12

Mar 13

Trix Marshmallow Cups

Trix Marshmallow Treats

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello friends!

Whew- I’m back. It’s been a while but…I. AM. BACK.

I am kicking off my return in the most colorful of ways, just in time for all of the food blogs to begin posting their best Easter treats. I didn’t make a new St. Patrick’s Day cookie this year because, well, I did one last year and I like it just fine. You can check out my Celtic Knot Cookies here if you’d like.

Now back to Easter.

These are very easy (they have 3 ingredients people…..3.) and your kids can help, which is always fun. Unless your kids don’t listen well in the kitchen, and then it’s not fun at all. Let me re-phrase…if your kids listen well in the kitchen and enjoy baking than these will be lots of fun to make together!

These little gems are nothing new and I’m pretty sure the concept of mixing anything and everything with melted marshmallows is something the cavemen drew on the walls back in the Stone Age. These are just fun because they are super colorful and have that delicious fake fruit taste to them that only Trix can capture. Also, we are going to put them into a cupcake pan to create fun sized individual treats- perfect for kid hands! My big mitts can actually hold 2 at a time so I have that going for me…

Let’s do this.

Here are the characters for this go around: 3, count ‘em, 3.

Trix Marshmallow Cups

Trix, Butter, Mallows. We’re keepin’ it simple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First thing’s first- melt that butter!

In a good size pot over medium heat, melt your butter completely.
Trix Marshmallow Cups

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t turn your heat up too high in an effort to speed this process along. One of the tricks to gooey krispy treats is to let everything melt slowly, over medium heat. Patience Daniel son.

Once your butter is completely melted, dump in your mallows.
Trix Marshmallow Cups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now stir. You’ll want to get the marshmallows pretty evenly coated in the melted butter and then let them rest for 20-30 second intervals. Continue to mix, stir and rest until you have a lovely pot of melted, gooey, marshmallow deliciousness.

Now, it’s time for these little cuties.
Trix Marshmallow Cups

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dump in 4-5 Cups depending on how gooey you like your treats. I prefer a maximum goo level so I do a few extra mallows and about 4C of Trix.

Mix the Trix and the mallows together until not a trix is uncoated in mallow decadence.

What happens next is totally up to you. This is like those “choose your own ending” books I used to love in Middle School, do you dump it all into a 9×9 pan? Or, do you spray the cups of a cupcake pan with Pam and press the Trix into cute little bundt like treats? You must decide….

I went for the cupcake pan because it’s fun and I don’t have to struggle through chopping up a pan of sticky treats.

After spraying your pan (whichever you choose) with a bit of Pam, dump the mix in and press down with a spatula (also greased in a little Pam) until the surface is as smooth as you can get it. Either let the mix dry in your pan, or if you did cups, spray a long piece of foil with Pam (lots of Pam going on here!) and dump the cups out onto the foil. They will stay formed, don’t worry. Give them an hour or so to firm up and “dry”, if you will. They will look like this:
Trix Marshmallow Treats

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After they have dried a bit, dig in and enjoy the gooey Trix goodness!

Trix Marshmallow Cups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to print out the recipe below :)

Print
Trix Marshmallow Cups

Ingredients

  • 1/4C Butter
  • 10-11oz. small Marshmallows
  • 4C-5C Trix cereal
  • (you can adjust the mallow and Trix ratios to obtain your desired level of gooeyness.)
  1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt your butter completely.
  2. Once it's melted, add your marshmallows. Keep the heat at medium and stir regularly, give the mixture 20-30 second rest periods until all of the marshmallows are completely melted.
  3. Dump in the Trix.
  4. Stir. Stir. Stir.
  5. If using a 9x9 or 9x13 pan, spray with Pam and dump the entire pot into your pan, pressing the mixture all the way down and as flat as possible with a greased spatula.
  6. If you would like to make smaller, individual sized treats, grease your cupcake pan with Pam and divide your Trix mixture evenly into each cup, pressing down with your greased spatula until the tops are as even/flat as possible.
  7. Grease a long piece of foil and dump the little treats out onto it.
  8. Let dry for a few hours, or, eat immediately if you just can't wait that long!
http://www.sdseasidesweets.com/sweetspot/trix-marshmallow-cups/

Posted in Snack Foods | No Comments

1

Nov 12

Apple Brown Betty

Fall is in full swing and I could not be more excited. This is, by far, my favorite time of year. I love the cool air, the Holiday family time and most of all– the baking!

Baking too much, all the time, is completely acceptable this time of year. My tendency to bake something for dessert almost everyday of the week is (for some reason) more understood between the middle of October to the end of December. I plan to take full advantage of these next two months and bake until my little fingers cannot bake anymore!

I will start my Fall baking with a dessert I have never made, or eaten, before. About 2 years ago my Grandma gave me a little wooden box chock full of old recipes that had been collected and used over the past 50 plus years. Obviously, I was ecstatic. I sat for hours and went through each card, re-categorizing and organizing the whole box. One of the recipes in this box is a very old recipe for Apple Brown Betty.

Not only had I never tried it before, I had never really even heard of it. I gathered from the ingredients that it is kind of like apple crisp. The original recipe calls for the use of bread crumbs, but I don’t really like to follow recipes word for word so I switched it up and substituted graham cracker crumbs. It was a good switch my friends, these things are DELICIOUS. Such a perfect Fall dessert and a great addition to any Thanksgiving dessert table.

What’s that? You have only one dessert at Thanksgiving? You mean, you don’t have a whole table of baked goods to choose from? Seriously, get on it. No Thanksgiving meal is complete without a few pies, some cookies, a bar or two and some kind of crisp or crumb!!

Let’s do this.

Preheat your oven to 375°

Here is our Cast of Characters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First, start by coring, peeling and slicing your apples. The original recipe calls for 6C or about 8 apples. I used 2 types of apples; Granny Smith and Honeycrisp. I ended up using 3 Granny Smith apples and 2 Honeycrips, however, when it came out of the oven I wished I had layered more apples in. Next time I will use all 8 apples. “There’s always room for one more….”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, grab your graham crackers and get to crumbin’ (I just made that word up. It’s gonna catch on…like fetch.) You need 2 cups of crumbs which is about 10 full sheets of grahams if you don’t already have boxed crumbs.

Mix your melted butter into your graham crumbs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Brown Betty is traditionally made in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. I wasn’t really feeling that so I broke tradition and just used an 8×8 glass dish. Lightly spray the dish and press 1/3 of the graham cracker mixture into the bottom in a crust like fashion.

Now you will grab 1/2 of your sliced apples and place them all over the crumbs. Layer them in there!

Now, mix up the remaining ingredients to create a glaze. Pour 1/2 of the glaze all over the apples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top the apples with 1/3 of the graham crumbs.

Take the remaining 1/2 of your apples and layer, layer, layer.

Drizzle the rest of the glaze all over the apples and top with the remaining 1/3 of the graham crumbs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and lower the oven temperature to 350°, then bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Slice and serve warm, preferably snuggling up to a large scoop of vanilla ice cream :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to print the recipe!!

Print
Apple Brown Betty

Ingredients

  • 2C graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4C salted butter, melted
  • 6C cored (about 8 apples) sliced, cored and peeled apples (multiple tart varieties are your best options. Granny Smith, Braeburn, Gala, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp.)
  • 1/4C sugar
  • 1/4C brown sugar
  • 1/2t nutmeg
  • 1/2t cinnamon
  • 1 1/2T lemon juice
  • 1T grated lemon rind
  • 1/2C water
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°
  2. Core, slice and peel 8 apples (6C). Set aside.
  3. Take about 10 sheets of graham crackers (or 2C of graham cracker crumbs) and crush into fine crumbs.
  4. Add melted butter to graham crackers crumbs and stir.
  5. Spray the bottom of an 8x8 dish or a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Press 1/3 of the crumbs into the bottom of the dish.
  6. Layer 1/2 of the apples on top of the crumbs.
  7. Mix up the remaining ingredients (sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon rind and water) and drizzle 1/2 of it all over the apples.
  8. Sprinkle another 1/3 of the crumbs all over the apples.
  9. Place the remaining apples all over the crumbs, covering every little inch!
  10. Drizzle remaining glaze all over the apples and top with the remaining crumbs.
  11. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
  12. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and lower the oven temperature to 350°.
  13. Bake for another 30 minutes.
  14. Serve warm alongside a large scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
http://www.sdseasidesweets.com/sweetspot/apple-brown-betty/

Posted in All Things Cake | No Comments

1

Oct 12

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

In honor of my second favorite Holiday (it’s a close race with Christmas), and in celebration of our recent partnership with the amazing San Diego dessert truck, Sweet Treats Truck, I made you some adorable sugar cookies. But not just any sugar cookies, candy corn sugar cookies. No, they don’t have candy corn in them, however, they are adorable (and easy) which make them awesome. All the cuteness aside, they are also VERY yummy. Thick, chewy, sugary goodness. These would be great for a school Halloween party, an adult Halloween party, or perhaps a party where you are the only one invited and the only one attending. Do it.

Here is our Cast of Characters:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty basic stuff!
Oh, also…these little cuties. In order to dye the dough, you’ll need yellow and orange gel food coloring. I used Wilton- all was well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Preheat your oven to 350°.

Cream the butter, shortening and sugar together on medium high until light and fluffy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add in the eggs and vanilla (use PURE vanilla if at all possible. That goes for any baking you do. Pure vanilla gives a much more vanilla taste with no after taste….I cannot say the same for imitation although some people say they don’t notice anything different. Personal preference I guess) and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well to combine completely.

Once the mixture is completely combined, divide it into 3 equal size chunks. Place each chunk in its own bowl. Leave one of the chunks alone- this will be the white dough. Grab your dye and add enough to dye one bowl yellow and the other bowl orange. I don’t know how much dye I used but take a toothpick and add it into the dough in small amounts until you reach the desired shade. I wanted mine to be bright so I added in 3 or 4 additions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next step is super fun. Take a small ball of each color and stack them as pictured below: white, then yellow, then orange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you can one of two things. You can smoosh them down vertically, then flatten the cookie by pressing it down flat into a circle. This will give you the candy corn stacked look, like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or, you can smoosh them flat, rip the dough in half, re-layer it and twist it to create kind of a tye-dye effect! This would be really fun with bright colors for a birthday party!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Either way, lay them on your parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They bake up looking like this- funky!

I kind of prefer the candy corn look-a-likes….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty cute, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try them and let me know what you think! Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to print out the recipe!

Print
Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2/3C Shortening
  • 2/3C Butter (softened)
  • 1 1/2C White Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 Teaspoons Vanilla
  • 3 1/2C All Purpose Flour
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • Orange and yellow food dye
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°
  2. In a mixer, mix butter, shortening and sugar on medium high until fluffy.
  3. Add in eggs and vanilla, mix until combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
  5. With your mixer on slow, add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients gradually increasing speed until well combined and your dough is formed.
  6. Split the dough into 3 equal parts and place in separate bowls.
  7. Dye one bowl yellow, one bowl orange and leave the third white!
  8. Take one small scoop of each color and stack with white on top, orange in the middle and yellow on the bottom.
  9. Smoosh the balls down and flatten into a cookie if you want them to resemble candy corn. If you'd prefer a tye-dye look, smoosh the 3 balls down, rip them in half, re-stack and twist to create random patterns and swirls. Have fun with it!
  10. Place all of the cookies on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies set up on the sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a baking rack to cool. They might look underdone but they will set up, I promise!
  11. Pour a cold glass of milk and enjoy!
http://www.sdseasidesweets.com/sweetspot/candy-corn-sugar-cookies/

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22

Aug 12

Lemon Meringue Marshmallow Fluff Cookies

Let me just begin by saying that these are my new favorite cookies. This recipe makes 12 cookies. I have 1 cookie left. My daughter ate 1/2 of one cookie. You do the math….

They are sugar sweet and lemon tangy. The marshmallow fluff glaze perfectly balances the citrus in the cookie and the graham crackers add a lovely crunch. They don’t spread much so you can choose to leave them in balls and have a super thick, fluffy cookie, or, you can press them down and have a more flat but still fluffy cookie. Either way, the taste is to die for. Make these, as soon as possible, seriously….go.

Cast of Characters for this go around include:

Preheat your oven to 350˚

Mix your flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Grab another bowl and, using a microplane or zester, zest 2T (approx. 2 large lemons) of lemon rind. Let’s see how many times I can say zest in one sentence. Zesty, zestier, zestiest. Zest. And, I’m done.

To your lemon zest (hee hee), add the sugar. Using a spoon, mix, press, combine and blend the zest and sugar together. The point here is for the sugar to take on the flavor and scent of the lemon zest, (somebody stop me.)

Place the sugar mixture into your mixing bowl and add the room temperature butter. Mix on medium for about 30 seconds until well combined and fluffy.

Add your egg, vanilla and lemon pudding mix. Mix until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and slowly add the flour mixture while beating on low. Once all of the flour is incorporated, scrape down the bowl and mix on medium to medium high until well combined.

Grab your two graham cracker sheets and break them up into edible chunks. They should be big enough to create a crunch in the cookie, but not so large that they stick out all over the place.

Place your mixer on low (or “stir”) and get all of those cute little graham’s mixed in.

I like to use a standard size cookie scoop for my cookies, but if you prefer a smaller scoop, grab it and get to scoopin’!

Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Like I said up top, these don’t spread so if you want them to be “flat topped” as opposed to more of a “dome” shape, now is the time to smoosh them down to a thickness you desire. I baked the first 6 as domes, and the 2nd 6 as flat tops and I liked them both so it’s totally a personal preference thing.

Place them in the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes. They should be matte finish (no gloss on top!) and barely golden  brown around the edges. When they are done, leave them to cool on the baking sheet and then move them to a cooling rack.

Now for the marshmallow fluff glaze!

In another bowl (I know, I know, this recipe uses a lot of bowls but I PROMISE- it’s totally worth it!) mix together the marshmallow creme, lemon juice, softened cream cheese and vanilla. I used a hand mixer for this step since my big mixer was occupied with delicious lemony graham goodness.

Once your fluff is creamy and smooth, add the powdered sugar and continue to mix until you reach your desired consistency. I wanted mine to be a bit more glaze like in texture so I added about 2t of milk as I mixed. Add it or not, it’s totally up to you!

Once the cookies are COMPLETELY cool (and yes, I know this step is the hardest by far. Waiting for cookies to cool is useless in my kitchen too.) grab that marshmallow glaze and get to dipping/spreading. For the dome shaped cookies I found the dipping method to be more effective. Also, I dipped them twice. Stop judging me. For the flat topped cookies, I poured a little glaze on top and spread it to all sides using a cake or icing spatula.

And….voila!

Really though, don’t wait to try these. If you do, come back and let me know what you think. I promise you’ll love them!

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to access the printable recipe below!

Print
Lemon Meringue Marshmallow Fluff Cookies

Ingredients

    Cookie Ingredients (adapted from this lemon cookie recipe by Two Peas and Their Pod
  • 2 1/4C all purpose flour
  • 1/2t baking powder
  • 1/2t salt
  • 3/4C sugar
  • 2T lemon zest
  • 1C unsalted butter
  • 1 small package of lemon pudding
  • 1 egg
  • 1t vanilla extract
  • 2 full sheets of Graham Crackers
    • For the marshmallow fluff glaze
  • 1/2 jar (approx. 1/2 C) of marshmallow creme
  • 4oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2t fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2t vanilla extract
  • 1/2C powdered sugar
  • 2t milk (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in one bowl. Set aside.
  3. In another bowl zest 2 large lemons (approx. 2T). Add the sugar and, using a spoon, combine the zest and sugar until well mixed.
  4. In the bowl of your mixer, combine sugar lemon mixture with softened butter. Mix on medium to medium high speed until well combined and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
  5. Add lemon pudding mix, egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
  6. With the mixer on low, slowly incorporate all of the flour mixture. As it starts to blend, increase speed to medium and mix well.
  7. Crunch up both graham cracker sheets into small chunks. Nothing too big, but large enough to convey taste and texture.Think raisin size. Put your mixer on "stir" or "low" and mix in those sweet grahams.
  8. Scoop out your cookies and place on a parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet. If you would like the cookies to have a flat top, now is the time to press them down until you reach your desired thickness. If you like the dome shape idea, let them be!
  9. Place in the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes until no longer glossy and barely brown around the edges.
  10. When they are done, remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  11. Mix up the marshmallow fluff glaze!
  12. Begin by combining softened cream cheese, marshmallow creme, vanilla and lemon juice. Using a hand mixer, mix until well combined and smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix again until smooth.
  13. If you kept your cookies the dome shape, you can dip them (bottoms up!) into the glaze. They are even better if you dip them twice. If you pressed your cookies flat, grab an icing spatula and after pouring a few tablespoons onto each cookie, spread the icing to all sides.
  14. Now, sit down, indulge and enjoy. Eat one and hide the rest- these guys are super sneaky.
http://www.sdseasidesweets.com/sweetspot/lemon-meringue-marshmallow-fluff-cookies/

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9

Aug 12

S’mores Campfire Cookies for National S’mores Day!

Let’s talk about camping.

You may or may not be surprised to know that I am not a camper. It’s not that I am against the idea of camping, it’s more the part about actually GOING camping that I struggle with.

Not showering.

Bugs.

Sleeping on the ground.

Bugs.

The potential for wild animal encounters.

Bugs.

Feeling (and smelling) so, so, so dirty.

Also, bugs.

So, as you see, I am not the first to raise my hand when asked, “who wants to rough it in the woods this weekend??”

I am, however, the first one to raise my hand when asked, “who wants to make s’mores?”

It’s sad, I know, but it’s true. I am not going to deny it. If you ask me to go camping I will respond with, “will there be s’mores?” and if your answer is yes, then mine will be too.

Smore’s are sticky, and gooey, and so wonderful- but sometimes you may want something a bit easier to clean up and manage while sitting fireside with no running water or soap close by. Enter, my Campfire Cookies. They are all the loveliness of a giant smooshy s’more, without the stickiness- and since today is National S’mores Day, what better day to try them out?

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Start by mixing up your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I like this one because it makes the cookies fluffy and soft. Since we are stuffing these we don’t want a dough that creates thin, crispy cookies!

Grab 5 full graham crackers and break them up with your fingers. You don’t want them to be crumbs, but small manageable chunks will work great.

Add your chocolate chips. I like using milk chocolate chips for these in keeping with the traditional Hershey’s bar flavor. Also, the bigger the better! If you think it sounds fun, try using Hershey kisses instead of chocolate chips!

Using a 1/2 C measuring cup, scoop out the dough and press it into a flat circle in your palm.

Now grab those beautiful, fluffy mallows. Lay a jumbo mallow on its side in the middle of your circle of dough.

I took this picture before laying the mallow on its side.

Lay seam down on a parchment lined (<– VERY IMPORTANT!) baking sheet. Don’t make these unless you have a Silpat mat or parchment paper handy. The spillage will stick everywhere and you will be mad and grumpy about your ruined (but still very tasty) cookies. I know this from experience. Gently fold the sides of the dough all the way around your mallow, sealing all cracks or holes where the gooey stuff could escape!

My sheet barely fit 6 cookies at a time. I definitely wouldn’t bake more than 6 at a time.

Stick your cookies in the oven and bake for 16 minutes. Sometimes I add 1 or 2 minutes after checking them at 16, it just depends on your oven. You want them to be barely golden brown on top. Leave them on the baking sheet after removing them from the oven so they set up and finish baking. After about 15 minutes, remove them to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Indulge and share, if you want to. :) Check out the link for the printable recipe below!

Seaside Sweets S'mores Cookies

Print
S'mores Campfire Cookies

12 BIG cookies

Ingredients

  • 1C softened unsalted butter
  • 1/4C sugar
  • 3/4C light brown sugar
  • 2 1/4C flour
  • 1t vanilla
  • 1t salt
  • 1t baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 5 full graham cracker sheets
  • 12 JUMBO marshmallows
  • 1 bag milk chocolate chips or Hershey kisses
  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Beat your butter and sugars together until fluffy, about 30 seconds.
  3. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well, until dough forms.
  4. Crumble up the graham crackers and add them to the dough
  5. add your chocolate chips and mix into dough by hand, until well incorporated.
  6. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
  7. Scoop 1/2C balls of dough onto your sheet. Press flat and add a mallow (layed on the side) to the center of each circle of dough.
  8. Wrap the dough all the way around the mallow, making sure to close up all cracks and holes.
  9. Lay the balls seam down on the baking sheet, 6 to a sheet.
  10. Bake for 16 minutes adding a few minutes if necessary. You want them to be lightly golden brown.
  11. Remove from the oven and keep on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  12. Enjoy!
http://www.sdseasidesweets.com/sweetspot/smores-campfire-cookies-for-national-smores-day/

Posted in Cookies | 1 Comment

6

Jul 12

Mini Caramel Apple Turnovers

I’m not a huge fast food person.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, if it’s offered to me I will 8 times out of 10 accept it. Unless you follow up the invitation with “we’re going to Taco Bell” or “we’re going to Long John Silver.” I’m pretty much not going to those two restaurants. Ever.  No offense if that is your thing, it’s just that I would pretty much rather eat my toenails than enjoy a meal from one of those joints.

On the flip side, I definitely have my favorite fast food getaways. In-N-Out, Wendy’s, and Arby’s. I am also the person that gets the same thing every time I visit these establishments. With Arby’s it’s always been (since I was like 5 years old, I swear) a roast beef sandwich, curly fries and a cherry turnover. My meal is not complete unless I finish it off with a cherry turnover. I hate looking in the drive through window and seeing them sitting there, being warmed by the easy bake light they stick them under but I do my best to forget that part and just enjoy the flaky, cherry, vanilla drizzle goodness.

I have wanted to recreate them at home for a long time but they always get pushed back on the “to bake” list. Not today friends, not today. I had a leftover sheet of puff pastry after making these AMAZEBALLS appetizers from Averie over at Averie Cooks (hi fellow San Diego blogger!!) for our July 4th party. While contemplating how best to use this puff pastry, those heating lamp cherry turnovers popped into my head and instantly, I knew what I had to do.

I didn’t have any cherry filling, or fresh cherries for that matter so I went with apple turnovers instead. Granny Smith apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar- you can’t go wrong.

These would be fun served with a few scoops of vanilla bean ice cream, however, they are just as delicious when eaten alone….after just being frosted…while they are still warm….sitting on the baking sheet….I wouldn’t know, but that’s what I hear.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Here is our cast of characters for this go around:

Preheat the oven to 400°

Wash, peel, core and chop your apples. They don’t need to be really tiny but a good small chop will do.

Toss those into a bowl and set them aside.

In a small bowl mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and dash of salt.

Now, combine the dry ingredients and the apples and mix until well combined.

Set this mixture aside and grab your puff pastry.  The box I bought came with two sheets and this recipe provided enough filling for both sheets or about 20 mini turnovers.

Start by lightly flouring your surface, then grab your rolling pin and roll out your pastry sheet. This is how mine started:

And this is how big it was after I rolled it out. You don’t want it tissue thin, but it should be thin enough to get 20 circles out of one sheet.

I used this medium sized circle cookie cutter by Wilton. I bought it at Michael’s. Press down and turn to cut the circle completely. After cutting as many circles as will fit, re-roll the remaining pastry and cut more circles. Repeat with your second pastry sheet.

Here are my circles:

Grab your bowl of apple filling and your Tablespoon. Place 1 Tablespoon of pie filling on 1/2 of your circles. The remaining circles will be used as the tops!

Place one of the empty circles on top of each filled circle and grab a fork. In order to seal the edges completely you will want to slide your fork under the edge of the circles and lift up, fold the edge over slightly and press down creating a crimped and  completely closed edge. Continue all the way around each pastry circle.

One of the best things about Puff Pastry is how forgiving it is. They don’t look super cute before you pop them in the oven but they come out adorable!

Place your sealed turnovers on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet and place them in the oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes keeping an eye on them as they bake. You want them to be a golden brown when the buzzer goes off.

They come out so golden and flaky and ready for their caramel drizzle! Speaking of caramel drizzle, throw it together now!

Place the mixture in a small ziploc and cut off the tip of the one of the bottom corners. Drizzle the caramel sauce all over each turnover and let it cool. It will harden a bit as it dries.

Aren’t they adorable?!

if you try these please come back and let me know what you think, I love comments!! :)

Have a wonderful weekend, here is the printable recipe:

Print
Mini Caramel Apple Turnovers

Makes 20 mini turnovers

Ingredients

    For the Turnovers:
  • 2 sheets of thawed Puff Pastry (usually found in the freezer section of the store)
  • 2 Granny Smith Apples
  • 1/3C sugar
  • 1/8C all purpose flour
  • 1/2t cinnamon
  • 1/2t nutmeg
  • pinch of salt
    • For the Caramel Drizzle -Originally a Paula Deen recipe
  • 1/4C unsalted butter
  • 1/2C dark brown sugar
  • 5T heavy cream (or milk)
  • 1/2T vanilla extract
  • 4C powdered sugar
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°
  2. Wash, peel, core and chop up both apples. Place in a bowl and set aside.
  3. In a small bowl combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well.
  4. Combine the dry ingredients with the chopped apples and mix until well combined. Set this mix aside.
  5. Lightly flour your surface and roll out the puff pastry until "cardtsock paper" thin.
  6. Using a medium sized cookie cutter, cut out 20 circles from the rolled puff pastry. (20 circles per pastry sheet)
  7. Take 1T of the apple mixture and place it on a pastry circle. Do this with 1/2 of the pastry circles.
  8. Using the remaining pastry circles, top each apple filled circle and press down gently.
  9. Using a fork, go around the edge of each circle gently lifting the pastry up and folding over, then pressing down to completely seal all of the edges.
  10. Place sealed pastry circles on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  11. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.
    12. Make the caramel drizzle:
  12. Melt the butter in a pan over medium low heat.
  13. Add the dark brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
  14. Remove from heat and add in the cream (or milk) and vanilla.
  15. In a separate bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat together the powdered sugar and butter mixture. If the consistency is too thick, add more cream until the desired consistency is reached.
  16. Place the cooled drizzle into a small ziploc bag and snip off a small portion of the bottom corner.
  17. Slowly apply the drizzle back and forth over the top of each turnover.
  18. Let the drizzle cool for a few minutes, then....dig in!!
http://www.sdseasidesweets.com/sweetspot/mini-caramel-apple-turnovers/

Posted in Good Morning Yummies, Snack Foods | 2 Comments

17

Jun 12

Lemon Soaked Coconut Cupcakes

Holy hiatus, Batman!

After a nice, relaxing Colorado vacation I am back and so ready to get back into the kitchen!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that last weekend I had the pleasure of making 2 different birthday cakes. I went a more traditional route with one of them (copying I Am Baker’s Neapolitan Rose Cake)

and with the second, I chose to go all kinds of crazy. My style, my creation, my Lord it was amazing!

I took an 8×8 pan of fudge brownies and used one entire batch of cookie dough. After wrapping it all up and baking it to a golden bubbly (name that movie!)….it became a beautiful, giant, pillow cookie cake. I can’t wait to make it again!

But today, what I have for you, is a light and airy cupcake. Perfect for summer and the heat (at least here in California!). This cupcake is refreshing, and oh so sweet. The yellow cake crust gives it a nice little crunch as well!

Let’s get started, shall we?

Please ignore the yogurt in this pic…I thought about using it but ended up leaving it out!

Here is our Cast of Characters:

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Start by taking your Yellow cake mix (I accidentally bought sugar free…{shutter}…ugh. It actually tasted just fine.) and combining the butter and egg. You will have quite a bit left over and I will give you another recipe for the left overs next week! For now, get to mixing.

Grab your lined muffin pan and place 1T of the cake crumbles in each cupcake hole.

Using a shot glass, press the cake crumbles down as flat and even as possible.

Place the pan in your oven for about 10 minutes. We want to bake the cake crumbles enough to set them, but not to brown them!

While those are baking, mix up your lemon cupcake batter.

Once the crusts are done, pull the pan out of the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes.

Pour enough lemon cupcake batter into each muffin cup until they are about 2/3 full.

Bake for about 16 minutes. Add time in 2 minute increments if they aren’t completely done.

Back to the stove we go! While the cupcakes cool, we are going to make the lemon and sugar soak.

Take 1/3C lemon juice and 1/3C sugar and combine them in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is clear. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

Grab a turkey baster, or, a spoon if you don’t have a baster. Carefully drizzle about 1-2T of the lemon sugar mixture over the tops of the cupcakes.

Do this on all of the cupcakes until your lemon sugar mixture is gone. You will be left with a very moist (and delicious!) lemon cupcake.

Set those aside and allow the lemon sugar mixture to soak in and work its magic! Let’s whip up the frosting!

I have no pictures of the frosting stage as I think it’s pretty self explanatory. Throw all of the listed ingredients into a bowl and beat until light and fluffy!

Use your favorite icing tip and a piping bag to frost your cupcakes.

Once the frosting is on, sprinkle some additional coconut on top to make it extra pur-ty.

Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment if you’re feelin’ chatty! :) The printable recipe is below!

Print
Lemon Soaked Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients

    For the yellow cake crust:
  • 1 Yellow cake mix
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3C unsalted butter
    • For the Cupcakes:
  • 2 1/2C flour
  • 2 1/2t baking powder
  • 1/4t kosher salt
  • 8T unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 3/4C sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1t vanilla
  • 1 1/4C whole milk
  • 1/2C freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2C freshly grated lemon zest
    • For the Lemon Sugar Soak:
  • 1/3C freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/3C sugar
    • For the Coconut Frosting:
  • 4T unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 6oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4t coconut extract
  • 1/8t vanilla extract
  • 4C powdered sugar
  • shredded coconut for garnish
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°.
  2. Mix your cake mix, butter and egg together.
  3. Place 1T of the cake crumbles into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Using a shot glass, press the crumbles down as flat and even as possible.
  4. Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes.
  5. Remove and let the crust cool for about 5 minutes.
    6. Start the cupcake batter!
  6. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
  7. In your stand mixer, cream your butter and sugar for 2-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.
  8. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
  9. Measure your milk in a liquid measuring cup, then add your vanilla and stir together.
  10. Add 1/3 of your dry sifted ingredients, followed by 1/3 of your milk mixture and mix well.
  11. Repeat this until the dry ingredients and the milk are completely added.
  12. Scrape down the bowl and mix again, briefly.
  13. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix well at low speed.
  14. Scoop the batter into your lined muffin pan, filling the cups about 2/3 full.
  15. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
  16. In a small saucepan, combine the lemon juice and sugar for the soak.
  17. Mix until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is clear. Set it aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
  18. Using a turkey baster (or a spoon), drizzle about 1-2T of the lemon soak all over the tops of the cupcakes. Cover as much of the surface as possible.
  19. Let the cupcakes cool completely.
    20. Mix the frosting!
  20. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine all of the ingredients (except for the shredded coconut) and mix on medium-medium high until light and fluffy.
  21. Prepare your piping bag with your favorite tip. Place the frosting in your piping bag and get to frosting!
  22. Sprinkle shredded coconut on top and voila...you're done!
http://www.sdseasidesweets.com/sweetspot/lemon-soaked-coconut-cupcakes/

Posted in All Things Cake | No Comments

23

May 12

Cinnamon Apple Stuffed Pancakes

I love a good pancake.

Thick, fluffy, buttermilky. Yum.

My favorite place to get Buttermilk Pancakes is at Butterfield’s in Scottsdale, AZ.

“Have mercy!” says John Stamos a la “Full House.” P.S. I totally ran into John Stamos at Disneyland one time. I have creepy over the shoulder “he’s not looking now, take it!” photos to prove it. But…that is a chestnut for another time. Anyhoo…..back to pancakes.

Butterfield’s is one of a kind. Their ‘cakes’ (as they call them) are made fresh from scratch every morning and include such flavors as “S’moreo” and “Strawberry Shortcake.” It’s true, check out their menu!

I came across this fun recipe on Pinterest and knew instantly I had to try them. I am a big fan of candy/brownie stuffed cookies so why not try a stuffed pancake? Fun!

These were a bit sticky to make and I think I got more batter on my fingers than I did on the actual apple slices, but, man oh man was it worth it. These are so unique and really very scrumptious. I added only one little step- cinnamon & sugar! Oh, and I used buttermilk instead of regular milk but you don’t have to!

Check out the recipe and make these for your family & friends next time you have a house full of guests. Or, make them for yourself on Saturday morning and eat the whole batch. I won’t tell anyone. ;)

Let’s do this thang….

Here is our Cast of Characters: (<— I just realized the other day that The Pioneer Woman uses this phrase too. I must have subconsciously “borrowed” it from her. As long as she doesn’t mind, I would kind of like to keep it. It will be my tribute to her….I really do love and adore her and all of her AMAZE-BALLS recipes.)

Buttermilk, Egg, Granny Smith Apples, Bisquick, Lemon, Pumpkin Pie Spice & Cinnamon Sugar.

The first thing you’ll want to do is wash and core your apples.

 Now, slice your apples into approximately 1/8″ slices.

Sprinkle about 1t of cinnamon sugar mix onto each slice. You can make cinnamon sugar by combining 1/2C sugar and 1T cinnamon.
I went over my slices a few more times with the cinnamon sugar mix after taking this pic. I am very fond of cinnamon sugar.

Now, let’s mix up the batter. The recipe uses Bisquick but you could substitute your favorite pancake recipe if you’d like. Bisquick may have some funky things in their ingredient list, but I really just don’t care. It’s easy and fast and tasty.

Now, grab an apple slice and skewer it on a toothpick. Dip it into your batter a few times ensuring the whole slice gets well covered. You may need to add a little bit more buttermilk if your batter is too thick. I had to play with the consistency a little bit.

Grease your griddle and throw these little buggers on. Let them get golden brown around the edges before flipping them once. Cook for a few more minutes and remove to a plate.

Have your butter and syrup handy and load it on. The original recipe includes an apple cider syrup that I didn’t make. Time constraints people. Plus, Aunt Jemima is my lifelong friend and I like her just fine.

These are fun, very tasty and even though a bit messy- very worth it. The printable recipe is below! Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comment section!

Print
Cinnamon Apple Stuffed Pancakes

Makes 4-5 thick pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 1C Bisquick mix
  • 2 Granny Smith Apples
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2C buttermilk
  • 1t pumpkin pie spice
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1-2T cinnamon sugar mix
  1. Start by washing, coring and slicing your apples into 1/8" slices.
  2. Sprinkle with as much cinnamon sugar as your heart desires, set aside.
  3. Combine Bisquick with egg, buttermilk, pumpkin pie spice, and zest of 1/2 lemon. You may need to add a little bit more buttermilk to achieve a thin enough consistency for dipping.
  4. Skewer an apple slice with a toothpick and dip into the batter, doing your best to cover the apple slice completely.
  5. Grease a griddle and turn onto medium-medium high.
  6. Place your apple slices onto the griddle and let them turn a golden brown around the edges before flipping once.
  7. Remove to a plate, slap on some butter, pour on your syrup, sit down and indulge!
http://www.sdseasidesweets.com/sweetspot/apple-stuffed-pancakes/

Posted in Good Morning Yummies | 2 Comments

16

May 12

Lizards in hiding.

Right now I’m going to tell you a story. A story about a lizard. It’s a true story, and it goes a little something like this…

Last Friday I was in my kitchen, baking (obviously) a few batches of my favorite Hershey kiss chocolate chip cookies. As my oven beeped letting me know my first batch was done, I turned and grabbed my oven mitt to retrieve them. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a small, brownish “tube” like thing sticking out from behind my microwave, in between the wall it’s screwed into and the back of the microwave. I think nothing of it and assume it is just some piece of tubing that has slipped out and needed to be pushed back in. As I’m raising my hand to readjust this “tube” (since when do microwaves have tubes?!) I look a bit closer and realize that said “tube” has….wait for it….SCALES.

The hiding serpent.

Oh…….wait…..what?!? Instantly I think, “wait a minute. what is that? Microwaves don’t have tubes and they definitely don’t have scales. That almost looks like a tail. A brownish….reptile like….tail. But no, there is not a reptile in my kitchen! That is absurd (I am now sweating profusely) why would a lizard…how did a lizard…oh God, it’s a LIZARD!!!! IN MY KITCHEN!!! AND HE IS ALIVE!!”

The shouty capitals are necessary because that is exactly what I was doing….freaking out. I was screaming, and sweating and crying and laughing hysterically. I was like The Joker…in flannel pajama pants…wearing one oven mitt. My 3 year old was in hysterics because I was in hysterics and I could not calm down. It was so ridiculous.

Let me just sidestep here and explain something. I. HATE. LIZARDS. All lizards…the cute garden ones, the medium house pet ones, the big blue tongued ones….all of them. It’s their scales, and their sliminess, and their wee beady eyes (name that movie for 500 points!) that make my skin crawl. I want nothing to do with them. So to have one in my kitchen, my sacred space, it was…well, it was too much. I lost it.

In a moment of sheer terror I called my Mom at work. She lives in Colorado so obviously she was a huge help. She could not understand a word of what I was cry-laughing into the phone and sat laughing at me for most of the “conversation.” Awesome Mom. Thanks.

My next completely irrational thought was to call a pest exterminator. Perhaps not completely irrational, but I pretty much knew before I even dialed that they were going to say “sorry ma’am, we don’t do lizards”, and they did. It was what else they said that really just adds to this whole debacle. After explaining to me that they “don’t do lizards” I was instructed to go ahead and just call 911. I am dead serious. The exterminator told me to call 911. For fear of being the next YouTube sensation for “100 dumbest emergency phone calls EVER” I opted against that suggestion. I mean, really? “Hello, 911? Yes, could you please take a break from fighting crime and saving lives to come pull a lizard out from behind my microwave?” No.

Next option….who is home in my neighborhood that could come rescue me? All 3 of my surrounding neighbors are at work. Of course. I look down the street and see one car parked in the driveway. I’m pretty sure it was emanating some kind of soft golden glow as I ran (no, sprinted) down the street to see if they were home. My biggest fear was that the dragon behind my microwave would skitter off somewhere leaving me eternally afraid of finding him adrift in my cupcake pans. NO! The thought of it made me run faster.

Kurt (my personal lizard slayer) was home and more than willing to come rescue me. He popped on some hospital grade rubber gloves and we were on our way.

Being the Knight in Shining Armor that Kurt is, he sees the tail and just grabs it. I puked in my mouth a little. He pulled gently…hmmm…nothing. He pulled again and I hear little scratching sounds on the back of my microwave, like nails on a chalkboard. I didn’t know how much more I could take at which point Kurt announces, “I’m afraid if I pull too hard I will pull his tail off.” I’M SORRY, WHAT!?  I continue my profuse sweating and now I have perma-goosebumps all over. He asks for a butter knife and upon my handing one to him he proceeds to gently wiggle this gigantic gila monster out from behind my microwave. I screech once more as he grabs him and tosses him into a Rubbermaid container. He throws the lid on top and before he walked outside to toss the mini serpent over my backyard fence I snapped a quick pic of the reptile that nearly destroyed my lovely morning. It was no cute garden lizard folks….check. it. out.

Not really a Gila monster. But....he might as well be. Look at those nails!

Kurt took him out back and tossed him far, far away. Then he jumped up on his trusty white steed and rode off into the morning sunrise. I kid. He tossed his doctor gloves and went home. I seriously don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t been home. My lizard hero.

As a thank you to Kurt, I made him a delicious batch of cookies (duh). These are a new creation and holy cow- they are delectable. Toot, toot.

I found this recipe on Eat The Love and wanted to re-create it in a different way. I substituted the raspberry with peanut butter and (just for kicks) threw a few Snickers chunks in the middle. Because, why wouldn’t I? Snickers make everything better. Fact.

These are fun to make (even if they do take a bit longer since you are “marbling” 2 doughs) and so very worth the extra fuss.

Here is our cast of characters:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

We will start with the peanut butter dough…

Using a whisk, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir until well combined.

In your stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter and sugar.

Add one egg and mix on low, then add the additional egg yolk, vanilla and peanut butter. Mix on low until combined.

Keep your mixer on slow/medium speed while you gradually dump in the dry mixture. Scrape down the bowl and mix again until dough forms. If the dough seems crumbly or is falling apart you may need to add a little milk. About 2T should do the trick!

Transfer to another bowl, cover and set aside. Clean out your mixing bowl and let’s make the chocolate dough!

In that small bowl you used earlier go ahead and combine the flour, sea salt, cocoa and baking soda. Whisk until all mixed and uniform in color.

Now, back to the mixer! Cream together the cream cheese, butter, sugar and dark brown sugar- about 1 minute or until fluffy.

Add the egg and mix on slow speed. Keep the mixer on slow while you add the egg yolk, and vanilla.

Dump in the dry ingredients and keep the mixer on slow as you do. Speed it up slowly as the wet ingredients and dry ingredients combine. Scrape down the bowl as needed and mix again until well combined.

At this point you can use either a 1t scoop (for smaller cookies) or, if you want bigger cookies you can use a small cookie scoop.

Scoop 2 balls of peanut butter dough and 2 balls of chocolate dough. Lay them, alternating, on top of each other and press down. Roll them into a ball and set aside.

Seriously, Kelly, paint your nails.

Grab your Snickers bars and cut them up width wise in 1/2″ chunks.

Stick your thumb into the center of one of your balls of dough and spread it out, creating a bit of a hole in the dough. Stick your Snickers chunk in and pinch the dough over it so it cannot be seen. Roll the dough into a ball and place on a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. At this point you can manipulate the dough as you wish to achieve the marbling affect you are going for.

Place in the oven for about 13 minutes. Add time in 2 minute increments until slightly brown around the edges, and no longer glossy.

Let them set up on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool.

And, voila! Adorable and oh so tasty marbled cream cheese cookies! Indulge and enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think in the comments section below. Here is the printable recipe:

Print
Salted Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter Snickers Cream Cheese Cookies

Makes about 21 large cookies

Ingredients

    Peanut Butter Dough:
  • 2 3/4C flour
  • 1/2t baking soda
  • 1t baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2C sugar
  • 1/4C (2 oz) cream cheese
  • 6T unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1t vanilla
  • 3/4C creamy peanut butter
    • Chocolate Dough
  • 2C flour
  • 1C unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
  • 1t baking soda
  • 1t sea salt
  • 12T unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2C cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1C sugar
  • 1C packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1T vanilla extract
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
  2. For the peanut butter dough: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir until well combined and set aside.
  3. In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the sugar with the cream cheese and butter. Cream on medium to medium high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
  4. Keep your mixer on slow while you add the egg and additional egg yolk. Mix well.
  5. Add the vanilla and peanut butter and mix again until just combined.
  6. Keeping the mixer on slow, gradually add the flour mixture until the dough forms.
  7. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another good mix. If the dough seems crumbly or dry you may need to add up to 2T of milk. Do so if necessary and mix well.
  8. Transfer this dough to a different bowl and cover.
  9. Clean our your mixing bowl and make the chocolate dough.
  10. In the same small bowl you used previously, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and sea salt. Whisk until well combined and inform in color. Set aside.
  11. In your stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, sugar and dark brown sugar. Give it a good mix for about 1 minute until fluffy.
  12. Keeping the mixer on slow, add in the egg and egg yolk.
  13. Add in the vanilla and mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
  14. Mixing on slow, gradually dump in all of the dry mix. As the dough begins to form, speed up the mixer and mix until well combined. Scrape the bowl is necessary and mix one more time.
  15. Grab 2 small cookie scoops for bigger cookies, or the 1t for smaller ones and dig out 2 balls of dough from each flavor.
  16. Stack them on top of each other alternating flavors. Smoosh them down and roll into a ball.
  17. Chop up your Snickers bars width wise and place one of the chunks in the center of the ball of dough. Wrap the dough around the Snickers so it cannot be seen and re-shape into a ball. Place the ball on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet.
  18. Bake the cookies for about 13 minutes, adding time in 2 minute increments until the edges are barely brown and the tops are no longer glossy.
  19. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
  20. Enjoy!
http://www.sdseasidesweets.com/sweetspot/lizards-in-hiding/

Posted in Cookies | 2 Comments

9

May 12

White Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Cookies

Yesterday, I was browsing my favorite foodie websites when I stumbled upon this little gem from one of my favorite bloggers, Kristan at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. Kristan is one of the funniest ladies I know, and as if that isn’t enough, she also makes some seriously slammin’ desserts. Slammin’…yep, I used it. Believe it. Hang around this blog long enough and be amazed at the 80′s jargon that falls from these lips o’ mine.

Anyhoo….I saw this post and thought, ” I wonder if I could somehow translate a piece of cheesecake into a cookie?” After a little brainstorming and a few Google searches I came up with, what I think, is a pretty damn good cookie. If you love cheesecake, are a fan of white chocolate and prefer your slice covered in cherries- you owe it to yourself to try these out. They are so easy, and beyond scrumptious.

The following recipe is adapted from Elle’s New England Kitchen.

Here is our cast of characters:

Flour, Cherry Pie Filling, Half & Half, Egg, Kosher Salt, White Chocolate Bar, Cream Cheese, Butter, Sugar, Almond & Vanilla Extract

I forgot to add the Graham Crackers to the above picture…so…just pretend you see them.

Start by preheating your oven to 325°.

Add your softened butter and cream cheese to a large bowl. Cream together along with the sugar, salt and both extracts.

Add your egg and half & half (or milk) and mix well.

Slowly add in the flour and mix on medium high for about 30 seconds until well combined. Scrape down the bowl as necessary and give it one last quick mix.

Grab the white chocolate bar and chop it up. A “course chop” as they say. I use a Food Chopper to get a nice chunky chop. It’s pretty awesome and even though I think I’m supposed to use it on things like tomatoes and onions…I rarely eat those things so mine gets used for chopping chocolate.

Add the chopped chocolate to your bowl and mix on slow to incorporate.

Stick the dough in the fridge to firm up a bit.

Place 3 or 4 sheets of Graham Crackers in a ziploc bag and dig deep inside to find some frustration that you have been needing to work through and smash up those crackers. Smash, pinch, grab, punch and squish until you have a semi-fine bag of graham crumbs. A few bigger chunks are ok- it adds texture!

Dump the crumbs into a bowl and add 1t of sugar. Mix it all up.

Get your dough out of the fridge and grab your ice cream scooper. Scoop your dough and drop it into the graham crumbs. Cover all sides and the top and press gently all over before placing the ball on your parchment lined baking sheet.

Take your thumb and make a nice little “well” in the center of your cookie. Not deep enough to go all the way through, just a little indent that will help your cherries stay in place.

Do not pay attention to my pathetic nail polish. It's last on my list right now.

The cookies bake out and for the most part the little well goes away, but it does provide a little indentation for those cute cherries.

Bake the cookies for about 18 minutes. You want the edges to be a little firm to the touch and lightly browned.

At 18 minutes, pull the cookies out and open up your can of cherry pie filling.

Grab a spoon and place 4 cherries and some filling in the center of the cookie. It’s ok if it slides around a little bit- it all tastes the same in the end.

Stick the cookies back in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Keep an eye on them to determine an exact amount of time. You don’t want to over bake them but the cherries make these a little heavy in the middle so you want them baked through enough to hold them. Trial and error my friends.

After they come out of the oven, let them rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can garnish with any leftover white chocolate chunks you make have, but you don’t have to. They are lovely either way!


Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment if you’re so inclined ;) Here is the printable recipe:

Print
White Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Cookies

Makes approx. 14 large cookies

Ingredients

  • 1C unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 6oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1C sugar
  • 1t kosher salt
  • 1t vanilla extract
  • 3/4t almond extract
  • 1 egg
  • 2T half & half (or milk!)
  • 2C all purpose flour
  • 1C coarsely chopped white chocolate
  • 3-4 graham cracker sheets
  • 1t sugar
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°.
  2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine butter, cream cheese, salt and both vanilla and almond extracts.
  3. Mix on medium high about 30 seconds until well combined.
  4. Add the egg and half & half (or milk) and mix on medium until combined.
  5. Dump in the flour and mix on medium until just combined.
  6. Chop up the white chocolate bar using either a knife or a food chopper. Add the chocolate to the mixing bowl and combine on slow speed.
  7. Place the dough into your fridge and place the graham crackers into a ziploc bag. Use a hammer or your hands to smash up the crackers until semi-fine. Small chunks are ok!
  8. Dump the crumbs into a small bowl and add 1t sugar. Mix until completely combined.
  9. Grab your ice cream scoop and the dough and scoop.
  10. Drop the dough into the graham cracker crumbs and make sure all sides and the top are well covered. Press slightly and place the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  11. Using your thumb and forefinger, create a little "well" in the center of the cookie.
  12. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 18 minutes.
  13. At 18 minutes, pull the baking sheet out and, using a spoon, place 4 cherries and some of the filling on top of the cookie.
  14. Place the sheet back into the oven for 3-5 minutes.
  15. You will know the cookies are done when the edges are firm to a gentle touch and the graham crackers are golden brown along the edges of the cookie.
  16. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Just as with a cheesecake, these need to cool completely and then be refrigerated for at least an hour before they can be fully enjoyed. If you have the will power, store them overnight in an airtight container and see how much more delicious they are the next day!

http://www.sdseasidesweets.com/sweetspot/white-chocolate-cherry-cheesecake-cookies/

 

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