Cooling the Summer heat with popsicles - even if it has to be done without a blender!

(Em português)

It's been at least one or two Summers since I've been willing to post a recipe for popsicles, I don't recall it precisely.
In the meantime I have been thinking of how to make popsicles that won't come out as ice blocks, but that also won't give me too much trouble (by which I mean: don't require a stand mixer, or re-stirring every 30 minutes) nor take weird industrialized ingredients.
Hummm. How to make it simple?
Well, I have found out a few things about this process through trial and error, and I think finally I can share a "formula", as I did with the crunchy bars. Although, before I jump into the recipe, I would like to tell that I have been interviewed by Melanie Moreira for the site Receitas sem fronteiras, talking a bit about the ways that lead me to the kitchen. It is only available in Portuguese, but if you want to check out anyway, click here.
The picture illustrating the interview is by Nicole Samperi.
Are you feeling like going to the kitchen too? :)

Praliné topped cookies.

(Em português)

Do you know that feeling when you see a great idea, but so good you wish it was yours?

Here's one example. When I read the title of that post at Technicolor Kitchen, I got excited.

And the picture helps it.

Anyway, I did not use the same recipe Patricia did, because I thought these butter cookies and our regular praliné (actually, pé de moleque, as I wrote in here) would fit my taste better.

Truth be told, it's not convenient to eat these cookies, they splatter crumbs in every possible direction - but oh, are they yummy! The trick here is to bake real small cookies and drop tiny bits of pralinée on top, so that you can eat one cookie in one bite, and look like a civilized person.

Party time! - Panettone.

(Em português)

Well, since christmas is around the corner and panettone is a tradition, here it goes.

In my opinion, it makes for great gifts.

I made it a bit different, but used Susan's recipe as a guide.

Cinnamon cake, filled with dulce de leche and peanut crispy.

(Em português)

So, what do we have here?

A boyfriend's birthday, a huge jar of dulce de leche from Minas (I think it was 500g, maybe more), and some great peanuts.

For me, it seemed like a good idea to turn it all into a cinnamon cake filled with a peanut crispy and dulce de leche. I adapted this recipe for the cake dough, which came out a bit too dry, but even so it tasted nice, and the result was the cake in the pictures.

Suddenly, pralinés*.

(In Portuguese)

Sometimes I have a sudden craving for something sweet.

And I can't think of anything else, until I eat the darn sweet. Even if it's a lame toffee candy.

It was already 10pm, and I looked around to find out what ingredients I had with the potential to

transform themselves into an express dessert.

The peanut jar didn't leave no doubts: pralinés*.

*Well, actually these are not pralinés. They are a traditional Brazilian sweet named "pé de moleque".

But I find them pretty similar to pralinés, and I'm calling them that so that non-Brazilian people can get the picture. :)

Peanut butter chocolate cups.

(In Portuguese)


Remember reese's?

These were supposed to be like them. Here is where I got the recipe.

I think it didn't really come out similar to reese's, but it was good.

And people here said they don't mind that I keep trying until I reach the perfect recipe. :P