. Instead, cover with foil and pop in the fridge. Keep for up to 2 days.

Then bake straight from the fridge, covered, 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then remove the foil, top with cheese and bake another 10 minutes.

Serving

Let the stuffed shells cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve 3-4 stuffed shells per adult and 2 per kid. They go great with salad dressed with a tart vinaigrette, like Basil Vinaigrette, or a Caesar Salad, some assorted olives and crispy garlic bread.

Storing

Store any leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Just reheat each portion in the microwave, 1 minute or so.

sausage stuffed shells on a plate with salad

Other Pasta Recipes To Love

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Tomatillo Salsa -No Roasting Required!

September 21, 2021 by Susie Weinrich 2 Comments

Did you know that you don’t actually have to roast tomatillos to make Tomatillo Salsa!!

That is why this is the BEST Tomatillo Salsa Recipe available, no boiling, no roasting, no baking. Just give the raw ingredients a blend in a food processor or blender. That’s it. The whole recipe takes about 10 minutes!

Tomatillo Salsa in a bowl topped with jalapeno and chips on the side

Now if you want more of a charred flavor you can pop over to this recipe for Grilled Tomatillo Salsa, perfect for the summer grilling months!

This tomatillo salsa (sometimes called salsa verde) is a great addition to chips and salsa, pico de gallo or guacamole (oh yay, and a margarita!).

Why It’s The Best

I said it before, but I’ll say it again, no boiling, no roasting, no baking, just blend and eat.
The whole recipe takes about 10 minutes, that includes prep.
The flavor of blended, raw tomatillos is SO REFRESHING!!!! I actually like it better than roasted.
The raw onion and garlic add amazing allium flavors.
You can make this tomatillo salsa super spicy or not spicy at all, totally customizable!

Ingredients

Only fresh ingredients are required for this amazing Tomatillo Salsa! Grab some green tomatillos, white onion, cilantro, lime, garlic, jalapeno, and kosher salt.

What Are Tomatillos

Pronounced “tow-muh-tee-yo” and translated as “little tomato”, they are not tomatoes at all!

A tomatillo is a round, green fruit that is covered in a paper-like husk, it turns yellow or purplish when ripe. It originated in Mexico and is also known as a Mexican Husk Tomato.

The fruit is mainly found in grocery stores and farmer’s markets as a green fruit. Most commonly used in salsas and preserves.

Using Tomatillos

A lot of recipes call for you to roast your tomatillos before using. Those are unnecessary steps, your tomatillos are delicious raw. They just need a little processing:

Prepping

You will first remove the husk of the tomatillo. Peel it back from the green flesh, then twist it at the stem, it should pull right off.

Washing

When you take the husk off there will be a sticky film over the flesh. That is the tomatillos natural defense against bugs. Obviously bugs and dirt can get stuck to that stickiness.

You will want to give them a good rinse, and they are ready to use, it’s ok if they are still a little tacky.

I like to quarter them before adding to the blender.

Step by Step Picture Instructions

If you love to watch cooking shows you can also watch Susie make this Tomatillo Salsa Recipe in a 30 minute Pin TV Episode!

Start by removing the husks from your tomatillos and giving them a good rinse. Slice them into quarters.

Roughly chop your onions and garlic. Squeeze the lime, and slice the jalapeno.

Pop everything into a food processor or powerful blender.

tomatillo salsa ingredients in the food processor

Blend for about 30 seconds. You may need to scrape the sides half way through.

Taste for additional salt or lime.

blended tomatillo salsa in a food processor

Serving

Serve up your salsa with some tortilla chips (you can even make your own tortilla chips!). It is also great on top of Tacos, Burritos, Quesadillas or Tostadas.

Choosing Your Spice Level

This recipe calls for a jalapeno, which if you pop the whole thing in it will be pretty spicy (IMO). Most of the jalapeno’s spice (capsaicin) is held in the white pith/ribs and the seeds.

You can absolutely choose your spice levels by how your cut your pepper. Here’s how:

No Spice – omit the jalapeno.
Low Spice – only use the green flesh of the jalapeno. You could also choose a less spicy pepper, like the Anaheim or Poblano.
Medium Spice – use the green flesh as well as some of the white pith/ribs. Omit the seeds/
Spicy – put every part of the pepper in the salsa, except the stem. You could also choose a spicier pepper.

As always, remember to not touch your face after you handle a spicy pepper!

Goes Great With…

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tomatillo salsa in a bowl with tortilla chips to the side

Tomatillo Salsa Recipe

No roasting required for this Tomatillo Salsa Recipe, Just blend it all together and enjoy! Only takes about 10 minutes, including prep.

If you love to watch cooking shows you can also watch Susie make this Tomatillo Salsa Recipe in a 30 minute Pin TV Episode!

4 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 0

Servings: cups

Author: Susie Weinrich

Equipment

▢
Food Processor or Blender

Ingredients

▢ 1 lb fresh tomatillos - husk removed, washed, quartered
▢ ½ cup white onion - roughly chopped
▢ ⅓ cup fresh cilantro
▢ 1 fresh garlic clove
▢ 1 jalapeno - – see notes for spice levels
▢ 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt - – more if desired, after tasting

Instructions

Prep

Start by removing the paper husks from your tomatillos, then give the green tomatillos a rinse (you will notice a tackiness on the flesh, that is ok, most of it will rinse away).
Quarter the tomatillos.
Roughly chop your onion and garlic.
Squeeze and measure the lime juice
Cut your jalapeno depending on spice level preference:
Low Heat- Green parts only. Or use a Poblano or Anaheim pepper which are less spicy.
Medium Heat – no seeds, keep the with pith/ribs
Spicy – put everything but the stem in the salsa! Or grab a pepper hotter than a jalapeno ( if you do, you are stronger than me!).

Blend

Add all the ingredients to a powerful blender or food processor.
Blend for about 30 seconds. You may need to scrape the sides down to make sure all the bits are in the salsa.

Serve

Serve with tortilla chips or as a topper for tacos, burritos, quesadillas and tostadas!

Storing

Keep in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe Tips and Notes:

Goes great with Guacamole, Pico de Gallo or Restaurant Style Salsa!

ON THE GRILL: if you like a char flavor in your salsa pop over to this recipe for Grilled Tomatillo Salsa!

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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Halloween Mummy Cookies

September 20, 2021 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

Mummy Cookies are an easy 3 ingredient (no bake!!) cookie treat perfect for the Halloween Season! Store bought Milano cookies are enrobed in a white chocolate, then drizzled with more white chocolate to create the perfect mummy look. Pop on two candy eyeballs and you have a delicious treat for October 31st.

Mummy Cookies on a black surface with gauze around

These are similar to Frightful Ghost Cookies, so you can make a batch that is half ghosts and half mummies!

Ingredients

Just 3 ingredients is all it takes to make Mummy Cookies: Milano Cookies, Melting White Chocolate, and Candy Eyeballs.

drizzling white chocolate on cookies to make them look like mummies

Candy Eyeballs – I bought my candy eyeballs at Target and they came in a multi-sized pack. Just like this one on Amazon.

Melting White Chocolate – I highly recommend buying a quality white chocolate. We really like the Ghirardelli melting Wafers. They have great flavor and melt really creamy and smooth.

Melting Chocolate

You have two options when it comes to melting the white chocolate: Double Boiler or Microwave.

If you are using melting wafers as recommended above then you can pour them straight in the bowl. If you are using almond bark make sure to shred/chop it finely.

Double Boiler

This is my preferred method. There is less of a chance of burning the chocolate this way.

Place a little water in a sauce pan over medium heat. Place a glass, heat proof bowl in the top of the sauce pan, making sure the bottom does not touch the water.

The steam will heat up the bowl and melt the chocolate.

Pro Tip: Make sure to constantly stir the chocolate. It will hold it's shape and look like it is not melting, but it is.

Microwave

Place the white chocolate in a microwave safe glass bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between. The chocolate will hold it's shape, so make sure to stir so it will properly melt!

More Spooky Halloween Recipes!

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Halloween Mummy Cookies

A really easy no bake Halloween cookie that looks like spooky mummies and only requires 3 ingredients!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 0

Total Time: 20

Servings: Cookies

Author: Susie Weinrich

Equipment

▢
Parchment paper
▢
Large rimmed baking sheet

Ingredients

▢ 1 package Milano Cookies - 15 count
▢ 10 oz white chocolate melting wafers - (Ghirardelli is a great brand)
▢ 30 edible candy eyes

Instructions

Prep a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper (or wax paper). Lay all the Milano cookies on the parchment or wax paper.
Pro Tip: Make sure to choose a baking sheet that will fit in your fridge!!
Melt the white chocolate using either a double boiler or microwave.
Place a Milano cookie in the melted chocolate. Using a fork flip it around in the white chocolate, then pick it up on the fork and let any excess chocolate drip off.
Place on the paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with all the cookies.
Then pop the cookies in the fridge to harden a little, 5-10 minutes.
Remove cookies from the fridge. Dip a fork or spoon in the white chocolate, drizzle across the cookies, creating a mummy look.
Pro Tip: if your chocolate stiffened while the cookies were in the fridge, pop it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to loosen back up.
Dab the back side of the eyeballs in the white chocolate and place on the mummies.
Pop back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
They are ready to eat!!

Storing

Keep your mummy cookies in an airtight container- either in the fridge or at room temp. They will be good for a week.
If you have a warmer kitchen, keep them in the fridge!

Recipe Tips and Notes:

These Mummy Cookies are very similar to my Ghost Cookies, so you can make a batch that is half ghosts and half mummies if you would like!

Candy eyeballs: I bought my candy eyeballs at Target, however you can order them on Amazon too!

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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Devil’s Margarita

September 17, 2021 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

A Devil’s Margarita is part lime margarita layered with red wine and is a beautifully spooky cocktail, perfect for the Halloween season! Although it is great for October 31st, this red wine float cocktail is delicious any time of the year!

RELATED: Halloween Margarita & El Diablo Cocktail

Ingredients

You only need a couple ingredients, that you probably already have in your bar & kitchen, to make this spooky cocktail:

Silver/Blanco Tequila
Simple Syrup
Fresh Lime
Red Wine

Tequila – For the devil’s Margarita a silver/blanco tequila will work best. It has that earthy-salty flavor that will pair well with the lime.

Since it is a mixed drink you don’t need to break the bank for an expensive tequila. We like- Jose Cuervo Traditional, Espolon, or Cazadores.

Simple Syrup – A basic 1:1 ratio of sugar and water. See below for specific instructions.

Red Wine – Any red wine will do here, you are not adding a ton to the cocktail, so again, no need to break the bank on an expensive bottle. Something $10 and under that you enjoy will be fine! A cabernet, cab franc, malbec, or merlot will work great!

Simple Syrup

Simple Syrup is a great bar mixer to have ready in your fridge. It is super simple to make (as the name suggests).

Mix 1:1 ratio of sugar and water. Warm over low heat until the sugar dissolves into the water. Let cool and pop in the fridge. It will be good for up to 1 year!

Tips To Make Sure It Layers

Making sure your Devil’s Margarita layers is sort of a delicate task. Here are some tips to make sure it layers instead of mixes:

pouring red wine over a spoon into a coupe glass

Pour your margarita in first, and then let it settle for a couple seconds.
Pour the red wine in a smaller, more manageable bottle if you can.
Use the backside of a bar spoon or teaspoon.
Place the spoon close to the margarita, slanted down towards the liquid.
Place your finger or thumb over the mouth of the wine bottle and very slowly let it drip from around your finger onto the back of the spoon and then into the drink.
It should sit right on top of the margarita, making beautiful layers.

Glassware

A stemmed cocktail glass is the best option for this cocktail. A Coupe or Martini glass are perfect!

Great tip on Coupe glasses… they are ABUNDANT at thrift stores, and usually really inexpensive (around $5 for a set of 6)! Just give them a really good wash before using and you have a great deal!

More Tequila Cocktails

Other Spooky Halloween Recipes

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Devil’s Margarita Recipe

A Devil's Margarita is part lime margarita layered with red wine and is a beautifully spooky cocktail perfect for Halloween season!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 0

Servings: drink

Author: Susie Weinrich

Equipment

▢
Cocktail Shaker
▢
Stemmed Glass – Coupe or Martini glasses look great!
▢
Bar Spoon or Kitchen Spoon

Ingredients

▢ 1 ½ oz Silver/Blanco Tequila
▢ 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
▢ ¾ oz Simple Syrup - (recipe in notes)
▢ Red Wine - Cabernet, Malbec or Merlot are great

Instructions

Add some ice in a cocktail shaker. Measure in the tequila, lime juice and simple syrup. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass (a coupe or martini glass work perfectly).
If you can pour the red wine into a smaller more manageable bottle.
Using the backside a bar spoon or kitchen spoon, place it very close to the margarita and angle it down towards the liquid.
Place your thumb or finger over the opening of the wine bottle to slow the flow of the wine to a trickle. Dribble it over the back of the spoon so it drips on top of the margarita.
It should be sitting on top of the margarita. Keep dripping in until you have about ¼ inch of wine on top of the margarita.
Don't stir – serve beautifully layered.

Recipe Tips and Notes:

Simple Syrup- 1:1 ratio sugar and water.

In a small saucepan add 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar over low heat. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and let cool. Keep in the fridge for up to 12 months!

Tips to make sure it layers –

Pour your margarita first, let it settle for a couple seconds.
Pour the red wine in a smaller, more manageable bottle.
Use the backside of a bar spoon or teaspoon.
Place the spoon close to the margarita, slanted down towards the liquid.
Place your finger or thumb over the mouth of the wine bottle and slowly let it drip from around your finger onto the back of the spoon and then into the drink.
It should sit right on top of the margarita, making beautiful layers.

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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Perfect Homemade Tartar Sauce

September 16, 2021 by Susie Weinrich 2 Comments

If you have yet to find a store bought tartar sauce that you like, start making your own Homemade Tartar Sauce! It comes together in a flash and is really, really tasty and fresh! It is the perfect dip for your favorite fish sticks, Homemade fish sticks, Fish Tacos or Fish Cakes.

Tartar Sauce in a small bowl on a plate of fish sticks

If you like things spicy, pop over to this recipe for Jalapeno Tartar Sauce!

Ingredients

Here are the things that you need to make tartar sauce: Mayo, Dill Relish, Lemon, Stone Ground Mustard, Fresh Dill and Salt/Pepper.

Step by Step Instructions

Grab a small mixing bowl.
Add all the ingredients.
Stir.
Serve.

That didn’t take long!

Serving

Tartar Sauce is a creamy dipping sauce that is perfect for fish sticks, crab cakes, or really, any fried fish. Here are some ways to use it:

Related Recipes

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Perfect Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe

A delicious recipe for Homemade tartar sauce that uses mayo, fresh lemon and dill, stone ground mustard and dill pickle relish. Perfect for dipping fish sticks or any fried fish!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 0

Servings: cups

Author: Susie Weinrich

Ingredients

▢ ½ cup mayonnaise
▢ 2 tablespoon dill pickle relish - (or sweet relish)
▢ 2 teaspoon stone ground mustard
▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
▢ 2 heaping teaspoon fresh dill - chopped
▢ healthy pinch of kosher salt & black pepper

Instructions

Place all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir together so it is well combined.
Taste for additional seasoning.
Serve with your favorite Fish Sticks!
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe Tips and Notes:

Pop over to this recipe for Jalapeno Tartar Sauce if you like it spicy!!

Excellent served on Fish Sticks or Fish Tacos!

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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Homemade Crispy Fish Sticks

September 15, 2021 by Susie Weinrich 4 Comments

This Homemade Fish Sticks recipe is made with tender and flaky cod fish, with a crispy panko breading on on the outside. The best part is you can bake them in the oven, instead of frying, and they are ready in under 30 minutes. Dip them in a Homemade Tartar Sauce for a fun, kid friendly, family dinner.

Crispy Fish Sticks on a plate with one cut open to show the flaky fish

You can also serve these Fish Fingers as a Fish Stick Taco with Jalapeno Tartar Sauce!

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make Homemade Baked Fish Sticks.

ingredient with text labels — ***Ingredients Clockwise: Panko bread crumbs, flour, kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cod filets, egg, cayenne pepper (optional), dijon mustard, and non-stick spray***

Panko Bread Crumbs– Make sure you use panko bread crumbs and not traditional bread crumbs. The Panko is a coarser breadcrumb that will help make your fish sticks nice and crispy.

Cod- buy fresh fillets of cod to cut into strips. Other firm fleshed white fish will work too. See below for other options.

What Fish To Use for Fish Sticks

You will want to use a firm white fish to make proper fish sticks. We like to use fresh cod fillets, although haddock, hake, catfish or tilapia will work too.

Step By Step Baking Instructions

Start by preheating your oven broiler and placing a rack in the middle position in your oven. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray.

Pat the cod fillet dry with some paper towels. Then cut into 1 inch strips.

Prep your dipping station with 3 shallow bowls:

flour mixed with the salt
egg beat together with Dijon mustard and optional cayenne pepper
panko bread crumbs with onion powder, garlic powder and paprika

showing three steps of dredging fish sticks in flour, egg and panko

Dredge each fillet in the flour, then dip into the egg mixture and finally dredge each fillet into the panko, lightly pressing to make sure it adheres.

Lay on the prepped baking sheet. Repeat with all the fish sticks.

a foil lined baking sheet full of homemade fish sticks

Pro Tip: Spray the top of the fish sticks with a little baking spray. This helps the panko coating become nice and golden and crispy.

Broil on the middle oven rack for 4 minutes, flip and broil on the other side for another 3-4 minutes.

The fish sticks should reach 145 degree internal temp to be cooked through.

Serving

Crispy Fish Sticks make a great family friendly dinner. Serve them with a tartar sauce, baked fries, tater tots or kettle chips and veggie.

raw veggies with a ranch dip
roasted broccoli
roasted carrots
green beans

You can also serve these crispy fish sticks in a tortilla, fish taco style, with a jalapeno tartar sauce and slaw.

Homemade Tartar Sauce

It is super easy to make your own tartar sauce. It only requires a couple ingredients. Pop over to this recipe for Homemade Tartar Sauce to make your own.

Or for a spicier version use this Jalapeno Tartar Sauce!

dipping a fish stick into homemade tartar sauce

Freezing Homemade Fish Sticks

You can absolutely cook these and freeze them for an easy weeknight dinner at a later date.

Prepare and cook them completely. Let the fish sticks cool.
Place them on a baking sheet that will fit in the freezer. Pop in the freezer for about 2 hours, then transfer the frozen fish sticks to a freezer-safe bag or container.
They will be good in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
To reheat place the frozen fish sticks (do not thaw) on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for around 12-15 minutes until they are warm through and crispy.

Frying

If you prefer to fry your fish sticks you can absolutely do that with this recipe.

Simply prepare the fish sticks as directed on the recipe. Heat about ½-1 inch of vegetable oil in a pot. Fry the fish sticks until they are golden on both sides and cooked through.

Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

More Fish & Seafood Recipes to Love

All Seafood & Fish Recipes

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Corn Chowder

September 14, 2021 by Susie Weinrich 3 Comments

This is the ultimate Corn Chowder recipe that is thick, creamy and comforting. It has triple corn flavor from the fresh sweet corn on the cob, the milk and pulp from the cob, and corn meal to add rich thickness and flavor. Serve this chowder topped with crispy bacon, sour cream, green onions and a shot or two of hot sauce.

corn chowder in a bowl topped with sour cream and bacon

If you have a bumper crop of sweet corn or are lucky enough to have an abundance of local growers near you (like in the Midwest!), here are some other fresh corn recipes:

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Why This Recipe is Amazing!

The recipe starts with crisp bacon and bacon grease. Hello flavor!
It has a really pronounced flavor of sweet corn from the fresh corn cut from the cob AND the milk and pulp scraped from the cob.
It is triple thickened with a puree of the soup, half and half, and corn meal. This means your chowder will be thick and creamy.
The corn boils just the right amount to be tender-crisp. The perfect texture.

Listen To or Watch The Recipe!

You can also listen to the full recipe with all the tips and tricks on the Let’s Make Dinner Podcast. There is an audio player included in the recipe card below!

Or pop down to the recipe card and watch Susie make this Corn Chowder on an 11 minute You Tube video. Available in the recipe card below.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this Creamy Corn Chowder:

Ingredient list with text for corn chowder

Cornmeal for Thickening

In this recipe you will use cornmeal to further thicken the broth at the end. Just a couple tablespoons of cornmeal thickens it up perfectly, and adds even more delish corn flavor!

How TO Make Corn Chowder

Sauté the Bacon in a large pot. If you need to, do it in batches so it gets nice and crispy. Set the bacon aside, but leave about 2-3 tablespoon grease in the pot.

Sauté the Onions, Garlic and Green Chilies in the bacon grease, for about 5 minutes. Scrape up any bacon bits and browning from the bottom of the pot.

Remove the corn kernels from 5-6 cobs. Then take the blunt side of the knife and scrape it across the cob, removing the milk and pulp from the cob.

Removing corn from the cob and scraping the pulp and milk

Add the chicken base, potatoes, corn (with corn milk & pulp), broth, season salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Puree 2 ½ cups of the soup until it is fairly smooth and creamy. Add back to the pot.

part of the corn chowder pureed in a blender

Whisk in the half & half, sour cream and cornmeal. Warm over low for another 10 minutes.

Taste for additional seasoning (salt and pepper).

Using Frozen Corn

The very best type of corn for corn chowder is fresh corn on the cob, hands-down! However, if it is not available to you you can use frozen corn. Here are the changes I would make to use frozen corn:

Increase to 4 cups frozen corn.
Wait to add the corn, after the potatoes have simmered for 20 minutes.
Stir in 1 tablespoon honey with the cornmeal, to account for not having the corn milk and pulp.

Serving

Serve your corn chowder topped with the crispy bacon, sour cream, green onions, and/or hot sauce! Here are some great side dish ideas:

Warm crusty bread, like ciabatta.
Corn Muffins or Sweet Corn Bread or Buttermilk Corn Bread
A side salad with a tart vinaigrette, like this Basil Vinaigrette.
We love kettle cooked chips on the side (like Panera!)

eating a bowl of chowder with a spoon, topped with sour cream and bacon

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover Corn Chowder in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It may thicken in the fridge, to reheat add milk or chicken broth to reconstitute.

Freezing Leftover Corn Chowder

I wouldn’t recommend freezing the Corn Chowder as it is because of the dairy content which doesn’t tend to thaw well.

However, if you make a few changes you can freeze this recipe:

Leave the half & half, sour cream, and cornmeal out of the recipe.
Freeze the soup.
Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Add the half & half and cornmeal, warm over low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and heat another 5 minutes.

If the texture still didn’t come out quite right, puree the whole soup and eat it as a creamy corn soup.

Troubleshooting

Too Thick? Add a little extra cream or broth and simmer it in for a couple minutes.

Too Thin? Add another tablespoon or two of cornmeal and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

Slow Cooker

You can absolutely use your slow cooker to make this Corn Chowder. Jump down to the notes section in the recipe card for all the details!

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Updated Recipe Notes

I decided to completely revamp this recipe (originally posted Sept 2020, updated Sept 2021). Here is why and how I made changes:

I wanted a little more corn flavor. Originally the recipe called for boiling the cobs after removing the corn. I found that if you scrape the blunt side of a knife across the cobs you get this delicious milk and pith that is FULLLLLLLL of corn flavor.
I also thought it needed a little extra corn. So instead of 3-4 ears of corn, the recipe calls for 5-6 ears of corn.
I wanted a thicker more chowder-ey texture that the corn meal alone was not providing. So we added potatoes and did a puree of 2 ½ cups of the soup, plus added the corn meal at the end. Perfection!!
The celery added a texture that competed with the corn, so we omitted it in the updated recipe.

Haunted Halloween Brownie Brittle

September 13, 2021 by Susie Weinrich 1 Comment

On October 31st delight your kids and friends with this Haunted Halloween Brownie Brittle. It is crispy, chocolatey, and delicious (just like Sheila G’s). It makes a great treat or dessert for the Halloween season!

a black and white napkin with Halloween Brownie Brittle on top

You can also make it any time of year with this recipe for Chocolate Brownie Brittle.

Why This Brownie Brittle is Spookily Delicious

It is made with triple chocolate- cocoa powder, bitter sweet chocolate and mini chocolate chips.
All the tips and tricks to get it extra crispy are included.
It’s the perfect Chocolate Halloween treat that adults and kids will love!
Add seasonal decorations and sprinkles for other Holidays, like this Christmas Brownie Brittle.

Ingredients

Here are the things that you will need to make Halloween Brownie Brittle, plus parchment paper and a large rimmed baking sheet.

Parchment Paper

You absolutely must use parchment paper to make Brownie Brittle. If you don’t use parchment the brownie brittle will literally bake TO the pan, leaving you with a huge mess.

18×13 Baking Sheet

You will want to use an 18×13 rimmed baking sheet to make your Haunted Halloween Brownie Brittle. If you do not have that size, you can use two smaller baking sheets and divide the batter between the two pans.

Step By Step Picture Instructions

In a small microwave safe bowl melt together the butter, oil, bittersweet chocolate. Then stir in all the cocoa powder.

With a stand mixer, with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until frothy, about 4 minutes.

Add the vanilla and sugar and whisk another 15 seconds.

egg whites, sugar and vanilla in a mixer

Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and whisk another 30 seconds.

melted chocolate and egg whites in a mixer

In a separate bowl stir together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Add that mixture to the chocolate/egg mixture. Fold it in with a spatula.

Pour the batter onto a parchment lined 18×13 baking sheet. Paint the batter onto the parchment, until it is really really thin. ¼ inch thick AT THE MOST!

Sprinkle on the mini chocolate chips. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.

painting brownie brittle batter onto parchment paper

Remove from the oven and add the edible Halloween decorations, lightly press them in with a spatula.

Bake for another 5-8 minutes. If the edges are not browning at 5 minutes, keep baking until the 8 minute mark.

Score the brownie brittle with a knife or pizza cutter. Then let it cool and crisp for 15-20 minutes. Break apart and enjoy!

Making It Delightfully Spooky

On the brittle pictured we used edible candy eye balls, Halloween sprinkles (just from Target), and candy corn. Use whatever you have in your baking cabinet or that you can grab at your local grocery store.

Or here are some awesome options from Amazon (affiliate links):

chocolate brownie brittle with Halloween decor

Tips To Make it Crispy & Delicious

Make sure you use parchment paper. It doesn’t work without it.
Spread the batter really, really thin. It will feel like you are painting the parchment paper with chocolate paint!
Towards the end of baking keep an eye on your brittle so the edges don’t burn.
Score the brittle with a sharp knife or pizza cutter right when it comes out of the oven. It will make for easier/cleaner breaking after it dries.

Other Fun Halloween Recipes

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Listen to the Recipe

What is Chicken Spiedini?

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Amogio Dipping Sauce

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