Pull Apart Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread

I love fall baking!  As soon as September hit I was ready for the pumpkin recipes.  This was SO good but not a strong pumpkin taste at all.  I found it on Sunnyside Up and changed it slightly.

I had a hard time getting mine out of the pan and then turned back over - so it ended up in a heap.  Here is a picture of one piece of my heap =).  

Bread

• 2 Tbsp  butter                                                                                                                    
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp  butter

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through.  Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.   Making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle.  Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is a very deep golden brown.

Buttered Rum Glaze  (I used a little bit of rum flavored extract and some vanilla, you could leave the rum out)

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp milk
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/8 tsp rum flavored extract and 1tsp vanilla

To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flavoring and powdered sugar.

Brownie Desssert

 

I found this recipe on pinterest and knew that I had to try it.  I made it conference weekend so that we would have guests and plenty of help eating it.  It is as yummy as it looks but not too rich which is nice.  I found this recipe at www.hpj.com.  It is a home cooking blog.  I followed the recipe just as it is written and we wouldn't change a thing.  Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:
2 brownie mixes
1 extra large egg
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 (8 oz.) containers whipped topping
1 (3 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding
1 (3 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding
3 1/2 cups milk
1 Hershey candy bar or chocolate syrup

 

Directions: Mix brownie mixes according to directions. Add egg. Bake in 9x13 inch greased and floured cake pan. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 container whipped topping. Put this mix on top of the cooled brownies. Blend puddings and milk together and put on top of the cream cheese mixture. Top with another layer of whipped topping. Put chocolate shavings or chocolate syrup on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Carla Hall's Triple Lemon Bars

 

 

 

 

 

I saw these baked on the TV show The Chew.  I don't know if anyone out there has watched this show but as a lover of lemon I knew that I had to try these.  They are Carla Hall's recipe.  If you like regular old lemon bars then you will love these.  They are triple the deliciousness!  I pretty much followed the recipe and yes I did use fresh lemon juice squeezed by me.  The zest from six lemons is a lot of zest but be sure to combine it with the powdered sugar while your cookies are baking.  By the time you are ready to put it on the cookies and I just sprinkled it on top before I cut them, the zest will be kind of candied and the powdered sugar has turned a little hard and stuck to the zest.  It is way better than just plain powdered sugar.  Try them.  You won't be disappointed.

 



For the Shortbread Crust:

2 sticks Unsalted Butter (softened)

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Lemon (zest; reserving juice for filling)

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1/2 teaspoon Salt

• For the Filling:
• 7 large Eggs
• 3 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup freshly squeezed Lemon Juice (about 6 lemons; reserving zest)
• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Confectioner's Sugar (plus reserved zest for dusting)

For the Shortbread Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest and beat for another minute, or until blended.    

 Add the flour and salt and mix just until fully incorporated. Do not over mix the dough.     

Turn dough out into a 9x13 inch baking dish and evenly press into the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the dish. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 10 to 15 minutes, or until mostly firm.

Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, just until cooked and pale golden color. Do not turn oven off. Cool completely on a wire rack.  I put mine in the fridge while I made the filling but it was still warm when I put the filling in.  I couldn't wait.     

For the Filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and lemon juice.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.     

 Slowly whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until combined. Pour the mixture into the baked crust and cooked for 35 to 40 minutes, or until filling is set. Remove and allow to cool on the wire rack.     

Once completely cooled, cut lemon bars into 20 squares and then cut each square on a diagonal to create triangle.

To serve, whisk together the confectioner's sugar and reserved lemon zest. Generously sprinkle over the lemon bar.     



PUMPKIN COOKIES WITH CARMEL FROSTING

I ate these cookies at Trina's last weekend when we were visiting.  I am not a real pumpkin lover but these were delicious.  I have several children that are pumpkin lovers and wanted to share before Thanksgiving was over.  She found these on Pinterest and they are from www.letsdishrecipes.com.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in pumpkin. In a medium bowl, sift together the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

To make frosting: In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cream, and brown sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool then stir in confectioner's sugar. Spread frosting over cooled cookies.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

So these cookies are from the magazine Chocolate Desserts which are from the TV Show Cook's Country which is on PBS.  They are pretty yummy cookies.  When we made them they were gone pretty fast.

2 cups plus 2 Tbl. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbl. unsalted butter, melted and cooled.  (I usually leave out the salt and just use regular butter and call it good.)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsps. vanilla
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Heat over to 325.  Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl and set aside.  Using a mixer, mix butter and sugars on medium speed until thoroughly blended.  Beat egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until combined.  Stir in chips.

Spoon onto baking sheets.  I use a cookie scoop and also use parchment or silpat on my pans.  Bake until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft about 10-12 minutes.  Let cookies cool on pans before removing.

Salted Peanut Chocolate Caramel Squares

This picture does not do justice to these cookies.  My friend brought them when they came to dinner a while back.  My husband said they were so good that they were evil.  I have made them once since and really can't make them again unless I have a crowd who will eat them up and only allow me to have one.  Anyway, she got the recipe from the Pillsbury.com site.  I changed the semi-sweet chocolate chips to milk chocolate chips but really I don't even think that you need the chocolate on them.

Marshmallow Layer:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme

I used my kitchen aid to mix the sugar into the marshmallow creme and you need to use your dough hook.  It makes a pretty stiff mixture.  Shape it into a 8 or 9 inch square.  Make sure that you powder sugar your countertop so it doesn't stick when you shape it.

Crust:

1 cup crushed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (about 8-10 cookies)
1/2 cup salted peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened

Mix this all together and put into a 8 or 9 inch square pan lined with foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until puffy.  When it comes out of the oven lay the marshmallow square over the hot crust and press down slightly, making it fit the pan.

Topping:

36 caramels, unwrapped
3 tablespoons milk, I used 3 but next time I would use 2 or if I had cream I would use that
1 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted

Melt caramels and milk in saucepan or microwave until melted and smooth.  Pour over marshmallow layer.  Immediately sprinkle with 1 cup peanuts.  Drizzle melted chocolate chips over peanuts.  Cool completely.  I put mine in the fridge.

Triple Fudge Fantasy Cake

I got this recipe from my daughter in law and it is on her private blog so I had a request from my daughter to post it here for easier access.  This is the best chocolate cake I have ever had and it is a popular birthday cake at our house.  Enjoy!

1 pkg. Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 4 oz. box instant chocolate pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer 1 minute.  Stir down sides and continue to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour batter into a prepared bundt pan.
Bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool 20 minutes.  Invert onto a serving platter.  Do not over bake the cake.  At the end of 50 minutes, you will not think that the cake is done but trust me it is.  You cannot use the toothpick test with this cake.  Just have faith and take it out.  You won't be sorry.

Glaze:
8 T. Butter
4 T. cocoa powder
1/3 cup evaporated milk or cream
4 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat.  Whisk in cocoa and dissolve.  Then add milk and bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Add to the powdered sugar with an electric mixer and beat until thick and smooth.  Add 1 t. vanilla.  Pour warm glaze over warm cake.

Microwave Carmels

I saw this on Pinterest and just had to try them. They were simple and only took a few minutes to make. I am sure that they don't taste as good as the real ones when you stir at the stove all day but they were a pretty good substitution if you are in a hurry and need some caramel.

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup corn syrup

Combine all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 6 minutes stirring after every two minutes. If you want you can add vanilla but they are also good without or you could add nuts or after you pour it into your buttered pan you could sprinkle with a little sea salt. I used a pan that was 8 inches by 6 inches. Also, this made a soft Carmel that needed to be refrigerated. I tried it again and did it 7 minutes and they are a little firmer and don't need to be refrigerated. You could dip these caramels in chocolate or make your own turtles. Have fun making your own Carmel.

Denver Cheesecake

AKA my birthday cake today!  I don't usually have a birthday cake, but decided to do a cheesecake this year.  This recipe is from my sister, Trina.  It's a lot of cream cheese and you need to plan ahead, but it is SO GOOD!

Crust:
1 12-ounce box of vanilla wafers, crushed
6 Tblsps of butter, melted

Filling:
40 oz cream cheese, softened (5- 8 oz packages)  Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat) works great
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 Tblsps flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a small bowl, mix together wafer crumbs and butter.  Press into the bottom and half-way up the sides of a 10 inch spring form pan.  Chill while preparing filling.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add sugar, flour, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla.  Beat well.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.  Blend in cream.  Pour into crust.  Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes and then at 225 degrees for an additional 70-80 minutes.  Filling will be almost set.  Cool at room temperature.  Regfrigerate for 8 hours or overnight before serving.

I used frozen mixed berries in Danish Dessert for the topping.  I used some left over lemon zest, heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar to make the whipped cream for the top.  Yummy!

Peanut Butter Bars

I made these for Anna Elise's baptism and they are SO GOOD!  Everyone loved them.  They are pretty rich so I cut them into really small bars, but I'd like to see you try and only eat one!

The recipe is from Our Best Bites:

Cookies
1 cup  butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1  1/2 cups peanut butter
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons table salt
3 cups all purpose flour
3 cups quick oats

Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a rimmed cookie sheet (jelly roll pan) with non-stick spray and set aside.

Cream butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Add  peanut butter and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add eggs, one at a time and beat between each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt and add mixture to dough.  Beat to combine.  Add oats and mix until incorporated.  Press dough into prepared pan into a flat layer.  Bake for about 10-12 minutes.  The center should be puffed and set, but still soft. (Mine took a couple minutes longer to bake, it still almost looked doughy, but it's suppose to)

While crust is baking, prepare frosting.  Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt.  Add butter, boiling water, and vanilla.  Beat until smooth and glossy.

When cookie crust is done baking, drizzle about 3/4 cups melted (just nuke it in the microwave) peanut butter on top and then spread on frosting while everything is still warm.  Let cool and cut into squares to serve. 

I made mine ahead and froze them and they were just as good defrosted as they were fresh!

Mike's Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

My favorite pumpkin desseret was posted here by Jana last fall.  However Mike's favorite pumpkin desseret are these pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.  It used to be a family recipe from his aunt, but over the years I've modified it and it's now our recipe!  We made them for the church Trunk or Treat last night because it makes a lot!

3 c pumpkin
2 c flour
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c oil
1/2 c apple sauce
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients well.  Place in a greased cookie sheet (jelly roll pan). Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. 

Frosting:
6 ounces cream cheese
1/4 c butter, softened
1 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Beat until creamy and spread on the bars when cooled.  I like to spinkle nutmeg on top for a little more flavor!  I think pumpkin pie spice would be good as well (in or on the bars).

Pumpkin Roll

The pumpkin roll was good. I got it from http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2010/11/25/pumpkin-roll/.

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup pure pumpkin puree

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat eggs and granulated sugar until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Bake in preheated oven 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off wax paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

To make the cream cheese filling: combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Zucchini Blueberry Streusel Bread

I don’t even have a garden and I still have zucchini coming out my ears! I love it! We have been eating zucchini everything. I LOVE zucchini fries, I enjoyed baked zucchini with mozzarella, I eat enough zucchini bread to gain at few pounds at least, I pan fry it with garlic as a simple side dish and this year my zucchini obsession lead me to make zucchini soup (which was actually pretty yummy!)

And just when I thought I could eat no more zucchini I found this recipe for blueberry zucchini bread and I knew I had to try it. I changed a few things and it turned out INCREDIBLE!  The zucchini makes the bread moist, the blueberries add incredible nuggets of flavor and the streusel tops it off perfectly. I have eaten an entire loaf myself! YUMMY!

Zucchini Blueberry Streusel Bread

3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1  3/4 cups white sugar
3 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 pint fresh blueberries (I used frozen and it turned out great!)

Topping
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. oatmeal
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. cold butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil,applesauce, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix lightly into batter. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.

To make streusel combine all dry ingredients and mix. Cut in butter until mixture resembles small crumbs. Sprinkle over batter in pans.

Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Molten Chocolate-Nutella Pudding Cakes

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. Nutella

Peheat oven to 350. Mist 6 6 oz. ramekins with cooking spray. Place a roasting pan in oven; pour in 1/2 inch of hot water. In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa and baking powder.
Combine chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl; cook on high, stirring once or twice, until almost melted. Stir until smooth.
In a bowl, with a mixer on medium high, beat eggs, vanilla, sugar and salt until pale yellow, about 5 miinutes. Beat in melted chocolate mixture. Stir in flour mixture. Spool half of batter into ramekins. Drop 1 tbsp. of Nutella into center of each. Cover with remaining batter.
Transfer ramekins to roasting pan. Bake until cakes have risen and are cracked on top, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve warm with whipped cream.
If you want something rich and chocolatey this is the dessert for you. They were yummy. I found this recipe in my All You magazine.

Cream Cheese Filled Cookies

These cookies were SO good. I got the recipe from www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com.

Cookies

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

(I halved the filling recipe and it was just enough.)

Topping

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips melted

Directions

In a large bowl cream the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla, beat again.

Mix in flour, baking powder and salt. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

I used my cookie scoop and then pressed them down a bit.

Bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes. Immediately after removing them from the oven make an indention in the middle with the back of a wooden spoon.

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread on cookies.

For the chocolate topping I put the chocolate chips in a Ziploc bag and put in the microwave. Heated in 30 second increments until it was melted enough and drizzle the cookies. Enjoy. Keep in fridge.

Junk

A friend of mine brought this to a ladies game night and it was delicious! I am a huge fan of sweet chex mix. This recipe is combines sweet chex mix with the saltiness of buttered popcorn. My kids and I are addicts!

Junk

2 bags popped popcorn  (use butter lovers if you dare!)
4 cups corn Chex
5 c. Golden Grahams (I left these out and added more chex)
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. Karo Syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix popcorn, cereal and almonds; set aside. In a medium saucepan combine butter, sugar and syrup. Boil for 3 minutes, remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture and stir to combine.
YUMMY!

Strawberry Jelly Roll

I grew up eating and loving this, we always made this in the summer when the strawberries in the garden were ripe. It is so yummy. I had some strawberries from the summer in my freezer and they worked great too.

4 eggs

1 scant cup flour

1 cup sugar

2 T. warm water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Beat eggs 5 minutes until thick and light colored. Gradually add sugar, beating 2 more minutes. Blend in water and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Bake in a jelly roll pan lined with wax or parchment paper which has been sprayed with Pam. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. When you take it out of the oven, sprinkle a dish towel with powdered sugar. Dump the cake on the dishtowel and peel off the paper. Roll it up in the dishtowel while still warm and leave it until cooled. Unroll and put the filling in and roll it back up and refrigerate.

Strawberry filling:

1/2 cup fresh strawberries (I used 1 cup more)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese

1 4 1/2 oz. cool whip

Crush berries, beat cheese, add sugar, fold in cool whip. Blend in Strawberries and spread on cake.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte

I found this recipe on thecooknextdoor.blogspot.com. It was delicious. Trust me!

1 cup butter, melted
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 individual Reese’s Cups, chopped

For the filling:
1/4 cup peanut butter, heated in microwave at 10 second intervals for easy spreading

For the glaze:
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray 2 (8-inch) round pans and line with parchment paper and spray again.
2. In a medium bowl combine the 1 cup melted butter and cocoa and stir until the cocoa is dissolved.
3. Add the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, and mix well. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix until incorporated. Stir in the vanilla, flour and salt and combine until the flour is no longer visible. Fold in the chopped peanut butter cups and divide the mixture between the pans.
4. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Run a knife around the edge of each pan and turn out onto a work surface.
5. Put 1 cake layer on a cake plate or a round platter. Spread the 1/4 cup of peanut butter over the first layer and top with the second layer. In a bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and heavy cream until a glaze forms. Add more half and half, if needed, to achieve desired thick glaze consistency. Pour the glaze on top of the torte, spreading it out with a small knife allowing it to drip over the sides. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler and drizzle over the glaze.

Triple Berry Crisp

One of my dear friends, Kendra, shared this most amazing recipe with me years ago. Kendra is an amazing cook and is constantly bringing her delicious goods to playgroup to share with our ravenous group. Anyway back to the recipe, the thing that makes this so incredibly delicious is the buttery crisp on both the bottom and top of the berries. Serve it up with a nice scoop of  vanilla ice cream and prepare to be amazed!

Triple Berry Crisp

4 c. frozen berries (I just use the frozen mix you can find at
          both Costco and Sams. Raspberry, Blackberry and
          Blueberry.) 
4 T. Sugar
2 c. Flour
1 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 c. Rolled Oats
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 1/2 c. Butter (Last time I cut out 3 T. and I didn’t notice)

Mix berries and sugar, set aside. Combine remaining ingredients using a pastry blender. (If you don’t want to cut in all of that cold butter you can easily soften it up just a bit, but make sure not to melt it. You really want a crisp not a cookie texture.)
Press half of crisp mixture into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread berries over crust and crumble the remaining crisp mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 mins.

Eskimo Pies

While we were in Utah, Ross and I watched The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Chilled. During the episode one of the “Foodies” described an Eskimo Pie that seriously sounded AMAZING. And to be quite honest the idea was rather simple. So for Valentines Day I splurged and this is what we ate. YUMMY!!

 

Eskimo Pies

1 box brownie mix, made according to package directions
1 half gallon vanilla bean ice cream (we always use reduced fat)
Chocolate for dipping – I mixed semi-sweet with milk.  (see note
           below)
Caramel topping for dipping (I know it sounds like a little much, but believe me it is worth it!!) I made homemade- WOW!

Bake brownies as directed for a 9 x 13. (You really want the brownie to be a thin base.) Cool. Soften ice cream and spoon over cooled brownies. (My ice cream only made it about 2/3 of the way. I wanted a thick layer…) Chill. Once bars have chilled for at least an hour cut into thin bars and chill again. Meanwhile prepare your chocolate. I simply melted my chocolate, but I found that it was a little difficult to work with. The chocolate was too thick. Maybe next time I will thin it… Dip bars in chocolate, covering ice cream. Chill. When you are ready to serve, warm caramel sauce. Serve bars with a bowl of sauce for dipping.

Talk about out of this world!!