Getting Springy with the Cupcakes

For my daughter’s 13th birthday (how did that happen??), we had a Spring theme.  Fruits, veggies, bright colors and flavors.  Pasta salad on a stick!  It was all good, but the best part was the cupcakes.  Not only were they delicious, but they were so darn fancy!

I’ll admit I used a box mix for the cake.  If you like to make cake from scratch, go ahead.  Since I was short on time, Ms. Crocker came to my rescue.  But the frosting was my own creation and let me tell you, with this frosting, cake is a complete afterthought anyway.  It’s so much better than anything you will buy in a can.  AND you can pronounce all the ingredients!

Since I was making these for two events – a sleepover and a party the next day, I made two batches of cupcakes.  Some large ones, and some mini cupcakes.  The large ones were perfect for butterflies and the mini cupcakes made beautiful bite size flowers.  So much fun and so delicious!

A little touch of Spring. Hello Mr. Butterfly!

Spring Cupcakes with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

24-48 cupcakes (I used a mix, but if you prefer you can use your favorite cake recipe)
2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 tbsp. raspberry syrup (I used syrup you’d use for coffee drinks, find it by the coffee & tea in the store)

For butterflies:
Small pretzel twists
Sour gummy worms

For flowers:
m&m’s or jelly beans
sliced almonds

Make cupcakes and set aside to cool.

Red Velvet and Triple Chocolate cupcakes cooling off.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together until creamy.  Add whipping cream and raspberry syrup.  Beat on medium high for 4-5 minutes until thick and fluffy and creamy.  Be sure to scrape down the sides from time to time.  Add more syrup for more of a more intense raspberry flavor if desired.  Frost cupcakes.  I scored some disposable piping bags with tips at Bed, Bath & Beyond that worked beautifully, but use whatever you’ve got. This easily made enough frosting for all of my cupcakes, with a little leftover for dipping…well whatever you want.

For butterflies, I used a gummy worm (sour ones are my favorite, plus they are pastel colored) for the body, and small pretzels for the wings!

So cute!

For tiny flowers, use an m&m or jelly bean for the center, and place sliced almond “petals” around it in a circle.

So pretty! And soooo tasty!

Present to your guests and prepare yourself for many accolades.  You may also want to plan an extra few minutes on the treadmill the next day to make up for all the scrumptious cupcakes you’ll probably eat!

Creamy Crunchy Berry Bites

This weekend I challenged myself to come up with a creative dessert for Easter dinner.  Okay, okay… I just didn’t want to go to the grocery store so I made up something with the odd collection of ingredients I had on hand.  Same thing!  Sometimes you discover the coolest things when you’re playing in the kitchen.  Like wonton skins!  And how they are not just for wontons!  In fact, they can be transformed to the perfect receptacle for tasty treats.

I was actually really happy with how these delicious little morsels turned out, and two dozen of them disappeared in a flash, so I think others agreed with me.  I’ll definitely be making them again.

Creamy Crunchy Berry Bites (or as my daughter calls them, Creamy Crunchy Strawberry Yummy Thingies)

Creamy Crunchy Berry Bites

2 dozen wonton skins
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup whipping cream
1 pint strawberries, diced

Preheat oven to 375˚.  Lightly spray two mini muffin tins with cooking spray.  Poke one wonton skin into each well.  Kind of fan out the edges making a little bowl shape of sorts so you’ll be able to fill them.

Wonton skins. You can find them in the produce section at most grocery stores.

Bake shells for 5-8 minutes.  Watch closely to make sure they don’t cook too long (my first try was a bit on the crunchy side), you just want them a golden brown and crispy.  Take out and let cool in the pan.

Keep an eye on these so they don’t burn. They don’t take long!

In a mixing bowl combine cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla.  Beat until creamy.  Add whipping cream and beat several minutes until thick and fluffy, scraping down the sides once in a while.

Fill a piping bag or ziplock bag with creamy mixture, snip off the corner and pipe cream into the wonton shells.  If you have extra filling, it will keep in the fridge for several days, if it lasts that long.

You could do this with a spoon, but it’s much easier to fill the nooks and crannies with a piping bag. If you don’t have one, a ziplock bag with a corner snipped off works just fine.

Top with strawberries and serve.  Makes 24.

I could eat this whole pan myself.

Jello Pinwheels

Jello is one of those things that’s fun to make, fun to play with…and that I usually have no desire to eat.  I’m not sure why that is.  Is it that I associate it with being sick and low-carb diets?  Maybe.  I don’t hate it, but I rarely go out of my way to have some.  My kids feel the same way.  That being said, occasionally we see a recipe that needs to be made, just for the fun of it.  So we’ve made the jello aquarium (complete with Spongebob and friends), we’ve pinned jello oranges, and now we’ve discovered jello pinwheels.

These jello pinwheels are easy to make, and they involve marshmallows, which in my opinion only improves the jello.  They are definitely a fun snack, especially for the smaller kids I think.  I’d love to tell you we gobbled them up like crazy but I think we had more fun playing with them and making them than actually eating them.  But if you’re a jello fan, they are a must.

Jello Rollups
(from Joy of Jello)

1 (3 oz) package of jello
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Lightly spray an 8 or 9 inch square pan with cooking spray.

Stir together water and jello powder and microwave for one minute.  Remove and stir to make sure all the jello is dissolved.  Microwave a few seconds more if needed.

Add marshmallows and return to microwave for 20-40 seconds, until marshmallows just begin to puff.  This is the key to a successful marshmallow layer! If you overcook the marshmallows they will just dissolve and you will not have two distinct layers.

Whisk quickly until marshmallows have dissolved.  Pour into prepared pan and chill in the fridge for at least 45 minutes, until well set.  The creamy marshmallow layer will float to the top.

Remove the pan from the fridge.  The jello should be very firm and easy to handle.  Gently pull one side away from the pan and lift the entire sheet onto the counter or other clean surface.  Starting at one end, roll up tightly.  With the seam side down, cut into 1/2 inch pinwheels.  An easy way to do this is with a piece of thread or dental floss.  Simply put the string around the roll, cross and pull. Makes 10-12 pinwheels.

Easiest way to cut the pinwheels.

Chewy Gooey Granola Bars

I got a speeding ticket this morning.  And broke a nail.  One might suppose that this was the start to a rough day.  But I’m sitting here munching on a fabulous granola bar, one that transcends most granola bars as we know them.  And drinking a perfect mocha.  And watching a few rays of sun breaking through the clouds as I get ready to head to yoga class.  And I’m thinking life is pretty darn good.

I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs and thought, “oh those look good, and healthy too!”  And then when I was making them I thought, “hey, what if I add a cup of mini chocolate chips to them?” So…maybe mine are a little less healthy.  But you could still do worse.  I made some changes in the original recipe, based mostly on what was in my cupboard and a few flights of fancy.  And was also reminded that you should always read the recipe all the way through before starting.  My mini chocolate chips seemed like an inspired idea until I realized I would be pouring hot liquid on the mixture.  Um. I didn’t really think that through.  My chips melted.  Which really turned out to be wonderful, since the chocolate permeated the bars rather than staying in chip form.  It was unanticipated but quite delicious, and a contributing factor in the “gooey” description to be sure.  The end result is a chewy, gooey, indulgent (and still somewhat healthy) treat.  So take a moment, slow down, and eat one.

Chewy Gooey Granola Bars

Chewy Gooey Granola Bars
(adapted from Chewy Cherry Granola Bars by Canyoustayfordinner.com)

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup puffed rice (or Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs, which I happened to have)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Heat oven to 350˚.  Spread oats out on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, puffed grain or rice, cranberries, and chocolate chips.  Lower oven temp to 300˚.

In a small saucepan, combine butter, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt.  Bring to a boil, cook and stir one minute.  Remove from heat and pour over grain and fruit mixture.  Mix well until all ingredients are combined.  Line a 13 x 9 baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray.  Put mixture in the pan.  Wet fingers and press evenly and firmly into the pan.  Bake at 300˚ for 20-25 minutes.  Cool at least 2-3 hours (I know!  But seriously, you need to wait) before cutting into bars.  Cut into bars and store in airtight containers, using wax paper to separate the bars so they don’t stick together.  Makes 24 bars.  187 calories per bar.

A giant granola bar (or 24 smaller granola bars)

April’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I don’t have any cookies in my house at the moment.  If I had them, I would eat them.  I have no self-control when it comes to cookies.  So I don’t make them often.  When I do, they do a very quick disappearing act, because they are (if I do say so myself) spectacular.

These are one of my favorite cookies to make.  My little spin on your basic chocolate chip cookie.  I used to use half butter and half margarine or butter flavored crisco to make them a little fluffier.  But these days, I’m using less and less “fake” food, which margarine is in my book (did you know it’s chemically very similar to plastic?) so now I use all butter.  I think they taste better, but they do tend to come out a bit more flat.  I don’t really have a problem with that, although they are not quite as pretty.  But they still taste wonderful and I would happily sit down and eat a whole plate of them, were they here.  It might be time to bake another batch.

Right now, I’m craving a cookie.

A stack of cookie love.

April’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter (2 sticks, slightly softened)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. finely grated orange rind
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
6 squares Bakers bittersweet chocolate, chopped up
1/2 – 1 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375˚.  Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt & cinnamon) in a small bowl.  Set aside.  In a large bowl beat or stir butter, sugar and brown sugar until creamy.  Add eggs, vanilla, and orange rind.  Beat until combined.  Gradually beat or stir in flour mixture about 1/3 at a time.  Fold in chocolate and nuts.

Chopped bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate. You could use chocolate chips if you want, but I love how you get varying sizes of chocolate bits with this method. Big chunks, tiny slivers, and a little chocolate dust to permeate the dough.

Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.  If you prefer you can line your baking sheets with parchment for easier cleanup.  Bake 8-10 minutes until just barely brown around the edges.  Remove from oven.  Using a spatula, transfer cookies to wax paper or cooling racks to cool.  Try not to eat them all at once.

The perfect addition to any tray of treats.

 

Beautiful Baked Apples

While feeding my Pinterest addiction the other day I came across a lovely recipe for Pear Pies.  This unique recipe used pear halves wrapped in puff pastry and then filled with a blue cheese concoction of some sort.  I didn’t make it.  I’m not a huge blue cheese fan, but they looked gorgeous and I was inspired.  I didn’t have pears on hand, but I did have apples.  And I didn’t have puff pastry but I had pie crust.  In fact, I don’t think I actually used any of the ingredients in the Pear Pie recipe.  But that didn’t stop me from making the most beautiful and fantastic apple “pies” ever.

I actually made these for breakfast this morning.  Yes, you heard me right.  Apple pie for breakfast.  Don’t look at me like that.  It’s fruit!  It’s baked!  It was amazing!  I might have to try the pears next.

Beautiful Baked Apples. You could eat it just like this if you want.

Or you could dress it up a little.  Yum!

Beautiful Baked Apples

2 granny smith apples
1 refrigerated pie crust
1 beaten egg
4 tsp. brown sugar
1/3 cup walnuts (toasted)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. dried cranberries
Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400˚.  Peel apples.  Cut each apple in half and scrape or cut out the core and seeds.  Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat mat.  Place the apples cut side down.

I used granny smith apples but use whichever kind you like (some hold their shape better than others when cooked).

Unroll the pie crust and cut into fourths.  Cover each apple half with a fourth of the crust, stretching or trimming if necessary.  If you want to get fancy with it, you can cut a few leaf and stem shapes using the scraps.  Stab a few holes all over.  Brush with beaten egg.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

All dressed up and ready to cook.

Using a mortar and pestle or food processor (or chop/crush using whatever method you want), mix brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and cranberries.  Set aside.

I got this mortar and pestle for Christmas from my lovely daughter and this was the test run. I love it!

Remove apples from oven,  gently invert on a plate.  Scoop 1/4 of the brown sugar mixture onto the apple.  Top with a dollop of whipped cream and dig in. Makes 4 servings.

Lime Pudding Cake

Sometimes when politics and pissy people get you down, there is just one solution.  Dessert.  It is impossible to eat these fluffy delights without smiling.  There may not be many subjects we can all agree on, but for most of us, a little sweetness goes a long way toward putting us in a happy mood.  And for me, puttering about in my kitchen is a way to relax as much as is enjoying the fruits of my labors.

I found these little treasures in a Tyler Florence cookbook at the library.  Single servings, simple ingredients and they looked so light and fluffy.  I just had to make them.  I was delighted with the results.  Sweet, tart, rich and creamy.  For this chocolate lover, it was a little off the beaten path, but I was happy to wander.  After all, that’s how you make the best discoveries.

I dare you to eat this without making yummy noises.

Lime Pudding Cakes. Delicious.  Next time I think a little shower of raspberries would be a nice added touch.

Lime Pudding Cakes
(recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence)

1 tbsp. unsalted butter
Sugar (superfine if you have it)
2 eggs, separated
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. lime zest
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup superfine sugar (regular sugar will work too)
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325˚.  Butter and lightly sugar four 6-ounce ramekins.  Using the paddle attachment on a kitchen stand mixer, beat yolks, buttermilk, lime zest and lime juice on medium speed until well combined.  Reduce the speed to low and slowly add flour, the 2/3 cup sugar, and the salt, until just combined.  Transfer to another large bowl.  Thoroughly wash mixing bowl with soap and hot water and dry well.  Return to stand mixer.  Using the whisk attachment beat egg whites in the clean bowl until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture, a little at a time.

Divide mixture evenly among ramekins.  Place ramekins in a roasting pan and fill the pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

All cozy in the oven.

Bake about 1 hour, until the top springs back when gently pressed and the cakes have a light golden color.  Remove ramekins from water; allow to cool slightly.  Carefully invert each onto a plate.  Garnish as desired or just dig in.

Cooling down just a bit before presentation time.

Chocolate Mint Snow-top Cookies

I bought a little paperback Nestle cookbook long, long ago as an impulse buy while waiting to pay for my groceries.  It was one of the best and most-used purchases I ever made.  It’s now so stained and stiff you can barely turn the sticky pages but I still get it out once or twice a year and bake one of my favorites.  These cookies are one of my regular Christmas cookies but I make them the rest of the year too.  The original recipe called for Nestle chocolate mint semi-sweet morsels, which sadly are no longer available.  I just use the regular ones and add mint.  If you don’t like mint in your cookies…well, just leave it out.  They are still delicious.

It took me a couple of weeks to lose the few extra pounds I put on at Christmas time, but let me assure you…if I were to do it all over again (and I will next year) I would still eat every one of these cookies.  They are one of my favorites and the perfect addition to any gift basket, potluck or dessert tray.  Or just to eat hot off the cookie sheet.  Your choice.

Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies (along with a few friends)

Chocolate Mint Snow-top Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (divided)
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp. butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
Powdered sugar

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.  In a microwave safe bowl add 1 cup of the chocolate chips and the peppermint extract.  Microwave for 30 seconds, stir until smooth (microwave a little longer if needed).  Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat granulated sugar and butter until creamy.  Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla extract.  Beat in eggs.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap.  Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350˚.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls.  Coat with powdered sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet (I like to line mine with parchment paper).

They don’t look like much, but they blossom like magic.

Bake about 10 minutes until tops appear cracked.  Let stand on cookie sheets for a minute or two.  Remove from cookie sheets and cool.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

The holidays are over, my waistline is a tiny bit bigger and now that I’m watching what I eat again I thought I would wistfully post about the wonderful goodies I made for Christmas.  Luckily, there are always occasions where you need a little treat, so I’m sure these will appear sometime again before next Christmas.

I love the Cranberry Bliss Bars at Starbucks.  They are only found around this time of year so I was thrilled to spot a recipe for them on Pinterest so I can make them whenever the mood strikes.  While these are not exactly the same, I thought they were quite similar and every bit as wonderful.  Maybe a little fluffier, less dense in the bar part, but I liked it.  Crystallized ginger was an odd ingredient that I hadn’t used before.  You may find it with the dried fruits (at my store it was in the natural foods section).  I took these to two parties and they were a huge hit.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Cranberry Bliss Bars
( from Your Home Based Mom - http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground powdered ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup minced dried cranberries
1/4 cup quality white chocolate (I used Baker’s, 1-2 squares chopped up)
1/4 cup minced candied (or crystallized) ginger

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated orange rind

1/4 cup minced dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350˚.  Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.  Beat together butter and brown sugar, then add eggs and vanilla.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add flour, powdered ginger and salt.  Beat well.  Fold in the cranberries, white chocolate, and candied ginger.  Spread batter in pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown.

Cranberry Bliss Bars – bottom layer

After cake cools, mix all frosting ingredients (except cranberries) and spread over the top of cake.  Sprinkle with cranberries.  Cut into squares or triangles.

Cranberry Bliss Bars, all ready to slice up into fancy triangles.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake

For Thanksgiving this year we went to my mom’s house for dinner.  As far as cooking goes, what this means for me is that instead of concentrating on the main courses, I got to have fun with desserts and appetizers.  I made this pumpkin cheesecake last year and it was so popular I felt bad for all the other desserts.  This year was no different, although there was some stiff competition (as always) from my cousin Angie’s 3-layer chocolate pie.  Regular pumpkin pie didn’t stand a chance.

The chocolate shortbread crust on this cheesecake is an interesting twist that I really like, but if you prefer a more traditional graham cracker crust, feel free to change it up, or just leave out the cocoa powder for a more straightforward shortbread crust.  Let’s face it, the crust is just a conveyance for the good stuff anyway!

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake. Yum.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake
(from thehungrymouse.com)

Crust:
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
10 tbsp. butter, diced and softened
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
5 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Filling:
24 oz. cream cheese (that’s 3 8-oz. bricks), at room temperature
1 3/4 cups dark brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla (or cognac)
1 15-oz. can 100% pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Topping:
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350˚.  Lightly grease a 9 inch springform pan and set aside.  To make crust, put powdered sugar and butter in a mixing bowl and beat until well combined. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour, cocoa powder and salt.  Beat until incorporated.  Dough will be uniform and about the consistency of play-doh.  Press into the bottom and sides of springform pan.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  Try to get it somewhat even, going up to about 1/2 inch from the top.  Prick holes in the crust all over with a fork (prevents air bubbles from forming as it cooks).  Bake for about 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool while you make the filling.

Chocolate shortbread crust, all ready for some pumpkin love.

Lower oven temperature to 325˚.  In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until blocks are broken up and it’s all creamy.  Add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and beat well to incorporate.  Add pumpkin.  Add vanilla (or if you want to bump it up a notch, use cognac instead), add flour and pumpkin pie spice and beat gently until combined.  Pour into your cooled crust.  For best results just go up to the edge of the crust.

All ready to go in the oven.

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, until it looks set, but jiggles just a bit in the center if you move the pan.  Crack open the oven door a few inches and let sit for an additional 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes.  Don’t be alarmed if cracks form as it cools, it always happens with mine.  You’re going to cover them up anyway so no worries.  Put it in the fridge to cool completely for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

It may have a crack like the Grand Canyon, but it will be delicious. Trust me.

Beat whipping cream and brown sugar until soft peaks form.  Smooth over top of cheesecake.  Carefully remove the ring from the springform pan to reveal your beautiful cheesecake.  Slice and serve.  Makes one 9-inch cheesecake.

Look at that gorgeous thing. Time to eat!