Red Velvet Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

These cookies are amazing! I love discovering new things (which is probably what spawns my love of cooking) and this is a new discovery of a mixture of lovely things (peppermint, red velvet, cookies). Such a beautiful, delicious, holiday-rific treat! This is another one that would be perfect for a cookie exchange. 

From Cookin' Cowgirl

Makes about 30

Prep Time: about 30 minutes

Bake Time: about 30 minutes

Total Time: about 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

1 box red velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

6 Tablespoons butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy or candy canes (about 6 large candy canes)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, crush the candy canes. (I find it easiest to use the mini candy canes that are individually wrapped...keep them in their packaging so you don't make a big mess. If you only have big candy canes, unwrap them and place them in a plastic bag. Then use a meat mallet and whack away!)

In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, cooled butter, eggs, and peppermint extract. Add in the crushed peppermint and stir. The dough should be very thick. 

In a shallow dish, mix together the powdered sugar and cornstarch with a fork. 

Form dough into balls and cover with powdered sugar mixture. Place on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. 

Plate up and serve or give away as gifts.

Merry Christmas!!

Gingerbread Cookies with White Chocolate

I think I've mentioned my love of white chocolate before. It makes everything better. And who knew it was such a great complement to gingerbread? This is such a great recipe for the holidays: soft, chewy gingerbread with a little extra candy on top. It would be perfect for a cookie exchange. Or for Santa Claus.

From Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Makes about 34 cookies

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Waiting Time: 4 hours*

Bake Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: about 5 hours (or about 90 minutes if you follow my tip at the bottom)

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. 

Add molasses, egg and vanilla. Beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. 

Place dough on plastic wrap and form into a flat, thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, roll in granulated sugar, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets

Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Immediately press about 5-6 white chocolate chips into center of each cookie. Let cool on wire racks. 

*I was impatient, so instead of waiting 4 hours for the dough to cool in the fridge, I put the dough in the freezer and let it cool for 30 minutes. It worked just fine. Just don't forget about it!

Nutella Hot Chocolate

Do you want to know a confession? I hate winter. Yes, I love the holidays and the traditions and family all that. But I hate being cold and sick. (Has anyone else been 'kinda sick' for the last 2 months?) Anyway, there is one thing that always cures my winter blues. Hot drinks. Hot chocolate, tea. These things make me happy and they make my body feel good. So I leave you one of my go-to recipes of the season: Nutella Hot Chocolate.

From Pinterest

Serves 1

Total Time: 5 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup milk

2 Tablespoons Nutella

Pinch of cinnamon (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid scalding. Whisk in nutella and stir until fully incorporated. Once heated through, stir in cinnamon (if desired) and pour into a mug. 

Add marshmallows and/or whipped cream as desired. Be warm. 

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake

Bradford and I traveled to New York about a month ago. While we were there, we ate some delicious food. One such treat was a toasted marshmallow milkshake at Stand Burger. I was definitely skeptical at first. Marshmallows and milkshakes was not a combination I had considered before. As soon as I took my first sip out of the giant red straw, I entered my happy place and did not want to leave it. It was one of the best milkshakes I had tasted. (Click here to read Gourmet Magazine's Francis Lam's description of the heavenly treat.)

Of course I immediately thought, how can I re-create this at home, when I'm 2500 miles away from the nearest Stand Burger? Luckily, Gourmet magazine did the dirty work for me.

From Gourmet.com

Serves 1

Prep Time: 5 min

INGREDIENTS:

3 large scoops vanilla ice cream*

1 Tablespoon whole milk**

1 large dollop plain yogurt***

5 Kraft Jumbo Jet-puffed marshmallows

Whipped Cream

*Stand uses Laboratorio del Gelato

**I used 1% milk, because that's what I keep in my fridge

***Stand uses Woodstock Water Buffalo Milk yogurt, but Gourmet says it doesn't make much difference what type of yogurt you use. I used Greek yogurt.

DIRECTIONS:

Toast marshmallows under a broiler. (Note: For the first time in my cooking career, I set a fire in my kitchen trying to do this. Ha! To avoid this, put your broiler on LOW, place marshmallows in the CENTER of the oven, and do not broil for longer than 2 minutes MAX. To be sure you don't overtoast, check the marshmallows at 1 minute, then keep a close eye on them until they're done. It's a quick process.)

Put the milk, ice cream, and yogurt in a blender then blend until you get a "donut". Add three of the toasted marshmallows to the blender, and whirl it just until they're all broken up and distributed evenly. Be careful not to overblend, making it too melty. 

Pour shake into a glass, top with a dollop of whipped cream, add the last two marshmallows on top, and serve with an extra-wide straw. 

Repeat if necessary. 

BYU Mint Brownies

For all of the Cougars reading this, I know the title of this post is enough to sell you on the recipe. Go make it. For anyone else, these brownies are divine. Heavenly. I wish I could bottle up my mom's reactions when she eats some of my food. I brought a pan of these over to her house last week and before we had even eaten dinner, she sneaked a peak under the foil to look at the mint brownies. Her knees buckled and she kind of shook her body with excitement. So funny. 

Growing up, these brownies were such a treat every time we went to Utah and now, it's nice to know I can make them in my own home.

From BYU Dining via The Girl Who Ate Everything

YIELD: one 9x13-inch pan of brownies
PREP/COOK TIME: 90 minutes; COOL TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

{for the brownies}:

1 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cup cocoa
2 Tablespoons honey
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional--I keep them out)
12 oz. chocolate icing (make your own or purchase from the store)

{for the mint icing}:

5 Tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
dash of salt
3 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring (again, optional--I left it out)

DIRECTIONS:

Start by making the brownies. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the margarine or butter and stir in the cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. If using, add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool. (Though it may be tempting, resist putting brownies in the freezer or fridge to cool as this will dry them out slightly. Let them cool naturally at room temperature.)

Prepare the mint icing. Soften margarine or butter. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add peppermint extract and (if using) food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

Spread mint icing over cooled brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

Enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

It is the season of strawberries and I love it. Bundt cakes are just so pretty and I love the slices they create. With a slight hint of lemon and the creamy texture of yogurt, this cake is fresh, moist, and it screams summer. You have to be careful with this cake, though. Similar to the white chocolate raspberry bread pudding, it makes a great breakfast!

From A Spicy Perspective

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 Tablespoons lemon juice, divided

Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 oz. plain or vanilla yogurt

12 oz. (about 2 cups), fresh, diced strawberries

1 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. 

Sift together 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, blending until just incorporated. 

Toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Gently fold them into the batter. 

Pour the batter evenly into the bundt pan. Bake in pre-heated oven for 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  

Allow to cool 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely. Mix together the remaining 2 Tablespoons lemon juice with 1 cup powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

White Chocolate Raspberry Bread Pudding

Some foods are a bit more difficult to photograph than others. Bread pudding is one of them. I can only hope that this photograph does justice to the decadent, comforting, and mouth-watering taste and texture of this delicious white chocolate raspberry bread pudding. It is really, really good, and it gets better with age. I made it with the intention to eat it as dessert (which I did), but the last 4 mornings in a row I've found myself dishing this up for breakfast. The chocolate in this recipe is really subtle, so it doesn't feel overly indulgent. Such a great way to start the day.

Are you ready for another amazing fact about this recipe? It is BETTER with stale bread. One of my biggest annoyances and challenges as a cook is not letting food to go waste. So when you buy a french loaf and it starts to get stale, don't fret! Make bread pudding!

Just one day after I made this, I watched an episode of Kelsey's Essentials where she made a tres leches bread pudding in a slow cooker! It looks equally delicious. Check it out here.

From Maureen Wittman

INGREDIENTS:

1 loaf of french bread (16 oz.)*

1 cup of white chocolate chips (or the whole bag if you're really feeling chocolate-y)

1 pint of fresh raspberries (this is two of those small rectangle packages)

6 eggs

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

*I used a whole wheat french bread loaf and it is delicious and nutritious!

DIRECTIONS:

Cut up the bread into bite-size pieces. (This recipe works best when the bread is stale.) 

In a bowl mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and sugar. Pour over the bread and let sit for an hour to allow the bread to soak in the liquid. You can also do this ahead of time (or the night before) and let it sit covered in the fridge.

Fold in the chocolate chips and raspberries. 

Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and put the bread pudding into it. Put dabs of butter all over the top. 

Place into a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. 

Let cool and enjoy!!!

Carmelitas

 

I've been making/eating a lot of Mexican food lately and it seems like the best desserts to go with Mexican involve caramel.That sweet creamy treat is so adored by Mexicans. This recipe for Carmelitas involves adding chocolate chips and nuts, but I kept it simple, choosing to focus on the simple, lovely taste of caramel.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

1 3/4 cups quick-cooking oats

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 1/2 cups salted caramel sauce
2 1/2 Tablespoons flour

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and butter in a mixing bowl. Beat on low until crumbly. Divide into two equal portions.

Press half the crumb mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool slightly.

If using chocolate chips and pecans, sprinkle over the cooled crust. Mix the salted caramel sauce and flour together and drizzle over the pan. Top with the remaining crumb mixture.

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the crust starts to brown. Allow the pan to cool and refrigerate until the caramel filling is set.

Cut into bars and serve.

Salted Caramel Sauce

image via

I have always been a fan of caramel. Despite the occasional toothache it gives me, I love the creamy, sweet texture. When I found out that caramel is actually very simple to make, I got very excited. It is basically the same technique as making a simple syrup, except you let it burn a little longer. That is what gives it the brown color.

Recipe from Kelsey's Essentials

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup heavy cream (I used 1% milk)

3 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. Boil until the syrup is deep amber in color, about 5-7 minutes. 

Remove the sugar from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream or milk. The mixture will bubble (this kind of freaked me out at first--I thought I had messed up the recipe--but everything turned out great). Stir in the unsalted butter and salt.

Transfer the caramel to a dish and cool.

*Salted caramel sauce will keep in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Reheat before serving.

Homemade Whipped Cream

Ah, whipped cream. That magical concoction that adds an element of heaven to almost any already delicious dessert. Fresh fruit, cakes, pies, ice cream, cookies, hot cocoa, milkshakes...the possibilities are endless. Since I typically strive for healthy options, I prefer my whipped cream with fruit (mangoes pictured here). 

Also, do you know how easy it is to make your own whipped cream? You just need to be a little patient holding your electric beaters. (If you have a stand mixer, there is really no excuse.) I don't think I'll ever buy Cool Whip again. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever purchased Cool Whip, but you get what I'm saying, right? 

From AllRecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon confectioner's sugar (granulated sugar works great too)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Add vanilla and sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to overbeat as cream will then become lumpy.

Serve with anything sweet, or dip your finger in and lick right off your finger.

Country Apple Dumplings

Whoa. These are amazing. I try not to say that a lot, but I really think these are absolutely divine. This is like a gourmet pastry and a down-good home-baked apple pie all rolled into one. A tart apple slice, wrapped in a crispy and gooey shell, then encompassed with butter-y, sugar-y goodness, complete with one surprise ingredient. This is just fabulous. And amazingly simple.

From Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 large apple, peeled and cored

1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 can (6 fluid ounces) Mountain Dew

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking dish.

Cut the apple into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles and roll each apple wedge into crescent roll dough, starting with the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish. 

Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew over the dumplings.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Prepare to put your lips together and say "Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!" 

Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Cake

"I passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel."

-Buddy the Elf

When you eat this, you will feel like you are walking through a Candy Cane forest, and it will be amazing. To me, peppermint is bliss. I enjoy it any time of year, but around the holidays, it is especially delightful and seems to be quite plentiful. I don't think anything screams holiday more than this dessert, so if you're looking for something to impress a dinner party, this is it.

I'll end with one more quote from Buddy the Elf.

"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup."

I think Buddy would love this cake.  

Recipe from Bon Appétit

INGREDIENTS:

{For Crust}:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (or you can use chocolate chips)

1 9-oz package chocolate wafer cookies (or equal amounts oreo cookies)

{For Glaze}:

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup light corn syrup

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (or choc. chips)

{For Filling}:

1/2 gallon premium peppermint ice cream*

*If you can't find peppermint ice cream, you may make your own by adding 2 teaspoons peppermint extract and 1 1/4 cups coarsely crushed candy canes to one 1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream. (I prefer to use mini candy canes for this method and keep them in the packaging before you crush them.)

DIRECTIONS:

Start by making the crust. Melt butter with chocolate in heavy small saucepan over low heat. Finely grind cookies in processor. Add warm chocolate mixture. Blend just until crumbs are moistened. Reserve one cup crumb mixture in a small bowl. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom and sides of a 9-inch diameter springform pan. Freeze.

For the glaze: Bring cream and corn syrup to boil in heavy large saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate. Whisk until melted and smooth. Let stand until cool but still pourable, about one hour.

For filling: Spoon half of the ice cream into crust. Spread evenly. Place remaining ice cream in the freezer. Sprinkle reserved 1 cup cookie crumbs over ice cream in pan; press gently. Pour 1 cup chocolate glaze over ice cream in pan. Freeze 1 hour. Top with remaining ice cream; spread evenly. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours. Stir remaining glaze over low heat just until pourable but not warm. Pour glaze over ice cream. Spread evenly and freeze overnight. 

When ready to eat, run a sharp knife between crust and pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Garnish cake with crushed candy cane bits and serve.

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

(image from newyork.seriouseats.com)

My first experience with Magnolia Bakery occurred a little over three years ago. I had just moved to New York for a spring internship and was told by so many people that Magnolia had the most amazing cupcakes and banana pudding. When my family came out to visit toward the end of June, I dragged them through the rain to this delightful bakery in Greenwich Village, reassuring them the whole way, "trust me, their banana pudding is to die for." 

After oohing and aahing over all of the delectable treats while waiting in line, I'll never forget my dad's nervous, rambling order at the busy counter. It was like it was his last meal or something. Afraid to miss out on anything, we walked away with about a dozen and a half cupcakes of various flavors, two large cartons of banana pudding, a healthy slice of icebox pudding, and a sampling of Toffee Pecan Drop cookies. I think there may have been a helping of cheesecake thrown in there just for good measure. We were laughing the whole subway ride home at the amount of sugar we had just purchased, all to be consumed by about five people.

Well, I'm happy to say that, last night, my Dad went gaga over this banana pudding the same way he did over three years ago in our Times Square hotel room. Munching on my homemade version of the Magnolia recipe, he kept asking, "Is this low-fat? This is lite, right?" I kept lying to him yes, because I didn't want to ruin his experience. The truth is, this is not low-fat. If you ate it everyday, you would be fat. But sometimes, you just need to INDULGE!!!!! 

From More From Magnolia by Allysa Torey

INGREDIENTS:

1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1-1/2 cups ice cold water

1 (3.4 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)

3 cups heavy cream (equal to 1.5 pints)
1 (12 oz.) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)
4 cups sliced ripe bananas (this was about 6 bananas for me)

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing.

**It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.**

In a large bowl, on the medium-high speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5 quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary. (There are about 90 wafers in a 12 oz. box of Nilla Wafers, so 30 should be about the right number. Top wafers with one-third of the bananas, then one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or bananas on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or up to 8 hours, but no longer.

Serve and enjoy your delicious hearts out!

Chocolate-y No-Bake Cookies

I remember cooking these in college with my good friend Leah. They're great for college kids because they don't require any "baking" ingredients like baking soda or baking powder (things college kids don't usually stock up their kitchens with). The other night, I wanted a chocolate-y treat and I wanted it fast. This was the perfect solution. Chewy, chocolate-y goodness.

*From browneyedbaker.com

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking oats

DIRECTIONS:

Add butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder to a 4-quart saucepan. Stir until butter is melted, bring to a rolling boil and let boil for about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth, then stir in oats.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper-lined baking sheets. Let cool until set.

Fabulous Fudge Chocolate Cake

I made this cake for someone's birthday. When we were preparing to light the candles and sing "Happy Birthday", someone said, "Catherine made this cake from scratch", to which my Dad quickly and bluntly responded, "Why?!". It garnered a few chuckles from people, including me.

With so many shortcut (and delicious) options at today's grocery stores, I understand how it can seem silly to spend time making a cake from scratch. And, believe you me, I am well prepared to be buying a Costco cake for birthdays in the future when my life gets a little more hectic. 

But, if you have time, and if you have someone you care about, why not show your love for them by making a cake from scratch? And if you're going to be making a cake from scratch, you should try this Fabulous Fudge Chocolate Cake.

*Adapted from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted (Add 2-4 more squares if you want it very chocolate-y)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup boiling water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter and 2 1/2 cups brown sugar until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla and melted chocolate squares. Add 1/2 the sour cream then 1/2 the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until well blended.

Add the remaining sour cream and dry ingredients to the batter. Stir in boiling water.

Bake in a greased 9x13 inch pan for 35 minutes. For cupcakes, bake in greased muffin tins for 18 minutes.

When cool, top with white frosting.

SERVING SUGGESTION:

Top with mini-colored marshmallows for extra pizazz.

Best White Frosting

Husby's birthday was this weekend. He is super low-key about birthdays and doesn't like a lot of presents, but he'll never turn down a delicious chocolate cake. So, I decided to make a good one. With GOOD frosting. This is the frosting. Cake recipe will follow tomorrow.

*Recipe and photo from Tasty Kitchen Blog

INGREDIENTS:

5 Tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar (not powdered sugar)

DIRECTIONS:

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. I was stirring for about 5-8 minutes, maybe more. You want this to be very thick, like a brownie mix or thicker. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Be sure the mixture is completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla.

While waiting for the mixture to cool, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, making sure that there is no sugar graininess left. Add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat on high speed for 3-5 minutes until completely blended and mixture resembles whipped cream. 

Spread on a cooled chocolate cake. Mmmmm mmmm mmmmmm.

Apple Crisp

What says fall more than apples and apple desserts? The sweet, crumbly goodness of a crisp combined with the tart crispness of apples is a no-fail combination. With the weather looking a bit dreary this weekend, this is a surefire way to warm things up.

*Recipe and photo from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups butter, cut into small cubes

2 quarts peeled, cored, and sliced apples (I ended up using about six large apples)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Cut butter into mixture until crumbly. (I use my fingers for this...a pastry blender would probably be helpful if you have one.)

Take half of the mixture and pat it into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover crumb mixture with apple slices, then sprinkle apple slices with remaining crumb mixture. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until apples are tender.

De-lish and welcome fall!!

Berry Blender Sorbet

Given the record-breaking heat yesterday, it turns out I was correct in wishing for more summer days. A cool, summer, refreshing treat seems in order. Also, my sister is doing this 8-weeks-to-a-better-you challenge, so I thought I'd give her something that is sweet, but completely natural and healthy.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, boysenberries are all great)

1 cup plain yogurt

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

In a blender, mix all ingredients until smooth (or slightly chunky, if you prefer). Given the absence of liquid, this will likely require the use of a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and multiple pulses of the blender, but be patient, it will pay off. 

If you're really having a hard time getting your ingredients to blend, add a little bit of water or milk. 

Enjoy!

Peach Cobbler

(Since we got back from Hawaii, I haven't been able to find my camera charger, thus iPhone pictures have replaced Canon Powershot pictures for the last three months. Please excuse the fuzzy blurriness...hopefully the charger will show up soon.) 

I have searched for a couple peach cobbler recipes, but nothing struck me as "the one" until I found this. Cornmeal biscuit topping? Yes, please. What else but cornmeal could be better with peaches? While I love the light, fresh, shortbread taste of my blueberry cobbler, I equally love the comfortable, home-y, and savory cornmeal taste of this peach cobbler.

Oh, and yes, I'm aware that today is the first day of autumn and peaches are a summer fruit. But you can always hope for some summer roll-over. The weather forecast for this weekend is in the 80s!

*Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

(for the fruit):

6-8 peaches, pitted and cut into slices*

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

(for the biscuit topping):

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup ground cornmeal (yellow or white)

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup buttermilk**

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss peached with sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt in the bottom of a 2-quart ovenproof dish.

Make the biscuit dough. Stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into the dry mixture with your fingertips (or a pastry blender, if you have one--I don't). Stir in buttermilk with a rubber spatula until a wet, tacky dough comes together. 

Plop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough over the filling. Bake until the cobbler's syrup is bubbly and the biscuit tops are browned, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly and scoop into bowls. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. 

*Here is an easy way to peel peaches: Cut a small "x" in the bottom of each peach. Dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon. The skins will slide off.

**Don't have buttermilk in your house? Me neither. As a substitute, place one Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a one-cup measuring cup. Fill to the one cup line with milk and let stand for five minutes. Apparently this creates the "tang" that is found in buttermilk. 

Fresh California Orange Cake

From the second I found this recipe, I have been dying to make it. Having my family in town was a perfect excuse to make a dessert and this did not disappoint. Apparently this recipe has won some blue ribbons at county fairs. I love it because even thought it is a cake, it still uses fresh ingredients. Love me some fresh oranges. And love me some Fresh California Orange Cake.

*Recipe and picture from yourhomebasedmom.com

INGREDIENTS:

(for the cake):

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup shortening

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

1-1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

2-1/2 cups sifted cake flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh orange juice, minus 2 Tablespoons

2 Tablespoons orange juice concentrate

(for the frosting):

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

dash of salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the cake. Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by greasing (generously) with shortening and flour. Cream together butter, shortening, and rind. Very gradually add sugar, creaming until light. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating for five minutes.

Sift together dry ingredients and add alternately with orange juice to creamed mixture. Add in orange juice concentrate. Beat only until smooth after each addition. 

Pour batter into prepared round pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Cool for about 20 minutes then remove gently from pan and cool completely.

For the frosting, cream butter and cream cheese. Gradually beat in sugar alternately with orange juice, beating until smooth. Stir in orange rind and salt. Beat until creamy and thick.

Smooth frosting appropriately onto layered cake, cut, serve, eat, and savor every bite.