Spoonful of Sugar

Pineapple Upside-Down Gingerbread Cake

2011-11-28T20:15:00.001-08:00

When it comes to sweets, my boyfriend isn't exactly a big fan. This makes it really difficult to get him to choose a birthday cake...So I took it upon myself to find one I thought he might be slightly excited about. He doesn't like icing or overly sweet chocolate cakes, so most of my go-to favorites won't do. I was browsing through epicurious.com and just happened upon the PERFECT cake. He loves pineapple, gingerbread, and pumpkin, and this cake has all three! It doesn't even have icing - just a sweet syrup and chunks of pineapple on top. This cake was excellent and I would definitely recommend it for a break from tradition this holiday season since it has lots of warm, holiday flavors.

Ingredients:
Topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
1 tsp molasses
1 ripe pineapple, peeled

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x9 baking dish.

For the topping, combine sugar, butter, pineapple juice concentrate, and molasses in a heavy small saucepan. Bring to a boil for about a minute over medium heat, whisking until sugar dissolves and syrup is smooth. Pour the syrup evenly into the prepared pan.

Cut the pineapple into 1/2 inch rings. Place the slices close together in the syrup in a single layer.

For the cake, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, molasses, and pumpkin. Beat in dry ingredients just until blended, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in 1/2 cup boiling water. Pour batter evenly into the pan on top of the syrup and fruit layer.

Bake about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan 45 minutes. Place platter over pan and invert. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently lift off pan.

Cinnamon Pumpkin Cookies

2011-11-04T13:32:00.001-07:00

Since my last post, I have moved up to Boulder and am once again job hunting, it has snowed heavily twice, I am now 23, and Halloween weekend came and went. Definitely a couple weeks of ups and downs, but these cookies definitely were a delicious up! They are some of the fluffiest cookies I have ever made, and the chunks of cinnamon chips make each bite full of pumpkin/cinnamon flavor. If you love fall-flavored treats, you have to try these cookies!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 2/3 cups cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a cookie sheet or two.

Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Add the pumpkin and egg and beat until combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until completely incorporated. Pour in the cinnamon chips and beat until combined.

Drop tablespoonfuls of batter on to the greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, until the edges are browned.

Raspberry Lemonade Bars

2011-09-19T21:22:00.001-07:00

Wow, it has been way too long since my last post. I usually do the majority of my posting over the summer, but this summer was different considering I moved 1,000 miles away and still do not have a kitchen of my own. My aunt and uncle have been kind enough to allow me to use their baking supplies while I stay with them, so I finally made something!

I really like these raspberry lemonade bars because of the not-so-tart flavor compared to regular lemon bars, but mine did not turn out the best...The middle ones were super squishy and ended up melding together after a couple days. Thankfully, the outside ones were cooked all the way and tasted really good! However, I think the custard layer is too thick for my liking, so I'm going to alter the recipe to include less wet ingredients. This will also hopefully allow all of the bars to be cooked through. Let me know if it's a success!

Ingredients:
For the crust:
18 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

For the raspberry lemon layer:
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups flour
3 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups frozen raspberries, thawed
4 large egg whites
2 large eggs
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil and grease.

Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Add the flour and salt and mix on low until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

While the crust is baking, combine the sugar, flour, lemon zest and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Add the raspberries to a fine mesh sieve and press the fruit through, mashing with a spatula, to extract as much juice and pulp as possible, straining out the seeds. Add the egg whites and eggs to the dry ingredients and mix well to blend. Mix in the raspberry puree and lemon juice until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the crust and bake until the center is just set and not longer jiggles when gently shaken, about 35-40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Cover and chill in the refrigerator, at least 2 hours.

Nutella Oatmeal Cookies

2011-07-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

I have officially moved to Colorado! I'm not sure how much baking is going to be happening in the first couple weeks of being up here, but I do have a yummy cookie recipe to share that I made a couple weeks ago. I actually made two different types of Nutella cookies in order to use up an old jar and make way for a new one, but these cookies were so much better than the others that I won't even waste your time with the other recipe. Oatmeal always makes the best cookies!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Nutella
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet (or two) with parchment paper.

Cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together with an electric mixer. Add the egg, vanilla, and Nutella and mix until well incorporated. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined.

Scoop out dough using a small ice cream scoop and bake for 7 minutes. The cookies do spread quite a bit, so make sure to place the dough balls a couple inches apart.

Blueberry Lemon Streusel Bars

2011-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Lemon is the flavor I crave the most. It's fresh, sweet, and tart and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Since this blog focuses solely on the sweet, here is a fantastic sweet recipe I recently made that is basically a bar version of blueberry coffee cake.

If you have some blueberries lying around that need to be used up, please do not hesitate to make this delicious treat. My family has not stopped eating it since it came out of the oven, and I don't think it has a chance of making it through the weekend.

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg, separated
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 1/2 cups blueberries, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9"x13" baking dish with foil and grease the foil.

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut up the butter into tbsp-size pieces and place the pieces in the bowl with the dry mix. Using your hands, mix the butter pieces into the dry ingredients. Measure out two cups of the streusel topping and set aside. Blend the egg white into the remaining streusel mixture and press it evenly into the bottom of the greased pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg yolk. Let the mixture stand for five minutes to thicken.

Sprinkle the blueberries over the baked crust and drop spoonfuls of the lemon filling on top. Spread the filling as evenly as possible. Bake 7 minutes.

Take the bars out of the oven and sprinkle the two cups of set aside streusel mixture over the lemon filling layer. Bake 25-30 minutes until slightly bubbling.

Peanut Butter Stout Brownies

2011-05-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

I bought chocolate stout to use in another cupcake recipe, but I wanted to use it in a second recipe as well since I knew I wouldn't be drinking it by itself. I found this brownie recipe a while ago, and they came out even better than I thought they would!

The flavor of the stout is lost in all the chocolate and peanut butter flavors, but I think it helped give the brownies a perfect fudgy consistency. I absolutely love nuts in my brownies, so I added in some pecans and used extra crunchy peanut butter. You can tweak the recipe if nuts aren't your thing. Stay tuned for a cupcake recipe using more of the chocolate stout!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate
7 tbsp butter
3.4 oz chocolate stout
2 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup extra crunchy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 320°F. Line an 8"x8" baking dish with foil and grease the foil.

Melt the semisweet chocolate and butter in a bowl using the microwave by heating the ingredients in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval. Set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, mix the cocoa powder, flour, and sugar together. Add the cooled melted chocolate-butter mixture, eggs, and chocolate stout. Stir just until combined. Add the chopped pecans and stir gently until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Place the peanut butter in a cup or small bowl and microwave for 15 seconds to make it easier to spread. Dollop the peanut butter on top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to marble the peanut butter into the brownie batter. Bake for 35 minutes.

Pistachio Cupcakes

2011-05-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

Ah, the infamous green cupcakes. Let's just say that having a lot to drink and then eating a green colored food item is not the best idea in the world. One of my friends made this mistake, and the "green cupcake" story has lived on ever since. However, these cupcakes are perfectly fine to consume when sober, or maybe even a bit tipsy.

I'm not sure if the infamous cupcakes were pistachio flavored, but there are few flavorings to use in green cupcakes that sound remotely appealing to me. So, I decided to go with the delicate flavor of pistachio. Since I added chocolate chips to the cupcake batter, the chocolate flavor almost completely overwhelms the pistachio flavor. However, you can really taste the pistachio flavor in the whipped cream frosting, which is super light and not too sweet. Go ahead and omit the chocolate chips if you want a cupcake with a very prominent pistachio flavor.

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix
3.5 oz instant pistachio pudding
1 cup oil
3 eggs
1 cup club soda
4-6 drops green food coloring
2 cups chocolate chips

Pistachio whipped cream frosting:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp powdered sugar
3.5 oz instant pistachio pudding
4-6 drops green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Beat together all the ingredients for the cupcake batter, except for the chocolate chips, in a mixing bowl on medium-high speed for about two minutes.

Fill the cupcake liners with batter about 2/3 of the way full. (This gave me 36 cupcakes.) Bake for 18 minutes until golden brown. Cool.

To make the frosting, whip the milk, whipping cream, and powdered sugar together until soft peaks form. Add the package of instant pistachio pudding and food coloring into the frosting and whip until stiff peaks form. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Refrigerate.

Hawaiian Carrot Cake

2011-05-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

There are very few cakes I am truly a fan of, and I have to say that carrot cake has always had a special place in my heart. Most cakes are way too sweet and dry and are topped with an even sweeter frosting. Actually feeling your teeth rot as you eat something is not something I have found I enjoy.

Carrot cakes are almost always moist due to the fruits and vegetables incorporated into the batter, and the signature cream cheese frosting is rarely ever too sweet due to the sour taste of the cream cheese cutting the sweetness of the sugar. Cake perfection! This recipe is especially perfect since it includes pineapple and coconut to give it a more Hawaiian island feel. In fact, this cake would be a fantastic dessert to serve at a summer pool party.

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped canned pineapple
4 cups grated carrot
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Coconut cream cheese frosting:
2 pkgs cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans.

Place grated carrots and chopped pineapple into a food processor and blend until just slightly chunky. Pour the blended mixture onto paper towels to soak up the extra moisture. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy (about 3 minutes). Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beating on low speed, add 1 cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and beat just until combined. Mix in the milk. Mix in the last 1 1/2 cups of flour just until combined. Mix in blended pineapple and carrots.

Divide the batter between the two pans. Spread to pan sides. To remove air pockets, bang pans on counter 5 to 6 times. Bake until the centers seem set when lightly tapped, after 40 to 45 minutes. Place on a baking rack to cool.

After about 15 minutes, turn cakes out of pans and cool completely on racks. It’s best to bake cakes a day ahead of icing and leave at room temperature overnight.

For the frosting, place cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Add in the shredded coconut and beat until mixed in.

Shave off the top of one of the cake layers to make it as flat as possible. Scoop about a third of the frosting onto the newly cut cake and spread it evenly to the edges. Place the next cake layer on top of the frosting. Use the rest of the frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate and serve.

Raspberry Brownies

2011-05-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

I had such high hopes for this second recipe. In my long list of to-bake recipes, I have many brownie recipes, and I was very anxious to try this one. Now, this recipe does not originally call for raspberries, but I decided to add them in since the combination of raspberry and chocolate has always been one of my favorites. Unfortunately, this was not a good decision...

It turns out that the high heat of the oven caused the water in the raspberries to seep out into the brownie batter, making it almost impossible to cook the middle completely without burning the edges. After cooking the brownies 10 minutes longer than suggested, I decided to take them out, put them in the refrigerator, and hope they would eventually set.

The gooeyness did get thicker, but the brownies turned out more like lava cakes than brownies. The flavor is absolutely fantastic and super sweet, so I would suggest making these brownies and then adding some fresh raspberries or raspberry sauce on top to get the same flavor combination without the extreme gooeyness.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp flour
5 large eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups nuts, optional for topping
2 pints fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil and grease the foil.

Place the chocolate and butter in a microwaveable bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each session until the mixture is combined and smooth. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat the mixture on high speed until it thickens and becomes pale in color and falls from the beater in a wide ribbon that folds back on itself and slowly dissolves on the surface (4 to 5 minutes).

Using a rubber spatula, fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Add the flour and fold it in quickly but gently with the rubber spatula so the air that’s been incorporated into the eggs does not deflate.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and smooth the top with a spatula. If you are using nuts, sprinkle them across the batter. Bake until the top looks slightly cracked and feels soft to the touch, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Pecan Lemon Bars

2011-04-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since I've baked something! Being at home for Easter gave me a chance to use a kitchen for once since Christmas, and I baked for hours. By the end of my baking marathon, my feet were so tired from standing on the tile that they were starting to feel numb. I might have overdone it a bit...

But I have three new recipes to show for all my work, and here is the first. This one is probably my favorite. It is super simple to throw together and uses a combination of flavors I have never tried before. It might have something to do with the fact that I'm a sucker for anything lemon, but everyone liked these, so I give them two thumbs up!

Ingredients:
1 cup + 1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and chopped
2 large eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp powdered sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil and grease the foil.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press the mixture into the base of the baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.

In another large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, pecans, coconut, vanilla and eggs until smooth. Pour over the partially baked base and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the topping is firm. Remove from the oven.

Mix together the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth. Spread it evenly over the topping and then let cool completely. Carefully remove the bars from the pan and cut into bars.

San Antonio Eats

2011-03-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

So I just went through a lot of my pictures on my external hard drive and realized that I now have enough pictures of food from San Antonio restaurants to make a post! This post features four different restaurants all known for a different kind of food. If you're ever in the city of San Antonio, make sure to try these places out!

A humongous pizza from Big Lou's.

A mozzarella gyro from Demo's.

Hot dogs from Kings Ct. Frankfurters Express.

Burgers and onion rings from Chunky's.

Las Vegas Eats

2011-03-21T04:42:00.000-07:00

I know it as been far, far too long since my last post, but I've been super busy being a last semester college senior. Ok, that's kinda scary to type out...but nevertheless, this time in my life has not allowed me to be able to pop home for the weekend and bake my heart out like I have wanted ever since Christmas break.

I wanted to feature some local food from my city just to break the dry spell, but an even better opportunity came my way since this last week I ventured to a very foodie friendly city - Las Vegas! Yes, the food there is pricey, but it all looks so amazing! I snapped some photos of the most interesting things my friends and I ordered, so here are some shots for you to gaze at until I finally bake something.

Gelato from the forum mall.

Grand Lux Cafe appetizer.

Hash House A Go Go entrees and drinks.

Mint Chocolate Muffins

2011-01-07T19:54:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of Christmas break, I knew I had to be prepared to do some serious baking, so I walked down the baking aisle in the grocery store to look at all of the new goodies they had out for the holidays. The dark chocolate and mint chips immediately caught my eye and made me start to get visions of mint brownies and mint cookies...yum!

But wanting to make something different than just another cookie or brownie recipe, I decided to make some muffins. I suppose you could drizzle some chocolate on these or even put icing on them, but I wanted these muffins to be super simple and easy to store. To make them even cuter, I baked them in my heart-shaped muffin pan. This did not work out as well as I had hoped...I filled the first batch with too much batter and they had massive muffin tops, and then I was too impatient when removing them from the pan and half of them busted during removal. Oh well, at least the second batch came out well for pictures, and both batches still tasted great even in pieces.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup dark chocolate & mint chips, divided
2/3 cup water
6 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line or grease 12 muffin cups.

Combine 1/4 cup dark chocolate & mint chips and water in a small bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth.

Beat butter, mint extract, sugar, and eggs with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Stir in the flour, baking powder, cocoa, warm chocolate mixture, and remaining dark chocolate & mint chips until combined. Divide the mixture among the muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes and then turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack.

Lemon Blackberry Bars

2011-01-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

I am not very good at buying people Christmas presents. And when I say not very good, I mean that it stresses me out to attempt to buy people gifts they might actually like. So in order to stick to my strengths and still give my family something they want, I decided to give them a choice of anything they want me to bake/cook while I'm home for the holidays.

These blackberry lemon cheesecake bars are the choice of my father, who always asks me to make him lemon cheesecake without fail. I wanted to do something slightly different this time just to mix it up and not get bored making the same cheesecake for the fifth time, so I added some blackberries and put the cheesecake in bar form. This allowed for better storage in the refrigerator, as well as a different component to the flavor profile of the familiar cheesecake. Hope you enjoy it as much as my dad did!

Ingredients:
2 cups crushed graham crackers
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
16 oz cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp grated lemon rind
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 pints fresh blackberries

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Beat cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk. Add lemon rind and juice, beating until blended.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish on top of the crust. Sprinkle the blackberries evenly on top of the cheesecake batter and push them down into the batter.

Bake for 1 hour or until almost set. Turn off oven, and let cake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove cake to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

2010-12-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

This Christmas break did not leave much time for baking since I have only been home and had access to my kitchen for 1/3 of the time. It being Christmas and all, I had to try a new cookie recipe. So before my family headed off to Florida for a week, I baked these delicious peanut butter cup cookies.

I probably ate half of the cookies in the week we were in Florida, and trust me, it is not hard to do when you have cookies that taste this good. I would recommend these over my old peanut butter cookie recipe for sure. This is also a good way to use up any leftover peanut butter cups you have from the holidays.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
2 cups quartered mini peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet (or two) with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the peanut butter and butter until well mixed. Beat in the brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda until blended. Beat in the egg and vanilla until blended. Beat in the flour just until blended. Stir in the peanut butter cups carefully in order to not break them up too much.

Scoop out the batter onto the cookie sheet(s) and bake at 375°F for 6 minutes.

This higher temperature and lower baking time made my cookies stay moist and delicious for a week after I made them! Yum! I'm sure they would have lasted longer, but they were all eaten after a week.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

2010-12-19T13:53:00.001-08:00

Since I had the chance to come home for Thanksgiving, I just had to take advantage of the fact that I had a usable kitchen at my disposal and bake something. My boyfriend had come home with me for the break, and I didn't want to make something he wouldn't help me eat. I definitely didn't need a whole batch of cookies to myself after the Thanksgiving feast we just had.

Herein lies the dilemma. There are very few cookies that my boyfriend actually enjoys, and oatmeal raisin is one of them. However, I avoid raisins like the plague. They have always tainted my view of oatmeal cookies. So I decided to make a compromise and substitute cranberries for the raisins. That way, we both could enjoy some festive cookies! (These would even be a good cookie to make for Christmas. Perhaps substitute pistachios for walnuts? Then you could have red and green flecked oatmeal cookies...yum!)

For the recipe, I pulled out my mom's trusty red notebook full of holiday cookie recipes since I knew she would have a good oatmeal cookie recipe in there somewhere. This recipe made the best oatmeal cookies I have ever had! This, of course, could be due to the fact that I didn't have to pick out the raisins, but you should be the judge.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet (or two) with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the eggs, dried cranberries, and vanilla and let sit to plump up the cranberries.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the sugars and shortening.

Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon and beat just until combined. Add the oatmeal and walnuts and beat just until combined.

Scoop out the batter onto the cookie sheet(s) and bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.

Lime Raspberry Bars

2010-08-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

For my last post of the summer, I thought I would leave you with one of my favorite cheesecake recipes, plus a few added twists! This is seriously the creamiest cheesecake I have ever made, but it might be a bit too rich for some during the heat of summer. So I changed the recipe from cake to bar form for potentially smaller portions, switched to a graham cracker crust, and added some fresh raspberries to the top to cut through the richness.

Ingredients:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
32 oz cream cheese, room temperature
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
4 eggs
3/4 (key) lime juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz white chocolate, melted
2 pints fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch with greased foil.

Place graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and add melted butter and sugar. Mix well and then press the crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom the the 9x13-inch pan. Set aside.

With a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. (This is easiest when all the ingredients are at room temperature!)

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the (key) lime juice and vanilla extract. Stir in the melted chocolate and then pour the batter on top of the crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the raspberries on top of the batter and slightly press them into the batter.

Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 200°F and bake for 2 hours until the center is firm. Remove the pan from the oven and run a knife around the edges. Turn off the oven and return the pan to the oven for another 2 hours. Chill overnight.

Lime Yogurt Cake

2010-08-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Ina Garten's lemon yogurt cake recipe pops up frequently in the world of food blogs, and every time I see it, I always think about how wonderful it would be to have a slice right then and there. Not wanting to simply duplicate a recipe that has been done hundreds of times, I decided to mix things up a bit and make a lime version. I had a bottle of key lime juice on hand and used that instead of plain lime juice, and it works just as well.

My mom has been wanting me to make something relatively healthy instead of my usual butter and sugar-filled cakes and cookies, so this recipe was perfect. Oil instead of butter is always a good compromise, and the sugary glaze on top can always be left out. But leaving out sugar is never my style, so I'll just have to eat the top all by myself.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup key lime yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup lime juice

glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a large loaf pan, or multiple small loaf pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lime zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt into the wet ingredients.

With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s).

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lime juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lime juice. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Pour the lime juice and sugar mixture over the top of the cake and allow it to soak in while the cake is still warm. (I find keeping the cake in the loaf pan at this point keeps the liquid from going anywhere but into the cake.) Let it cool completely. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and place it on a cooling rack.

Put a piece of wax paper underneath the cake and cooling rack to catch any drips, and then pour the glaze over the top of the cooled cake.

Italian Chocolate Cookies

2010-07-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

Ever since I tasted these cookies three years ago, I have been trying to find a recipe for Italian chocolate cookies that can compare. Unfortunately, my attempts at recreating these fantastic cookies did not even come close. I first tasted these cookies because my boyfriend's mom sends a huge bag of them in a care package around the holidays every year. And of course, I steal a couple...Okay, maybe more than a couple.

Since I have been craving these all summer and the holiday season is nowhere in sight, I finally got around to asking for the recipe. I am so glad I did because I will be making these every chance I get. In fact, these have become my favorite cookie! Their cakey soft texture, delicate spicy flavor, and sweet layer of icing is incredible. You will be wishing it was the holidays just for an excuse to make these constantly.

This recipe is originally doubled, but I think the halved version makes the perfect amount of cookies if you don't plan on sharing. You should definitely double the ingredients for the holidays or else your friends and family might steal all of them from you...Blasphemy! Who does that?!

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
4 1/2 cups of flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda

icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.

Mix the melted butter and sugar together until it reaches a gel-like consistency. Add the eggs and milks and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and half the flour. Beat just until combined and then mix in the rest of the flour.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (You can even refrigerate overnight. It makes the dough easier to form into balls.)

Roll into round, shiny balls.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Cool completely before icing.

For the icing, stir the 3 ingredients together. The icing should be really thick so that it dries quickly to form a thick layer. You can either drizzle the icing over the cookies or dip the tops of the cookies into the icing. (I found that the dipping was a bit easier.)

Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies

2010-07-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

I have had a bag of crushed toffee staring at me from the pantry for almost a month now. Not knowing exactly what recipe I wanted to use it in, it has been untouched for far too long. Time to change that.

I was looking through some recipes on foodnetwork.com for inspiration and saw that over 700 people had reviewed Alton Brown's chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe and had given it all 5 stars. With that many reviews and that high of a rating, these cookies had to be good! Of course, I had to add a slight twist to the recipe by using the toffee pieces. But as far as I'm concerned, toffee only makes things better.

These cookies turned out pretty good, but I think they would have been better had I used actual bread flour. Also, I found that the cooking time listed on the recipe was WAY too long. I shortened it from 14 minutes to 9 because I don't particularly like my cookies burned. Chilling the dough in between batches would also probably have helped the cookies not spread out so much, making them thicker and chewier. I think all these improvements gives me an excuse to make them again...I need to buy some more toffee.

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups toffee

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.

Pour the melted butter in a stand-mixer bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar and cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until they come together and have a gel-like consistency. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour, salt, and baking soda just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and toffee.

Chill the dough for a couple hours and then scoop onto the parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 9 minutes or until golden brown.

Mexican Chocolate Crunch Brownies

2010-07-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

Alright, here is the third and final Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest brownie recipe! This recipe comes from the 2008 competition.

One of my all-time favorite cereals happens to be Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I eat way too much of it when I'm at college, but I actually haven't had any of it this whole summer. That all changed when I saw this recipe, which uses a whole box of my beloved cereal! My dad took a sample of these brownies once they had cooled, and he proclaimed that they are the best brownies he has ever had. So if you want to make my dad's new favorite brownies, just follow the simple instructions below!

Ingredients:
1 box (12.8 oz) Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 box (19.5 oz) fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 tbsp cinnamon-sugar (3 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9-inch pan. I find that it's much easier to cut the brownies if you line the pan with greased aluminum foil. (This makes cleanup easier, as well!)

Place all the cereal in a food processor and pulse until finely crushed. You could also place the cereal in a large resealable food-storage plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.

In a large bowl, stir the butter and corn syrup until well blended. Add the crushed cereal and mix thoroughly. Press the mixture evenly in pan.

In a large bowl, make the brownie mix as directed on box, using oil, water and eggs and adding cinnamon. Stir in 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips. Pour the brownie batter over the cereal mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup chocolate chips evenly over the batter. Bake for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly over the partially-baked brownies. Bake 14 to 18 minutes longer or until brownies are set when lightly touched in center. Cool and cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Peanut Butter Honey Brownies

2010-07-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

This Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest recipe is from the competition in 2000. As soon as I saw the words "peanut butter" and "honey" used together, I knew I had to try this recipe. My mom used to make me peanut butter and honey sandwiches for lunch all the time, and I still love to make them every once in a while. As far as I'm concerned, adding chocolate into the flavor mix can only be good thing. I actually liked these brownies a bit more than the Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies because they had more of the brownie flavor and texture, but that's just me. So here is Pillsbury Bake-Off brownie recipe number two!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 (15.5 oz) pkg Fudge Supreme Chocolate Chunk Premium Brownie Mix
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons water
1 egg
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 8 or 9-inch square pan. I find that it's much easier to cut the brownies if you line the pan with greased aluminum foil. (This makes cleanup easier, as well!)

In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and honey and blend until smooth. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine the brownie mix, 1/4 cup butter, water and egg. Spread half of batter in the greased pan. Score batter into 16 squares. Using 1/4 cup of the peanut butter mixture, place scant measuring teaspoon mixture in center of each square. Carefully spread remaining brownie batter over top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until edges pull away from sides of pan. Cool 45 minutes.

Spread the remaining peanut butter mixture over brownies.

In a small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter. Cook over low heat until melted and smooth, stirring constantly. Spoon and spread chocolate mixture over peanut butter mixture on brownies. Cool 45 minutes or refrigerate until set. Cut into bars.

I actually ran out of chocolate chips and didn't want to use any more butter, so I just melted what I had in the microwave and put the melted chocolate in a small Ziploc bag. I then piped squiggles of chocolate all over the top. This way, you can see they yummy peanut butter and honey mixture without having to cut into the brownies!

Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies

2010-07-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

While web-browsing the other day, I happened to discover the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest website, which is complete with tons of recipes from the years of competitions. I browsed through so many recipes to see what would catch my eye and ended up writing down multiple brownie recipes. I guess I was in a brownie mood or something, but I took it upon myself to make three brownie recipes this weekend. I think my co-workers at the office are going to be very happy on Monday.

This first recipe comes from the 2006 competition. These brownies are super sweet and full of different textures. The brownie layer and caramel makes each bite chewy, the pretzels and peanuts add a crunch, and the peanut butter and chocolate provide a creaminess. Because it has so many layers, this recipe is pretty time consuming. However, if you have an extreme sugar craving and are willing to take on the task of creating these peanut butter crunch brownies, you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:
1 box (19.5 oz) fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 bag (14 oz) caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup water
2 cups slightly broken pretzels (4 1/2 oz)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1 jar (18 oz) crunchy peanut butter
2 cups Reese's Puffs cereal, slightly broken

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9-inch pan.

In large bowl, make brownie mix as directed on box using oil, water and eggs. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake 28 - 30 minutes. Cool.

In a medium bowl, microwave caramels and water on high for 1 minute. Stir and continue to microwave in 15-second increments, stirring after each, until caramels are completely melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in broken pretzels until well coated. Spoon and spread carefully over cooled brownie layer.

In a large bowl, mix melted butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in peanut butter. Stir in broken cereal until well blended. Spread over caramel layer.

In a small bowl, microwave remaining 2 cups chocolate chips on high for 1 minute. Stir and continue to microwave in 15-second increments, stirring after each, until chocolate is melted. Spread over cereal layer.

Refrigerate until chocolate is set and caramel mixture in center is firm, 2 to 3 hours. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into 6 rows x 4 rows. These are super sweet and rich, so a little goes a long way.

Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries

2010-07-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

This week's weather has been nothing but constant rain. Consequently, I have not been very inspired to bake anything. In order to put some pressure behind baking something new and getting out a blog post, I did what any internet savvy college student would do - I asked people on facebook what to make!

My first suggestion came from two of my aunts who strongly encouraged me to take on the task of making panna cotta. The only thing I knew about panna cotta is that it's Italian and it's some kind of custard/pudding thing. I enlisted a recipe from my favorite Italian chef, Giada de Laurentiis, and went to work. I did like not having to use the oven for once since it kept the kitchen much cooler, but I had to wait all night for the panna cotta to set. I am not a patient person... But as soon as I got home from work, I got to try my new creation.

The flavor is very delicate and subtle, which is very different from the desserts I am used to. (I think drizzling some honey over the top and adding more fruit would make it much more enjoyable for a sugar freak like myself.) The texture is silky smooth and light, which makes it a great dessert for the summer time. Overall, my first panna cotta experience has been very enjoyable, and I have five more ramekins of it waiting for me in the refrigerator!

Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup honey, plus more for drizzling if desired
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups fresh berries

Pour the whole milk into a saucepan and whisk in the gelatin. Let the mixture sit for 3-5 minutes.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir for about 5 minutes, just until the gelatin dissolves but the milk does not boil.

Add the cream, honey, sugar, and salt. Stir the mixture for 5-7 minutes, until the sugar dissolves.

Remove from the heat and pour into 6 ramekins or glasses. Cool slightly, and then refrigerate for about 6 hours until set. When serving, spoon berries on top and drizzle with honey if desired.

Chocolate Pudding Cookies

2010-07-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

With four cookie recipes on my to-bake list, these chocolate pudding cookies were up first. I have never made a cookie recipe that uses so much butter, but this recipe produces so many cookies that it all evens out in the end. I think it ended up making 80+ cookies! Like the Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip "Crack" Cookies, this recipe also uses a form of pudding - instant chocolate pudding mix. The pudding mix makes the cookies soft and moist, which is always a bonus in my book.

Ingredients:
2 cups butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
6.8 oz instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars.

Beat in the pudding mix.

Add in the eggs and vanilla beat until well mixed.

Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then mix in the chocolate chips.

Drop a heaping tablespoonful of batter onto the cookie sheets for each cookie.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are set in the middle.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

2010-07-03T00:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't busted out the ice cream maker in way too long. Now, this doesn't mean I haven't been eating ice cream...I have actually been consuming Blue Bell and popsicles non-stop because of the intense heat, but I have been too lazy to attempt the making of my own frozen treats. This ended today when I found a recipe for peanut butter ice cream. Now, I've never actually had peanut butter ice cream, but it sounds good in theory.

When the ice cream maker finished churning and I scooped out the creamy goodness into a container, I of course had to save a little bit on the spoon to try...

Oh my goodness.

I will keep making this for the rest of the summer (or until I gain 10 pounds)! This is seriously the best ice cream I have made yet. Next time, I'm going to substitute Nutella for the peanut butter and see how that comes out. Oh my gosh, imagine a scoop of Nutella and peanut butter ice cream side by side. Now that's ice cream heaven!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until combined.

Chill the mixture over night.

Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream machine and churn until smooth and creamy.

Place in the freezer for about 4 hours before serving.

Lemon Bars

2010-07-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

Out of all the recipes I have posted, this is the one I have been wanting to make for the longest time. Lemon bars have always been one of my favorite desserts, and I have never actually made them myself. They are so delicate and creamy, but still packed with tons of sweet, citrus flavor. In my opinion, lemon bars are the perfect summer treat!

The weather has been horribly rainy for the past couple of days due to the hurricane/tropical storm south of Texas, so I have made it my mission to take advantage of the sucky weather and bake everything I can this long weekend. (I already made some ice cream as well, but that will be addressed in the next post!) My kitchen is definitely getting a workout this weekend, so I hope you enjoy all the posts that are coming your way!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, cold and cut into small pieces
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
grated ring from 1 lemon
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 lemons)
3/4 cup whipping cream

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan.

Mix the powdered sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (You could always use a food processor, as well.) Press the mixture into the bottom of the greased pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar together until blended. Add the lemon rind and juice and mix well.

Lightly whip the cream and fold it into the egg mixture. Pour over the still warm crust, return the pan to the oven, and bake until set, about 40 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting into bars. Dust with powdered sugar for added eye appeal. I think lemon bars are best when they have been refrigerated for a couple hours. The refrigeration makes them even more refreshing on a hot day.

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

2010-06-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

Since the key lime pie was no longer an option to take to the office, I decided to make something else. I went with chocolate cupcakes because they would be super easy to make with a box cake mix. Plus, almost everyone loves chocolate cupcakes! When I was at the store, I saw a box of triple chocolate fudge cake mix, so I grabbed that instead of the plain chocolate one.

When it came to the frosting, I wanted to try something new. I'm really glad I did because this chocolate syrup frosting is one of my favorites now! Sorry about the pictures not showcasing the frosting...I didn't pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes until I got to the office so that everything would be easier to transport. But the frosting is a MUST! It makes the cupcakes so much more delicious!

Ingredients:
CUPCAKES:
24 paper liners
1 cup chocolate chips
1 pkg (18.5 oz) triple chocolate fudge cake mix
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

FROSTING:
8 tbsp butter, room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with the paper liners.

Place the cake mix, chocolate chips, cream cheese, water, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend for 2 minutes more. Scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cup, filling it 3/4 of the way full. (You get 22-24 cupcakes.)

Bake for 20-23 minutes until the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. Cool for 5 minutes and then move to a rack to cool for at least 15 more minutes before frosting.

For the frosting, place the butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate syrup in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer until just combined. Add the sugar, milk, and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Use it to frost those cooled cupcakes.

Key Lime Pie

2010-06-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Key lime pie is a classic dessert, and I cannot believe how easy it is to make! Just 6 ingredients and only 8 minutes of baking? Why have I not made this before? Probably because it is so hard to find key lime juice at the grocery store. Luckily, I found it this summer!

Originally, my dad wanted me to make this pie so I could take it to the office to share. However, this pie turned out so delicious that he told me we are no longer taking it to the office...It is staying at home to be consumed by just us!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tbsp butter, melted
3 large egg yolks
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp grated key lime rind
1/2 cup fresh key lime juice

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

For the crust, place the graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and add the butter. Mix to combine. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan (I actually used a spring form pan). Bake for 8 minutes and let cool.

Beat the yolks until thick. Beat in the milk, lime rind and juice. Pour into the prebaked pie shell and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. To serve, you can add some whipped cream to the top if you like.

Cherry Coffee Cake

2010-06-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

I am frequently guilty of buying fruit when it's on sale at the grocery store and then never eating it all quick enough before it spoils. I found myself in this situation once again when I noticed the bag of cherries I bought last week sitting in the back of the refrigerator, barely touched. Therefore, it is time for a recipe which uses a lot of cherries!

Cherry coffee cake is a recipe which originally uses strawberries, but I think cherries work just fine. In fact, you could probably use any fruit you wanted in this coffee cake. The batter for the cake is one of the best I have ever tasted (it's gotta be the cream cheese), and the simple brown sugar and nut topping goes with anything. If you're a fan of coffee cake, I would definitely recommend this recipe.

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups fresh cherries, sliced
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9x13 baking dish.

While waiting for the butter and cream cheese to come to room temperature, pit and slice 3 cups of cherries.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, and white sugar and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Stir in the milk, eggs, and vanilla and beat thoroughly.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix just until smoothly combined.

Spread half of the batter into the baking dish. Scatter the berries evenly over the batter. Dot the remaining batter over the berries.

Mix the brown sugar and nuts together and sprinkle evenly over the batter.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip "Crack" Cookies

2010-06-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

I love getting tried and true recipes from people because I know they will always be fantastic, and I was lucky enough to get a delicious cookies recipe from my friend, Nell. She says that one of her friends calls these cookies "Crack Cookies", and I can now see why. I think I ate at least 10 of them today. I've never made cookies with pudding before, but I really like the cake-like, moist texture it gives the cookies.

Caution: These cookies are dangerous and should only be made if you are willing to eat at least half a dozen per day. Make at your own risk.

(Oh, and I would definitely recommend adding 2 tsp of cinnamon for an added kick. I will make sure to do this next time I make these treats.)

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups quaker oats
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup vanilla pudding

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars.

Add in the eggs and vanilla beat until well mixed.

Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then mix in the Quaker oats and chocolate chips. Finally, add the pudding and mix until combined.

Drop a heaping tablespoonful of batter onto the cookie sheets for each cookie.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies begin to brown around the edges.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

2010-06-07T21:28:00.001-07:00

After returning from my vacation to the lovely Florida beaches, I realized that all my cookies I made last week had been eaten while out of town. Oh no! Since I cannot function without cookies in my system, it was time to make some more. But there were two things stopping me from making one of my usual go-to cookie recipes. 1) No butter was in my refrigerator. 2) It was raining outside and I was too lazy to drive to the store. So what's a cookie addict to do?

I consulted my favorite baking book and came across a recipe which needs no butter, and it created a chocolate cookie. Perfect! Oh my goodness these are more than perfect. They are heavenly.

Let me tell you that these cookies are AMAZING! They are definitely best when eaten ten minutes out of the oven when the insides are still really gooey, but they are still delicious when kept a couple of days. I have a feeling I will be making these all summer. I hope you will, too!

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until barely frothy. Beat in the sugar, cocoa powder, and flour until the mixture thickens.

Add in the nuts and chocolate chips and beat until mixed.

Drop a heaping tablespoonful of batter onto the parchment paper for each cookie and leave a couple inches in between each cookie since they will spread.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the top is cracked and firm, but the inside is still moist and gooey.

White Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies

2010-05-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

I have been craving cookies for so long, and I finally had time to make them before heading off to my brother's high school graduation ceremony. However, I didn't have time to run to the store, and I didn't exactly have the typical cookie ingredients. I pulled out an old bag of butterscotch chips, some white chocolate chips, and some pecans. There was about half a cup of each, so what the heck? Just dumping them into a basic cookie recipe should do the trick, right?.

Oh boy, it sure did. I'm not even a big fan of butterscotch and I love this cookie. The butterscotch flavor is the strongest, but the white chocolate makes the cookie creamy, and the pecans add a slight nutty taste and texture. I think I used too much baking powder in mine, but I have fixed the amount in the recipe below. Hope you enjoy my weird cookie recipe!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time until mixed well.

Add flour and baking powder, mixing just until incorporated.

Add white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and nuts and pecans and mix in.

Scoop out enough dough to form a 1 inch ball, and place 12 of these dough balls onto each cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the outside. (I think these are better slightly undercooked.)

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-05-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

For a week, there has been no food in our house. My brother and I have been living on cereal and left-over raspberry lemon coconut cake. Healthy, right? We finally went to the grocery store today, and my brother picks up a pack of chocolate chip muffins. As soon as he puts the muffins in our basket, I pick them up, hand them back to him, and tell him that I'll make him some real chocolate chip muffins.

So to keep my promise, I immediately got out one of my cookbooks and found a perfectly simple recipe. An hour later, a dozen delicious chocolate chip muffins were ready for my brother to devour. He was my hand model for most of these shots, so I thought I would reward him with a muffin right out of the oven. After eating just one, he said he will no longer buy muffins at the store. Score one for home baking! :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease 10-12 muffins cups or use paper liners.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter until soft. Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. Fold into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk.

Divide half the mixture between the muffin cups. Sprinkle several chocolate chips on top, then cover with a spoonful of the batter. If you're like me and want more chocolate, sprinkle chocolate chips on top as well!

Bake until lightly colored, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before unmolding.

Raspberry Lemon Coconut Cake

2010-05-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

After almost 4 months of silence...I'm back! Being back from college for the summer means it's time to start this blog up again and get some delicious recipes ready to share with you.

For my first recipe of the summer, I chose a very light and refreshing raspberry lemon coconut cake. This cake is quite labor intensive, but the end result is well worth all the work. This is my first time making buttercream, and I must say I was impressed with how delicious it is despite the mass amounts of butter used to create it. Enjoy this delicious summery cake!

Ingredients:
Raspberry Lemon Coconut Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup whole milk or buttermilk, room temperature
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons fine lemon zest
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Lemon Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup raspberry preserves (strained for seeds, if desired)
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat your oven to 350°F and place a rack in the lower third of your oven. Coat two 8" or 9" pans with butter or nonstick spray and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment. Place the pans on a baking sheet and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a second small bowl, combine the milk and egg whites and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the sugar and lemon zest and mix for a minute on medium speed until fragrant. Add the butter and cream together on medium speed for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon extract and then grab your bowl of flour and milk.

Reduce the mixer's speed to slow and add 1/3rd of the flour. Once moistened, increase the speed to medium and mix until incorporated. Then add 1/2 the milk mixture and beat until the mixture is uniform. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, alternating until you've finished with the last 1/3rd of the flour. Mix the batter for a further 2 minutes to ensure it is lump free and well aerated.

Divide the batter between your baking pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the centers of the cake springs back when touched lightly.

Place the cakes on wire racks to cool. After a few minutes, run a knife around the outside of the pan to release the cake and remove from the pans. Allow to cool right side up until room temperature.

To make the buttercream:

Combine the sugar and egg whites in a bowl over simmering water. Whisking constantly, beat until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar is no longer gritty. Remove from heat and continue to beat until you have a thick, glossy meringue.

Transfer the meringue to the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat for several minutes on medium speed. Once the bowl of the mixer feels cool to the touch you can add your butter, one stick at a time beating on medium high. Once the butter is all in, continue to beat for 6-10 minutes.

The mixture may seem to curdle at some point but don't worry, continue to beat and it will come together into a velvety buttercream.

Once well beaten, you can add the lemon juice a little at a time, beat until absorbed and then adding more. Then add the vanilla and you're ready to frost.

To assemble the cake:

For a four layer cake, level and divide the layers with a serrated knife. Place the bottom layer onto a cake round (or onto a cake plate with tuck strips of wax paper under the cake to protect the plate while frosting).

Spread a third of the raspberry preserves onto the bottom layer of the cake and then a layer of buttercream. The trick to layering buttercream on top of a slippery layer of preserves is to put your buttercream into a disposable piping bag (or ziplock bag) and cut off a 1/3" diameter opening. Starting in the center of the layer, pipe a coil of buttercream. Continue to coil tightly, round and round until you have an even layer of icing on top. No need to spread the frosting with a spatula using this method. Top with a second layer of cake and repeat two more times. Place the last layer on top and then crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of icing. Chill the cake until the icing is firm and then frost the cake with the remaining butter cream. Smooth the remaining buttercream over the cake with an offset spatula until it is level and smooth.

Sprinkle the coconut over the top of the cake and coat the sides by gently pouring the coconut between your hand and the cake.

The cake is best eaten the day it is made. If you need to store it, refrigerate it covered for up to two days, allowing plenty of time to bring it back to room temperature before serving.

Monster Cookies

2010-01-06T20:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, here it is! The final Christmas cookie recipe! This one is definitely my favorite. It combines so many of my favorite ingredients into a sweet and chewy cookie. You can't go wrong with peanut butter, oats, and chocolate. Mmmmm...so delicious!

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp karo syrup
1/2 cup butter
4 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup m&ms (red and green for Christmas!)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix ingredients together. Put onto a baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes.

Russian Tea Cakes

2010-01-06T19:44:00.000-08:00

If you are not into eating balls of butter and sugar, this cookie is probably not for you. But if you are like me and love everything containing butter and sugar, russian tea cakes will be your new best friends. Just don't breath in too deeply before popping these into your mouth or you may choke on some extra powdered sugar. Trust me, it's not so funny when it happens to you.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add flour and salt and nuts. Chill dough. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes until set but not brown. While warm, roll in powdered sugar. Cool. Roll in powdered sugar again. Makes 4 dozen.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-01-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

Classic peanut butter cookies are good for any time of the year, but they round out an assortment of Christmas cookies quite well. These are sure to put a smile on the face of any peanut butter lover.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cream peanut butter and shortening. Add sugars and cream. Add egg, vanilla, and dry ingredients. Chill dough. Roll into balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork dipped in sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Lace Cookies

2009-12-29T17:04:00.000-08:00

The third cookie recipe does not make your traditional cookie. These lace cookies are thin and crisp, but full of sweetness. You can mold them when they come out of the oven, but I usually just keep them as flat crisps.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix flour and coconut. Combine corn syrup, brown sugar, and margarine in heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and blend in flour mixture and vanilla. Drop tsp of batter onto a foil-covered cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes and then peel the cooled cookies off the foil.

Chocolate Crinkles

2009-12-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

Alright, here is the second Christmas cookie recipe. These chocolate crinkles are so pretty when they are done baking, but you could always dunk the warm tops back into powdered sugar if you wanted to get rid of the crinkliness. These cookies are not sweet enough for me (which is why my mom likes them), so I would add chocolate chips to the recipe if I was making them for myself, but it's up to you to decide!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Combine the first 4 ingredients. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in milk. Stir in flour and baking powder. Chill. Roll 1 tbsp balls in powdered sugar and place on a greased baking sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes. Makes 4 dozen!

Ginger Cookies

2009-12-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas break is here, and I can finally do some baking since I have a kitchen! My mom and I always crank out tons of Christmas cookies, so brace yourself for a few delicious cookie recipes that are sure to get you in the Christmas spirit. These ginger cookies (or "gingies") are my mom's favorites!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups flour
1 tbsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream the first 4 ingredients. Add the dry ingredients. Roll into balls and roll in sugar.

Bake 8-10 minutes. Makes 8 dozen!

Lemon Cheesecake

2009-08-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

I made this cheesecake right before I left to go back to college. It is one of my favorite cheesecakes of all time, and I wanted to make it right before I left so that I could leave home on a high note. Unfortunately, school is going to be starting up this Thursday and my time for baking will be basically non-existant. I'm not sure when I'm going to get the chance to make something new, so this blog will be on hiatus for a while. In the meantime, enjoy this amazing recipe!

Ingredients:
1 cup crushed graham crackers
1 cup finely chopped pecans
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
16 oz cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs
14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp grated lemon rind
¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Finely crush graham crackers and finely chop pecans.

Stir together first 4 ingredients.

Press mixture in bottom and 2 inches up sides of a lightly greased 9" springform pan.

Beat cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended.

Gradually add sweetened condensed milk.

Add lemon rind and juice, beating until blended.

Pour into prepared crust.

Bake for 1 hour or until almost set. Turn off oven, and let cake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove cake to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Peach Upside-Down Cake

2009-08-11T01:30:00.000-07:00

This cake was one of the best tasting disasters I have ever produced. Yes, you heard me right: disaster. You know how you can think that you're making all the right moves when baking, but then suddenly something happens that makes it all go horribly wrong? Well, that's exactly what happened with this cake.

There were multiple very ripe peaches in the refrigerator that I was more than happy to bake into something to get rid of them before they turned to total mush. I flipped through my cookbooks and found a tasty-looking recipe for peach upside down cake. This was my first time blanching peaches, and it actually went pretty well. Some of the peaches were overly ripe and turned into orange-yellow goo, but I salvaged what I could and kept moving forward, determined to finish what I had started. I managed to get everything in the oven and then take the baked cake out to let it cool for a while. This is when things did not go so well.

For an upside down cake, you are, as the name suggests, supposed to create it upside down so that the top is on the bottom of the pan. You then you flip the cake onto a plate to get it oriented the correct way. I did not have a plate large enough to fit over the top of the skillet, so I used the bottom portion of a cake container. As I held the skillet in one hand and put my other hand over the top of the cake container, I realized that the skillet might be too heavy for me to maneuver with just one arm. But being the only person home, it was up to me to do it solo. Getting ready to put all the strength I had into flipping over the skillet, I slowly counted to three. "One...two...three!" As I uttered the last syllable, I quickly flipped the skillet over and to my horror, the cake went flying off the side of the cake container bottom and lay in a gooey mess all over the counter beside it's intended destination. I just stared at it open-mouthed and felt tears welling up in my eyes. So I stood there for minutes, as pathetic as can be, with my dog noisily licking up the scraps that fell on the floor by my feet. All that work for nothing. FML, indeed.

I did eventually get over it after storming out of the kitchen and watching mindless TV for a while. I then came back and tasted my mess to see if it was even any good. Oh my goodness was it! The cake is so tender and moist, and the peaches are sweet and full of flavor. It might look like slop, but it sure doesn't taste like it. I even managed to get a slice onto a plate and make it look decent to take pictures of. I also scooped the best portion of the cake back into the skillet to keep for later. Next time, I think I'll just keep it in the skillet and forget the flipping...

Ingredients:
3 1/3 cups peeled, pitted, and sliced (1/3 inch thick) peaches (9-10 medium peaches)
3 tbsp plus 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar (divided)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into chunks

batter:
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk (divided)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Get all you peaches together and peal, pit, and slice them, placing the slices in a large bowl.

Zest your lemon for that citrusy goodness.

In a large bowl, gently stir together the peaches, 3 tbsp of the brown sugar, and the lemon juice. Set aside until the sugar dissolves and the peaches begin to release their juice, about 15 minutes. Put the peaches in a strainer or colander set over a bowl and let stand until thoroughly drained, 15 to 20 minutes.

In a 9 1/2"-10" (2" deep) flameproof round casserole or nonreactive ovenproof skillet, stir together the remaining 2/3 cup brown sugar and the butter. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring with a long-handled wooden spoon and watching carefully to prevent burning, until the butter completely melts and the mixture bubbles. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Standing back to avoid steam and splatters, stir all the juice drained from the peaches into the sugar mixture until evenly blended. Cook, stirring, until bubbly. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles briskly but doesn't burn. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes longer, or until the caramel is boiled down to the consistency of thin gravy. Remove from the heat.

Attractively arrange the peaches over the caramel mixture. .

I had lots of leftover peaches, so I just dumped the rest on top...

To make the batter, in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar until well blended and lightened, about 1 minute.

Add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes longer, or until very light and fluffy.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in half the flour mixture just until incorporated. Then beat in half the milk just until incorporated. Lightly beat in the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining milk, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Raise the speed to medium and beat just until the batter is well blended and smooth, 1-1 1/2 minutes longer.

Pour the batter over the fruit, spreading it evenly with a table knife.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake surface is nicely browned.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Now you can flip this cake onto a plate if you would like, but just eating it out of the skillet is good as well.

Fudge Brownies

2009-08-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

Gather round everyone! It's funny story time. The other day my mom came home from work and had a baking request for me. This is because one of her co-workers expressed that his dying request would be to have one of my brownies.

At first I was just like "What the?" because this completely came out of the blue and I couldn't even remember making brownies for her office. But then I remembered that I did make them about a year ago, and I couldn't stop laughing at the extent of love that this man has for baked chocolate. Oh, office workers and their baked goodies. There's just something about working in a small space for 40 hours a week that makes you unnaturally drawn to anything with sugar in it.

Well, if brownies is what they want, freakishly amazing fudge brownies is what they'll get! Seriously, this recipe yields the best brownie I have ever tasted, and I have tasted many, many brownies in my life.

Oh, and by the way, I just saw Julie & Julia. If you are a foodie, there is no doubt in my mind that you will thoroughly enjoy this movie. Make these brownies and sneak them into the movie with you! Now wouldn't that be the ultimate food movie.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
16 tbsp butter, cut into chunks
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
11 oz semisweet chocolate, broken up
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, broken up
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
2 cups pecans

Preheat oven to 325 F and line a 9"x13" baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing the foil to overhang the ends of the pan by a couple inches. Grease the foil with nonstick spray.

In a large saucepan, bring the butter, sugar, and water just to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring.

Remove from the heat. Stir the chocolates into the sugar mixture until completely melted. Let cool to warm so that the eggs won't curdle.

Stir the vanilla into the chocolate mixture.

Then add the eggs and mix thoroughly.

Stir the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture just until the batter is evenly blended. Less mixing = more tender brownies.

Stir in the nuts.

Turn out the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly to the edges.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the center is barely firm when tapped. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to warm, about 20 minutes. Or just dig right in like some people and brave the burning of your taste buds for that warm gooeyness that will be lost within the minutes of cooling. What crazy person would do that?!

Berry Frozen Yogurt

2009-08-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

I just got back from visiting my boyfriend in Colorado, and the heat hit me even harder coming back than I had expected. I quickly decided that another recipe for frozen deliciousness was in order. With bags of frozen blueberries in my freezer and a container of soon to be expired yogurt, I thought that blueberry frozen yogurt would be the perfect venture. I had no recipes in my cookbooks, so I hopped online and quickly found a recipe from 17andbaking.com. You can use any frozen berries you want for this recipe, so go grab some from your freezer and start churning some delicious frozen yogurt!

Ingredients:
16 oz (about 4 cups) frozen berries
5 tbsp sugar
4 cups nonfat plain yogurt, chilled
6 tbsp sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine the berries and the 5 tbsp of sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until berries are broken down and a syrup forms.

For a smoother frozen yogurt, puree the berries and juices in a food processor or blender.

Strain out any seeds and let berries cool to room temperature.

Combine the berry puree with the 6 tbsp of sugar and the yogurt, straight from the fridge.

Chill until the whole mixture is cool, then churn in an ice cream maker.

Store in an airtight container and keep in the freezer.

Chocolate Italian Cream Cake

2009-07-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

My mom will be 50 years old tomorrow, and my dad and neighbors planned a surprise party for her last weekend. And of course, when it comes to birthday parties, cake is a must. My mom's favorite cake is italian cream cake, so I decided to mix it up this year and make a chocolate italian cream cake because you know that older women cannot resist the lure of anything chocolate.

Ingredients:
5 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tsp vanilla extract

frosting:
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 (16-oz) package powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 F and grease 3 8" round cake pans.

Separate the 5 eggs.

Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; set aside.

Beat butter and shortening until creamy.

Gradually add sugar, beating well.

Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

Combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.

Stir in coconut, chopped pecans, and vanilla.

Fold in egg whites.

Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 8-inch round cakepans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove cake layers to wire racks, and cool completely.

For frosting, beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

Combine powdered sugar and cocoa; gradually add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in pecans. (I left the pecans out so that I could decorate the sides with them.)

Spread Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish, if desired.

Peanut Butter Blondies

2009-07-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I was safe, that peanut butter craving started to hit once again. With a bag of cookies already sitting on the counter, I knew that another batch of cookies just wouldn't cut it. I had to venture into unknown peanut butter territory this time. So, what about peanut butter brownies? Oh ho. No, peanut butter blondies. With a new photography light at my disposal, I have even more photos to share.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter chips

frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 325 F and grease a 13"x9" baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream the peanut butter, butter, and sugars.

Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Add the flour and baking powder to the creamed mixture alternately with milk.

Stir in chips. (I used chocoalte chips since that's all I had on hand.)

Spread into the greased baking dish.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, in a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, cocoa, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla.

Grandually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Frost brownies. Sprinkle with chips if desired. Cut into bars.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

2009-07-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

I made this ice cream quite a while ago, and I actually made 2 batches of it, but it all got eaten before I had a chance to photograph the final product...Yeah, this stuff is that good.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups hulled strawberries, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar (divided)
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz cold cream cheese, cut into chunks

In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the strawberries and 1/4 cup of the sugar..

Let stand until the juices are released and the sugar dissolves..

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the milk. Let stand, stirring once or twice, until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes..

In a heavy, nonreactive saucepan, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar, the lemon juice, cream, and gelatin mixture. Bring almost to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, until the gelatin dissolves. Let cool slightly. Transfer the cream mixture to a food processor. Add the cream cheese.

Process until the mixture is completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the strawberries, processing in pulses just until the berries are chopped moderately fine..

Tiramisu

2009-07-21T00:07:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend left me for a month this summer to go off to Europe and have fantastic adventures with his friends, leaving me behind with nothing to do but pour my heart into baking and playing the guitar.

Okay, sob story over. There is a happy ending. I've gotten pretty decent at playing the guitar, I started this blog to archive my ridiculous amounts of baking, and he brought me back a present which made this post possible. Yes, this present was a cookbook, but not just any cookbook. An Italian cookbook. He knows me too well to know that this is seriously the best present I could ever ask for. Forget jewelry, just give me a new cookbook and I'm happy as can be. The cookbook is full of pictures and recipes and is without a doubt my favorite one to date. So, without hesitation, I flipped to the dessert section in the back and picked a staple Italian treat. Tiramisu.

Ingredients:
3 large eggs, separated
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 lb mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
8 oz sponge fingers
1/4 cup very strong black coffee
5 oz semisweet or dark chocolate, coarsely grated
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Grab a 9"x13" baking dish (or as the book says, a "large dessert dish") and set aside.

Separate all the eggs and place the 5 egg yolks in a mixing bowl.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until the mixture is very pale and creamy.

Keep 3 of the egg whites.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a large bowl until stiff.

Stir the mascarpone into the egg yolk mixture. Then fold in the egg whites.

Spoon 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture innto the pan and sprinkle with half the chocolate.

Add a layer of the sponge fingers, dipping them in the coffee before arranging them in the pan. (I skipped this step since I can't stand coffee, which is too bad since I'm supposed to be a coffee-loving college student.)

Add another layer of mascarpone cream. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate and top with the remaining sponge fingers, dipping them in the coffee before arranging them in the pan. Cover with the remaining mascarpone cream. Dust with the cocoa and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

After trying the tiramisu sans coffee, I'm starting to think that maybe I should just suck it up and use the coffee despite my personal feelings. I really think that it is missing some flavor dimention without it. Hot chocolate, perhaps?

Blueberry Streusel Bread

2009-07-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

Baking with summer fruit would not be the same without the use of the blueberry. For some reason, I used to hate blueberries. I think it was the skin that weirded me out, but I have grown to love them over the years. My favorite way to eat them is of course when they are baked in things, but eating the berries when they are frozen is a cool treat in itself. Breakfast food is my all-time favorite, so what better way to use blueberries than to put them in a coffeecake-like bread that can be eaten at any time of day? I can't think of one, so I used my last pint of fresh blueberries to make this amazingly moist and buttery blueberry streusel bread.

Ingredients:
4 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups fresh blueberries

topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp butter, cut in pieces

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9" square baking dish.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat to combine. Then mix in the milk until blended. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir just enough to blend the ingredients. (The less stirring, the more tender your bread will be.) Add the blueberries and stir gently, trying to not break the blueberries.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and spread out evenly.

For the topping, place the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter in a mixing bowl. Cut in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.

Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, which is about 45 minutes.

Lemon Grapefruit Sorbet

2009-06-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

Holy crap. I just looked at the thermometer that shows the temperature outside, and it reads 106.2. It is like a freaking oven outside, which is why I didn't use the oven today and busted out the ice cream maker instead. I wanted to make lemon sorbet, but I only had 3 lemons, so I used both lemon and grapefruit juice. This combination of necessity created my favorite sorbet I have ever made! Oh my goodness, it is delicious!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar (if you prefer a sweeter sorbet, increase the sugar to 1 1/4 cups)
3 lemons, juiced
1 grapefruit, juiced

In a medium saucepan, combine the water and the sugar. Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat, then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Stir the lemon and grapefruit juice (1 cup total) into the chilled sugar syrup, then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cupcakes

2009-06-23T23:48:00.000-07:00

Time to break the trend of cookies with a post about cupcakes. And not just any cupcakes, lemon cream cheese cupcakes. I'm a sucker for anything with lemon in it, and both the cake and frosting for this cupcake contain a healthy dose of the citrus flavor. This recipe makes enough batter for exactly 12 cupcakes, so exercise some self-control and do not, I repeat, DO NOT lick that spoon or spatula. I know you want to. You may, however, indulge on the frosting since there will be more than enough.

Ingredients:

Lemon Cream Cheese Cake:
6 tbsp butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tsp grated lemon peel
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 tbsp butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

In a large bowl, combine the butter, cream cheese, lemon peel, sugar, and eggs with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add flour and beat on low speed until just combined.

Divide mixture among baking cups and smooth surface.

Bake about 25 minutes and cool on wire rack.

To make the frosting, beat the butter, cream cheese, and lemon peel with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Grandually beat in the powdered sugar. Ice the cupcakes once they have cooled.

Choco-Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chipsters

2009-06-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

For the past week, I've had a constant craving for peanut butter. It must have come about because of the sick and wrong anti-sugar kick my family is on. At least they still let me bake, but most of my creations are now taken to my parents' offices. I have to steal a portion of all my sugary treats to keep for myself before they jack everything out of the kitchen. Needless to say, my baking is the only way sugar is being put into my body, and I don't think I could go on without it. So to satisfy my need for sugar and craving for peanut butter, I made these delicious cookies. They sure hit the spot.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups old-fashioned oats
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until very creamy.

Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and mix for 30 seconds.

Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until the ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop rounded tbsp of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake 13-15 minutes, or until the cookies are firm around the edges.

Allow the cookies to cool slightly before placing them on wire racks to cool. The cookies can be stored in airtight containers for 4 days or sealed and frozen for up to 1 month.

White Chocolate Cran-Orange Cookies

2009-06-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

My family had dinner tonight with an amazing family I have known my whole life, and it was our job to bring guacamole and dessert. My mom put a bag of pre-made cookie mix into my hands and asked me to bake them for the meal. My face fell as I realized I wasn't going to make them from scratch. But let me tell you, these are THE BEST cookies I have had in a really long time. Since mine were from a pre-made mix, I have provided a recipe that is almost exactly the same. Simply the mix of these flavors is fantastic!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
zest of one large orange (about 1 tbsp)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4/ cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar, beating with an electric mixer until light.

Beat in eggs and orange zest. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring only until just combined.

Stir in the cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tbspfuls onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 9-12 minutes, just until the edges are golden brown.

Cool for 3-4 mintues and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Mango Ice Cream

2009-06-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

So here's part 2 of mango madness. Mango ice cream really quick to make, but you have to wait hours for it freeze. That is, if you can wait hours. Slightly soupy ice cream is just fine with me when it's 100 degrees outside.

Ingredients:
3 large ripe mangoes, peeled and seeded
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp sugar

Puree the mangoes with a food processor to make about 2 cups of puree and transfer it to a bowl.

Add the milk, cream, sugar and lime juice, and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Freeze the ice cream using your handy dandy ice cream maker.

Freeze in your freezer for at least 4 hours, if you can wait that long... ;)

Chocolate Chip Bars

2009-06-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

Chocolate chip cookies? That's been done far too many times to count. Chocolate chip bars? Now there's something new! What could be better than butter, oats, and chocolate? Well, some ice cream on top would help... But these are delicious all by themselves and won't put you in a sugar coma as fast as they would with added ice cream. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8"x8" cake pan.

Place the butter, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the butter and sugar melt and the mixture is well combined.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rolled oats until they are well coated. Add the chocolate chips and mix well to combine everything.

Turn into the prepared pan and press down well.

Bake for 30 minutes.

When almost cooled, cut into bars or squares and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Mango Bread

2009-06-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

My aunt once again got us the amazing Harry & David 12-month fruit gift this past Christmas. Lo and behold, this month we got mangoes. I normally love the fruit that we get, like the pears and apples and such, but I have never really been that into mangoes.

Apparently, neither is the rest of my family since the mangoes have been sitting in the refrigerator getting more and more ripe by the day. I touched them this morning to see how soft they were, and I knew that they would be in the garbage sooner than later, so it was finally time to bust out a new recipe. What can you even make with mangoes? I looked through the indexes of my cookbooks and found recipes for mango bread and mango ice cream. Okay, that doesn't sound too bad, right? Since I have enough to make both, here is part 1 of mango madness: mango bread.

I've watched people on Food Network always lecturing about the proper way to cut mangoes since they have that weird long, skinny bone seed in the middle. I decided I was skilled enough to just jump in and slice it up, so my first attempt was pretty dreadful...

But I got better! (Thanks to a how-to in one of my cookbooks.)

5 mangoes gave me this whole bowl of fruit. I'm only going to use a couple cups for the bread, and I'll save the rest for the ice cream later.

So, now on to the actual recipe...

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chopped ripe mangoes (about 2-3 mangoes)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease 2 9"x5" loaf pans.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the oil.

Fold the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt) into the creamed ingredients in 2 batches.

Fold in the mangoes, coconut, and the pecans.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

For the Love of Sugar

2009-06-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

"Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, in the most delightful way!"

I have developed a love/obsession with cooking over the past couple years and decided to share my love with the online world. I have tried in vain to not pick up every dessert cook book I come across... But if it's on sale, that book has a new home on my shelf. Because of my unhealthy obsession with dessert cook books and everything sweet, I have made countless cakes, cookies, and everything in between. I have found quite a few recipes that I absolutely love and want to pass on to the next sugar-crazed baker. Thus, the reason for this blog's existance.

So if you have a sweet tooth and want to see some tempting sweet treats that will make you run to your kitchen and grab your electric mixer, scroll through my posts with caution. FYI, if you start drooling, that's completely normal. :)