Farmers' Market Strawberry Muffins

I love going to the farmers' market downtown on Saturday mornings.  Our city has one that is several blocks long and has so much more than just farmers and produce!  There are coffee shops (hello!), bakeries, hand-crafted goods like yarn goods, wood carvings, handmade glass, jewelry; there is just about something for everyone.  And musicians along the way to keep you entertained.  And the food!  So much to choose from.

This past Saturday, I scored some of the best strawberries!  I bought two quarts, thinking I'd make some freezer jam.  Um....I think I need to buy some more strawberries before I can attempt that - between eating them as I was washing and cutting them up, feeding them to my kids (and husband), and making these absolutely amazing muffins, these berries didn't last very long!

And let me just tell you, farm-fresh strawberries (whether purchased from a farmers' market or at a u-pick field) are SO, SO, SO much better than anything you will ever buy commercially in a store!  They are juicier, more flavorful, packed full of so much goodness, you just may squeal with delight!  They are typically smaller, but much, much better!

I absolutely LOVE this recipe for muffins - it has Greek yogurt (I am a BIG fan) and lots of berries and yumminess inside.  They baked up so beautifully, I actually yelled to my husband to come watch as I took them out of the oven.  Silly, I know...but I was just a proud momma of my fresh strawberry muffins!

 You MUST get you some fresh strawberries, some Greek yogurt, and whip up this recipe.  It made ALMOST two dozen (23 muffins), and my kids and husband loved them as much as I did.  They taste a little like mini strawberry shortcakes....they're delish with a dollop of whipped cream on top!

RECIPE
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
10 Tbs butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla 
2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 c. FRESH strawberries, chopped
Raw sugar for topping 

Preheat oven to 400.  Grease or line 24 baking cups (2 muffin tins)

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla and lemon juice.  Mix until fully combined.  Add half the yogurt, then half the flour mixture.  Repeat until all is mixed in.  Gently fold in the strawberries.

Divide muffin batter among muffin tins - an ice cream scoop is handy with this!  Sprinkle liberally with raw sugar.

Put in 400 oven and bake for 8 minutes.
REDUCE OVEN HEAT to 350 and bake for 11 more minutes, until just starting to turn golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool in pan about 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack to cool completely.

Ready to go in the oven!

Baked to perfection!

Cinnamon Chip Bake

Yes, I AM still alive!  Time to dust off Spare Time Baker and get back to baking!
Today, I really wanted some sort of cinnamon roll tasting thing.  But I needed it to be quick, I wanted it to be easy, and I had limited resources in my kitchen.  I tried to find something on Pinterest that fit the bill, but failed.  So I figured I'd experiment a little and see what I could come up with.  I'm pretty pleased with myself; it was quick, easy, and turned out delicious (if I do say so myself!).

I'm going to go ahead and dub this the "Cinnamon Chip Bake" - because I'm not sure what else to call it!  It's made of a YUMMY biscuit-type dough, that is rolled into balls, and baked with cinnamon chips nestled in between, then smothered with a rich glaze.  And there is a minimal amount of dishes dirtied - BONUS!

RECIPE:

2 c. flour
2 Tbs. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. cinnamon chips

for glaze: 1/2 c. heavy cream, about 1/2 c. to 1 c. powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla
 

• Preheat oven to 400.  Spray a round or square bake pan (or baking dish) liberally.

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.  Slowly add in 1 c. buttermilk, then 1/2 c. heavy cream.  Stir together until a wet dough forms.  

• Roll dough into balls (about 2") and place them in prepared pan.  You can nestle them all right up together, it's okay.  Sprinkle the cinnamon chips all over the top, letting some fall in between.

• Bake for about 20 minutes, until done (will not brown much).  

Mix together the glaze:  Whisk the 1/4 c. cream with 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and then whisk in the powdered sugar until you get the consistency and taste you want.  Pour liberally over the still-warm biscuits.  Share with a few of your favorite people and enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread

I've made a lot of different pumpkin bread recipes.  Most have been really good.  I've even claimed (a few times maybe) that I'd found the "PERFECT RECIPE" and I would love it forever.  Then I'd decide to try something different next time.  I recently tried out this recipe - I loved the moist, dense texture.  I swap out oil for coconut oil in most of my recipes - you should try it!  But just in case you don't have it on hand, or don't want to invest in any just to try my recipes, you CAN use regular oil or an equal amount of applesauce.

This recipe is wonderful - it gives you a loaf to eat and a loaf to share!  My husband's coworkers were lucky enough to get the second loaf of this recipe....but honestly?  I would have eaten the whole thing, given the opportunity!

This would make a terrific side to take with you if you are attending someone else's Thanksgiving Dinner...just saying... ;)


1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin
4 eggs
1/2 c. coconut oil (can use reg veg oil -- but coconut oil is awesome!)
1/2 c. applesauce
2/3 c. water
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. sugar
3 1/2 c. self rising flour (or ap flour + 2 tsp baking powder)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 TBS (yes, Tablespoons!) pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350. Grease/flour 2 loaf pans.
Cream together pumpkin, eggs, oil, applesauce, water, vanilla and sugar. Add dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. Divide among two pans. Bake for 60-70 min until toothpick comes out clean (you may want to tent foil over them for last 10-20 minutes).

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'd like to think of these cookies as a little bit healthy - they have coconut oil in place of some of the butter, white whole wheat flour, oats, and dark chocolate.  Can't go wrong with all that, can you?  PLUS, my kids loved them and they lasted less than two days in our house.  Okay, my hubby and I loved them too and may be part of the reason they didn't last very long!

These are a great after school snack.  Or a late evening snack.  Or breakfast on the run....?  Maybe (if you're not opposed to eating cookies for breakfast - which I am not!).  These are easy to put together, particularly if you have a good stand mixer.  

2 c. white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. coconut oil
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbs molasses
1 Tbs milk
2 c. rolled oats
1 pkg dark chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder & baking soda.
Cream together butter and coconut oil until blended completely.  Add in brown sugar and cream mixture until fluffy.
Add eggs, molasses and milk and beat until fully combined.  Beat in oats.  Slowly mix in flour mixture until fully combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls (I used the large scooper from Pampered Chef) onto ungreased cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room for spreading - I put 6 cookies per tray.  Bake 14-15 minutes until golden and browned around the edges.  Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.  Keep in airtight container to keep soft and chewy!

Pumpkin Butter...so easy, so good.

I love all things pumpkin, in case that wasn't obvious already.  
Pumpkin Butter is SO easy to make, I don't know why I haven't tried it before!  It just takes a little time, maybe I'm just too impatient.  But I gave it a whirl this week and am pleasantly surprised at the ease of making it AND it's absolute deliciousness!!

1 (29 oz) can pure pumpkin
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 c. brown sugar
1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon
freshly grated nutmeg
juice of 1/2 lemon
  
Stir everything except lemon juice together in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.  When mixture begins to boil, reduce heat and cover.  You'll want to prop the lid open just a little to let the steam escape (a wooden spoon handle works great). Let simmer for at least 35 minutes.  The mixture will pop and sputter and splatter a lot, just to forewarn you.  Stir occasionally.  Remove lid after 35 minutes, stir in lemon juice and let cool for about 10 minutes.  Transfer to heatproof container and chill.  Keep refrigerated.

This can be used on so many things - from toast, to beer bread, to oatmeal, to yogurt!  It makes anything taste kind of like pumpkin pie.  It is so yummy, you won't regret trying this tasty treat!  It is perfect for this time of year.  I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does.

 

Banana Oatmeal Muffins (No flour)

These are a perfect on-the-go breakfast option - or, as in my case, really easy to whip up for breakfast when you don't have any cereal, bread or milk, and only 2 eggs left!  Plus, you can whip them up in the blender, saving yourself a pile of dirty bowls.  They are pretty tasty, too - like a little cup of fruity oatmeal that you can eat without the spoon!  

2 super ripe bananas, mushed up
1 c. applesauce
2 eggs  
1/2 c. sugar 
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 c. old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 400. Line a muffin pan with FOIL liners, or just spray the muffin tins with non-stick spray (paper liners don't work well with this recipe).  I chose to spray my foil liners and they came out perfectly!

Place the bananas, applesauce, eggs and sugar in the blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add in baking powder, soda and oats and blend until mixed thoroughly.  You may have to use your "pulse" button once the oats hit the bottom, but just keep blending until you have a very smooth consistency (will have SOME small lumps).  

Pour directly from the blender right into each cup - you'll be able to fill them at least 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and done all the way through.  

I think these would be really good with some cinnamon chips, or peanut butter chips, or maybe some walnuts and brown sugar on top!  But we ate them as-is and they were perfect. 

 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Two of my favorite things together: Pumpkin and Snickerdoodles!  If you know me even a little, you know I'm pretty much a pumpkin fanatic.  And Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie ever.  I don't know why I don't make them more often...maybe because you have to chill the dough then roll it in the cinnamon sugar.  It's always worth it though.  And these are not exception.

I got this idea from A Bitchin' Kitchen

 

Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and spice.
In mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy.  Add in pumpkin, egg and vanilla and mix until smooth and fully combined.  Slowly add in flour mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill dough (freeze at least 30 minutes or chill in refrigerator at least 1 hour). 

While the dough is chilling, mix together 1 c. white sugar with 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice in a gallon-size ziploc baggie.

Shape chilled dough into balls (I used my medium scoop from Pampered Chef - it holds about 1 Tbs, give or take).  Toss each ball in the sugar mixture in the baggie.  Place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden.  Cool on pans for 5 minutes then remove to cooling rack.  TRY to wait until they're mostly cool before you test them!!

Beer Bread

Do you know how easy it is to make your own beer bread?!?

Super. Easy.

Especially if you get yourself a bag of self-rising flour (if you don't have it, or don't want to buy an extra bag of flour, you can make regular flour "self-rising" by adding 1 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp of salt to each cup of all-purpose flour).

Okay, onto the beer bread recipe.  Remember how I said it was super easy?  I did not lie - you just need three things.  Okay, four if you count the butter you're going to brush on top after it's baked.  

Brown Sugar.
Bottle of Beer.
Self-Rising Flour.

That's it!  

In a bowl, combine 2/3 c. brown sugar with 12 oz. beer until sugar is dissolved.  Stir in 3 c. flour, until fully combined.  Pour into a greased loaf pan.

Bake at 375 for 45-55 minutes.  Immediately coat top with butter (I just take a stick of butter and rub it across the entire surface a few times).  Let cool in pan about 5 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.  

Experiment with the types of beer you use.  My husband likes to try all sorts of beer - the darker, the better for him.  But there are also some with coffee, some with pumpkin, some with cider...You really can't go wrong here.  This time, I used Wisconsin Amber (kind of an homage to our new home, if you will).  And the taste is really, really good! 

Pumpkin Donuts: Baked, Not Fried

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

Updated 9/17/2012: it was brought to my attention that I left out the most important ingredient of these delicious donuts - the pumpkin!!  I have no idea how that happened, but it is now corrected below.  Please make sure you make these WITH pumpkin...they're much better that way.  I'm going to go hide in embarrassment now.  Thanks!  :)

These beautiful gems showed up in my Pinterest feed the other day.  The original recipe can be found on the King Arthur Flour website.  I adjusted a few things to make them "mine."  Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that if it's got pumpkin in it, I'm probably going to make it.  And eat it.  My kids are HUGE pumpkin fans as well - probably because I make everything with pumpkin from September until December.  

I happened to have a large donut pan for baking, and a mini one.  Which is kind of a funny story -- I had insisted on getting them years ago, then never used them and ended up putting them in a yard sale or something.  Then last year, a friend of mine brought these two pans to me and said someone had given them to her as a gift but she never used them and since I'm always baking I should have them!  I'm kind of glad I took them, too, it makes recipes like this so much fun!  And my kids love having donuts for an afternoon snack :) 

Now, if you do not have donut pans, these can be made in a mini muffin pan (think of them as donut holes if you want to), or even regular muffin tins - just don't fill those all the way to the top, and adjust your baking time accordingly.

These are moist, pumpkiny treats coated in a generous shaking of sugar mixed with pumpkin pie spice (if you don't have any on hand, you can make your own by combining 1 tsp of cinnamon with 1/2 tsp each of nutmeg and ginger - this will make you 2 tsp, increase accordingly to what you'll need!)

Recipe
Pumpkin Donuts
1/2 cup *coconut oil (in liquid state)
3 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can of PURE Pumpkin
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

(*regular oil or melted & cooled butter can be used in place of the coconut oil.  I have been using the coconut oil in place of oil and butter in many of recipes with great success - and no, it does not make everything taste like coconut!)

Preheat your oven to 350.  Lightly grease your donut (or muffin) tins.
Place your oil, eggs, pumpkin, sugar, spices, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl.  Beat together until fully combined and smooth.  Slowly add in the flour, stirring just until combined.

Spoon into wells, not filling them more than 2/3 full.  Bake regular sized donut tins for about 15-18 minutes (mini donut pans for about 13-16 minutes, regular sized muffins for 22-25 minutes), use cake tester or sharp knife in center to test doneness.

Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes so they can be moved easily.  Remove from pan and cool on rack a little bit longer.  While still warm (but not so hot they'll fall apart when handled), toss with the pumpkin spice cinnamon sugar coating:

Coating:
1 c. white sugar
1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
Add both to gallon size ziplock bag.  Close and shake well, until spice is even distributed.  

Toss donuts one or two at a time in bag.  

This recipe made 12 regular sized donuts (yes I had to wait until the first 6 were done before and out of the pan before I could make the rest of them) AND 12 mini donuts.  

And they all disappeared as soon as the kids were home from school...

Back to School, Back to Blogging!

Yes, it's been a while.  A long, long while.  But lots of changes have been occurring, and I'm ready to relaunch this blog!  I have missed it.  I haven't stopped baking and I haven't stopped taking pictures of my food...but I have not been blogging about ANY of it, and if you know me at all, you know I use recipes more as "guidelines" and if I don't write it down right after I change it, I probably won't remember what I changed!  So I am going to do my best to get this back up and running and bring you something yummy to try each week!  Feel free to leave comments, tips, suggestions...or just drop in to say hello!

So our biggest change is that we have moved - from Northern NY (where there are more cows than people) to a city in Wisconsin!  We have stores and restaurants and parks - all within walking distance of our new house!  Our older two kids have started their new school (also within walking distance) and are really enjoying their second grade classes.  For their first day of school, I took a page from my friend Chris's book and made them a Giant Cookie to celebrate!

I got the original recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and of course tweeked to for what I had on hand.

GIANT COOKIE RECIPE 

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup *coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup peanut butter chips (you can use chocolate chips or whatever you want here; I happened to have pb chips so that's what we used!)
Buttercream Frosting

*You can use butter (melted & cooled) instead - I have started substituting coconut oil for butter and oil in recipes with great results!

Cream together sugars and coconut oil.  Add in egg, soda, salt and vanilla; mix well.  Stir in flour until fully combined; fold in chips.

Pat into a circle shape (about 1/2" thick) onto a parchment paper lined pan, or a baking stone.  It will spread while baking, so make sure there is room so it doesn't outgrow the pan!

Bake at 350 for 13-16 minutes until lightly golden.  Let cool COMPLETELY on pan.  Decorate with Buttercream frosting if desired.

Here is the recipe for the frosting I made:
1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese
2 sticks butter, room temp
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb confectioners sugar, more or less for desired thickness
1 Tbs milk or cream, more or less for desired thickness

Cream together cream cheese and butter until fully combined and fluffy.  Add in vanilla and add confectioners sugar a cup at a time.  Add 1 Tbs of cream.  Beat on high until nice and fluffy (you can adjust the amounts of sugar and cream to get your desired taste and texture).

To decorate, put frosting in gallon size baggie, squeeze into corner, snip off corner and pipe frosting onto cookie.  You can color the frosting with food coloring (paste is recommended).

Kids love the huge cookie (my kids are already asking for one instead of a birthday cake!)...keep it in mind for your next special or fun occasion!

My Favorite Cookie

Today is a very, very cold day.  We needed to bake to keep things toasty and warm in our big old drafty house. The kiddos helped me decide on a few things to make - first up?  My favorite cookie EVER!  I used Jessica's recipe from How Sweet It Is, and we whipped up a batch!  They smell sooooo good, and don't tell the kids (because I said we couldn't eat them yet) but they taste delicious too!

Recipe (adapted from How Sweet It Is - Original recipe)

1 stick butter, room temp

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 1/2 Tbs. milk

1 Tbs. cinnamon (I used Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus which also has nutmeg & cloves in it!)

1/4 c. white sugar

Cream together butter and sugars.  Add in egg and vanilla and beat until fully combined.

Add in flour, baking powder and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.  Stir until dough begins to form.  Add in milk, and mix until smooth dough forms (if crumbly, add a little milk at a time until dough is uniform).  Chill dough for 30 min.

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix 1/4 cup sugar with 1 Tbs. cinnamon in small bowl.  Roll chilled dough into 1" balls.    Roll dough balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating fully.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake 11-13 minutes until they just begin to turn golden and the tops are slightly cracked.  Remove to cooling rack.

Makes about 20 cookies.

Zucchini Bread ~ Recipe 1

I'm a bread-loving girl.  I'll admit it.  I'll also blame a few of my extra lbs on my love for bread :)  I love banana bread, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, bread-bread!  I am a purist though - I don't typically like add-ins.  No nuts, no chocolate chips, just a nice moist, dense bread.  Lots of flavor.

I got a few big zucchinis and decided I needed to make a few loaves of bread with them.  It turned out okay, but I think I will try a few different recipes to see if I can perfect it.  These were a little dense, and the sugar kind of "floated" to the surface and crystallized.  It was still yummy, but I was imagining something different.

So here is my first attempt at zucchini bread.  Stay tuned for future attempts!

3 1/4 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. baking soda

pinch salt

3 c. sugar (I might try substituting brown sugar for 1 c.)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup butter, melted

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 c. water

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 c. grated zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)

Preheat oven to 350; butter & flour 2 standard loaf pans.

In large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.

In a separate large bowl, combine sugar, oil, butter, eggs, water, lemon juice and zucchini until fully combined.

Slowly combine with wet ingredients with dry ingredients, stir until combined (but do not overmix!)

Pour batter into prepared pans, bake for 1 hour until tester comes out clean.

"Berry White" Muffins...can't get enough of this love, baby

I keep buying berries this summer with the intention of making really amazing recipes...and instead we just end up eating them or letting them shrivel up and get past their prime.  Last night, I had the brilliant idea to crank my oven up to 400 degrees on a hot, humid night, so that I could use the berries I'd just bought.  But it was sooooooo worth it -- these muffins turned out beautifully and I wish I could stop eating them!  They're just the right texture, so moist, with a crumbly top.  

You will make these and you will love these.  Your friends will love you.  You will wish you had made more.  Much more (then you will be thankful that you didn't because you won't be able to stop eating them!).  

Recipe:
Muffins:
2 c. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 egg
1 c. milk or plain yogurt
1/2 c. butter, melted (slightly cooled)
3/4 c. blueberries
3/4 c. strawberries, cut into small pieces
1/2 c. white chocolate chips

Streusel topping:
2 Tbs cold butter, cut up
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Heat oven to 400, grease or line 12 muffin cups.
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, 1/4 c. brown sugar, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat egg until frothy and light yellow.  Beat in milk.  Stream in melted butter.  Add vanilla.
Add flour mixture in 2 to 3 installments, stirring only until combined.
Fold in white chocolate chips.
Fold in berries until incorporated throughout the batter.
Divide among 12 muffin cups - they will be full, and that's okay!
For streusel, mix together 1/4 c. brown sugar, 2 Tbs flour and cinnamon.  Cut in cold butter with fork until mixture becomes crumbly.  Divide among muffins, pressing lightly.

Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes (you may want to put a tray on the rack underneath, to catch any drippings), until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan about 5-10 minutes, remove to rack to cool completely.

This Ain't Your Mother's Better-Than-Sex Cake

Seriously.  This is my twist on a pretty old favorite - I've heard of this and I've seen the same basic concoction for years.  I never made it.  I've sampled it....people make it with chocolate OR vanilla cake, a bunch of ooey-gooey-goodness, and some sort of candy on top.  Sometimes whipped cream is involved.  You could google it and find out for yourself, I suppose, instead of me droning on.  You probably just want me to get to the good stuff. 

Like this.

I'm not sure if this picture is speaking to you, but let me tell you what it says to me:  ooey.  gooey.  CHOCOLATE.  Throw in a few Oreos and I'm sold!

Here's how I make this party for your mouth:
1 dark chocolate (or devil's food) cake -- you can use a (gasp!) box mix, or use  your own favorite recipe
1 c. mini chocolate chips
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
Caramel ice cream topping
Dark Chocolate Fudge ice cream topping
About 12 Oreos, coarsely chopped

After mixing up cake batter as directed, add mini chocolate chips.  Bake in a greased & floured Bundt pan at 350 (it's okay if it's not done done, as long as it's mostly done.  Trust me on this).  Cool about 10 minutes. Leaving in pan, poke several holes in the still-warm cake with the handle of a wooden spoon.  Pour sweetened condensed milk over cake, filling holes, and drizzling over the rest of the cake.  Let cool completely.  Invert onto serving dish (it's best if it is a dish with sides or something that will keep the ooey-gooeyness from running off the dish!).  Drizzle with caramel liberally, then with fudge.  Top with crushed Oreos, and drizzle just a little more caramel over top.  Slice into slabs and serve with a smile!

Today is Chocolate Custard Day!

I try to keep up on what's going on in the world...today I googled "Today is..." (using my fancy schmancy smarts that got me that college degree).  Seriously, if you've never done that, just go to Google and type in "Today is" -- that's all!  I found lots of fun stuff, really, but I like to look at the calendars and find out what kind of weirdness and food are being celebrated on any particular day.  Today, to my delight, turns out to be Chocolate Custard Day!

I have never before attempted to make chocolate custard from scratch.  But it sounded intriguing.  So then, of course, I had to start searching for the perfect recipe.  There were a few (I have added several to My List), and I chose this particular one because it required no baking and minimal chilling time -- I wanted to be able to enjoy it tonight!

Much to my delight, it turned out to be really pretty easy, quick and the end result was thick and rich -- very yummy!  My hubby gave it two thumbs up.  This only makes two servings (though they're pretty good sized), so if you're planning on entertaining more than just you and a friend, plan ahead to increase the amounts!

Chocolate Custard
(from foodandwine.com)
1/4 c. milk
3 Tbs. sugar
1 large egg yolk
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
pinch of salt
2 Tbs butter

In small saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and sugar; heat until steaming and sugar is dissolved.
Put egg yolk in small glass bowl, and gradually (verrrrrrrrrrrry slowly as to not cook the egg) whisk in hot milk.  Return to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture thickens (about 2 minutes).
Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and salt until smooth.  Whisk in butter.
Pour into 2 shallow bowls.  Chill 10 minutes.

For whipped topping, beat 1/2 c. heavy cream with a pinch of ground cinnamon (using a chilled bowl and beaters) and 1 Tbs sugar until softly whipped.  Dollop on top of custards before serving.

 

Coming Soon...

Check out what I scored in a bargain bin recently:

I will be trying out loads of new recipes from this little treasure!  You know, when I find the time between work, family and renovations!

Peanut Butter Pie with a twist

Check this decadence out:

That, my friends, is a two layer peanut butter pie with a cheesecake/pudding layer on the bottom.  Light, yet rich.  Addicting, definitely!  And did I mention easy to make?

Recipe:

1 pre-made chocolate crust (or you can make your own with crushed Oreos and butter)
1 small package cheesecake-flavored pudding mix
2 cups cold milk, divided
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 small package vanilla pudding mix (I used sugar free)
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. Cool Whip, thawed (save the rest of the container for garnishing)


In medium bowl, pour 1 c. milk, add cheesecake pudding and whisk for 2 minutes - mixture will be very thick.  Pour into prepared crust.  In bowl of mixer, cream the cream cheese, slowly adding in milk until fully combined.  Add pudding mix and peanut butter, beat until fully combined.  Fold in Cool Whip.  Pour into crust on top of pudding layer.  Chill at least 2 hours.  Cut into 8 wedges and serve with additional Cool Whip.

You're welcome.

 

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Are you ready for these?  I found this recipe over at Brown Eyed Baker.
A word of caution: the dough may not all make it to the oven!  It is delicious itself, and perfectly safe to eat!  I must admit, I only made about 10 cookies, and ate the rest of the dough.  Whoops.  :)

OREO CHEESECAKE COOKIES

1 stick butter, softened

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. flour

1/2 c. dark chocolate chips

1 c. crushed Oreos

Cream together butter and cream cheese.  Add in sugar and vanilla.

Slowly add in flour, until fully combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Roll into 1 1/2" balls, toss in Oreo crumbs.

Place on parchment-lined cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 for 12 minutes until puffed up and the edges are just turning golden.

I did not drop off the face of the earth!

I started a new job, and am adjusting to my new schedule (nights & weekends off!  but up early every weekday morning -ugh!).  And then my laptop had to be sent out for repair (AGAIN) so my blogging has been pushed off to the side.  But never fear!  I have a few things up my sleeve to share with you, and will post them soon.   Today is a busy family day, but hopefully tonight I will have time to post a few of the things I've managed to make lately.

Also, while on my hiatus, my sweet little girls became TV stars!!!  A short little clip was aired on America's Funniest Home Videos on March 13!  It was so amazing to see my girls on the big screen (seriously, we watched it at my parents house - they have a HUGE TV!!!  :))  Here is a sad little video I took with my little camera while we watched it:

♥Happy Valentines Day♥

Happy Valentine's Day to my darling husband!  He is my forever Valentine!
Tonight for dinner, we had some filet mignon, stuffed sole, garlic mashed potatoes...
And for dessert?  Fabulous Chocolate Fondue!

8 oz. heavy cream
12 oz. bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped
pinch salt
tsp. vanilla

Heat heavy cream over medium heat until it just starts to bubble.  Whisk in chocolate, whisking until smooth and thickened.  Whisk in salt and vanilla.  Pour into serving dish or fondue pot.  Serve with assorted fruit, marshmallows, pound cake, graham crackers, etc.