Perfect for the Holidays

                                                                Pumpkin Fudge
                        For Thanksgiving I wanted to make something pumkin-y but
                still sweet, so I made this amazing Pumpkin Fudge with Heath Bar on
                                                                top for a crunch.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 1/2 cups white sugar

• 2/3 cup evaporated milk

• 1 cup white chocolate chips

• 7 ounces marshmallow creme

• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin

• ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ginger,1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp allspice

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 package heath bar bits

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a round cake pan with aluminum foil and a circle of parchment paper on the bottom. Place the Heath Bits on the bottom of cake pan and set aside.

2. In a 3 quart saucepan, heat milk and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

3. Mix in pumpkin puree and spices; bring back to a boil. Stir in marshmallow creme and butter. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 18 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, and add white chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until creamy and all chips are melted. Pour into prepared pan. Cool, remove from pan, and cut into pie slices. Store in a cool, dry place.

Adapted from Indigo’s Sugar Spectrum

                                            
                                                       Peppermint Bark Cookies
                      I had peppermint bark in my house, but I also wanted cookies.
      So, i combined them in this amazing recipe, perfect for those winter holidays!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour


1 teaspoon baking soda


1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder


3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.  

2 cups sugar


3 large eggs


1 tablespoon vanilla extract


2 cups peppermint bark, roughly chopped ( I used Trader Joe’s bark)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Position the racks in the middle of the oven, and line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the sugar until it is the consistency of a thick frosting. Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times. Stir in the vanilla until evenly incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in 3 increments, stirring between each addition. At this point you should have a moist uniform dough. Stir in the peppermint bark by hand, mixing only until evenly distributed. Reserve a bit of the bark to sprinkle on top of the cookies after you have dropped them onto the baking sheets.

Drop a heaping tablespoon of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for about 10 - 14 minutes, until golden on bottom and top. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen medium-large cookies.

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

CHOCOLATE...DELISH!

                      This Chocolate Pudding Cream Tart is a must make perfect for the
                                                     holidays or just for any event!


For the crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling
4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
5 large egg yolks
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. kosher salt
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, broken
2 Tbsp. (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, diced
1 Tbsp. Kahalua liqueur
1 tsp. instant coffee powder
Shaved bittersweet chocolate, for garnish

For the whipped cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the graham crackers, sugar, and butter in a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon. Lightly press the mixture into an 11-inch metal tart pan with removable sides. Bake for 10 minutes and set aside.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until almost simmering. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt, and with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk into the bowl. Pour the mixture into a large saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is very thick. Off the heat, add the chocolate, butter, Kahlua and coffee. Beat with a whisk until smooth and pour into the cooled crust. Place plastic wrap directly on the chocolate filing and chill the tart for 6 hours, until cold. Decorate with whipped cream and shaved chocolate and serve cold.

For the whipped cream: beat with electric mixer (whisk attachment) until firm peaks form.

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa: How easy is that? cookbook by Ina Garten

Banana Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting! yum

              Banana Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

                  This is amazing! I made it for my brother's birthday and was awesome!

           My little brother requested the blue tint with a couple drops of food coloring.

                          Banana Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
CAKE:
1 package plain yellow cake mix
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 medium-size ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 1 cup)
1 cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans. Blend cake mix, brown sugar, and cinnamon mashed bananas, water, oil and eggs on medium speed until batter looks well blended.
Divide batter between the 2 pans and place in oven side by side.
Bake cakes until they are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean, 30-32 minutes.  Remove the pans from the oven and place them on cooling racks to cool for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge of each layer and invert on a rack, then invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up.  Allow them to cool completely before you frost them.    

FROSTING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temp.
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), at room temp.
3 and ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (sift first, measure second).
1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Only make the frosting when you are ready to frost the cake.  Place the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl and blend on low until combined, 30 seconds.  Add the sugar, a bit at a time, blending until the sugar is well incorporated.  Add the vanilla, then increase the speed to medium and blend the frosting until fluffy.

Before frosting cake, slice the very top of the bottom layer cake off, so that it is flat.  Otherwise, the second layer will slide off when frosted.  Frost top of bottom layer, then put top layer on.  Then frost sides and top.
Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.  The frosting will firm up in the fridge.

Note:  The cake can be stored (BEFORE YOU FROST) at room temp for up to one week, covered in plastic wrap.  Or you can freeze it (UNFROSTED) in aluminum foil for longer.
You can store the frosted cake for 1-2 days in the fridge before you serve it.

4th of July Extravaganza!!!!!

    CAKE POPS!!!!!

Ingredients:

1 box of cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13X9 cake pan)

1 can frosting (16 oz.)

Wax paper

Any color candy melts (1 lb. pkg.)

Lollipop sticks

Edible ink pen or sprinkles (optional)

1.     After cake is cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.

2.    Mix thoroughly with 1 can of frosting. (I use my fingers to mix together. But be warned, it gets messy. Also, you may not need the whole can- add more if you need to.)

3.    Roll mixture into quarter size balls & place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)

4.    Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)

5.    Dip top of lollipop stick in melted candy and insert into cake balls (little less than halfway.)

6.    Place in the freezer for a little while to firm up.

7.    Once firm, carefully insert cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick rotating until covered. Once covered rotate until excess chocolate comes off. Don’t tap to hard or the cake ball will fall off too.

8.    Place on styrofoam block to dry.

9.    For sprinkles, don’t wait until entirely dry to roll on. For edible ink pen, wait for the pops to dry all the way to draw. Next, just wait for the ink to dry to eat!

10.  Adapted from Bakerella

                                

      Mini Cheesecakes!

Makes 28

Basic cheesecake crust

1 ½ cup of finely ground cookie crumbs ( the famous chocolate wafers)

3 Tbsp. sugar

4.5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Cream cheese filling

1 ½ cups sugar

32 oz. (4 pkg.) cream cheese, room temp.

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temp.

Chocolate syrup

For the crust

• Preheat oven to 325*. Line muffin tins with liners

• Crush cookies in Cuisinart. Add sugar and pulse. Add butter pulse until cookies feel wet

• Spoon 1 Tbsp. cookie mixture in each muffin cup. Use ¼ measuring cup to push down cookies

• Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Let cool

For the cream cheese filling 

• Put softened cream cheese in bowl of electric mixer, using paddle attachment. Beat until you don’t see any visible lumps. Add sugar and pinch of salt and beat until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time until all incorporated 

• Pour about ¼ of mixture ( I use a large ice cream scooper), not to exceed ¾ of the way up the liner

• Pour a quarter size blob of the chocolate syrup and mix on the top with a toothpick to create a cool swirl design

• Bake for 18-20 minutes. You don’t want them to crack.

• When cool, refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

• Eat what you want and then wrap in Tupperware and freeze for up to one month

Adapted from The Urban Baker