Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo over the weekend with some friends and I have to say that it was the perfect party. Good friends + yummy Mexican food (my favorite) = the perfect combination!  I wanted to make a dessert to share but every recipe I found online was fried. That's when I found this recipe for Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies. I've tasted similar cookies in the past and thought they were dry and lacking in flavor but I decided to blindly make this recipe (first time ever!) for a potluck. Brave? Maybe more crazy than brave.

The reason I made these cookies was because of the recommendation source. My source was one of my favorites, Pioneer Woman. Seeing as the purpose of my site is to share recipes that I highly recommend and Ree over at Pioneer Woman has never led me astray I decided to bite the bullet and try baking the cookie. (Added bonus: these cookies have a short and simple ingredient list so I didn't have to go to the store.)

The verdict: If you're careful and don't overcook it, the cookie literally crumbles in your mouth. It's similar to a buttery shortbread but much lighter. This is definitely a recipe we'll be making again.

Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped/coarsely ground pecans
 
Toast pecans in oven at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Using an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture, beating until well blended. Mix in pecans with a wooden spoon.

Divide dough in half; form each half into ball. Wrap separately in plastic; chill until cold, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Working with half of chilled dough, roll dough with palms into 1-inch balls. Arrange balls on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until light golden brown on bottom and just pale golden on top, about 16-18 minutes. Check cookies throughout baking to be sure not to over bake. If baked too long, bottoms will burn and cookies will be very dry.

Pour 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar in pie dish. Cool cookies 5 minutes on baking sheet. Gently toss warm cookies in powdered sugar to coat completely. Transfer coated cookies to rack and cool completely. Roll cookies in powdered sugar again once cooled. Repeat procedure with remaining half of dough, or reserve remaining powdered sugar and freeze dough for later use. Cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. For extra powdered sugar on your cookies, save leftover powdered sugar and sift over cookies just before serving.

Who Dished it first? This is Shared Sugar's version of a combination of Bon Appétit and Betty Crocker recipes.

Mango Bars

If you like lemon bars then you'll love this tropical alternative. Made with mango and topped with coconut this bar has a great blend of flavors. Enjoy!

Mango Bars

1/2 cup macadamia nuts
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cold butter, cubed
1 medium mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 cup flaked coconut

Place nuts in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. Add 2 cups flour, confectioners' sugar and salt; cover and process until blended. Add butter; pulse just until mixture is crumbly. Press into an ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
In a clean food processor, combine mango and orange marmalade; cover and process until smooth. Add sugar and remaining flour; process until combined. Add eggs and lemon peel; process just until combined. Pour over crust and sprinkle with coconut. Bake for 23-28 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars and serve, refrigerating leftovers.

Originally Dished in the April/May 2011 Taste of Home magazine.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

Baking the perfect cupcake is harder than it sounds. First, the cake consistency needs to be moist and light and packed with flavor. Second, I love a little surprise in the middle of the cake whether it's cream, jelly, chocolate, etc. Third, good frosting is a must. This chocolate chip cookie dough stuffed cupcake recipe meets all these criteria. The cake batter made from scratch is delicious and I love biting into it and getting the surprise of uncooked (eggless) cookie dough in the middle.

One trick I read that helps cupcakes retain their moisture is to immediately remove the cake from the pan after baking and placing it in a sealed container to let them steam while cooling. I tried this on half of my cupcakes and it really does create a much moister cake. The only problem I found was that the liners began to sweat themselves off the cakes. Some cakes didn't lose their liners possibly because the batter was filled all the way to the rim of the paper. I tried removing the cakes before they completely cooled and this seemed to somewhat help prevent the loss of paper. Next time I think I'll try another trick of using a large ice cream scoop to make your cupcakes more uniform in size and hopefully tall enough to avoid losing their paper.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
• 4 large eggs
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips

• Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula and mix by hand.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling:
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

•To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
• To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture. You can be generous with the cookie dough mixture.

For the frosting:
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. milk
• 2½ tsp. vanilla extract

• To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
• Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.
(*My Notes: This makes a lot of frosting but if you're using a pastry bag you'll need all of it.)

Decoration Ideas:
• Tiny chocolate chip cookies
• Mini chocolate chips
• Chocolate shavings

Who Dished it first? Fox News

Coconut Cream Pie

Cream pies are my go-to favorite. At Thanksgiving I skip the traditional pumpkin and pecan and head straight to the creamies. Banana cream was a previous favorite but this sweet pie is puttin' up a fight for #1 in my book.  The cream has a great pudding consistency but what really sets this apart from other coconut creams is the meringue. Most coconut creams are topped with a whipped cream topping but this meringue is light and toasty like a marshmallow. I also love that the egg yolks used in the cream leave egg whites to be used and the meringue takes care of that. (I hate leftover egg yolks or whites.)

Coconut Cream Pie

1 blind-baked 9-inch pastry shell
2 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for egg whites
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups toasted coconut
1 Tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a saucepan, whisk the 2 cups of the milk and 3/4 cup sugar together. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the liquid up to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks together. Temper the hot milk into the egg yolks. Whisk the egg mixture into the hot milk mixture. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining milk, making a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the hot milk mixture. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the filling is thick, about 4 to 6 minutes. Fold in the vanilla, coconut, and butter. Mix well. Pour the filling into the prepared pan and cool the pie completely. Using an electric mixer with a whip attachment, whip the egg white to soft peaks. Add the remaining sugar and whip the egg white to stiff peaks. Spread the egg whites over the top of the pie. Place the pie in the oven for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown.

Recipe courtesy of Emeril on the Food Network.

Make Your Cupcake and Eat It Too!

At a young age my daughter showed signs of a food allergy. After numerous tests we think she is most likely lactose intolerant. (Don't get me started on food allergies!) When Swanson Health Products sent me a gluten, dairy & nut free cupcake mix my kids shouted for joy! Not only has Something Good created a food product under stringent procedures that ensure they manufacture safe allergy free products but it's also baker friendly. Baker friendly? What I mean is the kit is simple to put together (just add eggs and water to the batter packet) and the icing mix and sprinkles are included.

My eldest child is getting to an age where I trust her more to bake a dish completely on her own so these cupcakes were her project. Again, it was helpful that the ingredient list was simple. I also liked how the baking instructions are printed on the back of the box in a clear format. Lastly, the best part about this mix is that even though it's gluten, wheat, dairy, tree nut, soya, GMO, peanut, fructose and even trans fat FREE the cupcakes taste delicious! The vanilla is sweet, the cake has a good density and the color is a clean white. I love baking a "white" cake that in the end really does in fact look white. So pretty!

Check out that "Allergy Awareness" list!

The only cupcake issue we struggled with was the moisture content in the frosting. We live in a very humid environment so with most frosting recipes we decrease the liquids. I did the same with this recipe and still had to add extra powdered sugar. The frosting turned out so runny we couldn't keep it in the frosting bag without drips flowing out nor could we get a beautiful scalloped design. All in all, taste trumps appearance in my book and the flavor of these cupcakes was very good.

*Other bloggers can receive products from Swanson to review by contacting blogs@swansonhealth.com

I was not compensated for this post although I did receive product samples to facilitate my review.  Any and all opinions are my own.  

A Different Kind of Brownie

It's Sunday and my family wanted dessert with their dinner. In an attempt to appease their sugar tooths (teeth? tooth?) and my desire to eat healthier I tried a new brownie recipe. These brownies are low fat,  high in fiber, high in protein and they are made from a box and can. Hmm... What in the world is this dessert made of? The ingredients are simple: 1 box of brownie mix and 1 can of black beans. That's all. No eggs or oil. Are these going to taste good? The verdict: everyone enjoyed these moist and fudge-like treats. The beans do make for a denser brownie similar to fudge but the cocoa covers any residual bean flavor. My husband is a purest when it comes to dessert and especially chocolate. After a wicked glance from me to forgo questions in front of the children he said he honestly enjoyed the brownie's taste and texture. I know I haven't converted him to black bean brownies every time but with his gourmet taste pallet he still can't figure out what ingredient I substituted in the recipe.

Now I know that if I'm stranded with only a brownie mix and a can of black beans (and a way to cook) then I can make brownies! This is great practice for me as an island resident who is trying to build up her food storage and plan for a day when the docks are closed due to either worker strike or natural disaster. When that day comes at least we'll be enjoying a plate of fudgey brownies!

Black Bean Brownies

• 15 oz can black beans
• 19.5 oz box chocolate brownie mix

Open a can of beans then drain and rinse well*. Put beans back in the can and fill can with water. Put beans and water in blender until smooth. Mix pureed beans with brownie package mix. DO NOT add eggs or oil. Spray baking dish with Pam. Cook brownies according to package directions. Cool and serve.

*My notes: I usually soak and cook my lentils and beans ahead of time instead of purchasing them canned since it's cheaper and has less sodium. I usually cook a large amount of beans in the crock-pot and then drain and freeze them for later use. I'm assuming if I was using home cooked beans that I would weigh 15 ounces of beans and add enough water (not too much!) to fill in the spaces between the beans. Recently I purchased more canned items because if I'm without electricity (as unfortunately I OFTEN am) then I'll have beans ready to eat.

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

I'm so glad these cookies are finally eaten and no longer a temptation. Unfortunately, they're eaten and gone because I ate the three remaining cookies this morning. This recipe is so GOOD!! Thanks to my bro Steve who sent me word of this fab recipe.

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick butter, at room temperature

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix

Confectioners sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Mango Shortbread Bars

Living in Hawaii we're blessed to eat fresh tropical fruits. We've tried papaya milkshakes for breakfast and pineapple floats for dessert (fresh pineapple juice with pineapple ice cream). The other night I noticed our mangos were getting over ripe so I looked online for a fun recipe to make with them. This mango shortbread had a tasty crust (3 cubes of butter...it better be good!) and the mango flavor was nicely complimented by the nutmeg and cinnamon.

Mango Shortbread Bars

Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
•  
• 4 cups sliced mango
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In large bowl, cream together butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Blend in 3 cups flour and press 1/2 of mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together mango, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined. Pour mango mixture over shortbread in pan. Sprinkle remaining shortbread mixture over mango mixture. Press down lightly.
4. Bake 1 hour, until topping is golden brown. Let cool 15 minutes in dish before cutting into bars.

Lemon Cheesecake Cheese Ball

Last week received an invitation to a Valentine party and this was the hors d'oeuvres we made. I wanted to make something somewhat healthy (fruit) and yet with plenty of fun flavor. The lemon brought a light and fresh flavor to this treat and we all loved it! This recipe is a keeper!

Lemon Cheesecake Cheese Ball
(Original Recipe from NPR, this adaptation found on Annie's Eats)

10 oz. cream cheese
2½ tbsp. sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon
4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 graham crackers

Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl.  Stir together with a spoon or spatula until well combined and smooth.  Mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball, wrapped tightly.  Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours. Reshape if necessary once firm.

Coarsely crush the graham crackers and transfer the crumbs to a plate or bowl.  Roll the cheese ball in the crumbs until evenly coated.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Apple Pie Filling

I have been busy with food but not how you would think. We moved to California earlier this year and I have been attempting to learn the art of gardening. In fact, today I planted my fourth round of veggie plants including romaine lettuce, collard greens, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots and celery. I've never grown collards, carrots or celery so we'll see how those turn out. I don't think I've ever eaten collards before but I've been told that they are loaded with even more vitamins than spinach are are great in a shake masked with fruit. My broccoli, peas and green beans that I planted 3 weeks ago are really thriving and I think I'll be harvesting some beans/peas soon. My summer  bell peppers plants are still happily producing and I've taken to eating slices of bell pepper with my favorite homemade hummus for lunch. It's surprisingly filling and of course helps my diet! Two weeks ago I picked 72 bell peppers from my five pepper plants. Seventy-two!!! These are great sliced and then frozen for later use. (See bottom part of picture below.)

I think I could talk about the ups and downs of my gardening efforts forever but here is the even bigger reason for my lack of posts. I have been drying, fruit leathering and saucing apples like it's going out of style! To date I have about 140 quarts of apple sauce, 2 gallon bags of dried apples (more to come of these since hubby likes to take them to work as a snack), 15 pints of apple pie filling and a handful of fruit leather rolls.

In this picture you can see some apple sauce to the left because we ran out of time on sauce day and had to freeze a couple batches. In the center is some of my pie filling and on the lower side of the photo is some of my frozen bell peppers.

I really liked the taste of the pie filling and wanted to share this easy recipe with you. It's loaded with sugar so there isn't much NOT to like. Mmmm!

Apple Pie Filling

Recipe from Ball's Blue Book of Preserving

Yield: about 6 pints

6 lbs apples

2 c sugar

1/4 c flour

1 1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

2 T lemon juice

Wash, peel, core and [thinly] slice apples. Treat to prevent darkening. (Place in large bowl with 2 quarts of water and 2 T Fruit Fresh or I used additional lemon juice in place of the Fruit Fresh. Don't let set in mixture for more than 10 minutes.)

Combine sugar, flour and spices. Rinse and drain apples; stir into sugar mixture. Let stand until juices begin to flow, about 30 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken. Ladle pie filling into can-or-freeze jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Cool at room temperature, not to exceed 2 hours. Seal, label and freeze.

My mother-in-law gave this Ball book to me a couple years ago. It is a great resource for food preservation.

Chocolate-Filled Ebilskivers

My husband's family introduced me to this lovely little Danish pancake called an 'Ebilskiver'. They have been making these pancakes for years thanks to their sweet Grandma Kjar and her Danish roots. I've even heard that the family record is eating 32 in one sitting, although I wouldn't recommend attempting to beat that record.

We received this pan as a wedding gift from a friend and have always enjoyed making the original recipe and serving it with syrup or a little butter and sugar. The other night as a surprise for my chocolate-loving husband I decided to try a variation of the traditional recipe. After pouring the batter I put two Wilton brand chocolate wafers in the pancake and then cooked/turned the pancake as usual. The result was a yummy, chocolatey treat!

I've also found a couple other recipe variations on Natalie's site and Williams Sonoma that I'm looking forward to making.

Here is Williams Sonoma's pancake batter ingredients and instructions per the cinnamon-bun filled pancake recipe. Our recipe is very similar.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. granulated sugar

4 eggs, separated

2 cups milk

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking

To make the pancakes, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar. In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and the 4 Tbs. melted butter. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions. Put 1/8 tsp. melted butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Set over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 2 Tbs. batter into each well. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Using 2 skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the pancakes to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.

*Jayne's Notes: I used olive oil instead of butter to oil my pan. I also found that I had to regrease the pan between batches to avoid sticking. These treats with the added chocolate can even be served as a finger-food dessert.

Carrot Cake

We celebrated my husband's birthday with this divine dessert. I am not a huge fan of cakes and carrot cake is normally a cake I wouldn't request but this recipe is so good! Carrot cakes in my opinion usually have a somewhat dry and coarse texture but the use of yogurt really adds moisture to this recipe. I especially loved the caramelized crispy edging of the cake so I only frosted the top of the cake and left the sides alone in their crispiness. The Food Network strikes again!

Carrot Cake

(Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005)

Unsalted butter, for the pan

12 ounces, approximately 2 1/2 cups, all-purpose flour, plus extra for pan

12 ounces grated carrots, medium grate, approximately 6 medium

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 ounces sugar, approximately 1 1/3 cups

2 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup firmly packed

3 large eggs

6 ounces plain yogurt

6 ounces vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round and 3-inch deep cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

Put the carrots into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add this mixture to the carrots and toss until they are well-coated with the flour.

In the bowl of the food processor combine the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and yogurt. With the processor still running drizzle in the vegetable oil. Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and bake for another 20 minutes or until the cake reaches 205 to 210 degrees F in the center.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool 15 minutes in the pan. After 15 minutes, turn the cake out onto a rack and allow cake to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting after cake has cooled completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese

2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

9 ounces powdered sugar, sifted, approximately 2 cups

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter on medium just until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. With the speed on low, add the powdered sugar in 4 batches and beat until smooth between each addition. Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.

Yield: approximately 2 cups

Double Chocolate Cheesecake Layered Cake

My husband and I celebrated our 8th anniversary yesterday and this is the dessert I made him. Let's just say that he absolutely loved it! I was pleasantly pleased as well because the taste was fabulous but the best part was the preparation was relatively easy. Boxed cake/brownie mixes sure do make things easier! I did make sure to use good quality mixes because if I was going through the effort of making a 5 layered cake it had better taste good!

 

By the way, this is my photo and I'm not sure if the cake or the roses are prettier (especially that white one at the top right or the darker pink at the left! I'm not sure what type of rose that dark pink is but I love the petals.). I did forget to clean my cake pedestal after cutting a piece. There are so many nit-picks of food photography I am still learning.

Double Chocolate Cheesecake Layered Cake

(courtesy of Jenny on Picky Palate)

2 8 oz packages softened cream cheese

1/2 Cup sugar

2 eggs

1 brownie mix 9x13 inch size

1 chocolate cake mix

Favorite Chocolate Frosting Recipe, prepared (tripled)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cream cheese and sugar into a stand or electric mixer bowl. Beat until softened. Beat in the eggs until smooth. Pour into a wax paper lined and greased 9 inch springform pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until middle is set and not jiggly. Remove and let cool completely. Refrigerate overnight or for 2-3 hours. Carefully remove sides and transfer to wax paper (I used a giant spatula to help, it's ok if it breaks a little, just piece it together and freeze cheesecake for 30 minutes to firm).

2. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and divide evenly into a wax paper lined and greased 9 inch cake pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center. Let cool completely then carefully turn over onto wax paper; set aside.

3. Prepare cake mix according to package directions and pour into 2 wax paper lined 9 inch cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center. Let cool completely then carefully turn over onto wax paper; set aside.

4. Place one of the chocolate cake layers onto a cake stand. Spread with a thin layer of chocolate frosting then layer with the brownie. Spread brownie with a thin layer of frosting then top with cheesecake layer. Spread with a thin layer of frosting then layer with remaining chocolate cake layer. Spread entire cake with remaining chocolate frosting. Chill until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Roll

I made my first pumpkin roll tonight. Earlier in the week I came across Tammy's Recipe site while planning my menus so I don't know if this recipe is any better than the next but I must say that I highly recommend this roll since my very first attempt turned out perfect!

Pumpkin Roll

Cake ingredients:

3 eggs
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup flour

Filling:

2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces cream cheese
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup nuts, optional
Instructions:

1. Mix all cake ingredients. Lay wax paper on a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan. Grease and flour wax paper; pour batter onto wax paper in pan and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

2. Lay a clean dish towel on a flat surface with 1/3 cup powdered sugar sprinkled on it. Put baked cake upside down on towel. Take waxed paper off. Roll cake up with the towel, starting at the widest edge. Allow to cool.

3. Mix filling ingredients. Unroll cake and spread the filling and nuts inside. Roll back up (without the towel, of course!) and refrigerate. Slice into slices to serve.

(Photo courtesy of Nestle)

Lemon Cheesecake

This is one of my favorite cheesecake recipes ever! It's especially fun to eat in the spring/summer when lemons are fresh and you're in the mood for some zingy sweets. We ate this cheesecake for Easter and my 6 year old daughter and her cousin ate seconds so this is a bonafide kid friendly recipe. The only downside to this recipe is that the preparation time is lengthy but the taste is way worth the effort.

Lemon Cheesecake
Cook's Illustrated published May 1, 2003

Ingredients
Cookie-crumb crust:
5 oz Nabisco Animal Crackers or Social Tea Biscuits
3 T sugar
4 T unsalted butter, melted and kept warm

Filling:
1 1/4 c sugar
1 T grated lemon zest
1/4 c lemon juice
1 1/2 lbs cream cheese (three 8-oz packages), cut into 1-inch chunks and left to stand at room temperature 30-45 minutes
4 large eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t table salt
1/2 c heavy cream

Lemon Topping:
1/3 c lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/2 c sugar
2 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and chilled
1 T heavy cream
1/4 t heavy cream
pinch of table salt

1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. In food processor, process cookies to fine, even crumbs, about 30 seconds (you should have about 1 cup). Add sugar and pulse 2 or 3 times to incorporate. Add warm melted butter in slow, steady stream while pulsing; pulse until mixture is evenly moistened and resembles wet sand, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to 9-inch springform pan; using the smooth bottom of a glass or liquid measuring cup, press firmly and evenly into pan bottom, keeping sides as clean as possible. Bake until fragrant and golden brown, 15-18 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes. When cool wrap outside of pan with two 18-inch square pieces of heavy-duty foil; set springform pan into a roasting pan.

2. For the filling: While crust is cooling process 1/4 c sugar and lemon zest in food processor until sugar is yellow and zest is broken down, about 15 seconds, scraping bowl if necessary. Transfer lemon sugar to small bowl; stir in remaining 1 c sugar. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment beat cream cheese on low to break up and soften slightly, about 5 seconds. With machine running add sugar in slow steady stream; increase speed to medium and continue to beat until mixture is creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to medium0low and add eggs 2 at a time; beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping sides and bottom of bowl well after each addition. Add lemon juice, vanilla and salt and mix until just incorporated, about 5 seconds. Add heavy cream and mix until just incorporated, about 5 more seconds. Give batter a final scrape, stir with rubber spatula, and pour into prepared springform pan; fill roasting pan with enough hot tap water to come halfway up side of springform pan. Bake until center jiggles slightly, sides just start to puff, surface is no longer shiny, and instant-read thermometer inserted in center of cake registers 150 degrees, 55-60 minutes total. Turn off oven and prop open oven door with potholder or wooden spoon handle; allow cake to cool in water bath in oven for 1 hour. Transfer springform pan without foil to wire rack; run small paring knife around inside edge of pan to loosen sides of cake and cool cake to room temperature, about 2 hours.

3. For the lemon curd: While cheesecake bakes, heat lemon juice in small nonreactive saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Whisk eggs and yolk in medium nonreactive bowl; gradually whisk in sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot lemon juice into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon until mixture registers 170 degrees on instant-read thermometer and is thick enough to cling to spoon, about 3 minutes (*see notes below). Immediately remove pan from heat and stir in cold butter until incorporated; stir in cream, vanilla and salt, then pour curd through find-mesh strainer into small nonreactive bowl. Cover surface of curd directly with plastic wrap; refrigerate until needed.

4. To finish cake: When cheesecake is cool scrape lemon curd onto cheesecake still in springform pan. Using an offset icing spatula spread curd evenly over top of cheesecake. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. To serve, remove sides of springform pan and cut cake into wedges.

*Jayne's notes: Be sure to set your cream cheese out ahead of time to soften. Also use large enough foil, wrap it very tightly around your springform and make sure the pan is latched snugly to avoid water leaking into your cake. This cake can be refrigerated up to 4 days but the crust does become soggy. Regarding judging if the curd is ready: it will first appear thin and soupy but while stirring constantly it will begin to leave a clear trail in the bottom of the saucepan. When the curd leaves the clear trail that quickly disappears it is ready to come off the heat. If the curd continues to cook it will become thick and pasty and a spatula will leave a wide clear trail.

Frozen Peppermint Cheesecake

Last night we celebrated my husband's new job by making his favorite dessert. This rich dessert is not for the faint of heart...but it is very tasty! My mother-in-law found this recipe years ago as a recipe submission to a Utah newspaper so I don't have an original source but I'll give all the credit to my mom-in-law since she is a wonderful cook.

Frozen Peppermint Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/4 cups oreo crumbs
1/4 cup melted margarine
1/4 cup sugar

Filling:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup crushed peppermint candy
1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips
a few drops red food coloring (optional)
1 pint whipping cream, whipped

To make crust combine ingredients and press firmly on the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. To make filling, beat softened cream cheese until fluffy, then gradually beat in condensed milk. Stir in candy, chocolate chips, and food coloring. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared pan and freeze covered, at least 6 hours. Garnish with more candy and chips if desired.

Easy Spiced Chocolate Molten Cakes

My mother gets Cooking Light the magazine and the cover had a picture of a yummy chocolate cupcake as the feature recipe which she made but thought it was too dry. Later while looking through the magazine she found this McCormick advertisement/recipe. We ate these delicious little treats the other night and they were very yummy! (My sister calls them 'Molten Lava cakes'.)

Photo courtesy of McCormickGourmet.com

Easy Spiced Chocolate Molten Cakes
(McCormick Gourmet Recipe) Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tablespoon grape juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter 4 (6-ounce) custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.
2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until butter is melted. Whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in juice, vanilla and confectioners' sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and yolk. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour batter evenly into prepared custard cups.
3. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute before eating.
Make Ahead: The chocolate mixture can be prepared up to 10 hours ahead of time. Pour the batter into prepared custard cups; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
*Jayne's Notes: The original recipe called for wine instead of grape juice but we don't eat alcohol. I had raspberry juice on hand so that's what I used and it worked great. The original recipe also had the optional ingredient of cloves but I left that out. Also, we dusted the tops with powdered sugar for looks. The original recipe said to invert onto a plate but we had fun just eating it straight out of the glass bowls.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

We made these for our Christmas plates. The good and bad of remaining home for Christmas instead of driving out of state to visit family is that you can procrastinate until the 23rd to make cookies and deliver them to friends. These cookies were really easy but they have such a cute appearance that a plate of these looks like you spent a lot of preparation time. One note about this recipe is that even before refrigerating the dough it is incredibly stiff! Dan came home while I was baking these and thought the cookies were burning but he was smelling the exhausted motor of my hand mixer.
Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
Pioneer Woman's Recipe (and photo)

2 sticks (1 cup) regular (salted) butter, slightly softened
1 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 squares almond bark or white baking chocolate (almond bark works best and is cheaper)
Large handful of red or green peppermints
Cream softened butter with powdered sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix together until dough comes together. Place plastic wrap on surface of dough and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Unwrap candies and place them in plastic bags. Beat with a mallet until finely crushed, leaving larger chunks if desired.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll cookie dough in walnut-sized pieces and place on a cookie sheet. Gently press balls flat with a plain, smooth surface. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, being careful not to burn. Cookies will remain the same general size and shape after they bake.
Remove from oven and place cookies on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely.
Place crushed candies in bowl. Melt almond bark and begin to dip cooled cookies, coating only half the cookie. Immediately sprinkle crushed peppermints over both sides of the almond bark. Gently set on parchment paper or other nonstick surface and allow to cool before serving.

Cupcake Pops

I was inspired by Bakerella to make these cupcake pops. Let me just say how yummy these are!! The outer chocolate shell kept the cake so very moist and yummy. I made some with lolli-pop sticks and some were too top heavy so I bagged them like truffles.

Here is Bakerella's simple yet satisfying recipe in my own words:

1. Bake a cake per the cake mix directions. Let cool completely.
2. Crumble the cake in a large mixing bowl one quarter at a time. Add a container of frosting (I used store-bought) to the desired consistency. Begin to roll the cake mixture into walnut-sized balls by scooping with a small cookie scoop. You'll need to wash your hands after every 5-10 cake balls because the cake begins to adhere more to your hands then the ball. Once your cookie sheet is filled with cake balls put them in the freezer for 20 minutes or until completely frozen.
3. While these are freezing begin warming up your double boiler to melt the dipping chocolate. (I don't have a double boiler so a glass bowl resting in a saucepan with boiling water works great.) Remove the cakes from the freezer and carefully begin to dip them in the chocolate. I used both a fork to handle the cake as well as my lolli-pop sticks. If the cakes get too warm they will begin to crumble so just put them back in the freezer if this happens. Place newly dipped chocolate cakes on wax paper, decorate with sprinkles if desired (the chocolate hardens fast so be sure to remember to sprinkle these before it dries).

*Jayne's Notes: My cake was left to cool a little too long so I ended up using all of the frosting to moisten it but I don't think normally you need all of it. With too much frosting the cake balls get too sticky for handling. Also, if you decide to make these into lolli-pops then roll your cake balls small or else they will be too dense and heavy to stay on the stick.

Apple Crumb Pie

Apple Crumb Pie

Pastry for single-crust 9-inch pie (I used our cookie crust recipe)
6 c. chopped, peeled, tart apples
2 T. butter, melted
2 T. sour cream
4 t. lemon juice
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
Topping:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cold butter

Make crust (don’t bake). In large bowl combine all ingredients, except topping and put in crust. For topping, combine flour and sugar in bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until filling is bubbly and apples are tender. Cool on wire rack.

*Jayne's Notes: This recipe is courtesy of Dan's sister Rebecca. I enjoyed this recipe especially because of the crumb topping. Apple pies to me are normally too doughy with a dough crust on top and bottom so I enjoyed this change.