Apple Dumplings

Source: Tasty Kitchen

I've been eying this for awhile. What's not to love - the 2 sticks of butter, or the can of Mountain Dew? This was EXTREMELY well-received at a party recently and I'll definitely be making this again! Just make sure you have some vanilla ice cream on hand - it's not complete without it!

Apple Dumplings

Ingredients
2 whole Granny Smith Apples
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-½ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda

Preparation Instructions

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll.

Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

You're probably thinking chocolate-dipped strawberries is WAY to easy of a recipe to post, but really, this is more about melting chocolate on the stovetop without ruining it! You can easily ruin a delicious batch of Ghirardelli chocolate (cry) if you overheat the chocolate. Once the chocolate gets too hot, it seizes up and stiffens, and you have to kiss it goodbye!

You can melt chocolate in the microwave, but I prefer stovetop since it heats more evenly and stays melted longer. If you don't have a double broiler, just stack two saucepans on top of each other, smaller one on top.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

1 16-ounce bag of milk chocolate chips

1 quart of strawberries, washed

1. In the larger saucepan, add a couple of inches of water. Ensure when the smaller saucepan is placed on top, the bottom will NOT touch the water. Pour out any excess water if necessary. Bring the water to boiling, then reduce heat until water is gently simmering.

2. Pour chips in the smaller saucepan, and set over water. When the chips start to melt, start stirring. When about half the chips are melted, remove from heat and stir constantly until all the chips are melted.

3. Holding on to strawberry hull or by using a toothpick inserted in strawberry, dip each strawberry in chocolate and set aside on parchment. Refrigerate until needed. Enjoy!

Ganache Truffles

Source: Good Things Catered

These are wonderfully rich, delicious treats. Until I saw this on Katie's blog, I had no idea I could make these at home! They take a fair amount of work and time, but they are absolutely incredible when done!

As Katie said, use a quality chocolate when making these. I used Ghiradelli, and I just don't know if I can go back to Hershey now!

The hardest part of making these was dipping them. You want enough chocolate to fully submerge the truffles, because they start to melt if you're turning them over with a knife or such. I would use more chocolate for melting, or remove the melted chocolate to a smaller glass bowl or the like before dipping.

Chocolate Ganache Truffles

1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (this ended up being 2 and 1/2 3-ounce Ghiradelli bars)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup of chocolate of choice, for dipping

1. Bring cream to a boil over medium heat in a saucepan and remove from heat. Add chocolate and vanilla and stir until completely smooth. Let rest for 15 minutes.

2. Prepare a jelly roll pan with plastic wrap. Pour the melted chocolate on the pan and spread out slightly (mixture does not have to spread out over entire pan). Place in fridge and cool overnight or up to 2 days.

3. Remove ganache from fridge. Mixture will be hardened but still pliable. Using a spoon, remove small pieces and roll into balls. (This is VERY messy as the ganache will start to melt by the heat of your hands. I would recommend surgical gloves.) Place balls on a baking sheet and put back in the fridge to cool. (I left mine in for a few days before melting the chocolate.)

4. Using a double boiler, add water to the bottom pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low so water is simmering. Add top saucepan to broiler, ensuring simmering water is NOT touching the top saucepan. (I burned my first batch of chocolate by boiling the water directly on the top pan. Whoops.) Using a fork, submerge truffle in chocolate. Remove, tapping fork on edge of saucepan and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Decorate if desired, and place in fridge to set chocolate.

Apple Crisp

Source: All Recipes

We recently hosted some friends for dinner and I went ALL out: roasted chicken, whiskey-glazed carrots, and roasted potatoes were on the menu! I wanted to make dessert but being with all the work I had already put in the kitchen, it had to be a no-brainer. This recipe was. I sliced all the apples ahead of time, as well as creamed the sugar/butter/cinnamon mixture. After we had been eating dinner for about 45 minutes, I poured the water on top of the apples, added the creamed mixture, and popped it into the oven. It came out crispy on top and the apples were so tender and sweet! My husband looked at me accusingly as we were eating it and said, "WHY haven't you ever made this before?" I guess that means it's good!

One note - the dish was a little watery at the bottom. I served with a slotted spoon, so it didn't impact the dish. But I might suggest halving the water added to the apples.

Apple Crisp

4 cups sliced apples

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.

2.Place apples in prepared. Pour water over all. In a bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Blend in flour and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples.

3.Bake in preheated oven 45 to 50 minutes, until apples are tender and crust is golden.

Molten Chocolate Cake

Source: Kraft Foods

My husband and I once ordered something like this at Applebee's. At the time I thought it was SO good, but never thought it was something I could make at home! I love this because not only is it full of chocolately deliciousness, but you essentially make single servings! I halved it for just the two of us, no leftovers! It's so easy, make this today!

Also, it's more fun if you're making this for someone who's never had it - don't tell them they're molten cakes!

Molten Chocolate Cake

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate (1 ounce each baking chocolate)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray 4 custard cups with cooking spray. Place on baking sheet.

2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter among prepared custard cups.

3. Bake 13 to 14 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, topped with whipped topping or ice cream on the side.

4-3-2-1 Cupcakes

I have actually made these before, back when I apparently had a total lapse in judgement and WAY overfilled the muffin tins. They were not salvageable. These were much better and the flavor remains one of my favorite cupcake recipes! I think the almond extract really makes the difference.

4-3-2-1 Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcaktes

1 cup of butter
2 cups of sugar
3 cups of cake flour (I used regular, couldn't find this "cake flour")
3 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
4 eggs 
1 cup of milk
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and gradually add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternatively with milk and almond and vanilla extract, beating after each addition until smooth. Pour batter into cupcake tins. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and remove from pan to finish cooling. Top with your frosting of choice. I used cream cheese frosting. Yum!

Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from: All Recipes

All Recipes reviews, you have foiled me again! I always look at the reviews and frequently adjust my recipes if I see enough of the same comments. Here, I saw one comment in particular: the frosting is too "cream cheesy." Many reviewers suggested adding more sugar and less cream cheese. My result was actually a little too sweet; I suggest my version below. The best thing to do is add the sugar, and with the last cup, add gradually to your taste.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup of butter, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

Quick Black Forest Cake

Source: All Recipes

Whoops, I've been on a bit of a blogging haitus. We had guests in town a couple of weeks back, and I really don't like to test drive new recipes on guests! Last weekend I was in the mood to make some old favorites. I guess it happens when you only pull out the stops 2 days a week!

We were invited to a last-minute dinner with only a few hours before we had to leave. I hate to go to someone's house empty handed, so I racked my brain and my cupboard for easy recipes with ingredients I had on hand. I remembered this cake, which I haven't made in years, but is ridiculously easy and always a hit. To make things even simpler, I used some chocolate frosting I had on-hand instead of making the glaze. Enjoy!

Quick Black Forest Cake

Serves 18 

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix with pudding (I just used a normal chocolate cake mix)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Mix together: cake mix, beaten eggs, almond extract, cherry pie filling and 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips. Stir until just combined. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan.

3. Bake in a 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and let cool.

4. To Make Glaze: Heat 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, butter or margarine, and milk in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once semisweet chocolate chips are melted and mixture is combined stir in confectioners' sugar.

5. Spread glaze over cooled cake. Serve cake as is or with whipped cream and a cherry.

Happy birthday baby; or, Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake

Okay, so I felt a little irresponsible making this. Almost 4 sticks of butter are in this artery-clogging recipe. But hey, birthdays only come once a year, right? And my wonderful husband LOVES chocolate, so I thought I'd pick the "ultimate" recipe.








I'd give the end effort a B+. The chocolate flavor was YUMMY, but I thought the cake ended up a little dry. I'm not sure if that was my fault or the recipe's. One blog suggested that the chocolate/hot water mixture can evaporate if let sit; however, this mix goes right in the flour, so I may have undermeasured the water. I'm not super-careful in that department, anyway.

Dryness aside, the chocolate flavor was to-die-for! I also liked the fact it was a sheet cake. I've never made one before and eating thin pieces make me feel a little less guilty.

Ha ha, my husband just looked at my blog and said, "WHAT?!?!? You didn't tell me this had 4 sticks of butter!!!" Whoops :)

Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake

Cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks of butter
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda


Frosting:
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1 3/4 sticks of butter
4 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir and set aside.

3. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add 1 cup of boiling water and allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

4. Combine buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir mixture. Add to butter/chocolate mixture. Stir by hand or with your mixer until smooth. Pour into sheet cake or jelly roll pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

5. While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely and set aside.

6. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, and turn off heat. Add milk, vanilla, powdered sugar, and stir by hand or with mixer until smooth. Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: Food Network--The Chewy by Alton Brown

Oddly enough, I have really grown out of having much of a sweet tooth. I do keep a cache of Hershey's chocolate bars with almonds around in case the urge strikes me, but I really prefer salty foods, as you can probably tell by the lack of sweets on here!




However, I saw these on Lovestoeat's and the cookie comparison on The Way the Cookie Crumbles' blog, and they just looked so good! I am a sucker for chewy cookies. When I make cookies, I try to bake them until they're just done so they don't fall apart as I eat them. The fact that these were made with bread flour was pretty intriguing. They were DELICIOUS! One note: I actually used a regular-sized ice cream scoop, and as a result, they were HUGE and took longer to cook. Just eyeball them so they're not too huge. They don't spread a lot like regular cookies.

Extra dough will keep for up to 2 weeks tightly sealed in the fridge or for up to 6 months in the freezer.

The Chewy

2 sticks unsalted butter
2¼ cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup sugar
1¼ cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer

1.Heat oven to 375F.

2. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

3. Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Chill the dough ( I did for at least an hour), then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Cranberry Cake

Source: My mom/probably some cookbook somewhere

Yaaay! The Christmas season is upon us. I am staunchly against any and all Christmas things before Thanksgiving (I almost went into a rage when I saw Santa at the mall early November), but now I can start enjoying it. We put up our tree and decorations this weekend, and I am making Cranberry Cake for a meeting I have tomorrow.

To be honest, I don't even LIKE cranberries. I don't like sour things in general. But this cake is super yummy, thanks to 2 cups of sugar and a teaspoon of almond extract.



Best of all, it only has 5 ingredients and is a snap to put together!

Cranberry Cake

2 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of almond extract
2 cups of flour
1 package of cranberries (I used a 7.5 ounce container, anything close will do.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together sugar and butter. Add in eggs, one at a time, and almond extract. Add in flour and mix well. If using a mixer, remove from mixer and stir in cranberries. Pour into a 9 x 13 dish. The mixture at this point is pretty thick, so you'll have to spread it out. Once done, it should be about an inch to an inch and a half high. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool and slice. Enjoy!

4-3-2-1 Cupcakes (Epic Fail)

I saw these on venice's blog, and thought they looked delicious.

Let me preface this by saying...I have not made cupcakes in a LONG time. Years, in fact.

I was so excited once the batter was done. As opposed to licking the spoons, I was just scooping up the extra batter and eating it. Yum!

But...I overfilled the cupcakes. See exhibit A:

Yeah, I may have overfilled them a bit.

But my husband still enjoyed them!



SO WHAT if we had to separate the cupcake tops from the cupcakes? They were still delicous!

This is a definite reminder to me...my husband always says I'm a great cook, I say I just read recipes. Hopefully I can make it to the "great cook" category, but seriously...who forgets to fill cupcake tins 2/3 full?!?!

Also, I frequently ignore serving size. I only have one cupcake tin, and I had a lot of batter left over. Halve it if it's just you and your hubby.

These were delicious otherwise, try them!

4-3-2-1 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter
2 cups of sugar
3 cups of cake flour (I used regular, couldn't find this "cake flour")
3 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
4 eggs (I get it! 4, 3, 2 ,1! I am a genius!)
1 cup of milk
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and gradually add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternatively with milk and almond and vanilla extract, beating after each addition until smooth. Pour batter into cupcake tins. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and remove from pan to finish cooling. Top with your frosting of choice. I used vanilla confetti frosting...yum!

Lemon Poundcake

Source: Kitchenlink

I saw this recipe on Simple, but delicious and knew I had to try it. I had not even registered for a Kitchen Aid mixer for our wedding, figuring no one would buy it, and I was shocked when my aunt and uncle brought it to our wedding. This seemed like the perfect way to break it in.

As I saw in the original recipe, this makes enough to fill a 9x13 pan. I did that, but had to add about 15 minutes for it to be done. As well, make sure you have toothpicks on hand! I kept testing it with a fork, which created some really nice looking chunks in the middle, since it forms a crust when it cooks. And make sure to smooth it out so it's as even on the top as possible--otherwise when you add the glaze, it will run off to the edges of the pan.

But anyway, DELICIOUS! It was so moist and fluffy. One of the best desserts I've made!

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Lemon Glaze-
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

2. Beat butter in a large bowl at medium speed of an electric hand-held mixer; gradually add oil, beating until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until blended after each addition. Stir in lemon extract.

3. Pour batter into a prepared pan. Bake at 300F for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

4. Lemon Glaze: Combine glaze ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves. Spoon glaze over top, a little at a time. Let lemon pound cake cool completely. Enjoy!