Infested Coconut Tapioca Filled Chocolate Spiders Recipes

COCONUT TAPIOCA

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 1/3 cup large tapioca pearls, partially cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pearls are translucent, about 40 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, 2 tablespoons sugar and a pinch of salt until dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Let cool, then cover and chill at least 2 hours. Top with diced mango and drizzle with mango nectar.

TRUFFLE SPIDERS

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (Alternatively, you can do this in 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring at each interval.)
• To assemble the spiders: Using the tip of a paring knife, make 3 holes on each side of the truffles, big enough to inset a pretzel into. Break off the curved portions of the pretzels (so you have shapes that look like the letter "J"). You should have 6 J-shaped pretzel pieces per truffle; these will be the legs. (The legs do not have to perfectly even, but try to get them close to the same size.)
• Line a plate with parchment paper. Dip the curved end of a pretzel piece into the melted chocolate and then insert into a hole in a truffle with the curve going down towards the bottom of the truffle; repeat with 5 more pretzel pieces and the melted chocolate. Lay the spider on the prepared plate with the legs up. Repeat with the remaining truffles, melted chocolate and pretzels. Refrigerate or freeze until set, about 10 minutes.
• Flip the spiders over so they are standing on their pretzel legs. Using the melted chocolate, make 2 dots on each truffle for eyes. Stick the desired candies on the melted chocolate. Serve the spiders arranged on a bed of cotton candy.

PECAN-CARAMEL SPIDERS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans, about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.
• Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.
• Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.
• Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute.
• Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)
• Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm.

COCONUT TAPIOCA

Steps:

• Put the 3 cups coconut milk and the water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the tapioca and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring, until the tapioca Becomes translucent and soft, 10 to 15 minutes for tiny pearls, longer for larger tapioca pearls. Meanwhile, slice the bananas lengthwise in half, then cut crosswise in half; if using regular bananas, cut each half into thirds or quarters. Gently stirring, add the bananas, sugar and salt to the tapioca and cook for 10 minutes more. Remove from the heat. While the bananas are cooking, put sesame seeds in a small heavy skillet and dry-roast over medium-high heat, shaking constantly, until light brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. If using sesame seeds, pound briefly with a mortar and pestle or pulse in a mini-chop 2 or 3three times to release their flavor. Ladle the warm bananas and tapioca into shallow bowls, sprinkle with the toasted mung beans or sesame seeds and serve with extra coconut milk on the side.

MERINGUES (PLAIN AND CHOCOLATE FILLED)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Have egg whites at about 70 degrees. Beat until foamy in an electric mixer or by hand. Add vanilla. While continuing to beat, add sugar one tablespoon at a time. When the mixture stands in stiff peaks on the beater, it is ready for baking. Fill a pastry bag with mixture and pipe onto parchment covered baking sheet, using star tip to create kisses. Bake about 1 hour or longer, depending on the size. Do not remove from the oven at once, but turn off the oven, open the door and leave them for at least 5 minutes. Cool gradually, away from a draft. Remove them from the sheet when cool.
• To prepare chocolate ganache, pour hot, scalded cream over chocolate. Blend until smooth. Cool.
• To fill meringues, crush the bottom lightly with the thumb while still warm. Fill the hollows with chocolate ganache.

RASPBERRY FARM JELLY WITH PEANUT BUTTER AND APPLESAUCE SHORTBREAD SPIDERS

Steps:

• For the raspberry jelly: Combine the sugar and agar in a medium saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Whisk in the cold water and add the glucose syrup. Cook at a gentle boil while stirring until the mixture reaches 223 degrees F, about 8 minutes.
• Remove the agar mixture from the heat and allow to cool to 194 degrees F. Add the raspberry juice, stir to incorporate and pour into 2-inch round silicone candy molds. Allow to set for 45 minutes in the refrigerator.
• For the handcrafted peanut butter: Process the dry roasted peanuts in a spice grinder until smooth. Add the canola oil and process again, then add the agave nectar and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the peanut butter to a piping bag and set aside.
• For the applesauce shortbread: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, applesauce and cream and mix to incorporate, about 1 minute. Add the flour, vanilla and salt and mix until the dough holds together, about 1 minute.
• Transfer the dough to a pastry bag and cut a 1/4-inch opening at the end. Pipe out 2-inch circles of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
• Transfer the peanut butter to a pastry bag, pipe the peanut butter onto the cooled shortbread cookies and spread it out to the edges. Top each with the cooled and set raspberry jelly.
• To decorate: Put the chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and set the bowl of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth and transfer to a piping bag.
• Cut a small opening at the end of the pastry bag and decorate the tops of each cookie with spider legs.

CHOCOLATE TAPIOCA PUDDING

Steps:

• Milk the milk, tapioca, egg, and sugar together in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved; allow to stand for 5 minutes.
• Whisk in the chocolate and cocoa powder.
• Place over medium heat, bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and let boil for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Allow to cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.