Recipes for the sweet tooth….. Enjoy!

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BANANA TOFFEE CUPCAKES w. CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Serves 12

Cupcakes:

• 1/2  cup  granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2  cup  mashed ripe banana
• 1/4  cup  butter or stick margarine, softened
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  large eggs
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/4  cup  plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 Heath bar (chopped up to 12 pieces)

Frosting

• 3/4  cup  powdered sugar
• 1  cup  (8 ounces) cream cheese, chilled
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract

Side note: The toffee bits are purely optional.. and if you like toffee add the chunks in the middle of the cupcake.  For the cream cheese frosting, the original recipe calls for 1 3/4 cup of sugar, which I thought was excessive.  Start off with 1/2 cup and add more powdered sugar if you want your cream cheese fluffier and lighter.  If you want more of the cream cheese, stick to 1/2 cup and slowly add in the last 1/4 cup as desired.

Prep/Bake Time (20/25 minutes):

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare cupcakes, mash bananas and add 2 tbsp sugar (or until desired sweetness); set aside.

3. Beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar, butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 3 minutes).

4. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Add banana mixture to sugar mixture, beating well.

6. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.

7. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

8. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.

9. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners.

10. Cut up toffee bit pieces (12) and put them in the center of the cupcakes.

11. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

12. To prepare the frosting, beat the powdered sugar, chilled cream cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla at medium speed of a mixer just until blended (do not overbeat).

13. Spread frosting over cupcakes.

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SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

Serves 12

• 1.375 cup AP flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup  unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1  large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Coating

• .1667 granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Side Note: I have made them on several occasions and depending on what type of cookie you want, you can roll them as little or as big.  I prefer big, soft chewy cookies.  Use 3 tbsps of dough to make them big.  Use one 1 tbsp if you want regular sized cookies.  Cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for about 10-14 days.

Prep/Bake Time (25/12):

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt & baking powder.

2. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat butter & sugar until smooth. (2-3 minutes).

3. Add egg, beating well.  Scrape down sides of the bowl.

4. Beat in vanilla extract.

5. Add flour mixture & beat until you have a smooth dough.  If the dough is too soft, cover & refrigerate until firm enough to roll into balls. (1-2 hours)

6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

7. Shape dough into 1 inch round balls.

8. Coating: In a large bowl, mix together the sugar & cinnamon.

9. Roll the ball of dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on the prepared pan, spacing about 2 inches apart. Then using the bottom of a glass, gently flatten each cookie to about 1/2 inch thick.

10. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Source: Joy of Baking

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BANANA BREAD

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 lg. bananas
• 2 lg. eggs
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 tbsp. millk
• 1/4 cup walnuts (optional)

Side note: One lovely holiday afternoon, our company decides to have a holiday bake off.  Instead of the easy brownies & cookies, I volunteered to bake a banana bread from scratch.  Didn’t seem very holiday-ish….but I was getting kind of tired making gingerbread cookies for the millionth time.  Let’s go with something un-traditional.  Needless to say, I made two more within two weeks…it was a hit!  Oh, & I also upped another tbsp of milk and didn’t add so much sugar.  The result is a very moist product.

Prep/Bake Time (30/65 minutes):

1) Preheat oven to 325°F.

2)Cream the sugar and butter until soft.

3) Add in one egg at a time until fluffy.

4) In a separate bowl, mash the bananas, cinnamon, and milk with a fork.  Add to mixure and mix well.

5) Slowly whisk in flour until it disappears.  Add baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Optional: Lastly, fold in nuts or on top if desired.

6) Grease pan in 4.5×8.5×3 loaf pan.  Bake for 65-70 minutes.  To retain extra moisture, let cool for 30 minutes and store in plastic bag.

Source: Food Network

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CHOCOLATE MOLTEN LAVA CAKE

Serves 4

• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa)
• 2 lg. eggs
• 1 stick butter
• 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• Ice cream and/or fresh raspberries for garnish (optional)

Side note: I have always wondered about how one goes about making a molten chocolate cake.  After reading several reviews, I opted for this one… followed by more additional reviews, of how this is totally inappropriate and inaccurate to make a true molten lava cake.  You are suppose to center it with an actual chocolate bar…not cooking it halfway to keep the ooze in the middle. Anywho, I’m a newb. when it comes to baking… so I actually enjoyed this.  However, I would advise that the best kind of chocolate to use is 70% cacao, any more and it will be too bitter.  The first time I made these, I used semi-sweet with some mint chips.  The roomies agreed that it tasted like an Andes mint chocolate.  No dice.

Prep/Bake Time (30/11 minutes):

1) Preheat oven to 350°F.

2) Grease 4 (four oz) cake molds or ramekins.

3) Over a double boiler, stir in chocolate and butter in a small bowl until completely melted.  Set aside and cool.

4) Combine sugar, eggs and whisk until pale & fluffy.

5) Stir chocolate mixture into egg mixture and mix well.

6) Slowly whisk in flour, nutmeg & cinnamon.

7) Once all the ingredients are mixed, pour into the ramekin cups and bake for 11 – 13 minutes.  Do not over bake it or else the center will fully cook.  Let cool for a few minutes and flip over immediately so cakes don’t stick to the ramekins.

Source: The Nibble ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BLUBERRY PANNA COTTA w. HONEY

Serves 6

• 1 envelope plain gelatin
• ½ cup whole milk (or reduced)
• 2½ cups heavy cream
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Fresh blueberries and melted honey for garnish

Side note: This was inspired by my roommate… while she sucked up eating my chocolate molten lava cake, I wanted to return the favor by making something she absolutely adore…. panna cotta (as plain as it could possibly be).  Funny story…. I bought two things of heavy cream, only to realize that it didn’t amount to 2.5 cups of heavy cream…it was a little under 2 cups.  To make up for it, I used 2% milk. So the actual ratio should have been 1/2 cup of milk to 2.5 cups of heavy cream.  The recipe I created by accident actually worked out very well.  Felt and tasted light, so we all could have left the guilt at home.  We indulged, not once, but four times, over the course of two days.

Prep/Bake Time (30/0 minutes):

1) Add 1 cup milk to a small bowl and evenly sprinkle gelatin over it.  Let stand for about 5-6 minutes.

2)Combine heavy cream and half of the sugar in a large saucepan.  Add vanilla extract and bring to a simmer.

3) Add remaining sugar and use a whisk to stir in until it dissolves.

4) Remove from heat and add the softened gelatin mixture.  Whisk the gelatin until it’s dissolved.

5) Strain mixture into a large glass measuring cup.

6) Lightly 6-8 pre-coat ramekins (depending on size) with almond or olive oil.  Pour panna cotta mixture into ramekins.  Refrigerate overnight.

Side note: Instead of fresh blueberries, here ia the recipe to make the Blueberry compote….if you’re feeling a little less healthy and a kick in sweet tooth.

Blueberry Sauce:

Combine water and sugar into a pan.  Bring to a boil and stir occasionally.  Reduce mixture to 50%.  Remove the syrup from heat and stir in balsamic vinegar.  Puree blueberries into a slightly chunky mixture.  Combine syrup with blueberry puree and mix by hand.  Refrigerate sauce until ready to serve.

Source: Nibble Dish

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NY STYLE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

Serves 12-14

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 1/4 cup ground graham cracker crumbs
• 4 tbsp melted butter (unsalted)
  

Cheesecake Filling

• 4 packages (8 ounce each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Strawberry Topping:

• 1 quart fresh strawberries, washed and halved
• 1/2 cup sugar

Side note: I’ve been on a baking streak lately.  I got the sudden idea of making dessert of choice for all of my friends.  B. loves strawberry cheesecake.  She has introduced her love to me with Junior’s Cheesecake.  Since she was making dinner for me (and she rarely cooks!), thought it’d be fun if I made and brought over dessert.  Big side note… make sure you have a proper tiered oven.  You will need a hot tub of water at the bottom of the oven to make the cheesecake proper.  The water bath keeps the cheesecake moist and helps to prevents any cracks that may form while cooking.  I used a square baking pan and filled it up with 1.5 inches of water.  If you have a round baking pan, I would suggest using the same form as the spring form pan.  Also, I found this recipe online but modified it heavily, because it seemed the sugar content was way in excess.  I literally almost removed a third of its contents and it still came out rich & sweet (but not TOO sweet.  that’s key in any dessert).

Prep/Bake Time (30/60 minutes):

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pan of hot water in bottom of oven.

2) Prepare 9 inch springform pan with foil.  Take the pan apart, line the bottom plate with aluminum foil, then reassemble the pan. Pull the excess foil up and around the pan to prevent any batter from leaking into the oven. Spray sides and bottom with vegetable spray.  Spring form pans are easiest to work with as you can release the pan to release the cheesecake in its round form.

3) Grind graham crackers in a food processor or crush very fine with a rolling pin.  Mix crust ingredients and pat only on the bottom of prepared pan.

4) In a mixing bowl on medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth ~ about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides.
5) Add sugar and cornstarch and beat again, scraping a few times. The mixture should be smooth.  Add vanilla, eggs and egg whites 2 at a time. Beat until creamy.

6) Slowly add the cream and beat only enough so there are no lumps and the filling is nice and fluffy. Scrape as needed.

7) Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes.  (longer, if you want the cheesecake to have a firmer bite)

Baking: Put a cake pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven. Not all cheesecakes get baked at the same temperature. What does matter is that fluctuations in temperature can result in unsightly cracks. Resist the urge to open and close the oven door while baking. It is hard to tell when a cheesecake is done and you don’t want to over bake it either, which again causes cracks. The cheesecake is generally done when the sides are set and a little puffy and the very center is slightly wiggly.
Cooling: Cool slowly on a wire rack away from drafts and at an even temperature for 2-3 hours. Some people lay a piece of paper towel over the cheesecake (not directly on it) to keep in some of the moisture. Run a sharp knife around the sides. Leave cheesecake in the pan and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Run a sharp knife around the pan once more before releasing sides. Peel the foil off the underside of the pan, gently lift the cake with one hand and peel off the foil sliding the cheesecake onto a serving plate.

Directions for Strawberry Topping:

1) Puree half the strawberries and the sugar in a food processor. Remove to a bowl.
2) Add the remaining 1 cup whole strawberries, stir and let sit for 30 minutes.  Can make it a day in advance and store in fridge.
Spoon over cheesecake slices before serving.

Source: http://baking-decorating-cakes.suite101.com/

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BANANA CREAM PIE

Serves 8-10

Crust

• 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1.5 cup whipping cream
• 1.5 cup whole milk
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 2 tbsp (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 pounds total), peeled, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Side note: I introduced S. to the sublime and evil world of sweets.  Cupcakes from Chikalicious, Banana Cream pie from Billie’s Bakeries, endless home made panna cottas and banana bread….in totality,  desserts galore.  Aside from her bananas for red velvet cupcakes (only from Chikalicious …)  she loves banana cream pie and just about anything bananas.  Here is my spin…. I failed miserably to make the custard correctly, but it’s only because I didn’t cook it long enough.  If you see the pictures, you can tell the custard is not exactly set… sweet myriad of liquids…. at least the rest of the ingredients were able to come together nicely.  *shrugs..  next time will be better I promise!

(Prep/Bake Time: 35/15 min)

Crust:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F.

2) Stir graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and mashed banana in large bowl to blend. Add unsalted butter and stir to moisten evenly. Press onto bottom and up sides of 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

3) Bake crust until set and pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling:
1) Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in heavy medium saucepan to blend.

2) Gradually whisk in whipping cream and whole milk, then egg yolks. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add vanilla bean.

3) Whisk over medium-high heat until custard thickens and boils, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.

4) Whisk in unsalted butter and vanilla extract. Discard vanilla bean.

5) Transfer custard to large bowl; cool completely, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour.  Stir custard to loosen, if necessary.

6) Spread 1 cup custard over bottom of prepared crust. Top with half of sliced bananas, then 1 cup custard, covering bananas completely. Repeat layering with remaining bananas and remaining custard.

7) Chill banana cream pie until filling is set and crust softens slightly, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. Cut pie into wedges and serve.

Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/107728

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STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

Serves 12

Muffin Mixture

• 2 cup AP flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs room temperature and lightly beaten
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped in small pieces

Cream Cheese Mixture

• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Side note: What better combo than strawberries with cream cheese?  I was tempted to make another strawberry cheesecake, but that just seemed to be a big daunting task, so i found this recipe online and modified the recipe to reduce the sugar content in the cream cheese mixture, so you can taste more of the cream cheese than sugar.  I added a few more tablespoons, as I really wanted to bite into the sweet cream cheese in the center of the muffin.  The boy & I thought it would be fun to bake together… The result?  Almost biting each others heads off… but the final product yielded golden top muffins with sweet strawberries and even sweeter and creamy cream cheese filling.  A great snack for breakfast OR dessert!  Please note oven time for us was about 35 -40 minutes, this is because J.’s oven is tiny.  If you’re oven is normal, it should only take 25-30 minutes… and when in doubt, use the toothpick method.  Insert in the middle and it should come out smooth.

Prep/Bake Time (20/30 minutes):

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese mixture ingredients until smooth.  Set aside.

3. In a bigger bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

4. Melt the butter slowly over stop top or microwave.  In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, vanilla extract and eggs.

5. Mix the milk mixture into the flour mixture slowly.  (You can make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and slowly fold in the mixture with a spatula). DO NOT OVER MIX.

6. Spoon batter in prepared tins (grease or line with muffin liners), filling them no more than 1/2 full.

7. Scatter a few pieces of strawberry followed by a dollop of cream cheese mixture.  At this point, the cream cheese mixture should be done.

8. Add more of the flour mixture right below the line.

9. Top with pieces of strawberries

10. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or golden brown.

11. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before serving

Source: Lulu at Home

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CHOCOLATE CHIP & TOFFEE COOKIES

Servings: 36

• 2 1/4 cup AP flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 package instant dry vanilla pudding mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (2 full cups if not using toffee)
• 1/2 cup toffee (use heath bars or skor bars)

Side note: Who doesn’t like a soft, warm, chewy gooey delicious chocolate chip cookie?!  everybody!  I’m more enamored with toffee chocolate chip cookies.  ones with butterscotch or a little bit of caramel in them.  For this particular version, I made one with just chocolate chips and the second batched i topped it with crushed SKOR bars.  It’s not too chocolatey and has a fun crunchy texture to it.  The cookie still retains its softness and gooey-ness.  When you have too many cookies as I have made (original recipe was double, servings 72), I used leftovers and mix them into vanilla ice cream!!!!!!  Perfect for making ice cream sandwiches.  When you take the cookies out of the oven, they will not look like they are done… when they cool down, they will be a little golden brown.  If you wait until they are golden brown, you will have over baked the cookies and they will be crisp as opposed to the desired soft batch.

Prep/Bake Time (20/12 minutes):

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Sift together the flour & baking soda. Set Aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown & white sugar.  Beat in instant pudding mix until blended.  Stir in eggs and vanilla.  Blend in flour mixture.  Stir in chips and toffee bits.

3. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls (I use a tablespoon) onto ungreased cookie sheets, or use parchment paper.  I have found parchment paper to be more useful as it does not stick to the bottom of the cookie at all.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes in preheated oven.  Edges should be golden brown.

Source: All Recipes

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