Blog, Recipes

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

44 Comments

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

So despite some unnecessarily stressful back and forth that has been going on in my life, I’m still set to share my news with you on Thursday.  Part of me is SO excited, but the rest of me is still nervous/terrified/anxious.  I know some of you are eager to know what my news is, but trust me, I’m even more eager to be able to share!  Just a couple more daysWinking smile

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

For the third week of the Joy the Baker spotlight and cook-off, we were able to make any recipe from Joy’s cookbook.  Considering I want to make almost everything in the book and NEED to make about half of the recipes, that was a tough decision.  But brown butter and a muffin with crumb topping all in one?  These muffins were definitely in the running.  Having plenty of fresh blueberries on hand sealed the deal.

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

These blueberry muffins came out of the oven perfect.  The texture of the muffin was light and cakey without being dry.  They smelled amazing and were really hard to photograph before diving in and eating them!

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins
Source: Joy the Baker Cookbook
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
Muffin ingredients:
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries thawed and drained

Topping Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375.  Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners and set aside
Make the muffin batter
Brown the butter: Heat butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; when butter turns to an amber/light brown color, remove from heat immediately.  You should be able to smell the deeper more caramel flavor of the butter
Pour browned butter immediately into a small bowl and set aside
In a medium bowl, whisk milk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla until combined; whisk in brown butter and set aside
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; add milk mixture and stir just until combined; fold in blueberries
Distribute batter evenly among cupcake liners and set aside
Make crumb topping by combining the butter, flour and sugar with your fingers until most of the dry ingredients are in small clumps; sprinkle each muffin generously with topping
Bake muffins 18-20 minutes or until a knife or toothpick comes out of center of a muffin clean

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef.  I received a free copy of the Joy the Baker Cookbook but all opinions expressed are my own.

Blog, Recipes

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Bars

65 Comments

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Bars

By now you have probably seen a fair share of meyer lemon recipes.  It’s like meyer lemons are the new salted caramel lemon*.

Since I’m so picky when it comes to lemon desserts, I have to get really excited about an idea or recipe before trying it.  Well, it just so happens that a few months ago, I had an amazing lemon bar with a buttery crumb topping that I’ve wanted to replicate ever since.  It was moist and rich with the perfect balance of crumb topping to tangy lemon filling that just melted in your mouth.  Instead of playing with a regular crumb topping recipe, though, I thought I’d test out my favorite shortbread bar and swap out the filling for a meyer lemon layer instead.

The result- exactly as I had hoped.  If you like the flavor of meyer lemons and enjoy perfect buttery shortbread, you will love these.

Let’s be real, it is still a lemon.

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Bars

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Bars
Serves 12

Shortbread Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2  cups granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Filling Ingredients:
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon grated meyer lemon zest (1 to 2 lemons)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice (~ 1 lemon)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 325
Grease a 9-inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside
Sift flour; set aside
Beat butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy; mix in vanilla until will combined
Stir in flour just until combined
Press half of the dough in to prepared dish and bake for about 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown; shape remaining dough into a disk and wrap tightly with seran wrap; chill in refrigerator
When bottom layer is done, set aside to cool and prepare filling
Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour; pour over crust
Bake crust and filling for 20-25 minutes or until filling is starting to set
Remove from oven and top with remaining dough but crumbling dough into pieces and distributing evenly over filling
Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes or until top of crumbs is golden brown
Store bars in refrigerator but are best brought to room temperature before serving

Shortbread recipe from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey; Filling adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Bars

On another note, I impulsively bought my meyer lemons at Costco.  Some of them were used in these bars and a couple of others went into a scallop marinade.  I still have quite a few left, what should I do with them?

Blog, Recipes

Chewy No-Bake “Thin Mint” Bars

44 Comments

Chewy No-Bake “Thin Mint” Bars

Sometimes I have a million recipe ideas going through my head at a time and can’t get into the kitchen fast enough.

And sometimes I have baker’s block.

Chewy No-Bake “Thin Mint” Bars

Every cookie or brownie variation will feel overdone and the creative section of my brain goes into freeze mode.

Sometimes I really get stuck and just need a day or two out of the kitchen, and sometimes all I need is a visit down unused ingredients lane.

Chewy No-Bake “Thin Mint” Bars

Half a bag of marshmallows that are living on the edge of stale? Check.  An open package of Oreos that I need to bake with before Matt eats the last sleeve? Got that.   A half-used package of chocolate mint candies that was hidden in the back of the drawer for months? Don’t mind if I do.  Oh yeah, and butter.  I always have butter.

Chewy No-Bake “Thin Mint” Bars

I’m so glad I took advantage of what I had on hand because these bars came together quickly, with minimal dish washing and no oven time.  Sometimes the best baking is no baking at all!  Especially when the end result tastes like a Thin Mint.

Take that Girl Scouts.

Head over to Fox to get the recipe for my Chewy No-Bake “Thin Mint” Bars!

Blog, Recipes

Whole Wheat Honey & Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

37 Comments

Whole Wheat Honey & Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

Growing up, we didn’t eat a lot of fast food, but I do remember a few occasions when my dad would pick up KFC on his way home from work.  The thing is, I don’t remember anything about those meals except for the biscuits.  Buttery, flakey and light… they were so good.

It has been a long time since I had one of those biscuits.  I only eat fast food in acts of road-trip desperation, and even then my selections are limited to the standard but gross grilled chicken sandwich/salad options.  Blech.

And beyond that, biscuits have made very few appearances in my life.  Usually I save my butter-laden indulgences for cookies, cake, ice cream, etc.  Biscuits just take a backseat to my sweet tooth.  So when this week’s recipe selection for the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off included these whole wheat biscuits, I jumped at the chance to relive my childhood food memories in a slightly healthier and more grown-up way. Win.

Whole Wheat Honey & Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

Whole Wheat Honey & Goat Cheese Drop BiscuitsWhole Wheat Honey & Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits
Source: Joy the Baker Cookbook
Makes 8 to 12 biscuits depending on size

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes plus 2 tablespoons for pan
4 tablespoons soft crumbled goat cheese
1 cup buttermilk, cold
2 tablespoons honey

Directions:
Move rack into upper third of oven; place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on rack and pre-heat oven to 400 degrees (you want the skillet to be hot)
In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients
Use your fingers to incorporate butter and cheese into dry ingredients until most of the flour is in small chunks; form a well in center of ingredients and and set aside
Whisk together buttermilk and honey until somewhat combined; pour mixture into the well of the flour mixture and combine with a fork until all of the flour mixture is wet; set dough aside
Remove skillet from oven and coat with one tablespoon of butter
Drop 4-6 scoops of dough into batter using a large cookie dough scoop or ice cream scoop (about 1/4 cup each); make sure to leave a about an inch between each drop of dough
Place skillet back in oven and bake 14-16 minutes or until golden brown and lightly firm
Carefully remove cooked biscuits from skillet with tongs and set aside; repeat process with remaining butter and dough
Serve warm with honey; biscuits are best stored immediately but will last up to three days well-wrapped at room temperature

Whole Wheat Honey & Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef.  I received a free copy of the Joy the Baker Cookbook but all opinions expressed are my own.

Blog, Recipes

Heath Bar Blondies with Brown Butter Frosting

52 Comments

Heath Bar Blondies with Brown Butter Frosting

Did you know that brown butter smells like heaven?

Heath Bar Blondies with Brown Butter Frosting

Yup, it pretty much does. But then again, so do fresh baked cookies, the combination of melted butter and chocolate, and homemade caramel.

Matt referred to our apartment as a fudgery recently, and although I don’t actually make fudge, the meaning behind his comment was true.  We live in an endless supply of  baked goods.  I’m convinced that whoever rents our apartment after us will wonder why their home smells like chocolate.  Maybe they should pay extra for that.

Heath Bar Blondies with Brown Butter Frosting

But I digress.  This weekend was full of a baking marathon unlike any I’ve had in a while.  I’m trying to get a little ahead of schedule on desserts for the blog, but now I have a dozen recipes that I want to share with you IMMEDIATELY.

Guess I now have something else to keep my mouth shut about.

But in the spectrum of those desserts, the one that was iced with a frosting that smelled like heaven seemed the most pressing to share.  These brown sugar-based blondies are dense and chewy, filled with one of my favorite candies for baking and topped with a frosting that might put you in a butter-loving coma.  You’re welcome.

Heath Bar Blondies with Brown Butter Frosting
Heath Bar Blondies with Brown Butter Frosting
Serves 12

Blondies:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk chocolate toffee bits or finely chopped heath bars

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter,  browned and chilled for an hour*
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk

To Make the Blondies:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Grease a 9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or butter and set aside
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside
With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy
Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined
Stir in the flour mixture just until combined
Stir in the candy pieces
Bread batter into prepared baking dish and bake for ~20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the center; do not over-bake
Set aside to cool and prepare frosting

To Make the Frosting:
When brown butter is chilled, beat it with an electric mixer on high speed until light and creamy
Slowly add the remaining ingredients alternating 1/3 of sugar, 1/2 of milk, 1/3 of sugar, remaining 1/2 of milk and remaining 1/3 of sugar
Turn up the speed and mix until the frosting is light and creamy
Spread over cooled blondies
Store blondies in refrigerator but bring to room temperature before serving

Notes:
*To brown the butter, heat it in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; when butter turns to an amber/light brown color, remove from heat immediately.  You should be able to smell the deeper more caramel flavor of the butter
Frosting adapted from Southern Living Magazine

Heath Bar Blondies with Brown Butter Frosting

And just to keep you excited for what is to come, this isn’t even the baked good that Matt claimed to be the “Best.Dessert.Ever.”

Blog, Recipes

Flaxseed and Cracked Pepper Crackers

51 Comments

Two weeks*.

*someone please tell me I’m not jinxing myself

Flaxseed and Cracked Pepper Crackers

I can do anything for two more weeks, right? Keep secrets, work around the clock, do the equivalent of fifteen** jobs…

And in two weeks, I will finally be able to tell you what is going on.  Share with you what I’ve been wanting to share for a couple of months.  But until then, I’ll stuff my mouth with a handful of crackers if you ask.  Because secrets and sort-of lies are not my thing.  And if the stress of working around the clock with a huge amount of pressure to get things done and get them done well isn’t enough, the stress of being deceitful in any way is weighing on me in an unmeasurable way.

**slight exaggeration

Homemade Flaxseed and Cracked Pepper Crackers

So about these crackers!  If I had known how easy it would be to make crackers from scratch, I’d have started doing that long ago!  These crackers are full of whole grains and devoid of any preservatives or unreadable ingredients you get from your typical store-bought box.  So even if you eat handful after handful to silence yourself, you are in a pretty good place.

Homemade Flaxseed and Cracked Pepper Crackers

I got this recipe from the brand new Joy the Baker cookbook! I’ll be sharing a few more recipes over the next several weeks as I participate in a group of bloggers who have the opportunity to review Joy’s book.  Given that Joy’s blog was one of the first food blogs I ever read, to say I was excited about this is an understatement.

Flaxseed and Cracked Pepper Crackers
Source: Joy the Baker Cookbook
Makes 4 dozen crackers

Ingredients:
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons golden flaxseed, separated or 1/4 cup + 1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus additional for rolling out dough
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used low fat)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees; line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside
In a small food processor or blender, grind three tablespoons of flax seed for one minute to produce 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed meal
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, flaxseed, flaxseed meal, baking soda, salt and pepper
Use a fork or your fingers to work butter into dry ingredients until you have small clumps of “dough”; not all dry ingredients will be binded together
Form a well in the center of the mix and pour buttermilk into the well; use a fork to combine until all of the dough is moist but shaggy
Roll the dough on a lightly floured work surface working half of the dough at a time; roll out with a rolling pin until dough is ~1/8 inch thick
Use a 1 1/2 inch round cookie cutter to shape crackers or cut with a pizza knife into 1 1/2 inch squares
Bake 15-18 minutes or until slightly browned around the edges and allow to cool
Store crackers in an airtight container up to four days
Notes: 
This is not your typical crunchy cracker.  I tried cooking them a little longer after the fact to get some crunch and ended up burning them (guess 15 extra minutes without checking on them was a bit too long).
I made smaller crackers (<1 1/2 inches x 1 inch each) and ended up with double the number of crackers.

Homemade Flaxseed and Cracked Pepper Crackers

To win a free copy of Joy’s cookbook visit girlichef!

This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef.  I received a free copy of the Joy the Baker Cookbook but all opinions expressed are my own.

Blog, Recipes

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

70 Comments

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

Ever since I saw Lori’s Chocolate Cheesecake Cake, I have been dreaming of making something that could satisfy my desire to lock myself in a room with the cake and a fork.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

And while the last thing I need is an entire cake on my hands (oh wait, I do have an entire cake in my freezer… er…), cupcakes just seem so innocent.  Individual portions, easy to share with friends, harder to eat all at once since you have to unwrap each one… you get the drift.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

Well, unfortunately, or fortunately, these cupcakes are anything but innocent.  Light chocolate cake, creamy and mousse-like chocolate cheesecake and a hard chocolate glaze, well, you get my drift.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

So if you want to find a husband, get laid be the husband of the year, or turn your children into perfect angels, you might want to make a batch of these not-so-innocent cupcakes.
Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
Cake Layer:
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 x-large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups water
Cheesecake Layer:
1 8-ounce packages light cream cheese softened at room temperature
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 x-large egg
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Glaze:
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 and line 24-cupcake tins with foil or paper cupcake liners
Prepare cake layer; microwave choc and butter in a bowl in 30-second increments stirring in-between until butter and chocolate are completely melted
Stir sugar into melted choc mixture until well blended; beat in eggs one at a time with a whisk
Beat in vanilla
Add 1/2 cup of flour, baking soda and salt and mix well
Add remaining flour alternating with water (starting and ending with flour) stirring in-between each addition just until smooth
Pour into prepared tins, ~2 tablespoons of batter per cup, and bake ~5 minutes or until cake layer is set but still wet
Reduce oven temperature to 325 and prepare cheesecake filling; beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until light, creamy and lumps are gone (about 5 minutes)
Add granulated sugar and combine on medium-high speed well until light and creamy
Beat in egg, on medium speed
Stir in flour
Add vanilla extract and salt and beat until mixture is thick and creamy
Melt chocolate chips and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave using the same method as above with 30-second increments; mixture will get very thick
Add chocolate to the cheesecake filling and combine thoroughly
Pour chocolate batter over cake layer and bake for 6-8 minutes or until cheesecake is set
Once cupcakes are cool, prepare glaze; combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup in a small pot over low-medium heat and stir constantly until mixture is completely melted
Stir in vanilla and remove from heat; pour glaze over pie
Chill cupcakes in fridge for at least 2 hours and until ready to serve; they will keep in the fridge for a few days

Inspired by Recipe Girl, cake layer from Baker’s, glaze from All Recipes

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

Blog, Recipes

Apple and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Crumble

45 Comments

Apple and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Crumble

This past weekend, in the midst of browned butter muffins, goat cheese biscuits and that little eating fest called the Super Bowl, I decided I should bake something healthy for a change.  I know.  You just took a double take, didn’t you?

Apple and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Crumble

The thing is, I generally eat really healthy and exercise like a maniac to balance out everything that you see here.  But sometimes, no matter how many salads I eat or how often I go to the gym, the cookies/cakes/cheesecakes/truffles…. they absorb me.  They take over my brain and haunt me around my waistline.  They call my name from the oven, the freezer, halfway to the trash.  It is a crazy hold they have over me that I can’t quite explain. And on days or weeks like that, I try to trick myself. I put something in the oven that tastes good enough to be dessert but is wholesome enough for breakfast and for just a short moment, I am eating a treat that isn’t going to force me into a sugar high and crash spiral.

Apple and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Crumble

This dish falls into that category.  I had in my mind that I was going to make apple cinnamon breakfast cookies and ended up with something completely different but delicious nonetheless.  Heavy on fruit and whole grains but low on sugar, this crumble is a great way to start the day.  Top a serving with a dollop of Greek yogurt for some extra protein.  Feel like having some for dessert? Scoop some frozen yogurt right on top of a warm bowl.

Apple and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Crumble

Not to worry, I’ll be absorbed back into butter heaven momentarily.
Apple and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Crumble
Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apples (5 small apples or 2-3 large)
2 tablespoons Splenda or sweetener of choice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Spray a 9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside
In a medium bowl, combine apples, cinnamon and sweetener; set aside
In a large bowl, whisk together oatmeal, flour, baking soda and salt
Stir in peanut butter; it will be lumpy but that is okay
Stir in egg whites and vanilla
Stir in apples; there will be a high proportion of apples to batter
Spread mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes or until top is firm and apples are tender
Serve warm for breakfast with Greek yogurt or dessert topped with frozen yogurt
Keep leftovers refrigerated for several days and re-heat before serving

Apple and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Crumble

How do you trick yourself out of eating a full batch of brownies?

Blog

Fun Pick-Up Desserts for Super Bowl

33 Comments

Fun Pick-Up Desserts for Super Bowl

It’s Thursday before Super Bowl and you’ve probably seen so many versions of buffalo chicken dip that your head is about to explode with hot sauce.  I love the traditional salty/creamy/fried/cheesy items as much as the next person, but it doesn’t mean that we can forget about dessert.  So for those of you looking for some fun pick-up desserts to add to the mix, here are some of my favorite less traditional ideas.

Bite Sized Chocolate Chip Cookies with Mocha Ganache A football game is the perfect excuse for delicious bite-sized cookie sandwiches

Blueberry Pretzel Clusters Three ingredients and probably five minutes to make, what’s not to love?

Fun Pick-Up Desserts for Super Bowl

Chewy Chocolate Covered Pretzel Bars These are one of the easiest things to make and they will please any sweet and salty lover; no fancy baking skills required

Double Chocolate Mint Crispy Treats These were a huge hit at my sister-in-law’s shower; another super easy recipe

Fun Pick-Up Desserts for Super Bowl

Grown Up S’mores Cookies Even the biggest chip and dip lover can’t resist

Individual Peanut Butter Cheesecakes, lightened up You can still enjoy cheesecake at the super bowl with these individual treats

Individual S’mores Brownies You might want to make a double batch

Kitchen Sink Cookies and Bars Throw in whatever ingredients you feel like, even the leftover broken pieces of potato chips and pretzels will work

Oreo Mallow Clusters Substitute the peeps with regular marshmallows for these super easy chocolate treats

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Pretzel Pops These are actually a little bit healthy, really!

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops I may or may not have eaten a few of these out of the freezer the other night

Fun Pick-Up Desserts for Super Bowl

Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate and Toffee Bars I can’t wait to have an excuse to make these again

Now can someone please tell my body that calories don’t count during the Super Bowl?

Blog, Recipes

Reese’s Pieces Cake Bars

72 Comments

Easy Reese’s Pieces Cake Bars

Sometimes you get busy.  There is week-old laundry to put away, streaked kitchen counters that need to be scrubbed and recipes to test.

There are websites to be designed, photos to be edited, and post-dessert workouts to get done.

Easy Reese’s Pieces Cake Bars

But there is also a blog to attend to and readers getting impatient.  Those readers who hate you for ruining their New Year’s resolutions in January but love you for making delicious desserts come so easy.  That has been the theme recently, hasn’t it? Easy cookies, easy truffles and now easy cake.

I know I’m not the only one around here that has a to-do list from one end of the apartment to the other.  Email drafts, post-it notes, calendar reminders and the worst ones, those where you take a mental note and say, “yes, I will remember this” but three days later you are in the middle of your shower and you think, “oh crap.”

Easy Reese’s Pieces Cake Bars

I am so thankful for easy desserts.


Reese’s Pieces Cake Bars
Makes 20 cake bars

Ingredients:
Reese’s Pieces Cake
1 chocolate cake mix plus ingredients called for on box, replacing oil with creamy peanut butter (my cake mix called for 1/3 cup of oil so I ignored that and used 1/3 cup of peanut butter)
3/4 cups Reese’s Mini Pieces or regular Reese’s Pieces lightly chopped
Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar

To make the cake
Pre-heat oven as directed on box
Spray a 13×9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray
Follow directions on cake box, substituting peanut butter for oil; stir in Reese’s Pieces
Pour cake batter into prepared baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean
Allow cake to cool

To make Frosting
Beat butter with an electric mixer until light and creamy
Beat in peanut butter until well combined
Add sugar and stir until combined; then increase speed to high and beat until frosting is light and fluffy
Ice cooled cake with prepared frosting and serve

Easy Reese’s Pieces Cake Bars

Where do you keep your to-do lists?

Blog, Recipes

Spiced Cookie Butter Truffles

59 Comments

Spiced Cookie Butter Truffles

I think my husband/mother/co-workers/sister/friends/Twitter followers/neighbors/strangers are getting sick of me.  To be honest, I’m getting a little sick of me too.

Spiced Cookie Butter Truffles

No one wants to constantly hear about stress/anxiety/weight gain/impatience and any other complaints that seem to be incessantly on my mind these days.  If I didn’t have a constant supply of cookies/cupcakes/brownies/truffles/blondies to share I’d probably be completely deserted already.  But I’m pretty sure that the sweets I make can only get me so far and I better start looking at the positive or keeping my mouth shut.

Spiced Cookie Butter Truffles

So to make up for driving everyone I know crazy lately, here are some good things you should know:

  • Last night I got a gorgeous cookbook in the mail from this talented lady.  Everything looks good but her recipe for crab cakes is definitely calling my name
  • In addition to that delivery, my doorwoman (is that a term?) presented me with a big box of an upcoming product from here
  • After testing what feels like a million brownie recipes, my husband finally approved of the latest version and in fact said they were “ridiculous”
  • Friday night I have a date with this lady who I haven’t seen in over a month, thank g-d because I don’t think I could have lasted much longer
  • I finally get to meet the sweet veggie dreamgirl today!
  • Sometime soon you will find my recipes on a very.big.website.
  • And lastly, I got something over email that I can NOT wait to share and to be honest, all of this sketchy secret keeping is driving me nuts… I promise to share my news and plans soon!

Spiced Cookie Butter Truffles

Oh, and did I mention truffles?  If you haven’t heard about this speculoos/cookie butter/biscoff spread phenomenon you are five pounds thinner than me missing out.  These truffles may actually melt in your hands a little bit, but sometimes a messy dessert is worth it.

Spiced Cookie Butter Truffles
Yield: Makes ~30 truffles

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup Speculoos Cookie Butter or Biscoff Spread
2/3 cup finely ground gingersnap crumbs (~11 cookies)
4 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate finely chopped

Cooking Directions
Beat butter and cookie butter with an electric mixer on high speed until light and creamy
Add cookie crumbs and combine on high speed until thoroughly mixed
Refrigerate mixture for at least two hours
Scoop mixture by the teaspoon and roll each scoop into the ball; keep dough in refrigerator while scooping individual truffles
Once all balls are rolled, place them back in refrigerator or freezer
Melt chocolate; place chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and place in microwave for thirty second increments stirring in-between until chocolate is melted and smooth
Drizzle melted chocolate over chilled balls and freeze until ready to serve

Spiced Cookie Butter Truffles

What’s putting a smile on your face today?

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Easy Lemon Shortbread Cookies

73 Comments

Lemon Shortbread Cookies 12

So here’s the thing.  I used to hate lemon desserts. And I used to hate shortbread. But that was when I thought all lemon desserts tasted like the filling to lemon meringue pie (still grosses me out) and all shortbread was boring and flavorless.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies 14

But at some point in the last couple of years, something clicked.  And while it would do my body good to become more picky about what range of desserts I will eat, my palate started to appreciate those two categories of sweets.

Some things can have a lovely lemon flavor but they don’t have to be sickeningly sweet.  Shortbread can be chewy and buttery and wonderful.  Who knew?

Lemon Shortbread Cookies 10

So when I had a minor baking mishap in the kitchen a few weeks ago and ended up half-way to shortbread dough, it occurred to me that I didn’t need to throw away the pound of butter that I’d already creamed.  Instead, I should make lemons out of lemonade take advantage of the ingredients I had on hand and make something else.

The end result was a pleasant surprise.  Chewy shortbread cookies with just the right amount of lemon- not overpowering, but refreshing.  And refreshing is good when biting into a rich shortbread cookie.

If you want an even stronger lemon flavor, you could probably add some lemon zest to your batter.  But I’m still easing into this lemon dessert thing so I’ll stop while I’m ahead.
Easy Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Yield: Makes 5 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
4 cups all purpose flour
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons lemon juice (~3 lemons)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cooking Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or slipat; set aside
Sift flour; set aside
Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy
Add lemon juice, vanilla and salt and beat until well combined
Stir in flour
Scoop with a medium cookie dough scoop (2 tablespoons each) onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart
Bake for ~15 minutes or until very light brown around the edges
Allow cookies to cool on cooling rack

Lemon Shortbread Cookies 2

What type of dessert did you used to hate but learn to love?

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

For the Love of Chocolate

44 Comments

Individual-Smores-Brownies-keep it sweet

We are ten days into the new year and I’m feeling a little all over the place.  On a regular basis I flip back and forth between being extremely excited about things that are happening and completely overwhelmed by all that I have to do.  There are some very big plans that are in the works, but I have a lot to do to make everything happen.  And while I am depending on some other people to do their parts, most of the effort is my responsibility.  The last thing I want to happen is to be so close to something I really want but not quite there because I’ve become a gating item.  That just isn’t an option.  It’s just slightly emotionally draining.

So in the midst of my mini breakdowns I started bookmarking a few over-the-top chocolate recipes.  And since my new recipes are a little slow for the blog at the moment, I figured I should share the chocolate love with all of you.  Here are some of the amazing chocolate recipes that I found and others shared with me.

pepp brownie eats well with others

Peppermint Brownies from Eats Well With Others

Better-Than-Crack Brownies from Pass the Sushi

Chewy Oatmeal-Spelt Chocolate Chip Bars from The Lunch Box

black bean Brownies_2 from espresso and cream

Black Bean Brownies from Espresso and Cream

Gluten-Free Brownie Cookies from The Spiffy Cookie

Homemade Chocolate Pudding with Bailey’s Irish Cream from My Baking Addiction

Chocolate-Cheesecake-Cake-from recipe girl

Chocolate Cheesecake Cake from Recipe Girl

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake from Mel’s Kitchen Café

Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Frosting …and a good amount of ganache! from Bakerella

Mocha Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse Frosting from Grace's Sweet Life

Mocha Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse Frosting from Grace’s Sweet Life

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Birthday Cake from Yums and Loves

Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake from Magnolia Days

thin mint truffles from young married chic

Thin Mint Truffles from Young Married Chic

Volcano Cookies from Cookies and Cups

Giant Hershey Kiss Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies from Picky Palate

Triple Chocolate Oreo Oatmeal Cookies from Heather’s Dish

And a few chocolate treats from Keep It Sweet:

Chewy Chocolate Covered Pretzel Bars

Cookie Dough Topped Brownies

Chocolate Truffles (milk, dark or white)

Dark Chocolate Kissed Almond Butter

Individual S’mores Brownies

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Chewy Gooey Cinnamon Toffee Blondies {Guest Post}

52 Comments

Chewy Gooey Cinnamon Toffee Blondies

Sorry, guys.  I tried to be nice but I just couldn’t keep these from you any longer.  I know, you are barely a week into your resolutions and trying to stay strong, but put down your carrot stick, break out your whisk (no mixer required), and make a batch of these.  Your mouth will immediately thank you because my Chewy Gooey Cinnamon Toffee Blondies are seriously the best blondies I’ve ever had.

Chewy Gooey Cinnamon Toffee Blondies

If you are ready to give into your sweet tooth, or at least save a recipe for your next get together (Super Bowl anyone?), head over to A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis to get the recipe.  Dennis was kind enough to invite me to guest post and I would love if you would go and say hi!

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Triple Chocolate Muffins with a Peanut Butter Swirl

63 Comments

Low Fat Triple Chocolate Muffins with a Peanut Butter Swirl

Today was my first day back to real life.

The early morning alarm, a half-awake trip to the gym, and then that rush to shower, eat breakfast, pack lunch and basically race against the clock to get to the office on time.

Low Fat Triple Chocolate Muffins with a Peanut Butter Swirl

I didn’t like it. Did I spend the last three weeks recovering from extreme burnout? Yes. But unfortunately that didn’t change the feeling of anxiety that weighed me down for the last precious hours of official vacation. The freedom that I felt through the end of the year with my email turned off and my responsibilities at the office on hold was incredible. There was definitely more smiling during that period of time than any other similar block of time over the last twelve months.

Low Fat Triple Chocolate Muffins with a Peanut Butter Swirl

It isn’t that I’m not happy in general, it’s just that I usually put the stress of my job and even my company on my shoulders. I go home at night and think about the model that needs fixing, the capital that needs to be raised or the co-worker that doesn’t get their work done. I think about the meetings that need to be scheduled, the emails that have to be sent and the trips that need to be booked. My old boss once told me not to care so much. He said, “don’t take this the wrong way, but you care too much.” He reminded me that I can only do what I can do and everything else is out of my control. It is just a job.

Low Fat Triple Chocolate Muffins with a Peanut Butter Swirl

So as I get back to the usual routine I’ll try to put aside that usual level of stress that I carry with me and just breathe. I’ll take each day as it comes and put forth the work that makes me feel good and know that everything else will play itself out. And in the moments where I feel that sharp pain in the back of my neck I’ll take a deep breathe, have a cup of tea and when all else fails eat some chocolate.

Oh right, that is what this blog is about! I made these muffins for my 15th (!!!) annual Christmas Eve brunch with my best friends from home and they were a huge hit. Chocolaty and moist like a muffin should be, but even better than that, they are on the lighter side, perfect for your New Years diet resolutions!

Low Fat Triple Chocolate Muffins with a Peanut Butter Swirl
Triple Chocolate Muffins with a Peanut Butter Swirl
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water, warm
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
~1/4 cup chocolate peanut butter (such as PB & Co)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Line a regular sized muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray; set aside
In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (flour through salt); set aside
In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (water through vinegar) and chocolate chips
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just until combined (there should still be some small lumps in the batter)
Pour batter into prepared muffin tin
Drop a teaspoon of peanut butter onto each unbaked muffin; use a toothpick to lightly swirl peanut butter around top of muffin
Bake muffins 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and muffin tops are firm
Allow muffins to cool a few minutes before removing from pan
Adapted from Cooking Light

Low Fat Triple Chocolate Muffins with a Peanut Butter Swirl

On a separate note, my posts may be a little less frequent over the next several weeks.  Stick with me because good things are to come!

Blog, Recipes

The Top Keep It Sweet Desserts of 2011

53 Comments

I can barely believe that 2011 is coming to an end.  It was one of those years where January feels like it was a lifetime ago, but in the blink of an eye, my vacation is coming to an end and I’m not quite sure I’ve accomplished everything I needed to.  But alas, I think that is how life always is.  The days that you want to last forever are gone as soon as you try to hold on to them, yet there are plenty of weeks that drag on and Friday evening seems to be a lifetime away.

If you told me January 1st where I’d be today, I don’t think I’d be surprised but I think I would be relieved.  This blog is doing really well, and actually has kept me going through some of the rougher days throughout the year.  Comments and emails from readers have been some definite highs.  Matt and I made a significant move into a new apartment where I can walk around in the kitchen and don’t feel like I’m getting whiplash watching TV.

The best part of this year coming to an end is that I am really looking forward to the start of a new year.  I’m not one to make resolutions, but I do like to come up with some goals for myself and big picture ideas of what I want the new year to look like.  Some exciting things may be coming down the road for Keep It Sweet and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.  I’ll be putting in a lot of hard work and time, but I have a feeling it will be worth it.  All I can say is, it is a good thing I have such supportive people in my life or I’d never have the guts to do half the things I want to.

And on that note, let’s take a look back at the year and your favorite recipes.  If I’ve learned nothing else from this, I at least know that I’m not the only one around here that likes peanut butter and cookie dough!

10.  Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies 26a

9.  Peanut Butter Caramel “Baked Brownies”

peanut butter caramel brownies 33a

8.  Ooey Gooey Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Crunch

disappearing cookie 4

7.  Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie

peanut butter cup ice cream pie

6.  Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls 12a

5.  Cinnamon & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie Cookies

SONY DSC

4.  Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

cookie dough ice cream bar 25a

3.  Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Surprise (aka Best Dessert Ever)

best-dessert-ever-14_1

2.  Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Brownie Bites

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Brownie Bites 2_1

1.  Flourless Chocolate Cookies

flourless chocolate cookie

And though some of those were my favorites too, here are the ten I picked that didn’t make that list:

10.  Margarita Cheesecake Bars

margarita cheesecake bars 6a

9.  Gingersnap Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

Gingersnap Cookie Sandwiches with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing 8_1

8.  Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

7.  Salted Caramel Buttercream

frosted-cupcake-12_thumb1

6. Chocolate Chip Toffee Oatmeal Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Chocolate Chip Toffee Oatmeal Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

5.  Cookie Bottomed Cupcakes

Cookie bottomed Cupcakes

4.  Black Bottom Ice Cream Cupcakes

black bottom ice cream cupcake 8a

3.  Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate and Toffee Bars

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Toffee Bars 19a

2.  Chocolate Chip Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies

Chocolate & Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies 22c

1.  Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops 17

Do you have any Keep It Sweet favorites? I’d love to hear feedback if you baked anything from the blog!

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Mini Banana Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream

10 Comments

Mini Banana Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream 6

Today I experienced something that I don’t remember experiencing before.

I was sugared out.  After baking three batches of cookies, two batches of cupcakes and “tasting” leftover desserts that have been lingering in my kitchen I am ready to give up sweets for my New Years resolution.

Mini Banana Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream 5

Or not.  I mean really, do you honestly think I have any desire to do that?  I’m pretty sure that once I eat my next head of romaine lettuce I’ll be back on the baked good bandwagon.  Diet-related resolutions are overrated.  Besides, there are so many more important things to think about like how I can find a happy place in my family, career and friendships (hint: I already have 2 of the three).  You know, and other important things like “how many jars of peanut butter can I store in the apartment before Matt starts to worry (hint: it is more than nine).  And other stuff like how can I get the dishwasher to load, run and unload itself?

In the meantime, while I consider life’s biggest questions, go ahead and make these cupcakes.  The moist banana cupcake topped with a mocha buttercream is a delicious twist on this cake I made over a year ago.
Mini Banana Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream
Makes ~6 dozen mini cupcakes

Ingredients:
Banana Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon instant coffee grinds
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (~5 medium bananas)

Mocha Buttercream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa, sifted
6 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Cupcakes
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
Line cupcake tins with paper cups or grease to prevent cupcakes from sticking
Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt)
Then whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside
Cream together the butter and sugar for a few minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy
Then add the coffee grinds and vanilla and mix
Add in your eggs, one at a time
Then add in the half the dry ingredients, banana, and yogurt, mixing between each addition
Mix in the remaining dry ingredients at low speed, just until combined; don’t overbeat
Spoon batter into prepared cupcake tins and bake for ~12  minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean; remove baked cupcakes from tin and refill for subsequent batches
Set cupcakes aside to cool

Mocha Buttercream
Using an electric mixer, beat butter on high speed until light and creamy
Add half of sugar and mix on low speed until combined
Add remaining sugar, cocoa, coffee and vanilla; mix until smooth and creamy
Spread onto cooled cupcakes and enjoy

Cupcakes adapted from La Mia Vita Dolce

Mini Banana Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream 4

Blog, Recipes

Rugelach, Three Ways

30 Comments

Rugelach Three Ways 11

I decided to get a little crazy with my last holiday cookie.  Rugelach is a traditional Jewish dessert, perfect for Channukah.  However, I’m pretty sure that these would be welcome on any Christmas table as well.

Making Peanut Butter and Jelly Rugelach 4

So instead of making a traditional version of rugelach, I took the basic cream cheese dough and added a few flavor combinations that I love right now.

Making rugelach 13Making rugelach 14

Chocolate and Cinnamon: just enough sweetness from the cinnamon sugar mixture

Making rugelach 15

Rugelach Three Ways 8

Peanut Butter and Jelly: Do I even need to say more?

Making Peanut Butter and Jelly Rugelach 9Making Peanut Butter and Jelly Rugelach 6

And Milk Chocolate and Toffee:  Um, yes I did.

Rugelach Three Ways 13

It might be a little bit of production to make a cookie where you have to chill the dough, roll it out, fill it and then bake, but it is well worth it!

And three different flavors isn’t really a big deal since you separate the dough into three sections anyway.  Holiday baking project with the kids or a friend? I think so!

Rugelach Three Ways 5
Rugelach, Three Ways
Makes ~45 cookies

Ingredients:
Dough
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, separated
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Fillings:
Cinnamon Chocolate Rugelach
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Peanut Butter and Jelly Rugelach
1/2 cup jelly (any flavor, I used a mixed berry)
2/3 cup peanut butter chips lightly chopped
Milk Chocolate Toffee Rugelach
1 cup milk chocolate toffee bits
Optional: additional milk chocolate for melting

Directions:
Prepare dough
Beat together butter and cream cheese on high speed until light and creamy
Stir in 2 1/4 cups flour just until combined
Separate dough into thirds and mold into separate disks; wrap each disk tightly with saran wrap
Chill dough in refrigerator at least two hours or until dough is firm (can chill up to several days)
When dough is chilled, put together rugelach, one disk and filling at a time
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a slipat and set aside
Mix remaining 1/2 cup flour and confectioners sugar
Spoon some of flour mixture over counter
Roll out dough into a long rectangle using additional flour mixture as needed (height of the rectangle should be ~4 inches) so that dough is about 1/8 of an inch thick
To make cinnamon chocolate rugelach, combine cinnamon sugar mixture; pour enough over dough to create a thin layer of cinnamon sugar going all the way out to the edges
Pour chocolate chips over cinnamon sugar
Use a sharp knife (a pizza knife works well), to cut long thin triangles out of the rectangle; the length of the triangles should be dictated by the height of the rectangle
Now you can roll your rugelach; take the shortest edge of the triangle and roll it tightly towards the other end until the dough has formed a crescent
Repeat process with the remaining cinnamon and chocolate covered dough
Place unbaked rugelach onto prepared baking sheet 1/2 – 1 inch apart from one another
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges have turned golden brown
Repeat the process for Peanut Butter and Jelly Rugelach
Once dough is rolled into a thin rectangle, spread with a thin layer of jelly
Pour chopped peanut butter chips over jelly
Slice dough, roll and bake as instructed above
Repeat the process with remaining dough for Milk Chocolate and Toffee Rugelach
Once dough is rolled into a thin rectangle, spread with a layer of milk chocolate and tofee pieces
Slice dough, roll and bake as instructed above
Once Milk Chocolate and Toffee Rugelach are done, drizzle with melted milk chocolate

Rugelach Three Ways 15

Which rugelach flavor would you like best?

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Gingersnap Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

29 Comments

Gingersnap Cookie Sandwiches with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

Please don’t be mad at me.

Gingersnap Cookie Sandwiches with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

It’s just that I’ve had this recipe for weeks and have been holding it in the backlog so that I didn’t completely overload you with cookies.  Meanwhile, almost every person who has eaten one of these has asked me for the recipe.*  Biting into one of the gingersnap sandwich cookies is one of those moments when you stop and say, “oh, so this is what Christmas tastes like.”**  Spicy and crunchy gingersnaps balanced by a light and creamy cream cheese frosting.

*why yes I am able to share my cookies from time to time

**Disclaimer: I don’t even celebrate Christmas

Gingersnap Cookie Sandwiches with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

This is the kind of cookie that you will enjoy so much that a few dozen cookies bites later you’ll have momentarily forgotten your infatuation with chocolate and peanut butter.  Yes, I’m pretty sure that you will forgive me for the delay as soon as you make them.

Gingersnap Cookie Sandwiches with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
Gingersnap Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
Makes 4 dozen cookie sandwiches

Gingersnaps:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup molasses

Whisk dry ingredients (flour through white pepper) in a medium bowl; set aside
In a large bowl beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until
light and fluffy
Beat in egg and then molasses on medium speed until well combined
Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients just
until combined
Place prepared dough on a large piece of saran wrap and wrap tightly;
chill dough in refrigerator for 2 hours (up to 24 hours is fine) or
until dough is firm
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper
Scoop 2 teaspoons of cookie dough per cookie and roll into balls
Place dough balls on cookie sheets 1-2 inches apart
Bake for 12 minutes or until cooked all the way through
Set cookies aside to cool and prepare filling

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling:
½ of an 8-ounce block of light cream cheese softened at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups confectioners’ sugar*
Use the whisk attachment of an electric mixer to beat butter and cream
cheese on high speed until light and creamy
Mix in lemon juice and salt
Add in sugar ½ a cup at a time or until at desired consistency (*2
cups was the perfect amount for me but if you want a thicker texture
you may want to add up to another ½ cup)
Once cookies have cooled and filling is ready, prepare cookie sandwiches
Spread 1/2-1 teaspoon of filling on the bottom of a cookie
Top filling with another cookie and press lightly to stick together
(frosting may ooze out of cookie a little bit, that is ok)
Serve cookies immediately or store in the freezer up to 4 weeks

Cookie recipe slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Cream Cheese filling adapted from Cooking Light

Gingersnap Cookie Sandwiches with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

The original reason for this recipe was to share it with some bloggers at the New York City Annual Holiday Cookie Swap.  I went to the cookie swap with Joanne and got the chance to meet some other lovely local bloggers.  The event was a part of Bloggers with Borders and proceeds went towards Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.   I can’t think of a better reason to bake, eat and share cookies.  There were an unbelievable amount to choose from and I “limited” myself to this package.

NYCookieSwap 17

Have you discovered a new favorite cookie this year?

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Vegan Mango Shake

36 Comments

Vegan Mango Shake 24

It is amazing what a week can do.

One week out of the office and I’m smiling more often than not.  Now, that smiling could be related to to the  number of chocolate chip cookies that have come out of my oven in the last few days, the fact that I’ve gotten to sleep past 6 am for 10 days, or maybe even the fact that I made the best ever blondies last week.  Other possible factors include sugar free peppermint syrup at Starbucks (got to save calories when I can), cookie baking and dinner parties with this girl, or the fact that I got to spend a good portion of my day Sunday relaxing with the husband.  Likely it is all of the above and more.  It’s funny that when things aren’t going well we can find a million and two things to complain about, but when things are good, we don’t appreciate each of them like we should.

Vegan Mango Shake 19

Wow, a week out of vacation and I really am drinking the stay-at-home kool-aid.  I better brace myself for January 3rd (also adding to the list: I am thankful for January 2nd being an official holiday).

So did I mention all the cookies I’ve been making?  I’m actually shocked at how much butter and sugar I’ve gone through in the last few weeks.  In fact, I need to restock at Costco asap so that the madness can continue.  In the midst of my baking marathons, I’m trying not to eat everything that comes out of my oven.  Mostly because I’m supposed to gift and share these sweets with others, but also because I have a very unforgiving metabolism and I am determined not to run out of clothes to wear when I get back to work in a couple of weeks.  And to prevent myself from going into absolute cookie comatose, I need to find some less indulgent desserts.

Vegan Mango Shake 30

Luckily, when I was going through my chosen blog for this month’s Secret Recipe Club, I fell across this mango shake.  An easy dessert that is healthy too, perfect!

Sidenote: This month’s SRC blog, Samayal Arai, has a lot of interesting recipes.  If you are ever looking for an eggless baked good, you will find a ton of options!

[print_this]

Vegan Mango Shake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups frozen mango

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (vanilla or plain)

1 packet of sweetener (I used Stevia)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender until mixture is thick and frothy

Serve immediately topped with cinnamon and/or whipped topping of choice

Adapted from Samayal Arai

[/print_this]

Vegan Mango Shake 28

What’s making you smile today?

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

46 Comments

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting 9

A few months ago, I was offered the chance to review a cupcake magazine.  Yes, a cupcake magazine!  How could I say no to that?

Well, I finally got around to making some cupcakes weeks and weeks later.  Not sure why I waited so long.  Maybe because I’m just so obsessed with cookies I can’t help myself but forget the cupcakes.  It is a shame, too, because cupcakes have a place in my love of desserts.

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting 3

Well my reason surely was not for a lack of inspiration.  Cupcake Heaven is a colorful magazine full of over 100 recipes and photos to accompany every one.  Other than a little bit of confusion over some baking terms (the magazine is based out of the UK), I enjoyed baking from it.  There are a ton of bookmarked pages for me to try in the future, but the first recipe I had to try was their red velvet cupcake.

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting 7

Given my love of red velvets it is actually shocking that I’ve never made my own before.  This recipe worked out nicely and I made them into minis which is always more fun.  Also, rather than topping them with traditional cream cheese frosting, I went with mascarpone to give them a little bit of a more sophisticated touch.  We served these cupcakes at our housewarming party and they added such a nice color to the dessert display.  When Matt took leftovers to work, these were the first of a variety of desserts to disappear.

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting 14

Oh, and want to know an embarrassing secret?  I used to not like cake.  As in really dislike it so much that I’d request a brownie, cookie cake or ice cream pie for every birthday as a kid.  My poor icing-loving mother would be forced to concede.  And if you can believe it, not only did I dislike birthday cake, but I hated icing.  Not sure when things turned around, but these days whenever I eat cake I feel the need to make up for those lost years and eat extra frosting.  It is my way of apologizing to my former self for that self-deprivation.

[print_this]

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

Makes 22-24 mini cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk (low fat is fine)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon red food coloring

To Prepare Cupcakes:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Spray a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray or line it with paper cupcake liners

Sift together flour, baking soda and cocoa; set aside

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy

On low speed, beat in eggs and half of flour mixture

Beat in buttermilk, vanilla and food coloring

Stir in remaining flour mixture just until combined, do not overmix

Pour batter into prepared cupcake tin (I used a cookie dough scoop, one scoop per cup)

Bake cupcakes for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean; set aside to cool

Frosting Ingredients:

8 ounces mascarpone cheese at room temperature

4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese at room temperature

1 cup confectioners sugar

To Prepare Frosting:

Beat mascarpone and cream cheese together on high speed until light and creamy

Beat in sugar until mixture is smooth

Spread or pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and serve

Cupcake recipe from Cupcake Heaven Magazine

[/print_this]

 

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting 11

Did you have any weird taste preferences as a kid?

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

22 Easy Dessert Recipes that Make You Seem Like a Pro

31 Comments

FrozenMochaBrownieTorte33_thumb

I recently ran into a friend of mine that said she loved my blog but that she could never make any of the desserts I put together because 1) they are hard/time consuming and 2) she doesn’t have any of the “random” ingredients on hand.  As someone who works full time and bakes and blogs any chance I get, I know how valuable quick and easy dessert recipes can be.  I also know that living in a small apartment with a tiny kitchen makes it hard to keep things as simple as brown sugar on hand.  As a result, I’ve compiled a couple lists of recipes that would be helpful for those of you who don’t have all of the basics or even a lot of time to bake.

To start with, I’ve got a handful of “cake mix” recipes (i.e. recipes that start with pre-made cookie dough or cake mix but turn into something more special):

black bottom ice cream cupcake

RootBeerFloatIceCreamCake28_thumb

And if you have a few basic ingredients and tools on hand (I’ve listed some suggestions below), these recipes won’t require a massive shopping trip:

chewychocolatecoveredpretzelbars5_thumb

Individual-Smores-Brownies-7_thumb

peanut butter cup ice cream pie

And for those of you who are putting together a kitchen and want to be able to make a few basic desserts, here are a few things I’d recommend to start:

Ingredients

  • Unsalted butter
  • Canola oil
  • Large eggs
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Granulated sugar
  • Light brown sugar
  • All-purpose flour

Baking Tools

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Long spoon for mixing batter
  • Spatula
  • Muffin tin
  • 13×9 baking pan
  • Cookie sheet
  • Parchment paper (or you could invest in a Slipat)

What is your favorite low-maintenance recipe? Share any links in the comment section!

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Lighter Carrot Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

34 Comments

Lighter Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing 13

Ok, I’m going to be honest.  I’m posting a recipe for carrot cake and I don’t even like carrot cake.

Lighter Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing 17

You see, I really thought I did.  Moist cake slathered in cream cheese icing, how could it be bad?  Well, of course my version that I thought I would like is void of raisins, walnuts and canned pineapple.  Those items in baked goods, especially the raisins, just don’t generally work for me.  I know there are a lot of carrot cake lovers out there getting very angry with me right about now.

Lighter Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing 3

So I made this cake and was so excited that it was a little low in fat, full of a vegetable and in sheet cake form so that I could call it a snack cake (snack cake = anytime cake).  The flavor is great, the cake is nice and moist (not gummy or dry like some lighter baked goods) and of course the cream cheese icing calls for eating by the spoonful.  But still, I just can’t get behind it.  There is something about the carrots in the cake that bother me.  Sorry carrot cake, you are not for me.  Good thing there are other people around, like my husband, who feel differently!

Lighter Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing 11

On a different note, let’s talk about this icing for a second.  I was contacted by Weight Watchers to try out their cream cheese in one of my recipes.  As someone who uses reduced fat cream cheese by default, I welcomed the chance to try a new (to me) brand.  The outcome was not disappointing at all.  The frosting on this cake was creamy and sweet with a little bit of that cream cheese tang.  I may or may not have scraped some off of the cake that I opted out of eating.  I’d definitely use their brand in future recipes.

[print_this]

Lighter Carrot Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Serves 16-20

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup low fat buttermilk

2 cups finely shredded carrots (about 5-6 large carrots)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Spray a 13×9 pan with cooking spray and set aside

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside

With an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy

Add eggs, one egg and egg white at a time, mixing between each

Mix in vanilla

Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture and buttermilk as follows: 1/3 of flour mixture, 1/2 of buttermilk, 1/3 of flour mixture, remaining 1/2 of buttermilk, remaining 1/3 flour mixture

Turn off mixture and fold in shredded carrots

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean

Set cake aside to cool

Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 of an 8-ounce block of Weight Watchers cream cheese, softened at room temperature

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1/2 tablespoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups confectioners sugar*

Using the whisk attachment to an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter on high speed until light and creamy

Add vanilla and salt and mix well

Add sugar, 1/2 of a cup at a time until at desired consistency(*2 cups was the perfect amount for me, but if you want a thicker texture and sweeter icing, you may want to add another 1/2 cup)

Once cake has cooled, evenly spread icing over top

Serve immediately or store in refrigerator up to a few days (best served within first 24 hours)

Adapted from Cooking Light

[/print_this]

Lighter Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing 21

What do you refuse to put into your desserts?  Raisins and coconut are high on my list.

Disclaimer:  I received a free sample of Weight Watchers cream cheese, however all of the opinions in this post are my own.

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Milk Chocolate Almond and Toffee Cookies for a Virtual Cookie Swap

39 Comments

Chewy cookies with bits of toffee and chunks of almond filled Hershey’s Kisses

Milk Chocolate Almond and Toffee Cookies

There are some cookies that I can eat just one of*, but there are others where I can’t stop going back for more.  Those are the cookies that are so addicting as soon as I come up for a breathe, they have disappeared**.

*Complete lie unless said cookie is the size of my head

**That is what happens when you stuff your face

Milk Chocolate Almond and Toffee Cookies

These cookies fall into the latter category. Well, obviously because the first category does not exist in my world.  The other reason is that these cookies are chewy, sweet (but not too sweet), and have a mix of melt in your mouth milk chocolate and toffee, almond crunch balance.  Does that even make any sense?  Probably not, but we shouldn’t get bogged down with details here.  These cookies are just good.  And so good, that I feel a little guilty using them for a virtual cookie swap.  It just isn’t right to tease someone through the computer screen.

Milk Chocolate Almond and Toffee Cookies

However, knowing that Rachel and others are doing the same thing to me, teasing me with sugary buttery deliciousness, I don’t feel too  bad.  You shouldn’t either.  Instead, pay a visit to the Virtual Cookie Swap at the Avid Appetite and schedule yourself some time in the kitchen.

[print_this]

Milk Chocolate Almond and Toffee Cookies

Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup toffee bits
  • 1 cup chopped Almond Hershey Kisses (~30 kisses)

Directions:

  • Lightly chop Hershey’s Kisses; set aside
  • Combine flour with the other dry ingredients and whisk together; set aside
  • In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on high until light and fluffy
  • Add eggs and vanilla and beat at medium speed until combined
  • Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add in the dry ingredients
  • Stir in chocolate pieces and toffee into batter
  • Chill dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight
  • Once ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  • Scoop heaping tablespoons of cookie dough onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
  • Bake in the oven for 9-10 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges
  • Allow to cool before serving

Adapted from these Doughy Chocolate Chunk Cookies [/print_this]

Milk Chocolate Almond and Toffee Cookies

And finally for the Duncan Hines cake mix winners! 

I used a random number generator to pick two winners:

#50 – Kelli who said “great trifle idea! always looking for different variations. can’t wait to try this!”

#77 – Chris M. who said “thanks. Love to try these products for my girlfriend”

Kelli and Chris- send me an email at keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com and I’ll mail you the coupons!

[pinit]

Blog

Samplrs Review and Other NYC Foodie Gifts

7 Comments

Samplrs 1Samplrs 3

One of my favorite things about living in New York is the plethora of local businesses there are to try.  The thing is, though, it is hard to get to try them all out.  A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sample from Samplrs, a new company in New York City that offers packages of local products delivered to your door.  You can sign up for regular packages with a new mix of products each time or buy from a selection of local companies on their website.

Samplrs 11

Of course I was excited to coincidentally get a Hot Blondies sample in my package, but I loved that everything else was new to me.  Everything was high quality, especially the Fine & Raw chocolate, yum! The monthly delivery option would make such a fun gift for the holidays.

Samplrs 4Samplrs 9

A few other foodie gift options for OR from the New York City area:

Are you shopping for any foodie gifts this year?

Disclaimer: I received a free delivery from Samplrs but all opinions in this post are my own.

Blog, Recipes

Pretzel and Chocolate Chip Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies

41 Comments

Pretzel and Chocolate Chip Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies 6

So we are basically a week into the holiday season and all I want to do is bake all day and eat cookies. Even more so than usual.  The good news is that in one week I’ll be on a much needed vacation from work that will allow me to focus most of my energy on just that.

The bad news? Well, there isn’t much.  I just have to find a home for all these cookies because at my current rate of consumption I’ll need an entirely new wardrobe a couple sizes bigger come January 1’st. Not in the budget and not quite so desirable.

Pretzel and Chocolate Chip Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies 11

So other than eating cookies 24/7 and exercising as much as I can to support that habit, I’ll be finding homes for these baked goods. Some will go towards the multitude of cookie swaps* I’m signed up for. Others will go to friends. These cookies, one of my favorites that I’ve had in a while, will show up on the doorstep of a few of my favorite people in the very near future.  I hope each of them has their sweet and salty tooth ready!

These peanut butter cookies are chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside but the best part about them is that each bite also comes with the perfect amount of pretzel and chocolate. You can make this huge batch to share with friends or easily cut it in half for your own stash, because who doesn’t need 3 dozen delicious cookies on hand?

*I’m pretty sure that eating cookies I receive in a cookie swap doesn’t count

Pretzel and Chocolate Chip Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies 3

[print_this]

Chocolate Chip and Pretzel Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies

Yield: Makes 6 dozen cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 3 cups salted creamy natural peanut butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 2 cups salted pretzel pieces

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda, set aside
  3. Using a mixer, in a large bowl beat peanut butter and sugars on high until light and fluffy
  4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined
  5. Reduce speed to low and stir in flour mixture just until combined
  6. Stir in chocolate chips and pretzel pieces
  7. Use a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon to place cookie dough balls (about 2 tablespoons each) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (Note: the dough will be a little greasy, that is OK)
  8. Bake for 11-13 minutes until or cookies are brown around the edges

Adapted from my Chocolate Chip Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies [/print_this]

Pretzel and Chocolate Chip Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies 9

Are you taking any time off around the holidays? If so, what will you be doing?

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Cheesecake Party!

27 Comments

ChocolateGlazedCookieCheesecakePie33_thumb

I am a big fan of cheesecake, although not quite as much as my husband.  In fact, the first time we celebrated his birthday together, I cooked dinner and made a special trip to the Cheesecake Factory for a slice of their Oreo Cheesecake to surprise him.  It wasn’t long after that, though, when I realized I could make my own version.  Eight years later, (yes, our 8-year dating anniversary is tomorrow!), and I’m making cheesecake left and right without a second thought. Below find some delicious cheesecake inspiration from the blog world, you might never make plain cheesecake again!

Cheese Pie and White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake and from The Keenan Cookbook

Cheese Pie

White Chocolate Cheesecake from Sweet Peony

white chocolate cheesecake

Apple Cheesecake from Dainty Chef

apple cheesecake

Apple Pecan Cheesecake from Baked by Rachel

Apple Pecan Cheesecake

French Apple Cheesecake from The Keenan Cookbook

french apple cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake from The Avid Appetite

avid appetite pumpkin cheesecake

Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake from Everyday Desserts

Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Basil Roasted Peaches from The Spiffy Cookie

Goat-Cheese-Cheesecake-with-Peaches-776x1024

Mini Raspberry Swirl Cheesecakes and Lemon Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce from Baked by Rachel

Mini Raspberry Swirl Cheesecakes

Peanut Butter Snickers Mini Cheesecakes from Macaroni and Cheesecake

peanut butter snickers mini cheesecakes

Petite Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecakes from The Little Ferraro Kitchen

Petite Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecakes

Amaretto Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake Bars The Spiffy Cookie

Amaretto-Chocolate-cheesecake-1024x770

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars-Two Ways from Dainty Chef

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars-Two Ways

And there are quite a few cheesecake recipes on Keep It Sweet, but some of my favorites are the Salted Caramel and Brownie Cheesecake Bars, Margarita Cheesecake Bars and the Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Cheesecake Bars.

If you liked this, check out previous blog parties: Peanut Butter Party, Sweet & Salty Party, Pumpkin Party and the Gooey Chocolate Dessert Party

The next Blog Party them is “lighter” desserts and it will be on Tuesday, December 27th.  Email me keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com with your posts!

*The cake mix giveaway is still open.*

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Caramel Apple Cake Trifle and Giveaway!

85 Comments

Caramel Apple Cake Trifle

I don’t know about you, but I am swimming in leftovers.  The thing is, I can’t decide if it is a good or bad thing.  I have plenty of food to get us through the next few days.  But really, how much turkey can one person eat?  If only I could get sick of cookies the way I could get sick of turkey.  It just doesn’t seem to happen.

But even with half of a chocolate pecan pie left, a bowl of caramel sauce, dozens of cookies in my freezer, and a tight pants, I always am ready to bake something new.  After many Thanksgiving-related hours spent in the kitchen cooking, baking and cleaning, though, I welcome something easy.  Something where I don’t have to pull out my mixer, wait for butter to soften or open up a few cookbooks.  Something that only requires a few more minutes of active time on my feet.

Caramel Apple Cake Trifle

That is where this layered beauty comes into play.  While I don’t always advocate box mixes and canned fruit, there really is a time and a place.  And when you come up with something that incorporates those shortcuts, is creative, and looks impressive, no one has to know that a box mix was involved.  Usually your friends will be too busy asking for seconds to even think about it.

For this trifle, I used one of Dunkan Hines new decadent cake mixes.  I chose the Apple Caramel flavor because, how could a cake that is gooey and moist be bad?  It can’t.  Even by itself the cake tastes pretty good, but layered with Comstock apple pie filling, cinnamon flavored cool whip, cheesecake pudding and gingersnap crumbs it is even better.

And better news for you, I have some cake mixes to give away!  Two readers will win coupons for four free Dunkan Hines products (details below).
Caramel Apple Cake Trifle
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1/2 of a prepared Dunkan Hines Apple Caramel Cake
1 15.75-ounce can Comstock apple pie filling
1 8-ounce container of cinnamon flavored cool whip (if you can’t find that, fold cinnamon into regular cool whip to taste)
1 prepared 1-ounce container cheesecake pudding mix
1/2 cup gingersnap crumbs (about 8 cookies)

Directions:
Cut cake in to 1-inch cubes
Layer ingredients in a large trifle dish or bowl as follows: cake, pie filling, cool whip, cookie crumbs, pudding
Repeat layers again and top with extra cookie crumbs
Best served immediately; cover with saran wrap and store trifle in refrigerator up to 4 days

Caramel Apple Cake Trifle

Giveaway Details:

The giveaway is open through Wednesday, November 30 at midnight est.  The giveaway is open to anyone and there are three ways to enter (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

1) Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment below, anything you want!

2) Follow Keep It Sweet on Twitter

3) Like Keep It Sweet on Facebook

Disclaimer:  I received the coupons for Dunkin Hines cake mix and Comstock pie filling as a part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.  All of the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Gooey Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars {Gluten-Free}

20 Comments

These gooey and delicious oatmeal bars are made with just basic ingredients, they are gluten-free and guilt-free!

Gooey Pumpkin Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars (gluten-free)

Ever since I made these bars a couple of months ago, my sister has been asking me to make a pumpkin version.  I’m sorry it took so long but glad I squeezed this recipe in before Thanksgiving.  These are so easy to make and as a welcome change to the other holiday desserts, these aren’t actually all that bad for you!

Gooey Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars {Gluten-Free}
Makes 24 bars

Ingredients:

3 cups gluten-free rolled oats (oatmeal is naturally gluten-free but may be processed with other gluten foods; check the package if serving anyone who has a gluten allergy)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie seasoning
3/4 cup smooth natural salted peanut butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray
Whisk together oatmeal and baking soda; set aside
Beat peanut butter and pumpkin on high speed until light and creamy
Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy
Add egg whites and vanilla; beat on medium speed until combined
Stir in oatmeal mixture
Pour batter into prepared pan
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until knife comes out clean
Allow to cool before slicing
Store at room temperature in a covered container up to 2 days or
freeze up to 1 month
Adapted from the Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars

Gooey Pumpkin Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars (gluten-free)

What are you most Thankful for this year? After a rough couple of years for some loved ones, I’m especially thankful for my family’s health.

[pinit]

Blog, Recipes

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops

40 Comments

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops 2

We are just a few days away from Thanksgiving and although I’ve been putting pumpkin in my oatmeal since the end of August (I have no shame), I’m not even close to sick of it.  It is actually a miracle that my skin isn’t orange given the fact that I go through the cans of Libby’s (no other brand can compete) like it is going out of style.  I used to think the big cans were too much to open up, but now those puny 15-ounce cans are like a tease.

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops 1

Hopefully you are also still on the pumpkin bandwagon, unlike my husband who seems to have missed the memo on winter squash (Which, lucky for me, means I get to eat an entire pan of roasted Costco butternut squash by myself.  Seriously, how am I not orange?).

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops 7

Although Matt doesn’t hate pumpkin like he does peanut butter (nope, eight years together and I’m still not over that), he just isn’t a huge fan.  So when I gave him one of these Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops to taste and said, “just pretend it isn’t pumpkin,” he said, “these are amazing!”  Don’t worry, I did enough cookie dough sampling yesterday to tell you these are seriously good shit delicious.  The pumpkin flavor in the creamy cookie dough plus the hard chocolate shell and crunchy spicy gingersnap crumbs is an incredible combination.

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops 17

Oh and worried that you can’t make these after Thanksgiving?  I, for one, will be consuming pumpkin desserts for the next few months.  But for the normal people out there, who don’t have to worry about their skin turning a strange color because they only eat pumpkin in the fall, these can completely pass for a special holiday dessert thanks to the gingersnaps.

So if you can make these and keep from eating them yourself, serve them at a party.  No utensils necessary.

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops 15

 

[print_this]

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops

Makes 30 pops

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
  • ¼ cup milk (any type)
  • 1 1/4 pound chocolate (I used white and dark chocolates)
  • 3/4 cup gingersnap crumbs (about 12 cookies)

Directions:

Prepare cookie dough filling
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt; set aside
Beat butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy
Add pumpkin and milk and mix on medium speed until well combined
Stir in flour
Refrigerate dough for two hours or until cold enough to roll into balls
While chilling dough, line two jelly roll pans with wax paper
When ready, mold cookie dough balls by hand, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each (I used a cookie dough scoop to measure) and place one of the sheets of wax paper
Stick lollipop sticks into each ball so that the stick comes out of the top and goes almost all the way through the dough ball
Place prepared cookie dough in freezer and chill for two hours or until hardened
When dough is frozen, melt chocolate for dipping
Place chocolate of choice into a microwaveable bowl; melt by heating in 30-second increments and stirring in-between
Dip cookie dough pops one-at-a-time into chocolate and coat each entire dough ball; use a spoon to shape the chocolate around the cookie dough and form a thin layer
Place dough ball down onto unused sheet of wax paper and sprinkle pop with gingersnap crumbs; repeat for remaining dough balls
Once finished, chill pops in refrigerator until ready to serve
Store in refrigerator up to three days or freezer up to four weeks

Notes:

You will need to chill the dough between each step to make sure your pops keep a round form

When dipping pops in chocolate, I recommend keeping some dough balls in freezer and working with about 10 at a time; this will keep dough from getting too soft before dipping in chocolate

[/print_this]

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops 19

Are you pumpkined out yet?

Blog, Recipes

Salted Caramel and Brownie Cheesecake Bars

68 Comments

Salted Caramel and Brownie Cheesecake Bars 14

This dessert has been haunting me since it came out of the oven.  I took photos yesterday morning and it was all I could do not to devour the entire pan, sliver by sliver.  These cheesecake bars are not for me so unfortunately (or fortunately) I was forced to keep my mouth shut after a quality control taste.

Salted Caramel and Brownie Cheesecake Bars 8

A thin layer of brownie crust topped with creamy salted caramel and a silky cheesecake layer makes these bars impossible to resist.  The salted caramel layer also adds a depth of flavor that forces you to try another bite.  Need another dessert for Thanksgiving or really something delicious just because? Make these.

Salted Caramel and Brownie Cheesecake Bars 9

[print_this]

Salted Caramel & Brownie Cheesecake Bars

Brownie Layer:
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Cheesecake Layer:
2 8-ounce blocks reduced fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel Layer:
1 11-ounce bag of caramel bits
1/3 cup milk (any type)
1 teaspoon sea salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Line a 13×9 pan with parchment paper; set aside

Melt chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low to heat, stirring constantly

Remove from heat

Stir in sugar

Stir in eggs and vanilla

Whisk in flour until smooth

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for ~8 minutes or until center is glossy and edges start to look cooked

While brownie layer is cooling, prepare cheesecake filling

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer using the whisk attachment; beat on high until cream cheese is smooth and creamy

Beat in sugar

Mix in eggs

Stir in flour

Stir in vanilla and set aside

Place caramel bits and milk in a microwaveable bowl

Heat in microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each, until completely melted and smooth

Pour caramel over brownie layer; sprinkle salt over that

Pour cheesecake batter over brownie and caramel

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until edges begin to come apart from sides of pan and cheesecake is set

 Brownie recipe adapted from Bakers

[/print_this]

Salted Caramel and Brownie Cheesecake Bars 7

A reminder that the cheesecake blog party is less than two weeks away.  Send me your favorite links!

Blog, Recipes

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Brownie Bites

59 Comments

Fudgy brownie bites stuffed with a layer of peanut butter cup cookie dough

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Brownie Bites 2

The apartment is finally starting to feel like home.  It isn’t because I unpacked 99% of my things (the other 1% includes books and underwear that is still MIA).  It also is not because we finally have shelves in the closet so that my sweaters aren’t piled up in various places around our home.  And it certainly isn’t that all of the furniture we ordered has arrived and our dreaded IKEA trip is in the past.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Brownie Bites 17_1

While all of those things make the stress of moving a little less acute, the real reason I feel like I am home is the kitchen.  Of course I unpacked all of my dishes and appliances before anything else and have been to the grocery store 17 or so times.  But Friday morning, while Matt was at work and I was waiting for our new night stands to arrive, I had the first opportunity to bake.  Just the thought of that makes my shoulders relax and my breathing slow down.  Working around our new kitchen where I actually had to walk more than one step from refrigerator to utensil drawer, I couldn’t stop smiling.  And the fact that the first thing to come out of my oven was a chocolate and peanut butter dessert certainly didn’t hurt.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Brownie Bites 18

Oh, right, these little things.  Fudgy brownie bites stuffed with a layer of peanut butter cup cookie dough, I haven’t felt more at home in a very long time.

[print_this]

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Brownie Bites

Makes 2 dozen brownie bites

Ingredients:

  • 1 Box Brownie Mix (I used Trader Joe’s Chocolate Truffle) + ingredients the mix calls for
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup salted creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 tablespoon milk (I used skim)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped peanut butter cups (~7 peanut butter cups)

Directions:

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  • Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan
  • Prepare brownie mix as directed and full cups with brownie batter (about 2 tablespoons each)
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a knife comes out clean; do not over bake
  • Set brownies aside to cool and prepare cookie dough
  • Whisk flour and salt in a small bowl; set aside
  • Beat together butter, peanut butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy
  • Mix in milk and vanilla on low speed
  • Stir in flour mixture just until combined
  • Stir in peanut butter cups
  • Once cookie dough is ready, take your brownies and slice each in half horizontally so that you have a top and a bottom
  • Place a rounded disk of cookie dough on each bottom half (about one tablespoon of cookie dough each)
  • Press tops of brownies lightly onto cookie dough layer so that you can still see the cookie dough from the sides
  • Serve immediately or freeze in an airtight container up to one month

[/print_this]

Cookie dough recipe adapted from here.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Brownie Bites 21

What is making you smile lately?

Blog

What I Learned at Foodbuzz and the Food that Came With It

59 Comments

Foodbuzz Festival Bi Rite Creamery 8

Last weekend I had an amazing time in San Francisco for the third annual Foodbuzz Festival (my first time going).  Not only was it a long weekend full of delicious food and blogging tips, but it also was a weekend full of new friends and new blogs to read.  I have so much to share with you but I’ll limit this post to some of the food conference, blogging and social networking-related tips (in no particular order).

1)  There were a lot of tips for blogging, but by far the number one theme is to be yourself.  Find your voice, find what you love, and blog that way.

2)  Engage with readers.  Respond to comments and emails. Comment on their blogs, too.  When you do that, they will come back.

3)  Take good photos*.  Backdrops can be as simple as construction paper or crumpled parchment paper and as elaborate as fancy china and linen.  Use a DSLR or an iPhone.  Just make it appealing to the eyes.  *more on that in an upcoming post

Foodbuzz Festival Brunch

4)  Instead of being jealous or comparing yourself to other bloggers, focus on doing everything you can to get where you want to be.

5)  Use Twitter and Facebook to interact with others.  Twitter is an especially good way to connect with other bloggers and readers.  Don’t only use social media to promote your blog.

6)  Jessica is just as awesome in person as she is on her blog.  Unfortunately, we never got a chance to talk, but she was on a “taking your blog to the next level” discussion panel and her blog personality definitely came through in real life.  Oh, and same thing for Joy.

7)  Always charge your camera battery; no pictures for the first night of Foodbuzz #fail

8)  Take a camera break; no camera for the first night of Foodbuzz also meant I could focus on meeting new people and enjoying the food.

9) It is perfectly acceptable to drink your chocolate.

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 5

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 6

10)  String cheese can be eaten the next day without refrigeration.  You never know when you may need a snack.

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 16

11) Fresh fruit tastes so good in between indulgent samples.

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 20

12)  Keep packaged samples as a treat for later when you are going through foodie withdrawal.

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 11

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 13

13)  In a sea of amazing foods to try, a vat of guacamole is still exciting.

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 28

14) Godiva chocolate is always a win.  I was addicted to their pumpkin spice coffee but now I’m addicted by the truffles that inspired it.

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 17

15) Mini cupcakes are more fun because you can sample lots of flavors.

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 39

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 40

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 19

16) Burberry is even better in brownie form

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 35

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 34

17) Cinnamon caramel is heavenly

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 36

18) Don’t fill up on foods you don’t love, there are too many other foods to try.

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 31

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 26

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 41

19)  Take advantage of the opportunity to meet awesome people.  Some of the friends I made at Foodbuzz include Nicole, Audra, Krissy, Julie, Dennis, and Tina.

20) Find an awesome roommate who will spend as much time as possible eating their way through San Francisco with you.

Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavillion 38

Have you ever been to a food blogger conference?  Do you have any tips to add?

Blog

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread {Guest Post}

17 Comments

Making Pumpkin Bread 1

Hi, friends!  I have so much to share with you from my Foodbuzz weekend but an apartment full of boxes is keeping me from the blog right now.  In fact, I still haven’t found my underwear (thank G-d for now having a washer and dryer in the apartment!).  On the upside, I don’t have to go to the gym yet since I can’t find my sneakers either. 

In the meantime, I have another guest post for you.  This one is from my amazing sister, Jessica.  She is the reason I started the blog so I owe all of my Keep It Sweet life to her.  The best part about this guest post? I get to eat this delicious pumpkin bread when she brings it for Thanksgiving.

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Full disclosure: I do not bake. My sister and my mom – they bake. Me – I cook. I clean the dishes when they bake. But any time I try to bake, I am reminded of why I don’t bake.

Despite this fact, I offered to do a guest post for my sister while she takes care of the 8 million other things going on in her life. Ya’ know, like moving and preparing to host Thanksgiving dinner for our family.

So I decided to make one of my mom’s classic and easy recipes – pumpkin bread. Classic because everyone knows it and loves it. Easy because I was able to make it through the whole recipe without asking any questions. And to add my own little touch, I took one of my mom’s favorite touches – chocolate chips and cinnamon sugar – and put it in the center. And here’s what I got: Cinnamon Sugar Swirl, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread 1

Of course, being the non-baker that I am, something still went wrong. When the top of the loaf started burning and spilling over the edges before the center was cooked, I realized that I filled the pan way too high. Note to self: When they say flour makes bread rise, they mean it. Take that into consideration before filling a pan to the top.

Making Pumpkin Bread 7

[print_this]

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Adapted from My Favorite Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

Dry:

3 cups sugar

3 ½ cups flour

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp salt

Wet:

1 cup oil

2 cups pumpkin

2/3 cup water

4 eggs

Filling:

2 ounces semi-sweet mini chocolate chips plus additional for sprinkling on top

2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar (I used a pre-mixed version but you can make your own to taste)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

First mix the dry ingredients, then mix them in with the wet ingredients.

Spray two 2-pound loaf pans.

Fill pans about halfway and then sprinkle cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips.

Pour batter on top, filling the pan about ¾ of the way (take it from me, you don’t want to fill it all the way).  Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips.

Cook at 350 for about an hour.

Enjoy Smile

[/print_this]

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread 3

Blog, Recipes

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Recipe List

45 Comments

ChewyChocolateChipCookies26_thumbPumpkinSmoreMuffins11_thumbcinnamon roll cookiesCinnamon-Chocolate-Chip-Pumpkin-Cookies-19_thumbmix and match chocolate barsthe best homemade applesauceMy Favorite Pumpkin Bread (and muffins)fall triflepumpkin chocolate cheesecake bars

What a week this has been!  We moved yesterday and although we made good progress, my bedroom is stacked with boxes of clothes and no where to put them yet.  Luckily we prioritized and the kitchen is ready to go.  Both of us are loving our new place and with twice the amount of space as our last apartment, it is nice to be able to come home and breathe!  I’d love to finish everything here, but I’m off to San Francisco tomorrow morning for the Foodbuzz Festival, a weekend of blog networking and food., ie heaven.

And in other exciting news, this will be the first year that Matt and I will host Thanksgiving.  I’m so glad we had five years of practice because now I don’t have to be too nervous.  On the other hand, I have so many desserts much food that I want to make and I need to work on my menu editing skills!  Otherwise I’m going to need to spend the next three weeks in the kitchen.

So since I’m busy with menu planning, I figured I’d share some ideas from Keep It Sweet and other blogs for your holiday dinner!

Appetizers

Brussels Sprout and Pancetta Flatbread (We Are Not Martha)

Cheddar Bacon Ale Dip (Dinners, Dishes and Desserts)

Fall Bruschetta (eats well with others)

Fall Bruschetta (Eats Well With Others)

Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish (The Keenan Cookbook)

Side Dishes

Bacon Cheddar Cornbread (Slow Like Honey)

Baked Potato Soup (Dainty Chef)

Buttermilk Whipped Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (Prevention RD)

Butternut Squash with Pepita Cilantro Vinaigrette (Eats Well With Others)

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Caramelized Onions, Bacon and Apple (The Spiffy Cookie)

Cornbread Dressing with Tempeh Bacon, Cherries and Portabella Mushrooms (Peas and Thank You)

Maple Cayenne Roasted Brussels Sprouts (Not Rachael Ray)

My Favorite Pumpkin Bread (Keep It Sweet)

pan roasted brussels sprouts (how sweet)

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Brown Butter and Toasted Pecans (How Sweet it is)

Pumpkin Maple Baked Bean Cornbread Casserole (Oh She Glows)

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto (La Casa de Sweets)

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette (In Good Taste)

slow cooker butternut squash and apples (what megans making)

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash with Apples (What Megan’s Making)

Spiced Maple Roasted Apples and Squash (My Kitchen Addiction)

Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Marshmallows (Keep It Sweet)

“Turkey”!

Crockpot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili (Skinny Taste)

Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs (Lauren’s Latest)

thanksgiving sandwiches (crepes of wrath)

Thanksgiving Sandwiches (Crepes of Wrath)

The Best Thanksgiving Turkey Breast (Heather’s Dish)

Turkey & Carrot Meatloaf (Weekly Bite)

Turkey Shepard’s Pie (Sweet Pea’s Kitchen)

Turkey Taco Pasta Skillet (All Day I Dream About Food)

Zesty Turkey Burgers (Yums and Loves)

Desserts

Apple & Pear Crisp (Keep It Sweet)

Apple Cider Spice Cake (Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

Apple Pecan Cheesecake (Baked by Rachel)

Apple Spiced Brown Butter Blondies (London Bakes)

caramel apple cake (pass the suhi)

Caramel Apple Cake (Pass the Sushi)

Caramel Apple Cider Shake (The Avid Appetite)

Caramel Apple Cookies (Blog is the New Black)

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Keep It Sweet)

Cinnamon & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie Cookies (Keep It Sweet)

Cinnamon Ice Cream (Chocolate & Carrots)

Cinnamon Roll Cookies (Keep It Sweet)

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake (Picky Palate)

Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Dulce De Leche (The Novice Chef)

Double Crumble Hot Apple Pie (Keep It Sweet)

Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Dulce De Leche (the novice chef)

Double Decker Pumpkin Caramel Pie (Recipe Girl)

Fall Trifle (Keep It Sweet)

Frozen Pumpkin and Chocolate Yogurt Pie with Salted Caramel Cream Sauce (Keep It Sweet)

Overnight Pumpkin Pecan Croissant Bread Pudding (The Yummy Life)

Pear, Cranberry and Gingersnap Crumble (Smitten Kitchen)

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting (Espresso and Cream)

Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes (Dessert for Two)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Stuffed Snickerdoodles (Willow Bird Baking)

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bars (Keep It Sweet)

Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies (Two Peas & Their Pod)

Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispy Treats (Baking Bites)

Pumpkin Shaped Orange Velvet Whoopie Pies (Cookies and Cups)

Caramel Apple Cider Shake (avid appetite)

Pumpkin S’more Muffins (Keep It Sweet)

Mix and Match Chocolate Bars (Keep It Sweet)

Skillet Apple Crisp (Brown Eyed Baker)

Southern Style Pecan Pie (Young Married Chic)

The Best Homemade Applesauce (Keep It Sweet)

Whole Wheat Maple Walnut Spice Cookies (Keep It Sweet)

What are your Thanksgiving plans? I hope they involve someone you love and delicious food!

Blog, Recipes

Chocolate Caramel Apple Bars {Guest Post}

21 Comments

apple bars4 small

I am so excited to share another wonderful guest post with you today!  Rachel is a blog friend turned real-life friend and she is here to share her recipe for Chocolate Caramel Apple Bars (how good does that sound?!).  This is a huge help to me because I am in the process of moving apartments.  I’m so excited for our new place but wow is it a lot of work.  In the meantime, enjoy Rachel’s post and be sure to check out her blog for other delicious recipes like Pizza Dip, Layered Oreo Cake Bars, and her Banana Bread Smoothie.

Hi Keep it Sweet readers! I’m Rachel! I blog about all things food over at The Avid Appetite and all things life over at The Peach & The Pit. I am so excited to be guest posting here today. Lauren was one of my first real ‘blog’ friends and I am so happy that we found each other! She keeps my stomach rumbling with her amazing and super creative dessert recipes and I always look forward to her posts each week.

When I first thought about guesting over here on Keep it Sweet, I knew that I would have to come up with a delicious and decadent dessert recipe that would be worthy of standing next to Lauren’s delectable creations. And since I know she loves chocolate, that obviously had to be a key ingredient.

I have long had a love affair with appley things. For as long as I can remember, anything with apples was instantly my favorite dessert. Pies, tarts, coffee cakes, crumbles, you name it. When I started thinking about a recipe to share with you, I knew that combining my love of apple, cinnamon and caramel with Lauren’s love of chocolate would surely be a winner. Right?

Right?!

Well let me tell you about them and perhaps you’ll agree. Ooey gooey apple and caramel scattered atop a layer of semisweet chocolate, then sandwiched between crumbly oat goodness and topped with even more sticky caramel sauce is what these bars are all about. And if that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right. You won’t either; trust me on this one.

apple bars3 small

[print_this]Chocolate Caramel Apple Bars
*bar base adapted from Betty Crocker Cooky Book’s Date Bars
3/4 C shortening, such as Crisco
1 C brown sugar
1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 C old fashioned oats
1 C semisweet chocolate chips
2 tart baking apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored and diced
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ C caramel topping or sauce (such as 1 jar Smucker’s caramel flavored ice cream topping)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 13×9″ pan with foil (one strip lengthwise, one strip widthwise), letting the foil hang over the edges. Grease well. Mix the shortening and sugar together in a bowl. I used my stand mixer, but a hand mixer (or even by hand) would work too.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Beat into the shortening & sugar mixture. Stir in the oats. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the greased, foil-lined pan.
Next, peel, core and chop the apples. Mix with the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
Then, melt the chocolate (I do it via microwave) and carefully spread over the oat dough. It won’t be perfect, and that’s ok! Pour the apples evenly over the chocolate. Drizzle 1 cup of the caramel sauce all over the apples. Gooeyness!
Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over top and drizzle the remaining caramel sauce over that.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool and set. To cut up, remove from pan by using the foil as handles. Peel away and cut into bars. Gooey, decadent, stretchy pants-inducing bars.[/print_this]

I hope you enjoy these! I can’t wait to make them again and again!

News on the next blog party:  The theme is CHEESECAKE! and it will be posted on Tuesday, November 29th.  Send me your links by the 28th to keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com.

Blog

Pumpkin Spice & Date Walnut Butter

30 Comments

Pumpkin Spice & Date Walnut Butter 11

So the good news is, my voice is almost back.  Did you know that when you communicate to someone that you have no voice, the first thing they do is ask you how you lost it?  Because clearly if I have about five minutes of voice time in this entire day, I want to use it explaining to you how I lost my voice in the first place.  I’d rather save those few minutes of real communication for something really important like “I’d like a large cup of split pea, please” or “Can I have the manicure before the pedicure today?” or even “How good is that girl on X-factor who did the Beyonce song from Dreamgirls?!”

Pumpkin Spice & Date Walnut Butter 5

Because otherwise I’m left sounding like the combination of a squeaky mouse, a 13-year old boy and a 27-year old 3-pack-a-day female smoker.  I’ve been compared to all of those things in the past few days.  And when I met Madison in real life for the first time at dinner with Kris, I was barely audible.  Didn’t my co-workers know I had to save my good voice time for dinner with blog friends? Priorities, people!

But I digress. On top of having my voice back, I have my other senses are back too.  I can finally really smell and taste what I eat again.  (Not that being under the weather affected my appetite in anyway.  I was still plenty hungry, if not hungrier.)  And this walnut butter, with the spice of pumpkin pie seasoning and the sweet addition of dates is a great treat that I can enjoy even more.

Pumpkin Spice & Date Walnut Butter 3

[print_this]

Pumpkin Spice & Date Walnut Butter

Yield: Makes 14 tablespoons of walnut butter

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups walnut pieces (unsalted)
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 chopped dates

Cooking Directions

  1. Place walnuts into food processor and process for two minutes or until creamy
  2. Ad pumpkin pie spice and salt; grind for another minute
  3. Add dates and run through processor until distributed evenly (you can leave them in pieces or process until they are fine)
  4. Store in a jar or tupperware up to one month in the fridge

[/print_this]

Pumpkin Spice & Date Walnut Butter 17

What annoying questions have you been asked lately?

Blog

Gooey Chocolate Dessert Party

42 Comments

peanut butter caramel brownies

When it comes to desserts, I’ll flirt with vanilla, have a love affair with caramel and indulge myself in warm fruit crisps.  But in the end, it always comes back to chocolate.  This party is for all of my chocolate loving friends who can’t resist those desserts that are just oozing with rich, chocolaty deliciousness.  Click on the links to check out all of the wonderful posts from different bloggers.

Velvet Hot Fudge Sauce from The Yummy Life

Velvet Hot Fudge Sauce

Easy, Easy Chocolate Mousse from The District Chocoholic

chocolate mousse

Crock Pot Hot Fudge Peanut Butter Pudding Cake by Greens and Chocolate

crock pot hot fudge peanut butter pudding cake

Chocolate Rspberry Layer Cake from I Was Born to Cook

chocolate raspberry layer cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sand Pail Cupcakes from Chip Chip Hooray

chocolate pb sand pail cupcakes

Blue Ribbon Chocolate Sparkle Cookies (Gluten-free) by Veronica’s Cornucopia

chocolate-sparkle-cookies3-8-19-10

S’more Cookies from the Keenan Cookbook

smore cookies

Black Gold Cookies by Veronica’s Cornucopia

black-gold-cookies-3-7-10

Basler Burnsli from The District Chocoholic

brusnili chocolate almond cookies

Super Gooey Chocolate Drops by Eat.Drink.Love.

super-gooey-chocolate-cookies-1

Chocolate Revel Bars from Chip Chip Hooray

Chocolate Revel Bars

Fudgy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars from the Dainty Chef

chocolate chip toffee bars

Cookies and Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies and Chocolate Fudge Brownies from the Keenan Cookbook

Cookies n cream oreo fudge brownies

Fudgy S’mores Brownies from The Baking Fairy

Fudgy Smore Brownies

Browned Butter Brownies with Walnuts, Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts, Mississippi Mud Brownies and Gooey Brownies by Greens and Chocolate

browned butter brownies with walnut

Cosmic Brownies by the Spiffy Cookie

Cosmic-Brownies-1024x768

And some favorites from Keep It Sweet:

Magic Pie

magic pie - even better than magic cookie bars!

Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars (Gluten-Free)

GooeyPeanutButterOatmealChocolateChunkBars8_thumb

If you liked this, check out previous blog parties: Peanut Butter Party, Sweet & Salty Party and Pumpkin Party

Blog, Recipes

Kitchen Sink Cookies and Bars

44 Comments

Kitchen Sink Cookies 15

What a weekend.  Matt and I went to Philadelphia to celebrate the wedding of one of my best friends since 4th grade.  She was a gorgeous bride and I was so happy to be a bridesmaid and such a big part of the celebration.  Not going to lie, though, one of the highlights of the weekend may have been the wedding cake.  After a week of limiting my carbs to make sure the dress would fit, I was extra excited for dessert.  Matt and I shared so that we could try both options: vanilla bean cake with caramel buttercream and a chocolate chip pound cake with cookies ‘n cream filling topped with cream cheese icing.  They deserve a lot of credit for such an amazing cake selection.  Not to mention the fact that it was a stunning 6-tier wedding cake!

On the downside, after a bad cold all last week, a Friday night without sleep (long story) and full Saturday of wedding activities, I woke up feeling really lousy on Sunday and lost my voice.  Not being able to talk is extremely frustrating!  However, struggling to communicate with people for 24 hours reminded me how lucky I am to have all of my senses on a regular basis.  It is amazing how all the little things are so easy to take for granted!

Kitchen Sink Cookies 11

Now, as for these cookies (and bars), this is my latest post for The Secret Recipe Club.  This month I got to choose a recipe from Life’s Simple Measures.  The Kitchen Sink Cookies were actually perfect since you can put almost anything in them you want.  Given that we are moving and trying to use up food we have on hand, it was a great way to deplete a few of my baking ingredients.  [Sidenote:  It is a good thing we aren’t moving far because I still have an entire kitchen of baking ingredients to use.  I also told myself no more baking before we move next Tuesday but I already have my eye on the brown bananas just dying to get used for something delicious.  Any suggestions? ]

Jess’s blog has a lot of other great baked good recipes that I considered including these Cinnamon Bun Scones, Double-Apple Mini Bundt Cakes and Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Be sure to check out her blog!

[print_this]

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Yield: 5 dozen cookies or 24 bars

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 3/4 cups Rice Krispies
  • 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine cereals, marshmallows and chocolate; set aside
  2. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside
  3. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy
  4. On medium speed, mix in eggs and vanilla
  5. Stir in flour mixture until well-combined
  6. Stir in cereal/marshmallow/chocolate mixture
  7. Refrigerate cookie dough for two hours or until chilled
  8. When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  9. If making cookies, line baking sheets with parchment paper and use a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon (1 1/2 tablespoons each) to place cookie dough balls on sheets 2 inches apart
  10. Bake cookies 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
  11. Transfer parchment paper to a wire rack with cookies still intact and allow to cool completely before serving (well, unless you like a gooey, delicious mess)
  12. If making bars, line a 13×9 pan with parchment paper and press cookie dough into pan
  13. Bake for ~40 minutes or until golden brown and knife comes out clean from the center
  14. Allow pan to cool on a wire rack

Adapted from Life’s Simple Measures [/print_this]

Kitchen Sink Cookies 9

What was the highlight of your weekend?


Blog, Recipes

Cream Cheese Toffee Dip {Guest Post}

23 Comments

Today’s guest post is from Krissy at the Dainty Chef.  Her blog is full of delicious recipes and beautiful photos.  You must check out her Pumpkin Spice Trifle, Apple Pie Cupcakes, and Brownie Batter Ice Cream,  I’m so glad she was willing to share a delicious recipe with Keep It Sweet readers.  Be sure to check out her blog.

appledip

Hello there Keep it Sweet readers. My name is Krissy, the Dainty Chef, my blog is where I share recipes that are family favorites and ones that I stumble upon in magazines, cookbooks, and other blogs.  Lauren was looking for several guest bloggers, and since I love her blog I jumped at the opportunity.  I have to mention that Lauren and I also both used the same caterers for our weddings, we have the same taste in great food! Thank you Lauren for this opportunity to share with your readers.

On my blog I try to keep a balance of savory and sweet recipes, but sometimes I have a tendency to lean towards more sweet dishes. I love to bake and always have my eye on new and delicious treats. Hence why Lauren’s blog caught my eye in the first place. As much as I love the process behind baking, I can’t say that I don’t love quick & easy recipes too.  I have been loving making different types of dessert dips for various occasions, some I have already made are cookie dough dip & cannoli dip. If you clicked on those links, you can see my photography has improved just a tad ;). I love them because even though I tend to go back for ninths and tenths, they aren’t as heavy as other desserts. Plus doesn’t dipping count as exercise?! This particular dip recipe is actually a family favorite and was shared to me by one of my dear friend’s moms. She labels it as apple dip, but I don’t doubt that many other things would be deemed dunk-worthy for it. It has a caramel flavor from the brown sugar, and a nice crunch from the toffee bits. Since now is the time people are apple picking, you can eat an apple for dessert every night with some of this dip. Or you can find other delicious things to dip in it, and let me know about it.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

[print_this]

Cream Cheese Toffee Dip or Apple Dip

Ingredients

  • 1 8 oz bar of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 3/4 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. of vanilla
  • 1/2 package of heath bar bits (4 oz. a little more than a 1/2 cup)
  • Apple Slices for serving or anything else dunk-worthy

Cooking Directions

  1. Blend cream cheese, sugars, and vanilla until combined, then add 1/2 of the package of heath bar bits.
  2. Serve with granny smith or gala apples. You can add some pineapple or lemon juice to the apple slices to prevent them from turning brown.

 [/print_this]

Blog, Recipes

Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues

33 Comments

Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues 2

Sometimes you need a light and refreshing cookie to balance out desserts like this.  As the cooler weather is moving in, the comfort of indulgent cookies, cakes and pies is more and more appealing.  However, I’m determined not to gain weight as we get through the winter.  In fact, I’d like to get rid of the couple of pounds that have snuck up on me over the last several months.

But don’t expect things to get all diet-y around here.  I really believe in balance and balance includes indulging in real butter-filled desserts in moderation.  But usually sometimes, one cookie or one slice of cake just doesn’t do it.  It is a time like that when something a little lighter is best.  That way you can have 10 4 cookies instead of 2.

Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues 6

I find that meringue cookies are a little underrated.  It used to be a nice treat when we would come home to a fresh batch of chocolate chip meringue cookies waiting in the kitchen.  The light and crispy exterior complimented by a chewiness just in the center makes for a nice change of pace.  Adding in the mini chocolate chips is a bonus.

While my mom always went with the classic meringue, I decided to change things up with a mint chocolate chip version.  Just a little bit of crème de menthe adds a nice flavor touch to the cookies.

Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues 15

The thing that made baking these cookies a little more fun than usual was a new toy in the kitchen.  OXO sent me some kitchen supplies including this OXO Egg Beater.  It is so much easier than trying to beat the eggs by hand but you get to feel more active than using an electric mixer.  Plus, it is great for making a small batch when a regular electric mixer can’t reach the bottom of the bowl.  I even used the egg beater when making breakfast today.  The fact that it is dishwasher-safe makes it an every day tool!

[print_this]

Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues

Yield: Makes 28 meringues

Ingredients

  • 2 egg whites at room temperature (not from the carton)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon creme de menthe
  • 2/3 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside
  3. In a large bowl, beat egg whites with OXO egg beater using high speed (or an electric mixer with the whisk attachment) until lightly foamy
  4. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat until mixture is very foamy
  5. Add in half granulated sugar and beat until mixture is a creamy white
  6. Add crème de menthe and remaining sugar
  7. Beat at high speed until meringue has formed a thick better that is a glossy white and stiff peaks form from beaters or whisk
  8. Lightly fold in chocolate chips
  9. Use a teaspoon to drop spoonfuls of meringue on to baking sheets
  10. Place baking sheets in center of oven and turn oven off; leave meringues in oven for two hours or until firm and crisp

Adapted from Emeril [/print_this]

Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues 9

Disclaimer:  I received the OXO Egg Beater and other kitchen accessories as a part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.  All of the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Any tips on eating desserts in moderation? I would love to learn how to do that!

Blog, Recipes

Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Toffee Bars

64 Comments

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Toffee Bars

Do you read Cookies & Cups?  If not, you need to.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Toffee Bars

Not only is Shelly hilarious, but she also makes the most delicious and fun desserts in every.single.post.  I can not stop drooling over her Chubby Hubby Bars or Pumpkin Dump Cake.  Really, I should have an email folder dedicated to the recipes from her blog that I send myself.  Either that or I should move in with her.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Toffee Bars

That wouldn’t be creepy.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Toffee Bars

So when I saw her Chocolate Toffee Bars I immediately added them to my must make list.  I put a bit more emphasis on the peanut butter in the recipe and was thrilled with how they came out.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Toffee Bars

The only problem was, they are too good.  I’m not kidding.  I couldn’t keep myself from eating these as soon as they came out of the oven.  The only thing that saved me was knowing I had to donate some to a LCC Foundation raffle.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Toffee Bars

I think from now on, I need someone to come and remove desserts from my apartment immediately after photographing them for the blog.  Any takers?

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Toffee Bars

Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Toffee Bars
Makes 24 bars

Peanut Butter Toffee Crust
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cup Nutter Butter crumbs (~10 cookies)
1/2 cup toffee bits

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13X9 pan with butter or cooking spray; set aside
Combine melted butter, cookie crumbs and toffee bits
Press crust mixture into pan; crust will be very thin
Bake for about 10 minutes or until crust is a nice medium shade of gold

Chocolate Peanut Butter Filling

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (any fat content will do)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:
While crust is baking, combine chocolate and peanut butter chips, sweetened condensed milk and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat
Stir ingredients together until melted and remove from heat
Pour evenly over prepared crust; set aside

Cookie Topping

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup toffee bits
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside
With an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugars at high speed
Mix in eggs and vanilla until well combined
Reduce speed to low and stir in flour mixture
Stir in toffee bits and chocolate chips
Once combined, drop dough by large spoonfuls over the filling
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until topping is lightly browned
Allow to cool before serving

Adapted from Cookies and Cups who originally adapted the recipe from Making Memories

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Toffee Bars

Any other blogs you are loving right now?

Blog, Recipes

Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies {Guest Post}

21 Comments

PB1

In the midst of my crazy life, I am so thankful for other food bloggers!  It never ceases to amaze me how many of you there are that are willing to lend a hand when things get crazy.  A couple of weeks ago, a few wonderful bloggers volunteered to guest post on Keep It Sweet and I can’t wait to share their delicious recipes with you.  The first post is from Samantha at The Little Ferraro Kitchen.  Her blog is pretty new, but she already has some delicious looking recipes like her recent Fresh Raspberry & Apple Crumble and Chicken Pot Pie!  These cookies are no different.

Hello everyone! I am Samantha from The Little Ferraro Kitchen and I am soo excited to guest post for the beautiful Lauren from Keep It Sweet!

When she asked for fellow guest-posters recently, I jumped at the chance! See…I am a pretty “new” blogger and have only been blogging for a few months now. Keep It Sweetwas one of the first blogs I started to enjoy and I just knew this was the perfect start!

So because this is officially my first guest post ever! (wow!)…I present to you…Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies!

PB2

This is the best batter I have ever worked with. The combination of the creamy peanut-butter and butter creates the softest cookie. Mini peanut-butter-cups (need I say more?) snuggle their little cute sweet selves into their peanut butter pillows of perfection. If you have the patience to wait the few minutes until these cuties are done, take a messy bite and allow all that melting chocolate to ooze out of the center from it’s cozy home and just enjoy. I promise you, this will be your absolute favorite cookie.

[print_this]

Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

1/2 C creamy peanut-butter

4 TB unsalted butter, room temperature

1 C brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 c granulated sugar (for rolling dough)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cream peanut butter and butter until well combined.

PB3

3. Add brown sugar and beat until well combined, scraping down bowl as needed.

4. Add eggs (one at a time), vanilla and beat until well incorporated.

5. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. I’ve gotten in the habit of using a sifter to get any “lumps” out.

6. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 2 batches.

* At this point I’ll use my spatula and do one last “mix” with the spatula and make sure everything is incorporated, but not to over mix.

7. Take the mixture out of bowl and wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 30min.

* I do this for all my cookie dough.

8. When dough is ready, unwrap from plastic wrap and scoop dough by the tablespoon, rolling into balls. A melon-baller is perfect for this!

9. Roll balls in granulated sugar and place on non-stick baking sheet.

PB4

10. Bake cookies until just about to puff up, about 5-7 minutes. (My oven is pretty fickle and is done at 5 min.)

11. When times up, take trays out of oven and work quickly! Place each peanut-butter cup in the center of each cookie and return to oven.

12. Bake for about 6 minutes more (again, my oven is no more than 5min), until cookies are golden brown and chocolate has begun to melt.

13. When done, let cool on baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to wire wrack to cool.

[/print_this]

PB5

PB6

Thanks for having me, Lauren! I had so much fun making these fabulous cookies and I hope all of you do too!

Enjoy!

Blog, Recipes

Cinnamon & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie Cookies

66 Comments

Cinnamon & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies 13

Things have been crazy around here lately.  I know I say this a lot, but after the busy summer, things never really slowed down.

Cinnamon & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies 5

There has been a ton of weekend travelling, apartment hunting, working, baking, blogging, and I’ve even been interning with Hot Blondies a few times a week as well.  My days have been so packed that I rarely know what day of the week it is.

Cinnamon & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies 11

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, though.  As much as I love being busy and doing so many things that make me happy, it is hard to take time and just breathe.  The HB work ends in two weeks, my weekend travel is slowing down (trips only every other week), and we found an apartment.  Moving in a few weeks is just a minor detail.

Cinnamon & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies 3

In the meantime, this is the kind of cookie that forces me to slow down.  When I grabbed a cookie off the cooling rack, I found myself savoring each bite.  A welcome change to my speed-demon eating that usually has me downing oatmeal/salads/yogurt/sandwiches or whatever else is in front of me in about three seconds flat.  I understand if you no longer want to eat a meal with me.

Cinnamon & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies 7

The cookie is moist but light; kind of like chocolate chip cookie meets my favorite pumpkin muffin.  Thanks to a hefty serving of cinnamon and chocolate chips, each bite has three complimenting flavors at once.  All of that is a combination that my mouth isn’t used to.  I think I may have to sit down and eat about nine more.

[print_this]

Cinnamon & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie Cookies

Yield: Makes 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup cinnamon chips

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and pumpkin pie seasoning; set aside
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy
  4. Beat in eggs and vanilla; beat in pumpkin until well-combined
  5. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined
  6. Stir in chocolate and cinnamon chips
  7. Use a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon to place cookie dough mounds (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart
  8. Bake 9-11 minutes or until cookies are puffed up and no longer wet
  9. Allow cookies to cool on cooling rack before serving

Source: Picky Palate[/print_this]

Cinnamon & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies 19

What’s got you slowing down lately?

Blog, Recipes

Grown Up S’mores Cookies

33 Comments

Grown Up Smores Cookies 9

I blame these cookies on Matt.

Grown Up Smores Cookies 19

And really, you should too.  So if when you make them, and if when you eat a couple12, it’s his fault, not mine.

Grown Up Smores Cookies 27

Sorry, Matt, I still love you.

Grown Up Smores Cookies 17

You see, I got this wonderful assortment of chocolate in the mail from GHIRARDELLI and didn’t know what to do with it.  But then Matt suggested s’mores and I remembered this recipe from Tracey’s blog.  She said they were the best s’mores cookies of every recipe she had tried.  And if you read her blog, you know to trust her.  Just look at this post, the girl knows what she’s doing!

Grown Up Smores Cookies 23

So I decided to kick the cookies up a notch with the Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree chocolate in place of your typical milk chocolate.  The hint of bitterness from the higher cocoa percentage and salty bite makes the cookies a little more mature in flavor.  The crunch from the almonds then adds a nice texture balance to the chewy cookie.

Go try it for yourself, and when you lose count of how many cookies you’ve inhaled, just remember that it’s not my fault.

[print_this]

Grown-up S’mores Cookies

Makes ~3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup honey graham cracker crumbs (about 8 sheets)

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7 ounces separated GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree chocolate, chopped
1 cup mini marshmallows
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350
Whisk graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy
Beat in egg and vanilla
Stir in half of chocolate (about 3 1/2 ounces)
Use a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon to make cookie dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each)
Bake cookies for 9 minutes and remove from oven
Quickly press a couple of pieces of chocolate and 3-4 marshmallows into each cookie
Return cookies to oven immediately and bake for 2-3 minutes or until cookies are browned around the edges; allow cookies to cool on a cooling rack before serving

Source: Tracey’s Culinary Adventures, adapted from Cookie Madness[/print_this]

Grown Up Smores Cookies 3

Disclaimer: I received free samples of GHIRARDELLI chocolate in the mail through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.  All of the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

What are you blaming on someone else right now?

Blog, Recipes

Skinny Pumpkin Spice Mocha Iced Latte

32 Comments

skinny mocha pumpkin spice iced coffee 11

I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

skinny mocha pumpkin spice iced coffee 9

Sometimes I don’t drink my coffee until I get to work so that I have incentive to get to the office.  After waking up by 6am, going to the gym, showering, getting dressed, making lunch and eating breakfast, it is a long way to go to that first sip of coffee around 9am9:30.  But it is something to look forward to and sometimes we all need a little motivation to go to work.

skinny mocha pumpkin spice iced coffee 7

But over the last few months, I’ve been cheating on my routine.  The humid summer made hot coffee unappealing so I switched to iced coffee.  And at $2+ a pop, I started making my own.  That means coffee is enjoyed on my way to work and that walk up Park Avenue is a little slower than it used to be.

When I received samples of the new Godiva Coffee flavors in the mail, I couldn’t wait to incorporate them into my morning.  The Pumpkin Spice coffee in iced form is the perfect way to ease into fall and I can’t wait to try the Caramel Pecan Bark.  I have a feeling my walk to the office is going to get slower and slower.

skinny mocha pumpkin spice iced coffee 19

[print_this]

Skinny Pumpkin Spice Mocha Iced Latte

Yield: Serves 1

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup strong brewed Godiva Pumpkin Spice coffee
  • 1/2 tablespoon good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 packet splenda, stevia or other sweetener of choice*
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (skim milk, soy milk, etc. can be used as replacement)
  • 1 1/2 cups ice cubes

Cooking Directions

  1. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes
  2. Spoon cocoa and sweetener over ice
  3. Pour coffee and milk over ice; stir to combine

 

Notes:

Use sweetener to taste.  I like a little less than 1 packet, but I don’t like my drinks too sweet.

Notes:

Use sweetener to taste.  I like a little less than 1 packet, but I don’t like my drinks too sweet.[/print_this]

skinny mocha pumpkin spice iced coffee 12

Disclaimer: I received free samples of Godiva Coffee in the mail through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.  All of the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

P.S. That pretty glass straw was courtesy of Wifestyle.

Interested in participating in the next blog party?  Courtesy of Chris‘s suggestion, the next blog party will be gooey chocolate desserts!  The party will be on October 25th so send me your posts by Monday, October 24th!

When do you have your first cup of coffee?

Blog, Recipes

Pumpkin Party

54 Comments

Pumpkin S'more Muffins 11a_2

It’s time for the next blog party!  What could be better than celebrating the beginning of fall with pumpkin recipes from around the blogosphere?

Pumpkin & Sausage Baked Pasta from I Was Born to Cook pumpkin sausage pasta

Slow Cooker Maple Pumpkin Spice Lattes from The Yummy Lifeslow cooker maple pumpkin spice lattes

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes from Julie’s Eats & Treats

pumpkin spice pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes  from the Spiffy Cookie

pumpkin pancakes from the spiffy cookie

Cinnamon Pumpkin Waffles from Chocolate & Carrots

cinnamon pumpkin waffles

Pumpkin French Toast from Fashion Fitness Foodie

pumpkin french toast

Maple Pumpkin Pie Yogurt Breakfast Parfait from The Yummy Lifemaple pumpkin yogurt parfait

Pumpkin Cranberry Parfait from bran appetit!

pumpkin cranberry parfait

Individual Pumpkin Trifles from the Avid Appetite

individual pumpkin trifles

Eggnog Pumpkin Bread from Veronica’s Cornucopia

eggnog-pumpkin-bread

Whole Wheat Nutella Pumpkin Bread from Chocolate & Carrotswhole wheat nutella pumpkin bread

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from Greens and Chocolate

pumpkin oatmeal cookies

Pumpkin Pizzelle Cookies from Eat. Drink. Love

pumpkin-pizzelle cookies

Molasses Cream Pie Cookies from bran appetit!

molasses cream pie cookies

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles from Julie’s Eats & Treats

pumpkin snickerdoodles

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies from K&K Test Kitchenpumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Pumpkin Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches from Biking Before Bedpumpkin cookie ice cream sandwiches

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies from Pass the Sushipumpkin cheesecake swirl brownie

Pumpkin Spice Brownies from The District Chocoholic

pumpkin spice brownies

Quick & Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes from Veronica’s Cornucopiaquick and easy pumpkin-spice-cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting from the Avid Appetitepumpkin spice cake

Pumpkin Nutella Mini Cheesecake Bites from the Spiffy CookiePumpkin-Nutella-Mini-Cheesecakes-2-1024x767

Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie from Chocolate & Carrots

Gingersnap pumpkin pie

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce from Greens and Chocolatepumpkin bread pudding with salted caramel sauce

Vegan Pumpkin Truffles, Two Ways from The District Chocoholicvegan pumpkin truffles

And some favorites from Keep It Sweet:

Frozen Pumpkin and Chocolate Yogurt Pie with Salted Caramel Cream Sauce

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

bars on plate 1

My Favorite Pumpkin Bread

Fall Trifle

top of trifle

If you liked this, check out previous blog parties: Peanut Butter Party and the Sweet & Salty Party

Recipes, Uncategorized

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars with Chocolate Ganache

74 Comments

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars with Chocolate Ganache 23

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club, I had a hard time deciding what to make.  I got picked to make a recipe from Authentic Suburban Gourmet and Lisa had a lot of tempting recipes.  My list of options included an Apple & Fig Tart, her Toffee & Caramel Cheesecake and these Fig Muffins with Brown Sugar Topping.  Ultimately, though, my inner-peanut butter loving self decided to make an adaptation of her Mini Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cookies.  To save a little time, I made the cookies into bars and was very happy with the result.  I may or may not have eaten a few scoops of the peanut butter cookie dough while baking.

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars with Chocolate Ganache 21_1

Speaking of eating something delicious, last night I got back from an amazing weekend in Atlanta that included a ton of delicious food.  I’ll definitely be sharing some photos of my reunion-weekend eats.

In the meantime, I have to say, it was a bit of a surreal experience visiting Emory after five years away.  It was enough time to feel like college was forever ago, but when I stepped on campus and traced the familiar routes around Decatur, Buckhead, the Highlands and more, it was as if I never left.

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars with Chocolate Ganache 8

I’m a Northeast girl at heart, but Atlanta will always hold a special piece of it.  There are great restaurants, lots of good shopping, and a friendly culture.  I had to get to some of my favorite food places while I was there, but there is a reason that these places mean so much to me.

College was such an amazing time in my life, truly some of the best four years.  I met some of my lifelong best friends, including my husband.  Matt and I have so many memories that built the foreground of our relationship.  My girlfriends and I have an uncountable number of stories that brought us together but also those that just make me laugh so hard my stomach hurts and tears roll down my cheeks.  Being back in this place where I grew out of my insecure high school self and into a young woman who knew how to walk with a bit of confidence makes me feel so content.  It was hard to say goodbye to my friends and a former home.

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars with Chocolate Ganache 25

Luckily these were tucked away in my freezerWinking smile

[print_this]Peanut Butter Cookie Bars with Chocolate Ganache

Makes 24 bars

Adapted from Lisa’s Mini Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup salted creamy peanut butter (I used Skippy Natural)
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

  1. Whisk flour and baking soda, set aside
  2. Beat butter on high until light and creamy
  3. Add peanut butter and continue to beat until creamy
  4. Add sugar and beat into batter until light and fluffy
  5. Add egg and vanilla, beat on medium speed until combined
  6. Stir in flour and baking soda mixture
  7. Refrigerate batter for at least 1 hour or overnight
  8. When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees line a 13×9 pan with parchment paper
  9. Once oven is hot, press dough evenly into prepared pan
  10. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until firm in the center; set aside to cool

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

  1. While cookie bars are baking, prepare ganache
  2. Set up your double boiler; bring water to a simmer in medium pot over low-medium heat
  3. Place heat-proof bowl of chocolate over the pot
  4. Pour the cream over your chocolate
  5. Whisk until chocolate mixture is melted and smooth
  6. Place ganache in refrigerator until thick, about one hour
  7. When ganache is thick enough that it won’t drip off a spoon, spread evenly over cookie bars
  8. Store cookie bars in refrigerator until ready to serve

[/print_this]

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars with Chocolate Ganache 15

Did you live somewhere else that has special memories?


Blog, Recipes

Double Crumble Hot Apple Pie

1 Comment

Double Crumble Hot Apple Pie 2

As soon as we made plans to go apple picking, Matt asked if I would make an apple pie.  With all of those farm-fresh apples how could I say no?

Double Crumble Hot Apple Pie 23

The thing is, I don’t really love pie.  Scratch that, I love pie filling, I just don’t care much about the crust.  On the other hand, I love apple crisp.  I find any form of crumb toppings to be irresistible.  As a result, this apple pie topped with an extra thick layer of crumb topping was the perfect dessert for us.

Double Crumble Hot Apple Pie 30

The last time I made this pie, I use a store-bought crust (shh, don’t tell!).  This time around I went all out and made the crust from scratch.  I used a recipe from the The Art & Soul of Baking, a great resource for anything you could want to know about baking.

Double Crumble Hot Apple Pie 5

[print_this]Double Crumble Hot Apple Pie

Makes 2 pies; Serves ~16

For Crust

Ingredients

  • 1 sticks (1/2 cup) unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces and frozen
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus additional for rolling the dough)
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cold water*

Cooking Directions

  1. Place all ingredients except for water in the large bowl of an electric mixer
  2. Using paddle attachment, put mixer on low and mix ingredients until they form a coarse mixture of large crumbs (about the size of a peanut)
  3. Add 1/4 cup water and put mixer on low for about a minute, add additional water (1 tablespoon at a time) just until dough is moist enough to hold together
  4. When dough is ready, form into two large disks and wrap each in seran wrap; refrigerate dough for at least one hour
  5. Once dough has been chilled, you can roll it into a thin layer; flour a large flat surface and place dough on top of that with an additional couple of tablespoons of flour on the dough; roll dough with a rolling pin into a large round layer about 1/4 inch thick**
  6. When ready, gently place the dough in a 9-inch pie dish and press down so that the dough is snug; trim any excess dough that comes over the edges

Note:

Make sure your butter and water are very cold to keep the dough from getting too warm while working

*Amount of water could vary depending on humidity levels

**I heard that you can skip the flour and roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper

Source for pie crust: The Art & Soul of Baking

Crumb Topping:

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 2 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, melted

Cooking Directions

  1. While dough is chilling, prepare crumb topping
  2. In a large bowl, use a fork to stir together all dry ingredients; mix in butter until topping fills large clumps
  3. Place bowl in refrigerator to chill while preparing filling

Apple Filling:

Ingredients

  • 1 dozen medium baking apples (I used cortland)
  •  Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking Directions

  1. When ready to bake your pies, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
  2. To prepare filling, peel and thinly slice apples (~1/4 inch thick)
  3. Place apple slices in large bowl; add remaining ingredients and stir into apple mixture
  4. Pour half of apple mixture into each prepared pie crust
  5. With your hands, crumble topping over apples and press firmly to form a entirely cover pies
  6. Place pies in center of oven and bake for half hour; at this point, cover top of each pie lightly with tin foil to prevent topping from burning
  7. Continue baking pies for additional 45 minutes or until filling is bubbling and apples on the inside are tender
  8. Serve warm, preferably with vanilla ice cream

Source for filling and topping: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

Note:

Dough for pie crust and mixture for crumb topping can be prepared up to 1 day in advance; store in refrigerator until ready to make pie

Since this recipe makes two pies, you can bake one now and save one for another time.  To freeze pie, prepare as directed without baking. Once put together, wrap tightly with tin foil and freeze for up to one month

[/print_this]

Double Crumble Hot Apple Pie 9

Do you prefer apple crisp or apple pie?

Blog, Recipes

Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars (Gluten-Free)

Leave a comment

Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars 6

My busy schedule these days has been keeping me from as much time in the kitchen as I would like.  There are so many recipes that I’ve been dying to try, but they keep getting put on the back-burner.  Luckily, I found a really easy but tasty dessert to make this past weekend.

These bars actually are derived from the back of my gluten-free oatmeal package.  They are on the bag as cookies, but baking them in bar form just seemed so much easier at the time.  I’m glad I did because they baked up to be the perfect chewy, gooey bars!  You would never know that there is no butter or flour in these babies!

Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars 8

[print_this]

Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars (Gluten-Free)

Yield: Serves 24

Ingredients

  • 3 cups gluten-free rolled oats (oatmeal is naturally gluten-free but may be processed with other gluten foods; check the package if serving anyone who has a gluten allergy)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup smooth natural salted peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chunks

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray
  2. Whisk together oatmeal and baking soda; set aside
  3. Beat peanut butter on high speed until light and creamy
  4. Beat in applesauce
  5. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy
  6. Add egg whites and vanilla; beat on medium speed until combined
  7. Stir in oatmeal mixture
  8. Stir in chocolate
  9. Pour batter into prepared pan
  10. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until knife comes out clean
  11. Allow to cool before slicing
  12. Store at room temperature in a covered container up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 month

Note:  Adapted from Trader Joe’s oatmeal package.[/print_this]

Do you have any good gluten-free recipes?

Uncategorized

WifeStyle Conference

1 Comment

wifestyle conference 11

Yesterday was my first blog-related conference experience!  WifeStyle turned out to be a wonderful way to meet women of all ages interested in anything from cooking to fashion to party planning.  It was also inspiring to meet so many entrepreneurial women. Businesses like MeebleMail (for prettying up your email) and The Monogrammed Martini were represented by the women who started them.  I was also thrilled to get some time to hang out with a blog friend turned real life friend, Kris.  Yes, she is just as nice and adorable as she appears on her blog.

wifestyle conference 44

The event was planned and hosted by Coryanne of Housewife Bliss and Mindy of The Gracious Girl.  Both women were focused on making the women feel comfortable and welcome and making sure everyone had a good time.  We also got some great etiquette pointers from Mindy.  I actually am pretty well-versed in the proper dining etiquette, but did learn a couple of new things.  Did you know that when you eat bread, you should only break off a bite-sized piece at a time?  Then, when buttering your bread, you should only butter that little piece.  Who knew?

wifestyle conference 30

Before lunch, we got some great cooking tips from Chef Tageré.  I was lucky enough to experience the chef’s delicious cooking two days in a row, so I welcomed any kitchen tips that she had.

wifestyle conference 5

wifestyle conference 8

And then lunch… the pictures pretty much speak for themselves.

wifestyle conference 32

wifestyle conference 35

wifestyle conference 39

wifestyle conference 42

Oh, and did I mention there was plenty to drink? These ladies know how to throw a party!  I have to admit I didn’t try these, but they smelled amazing! I bet the chocolate varieties would make a great drink!

wifestyle conference 17

wifestyle conference 23

Thanks to Van Gogh I even got to take home a cute little sample bottle of blueberry.wifestyle conference 25

Speaking of alcohol, the Cocktail Deeva gave us some great tips on stocking the bar and preparing drinks for a party.  These roasted plums soaked in vodka are such a great idea for the base of a martini!

wifestyle conference 63

wifestyle conference 65

wifestyle conference 66

I’ve actually been eying these glass dharma straws for a while, I was really excited to get one in my swag!

wifestyle conference 22

Beyond the eating and drinking, we also learned how to put together a gorgeous flower arrangement…

wifestyle conference 46

wifestyle conference 50

wifestyle conference 48

…and creatively decorate a table.

wifestyle conference 54

Can you believe that is a shower curtain being used as a table cloth?!

wifestyle conference 53

Finally, I got to meet Lisa from With Style & Grace.

wifestyle conference 57

She did a cooking demo and talked about eating and entertaining gluten-free.

wifestyle conference 60

All in all a great experience and fun day!  Can’t wait to go again next year.s

Have you found any new ways to meet people with common interests lately?

Blog, Recipes

The Best Homemade Applesauce

Leave a comment

Apple Picking 28

Before coming back from our weekend away, I had to take advantage of the apple picking available!

Apple Picking 5Apple Picking 4

We went to Windy Hill Farm which had a decent selection of apples to choose from.  I was really excited to see they had my favorite variety ready to go.

Apple Picking 19

Apple Picking 11

Besides the beloved Honey Crisp, we got a selection of Cortlands, Paula Reds and Macintosh.  Macintosh apples remind me of being a kid.  My family used to go to Lambertville and New Hope every fall to pick pumpkins, buy apples and run around the scarecrow maze.  We always loaded up on the Macintosh apples.

Apple Picking 14

This was my first time actually picking the apples from trees.  They gave us a map and had very clear signs that made it easy to navigate through all the apple trees.  Other than the bug bites all over my feet (note to self: don’t wear flip flops to go apple picking on a warm day), it was so much fun.  I would have taken home bushels and bushels of apples if I could have.

Apple Picking 15

Apple Picking 21

We went with 1/2 bushel, maybe 7 pounds of apples?

Apple Picking 33

Check out this slideshow to to see Matt’s favorite part of the apple picking!

I’ve never had a Paula Red before, but when the woman at the farm said they make great sauce our ears perked up.  I like jarred applesauce in small doses, but there really is nothing like homemade applesauce.

Monday night as soon as we got home, Matt got to cooking!  With a little bit of my input, he basically made the applesauce himself.  Let me tell you, it was amazing!  I tried to save some to take photos in daylight but the applesauce was too good.  We finished the whole batch for dessert.  Oh and yes, this happened to be Matt’s birthday dessert… what kind of baking blogger am I?

The Best Homemade Applesauce 3

Seriously, homemade applesauce with vanilla frozen yogurt was the perfect end to the weekend!  You know, since I hadn’t had quite enough dessert yet.

[print_this]

The Best Homemade Applesauce

Yield: Makes ~2 cups of applesauce, serves 2-4

Ingredients

  • 7 medium apples, peeled and chopped (we used a combination of Paula Reds and Macintosh)
  • 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  •  the juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup water

Cooking Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot
  2. Cover pot and let cook over low heat for 10 minutes
  3. Remove cover and stir
  4. Allow mixture to simmer over low heat for additional 10-15 minutes stirring on occasion
  5. Remove from heat when sauce has reached desired consistency (for a more chunky sauce cook for less time)

[/print_this]

Adapted from Heather’s Dish

The Best Homemade Applesauce 2

What apples would you pick?  Monica at the Yummy Life has a great list of apples that tells you what kinds are best for eating, cooking and baking.

Uncategorized

Ice Cream, Pizza, Cupcakes and Why My Pants are Tight

Leave a comment

Hike in Lenox 12

This past weekend was pretty amazing.

Hike in Lenox 1

After a fun summer of spending weekends with our respective families, it was a nice change of pace to have a weekend getaway just the two of us.

Hike in Lenox 8

We headed up to Lenox, Massachusetts on Saturday courtesy of a wedding gift from Matt’s brother and his wife.  We had two nights there and used every minute of Saturday-Monday doing something fun and out of the norm or just relaxing.

Hike in Lenox 10

After getting settled in, we went on a hike in the area.  I’ve never been hiking before, but now I have a new favorite form of exercise.  Too bad NYC isn’t known for its trails;-)  Other than the hike, we made it to the gym on Sunday for a spin class and Monday for another workout.  It’s a good thing because the rest of our weekend pretty much revolved around indulging in the local eateries.

Hike in Lenox 14Hike in Lenox 13

One of my favorite local vendors was SoCo Creamery.  I’m pretty sure that their ice cream was made for me.  I’m not sure I should tell you how many ice creams Matt and I had between the two of us over 2 1/2 days.  If I could, I would have stayed in Lenox just so I could try their entire ever-expanding list of flavors.

SoCo Creamery 9

On this particular visit, I had an order of Espresso Cookie and Dirty Chocolate, by far my favorites.

SoCo Creamery 2

The ice creams are all rich and creamy with a real quality flavor component.  On another visit I had blueberry with strawberry cheesecake.  The blueberry looked and tasted like it was made from fresh blueberries that day.

SoCo Creamery 7

Apparently I can find SoCo at some stores in NYC, not sure if that is a good or very dangerous thing.  I’m trying to make myself forget before I get myself into trouble!

SoCo Creamery 8

The way Matt and I ate on Sunday, you would have thought we were carb loading for a marathon.  Really we were just carb loading for fun.

Berkshire Mountain Bakery 9

The day started with a visit to Berkshire Mountain Bakery.  A special thanks to Brian for his recommendation!  We tried both sweet and savory mini ciabattas to share.  The Jalapeno & Cheese was amazing- fresh and chewy with the perfect amount of heat.

Berkshire Mountain Bakery 6

And of course I loved the Dark Chocolate!  The bread wasn’t too sweet so you could really savor the rich dark chocolate chunks.

Berkshire Mountain Bakery 4Berkshire Mountain Bakery 7_1

As we continued towards the town of Great Barrington, we stopped at a local farm.

Taft Farms 3

I was so excited to see all of my favorite fall things!

Taft Farms 5

Taft Farms 7

They even still had some fresh-from-the-farm summer produce.

Taft Farms 10

Taft Farms 12

And of course baked goods.

Taft Farms 8

Matt tried their famous Tangleberry Pie (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries).

Taft Farms 13

Nothing like a piece of pie for a mid-morning snack!

Taft Farms 15

One of my favorite things about the towns we explored was the focus on local food and fresh ingredients.  Matt and I explored Berkshire Co-op Market, what I think of as a local Whole Foods.

Coop in Great Barrington 9

The massive vat of organic peanut butter was enough for me to fall in love.

Coop in Great Barrington 1

They also had a ton of options for bulk flours, beans, nuts, seeds, etc.  More than I’ve seen in any Whole Foods!

Coop in Great Barrington 3

Coop in Great Barrington 5

Since they were dispensing Kombucha in fountain form, I figured I should finally give this hyped-up drink a try.  Verdict? I liked it, but not enough to pay the normal $2.50+/bottle

Coop in Great Barrington 7

After a couple of hours of strolling and exploring the town, I was very excited to be hungry for lunch.  We ate at the infamous Baba Louie’s.  They actually use sourdough crust made by Berkshire Mountain Bakery (where we stopped for breakfast) and have a ton of creative topping combinations.

Baba Louie's pizza 2

We shared a small pizza that was one half Isabella (roasted sweet potatoes, roasted parsnips, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, fresh mozzarella and shaved fennel, drizzled with reduced balsamic vinegar and parmesan) and half Pomodoro Bianco (Fresh mozzarella, roasted portabellas, roasted garlic, tomatoes, red onions, chêvre, pesto and parmesan).  The chewy crust was nice for a change but it really was all about the toppings for me.  I loved the sweet potato mix.

Baba Louie's pizza 3

While walking around the area after lunch, we stopped at the local kitchen supply store.  What do you know, they sold cupcakes!

Barrington Bites Cupcakes Lemon Cupcake 4

Barrington Bites is another local business.  One of the owners was in the store baking her cupcakes and piping them for customers to see.

Barrington Bites Cupcakes 2

If I hadn’t been stuffed, I would have ordered a Peanut Butter & Jelly or French Toast with Bacon.  Matt had a little room in his stomach, though, and chose lemon and strawberry cupcakes.

Barrington Bites Cupcakes Lemon Cupcake 2

Both were moist with a very buttery buttercream frosting.  I tasted the strawberry and couldn’t believe how wonderfully the fresh strawberry flavor came through.

Barrington Bites Cupcakes Strawberry Cupcake

By the time Sunday rolled around, I was sad to leave the area.  It seemed like there were still lots of local restaurants and foods to try.  Luckily we picked up a small stash of local candies to take home.  Ok, I actually ate the bark Sunday night, but I tried!

Lenox local candy 1

What we did end up taking home was a massive amount of apples!  More on that and some recipes to come:-)

Apple Picking 34

I really enjoyed every minute of the weekend.  My pants may be a little tight, but it was well worth it.

How do you recover from a weekend of indulgence?

Recipes, Uncategorized

Whole Wheat Maple Walnut Spice Cookies

Leave a comment

Whole Wheat Maple Walnut Spice Cookies 12

Along with pumpkin muffins the other night, I had these cookies going in and out of the oven.  I have to admit, I don’t usually like walnuts in my desserts (keep them away from my fudgey brownies, please), but these Whole Wheat Maple Walnut Spice Cookies just sounded so appealing. Maybe it is the fact that whole wheat flour = healthy, walnuts = healthy, whole wheat flour + walnuts = super healthy cookies!  That logic works, right?

Whole Wheat Maple Walnut Spice Cookies 8_1

And you know what happens when you make healthy cookies?  You can eat as many as you want guilt-free!  It is a good thing, too, because when you smell these in the oven, you will not be able to resist.  A hint of maple syrup and the warm fall flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger will wake up your senses.  Warm and chewy right out of the oven, instant comfort.

Whole Wheat Maple Walnut Spice Cookies 14

I’d like to say that you can unwind, grab a book and enjoy a cookie with a warm cup of tea, but who are we kidding?  I’ve never eaten A cookie in my life.  Grab 6 3 and enjoy.

[print_this]

Whole Wheat Maple Walnut Spice Cookies

Yield: Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

  • 3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup walnut pieces

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt; set aside
  3. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy
  4. Add eggs, maple syrup and vanilla; beat until combined
  5. Stir in walnut pieces
  6. Use a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon to lay cookie dough balls out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper 1-2 inches apart
  7. Bake cookies for 8-9 minutes or until color changes slightly and cookies are almost firm
  8. Allow to cool on cooling rack before serving

[/print_this]

Adapted from Cooking Light

Whole Wheat Maple Walnut Spice Cookies 15

Walnuts in your cookies? Yay or nay?

Recipes, Uncategorized

Pumpkin S’more Muffins

3 Comments

Pumpkin S'more Muffins 4

So the Northeast kind of got slapped in the face by the end of summer.  We were welcomed back to work on the day after Labor Day with grey skies and non-stop rain.  Well hello, real life!

Despite the unofficial end of a quick but wonderful summer, today actually wasn’t too bad.  Starting work on a Tuesday instead of Monday is always a plus and next week will be the same!  Matt and I have a weekend trip planned for just the two of us.  I like to think of it as a little belated anniversary celebration, but it also overlaps with his birthday on Monday!  It should be a fun few days.

The second thing that kept today’s mood up is that the next few weeks are going to continue to be crazy but also really great.  After this weekend, I can still look forward to the WifeStyle Conference, my 5-year reunion in Atlanta  with my best friends (!!!), the excuse to eat copious amounts of food High Holidays and  an exciting opportunity that (hopefully) has come my way.  Cross your fingers for me.

Pumpkin S'more Muffins 15

And finally, what made today even better was the smell of some amazing fall baked goods in my apartment.  Yesterday when we got home, Matt and I both spent some time in the kitchen.  He made a huge pot of turkey chili (so perfect for this dreary weather) and I had a mini baking marathon.  I know I’ve said this before, but spending time in the kitchen is the best therapy.  Over the last couple of months, I’ve been a little busier than usual and haven’t had much time to bake.  Just a few hours of quality time with my mixer reminded me of that sense of joy I get when I make something that I know will put a smile on someone’s face.

One of my favorite things about fall is pumpkin.  To be honest, I eat pumpkin all year long, but it isn’t until the fall that most people are ready to celebrate the flavor with me.  Since I love pumpkin muffins and the entire world is obsessed with s’mores, I figured I should combine the two into Pumpkin S’more Muffins.

Pumpkin S'more Muffins 11

This recipe is so easy thanks to the help of a cake mix, but if you want to make your muffin batter from scratch and have a couple of extra minutes, this is my favorite recipe.

[print_this]

Pumpkin S’more Muffins

Yield: Makes 2 dozen muffins

Ingredients

  • 5 or 6 graham cracker sheets
  • 1 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
  • 1 small can (15 ounces) pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 cup (~3) egg whites
  • 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 muffin tins by greasing or spraying with cooking spray
  2. Break graham cracker sheets into pieces and fit them into muffin tins to act as a crust; set aside remaining graham crackers and crumbs for topping
  3. Combine cake mix, pumpkin, water, egg whites and pumpkin pie spice with an electric mixer on low speed just until combined
  4. Stir in chocolate chips
  5. When batter is ready, fill each prepared cup with about 1/2 cup of batter
  6. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean
  7. Remove muffins from oven and press 4-5 marshmallows into top center of each and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs
  8. Place back in oven for 1-2 or until marshmallows have puffed
  9. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing muffins from pans

[/print_this]

Adapted from these brownies

Pumpkin S'more Muffins 13

What made today a good day for you?

Uncategorized

Cookies ‘n Cream Double Chocolate Cookies

Leave a comment

Cookies n Cream Double Chocolate Cookies 8

I’ve really been enjoying the Cookies ‘n Cream Almond Butter Spread I made a few weeks ago.  It isn’t the typical nut butter consistency so really the easiest way to eat it is on a spoon.  I have no problem with that!

Cookies n Cream Double Chocolate Cookies 17

But since it is more of a dessert spread, I thought it deserved to be incorporated into an actual dessert!  Chocolaty cookies perhaps?  I used the basics of my favorite chewy chocolate cookie recipe and used the thumbprint method to top the cookies off with the cookie spread filling.  There are also white chocolate chips in the batter to compliment the cookies ‘n cream and add some extra texture.

Cookies n Cream Double Chocolate Cookies 21

Don’t worry if they are a little crumbly as you are setting them up, just tightly pack the filling and they will bake together nicely!

Cookies n Cream Double Chocolate Cookies 51

[print_this]

Cookies ‘n Cream Double Chocolate Cookies

Makes ~4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Dash of salt

1 ¼ cup unsalted butter (2 ½ stick) softened at room temperature

2 cups granulated Sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup Cookies ‘n Cream Almond Butter Spread

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375

Whisk together the dry ingredients, except for sugar, and set aside

Cream butter and sugar

Beat in the eggs and vanilla

Gradually add your dry ingredients with mixer on low until well-combined

Stir in white chocolate chips

Drop dough in heaping tablespoons on baking sheets lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart

Press down with thumb into cookie dough mounds to make a thumbprint

Place a tightly packed teaspoon of almond butter spread into each thumbprint

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until cookies are slightly puffy and firm

Let cool on cooling rack

Cookie dough recipe from HERSHEY’s

[/print_this]

Cookies n Cream Double Chocolate Cookies 35

What did you think of the latest blog party? Are you submitting a pumpkin post?

Uncategorized

Sweet and Salty Party

Leave a comment

disappearing cookie 4

Do you need to eat something sweet after each meal?  Do you ever finish dessert and realize you crave a bite of something salty?  I think it is that need for the balance of sweet and salty on our palates that makes the combination so addicting.  I’ve always been a fan of chocolate covered pretzels, but ever since I became obsessed my discovery of salted caramel I’ve expanded my sweet and salty love to a huge array of desserts.

For today’s blog party, we are celebrating the combination of sweet and salty! Click on the links to get recipes for each of these amazing treats.

Brownie Buckeye Bites from Baking with Basil

Peanut butter and chocolate suck me in, but the salty crunchy pretzel puts these over the top.  I don’t think I’d be able to share.

brownie-buckeye-bites-group

Deep Chocolate Brownies with Dried Cherries and Sea Salt from from The District Chocoholic

These brownies look unbelievably fudgy, there is no way I could resist them.

Deep Chocolate Brownies with Dried Cherries and Sea Salt

Pretzel Crusted Brownies with Fluffy Buttercream Frosting from the Avid Appetite

Look at all the amazing layers.  I think my husband and I would fight over these babies! 

pretzel brownie close with buttercream

Fudge with Espresso Salt from Confessions of a Chocoholic

I need to get my hands on this espresso salt!  This looks rich and delicious.

chocolate-nutella-fudge- with espresso salt

Dark Chocolate Chunkies from Veronica’s Cornucopia

A replication of the famous candy bar in cookie form, it’s no wonder Veronica won third place for these cookies at the fair a few years ago!

Dark Chocolate Chunkies

Double White Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies from Stylish, Stealthy & Healthy

Jess said these cookies were not safe in her kitchen, I can see why!

white chocolate peanut butter-pretzel-cookies

Lime-Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies from The District Chocoholic

Victoria comes up with some incredible flavor combinations, this is one I absolutely need to try!

Lime-Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes from Yums and Loves

Given my love of salted caramel I know I’d love these cupcakes.  Too bad no one else would get the chance to have oneWinking smile

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Salted Caramel and Chocolate Cake from Chocolate & Carrots

Anyone have a birthday coming up? I need an excuse to make this cake!

Salted-Caramel-Chocolate-Cake-5944

Rolo Pretzel Turtles from Veronica’s Cornucopia

I love simple recipes that turn out incredibly delicious!

rolo-turtles-2-4-9-10

Cashew Brittle from the Keenan Cookbook

I’ve never made homemade brittle but I think it might be time to try! 

Cashew Brittle

Pomegranate Stuffed Chocolate Covered Pretzels from The Spiffy Cookie

Pomegranate is such a surprising addition but it sounds wonderful!

Pom-Stuffed-Choc-Covered-Pretzels-1024x777

Microwave Brown Sugar Kettle Corn from The Yummy Life

Monica always has great recipes for entertaining.  I bet this popcorn would be a perfect snack for football season.

Microwave Brown Sugar Kettle Corn

Pretty-in-Pink Popcorn Party Mix from The Yummy Life

This is the prettiest party mix I’ve ever seen, but more importantly it looks delicious!

Pretty in Pink Popcorn Party Mix
Salted Chocolate Pot with Red Wine Cream from London Bakes

Such a gorgeous presentation and a decadent treat!

Salted Chocolate Pot with Red Wine

Pistachio Ice Cream from I Was Born to Cook

My dad loves pistachio ice cream, I think this would be a huge hit!

pistachio ice cream

Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie from The Spiffy Cookie

Such a nice tribute and delicious looking pie!

Peanut-Butter-Pretzel-Pie-1024x767

And a couple favorites from Keep It Sweet:

Margarita Cheesecake Bars

margarita cheesecake bars 14a

Blueberry Pretzel Clusters

clusters 2

Which one is your favorite?

Next month’s blog party will be on Tuesday, September 27th and we will celebrate pumpkin!  Email me by the 26th (keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com) with a link to your posts (limit of 2) to be included.

Blog, Recipes

Tate’s Chocolate Chip Cookies and More Birthday Desserts

Leave a comment

cutting cake 1chocolate banana mocha cake 3

On gushing about the Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Surprise (otherwise know as the “Best Dessert Ever”), I forgot to tell you about all the other birthday desserts!  You know my mom couldn’t stop at just one;-)

We had:

  • Chocolate and Banana Three Layer Cake with Mocha Buttercream
  • Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
  • Ice Cream “Pie” with a Chocolate Krispie Treat Crust

I was so excited to go back to the shore this weekend and eat leftovers (we froze the desserts for the week), but thanks to a little thing called Irene, we stayed home.

Lauren Matt 1dessert table 1chocolate banana mocha cake 2red velvet cupcakes 1Jessica Nikki Yvette cutting cake 5rice crispy ice cream pie 2

Now, onto the cookies!  For my second month of the Secret Recipe Club, I got Wives with Knives.  Cathy has a great variety of recipes on her blog, but the Tate’s Chocolate Chip Cookies caught my eye.

Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies 7

Tate’s cookies are famous for the crispness.  Originally I thought this would be the perfect cookie for my dad, a lover of crispy cookies.

Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies 18_1

However, like Cathy, the cookies didn’t come out very crisp.  They did get a nice crunch on the outside, though, and had great flavor.  I actually think these are the perfect cookies to dip in milk, but I’ll have to find another perfect cookie for my dad!  Definitely try the recipe if you are a crunchy cookie fan.

Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies 17

I hope everyone stayed safe from the storm this weekend!

Blog, Recipes

Chocolate Glazed Cookie Cheesecake Pie

Leave a comment

Chocolate Glazed Cookie Cheesecake Pie

A couple of weeks ago, Jennie of In Jennie’s kitchen lost her husband, Mikey suddenly to a heart attack.  While I don’t know her personally, I’ve visited her blog a couple of times and my heart broke for her.  She invited us to celebrate Mikey’s life with his favorite peanut butter pie.

Chocolate Glazed Cookie Cheesecake Pie

Hearing about such a tragedy only reminded me of how lucky I am for each day I get to enjoy with my loved ones.  Whether it is via email, facebook, phone or in person, I’m thankful for each “touch” I get with them.  Too often I get wrapped up in the busy days, stressful moments and minute problems to appreciate all of the good things.

Chocolate Glazed Cookie Cheesecake Pie

When I finally got some time in the kitchen this week, I wanted to support Jennie, even if I was little late.  Since she was talking about her husband’s favorite pie, I thought I should make something with love for my husband (who, we all know, dislikes peanut butter).  I know that the combination of chocolate chip cookie and cheesecake is one of his favorite things, so I created a spin on that in pie form.  The chocolate chip cookie crust, creamy cheesecake filling and rich chocolate glaze were all made with love.

Chocolate Glazed Cookie Cheesecake Pie

In light of Jennie’s loss, the blogging community has come together in an incredible way.  As she is now left with two young children, she will need more than just emotional support.  A fund was started by Bloggers Without Borders to help raise money for Jennie and her family. Bloggers throughout the community are offering cookbooks, photos, baked goods, site redesigns… anything to auction and raise money towards the fund.  Some auctions that I have found:

Chocolate Glazed Cookie Cheesecake Pie

Chocolate Glazed Cookie Cheesecake Pie

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chocolate chip cookie dough

Cheesecake filling:
1 8-ounce package reduced fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze:
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees and spray a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray
Press cookie dough into bottom and around sides of prepared pie plate; bake for 10 minutes
While crust is baking, beat cream cheese with whisk attachment of electric mixer for several minutes or until light and creamy
Add sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla and beat until well combined
When crust is ready, pour cheesecake mixture into pie crust
Bake 15-20 minutes or until filling is firm; set aside
Combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup in a small pot over low-medium heat and stir constantly until mixture is completely melted
Stir in vanilla and remove pot from heat; pour glaze over pie
Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight
Cheesecake from All Recipes
Glaze from All Recipes

Chocolate Glazed Cookie Cheesecake Pie

Are you hosting an auction? If so, leave your link in the comments below!

Blog, Recipes

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Surprise

Leave a comment

Since my birthday dessert (ie the Best Dessert Ever) was such a hit and there were so many requests, I got my mom to share a little bit more about her creation and tell us how to make it!

It appears that my love-inspired dessert, has sent quite a buzz through the world of creative sweet lovers! This cake was a process. And I couldn’t have gotten “to the top” without my other daughter Jessica. To say we went back and forth 1,000 times, with 1,000 or more ideas, would be putting it mildly. For those of you who know my Lauren, you know that she has more than one true love, of desserts, that is!

My objective was to incorporate as many of her favorite desserts into one flowing masterpiece. The ones that I couldn’t actually incorporate, well, I simply made as separate desserts as well!  This is how the Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Surprise was created…
I already knew I was making one three layer cake. But when I saw a 10″ pan and a 6″ pan, (and knowing that I already had an 8″ pan), I thought how fun it would be to make a 3-layer cake, this one of varying sizes. Along with varying sizes, I decided on different layer components too.

I think I knew from the start that the bottom layer would be brownie. That’s the strongest of the bunch and capable of holding up the other two layers very well. My brownie recipe comes from a well-used Taste of Home’s Chocolate Lover’s Cookbook Magazine. (I used a brownie recipe I, of course, was already familiar with that calls for a 13 x 9 pan.) I knew it would fit the 10″ perfectly. When it had already been baked and cooled, I spread chocolate cool whip over it, and put that in the freezer. I like putting a little something in between my layers to help distinguish the different tastes and textures.

I decided not to do anything crunchy in between these three layers because I felt it would somehow be too much or overwhelm the creamy textures of the top two layers especially.

The next layer was the cheesecake. I have SO many cheesecake recipes!!! No doubt you do as well! But in one of Lauren’s latest blogs, she had a Peanut Butter Party, and that is where I found my latest cheesecake recipe! That came from Erin’s Food Files! So thank you, Erin! baked the cheesecake as directed, wrapped it in seran wrap, and placed into the freezer.

My chocolate ganache recipe came from All Recipes. The choice of chocolate ganache was Jessica’s; she thought of it while we walked together on the beach, wondering how in the world we would complete this dessert!

Next was the peanut butter mousse. This very old recipe comes from my very dear friend Gayle, who incidentally, could not remember this recipe at all! I lined the pan with seran wrap, poured in the peanut butter mousse, and placed it in the freezer to mold.

Finally, my peanut butter ganache. I don’t know how I thought of doing that. I really don’t. But I can tell you that the recipe itself, comes from Gourmet.LovetoKnow. I thought about shaving a bit of chocolate on top to finish the look. Clearly, we decided against that in the end.

The entire thing was put together once it was good and frozen. I knew it would be much easier to assemble. Finally, while Jessica held the cake for me, I sprinkled it with chopped dark chocolate peanut butter cups and peanut butter chips. I think the next time I make this……… I would use less ganache. It’s not that it seemed too much while eating, but appearance wise, maybe it’s a bit much? In the end though, it has as much to do with whom you share your eating experiences, as with the food itself. Sharing with my girls, for me, is always the “icing on the cake”!

[print_this]Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Surprise

You will need:

1 of each: 10-inch round cake pan, 8-inch round spring-form pan, 6-inch round cake pan

1 batch brownies prepared in a 10-inch round cake pan (any 9×13 brownie recipe or box-mix would do) Note from Lauren: Baker’s brownies would work

1 8-ounce container chocolate cool whip

1 cheesecake prepared in an 8-inch spring-form pan as directed

1 cup chocolate ganache

1 batch of peanut butter mousse (any of these recipes would work)

1 batch peanut butter ganache

optional: chopped peanut butter cups and peanut butter chips for garnish

Construction:

Prepare each layer the day before serving (layers can be frozen up to one week); you can build your dessert a couple of hours prior to serving and store in refrigerator

Prepare brownie in 10-inch round pan; once cooled, wrap brownie layer tightly in foil and freeze

Bake cheesecake as directed and allow to cool and set in refrigerator as directed; remove from spring-form pan; wrap tightly in seran wrap and foil and freeze

For the peanut butter mousse layer, line a 6-inch pan with seran wrap; pour prepared mousse into pan; cover with additional seran wrap and freeze

Once each layer is frozen, unwrap them and you can build the dessert

Place brownie layer on large plate; spread layer of chocolate cool whip over top

Place cheesecake on top of that layer

Spread chocolate ganache over cheesecake (may not need entire batch of ganache)

Top with peanut butter mouse

Drizzle peanut butter ganache over top layer and sides as desired

Store in refrigerator and sprinkle with peanut butter cups and peanut butter chips prior to serving

[/print_this]

What layers would you put in your fantasy birthday cake?

Blog, Recipes

Cookies ‘n Cream Almond Butter Spread

Leave a comment

Cookies n Cream Almond Butter Spread 13

I like to have a variety of nut butters available to eat at any given time.  As of last night, there were six open jars in my kitchen.  I’m not going  to tell you how many unopened jars are in the cabinets.  Let’s just say that I invest in peanut butter like some people invest in the stock market.  At the rate the market is going these days, I think I’m the smart one.

Cookies n Cream Almond Butter Spread 14

Some time between last night and this morning, I decided that six jars of nut butter just weren’t going to cut it.  Time to make a new one!  And of course a dessert-y nut butter would be appropriate.

Cookies n Cream Almond Butter Spread 16

Have you ever dipped an Oreo into peanut butter?  No?  Okay, go try it, now.  And then buy bigger pants.  Have you ever dipped an Oreo into almond butter? I hadn’t either, but it seemed like a good idea.  It seemed like an even better idea to merge the two foods though.  Oreo cookies in my almond butter? That’s right.

Cookies n Cream Almond Butter Spread 5

[print_this]

Cookies ‘n Cream Almond Butter Spread

Yield: Makes ~1 cup or 16 tablespoons

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups roasted salted almonds
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons almond milk
  • 2 Oreos (can use gluten-free)

Cooking Directions

  1. Grind almonds in food processor until creamy, stopping to scrape the sides every minute or so
  2. Once creamy and wet, add vanilla and almond milk
  3. Blend until completely combined
  4. Add Oreos and blend for another minute
  5. Store in a jar or tupperware in refrigerator up to 10 days

[/print_this]

Cookies n Cream Almond Butter Spread 18

A couple off topic items:

Jackie from La Casa de Sweets organized a way for all of us to help raise money in Africa to help with the food crisis.  Click here to help.

Steve’s race is this weekend!  Help him get to his new goal of $10,000 and raise money for cancer research!!

We are getting closer to the sweet and salty blog party.  Email me to include your recipes (up to two per person)!  keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com.

How many jars of nut butter do you have on hand?

Uncategorized

Scenes From the Shore and a Giveaway Winner

Leave a comment

shore 2b

I’m back from vacation but already behind on life!  Amazing how that happens, huh?  Work is already crazy and I have a huge backlog of desserts I want to make.  Right now I am extra thankful to this past week’s guest posters.

shore 4b

It seems that another summer has flown by in the blink of an eye.  The weather has been better than most summers I can remember and I’m just now starting to crave pumpkin and apple desserts the cool crisp air of fall.  Don’t get me wrong, I would be happy to extend the length of summer.  Though, I think in an ideal world, we’d flip back and forth between summer, spring and fall.  Winter is fun in December, but beyond that I could live without the brutally cold days.

shore 8b

But I digress.  Last week’s vacation was a wonderful break from real life.  We lucked out with amazing weather (aside from a rainy day that made for a trip to the outlets and the movies).  Add in an excessive number of trips to my favorite chocolate store, ice cream every day, and evening plans that revolved around dinner every night and you’ve got a perfect week at the shore.

shore 21

It was hard not to get a little bit sad yesterday waking up to an alarm and going back to the office.  Luckily, we are planning for another trip to the shore next weekend to celebrate my birthday and today…

shore 15

…we found out that Matt passed Level III of the CFA!  My husband is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met.  I didn’t have any doubt that he had passed, but waiting for the results was still a little nerve-racking.  He took and passed levels I and II in December 2009 and June 2010, respectively.  This last test took place in June but he started studying for it in January.  Almost every night and every weekend for five months was devoted to that.  He deserved this so much!

shore 19

As for the blog birthday giveaway, congrats to Alyssa at fashionfitnessfoodie who said “i want to see more pb & choc recipes :).”  I can promise you that will happen!  Email me (keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com) with your mailing address so I can send the desserts your way!

Has anyone in your life made you proud recently?  Brag in the comments!

Uncategorized

Nutter Butter Bars {Guest Post}

Leave a comment

Nutter Butter Bars 1

Wow, I can’t believe it is the last day of my official vacation.  It has been good to get away from real life for a bit but I miss my regular baking and blogging.  I promise to get back to that soon!  Luckily, I have another amazing guest post today.  My blog friends seem to know me so well and Alex from Yums and Loves is here with a delicious looking recipe for Nutter Butter Bars.  Alex blogs about cooking, baking and life.  Of course my favorite posts are all about the desserts:  Sugar High Fridays, Funfetti Pound Cake, and Peanut Butter Wrapped Chocolate Cookies. 

Hello Keep it Sweet readers! I’m Alex and I blog over at Yums and Loves.  I like to write about all sorts of food, but also everyday life.  I’ve been an avid reader of Lauren’s blog so I was thrilled to be writing for her!  She has some great recipes and I love her writing.  When I started thinking about a recipe to share with the Keep it Sweet readers I had several ideas.  I knew I wanted to make a sweet dish, you just can’t beat a tasty treat.  I decided to go with a combination that I know both Lauren and I love… peanut butter and chocolate!

Nutter Butter Bars 2

I made a triple layer bar with chocolate, Nutter Butter cookies, and a whole lotta peanut butter!   They were very easy to put together and almost a no-bake treat.  The crust was simply crushed Nutter Butters with melted butter.  Topped with a mixture of peanut butter and powdered sugar.  The final layer is chocolate and you guessed it… more peanut butter!  This will definitely suit your peanut butter and chocolate cravings.  Easy to make….and so fun to eat!

[print_this]

Nutter Butter Bars

Makes one 9×13 pan

For the Crust:

one package Nutter Butter cookies

6 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 325. 

Crush cookies in food processor until you have fine crumbs. 

Combine cookie crumbs with melted butter. 

Press into the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan.

Bake for 6 minutes.

Peanut butter filling:

1 cup peanut butter

2 cups powdered sugar

½ cup softened butter

1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients using a hand mixer.  Beat together until smooth. 

Layer on top of cooled crust. 

Chocolate topping:

In your microwave melt 1 ½ cups chocolate chips and if you want even extra peanut butter flavor add a heaping spoonful of peanut butter! 

Melt for 30 seconds, stir and continue in 30 second intervals until smooth.

Pour on top of your peanut butter layer.  

Let completed bars sit for at least an hour to harden up. 

I added a few mini Nutter Butters for garnish on top. 

Serve to all your peanut butter and chocolate loving friends!

[/print_this]Nutter Butter Bars 3

Thanks Lauren for letting me share a recipe with your readers.  I had a great time writing for you….let’s do it again!

Blog, Recipes

Jackie’s Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cup Cookies {Guest Post}

Leave a comment

Chocolate-Peanut_Butter_Cup_Cookies_2

While I’m taking a few days off, Jackie from La Casa de Sweets was kind enough to offer to guest post!  Since she made a delicious chocolate and peanut butter dessert for her post, I wanted to point out some other amazing looking chocolate and peanut butter recipes on her blog: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes, Crunchy Peanut Butter Brownies and Mini Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream.  I think I need to get back to the kitchen!

Hello, Keep It Sweet readers! I am very excited to be sharing a recipe with you today while sweet Lauren is away having a fun time on vacation.

When I asked Lauren what some of her favorite foods are, one of the things she mentioned was peanut butter cups. I’ve been raving about the new Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for a while now, and even made some ice cream with them, so I knew I had to use them for Lauren! I decided to make a chocolate pudding cookie with chunks of mini Peanut Butter cups in every bite. Never had a pudding cookie? Believe me, they’re delicious. Every bite of this cookie is moist (that’s what the pudding is for!), and bursting with chocolate and peanut butter flavor. Reese’s fans, beware, these cookies will have you buying mini Peanut Butter Cups every week. Enjoy!

[print_this]

Jackie’s Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 small (3.4 oz.) package of Jello Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2-1/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 8-oz. package Mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (whole or cut in half)
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Cooking Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
  3. On medium speed, beat in the pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract.
  4. On low speed, mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Be careful to mix only until combined (do not over-mix!).
  5. Stir in the mini peanut butter cups (or pieces, if you cut them in half).
  6. Use a measuring tablespoon to scoop out the cookie dough onto the lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the centers of the cookies are just set.
  7. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, before cooling completely on cooling racks.
  8. After the cookies have cooled, microwave the white chocolate chips at 30 second intervals until melted. Use a fork to drizzle the white chocolate onto the cookies. Let cool slightly.
  9. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

[/print_this]

Enjoy!

For more of my recipes, head on over to La Casa de Sweets, and you can also follow me on twitter and facebook!

Don’t forget to enter the Keep It Sweet birthday giveaway!

Blog

Blog Birthday Giveaway

Leave a comment

SONY DSC

I can’t believe that I’ve been blogging for a year.  That time flew by, but at the same time, I can not imagine my life without Keep It Sweet.  I’ve found so many wonderful people (readers and other bloggers), established my own creative outlet and found a deeper passion for creating desserts than I ever had before.  Looking back, it is amazing to see how far I’ve come in just this one year:

My first real post

Dreaming about the future

I bought a real camera

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies 16a

Since my blog turned 1 today, and since I’m in a generous week-off-from-work mood, I’m doing a giveaway!  One reader will win a package one of my favorite desserts and these classic chewy chocolate chip cookies.  There are 5 ways to win:

1. Leave a comment telling me what you want to see on the blog in the next year OR what your favorite post was.

2.  Follow me on Twitter

3.  Share this post on Twitter

4.  Like me on Facebook

5. Share this post on StumbleUpon

Rules:  This is open top US and Canada readers only.  Please leave a comment for each of the above entries.  Giveaway is open until Sunday August 14th at midnight est.

Uncategorized

Individual S’mores Brownies

Leave a comment

Individual Smores Brownies 7

You may or may not be on s’mores overload.  For some reason, as many recipes as I’ve seen that put s’mores in some form of cookie/brownie/rice krispie treat, etc. it just doesn’t get old.

Individual Smores Brownies 22

So of course when I was putting together some baked good packages for a friend I had to include something s’mores.  I wanted it to be something that would travel in the mail without losing its form or taste in a couple of days.  These Individual S’mores Brownies seemed up for the challenge.

Individual Smores Brownies 10

I used a simple crust of graham cracker, my favorite brownie recipe, and topped them off with marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs.  They are easy to make but cute and delicious to eat.  The graham crackers add a nice texture to each bite and of course the gooey marshmallow tops it off nicely.

Individual Smores Brownies 1

Take these to your next barbecue!

Individual Smores Brownies 14

[print_this]

Individual S’mores Brownies

Yield: Makes 2 dozen brownies

Ingredients

  • 5 or 6 graham cracker sheets
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 muffin tins by greasing or spraying with cooking spray
  2. Break graham cracker sheets into pieces and fit them into muffin tins to act as a crust; set aside remaining graham crackers and crumbs for topping
  3. Melt butter and chocolate in large sauce pan over low to medium heat
  4. You can also melt chocolate and butter in the microwave (I recommend heating for 30 seconds at a time and stirring to prevent burning the chocolate)
  5. Whisk in sugar
  6. Whisk in eggs and vanilla
  7. Whisk in flour until smooth
  8. When batter is smooth, spoon about 3 tablespoons of batter into each prepared cup
  9. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until tops are puffed up slightly and toothpick comes out clean
  10. Remove brownies from oven and press 4-5 marshmallows into top center of brownies and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs
  11. Place back in oven for 1-2 or until marshmallows have puffed
  12. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing brownies from pans

[/print_this]

Inspired by Young Married Chic and Hot Blondies.  Brownie recipe from Bakers.

Individual Smores Brownies 29

What is your favorite way to enjoy s’mores?

Blog, Recipes

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Pretzel Pops

55 Comments

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Pretzel Pops 19

I told you I’d come back with these cookie dough balls.  Actually, the only thing that kept me from eating the entire batch at once was all of the ideas brewing in my head.  Some of the ideas that you all suggested were kabobs, frozen yogurt/ice cream topping and mix-in, cheesecake, and cupcakes.  I can’t wait to try them!  This week, I wanted to keep it simple.  Between apartment hunting, preparing for a week away from the office, and just the normal summer craziness I didn’t have a ton of time in the kitchen.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Pretzel Pops 24

Hence, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Pretzel Pops were formed!  So easy, but so delicious.  The hard chocolate shell on the outside and chewy cookie dough on the inside compliment a salty crunchy pretzel stick.  How fun would these be at a party?

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Pretzel Pops 29

Speaking of party, I’m going to start a monthly blog party!  The next one will be on  Tuesday, August 30th with sweet and salty desserts.  Send your favorite links to me by Sunday, August 28th (keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com).

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Pretzel Pops 23

[print_this]

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Pretzel Pops

Ingredients (Makes 16 pops)

  • 1 batch Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls
  • 2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
  • 16 salted pretzel sticks
  • Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls:
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup salted natural creamy peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Prepare cookie dough balls as directed without freezing
  • Push each pretzel halfway into a cookie dough ball
  • Freeze pops for about thirty minutes or until cookie dough is firm
  • Once pops are frozen, melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments
  • Dip cookie dough pops into chocolate and place on a jelly roll pan covered with wax paper
  • Chill pops in freezer until ready to serve
  • Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls:
  • Line a jelly roll pan with wax paper and set aside
  • Whisk together flour and oats in a medium bowl and set aside
  • Use an electric mixer to beat together all of the wet ingredients until well-combined
  • Stir in flour mixture until just combined
  • Stir in chocolate chips
  • Use a cookie dough scoop or spoon to scoop about two tablespoons of dough; roll dough into a ball with hands; repeat
  • Freeze or refrigerate until balls are firm

[/print_this]

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls can be found here.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Pretzel Pops 10

Any exciting weekend plans?

Uncategorized

Frozen Mocha Brownie Torte

58 Comments

Frozen Mocha Brownie Torte 10

So what did you think of the Peanut Butter Party? A few people suggested having a weekly party with different themes and I’m considering it. Let me know if that is something you’d like to see!

Frozen Mocha Brownie Torte 25

This past weekend was the first weekend all summer we didn’t travel anywhere. Matt and I just recently started house hunting* and needed a full Saturday to explore some new areas and get a better understanding of our options. It is scary and exciting at the same time. I can’t help but get enthusiastic when we see places that have more than double the square footage of our current home, a gorgeous kitchen and lots of natural light. The thing is, it’s kind of like registering for wedding gifts. A few days after we registered, Matt went looking in the kitchen for our new knives. I had to remind them that we wouldn’t have them until someone bought them for us. That hope for instant gratification gives the process some extra emotional ups and downs. I know we need to take our time and closing on a home isn’t a 24-hour event.

*By house hunting I mean 2-bedroom apartment hunting. Hey, one can dream:-)

Frozen Mocha Brownie Torte 4

Luckily, when it comes to dessert, there is instant satisfaction. After the long day in the real estate jungle, all I wanted was some summer comfort food. I try to steer clear of stress eating, but sometimes you just need a carton of ice cream some chocolate.  That night, I was happy to find some of this Frozen Mocha Brownie Torte still in my freezer.

Frozen Mocha Brownie Torte 12

I created this dessert because I wanted something chocolaty and decadent but still light enough to enjoy during summer.  The coffee I used was a sample from Godiva that I received through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.  (I was actually pretty excited about this because I’ve been drinking their new Chocolate Truffle flavor in iced coffee form every morning.  If you like coffee and you like chocolate, it is a winner!)  The fudgy layer of brownie is topped with a mocha mousse filling, a layer of chopped Oreos and whipped topping.  You can make it really decadent with regular brownies or keep things light with something like No Pudge.

Frozen Mocha Brownie Torte 1

Disclaimer: I received free coffee samples from Godiva, but the opinions I expressed are all my own.

[print_this]

Frozen Mocha Brownie Torte

Yield: Serves 12

Ingredients

  • 1 brownie mix with ingredients listed on box
  • 1 3.4 ounce container instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup strong brewed Godiva Chocolate Truffle coffee
  • 1 8-ounce container of cool whip, separated
  • 14 Oreos broken into pieces

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and spray a spring-form pan with non-stick cooking spray
  2. Prepare brownie mix as directed and bake in spring-form pan
  3. While brownie is cooling, prepare mousse layer; whisk together pudding mix, milk and coffee until well combined (about 2 minutes)
  4. Fold 1/2 cup cool whip into pudding mixture; spread over brownie
  5. Spread Oreo pieces evenly over mousse filling
  6. Spread remainder of cool whip over Oreos
  7. Freeze dessert for two hours or until filling is firm
  8. Will stay good in freezer for up to a week

[/print_this]

Frozen Mocha Brownie Torte 33

Have you bought a home?  Any advice for someone looking?

Blog

Peanut Butter Party

62 Comments

Chocolate & Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies 22c

I hope you are well-stocked in peanut butter because this is quite the collection of recipes.  From Peanut Butter Cup Pancakes to a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake it’s hard not to run to the kitchen.  I wish we all lived in the same city because this would be quite the potluck!

Asian Peanut Noodles from The Yummy Life

Pasta and peanut butter can do no wrong.

Asian Peanut Noodles

Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

These are so creative and different but just so right.

Chicken Meatballs and Peanut Sauce

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies from Hayley Oat Couture

Plain old whoopie pies are overrated.

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting from Yums and Loves

Alex, my birthday is just a few weeks away, hint, hint.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake from Veronica’s Cornucopia

There is no way I’d be patient enough to slice this cake. I just want to go at it with a fork.

chocolate-pb-cake-2-18-10

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cake from Erin’s Food Files

I have no words. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cups from Chocolate and Carrots

How gorgeous are these mousse cups?  Almost too pretty to eat, almost.

Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Mousse-Cups-4274

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pinwheel Cookies from The District Chocoholic

I’m pretty sure I’d eat these cookies right out of the oven.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pinwheel Cookies

Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter Pie from The Spiffy Cookie

My friend growing up used to order a blizzard with oreos and peanut butter cups and it was so good.  Even better in pie form!

Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes from The Dainty Chef

Tastykake better watch out!

Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes from The Dainty Chef

Everything is better stuffed with peanut butter.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts from My Fiance Likes it So it Must be Good

When it comes to peanut butter, individual desserts are better.  I do so much better when I don’t have to share.

Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts

Monster Cookie Bars from Julie’s Eats and Treats

A peanut butter based cookie bar is always delicious.

Monster Cookie Bars

Paula Deen’s Peanut Butter Cheesecake Minis from My Kitchen Apron

I’d like to start putting peanut butter cups into cheesecake going forward.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Peanut Butter Cup Pancakes from Espresso and Cream

Seriously, chocolate and peanut butter for breakfast? Heaven.

Reeses_Peanut_Butter_Cup_Pancakes

Peanut Butter Cup S’mores Ice Cream from The Spiffy Cookie

In my world, peanut butter and ice cream are each a food group so this ice cream is perfect!

Peanut Butter Hot Fudge from Not Rachael Ray

Rachel held hot fudge week, how can you not love her?

Peanut Butter Hot Fudge

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Topping from In Katrina’s Kitchen

I used to love the peanut butter cup sundae at Friendly’s, this topping looks so much better than theirs.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Topping

Peanut Butter Maple Cookies from Erin’s Food Files

I’m pretty sure that the handful of oatmeal in these cookies makes them healthy;-)

Peanut Butter Maple Cookies

Peanut Butter Mouse Truffle Cheesecake from In Katrina’s Kitchen

Katrina’ made this for her anniversary, that is one lucky husband!

PB Truffle Mousse Cheesecake

Peanut Butter Parfait from Blog is the New Black

I have a weakness for parfaits and trifles, I wouldn’t stand a chance around these!

Peanut Butter Parfait

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites from Blog is the New Black

Sweet, salty and covered in chocolate, love it!

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

Salted Nut Roll from Julie’s Eats and Treats

Such an interesting way to make a cake mix into something super delicious.

Salted Nut Roll

Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars link sent from Manhattan Foodie Reviews

Ashley sent this link to me.  Check out these bars and then check out her blog for where to eat in NYC.

And some favorites from Keep It Sweet: Chocolate Chip Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies, Individual Peanut Butter Cheesecakes, Lightened Up, Chocolate Chip Toffee Oatmeal Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting, and Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie

Do you have any peanut butter recipes you want to share? Leave a link in the comments!

Blog, Recipes

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls

68 Comments

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls 5

I had a couple options for tonight’s post, but it seems my Facebook fans and Twitter followers are huge peanut butter lovers like I am. For all the years before my blog, I thought I was alone in my peanut butter addiction.  What a relief to know there is a support group! So, in honor of peanut butter lovers and addicts around the world, I’ll be holding a peanut butter party on the blog Sunday night. Email me (KeepItSweetLCL at gmail dot com) your links and I’ll include them in the post. And for those of you who don’t love peanut butter, who are you? I have a delicious frozen mocha dessert coming soon.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls 12

Now onto tonight’s recipe: A recipe that brings my love of peanut butter, cookie dough and chocolate all into one dessert. A recipe that is easy to make and relatively healthy enough to sub in for a mid-day snack (don’t you love sweets like that?). A recipe that I almost shouldn’t have because I’m officially addicted.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls 18

These may just become your favorite food.  I’ve been eating dough balls individually straight out of the freezer but I can’t stop thinking about ways to incorporate them into other desserts. This could get dangerous.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls 10

[print_this]

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls

Makes 16 dough balls

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup salted natural creamy peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Line a jelly roll pan with wax paper and set aside
Whisk together flour and oats in a medium bowl and set aside
Use an electric mixer to beat together all of the wet ingredients until well-combined
Stir in flour mixture until just combined
Stir in chocolate chips
Use a cookie dough scoop or spoon to scoop about two tablespoons of dough; roll dough into a ball with hands; repeat
Freeze or refrigerate until balls are firm

[/print_this]

Adapted from Never Home Maker 

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls 17

What kind of dessert should I make with these cookie dough balls?

Blog, Recipes

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scones {Guest Post}

31 Comments

chocolate chip oatmeal scones 1

One of the best things about this blog is all of you.  Thanks for letting me vent on Thursday and thank you for all of the stomach tips.  It sounds like I was not alone with stomach pains and A/C problems.  Hopefully all of you are keeping cool and pain-free now!

Since last week was full of whining, I thought I’d switch things up with some fantastic news and what I’m thankful for:

  • Last night was the second night in a row that I was stomach-ache freeand the source of my pains doesn’t seem to be anything serious!
  • Last night was the first night we slept in an air conditioned bedroom!
  • The rain yesterday brought us a couple humidity-freedays.
  • I have a delicious guest post for you today and an exciting new recipe for ThursdaySmile

Can you tell I am a different person?  I knew that my stomach aches were getting to me, but I didn’t realize how much they were affecting my mentality on a daily basis.  As it turns out, it was my breakfast that was the culprit.  Ever since summer started, I’ve switched my daily hot oatmeal to a yogurt/oatmeal mix.  The thing is, I just mix the oatmeal and yogurt (kind of like muesli) without cooking the oats.  Apparently my stomach does NOT like that.  And evidently, I’m not alone. The fact that I am not allergic to gluten, dairy or anything else is a huge relief.  I also feel very lucky that there is nothing seriously wrong with me.

Now, onto today’s post!  Brandi from BranAppetit offered to share a delicious recipe with all of you.  I only found Brandi’s blog a couple of months ago, but I am so glad I did.  She is a fabulous self-taught cook and baker that posts various delicious recipes and peaks into her life.  She focuses mostly on healthier dishes but also shares my love of indulgent desserts.  A few recipes I need to make are her Vanilla Confetti Pound Cake, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Oat Muffins, S’mores Dip (!!!), and Vegan Frozen Chocolate Dipped Cookie Dough.  Of course I chose the indulgent sweets.chocolate chip oatmeal scones 3

Hi everyone! My name is Brandi and I’m the recipe maker, tester, and eater over at BranAppetit! I’m so happy to be guest posting for Lauren – her recipes are so fun and I’m excited to be sharing one of my own.

After years of thinking I didn’t like scones, I’ve completely changed my mind. My husband and I found these incredible chocolate chip scones at a local bakery, so I made it my mission to make scones at home that were just as good and a tad healthier.

In the past couple of years, Nick’s dad has been teaching me how to make biscuits from scratch (without using a recipe) and all the biscuit baking has definitely paid off!

Making scones isn’t very different from biscuits, except that you should definitely (and always) add in chocolate chips.

The basic process is really similar – cutting the butter into the flour, adding the liquid, and mixing just until the dough comes together and no more.

I definitely could have patted the dough out and cut into wedges, but I’m lazy and didn’t want to clean off my kitchen counter. I just divided the dough into 6 equal sections, formed them into rounds with my hands and plopped them on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Easy, less clean up, and – bonus – they look a little like chocolate chip-filled biscuits.

No wonder we like them so much.

chocolate chip oatmeal scones 2

[print_this]

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scones

Yield: Makes 6 scones

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose if you don’t have this)
  • 3/4 cup quick cooking oats
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 6 tablespoons butter, chilled and diced
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup fat free buttermilk (plus 2 tablespoon for brushing)

Cooking Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and 3 tablespoons of sugar.
  3. Cut the butter into the dough (with pastry blender, forks, or hands) until mixture feels like (and looks like) cornmeal.
  4. Stir in chocolate chips.
  5. Pour in buttermilk and mix, just until dough comes together.
  6. Form into 6 rounds and place on baking sheet.
  7. Brush the top of each scone with a little buttermilk and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
  8. Bake 17-20 minutes until golden.

[/print_this]

You can also find Brandi’s original post here.

Blog

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes and a Special Guest Post

37 Comments

strawberry lemonade cupcakes 1

A few weeks ago, my mom made these delicious cupcakes for us to enjoy down the shore.  They are the perfect combination of tart and sweet, but even better than that, the perfect representation of summer in color and flavor.  It was a recipe I wanted to include on the blog, but what better way than to have my mom, the one who brought me up licking the cookie dough off the spatula, share the recipe with you.

strawberry lemonade cupcakes 11

One of my new challenges I have encountered recently, is trying to keep up with my daughter’s baking creativity and energy. Well, let’s forget the energy. That’s LONG gone! But the creativity? There must be SOMETHING that’s left for me to come up with that she hasn’t mentioned! Lucky for me, it’s summer! My happiest time of year! With that, things connected with this season of warmth, are constantly coming to mind. For instance, lemonade. Who doesn’t savor the taste of cool refreshing lemonade during the warm sticky days of summer? I was recently discussing all of these things with a close friend of mine, Nina, when she offered the perfect solution! Lemonade cupcakes! And to top them off with the perfect match of strawberry frosting! I was so excited! And in our family, it’s the little things that get us excited:).

strawberry lemonade cupcakes 15

Lauren has asked me to share this recipe with you.  Here it is:

[print_this]

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Lemonade Cupcakes

Yield: Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 can frozen lemonade
  • 1 package white cake mix
  • 1- 8 oz container sour cream
  • 1- 3 oz block cream cheese
  • 3 eggs

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Combine all ingredients with an electric mixer until well blended
  3. Pour batter into cupcake tins lined with cupcake liners or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray
  4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick/knife comes out clean

Strawberry Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pint strawberries, pureed
  • 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature.
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3-4 cups confectionary sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream

Cooking Directions

  1. Beat the butter until smooth and add the vanilla and pureed strawberries. Add two cups of sugar. Mix until combined. Add the milk or cream, followed by the rest of the sugar in small amounts, until frosting reaches desired consistency. It should be smooth and still hold it’s shape. When the cupcakes are cooled, frost and enjoy!

[/print_this]

Cupcake recipe from Southern Living

Frosting recipe from sophistimom

strawberry lemonade cupcakes 18

What is your favorite summer food or flavor?

Blog, Recipes

Chewy Chocolate Covered Pretzel Bars

86 Comments

chewy chocolate covered pretzel bars 16

This has been one of those weeks so far:

  • Our bedroom A/C has been broken since last Monday but won’t be fixed until next Monday, never mind the 100 degree weather
  • I thought I figured out the source of my daily stomach pains but was proved wrong, the mystery continues
  • As a result of the two items listed above, I’ve barely been sleeping and my stress-relieving gym trips are suffering/barely happening

Okay, is my whining enough already?

chewy chocolate covered pretzel bars 5

On the other hand, I found a delicious and easy no-bake (ie no hot oven) treat to make!  These Chewy Chocolate Covered Pretzel Bars are kind of perfect for drowning my summer sorrows.  They are chewy and crunchy at the same time with more of that salty and sweet combo that we all seem to know and love.  The bars are actually quite addicting if you ask me!

chewy chocolate covered pretzel bars 10

[print_this]

Chewy Chocolate Covered Pretzel Bars

Yield: Serves 24

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 10.5-ounce bag mini marshmallows
  • 1 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
  • 6 cups salted pretzel pieces

Cooking Directions

  1. Melting butter over low-medium heat in a large pot
  2. Add the marshmallows and stir until they are completely melted
  3. Remove pot from heat, and stir in chocolate
  4. Add pretzels to the mixture and stir
  5. Once everything is combined, press the ingredients into a 13X9 pan lined with foil and allow to cool
  6. Once cool, remove bars from the pan; the easiest way to do this is to flip the pan upside down and peel off the foil
  7. Cut the bars in to large pieces (I made slices in a 6X4 matrix) and serve or store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days

[/print_this]

chewy chocolate covered pretzel bars 19

What are you whining about this week? Vent in the comments!

Blog, Recipes

Cajun Brownies with Potato Chips

36 Comments

I’m so excited to share a guest post from Lynn at The Actor’s Diet.  I like to think of her as a celebrity blog friend:-)  Lynn documents her daily eats and her life in LA so well that readers feel like they know her.  Although she enjoys dessert, she doesn’t normally do a ton of baking.  However, these brownies looked so interesting and delicious that I wanted her to share them with you.

Hello “Keep it Sweet” Readers!  My name is Lynn Chen, and I’m an actress.  My blog, “The Actor’s Diet,” follows my life in Hollywood, meal by meal.  For years, I struggled with binge eating and anorexia, and took time off to come to terms with my body image and eating disorders.  The blog has really helped me forge a new relationship with food that I never imagined was possible.

These days, I often get asked how I stay looking camera ready, and the truth is – I don’t diet.  I don’t exercise.  I don’t count calories.  And I eat dessert, every single day.  So of course, I love Lauren’s blog and her sweet creations.

Unfortunately, I’m not much of a baker.  I don’t like measuring, mixing, waiting, or cleaning up.  But recently I did come up with a recipe for Cajun Brownies with Potato Chips that I’m pretty proud of.  It combines a lot of my favorite flavors – sweet, salty, and spicy – with a unique texture.  You can read more about my thought process behind the creation on my blog, but here’s the recipe!

[print_this]

Cajun Brownies with Potato Chips

Ingredients

  • 10 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup egg whites
  • 1/2 cup white flour
  • 1 cup Cajun-flavored Potato Chips, crushed

Cooking Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
  2. In a bowl, combine the cocoa powder, salt, and flour
  3. Melt the butter, and add it to the dry ingredients, along with the vanilla and egg whites; stir until combined (40-ish strokes, I’m only guessing, Alice!) then fold in the potato chips
  4. Pour into a greased 8×8 Pyrex and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges slightly moist (20 was all I needed)

[/print_this]

(adapted from Alice Medrich’s Best Cocoa Brownies)

Blog, Recipes

Strawberry Banana Bread and Childhood Friends

62 Comments

strawberry banana bread 25

Another summer weekend has come and gone and I feel like time is really flying.  I spent this past weekend in Philly for a bachelorette party and bridal shower for one of my best friends since fourth grade.  One of my favorite things about weddings is the series of events where you get to be with a group of friends who wouldn’t normally be in one place.  Seeing a half dozen girls that I’ve known since elementary school and catching up on life was so nice.  The most amazing part is that we can all do such different things with our lives but still come back to the same place and connect.  The group of girls (or women I guess I should say now!) included a lawyer, a doctor, two teachers, a marketing coordinator and an assignment editor at a local news station.  We live in different cities along the east coast and are a range of single, engaged and married but still we have that same place in our hearts for where we grew up.

strawberry banana bread 16

This Strawberry Banana Bread is a post for the Secret Recipe Club.  If you haven’t heard about it before, the Secret Recipe Club is a community of bloggers that, once a month, picks a recipe from a selected blog to make and share on his or her blog.  It is a great way to find new blogs to read and see what different types of things people are making.  For this month, I was able to choose a recipe from Katherine Martinelli.  She has a wonderful blog with a ton of delicious looking recipes.  There are a lot of savory dishes I want to try, but for Keep It Sweet, I obviously went with a baked good.

strawberry banana bread 29

Thanks to several overripe bananas, I chose to make Katherine’s Banana-Walnut Bread.  The changes I made were to replace the butter with fat free plain greek yogurt, reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup, use all whole wheat flour, skip the walnuts and add about a cup of chopped strawberries as she suggested.  The bread was moist and flavorful.  It was a great way to use up some produce on the end of its life!  Check out Katherine’s blog and go here for the original recipe.

strawberry banana bread 12

Do you keep in touch with any childhood friends? How often do you see them?


Blog, Recipes

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mini S’mores Pies

24 Comments

This will be the first in a series of guest posts throughout the summer.  I have some great bloggers joining us to share some of their favorite desserts!  I’m excited to start with Erin from The Spiffy Cookie.  She has a wonderful blog with creative and delicious recipes and this one is amazing!  Some of my favorite sweets that she posted include these Blueberry Blondie Cheesecake Bars, Peanut Butter Cup S’mores Ice Cream, and this Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter Pie.  I want all of it!  She has some great savory dishes too, but you know me and desserts:-)

Why hello there! My name is Erin and I’m guest posting here today from The Spiffy Cookie. I had the pleasure of Lauren guest posting on my blog last month with her Cream Cheese & Jelly Pound Cake, and am just as excited to now guest post on Keep It Sweet. Especially since I have some killer mini s’mores pies to share.

The blogosphere is overflowing with all kinds of s’mores recipes this summer and I cannot get enough of it. But I wanted to enhance this traditional treat by either incorporating chocolate chip cookie dough, or peanut butter cupsinstead of plain old (boring) chocolate. Like Lauren, I am a huge peanut butter fan but cookie dough in a s’more is something I don’t think I have seen yet. But again, peanut butter is so good! Dilemma.

I’ve never been good at big decisions, and yes dessert is exactly that, so I put up a poll-tweet to help the decision process. Most followers said “both”, so what the heck, I decided to do both in combination! What could possibly go wrong? Oh no it’s too much I cannot bear it… not possible. Prepare yourself for deliciousness.

A chewy and soft nugget of cookie dough is hidden underneath a peanut butter-chocolate mousse mixed with little bits of peanut butter cups and topped by toasted marshmallows. Do you have your spoon ready yet? Because you’re going to need it.

[print_this]

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mini S’mores Pies

Yield: Makes 6 mini pies

Ingredients

  • 1 package Keebler “Ready Crust” Mini Graham Cracker Pie Crusts
  • 6 tablespoons marshmallow creme
  • 3 large chocolate chip cookie dough balls*, cut in half
  • 4 oz (1/2 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 oz (1/3 heaping cup) peanut butter
  • 2 oz reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup chopped miniature peanut butter cups
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows

Cooking Directions

  1. Begin by spreading 1 tablespoon of marshmallow creme in each of the mini crusts. Do this gently so the crusts don’t break. Then place 1 cookie dough half, cut side down, on the creme. Set aside.
  2. Melt chocolate over a double boiler. Set aside. Whip cream to soft peaks. Set aside.
  3. In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. Slowly add melted chocolate and continue to cream until smooth and softened. Gently fold whipped cream into chocolate – peanut butter mixture by hand, followed by the chopped peanut butter cups.
  4. Evenly spread the mousse into the prepared graham cracker crusts (you will have leftover mousse) and refrigerate pie until ready to serve, or at least a couple of hours.
  5. Before serving, top the pies with a handful of mini marshmallows, about 1/3 cup each.
  6. Place them on a baking sheet and put under the preheated broiler for 30 seconds (watch closely because they will burn fast), or toast marshmallows with a kitchen torch.

[/print_this]

*chocolate chip cookie dough balls

Source: Adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and Serious Eats.

If you want more s’mores inspiration, check out my peanut butter s’mores ice cream.

clip_image002

Blog, Recipes

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

62 Comments

Everyone's favorite - Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes you just want a chocolate chip cookie.  There are very few things that smell as good warm out of the oven and even fewer things that will illicit a memory as wonderful as dunking a homemade chocolate chip cookie into a cold glass of cold milk.

When all you want is a Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie...

My fond memories of eating the cookies standing up in the kitchen with my mom, before they even made it to the cooling rack, are some of my favorites.  I think memories like that are the reason that after a long day at work or a rainy day on the couch, all I want is a batch of couple chocolate chip cookies.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies - what else could you need?!
These cookies are chewy (sorry, Dad), melt in your mouth and have that slight caramel flavor resulting from a higher portion of brown sugar to white.  Just a warning: they are dangerously addictive if you are trying to show some sign of portion control.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

[print_this]

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: Makes ~2 ½ dozen cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
  2. In a medium bowl. whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla
  4. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined
  5. Stir in the chocolate chips
  6. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours (or up to 24 hours)
  7. Use a cookie dough scoop (about 2 tablespoons) to lay out dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart
  8. Bake cookies until golden brown, 12-14 minutes
  9. Cool cookies on cooling rack and enjoy

[/print_this]

Source: The Brown Eyed Baker and Serious Eats, originally from Baking Illustrated

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

What is your favorite way to enjoy a chocolate chip cookie?

Blog, Recipes

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

73 Comments

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes - fresh strawberry cupcakes with chocolate buttercream!

Who doesn’t like chocolate covered strawberries?

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes - fresh strawberry cupcakes with chocolate buttercream!

And what is good in fruit form, has to be better in cupcake form.  Am I right?

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes - fresh strawberry cupcakes with chocolate buttercream!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes? Yes please!

These dense little cupcakes have a lovely hint of strawberry that pairs so well with a generous spread of chocolate frosting!  If you are looking for a stronger strawberry flavor and pinker cake, I’d go with this strawberry cake recipe instead.  This cake recipe would alternatively lend itself well to a strawberry frosting.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes - fresh strawberry cupcakes with chocolate buttercream!

[print_this]

Strawberry Cupcakes

Yield: Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup strawberry puree (made from ~2/3 cup fresh or frozen strawberries)
  • 1/4 cup whole milk at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 2 large egg whites at room temperature

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Prepare a 12-cup cupcake tin, spray with non-stick cooking spray or fill with cupcake liners
  3. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together strawberry puree, milk and vanilla extract and set aside
  5. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl on high speed until light and creamy
  6. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy
  7. Reduce the speed to medium and add eggs until combined
  8. Reduce speed to low and slowly add half of flour mixture
  9. Add strawberry mixture and then remaining flour mixture mixing just until combined, do not overbeat
  10. Pour cupcake batter into cupcake tin, filling each cup about 2/3 of the way
  11. Bake in oven for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean

Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Cooking Directions

  1. Set cupcakes aside and prepare chocolate frosting
  2. In a large bowl beat cream cheese with an the whisk attachment on an electric mixer until creamy
  3. Beat in butter until mixture is light and creamy
  4. Stir in cocoa, milk and salt
  5. Stir in 1 cup of sugar and then the other
  6. Beat mixture on high until well combined and creamy
  7. Once icing is ready and cupcakes are cool, remove cupcakes from pan and ice each cupcake with desired amount of frosting

[/print_this]

Cupcake recipe source: Martha Steward

Icing adapted from Cooking Light

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes - fresh strawberry cupcakes with chocolate buttercream!

What is your favorite cupcake flavor? I love red velvet with cream cheese icing!

Blog

Can’t Get Enough

54 Comments

Chocolate Chip Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies

How was everyone’s weekend? Mine was good, especially since a 3-day weekend means a 4-day work-week. I love how that happens:-)

Matt and I went out to the Hamptons to visit his Parents for a couple days and then went to a college friend’s wedding on Sunday night. It was a lot of fun being with friends we haven’t seen in a while and seeing how happy the newlyweds were was wonderful.

Yesterday was a baking marathon at our apartment with cupcakes, ice cream cake and two types of cookies. I can’t wait to share everything with you. The summer has been so busy so far and I’ve barely had any quality kitchen time so it felt good to have a day devoted to something I love. I wish that could happen more often!

Chocolate Chip Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies

One of the batches of cookies I made yesterday was a spin-off of these amazing bars I baked a few weeks ago. Given that the original recipe was supposed to be a cookie, I’ve had in my head to make a cookie variation ever since. By reducing the flour and baking soda, I was able to make a dough that stuck together well when shaping cookie dough balls. The dough was actually a little greasy, but the finished product was the perfect balance of chewy and crispy. You don’t want to know how many cookies I ate within hours of baking them. The scent of peanut butter, the warm bursting blueberries and the melted chocolate just called my name. It was like the blueberry pie filling climbed into a perfect peanut butter chocolate chip cookie. This surprising combination of flavors is just so good.

[print_this]

Chocolate Chip Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients (Makes 3 dozen cookies)

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 ½ cups salted creamy natural peanut butter
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 ¼ cup blueberries

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda, set aside
  • Using a mixer, in a large bowl beat peanut butter and sugars on high until light and fluffy
  • Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined
  • Reduce speed to low and stir in flour mixture just until combined
  • Stir in blueberries and chocolate chunks
  • Use a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon to place cookie dough balls (about 2 TB each) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (Note: the dough will be greasy, that is OK)
  • Bake for 11-13 minutes until cookies are brown around the edges

[/print_this]

Chocolate Chip Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies

What do you do when you have a free day to spend however you want?

Blog

Amazing

29 Comments

Amazing.  We raised ~$850 for cancer research through yesterday’s bake sale!!!  Thank you so much to everyone who participated in bidding and donated delicious treats!  My family and I are so thankful.  If you did not have the opportunity to take part in the bake sale but are interested in helping Steve meet his goal of raising $5,000, you can go to his blog for details.  There you can also follow his timberman training.

Have a fun and safe 4th of July weekend!  I’ll be back next week with the usual deliciousness.

Oh, and if you need a last minute tasty ice cream treat for the holiday weekend I recommend Black Bottom Ice Cream Cupcakes, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars, or a Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie.

Blog

Bake Sale to Beat Cancer

26 Comments

Welcome to my bake sale to raise money for cancer research.  This bake sale is my way of supporting my cousin as he competes in the Timberman Ironman in honor of his dad who passed away last summer.  For more about that story , you can check this post.  Below are 29 items donated by bloggers, friends, family and myself.  I’m so thankful to everyone who has participated so far!

In order to bid, send an email to keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com with your baked good in the subject line and tell me the dollar amount you are bidding.  The bake sale is open through midnight est on Wednesday, June 29th. I’ll continuously update the bids on this page throughout the day so don’t forget to check back in case you are outbid.  Please see the end of the post for rules.

Joanne’s Carrot Cake Cookies

Current Bid: $25

Carrot Cake Cookies

Victoria’s Lime Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Current Bid: $30

Lime Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Victoria’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Pinwheel Cookies

Current Bid: $20

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pinweel Cookies

Victoria’s Cherry Chocolate Shortbread

Current Bid: $20

Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

Madison’s Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies (will ship anywhere)

Current Bid: $35

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies

Kristen’s Chocolate Chip, Toasted Pecan & Dried Cranberry Cookies (Made by Jen)

Current Bid: $20

Chocolate Chip, Toasted Pecan & Dried Cranberry Cookies

Carol’s Spelt Raisin Cookies {Vegan} (with choice of add-ins) (will ship anywhere)

Current Bid: $20

Spelt Raisin Cookies

My Mom’s Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Current Bid: $40

Brownie Stuffed Cookies 1

My Mom’s Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Current Bid: $25

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cookies

Sharon’s Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies

Current Bid: $50

DSC00797

Becca’s White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Current Bid: $25

white chocolate macadamia cookies

Lauren & Chrissy’s Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Current Bid: $40

Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Jessica’s Coconut Walnut Cookies

Current Bid: $20

Coconut Walnut Cookie 003

Peggy’s Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Current Bid: $20

Peggy's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Christina’s Multigrain Biscotti

Current Bid: $30

MultigrainBiscotti2finalforsitesmall

Veronica’s Snickerdoodle Blondies

Current Bid: $40

snickerdoodle blondies

Rachel’s Butterscotch Blondies with Salted Chocolate Glaze

Current Bid: $53

avid appetite butterscotch blondie

Erin’s Peanut Butter, Banana & Nutella Bars

Current Bid: $25

PB Banana Nutella Bars

Monica’s Whole Grain Oatmeal Carmelitas

Current Bid: $35

Whole Grain Oatmeal Carmelitas

Nina’s Mint Chocolate Brownies

Current Bid: $17

mint chocolate brownies

My Salted Gooey Caramel Butter Bars

Current Bid: $35

Becca’s Black Bottom Cupcakes

Current Bid: $20

blackbottomcupcake

Jessica’s Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins

Current Bid: $20

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins

Nina’s Sugar-Topped Blueberry Muffins

Current Bid: $20

sugar-topped blueberry muffins

My Low Fat Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Current bid: $29

cupcake 7

Jessica’s Pistachio Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Current Bid: $20

Green Cake 004

Kristen’s Toasted Coconut Pecan Granola

Current Bid: $20

Toasted Coconut Pecan Granola

Erin’s Homemade Granola

Current Bid: $20

Erin's Granola Healthy Apron

Caroline’s Homemade Granola

Current Bid: $20

Chocolate&CarrotsGranola-5956

Bake Sale and Bidding Rules:

  • Each item has a minimum bid of $15 and minimum bids of $3.
  • All baked goods are open to US residents.  It is noted next to the item if the baker will ship outside of the US.
  • The funds must be donated per the instructions here within 24 hours of the bake sale.
  • The products will be shipped by Friday July 8th

Leave any questions regarding the bake sale in the comment section of this post.  Thank you in advance for participating in a cause close to my heart.

Blog

Brownies for Breakfast?

60 Comments

Peanut Butter Caramel "Baked Brownies"

Do these brownies look gooey enough to you?

Peanut Butter Caramel "Baked Brownies"

They did to me too…

Peanut Butter Caramel "Baked Brownies"

…at 8:30 this morning.

What, you don’t eat brownies for breakfast?  Yeah, me neither.  I actually eat a wonderfully healthy breakfast every morning; think yogurt, oatmeal, fruit and peanut butter in some combination or another.  It is actually my favorite meal and I’m always a little sad when it’s over.

But back to the brownies.  I made this evil baked good last night (sorry, I’m not usually that mean to my desserts).  I woke up this morning ready to cut and photograph them to find out that about 75% of my work was underbaked….. uhoh.

Peanut Butter Caramel "Baked Brownies"

I started cutting the brownies and found that the fudgey inside was getting stuck on the side of the knife.  So I did what any normal person would do, I tasted them.

Peanut Butter Caramel "Baked Brownies"

And then I tasted them again.

And then a taste turned into a slice and into another slice…. and before you know it more brownies than I care to admit had disappeared.  Not my finest moment.  But hey, at least I can vouch for the recipe!

[print_this]

Peanut Butter Caramel “Baked Brownies”

Serving Size: 36

Ingredients

  •  1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  •  2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder (use a good one like Valhrona)
  •  1 teaspoon salt
  •  11 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate coarsly chopped (I used 60% cocoa)
  •  1 cup, 2 sticks, unsalted butter cut into slices
  •  1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  •  1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  •  1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  •  5 large eggs at room temperature
  •  2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, separated
  •  1 7-ounce bag caramel candies
  •  3 tablespoons creamy salted peanut butter

Cooking Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Grease a 13×9 pan lined with foil; set aside
Whisk together flour, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl; set aside
Place large heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water; in that bowl combine chocolate, butter and espresso powder
Stir mixture until completely melted and turn off burner
Leaving the bowl over the pot of water, whisk in sugars
Move bowl to counter and once at room temperature, whisk in 3 eggs
Whisk in remaining eggs and 2 treaspoons of vanilla, do not overbeat
Gently fold in flour mixture until just combined
Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and set aside
In a microwave-proof bowl, combine caramels, peanut butter and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Microwave for 1 minute and stir; microwave for additional 30-second increments until melted, stirring in-between
Drop spoonfulls of caramel mixture over brownie batter
Use a knife to swirl caramel through brownies; Don’t worry about it looking pretty, the caramel will sink into the brownie and that is ok
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean being careful not to overbake

Notes:

I found the brownie recipe on Apples and Twinkies; it is originally from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

Caramel filling from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey cookbook

I baked the brownies for 25 minutes but I think 30-35 minutes would result in a perfectly baked brownie

[/print_this]

Peanut Butter Caramel "Baked Brownies"

Have you ever eaten dessert early in the morning?

Blog

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

69 Comments

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

What a whirlwind couple of weeks it has been!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

I skipped my Sunday post this week and haven’t done a real recipe post in almost 2 weeks! Since then, we spent a weekend celebrating our anniversary (think lots of delicious food, including top tier of our cake!) and this past weekend we celebrated Adam and Sara’s wedding. It has been a fun year from their engagement, to the bachelorette party, and then the shower. The weekend was perfect night for the two of them and it was wonderful to see how in love they are.

Sara Adam 1

Keeping up with baking has been a little tough given everything going on, but I managed to squeeze in this delicious no-bake dessert. Plus, I have baking to do almost every night this week. I’m especially excited about something I made last night, but you will have to wait a few days for that one;-)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

But I digress… tonight’s dessert is the perfect way to honor the official start of summer! These bars are a play on cookie dough ice cream. I’ve always loved cookie dough ice cream, but there is just never enough cookie dough to go around. I may be known to pick all the cookie dough out of the carton only to be left with a melted mess of vanilla ice cream. The beauty of these bars is that you get all the good stuff in every bite, chocolate chip cookie dough, vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate.Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

[print_this]

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

Yield: 12-16

Ingredients

  • 1 batch prepared chocolate chip cookie dough (recipe below)
  • 3 cups vanilla bean ice cream
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

  1. Cover prepared cookie dough layer with vanilla ice cream; cover and freeze for an hour
  2. Once ice cream is frozen, place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl
  3. Melt chocolate in microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in-between
  4. When chocolate is melted, spread evenly over ice cream layer, cover and re-freeze for an hour or until ready to serve
  5. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 2 tablespoons milk (I use skim)
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

  1. To Make the Cookie Dough:
  2. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy
  3. Mix in milk
  4. Gradually mix in flour and salt
  5. Stir in chocolate chips
  6. Press into a 9×9 pan lined with wax paper

 [/print_this]

Cookie Dough recipe adapted from these brownies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

I have to admit, these busy summer days away from the computer are refreshing. What’s keeping you busy this summer?

*There is still time to donate baked goods for next week’s online bake sale*

Blog

Let’s Help Beat Cancer

31 Comments

Almost two years ago, my Uncle Bob, my Dad’s big brother, was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The news came from across the country in California with surprise and sadness.  However, at the time, we knew my uncle was strong and a fighter, and although he had to go through months of various treatments including chemo, we always thought he would pull through.  I felt for my cousins that had to go through this, but also admired their strength as a family and lack of self-pity that any of them had.


As my dad put it, “My brother Bob was my protector and teacher for as long as I can remember … then, the unimaginable [happened], Bob was diagnosed with lymphoma. He faced that with incredible courage. He always seemed optimistic about the treatments. He tried to make it more comforting for his family and friends by talking about the lives and needs of others, rather than dwelling on his own  health.”
Uncle Bob seemed to be responding to treatment well enough for the first 6 months, but he couldn’t quite beat the cancer. In March, just two days before my wedding shower, I received a call from my Dad.  What he said shocked me; it wasn’t the news that I had expected.  My Aunt Linda, my Dad’s big sister, had passed away from complications related to a seizure. This was completely unexpected and heartbreaking.
The day after my shower, we went down to Baltimore to say goodbye to my aunt.  Uncle Bob was luckily able to make the trip from California to be with his family.  My uncle, who I hadn’t seen since before he was diagnosed, came with the same personality I remembered.  Funny, smart (my dad and his siblings all seem to be geniuses), and energetic.  The chemo had taken away his hair and aged him a decade, but the minute he opened his mouth he was the same Uncle Bob I remembered.  The same big brother my dad grew up with.
That day, we talked about my upcoming wedding.  We talked about some treatments he had scheduled and that if his tests worked out from a timing standpoint, he’d be dancing at my wedding with the rest of us.  His sister had just died and he was in-between bouts of chemo, and all he wanted to talk about was how much he looked forward to making the trip to Philadelphia in June.
Unfortunately, my uncle couldn’t make it to the wedding as he was undergoing more treatment at the time.  I felt so sad for my dad that both his brother and sister were missing from that day.  Some of my cousins did come, though, and shared in the celebration.
As the summer wore on, the cancer seemed to grow with a vengeance. My Uncle fought hard and probably stole a few more weeks of life than anyone could have imagined. On August 20th, coincidentally the night before my birthday, I got the call that Uncle Bob had passed away.
Because of the distance, I had never been very close to my Uncle, but every time he visited I was reminded of what a wonderful person he was.  I loved seeing my dad joke around and get teased by the man who was his big brother.  I know that the loss of his siblings took something from him, and the very thought of that breaks my heart.
It has been almost a year since Uncle Bob passed away, and I still don’t believe it is real.  I can’t believe that someone with so much life just isn’t around anymore.  Now, to honor my uncle and help others who may face their own struggles with Lymphoma, my cousin, Steve, is competing in the Timberman Ironman. In conjunction with this, his goal is to raise $5,000 for research and grants related to blood cancers.
To support Steve, and honor my Uncle Bob, my dad’s big brother, I’ll be hosting a bake sale on the blog Wednesday, June 29th. It would mean the world to me if you would donate a baked good.  If you are interested in participating, please email me at keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com by Thursday, June 23rd. Please send the name of the baked good you’d like to donate, a photo of the dessert and a link to your blog post if you have one. Also, let me know where you can send your baked good to (ie US only, etc.).

Blog

1 Year Ago

57 Comments

One year ago…

…a few friends met us in Philadelphia

P1000022a

…my best friends came in from different cities and states

P1000024a

…I got a new brother and sister-in-law

P1000027a

….I was reminded of how amazing my parents and sister are

…we posed for pictures everywhere

P1000041a

…Matt’s best friends came in from different cities and states

31756_1515837816934_1264135839_31455747_3736582_n

….my family celebrated and partied with us

P1000038a

….my sister and best friend since childhood gave speeches that made me cry

P1000133

…..I felt beautiful

34378_645371233737_2600612_36888050_1480773_n

…best friends from high school and college became friends

….the room of my dreams was created

37382_645370734737_2600612_36888007_1966888_n

…matt wore his grandfather’s talis

….another room of my dreams was created

wedding

…I got to wear a pretty dress

….we entered a room with sparklers

….I celebrated not falling down the steps

28469_644598761777_2600852_36856821_1168978_n

….my gorgeous best friends shared our happiness

28469_644599540217_2600852_36856841_915843_n

….we danced to Cruisin

….my dad showed off his moves

…matt twirled his mom

….we ate cake

….I couldn’t stop smiling

37387_645374222747_2600612_36888252_1625729_n

…Matt posed with the ladies

35428_644272251107_2607678_36844255_1702313_n

…I was reunited with my sorority family

13453_645373104987_2600612_36888207_7726825_n

…I danced with my mom

35187_620569282185_16402142_35426383_7742127_n

…Matt’s former band played

28256_643716360117_2605219_36823859_6383835_n

….he crushed the guitar solo

….I had a moment with my sister

34079_620563793185_16402142_35426111_6204675_n

…oh yes, and I  married my best friend.

And in case there was any doubt that Matt wasn’t the one for me, here are a couple of quotes I’d like to share:

“I don’t go to a casino to lose cupcakes!” – Matt running back to the casino to retrieve his cupcakes from my cousin’s wedding

“Maybe we should eat something light like salad for dinner so we can eat a lot of cake” – Matt referring to the top tier of our wedding cake

Blog, Recipes

Chocolate Chip Mandelbread

35 Comments

Chocolate Chip Mandelbread

Matt’s grandma is turning 90 years old on Monday!  A few months ago we were talking and she told me that all she wanted for her big birthday this year was Mandelbread.   Lucky for her, I don’t forget any food-related requests.

Chocolate Chip Mandelbread

And even luckier for her, I have the most amazing mandelbread recipe that my mom’s been making for as long as I can remember.  She doesn’t remember the source but it was someone who had a good taste in desserts.

Chocolate Chip Mandelbread

Mandelbread, otherwise known as Mandelbrodt or kamishbrot, is not so far off from biscotti.  Baking this type of cookie requires a few more steps than usual as the dough is baked in loaf form and then cut up and baked again.  These extra steps are worth it because you end up with a wonderful crunch, although I do like the middle-of-the-loaf pieces that are a little thicker and usually have a little chewiness to them.

Chocolate Chip Mandelbread

While many variations include some sort of nuts, I like to stick with the chocolate chips only.  The semi-sweet chips along with a light cinnamon-sugar coating is a perfect flavor combination for me.  Plus, given that these are crunchy to begin with, nuts don’t add much value from a texture standpoint.

Chocolate Chip Mandelbread

Chocolate Chip Mandelbread
Yield: Makes ~2 dozen slices

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, separated
3 large eggs
½ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside
Beat 1 cup of sugar with all wet ingredients (eggs through orange juice)
Stir in dry ingredients until combined
Stir in chocolate chips
Form dough into two separate loaves on baking sheets lined with parchment paper
Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until light brown
While loaves begin to bake, combine remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with cinnamon
Remove baked loaves from oven and immediately cut into slices while hot
Turn each slice onto a side and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture
Re-bake for 12 minutes
Remove from oven, immediately turn each slice onto opposite side and sprinkle them with remaining cinnamon sugar
Continue to bake for another 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown

Chocolate Chip Mandelbread

Do you have any baking requests for the blog?

Blog, Recipes

It’s Margarita Time

33 Comments

Margarita Cheesecake Bars with a Pretzel and Cookie Crust

This is one of those recipes that I came up with accidentally.  Sometimes I have bakers block and can’t think of anything new or interesting to make.  I was inspired by Victoria’s cookies and wanted to do something with lime and salt.  Then I remembered the cream cheese in my refrigerator and eventually these Margarita Cheesecake Bars were born.Margarita Cheesecake Bars with a Pretzel and Cookie Crust

Thanks to a combination of Vienna fingers and pretzels, they have a wonderfully balanced sweet and salty crust.  Topped with a layer of light but creamy lime cheesecake they become a perfect summer treat.  The lime and the salt reminiscent of a margarita and who doesn’t like that?

Margarita Cheesecake Bars with a Pretzel and Cookie Crust

Ok, I’ll be honest- I’m not the biggest margarita fan.  I prefer to save my sugar calories for more important things like dessert.  Cheesecake and a Vodka Soda with lime juice for me, please.

Margarita Cheesecake Bars with a Pretzel and Cookie Crust

[print_this]

Margarita Cheesecake Bars

Yield: Serves 16

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Vienna Finger (or vanilla sandwich cookie of choice) crumbs (about 6 cookies)
  • 3/4 cup salted pretzel crumbs (about 1 1/2 cups of small pretzels)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 8-ounce blocks light cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (~2 limes)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Grease a 9×9 baking pan and set aside
  3. In a medium bowl, combine cookies, pretzel crumbs, butter, sugar and salt
  4. Press crust mixture into prepared baking pan and bake for ~7 minutes or until lightly browned; set aside
  5. Using an electric mixer and the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese on high for a few minutes until creamy
  6. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat into cream cheese
  7. Beat in eggs, lime juice and vanilla
  8. Stir in flour
  9. Pour cheesecake mixture over crust and bake for 25 minutes or until firm and edges are separating from pan

[/print_this]

Adapted from Eagle Brand

Margarita Cheesecake Bars with a Pretzel and Cookie Crust

Do you drink margaritas? If not, do you have a go-to drink?

Blog, Recipes

PB&J Meets PB & Chocolate

54 Comments

Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Bars

I love peanut butter.  I love peanut butter with chocolate, I love peanut butter and jelly, I love peanut butter by the spoonful.  You already know this, but I just had to get it off my chest.

Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Bars

I expressed my love of blueberries and peanut butter before, and then I combined chocolate and blueberries.  And of course there were all the times I put together peanut butter and chocolate.  It was only a matter of time before the three collided.

Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Bars

Over the weekend I put three of my favorite flavors into one and made Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Bars.  These aren’t the prettiest bars I’ve ever made, but oh boy are they delicious!  This was one of those times where I could have eaten the whole batch out of the oven!  They smelled amazing and the melted dark chocolate, juicy blueberries and flavorful peanut butter cookie base had an amazing balance.  It was a good thing I had a birthday barbecue to bring these to because otherwise my waistline would have been in big trouble!

Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Bars

[print_this]

Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Bars

Note: The dough may be very crumbly. Press it down tightly into pan before baking to prevent the bars from being too crumbly once they are done.

Yield: Makes 24 bars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups salted natural creamy peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chunks
  • 1 1/2 cup blueberries

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda, set aside
  3. Using a mixer, in a large bowl beat peanut butter and sugars on high until light and fluffy
  4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined
  5. Reduce speed to low and stir in flour mixture just until combined
  6. Stir in blueberries and chocolate chunks
  7. Press dough into a 13×9 baking pan lined with ungreased parchment paper
  8. Bake for 20 or until firm and a knife comes out clean

[/print_this]

Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Bars

Have you ever eaten a dessert by yourself that you were supposed to share with friends?

Blog, Recipes

Dark Chocolate Kissed Almond Butter

37 Comments

Dark Chocolate Kissed Almond Butter

I had big baking plans for last night, but with the temperature around 90 degrees, turning on the oven just seemed wrong.  A no-bake dessert probably would have been a good solution, but Matt has been asking me to make chocolate almond butter for a few weeks now.  It shouldn’t have taken so long to get to it because homemade nut butter is so easy to make, but I get lazy sometimes!

Dark Chocolate Kissed Almond Butter

Not sure if I mentioned this on the blog, but we have a never-ending stock of Hershey’s Kisses in the apartment.  Dark chocolate kisses and milk chocolate kisses with almonds to be exact.  I use them every chance I get and probably will continue to do so until they are gone.

Hershey Kisses

By the way, do you know how good a 10-pound bag of Hershey Kisses smells?  I wish we had a hiding place for the chocolate because it is haunting my senses!

Dark Chocolate Kissed Almond Butter

Anyway, I put a handful of Kisses to good use in this Dark Chocolate Kissed Almond Butter.  It worked out well because the nut butter is creamy and chocolaty, but not overly sweet. I love using it on sliced banana, over ice cream or even by the spoonful.  Now that I think about it, Matt better act fast or I may eat the jar before he gets a chance!

Dark Chocolate Kissed Almond Butter

To make the nut butter, grind almonds in food processor until creamy, stopping to scrape the sides every minute or so

almonds 1 almonds 2

Once creamy and wet, add vanilla and melted chocolate

melted chocolateadd chocolate and vanilla

Blend until completely combined

done

Store in an old nut butter jar or tupperwear

Dark Chocolate Kissed Almond Butter[print_this]

Dark Chocolate Kissed Almond Butter

Yield: Makes ~1 cup or 16 tablespoons of almond butter

Ingredients

  • 2 cups salted roasted almonds
  • 12 dark chocolate Hershey Kisses, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

  1. Grind almonds in food processor until creamy, stopping to scrape the sides every minute or so
  2. Once creamy and wet, add vanilla and melted chocolate
  3. Blend until completely combined
  4. Store in a jar or tupperware at room temperature for up to a month

[/print_this]

Inspired by Oh She Glows

Dark Chocolate Kissed Almond Butter

What do you think I should do with all these Hershey’s Kisses?

Blog

Hello Summer

42 Comments

beach 6

Well hello, Summer.  We are so happy to have you here.

Farmstand 11

I’m pretty sure I was wearing a winter coat a couple of weeks ago, but when Mother Nature sends sun and temperatures in the 80s you won’t see me complaining

Farmstand 2

No complaining when we make trips to the New Jersey farmstands

Farmstand 5

Not complaining about huge Jersey tomatoes

Farmstand 6

And especially not complaining about big juicy strawberries

Farmstand 7

Memorial Day weekend kicked off my summer in full gear with a trip to the Jersey shore.  We had the most amazing weekend that included walks on the beach, walks around town, walks to CVS (do you see a pattern?), a family barbecue, and of course my favorite chocolates.  All that was missing was my husband!

Jegelkys

But, luckily, we had whipped cream vodka to entertain me in his absence!  Whipped cream vodka + diet root beer = amazing.  Try it!

jessica 3

And we were very excited that my earrings matched the glassware

lauren 2

My sister also brought her friend Jen to join the fun

jess jen 3a

Of course we had to take advantage of the gorgeous weather for a few backyard shots:

Dad and me

lauren dad 3

Sisterly love

lauren jess 6

Mom and her girls

mom jess lauren 2b

And my favorite Uncle!  Hi Marty!!!

lauren marty 1

How was your Memorial Day weekend?  Has summer arrived where you are?

beach 3

Blog

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie

65 Comments

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie

I have to tell you, the pictures don’t do this dessert justice.  Whoever has tips for taking pictures of ice cream please send them my way!

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie

So lately I haven’t been showing enough love to my two favorite food groups: peanut butter and ice cream

What, those aren’t food groups? Could have fooled me!

Does peanut butter combined with chocolate make up a food group?peanut butter cups

Protein, healthy fats, antioxidants?  Am I close?

Oh well, because you know what, when it comes to dessert you just have to enjoy what you love.  Personally, I’m good at that…

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie

…just need to work on eating one slice, one scoop or one cookie and being satisfied.  I’ll get there one day.

nutter butters

But in the meantime, send over some self-restraint so that I don’t eat this entire Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie in one sitting

To make the crust, grind up about 8 Nutter Butters in a food processor until fine

nutter butters in food processor

nutter butter crumbs

Add melted butter and stir to combine

add butter to crumbs crust mixture

Press crust mixture into a prepared 9-inch springform pan

making crust 1 making crust 2

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust darkens around the edges and allow crust to cool

making crust 3

When ready, layer half of chocolate ice cream over crust

ice cream layer 1

Next cover the entire layer with large peanut butter cups

layer peanut butter cups

Then, cover peanut butter cup layer completely with chocolate ice cream (shh I ran out of peanut butter cups); Freeze until ready to serve

ice cream layer 2

[print_this]

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie

Yield: Serves 12

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups Nutter Butter crumbs (about 8 cookies)
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 quarts your favorite chocolate ice cream or frozen yogurt (I used Edy’s slow churned)
  • 24 large peanut butter cups

Cooking Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray, set aside
  3. To make the crust, grind up about 8 Nutter Butters in a food processor until fine; add melted butter and stir to combine
  4. Press mixture into prepared pan
  5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust darkens around the edges and allow crust to cool
  6. When ready, layer half of chocolate ice cream over crust
  7. Layer peanut butter cups over ice cream and then cover them with remaining ice cream

[/print_this]

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie

If you could create a new food group, what would it be?

Blog

24 Hours

27 Comments

rachel and lauren 1

The other day I had 24 hours with my best friend/college roommate, Rachel

We brunched, we window-shopped, we walked, we pedicured… it was fabulous

And since she was in town from Florida we made a couple of very important stops…. Pinkberry

pinkberry 3

…and forty carats

40 carats 1

Best friends don’t let best friends go without fro yo.

And then after a day of running around the city and catching up on months of conversation (I hadn’t seen her since my wedding!) we changed our out-on-the-town evening plans and crashed the husband’s dinner

Littletown 2

We went to this restaurant near my apartment

Littletown 4

Beer sampler anyone?

Littletown 5

Of course the rest of the night was spent catching up some more on life like only best friends do

We were so happy to be reunited, I almost didn’t let her leave!

rachel and lauren 2

What would you do if you had a best friend visit for 24 hours?

Cookie cakes, dessert platters, pop-ups and more!