Sick Brownie Bites

Ingredients

Cooking spray, for coating the baking pan

1 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs

2/3 cup shredded coconut

2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Big pinch kosher salt

Confectioners' sugar, for rolling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine the graham crackers, coconut, walnuts, condensed milk, chocolate chips and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press to the edges.

Bake until the chocolate melts and the top is golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir the hot mixture in the pan until the chocolate is incorporated throughout. Press back out to the edges and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Scoop out the brownie mixture by the tablespoon and shape into balls. While still warm, roll each ball in the sugar to coat.  When cool, roll again.

Recipe from Foodnetwork.com

Enjoy!

Cherry Almond Cake

A tender buttermilk cake with cherries, an almond streusel topping and sweet almond glaze

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, stemmed, pitted and halved

To make the Almond Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup almond paste, crumbled
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Pinch of salt

To make the Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan or pie plate. Set aside.

2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in egg, buttermilk, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix until combined.

4. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Arrange cherries on top of batter.

5. To make the almond streusel topping-in a small bowl combine flour, brown sugar, almond paste, butter, and salt. Mix together with your fingers until crumbly. Top the cake with streusel topping.

6. Bake cake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 50-55 minutes. Let cool in pan. T

7. While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, almond extract, and just enough of the milk to make a pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cake and garnish with toasted almond slices, if using.

8. Cut the cake and serve.

Recipe from Twopeasandtheirpod

Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Ingredients

2  cups flour

3⁄4cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 cup cranberries

1 egg

3⁄4 cup orange juice

1⁄4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Combine dry ingredients.

Stir in cranberries.

Beat egg, orange juice, oil and orange rind.

Add to dry ingredients all at once.

Stir just to moisten.

Spoon into greased muffin cups (fill 3/4 full).

Sprinkle tops with sugar.

Bake 400F 15-20 mins until lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Recipe from Food.com

French Apple Cake

Ingredients

1½ pounds Granny Smith apples (about 4 large apples), peeled, cored, cut into 8 wedges, and sliced ⅛ inch thick crosswise
1 tablespoon Calvados, apple brandy or white rum
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar, for dusting

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place the prepared pan on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

2. Place the apple slices into pie plate, cover with an inverted plate, and microwave until the apples are pliable and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Toss the apple slices with Calvados and lemon juice and let cool for 15 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of the flour, 1 cup of the granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole egg, oil, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Transfer 1 cup of the batter to a separate small bowl and set aside.

5. Add the egg yolks to the remaining batter in the large bowl and whisk to combine. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the cooled apples. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan; using an offset spatula, spread the batter evenly to the pan edges, gently pressing on the apples to create even, compact layer, and smooth surface.

6. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour into the reserved batter. Pour over the batter in the pan and spread evenly to the pan edges and smooth the surface. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar evenly over the cake.

7. Bake until the center of the cake is set, a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Run a paring knife around the sides of the pan and cool completely, 2 to 3 hours. Dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving.

Recipe from The Brown Eyed Baker

Tres' Bon!

Cranberry Cake Squares

Ingredients

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

12 oz fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl. Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.

Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. (I baked mine for 43 minutes.) Let cool completely before cutting into small squares.

Enjoy!

Nutella Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

½ cup NUTELLA®

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

½ cup milk

a pinch of salt

Cream Filling:

1 1/2 cups shortening

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/3 cups marshmallow topping
Dash salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk

Fall colored sugar/sprinkles (optional)

 Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Make the marshmallow cream filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all ingredients except the milk and beat well. Add just enough milk to achieve a creamy consistency. Set aside.

Make the whoopee pies: Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, NUTELLA®, cocoa powder and milk. Mix well then add the flour and baking powder mixture.

Place 30 small spoonfuls of the mixture on a baking sheet covered with baking parchment. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, leave to cool on a cooling rack, then sandwich together with the cream filling. Dip in colored sugar, if desired.

Whoopie!

Flaming Pumpkin Log

Ingredients

3 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar, divided

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

FILLING:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional confectioners' sugar, optional

FLAMES:

Orange and Yellow Hard Candies, about 26

Milk chocolate morsels, about ½ cup, melted

Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and pumpkin, beating on high until sugar is almost dissolved.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg yolk mixture. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gently fold into pumpkin mixture. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.  Cool for 5 minutes. Turn cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Gently peel off waxed paper. Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool completely on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Unroll cake; spread filling evenly to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up again. Cover and freeze until firm.

 May be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before cutting. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired.

With oven still at 375°, place hard candies on another parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until candy is completely melted.  With a skewer, swirl the colors together to look like fire.  Refrigerate until cooled. Break into flame-like pieces.

Melt the milk chocolate in microwave for 30 seconds; stir until completely melted.  If chocolate is not melting completely, place back in microwave for 10-second intervals. Be careful not to burn.

Spread melted chocolate on one small section at a time, beginning with the middle.  Place candy pieces into soft chocolate and move onto the next section until you have the flames across the log (see photo).

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Enjoy!

Almond Witch's Fingers

Ingredients

30 sliced almonds pieces

2 large eggs

¼  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon pure almond extract

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

½  cup confectioners' sugar

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-2 T cocoa powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats) or parchment paper, and set aside.

Separate 1 egg. Set aside the white. In a small bowl, whisk together yolk, remaining egg, and extracts. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, confectioners' sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Add egg mixture, and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic, and chill until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.

Divide the dough in half. Work with one piece at a time, keeping remaining dough covered with plastic wrap and chilled. Divide the first half into 15 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece back and forth with palms into finger shapes, 3 to 4 inches long. Pinch dough in two places to form knuckles. Score each knuckle lightly with the back of a small knife. Transfer fingers to prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.

When all fingers are formed, brush lightly with egg white. Position almond nails; push into dough to attach.

Bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Cool completely.

With a small, clean paintbrush, work cocoa powder in and around fingernails and knuckles to give them a ghoulish look.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Bats Witches!

Spicy Thai Coconut & Shrimp Soup

Ingredients

2 T olive oil
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, any type, sliced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
half a stalk lemon grass, cut lengthwise
2 tsp Thai red curry paste

4 cups chicken broth
1 15 oz. can coconut milk
1 tbsp sugar
3 tsp soy sauce

1 lb. peeled & de-veined shrimp, tails removed
fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, lemon grass, mushrooms and red bell pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the curry paste. Cook for another minute. Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, sugar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Discard lemon grass.  Add shrimp and continue to cook until they turn pink.  Serve in individual bowls and top with cilantro.

Apple Walnut Tart with Maple Custard

For the Walnut Crust:

2½ cups walnut pieces

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 egg white

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the Custard:

1½ cups milk (I used 1%)

6 egg yolks

½ cup pure maple syrup

¼ cup cornstarch

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additionally:

2 red apples, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced (keep in lemon water until ready to use)

juice of a lemon

Instructions

For the Walnut Crust:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a food processor or chopper, pulse the walnuts until the are finely chopped, and the pieces are about the size of breadcrumbs.

Place the chopped nuts in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients, tossing together with a fork.

Press the mixture evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

Bake for 15 minutes.

For the Custard:

Pour the milk into a small pot and place over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the maple syrup, cornstarch, and salt.

Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, while whisking, to warm the eggs.

Place the mixture back into the pot and place over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a bubble and becomes very thick.

Stir in the vanilla and transfer to a heat safe container. Lay plastic wrap over the surface. Chill for 2 hours.

Assemble the Tart:

Spread the maple custard in the walnut tart shell.

Warm the apple slices in the lemon water in the microwave until pliable, about 2-3 minutes

Lay 6 apple slices end to end, then roll from one end to the other creating a rose. Stand up in custard. Continue making roses and place evenly over the custard. Chill until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from Hip Foodie Mom

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dump Cake

Ingredients

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
3/4 c confectioners' sugar
2 tsp milk
1 28 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 1/4 c granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter, melted
Cinnamon sugar (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 pan.

Using a mixer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk until smooth (about 3 minutes). Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, salt, and spices. Pour into prepared pan.

Put cream cheese filling into a small ZipLock bag, and snip off the tip the make a mini piping bag. Then pipe over the pumpkin filling.

Pour the dry cake mix over the cream cheese layer then poke holes using the end of a wooden spoon or a table knife through the cake mix until you hit the filling (not to the bottom of the pan).

Pour melted butter over the dry cake mix.

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the entire cake for extra flavor and crunch.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the top is browned and an inserted knife comes out clean.

Let cool and place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours to chill. Serve with whipped cream! 

Recipe adapted by Your Cup of Cake

Apple Cider Donut Cake

Directions

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened

1 cups apple cider

1 T boiled cider

1/4 c unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste

For the Cider Glaze:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 cup water

1/4 cup apple cider

1 T boiled cider

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a bundt pan with baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Add the oil and mix well.  Add the applesauce and mix again. 

Stir together the apple cider, boiled cider and buttermilk.

In a separate bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cloves & cinnamon.

Add the flour mixture and apple/milk mixture alternatively in three additions, scraping the bowl as needed and mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat once more, just to combine.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the cake in its pan on a cooling rack for ten minutes. Turn out onto a plate and brush with glaze.

While cake is baking, prepare Cider Glaze. Melt butter, sugar and water over medium high heat. Bring mixture to a boil and let boil for 1-minute. Remove from heat and immediately add the ciders, stirring to combine.

Prepare the Cinnamon Sugar Coating. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the warm, glazed cake with cinnamon sugar, using fingers to rub it onto the sides of the cake, if necessary…I used a sugar shaker and it hits all sides of the cake perfectly.

 

Recipe adapted from Runcible Eats.

Enjoy!