Author: Mari Vasseur

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

At the Brownie Mischief website, all types of brownies are welcome. We all know and love chocolate brownies. But there are other less common brownies in the universe, that deserve to shine too. Let me introduce you to Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies. These lovely pink creations aren’t strawberry cake or strawberry blondies. They contain white chocolate and they’re made with the same baking method as brownies. When you bake chocolate brownies, you want to be careful not to over bake them, to achieve the rich, fudgy texture. The same is true for these strawberry brownies. When you test for doneness, the toothpick should have a few moist crumbs attached to it. If the toothpick is clean, the brownies have baked too long and will likely be a little dry and cakey, although still edible. So make sure to test for doneness well before the end of the baking time!

The baking temperature for this recipe is 325ºF. I noticed that when baking in a heart shaped cake pan, things tend to bake unevenly because of the shape. So I used a lower temperature to help with even baking. If you don’t have an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan, you can also use an 8-inch round cake pan. To find the cake pan I used, click here.

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

To watch the Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies Instagram video, click here.

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

A heart shaped strawberry brownie made with fresh strawberries topped with strawberry icing.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Strawberry Brownies

  • 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
  • ¾ cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • ½ cup (4 ounces) strawberry purée, divided
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon pure strawberry extract
  • 1 petite pea size drop pink gel food color (optional) I used Americolor Deep Pink**
  • 1 ½ cups (6 3/4 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted

Strawberry Icing

  • ¾ cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons reserved strawberry purée
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon pure strawberry extract
  • dash fine sea salt

Instructions
 

Strawberry Brownies

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line the bottom of an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan*** with parchment paper. Spray the insides with nonstick spray.
  • In a large heat safe bowl, melt butter and white chocolate together on the stovetop over a pan of barely simmering water or in the microwave for 20 seconds at time, stirring at each interval. White chocolate overheats easily, so be vigilant.
  • Add the sugar and salt to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.
  • Add egg and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth.
  • Pass strawberry purée through a sieve to remove seeds. Set aside 2 tablespoons of strawberry purée for icing. Add remaining purée to batter. Mix until well combined.
  • Add extracts and food color. Mix until combined.
  • Stir in flour until combined, scraping bowl as needed.
  • Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center has a few moist crumbs on it, (not batter), about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool in pan. Remove from pan and top with strawberry icing.

Strawberry Icing

  • Whisk all icing ingredients together until smooth and well combined.

Notes

*To make strawberry purée:   Purée clean, hulled and quartered strawberries in a blender or food processor. **To find the food color I used, click here. **To find the heart cake pan I used, click here.
This recipe was updated on January 24th, 2023
Keyword brownies, strawberry

Luxury Hot Chocolate

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Luxury Hot Chocolate

Print Recipe
Course Brunch, Dessert
Servings 1 serving

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate 70-72%, finely chopped
  • â…› teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1 teaspoon Manuka honey or honey of your choice
  • tiny dash fine sea salt optional
  • homemade marshmallows or whipped cream optional

Instructions
 

  • In a small saucepan, heat the milk and cream over medium-low heat just until bubbles form around the edges. Do not boil.
  • Turn the heat off. Whisk in the honey and vanilla bean paste.
  • Add the chocolate and stir gently until the chocolate is melted. Strain the hot chocolate through a sieve into a teacup or mug.

Notes

For a dairy free version, replace the milk and cream with unsweetened almond milk. Replace the chocolate with vegan chocolate.
Keyword drinks, hot chocolate

Cinnamon Crumble Scones

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

The weeks following the winter holidays always feel peaceful to me. The rush is over and it’s time to catch my breath and rest. When it’s chilly and raining outside, I love spending time at home curled up in my coziest fluffy pajama bottoms and fuzzy socks. Give me a blanket, 75 pillows, a warm cup of tea and these Cinnamon Crumble Scones for ultimate coziness!

The crumb topping on these scones will remind you of a cinnamon crumb cake, which makes them extra nostalgic and comforting. The technique of folding the dough over itself gives them a flaky layered texture. For the tenderest scones, make sure not to over work your dough.

To watch Instagram reel, click here. To watch extended TikTok video showing baking process, click here.

Cinnamon Crumble Scones

Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 8 scones

Ingredients
  

Crumb Topping

  • ¼ cup (1 1/8 ounces) all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • â…› teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Cinnamon Filling

  • ¼ cup (1 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Scones

  • 1 ¾ cups (7 7/8 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ cup cold heavy cream plus extra for tops
  • ¼ cup cold sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Icing

  • ½ cup (2 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1-2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Crumb Topping

  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, sugar cinnamon and salt.
  • Work in butter with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand. Press together to make dime size chunks.
  • Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.

Cinnamon Filling

  • In a small bowl, mix filling ingredients together until well combined.

Scones

  • Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Work butter into flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea sized pieces are formed.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla extract.
  • Stir cream mixture into flour mixture a little at a time until dough comes together. If your dough is too dry add 1-2 more teaspoons of heavy cream.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold dough over onto itself a couple of times.
  • Pat dough into an approximately 9 x 5-inch oval. Spread cinnamon filling on half of the dough to within 1/2-inch from the edges. Fold dough in half bringing short ends together. Press edges to seal.
  • Shape dough into a 7-inch round, about 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into 8 wedges. (Or 6 wedges if you prefer larger scones.)
  • Pinch the pointed tip of the wedges and tuck under to seal. This helps to prevent the top layer from sliding off while baking. Place wedges about 2-inches apart onto prepared baking sheet.
  • Brush tops of scones with heavy cream. Top with crumb topping. Bake until light golden brown, about 18-22 minutes.
  • Transfer scones to a cooling rack to cool. Drizzle with icing.

Icing

  • In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, butter, 1 tablespoon of milk and vanilla. Add additional milk until desired consistency is reached.
Keyword cinnamon, scones

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Raspberry Truffle Brownies

Who else loves those heart shaped boxes of chocolates we see at Valentine’s Day? That adventurous first bite of chocolate, when you don’t know which flavor you’re getting, is so much fun! I adore the fruit ganache filled chocolate bon bons. If you love bon bons too, you’ll love these brownies. They’re rich, fudgy and topped with a silky raspberry ganache that makes you feel like you’re biting into a raspberry truffle. The ganache adds an elegant touch to these brownies, so dried rose buds, rose petals and crispy chocolate pearls were my toppings of choice.

This isn’t the first time I’ve created elegant brownies. I displayed beautifully decorated brownies at two previous cookie conventions and they were well received. Elevated brownies are unexpected, but they’re definitely appreciated!

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

by Mari Vasseur
Rich, fudgy brownies topped with silky raspberry ganache
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 9

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 8 ounces (227g) bittersweet chocolate (70-72%), chopped
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118ml) strained raspberry purée
  • ¼ cup (59ml) heavy cream
  • 4 ounces (113g) white chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
  • In a medium-sized heat safe bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.
  • In a large heat safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave or set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Whisk the sugar, eggs, egg yolk and vanilla into butter until smooth and the sugar is mostly dissolved. Stir in the melted chocolate until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs on it, about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool completely.
  • Place the white chocolate in a medium-sized bowl.
  • In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer the raspberry purée until reduced by half. Combine the heavy cream with the reduced purée in the saucepan. Heat until bubbles start to form around the edges. Do not boil.
  • Pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate, making sure its completely submerged, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth and well combined. Spread over the cooled brownies.

Notes

To find dried rosebuds, click here.
To find dried rose petals, click here.
 
Keyword brownies, raspberry truffle

Chocolate Gingerbread

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Chocolate Gingerbread

Chocolate gingerbread is gingerbread’s elegant sister. It has the warm spices we love in gingerbread combined with the earthy depth of chocolate. Topping this rich, tender loaf with silky cream cheese frosting is the best possible choice to take it over the top. It’s a lovely loaf to enjoy during the holiday season and beyond. Enjoy it with a hot drink for a cozy, comforting winter treat.

Make sure to check out my method for making sugared cranberries below. No raw eggs required!

Chocolate Gingerbread

Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Gingerbread

  • 1 ¼ cups (156g) all purpose flour, sifted plus extra for dusting the pan
  • â…“ cup (28g) Dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted plus extra for dusting the pan
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
  • â…› teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup (200g) packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup (115ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (113g) sour cream, room temperature
  • ½ cup (118ml) whole milk, room temperature

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ¼ cup (57g) cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups (234g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt

Instructions
 

Chocolate Gingerbread

  • Preheat oven go 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease the insides and dust with a mixture of equal parts flour and cocoa powder.
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves until well blended
  • In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together until smooth.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and milk.
  • Add flour the mixture to the batter in two additions, alternating with the milk mixture, beating just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 38-45 minutes.
  • Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
  • Add the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of milk, the vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth. Add additional milk, if needed, until your desired consistency is reached.

Notes

To make sugared cranberries and rosemary for garnish:  Mix 1 teaspoon of meringue powder* with 1 tablespoon of water. Place 1 cup of fresh cranberries in a bowl and coat them in the meringue powder mixture. Drain any excess liquid then coat the cranberries with granulated sugar.  Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet to dry at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Use the same method for sprigs of rosemary.
*To find meringue powder, click here.
Keyword cake, chocolate gingerbread

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Fudgy chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 15 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1 â…“ cups (170g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (12g) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • â…“ cup (75g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 ½ cups (340g) powdered sugar, sifted and divided
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
  • 2 ounces (57g) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 2 cups (227g) powdered sugar until well combined. Set aside the remaining 1/2 cup (113g) of powdered sugar in a shallow dish.
  • Beat in eggs in two separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Add the extracts and the melted chocolate and beat until well combined. Beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
  • Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Roll the dough into 15 2-tablespoon size balls, 1 1/4 ounce (35g) each. Roll the dough balls generously in the reserved 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
  • Place the dough balls 3 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bak until the cookies puff and the tops are set, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooking rack to cool.
Keyword cookies

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

This cake story has a happy ending. Once, many years ago, someone gave my grandparents’ neighbor a flourless chocolate cake. The neighbor had a slice and couldn’t finish it because it was too rich. She brought the cake over to my grandparents and they each had a slice and couldn’t finish them, because they were too rich. I had a slice and I couldn’t finish mine either and, well…you can guess why. So my grandparents, not wanting to be wasteful, put the cake in the freezer and forgot about it for a very long time. Whenever I opened the freezer and saw it, I wondered why none of us could eat more than a few bites of that rich cake. Although I don’t know for sure, it was probably because the ratio of chocolate to butter was off. But I do know that serving it with something acidic, like berries or raspberry sauce, would have helped immensely.

The happy ending to this story is that this flourless chocolate cake was created to be enjoyed to the last bite. It’s decadent, but not overly rich. It has a good balance, not too sweet or too bitter. The raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries compliment it perfectly. This luscious cake is also delicious with strawberries or any combination of berries you like. It’s also delicious served with salted caramel sauce. I wish my grandparents were still around to give my version of a flourless chocolate cake a try. I think they would have loved this cake and finished every last bite!

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Print Recipe
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Flourless Chocolate Cake

  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 6 ounces unsalted butter, cubed
  • 6 large eggs, chalazae* removed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • boiling water
  • powdered sugar for sprinkling
  • fresh raspberries for top
  • raspberry sauce (Recipe below)

Raspberry Sauce

  • 3 cups (12 ounces) fresh raspberries
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/4-1/3 cup (1 3/4-2 3/8 ounces) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions
 

Flourless Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line a 6-inch springform pan** with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray. Wrap the bottom two inches of the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Set pan in a baking pan.
  • Combine chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from heat.
  • In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until doubled in size, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract and salt.
  • With a large spatula, gently fold beaten eggs into chocolate mixture in three additions until no streaks of egg remain. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Smooth top of batter with a small offset spatula.
  • Pour 1 1/2 inches of boiling water into baking pan. Bake until top is set and internal temperature*** reaches 140ºF, about 28-37 minutes.
  • Remove cake pan from water bath. Cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to overnight, but cake is best served the day it's made).
  • Remove cake from pan when chilled and set. Top with powdered sugar and fresh raspberries.
  • To serve, remove cake from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving and serve at room temperature for best texture. Serve with raspberry sauce.

Raspberry Sauce

  • Purée raspberries in blender or food processor. Pass purée through a fine mesh sieve**** to remove seeds.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch.*****
  • In a small saucepan, heat raspberry purée with sugar and cornstarch slurry to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat down to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Notes

*Chalazae are the opaque chords of egg white. Removing them is optional, but they do show up as white spots in the cake after baking.
**To find the 6-inch springform pan I used, click here.
***To find an instant read thermometer, click here.
****To find a fine mesh sieve, click here.
*****To find a mini whisk for whisking small amounts, click here.
Keyword cake, chocolate

Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets

My fascination with Christmas cookies started as a child when my elderly neighbor used to bring over a tray of her homemade Christmas cookies every year. I loved the moment where I got to choose a cookie from the beautiful, interesting selection. In my humble opinion, I think a holiday cookie should be something special. It should be something that you don’t eat on a regular basis, maybe because it seems fancy or requires a little extra work to make. Or maybe it has a special meaning or a fond memory. These Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets check all the boxes for me. They have that something special a cookie needs to be the star of the holiday cookie tray…tender jam-filled chocolate dough, dipped in shiny chocolate with a pretty pop of red.

Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets

Print Recipe
Servings 20 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) powdered sugar
  • â…“ cup (1 ounce) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (9 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (5 ounces) raspberry jam or or fruit spread
  • 4 ounces melted semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon melted coconut oil or vegetable shortening
  • crushed freeze dried raspberries or sprinkles of your choice Optional

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, sift together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
  • In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth.
  • Add powdered sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
  • Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined.
  • On low speed, beat in flour just until combined.
  • Divide dough into two equal portions. Wrap with plastic wrap and form into disks. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Roll dough between two sheets of wax paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into 3-inch rounds, re-rolling scraps as necessary. If dough becomes too soft at any point, chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes then continue with recipe.
  • Place rounds on prepared baking sheets. Top each round with a teaspoon of jam.
  • With a small food safe brush or with your finger, apply a small amount of water to the edge of half of each round. Fold over and press edges to seal.
  • Bake until tops of cookies look set, about 9-11 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
  • In a small bowl, mix melted chocolate with coconut oil until smooth.
  • Dip cookies about 1/3 of the way into melted chocolate. Top with freeze dried fruit or sprinkles.

Notes

*To find freeze dried raspberries, click here.
To find the cookie cutter I used, click here.
To find food safe brushes, click here.
Keyword chocolate raspberry, cookies

Grandma’s Apple Crumb Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake

I remember my grandma making coffee cakes and sweet muffins for breakfast, along with eggs, sausages, hot coffee and a big pitcher of milk on the table. Why do most of our grandmothers cook and bake so well? Because they’ve had decades of trial and error to perfect their recipes, tweaking them here and there until they’re approved and loved by their families, neighbors and friends. This cake has had its share of trial and error. She has earned her place as a well-loved, delicious, beautiful queen of coffee cakes.

A classic coffee cake is usually a subtly sweet cake with cinnamon, crumb topping and maybe some icing. They’re called coffee cakes because they go so well with a cup of coffee, not necessarily because they contain coffee. This Apple Crumb Cake has the elements of a classic coffee cake, but so much better! The cake is fluffy and soft, the crumb topping is chunky and plentiful, and the apples are perfectly tender. And don’t get me started about the icing!

Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake

Tender vanilla cake with generous crumb topping and vanilla icing
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

Apples

  • 1 tablespoon (14g) butter
  • 3 cups (340g) chopped apples (1/2-inch pieces) Use any combination of your favorite baking apples.
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Crumb Topping

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
  • â…“ cup (67g) brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (38g) sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Scant ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Cake

  • 1 â…” cups (213g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • â…“ cup (75g) sour cream, room temperature

Icing

  • 2 cups (234g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) half & half cream, room temperature

Instructions
 

Apples

  • In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, sugar and cinnamon.
  • Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer the apples to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Crumb Topping

  • In a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
  • Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like wet sand with no large pieces of butter remaining. Press together to make 1/2-inch chunks.

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line a 9-inch cake pan with a removable bottom*, or a 9-inch springform pan, with parchment paper. Wrap the bottom of the cake pan with aluminum foil and place pan on a baking sheet.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture in three separate addition, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into batter in three additions, alternating with milk mixture. Mix just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Drain any excess liquid from the apples. Top the cake batter evenly with apples, then the topping mixture.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool the cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Icing

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons (30ml) of half & half. Add additional half & half until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Notes

*To find the cake pan I used, click here.
Keyword apple, cake

Fudge Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Fudge Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are traditional holiday cookies, probably because of the pretty, crackly powdered sugar covered exterior that reminds us of snow. They always seem to show up on cookie trays at Christmas time and I’ve loved them since I was a child. I decided to take my old favorites to another level by adding a surprise inside! Two years ago, I made some cookies with fudge filling that my family and friends raved over. They’re my Marshmallow Mudslide Cookies. To view the recipe, click here. I used the same concept for these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. I filled them with a simple, smooth fudge filling that stays soft at room temperature. The results were absolutely delicious!

Fudge Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate crinkle cookies with a smooth fudge filling that stays soft at room temperature
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 15 cookies

Ingredients
  

Fudge Filling

  • ¾ cup (4 1/2 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup (6 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

  • 1 â…“ cups (6 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • â…“ cup (2 5/8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 ½ cups (9 5/8 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted and divided
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

Instructions
 

Fudge Filling

  • In a double boiler or in the microwave*, melt chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together until smooth. Set aside to cool while preparing cookie dough.
  • Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Roll filling into 1-inch balls.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
  • In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  • Gradually beat in 2 cups (7 3/4 ounces) of powdered sugar until well combined. Set aside remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a shallow dish.
  • Beat in eggs and vanilla in three separate additions, until smooth. Stop to scrape bowl as needed.
  • Beat in melted chocolate until combined. Beat in flour mixture just until combined.
  • Cover and refrigerate dough for 2 hours. Don't skip this step.
  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Roll dough into 15 2-inch balls, 1 1/4 ounce each. Flatten each ball into a 3-inch disk. Place a fudge ball in the center of each disk and wrap dough around it, pinching edges together to seal. Roll dough balls generously in remaining powdered sugar.
  • Place dough balls three inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until cookies puff up and tops are set, about 11-13 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

Notes

*To melt fudge filling in microwave, heat for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave for 10 second intervals, stirring until melted.
MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS: To make cookie dough one day ahead, prepare cookie dough. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate in a covered container up to 24 hours. To make fudge filling one day ahead, prepare filling and chill for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Roll filling into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment lined tray. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours. 
Keyword chocolate, cookies

Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

These soft, tender, fluffy, sweet cornbread muffins are my favorite version of cornbread ever! No hate to the crumbly, savory cornbread that some people prefer. I like that too! Coincidentally, the latter has fans who leave the most heated comments on my cornbread posts. Maybe their cornbread is making them cranky. This cornbread recipe is delightful and would cheer up anyone, especially when it’s served warm and slathered with butter and honey. Positively divine.

I used a square muffin pan because it makes the muffins look absolutely adorable. The pan is also known as a brownie pan. The pan details are in the recipe notes. Feel fee to use a standard round muffin pan instead.

Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Soft, tender, fluffy, sweet cornbread muffins
Print Recipe
Servings 12 square muffins

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups (11 1/4 oz or 319g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 â…“ cups (9 3/8 oz or 266g) sugar
  • ½ cup (2 1/2 oz 71g) cornmeal
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups (12 oz or 355ml) sour cream
  • ½ cup (4 oz or 118ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • ¼ cup (2 oz 57g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 12-serving square muffin pan, also known as a brownie pan.* (You can also use a traditional round muffin pan. The baking time may be a little shorter.)
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream, oil and butter until smooth.
  • Add egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix just until combined. A few lumps are okay.
  • Transfer batter to prepared pan, filling wells halfway full. (Fill 2/3 full if using a round muffin pan.)
  • Bake until edges turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 17-20 minutes. Do not over bake.
  • Let cool in pan for 5 minutes them transfer muffins to a cooling rack. Serve warm or room temperature.

Notes

*I used a Fat Daddio's square muffin pan. It's available at kitchen stores and online.  If you can't find that one, Chefmade also makes a good one. The cavities on that one are a little smaller, so the baking time may be shorter. To find it, click here.
If you're using a dark colored pan, reduce your oven temperature to 325ºF
Keyword cornbread, muffins

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Soft Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

I never imagined that I’d ever be posting a peanut butter cookie recipe. There are already crunchy peanut butter cookies, soft ones, chewy ones, and those peanut shaped store bought ones out there. I mean, do we even need another peanut butter cookie recipe? After I tasted this one, it’s a resounding YES! These soft, tender cookies combined with a silky, smooth filling are a new peanut butter experience that I had to share.

The key to getting the soft texture in the cookie, without being dry, is cake flour. So don’t substitute it, because it’s vital to achieve the correct texture. Make sure to weigh your flour for the most accurate results. The second important ingredient is heavy whipping cream. Just a little added to the filling gives it a luxurious, silky texture.

This recipe makes sixteen medium size peanut butter cookies, which will give you eight sandwiches. If you want more, you can double the recipe or make the cookies smaller. Smaller cookies will have a shorter baking time.

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches

Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 8 cookie sandwiches

Ingredients
  

Peanut Butter Cookies

  • 1 cup (4 1/2 oz or 128g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (2 oz or (57g) cake flour, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup (6 3/4 oz or 191g) creamy peanut butter
  • ¼ cup (2 oz or 57g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup (1 5/8 or 47g) vegetable shortening
  • ½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Filling

  • ½ cup (4 1/2 oz or 128g) creamy peanut butter, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons (1 oz or 28g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (2 oz or 57g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 ½ tablespoons (1 1/4 oz or 37ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch fine sea salt

Instructions
 

Peanut Butter Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, butter and shortening until smooth.
  • Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
  • Set aside 1/4 cup (50g) of the granulated sugar. Beat the peanut butter mixture with brown sugar and remaining granulated sugar, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy.
  • Add the flour mixture and beat just until combined.
  • Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch (3.8cm) diameter balls (about 1 1/4 oz or 35g each). Roll the dough balls in the reserved granulated sugar.
  • Place the dough balls 3 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten with a fork, making a criss cross pattern.
  • Bake until the cookies are puffy and start to crack around the edges, about 9-11 minutes.
  • Let the cookies cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. The cookies will be fragile, but they will firm up as they cool.
  • Place a spoonful of filling on the bottoms of half of the cooled cookies. Top with remaining the remaining cookies.

Peanut Butter Filling

  • In medium bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter together until smooth.
  • Beat in the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and salt until smooth.

Notes

To find my favorite cookie sheet, click here.
Keyword cookies, peanut butter