Tiger Butter

Hooray, spring is here! Today I sat in the sun and felt hot. As in summer time hot. Come July I may not be as excited about sizzling outside, but right now I’m gleeful. The flip flops are on and they’re not coming off. The snow is disappearing rapidly and as it melts I’m discovering rhubarb and irises and can’t wait to see what else emerges from the ground. Now I’m eager to figure out what kinds of flowers I can plant that won’t be gobbled up by the deer. Suggestions?

Bob and I finished yet another house project and built wooden floor-to-ceiling bookcases. I must say that unpacking all our boxes of books was incredibly fun and, more than anything, filling the new shelves with them has made our house really feel like home.

Also making me very happy…Sam and Isaac were just home on spring break and it was a super relaxing time - lots of cooking (General Tso’s Chicken! rhubarb shortcake!), Scrabble, movies, talking, and since it was Purim there was hamentaschen baking and hamentaschen eating. As much as I miss the boys, it is pure pleasure to see them flourishing and enjoying life in school. I also learned that the hours (and hours) of my blasting ABBA while they were growing up seeped into Isaac’s subconscious and now he listens while studying. Good taste, I say.

After Sam and Isaac returned to school I began thinking about treats I can send and Tiger Butter came to mind. I first learned about Tiger Butter back in my college days when Bob and I worked at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. We made all sorts of confections in the shop such as divinity, caramel apples, truffles, raspberry chocolate puddles and nut clusters. A vat of warm chocolate was always swirling, ready for dipping strawberries, pretzels or graham crackers. Pretty heavenly, especially as a hungry college student. It’s embarrassing how much I ate on the job. And, ahem, gave out to my friends.

So about this Tiger Butter. It’s a simple, fudge-like sweet with only three ingredients. Creamy peanut butter is stirred into melted white chocolate and then dark chocolate is drizzled and swirled on top to make the tiger stripes. After it firms up, you slice and indulge. Rich and addictive, I guarantee it will disappear quickly. Just like the melting snow!

Tiger Butter
8x8 pan

16 ounces white chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Line an 8x8 pan with foil and set aside. In a medium sized saucepan, warm the white chocolate over low heat and stir until it melts and is smooth. Gently stir in the peanut butter until well mixed. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth it. In a small saucepan, melt the dark chocolate over low heat and then drizzle it in stripes over the peanut butter. Using a butter knife, lightly swirl the chocolate to create additional stripes. Pop the pan in the fridge and let it chill for about an hour. Remove the tiger butter from the pan by lifting out the foil lining. Cut into small pieces and serve. The tiger butter will keep for a week in a sealed container.

Raspberry Chocolate Puddles

It’s a glorious time! A neighborhood gem is open for business and happy days are here. Every summer, Spooner Farms sets up a stand nearby and we take almost daily walks to it. We gobble their beautiful berries by the flat! And sometimes I am able to set aside a few pints to make these simple treats – Raspberry Chocolate Puddles.

While in college together, Bob and I worked at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. It was such a fun student job and I nibbled way more chocolate than I care to remember now!

We made chocolate truffles, caramel apples rolled in nuts, tiger butter and divinity fudge, and we dipped countless pretzels, strawberries, graham crackers and Oreos in chocolate.  Racks of all the confections made in the shop were displayed for passers-by on the sidewalk to drool over. One of the most appealing creations in the window, though, were the delicate puddles of chocolate with fresh raspberries dotting them. So festive and pretty!

While working in the shop, I loved putting on music and losing myself in making Raspberry Chocolate Puddles. Stirring the melted chocolate and pouring out little pools, picking out raspberries and carefully arranging them on top ... this was all a wonderful break from classes and studying. Of course, there were some puddles that were not quite display-worthy, so I also had the (awesome) responsibility of taking them home to eat and share with friends.

These days, I still love to melt chocolate and celebrate raspberry season with these quick, delightful treats!

Raspberry Chocolate Puddles
Makes 19-20

12 ounces good quality dark (I use 70 or 85%)
12 ounces fresh raspberries

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small sauce pan, gently melt the chocolate over low heat, stirring often and removing it from the heat as soon as it’s mostly melted. Continue stirring off-heat until smooth.

Pour small puddles of chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet. Place 3 or 4 berries on each chocolate puddle. You may have a few berries leftover to nibble on. Let the chocolates harden at room temperature in a cool area or in the fridge for about an hour, or until they easily lift from the parchment paper. Store the treats in a single layer in the fridge.