Worlds Best Popcorn Balls. So, have you been on the lookout for an incredibly good caramel popcorn recipe? These ones are gonna knock you over! No – really! These are that good. And if they were that good and a pain to make – it still wouldn’t be worth the trouble. But the good news is that they are chewy and soft and have the best flavor I’ve ever tasted–for a popcorn ball–and they are fast and EASY. I’m serious. How to make Caramel Popcorn Balls: 2 cups packed brown sugar 2 cups corn syrup 1 cup butter 2 teaspoons salt Large bowl of popcorn (about 6-8 quarts) Heat brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt to simmering. Pour over popcorn and stir until all the popcorn is covered.
Allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Cover hands with sandwich bags and form into balls. Cool completely. I always plan to give these away at the door to trick or treaters that I know–but it never happens. Get the handy print page and save this to your recipe box here:World’s Best Popcorn Balls. Launi blogs at Gracious Rain. Small Homestead. Peanut Butter Mousse in Tuile Cookie Spoons. Recently a friend asked me to bake for an upcoming party she's having, so I've been researching all kinds of bite-sized dessert canapés. One recipe that caught my attention is from BHG; a rich mousse that is served in the bowl of a teaspoon. The mousse sounds inviting, but I'm not sure I want to commit a good portion of flatware to the project (32 spoons!).
The idea of a disposable plastic spoon came to mind, but for a single bite - well, that would be environmentally unsound and just too wasteful. Then, it came to me suddenly. Edible spoons! Do they exist? I've wanted to try stencil paste (or tuile batter) for some time, and now I had the perfect opportunity! The tuile batter recipe comes from my new favorite cookbook, Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques. I'm happy to say that the stencil paste is very uncomplicated. These bake for only a short time. ...and onto the curve of a rolling pin.
The hardened spoons will have a crisp texture. My one complaint? With love, P.S. Crown Jewel Cake. Of all the nostalgic desserts to revive, I think this one is most fashionably worthy. This cake is based on a recipe that ran on the back of Jello boxes during the late 1950's. Long gone are the days when Crown Jewel Cake (a.k.a.
Broken Glass Cake) was made with powdered, processed, and if I may say - oldfangled - dream whip. The hydrogenated stuff has since been replaced with real cream, which makes it much tastier. The original 50's style recipe has a graham cracker (sometimes cookie) crust, so it is really more like pie than cake. Each time this cake is sliced, it's like getting a little piece of artwork. At the bottom of this page, you'll find a link to the original recipe. Crown Jewel Cake with Jaconde SpongeServes 6-8 [click to print] To make this cake you will need a 7" round spring-form pan, an 11x17" jelly roll pan, and a tea towel.
Gelatin cubes: Prepare 3 oz. flavored gelatin packages (I used 3 different colors/flavors of Jello brand) as directed on the box. Jaconde cake: Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies with Maple Marshmallow Creme. This may be a tiny bit early but I figure, school's in and the weather is changing... it's time. I've already started Autumnal baking.
This means cinnamon scents and pumpkin flavored treats are well underway. Though I'm saving my pumpkin stash for goodies like this, I'll gladly take sweet potatoes as a very Southern stand-in. This was my first batch of Whoopie pies ever. After mixing and piping the batter, the mounds looked suspect to run or spread out of shape while baking. I was afraid my sweet potato substitution for pumpkin had failed. With all the baking I've been doing lately for the book, there's always a bit of extra fondant or nonpareils hanging around here and there. Cakes: 3 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar 3/4 cup sugar ½ cup vegetable oil 3 large eggs Nonstick vegetable oil spray Bake for 10 minutes.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake. I'll be the first to admit that I've been to Starbucks a little too often since the Pumpkin Spice Latte has been back on the market. There's something so lovely about spiced coffee... it makes you feel cozy and assures you that fall has truly arrived. I've been so impressed with the many food bloggers who have tried their hand at a copycat recipe, and there are a few I can't wait to try. (Like this one!) Needless to say, this dessert was inspired by that same cozy drink, and it was an instant favorite at my house. I'll be bringing one (or two?) Home for the Thanksgiving table this year. This cheesecake is one of the easiest baked varieties I've ever tried. An easy way to dress up a cheesecake (or most any cake) is to cut strips of wax paper and lay them across the cake evenly before dusting generously with powdered sugar.
It's so nice when a dessert turns out exactly the way you hoped it would. Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Filling: Bake for 55 minutes or until filling is set. Tiramisu + Sushi = Tiramisushi. Sushi and Tiramisu, what a beautiful hybrid. I first saw this recipe in Demolition Desserts, the cookbook by Elizabeth Faulkner. If you are a sushi lover like me, and like to make sweets like this then you'll be as excited as I am about this dessert. I had to make the sponge cake portion of this recipe twice. The first time I followed the instructions to the letter, and the cake broke apart as I rolled it. I'd like to think I know a thing or two about roulades, so I made a few adjustments, and boy, what a difference. Faulkner's recipe also includes chopsticks fashioned out of biscotti dough.
The printable recipe below is my adaptation. Garnishing for the completed rolls was not specified, so I made my own. Also, the mocha sauce is not original to the recipe. This was such a fun recipe. It even won over the husband, my toughest critic! Pumpkin: Rolls and Shortages. Have you heard about the Great Canned Pumpkin Shortage of 2009? If you are a baker, perhaps you have. I noticed this in October. I explained to loved ones "No pumpkin - it just wasn't there! " and was met with a suspect "...maybe you were in the wrong aisle? " Living in the Southern US, I could probably throw a rock and hit someone with a pumpkin patch. Pumpkin Roasting Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Here's my very favorite Thanksgiving dessert to make with pumpkin. Cake ingredients: ¼ cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel) ¾ cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon salt 3 large eggs 1 cup granulated sugar ⅔ cup canned pumpkin Filling ingredients: 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Cake portion: Preheat oven to 375° F.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in small bowl. Filling portion: Step-by-Step Bûche de Noël or Yule Log Cake. This is probably going to be one of the longest posts in the history of blogdom, but I hope to pass along some very helpful tips on creating a beautiful Bûche de Noël. I love this cake because it is so woodsy and heartwarming. I decided to start this project on December 21st, the shortest day and longest night of the year, Winter Solstice. The instructions below are a time-line of the cake's assembly.
Instead of creating a separate post on how to make meringue mushrooms, I've included it in the time-line of this cake. Recipes will be provided at the end of the post for exact measurements. First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 inch jelly roll pan with shortening. (see printable recipe at bottom for ingredient measurements) The batter appears to be a complex task, but it is not. Prepare a thin tea towel with a generous amount of powdered sugar. Fold over one end of the sugared tea towel onto the cake and begin rolling from that end. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Matcha-Almond Génoise Layer Cake. About a month ago I received an email from a California based green-tea company. In the letter I was very kindly asked if I would share my Matcha Biscotti recipe and photos for their monthly newsletter. Of course I said "heck yeah! " with Napoleonic (Dynamite) enthusiasm. First of all, I was just so happy to be asked (you'd be surprised at those who take without giving credit).
Secondly, after reading the newsletter, I was so inspired by the other recipes I saw! Uhmm, baking grade matcha? I've never seen such a beautiful color result when baking with Matcha. A good variation to this recipe would be to add 6 oz. of sweetened red beans to the whipped filling. That's part of my problem. For a garnish, yogurt covered almonds pair well with the almond flavor in the cake. Although I did enjoy putting this cake together, ONE thing drove me slightly crazy during this whole process. ...at least I didn't do this!
This cake is delicious. Special thanks to Maeda-en. Happy Baking! Cupcake Butter Mints. I had very nearly forgotten about butter mints until Kristan (lover of all things sparkly, and most certainly a cookbook queen) made some for a virtual baby shower last week. I decided to take another look at my own recipe for butter mints and give it a complete makeover. Butter mints have always been standard shower fare here in the south. Although innocent looking, they are unapologetically sweet and best taken in small doses. Eating one is like taking a strait shot of minty buttercream icing. I rarely get to eat these tiny treats, aside from showers and family parties. When I sampled one from this batch I wasn't prepared for the flavor-triggered time warp. Instead of the usual flat discs or fancy molds, I re-imagined them into tiny fairy-sized cupcakes. Cupcake Butter Mints Makes 30-40 candy cupcakes [click to print] Special Equipment: Directions: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter well.
Divide the candy dough in half. Sparkling Champagne Cupcakes. 2010 is almost a memory, and what remains is mostly the bitter-sweet disassembling of Christmas. I've been finding pieces of packaging shrapnel from eager gift opening and the odd half-eaten piece of Christmas candy (a sure sign of overindulgence). For me, these days-after feel a little awkward, but reflecting on the year fills my glass half-full again. So many amazing things happened, and I am hopeful that 2011 will be even better! I may even have a resolution or two. Do you? Though I'll miss the ornaments and lights, these cupcakes have plenty of sparkle to welcome in the new year.
The filling is my favorite element of this dessert. I think I'll thicken the unused portion (with mascarpone?) Sparkling Champagne Cupcakes Yield: about 17 cupcakes [click to print] Cake: 1/2 cup butter softened 1 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 3/4 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup champagne, prosecco or your choice of sparkling wine.