Baking for the Bach: Hitting Hometowns

We're in the "home" stretch people—pun 1,000% intended. Matt's girls are ready to show him off to the family, and if it seems way too soon to you, you're not the only one. I'm sure there is a lot more going on BTS than we know, but all the drama and fighting has kind of overshadowed any knowledge we really have of how deep his connections with each girl has gotten.

We start this week's episode where we left off—in dramatics. Heather and Matt talk (and hold hands...weird choice). After chatting for a bit, then letting the sharks at her for a bit longer, he decides to send her home because it wouldn't be fair to the other girls. He does like adrenaline dates, so maybe he assumed if Heather's heart was so aligned with his, a shark tank would be more exciting than traumatizing? Giving him the benefit of the doubt here.

Meanwhile, I wasn't the only one who's reaction to the girls, especially Jessenia, "the people's champion" last week, was to liken them to hyenas. The only level-headed thing I heard was when Rachael said something about her reevaluating how Matt must have felt about them if Heather were to be asked to join the house (put the blame on the right person, ladies!).

When Heather leaves, they still make her drive the freaking minivan. I get it; it's funny, but if not for her dignity, can we at least send someone to drive her for her own safety? She's driving through tears, here! The best part, though, was when Matt walked in after she left and thanked the girls for handling it all with "grace". I wish we had a reaction shot of him re-watching this moment with all the background context once it aired.

The dates: Serena P. gets another one-on-one and casually rubs it in Abigail and Jessenia's faces before going off to become extremely uncomfortable and somehow still get told by Matt that he thinks her hating the date was sexy...what? I'm constantly surprised by his connection with her. I see it more this date, but still less than most of the other girls. Also, she legit moved away when he went in for that mid-yoga kiss. Awkward! And once their date was done, we went right into the group date cocktail party. Did this seem like a Twilight Zone moment to anyone else? I legit thought I blacked out for some of the episode because I was so confused.

On the group date, Abigail asks the hard questions only for it to backfire and get her sent home. She deserves better. But it did say a lot about Matt's direction that his mind immediately went to asking to speak to Rachael after, even if it did probably feel a little like she was getting in trouble and being called into the principal's office since it was on the backend of a send-home. He's also almost in tears as she tells him how much she cares about him, so take from that what you will.

Between dates, Kit self-eliminates. Then we cut to Jessenia's date. Matt mentions wanting to do this date to see if they can build a relationship and two immediate thoughts popped into my head. A. Nothing builds a relationship better than a near death experience via race car, and B. if they don't have a relationship by now, what's he going to do when he meets her parents next week...? Also, the fact that he dressed up in a sweatshirt for their dinner said it all.

And now we get to see allllll the awkward parental encounters, which will be even more difficult for him considering he's never had a hometown of his own to learn from in a previous season. Best of luck, Matt!

The hometown promo showed a ton of quick cute clips, but the two that caught my eye were skydiving and hockey. I've been wanting to make Ring Dings (a favorite childhood snack of mine) for months and their likeness to a hockey puck (if only in appearance) is finally giving me the kick I need! Plus, I promise, it delivers on flavor.

If you don't remember the popular kids dessert—maybe you're more familiar with its doppelganger, the Ding Dong—it is a moist chocolate cake with a creamy vanilla center and covered in a soft chocolate ganache. And if that doesn't have you drooling, you're insane. One bite of this thing and I immediately regretted it because it's impossible to resist inhaling the rest. Seriously, it's freaking incredible and may even be a top 5 of the desserts I've made. It is based on a Michael Symon recipe though, so that tracks. As the hockey stick, I figured my best bet was to utilize my Rice Krispie treat-making skills (plus, I love a good Rice Krispie Treat—who doesn't?!).

The "Ring Ding" process was a little lengthy and required a fair amount of cleaning, but it's also a really fun way to destress and kill some time. The three main steps included baking a sheet pan chocolate cake (which I haven't made in like a decade, but is underratedly delicious), pulling together a fluffy filling (similar to last week's Twinkie filling), and making a ganache (liquid chocolate deliciousness).

The cake recipe is fairly straightforward, so it's easy to knock out pretty quickly. After your cake is cooked, let it cool (ideally in the fridge) and move onto the filling. This takes a bit because you start with the flour/milk mixture like the filling from the last post and have to let it cool. Once it's cooled and you mix in the other ingredients, go cut your cake into circles. Most people would probably have a cookie cutter on hand for this part, but MacGyver that I am, I went with a glass with sharp-ish edges. I then added the filling to a piping bag (aka a Ziploc with a hole cut off the corner) and generously topped one circle with it, then sandwiched it with another piece of cake. Once they were all filled, I put them in the freezer while I started the ganache. Also, on a side note, the extra cake that isn't turned into a circular shape for Ring Ding-ing can be used for cake pops or side snacking—I don't judge your choices.

The ganache came together pretty quickly, and although quite messy, glided easily over the cakes, topping them with a soft, strong-tasting chocolate layer. And voila! We have Copycat Ring Dings, people! Let em cool and dig in!

If you want to make the Rice Krispie Treat hockey stick, all you need is a quarter cup of butter, 6 cups Rice Krispies (or similar cereal) and a bag of marshmallows. Melt the butter, add the marshmallows, and once combined, move off the flame and add the cereal. Let it get cool enough that it won't burn your hand, but is not fully hardened/is still moldable, and shape as you like it. You can also do what I did and melt some chocolate to cover the bottom of the stick/create a design.

Trust me though, the star of the show is, and remains, these little cakes. They're sure to be a hit even if these hometowns just don't do it for you.