Clinton Street Baking Company's Black & White Cake

Pumpkin?  In a chocolate cake?  Sounds weird.  omg.  It's totally delicious!  You don't taste the pumpkin at all, it's just used to keep the cake moist and dense.  And what a great job it does.  This cake is not your fluffy, spongy, i-can-crush-this-thing-into-a-ping-pong-ball-sized-piece-of-cake cake.  It's heavy.  Thick.  Dense.  Chocolatey.  and delicious.  It sounds like a lot of ingredients, but it was pretty straight forward and easy to make.  I only made one change, to the amount of milk in the frosting.  Mine didn't need more than 1/4 cup, even though the recipe calls for 1/2 a cup.  Add it slowly, in case you don't need all the milk.  You don't want runny frosting!

Original Recipe Here

Ingredients

Cake

• 1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, plus 1 yolk
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup buttermilk 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• ½ cup whole milk (I only used about 1/4 cup)

Chocolate Glaze

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chunks (52–62% cacao)

Directions

 

Make the Cake

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Lightly grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs and yolk and combine. Whisk the remaining dry ingredients together, in a separate bowl. Whisk the pumpkin puree together with the buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl. Alternate mixing dry ingredients with the pumpkin mixture into the egg mixture. Start with dry and end with wet. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool and unmold.

Make the Frosting

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter together until soft. Add the confectioners' sugar, blending in 1 cup at a time. Add the milk slowly, as needed, and mix until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

Make the Glaze

Heat the heavy cream, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan until boiling. Place the chocolate in a bowl. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate until it is completely melted, mixing gently with a rubber spatula until the glaze is smooth.

Assemble the Cake

Slice each cake in half with a long serrated knife to create 4 thin layers. Place 1 bottom layer on a cake plate. Ice the top with 3 to 4 tablespoons frosting and repeat with the remaining layers. You will have a 4-layer unfrosted cake. Then use a cake spatula to mask the top and sides until the cake is evenly frosted. Set it in the fridge for 10 minutes. Then remove the cake from the fridge and pour the chocolate glaze over the center of the cake until the top is covered and the glaze runs over the sides, still showing some frosting. Let the glaze set and serve.

Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies

Wow.  Someone sent me this recipe and how could I resist?!  Oreo?  Chocolate chip cookies?  Together?  Sign me up!  They were SO easy to make.  I made them while Lily napped and only had about 45 min to prep, mix, bake and taste test one.  They are quite rich, as it's 3 cookies in 1 (1 Oreo, and 2 choc chip cookies), but they're delicious anyway.  Grab a glass of milk, a cold Diet Coke, or whatever your beverage of choice is.  You'll need something to wash these down with.


Original recipe from Bon Appetit.


Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 package Double Stuff Oreo cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda.  Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.
4. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie.  Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie.  Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough.  Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Reese's PB Cookies

The best way I can brighten someone's day is by sending a giant box of homemade goods their way.  I knew I wanted to include my signature chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and a care package isn't complete without brownies, but I wanted to try some new recipes for the other cookies.  Headed to Allrecipes.com and found this quick and easy recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.  I never really made those Peanut Butter Blossom cookies that everyone makes at Christmas, but I suppose these are a pretty similar style of cookie.  Tender peanut butter cookie, stuffed with a dark chocolate Reese's peanut butter cup, and absolutely delicious.  They only bake for 8 minutes, and take about as long to prep.  I'd say the most time consuming part is unwrapping all those candies!  

The only change I made, was to unwrap the candies first, and place them in the freezer while I prepped and baked the cookies.  Besides that, I made the recipe exactly as stated, though I cut it in half, and I got exactly 20 cookies.  FYI, a bag of peanut butter cups has approximately 40 pieces, so for the full recipe, you'll need 1 bag.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
   
2. Unwrap peanut butter cups and place on a plate in the freezer until cookies are done (this helps keep them from falling apart otherwise).
3. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
   
4. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
   
5. Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
   
6. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes (do not overbake.  These really are done after 8 minutes). Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.
   

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies

When it snows, there's really nothing else to do but eat! So I went on a mini cooking spree yesterday. We made chocolate chocolate chip cake cookies, garlic breadsticks, and some other random goodies for dinner. These cookies are delicious! Follow the directions exactly. Cream the butter for 10 minutes, don't overbake, cool slightly before moving to a rack and wait til they're cool to eat one. Oddly enough, these cookies are MUCH better when they're cool. They're fudgy, and chocolatey and absolutely perfect for a cold snowy day!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This should take about 10 minutes! Add the eggs one at a time and mix to incorporate. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
3. In a 1 gallon plastic food bag, place the all-purpose flour, baking soda, kosher salt and cocoa powder. Seal the bag and massage the ingredients to combine. The mixture will appear homogenous with no separate ingredients showing.
4. Add the flour and cocoa mix to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix together until the dough appears completely combined - about 3 minutes. Add all the walnuts and chocolate chips and stir them into the dough. Drop by two teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Or roll into balls, place about two inches apart on the sheet, and flatten slightly with your fingers.
5. Bake for 11 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). The cookies will appear to be just barely firm with a sheen to their surfaces. Allow to cool on the sheet for about one minute before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Monkey Bread Cupcakes

As I've mentioned before, I subscribe to a wonderful blog called Cupcake Project, and Stef can literally make anything into a cupcake. She's awesome. This week, she made Monkey Bread cupcakes. And as I thought about it some more, I realized that not only have I never made Monkey Bread, but I really didn't even know what it was. People think that's crazy, but it's the truth! I had no clue. The recipe itself sounded delicious, somewhat time consuming, but fairly simple. A perfect project for my day off to keep me busy in between doing loads of laundry and cleaning the house. I started just before noon, and now it's 2:30pm and my cupcakes have about another 10 min to bake. So definitely make sure you have about 3 hours set aside to get these done.

Ingredients

• 1/2 C lukewarm water
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 t salt
• 1 T sugar
• 2 T instant yeast or rapid rise yeast
  
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1 ripe banana, cut into small slices
• chocolate chips or baking chunks to taste (about 2 oz)
• 2 T unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Place water, vegetable oil, egg, salt, sugar, and yeast in a medium bowl and mix well.
2. Add 1 cup of the flour, stirring to blend.
3. Add the second cup of flour, stirring to make a cohesive dough.
4. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes; this gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, making it easier to knead.
5. Knead the dough — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until it's soft and smooth.
6. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and let the dough rise for 30 to 60 minutes or until it's doubled in size.
7. Gently deflate the dough.
8. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
9. Place cupcake liners into a cupcake tin and lightly grease them with butter or cooking spray.
   
10. Pull off a small piece of dough. How small? You should get 24 pieces out of the batter so that you can have two pieces in each cupcake. However, unless you are having a dinner party for exactly 12 people, it doesn't really matter and you can make the pieces whatever size you would like.
11. Stretch the piece out, put a banana slice and several chocolate chips or baking chunks inside, and then roll it into a ball.
12. Dip the ball in the melted butter.
13. Dip the ball in the cinnamon and sugar.
14. Put the ball into the cupcake liner. You should be able to fit two balls into each cupcake liner. Be sure to press the 2 balls together firmly, so they bake as 1 unit.
    
15. Cover the cupcake tin and let the bread rise for 30 to 60 minutes, until it's visibly puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 F.
    
16. Uncover the cupcake tin and bake the monkey bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's golden brown and feels set.
    
17. While the monkey bread is baking, prepare the glaze.

Cinnamon Glaze
Ingredients

• 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 1 T milk
• 1/4 t cinnamon

Directions

1. Mix all of the ingredients together.
2. Drizzle over the hot cupcakes.
3. The cupcakes are best served warm. If you can't eat them immediately, reheat them in microwave for about 15 seconds before serving.

Dough in cupcake pan, not yet risen.

After dough had sat for about 35 minutes, and risen quite a lot!

Finished product is a gooey, sweet, slightly crispy monkey bread cupcake. Delicious!

Chocolate Sauerkraut Cookies

I know, I know. They sound dreadful. But really, they're quite delicious! Very chocolatey, and the sauerkraut gives just a hint of bitterness. They end up being a very cake-like cookie. Dense, but still soft, if that makes sense. The flavor of the sauerkraut isn't overly pronounced, so you could probably frost these with just about anything, or eat them plain like we've been doing for the past half hour. I posted a mocha icing recipe below, which I think would be delicious, but I just realized I don't have chocolate chips, so I can't try it tonight. Bummer!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sauerkraut (drained, and rinsed)

Directions

1. Rinse the sauerkraut with cold water in a strainer. Make sure it's rinsed well! Let it sit in the strainer while you prepare the remainder of the ingredients.
2. Beat the butter & sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until creamy and well incorporated.
3. Mix in the vanilla extract, cocoa powder and baking soda. Beat on low speed until well mixed.
4. Add half the buttermilk and half the flour, beating until smooth. Add remaining buttermilk and flour, beat until smooth.
5. Pour the sauerkraut onto a cutting board. Spread out and blot dry with a paper towel (it will take several paper towels before kraut is dry). Then chop into small pieces. It's very important that the kraut is chopped finely.
6. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies rest on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack. When cool, frost with mocha icing.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Mocha Icing

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2-3 tsp strongly brewed coffee
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate chips with 2 tsp of the coffee in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir, and if the mixture is still lumpy, remove the spoon and microwave for an additional 20 seconds. If the mixture is still lumpy, microwave for an additional 20 seconds. When you are able to stir themixture smooth, set the bowl on the counter to cool to room temperature.
2. Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the softened butter until smooth.
3. Whisk in the powdered sugar and stir until the mixture is of spreading consistency. If it's too thick, add the remaining 1 tsp of coffee. If it's too thin, stir in a little more powdered sugar.
   

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

For my niece's first birthday, I made a bunch of cupcakes baked in ice cream cones. When they were done, they really did look like soft-serve cones. They were a huge hit! I did half the cones with chocolate cake, and half with Funfetti. The chocolate ones were frosted with either peanut butter frosting or chocolate ganache, while the Funfetti ones got vanilla buttercream or strawberry buttercream. I also used fondant to make cutouts that spelled out "Happy Birthday Jena!" The rest of the cakes just got sprinkles. And off to the side is Bubbles the obese monkey, compliments of my friend Alanna. So talented!

Ingredients

• cake batter of your choice (enough batter for a standard 9" cake will make approximately 24 cones)
  
• 24 flat-bottom ice cream cones
  

Directions

1. Prepare your cake batter of choice. Use a cookie scoop to fill the cones to the first ridge (about 1" from the top). Place the cones in a mini cupcake pan and bake according to your cake instructions. Mine baked at 350 for about 20 minutes. When fully baked, remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
2. Frost the cupcakes using a large star tip, making sure to go all the way to the edge of the cone. This way, they look like they're really ice cream cones! Decorate, and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

A coworker frequently brings in various baked goods to share with us all, and this recipe has been brought in several times. I finally got the recipe and decided to give it a try. It yields a chewy cookie, that's sweet and a bit salty, and superbly delicious. I've tried making these in smaller sizes, but they just don't bake right. I'd recommend using an ice cream scoop for these, to make a nice giant sized cookie. I did make a few adjustments to the original recipe, which are noted below.

Ingredients

• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
  
• (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
  
• 1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (I used 1/2 tsp salt and it was plenty)
  
• 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter (I use salted butter)
  
• 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
  
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
  
• 1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (I use Ghiradelli's 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips)
  
• Sea salt

Directions

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt (I omit this, as they are plenty salty without this step) and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

   Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Black Bottom Goat Cheese Cupcakes

So I subscribe a fantastic cupcake blog, titled "Cupcake Project." The creativity that Stef has is just unbelievable! This girl can make any ingredient into a cupcake. And I find that fun! So being a goat cheese addict like myself, I decided to try her recipe for Black Bottom Cupcakes with Goat Cheese. They may sound a bit weird, but they're delicious! The goat cheese bakes into a puffy, creamy, cheesy goodness that makes these cupcakes perfect just as they are. No frosting necessary. I did have to make a few ingredient changes, just because I didn't have yogurt or unsweetened chocolate on hand. But they still turned out perfectly!

Ingredients
Cake

• 2 C flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 3/4 C butter, room temperature
• 1 1/3 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 C plain yogurt (2/3 C buttermilk)
  
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/3 C milk
• 5 oz baking chocolate, melted (15T cocoa + 5T butter)
  

Goat Cheese Topping

• 8 oz goat cheese
  
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and milk until blended.
4. Alternately fold in flour mixture and melted chocolate, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
5. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.
6. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the goat cheese topping.
7. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the topping onto the center of each cupcake.
8. Bake at 350 F for thirty minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry.

Still in the pan...cooling.

Ready to eat!!

Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs

I was asked to make some sugar cookies for a baby shower, and wanted to try a different recipe than the last time. Why, you ask? Because I like trying new recipes. Simple as that! This recipe is awesome, and works perfectly for sugar cookie cutouts. I used a round cutter, and they did flatten a bit, but they definitely kept their shape, which can be a real challenge with sugar cookies. The original recipe was a tad bland, so I added an additional cup of sugar and I think they're perfect.

I also used a new frosting from AllRecipes, again, because I like trying new recipes! It's very thick. I was expecting a thinner icing that I could dip the cookies into, but this definitely needed to be applied with a pastry brush. Not sure how I feel about that. I love the way it dries -- a glossy smooth finish with a nice shine, but the application process could be a bit frustrating for the average at-home baker.

Cookies
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar (I used 3)
  
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick (instead of flour, I use confectioners sugar to keep the surface from sticking while I roll it out). Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Frosting
Ingredients

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• assorted food coloring

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Baked cookies - I rolled dough to 1/2 inch thick and they definitely flattened a bit. Still chewy and soft on the inside though.

Frosted cookies - I used a pastry brush to paint the frosting on. These will be clocks when they're finished, but I'm waiting for the base to dry before using tempered chocolate to pipe on the numbers and clock hands. Updates to follow...

Finished clock cookies

Chocolate Banana Chip Cookies

Everyone knows when your bananas start turning black, it's time to make banana bread! This time though, it was time to make banana chocolate chip cookies. These little babies are SO delicious and versatile! You could add chocolate chips, toasted walnuts, dried banana chips, etc. The original recipe is from the Golden Book of Chocolate. The only change I made was to omit the chopped dried banana chips, and use banana extract instead of vanilla extract, just to punch it up a bit.

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (I used light brown, as it's all I had)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used 1 tsp banana extract)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large banana, peeled and mashed
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried banana chips (I omitted)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (I recommend convention, instead of convection. For some reason, these just don't bake as well in convection.). Butter 3 baking sheets, or line with parchment.
2. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
3. With mixer on low speed, beat in the banana and mixed dry ingredients, followed by the chocolate and banana chips. Drop teaspoons of the dough 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. (You can use a cookie scoop for standard size cookies, or an ice cream for Bickford sized cookies!! We like our cookies jumbo sized...)
   
4. Bake until just golden, 15-20 minutes. Cool on the sheets until the cookies firm slightly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool completely.

Root Beer Float Ice Cream

We made a cake at work that only required egg whites, so I was able to bring home a plethora of yolks. And what do you make with egg yolks? Ice cream! Last night we made Ina Garten's Espresso ice cream, which is delicious. And tonight we made Root Beer Float ice cream. I brought home some root beer concentrate (also from work, of course!) and we just added it to Alton Brown's basic ice cream base recipe. So creamy and good. It tastes just like a float -- creamy and frothy, and just enough root beer. I also didn't have enough 1/2 and 1/2 for the recipe, so I ended up using 1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 and 3 cups heavy cream. It's luxurious!

**Quick Update** I don't recommend using this much cream! It's tasty, but the fat content is just a tad bit too high. I'd suggest using the original recipe of 3 cups 1/2 and 1/2 and 1 cup heavy cream.

Ingredients

• 9 ounces sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• 3 cups 1/2 & 1/2
• 1 Tbsp root beer concentrate
  
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Over medium heat, bring the cream and 1/2 & 1/2 just barely to a simmer.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks until they're light and creamy. Slowly whisk in the sugar until light and THICK. You want the mixture to fall from the whisk slowly and sort of clump when it reaches the bowl. If it's runny, keep whisking. It takes a while to get it to the right consistency.

3. Slowly add 1/3 of the cream into the eggs while whisking constantly. Once that's mixed and the eggs are tempered, slowly add the remaining cream into the eggs and whisk to combine. Add in the root beer concentrate and stir until thoroughly mixed.

4. Return cream/egg mixture to the heat, and stir on medium low until it reaches 170 degrees. Move mixture to a metal bowl and cool in sink filled with cold water. Once mixture reaches room temperature, refrigerate to 40 degrees.

5. Add mixture to ice cream machine and follow manufacturer's directions.

Ina Garten's Espresso Ice Cream

We were making a cake at work last week that called for about 40 whites. With nothing to do with the yolks, I decided to bring them home and make ice cream! First on the list was Ina Garten's Espresso Ice Cream. We're huge fans of Alton Brown's ice cream, but this recipe is slightly different. Next time, I'd definitely double it, since the recipe doesn't make very much (about 1 quart). It's quite espresso-y though and delicious. Creamy, velvety, and packed full of flavor.

**Quick Update** After eating a few bowls of the ice cream, it still tastes delicious, but the consistency is a bit icy. I think I'll go back to my tried and true Alton Brown recipe, as it's got a much creamier texture. Nice try Ina, but Alton's got you beat!

Ingredients

• 3 cups half-and-half
• 6 extra-large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground espresso coffee beans, decaffeinated or regular
• 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) chocolate-covered espresso beans, chopped

Directions

1. Heat the half-and-half until it forms bubbles around the edge of the pan and steam starts to rise. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until mixed. Slowly add the hot half-and-half until combined. Wipe out the pan and pour the mixture back into the clean pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (until it reaches 170 degrees), for 5 to 10 minutes, until it's thickened and the cream coats the back of the spoon.
2. Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Add the ground espresso beans, coffee liqueur, and vanilla and refrigerate until completely chilled.
3. Pour the espresso cream into an ice-cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Mix in the chopped espresso beans, spoon into a container, and allow to freeze for a few hours. Soften slightly before serving.

Rolo Cookies

I was in Barnes & Noble right after Christmas and came across the most eye-catching chocolate cookbook ever. It was a deep, dark, rich chocolate brown, with a shiny gold cover, appropriately titled, "The Golden Book of Chocolate." A good 30 minutes were spent browsing through the book, with its shiny gold coated pages and intriguing photographs. About 3 days later, when I found myself still dreaming of the book, I ordered it through B&N.com, saved about $12, and anxiously awaited for it to arrive on my doorstep.
After flipping through 800 some pages of delectable desserts, I decided to try the Caramel Cookies, mainly because they called for Rolos, of which I have plenty. They are just dreamy. Sweet, fluffy, tender, crumbly, gooey, chocolatey, and warm! Simple to make with standard ingredients on hand (nothing's worse than a cookbook that constantly calls for specialty ingredients that you don't have in the pantry), and damn tasty.

The recipe does call for dried banana chips, which I omitted, because it didn't sound appetizing to me. Next time, I would probably add a bit more Rolos, but for now, these will have to do.

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp firmly backed dark brown sugar (I used light brown again, as I didn't have dark brown on hand)
• 2 large eggs
• 8 oz caramel-filled chocolates, such as Rolos, chopped (I used 4 rolls of Rolos, but next time would use 5)
• 3 oz dried banana chips, coarsely chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp milk

Directions

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Beat the butter and brown sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer, at high speed, until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just blended.
3. With mixer on low, beat in mixed dry ingredients, chocolates, banana chips and milk.
   
4. Divide the dough in 2 and form 2 8-inch logs. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, sprayed with non-stick spray. Slice the dough in 1/2 inch thick pieces and place 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake until the edges are firm and the centers are still slightly soft, 15-18 minutes. Cool on the sheets until the cookies are firm slightly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Rolo Pretzels

This is pretty much the easiest and fastest dessert recipe out there. It came about because every year for Christmas, I get a giant box of Rolos. That's 36 rolls of Rolos! So I figured it was time to get busy trying out some recipes involving the Rolos, so we don't just sit in front of the TV pigging out.

Ingredients

• Small pretzels -- twists or circles work best
• Rolos - you'll need 1 Rolo per pretzel (FYI - 8 Rolos come in each roll)
• Toasted walnuts -- halves or chopped, or you can use pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. Spray with non-stick spray and wipe with a paper towel.
2. Arrange pretzels in a single layer on sheet pan. Top each pretzel with a Rolo.
3. Bake at 325 for 5 minutes, until Rolos are soft, but not melted.
4. Remove pan from oven and using nuts, smoosh the Rolo and press the nuts into it. Let them cool completely on the parchment/tin foil, then store in an air tight container.

Mascarpone Cheesecake

This is, by far, one of the best cheesecake recipes I've ever made. It's super simple to make, but it's so creamy and smooth and rich and delicious! I've made it plain, and with pumpkin, and both versions are awesome.

This particular time I made it, was the first time I'd used my oven in the new house. So my timing was off and it was slightly underdone, which is why the picture shows a pretty unclean looking piece of cake. But it's still quite tasty and who am I to let a little undercooked-ness ruin my evening?!

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 2/3 stick unsalted butter, melted
  
• 1/2 T. cinnamon
• 2 T. sugar

Directions

1. Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Pour graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and sugar into bottom of springform pan. Add melted butter and use fingers to combine ingredients until they are wet enough to be patted into a crust. Pat the crust into the bottom of the pan, not up the sides. Set aside.

Filling

• 2 lbs. cream cheese
• 1/2 lb. Mascarpone
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 T. and 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c pumpkin puree (I always buy the one for pumpkin pie, it says it has additional spices in it like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc)
  

Directions

1. Blend cheeses and sugar on low, until smooth. Do not overmix.
2. Add eggs and vanilla....blend on low until creamy. Reserve 1 cup of batter. Pour remaining batter into crust.
3. Mix reserved cup of batter with pumpkin puree and pour on top of regular batter. Swirl it together with a knife, or just spread evenly on top for a layered look.
   
4. Bake at 300 til almost set...about 45min to an hour. Cool completely before removing from pan.

Honey Carrot Cake

Got this recipe from a friend of mine. Using half honey and half sugar gives the cake a sweet flavor without being too sweet. If you are a huge fan of honey, you can actually substitute (1:1 ratio) honey for the granulated sugar in the recipe.

Ingredients

• 6oz all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5.3 oz canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 4.63 oz honey
• 4.63 oz granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 5.75 oz carrots, shredded finely
• 1.3 oz walnuts, chopped

Directions

1. Sift dry ingredients into medium sized bowl.
2. Whisk eggs, honey and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy/foamy.
3. Gradually drizzle in oil until incorporated.
4. Add dry ingredients to whipped egg mixture and mix just until combined.
5. Add carrots and walnuts, folding by hand until incorporated.
6. Place 2 pounds of batter in a parchment lined 9" cake pan, and bake about 40 minutes at 365 degrees, or until skewer comes out clean.

I usually end up with a little bit of extra batter, which I use to make cupcakes or mini bundt cakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 8oz package of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add butter and vanilla, and mix for 2 minutes, until well combined.
2. Slowly add in powdered sugar and beat until fluffy consistency.
3. Use immediately or keep well covered in refrigerator.

This is a very traditional cream cheese frosting. It's not overly sweet and has more of a cream cheese taste to it than sugar. If you prefer something sweeter, you may want to double the powdered sugar.

Martini Cookies

So a friend of mine is getting married in about 3 weeks, and I've been asked to make her wedding favors. A crab shaped sugar cookie! I made the same ones for my wedding, so it shouldn't too difficult. But at the last minute, she also asked me to make some cookies for her bachelorette party. Gotta love Christy's flexibility, since she said "just make something cute. Surprise me!" So I went with the martini glass, figuring that was appropriate for the party. Her wedding colors are teal (and something else, which I can't remember, as it's only 5:40am!), so I made the tops of the martinis teal, to run with the theme. All in all, I think they look great! Congratulations Christy!! Have fun at your party! :)

Final Shower goodies

So the goodies for the baby shower are complete! I ended up making an apple spice cake with pumpkin spice buttercream, chocolate chocolate chip cupcakes, and vanilla sugar cookies for favors. The baby's room will be lavender and sage, with a daisy and lamb theme. So I ran with the colors and daisies and tried to make something Springy and fun for the shower this weekend.

Shower Cake - Test #1

So in addition to the daisy cupcakes, I'll also be making an apple pie spice cake since my sister-in-law is not into chocolate these days. I'd never attempted an entire cake with basketweave before, I'd learned it in culinary school but that's about it. So for my first shot at basketweave, I'm pretty happy. I need to work on the spacing a bit, but that's ok.

For the shower, The vertical lines will be lavender, and the horizontal ones will be sage, and there will be a lavender sugar daisy in the center of the top.

The cake itself is a spice cake with 2 cups of diced apples, then buttercream flavored with apple pie spice in the center and top. The buttercream around the edges is just plain vanilla buttercream.