Light Tiramisu

Having a group of ladies coming over today, I opted for something light but sophisticated to serve.

For a delicious dessert that is perfect for an adult get together-this is it.

Light Tiramisu                                               Makes 6 servings

1/2 c espresso, room temp
2 tbl rum
1 tbl brandy
2 eggs, room temp
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c mascarpone cheese
8 oz Cool Whip Topping
12-3 inch lady-finger cookies
1 oz bitter-sweet chocolate
unsweetened cocoa (for dusting)
12-3 in lady-finger cookies (Optional)


1. Mix together espresso, rum and brandy, set aside.

2. Separate the eggs. In an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft curls form. Beat in 4 tbl of sugar, until egg whites form stiff peaks. Scrape the whites into a small bowl. Wash the mixer and beaters.

3. Beat the egg yolks with 3 tbl of sugar until they stiff and light colored. On low, mix in the mascarpone until mixture is lump free. Mix in Cool Whip, then the egg whites until fully incorporated.

4. In your individual serving dishes, scoop a heaping soup spoonful of the mascarpone cream into the bottom of each dish (using only half of the total mixture).

5. Take your lady fingers, two at a time, and submerge them into the espresso mixture for 5 seconds or until soaked. Squeeze them slightly until they stop dripping and lay over the cream.

6. Shave the bitter-sweet chocolate over the cookies until they are moderately covered. Spoon the remaining cream over the cookies in each serving dish.

7. Top with remaining lady finger cookies, or simply finish each dish with a light dusting of cocoa powder.

Calories calculated using SparkRecipes Calculator: 290 calories per serving.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

I really should call this recipe, my "2^5th Power Peanut Cookies."

The other day I felt like baking and was taking requests, someone in my family asked me for peanut butter cookies AGAIN. I love that my family love my baking and wants them again and I admit, peanut butter cookies are great, but I really dislike making the same thing over and over again.

So, with permission for creative license, I decided to make gluten free peanut butter cookies with ganache toppings.

Yum!

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies                 Makes 24
adapted from Women's Day

2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
2 tablespoons peanuts, coarsely chopped

Ganache
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
1 cup bittersweet
chocolate chips
Garnish: chopped peanuts



1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Beat peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs and baking soda in large bowl until smooth and blended. Stir in chopped peanuts.

2. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart, onto ungreased baking sheets. use the back of your spoon to slightly press cookies down. Bake, one sheet at a time, 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed and slightly golden. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

3. Microwave cream in glass bowl on high 1 minute or until it just begins to simmer. Add chocolate chips; let stand 2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth; spread over half of cookie top and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Or fill a squeezable bottle with ganache and drizzle, sprinkle with peanuts, then drizzle again.

Note: If ganache begins to firm up, microwave a few seconds at a time until easy to spread. Let set at room temperature. Ganache will take a few hours to set up. It's best to let them sit for 4+ hours then serve.

Calories calculated using Sparkrecipes Calculator: 237 calories per cookie

Lemon and White Chocolate Scones

One of my favorite flavors is lemon. In fact, I most often will choose lemon over any other flavor. There is something about it's taste that is both refreshing and soul warming.

It reminds you of the warm sun on a summer's morning and the refreshing scent that triggers our thoughts of clean homes and fresh produce.

My lemon tree is just exploding now (yay!) and I will soon have a lot of yummy lemon posts to share once I get around too it.

My kick start recipe? Lemon and White Chocolate Scones. Yum...  

Lemon and White Chocolate Scones            Makes 8

1 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/3-inch cubes

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Mix sugar and lemon zest with hands until aromatic. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon-sugar mix. Add the cut butter and mix just until coated with flour. The butter chunks should be an obvious presence, let them not be less than half their original size.

2. Add the white chocolate chips. Stir gently.  Slowly add the buttermilk and mix until just absorbed. Stop mixing when the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

3. Pre-Heat oven to 350F. Scrape the dough from the bowl and drop by rounded tablespoons.

4. For the classic scone shape, form the dough into a ball. Pat the dough into a 7-inch disk. Cut into quarters and then again into eighths. Set the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Drizzle with your favorite glaze. I used my leftover vanilla bean glaze from my pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

Calories calculated using Sparkrecipes Calculator: 255 calories per scone

Hazelnut Spread

Today was a party! Any excuse to make something new and delicious is OK by me. This time I wanted something simple and easy, something people can nibble...fresh strawberries, apple slices, an assortment of Pepperidge Farm and homemade cookies, all served with my cool creamy hazelnut dip.

Everyone enjoyed it (except my sister, she said it was too sweet for her, but 7 out of 8 people 'aint bad!)

This is a definite crowd pleaser. Make ahead and make plenty of it, I know guests will be asking about it and going back for more. This mousse-like mix is a wonderful and rich way to enjoy your favorite fruit and cookies that are usually dipped in chocolate.

yumm

Creamy Hazelnut Spread      Yields: 3cups
                                                                           Total Time: 15mins

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 c chocolate hazelnut spread (Justin's Hazelnut butter or Nutella)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream (or 1 cup whipped topping)
2 tbl sugar
1/2 c chopped hazelnuts

Fresh hauled strawberries, biscotti, Milano cookies to dip

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, chocolate hazelnut spread, and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth.
2. In another bowl whip heavy cream on high with sugar and remaining extract until soft peaks form.
3. Fold in whipped cream and 2/3rds of the hazelnuts. Place in serving dish, surround with goodies to be dipped.
4. Garnish with remaining hazelnuts right before serving.
5. Enjoy!

Zebra Butter Cookies

I wanted to make a new kind of cookie the other night.

I wanted one that would be 1) eye catching, 2) one I have never made before and 3) familiar enough that people wouldn't be afraid to eat it!

I decided I wanted something rich and easy, Butter Cookies!

But with a twist, or should I say a stripe :)

These cookies looked great, although I messed up a lot making them! The stripes should have been straight etc...anyways! They taste so delicious I had to put them in the freezer so I would stop eating them!

If your willing to put in the work, they are so worth it :)

Striped Butter Cookies

1 1/4 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar
2/3 c powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c cocoa

Can you see where I marked my paper?

1. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add in flour and salt until combined.
2. Divide dough in half, roll one half between 2 pieces of wax paper, approx 1/4"x10"x10" and refrigerate. Add cocoa to other half and mix well. Roll between wax paper and refrigerate. Let dough chill overnight or at least half an hour. 
3. Take both doughs out and stack on top of one another (I doubled the recipe in this pic, you should have just two doughs). Keep your wax paper!



stacked dough

4. I started with one cookie cutter, but changed my mind later so ignore the imprint. Cut your dough in half so you have two "halfs" 3 inches long. Then measure your dough, 1/2-1 inch at a time and cut so have many stripes 3"x1"

Cut dough and measured at 1/2 inch

Should look something like this

5. Lay out your wax paper again. Pick up stripes and turn onto their sides to see the stripes to be: cocoa, vanilla, cocoa, vanilla etc.., slightly press together. Cover with wax paper again and chill for another half hour. This give the dough time to firm up before cutting.

Side-by-side stripes

6. Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Remove the top portion of the wax paper and scoop out a 1/4 c of flour for dipping cutters into. Dip and cut, shapes. This would be really cute cookie if I had a horse cookie cutter to make zebras! Make the most of your space cause you can't rework the dough and have it be the same again. Get out small and large cutters, I used medium stars and small circles.

7. Left over scraps I piled up gently and placed a wax sheet on top. I rolled out the dough again with minimal movements as possible. The more you work the dough, the less vanilla color you'll have, the cocoa incorporates it. This step makes a cool marble effect, so you still get a beautiful cookie!

Don't you just love those stripes? Very cool.

7. Bake 375F for 7-9 minutes, or just until edges are lightly golden. These cookies can easily over bake so watch them carefully, you want them to be chewy yet firm. Let stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack.

I doubled this recipe and made A LOT, so I cut it down for you. This recipe (depending on your cookie cutters) will make approximately 1 1/2 dozen medium cookies, and 1 dozen tiny cookies on top of that!

Over cooked cookies top left, perfect cookies bottom right

So there you have it, zebra striped cookies that are buttery delicious and beautiful to look at.

Best Ever (I've Made) Brownies

I just recently discovered grouprecipes.com, if you have never seen that site before, it is a great site! I make my life easier and when I want a different recipe or in the mood for _______, I go there first. They also have a great software where you can compare recipes! This is how I "invent" recipes I want to try, buy picking and choosing what I think would work best and make it all my own.

A few weeks ago I was craving outrageously, all day for brownies. I have been trying to watch what I eat, but there was no getting around it...So I made brownies! And these are the most delicious, fudgy, chewy brownies I have ever made or eaten! 

If you want brownies, this is the recipe to make. I have officially added it to my recipe cards, it is here to stay.

 

Best Ever Brownies

• 5 squares of semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, cut 
• 5 tbl cocoa powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c finely chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven 350F. Spray 8-inch square baking pan ( I only have a 11"x7" pan, brownies bake taller then normal) with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.

2.  In a double boiler or microwave, melt chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth. Add in cocoa. Set aside to cool for 10 mins.

3. Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Slowly whisk chocolate into egg mixture; then stir in flour until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour into your prepared pan, spread into corners and level. (Mr. Beautiful is allergic to all nuts so I sprinkle my walnuts on half of a pan for me and leave the rest of the pan bare. I have to be very careful, but I can still eat "nom nom" walnut brownies)

4. Bake until slightly puffed and toothpick comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35 to 40 minutes.Cool until just bearable to eat, brownies are best served still warm from the oven. :)

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

So the other day I was bumming around online, looking for ideas and relaxing when I came across the website Bakeat350.com. At first I didn't notice anything particularly unique, but then I saw these...

They are so cute! I love how it gives the illusion of a normal Hostess cupcake, but at second glance you see the "sweet" (haha-puns are funny) message carefully scripted out.

I HAD to make these. It was like a calling!

I already had everything in my house and made a batch right away. But...I wasn't satisfied with the recipe for the cupcake. It wasn't as moist and chocolaty as I would have liked so I changed a few things and made this my own. With inspiration from Bakeat350 I'm making these my own way. Check out her blog too! I have some great ideas for cookies from her, but that's for another blog.

Sarah's Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Make the Cupcakes

• 2 1/4 c Flour
• 3/4 c Hershey's Cocoa
• 1 Tbl Baking Soda
• 1 Tsp salt
• 2 c Sugar
• 2 c water
• 3/4 c Vegetable oil
• 2 Tbl White Distilled Vinegar
• 4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat Oven 325F. Line 24 cupcake cups. Set aside.
2. In a Medium bowl, SIFT (no cutting corners ladies!) flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Mix in Sugar. Make a well in the middle and add remaining ingredients. Mix well until smooth.
3. Take out a 1/4c measuring cup and spoon batter into each cup. Bake 15-20mins or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 mins, then finish cooling on wire rack. Meanwhile prepare the filling.

The Filling

• 4 Tbl Unsalted butter at room temp
• 1 c powered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 Tbl heavy whipping cream
• 1 Jar of Marshmallow Creme

1. Whip butter until fluffy.
2. Alternate 1/3 c sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 tbl of whipping cream at a time until all ingredients have been added.
3. Whip in marshmallow creme until creamy. If filling is too stiff, add a tablespoon at a time of whipping cream to thin.
4. Fill into a PIPING BAG with a medium star tip and set in fridge until cupcakes have cooled.
5. To Fill: Place tip halfway into cupcake and squeeze until cupcake begins to bulge a little. Be careful not to overfill and make the cupcake crack. Fill the hole to even out the top of the cupcake. Don't worry about the hole, the frosting will cover it up nicely. Continue with the remaining 23 cupcakes.

The Frosting (Simple French genache)

• 6 oz of Bittersweet Bakers chocolate, chopped
• 1 c heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place chopped chocolate in a METAL bowl and set aside.
2. Heat whipping cream in a small pan until just boiling, then pour over chocolate in bowl. Let set for 5 mins then stir until smooth.
3. Mix in vanilla.
4. Take cupcakes and one by one, dip them upside down into the frosting. Pick up and hold over bowl until drippings stop.
5. Place on platter and continue with remaining cupcakes. Let rest 30 mins or until frosting has set, or place in fridge for 15 mins.

Icing

• 1 egg white at room temperature
• a pinch of cream of tarter
• 1/2 c-1 c confectioners sugar

1. Beat egg whites until frothy, then mix in cream of tarter.
2. Gradually add in confectioners sugar until you reach a consistency that is stiff but still smooth.
3. Fill a piping bag with a 1/16th round tip. Remove cupcakes from fridge and pipe a design (words, squiggles, Hostess cupcakes have 7 "loops") on top of each cupcake. Let the design harden before you cover.

Cupcakes can be refrigerated for 2 days, serve at room temperature. Or Keep frozen for 2 weeks!

I took the cupcakes below to a Blessings Unlimited party, and everyone loved them. The women said they were rich and "oh so cool looking."

My favorite compliment was "I'll take another Blessing, thank you." :)

These were kind of time consuming to make, but Oh so worth it! And I don't mind complicated recipes (I mean you're making four different things here) if the outcome is as beautiful as it tastes.

So be a good Hostess and make your own Hostess cupcakes!

Ok, I'm done with the puns. I promise!