Category Archives: Holidays

Brownie Bombe

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On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

bombe

Printable recipe at the bottom of the post!

A Brownie Bombe with a chocolate brownie shell, three kinds of ice cream, layers of dark chocolate ganache, and a whipped cream icing.

Hey. Sometimes I just crave ice cream!

When Amy from Crumbs in My Mustachio came up with the brilliant idea to post a Christmas cake each day made by twelve different bloggers, I jumped right in. I may have even muscled other people aside in my enthusiasm. What a blast!12 cakes I dithered over this to a ridiculous degree, considering and discarding all different kinds of recipes. And even though my final choice wasn’t technically a cake, it’s a refreshing and crowd-pleasing dessert for any time of the year! I used pistachio-almond, vanilla, and peppermint ice cream for a traditional Christmas color scheme. You may use any flavor or color that appeals to you, of course.

I also put ganache between the ice cream layers because…well…because I love ganache! This is optional. It’s one more step, but I love the way it delineates the colors.

It isn’t a hard dessert to make, but you do have to give yourself a lot of time. Like at least a day ahead of the occasion, because it gets popped in and out of the freezer countless times. This was made in a 4 quart mixing bowl, so it’s huge. I’m guessing it will serve 16-18 people. Scale it down if you’d like. You’ll need:

  • 3 half-gallons of ice cream. (I know…they aren’t half gallons any more. Do they really think we haven’t noticed this???)
  • 2 batches of brownies. Guard them with your life; you will need ALL of the brownies. Trust me on this – I had to make a third batch because I let the guys “test” them.
  • 10 ounces of dark chocolate. Good dark chocolate, not chips!
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
  • A large tub of non-dairy topping. I usually avoid this stuff like the plague, but it holds up so much better than whipping cream that I caved it this time.

Begin by baking the brownies. Chewy or cake brownies? Doesn’t really matter. Cool them thoroughly. Line a bowl with foil, smoothing it out as much as possible. Don’t lose any sleep over this; the weight of the brownies and ice cream will flatten out most of the little ridges.

Line bowl with foil.

Line bowl with foil.

Firmly press large brownies all over the bowl, covering the foil completely, and bringing all the way to the top of the bowl. Save enough to cover the top when you’re done!

Press brownies along sides and bottom of bowl.

Press brownies along sides and bottom of bowl.

Stick the bowl in the freezer for an hour. This is the perfect time to make your ganache if you’re using it.

  • Chop 10 ounces of dark chocolate and put it in a medium bowl.
  • Heat 1 1/4 cups heavy cream until it’s beginning to bubble but not boil.
  • Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then stir gently until it is blended. Cover and set aside to cool. Give it a stir occasionally.

When the hour is almost up, bring out your first carton of ice cream and allow it to soften. I can tell you through experience that you don’t want to try to flatten lumps of frozen ice cream. Let it soften, and maybe stir it around in a bowl first. It will make the next step a LOT easier! Press the ice cream (yes, the whole carton) over the brownie layer, bringing it almost to the top. Leave a generous 1/2″ at the top, because there will be a brownie “cover” added at the end. Smooth the ice cream as much as possible with a spoon, rubber spatula, or (brrr) your fingers. Return the bowl to the freezer.

Add ice cream flavor #1.

Add ice cream flavor #1.

When the ice cream layer is firm, pour enough ganache into the bowl to coat the ice cream. Tip and rotate the bowl to spread the ganache, or use a pastry brush. Work quickly so the ice cream doesn’t melt! Return to the freezer.

Add ganache.

Add ganache.

Soften the second tub of ice cream. Spread over the hardened ganache in the bowl and (you guessed it) return it to the freezer. When firm, repeat the ganache layer and freeze again. Fill with the remaining ice cream. (You’ll have a little left over. Grab a spoon; you know what to do with it, right?) Return the bowl to the freezer. Cover the ice cream with the remaining brownies, pressing firmly. Cover the bowl with foil, and freeze until solid. (Overnight is best.) When you’re ready to serve, remove the foil from the top, cover the top of the bowl with your platter, and flip it over. Peel the foil off of the bombe and frost it with whipped topping.

Frost it with whipped topping.

Frost it with whipped topping.

Sprinkle with sparkly edible glitter, add chocolate shapes, cookies…whatever is appropriate for your theme, or just leave it a beautiful fluffy white. Slice and serve! Use a knife that’s been dipped in warm water if your bombe is hard to cut. IMG_1139 If you have any left over, put it in the freezer until the whipped topping is firm, and then cover well with heavy foil.

bombeslicedbest

Brownie Bombe
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 3 half-gallons of ice cream
  • 2 batches of brownies, baked and cooled
  • 10 ounces of dark chocolate (the good stuff, not chips!)
  • 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
  • Large tub of non-dairy topping (16 ounces) softened
Instructions
  1. Line a large mixing bowl (mine was about 4 quarts) with foil.
  2. Firmly press brownies over the inside surface of the bowl, reserving enough to cover the top at the end of the process.
  3. Put the bowl in the freezer for an hour. While it's freezing, make your ganache.
  4. Ganache:
  5. Chop 10 ounces of dark chocolate and put it in a medium bowl.
  6. Heat 1¼ cups heavy cream until it's beginning to bubble but not boil.
  7. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for a minute or two, then stir gently until it is completely blended. Cover lightly and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.
  8. When the hour is almost up, put your first tub of ice cream on the counter to soften. You may want to stir it in a bowl so it is evenly thawed. You're looking for soft, not runny!
  9. Remove bowl from freezer and press the entire carton of ice cream over the brownie layer, bringing it almost to the top. Leave at least ½ of brownie showing around the top of the bowl. Working quickly, smooth the ice cream as much as possible.
  10. Return the bowl to the freezer.
  11. When the ice cream layer is firm, remove from freezer and pour enough ganache into the bowl to coat the ice cream. Tip and rotate the bowl to spread the ganache, or use a pastry brush. Return to freezer for at least ½ hour.
  12. Bring the second tub of ice cream out to soften. Spread over hardened ganache. (You may have a little ice cream left this time.) Return to the freezer.
  13. When firm, repeat the ganache layer and return to the freezer.
  14. Soften the third tub of ice cream.
  15. When the ganache is firm, fill the rest of the space with ice cream and return to the freezer.
  16. When the ice cream is firm, cover with the reserved brownies, pressing firmly. Make sure all of the ice cream is covered.
  17. Cover the bowl with foil and freeze until solid (overnight is best)
  18. Remove the foil from the top and turn the bombe over onto a serving platter. Peel off the foil and frost with whipped topping.
  19. Cut with a knife dipped in warm water.
  20. To freeze remaining bombe, put it uncovered in the freezer until the whipped topping is firm, and then cover with heavy foil.
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Here are the links to the first five cakes. I’ll add a link for each new cake, so make sure you come back and visit each day!cakes of christmas

December 1st: Lemony Thyme’s Chocolate Truffle Pirouette Cake December 2nd: Cooking From a SAHM’s Strawberry ‘n Cream Cake December 3rd: Moore or Less Cooking Blog’s Coconut Tres Leches Cake December 4th: 365 Days of Baking’s S’mores Cake
December 5th: it’s yummi’s Pomegranate Lime Bundt Cake
December 6th: My Brownie Bombe.
December 7th: Hun What’s for Dinner’s Chocolate Roll with candy cane whipped cream.
December 8th: Chocolate, Chocolate and More’s Eggnog Pound Cake.
December 9th: Manila Spoon’s No-Bake White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake.
December 10th: Baking in a Tornado’s White Chocolate Peppermint Cake.
December 11th: Crumbs in My Mustachio’s Hot Cocoalicious Cake.
December 12th: Tampa Cake Girl’s Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our twelve cakes as much as we enjoyed presenting them!

Gooey Pumpkin Nut Cinnamon Rolls

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MiscNov 021I promise this is my very last pumpkin-related recipe for the season. Honest! I wasn’t going to open another can of pumpkin until it was time to make pies for Thanksgiving, but the thought of a pumpkin filled cinnamon roll got into my head and wouldn’t leave…and I’m glad I paid attention, because these are so good!

Nothing compares to the fragrance of cinnamon rolls warm from the oven. Except, perhaps, cinnamon rolls with a spicy pumpkin-walnut filling. Add a vanilla glaze dripping down the side, and you have a pastry worthy of company―or an afternoon indulgence for a busy day.

They also freeze well and can be quickly microwaved for an impromptu snack. The recipe makes 20-24 rolls (depending on what kind of pan you plan to use) and just for the record I want you to know I had ONE of them. And then they were gone. So you got the two-thumbs-up seal of approval from my menfolk.

Here you go:


Gooey Pumpkin Nut Cinnamon Rolls
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Author:
Makes 20-24 rolls.
Ingredients
  • Dough
  • ⅓ cup warm water
  • 2 packages active dry yeast
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1½ cups buttermilk
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1¼ teaspoon salt
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • .............
  • Filling
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soft butter
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
  • .............
  • Glaze
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon soft butter
  • Cream or milk for desired consistency
Instructions
  1. Lightly grease two or three round cake pans or one 12-inch by 18-inch rectangular pan. Feel free to improvise―rolls spaced closely together will rise higher, and rolls placed farther apart in a rectangular pan will be more uniform.
  2. In a large bowl combine water, yeast, and ½ teaspoon sugar. Let the mixture sit until bubbly – about 5 minutes.
  3. In a small bowl combine the buttermilk, ⅓ cup sugar, melted butter, eggs and salt. Whisk together.
  4. Add the buttermilk mixture to the yeast mixture and mix until combined.
  5. Add the flour slowly. (If using a stand mixer, use your dough hook.) Mix for one minute. If you will be kneading by hand, put dough on a floured surface and knead for 8 minutes. If you are using a stand mixer, it will take 5 minutes. The dough should come cleanly away from the bowl. If it doesn’t, add flour a little at a time. This should be soft, elastic dough, but should not be sticky.
  6. Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double – about an hour.
  7. While the bread is rising, combine all of the filling ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
  8. When the dough has doubled, punch it down. Working with half of the dough at a time, roll into a 10-inch by 14-inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you. Spread with half of the filling.
  9. Beginning at the long edge facing you, roll the dough, gently pulling towards you as you roll, to keep it snug. Slice into 12 pieces. (If using just two round cake pans, slice into 10 pieces) Repeat with the remaining dough.
  10. Place pieces in greased pan. If using 3 round pans, arrange 8 slices in each. If using 2 round pans, arrange 10 slices in each. For a large rectangular pan, space all 24 slices evenly. Cover and allow rolls to rise for about an hour.
  11. Heat oven to 400 F.
  12. Bake rolls for 17-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
  13. Cool in the pans on a rack until they are slightly warm, and transfer to a serving platter.
  14. When the rolls are cool, combine all of the ingredients for the glaze, beginning with 1 tablespoon of cream or milk, and mix well. Add additional milk until it reaches the desired consistency. Pour or brush over the rolls.
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Rolls are in the pan, ready to rise.

Rolls are in the pan, ready to rise.

Pretty! Poofy! Ready for the oven.

Pretty! Poofy! Ready for the oven.

And...done! Can you smell them?

And…done! Can you smell them?

MiscNov 023Now on to eggnog and peppermint and chocolate and caramel and rum and….well, you get the picture.  I hear those sleigh bells ringing!

ABUNDANCE

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164 - Thanksgiving Group PostSchool is in session, the weather changes, kids don costumes and it’s dark before dinner; all signs that holiday time is right around the corner. Before we know it plans are made, preparations have begun, and Thanksgiving is just weeks away.

Thanksgiving is the perfect occasion for ushering in the holiday season; it’s a time for stories, projects, cooking and sharing. That’s exactly what this post is about. I’ve linked up with 5 other bloggers, each sharing a piece of what the season has to offer. We have humor, thought, family projects and food.

I hope you’ll click on all the links below to see what we’ve all put together for you:
Home on Deranged has a family post about the first and last Thanksgiving spent with mom.
Kiss My List is sharing a simple but meaningful family craft project that does double duty as Thanksgiving decor.
Writer B is Me will share a humorous story about what happens when someone is asked to make the mashed potatoes one too many times.
Pink When shares a project you can display for Thanksgiving dinner and guests.
And Baking in a Tornado (the genius behind this group post) will share a recipe for that leftover turkey.

Blog7 036And I, of course, bring you dessert!

It’s so hard to leave room for dessert when your table is groaning with rich Thanksgiving food! My family always had a fairly late dinner, so we’d manage to tuck in a tiny slice of pumpkin pie after the meal, but serious damage to the pies had to wait for breakfast the next day. And oh, it tasted good the next morning.

As much as I love pumpkin pie, sometimes it’s nice to change things up a bit. Here is the dessert I’ll be serving this year instead of pie – Pumpkin Cake Roll with Butterscotch Cream Cheese Filling.

Pumpkin Cake Roll with Butterscotch Cream Cheese Filling

Pumpkin Cake Roll with Butterscotch Cream Cheese Filling

Most people don’t frost cake rolls, but I wanted a whipped cream icing to lighten it up a bit. The leaves were made with white chocolate and a little food coloring. The Pumpkin Roll can be made ahead and frozen…just let it thaw for an hour and smother it with whipped cream before serving. If you don’t think it will be all be eaten right away, I would recommend that you use a non-dairy whipped topping or (my choice) stabilized whipped cream.

I believe this was the first cake I made from scratch. Had it not been foolproof, I probably would be using Duncan Hines mixes to this day – but it was so simple to make, I never looked back. My recipe is really old, and probably adapted from the original Libby Pumpkin Roll recipe. It calls for a 10-inch by 15-inch jelly roll pan. I don’t happen to have one, so I use a larger pan and spread mine a little thinner…and it works just fine!

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
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Author:
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ⅔ cup pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ......................
  • BUTTERSCOTCH CREAM CHEESE ICING
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup powdered instant butterscotch pudding mix
  • 8 ounces softened cream cheese
  • 4 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ cup (or more) chopped, toasted pecans
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375 F.
  2. Prepare a 15"x10" jelly roll pan (or cookie sheet with sides) by lining the bottom with waxed paper or parchment. Grease and flour the paper, or spray with an oil/flour spray like Baker's Joy.
  3. Beat eggs on high for 5 minutes.
  4. Beating continually, gradually add sugar.
  5. Add the pumpkin and lemon juice and mix until well combined.
  6. Sift together the dry ingredients and fold into pumpkin mixture.
  7. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan, and bake 12-15 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched.
  8. Coat a cotton dish towel generously with powdered sugar and turn the cake out onto the dish towel. Peel off the waxed paper or parchment.
  9. Starting from the short end, slowly roll cake and towel together. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely, approximately one hour.
  10. While the cake is cooling, make the butterscotch filling:
  11. In a medium bowl, combine the cream and pudding mix. Add the cream cheese and butter and mix together at medium-high speed. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Refrigerate until needed.
  12. Unroll the chilled cake carefully. Spread with filling and roll it back up (without the towel this time, of course.) Refrigerate at least one hour.
  13. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, or ice with sweetened whipped cream and serve.
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Folding in the dry ingredients.

Folding together.

Spreading the batter.

Spreading the batter.

Roll up cake AND towel!

Roll up cake AND towel!

Add filling and pecans.

Add filling and pecans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To make the white chocolate leaves, melt white baking chocolate (if you have candy melts, they’d probably be a lot easier to work with) in three bowls, with just a little bit of chocolate in two of them. Add green and orange Wilton candy coloring to the two small bowls. Note: chocolate does NOT like water, so regular coloring can make it seize up. Use powdered or oil based food coloring! Melt a small amount of dark chocolate in another small bowl if you wish. Put the melted white chocolate on a waxed paper covered baking sheet, drizzle it with the colored and dark chocolate, and spread it out thinly with a spatula, with as few strokes as possible.

Let it harden at room temperature and then cut leaf shapes with cookie cutters. Cut more leaves than you think you’ll need – a lot of them may break! Move the entire sheet to the refrigerator and let it harden completely. Separate each leaf carefully with a small spatula. If you want to shape the leaves, put each one on a square of waxed paper, melt in the microwave for 2-3 second intervals until the leaf is flexible, and shape by draping over scrunched up foil or a spoon handle, or by setting it in a small custard bowl. Chill again and place on cake.

Ready to melt

Ready to melt

Mixture of white chocolate colors.

Mixture of white chocolate colors.

Cutting out chocolate leaves

Cutting out chocolate leaves

 

 

 

 

 

 

Too much trouble for you? One word: SPRINKLES. Everyone loves sprinkles.

From my kitchen to yours, have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving!

Chocolate Walnut Meringues

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Blog7 007 croppedThere are times when I really want to eat that huge piece of cake, or a big slab of pie, or a quart of ice cream. But sometimes (especially after a huge turkey dinner) I just want a taste of something sweet, to tell my mouth that I’m finished eating for a while.

Something light, crisp, and airy. Sweet, chewy, and satisfying. Throw in gluten-free and almost fat-free, and you have Chocolate Walnut Meringues.

If you’ve never had a meringue, you’re in for a treat. This recipe produces little delicacies that look like cookies, but dissolve in your mouth, except for the perfect chewy part in the center. They can be a light ending to a heavy meal, or a sweet pick-me-up with an afternoon cup of tea.

Crispy and a little crumbly, with a slightly chewy center.

Crispy and a little crumbly, with a slightly chewy center.

Meringues cook at a low heat and then are left to dry out in the oven overnight, so you’ll want to plan accordingly. If you store them in an airtight container, they’ll stay crispy for days. They can be piped into any shape you want, which can be a lot of fun. (I had limited success piping the meringue around foil cones to make cornucopias. If you have cream horn molds it might be worth a try!)

I used walnuts in this batch, but pecans are lovely too. You can grate a little dark chocolate in the batter if you wish. I felt the cocoa powder gave it just the right level of chocolate goodness; you can be the judge of that. If you are baking gluten-free, here’s a great list of gluten-free chocolates. I was glad to see that Dove chocolate made the grade.

As always when making any kind of meringue, separate the egg whites and let them stand until they’re room temperature for best results. Use squeaky clean beaters and bowls, and you’ll get perfect results.

Chocolate Walnut Meringues
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Recipe type: Makes approximately 36
Author:
Dainty little treats with a lot of flavor. Gluten-free.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (or substitute pecans)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 5 egg whites (room temperature)
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • chopped walnuts or grated gluten-free chocolate for decoration
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 250 F.
  2. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Chop walnuts (or pecans) finely. Set aside.
  4. Combine the sugar and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
  5. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until they hold a soft peak.
  6. Continue mixing as you add the sugar mixture ¼ cup at a time, mixing well between additions.
  7. Beat until the mixture holds a stiff peak.
  8. Gently fold in the chopped nuts.
  9. With a small cookie scoop (or you may pipe shapes if you wish) scoop onto the parchment. They will barely spread, so you can put them fairly close together.
  10. Sprinkle with topping of your choice. Nuts or grated chocolate look great. Use your imagination!
  11. Bake for 35 minutes. Do NOT open the oven door. Just turn off the oven and leave them in there at least one hour. Overnight is even better.
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Finely chopped nuts.

Finely chopped nuts.

This is what you want...stiff peaks.

This is what you want…stiff peaks.

Carefully folding the nuts into the egg mixture.

Carefully folding the nuts into the egg mixture.

Sprinkle with grated chocolate or nuts. Or sprinkles!

Sprinkle with grated chocolate or nuts. Or sprinkles!

I love, love, LOVE these little sweeties. They’re simple to make and impressive to serve. Offer a bowl of them next to the pumpkin pie and you might be surprised about which gets eaten first!

Sumptuous Chocolate Cream Pie

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Blog6 051It’s only October and already I need a break from pumpkin. I never thought I’d say that, but I follow a lot of food blogs and can say with authority that pumpkin dominates this time of year. Yes, I’m guilty of adding to the craziness, and I know I’ll be trying out more pumpkin recipes between now and Christmas, but for now I’m leaning on my faithful backup: chocolate!

I was craving chocolate cream pie, and since I can easily use my blog as an excuse for making sinful goodies, I made a rich, dark, creamy version…for my wonderful readers, of course. I even tested it thoroughly for you.

I usually use a chocolate cookie crust with chocolate cream pie, but in this case I had my heart set on decorating the pie with pie crust leaves, so I baked a regular pie crust and brushed the bottom of it with chocolate before I added the filling, which helped keep the bottom crust flaky. Since I made enough pastry for a two-crust pie, I had plenty of dough for some pretty autumn leaves.

Just for grins I tried two different “looks”. Some of the leaves I baked and outlined with dark chocolate. Some I painted with food coloring and sprinkled with sugar before baking. I love the fall look of the pastry leaves, but if you’re in a hurry you can just slather the pie with whipped cream, shave a little chocolate over it, and call it good. Believe me, no one will complain!
Blog6 057

One pie will easily serve eight people, because a thin slice of this rich dessert is more than satisfying. It’s a dessert to be savored slowly and appreciated deeply.  Even though pumpkin pie is the traditional dessert for a Thanksgiving meal, some people just don’t like pumpkin. If you’re thinking about having a couple of different dessert options, this would be a great choice, because I haven’t met too many people who don’t like chocolate!

You can make this the day before if you have room in the refrigerator. Put the whipping cream on just before serving, or if you’re using non-dairy whipped topping or stabilized whipped cream, you can decorate the pie a couple of hours before serving.

Here’s the pie recipe. I’ve given you a crust recipe and instructions below.

Sumptuous Chocolate Cream Pie
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Author:
This rich pie will easily serve 8 people.
Ingredients
  • 1 baked pie crust
  • 1 ounce of dark chocolate for coating the crust (optional)
  • 1¼ cups sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon powdered espresso
  • 3 cups milk
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ¼ cup butter
Instructions
  1. Melt 1 ounce of chocolate in a small cup in the microwave, using 15 second intervals and stirring often. With a pastry brush or spoon, spread the chocolate over the crust bottom. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, lightly mix the egg yolks. Set aside.
  3. In a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, espresso powder, milk, and chocolate.
  4. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches a low boil.
  5. Turn heat down to medium and continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Remove from heat.
  6. Add about ½ cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and stir briefly. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, whisk to combine, and return to a low boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
  7. Stir in the vanilla and butter until the filling is smooth and completely combined. Pour into the pie shell and allow pie to cool before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating.
  8. Chill for 4-6 hours. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate curls.
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Filling the pie.

Filling the pie.

You can find the recipe for my favorite pie crust right here: Never Fail Pie Crust.
I find that the dough is easier to work with if I don’t refrigerate it before rolling it out. I just need to be generous with the flour.

I use a little more than half the dough for the crust because I don’t have to roll it so thin and it’s easier to handle. Roll out the dough and cut it into a circle that’s large enough to leave an inch of excess all the way around the pan. Place the dough in the pan, fold under and flute the edge, and poke holes evenly in the crust with a fork.

Poke the crust all over with a fork.

Poke the crust all over with a fork.

Carefully lay a sheet of foil over the pie crust and fill at least one-third of the way up with beans (or use pie weights.) Bake at 375 F. for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and gently lift the foil and weights out of the pan. (If you’re using beans, wrap them up in the foil and save for the next time you bake a pie crust. You can’t eat them after they’ve been baked.)

Weighing down the crust to keep it from collapsing as it bakes.

Weighing down the crust to keep it from collapsing as it bakes.

Return the crust to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until it turns golden. Since the crust is hot when it first comes out of the oven, if you want to shave a little chocolate over it, it will melt and you can spread it easily, saving the step of melting the chocolate in the microwave. You can see I got a little carried away here with my pastry brush, and splattered the crust with chocolate. I kind of liked the look, and may do it more thoroughly next time!

Spreading chocolate on the bottom of the crust.

Spreading chocolate on the bottom of the crust.

While the pie crust is baking, roll the remaining crust out between 1/8″ and 1/4″ thick. Cut with leaf shaped cookie cutters.
For colored leaves: Using an artists paintbrush (or even a damp paper towel, in a pinch) paint each leaf with food coloring. For muted colors, water down the food coloring a little. Sprinkle with sugar, and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Leaves fresh from the oven.

Leaves fresh from the oven.

For chocolate leaves, cut out leaves and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden brown. When cool, pipe “veins” on the leaves with dark chocolate, using a pastry bag and small writing tip or a plastic zipper bag with the tip snipped off.
chocolate pieA cup of coffee and a slice of this pie is pure bliss. It will never replace pumpkin pie in the hearts of America, but it’s got to be a close second. Enjoy…I know I did!

Soft Eggnog Sugar Cookies

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Eggnog Sugar CookieThree times now I’ve walked past the eggnog display at the grocery store. The first two times, I convinced myself that it wasn’t eggnog season yet – even for a baking blogger – and the recipe spinning around in my head could wait. Besides, my life is insanely busy right now and there isn’t much time for blogging.

The third time I went past the eggnog, I caved and went back for a carton. I was a little burned-out on pumpkin, apples, and even (gasp!) maple, so maybe it was time to forge ahead and start the Christmas recipes rolling!

So…more cookies. There are never enough good cookie recipes, right? And these are sweet, light little cookies. They turned out exactly as I pictured them on my first try. Did your grandma ever make you cake-like sour cream cookies? Mine did (neener neener) and my whole family loved them. They were a little plain – basically just a sugar cookie with loft – but sugar cookies by definition are a little plain, which is part of their charm. Hers had the magical combination of sour cream and baking soda though, so they rose proudly and were surprisingly light when picked up and aimed at the mouth.

So light. So addictive.

So light. So addictive.

I took Grandma’s recipe and added eggnog, changing the quantities of flour and leavening to keep them from going flat. I used a spiced vanilla eggnog, but this isn’t necessary. If you use regular eggnog, just be a little generous with both the spices and the vanilla and they will turn out great!

I always use a thin glaze to add a little interest. In this case, the cookies have a mild spicy eggnog flavor, so I kept it to a simple vanilla and nutmeg glaze. You may, if you wish, use eggnog instead of water (if they aren’t going to be eaten quickly, you’ll want to refrigerate or freeze them because of the dairy) or………….rum, brandy, or whiskey for a spiked eggnog treat.

Add a handful of raisins if you like – they go very well with the eggnog flavor. Speaking from experience though, (BLEH!) chocolate chips are not a good option. Trust me on this.

Soft Eggnog Sugar Cookies
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These sugar cookies have a light, soft texture. They are mildly flavored with eggnog and spices. Makes approximately 5 dozen cookies.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 5½ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup eggnog
  • ..............
  • Glaze:
  • ½ cup water (or milk or eggnog, OR replace part of the liquid with rum or whiskey)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375 F.
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar.
  3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions.
  4. Add vanilla and mix well.
  5. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  6. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and eggnog, whisking well.
  7. Beginning with the sour cream mixture and ending with the flour mixture, add alternately in three separate additions.
  8. On parchment covered or very lightly greased cookie sheet, place small scoops of cookie dough at least an inch apart.
  9. Bake 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just slightly golden brown around the bottom edge. Move cookies to a rack to cool completely.
  10. To make Glaze:
  11. Combine water (or optional liquids) and vanilla. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk well until smooth. It will be thin. Turn each cooled cookie over and dip the top, shaking off excess. Set on waxed paper to dry.
  12. Keep these cookies in an airtight container.
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Whisk together the sour cream and eggnog.

Whisk together the sour cream and eggnog.

Scoop the dough. (Smooth and shape with a damp finger if you want them perfectly round. Pffft.)

Scoop the dough. (Smooth and shape with a damp finger if you want them perfectly round. Pffft.)

Dip 'em.

Dip ’em.

These are deceptively ordinary looking. No strong flavor, no added goodies, just a soft, plain cookie. A soft, plain cookie that you can’t stop eating! And now it is officially THE SEASON!!! Falalalalala.

Carrot Cake for All!

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carrot cake for blog

Everyone has their favorite carrot cake recipe, and this is mine! That is – it’s my favorite, but I didn’t create this recipe. It was given to me years ago by a co-worker, who got it from a friend in Alaska, who…well…you get the picture.

It’s filled with goodies, giving it a delightful texture, and is very simple to make. It won best of class at the state Grange baking competition a few years ago, even though I (GASP) substituted a buttercream icing for the traditional cream cheese version. It works equally well as a layer cake, a sheet cake, or cupcakes. You just can’t fail if you follow this recipe!

Carrot Cake
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Ingredients
  • 2 cups plus 1 T all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1¼ cups oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups grated carrot
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained well
  • ½ cup raisins
  • 1 cup nuts, chopped (walnuts or pecans)
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 325 F.
  2. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together well.
  3. Add the oil and beat for 2 minutes.
  4. Add the eggs and vanilla, beat for 2 minutes.
  5. Stir in carrots, pineapple, raisins and nuts.
  6. Pour into a greased and floured 13x9" pan. (Or you may use two 9" cake pans.)
  7. Bake for approximately one hour, (shorter for two 9" pans) or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  8. Cool well before icing.
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Cream Cheese Frosting:

6 oz. cream cheese
3 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 cup coconut (optional)
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Combine cream cheese, milk and vanilla. Beat for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and powdered sugar. Beat well. Stir in coconut and chopped pecans. Spread on cooled cake. Store any remainder in the refrigerator.

I’m keeping this blog short and sweet, because I have another idea just waiting to be tested and blogged…maybe tomorrow!

If you haven’t checked it out yet, and you’re not a teetotaler, please visit my Easter Beer Hunt blog. Easter Beer Hunt!

Perfect Dinner Rolls (if you’re a leprechaun!)

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A traditional clover-leaf roll...except it's green!

A traditional cloverleaf roll…except it’s green!

Are you ready to get some dough under your nails? Green dough, to be exact – since it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day. I’ll give you my basic recipe for dinner rolls, and then instructions below for making the green clovers. Wow your friends and crank out the shamrocks!

Fair warning, I’m hitting the green wine, starting….NOW! I’ll try to get the recipe ingredients entered before I lose my focus, and the photos snapped while I’m still only seeing one of everything. (Disclaimer: In case you’re wondering about my wine glass, this was a gift from my daughter, who understands my obsession for blue ribbons. She’s not saying I’m a really top-notch whore…just that I will do nearly anything to add to my ribbon collection.)

Sláinte!

Sláinte!

Remember, this is my basic dinner roll recipe. You’ll have to jazz it up with green food color and follow the photos below for making cloverleaf rolls.

Perfect Dinner Rolls
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Serves: 24
This recipe makes 2 dozen soft, fluffy dinner rolls. You can also flatten out balls of dough for delicious hamburger buns!
Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup butter, softened
  • ⅓ cup powdered nondairy creamer
  • 1¼ teaspoons salt
  • 6 to 7 cups bread flour
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the sugar, butter, creamer, salt, and 5 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Slowly add just enough remaining flour to form a soft dough that pulls away from the side of the bowl.
  3. Knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. (Or, if using a stand mixer, knead with a dough hook for approximately 5 minutes.)
  4. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down.
  5. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Shape into balls (or oblongs if you prefer) and place about an inch apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
  6. Cover and allow the rolls to rise until doubled.
  7. Heat oven to 375 F.
  8. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until they are golden brown on top.
  9. Cool on a rack.
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Powdered creamer is something I never use in coffee. Ghastly stuff. But I’ve tried this recipe without it, and the rolls just don’t turn out as fluffy. Apparently it acts as a dough conditioner. Bite the bullet and use it – you’ll love these versatile rolls!

First, a FAIL!

As so often happens, the actual results of my first shamrock experiment didn’t exactly match the picture in my imagination. It was late and I’d had my share of green wine, so I went to bed and gave it a fresh try in the morning. Here’s what the first batch looked like – not exactly something that would go viral on Pinterest.

Meh.

Meh.

Plan “B” was to make cloverleaf rolls, using jumbo cupcake pans. They rose beautifully and were a perfect, delicate green; not gopher guts green – a very edible spring green shade. To make these, add green food coloring to the mixture in your bowl before you add the flour. So simple.

Roll dough into balls

Roll dough into balls

Put 3 balls of dough in each cavity.

Spray the pan with a little “Bakers Joy” and put 3 balls of dough in each cavity.

Mmmmm.

Mmmmm.

May the Good Lord take a liking to you… but not too soon!

Lorinda

Vallomar Cookies

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blogchoc marshmallow hearts3Okay, here’s the deal: I procrastinate. A lot. For weeks now I’ve had this vision of  a chocolate heart with a layer of marshmallow and a cookie bottom – kind of like a Mallomar, but since it would be for Valentine’s Day I’d call it a Vallomar.  I pictured it made in a mold like this:

This is what I wanted...

This is what I wanted…

However, we live almost two hours away from a craft store, and the closest thing I could find in town was a baking pan with small heart-shaped cavities – much smaller hearts than I had pictured. Since I waited until the last minute, there was no time to order online, so…I made do. It worked, but it would have been SO much easier with a flexible candy mold.

With one batch of graham cookie dough, eight ounces of chocolate, and one batch of marshmallow frosting, I made 12 Vallomar cookies, 6 large heart sandwich cookies, two pre-baked heart-shaped crusts, and had a pile of little graham hearts left over. That’s a lotta love!

These aren’t meant to be graham crackers, exactly – they’re more like a graham shortbread. They won’t spread, so you can put them very close together on the cookie sheet. If you are making the Vallomars, you’ll need to get a heart-shaped cookie cutter that is a little smaller than the cavities of your heart molds. Here’s the dough recipe:

Graham Cookies
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons milk
  • 2 cups graham flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup cornstarch
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 F.
  2. In large bowl (a stand mixer works best) beat butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar until well mixed.
  3. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and milk, and beat well.
  4. Add graham flour, all-purpose flour, and cornstarch and beat on low until combined. (This is a very stiff dough, so you may need to use a dough hook to finish mixing.)
  5. Roll out on lightly floured surface. These should be fairly thin - no more than ¼-inch. Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters.
  6. Place close together on baking sheet. Bake 9-10 minutes. Let them cool on the sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
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Cookies may be baked close together.

Cookies may be baked close together.

While your cookies are baking, you can coat the molds with chocolate and put them in the fridge.

Use milk chocolate or dark chocolate, whichever you prefer. I melt mine in a bowl in the microwave, beginning with 30 seconds, and then 15 second increments (stirring each time) until the chocolate is melted. If you’re using milk chocolate you may need to add a teaspoon of shortening or coconut oil to make it thinner. It will take approximately a pound of chocolate if you’re making all of the dough into Vallomars. If you’re like me, after making a dozen or two you’ll just want to be done, so you’ll cut the rest of the dough out into larger hearts and slap some chocolate on one side, marshmallow on the other, and put them together. Much easier, and if you drizzle a little chocolate over them, they’re almost as pretty as the Vallomars. Almost.

Graham cookies, marshmallow frosting, and chocolate. Yum!

Graham cookies, marshmallow frosting, and chocolate. Yum!

Coat the molds with a layer of chocolate. Some people use brushes, but a plastic measuring spoon worked well for me. So does a (clean) finger. Make sure you bring the chocolate all the way to the top of the cavity. Put in the refrigerator to harden. Repeat with another thin layer if necessary to coat completely.

Coating the hearts with melted chocolate.

Coating the hearts with melted chocolate.

While the cookies are cooling and the chocolate molds are chilling, make the marshmallow frosting.

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1  teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and vanilla at medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating at high speed until soft peaks form and sugar is dissolved.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring corn syrup just to a boil. Holding pan high above egg mixture, pour in a very thin stream, beating at highest speed until frosting is thick.

Ready to assemble? Bring the chocolate molds out of the fridge. Fill one cavity (this is your test cookie) about 2/3 full with the marshmallow frosting (I used a sandwich baggie with the tip cut of and piped mine in) and top it with one of the graham cookies. There should be a little room around the cookie, and a little space on top. If the cookie is a snug fit, you’ll have to do what I did and use a paring knife to shave them a bit, because you want the chocolate on top to fill in between the cookie and the mold. If there’s no room on top for chocolate, don’t put quite as much marshmallow in the rest of them.

Adding marshmallow frosting and a cookie.

Adding marshmallow frosting and a cookie.

Now top each of them with enough melted chocolate to cover the cookie completely. Tap the mold gently on the counter to get any bubbles out. Pop the filled mold in the freezer for 5 minutes or so, until the chocolate is firm. Turn it upside down and tap gently. (Or if you were better prepared than I was and have a plastic mold, flex it a little.) The Vallomars should pop right out.

Fill with a layer of chocolate.

Fill with a layer of chocolate.

You could flavor and color the filling, or put a sweet little royal icing rose on top. Or…drizzle with a contrasting chocolate (dark drizzle on milk chocolate, and vice versa.)

This dough works well as a tart crust. Make sure it’s rolled thin and don’t over bake it, or it will get too hard to cut neatly. I even baked one in a  small cake pan and filled it with chocolate pudding swirled with leftover marshmallow frosting and walnuts. misc10 027

3 days and counting! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Jelly Doughnut Hearts – Gotta Love ’em!

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column2 078A puffy, sweet pastry covered in sugar and oozing raspberry jelly…what’s better than a jelly doughnut? A homemade, heart shaped jelly doughnut!

Make a batch of these for Valentine’s Day and score some serious Brownie points! It’s really not as hard as you think, but you have to be willing to deep fry these; if you bake them you’ll lose some of the flavor and a lot of the tender texture.

I tried them glazed, rolled in sugar, and dusted with powdered sugar. And when I say I tried them, I mean I tried them. I couldn’t present them to you untested, right? Oh, the sacrifices I make! They were all delicious, but I think the traditional powdered sugar doughnut was my favorite.

Love those powdered ones!

Love those powdered ones!

 

Or...glazed is nice!

Or…glazed is nice!

Put a smile on someone’s face and give this recipe a try!

Jelly Doughnut Hearts
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Makes about 30 doughnuts.
Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 cups milk (2% or whole milk is best. I added a little half & half to my 2%)
  • ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ⅓ cup shortening
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup warm water
  • 2 packages active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • peanut oil for frying
Instructions
  1. In a small pan on medium-high heat, scald the milk. To do this, let the milk heat until there are bubbles all the way around the outer edge, but catch it before it boils. Remove from heat.
  2. Add ⅓ cup plus one tablespoon sugar, shortening, salt, and cinnamon. Allow the mixture to cool down until it’s lukewarm.
  3. In a large bowl (I use my stand mixer) combine the warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let it sit until bubbly – about 5 minutes.
  4. Mix the lukewarm milk mixture into the yeast mixture. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well.
  5. Slowly add the flour, mixing until combined. Knead well–5 minutes with stand mixer using the dough hook, or 7-8 minutes by hand on a lightly floured surface. If you're using a mixer, it will look very sticky at first, but at the end of the kneading time it should be a soft, elastic dough. If it is still sticky, add a little more flour and knead for another minute.
  6. Set the dough to rise in a large oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough with oil. Cover and allow to rise until double–about an hour. Punch down.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about ⅓ inch - definitely no thicker than ½ inch. They will puff up a lot when they're fried!
  8. Cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, getting the hearts as close to each other as possible. The first rolling is definitely the best; re-rolled dough is tougher. Remove the extra dough around the hearts, cover them with a clean dishtowel, and let them sit for 30 minutes.
  9. Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a large pan until it's between 350 and 365 degrees.
  10. Drop a few hearts into the hot oil at a time, giving them lots of room to move around. Once the bottom is a dark golden brown, flip the hearts over. If yours are like mine, they’ll have minds of their own and might insist on flipping right back over. Don’t let them win!
  11. When both sides are brown, remove and drain on paper towels. Move to a baking rack to cool.
  12. When the doughnuts are just barely warm, shake them gently in a bag of powdered sugar, or roll them in granulated sugar. If you prefer glazed doughnuts, mix a little water into powdered sugar (a drop or two of vanilla is nice, too) until you have a thin glaze. Dip the doughnuts or brush the glaze on with a pastry brush.
  13. To fill, use a pastry bag with a piping tip. Fill with jelly and poke the tip in the side of the doughnut, squeezing firmly. OR (this worked best for me) use a chopstick to poke a hole in the side and use a zipper bag filled with jelly (cut one tip off) to fill the doughnut.
  14. Make sure to wipe the powdered sugar off your chin before your family comes home!
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Cutting out heart shapes.

Cutting out heart shapes.

Frying the doughnuts.

Filling the doughnuts.

Filling the doughnuts.

Oh, yum!

Oh, yum!

I know for a fact that the glazed doughnuts freeze well, but I haven’t tried freezing the sugared doughnuts. So I guess I’ll just have to freeze the eight glazed hearts and eat all the rest. Yep – works for me!