Oatmeal Biscoff Cookies

Have you tried the newest crack in a jar yet?  First there was Nutella.  Need I say more, I mean come on... it's Nutella! But then the blog-o-sphere chatter got louder and louder and everywhere I turned it was Biscoff Spread (a.k.a Speculoos) this and Biscoff Spread that.  I probably should have heeded the warnings.  Many bloggers out there said, "don't do it!" "say away" "Hide your spoons, hide your knives!" 'cause this stuff is addicting in a major way!  I mean what part about pulverized cookie spread doesn't sound addicting??  I tried to resist.  I walked by the tempting little glass jar at the store many times.  Looked at it many times.  Picked it up several times.  Put it back several times.

Until one day.  One spoonful at a time.  Wow.  This stuff is good!  Too good.

After a few weeks and about have the jar, I figured it was time to make something yummy out of this stuff and end the spoonful madness.  As luck would have it, this recipe popped up on one of the blogs I follow My Culinary Story.  I loved that I had everything on hand to make them.  They were really easy to make and the only slight modification I made was to sprinkle them with sea salt right out of the oven.  YUM!  Enjoy!

Oatmeal Biscoff Cookies
1 1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup flour, plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup Biscoff spread
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a few pinches of sea salt for tops of cookies
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a bowl whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer, add the butter, Biscoff spread, sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Chill the dough 30 minutes in the refrigerator.  Form the cookie dough into rounded tablespoons and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are golden and just firm around the edges.  Sprinkle with sea salt immediately upon removing from oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove with a spatula onto a cooling rack.

Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn

This delightful stuff has been floating around Pinterest for awhile now.  A big THANK YOU to blogger Chef in Training for introducing this easy & oh so naughty snack to the world!  And despite my BFF's WARNINGS not to make this addictive little treat, I couldn't help myself.  We'll blame it on the newly acquired popcorn machine! 

Since we were having a few friends over for a BBQ & Mr. B was having fun playing with his toy, after he'd popped up 3 or so batches of popcorn, I decided it was time to try this irresistible looking treat.  So, into the kitchen to gather the few necessary ingredients.  Luckily I had basically everything on hand.  Unfortunately, I only had a small amount of mini marshmallows left, which sent me into a near panic, until I discovered the jar of Marshmallow Fluff in the fridge!  Phew, that was a close one!

So glad I finally made this!  Also glad I chose to make it when there were 9 other people to help us eat it.  A whole batch of this to yourself would be a DANGEROUS thing!  Make this, share this, enjoy this!

Ingredients:

1 bag of microwavable popcorn
1/2 cup butter
1 cup of brown sugar
2 Tbls loght corn syrup or honey
1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
12 large marshmallows

Directions:
Prepare popcorn making sure to remove any stray kernels (if you are fond of your teeth, you really shouldn't skip this step!)  Melt butter over low heat. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, extract and marshmallows.  Turn heat to medium and stir until marshmallows are melted, no lumps!  Pour over popcorn and stir in until popcorn is evenly coated.

Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag. Who am I kidding, there will most likley be NO leftovers to store!

Sunflower Cupcakes

Made these little cuties for a friend's bridal shower this weekend.  The sunflower centers are Oreo cookies (the regular and mini varieties).  Super simple, just a little tiresome on the wrist.  The petals were done using a leaf tip.  If you wanna know for, let me know... I'd be happy to give you more detailed instructions. :)

Carrot Cake w/ Buttermilk Glaze & Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting

Don't be sad that this is a re-post, be glad that I've reminded you about it!

This is the perfect sweet treat to make for Easter, but honestly, a carrot cake this good should be made more than once a year! In fact, if you are a carrot cake fan, YOU MUST TRY THIS CAKE!!! Did you hear that, I'm not kidding, please you have no clue what you are missing... TRY THIS CAKE SOON!


I LOVE carrot cake. But you will almost never see me order it, because I'm almost ALWAYS disappointed with the outcome. Even I have screwed up a carrot cake or two. Oh I'll never forget the notorious two tiered carrot cake disaster that still gives me nightmares! I'll never live that one down. I swore I would never make another carrot cake again. Oh but that's a story for another day, this as a happy story, this is a story about the last carrot cake recipe you will ever need. This is the cake that your family will beg you to make. And now, I pass it on to you!  It may seem like a lot of steps go into this cake, but really it's oh so worth the effort.  You can even make it in advance.

PS... Do not, I repeat, DO NOT skip the GLAZE. It is what sets this cake above all the rest. You may think it will be fine without it... but you will be wrong. And come on, do you want a cake that is just "fine" or do you want a cake that is absolutely divine? Enjoy!

Carrot Cake w/ Buttermilk Glaze & Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting
 Cake
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups coarsely grated carrots
1 ½ cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 8-oz can crushed pineapple in juice
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with vegetable oil; dust w/ flour. Whisk first 4 ingredients into a medium bowl. Set aside. Beat sugar, eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Beat in dry ingredients. Fold in carrots, pineapple w/ juice, and pecans. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake for 30 minutes. Tent loosely with foil. Continue to bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 10 - 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Using bamboo skewer (or whatever), poke deep holes all over cake.
Glaze
1 cup sugar
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup unsalted butter
1 Tbs light corn syrup
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Bring all ingredients but vanilla to boil in large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until glaze is a deep amber color, whisking often, 4-5 minutes. Mixture will froth up and double in size before returning back to syrup like state. Remove from heat; add vanilla.

Spoon hot glaze evenly over warm cake. Cool cake completely in pan.

*Note: When boiling the glaze watch it carefully! It will boil over if you walk away and it will make a mess all over your stove! It’s not easy to clean, I learned this the hard way!


Frosting
1½ 8-oz packages cream cheese
½ cup unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1-lb box powdered sugar
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon; beat until well blended. Spread frosting over cooled cake in pan. Cake can be made one day in advance, just cover and chill.

Party Time: Gender Reveal Party

As soon as I heard that a friend of mine was expecting, I said "oh, when the time comes, you should have a gender reveal party!"  What's a gender revel party you ask?  Well I've seen a few different versions across the Web, but typically it seems to go down like this:  Instead of telling you the sex of your bun in the oven, have the sonogram tech write the results in a sealed envelope. Take said results to your baker and they make a cake that reveals the gender after it is cut into. Gather your family and friends to take part of the surprise.  You can theme it up as much as you like.  Have people wear the color of their gender guess, serve pink & blue themed drinks, pink and blue decor, a betting/guessing board, have guest choose a pink or blue ribbon to wear to represent their guess... the list goes on as far as the imagination.

My contribution to this Gender Reveal party was the cake.  It was so exciting to get to be in on the secret!  Mom and dad to be didn't want to wait it out, so they found out the sex of the baby and made the call to fill me in.  I had everything ready to go since I only needed to know what color filling I'd be making.

The next day I presented them with this cake

Once everyone gathered around and the champagne was passed out it was time to cut in and find out...

Drum roll please...

and it's a....

GIRL!!!

Super fun party and so great to play a part in the big surprise!

For more fun Gender Reveal Party Ideas click away:

What's It Gonna Bee...
DIY Gender Reveal Party Ideas
More Cute GR Ideas
Gender Reveal Party
Mustache or Bows - CUTE!

Rummy Gummies

Perhaps you've heard of or maybe tried Drunken Gummy Bears.  I had tried them a couple of time before where they were made with vodka.  It was a little like basically chewing on a fun shaped shot of vodka with a little flavoring added.  Not bad if you are looking for a quick buzz, but not exactly TASTY.  I'm a big fan of tasty, so decided to give them a try myself using Malibu Rum.  Definitely, MUCH tastier.  I'd imagine you could use any alcohol or alcohol to get your little bears good and drunk.  The process was oh so simple.  I used the following:

Rummy Gummies

1 large bag of gummy bears (I grabbed the 2.5 lb bag of the walmart generic brand.  It was like half the price of the 3 lb Haribo bears)

1 bottle of Malibu Rum (I got the standard sized bottle.  I think it's 750ml)

a large glass container

at least 3 - 5 days

Combine Gummy Bears and rum in a glass container.  Place in fridge and shake contents a couple of times a day.  Let soak for at least 3 days.  Enjoy**!

**These Rummy Gummies are not intended for consumption by anyone under the age of 21!!!  And please, eat/drink responsibly!  These naughty little bears will sneak up on you quickly!

Rose Cake

I saw a BEAUTIFUL Rose Cake on i am baker a while back & just knew that I would one day attempt it.  This past weekend we celebrated my AMAZING Grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary and it seemed to be the perfect occasion.  (I love how it almost mimics their original wedding cake.)  I feel so blessed to have them in my life!

 

Low Fat Pumpkin Pie Dip

It's fall, which means my obsession with pumpkin everything may take over this blog!  I can't help it, I go all summer anxiously waiting for acceptable pumpkin cooking & baking time.  I saw this recipe over at skinnytaste.com & new it was a must try.  I whipped it up in no time before heading over to a friend's house for a Monday Night Football & it was a BIG hit.  The best part, this lightened up version is low in fat & calories.  So you can dip away without feeling guilty!  If you are fan of pumpkin anything, give it a try.  Enjoy!

Low Fat Pumpkin Pie Dip

15 oz can pumpkin
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or more to taste)
6 oz fat free Greek yogurt
8 oz Cool Whip
Apples & Graham Crackers to Dip

Mix pumpkin with brown sugar, vanilla and spices, blend well. Mix in yogurt. Fold in cool whip and chill in refrigerator until ready to eat.

Makes about 6 cups

Note:  You could of course use a regular serving bowl.  But how cute is the little pumpkin bowl?!?  it's a cute inexpensive way to add an extra little touch.  Just purchase a small round pumpkin, cut the top off, scrape out all the goo and seeds, rinse, dry and fill.

Low-Fat No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake in a Jar!

Quite a mouth full for such a simple little dessert!  But let me tell you, this is the easiest dessert ever and it's so tasty!  And putting it in the little jars is such a great added little touch!  I picked up a big package of the short canning jars at the grocery store and I know I will use these often!  Such a fun way to serve your dessert.  When I served them, everyone was thrilled to get handed their own personal mini jar.  For those who don't scrape the jar clean, you can just screw the top back on, stick it in the fridge and save it for later.  Do try this next time you are looking for a no fuss treat.  Enjoy!

Low-Fat No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake in a Jar
About 15 Reduced Fat Oreo cookies, roughly chopped
8 ounces Low-Fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces Low-Fat Cool Whip
About 8 4-ounce quilted jam jars
Coarsely chop the cookies and set them aside.
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and set aside. Gently stir in the Cool Whip and 3/4′s of the chopped cookies.
Scoop even amounts of the mixture into the eight jars. Top each one with a little bit of the remaining chopped cookies. Screw the lids onto the jars and refrigerate them for at least four hours, or until firm.

A 4th of July Re-Post



So 4th of July is right around the corner!  What are your plans?  More important... What's on your menu?  We are going to Tahoe for the weekend with a group of friends.  I will do my very best to remember to take pictures of any blog worthy dishes.  In case you are looking for a special treat to serve for your star spangled weekend,  I thought I'd pull out a post from last year and send it your way.  I LOVE this dessert!  It's so pretty, it tastes great & it's really easy to make!  Maybe you remember it from last year, maybe you don't... either way a little Re-Post never hurts!  Have a safe, fun and full holiday!  Enjoy!

Berry Delicious Mascarpone Cups

Won Ton Wrappers
Melted Butter
Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture
1 Package Mascarpone Cheese
Orange Juice
Honey
Fresh Berries (I used Strawberries & Blueberries)
Optional Topping*

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Brush the individual wonton wrappers with melted butter on each side, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture & place in mini muffin pan.

3. Bake for approx 10 min or until edges are golden brown. Set aside to cool.

4. Meanwhile, mix mascarpone with honey & OJ to desired taste. (careful not to make it too thin) You can even add a little orange zest if desired.

5. Once wonton shells are cooled, add a spoonful of cheese mixture. Top with fresh berries and Topping of your choice. *The first time I had it with whipped cream, even Cool Whip would be great. In this photo I made it with a white chocolate drizzle for the patriotic theme. You could even do a dusting of powdered sugar if you so desired. The possibilities are almost endless...

Note: Find wonton wrappers in the refrigerated produce section of most supermarkets.

Carrot Cake

So I probably should have posted this BEFORE Easter, but hey, a carrot cake this good should be made more than once a year!  In fact, if you are a carrot cake fan, like I am, YOU MUST TRY THIS CAKE!!!  Did you hear that, I'm not kidding, please you have no clue what you are missing... TRY THIS CAKE SOON!

I LOVE carrot cake.  But you will almost never see me order it, because I'm almost ALWAYS disappointed in the outcome.  Even I have screwed up a carrot cake or two.  Oh I'll never forget the notorious two tiered carrot cake disaster that still gives me nightmares!  I'll never live that one down.  I swore I would never make another carrot cake again.  Oh but that's a story for another day, this as a happy story, this is a story about the last carrot cake recipe you will ever need.  This is the cake that your family will beg you to make.  And know, I pass it on to you!

PS... Do not, I repeat, DO NOT skip the GLAZE.  It is the MOST important part of this cake.  You may think it will be fine without it.  But you will be wrong.  And come on, do want a cake that is just "fine" or do you want a cake that is absolutely divine?  Enjoy!

Carrot Cake w/ Buttermilk Glaze & Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups coarsely grated carrots
1 ½ cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 8-oz can crushed pineapple in juice
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with vegetable oil; dust w/ flour. Whisk first 4 ingredients into a medium bowl. Set aside. Beat sugar, eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Beat in dry ingredients. Fold in carrots, pineapple w/ juice, and pecans. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake for 30 minutes. Tent loosely with foil. Continue to bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 10 - 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Using bamboo skewer (or whatever), poke deep holes all over cake.

Glaze
1 cup sugar
 ½ cup buttermilk
½ cup unsalted butter
1 Tbs light corn syrup
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Bring all ingredients but vanilla to boil in large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until glaze is a deep amber color, whisking often, 4-5 minutes. Mixture will froth up and double in size before returning back to syrup like state. Remove from heat; add vanilla.
Spoon hot glaze evenly over warm cake. Cool cake completely in pan.


*Note: When boiling the glaze watch it carefully! It will boil over if you walk away and it will make a mess all over your stove! It’s not easy to clean, I learned this the hard way!

Frosting
1½ 8-oz packages cream cheese
½ cup unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1-lb box powdered sugar
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon; beat until well blended. Spread frosting over cooled cake in pan. Cake can be made one day in advance, just cover and chill.

Molten Chocolate Cake

This intimidating dessert is actually one of the simplest there is!  Next time you're having a dinner party, prep this the morning of and put the batter into a large Ziploc bag.  After dinner, snip the corner of the bag, pipe the batter into each of your ramekins and in 12 minutes you've got an amazing dessert that will have your guests thinking you're a confectionery goddess!  Top it with a small scoop of the whipped white chocolate ganache, or simply pair it with a scoop of your favorite ice cream.  (Or be BAD like me and do both!)  Keep it simple and classic with vanilla.  Or jazz it up a bit with cherry or mint chip.  Just don't go too crazy, cause you want this rich chocolaty little treat to shine.  Enjoy!

Molten Chocolate Cake
recipe by Gale Gand
4 ounces plus 3 tablespoons butter
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 yolks
3 eggs
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup flour
(Can easily be doubled)

Melt the chocolate and butter together.  (You can do this in the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds, stir, and continue with 15 second intervals if needed.) Cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the yolks and eggs then mix in the powdered sugar. Whisk this into the chocolate mixture then whisk in the flour. You can refrigerate the batter until ready to bake or bake immediately.  Fill 6 greased 4-ounce ramekins with the batter bake in a preheated 450 degree F oven for 8 - 10 minutes from cold, or 6 - 8 minutes from room temperature.  Let set for 2 minutes.   Turn out onto the plate.

Optional Garnish:

White Chocolate Ganache
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped

Heat the cream in a saucepan until boiling. Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Whisking well, pour the hot cream over the chocolate to melt it. Cover and chill overnight. The next day, whip it up like whipped cream until soft peaks. Place a dollop of it on the cake before serving.

Have Your Cake...

So my Cakes! post of the past seems to be a pretty popular post as of late.  For the last few weeks it's had the most page views.  Which got me thinking, some of you may be hungry to see more.  If you haven't already seen Cakes! or these or these, click away.   Also, here are a few more cakes of the past for your viewing pleasure.  Enjoy!

Candy Cane Cupcakes

Quick, easy (well mostly easy... crushing candy canes is not as easy as crushing Oreos!), and oh so festive!  Did I mention delicious??

Just make your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and add 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract. (I add 1/2 bag of mini chocolate chips to mine!)

For your frosting, add in about 1 cup of finely crushed candy canes and then top them with the larger, more coarsely crushed ones.

Cookies & Cream Fudge

It's 8:00pm and you find out that your boyfriend has a holiday potluck at work the next day... what to do, what to do???  I mean you can't just send him with a veggie try or some store bought cookies when half of your blog readers work with him and will be at said pot luck!  You've got a reputation to hold up!

Not to worry... Luckily it's the time of year when all the lovely bloggers out there are sharing their favorite holiday recipes.  This Cookies & Cream Fudge had been popping up all over the place and it just so happened that my bestie sent me a link to this heavenly looking stuff yesterday afternoon so I had it fresh in my mind.

It took no time at all to make.  And let me tell you, it was FANTASTIC!  You must try this before it's time for those New Year's resolutions!  Enjoy!

Cookies and Cream Fudge
adapted from Nestle

2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
2/3 cup Evaporated Milk
2 cups White Chocolate Chips
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream
1/2 cup finely crushed Oreos
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped Oreos

Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper.

Combine sugar, butter and evaporated milk in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in white chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, finely crushed Oreos and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle crumbled cookies on top. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Cranberry Walnut Tart

So I saw this beautiful tart recipe posted by the amazing Hungry Housewife (who we can also give a HUGE thank you to for the picture.  My tart was devoured before I got a chance to snap a photo!) and I knew right away that I had to try it.  Let me tell you, it did not disappoint!  The tart cranberries gave a great contrast to all that sweet filling and went really well with the walnuts.  I was in serious pie making mode this Thanksgiving and had some leftover pastry dough that I had made a couple of days before so I just used that.  You can make this one, or use whatever pastry dough you are most comfortable with.

I think this tart would be beautiful for Christmas or just about anytime you can get your hands on fresh cranberries!  Enjoy!

Cranberry Walnut Tart

Epicurious

SWEET PASTRY DOUGH
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons ice water

Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Beat together yolk and water with a fork and stir into flour mixture until combined well.

Gently knead mixture in bowl with floured hands just until a dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 4 or 5 times more. Form dough into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Chill, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.

TART
3 large eggs
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups chopped fresh or frozen cranberries (7 oz; thawed if frozen)
1 cup chopped walnuts (1/4 pound)(TOASTED)
Make shell:

Roll out dough into a 13-inch round (1/8 inch thick) on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin and fit into tart pan. Trim edge of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge.
Make filling:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth, then stir in cranberries and walnuts.
Pour filling into shell and bake tart until filling is set and golden, 40 to 45 minutes. (If pastry edge darkens before tart is done, cover edge with a pie shield or foil.) Cool completely in pan on rack.

Can be made one day in advance and stored covered at room temperature.

Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake

Raise your hand if you LOVE pumpkin as much as I do!!!  This was the perfect weekend for the sweet aroma a fall wafting through the house.  It was storming outside, so I got to baking inside!  I saw this recipe on one of very most favorite blogs, Noble Pig (check it out, you'll LOVE it!) and knew I had to give it a try.  It was certainly a winner.  And if you're lucky, you'll have all the ingredients on hand.  My dearest stated, "Wow babe, I think this might be the best baked good you've ever made for breakfast!"  That's a big, even if I haven't made that many baked goods for breakfast.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake

Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Cake:2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
For the topping, in a bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add butter and combine with fingertips until mixture is crumbly. Refrigerate while making batter.
Preheat oven to 350o F. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 cake pan. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, applesauce, pumpkin, vanilla and both sugars until well mixed. Whisk in eggs. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined; do not overmix. Pour batter into cake pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with reserved topping.
Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack at least 20 minutes.

Minty Milano Mousse Parfait

Looks decadent?  Sinful?  Naughty?  Well it's not, it's guilt free!  (the dessert, not the wine... pay no attention to that in the back ground.)  This crazy easy little number was too tasty to be less than 200 calories, but it factors in at right around 170 calories each!  The best part about it is you can make it in a snap!  Just make sure to make it pretty soon before you serve them.  I made the mistake of making them while I was making dinner and sticking them in the fridge.  Figured I'd take my blog picture before serving and got the outcome below.  They still tasted great, just a little wilted. Luckily I had an impressed guest who snapped this photo before they went in the fridge (hence the wine glass).

There are two key ingredients to this dessert... they are what make it light and oh so delicious!

This wonderfully light and delicious Jello Brand Mousse Temptations, Chocolate Mint Flavor and...

the oh so heavenly Mint Milano cookie

Simply chop up your cookies (I did 6 cookies for 5 servings) and layer them in parfait glasses, alternating with the mousse and some fat fee cool whip.  Top with a sprinkle of the cookie crumbs and serve. 

Just don't let them wait around in the fridge too long or they'll end up looking like this...

But don't worry, they'll still taste great!  Enjoy!

Avalanche Bars

Ok, so again we're off the healthy cooking track, but I had to share.  One of the most wonderful things I've ever tasted was this sinfully delicious treat from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, you know the place so well known for the amazing and anything but ordinary carmel apples.  Well I stopped in one day on my way out of town, figuring I'd pick up a few goodies for my mom, sis, and the doggies (yep, the make adorable little doggie treats too).  while I was trying to decide which totally healthy apples I wanted, I happened to see something that slightly resembled a rice krispy treat only WAY better.  It was labeled "Avalanche Bark" not knowing what I was in for I decided to grab a piece...  I think that day changed my life forever.  When I got in the car I reached into my bag and tore of a piece of that little Avalanche and was blown away!  This was no ordinary rice krispy treat.  It was everything good and wonderful all rolled into one treat.  After A couple of bites I actually had to wrap it up and throw it into the the back seat out of arms reach so that it could make it to my destination.  No way it was going to survive a three hour car ride unless I couldn't get to it.

After that day I made it my mission to figure out how to recreate them myself.  And let me tell you I have created many an addict to these Avalanche Bars.  The greatest part is they are so easy to make.  I think they are easier to make than rice krispy treats because you don't have all that sticky marshmallow mess!  The best part is you can even change it up a bit.  I've added cut up oreos, holiday m&m, or fun sprinkles for color.  Try them for yourself if you dare... you will be hooked!

Avalanche Bars
1 (12 ounce) bag white chocolate chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups crispy rice cereal
1/2 cup mini chocolate chip
1 1/2 -2 cups miniature marshmallows

Melt white chocolate chips with peanut butter over a double boiler. (A large bowl over a pot of simmering water works great.) Once completely melted (white chocolate is delicate, be careful not to cook it too hot or too long), remove from heat and add rice cereal.

Now for the hard part, WAIT until the mix has reached room temperature BUT don't put it in the fridge! It's worth the wait so don't rush this! Once it reaches room temperature add marshmallows. Mix well, but don’t over mix.

Dump mixture into a greased 9x9 square pan. Lightly press with greased spoon, but not too hard. Too compacted and you’ll be sorry (trust me... I've made this mistake before.  You'll need a chain saw to cut them apart). Sprinkle top with chocolate chips & place in fridge for another 30 minutes.
When hardened, cut like rice krispy treats & you will ENJOY!

Pineapple-Kiwi with Lime & Coconut

So the name may need a little work, but this dessert need be called nothing other than WOW!!!  I was trying to think of something to serve as dessert for a casual dinner party last night.  This popped in my head... it used to be my go to that I would make ALL of the time, but then I forgot about one day & haven't made in about 3 years.  My gosh, I'm not sure how I could forget about such a delightful little treat like this.  It's so simple and so refreshing!  It's summer in a bowl!  I am a HUGE fan of coconut.  But fear not those of you who are not fans, I served this to at least 2 coconut dislikers who could believe how much they liked it.    The secret is the "special" cocunut.  And for those who really hate coconut, just serve it on the side and let everyone just top it themselves.  Try this one you will enjoy!

Pineapple-Kiwi with Lime & Coconut

(Serves 4)

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes  (I found it in the health food section at Raley's)

2 limes, zested and juiced

1/4 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 inch ginger root, peeled
1 pineapple, fresh, cored - available in produce department
1-4 kiwi (I love lots of kiwi, some like less)
Vanilla Ice Cream or Tropical Sorbet

Combine coconut flakes with lime zest. Toast in a small skillet until coconut is golden brown remove from heat to a plate and reserve. 

Add lime juice, water, sugar and ginger to the pan or a small sauce pot. Bring to a bubble and dissolve the sugar. Remove syrup from heat and let stand.
Cut pineapple and kiwi into bite-size chunks.

To serve:  Place a scoop of ice cream into serving dish, top with fruit, drizzle with syrup and sprinkle with coconut.