Peanut Butter Bar Cookies

Okay so I made up this recipe and it turned out super super good (and naughty).

Filling:
1/2 c peanut butter
2 Tbsp Softened Butter
1/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 C. Powdered sugar

Cream peanut butter and butter together. Slowly mix in 1/2 c powdered sugar. Add vanilla. Mix in remaining powdered sugar (should be slightly sticky). Put in refrigerator until cookie dough is made.

Cookie dough:
3/4 c butter, softened
1/2 c peanut butter
1 1/4 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 c oatmeal
2 3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350
Cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Then add eggs vanilla and oats.
In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly mix in flour mixture.

To make cookies: take out filling
Use a cookie scoop (mine is a 1 1/2 tbsp size). Scoop a level scoop and roll it into a ball, then take your finger and made a depression in the cookie. fill cookie with about a 1/2 tsp. filling, then pinch the dough closed and roll it into a ball again. Repeat until all are made. Bake about 10 mins. Let cool completely.

Chocolate ganache:

1 bag semi sweet or milk chocolate chips (12 oz)
3/4 c heavy cream

put in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30 second increments until chocolate in smooth and shiny (be careful not to burn!).  I like to put it in while the cookies are baking for about 40 seconds and then let it sit until needed.  Then if it needs to be heated more you can, but it may not.  Reheat again later on for about 15-20 secs if needed to keep it smooth.   I just spooned it on a spreaded (not really a word :))  it around the tops of each cookie.

Mrs. Field's snickerdoodles

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For rolling:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with
an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and
beat until smooth.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and
cream of tartar.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for
30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.

5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the
topping.

6. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a
ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it
onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.

7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies
may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are
removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be
soft and chewy in the middle.

Makes 16 to 18 cookies.

These are really good ones!

Fresh Berry Rustic Tarts

These were awesome! Definitely an easy take on a pie but good for company too. My only recommendation with this recipes is to not leave leftovers (which isn't hard to do) because the dough doesn't stay crispy while it sits.

Yields 8 Tarts

Tart Dough:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 sticks Butter
1/2 cup cold water (I only used about 6 Tbsp.)
1 Tbsp. Heavy Cream

Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bow. Add cold butter pieces and toss to mix. Transfer to food processor and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer back to bowl, add water and cream. Toss lightly then squeeze with hands until dough comes together. Form dough into a square, wrap in plastic and chill until ready to use (at least a couple of hours or overnight).

Berry Tarts:
4 cups Assorted Berries
1/2 cup + 4 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 Lemon zest & Juice
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 cup milk or cream
4 Tbsp. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

Cut chilled tart dough into eight equal pieces. Roll onto floured surface into circles about 1/8" thick and about 6" in diameter. Set aside. Clean and trim larger berries, set aside in large bowl. Combine with lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl combine cornstarch and sugar. Add to berries and toxx until thoroughly coated. To assemble, spoon about 1/2 cup berry mixture into center of tart dough. Fold edges of dough onto center, pleating as you go until all the berry mixture is covered. Repeat with remaining pestry circles. Divide between two sheet pans that are lined with parchment paper and sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Brush tops of tarts with milk or cream, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven until deep golden brown, 30-45 minutes. While still hot, carefully remove tarts from sheet pan and allow to cool slightly on a rack before serving. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.

Carmelitas

Help me!  These are so bad.  They don't taste bad but are very very good.  That's the problem.  Find someone to share with or you will gain 5 lbs.  Easy. We shared them with John's team.  Those guys and gals LOVE me.

32 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.
Store at room temp.  Double for a 9X13 pan.

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Caramel Spice Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting.

This is an adaptation from the cake recipe Crystal posted awhile back. I made these for YW's and they were super yummy!

CAKE:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
2 peeled shredded apples
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, I didn't add any nuts)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl cream together butter & sugar. Add egg & beat well. Add shredded apples & mix well. Stir in dry ingredients & mix until just combined. Stir in nuts. Spoon into muffin liners and bake for about 12-18 mins.

CARAMEL SPICE FILLING:
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

In a small sauce pan on medium heat, melt together butter, sugar & milk. Bring to boil and cook until it reaches soft ball stage (stirring constantly). Remove from heat and add vanilla & nutmeg. Pour immediately from pan into another container with out scraping sides and let cool slightly. Once cooled pour into a pastry bag and fill cupcakes by sticking the tip of bag in the middle of the cupcake and squirting until it starts to come out of the top.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

1 8oz pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter. softened

2 tsp. vanilla

about 4 C. powdered sugar

milk to thin out if necessary (can use the rest of the evaporated milk)

Beat cream cheese and butter until well blended. Add vanilla and mix. Slowly add in the powdered sugar (taste after you've added about 3 cups and then add till you like the taste). If you need the frosting to be thinner at this point for spreading or piping add a couple Tbsp. of milk until it gets there. I like to put it into a piping bag without a tip on it and just swirl from the outsides in!

Strawberry Cake

Edited Sept. 2011

This is the recipe I used to make Paige's birthday cake, which turned out really yummy! I've made a few modifications and I also made it raspberry instead of Strawberry....although next time I'll just do strawberry. It makes a pink cake.....which is what I was instructed by Paige to make:) Ohh, and also it cooked up perfectly even and without any problems, which is so nice!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups white sugar (I lowered the amount of sugar....and you could probably do even less, it's plenty sweet)

• 1/3 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin, add slowly until the batter is a nice soft pink color. (just eyeball it....the original recipe said to use the whole pkg. but it makes it really dense and almost mushy....didn't like it!)

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 4 eggs (room temperature)

• 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour

• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 cup Buttermilk, room temperature

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a small knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, before tapping out to cool completely

**Variation: Strawberry Cheesecake Cake - mix 1 pkg. of cream cheese with 2 cups powdered sugar and spoon on top of cake batter before cooking. Really Yummy!!!

Sugar-Top Coffee Cake

This is a favorite of mine. It reminds me of special occasions at our house growing up! Super yummy

1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt

Beat egg until frothym add sugar and butter. Cream until light and fulffy. Add sour cream and vanilla. Bleand well. Sift dry ing. and mix. Pour into 8X10 pan. Sprinkle on topping.

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp. softened butter

Mix until crumbly and sprinkle on top.
Bake at 375 for 25-30 mins. or until it looks done. Serve warm

Mels Kitchen Cafe Recipes

Here are a few yummy things I've made recently from Mels Kitchen Cafe:

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Grilled Island Chicken

Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding Pie

Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Bars

Rice Pudding

I made a ton of brown rice the other day and am trying to use it before we leave town so I just made this and am eating as I post. It turned out sooo yummy, it's very creamy not thick like other recipes I've tried! and it's easy

1 1/2 c. cooked rice (I used brown and it turned out great)
2 c. milk, divided (I ran out of reg, so for the rest I used evaporated)
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg beaten
1 T. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. raisins (I didn't add)

Directions:
1. put rice and 1 1/2 cups milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, simmer for 15-20 mins, until it's thick and creamy.
2. add remaining 1/2 cup milk and beaten egg and cook for two more minutes, stirring constantly.
3. remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, and raisins if you use them.

Also, I added about a 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, and that did it for me! it just enhanced the sweetness.

Deep, Dark Chocolate Brownies

Camille made these brownies for Emree's blessing, and they were so good that I actually wanted to make them (I usually don't feel this way about brownies!). Thanks Camille for finding them. Ohh and the recipe came from Melskitchencafe.com

2 sticks (8 oz) butter
8 oz good-quality semisweet chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×9 inch metal pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Alternatively, you may use parchment. These are pretty sticky at first!

Melt butter and chocolate in a 3-qt heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Add 1 cup of the sugar to the hot chocolate mixture. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.

Whisk in remaining 1 cup sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time until mixture is glossy and smooth. Whisk in salt and cocoa powder, then add flour and stir until it disappears (do not overbeat).

Spread in pan and bake until a pick inserted in center comes out with crumbs, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature then chill for an hour or more. Lift from pan, place on a cutting board, cut into squares.
Makes 1 13×9 inch pan (yield depends on how big you cut your brownies, but they are rich, so small is fine.

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

This recipe is from Joyce....we had it at Marsha's shower and it was soooooo good!!! Thanks Joyce!

2 ½ cups cake flour
 (I used the substitution listed at end of recipe)
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature

3 tbsp grated lemon zest (about 3 lemons)

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ¾ cups granulated sugar

12 tbsp (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature

FROSTING:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp buttermilk

Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a glass 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
Combine flour, powder, soda and salt in a medium bowl. Combine buttermilk, lemon juice and vanilla.
Beat granulated sugar and lemon zest until moist and fragrant, about 1 minute. Reserve 1/4 cup of sugar mixture; cover and set aside. Add butter to remaining sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and yolk, one at a time, until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions. Mix until smooth about 30 seconds.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes.
For the glaze:
 While cake cools, whisk confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice and buttermilk until smooth. Gently spread over warm cake. Sprinkle evenly with reserved sugar. Cool completely, at least 2 hours.
Variations:
 Substitute for cake flour- 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 5 tablespoons corn starch.

Glazed Lemon Cookies

Apparently these are delicious. I took them to a wedding shower, without really tasting them BTW, and (not to brag just illustrating their deliciousness) they were the hit of the night. I should have doubled the recipe because they were seriously gone in 10 minutes. Everyone wanted the recipe. So I'm sharing with you. (These look a lot harder than they are, these are just extremely detailed instructions.

MAKES ABOUT 30Lemon Cookies

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. Lemon Zest (about 2 Lemons)
2 Tbsp. Lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
12 Tbsp. ( 1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2” cubes
1 lg. egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze
1 Tbsp. softened cream cheese
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
yellow food coloring (optional)
lemon zest (optional)

Directions Cookies:
1. For the cookies: Adjust oven racks so cookies can cook in the middle; heat oven to 375 degrees F. (Note: I'd wait until you take dough out of the freezer.)

Method 1 : Food Processor
2. In the bowl of food processor, process granulated sugar and zest until it looks damp and zest is thoroughly incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Scatter butter chunks over. Pulse until mixture resembles fine cornmeal, about 15 one-second pulses.In a measuring cup or small bowl, beat lemon juice, yolk, and vanilla until combined.With machine running, add juice/yolk mixture in slow, steady stream (process should take about 10 seconds); continue processing until dough begins to form ball, 10 to 15 seconds longer. Continue to step 3.

Method 2: Stand or Hand Mixer
2. Use softened butter.Rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers until wet and sandy. Cream softened butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients in several additions, mixing well after each addition. The dough will be crumbly.Continue to step 3.

3. Turn dough and any dry bits out onto counter (or board); working quickly, gently knead the dough together to ensure no dry bits remain and dough is homogeneous. (Note: My dough was really wet, I think it's because I didn't really measure my lemon juice and used the juice of two lemons. Anyways if it is wet roll it around in extra flour until it's not so sticky.) Roll dough into a large disk.Wrap disk in plastic wrap. Chill dough until firm and cold, about 45 minutes in freezer or 2 hours in refrigerator. (Note: don't skimp on this part, if the dough isn't cold enough it'll be really hard to work with.)

4. Spray baking sheets with nonstick spray. Remove dough from wrapping and shape into 1" balls. Place on baking sheet, spacing them about 1" apart. Place dough back in freezer between bakings.

5. Bake until edges are barely brown, about 10-12 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet about 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack, or wax paper and cool to room temperature before glazing.

Glaze
1. Whisk cream cheese and lemon juice until no lumps remain. Add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. (Note: I added yellow food coloring to my glaze so it would look more lemony and less eggy.)

2. When cookies have cooled, working one at a time, hold them with your fingertips on the side and dip top of cookie into glaze. Shake of excess glaze as your lifting cookie out. Turn cookie upright and give it a little shake to smooth out glaze. (Note: because I was taking them to a shower I wanted people to know they were lemon, so I added zest on top. Make sure you put the zest on right after you glaze them because the glaze dries fast.) Let glazed cookies dry at room temperature, about 1 hour.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

So good. I made these to eat with Camille's french onion soup. Yum!

*Makes 24 muffins

For the muffins:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree

For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

For the streusel topping:
½ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and whip until smooth. Form into a log on plastic wrap or greased foil, making sure that the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan. Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until slightly hardened, 1-2 hours.

To make the muffins, combine the flour, spices, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside. In another large bowl combine the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and pumpkin puree. Mix until well combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

To make the streusel topping, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two muffin pans with paper liners. To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well 1/3 of the way with batter. Remove the cream cheese log from the freezer and slice into 24 equal slices. Place a slice on top of the batter in each muffin well and gently press (don't press all the way to the bottom but just slightly into the batter). Divide the remaining muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of the batter. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the top of the muffin (about 1/3 of the way down) comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Pomegranate Cheesecake

If you like cheesecake, you will love this. I made it for our Christmas dinner. It was time consuming, so better for a special occasion. And make it to share because if you don't you'll eat it all!

Crust:1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
Filling:4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat worked great)
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
3/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Topping:
1 1/2 cups sour cream (again, reduced fat worked great)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pomegranate Glaze:
1-16-ounce bottle pomegranate juice (usually found in the refrigerated section of juices)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

For the crust:

preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl beat butter on medium high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar. Beat until combined. Add egg; beat well. Beat in flour until combined. Divide dough in half. Cover one portion and set it aside.Remove the sides from a 10-inch springform pan and set aside. Spread first portion of dough on just the bottom of ungreased springform pan base, spreading dough to edges. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely. When cool, attach sides of pan. Press chilled dough onto the sides of the sprinform pan to a height of 1-3/4 inches, using a thin metal spatula, like an offset spatula, to spread dough.

For the filling:

reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. In an extra-large mixing bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the flour on low speed until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla all at once, beating on low speed just until combined. Mix in sour cream and lemon peel. Then, using a wooden spoon or a spatula, gently fold in pomegranate seeds (if you use the electric mixer for this part, the seeds will burst and stain the filling with the juice - and it won't look as pretty).Pour filling into crust-lined pan. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 65 minutes or until edges are puffed and center jiggles slightly when gently shaken. Remove from oven. (It doesn't matter if the cheesecake cracks on top since it will have a sour cream topping.)

For the topping:

stir together sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Spread sour cream mixture over top of baked cheesecake, spreading gently to the edges. Return to oven; bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen crust from sides of pan. Cool for 30 minutes more. Remove sides of pan; cool completely. Cover; chill 4 hours or overnight.

For pomegranate glaze:

in a medium saucepan bring pomegranate juice to boiling; reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, until reduced to 1 cup (12 to 15 minutes). In a separate bowl, stir together brown sugar and cornstarch. Add to juice. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Transfer to a medium bowl; cover surface with clear plastic wrap. Cool to room temperature. Store, covered, in refrigerator until serving time.When ready to serve, remove cheesecake and pomegranate glaze from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Spoon some sauce over top of cheesecake; pile remaining pomegranate seeds in center of cheesecake. To serve, slice cheesecake. Pass remaining sauce. Makes 16 servings.

Chocolate Eclair Cream Puffs

So this is the recipe for the cream puffs that were at my wedding. These really aren't as hard as they appear and I thought they were really fun to make. Also who doesn't like an eclair/cream puff right?

Makes about 12 large

Puff Dough
1 cup water
4 eggs (room temperature - **this step is very important**)
1 cup sifted flour
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 tsp. salr
1 Tbsp. sugar

Step 1
Bring water to boil with salt and butter. As soon as butter melts and full boil begins, add flour all at once. Stir Rapidly. Remove from heat and continue stirring till mixture looks like cornmeal mush.
Tip:(Since I have never made cornmeal mush before I kind of stopped stirring until I couldn't stir anymore. Which is basically until it is just combined.)
Step 2
Add eggs one at a time. Beat each one till it blends in well. (I would definitely use a hand mixer for this unless you want a workout)
Step 3
For miniature puffs, drop by teaspoon on to greased, heavy cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place puffs in oven and turn down immediatly to 400 degrees. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or till light brown on top. (It is important that they are cooked long enough, under cooking will cause them to collapse.) Remove from oven and slit sides to allow steam to escape. (I did this and eventually ended up cutting the whole top off because it was easier to fill them that way.) After cutting take out any loose batter. Allow to cool completely before filling.
Step 4
For dessert size puffs, drop from large spoon in desired shape. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Follow the same instructions as for miniature puffs after they are removed from oven. (I don't think I cooked them the entire time so make sure to keep an eye on things.)


Cream Filling
1 small pkg. Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream (you could substitute cool whip)

Step 1
Prepare pudding with milk and let set-up in fridge.
Step2
Whip cream like you usually would...with sugar and vanilla.
Step 3
Fold pudding and cream together.
Step 4
Fill cooled puffs.
Tip: If you like a lot of cream in your puffs (which I do) you may want to double this or add more cream to make it go further. When I made these I had enough to fill all mine but 2.


Chocolate Glaze/Frosting
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. boiling water (or a little more, if necessary
2 c. powdered sugar

Step 1
Mix all ingredients together. Play with powdered sugar and water until you get the right consistency.
Step 2
Spread on top of filled cream puffs.

Apple spice cake with caramel spice sauce.

So, while all of you are enjoying your beautiful fall, I can only dream of a beautiful fall. I miss the cool weather, sweaters, apple orchards, leaves changing and all of the greatness of fall (my favorite season). So, I have to pretend it's fall. This recipe made my house smell all warm and spicy; even if it's 80 degrees outside (and 90 in my kitchen because the oven is on).

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
2 un-peeled shredded apples
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl cream together butter & sugar. Add egg & beat well. Add shredded apples & mix well. Stir in dry ingredients & mix until just combined. Stir in nuts. Pour into a greased 9x9 pan & bake for 40-50 minutes. Serve with caramel spice sauce & whipped cream.

**double recipe for 9x13 pan & bake for 45-60 minutes.

Caramel Spice Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

In a small sauce pan on medium heat, melt together butter, sugar & milk
for 10-15 minutes (do not boil). Stir frequently. Add vanilla & nutmeg.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

This recipe is mainly for me so I know where it is when I want to make it again. I made it for John's Birthday, his favorite. It was really good!

3 1/2 C chopped strawberries
3 1/2 C chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 C sugar
2 T corn starch
2 T tapioca
dash of salt
2 pie crusts (Grandma Thompson's)

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, and mix. Stir in strawberries and rhubarb. Let sit for 15 minutes. Pour into pie crust. Place remaining crust on top and slie to vent. Brush crust with milk, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Begin checking after 20 minutes, and place pie ring when edges begin to brown. (I don't have a pie ring, but the edges didn't burn.)

Strawberry lemonade bars

What says summer better than strawberry lemonade? How about strawberry lemonade bars? Yum!

Crust
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar & salt until light & fluffy. Add flour & mix until just combined. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper that hangs over the long sides. Spray parchment paper & sides with non-stick cooking spray.
Press crust into the bottom of pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until just starting to turn golden. (my modification. I doubled the crust and put into a jelly roll sheet, but I didn't double the rest of the recipe)

lemon curd layer
8 egg yolks
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice

In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients & pour over hot crust. Return to oven & cook for an additional 25-30 minutes. Chill in the fridge while making the next layer. (if you use the jelly roll pan you don't need to cook as long because it is a thinner layer)
~
lemon cream layer
2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
grated zest from 1 lemon
1 pint strawberries, hulled & sliced

In a medium bowl, whip together all ingredients until thick & fluffy. Spread over cooled lemon curd layer. Arrange the sliced strawberries over the top of the cream layer. Place in the fridge to chill while making strawberry glaze.

strawberry glaze
1 pint strawberries, pureed in blender or food processor
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP corn starch

In a medium pot, over medium heat, combine strawberries & water. In a small bowl, combine sugar & corn starch. Whisk sugar into strawberry mixture. Bring just to a boil, whisking constantly. Spread over sliced strawberries. Return to fridge to chill completely.

Enjoy!

These took me a long time to make. It may just be that I was trying to make them in a small kitchen with feedings for baby in between. But they were worth it.

Pumpkin Spice Whoopies

This is a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, and it is soooo good! Make sure you have someone to share it with or you just might eat them all and be sick!

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 c softened butter
1 pkg. spice cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 recipe Marshmallow-spice filling (below)

Preheat oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl combined softened butter and pumpkin and beat until smooth. Add cake mix, eggs, and milk; beat until combined, then for 1 more minute,

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or foil (grease if using). Drop batter by heaping tablespoons 3 inches apart onto cookie sheet; keep remaining batter chilled. Bake for 15 minutes or until set and light brown around edges. Carefully remove from parchment or foil; cool. Repeat.

Spread about 2 1/2 tbsps Marshmallow-spice filling onto the flat side of one cookie; top with a second cookie. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 2 hours. Makes 15 cookie sandwiches.

Marshmallow-Spice Filling:

1/2 cup softened butter
8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 of 7 oz. jar of marshmallow creme
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar slowly. Mix in marshmallow creme and vanilla. Then add in spices.

Devin's Desert

This is the dessert I made for Devin's birthday party. It's pretty yummy!

Cake:

3/4 c butter, softened
2 eggs
2 3/4 c All purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c buttermilk or sour milk
1 small can sprite (8 oz, I think)

Allow eggs and butter to come to room temperature. Meanwhile grease 9X13 pan WELL. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl beat butter, than add sugar and vanilla, beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time mixing well after each addition. In a measuring cup, Mix 3/4 cup Sprite with Buttermilk. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to butter mixture until just combined. Pour into pan then pour the rest of the sprite on top.

Bake for 30-50 minutes (the recipe says 50, but mine was done in 30). Cool Completely

Pudding mixture:

2 pkgs white chocolate instant pudding
3 cups cold milk
whipping cream

Mix together pudding and milk and allow to set. Whip the cream. Fold in about 1 cup of the unsweetened whipped cream.

Sweeten the rest of the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla for topping.

To Assemble:

Put cake on bottom (it will crumble so let it!). Put fruit on top of that (any fruit will work, but I really like blueberries, they make it taste like a blueberry cheese cake to me.....oh and frozen works well too). Then put pudding mixture on top of that and top with whipped cream and enjoy!