yum yum delish

word to my mother

2011-05-08T20:37:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy Dearest! You sure do deserve your own special mention. I would not be me if not for you and we go back and forth on this all the time but I can never say it enough. I am very fortunate to have never wished "not to be my mother" when I was a bratty teen, even in the heat of slamming a door in your face or smashing something valuable into pieces (we have a history of tempers in our family but they are balanced with our fierce loyalty to each other, deal with it). Never have you looked down upon me or offered unsolicited advice (even if I don't outright say "help me," you always know when to). You forever have an open ear, even if you weren't thrilled with what was being said into it. I will forever love your mantra "anything you do, I did ten times worse to my mother when I was your age" and thus never felt the need to "rebel" and always felt I had a certain freedom. This resulted in the above mentioned need to spill all to you. If I ever have a secret, it never lasts long because it eats me alive and I have to come crawling to my Mommy Dearest for advice.

Words never suffice for these such days that should really be celebrated every day and so I will move on to something wholly inspired by my mom's taste buds. Clean, to the point with a dash of tartness. All her and all of my love.

Lemon-Ginger Cookie Sandwiches

from Big Fat Cookies
Yield: 9 large, 18 small
INGREDIENTS
cookie
2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
2 1/2 t ground ginger
1 t ground cinnamon
1 C unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C confectioners sugar
2 t finely grated lemon zest
1 t vanilla extract I added 1/2 t almond extract because my mom loves that flavor
1 C (4 oz) whole blanched almonds, toasted and finely ground

filling
1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 C confectioners sugar
2 t finely grated lemon zest
1 T fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
cookies
1. Sift the flower, salt, ginger and cinnamon into a bowl.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar in a mixer until fully incorporated. On low, mix in lemon zest, vanilla and ground almonds.
3. Beat in the flour mixture until the flour is incorporated and the dough holds together and pulls away from the side of the bowl.
4. Divide the dough in half and form two 6-inch disks. Wrap each one in plastic wrap and refrigerate until they is cold and firm enough to roll, about 30-40 minutes. While dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Unwrap one piece of dough. Flour the rolling surface and roll out dough about 1/4 inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter 3 1/4 to 3 1/2-inch circles or smaller, cut out cookies (9-18). Unwrap the other piece of dough and cut out remaining cookies, to have an even number. Cut a circle or other shape from the center of half of the cookies.
6. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are light brown and tops firm, 15-20 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to cooling racks.

filling
1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth.
2. Spread the frosting onto cookies that do not have the holes in the center and make sandwiches with those that do have holes. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition (per1/18): 285 cal, 18g fat, 43mg sod, 28g carb, 16g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g protein

it's what's in the middle that counts

2011-04-20T20:43:00.001-04:00

"You've been silent for a month and you are giving us bars?! Really?" I know that's what you are thinking and yes, I am. "Oat bars? AGAIN?" Yes, but these are different, I promise. I make bars and cookies and individual things a lot because I'm often doling them out for meetings with large groups of people and as much as I love cake and pie and tarts, you have to save all of that manhandling with the serving knife for your family. That and certain people need portion control. Come on, you all have that person in the office (or home, ahem) who thinks that "just one slice" equates to a quarter of the cake and before you know it a cake for sixteen has turned into a cake for six. Then you have people like me who say "oh just a sliver" and ten slivers later you've had two whole pieces. I am not in denial, people, I know my weaknesses. That being said, there is something awe-inspiring about toting in a nice, round confection eight inches across and six inches deep with simple, chic . I will have to tame the pie wrangler sooner or later.

Back to important matters, these squares are fabulous and I didn't do any crazy tweakage from the original recipe...the first time I made them. I am still perfecting a white chocolate pistachio version and if you master it before I, please let me know. I have a feeling it has to do with much more sugar occurring in white "chocolate" than dark and I need to mess around with that a bit. Ignoring the chemistry behind these for now, though, I have to say, these bars have satisfied my longing for Keebler® MAGIC MIDDLES! Do you remember these? Were you actually birthed when these things were in existence? I think I OD'd on these cookies around the same time I did on Cool Ranch Doritos® and Pizzarias Chips (also discontinued) but like all things from the past, they come back and haunt me every so often and I wonder why, oh why did they ever go away? The centers to these bars have the same melty-but-not-gooey consistency when left at room temp. If you put them in the fridge, they firm up nicely and are equally as enjoyable. However, if you want a trip down '90s junk food lane, leave them on your table and nix the nuts.

Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 32

INGREDIENTS
oatmeal dough
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 stick and 6T unsalted butter, room temperature
2 C brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 t pure vanilla extract
3 C old-fashioned (rolled) oats

chocolate filling
14-oz can sweetened condensed milk, any fat content
2 C (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T unsalted butter
1/4 t salt
1 t pure vanilla extract
3/4 C salted peanuts, coarsely chopped I think anything goes here. I tried macadamias, almonds and cashews and they all turned out great!

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil or grease thoroughly.
oatmeal dough
1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for a minute after each egg goes in. Beat in the vanilla. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Still on low speed, or working by hand with a rubber spatula, stir in the oats.
5. Set aside 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the mixture, then evenly press the remaining dough over the bottom of the pan. Set aside while you prepare the chocolate layer.

chocolate filling
1. If you don't have a double-boiler, set a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
2. Put the condensed milk, chocolate chips, butter, and salt in the bowl and stir occasionally until the milk is warm and the chocolate and butter are melted. Remove the bowl from the pan of water and stir in the vanilla and nuts.
3. Pour the warm chocolate over the oatmeal crust, then drop the remaining oatmeal mixture over the top in clumps.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the chocolate layer is matte and starting to come away from the sides of the pan. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and cool for about 2 hours before cutting.

Nutrition: 341 cal, 17.5g fat, 190mg sod, 42g carb, 23g sugar, 1g fiber, 4g protein

yummy things still exist

2011-04-20T15:01:00.001-04:00

I do this a lot in life. I just kind of...trail off and leave people hanging. It's become a learned thing. Something I would like to blame on other people for introducing it to me or me to it but really it has been there all along. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and responsible for every piece of minutia that is in my life. Will my best friend be just a smidgen more annoyed with me today if I put off calling her again or will she be colossally annoyed to the point of not talking to me at all, ever? If I wait one more day to send in my grad application will I not get in? If I eat this piece of cookie will it go straight to that awful place where my ass meets my hips and force me to wear a wetsuit for my single beach jaunt this summer? This stuff keeps me up at night, every night and basically has since I was twelve. So, sometimes I let things slide and pretend they are not there and that is basically what I have done here. Not because this is a thorn in my side, more because I have let some other stuff be. LAME, I KNOW. Trust me, I have a pile of sweet treats (and hopefully not so sweet because I think even I am getting a toothache) that I'll be tossing out there. So sit tight and praise to you if you even peek in here anymore!

tricolor treat

2011-03-16T21:58:00.001-04:00

Since we boozed it up earlier and last year with the Irish sweets, this is more akin to spring and a cutesy representation of the Irish flag. I also thought that after several servings of stout with a side of corned beef, people's stomachs might want something light, if there is room for anything at all.

Carrot Cake, the Lighter Side

adapted from Cook's Country
Yield: 24 cupcakes, 1 9x13-inch cake or 1 8-inch two-tiered cake

INGREDIENTS
cake
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/8 t ground cloves
1/2 t salt
2 large eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 4-oz jar carrot baby food
1 C packed dark brown sugar
1 lb carrots, peeled and shredded

cream cheese frosting
1 8-oz package of Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
1 C marshmallow cream
1 1/2 t vanilla
1/4 C confectioners sugar

DIRECTIONS
cake
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and line your 12 cup muffin pan, 9x13-inch pan or 2 8-inch round pans.
1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl mix the eggs, baby food and sugar until smooth and creamy. 3. Slowly add the oil to the egg mixture, while still mixing. Mix until thoroughly incorporated.
4. Add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing until nearly smooth. Fold in the carrots.
5. Spread the batter in the prepped pan and bake until a toothpick comes out almost clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

cream cheese frosting
1. Beat together the cream cheese, marshmallow cream and vanilla. Add the sugar and mix till smooth.

Nutrition (per cupcake): 166cal, 7g fat, 202mg sod, 25g carb, 13g sugar, .5g fiber, 2g protein

st. pat's staples

2011-03-12T21:44:00.002-05:00

Sit down to a traditional boiled dinner, pour some whiskey down your throat and top it off with these little treats as you declare yourself Irish for a day. We're pulling out all of the stops this year with the corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, soda bread and beer. These little gems were a concoction from the most Irish person I know, Torren "I was named after an Irish Cabbage Patch Kid" Doherty. Thank you for bumping up the percentage of green blood in the household.

Chocolate Stout and Irish Cream Sandwich Cookies

Yield: 18 sandwiches

INGREDIENTS
cookies
3/4 C butter
3/4 C dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
12 oz. stout I used Young's Double Chocolate

filling
2 C confectioners sugar
1/4 C unsalted butter
2-3 T Bailey's® Irish Creme liqueur

DIRECTIONS
cookies
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
1. Reduce stout in a saucepan at a constant simmer over medium heat, until it is a thick syrup, about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup. Make sure to keep an eye on the pan and stir every so often so it will not boil over or burn.
2. As the stout is simmering, cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg and vanilla. Meanwhile, check on the stout.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
4. When the stout syrup is fully reduced, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Alternating, add the flour mixture and stout syrup to the creamed mixture.
5. Drop tablespoons of the cookie dough. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on rack before frosting.

filling
1. Cream butter and slowly add confectioners sugar.
2. Beat in liqueur.
3. Spread generously between two cookies and serve.

Nutrition: 242 cal, 11g fat, 155mg sod, 33g carb, 21g sugar, .5g fiber, 2g protein

in like a lion out like a fluffy cupcake

2011-03-03T21:04:00.000-05:00

For the sake of our auto insurance, let's hope that this freezing apocalyptic winter is coming to an end and that we won't have to worry about cars skating down the hill into our innocent parked ones or attempting to pack all of our residents in front of our house thanks to our neighbors' bogus handicap space while being overjoyed that we only had to make a ten point turn out of the space instead of a twenty. True, these things will happen as the snow and ice melt but in a less precarious fashion. Hopefully I won't rue this statement in July or something after I have parallel parked on top of our next door neighbor's cat.

There have been plenty of bright spots, however, and most of them surround the crazy amount of people who are hovering around thirty and still having birthday parties! Maybe that wears off once people start having kids? Or maybe it can't be denied that people like to have a shindig and even more so when it's bleak and blustery out. HA. I think I'll stick to my August birthday of lazing on the beach with the two people who still talk to me on a regular basis, thanks! Regardless, I can't complain that the rash of celebrations has provided me with plenty of opportunities to get creative with cupcakey prezzies and wrappers and boxes. Here are the results from one of my go-to recipes that young and old seem to enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Yield: 12

INGREDIENTS
cake
1/2 C melted unsalted butter, browned and cooled
1 egg
1 t vanilla
3/4 C dark brown sugar
1/2 C buttermilk any fat content
1 1/3 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 C mini chocolate chips

cookie dough filling
1/4 C butter, softened
1/4 C plus 2 T brown sugar
1 T milk
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 C flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 C mini chocolate chips

cookie dough frosting from Annie Eats
3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
1/4 C plus 2 T brown sugar, packed
1 3/4 C confectioners’ sugar
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 T milk
1 t vanilla extract
mini chocolate chips for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS
cake
Line 12 cup cupcake tin with liners. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
1. Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk browned butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl.
3. Alternating, beat buttermilk and flour mix into the sugar mixture until just incorporated. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
4. Pour batter into cupcake liners 3/4 of the way and bake for 20-25 min. or until cupcake tops spring back to the touch and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before assembly.

eggless cookie dough filling
1. Cream the butter and sugar in a small bowl. Add milk and vanilla and mix well. 2. Beat flour and salt until just combined. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

cookie dough frosting
1. Cream together the butter and brown sugar.
2. Mix in confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in the flour and salt.
4. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth.

Cone method

assembly
1. Once cupcakes have cooled, use the cone method to carve out the tops.
2. Make little balls of the cookie dough and place in the hole. Cover with top.
3. Frost with cookie dough frosting and sprinkle chips on top for garnish. Fab!

Nutrition (not for the diet friendly): 480 cal, 27g fat, 136mg sod, 57g carb, 38g sugar, 1g fiber, 4.5g protein

second time's a charm

2011-02-20T10:43:00.001-05:00

I love the sections in Cook's Illustrated where they "revisit" a traditional home recipe like chocolate brownies, carrot cake or corn chowder and try to perfect and rejuvenate it. Sometimes a recipe is just too good to give up on. Such was the case with these bars that Mommy Dearest made for the Christmas cookie plates. She followed the directions perfectly and regardless of what Kraft may say, they did not solidify and ended up leaking over many of our other lovely confections. Caramel Peppermint Crescents? Not a great combination.

The ingredient combo in these bars appealed to most of us but we had a very difficult time prying them off of the plates to actually taste them. I had to come up with a way to remedy the issue because caramel, marshmallow and graham crackers are too high on my list to pass this recipe up. Below is the result. You can view the original recipe for a comparison and you will see in the reviews that several people had the same issue that we did and also felt there was too much chocolate (which I pared down). I am not entirely surprised considering the process and ingredients used in the original recipe would most likely not yield a solid bar unless frozen and then your dentist would be thanking you and your wallet would be crying.

Caramel Crunch Bars

adapted from Kraft
Yield: 24

INGREDIENTS
9 Graham cracker sheets
2 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk any fat content will do, I used one can fat free
1/2 C unsalted butter again, you can use light sticks of butter
1/2 C roasted peanuts I prefer the dry roasted
1 C miniature marshmallows
1 C (3-oz) coarsely crushed pretzels
4 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T melted peanut butter for drizzling optional

DIRECTIONS
Line 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil or grease regular foil generously.
1. Fit 7 1/2 graham cracker sheets along the base of the pan as tightly as possible. Crush up the remaining graham crackers to distribute crumbs between the cracks. This was a particular complaint among the original recipe- people felt the caramel leaked below the crackers and created a sticky mess.
2. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and turn up heat to medium-high, bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to medium-low to simmer. Stir mixture constantly until it thickens and turns amber in color. Time will vary depending on your stove top but with my gas range it took about 20-25 minutes (a little less if I cooked on medium heat but be careful not to burn and do NOT walk away from the stove).
3. Gently pour and smooth caramel over graham crackers.
4. Press peanuts, marshmallows, pretzels and chocolate over the caramel. To ensure that everything sticks and to give a toasted look to the marshmallows, I will turn on the broiler and put the pan in the oven for 2 min.
5. Drizzle peanut butter over top if desired.

Nutrition: 245 cal, 9g fat, 120mg sod, 38g carb, 32g sugar, 1g fiber, 5g protein

buttered up with lurve

2011-01-30T09:19:00.000-05:00

V-Day (not this one though it would be much better to have something donated to this than a box of chocolate donated to my hips) is approaching. It is difficult to avoid the onslaught of chocolate, hearts and unnaturally winter-grown flowers. Valentine's Day is a nice reason to have something to look forward to in the oppressive static of winter (have I complained about this enough yet?) and it doesn't have to be some massive smorgasbord of diamonds and puppies and retail therapy. I would like to say that I ignore it altogether and my husband would be thrilled that the "corporate holiday" did not manage to grasp me in its clutches. However, as mentioned numerous times, my family celebrates everything and my parents always seized an opportunity to include us on this day of lurve. From a mini My Little Pony with a heart on its bum to a sweet sentiment of a heart-shaped box that was my mother's, the day was marked as something special for everyone, not just the couples. This year I am most looking forward to being at an elementary school during the festivities. Remember the days when you would make a giant heart envelope and taped it to the end of your desk to receive valentines with Transformers or Care Bears on them? When I was in first grade I even got one with a phone number on the back, quite daring for even some people I know now...

It cannot be denied that sweets are as much a part of this day as the hearts. As a little precursor I whipped up this batch of pink peppermint to spread on dark chocolate cupcakes and am sending a batch out to some much-loved people who have had a bit of a rough start to the year. I think Torren would rather I showered the love of the Hallmark holiday elsewhere anyway.

Boiled Buttercream

Yield: 24 servings
*Warning: this is not a frosting that will hold up well on hot days.

INGREDIENTS
1 C milk
1/4 C all-purpose flour, sifted this is important or it will be lumpy!
1 C unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
2 t vanilla extract for altering the flavor to mint almond or otherwise, I reduce the vanilla to 1 t and add in 1/4 t of the additional extract

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium saucepan, continually whisk together the sifted flour and milk on medium heat until the mixture thickens to a spreadable paste. Stir in extracts. Let cool completely.
2. Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fully combined.
3. Beat in cooled flour mixture starting on medium speed. Then beat on high until the frosting is light, almost like a whipped cream, about 3-5 minutes. Decorate to your liking.

Just to know, this frosting is less sweet than buttercream with confectioners sugar and has a slightly more granulated texture due to the sugar used.

Nutrition: 117 cal, 7g fat, 0mg sod, 13g carb, 12g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g protein

and on the snow day, we bake

2011-01-27T23:08:00.001-05:00

The latest dumping of snow left me with yet another a day off from school and I felt compelled to crank up the oven, toast my house and lick some batter off of a spoon (one of these days my Mommy Dearest will be proven right and I will get salmonella but I am willing to risk it). Inspired by the ever trendy shade of "winter sludge grey" that was piling up outside my windows from the plows, I decided to work on a dark chocolate cake with bright white frosting while trying to replicate that Oreo® taste.

Basically, the filling of an Oreo® is sweet without a defining flavor, not even much vanilla, and the cookie is very dark with little else than cocoa powder and sugar. I knew it would take a rich cocoa powder and plenty of it to replicate the color. After much trial and error, this is the most similarly tasty version without sacrificing moisture, a problem that chocolate cakes often present.

Oreo Cake

Yield: 24 cupcakes, 1 two or three layered cake

INGREDIENTS
cake
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
2 C all-purpose flour
1 C cocoa powder love my Hershey's® Special Dark, it really created the Oreo® taste
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 C butter milk any fat content, I made my own with skim milk
3/4 C butter, melted and cooled
1 C boiling water

frosting
3 C confectioners' sugar
3/4 C shortening (not butter)
1/2 T vanilla
2 T milk
crushed Oreos® optional
DIRECTIONS
cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Fill two standard sized 12-space cupcake tins with liners. If making cake, you can either grease two 9-inch cake pans or three 8-inch cake pans.
1. Combine dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Whisk (do not use an electric mixer) in all wet ingredients except boiling water until just combined.
3. Stir in boiling water, batter will be thin.
4. Pour batter into tins or pans. For cupcakes, bake for 20-25 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. For cake, bake for 30-35 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before removing to frost.

frosting
1. Beat shortening, with electric mixer.
2. Slowly add confectioners' sugar until combined.
3. Beat in vanilla and milk.
4. Spread frosting over cooled cake and sprinkle with crushed cookies if you desire.

Nutrition (per 1 cupcake or 1/24): 283 cal, 12g fat, 106mg sod, 41g carb, 31g sugar, 1g fiber, 2g protein

a bright spot in days of grey

2011-01-21T18:04:00.002-05:00

I actually saw two rainbows through the winter snow while driving in Upstate New York. I have seen rainbows many times as I drove along I-90 but never in the winter. (Inclement weather waits for me to hit the road or it is an ever present thing in Upstate. I believe it is the latter.) It was like one of those black and white photos that have been colorized to emphasize a certain subject or aspect minus the cheese factor (we're all entitled to our opinions, maybe you love Comic Sans, too? There, there, your new prescription lenses are on their way.). Regardless, the affect was something I cannot describe. Kind of a little prezzie reminding me that even winter in its harsh, grey glory had gifts to give.

I am done waxing poetic. These are my little rainbow winter prezzies. They are easy and tasty and I have found that dudes and kids (synonymous, no?) enjoy them especially.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Rounds

Yield: about 6 dozen

INGREDIENTS
2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C + 2 T Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
3/4 C unsalted butter, room temp.
1/2 C reduced fat creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 C + 1/3 C firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1 medium (11.4 oz) package Peanut Butter M&M's®, 6 dozen counted and set aside, crush the remaining M&M's® into small pieces
6 dozen chocolate covered pretzels I used an entire box of these

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
1. Cream brown sugar, peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggs and vanilla until combined.
2. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended. Stir in crushed M&M's®.
3. Roll a half tablespoon amount of dough per each cookie, place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
4. Bake one baking sheet at a time for 8-9 minutes or until set. Do not over-bake.

ASSEMBLY
1. Immediately after removing cookies from the oven, press a chocolate covered pretzel on the top of each cookie.
2. As the chocolate is melting slightly, quickly press an M&M® on top of each pretzel.
3. Move cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition: 85 cal, 4g fat, 56mg sod, 11g carb, 5g sugar, .5g fiber, 1g protein

dark treats for dark winter days

2011-01-09T18:22:00.000-05:00

In the dead of winter after all of the festivities have passed, a little cloud of sadness sometimes appears as you hope for spring to arrive. This cloud may be a little larger and darker with lake effect snow and blizzard-like winds if you live in the Northeast. Curses on you if you are basking in the glow of Texas sunshine. Or maybe I should say "you are so lucky and beautiful, would you please send me a plane ticket?"

During these long months as the days ever so slowly gain light, we need something to warm our hearts, brains and stomachs. Caramel and chocolate are perfect dead-of-winter flavors and these will most certainly tide you over until the last signs of snow melt away by the end of Mar...{cough}May. I did say that we live in the Northeast.

Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies

from Southern Living Incredible Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen

INGREDIENTS
1 C butter or margarine, softened
1 C sugar
1 C firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla extract
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa I love Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa®
1 t baking soda
1 C chopped pecans, optional
9 oz package of chocolate covered caramels Rolo®s and Caramel Kisses® work well

DIRECTIONS
1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until blended after each addition.
2. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Cover dough and refrigerate for at least 30 min.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape one tablespoon dough around each chocolate piece, covering completely, to form balls.
4. If desired, gently press the top of each ball into the chopped pecans. In my world, kids won't touch anything with nuts on it and my lovely grandmother cannot have them so I skipped this step.
5. Place balls, pecan sides up, 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove from baking sheets; cool completely on wire racks.

Nutrition: 114 cal, 5g fat, 37mg sod, 17g carb, 11g sugar, .5g fiber, 2g protein

in with the new

2011-01-02T20:12:00.002-05:00

People are bidding adieu to 2010 and sending a "hollllaaaa!" to 2011 all over the place. Looking back to a year ago I was waffling over life decisions and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with myself by pinning no less than twelve career possibilities up on our living room wall. Fortunately, many (literally) did not stick and I think I am truly enjoying what I am doing right now. I just need to curb the procrastinating and finally wrap up some loose ends.

I figured I should post something that is a fresh start to the year and has been a recipe that I have long wanted to do but has made me a little wary. These Venetians or Neopolitans or Seven Layer Cookies as sometimes called elsewhere, are an easy segue into a petit four and I think I'll be able to tackle the real thing soon enough. These take a little while due to the baking of the layers and a lack of multiple 9x13-inch dishes but the prep and assembly was surprisingly easy and I will definitely make these again.

Happy 2011 and here's to tackling something new and perhaps a little daunting!

Venetians

adapted from Good Housekeeping
Yield: 56

INGREDIENTS
7 oz. macaroon or almond paste
1-1/4 C butter or margarine, softened
1 C granulated sugar
4 large eggs (separated)
2 C sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 T almond extract
1/4 t salt
20 drops red food coloring
20 drops green food coloring
1 (12 ounce) jar apricot or peach jam
4 oz. semi or bittersweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS
Grease three 9x13-inch baking pans. If you are not blessed an abundance of space and bake ware (like me) to own three, you will just have to take a little extra time and prep the dish three times. Line with wax paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Combine almond paste, sugar, butter, egg yolks and almond extract. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat in flour and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. With a wooden spoon, fold into the almond mixture.
3. Divide dough into three 1-1/2-cup portions. Fully stir red coloring to one of the portions, green to another and leave the last colorless. Spread the batter in the three separate prepared pans (keeping the colors separate). If you are using less than three pans, cover the extra dough with plastic wrap so it won't dry out. Bake for 15 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. (Each layer will be 1/4 inch thick). Remove cakes from pan immediately. Cool thoroughly.

assembly
1. Stack layers in a 9x13 inch pan, spreading the fruit jam between layers (no jam on top layer).
2. For the record, I skipped this step due to time constraints and lived to tell the tale. If you have the time though, it would be ideal. Place second 9x13-inch pan or baking sheet on top layer and weigh down with two 5 pound bags of sugar or flour. Refrigerate overnight.
3. Melt chocolate in a double boiler and spread over cake. Allow to set. Trim edges and cut into 1-inch squares. Again, I actually cut the squares shortly after spreading the chocolate while it was still soft. This prevented any cracking of the chocolate, something I suspected might happen if it were cold.

Nutrition: 122 cal, 6g fat, 18mg sod, 16g carb, 7g sugar, 0g fiber, 1.5g protein

...and to all a good night

2010-12-25T17:44:00.001-05:00

I'll spare you the blathering as a holiday present. Let's get to the point. You will definitely scream "whoopie!" and spew red and white winterfulness after taking a bite of these. A light hint of cocoa paired with the biting peppermint is pretty close to perfection. Merry, happy and peace to all.

Peppermint Red Velvet Whoopies

adapted from Paula Deen
Yield: 24 pies

INGREDIENTS
pies
3 C all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C canola oil
1/2 C shortening
One 1-ounce bottle red food coloring
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 C buttermilk

peppermint filling
5 T all-purpose flour
1 C milk
1/4 C sugar
3/4 C confectioner's sugar
8 T (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 C solid vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 t peppermint extract
crushed peppermint candies

DIRECTIONS
pies
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets.
1. Sift the flour, baking soda, and cocoa together. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, shortening, food coloring, and vanilla.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs together until they turn pale and double in volume.
3. Add the oil mixture and beat to combine.
4. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in five small additions, starting and ending with the flour.
5. Drop the batter by teaspoons onto the baking sheets, allowing 1 inch between drops, as the cookies will spread. You’ll be making 48 cookies. Bake until the cookies are firm but not crisp, 8-10 minutes. Transfer immediately to racks to cool.

filling
1. Put the flour into a medium saucepan and slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until very thick, about 3 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
2. Cream the sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla and peppermint extracts with an electric mixer.
3. Add the cooled flour mixture and whip until fluffy.
4. Spread onto one cookie and top it with another to make a sandwich; repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Roll edges in crushed peppermint. Cover the filled whoopie pies with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition: 297 cal, 17g fat, 74mg sod, 34g carb, 20g sugar, .3g fiber, 2.5g protein

spinning my pinwheels

2010-12-23T16:59:00.001-05:00

This is a recipe I have been eying for a good chunk of my life as we combed through recipes in this cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens®. This book has provided the basis for my dad's awesome biscotti and one of my all-time favorite cookies, Coconut Jumbles. I remember looking through the book as a kid after my dad told me to pick a favorite and how could I deny a pink-fluffy confection with coconut on top?! Those have been a cookie plate standard every since. Thank you Father Fartknocker, tee-hee. Now that I am happily contributing to the family diabetes plate, I thought it time to attempt these pretty (and also pinkish) pinwheel cookies. They always looked to be difficult but thankfully it is more in the design and less in the actual work. I hope to make them again next year but with perhaps a few edits. These are scrumptious but fragile even with the edition of shortening. I can't have fragile cookies when they travel through three states and over 350 miles. The dough also warmed up very quickly after sitting in the fridge well over twenty-four hours and stuck bit during the rolling process so be a little generous with the "lightly flour surface." Regardless though, I was happy with the outcome and intend to try the fluted edge next year to make them super fanciful.

Cherry Cheese Pinwheels

from Cookies, Cookies, Cookies and Any-Day Treats
Yield: 36

INGREDIENTS
dough
1/3 C butter, softened
1/3 C shortening
3/4 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 egg
2 T milk
1 t vanilla
2 C all-purpose flour

cherry cheese filling
4 oz cream cheese or neufchatel cheese, softened
2 T sugar
1/4-1/2 C chopped dried cherries

DIRECTIONS
dough
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
3. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat in the flour on low speed. Divide dough into fourths. Cover; chill about 3 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

cherry cheese filling
1. Combine cream cheese or reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir in dried cherries. Makes about 3/4 cup.

assembly
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll a portion of the dough into a 10x5-inch rectangle. Using a fluted pastry wheel or a sharp knife, cut dough into eight 2 1/2-inch squares. Place squares 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
2. Cut 1 inch slits from each corner toward the center of each square. Spoon a level teaspoon of filling onto center of each square. Fold every other tip in corners to center of squares to form a pinwheel; press gently to seal. If desired, sprinkle tops with flaked coconut.
3. Repeat with remaining dough, and filling. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a wire racks and let cookies cool.

Nutrition: 84 cal, 4g fat, 52mg sod, 11g carb, 6g sugar, 1g fiber, 1g protein

lend me an ear and i'll sing you a song...

2010-12-22T19:19:00.001-05:00

Inundated. That is a good way to describe how I feel at this time of year. I wasn't feeling super cheerful due to the endless list of things I wanted/needed (I'm very OCD, they are practically the same thing to me) to do this season. However, I found myself exclaiming "I LOVE CHRISTMAS!" after several sweet fourth graders deposited presents on my desk. Now, that sounds materialistic but the stuff had nothing to do with it. These sweet children thought of me when I am not even their teacher. I am merely an adult in their classroom that helps take care of one of their friends on a daily basis. Over seventy percent of children in this city live in the "low-income" or below bracket. Many receive free school lunch. The fact that they took time and family money to show they cared is beyond comprehension. Several more students started lamenting that they needed to run out and get me a gift after seeing a few peers do so. Over an over I pleaded that they save their money and just the thought to care was more than a present to me. So thankfully, some agreed and cute little handmade cards made their way to my desk and I will treasure them always. How can working in an elementary school not be the most fulfilling thing ever? I am already plotting my end-of-school-year present to them in hopes of showing them a fraction of how they make me feel. I have never felt more "holiday cheer" than at this school this week.

Thank you for letting me chat your ear off. Now I will share my ears, these yummy-scrumbo Elephant Ears, with you. Hopefully you can take a minute to savor and enjoy and let the rush melt around you.

Almond Elephant Ears

adapted from Big Fat Cookies
Yield: 24

INGREDIENTS
dough
2 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 C cold unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch pcs
1/2 C sour cream

filling
7 oz almond paste, broken into pieces
2 T unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C confectioner's sugar
2 t heavy cream or milk
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 t almond extract
1 C granulated sugar, for rolling
1/2 C dried fruit optional

DIRECTIONS
dough
1. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and mix with an electric mixer on low speed until the largest of the butter pieces are the size of peas. The butter pieces will be different sizes and there will still be some loose flour.
2. A the sour cream and mix until large clumps of dough form that pull away from the sides of the bowl.about 15 seconds(or use a pastry blender to combine the flour mixture and butter.
3. Form the dough into a smooth ball and flatten it into an 8x15-inch rectangle. Small pieces of butter will remain in the dough, contributing to the flaky texture.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to rest and firm the dough.

filling
1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the almond paste and butter until smooth.
2. Mix in the confectioner's sugar, cream or milk, vanilla and almond extract until blended to a smooth soft mixture. Stir in dried fruit if desired.
3. Transfer mixture to a small bowl, cover and set aside at room temperature for up to 1 hour or refrigerate if leaving overnight.

assembly
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare to roll the dough by sprinkling flour and sugar on a work surface and rolling pin.
1. Remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap and roll the dough to a 14x12-inch rectangle. Don't flip the dough over while rolling, but lift and turn it several times as you roll it to prevent it from sticking to the rolling surface, sprinkling sugar generously on the rolling surface.
2. Use a thin spatula to spread the filling in a thin layer over the dough.
3. Turn the dough if necessary so a short side faces you. Measuring along the 14-inch sides, mark the center of the dough. Rolling from the shorter 12-inch edge that is closer to you, roll up the dough like a jelly roll just to the marked center then roll the far side toward the center until the two rolls meet. You will have a double log of filled dough that is smoothly attached on the bottom side.
4. Turn the double log over for easier cutting and press in the ends of the log to smooth them. Use a large sharp knife to cut the log into 12 1" thick slices.
5. Dip both sides of each slice in sugar, sprinkle the rolling pin with sugar. Roll out each slice of dough to a large butterfly shape about 2x4-inches and about 1/16 of an inch thick, sprinkling the rolling pin as necessary with sugar. The cookies will not all be exactly the same size.
6. Use a large spatula to place the cookies at least 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with about 1/2 t sugar.
7. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops are evenly light brown, about 15 minutes. The cookies will spread about 1 inch and rise slightly and the filling may bubble up on some of the cookies and have a few darker spots. Cool the cookies for about 5 minutes on the baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition: 184 cal, 11g fat, 114mg sod, 36g carb, 23g sugar, 1g fiber, 7g protein

twelve cookies of christmas

2010-12-19T09:00:00.002-05:00

Actually, it's more like seventeen- I made ten varieties and my mother made seven. If you are receiving a cookie plate from us, I hope you like to shake it up a bit. I am going to do my best to post the cookies I made to contribute to our annual plates before the stockings are hung by the chimney with care. For the most part, I went a little crazy this year and tried out six new recipes. The only negative was that they were not original concoctions of my own. Maybe next year I will get it together and invent some new cookies. Overall, I was pretty happy with the majority and will decide which will reappear in the future after the initial cookie plate attack occurs at Grandma Suedy's house after Christmas dinner. Now, I do not want to see another cookie for at least three months. Maybe I'll make ice cream (my other love) instead...

Let's start this madness with something really akin to wintry flavors and colors.

Peppermint Crescents

from Southern Living Incredible Cookies
Yield: 3 dozen

INGREDIENTS
1 C unsalted butter, softened
2/3 C sifted confectioner's sugar
1 t peppermint extract
1/8 t salt
2 1/2 C flour
2 C sifted confectioner's sugar, divided
2 1/2 T milk
1/4 t peppermint extract
coarsely crushed hard peppermint candy

DIRECTIONS
1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, and salt; beat well. Gradually add flour to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Divide dough into thirds; cover and chill 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 portion of dough at a time, divide each portion into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 2-inch log; curve ends of each log to form a crescent. Place crescents 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
3. Bake for 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets. Carefully roll warm cookies in 1 cup confectioner's sugar, and then cool completely on wire racks. After speaking to wise Mommy Dearest about this, she said that the confectioner's sugar may have a more consistent appearance if I wait to let the cookies cool completely.
4. Combine remaining cup of confectioner's sugar, milk and 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, stirring until smooth. Drizzle icing over cookies; sprinkle with crushed peppermint, pressing gently. Let icing set before serving. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Nutrition: 117 cal, 5g fat, 13mg sod, 17g carb, 10g sugar, 0g fiber, 1g protein

the calm before the storm

2010-12-10T16:05:00.001-05:00

Christmas cookie baking is looming and I hope to post the majority of what I make over the next couple of weeks. I have made some bars and cookies already but everything else should be confections that I have not posted before. It will definitely be interesting because I plan on shaking up the cookie routine I have managed to form over the past few years of being a homeowner.

If you haven't noticed my family is the "go big or go home" type. Thanksgiving was nuts with its three days of feasting and Christmas will be just as crazy with its twelve days (at least) of cookies. My Mommy Dearest and I were going to combine cookie plates and stick to making five types each for ten scrumptious options. Believe it or not, that is cutting back on what we have done in the past. However, she informed me that there were certain cookies she couldn't part with and has since upped her five to six plus a pie and cinnamon rolls. Considering she only needs to give plates to three groups of people and Torren and I need to give away NINE plates for all of our work and family-related obligations, I need to up the ante. I have a couple of cookies up my sleeve but I would really like to shake it up this year. Does anyone have any funful options that are not your run-of-the-mill nut or rum ball? I am even more likely to love it if it ISN'T red and green because, well, I just harbor fugly feelings for that color combo.

In the mean time, I thought I would share a recipe for something that was NOT oven-baked or resembled a circle or square. With that, I bring you pudding. I avoided rice pudding like the plague because I assumed it was similar to tapioca (blech, no thank you) but when Torren professed his love for it after meeting him in college, I just couldn't pass up an opportunity to stick my finger in someone else's food. Yes, I am that person. If I love you enough, I will enjoy your dinner off of your plate. Consider it a compliment and move on. I discovered that, I, too could definitely down a bowl of Kozy Shack® (why the cutesy "K?") and have since used up much left over rice thanks to sugar, milk and an extra hour or so on my hands. This version is maple-fied (still have that jug of syrup) and I added nuts and dried fruit because that sounds enchantingly rustic, doesn't it? Did I just hear Martha call?

Maple Rice Pudding

Yield: 8 half-cup servings

INGREDIENTS
1 C uncooked white or brown rice, rinsed
5 C milk I use skim
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla
3/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 C almonds, pecans and/or walnuts
1/4 C dried fruit I used cranberries and cherries

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine eggs, vanilla, maple syrup and spices in a small bowl refrigerate until needed.
2. Place rinsed rice in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, barely cover with water and bring to a boil.
3. Immediately add the milk to the rice. Let the milk scald, then reduce the heat and cover the pan with a lid. Let the pot simmer on low for about 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Watch the pot, and stir frequently. If the rice and milk thicken, or if the rice begins to stick, add more milk.
4. Turn up the heat to medium high, and stir the egg mixture into the rice. Continue stirring the rice until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in nuts and dried fruit. can be served both warm and cold.

Nutrition: 287 cal, 4g fat, 107mg sod, 53g carb, 31g sugar, 1g fiber, 10g protein

what's shakin', bacon?

2010-11-28T15:01:00.001-05:00

So now that you have digested the turkey and have vowed to avoid poultry for at least a month, why not make room for another farm fresh friend? Bacon has been riding the trendy train for the last couple years or so. It has made appearances in everything from vodka to chocolate bars to band-aids (yes, Mommy Dearest, I will order these for you). The peanut butter bacon combo has seen a resurgence as a result. I have had it on "Skippy's Dare" pizza, "The King" burger and of course, the Elvis sandwich. Various cookie, fudge and cupcake recipes have been popping up as well. I felt that one tasty ingredient lacking, however: maple syrup. As you know, I have it sitting around my house, but I felt like it was the finishing touch to the cookies (with a few small chocolate bits, naturally) and I beg you to suck it up and test these out. I could see this working with fakey bacon, too, for all of the veggies.

Peanut Butter Maple Bacon Cookies

Yield: 20-24 cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/2 C reduced fat peanut butter
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted and browned
1/2 C dark brown sugar
1/2 C pure maple syrup
1 egg
1/2 T vanilla
2 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
7 pieces maple-flavored bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled
1 oz. bacon drippings
1/4 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. In a large bowl, stir browned butter, bacon drippings, brown sugar, maple syrup, egg and vanilla together with a spoon. Let sit for a few minutes.
2. Slowly stir in flour and baking soda until just incorporated.
4. Stir in chocolate chips and cooled crumbled bacon. Drop by rounded tablespoon two inches apart on baking sheet (twelve to a sheet). Bake for 7-9 min, remove from oven and let cool on sheet for two minutes before transferring to a drying rack to cool fully.

Nutrition: 170 cal, 9g fat, 119mg sod, 20g carb, 9g sugar, .3g fiber, 3.5g protein

gobble this up

2010-11-25T16:50:00.006-05:00

Happy Turkey Day! We began today, the day after "Hors D'oeuvre Day" with this Pumpkin Pear Strudel recipe from Libby's®. This was awesomely easy to make and I had it sitting in my freezer for the past month (unbaked) so I could whip it out at my parentals' without having to slave away in the kitchen and miss fam time. I am so thankful for an amazing first year of marriage, a healthy and recovering Aunt Potty and a forever wondrous family who is always there for me. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and please go savor some pie. In addition to the five pies I mentioned before, we are having a cheddar apple torte courtesy of my brilliantly talented cousin Em and a chocolate mayonnaise cake from Aunt Potty. Cure the turkey lethargy with a slice of sugar high.

put some egg in your noggin

2010-11-21T19:08:00.002-05:00

Discussing Christmas in November practically sacrilege in my family, where Thanksgiving rules all holidays. As most people recognize and comment on, Turkey Day is hardly observed in the stores as consumer wares shift from Halloween to Christmas in less than twenty-four hours after trick-or-treating has ceased. Maybe that is why we laud it as the best celebration of the year- we are forever cheering on the underdog or the weirdo around here, from tearing up over the ugliest dog in the kennel to promoting a public display of wearing nightgowns on our heads as a substitute for real hair (long story).

The obsession over making this holiday fully appreciated has turned Thanksgiving into a three day affair at my parentals' house. It began six years ago when they moved away from our extended family and went from hosting a celebration of at least twenty people to five or six. It was inconceivable to them to cut back on any of our usual foods (from hors d'oeuvres through dessert) and they even managed to add more to menu. There was no way that we could stomach eating three rounds in one day (well, we probably could but you would have to roll us out the door on a stretcher) so we made three. The day before Thanksgiving is now dubbed "Hors D'oeuvres Day" (my personal fave) where we are pretty creative and lenient with the options. The day of Thanksgiving is a traditional dinner with all of the usual players: turkey, sweet and mashed potatoes, green bean casserole (blech), five kinds of pie, etc. Day three is "Turkey Sandwich Day" where we consume massive amounts of white bread mayo sandwiches (Mommy Dearest claims that wheat would ruin the effect, can't have an ounce of health, here!) with little slivers of the pie we could barely eat the day before. Thanksgiving is not a holiday, it is an event.

That is why consuming and now baking something with eggnog before the "event of the year" takes place could likely get me ousted from the turkey table. Torren had to have the nog when it hit the shelves, however, and I just couldn't handle having is presence around without giving it a little try. That is where these little nutmegalicious cookies come into play. Hopefully they won't get me banned from the lemon meringue pie (my annual offbeat request) that is calling to me.

Nutmeg Nibbles: Eggnog Cookies

Yield: 18 large cookies or 3 dozen small

INGREDIENTS
1 C brown sugar
3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup eggnog
1 t vanilla extract
1 T bourbon, optional
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1 t ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
3/4 C white chocolate chips
3/4 C of Hershey's© Cinnamon Chips
1/2 C pecan halves, optional

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper.
1. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla and bourbon; beat at medium speed until smooth.
3. Alternate adding flour mixture and eggnog until just combined.
4. Stir in chips and nuts with a wooden spoon.
5. For large cookies, drop three rounded tablespoons per cookie. Space three inches apart (I fit about eight cookies per sheet) on parchment-lined cookie sheet. For smaller cookies, drop one heaping tablespoon and leave two inches between each cookie. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg and cinnamon. Bake 12-14 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown.

Nutrition (large cookies): 298 cal, 17g fat, 90mg sod, 33g carb, 18g sugar, 2g fiber, 4g protein

tapping into maple

2010-11-14T13:38:00.002-05:00

Once the apples and pumpkins have done us many favors, I find the longest lasting fall flavor is maple. Who couldn't nosh on pancakes or french toast smothered in local maple syrup through all of the cold weekends of winter? I, unsurprisingly, am also the type to keep chowing down on those warm, filling breakfasts through the spring and summer, but that is besides the point.

Torren thought it would be a good idea to purchase an entire gallon of Grade B (dark and robust in flavor) maple syrup so he could extend his brewing hobby to making maple wine. Well, I cracked open the jug in hopes of spurring him on and it has continued to sit in the fridge, taking up prime real estate from our milk and my obsession with Polar Seltzers (don't get me started on the weird drink concoctions I make with those). I decided that the jug was fair game and went on to bake various maple blondies and pumpkin cookies with the stuff and was happy with the moist, chewy outcome of these.

Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

adapted from Big Fat Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 C unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1/3 C packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 C maple syrup (I used Grade B for a deeper flavor)
2 t vanilla
1 3/4 C oats, not instant
1 bag Hershey's© Cinnamon Chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
1. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until smooth. 3. On low speed, add the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla and mix until blended.
4. Blend in the flour mixture, until incorporated. Mix in the oatmeal.
5. Stir in the the chips with a spoon or spatula.
6. By rounded tablespoon, space twelve balls of dough on sheet, spacing them at least 21/2-inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. After a minute or two, move cookies from sheet to a rack to further cool.

Nutrition: 106 cal, 4g fat, 33mg sod, 16g carb, 11g sugar, 1g fiber, 2g protein

pairing autumn with peanut butter

2010-11-07T14:02:00.005-05:00

Peanut butter and its bff's chocolate and banana have been executed often in this house. This is mostly because many of my loves have a soft spot for peanut butter. Actually, obsession is probably a better way to describe it. I am always trying to think of combos with peanut butter to meet their standards while simultaneously feeding my need to experiment with new recipes in the kitchen. I was wracking my brain for a twist on PB while using what I had stored up at home. The pile of this season's apples and a gallon of maple syrup were calling. I thought the combo of peanut butter and apple slices as a diet mainstay for picky children all the way up through adults on the run could work in a baked good. Who doesn't enjoy this combo? Throw in some oats and perhaps this can even be considered a breakfast bite.

Peanut Butter Apple Crumble Bars

adapted from Foodologie, this recipe can also be made vegan with substitutions noted.
Yield: 32 bars

INGREDIENTS
base
1/2 C reduced fat peanut butter
1/2 C maple syrup
1 C flour, whole wheat or all-purpose
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 T unsalted butter or coconut oil at room temp.
1/2 t vanilla

apple filling
5 apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/3 C flour
1/2 C dark brown sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 T cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t nutmeg

topping
1/3 C flour
1/3 C oats
1/2 C dark brown sugar
3 T reduced fat peanut butter
2 T unsalted butter or coconut oil

DIRECTIONS
apple filling
1.Combine all ingredients for apples, let sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the base and topping.

base
Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil
1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream butter and peanut butter until uniform in color. Add vanilla and maple syrup.
2. Add in flour, baking soda and salt and beat until a dough forms.
3. Press dough into base of pan and chill in the freezer while making the topping.

topping
1. Melt together butter in a saucepan or in the microwave for 30 seconds. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in peanut butter until combined.
2. Add in sugar, flour and oats.

assembly
1. Remove dish from freezer, spread apple filling evenly over peanut butter base.
2. Sprinkle crumble topping over apples.
3. Bake for 30-35 min. Can be served immediately with ice cream or allow to cool and store in an airtight container at room temp. for four days.

Nutrition: 112 cal, 4g fat, 96mg sod, 19g carb, 13g sugar, 2g fiber, 2g protein

a batty combo

2010-10-30T13:49:00.006-04:00

"Trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat. If you don't, I won't care, I'll pull down your underwear!" Oh maturity, how banal you are. I wish all parties were costume parties and that you didn't need an excuse to parade around town in a tu-tu or a face full of zombie wounds. I love seeing the random toddler with a ballet or princess outfit on in the grocery store in the middle of May. Too bad a line is drawn at a certain age where it is less "what a cute little kitten" and more "what a crazy cat lady she must be!" My husband thinks I am going to be that lady, minus the cats and plus a few extra whack-a-doo sweaters. If you're never in style, how can you be out?

To embrace this wondrous time of year I wanted to bake something that not only tasted but looked like Halloween. To me, that would be something dark chocolate and something pumpkin flavored. Plus, I had to use the rest of the pumpkin I had from the Marbled Pumpkin Ginger Cookies. I couldn't settle on bars or cookies so I made both with little tweaks to the pumpkin batters and subbing brownie batter for dark chocolate cookie batter. I wasn't sure how keen I was on the chocolate/pumpkin pairing but I think it works as long as you pump up the spices in the pumpkin and bring out that taste of pie.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Yield: 24

INGREDIENTS
pumpkin batter
1 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 C brown sugar
1 large egg
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 C pumpkin puree
4 oz. chocolate toffee bits

chocolate brownie batter
Half a recipe of your favorite chocolate brownie batter, prepared and set aside.

DIRECTIONS
pumpkin batter
Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil.
1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, spices and baking soda. Stir together and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Beat in the egg, vanilla and pumpkin until well combined.
4. With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.

Paper plate from Grandma Suedy.

I swear this has been around longer than I have been alive,

waiting for the opportunity to bear some Halloween treats.

assembly
1. Alternately drop mounds of each batter in the pan.
2. Using the back of a spoon or butter knife, swirl the batters together and then sprinkle toffee bits over the pumpkin swirl sections.
3. Bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting and placing on your forty-year-old paper plate!

Nutrition: cal, g fat, mg sod, g carb, g sugar, g fiber, g protein

fabulous fall foodstuffs

2010-10-24T18:08:00.004-04:00

Thoughts of ginger, pumpkin,apples and maple are synonymous with autumn for me. Pies, ciders and dumplings dance in my head. What can shake things up a bit but still provide the cozy tradition of fall foods? I thought I'd make my own version of the ever increasingly popular pumpkin cookie. Don't get me wrong, I love those gooey yet puffy blobs of orange usually decorated with a mountain of chocolate chips but I really wanted to figure out how to make a flatter, more true "cookie" using pumpkin. I thought the ginger cookie would add an interesting taste as well and maybe yield an interesting looking product. The overall look was a bit more subtle than I had intended but the taste and texture were a nice mouthful of October.

Marbled Pumpkin Ginger Cookies

Yield: 27 cookies

INGREDIENTS
pumpkin cookie dough
1 C all-purpose flour
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C pumpkin puree
1 t vanilla
3/4 C Hershey's© cinnamon chips

chewy ginger cookie dough adapted from Big Fat Cookies
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
2 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 t ground ginger
3/4 t ground cloves
3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 C brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 C molasses

DIRECTIONS
pumpkin cookie dough
1. Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add in pumpkin until incorporated.
3. Gradually beat in flour. Fold in cinnamon chips.

chewy ginger cookie dough
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, spices and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. 3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the egg and molasses and mix until blended. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it.

assembly
1. Roll a heaping tablespoon-sized amount of the ginger dough in your hands and place it on the baking sheet, pressing down to flatten slightly.
2. Scatter a tablespoon amount of the pumpkin dough over the ginger dough. The ginger dough will rise up through, creating the marbled effect.
3. Continue on in that manner, placing the dough on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart, nine cookies to a sheet.
4. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the centers are set, about 12-14 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Nutrition: 213 cal, 10g fat, 135mg sod, 26g carb, 16g sugar, 2g fiber, 3g protein

herbal remedies

2010-10-11T15:52:00.004-04:00

Not everyone is a fan of cloyingly sweet desserts. It's a sad, true phenomenon that I will never understand. Especially as I am sitting here eating mini marshmallows from the bag. It is with a tear in my eye and a marshmallow in my throat that I accept this and trudge on to make shortbread for my Mommy Dearest or date nut bars for my Grandma Sue. At least I will always have my sister and father, both of whom have the sweet-tooth disease.

What do you do for these batty people who want dessert but would most likely consider a meal-ender a plate of cheese with fruit? Get creative and get down with Mother Nature.

These rosemary shortbread cookies will make your average 8-year-old recoil at the "grassy" pieces and lack of artificial color but all those ladies eating watercress sandwiches will blot the corners of their mouths with pressed linen napkins and exclaim (quietly, of course) "what a delight!" Even better, they have just five ingredients and the ladies in waiting won't have to picture you toiling away at the stove with sweat {gasp} dripping down your brow.

Rosemary Shortbread

from Southern Living Incredible Cookies
Yield: 18 cookies or 8-10 slices

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C butter, chilled
1/4 C sifted powdered sugar
2 T minced fresh rosemary
2 T granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Process first 4 ingredients in a food processor or blender until mixture forms a ball.
2. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a 2-inch cookie cutter; place on lightly greased baking sheets. If you don't feel like going through cookie cutter madness, press dough into an 8" or 9" tart pan and score lines into dough to form eight to ten separate pieces.

3. Bake at 325° for 18 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Nutrition: 89 cal, 5g fat 0mg sod, 10g carb, 1g protein

choc full o' nuts

2010-08-18T21:02:00.003-04:00

I'm going to get right to the food here on this one because my random summer escapades have kept me from my oven and it sure needed some lovin'. I am hoping these are going to be a hit with my BFF's betrothed because these have similar add-ins to the Pineapple and Macadamia Islands that I sent their way a few months back since he is crowned the b-day boy in less than a week.

I love catering to other people's tastes. It makes me feel like I'm being let in on a piece of their inner workings. I also feel that if you take the time to ask and learn what they like and then spend some more time on the prep, it's kind of the adult route to an arts and crafts project. Remember all of those macaroni necklaces? Well instead of me making you wear this, you get to actually ingest it without inducing an avian attack every time you go outside. Happy your very welcome.

Butterscotch Choconut Crunch Bars

Yield: 48 bars

INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 C unsalted butter
4 C firmly packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 T vanilla extract
2 T dark rum
4 C all-purpose flour
1 1/4 t baking powder
1 C almonds, lightly salted
1 C cashews, lightly salted
1 C macadamia nuts, lightly salted
1 package Almond Joy Pieces or 10 oz. Almond Joy Bars, chopped
11 oz. KitKat bars, chopped I used the milk, dark and white chocolate mini mix because I am a sucker for variety

DIRECTIONS
Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or line it with foil.
1. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and rum.
2. Melt and lightly brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat then stir it into the sugar mixture to create a smooth, caramel-like batter.
3. Whisk in the flour and baking powder to form a loose batter. (Make sure the batter is cool before stirring in the remaining ingredients, otherwise the chocolate will start to melt before the bars are baked.)
4. Stir the nuts, coconut bars, and Kit Kats into the cooled batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread smooth.
5. Bake until the top is shiny and feels firm to the touch, 35-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the batter should come out with a bit of the batter still on it. The center will not seem fully baked. Let cool on a wire rack to room temperature, then refrigerate for a couple of hours before cutting and serving. These are a very dense buttery bar with a "fudgy" texture rather than a cake-like bar.

Nutrition: 283 cal, 16g fat, 77mg sod, 33g carb, 22g sugar, 1g fiber, 4g protein

forget funfetti, these are for a real celebration

2010-08-03T16:15:00.002-04:00

Twenty-six years ago at 8:22 AM, I was born in Syracuse, NY. My Aunt Potty claims that she, like my Mommy Dearest, had labor pains. Her boss actually excused her from work because she could not function. The beginning of an era was ushered in with me being the quintessential eldest child on both sides of the fam. I am often outspoken and bossy and give advice where it is not asked for. I also push myself without any prodding from others, feel guilty for things and people out of my control and get farklempt over roadkill and wonder if some poor animal family is going hungry. My family is my heart and I thank each one of them for contributing to my pieced together existence. My first quarter century was amazing and this past year was the perfect summation. You all deserve a thank you cupcake on this day (especially you, Father Fartknocker, for giving me this crazy sweet molar rather than tooth) and what doesn't say "celebration" like champagne? I also have a penchant for ruffles and bows, My Little Ponies were my toy of choice and "pinkandpurple" was my favorite color growing up, so help me embrace my inner fancypants, okay?

Bubbly Bellini Cupcakes

Yield: 24 standard-sized cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
cupcake
6 egg whites at room temp
3 C sifted all purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
2 2/3 C sugar
1 t vanilla
2 C champagne, spumante or the like
3/4 C peach jam

champagne frosting
1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
4 C confectioner's sugar
1/4 C champagne
1 t vanilla

DIRECTIONS
cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard-sized muffin tin with paper liners.
1. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla beating until well-combined.
3. Gradually add egg whites beating well after each addition.
4. Alternately add in flour mixture and champagne starting and ending with flour until just combined. The batter will appear curdled after the champagne is added but will smooth out after all of the flour mixture has been incorporated.
5. Pour in prepared muffin tins and bake for 17-22 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Left: Cone method, Right: Jam filling

assembly and frosting
1. After cupcakes have cooled, use the cone method to scoop out part of the cupcake top.
2. Add a 1/2 T of peach jam to each cupcake and replace the cone top.
3. In medium bowl, beat frosting ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Frost cupcakes.

Nutrition: 350 cal, 9g fat, 84mg sod, 61g carb, 46g sugar, 0g fiber, 2.5g protein

plain, simple, perfect

2010-07-30T16:01:00.001-04:00

My birthday senses are heightened around this time of year mostly because my own is looming around the corner. Growing up, however, the only other person near and dear to me who was born in the heat of the summer was my little Tesswich, exactly seven years and 51 weeks after me. I guess my mother is either a masochist or a victim of poor planning. I figure for those who can help it, they do their best not to balloon an extra thirty pounds and bring a new life to the planet in the dead humidity of summer but then again, it may be a little anal retentive to worry about such things. I suppose you could have a baby in the middle of a snowstorm {cough}Grandma{cough}.

Recently I realized that more people in my life are summer babies which means cakes to bake and hold up in the melty heat. Cupcakes can usually make it but cakes need to hold up at least twelve servings on their little spongy shoulders. Sometimes you just want to bring one, solid treat, you know what I mean? Fortunately, this cake is meant to be baked easy peasy in a 9 x 13-inch pan. However, if you want to test its weight lifting powers, I have successfully baked it into a two-tiered cake with 8 or 9-inch pans and a three-tiered cake with a 6-inch pan with time adjustments.

This cake recipe is wonderful in its rich, chocolaty simplicity. No sour cream, mayo, avocado or beer to steal the spotlight. The usual complaint about chocolate (and white for that matter) cake is that it's too dry. That shouldn't be a problem with this one and I have a feeling it has a lot to do with the lack of cocoa powder and the addition of solid baking chocolate.

This cake should be loved be even the pickiest eaters. With that I will wish a happy 2-6 to Nick McNeil, the pickiest of them all. Even though you only love burgers and pulled-pork, you are still fantabulous (and you better like this cake, HA).

Mountain Meadow Chocolate Fudge Cake (or the best chocolate cake ever!)

adapted from Sticky Chewy Messy Gooey
Yield: 15 servings

INGREDIENTS
cake
2 C all purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 C boiling water
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 C brown sugar I used brown sugar for even more moisture!
1/2 cup buttermilk I never buy it, I just do 1 T apple cider vinegar to 1 C milk and let it sit for 5 min.
2 large eggs
1 T pure vanilla extract

your favorite chocolate frosting
I'm still finding my "all-time favorite chocolate frosting recipe" but I had all of that unsweetened chocolate so I went with Baker's One Bowl Chocolate Frosting recipe. Anything that can be mashed together and only dirty one dish is a definite plus on my list. Even though the icing looked oily at first, it frosted and piped without a problem and I was able to stick it in the fridge and reheat it a few times since I wasn't able to make the cake in one fell swoop. It has a nice sheen and is holding up well!

DIRECTIONS
cake
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Brush a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with melted butter or line with nonstick foil.
1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Combine the butter, boiling water, and chocolate in a saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk gently until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the sugar.
4. Quickly whisk in the buttermilk and then the eggs and vanilla.
5. Using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined and a smooth batter forms, about 1 minute.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.
7. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and frost according to the icing directions. Some cakes need to be warm for a poured icing and some need to be cooled for a traditional buttercream.

Nutrition (just the cake): 313 cal, 16.5g fat, 111mg sod, 38g carb, 25g sugar, 1g fiber, 4g protein

keeping with the lazy days

2010-07-29T18:47:00.005-04:00

Summer is the obviously fruit season what with the bounty of berries, peaches and early apples making their way into the world and ripening (or rotting) quickly in the heat. Sure, you could slave away in your kitchen and can and jam all of those beauties but thankfully there is a queen of such things in my family and that is my Grandma Sue. So while she is busting her butt in her 90+ degree kitchen, I can't really complain about slapping together a pie. I definitely shoved about twenty pounds of blueberries into my freezer but I just couldn't resist making a fresh pie or two for a couple near and dear to me.

Truth be told, I really never liked the blue suckers if they weren't tucked into a buttery, sugary muffin. Even then, I probably picked half of them out and tossed them. (Since when should something sinfully sweet have any nutritional value?) However, as much as I can take credit for introducing that dude-I'm-shacking-up-with to a plethora of pungent cheeses, complex jams and jellies (yes, thank Grandma), pinch-your-mouth-sweet desserts and some random fruits and vegetables that require farmer market sleuthing, this is one of the things I can say that he tossed my cheese-loving way. I did not fall for them easily or instantly. In fact, I was literally whining about my distaste for them mid-bite of the little fruit during a picking spree just a few weeks ago when I had to bite my tongue. They were the biggest, most gentle tasting blueberries I had been fortunate enough to eat. The key to that success was picking early and actually knowing when to shut up.

Since the weather was hot but I was determined, I went the lazy-girl route and made a bottomless pie. Pie crust can be daunting for some but really, I didn't want to be elbow deep in butter, sweating through my shirt. Nice picture, huh? The bright side is that this is cute and fun and out of the oven all that much faster for you to dump some vanilla bean ice cream on and shovel in your mouth.

Bottomless Blueberry Pie

Crust idea from here
Yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS
crust
1 1/3 C all purpose flour
1/2 C unsalted butter, frozen
3 T ice water

blueberry filling
4 C fresh blueberries, rinsed
1 T flour
1 T unsalted butter
1 T lemon juice
1/4 C white sugar
1/4 C brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
crust
1. Add flour to a medium bowl.
2. Cut in frozen butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Carefully add the ice water, the mixture should begin to clump together into a moist ball.
4. Wrap ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 min.

blueberry filling
Grease an 8 or 9-inch pie pan.
1. Pour 2 C of the blueberries into the pie pan.
2. Combine flour, butter, lemon juice and sugar into a medium saucepan. Mix thoroughly. Add the remaining pint of blueberries and bring just to a boil over medium heat. Berries should begin to pop open.
3. Pour cooked berries over fresh berries.

assembly
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
1. Roll out cold dough (easiest between two sheets of wax paper) and cut out desired shapes.
2. Layer on top of pie filling. You might want to leave some open space on a berry pie so that some of the moisture evaporates in the oven. Otherwise, you may want to bake it a little longer.
3. Bake for 12-15 min.
4. Serve with ice cream, delish!

Nutrition: 266cal, 12g fat, 0mg sod, 37g carb, 19.5g sugar, 2g fiber, 2.5g protein

HAZelnuttY days of summer

2010-07-25T21:26:00.005-04:00

I know Nutella has a cult following; there is even a World Nutella Day where people from various blogs post recipes and celebrate its existence. Even still, I had tried the concoction only once several years ago to my Grandma Sue's prodding and I don't think I was impressed. What was I thinking?! Actually, I know what I was thinking. Every time I passed the stuff in the grocery store, I thought "this stuff actually looks delicious and will probably have to go on my 'too dangerous to buy' list." Knowing this, I still had to buy some to attempt to make something for the Nutella loving grandmother above.

Below are two recipes. The first is adapted from a recipe that is labeled as a "dense cupcake" with complaints of being on the dry side. I really like the concept of a self-frosting cupcake so I tweaked some things that I feel made it a bit more moist. The other recipe is something I concocted to please my grandma's taste buds. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the latter because I brought them to NY while we were crashing there for the beer weekend and the equation of food + my family = instantaneous evaporation. A 9 x 13-inch pan was eaten in two days. Basically, if you have a nice layer of Nutella sandwiched between brown sugary shortbread, you're in the clear.

Self-Frosting Hazelnut Muffcakes

adapted from Baking Bites
Yield: 12

INGREDIENTS
10 T unsalted butter, softened
1/4 C white sugar
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 t vanilla
2 T milk
1 1/4 C all purpose flour, sifted
3/4 C hazelnuts, toasted
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2-3/4 C Nutella

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line standard 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
1. Process or blend hazelnuts to a nut flour. Do not over process or it will become a paste.
2. Distribute a teaspoon of the nut flour evenly among the paper liners for a crumbly bottom to the cupcakes. This will total 1/4 C of the nut flour.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add in eggs, milk and vanilla.
5. Stir in flour, remaining 1/2 C hazelnut flour, salt and baking powder until batter is uniform and no flour remains. Keep in mind that the batter will be more thick than usual cake batter.
6. Fill each muffin liner 3/4 full with the batter.
7. Top each cake with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the Nutella. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition:337cal, 20g fat,146mg sod, 34g carb, 23g sugar, 1g fiber, 5g protein

Hazelnut Layer Bars

Yield: 24 bars

INGREDIENTS
1 C hazelnuts
1 jar Nutella
1/2 t vanilla
1 C unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 C brown sugar
2 C flour

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil.
1. Cream butter and sugar together. Add vanilla.
2. Grind hazelnuts to a nut flour in a food processor or blender. Mix flour with hazelnuts and add to butter mixture.
3. Spread half of the mixture on the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15-20 min.
4. Remove from oven and spread Nutella over the base layer.
5. Drop spoonfuls of remaining batter over Nutella, trying to cover as much as possible without pulling up the dough. Bake for another 15 min. at 350 degrees F.

Nutrition: 237cal, 14g fat, 6mg sod, 56g carb, 26g sugar, 1g fiber, 2.5g protein

to the heart of the mallow

2010-07-18T13:35:00.003-04:00

I have been away again but this time it was in the name of family, fun and beer. Yeah, sorry about that but we like to drag birthdays out around here. I was finally celebrating Torren's 2-6 by taking him to the Empire BrewFest in Syracuse. I'll spare you the beer-sniffing details and hoppy diatribes but it was a lot of fun and the five-hour festival went by too fast. I grew up in the 'burbs out there and most of my family remains in the area so we had some major fam time with Grandmama Sue, Aunts Mar and Potty, my brother Noonie and cousins Anniepants and little Lillie Bean. The latter of which firmly introduced us to the latest toy trends: Zhu-Zhu Pets and Silly Bandz. The Bandz are huge here in Mass as well but I was hoping they would die out before the school year commenced. Doesn't look like their intrigue is waning.

We capped off the weekend with a trip to Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown. Who knew that "beautiful" and "brewery" went together? It helps when there are acres of open farmland and an amazing architectural homage to Belgian brewing farmhouses. So glad we made the trek. Torren's love for beer rivals mine for baking and we each have been warming up to the other's obsession for a while. I stock our kitchen with crazy must-have appliances and baking pans while forcing him to taste-test my goods as and he fills the corners with a corny keg fridge, car-boys and home brew supplies while having me cap bottles for us to distribute the love.

Not really an excuse but I just haven't been baking up a storm or idling in front of the laptop because both are radiating some major heat and this heatwave isn't going anywhere. We're ending this marshmallow-on-parade with a high note. I have made these several times with varying ingredients and you cannot go wrong. Despite the cupcake shape, these are definitely brownies, if perhaps a bit on the thick, cakey side of the brownie spectrum. I have used other brownie recipes to make these if I wanted to "lighten up" a little bit. There was not an obvious difference so feel free to play. My usual go-to are thick and fudgy with no visible crumb. These have a slight crumb but are very rich nonetheless and very s'more-sational.

Heart of Darkness Brownies

adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
Yield: 24
This is another recipe that can benefit from creativity. Switch up the nuts: peanuts, macadamia, walnuts. Change up the candy bars: peanut butter cups, toffee bars, Kit-Kats. Change out the chocolate chips: white chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter. Whatever you come up with can be easily substituted. In this case, I left the caramel off and added peanuts instead of almonds to continue the s'mores run and avoid a sticky mess on a hot day.

INGREDIENTS
brownie cups
1 1/2 C (3 sticks) unsalted butter (yes, I have used half light butter here in the past without much of a difference so that is up to you)
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 C granulated sugar
1 C firmly packed light brown sugar
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 T pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1 C very coarsely chopped raw almonds or pecans, toasted
1 C semisweet/bittersweet chocolate chips
5 full-size (2.07 ounces each) Snickers Candy Bars, cut into small chunks
3 C mini marshmallows

caramel drizzle
6 oz (about 25) unwrapped caramel candies
2 T heavy cream
1 t pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray two standard 12-cup muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray, or line them with cupcake liners (way less mess).

brownie cups
1. Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until smooth.
2. Pour the chocolate mixture into a bowl and stir in the sugars, eggs and vanilla.
3. Sift the flour and salt into the chocolate mixture and stir just until combined.
4. Stir in the cooled chopped nuts, chocolate chips, and chunks of candy bar.
5. Fill each cupcake cup halfway with batter. Bake until the surface of the brownies has a glossy, crackled surface, about 20 minutes.
6. Remove the brownies from the oven and top each one with 1/4 cup of the mini marshmallows. Return the brownies to the oven and cook until the marshmallows start the melt and puff up a bit, but not browned too much, about 2 minutes.
7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool just enough to handle, then remove from the cupcake cups, running a knife around the edge of each brownie to loosen it from the cup (this is why the liners are a good idea, trust me. You can always take them off if you are concerned about aesthetics). Let cool completely on the wire rack.

caramel drizzle
1. While the brownies are cooling, make the caramel drizzle. Combine the caramels, cream, vanilla, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl (or melt in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan). Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If the caramels are not completely melted, continue heating in 30-second increments, stirring until smooth.
2. Drizzle the brownies with melted caramel and let cool completely for the caramel to harden. Do not chill. Serve immediately or store for up to 3 days in a covered container

Nutrition: 456cal, 25g fat, 123mg sod, 56g carb, 44g sugar, 2g fiber, 6g protein

you can't judge a dessert by its topping

2010-07-07T17:10:00.004-04:00

Firstly, sorry for the week off but if you have any idea what this melt-wave in the Northeast is doing to the majority of its residents, then you would get it. I can't complain, a week or two like this happens every year, just to solidify once again that people love to hate on the weather around here and that there will always be a topic for small talk. Needless to say, the kitchen has been closed. Fortunately, we've been running around with our heads cut off since this past weekend of July Fourthdom and I haven't been in the house much to experience the sweltering heat. I broke down and bought another fan. The air conditioners at Target mocked me but I'm too cheap and stubborn to do it. Plus, I think our windows are as old as our {cough}120 year old{cough} house. Not much keeping air in or out as a result.

These little yums were for an awesome family party we attended at our friend Bri's parents' house. I learned a couple of things this weekend: 1. There are some families as loud and fun and into food as my own (another party to see that match would be great!) 2. Cherry vodka and Pepsi take me back to a time when I could have more than one drink of the stuff without singing bad karaoke (I apologize for my Lady Gaga) 3. Paper licenses are not acceptable forms of ID in Massachusetts (and I assume, everywhere). I finally change my name legally and have to cough up my real ID "for a few weeks?" Fortunately I'm lame and don't get out much. Planning is smart.

Back to the eats. Are you getting déjà vu from my last post? Well, just because it looks similar does not mean that it will taste that way. Correction, they'll taste GOOD, just not the same. I have to make sure to throw that in there or you won't get any further into this. Actually, recent convert of sweet things, Rylan P. Doherty asked for seconds and I guiltily had to deny him so I'd have enough for the aforementioned soiree. I will be making more in the near future to make up for that.

These little bars are different from the last because they are baked and do not necessarily call for peanut butter or marshmallows. Rylan thought they tasted like graham cracker though so the s'more idea must have come across after all. Most people adore peanut butter and chocolate and the marshmallows just add that summery feel. I felt that they would go over well with a crowd whose palates I had not yet met. Definitely a good choice- I almost baked a pie and there was some All-American apple crumble that would have trounced that decision easily. So, where I have the additions of peanut butter cups and marshmallow, feel free to crumble up another kind of chocolate (Kit-Kats or Twix had crossed my mind) and stuff it inside and out!

Brownie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer Bars

Yield: 16 big or 32 small

INGREDIENTS
Your favorite brownie recipe (for a 9x13-inch pan)
Half of your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe (I omitted the chips so there wouldn't be chocolate overkill but some people love that)
3 C chopped peanut butter cups optional (I used milk, dark and white peanut butter cups because I just can't be simple, can I?)
3 C miniature marshmallow optional

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil and if you still haven't tried that non-stick kind (AMAZING), grease it.
1. Prepare brownie mix according to your recipe. Pour mix in pan and bake for 20 min.
2. While brownies are baking, prepare the half batch of cookie dough. Leave it out to remain soft.
3. Remove brownies from oven and drop chopped peanut butter cups over top. They should begin to melt immediately.
4. Spoon softened cookie dough over peanut butter cups, trying to cover the chocolate as well as possible.
5. Put the pan back in the oven for 20-25min. or until the cookie dough layer is firm in the center.
6. Remove pan from oven and drop marshmallows over the top. Put pan back in oven for 3-5 min. or until marshmallows begin to puff and brown. Let bars cool before cutting.

Nutrition (1/32): 242cal, 13g fat, 109mg sod, 31g carb, 21g sugar, 0g fiber, 4g protein

no bake? no prob.

2010-06-24T22:38:00.002-04:00

The seasons in the Northeast are pretty extreme and usually leave you crying for the opposite when they finally do change. Winter is unrelenting with biting wind and the pummeling of snow in all of its varieties (I don't think I'll ever understand what a "squall" is and all I can picture is a goose being whipped around in a snowstorm. Squall = squawk = goose). The summer is just as harsh with the heavy blanket of humidity and lack of breeze. Is it true that people on the other side of the country don't converse about the weather because it's so unchanging and picture-perfect? How do people make small talk in California then? I guess they are all so fascinating that they wouldn't have to worry about it.

With the glorious 80+ degree days (and I do sincerely mean that), I don't really feel like turning on my oven to contribute to my lack of air conditioning. The only time I have wanted to heat up in the dead heat of summer was when I visited my parents during their brief stint in Lawrenceville, GA. Yes, I felt cold in Georgia. That was the only time in my life that my family had central air and will most likely the last. Growing up it was practically a test in homeostasis as summer crept in: how many nights can you survive without a fan before heat renders you sleepless? Our house was peppered with box fans and adults threatening that fingers would be chopped clean off if we played with them. If you were too hot you could jump in a cold shower for a couple of minutes or down some grape KoolAid (my personal taste of summer) or solar tea. Having an air conditioner, let alone a whole system was like waving a white flag to the summer weather gods. It just isn't done. I have continued this prideful (stupid?) torch against AC in our house and fortunately Torren's family performed a similar summer ritual as we.

As a result, I do not feel like cranking up the oven and contributing to the stagnant, hot, sticky air. So what to do when you have a "baking" contribution but don't want to bake and really can't have a frozen option because it won't transfer well to your destination? No-bakes! These are so easy and usually consist of ingredients you have on hand. Often they call for peanut butter and oats or crumbs of some sort to sub in for flour. Usually eggless, I am sure that these can be made with a vegan alternative by subbing the chocolate and marshmallows and using Earth Balance for the butter. Will have to give it a go...

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

adapted from Nestle
Yield: 32

INGREDIENTS
2 C reduced fat peanut butter, divided
3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened I used light butter for half of the amount
2 C powdered sugar, divided
4 C Peanut Butter Puff cereal (like Reese's or Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch)
2 C chocolate chips
6 C mini marshmallows (1 bag)

DIRECTIONS
Grease or foil line 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
1. Beat 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy.
2. Pour cereal into a food processor and blender and crush into crumbs (this should yield around 1 1/2 C of crumbs).
3. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, cereal crumbs, 1/2 cup morsels and 2 C marshmallows.
4. Press evenly into prepared baking pan. Smooth top with spatula.
5. Melt remaining 3/4 cup peanut butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups morsels in medium, heavy-duty saucepan over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until smooth.
6. Spread over graham cracker crust in pan. Drop remaining marshmallows over top and press down. If you want to "toast" the marshmallows, you can put the pan under the broiler in your oven for 3 minutes but that would defeat the "no-bake" aspect, wouldn't it? Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chocolate is firm. Cut into bars. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Nutrition: 235cal, 12g fat, 124mg sod, 31g carb, 20g sugar, 2g fiber, 4g protein

s'more baking? no thanks.

2010-06-21T18:28:00.001-04:00

I knew it would be a little while before a post due to the weekend's celebratory activities. I did, however, get some great eating and recipe-ing in. Just in time to wear my new bathing suit, hmmm. I really need to go on a sorbet kick or something.

Anyway, because of all of that fun being had, I had PADD or (Party Attention Deficit Disorder). Does that ever happen to you? I think my entire four years of college were like that. I'm not talking drunken debauchery, I mean that excitement where you are in systems overload. Too many fun people, foods and things going on for you to focus and you don't want to miss a second of it. That is generally how it feels when I am with my entire family. We are so used to having seen each other on a weekly basis for so many years that now we live farther apart we have to cram in all of the time we should be seeing each other into a couple of days. After these "vacations" I usually go home and sleep for twelve hours straight because I was too wound up to waste time with sleep. Definitely worth it in my opinion. So for Birthgradather's Weekend, the chaos was as plentiful and delightful as the foods being served.

As mentioned before, Tess has a soft spot for anything cookie/brownie/gooey. She requested a s'mores cake but I was kind of baffled because the girl actually does not enjoy cake. Maybe the graham cracker batter lured her in. I was ready to do it but had been told another cake was being ordered for day 2 of Birthgradfather's Weekend. This was the perfect opportunity to make an ice cream cake I have been not-so-secretly hoping to make and it is most definitely gooey. Dubbed "S'mores Sensation" by Ladies Home Journal, this thing is awesome when you want a s'more but it's a little too hot for that campfire. Or maybe there's a three-year-old running around and you're doing your best not to light things on fire around her.

This cake is easy! When I do finally purchase an ice cream maker, I am determined to make my own ice cream for this because I love complicating things and it's just not real for me if it's not from scratch. For now, I'll deal and you get this quick fix!

S'mores Sensation

adapted from LHJ
Yield: 18 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 pkgs (18 rectangles) graham crackers
2/3 C unsalted butter, melted
1 12-oz jar chocolate fudge sauce originally called for two, I subbed one for marshmallow creme
1 12-oz jar marshmallow sauce or 1 7-oz jar of fluff
1 1/2 qts chocolate ice cream I used S'mores ice cream, not really necessary but fun
3/4 C toasted almonds, chopped I omitted this, too many little people don't like nuts
2 1/2 C mini marshmallows
1 qt vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Grind graham crackers into fine crumbs in a food processor. Pour crumbs into a bowl and stir in melted butter thoroughly. Press mixture evenly into an 8 or 9-inch springform pan, coating the bottom and 2 inches up the sides. Freeze until solid, about 30 min.
2. Spread one jar of fudge sauce (this is where I poured the jar of marshmallow creme) over the crust; refreeze. Meanwhile, soften chocolate ice cream and stir in almonds and 1 cup marshmallows. Spread mixture over fudge (marshmallow creme); freeze until firm.
3. Spread remaining fudge over ice cream, freeze until firm, then spread softened vanilla ice cream on top of cake; freeze solid.
4. Place oven rack 6 inches from broiler; heat broiler. Top cake with remaining marshmallows. Place under broiler 1 to 2 min until marshmallows are toasted, then return to freezer. When firm, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 5 hrs or up to 3 days.
5. To serve, wrap a warm, damp towel around the pan, then release outer ring. Use a sharp knife to cut into graham cracker shell and serve with a spatula to remove dessert from pan.

Nutrition: 460 cal, 23g fat, 247mg sodium, 60g carb, 43g sugar, 2g fiber, 5.5g protein

Photo credit (someone ran out of time to take a photo...)

leave the fire pit to the kids

2010-06-16T21:10:00.004-04:00

This week is shaping up to be insane. Many milestones (mostly good) and much family about to descend upon the parental units' household, we included in that mix. Heartbreakingly, my family said goodbye to our beloved Charlie, the standard collie that possessed the kindest, most lovable and obedient disposition. I truly fear there is no other like him out there. I would post a picture but I think there are a few people not quite ready for that yet. Tomorrow is my dad Fartknocker's birthday. In the last week the man traversed the globe, helped my family say goodbye to the wonderful pet of thirteen years, will turn another year older and watch his youngest child finish high school. Which brings me to, my little Tessellation is graduating high school. I feel like I just graduated high school. Apparently that is not so. Graduations inevitably start around Mother's Day and end on Father's Day. Maybe the parents enjoy the diversion or maybe it's kind of like a present in itself? I'm not going to ponder this unless I have threatened the planet with my own gene pool.

Chatham, Cape Cod, Circa 1997: me, noonie, tessellation

I'll get back to the food though, that is why you're here. I waxed poetic on my love of marshmallow early on. I will spare you the monologue. 'Tis the season for s'mores and I cannot get enough of them. Obviously I cannot get enough of them year-round but I suppose there are a sad few out there who can only deal with them in the summer months. Pity you, more for me. I thought it apropos to debut this recipe while the evenings are getting longer and warm-weather parties are commencing.

I am forever trying to "s'morify" something and have managed to make the typical: cookies, bars, cupcakes, ice cream cake (post coming soon) but this is by far the most decadent incarnation I have come across and it figures that I found it in my beloved tome. Maybe you're seeing a pattern here; many recipes from this cookbook are kind of lengthy and require some nutty ingredients. When I make things like this with minute amounts of alcohol, I buy nibs because we are just not part of the cocktail crowd (well, unless it's some fancy dinner that Torren's treating me to and I have run a marathon in advance) and it's ridiculous to spend so much. I have also tweaked the flavors to my liking if I don't have/can't find something/prefer non-alcoholic and IT IS ALL OK. REALLY. You're talking to a Type A personality here and I will stress that baking should not be, well, STRESSFUL.

Also, this recipe is difficult to healthify. I have tried. You need those yolks more than you know. After much research and failed whippage, cream needs fat to actually turn into copious fluffy clouds of whipped cream. Sorry if you are so brilliant and aware of this. Sorry if you love your waist and can't do it. I suppose you could always grab a store-bought cylinder of marshmallow, stick it on a stick and clamp it between a graham cracker. Or you could have a smidgen of this and forgo that drinkable cocktail, right? P.S.- S'mores cocktail? Yes, I have seen it in it's flaming glory. Just doesn't quite hit the spot.

All-Grown-Up S'mores

from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
Yield: 15 large or 30 small servings

INGREDIENTS
graham cracker crust
3 C crushed graham cracker crumbs (one box)
1/2 C (1stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 T granulated sugar

chocolate filling
8 large egg yolks
1 1/2 C confectioners sugar sifted
2 T white crème de cacao
2 T Kahlua
2 t Cognac
1 t pure vanilla extract
1/8 t salt
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 T Dutch-Processed cocoa power
12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 C heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

marshmallow meringue
3 large egg whites
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 t pure vanilla extract
1 C of marshmallow fluff

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9 inch x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick foil. I have made this recipe in full and halved it by an 8 inch x 8 inch square or an 8 inch springform pan (shown)

graham cracker crust
1. Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and granulated sugar until well combined.
2. Press into the bottom of baking pan.
3. Bake the crust until starts to brown and become crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

chocolate filling
1. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and confectioner's sugar together in a large bowl until they are thick and the color of butter.
2. Beat in the Cognac, crème de cacao, Kahlúa, vanilla, and salt.
3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat and whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly, then gradually beat into the egg mixture.
4. Fold the softly beaten heavy cream into the chocolate mixture just until combined. Spoon the chocolate cream over the graham cracker curst, smoothing it evenly with a spatula. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very firm, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

marshmallow meringue
1. Using an electric mixer set at low speed, beat the egg whites until foamy.
2. Add the salt and cream of tartar and beat at medium speed until soft peaks form.
3. Beat in the vanilla.
4. Add the marshmallow Fluff to the egg whites a little at a time, beating constantly until stiff peaks form.

Pre-assembly

assembly
1. Carefully cut the S’mores into 15 large squares (or 30 small if it's too much!).
2. Place each S’mores on a dessert plate. Top each with 1/2 cup of the meringue in a large dollop.
3. Um, yeah, don't have one of these but if you're fancifully inclined...Use a small kitchen torch to carefully burnish the meringue until tipped with golden brown. Serve immediately.

Nutrition: (for 1/30 of a 9 inch x 13 inch pan) 267cal, 18g fat, 45mg sod, 22g carb, 10g sugar, 0g fiber, 2g protein

summertime, and the eating is easy

2010-06-12T19:40:00.005-04:00

Alright, I said I would move on to marshmallowy goodness next but I just had to post this recipe quickly.

Mission: create a dinner that feels like summer. This is what Torren asked me to concoct as a theme for his birthday dinner. I have been processing this for about a month now (it was too busy to make the dinner on the actual day so the poor dude has been waiting for a little while) and I am pretty happy with what I came up with. Of course, there are lots of tastes of summer and many that I had been considering are going to be on display for Tessellation's graduation party next weekend so I decided to move on from the watermelon mint salad, mozzarella spinach pasta salad and grilled hunk of meat that I had been thinking of. Instead, I opted for an spinach salad with carrot orange and sesame that is featured in next month's Cook's Illustrated, a potato salad with dill from Kraft and a tomato tart from Relish. I am pairing all of this with beer, Torren's latest hobby and passion. Well, it's actually been ongoing considering the investments we have made in various brewing paraphernalia a the special fridge for his personal keg. It could be worse, we could still be trying to breed corn snakes...

Back to the beer. I was lured in to some great summer flavors at Julio's, considered the best beer selection in MA and maybe even New England with over a thousand options. Summer beers are often citrus and fruit-flavored which is probably why I love them so. Contrastingly, I can always have a deep stout or caramel porter, too. So I honed in on the Dogfish Head Festina Peche (peaches and nectarines being a weak spot for me), the Dogfish Head Black & Blue, made with blackberries and blueberries and lastly, a MA microbrew and personal fave of mine Pretty Things Baby Tree. Now you know why I like it. A brewery called Pretty Things?! A beer called BABY TREE?!! The label features hand-drawn little lambs frolicking under a tree. All of their labels are rendered with whimsy, I'm such a sucker for things like that. Anyway, the beer is made with dried plums (better known as PRUNES but that probably doesn't sound as appealing. Whatever, it tastes glorious).

Of course, what would a dinner be without dessert? Torren loves these Key Lime Tartlets I had included in this year's Christmas cookie tray so I decided to make them again but with an Oreo crust rather than the traditional graham cracker. It was his dinner, after all. The one thing I must stress with these is that you have to thoroughly grease your mini cupcake/tart pan inside and on the edges. Or, use mini muffin papers. I did not do either and thus the edges are a little ragged. Impatience is a bit of a problem of mine.

I had to show a picture of my snazzy pea pod tray from the parentals. This thing is fantastical; it can freeze and bake and just look pretty on my kitchen shelf.

Key Lime Tartlets

Yield: 24

INGREDIENTS
crust
2 C Oreo crumbs (1 bag of mini Oreos, crushed) or 2 C graham cracker crumbs (18 graham cracker sheets -> 2 packages, crushed)
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted knock some of the calories off by using light butter
1/4 C + 1 T all-purpose flour

key lime filling
1 can sweetened condensed milk I use fat free
2/3 C fresh lime juice 5 limes worth if using the real thing
1/4-1/2 t grated lime zest
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Heavily grease or line mini tart pan/ mini cupcake pan.
crust
1. In a medium bowl, mix melted butter, Oreo crumbs and flour thoroughly until a dough is formed, pulling away from the sides.
2. Separate dough into 24 balls and distribute into tarlet pan. Using a tart tamper (random tool my Grandma Patty gave me, it works well for these situations!), spoon or your fingers, press dough up sides of each tart space.
3. Bake crust for 8-10 min.

filling
1. After the crusts have baked, increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, lime zest, vanilla and egg.
2. Pour filling into the crusts. There may be a little left over depending on how full you want your tarlets to be.
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until just set. Let cool for at least 45 minutes before serving and removing from pan. Garnish with white chocolate or coconut if you desire. Refrigerate or freeze.

Nutrition: 125 cal, 4.5g fat, 120mg sod, 20g carb, 15g sugar, .5g fiber, 2.5g protein

my secret weapon

2010-06-10T20:54:00.002-04:00

Need to say "thank you" or "I'm so sorry" or maybe you are out to impress without giving someone food poisoning? Everyone should have a signature recipe when they want to present something that they know will taste great, look scrumptious and have people coming back for more. I have made these Shortbread Jambles (or as Mommy Dearest likes to call them, "Jimble Jamble Things") several times now and they have been well-received by everyone from your gooey dessert friend to your "I would rather have a piece of fruit" brother. They are tart and sweet enough that they play to many palates and everyone can hold hands and hope for world peace. Better still, there are many ways to dress them up or down. I have added almond paste, changed the fruit filling, nixed nuts altogether for kids to enjoy, spiked them for an adult taste, added chocolate for those that cannot do without, et cetera, et cetera.

I would love to know who has a "go-to" recipe or who makes their great, great grandmother's gnocchi and still has the original copy in her handwriting even though they know it with their eyes closed. What is that one dish whose ingredients you will keep to yourself and pass down to only the most deserving? Really now, TELL ME.

With that, I will warn you, fruit is tasty this time of year but I am also partial to the s'more. Marshmallow recipes will be plentiful.

on the lighter side

2010-06-06T14:19:00.008-04:00

I am a magazine binge/purger. I will save up various issues of fashion, food and fitness magazines until I realize that they are basically recycling the same material with a fancy new package. Then I will obsessively comb through each one to find that "ultra important" article and keep the ones that I truly cannot do without. It all started with my personal adolescent bible of the beloved seventeen magazine that I began hoarding around age 14. It's odd how you basically outgrow that magazine once you officially hit its namesake age. From there I became obsessed with In Style (thank you Grandma Patty) until I realized I could just find the juicy parts on their website. Thanks to Mommy Dearest and Father Fartknocker I receive Yankee (don't mock, it has provided me with amazing history, hiking and food of the area, I may become a New Englander just yet!). Grandma Sue (aforementioned owner of 30+ years of Gourmet) has provided me with Cook's Illustrated, for the ultimate nerdy culinary lover (it's like the Consumer Reports of kitchen gadgetry and experimentation!). Don't get me started on my love of the hand-illustrated tips and techniques (the parental units forking over a ton for a degree revolving around technical illustrating has a purpose, really). To buffer the food magazines, I get a nice dose of Fitness magazine every month to serve as a hotplate for my baked goods. I had a subscription hiatus after graduating college and moving in with Torren's fam for a couple of years but all was not lost- his mother had oodles of magazines arriving every week from LHJ to Women's Health to Parents. Yes, that last one is a gem. You can thank me later because today's recipe is coming from there, mwahahahaha. I cannot wait to make the ferris-wheel cake I found in the same issue. My mind is like a safe when it comes to crazy crap like this!

Now you're probably wondering "why bother with print when it is online?" Well folks, I obviously come from a long line of people who love tactile print for all it's worth. I love everything from the layout to the ability to rip something out and stick it on a wall or in my recipe file. Several of these subscriptions do not offer the same information online that they do in their magazine and/or there are extensions of things on the internets. I usually ogle both the print and the site and from there find links to other glorious reading. Ultimately, though, there is nothing like snail mail. I am overjoyed to receive these little gifted subscriptions every month and remember who bought them for me originally. I just love mail. We covet stationery as much or perhaps more than we do our hard drives. I won't tell you about the boxes of letters and cards I have stashed in my cramped home. Don't call me crazy, in fact, don't call me. Send me something in the mail and I'll treasure it forever.

The below recipe has been adapted to fit a certain person's {cough}torrenchristiandoherty{cough} palate. I also did some tweaking to make it "healthified" and the recipe came out tasting delish. I love the original nectarine version because they are definitely in my top three favorite fruits. It's easy to play around with the fruit in this so please do experiment!

Bluebarb Buckle

adapted from Bluberry Nectarine Buckle from Parents
Yield: 9 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 C biscuit mix I used Biquick Heart Smart to lighten the recipe
1 C sugar, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten 1/4 C liquid egg works fine here
1/2 C fat free milk
1 t finely shredded lemon peel
1 medium nectarine, pitted and chopped it couldn't hurt to add another nectarine, this is where I used 1 C chopped rhubarb as a sub
1-1/4 C fresh blueberries
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C butter I used the light stick butter here

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use non-stick foil or grease the bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides of a 1-1/2- to 2-quart baking dish (I'm lame and only have a 9 inch x 13 inch and it worked FINE).
1. In a medium bowl, combine biscuit mix, 1/2 cup sugar, the egg, milk, and lemon peel. Stir until moistened.
2. Spoon batter into pan. Top with fruit.
3. Mix flour and remaining sugar in a bowl. Using a fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly; sprinkle over fruit.
4. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool for 20-30 min. Serve warm (probably good with some vanilla bean or blueberry fro-yo, you think?)

Nutrition: (light) 280 cal, 4g fat, 360mg sod, 57g carb, 27g sugar, 2g fiber, 5g protein
(original) 304 cal, 10 g fat, 50 g carb, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein.

bring the island vaca to you

2010-06-01T18:52:00.007-04:00

Keeping with the tropical inspiration of the last post, I am going to grace you with a cake that I have been wanting to make for a while now. {Gasp} it is not slathered in frosting, as you might expect from me. It does not involve various tiers and cutesy decorating, also something you may expect to come from me. This is not chocolate (believe it or not, I am not a huge chocolate fan, I just know several people that are) nor is it marshmallow filled. It is another lovely answer to the ripe banana quandary (or blessing). It's the very adult and flavorful Bahama Mama Banana Rum Cake from my personal bible of Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey. Listen, I'm sorry if you're sick of hearing about it but I am dying to tackle many if not most of the recipes in this cookbook and it's layout is just too damn cute for me to pass it up. Of course, you'll probably need a coronary bypass after trying much of what is in there but I'll try to sprinkle some anecdotes about lettuce and stuff, too.

Anyway, this is great if you are hoping to serve many (or few for an extended period). It definitely suits the "adult" palate of those who may not love to smother themselves with frosting (I can't believe you people exist but I will take one for the team) and prefer the ease of having their cake and drinking their drink, too.

Bahama Mama Banana Rum Cake

from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
Yield: 24 servings
I am telling you, the book says 10 servings. That's just mad. It would be almost 1,000 calories per serving! Go ahead and eat that much but I warned you about the impending cardiac surgery.

INGREDIENTS
cake
1 1/2 C chopped pecans, toasted other nuts like walnuts would be delish, too
1 1/2 C (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 C granulated sugar
1 C firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temp
1 C mashed, very ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
2 t pure vanilla extract
3 T dark rum (or a t of rum extract)
3 C bleached all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
3/4 C sour cream I use low fat or fat free without an issue

dark rum glaze
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 C water
1/2 C firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C quality dark rum

DIRECTIONS
cake
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F Spray a 10-cup tube or bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, then flour, tapping out the excess flour. The pan needs to be well-greased, or the cake will stick to it. Sprinkle the nuts in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
1. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Beat in the mashed bananas, vanilla, and rum (or rum extract).
4. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt over the batter and fold in using a rubber spatula, just until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the sour cream.
5. Spoon the batter over the nuts in the pan and spread to the edge of the pan using the back of a rubber spatula.
6. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 60 to 80 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

dark rum glaze and cake assembly
1. While the cake is baking combine the butter, water, and sugars in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Immediately reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Set aside and keep warm.
4. Use a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the cake and pour 1/4 C of the warm glaze over the cake. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes more.
5. Place a serving platter over the pan and invert to release the cake onto the platter. Spoon the remaining glaze over the cake, a little at a time, and let stand until the glaze is completely absorbed into the cake. If the glaze starts to pool at the base of the cake, use a small metal spatula to spread it up and around the sides of the cake. It will look like you have too much glaze, but don’t worry, within a few hours the cake will absorb all of it.
6. Let the cake cool completely before cutting into wedges and serving. This cake will last 2 to 3 days if covered well.

Nutrition: 340cal, 16g fat, 217mg sod, 44g carb, 30g sugar, 0g fiber, 3g protein

tropical weather yields tropical treats

2010-05-25T17:27:00.010-04:00

Fruit = healthy, right? Yeah, well, I know dried fruit, let alone sweetened dried fruit, is not ideal but who can resist the pineapple/coconut combo? Summer weather is beginning to blossom up here in New England and I have been wanting to make this recipe since I received this book a couple of years ago. I found it very apropos for the season and I really do try to bake seasonally. I just find it weird to eat this combo in the dead of winter. Of course, if you want to conjure up some far off island while you're trapped under three feet of snow, I can sympathize.

Now, after waxing poetic about the perfect pairing of pineapple and coconut, I will say that the original version of this recipe did not call for coconut at all. Hmmm, why the heck not? Maybe they felt that three recipes with coconut were enough for one book. Elinor, after you wrote a cupcake cookbook where every third recipe had lemon something in it, this is really not overkill. Just in case you wanted my opinion. So I made some adjustments to the recipe which are italicized below. Also, I just couldn't pass up some chocolate-covered macadamia nuts that were on sale but it wasn't until I brought the bag home and discovered that there were only fifteen of the suckers in there that I realized it wasn't the best idea. Maybe macadamia nuts and chocolate chunks will do, I'll let you decide. For now, the cookies look like they have giant eyeballs. Maybe no one would have noticed if I hadn't said that. I just broke a major rule of critique: don't list your major shortcomings. Well, to make up for that, I will say that these are incredibly moist and I plan on making them again with some tweaks. Grab one of these and go swing on a hammock in the shade.

Pineapple and Macadamia Islands

adapted from Big Fat Cookies by Elinor Klivans
Yield: 15 cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder (this was originally 1 tsp of baking soda which I felt was not necessary for the chemical reaction needed. My adaptations yielded a soft, chewy cookie. If you try the other way, let me know!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted
1 C sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp dark rum I used 1 1/2 T kick the flavor up a bit
3/4 C macadamia nuts, salted or unsalted, coarsely chopped this is where I added the chocolate covered ones
1 C sweetened dried pineapple cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces
1/2 C sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 C milk or white chocolate chunks (if not doing the chocolate covered nuts)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or be lazy like me and do one sheet, two rounds of baking).
1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir the melted butter and sugar to blend.
3. Stir egg, vanilla and rum into the mixture until it appears smooth and shiny.
4. Stir in flour mixture until fully incorporated.
5. Add nuts, coconut, pineapple and chocolate if necessary.
6. Scoop 1/4 C mounds of the dough ont baking sheets, spacing the cookies 3 inches apart.
7. Bake cookies until the edges are slightly golden, about 14 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from sheet to cool on wire rack completely.

Nutrition: 221cal, 8g fat, 90mg sod, 32g carb, 22g sugar, 1g fiber, 2g protein

a little help from my friends

2010-05-21T19:36:00.007-04:00

L to R: Cookie Dough Filled Cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting, Samoa Cupcakes, more Cookie Doughs, Fluffernutter Cupcakes, Samoas
First, I have a question, or rather, a request. I need help and I'm asking you for it! My sister's graduation is coming up and I offered to make her something with her favorite ingredients in mind. She loves cookie dough, brownies, s'mores, peanut butter, oreos and ICE CREAM. That's easy! I know! I have made her so many things in the past involving all of those that I'm at a loss. Cookie and brownie dough filled cupcakes? Been there. S'mores bars. Done that. Cookie based, cookie dough ice cream cake? Last year's b-day. Those Oreo cupcakes? For HER. So now, I beg of you, be creative and help me out a little!

T: Cookie Dough Frosting Cupcakes B: Fluffernutter Cupcakes

Moving on...Summer, my favorite season, is looming and the schedule is getting packed. I haven't had too much time to bake (and I have to admit, my thighs weren't thanking me for it earlier) and honestly, as the weather gets warmer, I don't really want to. I hope to debut some cooking recipes and fresher, lighter yums as the warm months begin. Honestly, I had been on a huge healthy food makeover until I started this lovely writing! I love my sweets but truthfully, I am often trying to "healthify" one of my favorite dishes so I can eat it more regularly. Sometimes it's a hit and sometimes it's a miss. I know for every low fat, lower cal person there is another screaming "Blasphemy! Authentic foods should be left to their buttery, sweet perfection! Cheese should be indulgent and gooey! Don't you dare put applesauce in those cupcakes!" Well, I am a friend to both sides of the coin, just as I love my MacBook but would also take a PC considering my Dell lasted six years through college and beyond, dust-filled and all. Some days Ben & Jerry's is all you can dream of and that Skinny Cow cup just won't cut it. Other days, you just need a little something to tide you over for being really well-behaved. You wouldn't believe how hooked I am on Yoplait's dessert-flavored yogurts. Come on, you know what I mean! There are days where you are OK with the lighter, albeit processed, alternatives and there are others where you just want a slice of your grandmother's homegrown berry pie– organic but caloric! "Eat a salad and shut up" you say! Please. Congrats if you can eat one green thing after another but my mouth craves a variety of crunchy, chewy, salty, sweet, leafy, cheesy, fresh and gooey.

Sorry for the diatribe but if you do see a lighter version of something crop up (trust me, I have experimented with the chocolate chip cookie and they cannot be healthy and be GOOD at the same time, may as well eat a chocolate chip pancake because that's what happens to them), don't freak. Know that I have their calorie-filled friend in my back pocket and am happy to share that version, too. I think it just depends what you are in the mood for. Can you have that richly frosted mini cupcake or would you rather have the fruit puree-based humongo cupcake with light cream cheese frosting? There are days when my tummy wants to be full and days when my taste buds are yearning for the good ol' times.

With that being said, here's an easy recipe for stuff that you had in your pantry that can be lightened and I'll tell you how and with what:

Candy Oat Bars

Adapted from Southern Living® Incredible Cookies
Yield: 32 bars

INGREDIENTS
2 C quick cooking oats
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour try subbing half with whole wheat
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 C chopped pecans I often omit these because many people do not like nuts but if you do, feel free to try different varieties, subbing in another candy is also funful if not the lighter version, haha
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks (1 C) butter, melted I've tried the light butter sticks by Land O'Lakes and was just as successful as when I used butter
1 1/2 C M&M's, Reese's Pieces, morsels, chopped candy bar, whatever your heart desires
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk I use fat free sweetened condensed whenever it is called for

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9"x13" baking dish with foil, grease if not using the fab non-stick kind!
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, baking soda, and salt
2. Add melted butter, stir together until mixture is crumbly.
3. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of mixture; press remaining mixture into the prepared baking dish
4. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
5. Stir 1 C candy pieces with sweetened condensed milk and spread over baked crust.
6. Combine remaining 1 1/2 C crumb mixture with the 1/2 C remaining candy pieces and sprinkle over condensed milk mixture, pressing lightly.
7. Bake for 18-20 min, or until golden. Cool completely before cutting.

Nutrition: 219 cal, 10g fat, 72mg sod, 25g carb, 17g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g protein
(Lighter version, with pecans) 179 cal, 8g fat, 112mg sodium, 25g carb, 17g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g protein

chubby up the hubbies

2010-05-03T16:40:00.002-04:00

I had mentioned a while back that I had a few recipes using the same batter and here is the final installment. I had such a hankering for baking with pretzels to achieve the always coveted sweet 'n salty taste. I kept wracking my brain for a good thing to pair pretzels with and I remembered one of my favorite snacks: peanut butter filled pretzels. From there my brain triggered the great combo of peanut butter, pretzels and chocolate, a la some ice cream place in Vermont. Hooray, Chubby Hubby Brownies were born! I am pretty sure my own dude is glad that they're not around right now to give him a bit extra around the middle.

Chubby Hubby Brownies

Yield: 32

INGREDIENTS
1 C unsalted butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
18 oz bitter sweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs (or 1 C liquid egg sub)
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 C finely crushed pretzels
1 C lightly broken pretzels
1 C crushed Peanut Butter M&Ms®

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9" x 13" baking dish with foil, and lightly grease.
1. Melt 1/2 C of butter and stir with pretzel crumbs.
2. Press crumb mixture into pan, bake for 15 minutes.
3. While pretzel layer is baking, melt the other 1/2 C of butter, unsweetened chocolate and 9 oz. bitter sweet chocolate in the microwave (stirring every 30 seconds) or over the stove until contents are completely mixed.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla at medium speed while gradually adding dry ingredients to mixture until fully combined.
5. Add in chocolate mixture and beat well, it will be thicker than traditional brownie batter.
6. Stir in the rest of the chocolate chips and the 1 C of broken pretzel pieces. Press brownie mixture over baked pretzel layer. Sprinkle crushed Peanut Butter M&Ms over brownie batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Nutrition: 284 cal, 16g fat, 62mg sod, 35g carb, 19g sugar, 2g fiber, 5g protein

last call for deep, dark chocolate

2010-04-25T20:01:00.000-04:00

We are not quite in the season where it is too warm to stomach rich desserts and all you want to do is grab that blue freeze pop from a nearby child's hand and suck it down for yourself. There is still room for dense shortbread, caramel, chocolate and playing nice with toddlers. When my Aunt Potty (please don't question the nicknames in this family) put in a request for "something chocolate" way back at Easter I knew I needed something that would satisfy after the already filling dinner but not loom overwhelmingly large like a cake. I was tired of cute and had already distributed my Cottontails anyway. I went to my unassuming and refined baking pan: the tart.

Chocolate Caramel Tart

from Saveur
Yield: 8-12 servings (depending on your appetite, this thing is rich!)

INGREDIENTS
crust
1 1⁄2 C all-purpose flour
1⁄4 C plus 1 T dutch-process unsweetened
cocoa powder (if you don't live near the beloved Wegmans, Whole Foods or a cute little one-off market like we have, I would suggest Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa)
1⁄4 tsp kosher salt
10 T unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1⁄2 C plus 2 T confectioners' sugar
2 egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract

caramel
1 1⁄2 C sugar
3 T light corn syrup
1⁄4 tsp kosher salt
6 T water
6 T unsalted butter
6 T heavy cream
1 T crème fraîche (oh my lord, same as the cocoa, just use sour cream, it will be FINE)

ganache
1⁄2 C heavy cream
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Gray sea salt for garnish (or in my case, chocolate-covered strawberries, the kids I know aren't really into grey sea salt, wonder why?)

DIRECTIONS
crust
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until mixture is pale and fluffy; mix in yolks and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients.
3. Transfer dough to a 9" fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and press dough evenly into bottom and sides of pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Prick the tart shell all over with a fork and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

caramel
1. In a 1-qt. saucepan, whisk together sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 6 T water and bring to a boil.
2. Cook, gently swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and start to turn color. Increase the heat to high and boil until the syrup turns a deep amber color, 4 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully, as it can burn quickly.
3. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and while wearing oven mitts CAREFULLY whisk in butter, cream, and crème fraîche (the mixture will bubble up) until smooth. Remove pan from heat a Pour caramel into cooled tart shell and let cool slightly; refrigerate until firm, 4–5 hours.

ganache
1. Bring cream to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat.
2. Put chocolate into a medium bowl and pour in hot cream; let sit for 1 minute, then stir slowly with a rubber spatula until smooth.
3. Pour ganache evenly over tart and refrigerate until set, 4–5 hours. Sprinkle tart with sea salt (or dip those delish strawberries in some extra ganache!), slice, and serve chilled.

SERVES 8-12

Nutrition (based on 1/12 of tart): 426cal, 26g fat, 136mg sod, 51g carb, 35g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g protein

satisfactory will have to do

2010-04-22T14:14:00.003-04:00

During my attendance at Mott Road Elementary, the grading system was reevaluated and instead of receiving A's and B's, we were given O's (outstanding), S's (satisfactory) and U's (UNsatisfactory). Ick. An "O+" just makes me think of blood typing, not a stellar report card. I also feel that there is a huge leap from being an outstanding student to being a satisfactory one. The word satisfactory is just plain lame. Who says that? It's like trying to let someone down gently, but everyone involved knows that you may as well rip off that band-aid instead of gradually pulling out each hair with it. I always felt a huge letdown when an S crept its way onto my report card (usually in the "behavior" section, my mouth is just too big to be kept closed), the word left me feeling as blah and vague as its definition. Yet, here I am about to share what I feel is a "satisfactory" recipe.

It is rare to find a food that you love and not be able to hunt down a recipe on the 'nets. There is a certain treat that has me poring over the shreds of its existence, a few photos and ingredient list, while trying to figure out how to replicate it. These butterscotch bars by Whimsy and Spice have me on the hunt. I am happy with my trial outcome but I want to work on it more to achieve what I feel it can truly be. I could patronize their shop and order some (which I believe I will have to do to truly understand the bars' consistency and ingredient meshing) but I just love experimenting and feeling that accomplishment when you know you have your "a-ha!" moment. Hopefully these will reappear in the future and earn the "outstanding" mark they deserve.

Butterscotch Chocolate Layer Bars

Yield: 32 bars

INGREDIENTS
graham cracker layer
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1/4 C butter, melted

brownie layer (adapted from Southern Living® Incredible Cookies' Brownie Cookies)
1/4 C unsalted butter, melted
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
4 1/2 oz bitter sweet or semisweet chocolate
3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs (or 1/2 C liquid egg sub)
3/4 C granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

butterscotch layer
14oz can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free, doesn't seem to have an affect one way or the other)
2 T unsalted butter
3/4 C butterscotch morsels

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 8"x8" or 9"x9" pan with foil.
1. Mix graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 C melted butter together. Press into bottom of pan. Bake for 12- 15 min.
2. While graham layer is baking, melt the other 1/4 C of butter, unsweetened chocolate and 4 1/2 oz. bitter sweet chocolate in the microwave (stirring every 30 seconds) or over the stove until contents are completely mixed.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla at medium speed while gradually adding dry ingredients to mixture until fully combined.
5. Add in chocolate mixture and beat well. Press brownie mixture over graham layer.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
7. While brownie layer is baking, pour the condensed milk into a saucepan on medium heat. Add butter and stir continuously until thickened and turning amber in color, about 10 minutes.
8. Stir in butterscotch morsels until melted. Spread the butterscotch mixture over the base and let cool before cutting.

Nutrition: 162 cal, 8g fat, 64mg sod, 22g carb, 16g sugar, 1g fiber, 2g protein

red celery to me, tasty treat to others

2010-04-21T20:53:00.003-04:00

Growing up I had issues with fruit pie. Cooked fruit had a weird texture that made my mouth quiver and my stomach churn. I assume it was my subconscious freaking out by having something healthy show up in a dessert. What, no fluffy meringue? No gooey custard? If it was disguised under a heaping mound of vanilla bean ice cream, I suppose I would slug it down. Fortunately (or unfortunately for the waistline), my tastebuds' preferences expanded and pie made a nice home in my gut. Especially the super sweet ones: cherry, berry, peach- yum.

Then certain people made their way into my life and began expounding upon the wonders of the rhubarb plant. I'll eat it doused in sugar, but I suppose I would eat a napkin if it were as well. This "red celery" and its terrible tartness befuddled me. Again I thought of compromise and decided I would stretch myself to slather the rhubarb in its usual strawberry counterpart but my compromise was turned down flat. The demand was made that no strawberries be added to boost the sweetness of this tart plant. "Ick, this dessertcannot exist," I thought as I searched for "rhubarb pie." Well, gee, what hasn't been attempted yet?

Now that rhubarb is inching its way back into the grocery market and the plant in my backyard is reaching for the light, I suppose it is appropriate to post this recipe. I would say feel free to add the berries but this is actually intriguing as a rhubarb-only pie. Especially with some vanilla bean on top...

Rhubarb Pie

from Sweet Fine Day
Yield: 8 slices

INGREDIENTS

Pie dough for an 8 to 10-inch two crust pie (I used the Perfect Pie Crust recipe from Sticky Chewy Messy Gooey)
6 C rhubarb, washed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 C sugar
4 tsp cornstarch

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
1. Roll half of the pie dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Press into the bottom of an 8 to 10 inch pie pan.
2. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour into the pie.
3. Roll the remaining dough and lay on top. Crimp the edges to seal, and make five small cuts in the top with a small knife.
4. Bake for 1 hour, until the crust is golden. Cool completely before slicing, serve with ice cream if desired.

makin' whoopie...pies

2010-04-11T16:29:00.007-04:00

I have found that people believe in "their way" to make or eat something and I love the debate over such ridiculous things. Or maybe it's not so ridiculous if people out there really care about their traditions and whatnot. Regardless, the whoopie and its origin has long been argued over. Honestly, until I moved to New England, I never knew the Maine side to the story, I thought they were an Amish recipe through and through. After trying one from Vactionland, I have to say, my heart belongs to the Amish. This is the version that is coveted by my Mommy Dearest and the only kind she prefers is made by the Amish people who sell them at the Syracuse Regional Market. After my parents moved from CNY, this would be one of the main things she would "have to eat" when visiting.

Mommy Dearest had long been searching to replicate this treat for when she was not visiting home and it is known that I love a food challenge, especially when it is a family favorite. After peering at the ingredients list we surmised that the Amish probably do not use marshmallow creme as listed in many Maine Whoopie Pie copycats. Even the above article link makes some sort of Fluff-like filling for the Amish version but I am telling you, they do not list corn syrup in the ingredients and the filling is stiffer than a butter cream, much less a marshmallow creme.

After much trial and error, I believe I have succeeded in perfecting my mother's favorite treat. Or maybe she just likes to humor me. She did receive a whoopie treat tower for her birthday cake as a result. Either way, I am happy with the outcome. These whopies form a slight sheen after sitting out a few hours; almost a sticky quality to the cake. That is a must needed characteristic of these things. The filling is rich and yet not too sweet. The ones from the Market are wrapped in saran wrap and tightly packaged because they would get all gooey on the outside.

After my mother spread the word of love for her whoopies around town, she had to bring in some of the goods to her local library (her home away from home). I think they were well-received as I believe a whoopie hunt ensued down there as a result. Shortly after I was given word of the vegan molasses whoopies (molasses and ginger are another Mommy Dearest/Grandma Sue fave) from Allison and wanted to shout out to those who love sugar and their animals intact.

Whoopie Pies Two Ways

(Mommy Dearest's favorite and a vegan-friendly recipe!)

Storage note: I individually wrap my whoopies in saran wrap and then place them within tupperware or a freezer bag before storing in the refrigerator (if going to be consumed within a few days) or freezer (they thaw out pretty quickly).

ORIGINAL CHOCOLATE AMISH WHOOPIES

Yield: 24 sandwiches (48 cookies/cakes)

INGREDIENTS
cookie/cake
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C shortening
2 C brown sugar
4 eggs (or 1 C liquid egg. Vegan loves, I implore you, what is the alternative to eggs? I am sure this can be done!)
3 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 C milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

*vanilla filling
1 1/2 C shortening
4 C confectioner's sugar
1/4 C flour
1/4 C milk
1 1/2 T vanilla
*If you like a generous amount of frosting like my family does, you may want to double the filling

DIRECTIONS
cookie/cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. Combine baking soda, cocoa and flour in a bowl and set aside.
2. Cream oil, shortening and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Add vanilla and eggs.
4. Alternate adding milk and dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Drop batter by 2-3 tablespoonfuls on baking sheet at 3" apart and bake for 8 min.
6. Allow cakes to cool on sheet for about five minutes before transferring to wire rack. The cakes will look like a medium brown in color when removed from oven but will darken to a deep espresso with a slight sheen after a couple hours.

vanilla filling
1. Cream shortening, vanilla and confectioner's sugar.
2. Add milk and flour alternately.
3. Spread generously over cooled cakes and sandwich together.

Nutrition: 396 cal, 21g fat, 127mg sod, 50g carb, 36g sugar, 3g protein

VEGAN MOLASSES GINGER WHOOPIES

(with thanks to Allison, adapted from Vegan Visitor)
Yield: 9 sandwiches (18 cookies/cakes)

INGREDIENTS
cookie/cake
2 T shortening
2 T vegetable oil
1/4 C brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 C robust molasses
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 C soy or almond milk
1/2 tsp lemon juice

lemon ginger filling
3/4 C shortening
2 C confectioner's sugar
2 T flour
1 1/2 T soy or almond milk
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground ginger

DIRECTIONS
cookie/cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, soda, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.
2. In a large bowl, cream the shortening, oil and brown sugar then add the molasses, continuing to mix until well blended.
3. In a small bowl, combine the soy/almond milk and lemon juice.
4. Alternately add the dry and wet ingredients to the sugar mixture until thoroughly combined.
5. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter, evenly spaced, onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
6. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden and puffed. Let cool for 5 min. on sheet before transferring to wire rack to fully cool before filling.

lemon ginger filling
1. Cream shortening, lemon juice and confectioner's sugar.
2. Add milk and flour alternately.
3. Spread generously over cooled cakes and sandwich together.

Nutrition: 426 cal, 22g fat, 150mg sod, 55g carb, 39g sugar, 2g protein

cottontail cupcakes

2010-04-09T19:42:00.003-04:00

I have been trying to keep my mind off of the really long exam I mentioned a month ago. It is rare for me to mention something personal like that in fear of jinxing myself (I can't help being superstitious, I think it's some weird anxiety-driven thing I have had my whole life. I will make up crazy "tests" in my head and if I beat the clock or something, good luck will ensue. Bet you didn't know I was that nuts, sorry!). Anyway, as some may know, I have been struggling with post-college life and it's been tough for my formerly Type-A self to be without direction and motivation. Fortunately, I got the results for that test and lo, I passed. One step closer to figuring this life of mine out (at least for now). Phew. Would any of you entrust your children to me? Anyone? Anyone? So far my foray into education has provided the children and faculty of a Worcester elementary school with an entertaining sartorial outlook and I have been told by the students that I "still know what it is like to be a kid," after I demonstrated a cartwheel on the playground. Math, on the other hand, has apparently changed since I was in third grade. I will draw you a pretty cupcake to make up for it.

With that out of the way, let's celebrate with the Easter treat I mentioned earlier. I thought these fluffy cupcakes resembled bunny tails and even made little cut-out bunnies that looked like each member of my family (down to my brother Nick's gauged ears). I propped the bunny cut out in front of the giant cupcake and distributed them. I wasn't expecting the 90 degree weather (not that I was disappointed, trust me) and quickly had to shove the little goodies into the fridge. No matter, the frosting made the four-hour trip to the 'Cuse and no one died from food poisoning. Another test passed!

Bunny Cottontails

(or Lemon Coconut Snowballs from Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans)
Yield: 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
lemon filling
1/4 C (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 C fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 C sugar
2 T cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 C water
1 tsp grated lemon zest

seven-minute frosting
1 1/4 C sugar
1/3 C water
3 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 C shredded coconut

cupcakes
1 1/3 C cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
6 T whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 C sugar
6 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 C lemon filling

DIRECTIONS
lemon filling
1. Heat butter and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and mixture is hot.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Whisk in dissolved cornstarch. While whisking continuously, slowly pour hot butter and lemon juice into yolk mixture.
3. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat until mixture comes to boil and thickens, about 6 minutes.
4. Once the mixture looks more translucent than cloudy, remove from heat, pour into small bowl and stir in the lemon zest.

5. Let the mixture sit out until it stops steaming. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, frozen for 3 months.

seven-minute frosting
1. Put sugar, water, egg whites, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler with at least a 2-qt capacity and beat with a handheld electric mixer on high speed until opaque, white and foamy.
2. Put the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler). Top container should sit firmly over the pan of hot water.
3. Beat on high speed until the frosting forms a soft peak that stands straight up if you stop the beaters and lift them up, about 7 minutes, should register about 160 degrees on candy thermometer.
4. Remove the container of frosting from the water. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and continue beating for 2 minutes to further thicken the frosting.

cupcake making and assembly
Preheat to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners.
1. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, stir the milk and vanilla and almond extracts together.
2. In large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color, about two minutes. On low speed, alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures until fully incorporated.
3. In another large bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until the whites are foamy and the cream of tartar dissolves, about a minute. Beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Use a spatula to fold one-third of the whipped egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites until no white streaks remain.
4. Distribute batter evenly among the 12 liners. Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Tops should remain pale and barely brown on the edges. Cool the cupcakes for ten minutes in the pan or on a wire rack.
5. To fill the cupcakes with the lemon filling, cut a cone-shaped piece, about one inch across and one inch deep, out of the middle of the top of each cupcake; set the pieces aside. Spoon one tablespoon of lemon filling into each hole. Replace the cone-shaped pieces of cupcake. Immediately frost afterwards.

6. You can remove the liner and frost the top and sides of the cupcake as suggested in the recipe or pile the frosting on top. Either way, use a 1/2 C frosting per each cupcake. Generously sprinkle coconut all over tops and sides of frosting. Cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Nutrition: 414 cal, 13g fat, 108mg sod, 70g carb, 55g sugar, 1g fiber, 7g protein

everything is better when sandwiched together.

2010-04-06T18:34:00.003-04:00

Easter was a blast but sadly we had to leave before I could even taste dessert. It was probably a good thing, however, considering that we ate out the night before with the sibs at the beloved Alto Cinco and had my Grandma Sue's food at our fingertips for the weekend. Of course, we could not part without an amazing Easter basket full of treats ranging from spicy jalapeno almonds to the best chocolate covered potato chips on Earth all filling a brand new bushel basket for gardening this year. Spoiled? I will freely admit that I have been since birth and am I super grateful to the village it took to raise me!

I did make a "thank you" of sorts that will come in a later posting. They were very Easter apropos (I will refer to them as Cottontail Cupcakes) in all of their fluffy white glory. For now, though, I have a sweet little cookie sandwich pairing.

I think all things are better when filled or slathered with frosting and these are not exempt. They can be frosted with anything- ganache, mint filling, peanut butter- be creative!

Chocolate Shortbread Sandwiches

Yield: 24 mini sammies or 12 regular sammies

INGREDIENTS
shortbread adpated from Cooks Illustrated and Martha Stewart
1/2 C old-fashioned rolled-oats
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C cornstarch
2/3 C confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp salt
14 T unsalted butter, softened
4 T unsweetened cocoa powder
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted for dipping (optional)

banana cream filling
1 mashed banana
2 C confectioner's sugar
2 T butter

DIRECTIONS
shortbread
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. Pulse the oats in a mini prep or food processor until reduced to fine powder, about ten 5-second pulses.
2. In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix ground oats, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, cocoa, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds.
3. Add the butter to the mixer and continue to mix on low speed until dough just forms and pulls away from sides of bowl.
4. Roll dough into teaspoon-sized or half tablespoon-sized balls (depending on cookie size preference) and place 1-2" apart. Flatten with a fork or palm of hand.
5. Bake for 5-8 min. until dry but not too dark on the edges. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool.
6. Dip cookies in melted chocolate if desired.

banana cream filling
1. Beat banana and butter together. Add confectioner's sugar.
2. Frost one side of 24 cooled cookies.

Nutrition: 171 cal, 9g fat, 59mg sod, 23g carb, 14g sugar, .5g fiber, 1g protein

cadbury creme compulsion

2010-04-01T14:51:00.008-04:00

As mentioned earlier, I love all things Cadbury® Egg. In fact, I have been known to obsess over the things and cannot keep more than one at a time in my possession because I will most definitely eat all I have in a sitting. I seriously think I am missing the "I'm full" sensation and need to voluntarily shut myself off. It's terrible because I have a hard time with self control. Especially with sugary confections wrapped in foil and harboring a surprise of any kind of "creme." So, sadly, I have not had a real Cadbury® Egg yet this season because I have been baking so heavily. I have to cut back somehow!

These are "muffcakes" because after searching for the Cadbury® Egg cupcake and finding two recipes, I preferred the one that is not cloyingly sweet and more dense to hold the sugary little egg jewels. I didn't want just plain vanilla but something that the milk chocolate wouldn't get lost in. I felt a citrus would do well. I like orange and chocolate but I think lemon would also be a good contender for this. Lime is always great with coconut so that is also an option. I decided to top them with the chocolate batter to resemble dirt and then wanted the toasted coconut to be like a little nest. You can plop a Peep on top for super Easter cuteness. I made some homemade peeps and while it was fun, I need to speed up my piping because my marshmallow began to gel too quickly and I wasted quite a bit of sugar.

Now I must do some conditioning for the egg hunt that I am still forced to participate in even though I'm 25 and married.

Cadbury® Egg Muffcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
creamsicle muffin
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C unsalted butter, room temp.
3/4 C granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 C light vanilla yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 T orange juice
1-2 tsp orange zest
1 dozen Mini Cadbury® Creme Eggs

chocolate cupcake top via Cupcake Bakeshop's recipe
1/4 C unsalted butter, room temp.
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 C + 3 T flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp (a dash) of baking soda
1/4 C milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder

orange frosting
2 T unsalted butter
1 C confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. orange zest
1 T orange juice
1/2 T cream
6 T unsweetened coconut shavings, toasted (don't kill yourself if you can't find them, just buy regular angel flake)
1 dozen chick Peeps (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard-sized cupcake pan with liners.
toasted coconut
1. Spread unsweetened coconut shavings out over a cookie sheet and put in the 350 degree F oven.
2. Bake for 4 min or until you start to smell coconut. It browns very quickly so keep an eye on it.
3. Remove and stir around to evenly brown the bits. Let cool before frosting.

creamsicle muffin
1. Mix flour and baking powder in bowl and set aside.
2. Beat together sugar and butter.
3. Add egg, vanilla yogurt and orange juice until thoroughly mixed.
4. Slowly add in flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Stir in orange zest.
5. Distribute batter evenly into a dozen liners. Drop a Mini Egg into the center of each.

chocolate cupcake top
1. Put flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
4. Alternate adding milk and dry ingredients to the butter mixture until fully combined.
5. Evenly distribute batter over tops of muffin batter.
6. Bake for 15 min. Let cool before frosting (the tops will flatten slightly, you want a flat surface for plopping a Peep!)

orange frosting
1. Beat butter until soft.
2. Add confectioner's sugar, cream and orange juice until smooth.
3. Stir in orange zest.
4. Frost and dip tops into a bowl of toasted coconut.
5. Place a Peep on top if you desire

Nutrition: 393 cal, 18g fat, 83mg sod, 56g carb, 39g sugar, 1g fiber, 5g protein

for children big and small

2010-03-28T18:13:00.001-04:00

I love a surprise. As much as I enojoy them though, I always seem to say or do something that ruins it for myself. I suppose I just talk too much and poke my nose in too many places. I almost ruined Torren's proposal by not keeping my mouth shut and as a child I literally had presents thrown at me well-before they were to be opened because I was being too obnoxious. Proposal aside, I have gotten a bit better over the years because I would very much like to be surprised and have it be successful. I know that there are lots of people that don't like surprises and would rather have the whole deal laid out for them. Well, how about a food surprise? It's not like I am hiding a miniature pet or gross, creepy crawly inside anything (talk to me on Halloween though and I may sing a different tune), just a sweet little fun "hooray!" for when you take a bite. I think things are so much more entertaining when you learn there's more than what is staring you in the face.

I have been wanting to make a "cookies 'n cream" cupcake for well over a couple of years now. Who doesn't appreciate an Oreo®? Then again, who does appreciate the Cookies 'N' Creme candy bar? Why such an unsung treat, my white chocolate delight? No matter, as long as they keep making them, I will hoard them for myself and the handful of people I know that enjoy them. I knew I just had to incorporate the two. Sadly, I have tried baking with these candy bars and they virtually melt down to nothing by the time I take out my confections. They would be a great future cupcake stuffer or quick-baking cookie addition. Considering how long a cupcake takes to bake, they may not hold up all that well but I will try again soon. Regardless, I felt the "'n cream" part meant that the cupcake should be a white cake rather than a chocolate. Of course, you can change this up however you prefer. I felt that this recipe for white cake was pretty dense and I was very happy with that.

The surprise in these yummies are from top to bottom with the cute Mini Oreo® tucked within the frosting mountain, the large chunks of cookie pushed in the centers of the poured batter and the cookie crumb base. Brush your teeth after these because you are going to have a cookies 'n cream explosion in your mouth! Tee-hee, I'm such a nerd.

Cookies 'n Cream Cupcakes

Yield: 18 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
cupcake
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C Oreo® crumbs
1/2 C lightly broken Oreos

frosting adapted from Amy Sedaris' I Like You (Absolutely hilarious. That Sedaris fam is nuts.)
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 C confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C milk (or cream)
3/4 C Oreo® crumbs
18 Mini Oreos®
2 Hershey's® Cookies 'n' Creme bars

DIRECTIONS
cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
1. Evenly distribute the 1 C of Oreo® crumbs to the liners.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg whites, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt, add to the creamed mixture alternating with the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the liners, filling to 2/3-3/4 full.
4. Distribute 1/2 C of broken cookie pieces into each of the batter-filled cups and push them down into the centers.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cupcakes fully cool before frosting.

frosting
1. Verbatim from I Like You:
"In a bowl, combine 1 box (1 pound) of confectioners' sugar, 1 stick of unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup of milk or light cream and beat for a while. Really whip it, don't be afraid to get in there. I occasionally add food coloring and sometimes substitute pure almond extract for vanilla. If you do choose to add pure almond extract instead of vanilla, you're on your own. I don't know the measurement for it, but I do know it's less than the amount of vanilla you would add." Oh Amy, are you sure that you're not from my family?
2. Stir in the 3/4C crushed Oreos®
3. Set a Mini Oreo® on the top of each cupcake and frosting accordingly. Break apart the candy bar and stick a few pieces into the top of the frosting dome of wonderment.

Nutrition: 409 cal, 16g fat, 124mg sod, 65g carb, 42g sugar, 0.66g fiber, 2g protein

blondes or brunettes? (sorry redheads)

2010-03-26T00:46:00.007-04:00

I may have wished what I consider my bland mouse-brown hair to be the engaging red that my grandmother was blessed with but I'm also a bit of a purist and believe that what you are born with is ultimately the best fit for you in the end. Of course, I am not opposed to experimenting but if you know me, you know how I lament the two dark "caterpillars" on my face that give Bert a run for his money. They just don't scream "go lighter!" to the top of my head. Saddy-sad, too bad. I guess I'll have to play with my food instead.
Now as much as I'd love a redhead brownie (I am partial to red velvet cake, after all), we're going to focus on the originals: blondies and "brunettes." I'm a diehard blondie fan thanks to my love of the chocolate chip cookie prevailing way over any hunk of deep chocolate. However, I wanted to take the two and see what their progeny would look like. My tweaking ended up with about 85% blondie to 15% "brunette." Chocolate has a much more overpowering flavor and thus this percentage seemed the most appealing in order to taste both. All taste buds are different so maybe you will want to adjust this yourself. I must say, those wild blondes and staid brunettes make a pretty tasty brownie baby!

Marbled Brownies

Yield: 16

INGREDIENTS
Blonde brownies a la my Grandma-ma-Sue-the-best (this is 1.5 x's the original Blonde Brownie recipe)
*1/2 C unsalted butter, melted and browned
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1 1/2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 plus a pinch of a tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour
1/2 C chocolate chips (did not tweak original amount to keep chocolate flavor down a little)
*(depending on how gooey you want your brownies to be, you may want to add a tablespoon more. I found that the centers had an almost undercooked consistency when doing this but the edges were perfectly chewy and not over-dried)
**(you can actually purchase spoons with the old-fashioned measurements, I find these helpful when tweaking the sizes of recipes as done here)

semi-sweet chocolate brownies adapted from Kraft

2 oz semisweet chocolate

2 T unsalted butter

2 T plus 2 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 egg, beaten

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 C all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and/or line 8"x8" or 9"x9" pan with foil.

blondies

1. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. Crack two eggs into small bowl and beat. Set aside.

3. Melt and brown butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat once foamy and amber in color.

4. In a large bowl, mix together butter and brown sugar until sugar is completely moistened.

5. Add vanilla and 3/4's beaten egg (you will use the last bit for the chocolate brownies, did you think I would have you waste half an egg for those?! pssshh)

6. Slowly add in flour mixture until completely absorbed into wet mixture.

semi-sweet chocolate brownies
1. Place the 2 oz of semisweet chocolate and the butter in large microwaveable bowl (or melt over stove top).
2. Microwave on high stirring every 30 seconds until chocolate is completely melted.
3. Add sugar; mix well.
4. Blend in eggs and vanilla.
5. Stir in flour until well blended.

make your brownie love-child

1. Spread two-thirds of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the 1/2 C of chocolate chips over the top.

2. Alternately drop the rest of the blondie batter and semi-sweet chocolate batter over the blondie base.

3. Using a knife or end of a wooden spoon, swirl batters together to marble. Do so as much or as little as you prefer.

4. Bake for 25-30 min. If you are making a gooier brownie, that toothpick you customarily insert at the end will never come out clean! Just a warning! Let brownies fully cool before cutting.

Nutrition: 240 cal, 12g fat, 71mg sod, 31g carb, 21g sugars, 1g fiber, 3g protein

bring on the pastel hues

2010-03-21T18:25:00.017-04:00

Halloween is great but my favorite holiday in terms of the candy factor is Easter. Haters can hate, but I love jelly bellies beyond belief and wanted to live in the UK just to have Cadbury Mini Eggs at my fingertips year-round. All things egg-shaped and stuffed have a special place in my heart: Cadbury Creme Eggs (original and orange creme), marshmallow-filled eggs, Reese's peanut butter eggs, coconut cream eggs, I accept donations. I am so happy about the existence of the Peanut Butter M&M (please do not go the way that the Crunchy M&M's did) and even happier to see it in it's adorable pastel Easter suit. I nabbed a couple bags of these on sale and then had some fun. The next few posts will have to do with a specific brownie cookie base and this was my test batch without tinkering. They did their job as they were definitely more of a moist cookie-shaped brownie than a chocolate cookie (although I have a some great recipes for those as well).

Brownie Cookies

adapted from Southern Living® Incredible Cookies
Yield: 2 1/2 dozen

*INGREDIENTS
1/2 C unsalted butter (melted)
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
18 oz bitter sweet or semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs (or 1 C liquid egg sub)
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 C chopped nuts (optional)
*if you want to add the candy on top, I would say 6oz should suffice.

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. Melt butter, unsweetened chocolate and 9oz (1 1/2 C) bitter sweet chocolate in the microwave (stirring every 30 seconds) or over the stove until contents are completely melted.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla at medium speed while gradually adding dry ingredients to mixture until fully combined.
4. Add in chocolate mixture and beat well.
5. Stir in remaining bitter sweet chocolate and nuts. (Depending on what I am doing with the batter, I will sometimes omit this and leave out the second half of chocolate and/or sub in a different chocolate
or candy)
6. Drop dough by 2 tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart. *Place 3 peanut butter M&M's on top of each dough ball.
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets then remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.

Nutrition (without candies on top and minus half of the bittersweet chocolate): 172 cal, 11g fat, 23mg sod, 21g carb, 14g sugar, 2g fiber, 3g protein

happy spring!

2010-03-21T13:36:00.004-04:00

Although my heart belongs to the saltwater scent of childhood beach days on the Atlantic that come with summer, one would have to be soulless not to feel a great fondness for spring. In elementary and middle school I would religiously check the weather section of the newspaper waiting for the temperature to hit 65, the magic number where you could wear shorts to school (even if it was probably 40 out while waiting for your bus in the morning). In high school, it meant that the days would be longer for you to stay out with friends and of course significant others and your parents wouldn't be cramping your style. However, I feel that the best example of spring awakening for me was during college at RIT.

The oppressive winds and snow drifts the the school's "unique" architecture created really made you wish that the infamous underground tunnels spanned from the residential area to the academic side (why they do not, I still have no clue). Forget getting to an 8:00AM class on time if you lived off campus, you'd be digging yourself out for an hour or so only to be plowed right back in. Yes, this is how the majority of Upstate NY feels. Yet at the first sign of sunlight peeking through the "Rochester grey," as Torren refers to it, and the barely blossoming smelly trees along the Quarter-Mile, the unicycles, skateboards and frisbees would break out. Girls legs suddenly reappeared, guys ran around shirtless and the ghetto hot tubs of the Greek system would dot the fronts of the dorm buildings. People actually existed at the school again. Everyone became friendlier and happier. We were all reminded why we actually chose to attend that massive patented palace of brick as people were strewn over the bright green grass.

So to honor that lovely spring, I have this vegan recipe made from one of the brightest greens that the Earth produces that you can still bake easily with: avocados. Don't scoff, friends, the chocolate in these dense cupcakes is what you truly taste in the end. I coupled them with Alton Brown's Avocado Buttercream and as predicted, received mixed reviews. Some outright turned up their noses while others (usually the more daring and probably more organic eaters) enjoyed the unique citrus taste. I think that "buttercream" is a poor title due to the lack of butter and cream substances. Maybe "icing" would be better. Next time I am going to procure some Earth Balance and make the frosting I really wanted to produce as seen on Sugar Plum's site.

Spring has sprung and we're still eating chocolate, albeit with a healthier twist. I did mention those summer beach days around the corner. When does spring finally awaken for you?

Vegan Avocado Cupcakes

adapted from Sugar Plum and Joy the Baker
Yield: 16 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
cupcakes
2 C all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2- 3/4 C mashed ripe avocado (1 medium)
1 1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 1/3 C almond, rice coconut or soy milk

avocado buttercream
4 oz avocado meat, approximately 1 small to medium
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 lb. confectioners' (about 2 C)
1/4 tsp lemon extract

DIRECTIONS
cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 16 muffin cups with liners.
1. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Mix avocado, oil and vanilla extract.
3. Stir in sugar. Once fully incorporated, stir in melted chocolate.
4. Slowly beat in the sifted flour ingredients, alternating with the milk until combined and all white streaks are gone.
5. Pour batter into muffin cups. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Let cakes cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting with avocado buttercream.

avocado buttercream
1. Peel and pit the avocado.
2. Mash or place the avocado into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment along with the lemon juice and beat until lightened in color, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat until smooth.
4. Add the lemon extract and mix to combine. If not using right away, store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition: 233 cal, 7g fat, 165mg sod, 45g carb, 31g sugar, 2g fiber, 2g protein

getting harder...moving from stout to whiskey

2010-03-18T23:14:00.011-04:00

I hope you were able to enjoy a glorious gluttony of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes smothered in a horseradish sauce as we did thanks to Mommy Dearest's culinary prowess and love of the Irish. Seriously, the table was even decorated like a scene out of Better Homes and Gardens with a fancy tablecloth, candles, favors and little cordials filled with Bailey's (thank you, Father figure). I told you, there is no slackage on this holiday.

Although we were stuffed after the feast, some were able to indulge in the dessert I brought along as a very small "thank you" to the beautiful evening. Believe it or not, it is rare that I eat what I make because I have a bit of a tasting-while-making issue and am virtually sick of the confection by the time it comes out of the oven. In the end, I am a batter lover through and through. I can't pass up ice cream though (I could be sitting in an igloo in my underwear and still yearn for a scoop of the stuff) so I just grabbed some of that caramel and plopped a bit on top of the vanilla bean ice cream.

Now, before we get to the food, I must wax poetic for a minute. I slightly adapted the recipe from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor. The recipes in this book are purely indulgent and amazingly creative. Equally as wonderful is the book design. It's covered in cute borders and polka dots- a perfect complement to the extreme sugar factor of its contents. I am wholly endorsing buying this book just because it is so fun to look at. Even better, O'Connor offers great advice on techniques, ingredients and the why's and how's. It definitely brings out my inner baking nerd.

Sugar-Crusted Brownie Sundaes with Whiskey-Walnut Caramel Sauce

slightly altered from Sticky, Chewy, Messy Gooey by Jill O'Connor
Yield: 22 sundaes

INGREDIENTS
sugar-crusted brownie
3 sticks unsalted butter
2 C sugar plus extra for muffin tins
12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 large eggs
2 T pure vanilla extract
1/2 C Irish whiskey (optional)
1 C unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

whiskey-walnut caramel sauce
2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C Irish whiskey (this can be altered, Irish for St. Pat's)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 C cream (light or heavy)
1/2 tsp salt
1 T pure vanilla extract
1 C walnuts (pecans would be a good sub, too)

vanilla or dulce de leche ice cream for the side

DIRECTIONS
brownies
1. Brush all but two of the cups of two standard 12-cup muffin tins with melted butter. Spoon about 1 TBSP of sugar into greased cups and shake and tap around to cover the bottom and the sides of the cups completely with a thick coat of sugar. Tap out any excess sugar.
2. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F.
3. Combine the butter and chocolates in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes or heat over stove top and stir until completely melted.
4. Remove from the microwave and stir until completely melted. If the chocolate is not completely melted, continue to microwave for 30 second intervals and stir smooth.
5. In a large bowl, gently whisk together the eggs, 2 cups sugar, and vanilla just until combined. Stir in the chocolate mixture just until combined.
6. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the chocolate mixture and fold in just until combined.
7. Spoon about ¼ cup of the batter into each of the prepared cups. (If you run out of batter before you fill all the cups, make sure to wipe out the butter and sugar of any empty cups before baking the brownies, as otherwise they will melt and burn and, in general, make a huge mess.)
8. Bake until the tops of the brownies are firm and a toothpick inserted in the center of a brownie cup comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 20-25 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
9. When pans are cool enough to handle, run a thing, sharp knife around the edge of the one brownie, then carefully tip it out and catch in your hand. Place the brownie on the wire rack to finish cooling. Continue releasing the brownies, on at a time, form the pans.
Serve slightly warm with ice cream and Whiskey-Walnut Caramel Sauce.

whiskey-walnut caramel sauce
1. Combine the sugar, whiskey, and lemon juice in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook, gently swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and start to turn color. Increase the heat to high and boil until the syrup turns a deep amber color, 4 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully, as it can burn quickly.
3. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and CAREFULLY pour in the cream and salt. As mentioned before, the mixture bubbles up and you should wear oven mitts and use a long wooden spoon. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the caramel thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. The mixture should be the consistency of very thick cream. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and walnuts.
4. Let boiling sauce cool until it is just warm before serving. To store, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. To reheat the sauce, microwave, uncovered, for about 1 minute on high. Stir until smooth.

assembly
1. Place the brownies on individual servings plates and top with ice cream.
2. Drizzle 1/4 C of warm caramel sauce over the top.
3. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar.

Nutrition with caramel: 513 cal, 32g fat, 81mg sod, 54g carb, 42g sugar, 3g fiber, 5g protein
without caramel: 341 cal, 24g fat, 63mg sod, 33g carb, 25g sugar, 2g fiber, 4g protein

the only damage this car bomb will do is to your waistline.

2010-03-15T23:50:00.005-04:00

Erin go bragh, may the road rise up to meet you, oh Danny boy. It is officially the week of St. Patty and in a family where people are named after Irish cities, descendants and a little old Irish man from one of my mother's favorite movies, it is celebrated on the same level as Thanksgiving. We are not allowed to put up Easter decorations until the shamrocks are taken down and apparently eleven pounds of corned beef is waiting to be consumed by no more than seven people at my parents' house this year (dare I mention the beef that is being corned in my fridge because someone felt the need to "make it from scratch?"). Naturally, the amount of meat combined with the pounds of potatoes, cabbage and Irish soda bread is not enough to completely pop the buttons on your pants. Dessert must be had with that Bailey's spiked coffee or after-dinner Guinness!

Although tempted, I did not create a dessert from potatoes and cabbage. Although, that intrigues...maybe next year I'll make an attempt. I have another special dessert waiting in the wings but will not be able to post it in time for the holiday. That will come after. However, let's start the celebration early with these beauties! For a very Irish friend's birthday last year, I wanted to tap into his heritage and love of the drink. Like I said, he's Irish. So I thought that there must be a Car Bomb inspired cupcake and lo, there was. There are several, actually, but this was very true to the drink with the stout, whiskey and Bailey's. As you will see in the recipe, the whiskey in the ganache is optional but if you wear your green heart on your sleeve, I highly suggest adding it. As for the cute little cookie cutter for the centers, I wish I owned one but I usually push down or core out the center with a paring knife. Such a professional, I know. These were definitely enjoyed but if you are looking to get a buzz off of a cupcake, you are probably not that interested in making these and may as well go pour yourself the liquid version instead.

Extra stout cupcakes frosted with Kahlua frosting (subbed for Bailey's):

hollaback: b-a-n-a-n-a-s

2010-03-14T21:08:00.009-04:00

L-A-Z-Y. That is how I felt when I wanted to make something but didn't want to head to the grocery store and face the lovely people there for a second time today. I am practically on a first name basis with a guy at Stop and Shop who meekly says "hello" and waves when I come in looking all frazzled after the gym. I must seem like a nut: work out like mad, schlep over to S&S in my grossness, stock up for the week and inevitably do it all again in a few days because I forgot something or have a need to bake. For someone who loves fashion as much as I do, I spend a lot of time in sweats, hoodies and the dreaded gym sneaker.

I am going to make a somewhat catty confession. I have a huge pet peeve about wearing gym sneakers as every day shoes and will only wear them if I am coming directly from the gym. My best explanation is that I feel gym sneakers are clunky and ugly and do not even look good with a pair of jeans (on both guys and the lady folk). There are so many beautiful choices out there, why limit yourself to that one sweaty, stinky pair and parade it around town? Hell, I'll take a freaking rubber flip flop over them. Thank you for letting me get that out of my system and feel free to tell me you hate brown hair or something.

Back to bananas. As I stated in the last banana-themed post, why do you always have to make the same loaf with those overripe potassium goldmines? I still had some overripe ones sitting around and I also had some mayo in the fridge that will never get eaten unless I bake with it because we just don't consume it straight in this household. In fact, I probably bought it to make the more traditional chocolate mayonnaise cake that my mommy dearest covets so. So I had two things I wanted to use up I also have to admit that I honestly did not want to have peanut butter as a major player in these but I had a frosting snafu and due to the above mentioned indolence, I did not have confectioner's sugar and was trying to do a thick frosting without it. So, after some wasted ingredients, money, and time, I came up with these and was pretty happy. The fact that Torren has eaten three and is supposedly "watching what he eats" is a decent indication that they are edible.

Banana Mayonnaise Cupcakes

Yield: 12 regular sized cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
cupcakes
2 medium-small overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 C brown sugar (I often use dark brown sugar for added moisture and a deeper molasses taste)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 egg or 1/4 C liquid egg
1/2 C mayonnaise (I used Hellman's Low Fat without an issue)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 C flour
1/4 C peanut butter

frosting
3/4 C brown sugar
2 T cream or half and half
1 1/2 T unsalted butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 T peanut butter

DIRECTIONS
cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan with grease or papers.
1. Beat bananas, sugars and eggs until smooth.
2. Add mayo and vanilla until no streaks are visible.
3. Carefully add flour and baking soda, little at a time until fully incorporated.
4. Evenly distribute batter among cups (about 1/2-2/3 full)
5. Drop a teaspoon of peanut butter onto the center of each batter-filled cupcake liner.
6. Bake for 18-22 min. or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

frosting
1. Combine brown sugar, cream and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves into liquid.
2. Bring mixture to a boil for about 3 min. (softball stage, 235-240 degrees F)
3. Remove pan from heat and add vanilla.
4. Place pan in a sink or bowl of cool water to bring mixture temperature down and keep stirring.
5. Stir in peanut butter. If mixture cools too quickly and begins to harden, add a little extra cream.
6. Frost cooled cupcakes

Nutrition: 226 cal, 6g fat, 241mg sod, 43g carb, 12g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g protein

gimme samoa.

2010-03-11T21:34:00.010-05:00

March is not only the month bearing the luck and heavy hangover of St. Patrick's Day, it is the time of year that Girl Scout cookie orders arrive! That should be a holiday in itself. I am surprised there isn't a National Girl Scout Day but they should aim for March to boost those cookie sales (like they need to, those things are cookie crack).
Debate: the best Girl Scout cookie. I have a really difficult time with this but ultimately side with the Samoa (Peanut Butter Sandwich and Tagalong tie for second). It has the mandatory butter cookie base, a thick caramel congeal, coconut and chocolate. They are perfect in their half crunchy, half chewy loveliness. As the boxes have gotten smaller, I am closer and closer to being able to polish off a row or three in a day. It is probably for the best that we did not order any this year and succumb to the cutie cookie pushers.
Always searching for nutritional info, I discovered that not only are the Girl Scout yummies baked by two companies, they have varying nutritionals, varying names (Samoa = Caramel deLite = LAME, Tagalongs = Peanut Butter Patties) and even varying varieties of cookies (I almost panicked after not seeing info for the above Peanut Butter Sandwiches and realized the other company made them). Children need consistency, Girl Scouts! My OCD tendencies need consistency, Girl Scouts! Come on, let's make up our minds here. Actually, let's just agree that whatever they made in the 1970s was the best cookie lineup. After my embarrassingly short stint in Brownies (I failed to bridge to GS) where my mother went from cookie assistant to "Mommy Dearest, head cookie mom and door-to-door driver of half of the troop," the cookies seemed to go all wonky in the flavor department. Remember those strawberry jam things? They were OK, I suppose, but my grandma can do way better. Not a fan of the square animal cookies with the chocolate back. Then there was a lame version of the lemon cremes, which may still be around.
Getting to the point, replicating these de-lites, har, har, has been done and it is both fun and a bit aggravating if they are not perfect looking. I have loved cupcakes long before the trend (really, who hasn't?) and wanted to shake things up by making a Samoa one. Fortunately, the recipe was out there when I searched to see if I would have to experiment. This recipe takes a little time but is so worth it. I have made them a couple times, in fact, and the leftovers can be used for new concoctions! So while you are reading this, think and tell me, what is your preferred Girl Scout cookie?

Samoas® Cupcakes

adapted from Chockylit (via the Chronicle) and Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans
Yield: 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
cupcakes
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg + 1 large yolk (I use 1 1/2 servings liquid egg product)
1 C brown sugar, packed
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, room temp.
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C light sour cream

toasted coconut topping
* Note: this is half of the recipe, if you want the huge mounds of coconut as seen on Chokylit's blog, just double it.
1 egg (1/4 C liquid egg)
5 oz evaporated milk
2/3 C sugar
1/4 C butter
1 1/2 C shredded, sweet coconut

caramel
*I use this caramel recipe any time I need a caramel topping or filling. It is the best I have found so far. Heavy cream is a must ( I have tried to sub) sorry for you dieters out there but I guess you wouldn't be making this anyway!
1/4 C water
1 C sugar
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 C heavy cream
1 T butter

chocolate ganache
8 oz bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao)
1 C heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cupcake pan or insert paper liners.
cupcakes

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg and yolk and sugar until thickened and lightened to a cream color, about 2 minutes.

3. On low speed, mix in butter and vanilla until blended.

4. Mix in sour cream until no white streaks remain.

5. Mix in the flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter is smooth.

6. Fill liners with about 1/4 C batter, or three-fourths full.

7. Bake for 20-23 minutes, until the tops feel firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

toasted coconut topping
1. Spread the coconut onto a sheet pan. Toast in a 350 degree oven, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until the coconut is an even brown color, about 10 minutes.
2. Crack the egg into a small saucepan and beat lightly to break up.
3. Add milk, sugar, and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thick, bubbly, and golden, about 15 minutes.
4. Press mixture through a metal sieve and into a bowl to remove any lumps.
5. Add 2 cups of the coconut, reserving the remainder for assembly, stir to combine.
6. Let the mixture cool.

caramel
1. Combine the water, sugar, and the corn syrup in a deep saucepan and cook over medium heat.
2. Stir together with a wooden spoon until the sugar is incorporated.
3. Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
4. After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
5. Do not stir from this point on, but it is important to carefully shake the pan so that one area of the caramel doesn’t burn.
6. Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.
7. CAREFULLY pour the heavy cream into the mixture. Wear oven mitts, stand away from the pan, and be careful. The mixture will bubble up significantly.
8. Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter and stir until combined.
9. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
Note: You will have leftover caramel, it stores well refrigerated in an airtight container for about a month.

chocolate ganache
1. Chop chocolate and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.
3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. Add vanilla and stir until combined.
5. Let cool to room temperature.

assemble
1. Using a small paring knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone. (I have taken the liberty of pushing down the inside of the cupcake before after this step to add more caramel than directed in Step 2)
2. Fill the cavity with a teaspoon of caramel.
3. Replace the top of the cone.
4. Smooth on a light coating of chocolate ganache.
5. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to harden the ganache.
6. With your hands, press out a disk of the coconut topping and place on top of the cupcake. Press to shape the mixture into a dome.
7. Press in some more plain toasted coconut on top of that.
8. Drizzle the top with lines of ganache. Note that you may have to warm the ganache over a water bath to get it to drizzling consistency.

If you have any question on methods and techniques, the Cupcake Bakeshop Blog is amazing and several of the steps are illustrated with beautiful photography.
These may be better than eating a row of Samoas.

Last note: These things are pretty hefty in the nutrition info. I have taken the time in the past to calculate it all out and it wasn't pretty. When I have more time I may do it again but let's just say that if you're worried, cut the thing in half or make minis! Seriously though, if you've made it this far, I think you can dare to eat one and then go hightail it on the elliptical.

banana + peanut butter cups = lurve

2010-03-07T21:05:00.006-05:00

It has been a long weekend (I love spending more than eight hours in a chair taking exams!) and a relatively busy week with my new foray into the world of education. I have learned that my fashion sense is equivalent to that of a third grader thanks to myriad compliments I received on my cupcake hat at recess. I have repeatedly been told that because of my sartorial choices I will grow up to be either a crazy cat lady or an art teacher so let's hope for the latter. Anyway, due to the running around, we ate little or ate out and apparently the groceries suffered. I hate wasting food and enjoy picking an ingredient and forming a recipe around it, hence the bananas.

OK, the subject title may be harsh. I do enjoy banana bread and have a couple of great recipes but let's take those overripe bananas and put them to creative use, shall we? After perusing the internets, I found banana bread pudding (a recipe I have in my fave cookbook that I will try SOMEDAY), Elvis-style with peanut butter and bacon (I already have a future plan for that mixture) and Bananas Foster reincarnated into bar cookies. The Bananas Foster in regular or newfangled form will be attempted, too, but I didn't feel like having the people at the liquor store question my need to buy multiple nips of rum. They always look at me like I have two heads and I should be buying large quantities of alcohol. SORRY, I prefer my rum in baked goods. I apologize for the digression. I decided to go with something portable because I want to get this stuff out there! I tweaked a great banana bread recipe and added Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups. You cannot go wrong with the banana, peanut butter, chocolate combo. I will say that I wanted to use the new dark chocolate cups but I can only find them at Tar-jay (wonderful add-ins in their candy aisle!) and I was trying to be efficient for once and shop in one place.

On to the comfort food! The lighting isn't so hot but I think you get the gist.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread Bites

Yield: 40 bites

INGREDIENTS
1/4 C unsalted butter (melted)
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 small bananas (around 300g)
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 6oz container of vanilla or banana light yogurt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini cupcake pan. Unwrap candies. Combine melted butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Take half of the bananas and mash and add them to the mixture. Slice the other half and set aside. Combine flour and baking soda and add to the mix. Fold in yogurt and sliced bananas. Distribute batter (about a heaping tablespoon per section) evenly into the pan. Push a peanut butter cup firmly into each section, top up. Bake for 12 minutes. Allow bites to cool to room temp. until removal. *After some testing, I think these are best when eaten frozen or heated up a little.*

Nutrition: 99 cal, 4g fat, 65mg sodium, 16g carb, 11g sugar, 2g protein

census: ideal chocolate chip cookie

2010-03-04T17:50:00.006-05:00

My first attempts at sugar seduction with Torren were difficult. As mentioned, he is willing to try pretty much anything; it's getting him to love it that is the challenge. I wanted to be the bearer of his favorite dessert. I am still not fully convinced that these are his fave considering it took him about four years to share his "secret birthday dessert" with me but I'll take his word for now.

After much use of the dreaded Scientific Method, I managed to make his ultimate chocolate chip cookie: chewy edge, soft center, medium thickness, very little crumb with, uh, Reese's Pieces (I know, I know, not a CCC exactly but I can't help his PB obsession). I would agree that this recipe is probably tied for first with my personal favorite CCC, bringing up an interesting topic debated all over the food blogs: what is the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe? This one, I believe, is purely subjective.

Before I found the Cooks Illustrated recipe that is beloved among many, my favorite CCC was the "puffy" cookie. CCCs and a little less flour yield what my mother calls the "poor man's chocolate chip." My sister Tess' ultimate would be the prepackaged Toll House dough blobs, under baked. Mommy Dearest is forever trying to recreate my Aunt Potty's flat, florentine-like CCCs. My Grandma Sue's are a dark, crunchy, somewhat thicker version. I remember people going crazy for Keebler Soft Batch cookies when they came out and then of course someone is always trying to recreate Mrs. Field's. All of this fascinates me for some reason. Come on people, do tell, what is your favorite CCC? Store-bought or homemade? Cakey? Chewy? Do they have to have a certain chocolate? Or, {sacrilege}, maybe you don't even like them and would rather have a brownie.

wee bit o' green for luck

2010-03-02T18:11:00.005-05:00

After my math skills improved as a child, I realized that the Irish percentage of my mutt-like heritage was one of the smallest at less than 25% of my genetic makeup. If you saw how my family celebrated St. Patrick's Day, though, you would agree I had earned the mass of freckles over tan-resistant skin. Any excuse for a food celebration truly brings out the best in my fam but this day is practically as big as some people's Thanksgivings. Several corned beefs, loaves of soda bread and pounds of potatoes and cabbage are consumed on the 17th. The boiled food somehow strikes a chord in our bellies.

This day is even more significant now that I have "diluted" my husband's pure Irish gene pool. You don't marry someone named "Torren Doherty" and live down the fact that you are not even a "halfie." I have managed to make up for the lack of red hair by dutifully preparing variations of corned beef and cabbage over the past six years. Moreover, I have learned how to incorporate the lovely Irish pastime of alcohol into my meals. A few Irish cream and stout-tinged recipes will be making their debuts on this holiest of months.
Sorry, Dad, every day's Italian Day, right?

Irish Stout Brownie Cups with a Wee Bit O' Green

Yield: about 4 dozen
INGREDIENTS
1/2 C unsalted butter
6 oz. bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate
1 C granulated sugar
8 oz. Irish Stout, room temp. (chocolate or cream stout would be AMAZING, too)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 bag of Creme De Menthe Hershey's Kisses (interchangeable with other Kiss creations, obviously!)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini cupcake/tartlet pan thoroughly or use mini cupcake papers. Unwrap four dozen Kisses and set aside.
Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat until combined (they can also be melted in the microwave on high, stirring every 30 seconds). Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In a large bowl, combine sugar and vanilla. Add in melted chocolate until fully incorporated. Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl and add to chocolate mixture, stirring to get rid of any white streaks. (OK, I am going to tell a little secret here and say that it is rare that I actually mix the flour/leavening agents in their own bowl because I am lazy and hate to have extra dishes to clean...moving on!) Pour chocolate stout into the batter and stir to fully combine.
Spoon batter into mini tins filling about halfway. This should yield two batches of twenty-four each. Place a Kiss in the center of each brownie cup and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool to room temperature and carefully twist out each brownie. You may need to go around the edge with a butter knife to loosen them up a bit. Perfect little leprechaun proportions.

Nutrition per each: 79 cal, 3g fat, 9mg sodium, 12g carb, 8g sugar, 1g protein

the power of persuasion (and some dark chocolate)

2010-02-26T13:56:00.022-05:00

Is it just me or do women love sweets more than men? I don't even need a full hand to count the number of guys in my life who will devour a dessert like I (or my sister or my best friend or my grandmothers, etc.) do: my father (genetic sweet tooth of aforementioned grandmother) and my beloved new uncle-in-law. The latter will literally float down from his third story perch in the multi-family we own together and inquire "got any of those yummy cookies for me?" The cookie fairy has been known to leave sweets outside his door to which he hilariously exclaimed to his girlfriend "when I think about them, they just appear...like magic."

This lack of sweet tooth boggles my mind and makes it difficult for me to pawn off my goods due to the fact that I am usually surrounded by dudes. My husband Torren is one of those people who will try something new but in the end will ask for the same thing (Reese's Pieces cookies). Our friends would prefer something alcoholic (I have managed to incorporate that into baking, stay tuned). Lastly, my brother-in-law Rylan is also a willing taster but would ultimately prefer to eat a can of almonds with a side of unsweetened baking chocolate and dried fruit. Blech. So I decided that Rylan was my challenge of the month and I wanted to persuade him to the sweet side with a combo of his loves when he came over for Torren's Superbowl chili the night of the big game.

Hooray! I could finally make something "Almond Joy" associated! Plus, I had spent the previous weekend roasting all of my leftover nuts from Christmas cookies and had plenty of almonds to go around.

These were easy and fun to make and in the end, I managed to make a sweet treat convert out of Ry by appealing to his dark (chocolate) side. Score one for diabetes!

Almond Joy Brownies

Yield: 24-36 brownies (depending on your appetite)

INGREDIENTS
Your favorite brownies (scratch, mix, smix, whatever).
My go-to brownie recipe is always Baker's One Bowl Brownie recipe because as much as I love my KitchenAid, I don't always like to clean the damn thing and a bowl and spoon are EASY. If I am making them for the dieting bunch, I will buy the No Pudge mix (remarkably non-mix tasting, not a fan of fakey) or make it from scratch.
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (I use Fat Free, doesn't taste any different)
1 1/2 C shredded coconut
1 C slivered almonds (toasted is extra yum)
1 C (8oz.) dark chocolate (around 60% cacao is ideal but everyone has a different palette, hence the baking chocolate lover above)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line 9"x13" pan with that lovely nonstick foil. Prepare your choice brownies accordingly and spread in pan. Sprinkle coconut, almonds and chocolate over batter. Pour condensed milk over top. Bake for 35 min. and lure that dessert ditcher to the land of sugar.

Nutrition (based on 24 servings): 350 cal, 19 g fat, 78mg sodium, 42g carb, 36g sugar, 8g protein

how do you like your marshmallows?

2010-02-22T17:21:00.016-05:00

I am forever on a marshmallow kick and love them in all states: roasted, fluffernuttered, s'mored; you will be seeing several marshmallow recipes down the line as I have baked some form of the above into a cookie, bar or cake at one point or another. My all-time favorite marshmallow delight has to be the Mallo Cup. These things have probably been around longer than my parents. I hope these chocolate candy cups that cower in the Reese's shadow never leave the face of the Earth but in case they do, I made a little bar cookie of them to satiate me while I weep marshmallow tears.

This recipe still has a couple of things I want to work out but the world can wait no longer for a Mallo Cup cookie!

Mallo Cup Bar Cookies

from the kitchen of my crazy head:
Yield: 32 bars
INGREDIENTS
shortbread layer
1 3/4 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 C sugar
2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C egg product or 2 eggs, beaten
1/2 C Flaked Coconut
6 oz. Milk Chocolate morsels or chopped chocolate

marshmallow cream layer
1 1/2 egg whites (I use powdered and follow package instructions accordingly)
1 C light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C confectioner's sugar
1/2 T vanilla
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/2C- 3/4C flaked coconut

DIRECTIONS
shortbread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9" x 13" baking dish with foil and grease with cooking spray or use the awesome non-stick foil, love the stuff. Mix butter, sugar and flour until crumbly. Mix in egg and milk until a dough forms (It is always a little sticky for me). Toss in coconut. Press dough mixture into baking dish and bake for 20 min. I will make a note to say that this is not traditional buttery shortbread that you find on the bottom of lemon bars and the like. This is more substantial and chewy so it will not fall apart from the marshmallow. When the shortbread is done baking, toss milk chocolate on top while warm and spread evenly with a spatula. Let the chocolate fully cool and harden.

marshmallow
In the meantime, combine egg whites, salt and corn syrup in a large bowl and beat on high for 10 minutes until thick. Add confectioner's sugar and beat on low until fully incorporated. Beat in the extracts. Carefully add in the coconut. Spread marshmallow over the top of the fully cooled chocolate. More or less coconut can be added to taste. The marshmallow cream can be made with different extracts (almond, raspberry, etc.) for experimentation. Don't be scared!

Nutrition: 172 cal., 8.5g fat, 96mg sodium, 22g carb, 13g sugar, 2g protein