Category: Holidays

Cyclops S’mores Bites

Cyclops S'mores Bites

Do you ever feel like someone is watching you? These spooky Cyclops S’mores Bites can’t help but stare at you. They’re a fun, easy-to-make Halloween treat. Mini graham cracker crusts are filled with a sweet, silky chocolate filling and topped with monster eyeball marshmallows.

Print Recipe
 Cyclops S'mores Bites
Silky chocolate filling in a graham cracker crust, topped with spooky monster eyeball marshmallows
Course Dessert
Keyword Halloween, s'mores bites, tarts
Servings
bite size mini tarts
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword Halloween, s'mores bites, tarts
Servings
bite size mini tarts
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a 24-serving muffin pan** with mini cupcake liners.***
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and flour until well combined. Stir in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly coated and the mixture looks like wet sand.
  3. Evenly distribute the crumb mixture into the muffin cups. Press the crumbs firmly into the bottoms and up the sides of the muffin cups, using a pastry tamper, the flat bottom of a small shot glass or a 1/8 cup measuring cup. Bake for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  4. In a medium-size microwavable bowl, heat the sweetened condensed milk and the chocolate chips together in the microwave for 20 second burst, stirring in between each burst, until melted and smooth. (Alternately, you can melt the mixture in a medium-size saucepan over low heat.)
  5. Working quickly, fill the graham cracker crusts almost to the top with the melted chocolate mixture using a small scoop or a piping bag. Carefully remove the chocolate-filled crusts from the muffin pan and top each one with a monster eyeball marshmallow. Enjoy as is or place a few at a time on a microwave safe plate and heat them in the microwave for 7-10 seconds for a gooey eyeball treat.
Recipe Notes

*Marshmallow eyeballs are sold at Walmart and World Market.

**To find the muffin pan I used, click here.  

***To find mini muffin liners, click here.

White Velvet Snowflake Cakes


Print Recipe


White Velvet Snowflake Cakes

Soft, plush vanilla mini cakes with vanilla icing

Course Dessert
Keyword cake, white velvet

Servings
cakes


Ingredients
Snowflake Cakes

Vanilla Icing

Course Dessert
Keyword cake, white velvet

Servings
cakes


Ingredients
Snowflake Cakes

Vanilla Icing


Instructions
Snowflake Cakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray a 6-serving silicone snowflake mini cake mold* with nonstick spray. Use a small pastry brush to brush the spray into all of the crevices. Tap out any excess spray. Place the mold on a baking sheet.

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Add the butter and beat, with an electric mixer on low speed, until the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture looks like crumbs with no large chunks.

  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla. Slowly add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and continue beating on low until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.

  3. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, evenly distributing the batter and filling the cavities a little more than half full. Bake until the tops of the cakes are light golden and a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. Let the cakes cool in the pan for about 7 minutes then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

  4. Brush one or two coats of vanilla icing on the tops and sides of the cakes. Decorate as desired. I used fine opal sanding sugar, candy snowflakes and candy pearls.

Vanilla Icing
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, salt and 1 tablespoon of milk until smooth. Add additional milk as need to achieve your desired consistency.


Recipe Notes

I used a 6-serving silicone mold with 3-inch diameter, 1-inch deep cavities.

 

 

Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

An easy-to-make square cake, typically unfrosted, is what my family would consider a snacking cake when I was growing up. This easy apple cake qualifies as a snacking cake because it stands on its own as a moist, delicious cake, unfrosted. BUT…if you add the silky cream cheese frosting, then you have yourself something a little more special. This cake could easily appear at a Thanksgiving meal and upstage the pies. I added food-safe fresh flowers and a faux sprig of greenery to dress it up for autumn. If you’re using fresh flowers, make sure to use pesticide-free flowers and wrap your stems before placing them into the cake. This cake is also amazing topped with caramel sauce.

Print Recipe
 Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
A soft, moist apple cake with silky cream cheese frosting.
Course Dessert
Keyword apple, cake
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Apple Cake
Cream Cheese Frosting
Course Dessert
Keyword apple, cake
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Apple Cake
Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
Apple Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan** with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Mix in the puréed apples until incorporated. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
  4. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 28-33 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. In a large bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Beat in the butter, with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth and well combined.
  2. Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and heavy cream until smooth and well combined. Stir slowly with a spatula to smooth the frosting and remove bubbles.
Recipe Notes

*If you're using applesauce and your applesauce is watery, drain off excess liquid before measuring.

**To find my favorite 8-inch square cake pan, click here.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

These cute kitties were created two years ago as a special request by someone who grew up playing with Webkinz. Do you remember the Strawberry Cloud Leopard? It was a cute pink Webkinz plushie. The cookies are made of tender, buttery shortbread dough. They get their natural color and flavor from freeze dried strawberries. Mini chocolate chips are added to make the adorable leopard spots. To watch the Strawberry Cloud Leopard Shortbread Cookies Instagram video, click here.

Heart shaped Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

I recently brought back the heart-shaped version of these cookies on social media, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Currently, the price of eggs is very high. These cookies don’t contain eggs, which is so helpful right now. They make a perfect shareable Valentine treat.

Print Recipe
 Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Tender strawberry shortbread cookies dotted with mini chocolate chips
Course Dessert
Keyword cookies, strawberry chocolate chip
Servings
4-inch cat cookies or 20 3-inch heart cookies
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword cookies, strawberry chocolate chip
Servings
4-inch cat cookies or 20 3-inch heart cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Process the freeze dried strawberries to a powder with a small food processor or a clean spice grinder. Pass the powder through a sieve to strain out the seeds.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk the flour, powdered sugar and salt together.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the freeze dried strawberry powder and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
  4. Add the flour mixture and beat just until dough comes together. Fold in 1/3 cup (57g) of mini chocolate chips for the leopards or 1/2 cup (85g) of mini chocolate chips for the hearts.
  5. Divide the dough into two portions and form into disks. (Alternately, you can roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper.) Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
  6. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the cookies into your desired shapes. I used a 4-inch tall cat cookie cutter** for the leopards and a 3-inch tall heart cookie cutter for the hearts.
  7. Place the cookies about 2-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. To prevent excessive spreading, refrigerate the cut cookies for 30 minutes prior to baking, especially if your dough becomes warm as you work with it.
  8. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Bake until the cookies are slightly puffed and the edges barely start to turn light golden brown, about 11-13 minutes. (Smaller cookies will need a shorter baking time.) Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 3-4 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
Recipe Notes

To find a cat cookie cutter, click here.

 

Blackberry Cornbread

This sweet Blackberry Cornbread is super easy to make. It makes a delicious breakfast, brunch or side dish. It’s so good served with Blackberry Honey Butter. I love baking my cornbread in a cast iron skillet. It gives the cornbread a crisp, rustic crust. You can also use a cake pan if you prefer. (The baking time may vary.) Make sure not to over bake your cornbread since overtaking will dry it out. Use fresh, ripe blackberries when they’re in season. You can also use frozen blackberries or fresh or frozen blueberries. Skip the macerating step if you’re using blueberries or frozen berries.

Print Recipe
 Blackberry Cornbread
Sweet cornbread studded with ripe blackberries
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword blackberry, cornbread
Servings
Ingredients
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword blackberry, cornbread
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8” cast iron skillet* or an 8” round cake pan.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, oil and melted butter until smooth. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until combined. A few lumps are okay. In a small bowl, gently toss one 1 cup (136g) of the blackberries with 1 tsp of flour. Gently fold the berries into the batter.
  4. Transfer the batter to the skillet. Top with the remaining blackberries. Bake until the top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35-43 min. Let cool in the pan 10 min. Serve with Blackberry Honey Butter** or honey if desired
Recipe Notes

*To find an 8-inch cast iron skillet, click here.  

**To find the Blackberry Honey Butter Recipe, click here.

 

Strawberry Sugar Hearts

strawberry sugar hearts
To watch the Strawberry Sugar Hearts video, click here.

I’ve always been enamored by sugar cubes. You can’t help but feel fancy dropping a lump of sugar or two into your teacup. Flavored sugar formed into cute shapes is so fancy, I may faint. Someone please get the smelling salts! Pardon me while I google “what exactly are smelling salts?” In the mean time please enjoy these sweet, dainty, positively precious Strawberry Sugar Hearts. Pop them into tea, lattes, lemonade, cocktails or sparkling water.

These cuties are fragrant, delicious and easy to make. The most tedious part is filling the molds. Make sure to fill them completely and press firmly for the most defined shape. It’s also important to use enough water. Think of building a sand castle at the beach. You want enough water to dampen the sugar, but not turn it to slush. I live in a dry climate so I used 3 teaspoons, but you may need less depending on your climate.

Feel free to use the freeze dried fruit of your choice. Most grocery stores carry freeze dried fruit and you can always find it online. The most interesting one I saw was an apple-cherry combination. I might try that next!

Print Recipe
 Strawberry Sugar Hearts
Servings
batch 1/2" sugar hearts
Ingredients
Servings
batch 1/2" sugar hearts
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Process freeze-dried strawberries in a small food processor or a clean spice grinder until a powdered consistency is reached.
  2. Pass powdered strawberries through a sieve to strain out seeds.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered strawberries and sugar.
  4. Add water, one teaspoon at a time, until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand. Climate will effect how much water is needed.
  5. Press mixture firmly into *silicone heart molds or any shape silicone molds of your choice. Brush off excess sugar.
  6. Let dry, uncovered, at least 24 hours.
  7. Remove sugar hearts from molds and store in a covered container
Recipe Notes

*To find the silicone heart molds I used, click here

Not-So-Scary Halloween Monster Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

One of the best things about Halloween is all of the adorable costumes worn by the littlest trick-or-treaters. I’ll never forget the year my young daughter was dressed as a flower with chubby cheeks. She enjoyed wearing her costume and eating her Halloween treats, but spooky costumes and trick-or-treating weren’t for her. She was the type of toddler who cried at the sight of a mall Santa. She even screamed in terror once when Ronald McDonald paid a visit to our local McDonald’s.

So in honor of those tender hearted little ones, I created some not-so-scary, pretty-darned-cute Yetis and Green-Eyed Monster cookies. You can use your favorite cutout sugar cookie dough and you don’t need any special skills to decorate them. The icing is fondant instead of frosting or royal icing which makes these cute monsters the ideal mess-free (almost) cookie decorating project for kids!

For these cookies you’ll need:

  • One batch of cutout sugar cookie dough
  • Food coloring- I used Wilton Icing Color in Rose
  • Cookie cutters
  • Parchment paper
  • Scissors
  • X-acto knife or paring knife
  • White, purple, green and pink fondant or any colors of your choice. I made lavender by combining purple and white.
  • Sprinkles- I used a combination of two parts orange sprinkles and one part pink sprinkles
  • Piping gel
  • Small food safe brush
  • Edible marker- I used Americolor Gourmet Writer
  • Candy bananas, sugar pearls or any edible decorations of your choice
  • Piping tip
  • Optional- flower punch cutter, pink petal dust, cotton swab

Divide your cookie dough in half. For the Yeti cookies, color one half of the cookie dough with pink food coloring. Wrap remaining cookie dough in plastic and set aside in refrigerator.

Yeti cookie tutorial

Roll out the pink dough and cut out the Yeti cookies. The Yeti cookies are 2 1/2 inch by 3 1/4 inch rectangles. I used a clean, recycled food can as a cookie cutter. I opened the can with a can opener at both ends, rather than using the little key that comes with the can. If you don’t want to use this method, you can make a pattern out of parchment paper and cut out the cookies with an X-acto knife or a paring knife. 

Yeti cookie tutorial

For the Yeti faces, cut two small 1 1/2 inch x 1 inch rectangles with rounded corners out of parchment paper. The first one will be used to place on the Yeti cookies to keep the sprinkles off of the faces. Place small parchment rectangle on an unbaked cookie. Apply sprinkles, pressing them gently to make sure they adhere to the cookie. Remove the parchment rectangle and repeat with remaining cookies. Bake according to your cookie dough recipe. Let cool.

Yeti cookie tutorial

Roll out white fondant to 1/8 inch thickness. Use the remaining small parchment rectangle as a pattern to cut out a face for each Yeti cookie with an X-acto knife or a paring knife. Brush a bit of piping gel onto each cookie face area. Apply the white fondant face cutouts to the cookies. Let dry for at least 30 minutes, then draw eyes and a mouth with an edible marker. I made rosie cheeks with a small amount of petal dust applied with a cotton swab. Brush dabs of piping gel to apply the banana candy horns. I also added pink fondant flowers and sugar pearls to make my Yeti cookies extra cute. 

Roll out the remaining cookie dough and cut out the Green-Eyed Monster cookies. I used an apple tree cookie cutter, trimming off the trunk part. If you can’t find an apple tree cutter, you can use a blossom or sun cookie cutter. Bake according to your cookie dough recipe. Let cool.

Green-eyed monster cookie tutorial

Roll out the lavender fondant. Cut the fondant using the same cutter you used for the cookie dough. Brush piping gel onto cookies and apply the fondant shapes. Let dry at least 30 minutes. 

Green-eyed monster cookie tutorial

For eyes, roll out white and green fondant. I used the large end of a piping tip to cut out two white circles and two green circles for each cookie. Attach the green circles to the white circles with a dab of piping gel, offsetting them slightly. I used a tiny blossom punch cutter for the pupils and applied with piping gel. Use an edible marker to draw eyelashes and a mouth.

Green-eyed monster Halloween cookies

Cranberry Sauce

Homemade cranberry sauce is easier to make than you might think, and it takes your turkey dinner to another level. And don’t get me started on how delicious it is on Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches (which I happen to love more than the dinner itself.) This cranberry sauce is also delicious used in dessert recipes, like bars and cookies, such as my Cranberry Orange Crumb Cake Cookies.

Print Recipe
 Cranberry Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword condiments, cranberry sauce
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Cuisine American
Keyword condiments, cranberry sauce
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, granulated sugar, brown sugar, orange juice, water, orange zest and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer until the cranberries soften and the mixture thickens to a jam consistency, about 18-25 minutes. Stir in the honey and salt. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature. The sauce will thicken a bit as it cools.