Pretzel Scotch Cookies

I spied these on Pinterest and they called my name - sweet and savory all rolled into one little golden cookie. Delicious! These cookies are an exercise in self-control and delayed gratification though. You have to make the dough and then refrigerate it for at least 8 hours before baking them. You have been warned.

Here are just a few things that set this cookie apart and really make it an awesome recipe. The majority of cookies that I make call for softened butter, but this jewel of a recipe calls for browned butter. The browned butter adds a wonderful, nutty flavor to the cookie. By using bread flour rather than all-purpose (though I'm sure you could substitute it in a pinch), the cookie has a much finer crumb. And lastly, the salty pretzels add a great crunch - leave the pretzels in fairly large chunks so that you can fully appreciate the awesomeness of the pretzel.

Take it from me, make these cookies - you won't be disappointed!

Pretzel Scotch Cookies

recipe from Une Gamine dans la Cuisine, recipe adapted from Alton Brown

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 8 slices

2 1/4 cup bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup pretzels, broken into pieces

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet over low heat.  Once melted, increase heat to medium and continue cooking until butter turns a golden brown and develops a nutty aroma.  While it's cooking, it will foam up.  When the foam dissipates, watch it closely because it can turn from browned to burned very quickly.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool, about 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking soda.  Set aside.

Pour the cooled butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Add both sugars and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.  Add the egg and egg yolk and beat to combine.  Add the milk and vanilla and beat on medium speed for another 2-3 minutes.  Slowly add the flour mixture, beating on low speed between each addition.  Once all the dry ingredients have been added, beat on medium speed until well combined.  Using a spatula, fold in pretzels, butterscotch chips and chocolate chips.  Cover and refrigerate the bowl for at least 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.

For each cookie, scoop out a heaping tablespoon-sized piece of dough and roll into a ball.  Place on lined sheets, leaving a 1-inch space between each cookie.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes before removing them to a rack to finish cooling.

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Cran-Orange Bliss Bars

Every week I like to make something sweet to have around the house for when I get the munchies (which is quite often unfortunately).  To me, there is nothing more unsatisfying than having a craving that can't be fulfilled.  Usually I make something chocolate-y, but last week I went in a different direction and whipped up these Cran-Orange Bliss Bars.

Lord have mercy, these were so good and such a nice change of pace from usual chocolate fix!  The blondie layer is dense and chewy with a subtle orange flavor.  The frosting never fully hardens so that it stays nice and creamy and the cream cheese keeps it from being too sweet.  Plus since these bars have oranges and cranberries in them, they can kind of count as being healthy, right?  They were great with a strong cup of coffee in the morning too :-)

Cran-Orange Bliss Bars
adapted from Recipe Girl, as seen on The Girl Who Ate Everything

for the bars:
3/4 cup salted butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
zest of 2 oranges
3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
6 oz white chocolate chips

for the frosting:
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9-x-13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, melt butter in microwave; stir in brown sugars.  Let cool to room temperature.  Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and vanilla together and add in butter mixture.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and orange zest.  Gradually add dry mixture to wet mixture until just combined.  Fold in cranberries and white chocolate chips.  (Batter will be thick.)

Spread blondie mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.

To prepare the frosting, use an electric mixer to combine cream cheese, 2 cups powdered sugar and orange juice.  Continue to add more powdered sugar to achieve your desired consistency.  Spread frosting over cooled blondies and sprinkle with dried cranberries.  Store in the refrigerator and cut into bars.

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January 2012 Potluck - Spanish Theme

This month's potluck was hosted by Candace and Craig and they chose to do a Spanish theme, Un Noche en Espana.  As always, the food was fantastic and the time spent with friends was even better.  Below I have all the recipes that we cooked up, and this month I included pictures of the people too!

(FYI - If the recipe doesn't have a link underneath it's picture, then the recipes will be at the very bottom of the post.)

 Robyn's Shrimp & Chorizo Tapas

 Stacy's Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

 Erin's Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates (this month's winning dish!)

 Lora's Cheese & Olive Platter with

Amanda's Spicy & Sweet Almonds

 Erin's Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Dip

 Jennie's Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

 Clint's Sun-Dried Tomato Goat Cheese 

 Amanda & Taylor's two Spanish tortillas - the first one had potatoes, egg, mushrooms, turkey bacon & spinach; the second one was traditional (eggs and potatoes)

 Candace's Paella

 Meagan's Spanish Chocolate Torta (AKA Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake!)

Jennie also made some awesome chocolate cake balls with orange frosting as the binder, but I didn't get a picture of them.  Oops, sorry Jennie!

 Jennie, Lora and Meagan

Amanda, Taylor, Casey and Baby Mae

Robyn & Cory

 Lora, Mae, Jennie, Erin, Meagan, Stacy, Amanda, Robyn and Candace

 Andrew and Clint blowing out their birthday candles (sorry you missed it Cameron!)

 Craig holding Mae

 Casey and the Cash-Man

 Robyn, Jennie & Clint

And it wouldn't be a potluck without some rowdy board games!  I think this was right around the time when the girls guessed Andre 3000 (we were wrong) and Craig, who was acting as the reader, got so excited he yelled out the answer (Dr. Dre) before the guys could guess...(Lora, we totally needed you on that question!)

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil (can be omitted)

16 asparagus spears, trimmed

16 slices prosciutto

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with olive oil.

Wrap one slice prosciutto around each asparagus spear, starting at the bottom, and spiraling up to the tip. Place wrapped spears on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 5 minutes. Remove and shake the pan back and forth to roll the spears over.  Return to pan for another 5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender, and prosciutto is crisp.  Serve immediately.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

8 oz sherry

1 8-oz package dried dates

4 oz cream cheese

16 oz bacon, cut in half

Marinate dates in sherry for at least 3 hours.  Drain.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a wire rack atop a foil-lined baking sheet. 

Slice dates open (it's really easy to do using kitchen scissors) and stuff each date with a little less than a teaspoon of cream cheese.  Wrap each date with half a slice of bacon and place seam side down on the wire rack. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and browned.

Spicy & Sweet Almonds

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups raw almonds

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

finely chopped fresh rosemary

Mix oil and spices together, add nuts and stir to coat thoroughly.  Spread the nuts on a baking sheet.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 25, or until nuts are toasted.

Paella

3.5 oz chorizo, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons olive oil

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks

2 onions, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 cups paella or risotto rice

1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika

generous pinch saffron threads, about 1/2 teaspoon

scant 1/2 cup white wine

4 1/4 cups chicken or fish broth

6 small cleaned squid, sliced into thick rings

11 oz mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded

12 large shell-on uncooked shrimp

1 handful frozen baby peas

1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 lemon

salt and pepper

Put a large frying pan or paella pan over medium heat, then add oil.  After 30 seconds, add chorizo.  Fry until golden, about 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.  

Add chicken to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and fry for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden.  Add the onions, garlic and bell peppers to the chicken, stir well and then cook gently for 10 minutes, or until the onions and peppers are softened.

Add the rice and turn up the heat.  Stir well to coat with the oil, then add paprika, saffron, wine and broth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Simmer the rice for 20 minutes, or until nearly soft.  Stir several times as it cooks.

Meanwhile, tap any open mussels sharply on the work surface.  Discard any that do not close after a few seconds.

Add the shrimp to the pan, tucking them into what sauce is left around the rice.  Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, then scatter the squid, mussels, peas and chorizo over top.  Cover and cook for another 2 minutes, or until mussels have opened and the squid is no longer transparent.  

Discard any mussels that haven't opened.  Sprinkle parsley over the paella.  Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over paella.

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S'mores Bars

I saw this idea on a friend's blog and I thought it sounded great. This recipe is really a rice-krispy-treats-meets-s'mores, and rice krispy treats and s'mores are two of my simple favorites!

Originally I made these to these to my friend, Lora, who was in the hospital after having her baby girl. Before I left for the hospital, I sampled one to make sure they were as tasty as I thought they should be and then sent all the other bars to Lora. Afterwards, I kept thinking about how good they were and wondering why I hadn't saved at least a couple for our house. So I did what anyone else would have done - I ran to the store and made another batch! And I'm not the only one who loved them. Another friend visited Lora in the hospital and emailed me for the recipe as soon as she got home! Yes, they are that good!

S'mores bars

as seen on Tiny Tidbits and recipe adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

4 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 (10.5-oz) bag of mini marshmallows, divided

8 cups Golden Grahams cereal

6 Hershey's chocolate bars

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter and add 2/3 bag of marshmallows. Stir frequently until marshmallows are melted. Take pot off heat and stir in cereal, coating cereal completely. Pour cereal into a greased 9-inch-x-13-inch pan and push down slightly on the cereal to compact it in the pan.

Preheat broiler. Place Hershey's bars on top of cereal. You may need to break them to get even coverage. Sprinkle the remaining marshmallows on top. Pop pan under the broiler, watching closely. Broil until the marshmallows are slightly charred on top.

Let cool completely and cut into bars.

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Fauxstess Cupcakes

I've been following Annie's Eats for a long while and I always love her recipes. Often she convinces me to branch out and attempt new recipes when I read her reviews and see her beautiful pictures. When I think of Annie's Eats, I always think of cupcakes. She has so many wonderful and fun cupcake recipes! Recently I made her Butterfinger Cupcakes and they were delicious - I remember being so surprised at how closely the frosting tasted like a Butterfinger! But I digress...

While I don't know Annie in reality, I feel like I do. She has invited me into her kitchen and her life just by reading her blog. Every morning, I look forward to drinking my cup of coffee and reading my cooking blogs, especially hers. But on Thanksgiving, Annie posted that her father died unexpectedly and that she would be taking a break from blogging to mourn and cope with the loss. She offered a gentle reminder to be extra thankful for the ones you love because you never know how long you'll have them. I can't tell you how many times since then that I have squeezed my daughter or my husband tight, consciously being thankful that they are here with me.

I didn't realize how much I would miss Annie's posts until there weren't any new ones popping up in my blogger feed each morning. To fulfill my needed dose of Annie's Eats, I combed through her archives, and of course found tons of great looking cupcake recipes. Inspired by an earlier blog movement, Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey, I decided to whip up a batch of cupcakes in honor of Annie's dad. I was stumped about which recipe to choose since I don't actually know Annie or her family, so I finally decided just to pick one that looked good to me. Hopefully her dad would have liked it too!

Fauxstess Cupcakes

recipe from Annie's Eats

for the cupcakes

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, separated and at room temp

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons water

for the filling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup marshmallow fluff (store-bought or homemade)

1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

for the frosting

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat wells of a muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside..

In another bowl, beat together egg yolks, canola oil, 1/2 cup sugar and water until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until stiff and glossy. Add 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the batter and mix to combine. Add remaining egg white mixture and gently fold together until no streaks remain.

Evenly divide the mixture into 8 or 9 cupcake wells. Bake until the cupcakes spring back (i.e. do not leave an indention) when lightly touched in the center, about 13-16 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow fluff and heavy cream. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling and transfer the rest to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip.

Gently insert the tip of the pastry bag about 1/2-inch deep into the top of each cupcake and lightly squeeze in some filling.

For the frosting, heat cream over medium heat in a small saucepan until steaming (not boiling!), stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add butter and stir until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake in the frosting to thoroughly coat. Spoon reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe curlicues across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

And then share them with the ones you love!

Big Bite!

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Paula Deen's Banana Pudding

My friend Molly made the best banana pudding for her daughters' birthday party. Living in the south, I've sampled many a banana pudding recipes, but this one was the winner by a mile. I made it myself within a week of gobbling up Molly's. I served it when we had friends over (in total there were 4 adults and 2 kids) and we ate the entire pan of it! I lost count after I had three servings! So beware, this is a deliciously addictive dessert that must be served to a really large group lest you eat the entire thing yourself!

I apologize for the lack of a photograph but I think I must have accidentally deleted it. Boo! But let's be honest, my photo-taking skills are lacking so it probably wasn't a good one anyway :-)

Paula Deen's Banana Pudding

recipe found here

1 12-oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened

2 cups milk

1 5-oz box instant French Vanilla pudding

6-8 bananas, sliced

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies

Line the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine milk and pudding mix and blend well. Using another bowl, combine cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold whipped topping into cream cheese mixture. Add cream cheese mixture to pudding mixture and stir well until blended. Pour over cookies and bananas and cover with remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Butter and Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting

Now that fall has finally made it's way to Texas (you know, highs in the 90s rather than the 100s), I've started busting out the pumpkin recipes. Yesterday afternoon I wanted to make a quick and easy dessert and I found this recipe for a pumpkin cake with only two ingredients - spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin. I'm not sure what my problem is but I am absolutely unable to follow a recipe as written; so I followed some reviewers modifications and came up with an awesome recipe that has a lot more than two ingredients!

Don't even think about skipping the frosting because it makes the cake! I'm not even a big frosting fan, but I could not stop myself from licking the bowl clean. Delicious! The bourbon adds a nice taste in the background without being overpowering or boozy.

On a side note, it makes more frosting than you'll need to frost a 9-x-13-inch cake. I took the easy route and made a sheet cake, but next time I think I'll make it as a layer cake.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Butter and Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from AllRecipes.com - here and here

for the cake

1 18.25-oz spice cake mix

1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

3 eggs

1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

for the frosting

3/4 cup butter, divided

1 8-oz package cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons good quality bourbon

4 cups powdered sugar (you may need more or less sugar depending on the desired sweetness and consistency)

2 tablespoons whole milk, optional

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease your cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, add cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, applesauce, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Stir well to combine. Gently fold in nuts. Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 25-40 minutes, depending on the size of your cake pan, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely.

For the frosting, melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the butter is caramel in color and giving off a nutty smell, about 10-15 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup butter. Pour browned butter over and let sit for 2-3 minutes. The heat from the browned butter will soften the cream cheese and cold butter. Add the vanilla and bourbon and mix until smooth. (Mine looked a little curdled at this point, but after several minutes of mixing, it came together beautifully.)

Add sugar, a little at a time, until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. Add milk if it gets too thick.

When the cake has cooled, smooth the frosting over it and serve!

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Peach Buttermilk Coffee Cake

When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to make it. I had leftover buttermilk in the fridge, fresh Texas peaches on my counter and all the other non-name worthy ingredients in the pantry. It was meant to be! The recipe for the coffee cake is fantastic and you could easily switch up the fruit for whatever is in season. I loved it with peaches though - and I think I may put even more peaches in next time. The bad news is that the recipe has 19 (19!!!) tablespoons of butter, which I didn't realize until I halfway through making it. So for all those calories, it better be good! If you're looking for a little lighter coffee cake recipe, this Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is another one of my favorites.

The recipe I used (linked below) tops the cake with a glaze, which I omitted on accident. But I think it would have been a good addition since the cake wasn't super sweet on its own. And it's already a terribly unhealthy recipe, may as well make it even worse for you. Go big or go home, right?!?

Peach Buttermilk Coffee Cake

recipe from Baking with Lisa

for the topping and filling:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

for the cake:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup buttermilk

2-3 peaches, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices (you can use frozen in a pinch)

For the topping: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and walnuts. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Mixture will be crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour (or use nonstick spray) a 9-inch springform pan. If you have parchment paper, line the bottom of the pan for easy cake removal.

For the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed for 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 additions.

Scrape half the batter into the prepared pan and level it with a spoon. Sprinkle half of the crumb topping evenly over the batter. Arrange the peach slices in a circular pattern over the crumb topping, overlapping slightly. Spoon the remaining batter on top of the peaches. Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes, then remove the side of the pan and cool completely.

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Whisk together the glaze ingredients, adding a little more cream if necessary. Drizzle or pipe over the cooled cake.

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Almond Raspberry Brownies

For years I've been making a simple chocolate cake - a cake mix, add almond extract, use raspberry jam as the filling between the layers, top with chocolate frosting and more jam and decorate with fresh raspberries. I started thinking about how great those flavors - almond and raspberry - are with chocolate and decided to make it into an easy brownie recipe. So here goes!

This is a very show-stopping dessert that is so rich, decadent, and most of all, delicious. They take brownies to a whole new level of sophistication! I can't wait to make these again for a dinner party and I think they would pair fabulously with champagne or prosecco. Yum, my mouth is starting to water just thinking about them. Good thing I still have a whole pan of them left since Andrew isn't home from work yet!

Because they have three different layers, they do take a little more prep time than your average brownie recipe, but to save time, the base is made from a brownie mix.

Almond Raspberry Brownies

a Baking and Eggs original

for the brownie layer

1 pkg brownie mix, plus ingredients listed on box (I needed eggs and vegetable oil)

1 t almond extract

for the raspberry cream layer

1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, at room temperature

1 egg

1 t almond extract

1/3 c seedless raspberry jam

1 c powdered sugar

for the ganache

1 c whipped topping

4 squares semi sweet bakers chocolate

1 c seedless raspberry jam, optional

for garnish

fresh raspberries

sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish.

Mix brownie mix according to package directions and add extract. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Using a mixer with a whisk attachment, mix cream cheese, egg, extract, jam and powdered sugar until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Pour and gently spread the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cream cheese layer is lightly browned and doesn't jiggle. Let cool 10-15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine whipped topping and semi-sweet chocolate. Microwave mixture for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir mixture until smooth. Spread ganache over brownies.

Optional: In a small bowl, heat 1 cup raspberry jam in microwave until warm, about 20-30 seconds. Carefully spread jam over ganache.

Decorate with sliced almonds and/or fresh raspberries. Cut into squares and serve.

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The Ultimate Berry Trifle

{it would look much prettier if I could have found my trifle dish!}

I had the opportunity to see Tyler Florence do a cooking demonstration at a Wine and Food Festival a few years ago and he's been one of my favorite chefs ever since. This is a recipe I've had my eye on for quite awhile. Since berries are in season and we were serving a fairly light and healthy dinner, Jennie and I decided to make this for our dessert. What sets this recipe apart from other ordinary berry trifles is that it has lemon curd in it, whose flavor goes wonderfully with the berries. And you know I'm a sucker for anything citrus (I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, aren't i?!?)! It was a delicious dessert - everyone had seconds and Andrew and I couldn't wait to eat the leftovers the following day.

Like the Summer Rolls, this recipe can be made ahead of time, which makes it great for entertaining. And since it makes use of store-bought pound cake and lemon curd, it's pretty quick to put together too.

The Ultimate Berry Trifle

recipe from Tyler Florence's Tyler's Ultimate cookbook

for the berries

1 pint blueberries

1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut into thick slices

1 pint raspberries

1/4 c sugar

1 1/2 t cornstarch

Juice on 1 lemon

for the lemon cream

1 c heavy cream

1 T sugar

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 c lemon curd

1 pound cake, sliced 1/2-inch thick

Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the berries begin to break down and give up their juices, about 3 minutes. Take the berries off the heat and let cool; the mixture should thicken up as it cools.

In a clean bowl, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Put the lemon curd into a second bowl and stir in a little of the whipped cream to loosen it. Then fold in the rest of the cream.

To assemble the trifle, spoon a layer of the lemon cream into a large glass bowl. Add a layer of pound cake, breaking the slices into pieces to fit. Then soak the cake with a layer of berries and their juices. Keep going to make 3 or 4 layers, depending on the size of the bowl, finishing with a layer of lemon cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Citrus-Glazed Pound Cake

I've made no secret of my love of anything citrus, so this recipe was right up my alley. I made this on Monday and it was gone by Wednesday! My husband has quite a sweet tooth and in his words, "this cake is killer!" I really think I only ate two pieces and he finished off the rest. And my hips and thighs thank him for it!

Citrus-Glazed Pound Cake

recipe adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), sifted, plus more for pan

1 c granulated sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1 orange, juiced and zested, divided

2 lemons, juiced and zested, divided

1/2 t coarse salt

Confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray loaf pan with with non stick spray, or lightly butter and flour it. In a large bowl, using an electric mixture, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until very light and fluffy, 7 minutes. Scrape down sides and beat 1 additional minute. Add vanilla, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon orange zest, and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Gradually add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add salt, then gradually add flour, beating well to combine.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 65 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from pan.

Make the glaze by stirring together remaining lemon zest, lemon juice, orange zest, orange juice and enough confectioners' sugar to create a fairly stiff, smooth glaze. Pour glaze over cake while the cake is still warm.

* As you can tell from my picture, I didn't bake my cake in a loaf pan because mine seems to have gone missing. Mine was fully baked in a much shorter time, about 30 minutes.

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Chocolate Dipped and Toffee Topped Sugar Cookies

The name pretty much sums it up. This is absolutely the easiest recipe ever and it always pleases people. I've been making this since I was in high school and I often include it in dessert buffets because of it's simplicity. While easy, these cookies look beautiful and taste delicious! Everyone needs a few recipes like this in your recipe box!

Chocolate Dipped and Toffee Topped Sugar Cookies

a Baking and Eggs original

1 (16.5-oz) refrigerated sugar cookie dough

4-5 oz melting chocolate

2/3 c toffee chips

Bake sugar cookies according to package directions. Let cool.

Melt chocolate according to package directions. Dip each cookie halfway into the chocolate and sprinkle generously with toffee bits. Place cookies on wax paper to allow for the chocolate to cool and harden.

Serve and enjoy!

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Mini Apple Cream Tarts

Over the past few weeks, I have started making a lot more desserts. Probably because I've been trying to eat healthier meals...which leads me to eating/craving desserts at night. There's only so much I can do!

I must say that I usually try to give away some of the desserts so I don't eat them all myself. I brought these to this week's 'board meeting' and they were enjoyed by all. There's just something about bite-sized desserts that no one can pass up! The next time you're craving an apple pie, try these instead. You won't be disappointed! I love the combo of the crunchy, sweet cookie crust, the creamy layer and the traditional apple pie flavors. Fab!

Mini Apple Cream Tarts

an Erin original

1 pkg sugar cookie dough

3 T granulated sugar, divided

2 T butter

2 granny smith apples, peeled and finely diced

1 t cinnamon

1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

2 1/2 c powdered sugar

4-5 T milk

1 t vanilla extract

caramel or butterscotch ice cream sauce, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease/spray mini muffin pans well. Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices and roll each slice into a ball. Place each ball in a muffin cup, gently pressing it in. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cookies are slightly golden.

Place a tablespoon of sugar into a small bowl. Dip the end of a spoon handle into the sugar and press into the center of the cookies to make an inch-wide indention. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add apples, sugar and cinnamon. Cook until apples are softened but still slightly crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix until smooth and it reaches the desired consistency. (You may need to add a little more powdered sugar and/or milk to achieve your desired consistency - I wanted it pretty thick, but you can thin it out if you prefer.)

To assemble, place a dollop of cream sauce (about 1-2 t) into the bottom of each cookie tart. Top with another dollop of the apple mixture. Just before serving, drizzle a little caramel (or butterscotch) ice cream sauce over each tart.

*Cook's note: these don't keep well past 24 hours because the cookie crust loses its crispness. Refrigerate any leftovers.

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Watermelon-Mint Granita

This has to be the easiest, and most refreshing, dessert in the history of the world! I'm serious. Totally serious. Nothing tastes better on a hot day and after a big meal than watermelon-mint granita. With only three ingredients and hardly any work at all, you have no excuse not to try this recipe.

One of my friend's husband is a wonderful cook. He's so adventurous in the kitchen and I always look forward to his food. He made this dessert for us over a year ago and everyone loved it. It's light, it's sweet, it's icy and it's just delicious. And so much healthier than just about any other dessert. Next time you're going to a bbq or a picnic, forego taking sliced watermelon and whip up this little treat. Everyone will thank you for it, I promise!

Just one piece of advice: make sure you buy seedless watermelon so you don't have to spend an hour picking out all the seeds! Not a fun way to spend the afternoon - I learned this the hard way!

Watermelon-Mint Granita

recipe courtesy of Robert

6 cups watermelon chunks

1/2 c packed mint leaves

2 T sugar

Combine the ingredients in a food processor and puree. Pour into a dish and place into the freezer. Every hour for the first three to four hours, take a fork and scrape the granita to keep it slushy. Serve and enjoy!

Thanks for visiting! Please leave questions or comments - I always love to hear from you!

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Cajun Potluck - June

We have a rotating monthly potluck dinner with our friends and when it's your turn to host, you get to pick the theme. We've been doing this for about three years and it's amazing to think how much everyone's lives have changed during that time - weddings, pregnancies, babies, new homes, new jobs, etc. We decided that we're going to start taking pictures every month so that we can have them as a reminder of all the fun times we always have at potluck. That idea got me thinking that it would be fun to start doing a monthly post with pictures and recipes for all the dishes we bring each month. So this will be the first of many potluck posts, I hope!

This month Candace and Craig chose to do a Cajun theme. They made a magnificent Shrimp Creole for the main course, which I ate (and thoroughly enjoyed) over Hunter's dirty rice. I've never eaten a lot of Cajun/Creole food, so I had no idea what to bring. After giving it some thought, I decided grilled corn on the cob would work just fine. In order to make it fit with our theme, I decided to serve it with a compound butter full of Cajun flavors. Easy-peasy, a lot more fun than plain ole butter, and it really gave the corn a great flavor; however, the butter was far from attractive. Because I made the unfortunate decision to roll into a log shape, there were quite a few comments about it looking phallic or poop-like. I think next time, I'll just put it in a ramekin! Also, grilling the corn with the beer in the foil packets really added a great dimension to the flavor that I highly recommend!

Recipes will either have a link under the picture or the full recipe will be found at the bottom of the page. I hope you enjoy the recipes as much as we did!

{Lora's cajun crab stuffed mushrooms}

These were so good, and boy, did they go fast! I'm not sure everyone even got to try one before the entire platter was devoured!

{Candace's shrimp creole}

{Hunter's dirty rice}

{Robyn's cajun corn pudding}

I've never had a corn pudding with bacon before, and it added such a great smoky flavor that everyone loved. I know at least one person went back for seconds but I'm not saying who!

{my creole compound butter}

See what I mean about it looking dirty?!? Even extra herbs and tabasco sauce couldn't help it at all - may have even made it look worse!

{my corn on the cob}

{Candace's tres leches cake - not cajun but it was Jennie's birthday and it's her favorite}

I'm not a fan of tres leches cake because I find that so many of them are verging on completely mushy and way too sweet! But I loved this one though - it was moist without being soggy!

{bourbon cake}

This was sooo good! The bourbon added a really nice flavor without being overpowering. Plus I thought it was really cute spin on the cajun theme - a bourbon cake for Bourbon Street!

{banana pudding}

{my dessert plate - why choose just 1 when you can have all 3?!}

Shrimp Creole

adapted by Candace from Southern Living

2 (14 1/2-oz) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 c chopped celery (about 2 ribs)

1 T olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

2-3 t hot sauce - depending on how spicy you like it

1-2 t Creole seasoning

1 lb peeled large fresh shrimp

white rice, for serving (I prefer to use long grain rice, but you can easily use Minute Rice to speed things up)

Prepare rice according to package directions; keep warm.

Pulse stewed tomatoes in a food processor 3 or 4 times or until chopped.

Saute green pepper, onion and celery in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet for 8 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Stir in chopped tomatoes, diced tomatoes, hot sauce and Creole seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in shrimp, cover, and simmer 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Dirty Rice

recipe from cooks.com

1 lb. sausage

1/2 lb ground beef

3 stalks celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c parsley, chopped

3/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp black pepper

4 c cooked white rice

2-3 green onions, chopped

Cook sausage and beef in large skillet until almost browned. Drain all but 1-2 tablespoons drippings. Add celery, pepper, onion, garlic and spices. Cook until meat is browned and veggies are softened, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess grease. Combine veggie mixture with rice and mix well. Stir in parsley and garnish with green onions.

Grilled Corn with Creole Compound Butter

12 ears of corn, husked

1 bottle dark beer (I used Shiner Bock)

1 stick butter, softened

1 garlic clove, grated

1 lime, zested

2 t chili powder

1/2 t celery salt

1/2 t onion powder

5 - 10 dashes Tabasco sauce, depending on how spicy you want it

2 t fresh chives, snipped

To make the butter, in a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, lime zest, chili powder, celery salt, onion powder, Tabasco and chives. Place softened butter mixture into small ramekin and smooth top. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Wrap each ear of corn in foil and add 2 T beer to each foil packet. Wrap it up carefully so the beer doesn't leak out. Grill for 10-15 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before eating. Serve with compound butter.

Candace's Tres Leches Cake

a Candace original!

for the cake

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist yellow cake mix

1 1/4 c water

1 T vegetable oil

2 t vanilla

4 eggs

1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 c whole milk or evaporated milk

1 c whipping cream

for the frosting

3/4 c whipping cream

1/3 c sugar

1 t vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees for dark or nonstick pans). Grease and flour or spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

Bake 29 to 35 minutes or until edges are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes. Poke top of hot cake every 1/2 inch with long-tined fork, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking. (Don't hold back on the holes - the more, the better :-)

In a large bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, whole milk and whipping cream. Carefully pour evenly over top of cake. Cover; refrigerate about 1 hour or until mixture is absorbed into cake. Frost with frosting and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

For the frosting, place the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using whisk attachment, whisk together on medium/high speed until stiff peaks are formed.

Banana Pudding

recipe from the Jell-O box

2 pkg (3.4-oz) Banana Cream flavor instant pudding

2 1/2 c cold milk

1 box mini Nilla Wafers

3 bananas, sliced

1 tub (8-oz) Cool Whip Lite, thawed

Beat pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

Arrange layer of wafers on bottom and up sides of a 2-quart bowl; top with layers of half each banana, wafers and pudding. Repeat layers; cover with Cool Whip. Refrigerate 3 hours.

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Mini Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

{the perfect little bite-sized snack!}

Yesterday was another "board meeting" with my mom's friends (and now my friends too) and I showed up with these ridiculously cute Mini Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes. I was pretty popular! These are ridiculously cute, aren't they?!? And they only have a total of 8 ingredients...okay, 9 if you count water.

I can't wait to make them again because they would be a great addition to any party or get-together. While there are three parts to this recipe, it wasn't difficult at all. The assembly took a little time, but not too much longer than most standard cupcake recipes. I loved the super simple ganache. It ended up with the perfect consistency, looked beautifully glossy, and it wasn't too sweet, which was a perfect pairing with the sugary custard layer. I have to admit, when I read that you make the ganache by microwaving baker's chocolate with Cool Whip, I was really skeptical. When I first pulled it out of the microwave my skepticism was raised to new levels. It looked like a watery/chocolatey mess, but with a little stirring it smoothed right out. A-maz-ing!

It's important to note that the cupcakes need a little time (minimum of 15 minutes) to set up before serving. And the leftovers are still really good the next day too. Especially when served for breakfast with a steaming mug of coffee. Just throwing that out there.

The only thing I'll probably fiddle around with a little next time is the custard. It didn't have quite enough pizzazz for me. Maybe I'll substitute a French Vanilla pudding or something insanely difficult like that :-)

Mini Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

adapted only slightly from a KRAFT recipe via allrecipes.com

1 pkg (2 layer size) yellow cake mix (plus ingredients needed to make cake - mine called for

water, eggs and vegetable oil)

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 c cold milk

1 pkg (6 serving size) vanilla flavor instant pudding

1 3/4 c thawed whipped topping, divided

4 squares semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake batter according to package instructions and the vanilla. Bake in mini-muffin tins for 10-14 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks and allow to cool completely.

Beat milk and pudding mix with whisk for about 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, use serrated knife to cut cupcakes in half horizontally. Gently fold in 3/4 c whipped topping. Spoon about 1 T of the pudding mixture onto the bottom half of each cupcake; cover with the top half.

Microwave remaining 1 c whipped topping and baker's chocolate in a small bowl for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Let stand 10-15 minutes to thicken. Spread onto the top of each cupcake. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Thanks for visiting! Please leave questions or comments - I always love to hear from you!

Erin

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Coconut-Lime Cake Truffles

During Finley's nap time I was perusing different cooking blogs (i.e. putting off doing the housework for as long as possible) and I stumbled across a recipe for Coconut Cake Truffles on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen's blog, which if you haven't peeped it out yet, you totally should. Anyway, back to the truffles. They looked cute. Who doesn't like a little bite-sized dessert? They looked yummy. My mouth started watering. I was sold.

As soon as Finley woke up, we ran to the little grocery store in my neighborhood to pick up the ingredients. Praise God, they actually had all the ingredients, even the coconut milk! While making them, Fin and I were taste-testing along the way - as all good cooks do, right? - and I just couldn't help but change things up a bit. I always try to follow a recipe exactly but something just comes over me and I have to throw in a bit of this or a bunch of that. I can't stifle my creativity! I decided to tweak the recipe a little by adding some lime flavor to the truffles. In my opinion, the lime perfectly suited the sweet chewiness of the coconut and really made the flavors pop. I'm sure they would have been delicious as the recipe was originally written, but to me, everything is better with a something citrus! Plus, doesn't citrus flavor just scream summer to you? It surely does to me!

As I was typing this up, I received a text message from my husband: "Craving your truffles so don't eat all them of today". (Okay, his text really said "cravin' yo' truffles so don't be eatin' all dem today" but I opted to edit because I have no idea why his text was sent with either a ghetto or maybe a Cajun accent. He's a weirdo...err, character!) Apparently, Fin and I are not the only fans of these truffles!

Coconut-Lime Cake Truffles

adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen's Coconut Cake Truffles recipe

1 box white cake mix (plus ingredients to prepare cake)

1 1/2 t coconut extract

2/3 c coconut milk

1/4 c sweetened condensed milk

1 (7-oz) bag shredded sweetened coconut

3 limes

white chocolate bark, candy melts or dipping chocolate

Preheat oven to bake cake. Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Add coconut extract to batter. Bake in a 9-x-13-inch pan. Let cool.

Crumble cake into a large bowl. Add coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, shredded coconut, and the zest and juice of two limes. Using hands, mix well. Roll into walnut sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Refrigerate at least an hour.

Melt white chocolate bark in microwave or over stove according to package directions. While that's working, zest the remaining lime and set aside. Using a toothpick carefully dip each truffle into the white chocolate and place on wax paper to harden. After dipping two or three, sprinkle a pinch of lime zest on each truffle. (If you wait to sprinkle them until you've dipped them all, the outer coating will have hardened enough that the zest won't adhere well.)

An additional garnish idea: toasted coconut!

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Flan Almendrado (Almond Flan)

Whenever we go out for Mexican food, which is quite often, the meal is always ended with a piece of flan. So it was a no-brainer for me to make flan for an outstanding end to our Cinco de Mayo dinner. If you've never had flan, I strongly, strongly encourage you to try it. Like, now. It's a silky smooth egg custard with a burnt sugar syrup. The best part about flan - it is so easy to make!

I always use the same recipe - why change it up if you've already got a winner?!? Of course the recipe is from one of Austin's best gourmet Mexican restaurants, so that helps a lot. Try it and I know you'll love it too!

Flan Almendrado

adapted only slightly from Fonda San Miguel Thirty Years of Food and Art cookbook

3/4 c sugar

2/3 c blanched, silvered almonds

1 1/2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk

1 c whole milk

3 whole eggs

3 egg yolks

1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oven rack in middle position. Put sugar in a round 9-by-3-inch nonstick cake pan. Using heavy oven mitts or tongs, place pan directly over medium heat to caramelize the sugar. Heat until sugar liquefies, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Do not touch the melted sugar - it will cause serious burns. When the hot liquid in the pan is a golden brown, remove from heat and set aside on a rack to cool and harden.

In a blender or food processor, process almonds until they are fairly finely ground. Add condensed milk, whole milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla to almonds. Process until well blended. Pour custard mixture over prepared caramel. Place the cake pan in a larger, deeper pan (I use a roasting pan) and pour about an inch of hot water around the cake pan to make a water bath. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the flan is set in the center and no longer jiggles. Remove from oven and cool on a rack at room temperature. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.

To serve, run a knife or thin spatula around the edge of the flan to release it from the sides of the pan. Place a 10-inch (or larger) serving platter on top of the pan. Turn the platter over and gently remove the cake pan, leaving flan on the serving platter. (If the flan doesn't easily come out, place the cake pan on the stove over medium-low heat for 30 seconds to 1 minutes to just barely melt the sugar. Try inverting the cake pan again, and the flan should come right out.) Using a flexible spatula, scrape up as much of the caramel as possible from the bottom of the pan and pour over the flan. Cut into triangular wedges and serve. Makes 8 to 12 slices.

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Nutella Crepes with Berries

There are several of my friends that all had children around the same time and we started a play group when our kids were just a few months old. Every now and then we get together without the kids for a moms night out and we always have a great time! At our last dinner, we went to a new restaurant/wine bar and we ordered a bunch of appetizers and split them. When it came time for dessert, we were all drawn to their Nutella Crepe with Berries, so we ordered one...and then another one. It was a fabulous end to a great meal! Since that night, I've often thought of that wonderful dessert, so I decided to re-create it tonight. And it was just as good as I remembered!

I used my mother-in-law's crepe recipe but you could easily substitute store-bought crepes if you're in a pinch. Also the components of this recipe can be made ahead of time and then assembled just prior to eating.

Nutella Crepes with Berries

for the crepes

3 eggs

1 3/4 c milk

1 c all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

2 T sugar

1 T vegetable oil

non-stick spray or melted butter, for greasing the pan

for the filling

10 T nutella

for the berries

2 1/2 c fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or an assortment of the three)

2 T sugar

2 T water

For the crepes: In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and blend well. Stir it with a spoon to make sure there aren't any lumps. The batter will be thin and smooth.

Put an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick spray (or brush with melted butter). Pour about 1/4 c of batter into the pan and quickly swirl it to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. (You want the crepes paper thin.) Cook for about 30-45 seconds, or until the edges just start to turn golden. Flip the crepe and cook an additional 30 seconds. Slip the crepe onto a plate and repeat with remaining batter. You should get 10-12 crepes. (I always use pieces of wax paper between the crepes so they don't stick together.)

For the berries: In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, add 1 1/2 c berries, water (or port wine would be a great substitute for the water!) and sugar. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Lower heat and cook an additional 8 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.

For assembly: Place a crepe on your work surface. Spread about 1 T nutella on half of the crepe. (I only put Nutella on half of the crepe because it's pretty rich, but if you're feeling decadent, by all means, spread it over the whole thing!) Roll the crepe up and slice in half width-wise. Spoon on some berry compote and enjoy!

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