Donuts!

Mini and regular sized baked donuts - oh boy!!  The chocolate ones are regular sized, the pastels are mini.  They turned out pretty freaking chewy (boo), but the taste was good.  The ones with chocolate glaze were AH-MAZING.  I can't wait to try other flavors and frostings and stuff.  You can pick up the pans (below) online or even at Mollie Stones, which is where I found my mini pan and saved myself the shipping (and waiting, which I hate).

See the difference between the top of the donut (pale) and the bottom (super bronzed)?  Also, you can see that the one mini guy over on the lower left looks a bit like a little bundt - that's him upside down, and that's his brother right side up, above him.

I followed the recipe that comes on the pan (though of course there are others, even by King Arthur!) - the one on the larger sized pan was perfect to make one batch of large (6) and two batches of tinys (24).  They're a bit tricky though.  The big ones looked great, but were BROWN on the bottom and white on top.  If I wasn't frosting with chocolate that may have looked odd.  And the little guys puff up like little round topped muffins with holes in the middle or get weird ridges around the side if you're not careful.
I used nonstick on one batch of my tiny guys, and I thought those ones actually turned out worse than when I didn't use the spray.  On the non-sprayed pans, I just used a couple of toothpicks to pluck the donuts out of the pans while they were still warm - worked perfectly for me.

Donuts
2 cups of cake flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used vanilla sugar, but don't know that the flavor really showed up in the finished product)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
3/4 c buttermilk (I was out and had to do the milk + lemon juice trick)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp melted butter

Preaheat oven to 425.  Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray (if you want).
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.  Add buttermilk, eggs and butter.  Beat until just combined.  Fill each large cup about 2/3 full.  Fill the minis about half full.
Bake the bigguns for 7-9 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched.  Bake the littleuns for 4-6 minutes or til the same.
Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, or just go for it as I did.  If your donuts are sticking, let them cool a bit.

You can sub out the nutmeg for some grated lemon zest, and I imagine about a jillion other options to flavor the donuts as you like.  Once these were cooled, they did taste just like the good old cake donuts we know and love, if a bit chewy.

Variations and Frostings
Cinnamon Sugar:
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp melted butter
In a shallow bowl or plate, stir together cinnamon and sugar.  Dip the donuts in the melted butter and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mix to coat.

Chocolate Glaze:
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 tbsp corn syrup (I only had honey and it worked a treat, though I'm guessing it didn't solidify quite as it would've had I used corn syrup)
1 tsp hot water
In a medium bowl, nuke the chips, butter & corn syrup on 50% power at 30 second increments, stirring in between until everything is completely melted.  Stir in 1 tsp hot water til the glaze is thick and smooth - add another tsp if it's too thick.  Use immediately.

Powdered Sugar:
Put 2/3 cup of powdered/confectioner's sugar in a resealable plastic bag.  Add a donut to the bag and shake the heck out of it to coat.  Don't breathe in or sneeze while eating.

Vanilla Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk (I needed to add more)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or whatever flavor you want - almond, rum, imitation banana. . . have at it)
In a small bowl, stir together sugar, milk & vanilla (or other flavor) until sugar is dissolved.  Use immediately.

And as if that wasn't all bad enough, you can make your own custom colored sprinkles!  I can see myself getting WAY too carried away with this. . . . 

    

 

Apple Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

http://www.splenda.com/products/brown-sugar-blendThat name is too long.  I think I'll call them OAR cookies (oatmeal-apple-raisin).  I don't need the C - I mean cinnamon just comes with the territory, right?
My problem here is making them somewhat South Beachy.  The last ones were okay taste wise, but a flop texture wise.  I'm hoping the addition of sugar free applesauce and fresh apples will moisten them up a bit.  Science I am fairly good at, but baking science is new.  I'm not quite sure if my moisture to flour to rising agents is right.  I looked at a couple of new recipes, plus the recipe from my last attempt, for guidance, but we won't know until we try, right?

The plan:
2 tbsp butter
1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c Splenda
1/4 c Splenda brown sugar blend (or 1/2 c brown sugar if you must)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c AP flour (I may experiment here with leaving this out altogether and going with a full cup of whole wheat flour)
1 1/4 c of oats (quick cooking or old fashioned)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of grated nutmeg
3/4 c chopped walnuts
1 medium apple, peeled, cored & diced
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 c raisins

Preheat oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment or silpat. 
Prep the apple, toss in the lemon juice and set aside.
Cream the sugar and butter together until creamy using a stand mixer.  Add the egg, applesauce and vanilla and incorporate well. 
Whisk the dry ingredients together, and slowly add to the wet, cup by cup until incorporated, at low speed.
Fold in the nuts and fruit.

Drop tablespoon fulls onto cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes or until desired doneness.  Allow to cool a bit on sheets, then transfer to wire racks.

Patrick's Birthday

Patrick is already putting in requests for his birthday dinner and cake in April.  Looks like I'm not the only one that plans things four months in advance. . . .
Of course neither is South Beach even a little bit, but it's okay to splurge once in a while, and splurge we will.  I know that it will make me sick afterward, binging on non SB foods always do when I've been good for a long time, which will hopefully only encourage me to stay good.

First up - a bacon wrapped meatloaf he saw on the cover of a magazine called Fine Cooking, which I've never even heard of.  I tweaked the recipe just a tiny little bit based on preference and user reviews.

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
4 oz. cremini (baby bella) or white mushrooms, cleaned and finely chopped (1-1/3 cups)
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
3 Tbs. dry sherry
1 Tbs. minced garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 oz. day-old rustic or dense white bread, torn into about 1/2-inch pieces (1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 lb. ground beef (85% lean)
1 lb. ground pork
2 Tbs. light or dark brown sugar
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
8 slices center-cut bacon

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF.
In a medium bowl, toss the mushrooms with the onion, sherry, garlic, 1-1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread, milk, and egg. Stir well, lightly mashing the bread until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the beef, veal, pork, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and the onion-mushroom mixture. Using a large, sturdy wooden spoon or your hands, gently mix just until all the ingredients are blended; you may need to push the meat against the side of the bowl to get the pieces to break up.

Put the meat mixture in a 9x13-inch metal baking pan. Shape the mixture into a rectangular loaf about 10x4 inches. Wrap the strips of bacon around the loaf crosswise, overlapping them slightly and tucking the ends securely under the loaf. Pat the loaf back into shape if necessary.

Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads 160ºF, 60 to 70 minutes. Take the meatloaf out of the oven and position the oven rack about 6 inches from the broiling element. Heat the broiler to high. Broil the meatloaf until the bacon is brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Let the loaf rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes.

Use two flat spatulas to transfer the meatloaf to a serving platter. Slice and serve with the mushroom gravy.
Just in case you were wondering:  Calories (kcal): 340; Fat (g): 19; Fat Calories (kcal): 170; Saturated Fat (g): 6; Protein (g): 26; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 9; Carbohydrates (g): 15; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1.5; Sodium (mg): 610; Cholesterol (mg): 105; Fiber (g): 1;


Sherry Mushroom Gravy 
1 cup lower-salt beef or chicken broth; more as needed
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 slices center-cut bacon, minced
6 oz. cremini (baby bella) or white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced about 1/8 inch thick (2 packed cups)
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. dry sherry
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour

Combine the broth with 1 cup of hot water. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring to break apart the pieces, until just starting to crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have cooked through and start to brown the bottom of the pan, 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the sherry and stir to release the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly until the mixture has browned and is slightly dry and crumbly, about 30 seconds.
Whisk in half of the broth mixture and continue whisking until the liquid is absorbed into the flour, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the remaining broth mixture and bring the gravy to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and thin with water or broth if necessary. Transfer to a small saucepan, cover, and keep warm. Reheat the gravy if necessary before serving.

************************************************************************
Served with butter laden mashed potatoes, this is certain to make us very happy to eat and then very ill for having eaten it.  Then of course there will be the meatloaf sandwiches the next day. . . I can hardly wait.  But there's more!!!  Maybe laying in bed on the weekend watching Food Network until we're too starved to stay horizontal any more isn't a good thing.  We saw Paula Deen try to awkwardly set up her son with a pretty blonde AND make an amazing looking meal.  I'd like the whole thing actually, but the cake certainly caught Patrick's attention.

Double Decker Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Nonstick cooking spray

3 cups cake flour, plus more for pan
1 cup butter, softened, plus 1/2 cup, melted
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole buttermilk
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple slices in juice, drained well (reserve 2 tablespoons juice for frosting)
1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained well
Pineapple Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows
Chopped pecans, for garnish, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and coat with flour.
In a large bowl, beat 1 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.
In a small bowl, add the 3 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Divide the brown sugar evenly into each pan. Pour the melted butter equally over the brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries over the brown sugar. Reserve remaining pineapple slices and cherries for another use.
Pour equal amounts of batter over the fruit and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.
To assemble the cake, carefully arrange 1 cake layer, pineapple side up, on a cake plate. Carefully stack the remaining cake layer, pineapple side up, over the first layer. Frost the sides of the cake with Pineapple Buttercream Frosting. Press chopped pecans into sides of cake, if desired.

Pineapple Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Beat all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.

Yield: about 2 cups

Ultimate Rice Krispie Treats

Inspired by Smitten Kitchen's Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats, I whipped up a batch of the classic snack last night.  I cannot even tell you the last time I made Rice Krispie Treats, but it can't have been in the last five years.  I think I imagine them as the too hard, sickly sweet gigantic hunk o'krispie that you get in coffee shops and bakeries and I cringe.  Salted brown butter RKTs are a different animal entirely, but every bit as mind blowingly simple.

 Why yes, I did open up the Ziploc bag to take this photo after I had packaged them up.

I used:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 stick salted butter
1 10 oz bag of jumbo marshmallows
6 cups of crispy rice cereal (I admit - I used store brand - sorry Kellogg's)
Butter flavored Pam
a large pan (baking, cake, Pyrex, heck a jellyroll pan will work, you'll just have thinner treats)

Melt the butter over medium heat and allow to brown slightly.  In the meantime, spray your pan with Pam.
Turn off the heat and add in the marshmallows.  Stir to combine as the marshmallows melt.  If you need to turn the heat back on to low you can do so, but for heaven's sake, don't walk away!
Once the marshmallows are melted, dump in the cereal and stir to combine.  Scrape into your Pammed pan and flatten out.  I get my hand a little bit wet with water to prevent too much sticking and smoosh the top of my treats down flat.  Now, I'll be honest, with this much butter, things are already less sticky and a hair more greasy than normal, but whatever.

I thought about topping my treats with a sprinkling of French sea salt (yeah, that's how I roll), but opted instead to leave one batch plain, and to top the other with butterscotch and chocolate chips.  I thought kids might balk at the salt and these are for a children's hospital fundraiser and I thought there was a decent chance kids might be eating them.

Next time around since we weren't wild about the overly sweet butterscotch chips, we're thinking peanut butter and chocolate.  Luckily, SK already thought of that as well.  I think I'll stick to the RKT recipe and then add a thin layer of the peanut butter and chocolate toppings rather than much with all that corn syrup though.

Double Apple Cake with Brandy Brown Sugar Sauce

I loves me some appley things.  Cakes, breads, pies, etc.  When I saw this recipe posted on the kitchn I nearly seized.  Appley cake PLUS boozey, salty caramelly sauce?  Sold.
Plus, you can make it gluten free?  Shut!  Up!!

Here, my slightly altered version that I'm sure was every bit as delectable as the original.

Sticky Spiked Double-Apple Cake with a Brown Sugar-Brandy Sauce
Serves 10 to 12
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup brandy
1 cup unsulphured dried apple slices (cut rings in half)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1-1/2 cups tightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans - I used the lightly salted and sweetened ones from Trader Joe's and chopped them
2 medium sized tart cooking apples, one peeled, one unpeeled, both cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Additional unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing the pan

In a small bowl, soak the raisins in the brandy for 45 minutes. Add the dried apple slices and macerate for a further 15 minutes. Do not drain!
While the dried fruit is macerating, start your prep:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan and line the bottom and up the two long sides with a sheet of parchment paper, letting the paper hang over the edges by an inch or so. Lightly butter the paper.
In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices and set aside.
In a large bowl with a hand held electric mixer or whisk, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend both sugars. Add the eggs and beat on medium speed until thickened and pale, about 2 minutes with a machine, 4 to 5 minutes by hand. Add the cooled melted butter and mix to blend. Fold in the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing just enough to moisten most but not all of the flour. Add the dried fruit and brandy mixture, chopped pecans, and diced fresh apple, then fold them into the batter with long, deep strokes.
Note: this is a very fruit heavy batter, but don't worry.  It bakes out just lovely.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and set in the center of the oven.
Bake for some amount of time from 40 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, depending on your oven.  I set my timer for one hour, but it was done much earlier than that.  It is done when the center springs back when lightly touched, a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Transfer to a wire rack and cool.
Serve warm or at room temperature with a healthy pour of the warm Brown Sugar-Brandy Sauce.

Brown Sugar-Brandy Sauce
Makes about 2-1/4 cups, aka, way more than you need - but you'll love it on ice cream and fruit - apples and bananas especially - too!
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream (36%)
2-1/2 tablespoons brandy
Combine the butter, sugars and cream in a small, heavy bottomed saucepan. Stir this mixture over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a very gentle boil, stirring all the while.
Cook 5 more minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the brandy.
Serve immediately, or cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days.
To rewarm, either microwave the uncovered sauce on low power or transfer the cold caramel to a saucepan and stir over low heat until warm.


Wrap the cake and store it at room temperature - I baked mine on Wednesday night to be ready for Thanksgiving on Thursday, and I still enjoyed the last piece on Monday, so this bad boy can stick around for a while.  Well, depending on your level of self restraint. . .

Poached Pears

I finally did it.  I poached pears.  Thanks to Chow for helping me to come up with a recipe using stuff I had on hand.

2 cups of port wine and 2 of cab
1 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 stick cinnamon
1 tbsp or so of whole cloves
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
4 firm Bosc or Anjou pears (about 1 pound)

Combine all ingredients except pears in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Meanwhile, peel pears, leaving the stems intact. Slice off the bottom 1/8 inch of each pear to create a flat, stable base.

Reduce heat to keep poaching liquid at a bare simmer and add pears, laying them on their sides so that they are almost completely submerged. Cook, turning pears occasionally so that they become saturated on all sides, until they are just tender when pierced with a fork, about 7 minutes.  Be careful when turning - if the pears are ripe, or once they start to cook they get very delicate and you can end up gouging them with your spoon as you try to turn them.

Allow pears to cool completely in the poaching liquid. Serve or transfer pears and liquid to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

To serve, I broke up half of a bar of dark chocolate into a small bowl, added 1/4 cup of milk and nuked for a minute.  I stirred, added more milk (another tbsp or two) until I had the consistency I wanted, then spooned the chocolate onto the plate and spread it around a bit, and nestled the pears on top.

Butterscotch Cake

This cake just SCREAMS church bake sale somewhere in middle America, but when it's this easy, why not give it a whirl, right?

1 package of yellow cake mix
1 c sour cream
1 small instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 c vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 package of butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine first 5 ingredients and mix well, for about 4 minutes.
Gently stir in butterscotch chips and pour into a greased and floured Bundt cake pan.
Bake for approximately one hour (check on it for doneness after 40-45 minutes or so).

I die.

Small things are cute.
Animals are cute.
Small animals are super cute.
Cake is good.
Small animal cakes make my head esplode.

I am SO making the bunnies, but probably with my fave bunny face (though please disregard how much this looks like a French bulldog; I'll do French bulldogs next):

My friend Noelle made the chicks last Easter, and while they were too sweet for eating in my opinion (7 year old me would kick me in the shins for even suggesting such an abomination), they were so insanely cute that they simply must exist.
Now, do I do white cake and white frosting to stick with the white?  Probably.  I'll come up with some species to create for my birthday so I can do yellow cake with chocolate frosting, omg yum.  Boston terriers?  Nah, I'll probably just make cute little faces on them.

Spicy Banana Fritters

I love banana desserts, and if this one can win someone such great praise on Top Chef, they're surely good enough for me (or any dinner guests).

Spicy Banana Fritters
Batter:
2 cup flour
2 tbs black and white sesame seeds
1 tsp. baking powder
3 tbs sugar
salt to taste
1 tbs honey
2 large eggs
2 cups of hoppy pale ale

Mix above ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.

Bananas:
Large bananas cut into 1-inch medallions
Sambal Oelek or similar chili paste
wooden skewers for serving
2 tbs cinnamon mixed with 4 tbs granulated sugar
2 cups of vegetable oil heated to 350 degrees

Brush banana medallions with a little bit of sambal chili paste; then spear medallions on skewers and dip in batter to coat. Dunk the coated medallions in the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute, or until the fritters become puffy and golden brown. Transfer fritters to a paper-towel-lined tray and sprinkle them while hot with cinnamon and sugar mixture. To finish, put a dollop of chili paste on a plate and place fritters on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Some people like cheesecake.  Sometimes I think it's pretty good, but I'm never like, "OOOOOOOHHHHH - CHEESECAKE."
I did have a pumpkin cheesecake once that was to die for, which then led my wonderful mother to believe that I would like ALL pumpkin cheesecake and that's what she got for my birthday, only for us to realize that what I really want on my birthday is yellow cake with chocolate frosting, made with a boxed mix and using a can of frosting.  Seriously.
However, pumpkin cheesecake is a delight, and these little bites look just fab.  This is my first ever Seejeneat Special Request Recipe - so Quinn, when they're done I will certainly be delivering.
And can we giggle for a second that in the address it says "whop cream?"  Okay, thanks. 

 Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Yields 12 2×3 mini cheesecakes

Crust
1-1/4  cups  ginger snaps
1/4  cup  sugar
1/3  cup  butter, melted
Cheesecake
1  8-ounce package  cream cheese, softened
1  cups  sugar
2   eggs
3/4 cup  canned pumpkin
1/2  teaspoon  pumpkin pie spice
1/4  nutmeg
1/2   teaspoon of candied ginger
1  teaspoon  vanilla
1/4  teaspoon  salt
4 ounces  semisweet chocolate, cut up,
1  tablespoons  butter
Bourbon Whip Cream
3/4  cup whipping cream
2 tablespoon of bourbon 

1/4    cup caramel sauce
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease pan. Combine In a, combine ginger snap crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl. Stir in the 1/3 cup melted butter. Press mixture evenly into bottom of the prepared baking pan; set aside.

Add cream cheese and sugar into a bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Add pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, candied ginger, vanilla, and salt to the bowl and beat until combined. Remove 1 cup of the mixture.

In a heat proof bowl combine the 6 ounces chocolate and the 1 tablespoons butter and place in an inch of simmering water. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Whisk chocolate mixture into the 1 cup pumpkin mixture. Pour over crust, spreading evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.

Gently pour remaining pumpkin mixture over baked chocolate layer, spreading evenly. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes more or until filling is puffed. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before releasing.

Whip cream until medium peaks form. Fold in bourbon and finish by drizzling caramel sauce on top and sprinkle with nutmeg seasoning.

A few notes: 

• If you decide not to make mini cheesecakes, use an 8inch springform pan and increase the bake time by 15-20 minutes. Start checking for doneness at 12-15 minutes. The cheesecake is done when the center of the cake gives a slight jiggle when the pan is tapped.
• You can skip the chocolate layer if you wish.
•  This pumpkin cheesecake can be made three days in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator

Flan de Caramelo

Flan de Caramelo
2 c sugar
1 c Ranchero Cheese (Farmer's cheese or cream cheese)
1 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c Cajeta Envinada
1 c cream
6 eggs


Preheat oven to 350.  Place 1 cup of the sugar in a pan and allow to caramelize; swirling and stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Pour the sugar into a mold and tilt so the caramel covers the bottom and sides of the mold.  Set aside.
At this point, we put the rest of the ingredients (except the Cajeta Envinada) into the blender and pureed.  The written recipe recommends lightly beating the eggs with the rest of the sugar; pureeing the milk, cheese and cream in the blender; and then combining the two.
Pour into the mold on top of the caramel.  Place the mold into a larger pan with 1 inch of hot water in the bottom of the pan (a water bath).  You can cover with flan with foil, though we did not.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  The flan will still have a lot of jiggle to it.  Allow to cool to room temp, and refrigerate over night.  (We popped ours straight into the fridge so we could eat it the same day; I imagine it would be a bit more set up if you leave it in the fridge over night).
To serve; place mold in hot water to soften caramel and run a knife around the outside edge.  Place a plate on top, and carefully invert so the plate is on the bottom and the mold is on top.
Serve with Cajeta Envinada or other caramel sauce.


Serves 6-10

Patrick's Peanut Butter Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes

For a certain chocolate/peanut butter lover in my life, I have decided to do something I almost never do (except for lately, which is kind of ruining my point here).
Make cupcakes from scratch. Frosting too.
But with the rave reviews I've seen for Ina's "Beatty's Chocolate Cake" and her "Chocolate Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Icing" I'd be a fool not to give them a whirl. The reviews for the cake alone are staggering - 5 stars with 713 reviews?! How can that NOT be the best chocolate cake in the world?


Beatty's Chocolate Cake nocoupons
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. (I'll be using cupcake pans lined with paper, obvi.)

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. For the cupcakes I'll probably start checking on them after 20 minutes or so. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. For the cupcakes I'll be using a pastry bag to pipe the icing on.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing
1 cup confectioners' sugar nocoupons(powdered sugar)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

** Update **
Due to the fact that I am a horrible judge of how long things will actually take me to do, I was unable to make the pb frosting for the first go round of cupcakes.  I had no choice but to throw myself upon the mercy of Betty Crocker and use her dark chocolate fudgey some sort of frosting, and the cupcakes were delicious.  I found using the chocolate frosting, you could actually taste the cake.
The next time we devoured the cupcakes, I had time to make the frosting.  It was fabulous - so, so good. . . . but much harder to taste the cake.  So let this be your guide.  If you're all about the pb, go with the pb frosting.  If you're all about CHOCOLATE - go with a chocolate frosting.

Sweet Potatoes + Marshmallows =\= Thanksgiving

Sweet potatoes and marshmallows are a classic. Many homes feature this tasty combo at least once a year, right next to the turkey, who also features about once a year, the poor dear. But is this a dessert or a side dish? Having only had it once or twice, always at someone else's home since my family looks down it's snobby little foodie nose at this dish, I have to vote for dessert. That said, I bring you Delicious Inspiration's Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting and yes you read that right. * chomp *

Sweet Potato Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sweet potato puree

Marshmallow Frosting:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 cup marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk, more if needed

Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease 12 muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, milk and vanilla. Stir in sweet potato puree. Add in the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated.

Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until done in center. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool on a wire rack.

Marshmallow Frosting:
In a small bowl, beat together butter, marshmallow creme and vanilla. Gradually add in sugar and beat until well blended. Stir in milk. If frosting is too thick, add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time.

Yields 12 cupcakes.

Shaddy O'Shea Cakes

Once upon a time there was the best dog in the whole wide world. She was loved very very much. She celebrated a St. Patrick's Day birthday, and ended her celebrations on that same day last year. I don't know how Irish a mutt dog from the pound can be, but St. Patrick's Day will always make me think of the Best Girl. Miss you pup.

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting

Cupcakes

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup Guinness stout
• 2/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Frosting

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 pinch table salt
• 3 tablespoons irish cream (Bailey's or Carolan's)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• green sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350°F Grease 24-30 cupcake cups, or fill with paper liners.

In a saucepan, heat the butter, Guinness, cocoa and brown sugar, whisking often, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Into the work bowl of a stand mixer (or into a large mixing bowl), sift together salt, flour, white sugar and baking soda. Add the cooled Guinness mixture and beat on medium for 1 minute. Add eggs and sour cream and beat on medium for 2 minutes or until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly amongst the cupcake cups. Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then remove and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled.

Meanwhile, in (cleaned) work bowl of stand mixer, cream butter until very light and fluffy. Add salt, and slowly add confectioners sugar. Do not run the mixer above low, or the sugar will spray all over your kitchen. Add a couple of spoonsful at a time until it has all been absorbed into the butter. Add Bailey's and milk until spreadable consistency is achieved.

Frost cupcakes with Bailey's frosting. Sprinkle with green jimmies/sprinkles.

** edited to thank Kari for now making me crave a dessert she had involving a Guinness brownie, topped with Bailey's ice cream and Jameson caramel sauce. I'm sure that can be arranged.

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

Another tasty treat to make with my homemade ricotta; too bad I don't have enough left!
Suggestions abound in the user comments; from adding different liqueurs to draining the ricotta a little extra. I guess there is a video posted that you can watch for more tips too.

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 orange, zested
2 tablespoons Amaretto
Powdered sugar, for dusting
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered or 3 oranges, cut into supremes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

Meanwhile, place the strawberries (or orange supremes) in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit until the juices have pooled around the strawberries.

To serve, slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of strawberries and their juices over the top of the cake.

Another couple of recipes for the big bean book of desserts

Will I never learn?
Beans do not make good pastries. . . . or DO they?!

Pumpkin Spice Walnut White Bean Muffins

15.5 oz can of white beans, drained and rinsed

White Beans

Chick Peas

2 eggs

1 cup Splenda

Splenda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

2/3 cup fat free dry milk

Fat Free

Dry Milk

1 Tbs vanilla

3 Tbs light margarine
1/4 cup fat free ricotta

Ricotta

1/2 cup walnuts

Preheat oven too 350.
In a blender, blend the beans and eggs.
Combine with all the other ingredients in a mixing bowl, don't over mix though.
Pour in to muffin tins (I use large muffin tins, and this recipe made 5 muffins).
Bake for 40 minutes at 35.

And if that sucks, I can always go with some other pumpkiny treat to apologize to my tastebuds for the assault (just like I had to after the black bean brownie debacle). At least they're white bean OPTIONAL.

Harvest Pumpkin Brownies
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin
4 eggs (1/4 C. dry egg powder + 1/2 C. water)
3/4 C. vegetable oil (or 3/4 C. white bean puree)
2 t. vanilla
2 C. whole wheat flour
2 C. sugar
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
2 t. ground cinnamon
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

Mix wet ingredients (including the water needed for your powdered eggs but not the dry egg powder…remember you DON’T need to mix these before adding to your recipes) Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients. Pour into 9×13 pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool and frost with cream cheese frosting or dollop cinnamon whipped topping.

Black Bean and Avocado. . . . . brownies?!

Okay Cara. I admit. You have me intrigued. The ingredients are fairly inexpensive and I have most of them on hand, so I'll give it a whirl and not tell anyone what my brownies are made out of (unless you're reading this, then you don't get to play on the blinded side - I'm guessing I'll know who you are because you won't want to try the next batch of brownies I make).
"Alternative" "healthy" desserts are a very tricky business and I find it's better to just indulge in the real thing every once in a while, but my sweet tooth demands options that I can enjoy on a more regular basis. I'm already wondering how these brownies will take to peppermint extract or sugar free raspberry jam, two of my favorite brownie flavorings. Since I once made an avocado pie that was close to a key lime, you'd think I'd have more faith. . . I'll probably make a couple of batches - one with Splenda only, one with half Splenda, half sugar.

** IMPORTANT UPDATE:
I made them with all sugar because I was already afraid they'd suck; with a swirl of cherry preserves on top, because, chocolate and cherry - mmm, right?
Well, if you can somehow convince yourself you're eating brownies when you eat these you're a much more imaginative person than I (or my three dinner guests). Tastewise, they're not HORRIBLE, but texturewise they're all wrong. Ew.

Black Bean and Avocado Brownies
Printable Recipe

1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 of a ripe avocado (60gm)
6 tbsp cocoa powder (30gm)
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons white sugar (75gm)
2 teaspoons instant espresso

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper.

Combine black beans, egg substitute, agave syrup, and avocado in food processor. Blend for a few minutes, until completely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and continue blending until fully combined, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spread into parchment-lined baking dish. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the brownies comes out clean.

These are best if you let them sit overnight before slicing and enjoying!

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 98.0
Total Fat: 1.2 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 134.6 mg
Total Carbs: 19.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
Protein: 4.2 g

PB&J cookies

(this photo is so 1980s Tron with that grid design from my cooling rack)

I make these little treats every once in a while because they are SO easy, and they're a perfect, quick SB snack. It really is like eating a tbsp of peanut butter though, so don't get carried away.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies
3/4 c Splenda
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c creamy (trans fat free) peanut butter
1 tsp baking soda
sugar free jam

Preheat oven to 350. I use a silpat pad on a cookie sheet for these - the jam can run out of the cookie and gets VERY sticky. Silpat is great for not allowing stuff to burn on. If you don't have a Silpat pad, you can use parchment paper.
Cream the Splenda, egg, and vanilla extract together with a hand mixer on low for about three minutes.
Add the peanut butter and baking soda and mix to combine - only about 30 seconds or so.
Using a tablespoon, I scoop out a portion of dough and use it to form 2 balls; this dough is enough for 24 small cookies.
I put them on the cookie sheet, about an inch apart, and then use my thumb to smoosh down the center. I try to reform the edges a bit too if they crack too much; these cookies are super crumbly so anything you can do to help them keep their shape early on is a good idea.
I put some sugar free jam into a plastic baggie and snip off the end so I can pipe the jam into the indentations. I like to use a couple of different kinds of jam, and I can tell you that apricot seems to be the messiest - it bubbles out the most, and the jam seems to disappear into the cookie or something. Strawberry is much better. I think I'll try grape next time too, or blueberry. Yum.

Bake cookies for about 12 minutes or until the bottoms just brown and cool on a wire rack. As I mentioned, they are VERY crumbly, delicate little things. They don't travel well in a baggie (like for lunch), but they're yummy, and rich, and peanut buttery and perfect little bite size treats when you're craving a pb&j but not eating bread.

** note **
I wouldn't recommend going larger on these (you know, like 12 big ones versus 24 little ones) as the texture gets a bit wonky and overly soft.  Just saying.  No one likes a flaccid cookie.

Holy Christmas Cookie Exchange Options, Batman!

Martha's 365 options, of course.
Gourmet's faves from 1941-2008?!?! Yikes, that'll take a lifetime to get through!

Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

When I was planning for Iron Chef Battle Cupcake, my beloved Buzzie suggested an idea I had long since dismissed - pineapple upside down cupcakes. I couldn't think of how to get the pineapples in place - normally you flip the cake over so the fruit and goo that was in the bottom of the pan is now on top. I envisioned messy, sticky, burnt on sugar that would tear apart the cakes and stick in the bottom of the pan and be a bastard to clean.
I wondered if I could just make the cakes and then top them later with what would typically go in the bottom of the pan.
I decided against it.
Until I saw this recipe, and now I'm rethinking things.
For my first go round, I actually tried it in regular sized cupcake tins (I had visions of minis and just using pineapple chunks).  I had to cut the pineapple rings into quarters (or smaller) to get them to fit into the cups.


Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 (20 ounce) cans sliced pineapple
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/4 cup veggie oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs dark rum (I used Captain Morgan)
12 maraschino cherries, halved
Directions

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and butter; mix well. Spoon into 24 greased muffin cups. Drain pineapple, reserving the juice. Trim pineapple to fit the muffin cups; place pineapple in each cup (enough to create a layer).
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil and 1-1/4 cups of the reserved pineapple juice (this was the amount in one can); mix well. Spoon over pineapple, filling each cup two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Immediately invert onto wire racks to cool. Place a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring.