Grown Up S’mores The man or woman behind the S’more is nothing short of a genius. Seriously, who would have thought to combine a graham cracker, a Hershey bar and some marshmallows? Whomever they were, they knocked it out of the sweet treat park. As with most things I bake or cook, a little something thrown in with an alcohol content, always rings my bell. So when I came across these grown up S’mores in Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth by Jill O’Connor, I pounced on a great new dessert. Seriously pick this book up for anyone, including yourself, with a love of all things sugary and sweet. This dessert received rave reviews and will be made several times over the course of the impending cook-out season. A few tips and tricks - I would use less than the 3 cups of graham cracker suggested, was just too thick for my taste. You can use any three liquors you choose that you think would meld well. Let the graham cracker and filling set at least for overnight, trust me.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Flaming Strawberries Call me easily amused, but these little torch-topped cupcakes delight me. Besides being a cute novelty item for a party, I think they would add a little drama to the end of a romantic meal. I've been looking for something different to serve for Valentine's dessert, and this is definitely different. The strawberries are hollowed out and filled with a bit of liquor, then ignited with a match. For the cake portion, I chose a One Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe because 1. it's quick 2. it is easy, and 3. it fits my prerequisite for a light ending on date night. I should say, a light ending provided you don't eat too many. The cakes are just sweet enough, and have a light, fluffy crumb - the perfect vehicle for rich chocolate buttercream. Notes for flaming strawberries:Any alcohol below 80 proof will not ignite well. Shaina made a margarita version of this on Babble Food. Chocolate Cupcakes with Flaming Strawberries Yield: About 20 cupcakes [click to print]Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the Book: Cheesy Herbed Popovers [Photograph: Caroline Russock] Long before I felt comfortable baking bread at home, popovers were a part of my "fancy dinner for friends" repertoire. They were quick and easy, but also held the same magical appeal as a homemade, freshly baked yeasted loaf—at least for my college-aged buddies. I loved baking them not only for the oohs and ahhs, but also because I enjoyed watching the dramatic rise over the rim of the muffin tin that they baked in. Nowadays, I am far from intimidated when it comes to baking a loaf of bread, yeast and all, and my baking projects are a little more complicated. These Cheesy Herbed Popovers from Farm to Fork by Emeril Lagasse are possibly even simpler to put together than other recipes that I've made in the past, since all of the batter ingredients are simply whizzed together in the blender. The cheese and herbs bake into the custardy batter, making for gorgeous popovers that are studded with bits of green and burnished on top with little shreds of cheese.
Key Lime Cupcakes I was flipping through old issues of Bon Appetit when I spied a colorful, playful looking green cupcake topped with a mound of icing. To say it looked delicious was a gross understatement. But would it really taste as good as it looked? Only one way to find out. . . Frankly, I think it’s better. I made a changes to the recipe based on ingredients I had on hand, as well as just my own experience making cupcakes (Remember when I was determined to come up with a recipe better than Sprinkles? These cupcakes remind me of lime sherbet, which I had a LOT of this summer. Key Lime Cupcakesadapted from Bon Appetit, Sept 2008 Print Recipe 1 ¾ cups cake flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 stick (1/2 cup) cool unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar 2 large eggs (room temperature) 2 ½ tablespoons key lime juice 1 tablespoon key lime zest 1 drop green food coloring paste ¾ cup buttermilk (room temperature) Preheat oven to 350*F.
Snickers Caramel Cheesecake Cookies Happy Thursday! Hope everyone is enjoying summer. CA is always full of life in the summer, there’s always family visiting, beach trips and partying going on. I have a feeling it’s going to fly by and school will be back in session in no time. Wait until you try these individual cheesecakes! We made this recipe while my family was visiting this week and let’s just say they didn’t last long. Take a peek…hope you enjoy! Here’s your line up, pretty easy right?! Ahhh, I think this will be my new computer wallpaper Whip up the cheesecake batter… Feel free to use any caramel sauce you’d like. Graham cracker crust….YUM! I have officially fallen in love with my muffin top pan! Told you these were ridiculous Snickers Caramel Cheesecake Cookies 2 Cups chopped Snickers Bars 2 1/2 Cups graham cracker crumbs 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar 5 Tablespoons melted butter 2 8oz packages softened cream cheese 1 Cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla 3 Tablespoons caramel sauce 1. 2.
|Feistycook| SELF-FROSTING NUTELLA CUPCAKES When I bought the jar of Nutella last weekend I made a vow (yes I did) that part of the Nutella will be made into cupcakes. I’ve always planned to do that whenever I buy one but it never gets that far. Darn those nutella sandwiches and occasional spoon licking. Well, I finally made self-frosting nutella cupcakes and golly they were so beautiful and delicious. This self-frosting nutella cupcakes recipe was adapted from Connie of Pinoycook which she got from Baking Bites. 10 tbsp butter, softened 3/4 cup white sugar 3 eggs 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour 1/4 tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 1/3 cup Nutella Preheat the oven to 325°. Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar together Do this until light and creamy. Add one egg at a time. Beat the mixture after each egg. Add vanilla, then the flour, baking powder and salt. The mixture would be sort of lumpy like it would be hard to pour. Use an ice cream scooper to fill up the cups with the batter. Serve cool or a slightly warm. .
Delicious Meliscious - a cooking blog by Melissa: Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries Not being a fan of chocolate covered strawberries, I was happy to find these CHEESECAKE stuffed strawberries on The Novice Chef. You only need a few ingredients to put these together and they turn out to be quite impressive. Try them - you won't be disappointed! Ingredients:2 quarts of fresh Strawberries1 box Jello No Bake Cheesecake (I used this box mix and it came with the graham cracker crumbs. This was good, but next time I think I'd try making my own filling - just to compare.)Crushed Graham CrackersMilk Chocolate for drizzling (I also used white chocolate because I had some) Directions:Wash the berries and hollow out the centers.
Biggest Loser Curtis Stone's 60 calorie cupcakes: - National Comfort Food There aren't many people, especially with the current cupcake phase going on, who doesn't love the comfort of a good, old fashioned cupcake. Quick to prepare, simple to serve and definitely easy to eat, cupcakes are fantastic for get-togethers, cookouts and simple dinners. They can also be dressed up quite nicely for special occasions. This is Curtis Stone's (of Biggest Loser and The Next Great Restaurant fame) version of a healthy cupcake. It really is delicious and if served without mentioning that it is low-calorie, no one will be aware. Only 60 calories and 1 PointsPlus each. Curtis Stone's 60 Calorie Cupcakes Ingredients: 5 organic egg whites Pinch of salt 3 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt ½ cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking powder Frosting Ingredients: 1 cup nonfat cream cheese, at room temp 1 cup fresh raspberries Fresh raspberries to garnish Directions: 1. Makes 14 Cupcakes (1 Per Serving) Did this article leave you hungry for more? Twitter
Cheesy Garlic Potatoes The weather has been beautiful for the past two days here in New York! We went to the park yesterday and did some shopping, and all I had to wear was a sweater. Who would have thought? Not that I’m quite ready for it to get really warm yet, but I’ll stick with the high 50s for now. This is a recipe that I tweaked a bit from Gourmet magazine. It was a nice change from your typical roasted baby red potatoes. Your ingredients. Boil your potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Place the garlic in a small pot and add the olive oil. Remove the garlic from the oil and mash with a fork until as smooth as possible. Grate your cheese in a medium bowl. Combine the cheese with the garlic, mayonnaise, and basil. Hollow out the potato with a teaspoon, just enough to fill with the cheese mixture. Fill the potatoes with 2-3 teaspoons of the filling and sprinkle with paprika. Cheesy Garlic Potatoes Cook time: Total time: Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with water.
Pumpkin Cupcakes With Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting I couldn't believe my eyes this week when I saw the ad for Pumpkin Spice Lattes in my local Starbucks. Pumpkin Spice already? But there's still a little more summer to be had, isn't there? Of course, it was impossible to stay upset for too long; after all, this is lovely pumpkin -- one of my favorite flavors of all time -- that we're talking about! So, I ransacked my pumpkin-flavored recipes to find this one for Pumpkin Cupcakes. You'll recognize that it's a classic, but the cinnamon in the Cream Cheese Frosting gives it a little something extra. Pumpkin Cupcakes With Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting from AllRecipes Ingredients For cupcakes 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/2 teaspoon ground cloves1/2 teaspoon ground allspice1/2 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 cup butter, softened1 cup white sugar1/3 cup brown sugar2 eggs3/4 cup milk1 cup pumpkin puree For frosting Instructions 1. 2. 3.
How To Make Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting This was my first time making any kind of buttercream frosting, and it was ridiculously easy. And it was Oh My God good. We’re thinking of making another batch and just eating it as a dip with fresh fruit. Super simple and super yummy. Ingredients 1 cup milk 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1½ cup brown sugar 1 cup butter (2 sticks) 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter) Directions Stir the milk and flour together and mix over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until it thickens. Set the milk aside to cool, and combine the sugar, butter and vanilla in a mixer. Beat on medium speed for 5-10 minutes — colder butter will take longer — until the sugar is dissolved and you don’t taste the graininess of it any more. Add the milk mixture to the butter mixture and stir until smooth. The finished texture is surprisingly light and fluffy, considering what went into it. I’ll be back soon with the banana cake this went on. Yes that’s right, not banana bread: banana cake. Ingredients
Raspberry Cheesecake Cupcakes If you enjoy cheesecake, then you will love these cupcakes. They consist of cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, a layer of homemade raspberry jelly, and are topped with cream cheese whipped cream. Can you say yum? Ingredients: Cheesecake (3) 8 Ounce Packages Cream Cheese 4 Eggs 1 Cup Sugar 1/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream 1 Tablespoon and 1 Teaspoon Flour 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract Fresh Raspberries for Garnish Cream Cheese Whipped Cream 2 and 2/3 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream, liquid not already whipped 3 Tablespoons Cream Cheese, softened Raspberry Jelly 1 and 1/3 Cups Raspberries, fresh or frozen 3/4 Cup Sugar 1/4 Cup Water Graham Cracker Crust 1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs 1/3 Cup Butter, melted 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar 1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
The Chocolate Chip Cookie Bowl Sundae Photos by Donna Last Sunday morning, my son James said, “Dad, what if you made a bowl out of cookie dough?” I’m the first to admit that there are almost no truly new culinary innovations or ideas, only variations on what’s come before us, and I also know that making a cookie to serve ice cream on, such as an ice cream sandwich, is a common one (some great recipes will be in Ad Hoc At Home, now at the printers). But when James said it, I said, “Very cool idea, James. Let’s give it a shot.” And so we did. It’s taken a few different methods to figure out the best way to bake them and how much to put in our bowl-in-a-bowl makeshift mold. The following is the chocolate chip cookie dough from Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. Fill with ice cream and serve to anyone who adores cookies and ice cream.
Big Red Kitchen: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes The original and unique Cinnamon Roll Pancake recipe created by Robin Sue! My little Deven loves pancakes and wants me to make them all the time, but I don’t often enough. Late last night my friend had spotted this Cinnamon Bun Pancake Recipe from the blogisphere and posted it on her Facebook status suggesting for her daughter to make them. Wow, Cinnamon Bun Pancakes, that would be a winner in my house too. I created a typical cinnamon roll filling and placed it in a pastry bag to be swirled over the pancakes as they cooked. After pouring 1/4 cup pancake batter in a hot skillet, I swirled the cinnamon filling mixture over top. Cinnamon Roll PancakesFor the Cinnamon Filling… In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, mix until smooth: 1 stick softened butter, almost melty 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 T. cinnamon Using a rubber spatula to scrape the sides, pour this mixture into a large pastry bag that had been opened and stood up in a tall tumbler. Using the hand mixer, blend until smooth.