Posts from the ‘Other Sweets’ Category

May 21

Rice Krispies Treats

I had a craving for Rice Krispies treats, so I made a batch over the weekend. It’s been years since I’ve eaten these, and believe it or not, I’ve never actually made them myself before.

I contemplated doctoring up the original recipe, with chocolate chips or whatever, but no, I definitely wanted the plain old original recipe. And I wasn’t disappointed!

dscn6432

They are so easy to make and so quick. The most annoying part of it, I’d have to say, is the stickiness of it! Make sure you butter or spray any utensils you use for this, and also be sure to butter or spray the pan you spread the sticky treats out in. It will make your life so much easier!

You can find the original Rice Krispies treats recipe on any box of Rice Krispies cereal, or find it now at Recipezaar.

May 9

3 Comments

Strawberries & Chocolate

Just one month ago, my mother-in-law, who lives in Australia, surprised us with an Easter cookie bouquet; she surprised us again yesterday by sending me a Mother’s Day gift – two boxes full of huge fresh strawberries and two jars of fudge dipping sauce!

dscn6301

They were packaged nicely from Cherry Moon Farms. In each box were 16 strawberries, so 32 strawberries in all, and in each box was one jar of fudge dipping sauce.

dscn6309

And when I said they were huge, I did mean that they were huge!

The fudge dipping sauce is an award-winning gourmet chocolate sauce from Fudge Fatale. It is a very nice sauce that is not too sweet and goes perfect with the strawberries. The sauce is spreadable at room temperature and needs a quick zap in the microwave to achieve a dipping consistency. It would also be nice over ice cream, I imagine!

dscn6312

There are recipes on the Fudge Fatale webiste that are worth checking out as well. I have two jars of this sauce and will definitely have some leftover, so I hope to try out a couple of those recipes.

This was a very sweet and totally unexpected Mother’s Day gift! What sweet treats have you received or given for Mother’s Day this year?

May 4

8 Comments

Mint Oreo Truffles

This is my first go at Oreo truffles – it probably won’t be my last! I decided to use mint Oreos, after I couldn’t find strawberry Oreos (I thought they had quit making them, but I’ve seen people using them again recently).

dscn6236

I cut the popular Oreo truffles recipe in half – you can find that recipe in this post – because a package of mint Oreos is smaller than a package of regular Oreos.

dscn6238

I used 21 mint Oreos, 4-5 ounces cream cheese and 4 ounces Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate. I believe the extra cream cheese I added to the crumbled cookie mixture was a little too much – the truffles are gooier than they’re supposed to be (but that’s fine with me, they’re still very yummy!). Also, 4 ounces of the Ghirardelli chocolate wasn’t quite enough to coat all the truffles. I ended up with 20 truffles.

Apr 30

1 Comment

Rustic Apple Tart

This recipe comes from a KitchenAid stand mixer instruction manual; the photo looked so nice that I knew I would eventually get around to making it. It’s a rustic apple tart and includes making your own pie crust, which is something I’ve never done before.

It actually ended up being quite easy, although I wish I would have added one more tablespoon of water to the dough (it says to add 5-6 tablespoons of water and I added 5).

For the apple filling, the recipe calls for 2 1/2 pounds, or 6 large tart apples. I found that this was way too much apple. I mounded the apples in the center of the pie crust, thinking that it must cook down and shrink quite a bit. The tart in the photo does not have a mound of apple filling anywhere near as large as mine was!

Well, everything turned out quite nice, except I didn’t get a nice brown pie crust. Maybe I should have brushed it with egg before baking? I didn’t get a photo of the freshly baked tart because it was late at night and there wasn’t enough light to get a post-worthy photo. I did get this photo today though at lunchtime of a slice of the tart with a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream.

dscn6220

It is a really nice-tasting apple tart though. It was definitely worth making and I’m quite sure I’ll be making it again, although I’m going to use less apples; maybe I’ll try 4 large apples, instead of 6.

KitchenAid Pie Pastry
Adapted from KitchenAid stand mixer instruction manual
Makes 2 8- or 9-inch pie crusts

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening, well-chilled
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, well-chilled
5 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Method
Place flour and salt in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to stir speed and mix about 15 seconds. Cut shortening and butter into pieces and add to flour mixture. Turn to stir speed and mix until shortening particles are size of small peas, about 30 to 45 seconds.

Continuing on stir speed, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until ingredients are moistened and dough begins to hold together. Divide dough in half. Pat each half into a smooth ball and flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Rustic Apple Tart
Adapted from KitchenAid stand mixer instruction manual
Serves 8

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds (about 6 large) tart green apples, peeled, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust (see above recipe, or use your own)

Method
Toss together apples, lemon juice and granulated sugar. Set aside.

Place all remaining ingredients, except pie crust, in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to speed 2 (or low) and mix until crumbly. Set aside.

Roll out pie crust into a 13-inch circle. Transfer to baking sheet (it’s okay if pastry hangs over edge of baking sheet).

Gently mound apples in center of pastry, leaving a 2-inch border of dough on all sides. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon sugar mixture. Fold pastry up over filling, pleating as necessary to fit snugly around apples. Gently press dough to filling, reinforcing shape.

Bake at 400F until pastry is golden brown and apples are tender, for about 30 minutes. Cool tart on baking sheet on wire rack for 10 minutes; serve warm.

Apr 9

8 Comments

Pumpkin Pancakes

Trying to use up the rest of the canned pumpkin, I’ve been on a pumpkin recipe search. After pumpkin bread, comes pumpkin pancakes. I’m pretty sure I’ve never eaten pumpkin pancakes before but after trying this recipe I’m definitely going to be making them again.

dscn5988

The recipe is a highly rated one at allrecipes.com. I didn’t change a thing about the recipe. I took the advice from one of the comments and did not thin out the batter with more milk; the comment stated that the batter is supposed to be thick and the addition of more milk would dull the taste of the pumpkin. Instead, the comment said that the batter was supposed to be poured into the pan, then spread out with the back of a spoon.

The comment section has a lot of other tips and their personal changes to the recipe as well, definitely worth a read.

The recipe says it yields 6 servings, and stated that it made 12 pancakes. Following the recipe, I used 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and ended up with 17 pancakes! Pictured above is only 16, however, as I ate the very first one! They taste great with a bit of butter and maple syrup. :)

Apr 2

32 Comments

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

I’ve always wanted to make my own chocolate and peanut butter cups. The recipes are so easy, I’m not sure why I’ve never gotten around to it until now.

They really took no time at all, in nearly 30 minutes I was already sinking my teeth into these oh-so-rich peanut butter cups.

I looked at a few recipes and skipped on most of them. Some of them used shortening, or called for ingredients I didn’t have. I used the recipe from Have Cake, Will Travel; they looked like the perfect ones.

My notes: I took the advice from Have Cake, Will Travel and added 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to the melted chocolate; I did not add extra salt; I melted the chocolate in a heavy-bottom saucepan rather than the microwave; I used regular sized cupcake liners, not minis, so mine are closer to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups size; I used the freezer instead of the refrigerator to set up the chocolate on the bottom.

They are so delicious. They are better and richer than Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Keep these stored in the refrigerator; they melt quickly.

—

Due to the continued popularity of this post, I am going to finally post the recipe here instead of only linking to it! If you want to make these vegan, click through to the original recipe from Have Cake, Will Travel – link is below. If you want to make these mini, try adapting the recipe for a mini cupcake tin (I think I’ll do this the next time I make these).

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out my “gourmet” salted chocolate peanut butter cups, using Lindt’s sea salt chocolate bar!

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Adapted from Have Cake, Will Travel
Makes 12

Ingredients:
*For the chocolate
1 1/2 cups (273g) chopped semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (32g) peanut butter
Pinch salt

*For the filling
12 tablespoons (or 3/4 cup) (192g) peanut butter
1/3 cup (64g) light brown sugar or powdered sugar
2 tablespoons (10g) graham cracker crumbs, optional
Pinch salt

Method
Prepare a standard muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

Combine chocolate, peanut butter and salt in a heavy-based saucepan over very low heat, or use a double-boiler, to melt the chocolate. Stir frequently. Remove from heat.

Place 2 teaspoons melted chocolate in each cupcake liner and carefully spread it with the back of a spoon at the bottom and only 1/4 of the way up the liner. Repeat with all 12 liners.

Place the chocolate-covered liners onto a plate in the fridge to firm up, for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Stir together peanut butter, sugar, optional crumbs, and salt.

The chocolate should be hard by now, so divide peanut butter paste into all 12 liners, about 1 heaping tablespoon (20g) per liner, pressing down gently to make sure the paste goes everywhere. Place in fridge to firm up, for about 20 minutes.

Top with 2 teaspoons melted chocolate, spreading carefully so that none of the peanut butter can be seen.

Let cups firm up in fridge for at least one hour before enjoying. Store in fridge or freezer.

Apr 2

3 Comments

Strawberry-Blueberry-Banana Smoothie

We recently purchased a popsicle mold and have been drowning in frozen smoothie pops ever since. The following recipe has been my favorite so far, which is adapted from a bag of frozen strawberries.

Personally, I prefer unfrozen smoothies, but my daughter prefers them in frozen form, which is just as well. I’m glad she likes this healthy treat – she can barely even wait for them to freeze!

Strawberry-Blueberry-Banana Smoothies
Can be frozen or simply drank fresh from the blender!
Makes approximately 3-4 cups

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole, fresh or frozen strawberries, mostly thawed
1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, mostly thawed
1 1/2 cups low fat milk
1 cup low fat yogurt, any flavor (I used vanilla)
3 teaspoons sugar

Method
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Immediately enjoy, or pour into popsicle molds to freeze for a cold treat.

With three different fruits, plus milk and yogurt, this frozen smoothie pop makes a great healthy treat for the kids.

If you prefer, you can strain the smoothie through a fine sieve to remove the strawberry seeds and tiny pieces of blueberry skin.

Mar 15

Brown Sugar Oat Muffins (with Ground Flaxseed)

The first recipe I’ve decided to try from my new The Taste of Home Cookbook is for brown sugar oat muffins. The original recipe did not list ground flaxseed as an ingredient, but a tip for baking muffins is listed next to the recipe. It reads as follows…

Add Some Flaxseed
Milled flaxseed is packed with heart-healthy oils and is a good source of fiber. Besides sprinkling it on cereal or blending it into smoothies, it can be substituted for some of the fat in breads and muffins. Try using 3 tablespoons of milled flaxseed instead of 1 tablespoon butter or oil called for in a recipe. Be sure to use milled or ground flaxseed to enjoy all its wholesome benefits.

So I added 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed to the dry ingredients, and reduced the oil in the recipe by 1 tablespoon. The result is an awesome wholesome-tasting muffin that is just perfect for breakfast.

Brown Sugar Oat Muffins (with Ground Flaxseed)
Adapted from The Taste of Home Cookbook
Makes 12

Ingredients
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used light)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil, minus 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and flaxseed. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients just until combined.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full*. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

* I filled the cups closer to 3/4′s full.

Mmm, I can’t wait until tomorrow’s breakfast to have another one! :)

Feb 13

1 Comment

Nutella Crepes

If you’re a cupcake lover and you haven’t picked up a copy of February’s issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine, you must do so now! There are so many cupcakes in that magazine! This post is not about cupcakes though, it’s about crepes, which you can find an article on in said magazine. The article describes in detail the process of making crepes and encourages the reader by saying that making crepes is easy. I got inspired and decided to try it right away – on the menu, Nutella crepes.

And was it easy? YES! It was the quite possibly the easiest thing I’ve ever cooked! The only hard part was spreading the Nutella on the crepes, but once the Nutella melted a bit it became easier.

You can find the entire article from the magazine online at the Martha Stewart website, along with the exact recipe that I used here (I divided the recipe into thirds, and made the smaller crepes).

I’m really impressed with these and would like to try a savory crepe in the coming days; I’m thinking ham and cheese.

Side note – Yes, I realize I haven’t made cupcakes in a while. That is soon to be remedied; I will be making Valentine’s Day cupcakes, and I will be entering this month’s Iron Cupcake: Earth challenge.

Dec 10

2 Comments

Cookie Exchange!

Last night I went to my local women’s group cookie exchange. I was generally quite unimpressed with the cookies (no offense to any of those women who may be reading this, but I’m really picky!), but there were some yummy treats. Of course, I was a huge fan of the fudge I made with a Lindt coconut white chocolate bar swirled in. But I also really liked a friend’s Oreo truffles.

My fudge recipe is simple. It is the fudge recipe from this post. What I did differently was stir in a melted Lindt coconut white chocolate bar. That’s all! It’s so yummy! The fudge isn’t as smooth as regular fudge because of the very finely chopped coconut, which gave it a kind of strange appearance, but the taste of it made up for that!

I have seen Oreo truffles before, mainly on Bakerella’s blog (see here and here, for example) and my friend had made these Oreo truffles at last year’s cookie exchange. They are really yummy; the process of making them and the texture of the truffles are very similar to Bakerella’s cupcake pops and cake balls.

There are a few different methods to making Oreo truffles, but the easiest one is as follows.

Oreo Truffles

Ingredients
1 package (18-ounces) Oreo cookies, finely crushed
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 packages (8 squares each) Baker’s semi sweet chocolate, melted

Method
Mix 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls. Place the balls in the freezer to firm up, about 10-15 minutes, as they will be easier to work with when firm.

Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Tip: To easily coat truffles with the melted chocolate, add truffles, in batches, to bowl of melted chocolate. Then use two forks to roll truffles in chocolate until evenly coated. Remove the truffles with forks and allow excess chocolate to drip back into bowl before placing truffles on prepared baking sheet.

The truffles can look very beautiful if prepared neatly, as seen here!

Sep 30

6 Comments

Mini Banana Whoopie Pies

I’ve been in a whoopie pie mood lately. I’ve never made them before though. I chose mini banana whoopie pies for my first time (recipe here).

Now, I didn’t have any sour cream so I substituted with organic vanilla yogurt. I don’t know if this was my problem, but all of my “pies” turned out flat.

I couldn’t figure out why, so I came up with the idea of putting the batter into my cupcake pan. I piped the batter in the bottom of each of the cups in the pan, just enough batter to completely cover the bottom but of course in a thin layer and baked them this way. I found that I needed to bake them for less time in the cupcake pans.

But, they came out exactly how I wanted them to look!

They’re very nice, they’re moist and banana-y. I’m not a huge cream cheese fan, so that put me off slightly, but I do think that these whoopie pies are a nice treat. I’m interested now in making the original whoopie pies, pumpkin whoopie pies, and my own idea of cherry whoopie pies (chocolate pies with cherry filling).

I didn’t use all of my flat pies, just the one pictured above to show you what I meant by “flat pies”. I have leftover filling so I think I might try to use that as a filling in chocolate cupcakes later this week.