Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn

There are some days where you just need a treat. You know those super long, frustrating, I've had it with life kind of days? Yep. One of those. With two small children, I've had my fair share of frustrating days. Once I get my little munchkins down for bed, occasionally I'll make a quick batch of this tasty popcorn and sit down with my hubby and watch a show and snuggle on the couch. It's the perfect quick treat. Thank you pinterest for the recipe!

Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn

(Recipe originally found on Pinterest. I tried to locate the actual site that the recipe had come from, but couldn't find it. I found a lot of similar ones, but not quite the same...)

Ingredients


12 cups popped popcorn (1 regular sized bag of microwave popcorn)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
10 large marshmallows (not those new super sized, as large as my face ones ... just the old large ones)


Directions: 
(Microwave times may vary depending on your microwave. These are what worked for me)



1. Pop the popcorn
2. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes. It should be bubbly and looking like caramel.
3. Add the marshmallows and cook until melted. My microwave only took 1 minute, but the recipe said 2-2 1/2 minutes. Just keep your eye on it. You don't want to over cook the marshmallow and have it super tough
4. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Try to avoid kernels when you put the popcorn in a bowl, they aren't very fun to randomly bite into. :)
5. Wait about 5 or so minutes and dig in!

Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Sadly, a couple of weeks ago my hard drive crashed taking with it all of my email (which had a folder full of recipes!) and everything else I needed to work. Luckily, all of my photos were saved on my external hard drive! I just got it back up and running again, it needed a new hard drive, and it is much happier now! To celebrate, I thought I'd post a recipe for some DELICIOUS cupcakes! Seriously, if you like caramel, you will love these. They are amazing. They are a little time consuming, but well worth the effort!

Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes
(original recipe can be found at www.sprinklebakes.com)

Cupcakes: 
 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tins with papers.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add vanilla. Mix and scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway full. Bake for about 25 minutes. When done, transfer pans to wire racks and cool 10 minutes. Turn cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.

Salted Caramel Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons salted butter, cubed
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream, at room temperature

Melt the sugar over medium high heat in large pot. Whisk the sugar as it melts and cook until it becomes a deep amber color. Add the butter and stir it in until melted. Pour in the heavy cream (mixture will foam) and whisk until you get a smooth sauce. You may have some lumps, but keep stirring until they have melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 

Cut a small round piece out of the tops of each cooled cupcake and pour in 1 teaspoon of caramel. Replace the cake piece and set cupcakes aside. 
 




Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a saucepan, stir together granulated sugar and water.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color.  Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring until very smooth.  Let caramel cool for about 20 minutes, until it is just barely warm and still pourable.

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and salt together until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the caramel. Beat on medium high speed until light and airy, and completely mixed (about 2 minutes). Mixture should be ready to use without refrigeration. If your caramel was too hot when added, it will cause your icing to be runny. If this happens refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. 

Top caramel-filled cupcakes with frosting. 

Seriously Delicious, Extreme Chocolate Chunk Brownies

 Okay, I need to admit something. I prefer boxed brownies over homemade. There, I said it. Every homemade brownie I've ever had has sadly just been a little dry and disappointing. It just doesn't make me want to eat a second one. I stumbled across this recipe and the original blogger posted that she also prefers boxed brownies, but fell in love with these! I knew at that point, I had to try them.

I kid you not, these (remember, I don't generally like homemade brownies) are so good! They beat out boxed brownies, by a LOT!

I've made them a few times now, and each time I've served them, they've been a huge hit. If you like chocolate, try them. You'll like them.

 

 "Good Ol' Homemade Brownies"

(Recipe found at bunsinmyoven.com. Original recipe can be found here)

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a 9x13 baking dish.

2. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter completely. Stir in sugar and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow sugar mixture to boil. 

3. Pour butter mixture into a large bowl or stand mixer, beat in cocoa powder, eggs, salt, baking powder and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. 

4. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips until well combined.

5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester comes out mostly clean. (Sometimes mine can take up to 10 minutes longer). The edges should be set and the center should still look slightly moist, but not uncooked. Cool on a wire rack.  

6. Top with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Cake Pops

Cake pops have exploded all over the internet! One day I had never heard of them, and the next day I saw them everywhere! Some of them are so cute and creative (you should definitely google cake pops and look at some of the images for ideas!). I decided to try my hand at them and see if I liked them or not. I tried them two ways, with the stick pointing into the air (cake down on the pan) and the stick going down (like an actual sucker). Putting the cake on the pan was a lot easier for me. If you want them to be like actual suckers, put them in a piece of styrofoam to keep their shape.

My husband totally loves these! He asks me to make them all the time. I mean who doesn't love cake? And little tiny bite size pieces on a stick? Can't get much better than that! These are perfect for any sort of celebration. A party, wedding, baby shower, bridal shower ... you name it.




Cake Pops

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box) - I made two batches, one was chocolate and one was red velvet
1 16oz tub frosting (I used chocolate for the chocolate cake and cream cheese for the red velvet)
1 package of chocolate bark or candy melts (if you want to drizzle with additional colors, choose as many as you'd like)

Sucker sticks

Directions:
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl. Break apart either with hands or my kitchen aid mixer was really fast!
2. Mix thoroughly with 1/2-1 tub frosting. (I used about 3/4 of a tub of frosting). Again, you can mix with your hands...or a kitchen aid mixer works really well!
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. I used my cookie scooper to get a consistent size and I ended up with 48)
4. Chill
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Insert about 1/4" of one end of the sucker stick into the chocolate and then insert the sucker stick into the ball. (This will hold the sucker sticks in like glue and makes it easier when you start to coat the cake).


7. Chill again
6. Reheat chocolate if needed. Roll balls in chocolate and place on wax paper until firm. Drizzle with additional colors if you choose and decorate as desired!

**If your melted chocolate is a little too thick and weighs too much for your cake pop, you can thin it out a little with a little bit of vegetable oil**

White Chocolate Orange Cookies

White Chocolate Orange Cookies
(Recipe found at www.landeeseelandeedo.com)

1 cup butter (not margarine), softened to room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp orange zest
2 cups white chocolate chips

Mix butter and sugars until creamy. Beat in egg. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix in. When you have a good dough consistency, add the orange zest and the white chocolate. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350. Cool on wire racks.

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes with a Whipped Ganache Frosting

I have a friend who along with her 4 year old son, has Celiac Disease. They cannot process gluten, which means most baked goods are off limits. I have been wanting to take them treats but didn't want either her or her son to be left out, so I looked for a recipe that the entire family could enjoy. People at school had made flourless chocolate cakes with a poured ganache over the top, so I took that idea and just made it into smaller portions. Instead of a poured ganache, I whipped mine and then I was able to frost them instead. They turned out delicious. They are a very rich dessert and one that is a must have for any chocolate lover.



Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes (Gluten Free)
(Recipe found at glutenfreecooking.about.com, submitted by Teri Gruss)

**This recipe will make 24 cupcakes**

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs (or 7 medium eggs)
1 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

1. Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over medium low heat until melted and smooth.
2. Add sugar and salt and reduce heat to low. Cook while stirring for about one minute, or until sugar starts to dissolve. (The mixture will still be grainy, the sugar will not fully dissolve until they are baked)
3. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. (Mixture will look smooth and glossy)
4. Use a mesh hand sieve to sift cocoa into mixture. This will prevent lumps. Whisk until the cake batter is smooth.
5. Pour batter into cupcake liners OR you can butter and dust the cupcake pan with cocoa powder if you do not want to use liners.
6. Bake for 15+ minutes. Honestly, you will have to keep checking it. You do not want to overcook these cupcakes. I think mine went for about 18-20 minutes.
7. Pull out and let cool to room temperature. (I cooled mine off in the fridge)
8. Frost with whipped ganache (recipe to follow).

(These are also delicious topped with fresh strawberries!)

Reminder: Always make sure your work surfaces, utensils, pans and tools are free of gluten. Always read product labels. Manufacturers can change product formulations without notice. When in doubt, do not buy or use a product before contacting the manufacturer for verification that the product is free of gluten.

Whipped Ganache Frosting
(Recipe found on foodnetwork.com, submitted by Alton Brown)

You will use equal parts chocolate to heavy cream. So, if your bag of chocolate is 10 oz... you will use 10 oz of heavy cream. :)

1 bag bittersweet chocolate chips (My bag was 10 oz)
10 oz heavy cream (or more/less if your bag is bigger/smaller)

1. Place the chocolate into a bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the heavy cream in a microwavable container for 3-4 minutes on high, or in a saucepan on the stove top until it just begins to simmer. Be careful not to let the cream boil over.
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for about 2 minutes.
4. Mix well until chocolate is melted and it's just syrupy (is that a word?) goodness
5. Put mixture into fridge for about an hour or until setup and chilled.
6. Whip the mixture until light and fluffy.
7. Frost the cupcakes and enjoy!

Coconut Lime Chewy Sugar Cookies

Coconut Lime Chewy Sugar Cookies
(Recipe courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, chopped fine
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar (plus extra for rolling)
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
1 tsp lime zest
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 Tbsp milk
2 tsp fresh lime juice

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, coconut, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Place 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese and lime zest in large bowl.
4. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine. (Some lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later).
5. Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk and lime juice. Continue to whisk until smooth.
6. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft dough forms.
7. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (about 2 Tbsp each).
8. Using hands, roll dough into balls. Roll balls into sugar to coat and space evenly on baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops with sugar.
9. Bake 1 tray at a time until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11-13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes.
10. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Chewy Chai Spice Sugar Cookies

Chewy Chai-Spice Sugar Cookies
(Recipe courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of black pepper
1 1/2 cups sugar (plus extra for rolling)
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Place 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves and black pepper in large bowl.
4. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine. (Some lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later).
5. Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Continue to whisk until smooth.
6. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft dough forms.
7. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (about 2 Tbsp each).
8. Using hands, roll dough into balls. Roll balls into sugar to coat and space evenly on baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops with sugar.
9. Bake 1 tray at a time until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11-13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes.
10. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Chewy Sugar Cookies
(Recipe courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar (plus extra for rolling)
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Place 1 1/2 cups sugar and cream cheese in large bowl.
4. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine. (Some lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later).
5. Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Continue to whisk until smooth.
6. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft dough forms.
7. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (about 2 Tbsp each).
8. Using hands, roll dough into balls. Roll balls into sugar to coat and space evenly on baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops with sugar.
9. Bake 1 tray at a time until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11-13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes.
10. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Variations:

Chewy Chai-Spice Sugar Cookies can be found here
Chewy Coconut-Lime Sugar Cookies can be found here

Poor Man Skor Bars

Poor Man Skor Bars
(Thanks for the recipe Debbie!)

Ingredients:
2 sleeves saltine crackers
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
1-2 cups nuts of choice (slivered almonds, chopped walnuts or pecans)
Flaked coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Completely cover baking sheet with saltines. In a saucepan, melt the butter and sugar. Pour melted mixture over the saltines, trying to cover all of them. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips of choice over the crackers immediately. Let sit about 5 minutes until chips have softened. Spread the softened chips completely over crackers and sprinkle with desired toppings. Place in refrigerator and cool. Break into pieces and enjoy!

Banana Cake

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
(Recipe courtesy of food.com)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp lemon juice
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 1/8 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Optional: Walnuts for a garnish

1. Preheat oven to 275 (seems low, I know)
2. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan
3. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with lemon juice, set aside
4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside
5. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 sugar until light and fluffy
6. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla
7. Beat in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk
8. Stir in banana mixture
9. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes.
11. For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
12. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla
13. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth.
14. Spread on cooled cake.
15. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over the top of the frosting if desired.

Coconut Pecan Icing

I am not really a cake fan. I'll admit, sometimes it's good..but usually in moderation. The exception in my book is German Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Icing. Delicious. This homemade icing doesn't disappoint.


Coconut Pecan Icing
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/3 cups (7 oz) sweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans, toasted (either in 350 degree oven until browned about 8 minutes, or on the stove top in a frying pan)

1. Whisk yolks in medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in evaporated milk. Add sugars, butter and salt and cook over medium high heat whisking constantly until mixture is boiling, frothy and slightly thickened (about 6 minutes).

2. Transfer mixture to bowl, whisk in vanilla, then stir in coconut. Cool until just warm, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool or cold, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

3. Stir in pecans just before cake assembly.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and this time of year especially! I've only ever made the cheater cookies where you add one can of pumpkin to one box spice cake mix and add chocolate chips and then bake. I was excited when I found this recipe and it didn't disappoint. They were delicious and super soft!




Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
(courtesy of Food Network, specifically George Duran)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups (12 ounce bag) of milk chocolate chips (not semisweet)
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

If there was a list of my top favorite chocolate chip cookies, this would definitely, hands down be on it ... most likely at the top! They are super delicious and my husband goes crazy whenever I make them. He's a major chocolate fanatic. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!



Super Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies:

3/4 cup butter flavored crisco
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp vanilla (the cheap kind. If you use the 100% vanilla use a lot less)
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine the crisco, sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until blended. Beat in egg.
3. Combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a separate bowl. Beat into mixture at low speed. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet
5. Bake 8-9 min. for chewy cookies, 11-13 min. for crisp.

Let cool and enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

This pound cake is super delicious! I found it on this website and decided to try it out. It is probably one of my favorite pound cakes I've ever tried.




Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
2 tsp orange zest (peel)
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
8 oz sour cream (1 cup)
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cranberries
2 apples, diced

Preheat oven to 350

1. Grease and flour a bundt pan (extremely well or the top of the cake will stick and get stuck in it)
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in orange zest and vanilla.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
4. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in sour cream.
5. Fold in cranberries and apples.
6. Pour batter (it's really thick) into the greased bundt pan. Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool about 15-30 minutes before removing from the pan.
7. Drizzle on the glaze while the cake and the glaze is still warm.

Glaze

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1 cube butter
1/2 cup half and half

1. In a medium saucepan mix the sugar and the flour. Stir in butter and half and half.
2. Cook over medium head until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly
3. Drizzle over cake while still warm

Derby Pie

Derby Pie

(Enough filling for 1, 10” or 2, 8” pies)

2 eggs

½ cup butter

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup flour

1 cup sugar

¼ tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp bourbon (Optional)

Melt butter. Add flour, sugar and slightly beaten eggs. Stir in nuts. Add vanilla. Stir in chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, the top should be golden brown.

(You will need to pre-bake your pie crusts for this recipe, bake them for 10-15 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Let them cool and then fill with pie filling)

Ready to go in the oven:

Cut open. You can see how the chocolate chips all sink to the bottom:

Cheesecake

Cheesecake

(Makes 3, 8” or 2, 10” cheesecakes)

Graham cracker crust

3 lbs 9 oz (7 cups) Cream cheese, room temperature

1 lb 2 oz (2 ¼ cups) sugar

¼ oz (1 ½ tsp) salt

15 oz (1 ½ cups + 1 Tbsp) eggs (Probably around 15 medium eggs)

1 ½ oz (3 Tbsp) egg yolk

7 ½ oz (3/4 cup + 3 Tbsp) heavy cream (or sour cream will work as well)

.75 oz (4 ½ tsp) vanilla extract

1. Coat the cake pans with a light film of fat and line them with parchment circles

2. Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of each pan

3. Combine the cream cheese, sugar and salt and mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment, occasionally scraping down the bowl, until the mixture is completely smooth, about 3 minutes

4. Whisk the eggs and egg yolks together. Add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture in very small amounts, making sure to scrape down the sides after each addition and making sure they are fully incorporated. This may take up to 6 additions. This will make it so it is not lumpy and perfectly smooth.

5. Add the heavy cream and vanilla, mix until fully incorporated

6. Add batter to pans, gently tap to release air bubbles

7. Bake in a hot water bath at 325 (or 300) until the centers of the cakes are set, about 1 hour

8. When the timer goes off, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecakes in the oven without opening the door for 30 minutes – 1 hour

9. Cool the cakes completely in the pans on wire racks. Wrap the cakes in plastic and refrigerate overnight to set.

Variations:

Chocolate cheesecake: To 4 cups batter for 1, 8” cake, add 5 Tbsp sifted cocoa powder and blend well.

White chocolate cheesecake: To 5 cups batter for 1, 8” cake, add ¾ cup melted white chocolate and blend well.

Marble cheesecake: To 1 cup batter for 1, 8” cake, add 4 Tbsp melted bittersweet chocolate: Pour the chocolate batter into 4 cups plain batter and gently swirl three or four times with the end of a wooden spoon. Do not over mix. Pour the marbleized batter into the prepared pan and proceed as directed above

Lemon cheesecake: To 5 cups batter for 1, 8” cake, add 4 Tbsp lemon juice and the grated zest of one lemon and blend well.

Pumpkin cheesecake: To 3 cups batter for 1, 8” cake, add 1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree and blend well.

Easy Pie Crust

Easy Pie Crust

This is a 3, 2, 1 recipe.

3 parts flour

2 parts fat

1 part water

Normally it’s made with 3lbs flour, 2 lbs fat, 1 lb water but that makes a giant batch! It probably makes around 10+ pies so I am going to cut it in half.

Also you can use a variety of fats for this. You can use butter, shortening or lard either by themselves or a combination of the three. Pure butter tastes the best, but doesn’t hold up as well under the heat of the oven. Shortening holds up well but doesn’t taste as good and lard makes the flakiest crust of all. I like to use half butter, half shortening for mine.

This half batch makes about 6-7 pie crusts:

1 ½ lb (3 cups) flour

½ lb (1 cup) butter, cold

½ lb (1 cup) shortening

½ lb (1 cup) ice water

1-2 tsp salt or sugar (depending on your pie – if it’s super sweet, add salt. If it’s not, add sugar)

The trick to good pie crust is to keep it as cold as possible. Use cold butter, ice water and put the dough in the fridge when the butter starts to melt in your hands to cool it back down.

In a large bowl add flour and all your fat. Using your super clean hands start breaking the fat up and incorporating it into the flour. You will continue to do this until the butter/shortening pieces are about the size of a pea or a little smaller.

If the butter starts to get warm, put in the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill it back down again.

Once the butter is incorporated into the flour, add the ice water and mix with your hands just until it comes together into a dough. Do not knead it, it will break up the butter chunks.

Roll it out and put into a pie plate. Once it’s in the pie plate, you don’t have to worry about chilling it anymore. If you mess up on rolling the first time, put that part of the dough into the fridge and work with the rest of the dough.

Shape and use like normal pie crust.

Hot Chocolate Layer Cake with Homemade Marshmallows

This year for Mart's birthday I wanted to make him something special. I am not much of a baker, but this really wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. He loves chocolate and we saw this in a magazine at school. It was delicious! The cake was really dense, almost like a brownie crossed with cake. It was so rich that a small slice is more than enough.

Hot Chocolate Layer Cake with Homemade Marshmallows

For the cake:

6 oz (3/4 cup) unsalted butter; more for the pans

13 ½ oz (3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pans

¾ cup canola oil

4 ½ oz bittersweet chocolate; finely chopped (I used chocolate chips)

3 cups white sugar

2 ¼ oz (3/4 cup) natural unsweetened cocoa powder (If you use Dutch cocoa powder, don’t use any baking soda. Use baking powder instead and double what it should have been for the soda. i.e. 1 tsp baking soda = 2 tsp baking powder instead)

3 large eggs, at room temperature

¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 Tbs. vanilla extract

2 ½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

For the frosting:

2 ½ cups heavy cream

3 oz (6 Tbs) unsalted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract (originally called for 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out)

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used chocolate chips)

2 cups white sugar

6 oz cocoa powder

½ cup corn syrup

¼ tsp kosher salt

Position racks in the bottom and top thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350 F.

Butter three 9x2” round cake pans (springform works best) and line each with a parchment round. Butter the parchment, then dust with flour and knock out the excess.

In a 3 quart saucepan, combine the butter, oil, chopped chocolate and 1 cup water. Heat over medium heat until melted.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and cocoa powder. Pour the hot chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture and whisk until combined.

Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda(powder), and salt. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans.

Set two pans on the top rack and the third on the lower rack. Stagger the pans on the oven racks so that no pan is directly over another. Bake, swapping and rotating the pans’ positions after 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cook on racks for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks, remove the parchment paper and cool completely.

Make the Frosting:

In a 4 quart saucepan over low heat, combine the cream, butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is melted. Whisk in the chopped chocolate until melted (completely melted! Don’t leave any little tiny chunks). Whisk in the sugar, cocoa powder, syrup, and salt until smooth. Be sure the cocoa powder dissolves completely. Pour into a 9x13 pan and freeze until firm (about 2 hours) or refrigerate overnight.

Remove the frosting from the fridge or freezer. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium for 2 minutes to soften. Change to a whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Homemade Marshmallows:

Gelatin 1 1/4 oz
Cold Water 16 fl oz
Sugar 1 lb 8 oz
Corn Syrup 12 oz
Honey 8 oz
Vanilla 1/2 fl oz

1. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Bloom the gelatin in 8 oz water. (Blooming is when you add the gelatin to water and wait until it absorbs it all and becomes a big blob)
3. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, honey and remaining 8 oz water in a heavy bottom saucepan. Stir to ensure all the sugar is moistened. Bring to a boil over high head stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stop stirring and skim the surface of the syrup to remove any impurities. Continue to cook without stirring, occasionally washing down the sides of the pan using a wet pastry brush. Heat to 252 degrees. Remove from heat, cool to approx. 210 degrees.
4. While the sugar is cooling, dissolve the gelatin over simmering water (using a double boiler, put a metal or glass bowl over a pan of boiling water, but do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
5. Stir the gelatin into the cooled sugar syrup using the whip attachment on high speed until medium peaks form.
6. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared sheet pan, the easiest way to do this is to place the mixture in the frame, place a sheet of oiled parchment on top of the marshmallow mixture and roll the marshmallow into the pan.
7. Remove the slab from the pan, inverting onto work surface and peel off the paper.
8. Cut the marshmallows and coat in 1/2 powdered sugar and 1/2 cornstarch.

Make the marshmallows. (Adrienne made some for her cake so I just used her leftovers). I'm sure you could use store bought as well, but it won't be quite as cool.

Assemble cake.

Here is my finished cake with the homemade marshmallows piled on top and dusted with some dutch cocoa powder!






It took me all day long, but I was so proud of my cake and really excited for Mart to see it and taste it. He loved it and it was by far the best birthday cake I have ever made.

Homemade caramel sauce

Today I made a homemade caramel sauce to top my vanilla pudding cinnamon rolls instead of store bought sauce and it was really really good. I don't have a picture, but next time I make it I'll take one and post it.

This recipe is really easy to remember, it's all in ones.

Homemade caramel sauce

Ingredients:
1 pound butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Combine everything in a nonstick pan and stir constantly in small figure 8's on medium heat until it combines and reaches the color, taste and thickness you are going for. The longer you cook the caramel for and the darker the color gets, the harder your caramel is going to be. Because I wanted a sauce to drizzle over, I probably cooked mine for about 10 minutes or so.