Chocolate Cherry Brownies

I love chocolate covered cherries. Love. Love. Love. When I came across this recipe from Six Sister’s Stuff, I pinned it immediately. And then did what I always do: Pinned way too many more things and forgot about them.

Almost three years later, I rediscover the pin! I made my own few changes to the original recipe. Dang, these were good. They were so good the entire pan didn’t make it twenty four hours. Book club ate half the pan. Others, who shall not be named, ate the other half.

Chocolate Cherry Brownies

Makes 24 - 30 brownies (depending on cut)

Ingredients

1 box brownie mix and ingredients needed to make it

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 6 oz jar maraschino cherries, cherries chopped and juice set aside

3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

1 cup mini chocolate chips, separated

2 Tbsp Crisco, or other vegetable shortening

1 bag milk chocolate chips

Method

1. Prepare the brownies according to the box directions. Set aside and cool completely.

2. In the bowl of a mixer, mix butter with 5 tablespoons of juice from the maraschino cherry jar. There will be a pool of juice in the bottom.

3. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar to the butter mixture until fully incorporated into a loose frosting. Slowly fold in maraschino cherries and ½ cup mini chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.

4. Using a spatula, smooth the cherry frosting over the cooled brownies.

5. Heat the Crisco and milk chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly so the chocolate does not burn.

6. Pour the melted chocolate over the frosting layer. Sprinkle remaining mini chips on the top of the melted chocolate layer.

7. Place the layered brownies in the fridge to set. Cut using a thick, sharp knife. 

Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites

This post is so overdue. I made these tasty little treats a few times over the Christmas holiday, as the pictures clearly identify. I needed something quick and easy to supplement the larger desserts and little snack treats to bring to work and share with my student cooking club and teacher book club. I found these Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites on Pinterest and decided to give them a try.

I made them exactly as the original recipe said on my first run. I noticed that they seemed a little bland. They were missing that little zing that made me want to keep eating them. I was looking for that feeling that I couldn’t stop eating them. The second time I made these, I added some extra salt to the warm chocolate, adding that sweet and salty complexity. This time, I kept coming back for more.

The third time I made these, I was running low on time and milk chocolate. First, I purchased a tub of premade cookie dough so that I did not have to make the raw dough and clean dishes from it. I also added a bar of dark chocolate and mixed it with the melting milk chocolate since I was running low on chips. Although it took slightly longer to melt, the dark chocolate added a deep richness to the treat. 

This ended up being the perfect easy holiday treat. People enjoyed them and they were quick in a time crunch. Plus, the ingredients are few and they are easy to purchase, making it an efficient treat, too.

Next chance, I may try using peanut butter cookie dough!

Ingredients
40 oz. tub Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough
90-100 mini pretzel twists
2 cups Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Chips
3-4 oz. 60% Dark Chocolate, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons shortening
Sea Salt to taste

Method
1. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside. Also check to make sure there is enough room in the freezer for it.

2. Roll the desired amount of cookie dough into small balls. The sizes may vary depending on how large you would like the sandwiches. Press the dough balls between two pretzels and place the sandwiches on the baking sheet. Freeze the sandwiches for 20 minutes.

3. While the sandwiches are chilling, melt the milk and dark chocolates with the shortening using a small saucepan over low heat. Stir quickly with a rubber spatula so that the chocolate does not burn.

4. Pour the chocolate into a bowl for dipping. I used a small ramekin. Dip the pretzel bites halfway into the melted chocolate and place the bites back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle desired amount of sea salt over the warm chocolate. Refrigerate the dipped sandwiches for at least 10 minutes to allow the chocolate and salt to set. Once they are completely cooled, have a bite and enjoy!

Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Brownies

Today is a snow day. Well, not actually snow, but freezing rain, which still means that this teacher has the day off. I decided to try and spend some time doing some things that I haven’t had a chance to do in a while. With the holidays having just past and my mother’s birthday, there hasn't been much free time. 

I wanted to bake something for my team of teachers. We have had a rough week back from our holiday break, with deaths in our community and students who aren’t ready for break to end. Plus, our Math teacher has a due date in a few weeks. It’s the perfect time for chocolate.

I pulled up my Pinterest board for all of the tasty looking brownies and bars that I wanted to make and chose to try out the recipe for Red Velvet Truffle Brownies on the Lemon Sugar Blog. I decided to make one change, and that is to the top chocolate layer. The original recipe calls for CandiQuick, but I wanted a "fudgier" feel. I chose to use a different mixture of shortening and melted chocolate chips instead.

I cut them small and brought 30 brownies to work. I came home with zero. The comments I received back was that they were just “so good,” and that they looked so rich, but were surprised that they weren’t overpowering. They were good right out of the oven, a few hours later, and right out of the fridge the next day. 
Success!

Ingredients
1 box Red Velvet cake mix
½ cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 (3.4 ounces) package instant vanilla pudding
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 package Oreos
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into three or four chunks
1 bag Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Chips
2 Tbsp vegetable shortening (I recommend Crisco.)
1 bag mini chocolate chips, for garnish (Use how much you like. I ended up using only half the bag). 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, melted butter, eggs, pudding mix, vegetable oil and mix well until thoroughly combined and there are no large, dusty clumps. 

3. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.

4. Spread the red velvet batter into the pan. Use a rubber spatula to press into corners and even the top.

5. Bake the red velvet layer for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

6. Crush Oreos in the food processor until a fine dust, then add the cream cheese. When well combined, it will form a large ball. 

7. Using a rubber spatula, spread the Oreo truffle mixture on the top of the cooling baked red velvet brownies.

8. Add the milk chocolate chips and Crisco to a large saucepan and melt them together over low heat, stirring frequently so the chocolate doesn’t burn to the bottom of the pan. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the top of the Oreo truffle layer.

9. Sprinkle the top with desired amount of mini chocolate chips while still warm, pressing them gently with the back of a wooden spoon so they don’t fall out. 

10. Cut into squares once cooled completely.

Tarte au Citron (Lemon Tart)

I baked this tart for the first time last year at Easter. My family asked me to bring a dessert that was fruity and not chocolate. I am not really a pie person, so I decided to start thinking of something new to try. I immediately thought of lemon bars. They are so bright and cheerful for Easter, plus tart and sweet at the same time. I did not want to bring bars though. I rather like presenting a whole dessert. There is more of a show when you cut into and present it. Plus, people can have more control over their portion size. You can have a sliver. You can have a chunk. Whatever!

I originally started with a recipe from Illustrated Step by Step Baking, by Caroline Bretherton. So many changes were made to the recipe over the few times my husband and I have made it, that it really has evolved into its own. For example, we made a bigger tart. We had to bake it longer. We added more lemons. You get the picture.

We made it again for Easter this year. My grandmother approved, even of the crust, which I feel is a huge success. She is a Midwest baking expert who makes the most delectable cherry pie. In addition to the approval of the grandmother, this dessert is also good for having the family help. I am blessed with a husband who likes to be in the kitchen. Many times he offers to help. With this dessert, he has become the official lemon juicer and zester. Thanks Hon!

A variation to my recipe that could be feasible, would be to sift some confectioner’s sugar over the top. Mine have been too wet and the sugar gets absorbed so that it is not even seen. You could try it out on yours if you’d like. It didn’t work for me.
I recommend this dessert for spring and summertime palate cleansing. It is tart and sweet, making it a perfect way to end a meal on a warm day. It is also great for High Noon Tea too!

Special Equipment
Food processor with blade attachment
11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom
Baking beans

Crust Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
9 tbsp butter, chilled
½ cup sugar
1 large egg

Filling Ingredients
6 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
Finely grated zest and juice of 5 lemons
1 cup heavy cream

Directions
1. To make the crust, place the flour, butter, and sugar into a food processor and pulse until it resembles crumbs. Add the egg and process until the pastry draws together into a ball.

2. Take the pastry dough and press it into the tart pan. Make sure that the pastry is at least half an inch above the edge. It will shrink during baking.

3. Chill the crust in the pan for at least 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer. Beat in the lemon juice and zest (double check for lemon pits!). Whisk in heavy cream. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the pastry crust with parchment paper, fill with baking beans, and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans, and bake the pastry for another 5 minutes, or until the base is crisp.

Tart filled with parchment and baking beans

Finished crust. Notice the fallen crust pieces. I will gently break off others to make it uniform, but will not use a knife to cut them. This way it looks homemade and rustic.

6. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Pour in the lemon filling, being careful not to allow the filling to spill over the edge. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. It will look somewhat like Jell-o when moved. 

7. Remove from the oven and cool. I prefer mine just out of the refrigerator, but it can be served at room temperate with at least 1 hour of resting time. It can even be made the day before if left in the fridge and covered.

Cranberry Bliss Bars Copy Cat

This post is one of two posts that I have had the mind to write and yet and have neglected to do for two months. This first one is a copycat recipe of Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars. I loved these bliss bars the first time I purchased one from Starbucks. I have always loved cranberry, but never cared much for white chocolate. However, when the white chocolate is paired with cream cheese and the cranberries, it is sensational! It was so sensational that I baked three batches of them over Christmas break because we couldn't keep them in stock!

There are a lot of cranberry bliss bar recipes online. Going through and comparing about three or four of them from other blogs that I follow, I chose the one from The Girl Who Eats Everything. I chose this one because in her description, she said the blondie portion was chewier and less cakey than others. For the original recipe that I followed, please visit here. The only major difference that I did was replaced regular cranberries and orange zest with orange flavored cranberries that I got from Trader Joe's. 

Sara's Version of the Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bar

Ingredients

Blondie Layer:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, cubed

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup dried Trader Joe's Orange Flavored cranberries

6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Frosting:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted

1/2 cup dried Trader Joe's Orange flavored cranberries, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the blondie layer: In a medium bowl, melt butter for one minute in the microwave or until melted; stir in brown sugar. Pour the butter and sugar into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Use an electric mixer to beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture. 

3. Stir in the cranberries and chopped chocolate. Notice that the batter will be thick and difficult to mix by hand. See the picture below. 

3. Spread the blondie batter into the prepared pan. I used a spatula to spread it evenly. 

4. Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined. Gradually add half of the melted white chocolate; beat until blended. Frost brownies. 

Sprinkle with chopped cranberries. Drizzle with remaining melted white chocolate. Let the frosting set (speed this up by throwing them into the fridge) then cut into bars- square or triangle-shaped. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

We had a few leftovers from our third batch... because in reality it takes a lot of people to eat 70 bliss bars. My Mom kept the rest and froze them in her freezer. She said that they froze and kept well. 

Next Christmas, if you love your family and remember about these, please feed them with these. It is so worth it. 

Bavarian Cranberry Apple Torte

Last year, I was reading a copy of InStyle Magazine and they were featuring a spread on holiday food that actress Maria Bello prepared for family holidays with her mother. I prepared it for the first time last year a week before Christmas. The consistency was off and a little runny, but it tasted AMAZING. Therefore, I tried again at different temperatures and it was almost perfect. So I made another one to actually serve and it was perfect.

The trick with this dessert is to know your oven. The dessert is supposed to be baked for ten minutes at 450 degrees F and then the temperature is lowered to 400 degrees F for another half an hour or so. In the first round when I did this, my oven didn't lower the temperature quick enough. The outside was almost burnt and the inside was a little runny. I found that adjusting the starting temperature to 440 degrees F and then lowering it to 400 degrees worked well. Since the temperature was lowered, I kept it in for an extra ten minutes. However, since it was in for longer, I ended up tenting it with aluminum foil for the last twenty to protect the cranberries from becoming hard like glass!

This is one of those desserts that once you try it, it is hard to make just one. I like it because it is rich and flavorful without being very dense. It is creamier than cheesecake, but has that rich explosion when it hits your palette. When it is paired with the apples and the crust, the tastes and textures meld in an autumnal decadence. It was a such a huge success, that I ended up making three of them again this year. One went for Christmas Eve dinner, one for Christmas dinner, and another one just for me and Brad.

The original recipe from Instyle can be found at this link: http://www.instyle.com/instyle/package/holidaytrends/photos/0,,20538174_20542725_21077895,00.html 

Bavarian Cranberry Apple Torte

Crust Ingredients: 

•1 cup unsalted butter

•2/3 cup sugar

•1/2 tsp vanilla extract

•2 cups all-purpose flour

•1/2 cup raspberry jam

Crust Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. Blend in flour to form a ball.

3. Press dough onto bottom and about 2 inches up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. I used a special Sara-created technique for this. First I lined the sides of the springform.

Then I added the bottom, making sure to use ALL of the dough and assuring that there was a great seal between the sides and bottom.

To create a finishing touch, I took a small paring knife and gently cut a smooth rim around the top edge of the crust. I let the little pieces of dough fall to the bottom. Then I reinforced thinner patches of crust with the smaller pieces. 

This is what the final crust looked like:

4. Spread with a thin layer of raspberry jam.

5. Refrigerate crust while preparing filling.

Filling Ingredients: 

•16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

•1/2 cup sugar

•2 eggs

•1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling Directions:

1. Combine cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Make sure that the cream cheese is soft enough to blend, otherwise you'll end up with little extra clumps. 

2. Pour over jam-covered crust.

Topping Ingredients:

•3 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced. I found that Gala apples worked best.

•1/2 cup dried cranberries

•1/3 cup sugar

•1/2 tsp cinnamon

•1/2 cup sliced almonds

Topping Directions:

1. Toss apples and cranberries with sugar and cinnamon.

2. Spoon apples over cream cheese layer and sprinkle with almonds (I did creatively place a few apples for an artistic look). The picture below is just before the almonds were added. 

Final Steps:

1. Bake torte at 440°F for 10 minutes; with torte still in oven, lower heat to 400°F and bake for 40 additional minutes. Stop and tent with aluminum foil if needed. (original recipe called for 450 degrees). I would also put a pan in underneath it because the springform will link.

2. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour to firm up filling.

3. Use a thin knife to carefully loosen torte from sides of pan and remove. Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting and Caramel Drizzle

Happy husband on his Birthday

My husband loves cake. He really loves cake. Therefore, when his birthday comes around, I always try to get him a cake or at least take him out for cake. 

When I first met him, I was not so good at making cakes. The first cake I ever made was for him. It was a plain yellow cake with plain chocolate frosting from boxes and store bought containers. They were sufficient, but not the best.

Then, we would go out. Cheesecake Factory has cheesecakes that are good of course. We also bought donuts from Dunkin Donuts once.  And then last year, my amazing hairdresser also makes amazing cakes. I purchased a pumpkin cake with maple cream cheese icing from her. It was delicious! It was then that I decided with all of my baking skills, I should probably figure out how to make a cake for my husband's birthday. 

Pumpkin Cake with LOTS of Maple Frosting and Caramel Drizzle

This year, I created a rather tasty cake for Brad's birthday. I researched a bunch of different recipes and looked for common themes, like how much cinnamon to use or how much maple to put in the cream cheese. I also made a lot of icing because he is in love with it. The cake has double the amount of creamy, whipped icing than most normal cakes.

This cake was really AWESOME

This is what I created.

Pumpkin Spice Came with Maple Frosting and Caramel Drizzle Recipe

Ingredients

Cake
1 box yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
1 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie mix
1/8 teaspoon of crushed cloves

Icing
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 container of cream cheese frosting (I used Betty Brocker)
4 Tbsp Maple Syrup
Caramel syrup for drizzle (I used Smuckers Butterscotch Caramel Topping)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Using a mixer, beat together cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie mix and cloves. Pour the batter evenly into two 8 or 9 inch cake pans.

Step 2: Bake the cake rounds for about 30 minutes. Then, let them cool

Step 3: While the cake is baking and cooling, make the icing. Beat together the butter, cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup with an electric mixer. When well mixed, add the cream cheese frosting and the rest of the maple syrup. Beat the icing  until smooth and well mixed. Place in the fridge to set while the cakes are cooling.

Step 4: To assemble the cake, spread a thick layer of icing over one of the cake rounds. Then, drizzle a small amount of caramel over the icing and spread it around using a butter knife. Place the second round on top. Spread more icing around the sides and then the top. Drizzle a desired amount of caramel over the top of the cake, letting it run down the sides.