Posts tagged dessert

As I am writing this post tonight, I have a mean little gremlin inside of me. (Hell no I’m not pregnant! Just to clear that up.) He has made me so mean and crabby today it is ridiculous. I realize I am being an irrational-crazy person but for some reason he cannot be tamed. So in hopes of not doing bad things against the world, I decided to bake, cook, breathe, blog and have a nice big glass bottle of Pinot Noir.

These cookies were originally just chocolate… cool, but I am going to add peanut butter chips because I can and it makes them taste so much better. Deal with it. <— sorry that was the gremlin. But seriously, the PB chips make them better. I will be bringing these to work tomorrow so that Jacki and I do not eat all of them; trust me, we can. You should have seen what we did to a large bag of skittles… not proud.

Anyway, here are the cookies.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

(Revised from MyRecipes.com)

Makes 20-ish cookies

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup plain non-fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• non-stick cooking spray

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, use a spatula (not a whisk) to mix together the melted butter, cocoa, and white and brown sugar.

Add in the yogurt and vanilla.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until moist. Fold in the PB chips.

Drop tablespoon size balls on your sprayed cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until almost set. Cool pans for 5 minutes until the cookies are firm and place on a wire rack to cool. 

Devour. 

My name is Erin and I date a guy named Nate. It is St. Patrick’s Day AND it is Nate’s birthday. We have Irish running through our blood, and with all this Irish love, we have more than enough to celebrate on this lovely Irish celebration for the Feast of Patrick the Saint. 

Speaking of feast, I made Irish Car Bomb Birthday Cupcakes for Nate. What is an Irish Care Bomb? A shot that I would not be caught dead drinking. Add 8 oz of Guinness to a pint glass and let it settle. In a shot glass add 1/2 oz Bailey Irish Cream and top with 1/2 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey. Drop the shot glass into the pint glass of Guinness and drink as fast as you can… other wise it will curdle. No thanks. But whoever decided to dissect it and make it into a cupcake is my kind of woman! (Obviously it was a woman who invented this.)

Irish Car Bomb Cupakes

(Revised from Smitten Kitchen)

Makes about 20-24

Ingredients:

Guinness Cake

• 1 cup Guinness
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

Jameson Ganache

• 1 bag Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips or dark chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons Jameson Irish Whiskey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Baileys Frosting

• 3 to 4 cups confections sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 to 6 tablespoons Baileys (~2 small nips)

Method:

Guinness Cake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with festive cupcake liner cups. Bring 1 cup beer and 1 cup butter to a simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on a slow speed. Using a rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined

Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners. Bake until the a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes. Cool the cakes completely on a rack… or the out on the deck the Minnesotan way.

Jameson Ganache. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and stir until smooth. If it isn’t quite melted, microwave in 20 second intervals until melted completely. Add the butter and whiskey and stir to combine.

Let the filling cool slightly but make sure you are still able to spread it. Using a small spoon, apple corer, or melon baller, scoop out the middle to the cupcakes to make a large well. Fill the wells with the ganache to the top. You can either use a spoon or piping bag to fill the holes.

Baileys Frosting. Whip the butter in a bowl with an electric mixer for a few minutes, until it is very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, add in the Baileys and whip until combined. 

Frost the cupcakes and add shaved chocolate or festive sprinkle to the top to decorate!

The cake of these cupcakes are moist, and sweet and flavorful, seriously one of the best cakes I have ever eaten!!!! The frosting is so boozy with the Bailey’s and the Jameson chocolate ganache is just the icing on the cake filling of the cake!

I hope you all have a fun St. Patrick’s Day and celebrate responsibly!

This is a holiday tradition that my Aunt Roberta always makes. It is like a rice crispy bar but made with popcorn, nuts and M&Ms. It is the salty sweet that I can’t get enough of!

Popcorn Cake

(Recipe from Auntie Bert)

Ingredients:

• 4 quarts air-popped popcorn
• 1 10.3-oz container of mixed nuts
• 1 12.6-oz bag of M&Ms
• 1 16-oz bag of marshmallows
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• nonstick cooking spray

Method:

Air pop your popcorn! Go through the popcorn to make sure there are no kernels that didn’t get popped. You don’t want someone to chip a tooth while enjoying your hard work.

Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a large pot, melt the butter and marshmallows together over low to medium-low heat. Stir every once in a while. It will take about 5-10 minutes to melt completely. You can melt it in the microwave but this is how my mom has always done it… and so do I. *Side Note: From experience, USE JET PUFFED MARSHMALLOWS! The generic ones just do not melt nicely. Splurge for the name brand stuff :)

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the popcorn and nuts.

Pour the popcorn and nuts into the pot with the melted marshmallow mixture and mix together until coated. Add in the M&Ms and mix.

Pan into the prepared baking dish. Let cool. Cut into squares and share with your family and friends.

My aunt usually makes this in a bundt pan or loaf pan. These usually last less than 24 hours when I am around. I don’t even care, it is so addicting!!

This is another recipe that my friend Jenna sent to me. This is another sweet treat that you can feel better about eating. The ingredients are all natural and made with a like extra boost of protein, from beans. Don’t be scared! I have made bars with beans before that were awful, but these have changed my view of baking bars with beans.

Flourless Chocolate Chip Blondies

(Revised from Damy Health)

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup smooth almond butter
• 1/3 cup agave syrup
• 1 egg + 2 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 15-oz can chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray. Place all ingredients (minus the chocolate chips) in your food processor and blend until smooth, be sure to scrape the sides.

Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips. Pour mixture evenly into your baking dish and smooth it out with the spatula.

Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Cut in to 16 squares and enjoy!

Store in an air tight container and place in the refrigerator. 

These are moist and have a fudgy texture. The best bite is full of chocolate!

Happy Baking!!

As many of you know, I bring a lot of my treats and baked good to work to share with my co-workers. There is a girl that I work with that has a severe egg allergy and doesn’t do well with lots of gluten, so she isn’t able to eat a lot of what I make. While we were working a concert last week I told her I was going to find a recipe that she can eat, free of eggs and gluten, and so I give you this recipe!

This recipe does use almond butter to help combine the cookies so if someone has a nut allergy, unfortunately they can’t eat these cookies. Sowwy! I have made them with almond butter and peanut butter; I think the almond butter taste more neutral in the cookies, which I like.

These cookies are soft and chewy and oh so delicious! It is hard to believe that there is no butter or eggs in this recipe! I really hope that Kailey likes these cookies because they are awesome! I brought them to school to share and help us get over finals, and my cohorts loved them!

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Revised from The Wannabe Chef)

Makes 20-24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten-free whole wheat all purpose flour or brown rice flour*
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda**
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt***
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (optional)
• 1/2 cup mashed banana, 2 medium naners
• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
• 2 tablespoons agave syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I found dairy free chocolate chips at Target!)

*Bob’s Red Mill has several different type of grains and flours that are great for healthier and allergy option for baking. Many of the grocery stores I have been to have a large selection available.

**Baking soda does have gluten in it. If you are making this for someone who has a severe allergy, you might want to invest in gluten free baking soda. And make sure your baking soda isn’t old, or the cookies won’t rise correctly.

***Leave out the salt if your almond butter is already salted

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, almond butter, agave and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together.

Fold in the mini chocolate chips.

Place a tablespoon of the cookie dough on a lightly greased baking sheet. Leave 2 inches between the cookies.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until the sides are browning and the center has puffed.

Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before removing them.

I challenge you to give these to the skeptics of vegan/good-for-you food without telling them what they are. Watch them gobble up these cookies and then tell them they are gluten free and vegan. What is wrong with eating food that is good for you?

Happy Baking!

Cheesecake is best when it is dense and creamy, with a perfect crust. This simple recipe is exactly the way I love my cheesecake!

Turtle Cheesecake Bars

Makes 12 bars

(Revised from Dashing Dish)

Ingredients:

• 1 pre-made Oreo pie crust
• 1 (8 oz.) package reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup agave nectar
• 3/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 1 whole egg & 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 cup caramel ice cream topping
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 8x8 baking dish with foil to help with removing the bars, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Remove Oreo crust from pan and press down into your foil-lined pan. Bake pie crust for 8 minutes, remove from oven and let cool.

Cream together the cream cheese, agave, yogurt, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Pour the filling over the baked crust and smooth out with a spatula. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cheesecake is almost set in the center. Let cool, and chill in the refrigerator for a 4 hours or overnight.

After chilling, use the foil to pull the cheesecake out of the pan. Cut the bars into 12 even bars. Before serving, drizzle with caramel.

Chocolate, caramel, nuts, sweet, rich, nutty, decadent.