Monthly Archives: June 2011

BUTTERBEER CUPCAKES

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FOR THE CUPCAKES:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream soda

FOR THE GANACHE:

1 (11 oz) package butterscotch chips
1 cup heavy cream

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 buttetscotch ganache
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (16 oz) package 10x sugar
splash of milk OR cream (as needed)

for the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 350° degrees. line cupcake pans with paper liners. combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. in a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. add sugars and beat until well combined. beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. beat in vanilla and butter flavoring.

alternate adding buttermilk, cream soda, and dry ingredients in batches until all are well incorporated. fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full. bake for 15-17 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and cake springs back to the touch. cool completely on wire racks.

for ganache: in a double boiler, combine butterscotch chips and heavy cream. stir until completely combined and smooth. cool to room temperature. fill a squeeze bottle with ganache and insert into the center of each cupcake, squeezing until filling begins to overflow.

for the frosting: cream butter in a large bowl until fluffy. add in ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt and mix until well combined. beat in 10x sugar 1 cup at a time until reaching desired consistency. add milk or cream by the tablespoon as needed. frost cupcakes and top with a drizzle of butterscotch ganache.

makes 18 cupcakes

COCONUT LIME MACAROONS WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE

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2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 large egg white
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups sweetened coconut
10 ounces white chocolate, chopped

preheat oven to 325°. line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

in a large bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, lime zest, egg white, vanilla, and salt. stir until combined. add in the coconut and mix well.

with a spoon, scoop up about 2 tbs of the coconut mixture and form into mounds that have a slight peak at the top. place on lined baking sheets, about 2″ apart. bake cookies one sheet at a time for 15-20 minutes, or until cookies are set and slightly golden brown.

melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. make sure you keep stirring the chocolate every 20 seconds or so until chocolate is melted and smooth.

lay out a large piece of wax paper. dip the cookies into the chocolate just until the bottoms are covered in chocolate. set dipped cookies on the wax paper to dry. drizzle macaroons with white chocolate and let dry completely.

makes 18 macaroons

OATMEAL S’MORES COOKIES

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1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows

in a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening, and sugars. add the eggs. beat in the vanilla. add flour, salt, baking soda, oats, and chocolate chips. drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. bake at 350° for 9 minutes. push some marshmallows into each cookie and continue baking 2-5 more minutes until done. let sit on cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack.

ARTICHOKE SPINACH LASAGNA

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9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 (14 oz) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, drained and squeezed dry
1 (28 ounce) jar tomato pasta sauce
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (4 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled

preheat oven to 350°. spray a 9″x13″ baking dish with pam.

bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. add noodles and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

spray a large skillet with pam and heat on medium-high. saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes, or until onion is crisp-tender. stir in broth and rosemary; bring to a boil. stir in artichoke hearts and spinach; reduce heat. cover and simmer 5 minutes. stir in pasta sauce.

spread 1/4 of the artichoke mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with 3 cooked noodles. sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese over noodles. repeat layers 2 more times, ending with artichoke mixture and mozzarella cheese. sprinkle crumbled feta on top.

bake, covered, for 40 minutes. uncover and bake 15 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly. let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

8 servings

MONKEY BREAD IN A JAR

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(baked in 8 oz mason jars)

10 refrigerated biscuits, cut into quarters
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

preheat oven to 350°. spray mason jars with pam and place them into a deep sided baking tray.

into a bowl, add sugars and cinnamon. whisk together to combine. place cut biscuit pieces into sugar mixture. toss to combine and coat well.

evenly distribute coated biscuit pieces between the jars, adding a little extra of the sugar mixture as you go. fill only 3/4 of the way up the jar to allow for bread to rise and not overflow.

bake for approximately 10-15 minutes until the monkey bread has risen and is golden and bubbly. allow jars to cool slightly before serving.

GIMME S’MORE DIP!

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1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1/2 cup marshmallow creme
1 (13 oz) box graham cracker honey sticks

in small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and condensed milk on HIGH 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chips are melted. stir to mix well. pour into 9″ glass pie pan, spreading evenly.

drop marshmallow creme by tablespoonfuls randomly over chocolate mixture. microwave on HIGH about 30 seconds or until marshmallow creme is softened. immediately with knife, make several small swirls through marshmallow and chocolate, creating a marbled appearance.

serve immediately with graham sticks for dipping.

STRAWBERRY CHEESE PIE

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1 (9″) unbaked pastry shell
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (3 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled
10x sugar, optional

line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil. bake at 450° for 8 minutes. remove foil and set shell aside. in a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth. add eggs; mix until combined. pour into shell. bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until center is almost set. remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. combine sour cream and remaining sugar in a mixing bowl. mix well. spread over filling. turn oven off. return pie to the oven for 15 minutes. remove; cool on wire rack. refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. before serving, top with strawberries. dust with 10x sugar if desired.

6-8 servings

15 MINUTE CHILI

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1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (16 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28 oz) can chopped stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 cup salsa

in a large pot, brown turkey with chopped onion.

add beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and salsa to turkey mixture. cook until hot.

serve with cornbread, cooked pasta, cooked rice, or on top of a baked potato. sprinkle with cheese if desired.

4 servings

VEGETARIAN CHILI

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1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups celery, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small yellow bell pepper, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons garlic powder
4 tablespoons chili powder

heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat, spraying with pam. cook veggies until they are slightly soft, about 6-7 minutes.

meanwhile, combine tonatoes, beans and spices in a large dutch oven or slow cooker. when veggies are done, add them to the mixture and combine thoroughly.

for dutch oven: simmer 3-4 hours on LOW, stirring occasionally.

for slow cooker: simmer for 6-7 hours on HIGH.

8 servings

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE OREO CHUNK COOKIES

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2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped white chocolate
1 cup chopped semisweet chocolate
1 cup chopped oreo cookies

preheat oven to 375°. line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. set aside.

in a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. set aside.

with a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until smooth. add in eggs, one at a time. next, add in vanilla. mix until blended.

slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix until flour disappears. stir in chocolate chunks and oreos. drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet, about 2″ apart.

bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. do not overbake. remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet 3-5 minutes. move to a wire rack and cool completely.

makes 3 1/2 dozen