butterfinger truffles

okay this was the second recipe i chose. i've started making some candy (almond roca, carmel candies) but i have never ventured to making truffles, they always looked way too complicated. but after reading the recipe (... and saw how short the ingredient list was and no oven time) i thought i'd give it a try. i'm stepping out of my baking comfort zone on these ...

recipe
10oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1tbs. unsalted butter
1c heavy cream
11/2c chopped butterfinger candy bars (about 8oz.)
4tsp. unsweetened coca powder
chopped/ peanut halves

place the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. then pour it over the chocolate. let stand for 1 minutes before stirring together. once the mixture is smooth then stir in the chopped candy. cover and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
line a baking sheet with foil. using a melon baller scoop 3/4'' balls from the chocolate mixture. roll the truffles in cocoa powder. garnish with a chopped or half peanut. chill again until firm.

again from bon appétit. okay so not the typical looking truffle but pretty damn close. i say they look yummy and homemade. and they are really good! the butterfinger makes it and adds some crunch. some suggestions for next time: try chilling overnight to make it easier when scooping, do a better job rolling the chocolate in a more ball-like shape, get ready to make a real mess in the kitchen when dousing in the powder so prepare the tupperware before hand. but a good first truffle recipe.

lemon slice-and-bakes

looking through the december issue of bon appétit today i found two good- looking recipes to bake for my mom's new years party tomorrow. the first are these lemon shortbread cookies. they looked very elegant and new-year-like and didn't require an extensive list of ingredients (but you DO need fresh lemons/ juice, considering its the main ingredient).

recipe
cookies
21/2c flour
1/2tsp. salt
1c unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4c sugar
2tbs. finely grated lemon zest
1tsp. vanilla extract
4egg yolks

icing
11/4c powdered sugar
2tbs. fresh lemon juice
food coloring (optional)

use an electric mixture to mix the butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla together. mix until fluffy then add the egg yolks one at a time. add the dry ingredients. divide the batter in half; roll each half into 10'' long log about 13/4'' in diameter. wrap in plastic wrap and let cool for an hour.
preheat oven to 350degrees. using a sharp knife cut the log into 1/4'' thick rounds. bake for 16-18minutes then let cool before frosting.
for the frosting whisk together the two ingredients until the consistency is how you want it. spread or drizzle over the cookies! makes atleast 2 dozen.

this recipe (from bon appétit magazine) was very easy to follow and turned out so well. the dough was easy to work with and the frosting (more like a glaze) was delicious. i added some sprinkles to them too. i pulled them out of the oven at fifteen minutes and the bottom was slightly golden brown, think that's the best way to go for sugar/ shortbread cookies.

chocolate peanut butter pretzel brownies

need i say more ? these are quite something. i saw them on a blog i've been following and i've wanted to try making them ever since. perfect to try on a rainy tuesday. and ingredients wise i had everything but the pretzel sticks, not bad for homemade brownies.

recipe
brownie
8tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
2oz unsweetened chocolate
4oz semi-sweet chocolate (chocolate chips)
1tsp. instant coffee (optional)
3/4c sugar
3eggs
1tsp. vanilla
2/3c flour
1/2tsp. baking powder
1/4tsp. salt
coarse sea salt for topping (just a little bit!)

peanut butter filling
4tbs. unsalted butter (melted)
1/2c powdered sugar
3/4c peanut butter
1/4tsp. salt
1/2tsp. vanilla
handful of pretzel sticks

preheat oven to 325degrees. grease an 8by8 baking pan and line with parchment paper so that it overhangs on two sides and grease the paper as well.
in a double boiler melt butter, chocolate (and coffee) over the heat proof bowl. once melted, remove from heat and add the vanilla. in a small bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. once the chocolate mixture has cooled slightly mix in the sugar then the eggs one at a time. fold in the dry ingredients and pour into the greased pan.
for the peanut butter filling, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth. pour this filling on top of the brownie batter and then use a butter knife to swirl the two together. arrange the pretzels however you like. top with some sea salt. bake for 40-45minutes. let cool before serving.

this recipe comes from Joy the Baker blog. (http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/) adapted from martha stewart. i think i'll be using her blog alot more ... the only thing i would remember to do next time was swirl the peanut butter filling more into the chocolate mixture and take out the brownies earlier! i think i over-baked mine, and they were in for 40minutes. i also opted out of adding coffee but that's just what i prefer. oh and a suggestion from my mom: break up the pretzels instead/ easier to eat and everyone gets a bite with pretzels. but other than that, very good. it's nice to change things up from just the plain old chocolate brownies.

chinese almond cookies

continuing with my tis the season theme ... so i've never celebrated the chinese new year, nor have i ever been to a chinese new year party but nonetheless these probably would go very well at one of those gatherings. very easy to make and different from the ordinary cookie. remind me of those pecan sandies you would buy at the store. i thought i would give them a shot ....

recipe
11/3c flour
1/2c sugar
1/2tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt
1/2c butter
1egg
1/2tsp almond extract
24 almonds
powdered sugar

preheat the oven to 325degrees. mix together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl fitted with an electric mixer. then cut the butter into the mixture. add the egg and almond extract. mix well until the dough comes together and forms one big ball. roll the dough into small balls and press an almond into the top of each cookie. bake for 12minutes or until the edges just barely turn brown. let cool before dusting lightly with powdered sugar. makes 2dozen.

this recipe comes from a blog i stumbled upon called elephantine. super easy and requires very little ingredients. also a bonus is that the butter doesn't have to be at room temperature! one thing i would add is that they seem to bake for a few minutes longer than 12minutes (i'd say 2/3 more minutes). but other than that a good recipe to have to bake quick, easy, delicate cookies.

gingerbread cookies

tis the season, no better way to do this then bake some homemade gingerbread cookies. we've been using martha stewart's recipe for these cookies for a few years now and they are quite delicious. really moist and makes the best dough! mmm ...

recipe

2c flour

2tsp ground ginger

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/2tsp ground nutmeg

1/4tsp ground cloves

1/4tsp salt

1/4tsp baking soda

1/2c unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3c packed brown sugar

1/3c molasses

1egg

in one bowl mix together the dry ingredients/ spices (flour, spices, baking soda and salt). then in an electric mixer beat the butter and brown sugar together. add in the molasses and egg. slowly add the dry ingredients until the dough just begins to form. place the dough on a floured plastic wrap, pat down and chill for 1-2 hours.

then preheat oven to 350degrees. divide the dough in half. work with one half at a time and roll out/ cut out shapes. bake for 8-10minutes. cool then frost. 

these cookies are always a favorite around the holidays. and martha stewart's recipe seems the easiest to use when you're trying to make homemade gingerbread. i ran out of ground ginger so instead i used some leftover real ginger and just shredded some. i also took the cookies out at exactly 8minutes and they were perfect. so good!

pumpkin patch spice cupcakes

happy halloween ... my mom and i made these themed cupcakes for our neighbors and austin's advisory! they turn out so well with their stems and vines -- and aren't as time consuming as you would think.

recipe
pumpkin spice
1box yellow cake mix
1c canned pumpkin
1tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3/4c buttermilk
1/3c vegetable oil
4eggs

decorating
12 standard cupcake liners
24 mini cupcake liners
4 green licorice twists (twizzler rainbow twists)
1can (16oz) plus 1c vanilla frosting
1c orange decorating sugar
green licorice laces (watermelon madness fruit streamers)

preheat oven to 350degrees. (follow instructions on box) then cool. cut licorice twists into little stem pieces. tint the vanilla frosting orange with food coloring. tint 1/2c of the orange frosting with a darker shade of orange and spoon in a ziploc bag. place the sprinkles in a shallow bowl. spread the light orange frosting on all the cupcakes and roll into the sprinkles. then with a wooden skewer make ridges in the top of each cupcake. then pipe a line in the indentations you made to make the ribs. insert the stems/ cut green vines and arrange on a plate, enjoy!

this recipe comes from 'hello, cupcake!' baking book that my mom got one year. i don't usually spend so much time and energy decorating cupcakes but i thought these were worth it for halloween! they taste really good because in the cake mix you substitute buttermilk for the water making the cake extra moist. these are deliciouss!!

pumpkin white chocolate drops

back for fall break! this recipe is so easy to make and the best fall cookies ever. whenever it's thanksgiving time i'm craving these pumpkin cookies -- so i decided to make them for justin's bithday down at the kelley's.

recipe
batter
2c butter, softened
2c sugar
1can (16oz) solid pack pumpkin
2eggs
4 c flour
2tbs. pumpkin pie spice
1tsp. baking powder
1/2tsp. baking soda
1bag (12oz) white chocolate chips

icing
1container (16oz) cream cheese frosting
1/4c brown sugar

preheat oven to 375degrees. beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add the pumpkin and eggs; beat until smooth. add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda. beat until well blended. then add the baking chocolate chips. drop tablespoonfuls onto the greased baking sheets. bake 14-18min then cool. combine frosting and brown sugar then spread on warm cookies. makes 6dozen.

this recipe comes from kristy! they always turn out good. this recipe makes so many cookies (this is a big recipe) that you can easily cut it in half. that's what i did this time because we only had half the amount of icing in the house. everyone loved them, the white chocolate chips add a really good crunch.

chocolate- hazelnut drop cookies

wanted to make something yummy for our boat dinner with all the neighbors tonight on the lake. i thought these would be a hit because all kids love chocolate and cookies!

recipe
1c butter, room temperature
1/4c plus 1c powdered sugar
1tsp vanilla
2c flour
1/2c nutella

preheat oven to 35o degrees. grease to baking pans. in an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. then add the vanilla. gradually add in all the flour then the nutella. using a small cookie scoop, drop the batter onto the pans. bake for 10- 12minutes. cool completely then roll the cookies in the powdered sugar. store in an airtight container.

i've never made these before and they turned out really well -- light and buttery. the recipe comes from giada again (starting to really like her cookie recipes!). they are suppose to be relatively small cookies and i was able to get about 3dozen out of the batter. i took them out at 10minutes and made sure to cool completely before adding the sugar. great simple, chocolate cookies ... enjoy.

my last blog before i go down to school, so stay tuned until i'm back home for one of my fall breaks!

peanut butter blackberry jam cookies

i just saw giada making these on her show the other day and thought i'd try them, they looked so good! they stood out to me because they're not your usual combo of cookie ingredients -- peanut butter, chocolate and blackberry jam. but they end up complimenting each other very well ...

recipe
1c flour
1/3c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2tsp. baking soda
1/8tsp. salt
1stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4c peanut butter, room temperature
3/4c sugar, plus 1/4c
1/2c packed light brown sugar
1egg, room temperature
1tsp. vanilla
1/4c blackberry jam

preheat oven to 375degrees. grease to baking sheets. sift together the dry ingredients in one bowl. then in an electric mixer beat the butter, peanut butter and sugars together. add the egg and vanilla. mix until blended then pour in the dry ingredients. form the dough balls and roll in sugar. indent with finger and spoon 1tsp. of jam on each cookie. bake for 11-14minutes. cool and enjoy!

this is my first time making them and i loved how they turned out! giada makes some really good recipes. the only change i made was eliminate the 'rolling in sugar' all together (done it before with for the peanut butter blossoms and thought it was unnecessary and messy!). i baked them for exactly 11minutes and they were slightly undercooked, just the way i like mine. made two dozen cookies. next time i would add more jam ... they just tasted so good with the jam!

coconut macaroons

i've made these before and they are so delicious, that is if you like coconut! very easy to make and requires very little ingredients.

recipe
14oz. sweetened shredded coconut
14oz. sweetened condensed milk
1tsp. vanilla
2large egg whites, room temperature
1/4tsp. kosher salt

preheat oven to 325degrees. combine the coconut, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. whip the egg whites on high speed with a whisked paddle attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. drop the batter onto greased sheet pans with an ice cream scoop. bake fore 25-3o minutes or until golden brown.

this recipes from barefoot contessa, family style. today it was a little tricky for me to bake these. for some reason the batter was runny when i put it in the oven so i tried another batter and whipped the egg whites a little longer (firmer peaks!) and that seemed to help. so remember to make sure the egg whites form peaks. other than that i thought they turned out. baked them for about 15-2o minutes instead. so good!! --oh and you can dip the cooled cookies in melted chocolate which makes them all the more yummy

peach&blueberry crumble

i made this yesterday just for fun. it has finally felt like summer here with weather this week in the 80's, so i thought a nice fruit dessert was in order.

recipe
fruit filling
6-8 firm, ripe peaches
2tsp. grated lemon zest
2tbs. squeezed lemon juice
1/2c sugar
1/4c flour
1c (1/2pint) fresh blueberries

crumble topping
1c flour
1/3c sugar
1/4c brown sugar
1/2tsp. kosher salt
1/4tsp. cinnamon
1stick cold, unsalted butter, diced

preheat oven to 350degrees. to peel the peaches skin off easily you can boil the peaches for 30seconds in  boiling water then place them immediately in cold water. peel the peaches and slice them in wedges. add all the filling ingredients, blueberries last. let the mixture sit for 5minutes then pour into pan. for the topping combine all ingredients in an electric mixture until butter is the size of peas. sprinkle evenly over filling and bake for 40-45minutes. serve warm or room temperature.

this recipe comes from barefoot contessa at home (yet again!) her fruit crisps are the best. never made this one before and thought it turned out really well. nice and crunchy on top with a sweet, gooey filling for the bottom. i took the crumble out at 40minutes and served it with homemade whipped cream. contessa made this recipe as separate crumbles, in individual ramekins, but either way works. easy to make and a great summer dessert!

scotch shortbread

want to make cookies but don't have any eggs? make these. very simple cookies and so buttery and addictive! made/ decorated them for my tennis kids.

recipe
1c butter, softened
1/4c sugar
2c flour

preheat oven to 35o degrees. mix butter and sugar together then add the flour. if dough is crumbly add 1/2tbs. more of butter. roll on a lightly floured board. cut into small shapes about 1/2'' thick. place 1/2'' apart on sheet. bake for 20minutes.

this recipe comes from my mom. so easy and delicious the only changes i made was doubling the recipe (make about 30-35cookies) and took them out a few minutes early then frosted them! mmm, usually not frosted, but good either way.

mrs. fields cookies

i might like these chocolate chip cookies better than the "one clove" blogsite recipe post. they turned out gooey and chocolately ... the best combo.

recipe
1lbs. butter
11/2c sugar
2c brown sugar
3eggs
2tsp. vanilla
6c flour
11/2tsp. soda
11/2tsp. salt
4-6c chocolate chips (milk chocolate)
2c walnuts (opt.)

preheat oven to 35o degrees. cream the butter until light and fluffy; add sugar slowly while beating butter. then add the eggs and vanilla. sift dry ingredients and add to cream mixture. mix well then add the chips. drop by ice cream scoops onto ungreased sheet, keep in balls. bake for 8-10minutes. don't overbake.

like my artistic picture? these cookies come from one of my mom's recipes. if you haven't noticed already this recipe calls for some big measurements. don't worry; i cut this recipe in half and still made 4dozen cookies! you might be wondering how i cut 3eggs in half, i decided to beat the second egg in a small bowl then just add half of the mixture (seemed to work, but if you have enough to fulfill the original measurements i would do that just in case). when it comes to baking i've learned that halving recipes doesn't always work out as successfully as cooking recipes does, so be careful. and besides halving the recipe and leaving out the walnuts i didn't make any other changes. took the cookies out at 81/2 minutes and they were delicious!

confetti squares

these are so fun. they are a new and improved version of a rice krispie and so good -- i made these for the little kids i teach tennis for in the summer!

recipe
9tbs. unsalted butter
1tsp. salt
12c (21/2bags) miniature marshmallows
6c Rice Krispies
6c Cap'n Crunch
6c Fruit Loops
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

lightly spray a 9x9x2''' baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. set aside. melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. add salt and marshmallows. stir with a wooden spoon until melted. remove from heat and add the cereals until well combined. transfer the mixture into the pan. to prevent sticking (important!) spray hands with cooking spray and press mixture into the pan. let cool, about 3ominutes. cut and store in airtight container for up to 3days.

sorry the second image is kinda blurry! okay so my mom found this recipe from martha stewart and it's always a hit whenever we serve it at events/ bake sales etc. so easy to make and no bake time needed! i don't change the recipe at all -- definitely keep this recipe around.

chocolate- carmel slice

this was the second candy recipe we made for the girls coming over before the harry potter premiere last night. another yummy success. a little more complicated with the steps and more ingredients.

recipe
crust
1c flour
1/4c brown sugar
2tsp. cornstarch
1/4tsp. salt
1/2c chilled unsalted butter, cut in cubes
1tbs. ice water
1egg yolk

toppings
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2c brown sugar
6tbs. unsalted butter, diced
2tbs. corn syrup
1tsp. vanilla

6oz. semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
3tbs. whipping cream
flaked sea salt (such as Maldon)

preheat oven to 35o degrees. butter 11x7x2'' metal baking pan. blend the first 4 ingredients in processor. add butter. add the ice water and egg yolk. blend until moist clumps form. press the dough onto the bottom of pan. bake until golden about 20minutes. cool completely.

then whisk the first 5 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. boil until thermometer reads 225 degrees. (about 6minutes, whisking constantly) pour carmel over crust; cool 15 minutes to set.

melt chocolate with cream in microwave in 15-second intervals. spread chocolate over warm carmel; sprinkle with sea salt. refrigerate until chocolate is set, at least an hour then cut and serve.

as you can see i saw this recipe in bon appetit and really wanted to make it. it reminds me of these gourmet carmel chocolates we get at the met with sea salt on them, delicious. and these bars turned out so good. i followed the recipe exactly because it was my first time but i did only put the crust in for 16minutes because it was already golden. next time i'd try to keep the carmel over heat longer (for a more chewy texture) and put less salt on (got a little carried away).

almond roca

another rainy/ dreary day in the middle of july this year, so i decided to experiment with making some candy. lindsay came over to help me and the almond roca turned out great.

recipe
14oz. hershey's milk chocolate bars
1lbs. whole unsalted almonds
4cubes of butter
2c sugar

no oven baking here. grind the chocolate bars and almonds in a cuisinart food processor. press half of the mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan. then melt the butter and sugar to a boil. stir until it turns to a dark color and the candy thermometer reads over 300degrees. test the candy in cold water. pour over the first layer of nuts. sprinkle the rest of the mixture, press wax paper over top and cool for 20minutes.

this recipe comes from our aunt romy. she taught us how to make it over christmas break this year, and it's truly the best almond roca ever. i'd venture to say better than brown&haley, but that's just my opinion.

chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing

these cupcakes turned out so well! i made these for our new neighbor kids next door, anna and connor -- they are cuties. so i wanted to make them a 'kid friendly' dessert, and what better than chocolate cake.

recipe
cake
1egg
1stick unsalted butter, softened
11/2c flour
1/2c cocoa powder (optional for chocolate cupcakes)
1/2c buttermilk
1tsp. vanilla
1tsp. baking soda
1/2tsp. salt
1c sugar
1/2c hot water

icing
3c powdered sugar
3tbs. cocoa powder (optional for chocolate icing)
2tbs. whole milk
2tbs. buttermilk
4tbs. unsalted butter, softened
1tsp. vanilla
1/8tsp. salt

preheat oven to 35o degrees. line the muffin tin with paper cups. combine the cupcake ingredients in a bowl, adding the water last. beat until smooth. fill the cupcake holders evenly with the batter. bake for 20-25minutes. for the icing combine all the ingredients together. mix until smooth and creamy. cool completely! then ice and decorate the cupcakes.

i got this recipe from emeril and thought it was a great success! (usually he has such complicated recipes) i decorated them with sprinkles and chopped up hershey's bars. the only changes i made was use half&half mixed with water instead of the whole milk (didn't have any) and baked them for only 17minutes and they were definitely done. oh and what's great about this recipe is that you can mix up the cakes and icings however you like -- vanilla/chocolate cake, vanilla/chocolate icing. just add/leave out the cocoa powder. so easy and yummy.

carmelitas (carmel cookies)

these are probably the BEST cookies we make. my mom has been making these since we were little and it was always such a special surprise to come home after school to these. mmmm ... the cookie bars will only usually last 24hours in our household before they all get eaten up.

recipe
crust
3/4c butter
3/4c brown sugar
1tsp baking soda
1c flour
1c oatmeal

topping
33 kraft caramels
3tbs. half&half
3tsb. butter
1c chocolate chips
1c chopped pecans

preheat oven to 35o degrees. start with the crust: melt the butter. add to the melted butter, the brown sugar, baking soda, flour and oatmeal. mix together and press (3/4) of the mixture into a 9x12 baking pan. bake for 10minutes. while the crust is baking, make the filling: melt together the caramels, butter and half&half over the stove. pour the mixture over the hot crust and sprinkle the remaining crust, pecans and chocolate chips. bake again for 15minutes then cool and serve.

this recipe comes from my aunt romy. her recipe of it is a little bit different than the one i posted (asks for more caramels, evaporated milk, smaller pan and no nuts!) but both of them taste about the same. nonetheless, delicious cookie bars and always a favorite.

vanilla cupcakes

happy fourth! i usually make barefoot contessa's flag cake but this year was a little more low key so i tried these cupcakes. they're technically "strawberry-lime" cupcakes but i didn't love the frosting enough to blog about it. but if you want a simple, homemade vanilla cupcake this recipe is the one ...

recipe
11/2c flour
11/2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
2eggs, room temperature
2/3c unsalted butter, melted
2tsp vanilla
1/2c milk

preheat oven to 35o degrees. line the muffin tin with cupcake liners. beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and foamy, about 2minutes. while beating, gradually pour in the butter and then the vanilla. add half the dry ingredients then the milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients. divide batter evenly in prepared pans. bake for about 30minutes.

this recipe comes from the online food network website under "strawberry-lime" stuffed cupcakes. the vanilla cake bakes faster than 30minutes, i pulled them out at 23minutes and i thought they were a little dry so i would go even less. but other than that an easy recipe for vanilla cake!

texas sheetcake

this cake is amazing. always a success anywhere we make it, it's light and fluffy. almost like a less dense version of a brownie with great frosting. it's usually made in the summer -- i grew up on having it after bbq's with other families. sooo good!

recipe 

cake

2c flour

2c sugar

1c butter

1c water

4tbs cocoa powder

1/2c buttermilk

11/2tsp baking soda

2eggs

1/2tsp salt

1tsp vanilla

frosting

4tbs cocoa powder

1c butter

6tbs buttermilk

1bs box powdered sugar

(lots of steps! follow carefully) preheat oven to 35o degrees. mix in a bowl the flour and sugar. then boil the butter, water and cocoa powder together. pour the boiled ingredients oven the above dry mixture. mix well. then beat together the buttermilk, baking soda, eggs, salt and vanilla a separate bowl. add the two mixtures together. pour into a greased jellyroll pan. slap down to remove bubbles. bake for 20minutes. 

during the last five minutes of baking, making the icing. boil the three ingredients together and pour it all over a bowl holding 1lbs box of powdered sugar. mix together and pour all over the hot cake after 5minutes of cooling, enjoy!

as you can see, this cake gets eaten fast! this recipe comes from the hersey family. they would always make it for dessert when we got together. i follow the recipe exactly except for the salt. since i use salted butter, i only put a dash of salt (if that) into the cake batter. but other than that, follow the directions!

fresh peach cake

this cake was so good. i made it for one of our iverson dinners two nights ago and it was a big hit. 

recipe

1stick butter, room temperature

11/2c sugar

2eggs, room temperature

1c sour cream, room temperature

1tsp vanilla

2c flour

1tsp baking soda

1tsp baking powder

1/2tsp kosher salt

1tsp ground cinnamon

3 large peaches

1/2c chopped pecans

preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch square pan. beat the butter and 1c of the sugar for 3-5min on medium speed, until light and fluffy. then add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla. then the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda&powder and salt). mix until just combined. in a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients (cinnamon and 1/2c sugar). spread half the batter in the pan and top with a layer of  half the peaches then 2/3of the sugar mixture. spread the remaining batter on top, rest of the peaches, sugar and the pecans. bake the cake for 45-55minutes. 

before

after

i found this recipe in one of the bon appetit magazines and have been waiting to bake it ever since. its a barefoot contessa recipe so i knew i'd probably turn out. i made sure to have everything at room temperature before i started. i used salted butter and left the kosher salt out. it baked for longer than expected, at about 60minutes. its texture is more of a coffee cake than an actual cake cake. i served it with whipped cream, very good!

peanut butter blossoms

(a little maui vacation breakk) okay so i just made these yesterday. lindsey evans introduced these delicious and easy cookies to me a few years ago and ever since i've been hooked. if you're craving peanut butter and have hershey's kisses on hand, make these!

recipe
24 hershey's kisses
3/4c peanut butter
1/3c light brown sugar
1/3c sugar
1/2c shortening
1egg
2tbs milk
1tsp vanilla
1tsp baking soda
11/2c flour
1/2tsp salt

preheat oven to 375 degrees. beat shortening and peanut butter together. then add the sugars and mix until light and fluffy. add egg, milk and vanilla. then gradually beat in the dry mixture of flour, baking soda and salt. make one inch balls and roll into granulated sugar then place them on cookie sheets. bake for 8-10minutes. then immediately press an unwrapped hershey's kiss into each cookie!

these are from the universal hershey recipe on the back of any hershey's kisses bag or the internet. just type "peanut butter blossoms." a few changes i have made over the years are: no salt needed, i prefer not to roll into sugar (tastes better in my opinion!), small batter (only makes two dozen, and thats if you don't eat any of the batter haha) and cooks for 8minutes, no more! these cookies also store well and stay fresh for a long time. yummy.

chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

i make these all the time. out of all the cookie batters i've made, these ones set the best. they always look thick and don't flatten when you take them out of the oven.

recipe
2sticks softened butter
1c brown sugar
1/2c + 2tbs. sugar
2eggs
1tsp. vanilla
2c + 2tbs. flour
3/4tsp. baking soda
1/2tsp. salt (unless you use salted butter)
21/2c oats
2c chocolate chips
1c chopped pecans

preheat oven to 350 degrees. beat sugar and butter together. add one egg at a time. then the vanilla. sift together the remaining ingredients. blend. mix in the oats, chips and pecans. bake by the tablespoons on 2 greased sheets. bake for approx. 14minutes.

this recipe is yet another one from my mom. the batter makes almost two dozen (that is if you don't eat too much of the dough). i have two confessions when i make these cookies. the first is that i have never sifted the dry ingredients. the second is that i've never tried it with the nuts. but now thinking about that, i don't know why i haven't, so stay tuned. i take these cookies out at 12minutes not 14minutes.

lemon bars

i made these yesterday with my friend hannah! we haven't made these in a while -- my sister use to always ask my mom to make them for her birthdays instead of cake. these bars are so good and always go really quickly in our house.

recipe
crust
2c flour
1/2c powdered sugar
1c salted butter, softened

filling
4eggs
4tbs. flour
6tbs. lemon juice
2c sugar
1tsp. baking powder

preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine the first set of ingredients in a mixer. press in the bottom of a 9x13'' pan. bake for 12-15minutes. while the crust is baking, combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. pour over the hot crust and return to the oven for 20-30minutes. loosen the edges, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut while warm.

this recipe comes from my mom. so gooey and the crust is just like shortbread, very flaky and buttery. one thing i would note here is the crust bakes for the time said (between 12-15minutes) but the second time around, take the bars out at exactly 20minutes! these are a definite keeper.

red velvet cupcakes

lauren and i made these a few nights ago on a rainy afternoon. you'll notice i try alot of barefoot contessa's recipes, she's the best. so i saw her making these on tv the other day and thought i'd try them!

recipe

21/2c flour

1/4c unsweetened cocoa powder

1tsp. baking powder

1tsp. baking soda

1tsp. kosher salt

1c buttermilk, shaken

1tbsp. red food coloring

1tsp. white vinegar

1tsp. vanilla

1stick unsalted butter

11/2c sugar

2eggs

frosting

8oz. cream cheese, room temperature

11/2sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2tsp. vanilla

31/2c sifted confectioner's sugar

preheat oven to 350 degrees. line the muffin tins with paper liners. sift together the dry ingredients. then in a bowl mix the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla. then in an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar together. add the eggs one at a time. add the dry and wet ingredients (altering three times, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients). scoop the batter in the muffin cups. then bake for 20 minutes. cool completely then frost. for the frosting mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla. add the sugar last, don't whip! just until combined. 

like i said this recipe comes from barefoot contessa. the major point i'd make about this recipe is take them out sooner! i only baked them for 18minutes and i think that was even a little too late (next time watch closely after 15minutes). the cake was really dense, but overall the cupcakes were yummy. 

*picture came out too dark! so i made it black and white :)

old-fashioned apple crisp

okay so lauren and i tried this barefoot contessa recipe, instead of the apple crisp recipe we usually use, for dinner with the iversons last night. the steps were fairly simple, the only really tedious task was peeling and slicing the 5lbs of apples!

recipe
5lbs mcintosh/ macoun apples
l lemon grated zest
1 orange grated zest
2tbs. squeezed orange juice
2tbs. squeezed lemon juice
1/2c sugar
2tsp. ground cinnamon
1tsp. ground nutmeg

for the topping
11/2c flour
1/4c sugar
3/4c light brown sugar
1/2tsp. kosher salt
1c oatmeal
1/2lbs cold unsalted butter, diced

preheat oven to 350 degrees. butter 9x14x2'' oval baking dish. peel, core and cut the apples into large wedges. combine the apples with the first part of ingredients. pour into the dish. to make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. mix on low speed. scatter evenly over the apples. bake for one hour. serve warm.

this recipe comes from barefoot contessa's parties cookbook. everyone loved it, but i thought the orange flavor was a little too strong. so if i made this again, i would put in less orange zest/ juice. also good to note is that it takes the full hour to bake!

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

this batter always turns out great, and the cookies are delicious. this recipe makes about two dozen (a little less than most doughs) but it's a keeper. the plus side is that it only needs half of what most cookie doughs ask for (one stick of butter/ one egg).

recipe
1/2cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2cup dark brown sugar
1/2cup sugar
3/4cup peanut butter
1tsp. vanilla
1egg
1cup flour
3/4tsp. soda
1cup chocolate chips

preheat oven to 325 degrees. mix together the butter and sugars. then blend in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg. add the dry ingredients last. then stir in the chocolate chips. scoop on two sheet pans and bake for 14minutes.

this recipe comes from my mom. it's baked regularly in our household!

mahogany cake

okay so i just made this cake for the first time with my mom last night. we made it a bundt cake but it would be delicious in any shape. make sure you have all the ingredients for this cake! a couple main ingredients you might not usually have on hand (buttermilk, brewed coffee, cocoa powder).

recipe
cake
2cups sugar
1cup butter, softened
5 eggs
1/4cup cold brewed coffee
2tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
1cup buttermilk
1tsp. baking soda
21/2cups flour

icing
1cup butter, softened
16oz powdered sugar
1/4cup cold brewed coffee
1/4cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2tsp. vanilla

preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease and flour three 9'' round pans. mix the sugar and butter together. beat in the eggs one at a time. add the coffee and cocoa. then measure the buttermilk, remove one tbs. (to mix with the baking soda) and add the remaining buttermilk. stir in the baking soda and buttermilk mix. pour into the prepared pans and bake for about 30minutes. let set and cool. for the frosting beat the butter  and sugar then add the rest of the ingredients.

this recipe comes from allrecipes.com online (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/grannys-mahogany-cake-and-frosting/Detail.aspx). first off, if doing this cake in a bundt pan, it takes a good 45minutes to cook all the way through. second, make sure to let the cake cool COMPLETELY. we added the frosting too soon and within ten minutes the frosting was melting off the cake! but despite this, the cake was very yummy and reminded me and my mom of our texas sheet cake (... coming soon).

raspberry oatmeal bars

this is the first time i've tried this recipe. i tried them during school this year and absolutely loved them. they reminded me of these camel bar cookies we make all the time at home so i thought i'd give these bars a try.

recipe
3/4cup butter (room temperature)
1cup brown sugar
11/2cup flour
11/2cup oats
1/2tsp. baking soda
raspberry jam (cup or so)

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. cream together the butter and sugar. then add the rest of the ingredients. press half the mixture into a greased 13x9 pan. then spread the first layer with jam. sprinkle the remaining mixture over the top. bake for 20-25 minutes (i did 22min) and cut warm.

this recipe comes from my english teacher at school. i asked her for the recipe after she made them for our field trip. her bars seemed thicker and less crumbly than mine so next time i'd try: add more jam and split the mixture 3/4 (for the bottom) and 1/4 (for the top) to make it easier to pick up and eat. but they turned out delicious and very easy to make.

mom's banana bread

this banana bread is probably made once a week in our kitchen. so moist and good for breakfast or a yummy snack. and it's a great use for the bananas that go bad!

recipe
3large bananas (smashed! yes there is a story behind there)
1cup sugar
1stick of butter
2 eggs
2cups flour
1tsp. soda

preheat oven to 350 degrees. cream the sugar and butter together. add the eggs. then put in the rest of the ingredients and save the bananas for last. pour into a greased, flour pan. bake for 1 hour - half way through cover the bread with foil.

this quick and easy recipe comes from my mom, she makes it the best! i usually pull the bread out a few minutes earlier ... if you haven't noticed already i tend to bake more towards the underdone side -- that's just my preference!

easy double chocolate brownies

these are dense, fudgy brownies that taste delicious. i like them because they are brownies made from scratch but not hard to make at all. and all the ingredients are simple and usually can be found in any pantry.

recipe
24oz pkg chocolate chips
1/2cup butter
3 eggs
11/4cup flour
1cup sugar
1/4tsp baking soda
1tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease 9x13 baking dish. melt 1cup chocolate chips and butter in a sauce pan. stir until smooth. remove from heat. stir in eggs until smooth. stir in flour, sugar, soda and vanilla. add remaining morsels. spread in prepared pan. bake for 18 minutes, should look undercooked then cool before cutting (cool in refrigerator after they get to room temperature first).

this recipe comes from kristeen petersen and these goodies have always been a hit wherever served! the things i would highlight about this recipe is that these brownies are suppose to look underdone when taken out of the oven and they will not set until refrigerated.

chocolate chip cookies

the first post of my baking blog, this blog serves as a recipe bank for me. i'm going to keep track of my trials and errors in the kitchen and post about my favorite baked successes. so i decided to start with the most basic, chocolate chip cookies. out of all the cookies doughs i've made, this one seems to bake the best. the cookies are soft and chewy, just the way i like my cookies. 

recipe

2cups flour

1/2tsp. baking soda

3/4cup salted butter, softened

1cup brown sugar

1/2cup white sugar

1tbsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2cups semisweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350 degrees. prepare cookies sheets. in a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. then beat in vanilla, egg and egg yolk. add the dry ingredients until blended. stir in the chocolate chips. drop 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. bake for 15 minutes (i always do a few minutes less) and then cool. 

this recipe comes from "one whole clove" blog (http://www.onewholeclove.typepad.com) the only changes i made were to use salted butter instead (can add a dash of salt if needed, this way i don't have to monitor my salt because the butter already has it) and i didn't have enough chocolate chips so i used one cup of white chocolate chips this time.