Category Archives: Treats

by | June 8, 2011 · 8:18 am

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

I love this time of year when the first fruits and vegetables start popping up at local farmers markets.  I am always on the lookout for good zucchini because I absolutely love zucchini bread.  I have tried so many recipes and none of them created the perfect bread that I was looking for, that is until I came across this Paula Dean recipe.  It creates the perfect bread that is moist and flavorful without being overpowering.  I added mini chocolate chips to the bread because, well, I add chocolate chips to everything!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
2 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon lemon juice

optional: 1/2 cup walnuts or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips mixed with 1 tablespoon flour (prevents the chips from sinking to the bottom of the bread)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients and set aside.  In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients until just combined.  Finally, mix the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until moist.  Add the chocolate chips or nuts if you are using them.

Spray 2 average sized loaf pans with cooking spray.  I recommend using cooking spray instead of butter for greasing with this recipe.  The loaves seem to come out of the pan much better with the spray.  Divide the batter evenly among the 2 pans.  Bake for about one hour or until firm in the middle.

I often freeze the second loaf when I made this recipe, it tastes great even thawed out of the freezer.

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by | May 31, 2011 · 8:23 am

{Haute Pie} Dreamsicle Ice Cream Pie

Finally a little heat up in here! With warm weather finally arriving (and hopefully here to stay!) I tested out an ice cream pie for the holiday weekend. I’d been wanting to experiment with an ice cream pie for awhile and thought the classic combo of vanilla and orange would be a good way to start. As it turns out, ice cream pies are super easy so I think I’ll be playing with flavor combos all summer, however this Dreamsicle-style pie is a refreshing, cool dessert for any hot day.
Orange Dreamsicle Pie
Dreamsicle Ice Cream Pie
Ice Cream Pie Filling
1/2 pint french vanilla ice cream, softened
1/2 pint orange sherbet, softened
8 oz organic heavy cream
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 bar dark chocolate, shaved or curled

Sugar Cookie Pie Crust
(crust from Baking Bites)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400. Beat together sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in flour and salt. Beat in milk and vanilla until mixture is crumbly. Butter or spray a glass pie pan with PAM. Press cookie dough into pan, using your fingers to work dough evenly up the sides and evenly across the bottom. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Cool completely. Meanwhile, let vanilla ice cream soften. Once semi-soft, use a spatula to spoon a layer of ice cream in about half way up the pie shell. Return to freezer until ice cream hardens, meanwhile softening sherbet. Repeat step with sherbet, smoothing directly on top of vanilla ice cream, and return to freezer until fully frozen.

Dreamsicle Pie

In a small bowl, beat together heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes. Spread whipped cream on top of ice cream pie and top with chocolate shavings. Use a knife warmed under hot water to slice and serve.

ice cream pie

NOTE: If you don’t grease the pie pan first, like me, it will be difficult to get the slices out cleanly. I think butter or a light dose of cooking spray would probably do the trick but can’t say for sure since I didn’t realize I needed it. If you know a good tip, please share!

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by | May 27, 2011 · 7:57 am

Chocolate Chip Brownies with White Icing

I am not a chocolate person. I’ve mentioned this once before and offended a great many of you with that statement. My husband, on the other hand, is a chocoholic. So when special occasions come around, I always like to bake up a little chocolate treat to say I love you. This week we celebrated our third wedding anniversary. So on top of his traditional third anniversary leather gift, he was able to indulge in his favorite chocolate treat – chocolate brownies (or cake) with white icing.

I’ve never baked brownies from scratch before, so I decided to give it a whirl. With a little help from America’s Test Kitchen, I adapted this recipe to suit my hubby’s palate and the baking items I had on hand.

Chocolate Chip Brownies with White Icing

1/3
 C cocoa powder
1/2
 C plus 2 TBSP boiling water
2
 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 stick unsalted butter , melted
1/2
 C plus 2 TBSP vegetable oil
2
 large eggs
2
 large egg yolks
2
 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2
 C sugar
1 3/4
 C all-purpose flour
1/2
 tsp table salt
6
 ozs. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan. In a large sauce pan, boil water. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder. Add unsweetened chocolate and stir until melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil. Add eggs, yolks and vanilla and continue to whisk. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. And flour and salt and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour mixture into baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool.

Buttercream Icing

1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
4 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C milk

Cream butter in a stand mixer on medium high. Slowly add powdered sugar, 1/2 C at a time. Add vanilla. Drizzle milk and continue to beat until icing is at desired consistency.

Spread icing on cooled brownies with small spatula. Cut and serve.

These brownies don’t need the icing, but they add a little extra love. I asked my husband if he had any comments and he replied with, “Well….they are delicious.” So there you have it folks! Delicious homemade brownies.

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by | May 25, 2011 · 8:25 am

Oatmeal Caramelitas

Last weekend, the girls and I were so excited to participated in the Milwaukee Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sale.  We were honored to donate and so excited to learn that the entire event raised $2100 for pediatric cancer!

I decided to make my most favorite baked good – Oatmeal Caramelitas.  They are a buttery oatmeal bar filled with ooey gooey caramel and sometimes, depending on my mood, chocolate chips.  This is my sister’s mother-in-law’s recipe which I requested after having just one bite of these delicious treats.

Oatmeal Caramelitas

1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup oats
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, slightly melted

Caramel
3/4 cup caramel or butterscotch caramel topping (the kind that comes in a jar by all of the ice cream sundae goodies)
3 Tbsp flour

Mix the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.    In a separate bowl, soften the butter in the microwave until it is slightly melted.  Mix the butter into the dry mixture and set aside.

Butter and flour a 9 x 13 pan.  Take half the dough and evenly crumble it into the bottom of the pan.  Press the dough into the bottom of the pan to create a bottom crust.  As you are doing this, it might seem like you don’t have enough dough, however the crust will be very thin.  Just keep pressing until the entire bottom of the pan is covered.  If you need to use a little more than half of the dough, that is ok too!

Bake the bottom crust at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  While that is cooking, mix the caramel topping with the flour in a small bowl.  When the crust is done cooking, remove it from the oven and carefully drizzle the caramel over the crust.  Keep in mind that the crust is only partially cooked, so it will be slightly fragile.  (If you would like, sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips or nuts over the caramel for some extra flavor or crunch!)

Crumble the remaining crust over the top and bake for an additional 15-17 minutes.  Remove the bars from the oven, they will look undercooked when you take them out.  Be sure not to over bake or they will become hard as a rock.  Allow them to cool before cutting.

These are much easier to cut and remove from the pan when they are completely cool, but they taste so good warm…so I usually sneak a few corners so I can get a few warm bites.  These are delicious on their own or heated up and served with ice cream.


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by | May 18, 2011 · 8:26 am

Nutella Brownies

I love nutella.  I mean, I LOVE it.  And awhile back I had heard a rumor of a 3 ingredient nutella brownie recipe.  It sounded too good to be true, but a quick search on google showed me that this recipe did in fact exist and looked amazing!  I had to give it a try.

Nutella Brownie Bites

1/2 cup Nutella
1 egg
5 tbsp flour

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease a 12 cup mini muffin tin.

Mix all the ingredients together until smooth.  Evenly distribute batter among the muffin tin, filling each one about 3/4 full.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.

Pop out of the tin and enjoy.

They truly taste like little bites of nutella heaven.

I cannot be sure where this recipe originated, however it looks like it was created by Abby Dodge and featured in her cookbook titled Desserts 4 Today, all desserts with just 4 ingredients (she sprinkled hazelnuts on her brownies!).  Pretty sure I will be picking up a copy of this book.

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by | April 27, 2011 · 8:25 am

Miss Amy Muffins

This recipe was passed down to me from my good friend’s mom.  I have the best memories of making these growing up in their kitchen and eating them immediately after rolling them in sugar.  I am sure we would eat more than we would put on the plate.

Miss Amy Muffins are a mildly sweet muffin that is rolled in melted butter and then in sugar.  They almost taste like a mini churro and are amazing.  This recipe makes about 2 dozen mini muffins, and I bet they won’t last more than 1 day in your house!

Miss Amy Muffins
1/3 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1  1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 stick melted butter, in a separate bowl

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugar then beat in the egg.  Sift the dry ingredients and add alternately with milk to the butter mixture.  Finally, add the vanilla.

Grease a 24 cup mini muffin tin and evenly fill with the batter.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

While the muffins bake, mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.  In a saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter.

Remove the muffins from the oven and remove from the tin once they are cool enough to handle, but still warm.  Roll each muffin in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar.

These are delicious warm or cold, but are heavenly if you eat them right out of the oven.

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by | April 22, 2011 · 9:52 am

Homemade Peeps

It is a long standing joke in my family: we can all expect Peeps at Easter, even though most of us do not like them. I am among the “not-so-fond of the sugar marshmallowy creatures” group, and am especially not a part of the “open the package to get them stale and eat them in a few weeks” group. I do, however, love sugar and marshmallows. So this year, I boldly went where no woman of my family has gone before. Homemade Peeps.

These Easter treats are really just homemade raspberry marshmallows with a little extra decorating. I used to be quite scared of any recipe that called for a candy thermometer, but I am not sure why. It is really very easy as long as you are not distracted. They make a great gift and would look pretty in all colors in an Easter basket.

Raspberry Marshmallows

non-stick cooking spray
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
3/4 C cold water
2/3 C light corn syrup
1/3 C refrigerated egg white product
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp raspberry extract
Food coloring (I used Wilton gel in Rose)
2/3 C powdered sugar
3 TBSP cornstarch
6 oz white baking chocolate
colored sanding sugar

Lightly coat an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray. Cut parchment paper and line the bottom. Coat parchment paper with spray. Set aside.

In a large metal or glass bowl, add gelatin to 1/2 C of cold water. Mix and set aside.

In a large saucepan, stir together 1/2 C cold water, 1 3/4 C of sugar and corn syrup. Stir together and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, cook without stirring until mixture reaches hard-ball stage or 260 degrees. Remove from heat and add to gelatin mixture. Stir well to combine. The mixture will foam.

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Slowly add remaining 1/4 C of sugar until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Beat in raspberry extract, one teaspoon at a time. With the mixer still on high speed, very gradually pour gelatin mixture into egg white mixture. Mix until thick, about 5-7 minutes. Gently dab a spoon into the gel coloring. Carefully dab the coloring at the edges of the mixture, allowing it to pick up and mix the color into the batter. Continue until desired color is reached.

Quickly pour mixture into prepared dish. Cover the top of the marshmallow mix with another piece of sprayed parchment paper. Allow to sit for one to two hours or until firm.

Remove parchment from the marshmallows. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle a quarter of the mixture evenly over a large cutting board. Sprinkle another quarter of the mixture on top of the marshmallows and pour the rest of the mixture into a large sealable plastic bag.

Cut marshmallows into desired sizes using a sharp knife that has been held under hot water. Place the marshmallows in the bag and coat with mixture.

Line two baking pans with parchment paper. On stovetop, melt white chocolate. Pour into small bowl. Dip tip of marshmallow into the white chocolate and sprinkle sanding sugar on top. Lay on baking pan. Cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes to harden chocolate. Serve immediately, or keep in airtight container in refrigerator.

I have many plans for homemade marshmallows in the future that may or may not include things like rootbeer extract, graham cracker crumbs and vanilla bean. Those are my kind of peeps.

And for a bit more fun, check out this Peep Show.

Happy Earth Day and a blessed Easter to all!

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by | April 19, 2011 · 7:53 am

Strawberry White Chocolate Cupcakes

Last weekend I made these pretty, spring-y Strawberry White Chocolate Cupcakes for my sister-in-law’s baby shower where they got rave reviews. They feel quite elegant making them a great dessert for a shower, luncheon or even a cocktail party.
strawberry white chocolate cupcakes

Strawberry White Chocolate Cupcakes
Strawberry Cupcakes
1 1/2 C self-rising flour
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 C butter
2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 C pureed strawberries
1/4 C half & half

Strawberry Filling
1 C pureed strawberries (approx 2/3 pint)
1/4 C sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese (room temp!)
6 Tbsp butter (room temp!)
2-3 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp half and half
8 oz white chocolate

For cupcakes, preheat oven to 350. Combine flours in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time and beat in vanilla. Puree strawberries in a small food processor or blender and transfer to a glass measuring cup to get the right amount. Pour half and half into the measuring cup to equal one cup total and mix well. Alternately add one-third of flours and one-third of strawberry mixture, beating well after each addition until all ingredients have been added. Spoon mixture into lined muffin pans, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake for 24-26 minutes for large cupcakes or 17-20 minutes for standard cupcakes. Let cool completely before filling or frosting.

strawberries in a bowl

For filling, puree strawberries and transfer to a small sauce pan. Over medium heat, whisk in sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Cook for about 10-13 minutes, stirring occasionally until mixture is moderately thickened – more like a jam. Refridgerate for about an hour until cool.

To fill cupcakes, use a paring knife to carve “cones” out of the center of each cupcake, going about half way down the cupcake. Remove the cone and trim off 2/3 of it so that only a thin cap of cake remains. Spoon filling into the hole and place the cake cap back on top.

For frosting, begin by melting white chocolate in a double boiler until melted but just warm. (Don’t have a double boiler? I just used a Pyrex bowl fitted on top of a large sauce pan containing about 1 1/2 C water). In a large bowl, beat together room temperature butter and cream cheese until well combined. Beat in vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time until mixture is moderately sweet. Let chocolate cool just slightly but not so much that it begins to harden. Pour into frosting and beat well on high. Beat in additional powdered sugar if mixture is not sweet enough or half and half to get a creamier consistency. Warning: The white chocolate may clump slightly in the frosting. Beat really well to minimize them, however they’re not that noticeable once you’ve frosted the cakes. Frost cupcakes to cover the filling hole and top with a sliced strawberry for garnish.

cupcake close up

Makes 15 Texas size cupcakes or about 30 standard cupcakes.

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by | April 8, 2011 · 8:19 am

{Haute Pie} Amaretto Apple & Peach Skillet Pie

A fun new tool joined my kitchen arsenal this Christmas: a cast iron skillet. So far, I have not been disappointed with the meals I have cooked up in this wonderful beast of a pan. I had to try to make something sweet after trying a few savory dishes. Naturally, I made a pie.

This apple and peach pie, laced with a little amaretto, is the perfect transition from winter to spring.

Amaretto Apple and Peach Skillet Pie

4-5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used Gala)
3-4 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
2 TBSP cornstarch
1/3 C. sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 TBSP cinnamon
2 TBSP unsalted butter
1/4 C Amaretto liquor
1 refrigerated pie crust, or homemade pie dough
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix apples and peaches. Softly stir in cornstarch, sugar, salt and cinnamon. In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, melt butter. Add apple and peach mixture and stir. Pour in amaretto. Heat through until liquid reduces, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Place pie crust over top of the skillet, molding the dough to the apple and peach mixture. Brush egg lightly over the pie crust. Sprinkle with a few pinches of sugar. Bake for 35-38 minutes or until golden brown.

Cut or scoop pie out of pan. Serve warm, topped with cool whip or vanilla ice cream.

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by | March 28, 2011 · 8:14 am

Super Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Sometimes you find a recipe that’s just too good to mess with. My old peanut butter cookie recipe always seemed to dry out after just a day or two so when I recently had a craving for pb cookies I tested out the version from America’s Test Kitchen and found a new fave.

My inlaws got me hooked on America’s Test Kitchen‘s very reliable cookbooks and TV program awhile ago. ATK (as the inlaws call it) is a test kitchen that literally tests popular recipes hundreds of ways with real taste testers to find the absolute best version. It’s really no wonder that their peanut butter cookies are perfectly soft and chewy…plus they unbelievably stayed that way for almost a week!

I did decide to mix it up and throw in some extra M&Ms I had laying around into half the batter. Chocolate chips or Reese’s pieces would be tasty too.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
recipe from America’s Test Kitchen
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1 C chunky peanut butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 C flour
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in peanut butter until well-combined. Add vanilla extract and beat. Beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in dry mixture, scraping down edges of bowl to incorporate throughout the dough.

Use a small food processor to finely chop peanuts. Mix in 2/3 of peanuts into the dough until they are evenly dispersed. If using M&Ms or chocolate chips, fold in candy until evenly dispersed. Top cookies with remaining chopped nuts or candy.

Use a cookie scoop to scoop dough onto baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.


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