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Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

INGREDIENTS (Makes about 3 dozen cookies)

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 eggs

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3 cup flour

1 cup blueberries

1/2 pkg cream cheese, cut into 1 tsp cubes

HOW-TO

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Blend in the lemon zest, juice and eggs. Make sure to scrape off any bits of zest that stick to the mixer paddle.

In a separate bowl whisk together the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour then mix it into the wet ingredients. Gently fold in the blueberries so as not to burst any. Refrigerate the dough for about 15 – 20 minutes to make it stiff enough to roll.

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Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

INGREDIENTS

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 C. pancake syrup (any brand you like, I used Mrs. Buttersworth)

1/3 C. packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, optional

1/4 C. chopped almonds, optional

HOW-TO

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired). Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top. Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring. Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

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Greek Yogurt Blueberry Muffins

INGREDIENTS

For the Batter

4 eggs

2 1/2 C sugar

1 C canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

2 C plain traditional Greek yogurt (I've never tried using fat-free and don't know how it works)

4 C AP flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking soda

3 C fresh or frozen blueberries tossed with 1 tbsp of flour just before adding to the batter

For the Crumb Topping

3/4 C brown sugar

1 1/2 C AP flour

1/2 C butter, cut into small pieces

2 tsp ground cinnamon

HOW-TO

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Make crumb topping by combining all ingredients in a bowl and pinching with your fingers until the butter is fully incorporated and it looks like coarse sand. Set aside.

Combine the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla; mixing until smooth.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and baking soda.

Alternately add 1/3 flour and 1/3 yogurt to the sugar mixture and repeat, stirring just slightly between each addition. The key to moist muffins is to keep the batter from becoming over mixed. Only mix until no dry spots remain- there will be lumps and that's okay.

Gently fold in the blueberries, mixing only until they are evenly distributed.

Scoop batter into muffin tin until 2/3 full. Spoon 1 1/2-2 tbsp of crumb mixture on top of each muffin (it will look like a lot of crumbs).

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with only moist crumbs.

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Lemon Poppy Seeds Pancake

Ingredients (makes 12 large pancakes):

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/3 cup poppy seeds

zest of 4 lemons

2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine the buttermilk, eggs, butter, lemon zest, and poppy seeds.

Now combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the wet to the dry and stir until combined. Melt a little butter in a skillet and cook the pancakes until golden brown. 

I topped my pancakes with fresh strawberries mixed with a little sugar. Enjoy!

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Spicy Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

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Pineapple kiwi mint smoothie

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cubed pineapple

1 kiwi

5-6 mint leaves

½ cup coconut milk

3 ice cubes

HOW-TO

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

[food-e-licious-blog]

Ricotta Stuffed French Toast with Caramelized Bananas

Sunday Brunch has to be my favorite meal hands down. Croissants, coffee, omelets, fresh fruit, french toast, homefries, waffles, etc etc... It can be a simple spread or more extravagant but either way its always special. Here is a rich, delicious and unbelieveably easy recipe for stuffed french toast with caramelized bananas that my husband and I had this weekend!

INGREDIENTS

Italian or French Bread

Ricotta Cheese

Sugar (enough for ricotta mixture and batter)

Whipped Cream

Eggs

Butter

Heavy Cream

Cinnamon

Vanilla Extract

Fresh Bananas

HOW-TO

1.Slice fresh italian or french bread into 1 1/2 inch slices and then slice that in half  without splitting it all the way in order to make a pocket for the ricotta stuffing

2. In a bowl mix together ricotta cheese, sugar and some whipped cream to thin out mixture and set aside.

3. Prepare batter in another bowl - combine eggs, heavy cream, cinammon, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix well and pour into a shallow bowl for dipping bread.

4. Gently open the split slice of bread and spoon ricotta mixture into pocket and spread evenly.

5. Place the stuffed bread into the batter mixture and allow to sit for several minutes to soak batter well and then turn over on the other side and again sit for several minutes.

6. While the bread is soaking in batter, heat a non-stick griddle and melt a small pat of butter in it

7. Carefully lower the batter dipped stuffed bread onto the griddle. Cook on medium until golden brown on both sides.

8. While the toast is cooking, slice up fresh bananas and toss in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and keep aside

9.Once the french toast is cooked, place on a plate.

10. On the same griddle, add a bit more butter and drop the cinnamon-sugar coated banana slices in and allow it to carmelize on each side. If the bananas are cooked too long, they will become soggy fyi!

11. Spoon the sweet bananas onto french toast, garnish with whipped cream, powdered sugar and serve! No syrup necessary!

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Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes

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The Best Chocolate Mousse

  Two ingredients (seriously, only chocolate and water) and five minutes later, you will be eating The Best Chocolate Mousse of Your Life. I promise. And you don’t even need any fancy kitchen gadgets. Patience and a bit of elbow grease are required, but we always need those in the kitchen, right? This amazing discovery was made by the famous French chemist, Hervé This, who is also known as the man who unboiled an egg. The recipe, which is also called Chocolate Chantilly, starts with melting chocolate in water and ends with whisking it until thickened. Sounds like it goes against everything we’ve been thought about working with chocolate, right? Sure, I’ve seen chocolate and water together in many recipes, but that was just the beginning of a recipe (mostly chocolate sauce), not all that you needed. So forget about everything you’ve been thought and try it. The recipe not only works, but also produces a mousse with the purest chocolate flavor ever.   Since the recipe has only two ingredients, it all comes down to the quality of the chocolate you use. My favorite is Valrhona’s Guanaja, but if you have another favorite, feel free to substitute as long as it has 70% cocoa solids. If you find the taste of bittersweet chocolate too strong, you may add a bit of sugar. INGREDIENTS 4 servings

9.35 ounces (265 grams) bittersweet (%70 cocoa solids) chocolate, chopped (preferably Valrhona Guanaja)

1 cup (240 ml) water

4 tbsp sugar, optional

HOW-TO

Place a large mixing bowl on top of another slightly smaller one, filled with ice and cold water (the bottom of the large bowl should touch the ice). Set aside.

Put chocolate and water (also sugar and/or liquor if you’re using) in a medium-sized pan and melt the chocolate over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl sitting on top of ice and water, and start whisking with a wire whisk (or an electrical hand-held mixer) until thick. Watch the texture as you whip and make sure not to over-whip as it will make the mousse grainy. If the mousse becomes grainy (which is possible at your first try), transfer it back into the pan, reheat until half of it is melted, pour it back to the mixing bowl and whisk again briefly.

Divide into four serving cups and serve immediately.

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Whiskey Sea Salt Caramel Cheesecake Bars

Makes: 16 slabs or 32 squares

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes ( plus chilling)

Hands-On Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the shortbread:

2/3 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into small chunks

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the cheesecake:

TIP

Bring the eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in warm water for 10 minutes before using.

2 pounds (4 [8-ounce] packages) cream cheese

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt

TIP

Use a good-quality (but not super top) whiskey and something with a bit of smokiness.

For the caramel:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

TIP

I used Maldon smoked sea salt here and loved it but any good smoked salt will do.

Smoked sea salt, for serving

HOW-TO

For the shortbread:

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in middle. Line an 8-by 8-inch baking dish with parchment or aluminum foil, leaving a few inches of overhang on each side. Combine the pecans, butter, flour, sugar, and salt in bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is well combined and it resembles coarse meal. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared dish and bake until golden brown on the edges, about 25 minutes; meanwhile, make the filling.

For the cheesecake:

Combine the cream cheese and sugar in in bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the processor then add the eggs and the yolk one at a time. Add the vanilla extract and salt and pulse until blended. Pour the mixture over the shortbread and bake until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean and the center of the cheesecake is just set (it will look like custard), about 40 minutes. Turn off the oven, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the cheesecake cool for 15 minutes. Remove cheesecake from the oven and set on a rack to cool. Coat a butter knife with oil or butter (or run it under very hot water) and then run it around the perimeter of the cheesecake. Let the cheesecake cool completely, about 1 hour.

For the caramel:

Once the cheesecake is cool, make the caramel. Stir together the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely moistened. Brush the insides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush to remove any sugar granules then place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Without stirring but swirling the pan occasionally, let the sugar boil until it turns turns amber in color, about 5 minutes. Give the pan a few good swirls to make sure it’s evenly cooking, remove from heat, and carefully add the whiskey. (The caramel will seize but just keep swirling the pan until the alcohol smell is cooked off.) Immediately add the butter and cream, and swirl until the caramel is smooth and uniform in color. Set aside to cool to room temperature, at least out 15 minutes.

TIP

The bars can be tricky to cut since it’s so many different textures. The keys are: working in a cold room, use a sharp knife, and dip it in very hot water. To do so, fill a shallow dish or glass with very hot water, dip the knife, then quickly wipe it clean, and cut away. I found using a slicing or serrated knife and a gently sawing motion works best.

Assembly:

Pour the lukewarm caramel over the cooled cheesecake, then place in the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 2 hours. When ready to serve, cut into slabs or squares using a sharp knife dipped in hot water. Garnish with sea salt and serve.

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Peaches & cream crepes

Juicy, nectar-sweet peaches are one of the joys of summertime eating. In this southern-inspired dish, they are tucked into crunchy cornmeal crepes and then warmed in the oven until piping hot, to create a breakfast to linger over. A dollop of buttery mascarpone and a dusting of sugar provide the perfect finishing touches.   Peaches and Cream Crepes   1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground 2 large eggs 5 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted 1 tsp. granulated sugar, plus more to taste 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt 4 peaches, halved, pitted and thinly sliced 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice Canola oil for cooking 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature About 2 Tbs. heavy cream Confectioners’ sugar for dusting   To make the crepe batter, in a blender, combine the milk, flour, cornmeal, eggs, 2 Tbs. of the butter, the 1 tsp. granulated sugar and the salt. Process until smooth. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the peaches, lemon juice and sugar to taste, and toss to coat evenly. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes to allow the peaches to release some of their juice.   Lightly oil a 7-inch nonstick frying pan and place over medium-high heat until hot. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and tilt the pan to cover the bottom evenly. Drizzle a little batter into any holes. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 1 minute. Flip and cook the other side until golden. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil to the pan as needed and stacking the crepes, separated by parchment or waxed paper, as they are ready. You should have 10 crepes, or 2 more than you need (the extra crepes are the cook’s treat!).   Preheat an oven to 400°F. Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with some of the remaining 3 Tbs. butter. In a small bowl, using a fork, stir together the mascarpone and enough cream to create a creamy mixture, then stir in granulated sugar to taste. Set aside for serving.   Place 1 crepe on a work surface. Spoon one-eighth of the peaches in an even layer on half of the crepe, then fold over the other half to cover. Fold the crepe in half again, to form a triangle. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with 7 more crepes and all of the peaches. Brush the tops of the filled crepes with the remaining butter. Bake just until hot throughout, about 5 minutes. To serve, place 2 crepes on each plate. Crown the crepes with a dollop of the mascarpone cream, and then sift confectioners’ sugar over the top. Serve at once. Serves 4.

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S'mores Ice Cream Cake

Orrr seven days. You know. Same thing. I mean, those peanut butter ball things on Tuesday weren’t really a treat because they were healthy. They weren’t dessert. Sure, I guess they could end up BEING dessert (read: you don’t have any cheesecake, ice cream or peanut butter cookies in the house) but they aren’t REALLY dessert. Real dessert is that toasted marshmallow coconut ice cream that I shared last week… that was squished in between 3 other quarts that I just couldn’t stop myself from churning. And as it turns out… I can’t eat ice cream for every meal of the day. People. I have a lot of ice cream right now. Like a ton. And since I don’t have any patience to make REGULAR cakes, you know – like cakes that take time and require perfectly sliced layers and even more perfectly piped buttercream and all sorts of decorations that would lead me to jump off a bridge… I made an ice cream cake. Because those are easy. You just layer a bunch of junk together. It’s like one giant melty mess. I freaking love it. Hey, remember that one time when I went to a cocktail-attired event in extremely casual attire? Like a big event where people were wearing dresses that went down to the floor and where I was wearing jeans and my hair up like an idiot? Oh I do, because it’s what my life consisted of last night. It might have required a few bites of fudge and marshmallow coconut ice cream soaked graham crust before bed. Because seriously, that was the only way I was getting over THAT. Make it. Eat it. Love it.  

YIELD: SERVES 6-8 PREP TIME: 6 HOURS (LOTS OF INACTIVE TIME!) COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES (TO COOK THE FUDGE) TOTAL TIME: 8 HOURS

INGREDIENTS

3 cups graham cracker crumbs 6 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk 1 cup granulated sugar 2 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate 4 cups toasted marshmallow, s'mores or even vanilla ice cream 1 (10 ounce) bag marshmallows, toasted

HOW-TO

In a large bowl, combine melted butter and 2 1/2 cups graham crumbs, mixing well until moistened. Press into an 8 or 9-inch springform pan, evening the crust out with the back of a spoon. Place in the freezer to set. While crust is setting, heat milk, sugar and chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and stir continuously for 20 minutes until fudge sauce is thickened. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove crust from freezer and immediately pour the cooled chocolate over top. Place back in the freezer and freeze for 2 hours. About 15 minutes before you remove the crust, take ice cream out of the fridge and allow to softened. Once soft, press and spread on top of the fudge sauce - don't worry, it may mix together a bit! Not a big deal. Smooth ice cream top and place back in the freezer for at least 2 hours, or even over night. Before serving, toast marshmallows as desired. I placed mine on a baking sheet under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, then removed them with a spatula. Remove cake from freezer and sprinkle ice cream top with half of the remaining graham crumbs, then top with marshmallows. Freeze for another hour or so, then sprinkle with remaining graham crumbs. Serve!

Prepare to get messy - the ice cream and fudge sauce will be slightly soft, but they are so delicious this way.

the fudge sauce recipe comes from my mom's old school oreo cookie ice cream dessert

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Mint Chocolate Cheesecake Popsicles

YIELD: 8-10 popsicles PREP TIME: 10 minutes plus freeze time

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon pure peppermint extract 1 (8 ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed 12 Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies, finely chopped (see note below)Magic Shell, optional

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add in the extracts and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped topping until until it is fully incorporated into the cream cheese mixture. Fold in mint chocolate cookies.2. Spoon the filling into a pastry bag or large zip top bag. Snip enough of the end off the bag to allow you pipe the mixture into your popsicle molds. Once your molds are full, gently tap the popsicle mold base on the countertop to help release any air pockets. Freeze according the manufacturers directions.3. If desired, garnish each popsicle with Magic Shell and chopped cookies.Tip: If you have an issue releasing your popsicles from the molds, run a little warm water along the sides of the molds, this will usually cause them to release with ease.

Notes:

- If you cannot find the Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies, feel free to substitute Mint Oreos. - I have not attempted this recipe with a substitute for the frozen whipped topping (Cool Whip). - Due to the soft texture of this recipe, it is not recommended for use in a Zoku Quick Pop Maker.

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Homemade cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites with salted caramel dipping sauce

    Oh my gosh you guys. I cannot even begin to tell you how IN LOVE I am with these AMAZING pretzels!! Oh. My. Word. They’re soft, they’re chewy, they’re buttery. They’re perfect little pillowy pretzel bites covered with a fabulously crunchy cinnamon sugar crust and finally — the pièce de résistance — they’re dipped in THE most heavenly salted caramel sauce ever. Seriously. I ate this caramel sauce right out of the jar with a spoon. Maria had to wrestle the jar away from me. We had words. I tried to sneak it home with me. The combo of these two together is 100% perfection. If you want the BEST mini appetizer-dessert-snack EVER… This is it. So insanely good. I am jealous of past-Amanda for getting to eat these, since present-Amanda currently doesn’t have any. I kind of hate her. Let’s make these right away before I get too bitter. You have, have, have to make these. ASAP. They are so good! :) Okay, let’s get started. :) I always love getting together with bloggy friends, but I especially love it when we can get together and bake!! :) I had so much fun baking with Maria and Josh in the Two Peas and Their Pod Kitchen. Maria asked what I wanted to make, and I knew it had to be their famous homemade soft pretzels! They were so easy and fun to make. I am definitely making these at home ASAP!! :) Here’s what all you’ll need — just a few basic ingredients. Nothing too complicated. We used bread flour, but you can easily use all-purpose flour as well. Here’s the kind of yeast we used. To start, combine warm water from the tap, yeast, sugar, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix for about 30 seconds until just combined. And let sit for about five minutes until the yeast “blooms” and it looks like this. Next add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until just combined. Like so. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Perfect! Remove the dough from the bowl and knead into a ball. Coat a bowl with a little vegetable oil, add the dough, and turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover with a clean towel or foil and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about an hour. You can use the bread proofing setting on your oven, or just set it in a regular oven turned off. The oven is a great place for dough to rise because it’s generally free from drafts. Meanwhile, we’ll make the salted caramel sauce. Yay! Salted caramel party time! All you need is sugar, butter, cream, and salt for the most perfect, most pure, most delicious caramel sauce ever. Be sure to measure your ingredients out ahead of time so you have them ready while you’re making the sauce (it goes quickly), and it helps if the butter and cream are at room temperature. To begin, heat 2 cups of sugar over medium to medium-high heat in a heavy 2-3 quart saucepan. Whisk constantly. The sugar will start to melt and clump up as it transforms, just keep whisking. It’s starting to melt! Keep whisking. :) This is the most heavenly fragrance in the entire world. You know the saying warm vanilla sugar? This is so much better than that. Keep whisking, keep whisking… :) Once the sugar is completely smooth and melted, add 12 tablespoons of butter, piece by piece. Three Land O’ Lakes half-sticks are exactly 12 tablespoons. Whisk after each addition until fully incorporated. When the butter is fully incorporated into the sugar, remove the pan from the heat. Slowly pour in one cup of heavy cream. Whisk until the cream is fully incorporated and the caramel is smooth. And finally, whisk in one tablespoon fine sea salt. That’s it!! See how easy that was?? :) Pour the sauce into a jar and cool to room temperature. You’re going to need to taste-test SEVERAL times with a spoon though. Several. See? That jar was full before I got to it. ;) I seriously need to have this on hand at ALL times. It’s so good on everything!! :) Meanwhile, our dough has doubled in size! It’s pretzel time, baby! First, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Once the water comes to a boil, add 2/3 cup baking soda. While you’re waiting on the water to boil, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Here’s where Maria and Josh took over. They are the perfect, cutest little team in the kitchen! Yes, we were all very comfy in our PJs this fine Saturday morning, lol! Roll each piece into a rope about two feet long. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites. Boil the pretzel bites in batches, about 15 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. Here’s where I forgot to take a picture! I must’ve been sneaking caramel out of the jar while Maria wasn’t looking. ;) Bake the pretzel bites at 425 for 8 minutes, then remove from the oven and immediately place the pretzel bites on a cooling rack. You could also use a sheet of wax paper or foil if you do not have a cooling rack. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. You want to do this over a cooling rack and not on the pan you bake the pretzel bites on or else the sugar will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Then put the pretzel bites back on the first pan and continue baking for an additional 8-10 minutes until golden and cooked through. Tada! The sweet, cinnamony, crunchy shell combined with the soft, pillowy, salty pretzel is absolute perfection. But then you’re gonna wanna do this. And this.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Like this one.  It's made with creamy peanut butter, sea salt and milk chocolate chips.

It's like if one kid had a room full of trophies and the other always got stuck out in left field.  It kinda gets my maternal adrenaline flowing.

  You know I love these slice and bake shortbread recipes.  Who wouldn't love to have a log or two of cookie dough hanging out in their fridge?  You can get all the measuring and mixing and messy hands out of the way early and then have the luxury of fresh dough waiting at your beck and call.   Let me put it another way: when you've got this dough in the fridge you're 12 minutes away from nirvana.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies oven to 325  makes about 21 small cookies  1 stick, (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temp 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar scant 1/2 tsp sea salt 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Cream the butter and the peanut butter together in a stand mixer, with a hand mixer, or a wooden spoon.  Beat in the vanilla.

Whisk the dry ingredients together and add to the butter mixture.  Mix until the dough comes together.

Stir in the chips, and turn the dough out onto a piece of waxed paper.  Gently pull the dough together and form it into a log.  If it is still crumbly, work it with your hands until it holds together smoothly. Roll it up in the paper, smoothing the shape as you go.  Twist the ends securely and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.

Slice the log into slices with a sharp knife. Not too thick, not too thin, about 1/3 inch.  If a slice crumbles a bit, just smoosh the dough back together.  These don't have to be perfect disks.

Bake on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet at 325 for about 12-14 minutes.  The cookies will  not be browned, and they may look undone, but don't over bake.  One of the joys of shortbread cookies is that they fall apart and melt in your mouth.

Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.

These cookies have a melting texture, and I'm sure I don't need to tell you about the magical combination of peanut butter and milk chocolate.  They'll even stick a wee bit to the roof of your mouth...have a cold glass of milk ready.

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Brownie batter chocolate fudge cupcake

With Outrageously Rich Chocolate Indulgence Frosting. AKA The Mega. Extreme. Chocolate. Overdose. Cupcake. Almost immediately after making the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes, I got the idea for a rich, decadent massively chocolate brownie batter cupcake, and I haven’t been able to get them outta my head since! This recipe uses a favorite chocolate brownie batter, my best chocolate cake ever recipe (just ask Google) and the most insanely ridiculously rich, fudgy, indulgent chocolate frosting you’ve ever had. To all the chocolate lovers in the house… This is for you. XOXO. It all starts with the brownie batter – this is seriously one of my favorite chocolate batter mixes ever. It calls for fat free sweetened condensed milk. You guys love me for that, right? Right back atcha. It only calls for 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk though, and since I hate recipes that only call for a little bit of something in a can, leaving me wondering what the heck I’m supposed to do with the rest of it, go ahead and make this easy, no machine required homemade ice cream. You will definitely want some with these cupcakes! :) Use your trusty 1.5 tbsp scoop to drop spoonfuls of brownie batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze overnight. The next day, get ready to bake the best chocolate cupcakes ever. This recipe calls for an entire cup of oil and an entire cup of sour cream. No wonder they’re good! It also calls for 2 cups of mini chocolate chips, and if you want to help keep them from sinking to the bottom of your cupcake, mix them with a spoonful of the cake mix. It’s tips like these that keep you coming back, I know. Now using a large (3 tbsp) scoop, fill your cupcake liners about 2/3rds full. Mmm, chocolate chips. Grab your brownie batter from the freezer and press down into the cupcakes. And when you pull them out of the oven… You know how they say the muffin top is the best part of the muffin? The best part of this cupcake is definitely this chewy, brownie batter top. Think chewy brownie shell on top of an insanely gooey, soft chocolate cake. Now these cupcakes are sho’ nuff good enough to eat just like this. And this is coming from someone who basically only views cake as the vessel to getting frosting in her mouth. But we’re not done here yet. You know that rich, dark, fudgy classic chocolate frosting? The one that all chocolate frostings want to be when they grow up? The one that makes life worth living? Here it is. This is what you’ve been looking for. Don’t be scared. It calls for uh, quite a bit of butter. Can I promise you right now it’s worth every bite? I made four completely different types of chocolate frosting in one day – a buttercream, a sour cream, a ganache, and one that claimed to be fudgy, but wasn’t -  looking for the perfect complement to these cupcakes. By the end of the day, I was so sick of chocolate, I never wanted to eat it, smell it, or get it all over my hands again. I didn’t even want to lick the bowl. It was bad. Until I tried just one more recipe. That’s all it took. I couldn’t stop eating it. By the spoonful. That’s how I knew it was perfect. Exactly what I was looking for. Move the frosting to a Ziploc bag, cut off the tip and pipe away! So chocolaty. So dreamy.

INGREDIENTS & HOW-TO

BROWNIE BATTER 1/4 cup butter, melted 1/3 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk 1/3 cup milk 1 (18.25 oz) box devil’s food cake mix Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined. Using a small scoop (about 1.5 tbsp) drop batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze overnight. CUPCAKES

1 (18.25 oz) box devil’s food cake mix

1 (3.9 oz) pkg Jello instant chocolate fudge pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and line with cupcake liners. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips into a very large bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Using a large scoop (about 3 tbsp) drop batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3rds full. Remove brownie batter from freezer and press into the cupcake batter. Bake for 22-28 mins. Allow to cool completely before frosting. FROSTING

5 sticks butter, softened

8 oz powdered sugar

1.5 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)

a pinch of table salt

1.5 cups light corn syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

16 oz milk chocolate chips

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring well every 30 seconds. Allow to cool for 5-10 mins. Combine butter, sugar, cocoa and salt in a food processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, about 5-10 seconds. Scrape the bowl again, then add the melted chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, about 10-15 seconds. You can use a mixer for this too, if you don’t have a food processor, just don’t whip the butter too much! :) Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated. Makes & frosts 36 cupcakes

[food-e-licious-blog]

Frozen yogurt covered strawberries

HOW-TO

Clean and trim the strawberries. You can use them halved or whole.

Either put the yogurt in the freezer for a while to thicken it, use Greek yogurt (it's thicker) or Strain the yogurt in cheesecloth for a while to release liquid and make it thicker.

Dip the strawberries in the yogurt.

Place on a wax paper, parchment or silpat lined sheed that fits in your freezer.

Freeze.

Package in an air-tight container for quick treats.

Serve with a toothpick.

Time does not include freezing.