One of My Favorite Things

These are mini cupcakes, from one of my favorite local bakeries.   I love them so much because they are small, which means I can eat one of each! 

from L-R:  Mexican Hot Chocolate, Maple Bacon, Samoa, Chocolate Malt

Here's the Dish: Peanut Butter and Heath Bar Blondies

For Thanksgiving, my job was to bring dessert. I baked the traditional pies that everyone loves ~ well, almost everyone, that is. There are a few family members who aren't crazy about pie. To please them, I baked these decadent brownies. Can I just tell you ~ they were sublime!! Everyone loved them, pie lovers and non-lovers alike. The below recipe makes a big pan of them, so you'll have enough for everyone and extras to keep for yourself ;)

Peanut Butter and Heath Bar Blondies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Topping:

1 cup peanut butter chips

3 tablespoons heavy cream

3 coarsely chopped Heath bars (the full size bars)

1/2 cup finely chopped unsalted peanuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325*F

Grease and flour a 18 x 12 x 1-inch jelly roll pan.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and the peanut butter until fluffy.

Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

Add the eggs and the vanilla extract and mix well.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat until well incorporated.

Spread the batter evenly into prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of pan comes out with moist crumbs attached.

Cool to room temperature

To prepare the topping:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the peanut butter chips and the cream, stirring until smooth. Drizzle the peanut butter mixture decoratively over the cooled blondies. Sprinkle the Heath Bars and the peanuts on top. Allow to cool to room temperature, or overnight, before cutting and serving.

Here's the Dish: Fresh Raspberry Cream Cakes

There’s never been a recipe that I’ve been more sure that you’ll *LOVE* than this one! It comes from the Cake Mix Doctor ~ she has several cookbooks on the market and I own four of them. I would strongly suggest that you get one for yourself because they are extremely easy to follow, and her recipes yield fantastic results. Seriously, I have never made one single thing that hasn’t been downright fabulous. I made these delectable “cupcakes” for a pre-Memorial Day gathering and they were a huge hit. They are the perfect light summer dessert ~ frozen, not baked, so you never turn the oven on! And the fact that reduced fat cream cheese and fresh berries are used means you don’t have to feel guilty for not skipping dessert ;) Keep in mind that the below recipe yields 12 mini cheesecakes, so feel free to increase the quantities if you require more. Trust me, you’ll probably want more! You can even use strawberries in place of the fresh raspberries, if you prefer.

Fresh Raspberry Cream Cakes

Ingredients:

12 foil cupcake liners (2 1/2" size)

3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/4 c. finely chopped pecans

3 T. butter, melted

1 c. fresh raspberries, washed and drained*

8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

1. Line 12 cupcake cups with the foil liners and set aside.

2. Place the graham cracker crumbs, pecans and melted butter in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Spoon about 1 T. of the mixture into each liner, pressing down on the mixture with your fingers to make the crust.

3. Reserve 12 raspberries for garnish. Place the remaining raspberries in a food processor and pulse the berries until pureed, 10 seconds. Measure out 1/2 cup for the filling and set aside. Place the remaining puree in a sieve over a small glass bowl to catch the raspberry juices. Push down gently on the puree to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids. Cover the raspberry juice with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

4. Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese until creamy, 30 seconds. Turn off the machine and add the sweetened condensed milk and the reserved 1/2 c. pureed raspberries. With the mixer on medium speed, blend until just combined, 20 to 30 seconds. Stop the mixer, add 1 c. of the whipped topping, and blend on low speed to combine, 15 seconds.

5. Top the crusts with the berry mixture, dividing it evenly among them. The liners should be very full but not overflowing. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer until firm, at least 3 hours.

6. Remove the pan from the freezer 15 minutes before serving. To serve, peel away the foil liners from the cakes and place the cakes on serving plates. Dollop with 1 heaping tablespoon of the remaining whipped topping. Drizzle with the reserved raspberry juice and garnish with a reserved raspberry.

*It took me more than 1 c. of berries to make enough juice, but I found that these were just as excellent with just a dollop of whipped cream on top.

The Perfect Summer Dessert

We're more than knee deep into July ~ that means heat and humidity in most places. This week in Michigan we experienced some near 90 and muggy days (this after I was just saying how pleasant our weather has been!) That aside, we still need to eat, right?! If you have a sweet tooth like I do, then your craving for dessert doesn't subside just because it's warm outside. However, I did learn my lesson a few years back when I baked a chocolate layer cake for my mother in law on a super humid day. The frosting melted instantly and the whole thing basically fell apart ~ it looked like a mudslide!

This Chocolate Mousse Torte is the answer to any summer dessert dilemma. It is rich in appearance, but light and airy. You can garnish is with raspberries, or practically any fruit ~ thereby taking advantage of freshly grown summer berries that are out there. It requires few ingredients ~ on my first attempt I found that ladyfingers were not exactly easy to find in the local grocery store. Eventually I found them at a nearby produce market, which has an excellent selection of ethnic and International foods. Feel free to experiment with the different flavors of mousse that are out there, too. You might notice in the photo that I added crushed Heath bars as a topping. I can't help it ~ I'm a supreme chocaholic! :)

Chocolate Mousse Torte

Ingredients:

2 (3 ounce) packages ladyfingers -- split

2 cups cold milk

3 (2.8 ounce) packages chocolate mousse mix

3 cups whipped topping -- divided

Fresh raspberries

Directions:

Line the bottom and sides of a lightly greased 9-in. springform pan with ladyfingers (save remaining ladyfingers for another use). In a large mixing bowl, beat milk and mousse mixes on medium speed for 1 minute; scrape sides of bowl. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes or until thickened and lighter in color. Remove half of the mousse to another bowl; fold in 1/2 cup whipped topping. Spread over crust. Fold remaining whipped topping into remaining mousse; carefully spread over first layer. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with raspberries.

Creamy Lemon Squares

With July 4th only a week away, picnic/potluck season is in full swing. Here's a yummy recipe for a dessert that's easy to make and highly transportable to your summer gatherings. If you're leery of cheesecake recipes, don't be afraid to try this one. As long as you follow it step by step, the end result should be refreshing bars that are sweet and tangy, with a fresh lemony bite.

Although the recipe says to garnish with lemon peel and powdered sugar, I did neither. Instead, I threw a few fresh blueberries on top and called it a day. These would be wonderful served with any fresh fruit. A few low fat ingredients are used, making this a relatively healthy dessert ~ although you'd never know it from the taste.

Enjoy!

Creamy Lemon Squares

Ingredients: 20 Reduced Fat Vanilla Wafers, finely crushed 1/2 cup flour 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold margarine 1 pkg. (8 oz.) Neufchatel Cheese, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 2 Tbsp. flour 3 Tbsp. grated lemon peel, divided 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder 2 tsp. powdered sugar

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Combine wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and the brown sugar in bowl. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min.

MEANWHILE, beat Neufchatel cheese and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and 2 Tbsp. flour; mix well. Blend in 1 Tbsp. lemon peel, the lemon juice and baking powder; pour over crust.

BAKE 25 to 28 min. or until center is set. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining 2 Tbsp. lemon peel just before serving. Makes about 16 squares.