Peach and Blackberry Cobbler

I bought a bunch of fruit on sale last weekend, including peaches and blackberries that were ripening faster than we could eat them, so I found this recipe and whipped up a cobbler, definitely delicious!  Similar to the peach-raspberry cobbler I’ve made in the past.  Sorry for the terrible picture!

Peach and Blackberry Cobbler (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

• 1/4  cup  butter, melted and divided
• Cooking spray
• 3  cups  sliced fresh peaches (about 1 pound)
• 2  cups  fresh blackberries
• 1  cup  plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided (about 4 1/2 ounces)
• 1  cup  sugar, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 1  tablespoon  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  1% low-fat milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter into the bottom of a 2-quart dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Combine peaches, blackberries, and 1 tablespoon flour in a large bowl; toss gently. Add 1/4 cup sugar and ginger; toss gently to combine. Pour peach mixture into prepared baking dish. Lightly spoon remaining 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1 cup flour, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter and milk, stirring with a whisk. Pour batter evenly over fruit mixture.

4. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown.

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Nutella Frosting

Ever since I tried the bella nutella cupcake at Cupcake A La Mode I’ve had a hankering for nutella frosting.   Some googling brought me to this recipe, a nutella buttercream frosting.  Perfect for a neighborhood cookout like the one we are going to tonight!  I didn’t spring for the ferrero rocher candies but did get some hazelnut pirouettes to top them off with.  Sooooo good, and not too rich!

Nutella Frosting (from Koko Cooks)

Ingredients:
¾ c butter, softened
¼ c chocolate hazelnut spread
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs milk
3 c powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Adjust consistency by adjusting with a little more milk if too stiff, or a little more powdered sugar if too runny. Frost and decorate cupcakes as desired.

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Key-Lime Raspberry Bars

Mercy, these were SO GOOD!  I’ve never used freshed squeezed key lime juice before (the store bought stuff is a decent shortcut) but I’m glad I did for this recipe.  While my fingers got a bit sore from the squeezing, it tasted so incredibly fresh, mmm.  I only discovered that I liked key lime a couple of years ago when I first made Dorie’s Florida Pie, which is an amazing combo of key lime and coconut.  We had a bunch of raspberries we had recently defrosted that were pretty squishy and had lost their shape, not great for baking but perfect for making the raspberry puree.  Next time I will let it cook longer, I was impatient and didn’t let it thicken as much as I should of.  The end result was still spectacular though, a very fresh summary taste!  I baked it in a 9×13 pan but next time I might try an 8×8 so they are thicker. 

Key-Lime Raspberry Bars (from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, adapted from The Greyston Bakery Cookbook by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan )

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
1 ½ cups ground graham crackers (about twelve 2 ½ by 5 crackers)
3 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP freshly grated lime zest
1/8 tsp salt
6 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

For the Topping:
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
½ cup freshly squeezed key lime juice
1 TBSP freshly grated lime zest (use regular limes…more colorful)
1/3 cup raspberry puree (see below)

Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 350F.

Grease a 9-by-13 inch pan. Set aside.

Combine graham crackers, sugar, lime zest, ans alt in a bowl. Pour the butter over the mixture and blend with a fork. Press the mixture inti the bottom of the prepared dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of and electric mixer set on medium speed, cream the cheese and sugar together. Add the egg yolks and continue to mix until will blended. Scrape down the bowl.
Add the key lime juice and lime zest and mix until well incorporated.

Pour the mixture over the warm crust, and make sure it is spread evenly. Drizzle raspberry puree in a random pattern over the top of the filling. Use a knife to swirl the puree into the filling. Do as much or as little of this as you like.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center of the topping is set and the top begins to color slightly. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into bars.

Raspberry Puree

2 pints of raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
lime juice, to taste

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries have given up their juices. Bring liquid to a boil and continue to boil until liquid is thick but still fluid.

Run berries through a fine mesh strainer. Pressing down to make sure that you are forcing all the fruit and juices through.  Refrigerate.  This will make more than you need but is a versatile sauce that can be used for many things. Will last about 3-4 days.

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Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I think this recipe has been on my “to try” list for about 3 years now.  I meant to make them for my end of grad school party last week but ran out of time and just served chocolate raspberry brownies.  Then I considered making them for mother’s day brunch but made lemon poppyseed muffins instead (with lemon raspberry jam inside, so delish!)  Finally I had friends over last night and whipped up these cupcakes for the occasion.  I just used store bought vanilla frosting that I tinted pink w/food coloring, next time I will try from scratch frosting with a lemon twist!   These were great, I did like how the vanilla frosting balanced out the tart cupcake.  I got about 24 cupcakes from this recipe. 

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes (from Confections of a Foodie Bride)

Ingredients:
1 1/8 cup (9 oz) frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate, thawed*
Boxed white cake mix
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Non-stick spray
frosting of your choice, from scratch or store bought!
red food coloring

* For a less tart cupcake  try reducing the amount of pink lemonade. 3/8 cup water and 3/4 cup pink lemonade will cut the tartness.

Directions:
In a stand mixer, add the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and the pink lemonade concentrate. Mix on low for about 30 seconds and then increase to medium speed for 90 seconds (the batter will still be a bit lumpy; take care not to overmix so you don’t end up with dry cupcakes).  note: I discovered that my first batch didn’t come out very pink, so I added 2-3 drops of red food coloring to the batter for the second batch and they came out much pinker! 

Spray each cupcake liner with the non-stick spray and spoon the batter into a prepared muffin pan (fill the cups between 2/3 and 3/4 full). Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick registers “done” in the center cupcake. Remove the pan from the oven and cool 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes and cool completely on a baking rack.

Once the cupcakes have cooled you can ice the cupcakes.

For the lemon-buttercream icing recipe check out Shawnda’s original post here.

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Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Lemon and raspberry are my absolute favorite flavor combination.  On our trip to San Francisco last fall I picked up a jar of raspberry lemon preserves for just such a dessert as this.  I scoured the internet for a good recipe that wasn’t too labor intensive and landed on this one.  It is definitely a winner!  Next time I would probably garnish with some whipped cream and a raspberry drizzle, and I might try a graham cracker crust as this oatmeal one was a bit chewy.  The flavor however was perfect, I’m glad I finally found a good use for my preserves!

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Bars (from The Baking Pan)

Ingredients:

non-stick cooking spray for preparing pan

Crust:
¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups old-fashioned oats
¼ teaspoon salt

Fruit Layer:
½ cup raspberry preserves (I used lemon raspberry preserves)

Cream Cheese Filling:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare one 13×9 inch pan; lightly spray the pan with cooking spray

Crust:
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and brown sugar; beat together on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add flour, oats, and salt; beat until blended.

Press mixture evenly into the baking pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, and immediately spoon raspberry preserves over hot crust and spread in an even layer. Set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat at low speed until well blended.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the eggs. Add eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the cream cheese mixture; continue beating on low speed until well mixed.

Pour filling over the still warm raspberry preserves layer. Bake 25 minutes or until filling is set. The middle may still jiggle a little bit but will set up as it cools. Remove from oven and place baking pan on a wire cooling rack to cool.

When cooled to room temperature, cut into bars about 2 inches by 1½ inches. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until thoroughly chilled. Refrigerate leftovers.

Makes about 2 dozen bars

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Cookie Dough Dip

This was the one and only dessert dip at cooking club this month, I had never made it before but it was simple and very delicious!  We ate most of it at cooking club and Tyler polished it off when I got home.  I served it with mini vanilla wafers and chocolate teddy grahams.  Yum!  Just make sure you let it sit out for awhile as it hardens while in the fridge.

(don’t the bears look like they are in the BEST HOT TUB EVER?!)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip (from Brown Eyed Baker)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves. (You can also do this in the microwave but watch it closely. The butter/sugar mixture will boil over fast. Stir every 30 seconds or so.)

2. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla extract and set aside to cool.

3. Beat the cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar for 1 minute.

4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips.

6. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.

7. Garnish with additional chips, if you choose.

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Happy Valentine’s Day

I baked up a batch of these sugar cookies, but since I didn’t have time to frost them, I dipped half of them in pink candy melt (with a vanilla flavor).  They turned  out super cute!  I shared them with my classmates and the nursing staff at my internship and they were a hit.  I am hoping to scrounge up some more time to bake another batch and try royal icing for the first time but I am short on time so we shall see!

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Pumpkin Cupcakes

Well nothing says fall like pumpkin, and while Christmas season is gearing up, I thought I had time for one more “fall-ish” dessert.  tyler’s family is coming over for dinner tonight and we are having chili, potato soup, cornbread, and pumpkin cupcakes for dessert.  A million thanks to Bridget who did a comparison of 3 different pumpkin cupcake recipes to find the best one!

I topped these cupcakes with this cream cheese frosting and some of my homemade sugared pecans.

Pumpkin Cupcakes (adapted from David Leite via Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing pans

1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar

⅓ cup granulated sugar

2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs

½ cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla

1¼ cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° (175°C). Line cupcake pans with 24 liners.

2. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt,

and pepper into a medium bowl.

3. Add the eggs 1 at a time to the mixer, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate

adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the pumpkin until

smooth. Divide the batter equally between the cups. (They’ll be about ¾ full.) Rap the filled pans

once on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the

center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.

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Macaroons

I grew up eating chocolate macaroons, and until last month had never tried a regular macaroon.  I tried one in San Francisco and WOW, it was fantastic!  I do love coconut after all!  So for a quick and easy dessert to take to Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt’s, I decided to whip up a batch.  These are so easy to make and they taste yummy, although next time I will cut back on the almond extract as it seemed to be very potent.  I wasn’t sure how well received they would be but many of my aunts and uncles seemed to like them, so it seems they are a winner!  I drizzled a few with chocolate (leftover mini Hersheys bars from Halloween!)

Macaroons (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

5 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
-In large mixing bowl, combine coconut, sweetened condensed milk and extracts; mix well.

-Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto aluminum foil-lined and generously greased baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Immediately remove from baking sheets. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

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Homemade Apple Pie…filling

Okay so the filling is homemade, but I long ago gave up on making my own pie crusts, why get myself all frustrated and pissed off when I don’t have to?  Maybe I’ll have it figured out by the time I’m a grandma!  This is Tyler’s second favorite pie (blueberry is his most favorite) and I use his mom’s recipe, which is pretty basic but very delicious!  I took some pictures of the different steps for once to share with you.

not so secret ingredient

I am horrible at peeling whole apples, so I use my apple slicer to slice them into wedges and then peel them from there, fast and *almost* foolproof.

toss in the dry ingredients

lalalalala stir it up….

begin the assembling process!  Butter on top of the apples, don’t forget to do this before you add the top crust (I almost always forget!)

time to up the cute factor, courtesy of Pampered Chef!

lookin good…

whoops, probably should of put the apple cut outs closer to the center…

brushed the top with a bit of milk

ready for baking!  I have this nifty Pampered Chef crust guard I use, it lines up well with my deep dish Pampered Chef pie plate

The finished product, hot and fresh from the oven!

Homemade Apple Pie (family recipe)

Ingredients:

2 nine inch pie crusts
6 cups peeled and sliced granny smith apples
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup flour
dash of salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cinnamon
2 T butter

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Combine apples, and all ingredients except for the butter in a large bowl, stir until apples are coated.
3.  Place first pie crust in the bottom of the pie plate
4.  Add filling.
5.  Cut butter into small piece and sprinkle across the top of the filling.
6.  Place top crust and seal edges.
7.  Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
8.  Let cool, then eat!  (with ice cream unless you are a weirdo like my husband!)

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