OREO Cookie Balls

I have seen this recipe make rounds in the blogsphere a number of times; and I've always wanted to make it but never really had the right occasion. I'm starting to bake all of my cookies for the tins I hand out to clients & friends at this time of the year and thought they would be PERFECT to go in.

The first part is really easy, but I will warn you that the dipping in chocolate part can be tricky. I had my sister Tracey, a baking expert with me, and it was still a lot of work! Make sure you have parchment-paper lined baking trays for the balls to chill on and for the extra chocolate to drip off.

We did two variations: OREO, and peanut butter. Just substitute a box of cookies to change the flavour, everything else can stay the same!

Ingredients:
1 pkg (350g) OREO cookies, finely crushed (save 1 tbsp for decoration)
1 pkg (250g) cream cheese, softened (leave out at least a few hours)
1 pkg (8 squares) Bakers semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Directions:
1. Mix cookie crumbs and cream cheese until well blended.
2. Form into small balls (about 1") Should make about 35-45.
3. Place balls in fridge for 1 hour to firm/chill.
4. Melt chocolate squares as directed on package (in microwave)
5. Dip balls in chocolate, place on baking tray lined with parchment paper. Decorate with some reserved crumbs or sprinkles.  Place in fridge for at least 1 hour - preferably 2.

Source: Kraft Canada

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Roll

           The title is a mouthful, and it doesn't even begin to cover the deliciousness that is this dessert. Its the best of rice crispy squares, a childhood favourite. It does take extra time, but it is well worth it because you will be showered with compliments!
          This is often my go-to dessert for potlucks or gatherings with friends. The most important thing to make sure is that no one is allergic to peanuts where you will be going - if there will be, make something more allergy-friendly!
          I included a few pictures of the steps you take so that you can visualize what needs to be done. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to take a pic of the end product - but it does look awesome! It really is quite simple it just takes a few extra minutes above your regular squares. Don't forget to have extra Pam no-stick spray or margarine available to grease your spatulas & hands as needed.

Ingredients:

• 1 (400g) package marshmallows
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 6 cups rice krispy cereal
• 1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup butterscotch chips
• 2 tbsp milk or cream

Directions:


1) Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking sheet with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside.
2) In a large saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter or margarine over low heat. Add the vanilla. Melt the marshmallows into the margarine, stirring frequently with a greased spatula. When marshmallows have almost melted, add the peanut butter and stir until blended and everything is melted. 
3) Remove from heat and add in cereal. Mix well but carefully, until everything is blended.
4) Quickly pour onto baking sheet, and press down firm. Will only be about 1" high (as opposed to normal squares in a smaller pan that will be about 2-3" high). You may need to grease your hands or spatula for this!
5) In a small saucepan, melt 1 tbsp butter. Add chocolate & butterscotch chips. Stir frequently until blended, add milk if needed to make a bit easier to pour.
6) Pour chocolate over rice crispy mixture stopping about 1" away from all edges.
7) Roll up jelly-roll style (using the longest side), peeling waxed paper away while rolling. Place seam side down on a serving plate. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.
8) Cut into 3/4" rolls just before serving and enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

          I used to be a firm believer in boxed cake mix. It was easy, fail-proof, and quick. Plus, the cake always turned out quite well - never fabulous, but usually very good. 

          Well, I have found a recipe that I think challenges my firm belief in boxed cake mix. My sister sent it to me a few weeks ago, telling me that I absolutely had to make it. Never one to resist a new recipe, I decided to try it out for a staff BBQ we had planned. The recipe was for chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, and they were delicious. Light & moist, without the generic boxed cake mix taste. They definitely require more time though, and the ingredient list is obviously 4x bigger than simply adding eggs and water to a mix. The peanut butter frosting was also a hit - although next time, I think i'd like to try a buttercream frosting instead for personal preference.

           

Ingredients

• 3 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (then take out ¼ C worth)
• 1 cup baking cocoa
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups sour cream (FULL FAT!!)
• 1 1/3 cups boiling water (add in one serving of instant coffee granules before stirring into the mix)

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. 
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla.
3.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with sour cream to creamed mixture. Mix on low just until combined. Stir in water until blended. 
4. Bake for about 15-18 minutes for cupcakes (350 C)

Icing (from my Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (not light, I used PC and it had a better peanut flavor than kraft)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light an

Summer Mixed Berry Trifle

           I really, really, love desserts. Although I might have had this post about needing to eat better, I can't resist a good sweet treat. 
           I recently had a barbeque to celebrate my first sale (and thus paycheque!) as a real estate sales representative. Somehow, all I had to do was make dessert, as everyone else brought something (thank you!) 
             I decided to use my neat glass serving dish that the husband bought me, and a trifle was the perfect fit. The final result looked fabulous, and of course it tasted delightful as well. I have to admit that I totally cheated - I used bought angel food cake AND brownies, just to save time. I might just use bought mix from now on, because it was SO easy to do.

Ingredients:
2 store-bought angel food cakes
1 package bite-size brownies
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 package instant chocolate pudding
4 cups milk (for the pudding)
2 skor bars, cut up
Fresh sliced strawberries & blueberries (about 1 cup each)
1 package cool whip


Directions:
1. Make both vanilla and chocolate pudding according to package directions. Put in fridge to firm, at least one hour.
2. Tear angel food cake into chunks, and cut brownies into bite-size pieces. 
3. Line the bottom of dish with angel food cake (about 1 cake worth). Cover with chocolate pudding and   1 cut-up skor bar. 
4. Make another layer with all of the cut-up brownie, then layer with vanilla pudding & remaining skor bar.
5. Do final layer with angel food cake, then top with cool whip and fresh fruit.
Serve immediately.


Note - the trifle can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time and refrigerated. Keeps about 2 days in fridge & serves 8-16 people.

Raspberry Bars

            If I had to pick a favourite fruit, I would pick the raspberry. It is perfect in almost every way, except for its price. With 5 months of winter around here, there is a very short raspberry season. So If i'm craving raspberries, I often try to use recipes with jam or frozen berries instead of fresh.

         These bars use raspberry jam, and they are absolutely phenomenal. They are also quite inexpensive to make (under $5 if you have the staple ingredients) so they are a great choice when you want to make a "wow" dessert without compromising your wallet. An added bonus - the ingredient list is short & simple. Anybody can make them, and they are fail-proof. I promise!!

           So all of the ladies at the office who have wanted to make something off my blog but swear to me they can't bake - I promise, you can all make this. Like I have said before - If I can do it, you can do it!'

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup raspberry jam

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8 inch square pan, and line with greased foil.
2. Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and rolled oats. Rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture. Press 3 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam.
3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars. (I let it cool at room temp for about 2 hours)

          

Lemon Lust Bars

            When I was in high school, I worked at the most magical bakery on earth. The Disneyworld of bakeries, called Ragueneau. It was named after the baker in Cyrano de Bergerac for those literature fans out there. Ragueneau was a meeting place for friends, families, and the go-to coffee shop for workers in the area. There were two things it was famous for: pizza and the desserts. There were Rocky Road bars, brownies, chocolate peanut-butter squares, raspberry turnovers, and my personal favourite: lemon lust bars. 
            I haven't been able to find a duplicate since the bakery closed several years ago, though this one is quite close. It makes a good-sized batch, so its perfect for entertaining or family gatherings. Be careful not to overcook the filling - it will settle and continue to solidify after it comes out of the oven.
            If anyone has a better recipe, please send it my way!! I'm looking for one with a slightly 'gooier' filling, and a coconut top. Thanks! 

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Filling:
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 lemons, juiced (about 2/3 cup)
• Powdered sugar, for dusting.
• 
  
• Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool, be careful not to overbake filling. When completely cool (3 hours) dust with icing sugar. Bars keep 3 days. Serves 16+.

      
Source:
Adapted from www.allrecipes.com
         

Avocado & Black Bean Brownies

       OH.MY.GOD. The most exciting thing to a foodie has happened. My life might never be the same again.I have found a dessert that is both succulent & healthy. One might say this dessert is "deceptively delicious." And I can take absolutely no credit for it.
       One of my favourite cooking blogs is Branny Boils Over. She is hilarious, witty, and most importantly, the recipes are phenomenal. And when she posted the avocado & black bean brownies, I almost lost all respect for her. What self-proclaimed foodie would destroy the goodness that is brownies by taking away the flour & butter and replacing it with black beans and avocado? Well folks, I stand humbled. I made the brownies. I peered in the oven every few minutes. I agonized and waited an entire day, like she says, to eat them. And then I just about died with happiness. 
    The calorie content is about 1/3 of a regular brownie. There is enough fiber to make an All-Bran bar quiver. And it tastes - like a fudgey, chocolatey brownie. If you don't believe me, thats perfectly fine. Because I don't want there to suddenly be a shortage of black beans at the grocery store.
     So friends, make the brownies. Wait a day. And then enjoy :)

Ingredients:
1 (19 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup egg whites ( I just used regular eggs)

1/4 cup agave syrup or honey
1 small ripe avocado
6 tbsp cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tbsp white sugar (75gm)
2 teaspoons instant espresso (I omitted)

Fresh raspberries or strawberries for serving


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ pan with parchment paper.

Combine black beans, egg whites, agave syrup, and avocado in food processor. Blend for a few minutes, until completely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and continue blending until fully combined. 


Spread into parchment-lined baking dish. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the brownies comes out clean.  These are best if you let them sit overnight & serve with fresh fruit & a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Source: Adapted from Branny Boils Over, who adapted her recipe from Cara's Cravings. I strongly encourage you to check out both of their websites!

Apple Strudel

I had a few extra sheets of phyllo pastry left from the samosas, so I thought it would be fun to do apple strudel. This was something else that I had never made before, but figured it couldn't be that hard, so I closed up the recipe box and decided to have some fun! Probably the single best apple dessert yet, and so easy! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 sheets phyllo pastry, thawed

4 tart apples, cored, peeled & diced

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 egg

1 tsp milk

1 tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Combine apples, cinnamon, flour & brown sugar.

2. Fold each sheet of phyllo pastry in half. Brush with melted butter and spread 1/4 of mixture on each one at the ends, leaving 1" at each side. Roll up and tuck ends in using a bit of butter. Slit holes into top.

3. Beat and egg milk together and brush onto each strudel. Sprinkle sugar onto top.

4. Bake at 350F for 16-18 mins, until lightly browned and bubbly.

Notes: Make sure phyllo pastry is wet with egg before putting in oven to avoid burning.

Grandma's Lemon Loaf

I think that the best cooks in the world are grandmothers. If you ask anybody where they got their most-prized, top secret recipe for just about anything, its their grandma. So I must give full credit to the best lemon loaf in the world to the best grandma in the world - mine. Grandma Kay used to make this lemon loaf recipe for me every time I came home from university, and she would send me back with it to share with my roommates. Now, this recipe is what I make for the neighbours - it keeps them from complaining when we have guests over till 3am! Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 cup water, boiling

1 package lemon jello powder

4 eggs

1 lemon cake mix

3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup icing sugar

Directions:

1. Dissolve jello powder into boiling water and let cool (about 10 mins).

2. Mix eggs, cake mix, oil, and lemon jello/water mixture well - but don't worry if there are a few clumps here and there, they will bake out. Its best not to over mix.

3. Pour mixture into 2 loaf pans lined with wax paper (and sprayed with Pam) and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Loaf is done when toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.

4. Mix lemon juice and icing sugar together well. Use toothpick and pierce tops of loaves, then pour mixture overtop of each. Take a knife and loosen wrap from loaf so lemon mixture will run down the ends and sides.

I find lemon loaf is best the next day or when completely cooled. Freezes perfectly and is a great gift to new neighbours and old friends!

Apple Pie

It was my sister's birthday a few weeks ago, so I made her lasagna and apple pie and drove with my mom to visit her where she lives. For those of you who know my sister, she is a phenomenal cook - much better than me (for now at least, but she best watch out!!) I was quite nervous making her food, so I turned to an ancient cookbook to make the pie (the older, the better is a good rule of thumb). I did cheat and use Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (its so close to the real thing!) If you look closely you can see I added a....."decoration" (ie naked barbie doll) to the centre of the pie. Family birthday tradition....don't ask me why! Happy Birthday, Tracey.

Ingredients

• 2 prepared 8 inch pastry shells (I used Pillsbury)
• 7 tart baking apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• coarse sugar
• 
  
• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Place sliced apples in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Stir well and pour mixture over apples. Cut butter into small pieces and add to apples. Toss apples until thoroughly coated.
3. Pour apples into pastry-lined pie pan. Place second pastry on top. Seal edges and cut steam vents in top crust. Brush egg onto crush and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until crust is golden brown.