Cheesecake in a Jar with Blueberries, Strawberries, Granola + More! Posted May 24, 2011 | 18 Comments What’s more fun than yummy cheesecake? Cheesecake in a jar, of course! It’s clear that I have a bit of an obsession with anything in a jar these days (such as bubbles, cookies, cherry pie, ice cream + candles to name a few…) and cheesecake is no exception. The best part of cheesecake has to be the fruit pairings. source And, yummy blackberry curd cheesecake in a jar, too - source Don’t forget the custom stamped spoons for added charm!
I’m rich, I’m rich! Thousand Dollar Bars Have you ever baked something that made you do the Daffy Duck? You know, the cartoon scene where Daffy runs about yelling, “I’m rich, I’m rich, whoop, whoop, yippee, I’m rich!” He’s bouncing around on his head, feet, hands, and rump in a spastic outpouring of sheer joy. Not everything we bake here in the kitchen gets us to do the Daffy Duck. On a bad day, we do the wine taster (small taste and a spit) or the Emily Post (napkin over mouth, remove offending food, weak smile). But on a really really good day, we do the Happy Dance (personal taste rules here;mine includes foot stomping and mmm mmm noises); and the Daffy Duck. These Thousand Dollar Bars did just that for us here at KAF. These bars definitely remind people of Twix® bars, both in shape and taste, but OH, so much better when top-end caramel and chocolate is used. So, break out your happy dancin’ shoes, and let’s make Thousand Dollar Bars. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Prick the dough all over with a fork.
Chewy and sweet red bean mochi My pantry holds the goods for many recipes I hope to make, some get made while others do not. I bought a box of mochiko (sweet rice flour) and azuki beans (dried red beans) with the intent of making mochi. They’ve sat in my cupboard for some time, just waiting for their day in the spotlight. I fell in love with the texture of mochi several years ago. A sweet filling surrounded in a chewy, soft dough – what’s not to love? The azuki beans (aka adzuki) are small, dark red beans typically made into a paste and sweetened. Drain the beans and place into a blender. Heat a skillet over medium heat with a few tablespoons vegetable oil. You can also buy red bean paste in a can from an asian market. Now for the chewy dough, which has mesmerized me. or glutinous rice flour. Mix 2 cups mochiko with 1 cup sugar, then add 1 3/4 cup warm water. The dough will be a white sticky blob. When the dough has cooled, scoop a golfball sized piece of dough and drop into the cornstarch.
Cake Batter Chocolate Bark I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to share a recipe with you. Or to lick a bowl. The secret ingredient here? You may think I’m crazy… but it’s a spoonful of actual cake mix. All you must do is whisk it well into the melted white chocolate. The truth is, I’ve never been much of a “bark” person. After laying on the couch slurping butter-soaked shrimp scampi, plowing through a bag of m&m’s and watching 7 hours of Lifetime television, I had my answer: cake batter. And I didn’t want to just make white chocolate bark. Did you know I have an obsession with sprinkles? I’d put them on everything if I could. Cake Batter Chocolate Bark 6 ounces high quality dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%) 12 ounces high quality white chocolate (I used Lindt) 3 teaspoons yellow cake mix sprinkles of your choice (at least 3 tablespoons worth or more) Melt dark chocolate either in the microwave or a double boiler. Melt while chocolate. Once set, break into chunks.
8 essentials for authentic red velvet cake - Food on Shine A couple of weeks ago, my friend Nicole Taylor did a segment on real Southern red velvet cake on her foodie radio show, Hot Grease. Nicole is a Southern girl, born and raised in Georgia, and she has some pretty strong opinions about authentic red velvet cake. She searched for the real thing in New York City and came to the stunning conclusion that red velvet here is just wrong, wrong, wrong! Well, if the culinary capital of the nation can't get it right, does anyone north of the Mason-Dixon get it right? Although red velvet cake has a mild chocolate flavor, it is not, by definition, a chocolate cake. Some bakers out there seem to think all they need is red batter and white frosting to make red velvet cake. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. I've looked around for a recipe and was thrilled to discover this one, which incorporates all eight essentials for the perfect red velvet cake. Paula Deen's Red Velvet Cupcakes from Food Network Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. For the Cream Cheese Frosting
Salted Chocolate We’re watching our friend’s cat right now, and it’s a lot of fun. Kramer and I want to get a pet so badly, but I just don’t think that I have the time, energy, or, frankly, money, to take care of an animal the way I would like to. For now, though, it’s just fun to pretend to have a pet for a week. His name is Eddie and he’s pretty funny. These bars really do taste like Twix, and I’m not even exaggerating. Your ingredients. Combine your flour, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Cut your cold butter into cubes and add to the flour. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until a course mixture forms. Mix in the water and the egg yolk until combined. Using your hands, spread the dough into a greased 9×13 pan. Combine the condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla in a sauce pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir for 5 minutes straight to prevent burning. Spread the caramel over the baked shortbread crust. Salted Chocolate “Twix” Bars Cook time:
Easter Cupcakes Baked in Real Egg Shells ~ Cupcake Project I watched my Grandmother’s face when she realized that I hadn’t handed her a hard boiled egg but rather a cake baked inside a real egg shell. Her eyes were filled with wonder and I could envision what she must have looked like as a tyke the very first time she saw a red balloon float across the sky or the the trunk of a giant elephant spewing a stream of water. “Crack it on the table,” I told her. Eggs were cracked, cupcakes were eaten, and I was perceived as a cupcake Houdini. Update 3/19/2012: For the basic instructions on these Easter cupcakes, keep reading. I modeled my cupcakes in egg shells after Nicky’s egg shell cupcakes from Delicious Days. Yield: 10 large egg cupcakes What you’ll need: 9 large eggs (Only one will get used in the cake. To prepare the eggs: Carefully poke a small hole in the top of each egg. Once you have poked a tiny hole, peel back the edges of the hole to expand it a bit. Turn the egg upside-down and dump out the contents. Bake the eggs at 350 F for 23 minutes.
Kiss Pies Only 5 days before Christmas! Woohoo, is everyone ready? What a great time of year. This really is the best…..even if I feel like I’ve gained 50 lbs the last month! I’ve got such a fun little pie to share with you today that really couldn’t get any easier. I decided to use the rest of my Mint truffle Kisses, but ANY Hershey kiss will work beautifully here. Hope you enjoy! Here you have it, some refrigerated pie crust and any Hershey Kisses I used these bad boys! Unroll your pie crust after it’s been thawed and place the first group your kisses around like so. You’ll cut a 2 1/2- 3 inch circle for each kiss. You’ll brush a light egg wash over each little pie…. ….and sprinkle with sugar. Trying to do this with one hand while taking the photo=dumping of sugar, lol! Here they are, I seriously love these! Awhhhh, look at these little Kiss Pies Little cuties. One of my readers who lives in China sent me these adorable mini forks! 1. 2. about 14 little pies. Other recipes you may enjoy...
single ingredient ice cream recipe Recipe: single-ingredient ice cream Administrative news: The amount of spam accumulating in my filter is increasing and the amount of time I have to glance through and fish out the occasional legitimate comment is all but nil at this point. From now on, I’m deleting the hundreds of spam caught each day without a second glance. I’ve been doing a massive purge of my second office, recycling old notes and literature that I no longer need. Needless to say, I kept that little gem. Summer for some of my friends (those with school-age children) is coming to an end. please please please clouds, take a break? So what’s this ice cream for breakfast ridiculousness? bananas i prefer them just spotted I try, I really try to love bananas. and there she is slice into 1/4 to 1/2-inch disks This ice cream recipe is super simple. sliced frozen This is where the fun begins. frozen banana gravel whipped goodness (really, it’s good for you!) The transformation was a surprise, but a nice one at that.
Rainbow Cake For Cake: 2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces) 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature 2 teaspoons almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces) 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon table salt 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple gel food coloring For Frosting/Filling: 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar 10 large egg whites 2 pounds (8 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, softened 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 pound best-quality white chocolate, melted and cooled Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your cake pans by first liberally buttering the pans, then line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Butter the rounds and set aside. Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended. Divide batter evenly between six medium bowls. Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes.
Japanese Cheesecake (Fluffy & Creamy) When I tried the Japanese cheesecake with the very first bite, I have been fallen in love with it ever since. The velvety smooth, creamy, as well as the fluffy texture makes this kind of cheesecake stand out the crowd. The cheesecake is not too sweet, yet just enough to entertain your sweet tooth if you have one. Mind you, the cooking method makes the cheesecake very light, you’d feel you don’t have enough even after having a big slice of it. A case in point, over half of the cheesecake was gone shortly after I placed it in the fridge. I didn’t blame my daughter at all, because it’s so intriguing. This kind of cheesecake is always a big hit in Hong Kong and other Asian countries. For making this Japanese cheesecake, many people find it’s a bit hard to overcome two common problems that contribute to making unpleasant looking cakes. Japanese Cheesecake (Fluffy & Creamy) (Printable recipe) By Christine's Recipes Ingredients: Method:Preheat oven to 150C (302F).
Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies These are divine. Truly. They taste just like your favorite breakfast treat but in fabulous cookie form. Cookie Ingredients:- One batch sugar cookie dough (you can make your own, or just buy a roll)- 1/4 stick butter, melted- Cinnamon- Brown Sugar Cookie Instructions:- Roll out sugar cookie dough into a large rectangle (flour your rolling surface to avoid stickage!) Glaze Ingredients:- Butter, melted- Milk, warmed- Powdered (Confectioner's) Sugar- Vanilla Glaze Instructions:- Mix equal parts butter and milk- Add a dash off vanilla to butter/milk mix for flavor- Very slowly drizzle butter/milk mix into confectioner's sugar, stirring constantly until you get desired consistency Red Velvet Crêpes I rolled my eyes at the red velvet cake trend, but now I can’t get enough. I’ll make any excuse to have ‘cake’ for breakfast– here’s my take on a classic. Red Velvet Crepes (Makes about 24, 8″ crepes) Ingredients: – 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour - 1 teaspoon baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon salt - 3 tablespoons sugar - 2 cups butter milk - 1 1/4 cup whole or lowfat milk - 1 large egg - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted - 1 tablespoon red food color gel - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted + 2 tablespoons cooking oil (for pan) *Update: Because the buttermilk lends to the acidity of this batter, do not substitute the baking soda for extra baking powder. Mascarpone Cream Filling- 500 mL heavy cream - 300 gr mascarpone cheese - 1/2 cup icing sugar - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - zest of 1 orange (optional, but adds nice tang) + 1/2 cup raspberry jam (optional, for filling crepes) Directions: For the Mascarpone Filling:1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
How to Make Marshmallow Fondant This time I decided to make it with those mini fruit flavored marshmallows. I had to sort them by colour first. I figured they would add a little bit of flavor to the fondant so I wouldn't have to add much flavoring oil. I use gel colours to dye my fondant but regular food colouring will work too. I also had lemon oil and coconut flavoring on hand.. oh la la the value brand (which still works fine). Step One: Take a couple of handfuls of marshmallows and put them in a microwave safe bowl. I like to make smaller batches because its easier to add the colour to the melted marshmallow than it is to work the colour into the fondant later. Step Two: Stick the marshmallows in the microwave for ten seconds at a time until the are puffed up and easily stir into a goo with a wooden spoon. Step Three: Add food colouring to the melted marshmallows until you get the colour you want. Step Four: Start folding icing sugar into the marshmallow goo until it becomes a soft and fluffy dough. Finished fondant! 1.