Dessert
Superbowl Whoopie Pies
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For some odd reason, I haven’t done ANY posts on Whoopie Pies. That is absolutely crazy since they are all the rave around these parts! If you don’t know, a whoopie pie is a great substitution for the cupcake. Because the filling is sandwiched between 2 cake-like cookies (or vice versa) the cake-to-icing ratio is spot on, leaving no gobs of icing behind and none of it goes into your nose. No shade to the cupcake- I still will get down with you lol but who doesn’t love the idea of being able to go absolutely HAM on a sweet without a trace? As to be expected, I have been invited to several game-day parties (please don’t hate on my fame and popularity…ok, 2 parties and one invite was really for Greg..but who’s counting?). Of course, I can’t go anywhere empty-handed. I was going to make something from my Superbowl post last year but a friend of mine sent me this cute idea and I HAD to recreate it. (Thanks Zack!!)They had an oval shaped pan but I made my own pattern and traced it onto 4 sheets of parchment paper. #POW (who’s bad??!!) The only thing that made them a little more involved than I would’ve liked (aside from my decision to free hand the shapes) was making the the Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I didn’t like having to use another pot for the double broiler. But it is definitely doable and most defintely worth it!
This recipe comes from my two new boos, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. They are the authors of my baking bible, Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented. Enjoy!
Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Yields 10-12 large whoopie pies, 15-17 small pies
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups (17.5 oz) All Purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup (2.18 oz) dark cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 cup (4 fl oz) hot coffee
1/2 cup (4 fl oz) hot water
2 cups (15.32 oz) light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup (6 fl oz) canola oil
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup (4 fl oz) buttermilk, shaken
Swiss vanilla filling (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line four baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the AP flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and espresso powder. Pour the hot coffee and hot water over the cocoa mixture and whisk until the mixture is completely smooth.
In another medium bowl, combine the canola oil and light brown sugar. Add this to the cocoa mixture and whisk until combined. Add the egg, vanilla, and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture.
Spoon into a piping bag and pipe into 2 inch rounds on prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart (or scoop onto sheets with a small scoop).
Bake 10-15 minutes, until the cookies crack slightly on top and spring back in the center when gently pressed. Let cool completely, then remove from sheet with an offset spatula. Pipe or scoop half of the rounds with the filling. Top each piped round with another cookie and serve.
Swiss vanilla filling
5 egg whites
1 1/2 cups (10.5 oz) sugar
2 cups (1 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and sugar. Place over a pan of simmering water and gently whisk until the sugar dissolves (test this by dipping your finger into the mixture – when you can no longer feel grains of sugar when you rub the mixture between your fingers, then the sugar has dissolved) – the mixture will be slightly warmer than body temperature.
Transfer bowl to mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until the mixture is smooth, white, and fluffy – about 5 minutes. Add the butter, one piece at a time. Add sea salt and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Beat until the filling is smooth and glossy (it may look curdled, but just continue to beat – eventually the mixture will come together).
Chocolate Covered Caramel Apples, Yes Gawd!
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We spent our Halloweens at the church for “Hallelujah Night” so while I don’t have much first-hand experience, candy apple say Fall and incidentally, Halloween. I’ve made caramel apples as a kid with the premade caramel discs found in the produce section. They never really worked out though. The problem was, caramel never stuck properly and it never produced the smooth polished finish it promised. After making homemade caramel for my Banana Pudding Pie with Salted Caramel, I knew I could do it! I did a little research and found out that supermarket apples have a wax coating that needed to be removed prior to dipping. To do this I dipped them in boiling water for 1 minute. You can actually see the wax that remains once you remove them from the water. Take a paper towel and wipe the rest off.
On to the recipe:
Caramel Apples:
6 small to medium, firm, blemish-free, apples*
4 Tablespoons butter (not margarine + more for parchment paper)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 can (7 oz) of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*The favs are Granny Smith (extra tart) and Honeycrisp (sweet and tart)
Materials Needed:
6 skewers
Heavy bottomed pot
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Candy Thermometer
Remove stems, allow apples to dry completely and put them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and until you are ready to dip them. Chilled apples help the caramel set better.
First melt the butter in a saucepan until it browns. This will give you the nice dark caramel color. Stir constantly to avoid getting little brown bits of butter. Be careful because I had to throw out my first brown butter attempt. L (I hate waste)
Add all other ingredients except vanilla.
Stirring constantly over medium heat, bring to a boil and let boil until thermometer reaches soft ball stage (235°F–240°F).
After it reaches soft ball, remove from heat, add vanilla, then allow to sit for about 5 minutes.
Dip apple in caramel and swirl to cover. Twist apple to remove some of the excess but the excess is fantastic for that thick rimmed bottom that acts as a stand for the apples!
Working quickly, place onto buttered parchment paper.
You can stop here but if you want to dip them in chocolate, pop them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to make sure the caramel is properly set. Recipe adapted from Grandma Betty’s Caramel Apples.
On to the chocolate…
10oz – 60% cacoa Ghirardelli Chocolate chips
2 Tbsp shortening (vegetable oil)
Crushed candy, sprinkles, nuts, whatever!
Lay out all of your fixings because you have a small window of time before the chocolate begins to cool and I like to use a 4 cup measuring cup when I melt chocolate because it is deep and I can fully submerge the apples with little effort. Put the chips in the glass, add the oil and heat on 40% power (depending on your microwave wattage), for about 45 seconds. Stir and keep heating in 30 second increments until melted.
You can fully dip or partially dip and immediately add your preferred toppings.
Allow to harden and enjoy!
Raspberry Tiramisu Bites
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Recently, I made these delicious treats for a friend’s 40th Bday party! It was a Dessert themed event so we were in HOG heaven! 
They are sophisticated, EXTREMELY easy and they can be prepared (the filling) several hours before your party and ready for assembly 2 hrs prior! Win, win, win…all the way around.
(Recipe adapted from Stephanie Hawkins, South Carolina, Southern Living Magazine 2008)
Special Equipment
8 dessert dishes- shot glasses, dessert glasses, mini trifle dishes, whatever your heart’s desire. Just be sure you can fill each one with the dessert and have enough for everyone.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (I used Grand Marnier. Purchased a mini from Publix Liquors since I didn’t need but one tablespoon)
1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 prepared lemon pound cake, cut into cubes fitting the bottom of your chosen dish*
8 fresh raspberries
fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
*Feel free to use a store bought cake or if you’re in a truly decadent mood make this Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake. The original recipe called for the use of Italian ladyfingers. I probably would’ve been fine using them but after checking Publix, Fresh Market and a local Italian Market and not finding the soft variety, I gave up and moved on to plan B. Which I think was better anyway.
Preparation
Microwave raspberry preserves in a small microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 20 seconds. Stir in liqueur. In a a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy (about 1 minute). In another bowl, beat heavy cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. (I know…I use a lot of dishes. Some one-pot meals coming up, lol) Fold your heavy cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon into a zip-top plastic bag. (Do not seal.) Snip 1 corner of bag with scissors to make a hole (about 1/2 inch in diameter).
To begin layering, press your cake cube, into the bottom of your chosen glass dishes. Make sure it covers the span of the glass for visual effects. Presentation is HUGE with Fiercefoodie! Drizzle about 1/2 tsp. raspberry mixture into each glass. Pipe a small amount of cream cheese mixture evenly into each glass. Repeat procedure with remaining cake pieces, raspberry mixture, and cream cheese mixture. Top each glass with a sprig of mint and 1 raspberry. Cover and chill 2 hours.
Variations
Add pineapples, coconut, shaved dark chocolate, almonds, use a blueberry pound cake, strawberries etc. I think the possibilities are endless if you are greedy enough. 
No for real, my bad. ;)
1In case you missed the backstory to this recipe, and the reason for the title of this post, here it is. I “accidentally, on purpose” forgot it earlier.
TC’s Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Cake Ingredients
3 cups swans down cake flour
3 sticks of salted butter
1 8oz package of cream cheese
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 – 2 tablespoons of lemon extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Icing Ingredients
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup 10x confections sugar
4oz of cream cheese
Juice of half of a lemon
Directions
In a mixing bowl, add 3 sticks of room temperature butter and room temperature cream cheese. Mix well. Add the 3 cups of sugar. Mix well. Add large eggs one at the time, blending between each egg. After the last egg has been incorporated, add 1 cup of flour at the time and mix well before adding the next cup. The batter will be thick but it’s ok. Add the extracts and zest and mix well. It should smell (and taste if you’re daring) like vanilla ice cream. Butter and flour your bundt pan (or spray with Bakers Joy baking spray which has flour and butter already added) so that the cake slips right out when done. Pour cake batter into pan. Bake cake in a preheated, 320 degree oven for 1hr and 15 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Remember all ovens are different so make sure you watch the cake. If it looks like its browning too fast, turn the oven down to 310 degrees. Leave cake in the pan for 10 minutes and invert into your cake dish.
(NOTE: For my oven, after 50 minutes, turn heat to 310 degrees and keep checking thereafter)
Icing directions
Place room temp cream cheese in a bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla flavor and juice of half a lemon and mix well. Place in microwave for 15 seconds and using a Wisk or fork, swirl over cake. Make sure to make it pretty lol!!!!
“Thebomb.com” Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
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My work email needs to be cleaned out periodically but not because of all the personal stuff in there. While deleting, I noticed a message from one of my coworkers following an office party with “Did you make that pound cake?” in the subject line. In the body of the message it said “because it was THE BOMB!” I resisted the urge to reply with a snide remark about her joining us in the 21st Century and updating her compliment to “THEBOMB.COM“. (Does anyone else miss Tamar and the rest of the Braxton crew? I can’t wait for the new season, lol)
Anyway, I just accepted the compliment and thought that it was time to share this recipe with you guys! Let me tell you……it is pretty-freaking-awesome! I have had the recipe in my possession for a hot minute now but somehow it ended up on the bottom of the “recipes to try” stack. Everyone knows I go on Facebook to look at my own pics and laugh at my own jokes but on this rare occasion, I actually checked the newsfeed and saw several comments from people begging one of my FB friends to SELL them pound cakes. When I realized this was the same friend who gave me the recipe, I just HAD to bake it. (A lot of people send me things but with my budget, I need some reviews to see if it is even worth me trying to tweak it at all, lol). This cake takes the cake, literally. It was perfectly sweet, had a crispy and buttery crust and a tender middle. It smelled like heaven and tasted like it too. The lemon-cream cheese icing was the perfect finish of sweet and tangy. The only negative with this cake is that the bottom crust (with its delicious butter cookie flavor and texture) tends to separate from the cake a little yielding a less than perfect look. (If you know how to correct this, please let me know!) However, if you don’t it’s perfectly ok. No one notices at all and if they did, they forget after tasting it!
At first, I wasn’t going to share this because being the only one with it would make me an instant fave at all the family gatherings but I kinda already am…. soooo…. ummmm……. yeah. LOL! After all, I HAD to. Who can get missing for a month and NOT come back with something phenomenal?! So, here is my gift to you, hoping it will prompt you to let me back in the house. lol And trust me, I did not leave you for just any reason, Fiercefoodie is working on some BIG things and she can’t wait to take you with her!
(Note: the original recipe was awesome but it did not include any flavoring but I added lemon to take it into superstar status )
Thanks TC for sharing your cake with us! Your grandmother seemed like an awesome woman and baker. MUAH!
TC’s Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Cake Ingredients
3 cups swans down cake flour
3 sticks of salted butter
1 8oz package of cream cheese
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 – 2 tablespoons of lemon extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Icing Ingredients
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup 10x confections sugar
4oz of cream cheese
Juice of half of a lemon
Directions
In a mixing bowl, add 3 sticks of room temperature butter and room temperature cream cheese. Mix well. Add the 3 cups of sugar. Mix well. Add large eggs one at the time, blending between each egg. After the last egg has been incorporated, add 1 cup of flour at the time and mix well before adding the next cup. The batter will be thick but it’s ok. Add the extracts and zest and mix well. It should smell (and taste if you’re daring) like vanilla ice cream. Butter and flour your bundt pan (or spray with Bakers Joy baking spray which has flour and butter already added) so that the cake slips right out when done. Pour cake batter into pan. Bake cake in a preheated, 320 degree oven for 1hr and 15 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Remember all ovens are different so make sure you watch the cake. If it looks like its browning too fast, turn the oven down to 310 degrees. Leave cake in the pan for 10 minutes and invert into your cake dish.
(NOTE: For my oven, after 50 minutes, turn heat to 310 degrees and keep checking thereafter)
Icing directions
Place room temp cream cheese in a bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla flavor and juice of half a lemon and mix well. Place in microwave for 15 seconds and using a Wisk or fork, swirl over cake. Make sure to make it pretty lol!!!!
Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling
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Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling
You all know I am a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE fan of America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Magazine so it should come as no surprise to you that when I found this “free” posting of their recipe for “Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling” I HAD to try it. Like the original poster said, they are recipe hoarders and while I do subscribe to one or two publications I am always looking for more.
The cupcakes themselves were the best I’d ever had. They were moist, soft, rich and velvety. The depth of chocolate flavor really exceeded my expectations. A grown up cupcake, if you will. I profess to be a chocolate gurl. But the icing they provided coupled with the cupcake was a little toooooo chocolaty, even for me. I couldn’t handle it. It scared me. lol. (The kids seemed to not care but they aren’t known round these parts for their discriminating palates….except when it comes to veggies. o_O)
So, I sought out for something else to partner with the scrumptious cake and found this much lighter (and much less involved) frosting. (It’s FROSTING for heaven’s sake. It shouldn’t take longer than the cupcakes to prepare if you ask me… but who am I? #shrug) It has a taste similar to a cool whip but you can tell it is more substantial and more akin to icing.
This recipe makes 12 cupcakes and for 12 very happy people.
Ingredients
Ganache Filling:
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine (I used the Ghiradeli chocolate brick. It’s 60% cacao and premeasured into 1/2 oz. pieces. each square represents a 1oz portion so measuring shouldn’t be a problem…for my slow friends, that is 4 pieces.)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (6 pieces of the Ghiradeli block ), chopped fine
- 1/3 cup (1 ounce) Dutch-processed cocoa
- ¾ cup hot coffee
- ¾ cup (4 1/8 ounces) bread flour (While I usually use cake flour for baking, if they say use “bread flour” I am using it. I trust them.)
- ¾ cup (5¼ ounces) granulated sugar (regular table sugar)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 5 Tablespoons Flour
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 cup Butter
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)
Preparation
Ganache Filling:
Place-chocolate, cream, and confectioners’ sugar in medium -microwave-safe bowl. Heat
in microwave on high power until mixture is warm to touch, 20 to 30 seconds.
Whisk until smooth; transfer bowl to refrigerator and let stand until just
chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.
Chocolate Cupcakes:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan(cups have ½-cup capacity) with baking-cup liners. Place chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl. Pour hot coffee over mixture and whisk until smooth. Set in refrigerator to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Whisk oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla into cooled chocolate-cocoa mixture until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Place one slightly rounded teaspoon ganache filling on top of each cupcake. Bake until cupcakes are set and just firm to touch, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before frosting, about 1 hour.
Frosting:
In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. It should look like a thick, wet paste of sorts. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (You can also place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) Once it is completely cooled, stir in the vanilla.
While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and whip it on medium high for about 4 to 5 minutes. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.
To frost, mound 2 to 3 tablespoons frosting on center of each cupcake. Using small icing spatula or butter knife, spread frosting to edge of cupcake, leaving slight mound in center.
Now eat! Told you they were good!!!!
I.O.U.
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You’re probably saying to yourself, “What?! An IOU from Fiercefoodie?! But she’s given us so much already!!!” But yeah, I Owe YOU. Lol. I let my vanity and selfishness keep you from experiencing a possible great treat for today’s post. My co-worker Michelle whipped up a batch of Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcakes in preparation for the job’s Bake-Off later this month. (“Coincidentally”, they scheduled me to be out of town. Ummm hmmm *eye roll*) But anyhow, I was very close to indulging until one of the ladies passed me and said “Wow, you’re looking skinny today!”. DAMMIT! She WOULD say it as we’re walking to the party area for cupcakes! So you understand my dilema, right? I mean, what was I to do? Be like “Thank ya gurl” and then inhale a freaking cupcake!? I think NOT! There is skinny girl etiquette to be observed and I was in the club for about 15 minutes. Lol
So I keep up my skinny girl act during the gathering and when asked why I was not munching on the goodies, I promptly and proudly responded “Julie said I am looking skinny today….where is Julie by the way?”. One of the (skinny) heifers here could not wait to blurt “She’s at the eye doctor”. AND SHE REALLY WAS!!!! HA!!!! I can’t stand my friends at work….smh.
Anyway, I promise full retribution for the missed opportunity to give you a great (FIERCE FOODIE VERIFIED) cupcake recipe. I gotta get a little finer before my bday. (Thinking of taking some boudoir pics…..shhhhhh!) But once the scale concedes and shows me the number I want (or a spitting distance to it), I promise to bake you the most decadent, rich, velvety, chocolate overdose cupcakes you’ve ever tasted! I’m talking about getting chocolate wasted! Of course, I would be doing this solely for yall. So scratch that IOU, we’re back to you owing me.
Kicking Key Lime Pie
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You can NOT be from Miami and NOT like Key Lime Pie. Sorry, it just aint happening. There is something about Key Lime that screams South Florida, The Keys (of course) and lazy summer days on one of the many beautiful beaches down there. I recall making Key lime pies in the kitchen with my mom and 4 sisters. We were sloppy and that “meringue” topping always looked like it had bubbled up from some active underwater volcano. However, we continued to take our pies to funeral wakes and various showers and feed whomever was moved enough (either with crippling grief or elation) to look beneath (literally) the presentation and taste our creations. They were always a hit. I believe we even tried our hand at peddling a few come to think of it.
I cannot understand for the life of me why my mother would have all of us “assisting”. We made such a mess, we fought over the strainers, dropped egg shells in the batter and were responsible for the many we had to “scratch” and re-make. But babaaaaaay, after squeezing 27 of those quarter-sized key limes allllll by my lonesome, I NOW KNOW WHY! That was a lot. But, I will say that I did not have the proper tools. I used a traditional reamer and that made it a little messy and tedious. Plus I’m sure I left a significant amount of juice behind because I just couldn’t get in there good enough. Here is an image of the latest in juicing…GOTTA GET ONE ASAP!
Ingredients
- 2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
- 1 cup key lime or regular lime juice (27 key limes- by one bag and grab 2 or 3 regular limes to carry you over if needed)
- 2 whole eggs
- zest of 3 persian limes or 6-8 key limes (be sure to zest BEFORE juicing)
- 12 Keebler prepared graham cracker pie crust tart shells
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tea vanilla extract
*Re Substitutions: Do NOT use store bought key lime juice, that’s just offensive. However, the common green limes (persian) will serve as good proxies if needed in this case. I was definitely surprised to see we even had key limes at our grocery store. They come in 1lb bags (about 20 per bag) for less than $3.00.
Directions
Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended. Place your prepared pie shells on a cookie sheet with sides (or risk dropping half of them like I did). Spoon filling evenly into them. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Once chilled, make your whipped topping by combining cream, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Place dollops of cream in the center of each or pipe it onto the pies. garnish with lime zest (or the zest of a few lemons for contrast like I did) and serve chilled. Amazingly simple with the perfect balance of sweet and tart. We got a winner right here, trust!
Company Apple Crisp
0Their sugar-high is not MY problem…
I was charged with babysitting my nephews the other day and I couldn’t resist their little pleading faces when they asked me for dessert. I caught a glimpse of the bowl of apples in my periphereal and decided to make the “Company Apple Crisp” dish I’d found in my Cook’s Illustrated magazine. I recalled how simplistic and common the ingredient list appeared to be and knew I had those items but was still amazed that I did, in fact, have every single item with the exception of fresh lemon juice. 
I did, however, have a lime and that would HAVE to work….and it did.
Sorry, but site or no site, I was too tired to wash dishes after babysitting and definitely NOT for the SAME 2 little reasons I was so beat. Therefore, you’ll have to deal with the styrofoam bowls I used to serve this sweet treat. They’re not completely unsightly when you peek in on their contents. YUM-MEEEEE.
It may have been inconsiderate of me to give them the Apple Crisp JUST before turning them back over to their mom but all they know is that Auntie Zina is the fav (and if you truly know anything, you know that is a bold face lie).
INGREDIENTS
Topping:
3/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 c pecans, chopped fine
3/4 c old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c (3 1/2 oz) packed brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 tea. table salt
8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
3 lbs. Golden Delicious apples (approx 7)
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 c apple cider
2 tea. juice from 1 lemon
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
DIRECTIONS
For the topping:
- Adjust rack to the middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Combine flour, pecans, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.
- Stir in butter until mix is thoroughly moistened and crumbly.
- Set aside.
For the filling:
- Toss apples, sugar and cinnamon together in large bowl; set aside.
- Bring cider to a simmer in a 12-inch oven-safe* skillet over medium heat.
- Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, approx. 5 minutes.
- Transfer reduced cider to bowl or liquid measuring cup; stir in lemon juice and set aside.
- Heat butter in now empty skillet over medium and cook stirring frequently, until apples begin to soften and become translucent, 12 to 14 minutes. (DO NOT FULLY COOK THE APPLES BECAUSE THEY STILL HAVE TO BAKE IN THE OVEN)
- Remove pan from heat and gently stir in cider and mix until apples are coated.
- Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit, breaking up any large chunks.
- Place skillet on a baking sheet and bake until fruit is tender and topping is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 mins. and serve….preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.
Simply Sinful Monkey Bread
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Everyone knows that I am not a baker (mostly in part because Greg hasn’t broken down and bought me the KitchenAid mixer I’ve been begging for since we met) but also in part because I am a little afraid and uneasy about my limited experience in the area. However, a coward I am not and the war on baking (no matter the number of taste-tester casualties) will be won! But instead of the front lines (for instance, a croquembouche ) I was thinking that starting as a recruiting agent (for instance, working with premade frozen dough) would be more suitable for me at the moment. Just my luck, I discovered Bridgford Parkerhouse Style rolls in the freezer section at Publix. This pre-made dough offered a 2 for 1 as you will see in an upcoming post for Rosemary Parkerhouse Rolls.
Anyway, we all also know I can be VERY random but the desire to make Monkey Bread (aka Coffee Cake) came from watching Queen Latifah’s “Beauty Shop” the other day. Needless to say, I was happy something I did made a lil bit of sense for once, lol. (I spoke on it a little bit in the previous post “Monkey Bread Eeeee!!!” ). Out of my realm, I did the very minimal as far as tweaking the recipe on the back of the package and cannot wait to incorporate a few changes after knowing how simple it can be. I’m learning yall!!! I might be ready for the front lines sooner than we all thought, hunh? lol
(Note: You need 3 hours (waiting for the dough to rise, not actual working))
INGREDIENTS:
1 package Bridgford Parkerhouse Rolls
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1- 1 1/2 c. roughly chopped pecans
1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 (3 3/4) oz. pkg. cook-n-serve butterscotch pudding mix
2 tea. ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease a bundt pan (or a tube pan, etc).
In a small bowl, combine sugar, nuts and cinnamon. Set aside.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture on the bottom of the prepared pan.
Sprinkle pecans over this; set aside.
Dip each piece of dough (I didnt thaw them) in melted butter and roll in sugar mixture. Make sure that the dough is coated generously with sugar mixture.
Stack each piece of dough evenly in pan.
Top with remaining butter and sugar mixture.
**Let the dough rise in a warm (non-drafty place) until double in size or until the dough has risen to just under the top rim of the pan. Do not let it rise above rim!!!
(See note about rising dough below)
Place pan on a baking sheet and Bake for 30-40 minutes or until well browned.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before turning over onto a cake plate.
Serve warm and enjoy the gooey bread as you hear praise in the form of words like “cinnabun”, “oh my” and ”God-send” being lightly tossed around. : )
**I put the dough in a kitchen cabinet to allow it to rise because my kitchen is FREEZING and WINDY! LOL It worked! If after an hour and it doesn’t rise, move your bread!!!
Strawberries n Cream Tarts
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I recently purchased a “Cook’s Illustrated; America’s Test Kitchen” magazine. Let me tell you, for instructional material, they have it on lock. Not only do they provide step-by-step guides, they let you know exactly WHY grandma’s recipe was sometimes hit or miss and why the variation and alteration you have in mind could possibly render a superb (or disastrous) recipe. They test several recipes and publish (often with pics) the outcome of each. I get excited because it brings out a little bit of the scientific geek in me. If only 10th grade science were like this…
I have to admit that I am “dieting” so please recognize the sacrifice I am making to bring you this recipe and excuse any drool on this post as well.
The original recipe was for a large tart but after making the graham cracker crust in the blender, I could not place my pie shell for the life of me. (IF YOU HAVE IT…..BRING IT BACK!!!) So, I ran to Publix and chanced upon mini prepared tart shells. These were probably more appealing to my nephews anyway. (But I STILL want my pie shell!)
Making the filling was surprisingly easy. I have to admit that it almost didn’t happen. The mixture failed to thicken as fast as promised and it wasn’t until I was about to throw it out (I don’t have time to waste on failed dishes, lol) that I noticed it was ready. So the lesson here is to be patient and WAIT!
FOR THE FILLING
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out (or 2-3 tea. pure vanilla extract if you can’t find a fresh bean. I couldn’t )
1 1/4 cups cold cream
1 quart strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
To Make Filling: Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 tablespoon cold water in a bowl and let soften 5 minutes. Put the granulated sugar and vanilla seeds in a saucepan and rub the seeds into the sugar with your fingers. Add 1 cup cream and whisk over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture. Transfer to a bowl, then set in a larger bowl of ice water and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the remaining 1/4 cup cream and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Pour into the tart shells and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour….or for whatever reason in my case…2 hours.
Before serving, top the tart with the strawberries and dust lightly with powdered (confectioner’s) sugar.
This is a very LIGHT dessert. It’s perfectly refreshing for a nice summer night with friends.
A Randy Travis Christmas
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Chirstmas with the in-laws was beautiful. It started out kinda bad, however. I was really looking forward to preparing something for the big meal (especially since everyone was scheduled to come, dish in hand) but we touched Port St. Lucie at 8:12, 12 minutes AFTER Publix closed. : ( However, I had that second batch of Patron cupcakes in tow and thought those would make me a few new friends. ; )
My MIL was elbow deep baking cakes for the event. She made bread pudding, lemon pound cake and everyone’s favorite….RUM CAKE! Yes, Baby! This cake is GOOD! I grabbed my notepad b/c I promised my sister that I would get if for her this time. Anyway, she allowed me to have the recipes but doesn’t want YALL to have them, lol. It’s the one on the far left of the pic. It’s topped with chopped pecans after rum is poured over the cake. I don’t even know if she wanted the thing photographed, lol. :/ So, if you have a Rum Cake recipe please send it in. My sister just had a baby and is rapidly trying to catch up on all the lost alcohol comsumption, lol. BTW- if you look closely to the right of the pic, I endured the ENTIRE “Randy Travis Christmas” cd for NOTHING!!!
Sipping on Patron… Cupcakes
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Apparently, my invitation was lost in the mail to Kim Porter’s (most famous for being a mother to 3 of Diddy’s kids and the one he supposedly wants to be with) recent bday bash. Other than her reportedly $2500 Chanel boots, the only thing enviable about the event were her Patron cupcakes. Ummm….
So, with my complete FierceFoodie budget for the month (according to Greg) I purchased my first bottle of Patron ($26.99, Publix Liquors). You guys are ALL invited….except Little Ms. Kim….go play with your boots!
This recipe is adapted from a cookbook called Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Of course, this recipe isn’t vegan however, lol.
Patron Cupcake Recipe
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 1/2 tsp lime zest (1 lime)
- 1 c. milk (I used 2%)
- 1/4 c. vegetable oil
- 2 tsp Patron
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar (I used confectioner’s)
- 1 1/3 c. all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350F. Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
WET INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, mix together lime juice, lime zest, milk, oil, Patron, vanilla and sugar.
DRY INGREDIENTS: In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Add to lime mixture and stir until just combined. Divide evenly into muffin tins. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
The Tequila Lime Frosting Recipe
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream or milk
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp Patron
- 2+ cups confectioners’ sugar
- coarse sugar and salt for “rims”
Cream together butter, milk, lime juice, tequila, and 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. I ended up using maybe 4-5 cups of sugar. With 2 cups, the frosting was very wet and could basically be poured. As you can see from my pics, I liked it a little stiffer so I could pipe it. Add and add the confectioner’s sugar (in 1/2 c. increments) until it’s where you want it. Play with it, it’s pretty cool. (more…)
Paula’s 5-layer bars
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Super Super Easy!!
I made these bars for my job the other day. I was watching Paula Deen and she made them and I was really amazed at how quickly and easily it was done. Literally, all you have to do is pour the ingredients into the dish and bake. THEY LOVED THEM!! AND ANOTHER PLUS (and perhaps the greatest) IS THAT IT WAS CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP! ENJOY!!!
Combine:
2 sticks of butter, melted (microwave at 50% power for a few minutes)
1 pack of graham crackers, crushed (I did it in a Ziploc bag)
Press into bottom of 9×9 pan (Can use a 13×9 as well but lessen cooking time)
Layer:
1 c. Butterscotch chips
2 c. Semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c. Pecan Halves, roughly chopped (I like varied sizes and jagged pieces)
1 c. Sweetened Coconut Flakes
Drizzle:
1 Can sweetened condensed milk
Bake:
350 degrees for 40 mins.
Serve:
Allow to cool because they will fall apart otherwise. Top with a little more coconut flakes (so people can know it’s in there and to add a little color. : )
