Breton Apple Cake

On Thanksgiving morning, I ran our annual Turkey Trot.  I haven't exactly been training, or doing any sort of exercise for that matter, so it took me just about an hour to finish the 5 mile run.  Luckily, my 17 year old cousin isn't much of a runner, so we ran together the whole way.  It was fun to watch all the cool costumes that people wore as they ran past me.  But, you know you are running slow when 2 men run past you, each carrying a full-sized canoe over their head...yeah, that happened!  Anyway, when I got home, I started to put things together to bring to my mom's house for dinner.  My sister-in-law was making a pumpkin pie, so to have a non-pumpkin option, I chose to make this cake, which I found on Baking Bites.  Though I was quite full after dinner, I did manage to try a tiny slice before leaving for my in-law's house for after-dinner drinks.  I ate it plain, but I'm sure it would have been equally delicious sprinkled with powdered sugar or next to a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

1/2 cup Butter, room temperature
3/4 cup Sugar
3 Eggs, separated
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Plain Yogurt
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Apples, peeled and thinly sliced

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg yolks, followed by the vanilla and yogurt.  Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix just until all ingredients are well combined and no streaks of flour remain.  The batter will be quite thick.  In a medium bowl, beat together the egg whites to stiff peaks.  Stir about half of the egg whites into the cake batter (using an electric mixer on low) to lighten the batter, then gently mix in the remaining egg whites.  Fold in the apple slices.  Pour the batter into a lightly greased 9-inch springform pan (I just used a 9-inch cake pan).  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for at least 40 minutes before serving.  Serves 8.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

I LOVE fall and I love everything pumpkin.  So I was super excited when I found out that the recipe swap theme was apple/pumpkin this week!  I submitted a pumpkin quick bread recipe and received this pumpkin cheesecake recipe from Cookaholic Wife, who adapted an Annie's Eats recipe.  With my favorite Fall Fest event coming up, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity for me to make these cupcakes and share them with friends and family rather than eating them all myself!  These cupcakes were absolutely delicious! Even Joel liked them, and he doesn't really have much of a sweet tooth.  This recipe makes enough for 24 cupcakes, but I ended up with quite a bit of pumpkin mixture leftover so stay tuned to see how I use it up.

For the Pumpkin Mixture:
1 (15 ounce) can Pumpkin Puree
2 tablespoons Sour Cream
1/3 cup Sugar

For the Filling:
2 bricks (8 ounces each) Cream Cheese
1 1/2 cups Sugar
4 Eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Salt

For the Crust:
1 package Graham Crackers + 2 Crackers
4 tablespoons Butter, melted
3 teaspoons Sugar

Using a food processor, grind up the graham crackers into crumbs.  Add the butter and sugar to the crumbs.  Line a cupcake tin with paper liners and add 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker crumb mixture to each liner.  Use a glass to press down.  Bake at 325 degrees for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.  Using the paddle attachment in a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy.  Add the sugar and mix until smooth.  Add the vanilla and salt.  Then, add the eggs one at a time, making sure that they are fully combined before adding the next one.  Scoop approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into each of the cupcake liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugar, and sour cream.  Stir until well combined.  Scoop approximately 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin mixture into the center of the cheesecake mixture and swirl with a toothpick.  Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the pan half way through.  Let the cupcakes cool to room temperature on cooling racks, then transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 4 hours.

Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookie Bars

On Friday, I had dinner with my friends.  We had grilled BBQ chicken and pasta salad.  Unfortunately, despite the summery menu, the weather was cool and rainy.  I volunteered to bring dessert since I have so many dessert recipes saved and wanted to try one.  I chose this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker (which was adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod).  These were great--the perfect combination of sweet and salty!

2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 sticks Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1 cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
12 ounce bag Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 cups Mini Pretzels, chopped
1/4 cup Chocolate Chips, for drizzling (optional)
1/4 cup Peanut Butter, for drizzling (optional)
1/4 cup Crumbled Pretzels, for topping (optional)

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter with both kinds of sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.  On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients until just incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips and pretzel pieces.  Spread the batter evenly into a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Press it down evenly with a spatula.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until golden brown.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely.  In separate sandwich sized baggies, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter.  Cut off a small corner of each bag and drizzle each over the top of the bars.  Sprinkle additional crushed pretzels over the top.  Let the toppings set then cut into 32 squares and enjoy!

Orange Chocolate Mousse

I wanted to serve something special for dessert on Easter.  Something that always comes to mind when I think of Easter time is orange chocolate.  It is one of my favorites!  I was going to make extravagant looking cups made out of lady fingers for the mousse to sit in, but then I found these super adorable muffin cups at Pier 1 for 98 cents a piece, so I couldn't pass them up and instead, I passed up the lady finger cups.  I used this recipe from Closet Cooking.  What a delicious, but rich, dessert.

8 ounces Dark Chocolate
8 ounces Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Orange Liqueur
Zest of 1 Orange
1 cup Whipping Cream

In a double boiler (or in the microwave) melt the chocolate, then set aside.  In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Then, in a separate bowl, use the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat the cream cheese, chocolate, sugar, orange liqueur, and orange zest until light and fluffy.  Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese in two batches.  Pour the mixture into the containers that you will serve the mousse in, and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours prior to serving.

Cannoli

When my dad died, we were overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends as they brought us tray after tray of food.  As I mentioned in previous posts, most of the trays of food that were brought to us were meat.  We did have the occasional sweet treat, but not as much as I would have liked.  So what does that story have to do with this post?  This past week, my aunt's father passed away.  She drove down from Boston with my uncle and cousins to be here with her family during this sad time.  I knew that I wanted to do something nice for them since I know how stressful this time can be, and I defaulted to what I know best--making food.  I was going to make monkey bread, but knowing that it tastes the best hot out of the oven, I started to think of other things I could make instead.  Joel suggested that I try to make cannolis, because that is something he said he would like at a time like this.  I looked up recipes and merged a bunch together to come up with this.  They turned out great, but the one thing I would be sure to do next time is chop the chocolate chips a little finer than I did because they kept plugging up the opening of the pastry bag tip!

1 container (15 ounces) Ricotta Cheese
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 cup Chocolate Chips, finely chopped (optional)
2 dozen Mini Cannoli Shells

Using a hand mixer, mix the cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until well combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon or rubber spatula.  Scoop the filling mixture into a pastry bag and pipe it into each side of the mini shell.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies

My girlfriends and I got together Saturday night at my friend Kristy's new house.  She made lasagna (which is where I got the recipe!).  I said I'd bring dessert and I made a long list of things that I wanted to try.  When all was said and done, this was the recipe I chose.  I found it on Fake Ginger, who found it from Better Homes and Gardens.  I had everything on hand except for eggs and chocolate chunks.  On our way home from the photography class we've been taking on Saturday mornings, we ran to the little grocery store on our corner.  I got eggs and a box of Baker's Chocolate Chunks.  There were 8 individually wrapped pieces of chocolate for $3.79.  When I got the register, I realized how ridiculous it was to spend that kind of money on baking chocolate, so I put the box back and grabbed 2 Hershey's chocolate bars, which in my opinion, worked like a charm.  Joel is not a big dessert person, but for some reason, before I even had them cut up, he was begging me if he could try one.  I cut them, put some on a plate to take with me, and let him have one.  There were 3 left over, so I wrapped them up and left them on the counter.  My girlfriends enjoyed them, even taking some home for their husbands/fiancee.  When I got home, there was only 1 left on the counter, so Joel must have really liked them too!

1 stick Butter, softened
2 cups Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Chunky Peanut Butter
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Milk Chocolate Chunks

Cream the butter and brown sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy.  Mix in the peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Pour the batter into a 9x13 inch pan that has been sprayed or lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle the chocolate chunks on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minuets, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Mexican Chocolate Tart with Cinnamon Spiced Pecans

Way back in December of 2009, I bookmarked this recipe on Love and Olive Oil because I thought it looked absolutely amazing.  I've just been waiting since then for a reason to make it.  This past weekend, we held a little dinner party with our good friends.  We made lasagna, two loaves of homemade bread (one white, one olive), a giant salad (of which almost nobody ate!) and this tart for dessert.  I can't believe that it took me over a year to finally make it.  I already can't wait to make this again!

For the Crust:
1 cup Chocolate Wafer Cookie crumbs OR 1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs with 3 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Salt
5 tablespoons Butter, melted

Blend the cookie crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Add the butter and process until the crumbs are moistened.  Press the crumbs into a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom (I used an 11-inch and it worked fine), to within 1/8 of an inch of the top of the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Cool on a rack.

For the Pecans:
1 Egg White
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
18 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 1/2 cups Pecan Halves

Whisk all ingredients except the pecans in a medium bowl.  Stir in the pecans and toss to coat.  Spread the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.  Bake at 350 degrees until just browned and dry, about 30 minutes.  Cool on the sheet.  Separate the nuts, removing excess coating.  These can be made up to 2 days ahead, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.  (*I only ended up using 10-12 pecans on the tart, so I used the rest in a salad and for snacking)

For the Filling:
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
4 ounces Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate, chopped
1 (3.1 ounce) disk Mexican Chocolate, chopped OR 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/2 stick Butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (if not using Mexican chocolate)
1/4 teaspoon Salt

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer.  Remove from heat and add the chocolates, whisking until melted.  Add the butter one piece at a time, whisking until smooth.  Whisk in the vanilla, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt.  Pour the filling into the crust and chill until the filling begins to set, about 15-20 minutes.  After the filling has begun to set, arrange the pecans in concentric circles on top of the tart.  Chill until set, about 4 hours.  Serve with whipped cream.

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Saturday morning, I was reading the RSS feeds from the different blogs I follow, did a little clicking on some links within the posts, and came across this blog, Make It Naked.  I then spent the next hour or so reading every blog post in her blog, all the way to when it started.  As  I was reading, I saw this recipe and immediately saved it for my next sweet tooth attack...which happened Sunday!  After dinner on Sunday night, I started making these while Joel cleaned up our leftovers and did dishes.  The addition of the sea salt really makes these cookies stand out compared to other recipes I've tried!

1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar

1 1/4 cups Brown Sugar

3 sticks Butter, softened

1 tablespoon Vanilla

2 Eggs

4 cups Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

2 bags Chocolate Chips (12 ounces each)

Sea Salt, for topping

In a large bowl, mix the sugars, butter, egg, and vanilla by hand.  Add the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix in the chocolate chips then refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.  (Oops, I forgot this step!!)  Scoop whatever size cookie you prefer onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with a tiny bit of sea salt.  Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie.  (I halved the recipe and made 74 mini cookies, scooping about 1/2 tablespoon of dough for each cookie)

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Just because we are going meatless and trying to be slightly healthier, we can't just completely do away with dessert, can we?  We had some very ripe apples in our fruit bowl that we definitely needed to use up, so Joel casually suggested making something with them.  He told me he wouldn't mind an apple crisp, but the last time he made one, it didn't turn out so well.  So, I set out to find a recipe to use the apples with and came up with this one from my Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook.  We really liked the addition of the cranberries-their tartness paired with the sweet from the brown sugar made for the perfect night cap!

1/2 cup Rolled Oats
4 tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Flour
4 teaspoons Butter
6 Empire Apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 cup Frozen Cranberries
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

In a small bowl, combine the oats, 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, and the flour.  With either 2 knives or your fingers, work in the butter until crumbly.  In a large bowl, combine the apples, cranberries, the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Toss to combine.  Spoon the apple mixture into an 8 inch square baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Sprinkle the oat mixture over the top of the apple mixture.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Vanilla Malted Milkshake

I went grocery shopping yesterday and on my way to the register, I grabbed a carton of vanilla ice cream with the intention of serving it along side of an apple-cranberry crisp I plan to make later in the week.  After coming home, I was flipping through some recipes and found this one from Brown Eyed Baker.  I didn't think I needed a recipe for a milkshake, but I had never made a malted one before, so apparently I did need a recipe!  I had a container of malted milk powder from a cake frosting that I made, so I thought that now would be as good a time as ever to use it in a milkshake.  What a delicious after dinner treat!!

1 cup Vanilla Ice Cream (about 2 big scoops)
1/2 cup Cold Milk
2-3 tablespoons Malted Milk Powder
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into a tall glass.