Desserts

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

May 9, 2012 By Camille 1 Comment

I made my first pineapple upside down cake almost ten years ago because my new husband told me he liked them. I used a boxed cake mix and canned pineapple. The cake was fine, but nothing really special so I never bothered to make one again. This weekend, however, I had two very ripe pineapples that needed eating and I thought I'd try pineapple upside down cake again only this time from scratch. Wow. What a difference! This cake is decadent. It is crazy good and I'd serve it to guests. What it lacks in looks in definitely made up for in taste! I made the cake on a Sunday afternoon thinking it'd be a quick project. It was quick, but it also used at least 3 different bowls. It was definitely worth the fuss, but just be forewarned that this does take a little extra love. I'm not exactly sure why the cake ended up in pieces. I may not have baked it quite long enough. I tend to over bake cakes and I've been trying really hard not to do that so I very well may have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipe Tagged With: baking, Cake, Dessert, Pineapple, pineapple cake

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

April 20, 2012 By Camille 3 Comments

I've been in the process of going through my recipe collection and I'm surprised at how many wonderful recipes have fallen by the wayside. This is one of those recipes. I'm not too much of a cookie baker. I just can't seem to get it together enough to make really delicious cookies. But this recipe is an exception -- this recipe is for the cookie inept. This is pure peanut butter goodness! Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies 5.0 from 1 reviews Print Serves: 2 dozen Ingredients 3/4 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 stick of butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup quick-cooking or regular oats For the filling: 3 Tablespoons butter at room temperature 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 3 Tablespoons heavy cream or half and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipe Tagged With: Cookies, peanut butter cookies, sandwich cookies

Noodle Kugel

April 17, 2012 By Camille 3 Comments

Noodle kugel is one of those dishes that you've never heard of unless you know someone Jewish. I'd never heard of kugel until I married my husband. Even then, it's taken me almost a decade to "get" kugel. Is it a dessert? A side dish? Is it served hot or cold? It's all very confusing! Noodle kugel is basically a noodle pudding. It can be sweet or savory and can be served hot or cold. I always make it sweet and serve it hot as a dessert. I've always used my mother-in-law's recipe to make kugel, but this time I wanted to try something different just to compare. When I read the story about Smitten Kitchen's family kugel, I had to try it out. This is a super yummy kugel on it's own, but I had to add one more touch -- a frosted flakes topping. My mother-in-law covered her kugel with this topping and it's just divine! Noodle Kugel Print Author: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 2 hours Total time: 2 hours 30 mins … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipe Tagged With: kugel, Noodle pudding, Passover dishes

Strawberry Shake

April 11, 2012 By Camille 6 Comments

Is there anything better than something (naturally) PINK in a glass? I have had a serious craving for a good strawberry shake lately. I've tried two different shakes, from two different places, and neither one had a nice, robust strawberry flavor. The first one was a malt and the malt flavor seriously overpowered the strawberry. The next treat was a shake, but the strawberry flavor was still weak at best. As I noticed that I had about six pounds of strawberries in the fridge, I wondered if I could create a decent strawberry shake with some vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, and milk. Turns out, that's all you need for a delicious strawberry shake. And if all your ingredients are organic, then you have an all-natural, organic treat. Strawberry Shakes Print Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 10 mins Serves: 2-4 Ingredients 1/2 gallon organic vanilla ice cream 2-4 cups organic milk 1-2 cups organic fresh strawberries, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipe, Uncategorized Tagged With: Ice Cream, Soda Fountain Classics, Strawberry Ice Cream, Strawberry Malt, Strawberry Shake

Nelli and Joe’s Key Lime Pie

March 30, 2012 By Camille 6 Comments

I am not really a fan of key lime pie, but my husband is! So when I ran across this recipe made with Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice, I was intrigued by how easy it was to make. The only glitch was finding Nellie and Joe's key lime juice. You'd think I'd just juice my own, but I really wanted to check out this product. Fast forward a few months and what do I spot on the shelf of the grocery store but Nellie and Joe's -- and it was on sale, a sure sign that I had to try it. I took all the ingredients (all 3 of them) to my mom's house to make the pie. She remarked that she'd just had the key lime pie at The Palm steakhouse restaurant and they told her it was made with Nellie and Joe's! It's a small world when it comes to high quality key lime juice, I guess. No tricks here. Just mix, bake and chill. It takes about 20 minutes total and it tastes delicious! Nelli and Joe's Key Lime Pie 4.5 from 2 reviews Print Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins … [Read more...]

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Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Mocha Frosting

March 27, 2012 By Camille 1 Comment

These cupcakes are quick, easy and fun treat made up of a classic flavor combination. Whenever my kids want to bake, we whip these up because they are perfect for little helpers. I get 12 cupcakes out this recipe, but it could be stretched to 18 if you fill the cups with less batter. Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Mocha Frosting Print Serves: 12-18 Ingredients 1 1/4 cups flour 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon butter at room temperature 1 Tablespoon coconut oil 1 egg 1/3 cup peanut butter 3/4 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla Mocha Frosting: 9 ounces of milk chocolate, finely chopped 2/3 cup half and half (or heavy cream) 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup 1 Tablespoon instant coffee 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon Instructions For the cupcakes: Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to mix. Scrape sides of bowl and pulse until smooth. Line muffin pans … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipe Tagged With: chocolate frosting, Cupcakes, mocha frosting, Recipe

Lemon Yogurt Cake

March 26, 2012 By Camille 2 Comments

Lemon is such a nice Spring flavor so when a friend gave me some Meyer lemons from her mother's tree, I knew I had to make this cake recipe that I'd pinned. This is a triple layer lemony dessert. First there is lemon zest in the cake batter. Then, you pour a simple syrup of lemon juice and sugar over the warm, baked caked and finally, you glaze the loaf with a lemon glaze. If you don't have vanilla yogurt, you can use plain yogurt and add some vanilla extract to the cake batter. I baked this for about 35 minutes and it was overdone so I'd start checking it around 25 minutes or so, but it could take up to 50 minutes or more depending on your oven and loaf pan. And if you use white sugar instead of brown sucanat like I did, I'm pretty sure your cake will be a nice Springy yellow perfect for Easter or Mother's Day. Lemon Yogurt Cake Print Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 40 mins Serves: 1 loaf Ingredients 1 1/2 cups … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipe Tagged With: Dessert, Easter dessert, Lemon, lemon cake, lemon yogurt cake, Recipe

Buttercream Frosting

March 19, 2012 By Camille Leave a Comment

I'm not really much of a baker, but I'm working hard to fix that shortcoming. My cakes and cookies tend to end up dry because I over baked them. Baking is just so fussy and requires a lot more patience than I tend to have in the kitchen. Add to that two small children and attempting to multi-task by making several recipes at once... yeah, it's a recipe for baked goods disaster! So last week I attempted these sugar cookie bars and they didn't turn out. The were dry (of course). But the buttercream frosting was a success! Of course, I tweaked it and I'm sure that made all the difference. I used all butter in the recipe, but I just had a tasting of a friend's buttercream and she uses half butter, half shortening and it was fantastic! So take your pick. This recipe makes a small batch. I prefer to start small and then double as I need. For a cake, I'd at least double this. Buttercream Frosting Print Serves: 1 cup Ingredients 1 stick butter, at room … [Read more...]

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Snickers Cheesecake

February 27, 2012 By Camille 7 Comments

My husband turned 40 last week. I still have a few years to go before I hit that mark, but still... he's 40! I am amazed at how quickly time goes. But we aren't here to talk about age. We're here to talk cheesecake. Snickers cheesecake to be exact as that is what my husband requested for his birthday cake. I didn't eat a piece of this (I wasn't feeling well) but I have been assured that it is absolutely delicious! Snickers Cheesecake 5.0 from 4 reviews Print Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 55 mins Total time: 1 hour 10 mins Serves: 6 Ingredients 24 chocolate sandwich cookies 4 Tablespoons melted butter 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 2 eggs, at room temperature 1/2 cup sour cream 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 Snickers bars, sliced in to 1/4 inch pieces Instructions Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse cookies in a food processor until finely crushed. Pulse in butter. Press cookie crumb mixture … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipe Tagged With: Cheesecake, Dessert, Recipe, Snickers cheesecake

Blondies

February 15, 2012 By Camille 2 Comments

Blondies are brownies without the chocolate. I know, I know -- why would you ever want brownies without the chocolate?! But trust me, these babies are delicious in their own right! They are a buttery, sugary mess of a treat. You can play these up by adding M&Ms, butterscotch chips or cinnamon to the top before baking or just leave them plain Jane. Blondies Print Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 50 mins Total time: 1 hour Serves: 16 bars Ingredients 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 1 cup packed light-brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled) Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Grease pan with butter (just use the wrappers from your 2 sticks of butter). In a large bowl, whisk together butter and sugars until smooth. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Add flour … [Read more...]

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