Christmas Goodies

Hello all! Merry soon-to-be Christmas! I know that my posting is quite sporadic now, but I must say that I have been really busy lately. Thankfully school is now out for a little while and I can work without having to study during my lunch break, which is hard to do when there are loud baristas lurking around the corner trying to scare you or saying something funny (I do love you Starbucks though). :)

I have some wonderful and exciting news to report to any of you faithful followers who still happen to stumble across my blog every now and then. I AM ENGAGED!!! Oh my...I don't think I even knew it was possible ever to be this happy. I am marrying a man who is the perfect fit for me and is way too good to me.

There will be much more on that later though. :) On to the food...because I make minimum wage and I must pay rent and utilities, and then Christmas presents this month, I didn't have much money to spend on nice ingredients. I turned to my Cake Mix Bible and knew that I could find some cute little Christmasy goodies to make for the holiday. I found these cupcakes and cookies and look pretty good if I don't say so myself :). The cookies are meant to be smaller and rounder, but I was lazy and didn't want to wait a long time for all of them to bake so I just made them bigger.

The pictures aren't pretty this time b/c my roommate is gone for the holidays. :( I'm sorry you have to bear with my awful pictures. BUT, she gave me an Anthropologie cooking apron for my Christmas present! This is my second favorite gift this year (my engagement ring is my favorite). :) :)

Monkey Bread

For some reason or another, I only think to make Monkey bread during the holiday season--especially Thanksgiving. In my mind it is the sacred and essential Thanksgiving breakfast...a cinnamony beginning to the start of a day of feasting. This recipe can't be any more simple. You buy the cheap canned biscuits (Kroger has them for 48 cents a can), cut them into quarters, roll them in cinnamon and sugar, pour some margarine and honey on top, and you're done! Nothing is more fulfilling and strangely fun than picking off pieces of this dessert/bread masterpiece. (You can also easily add toasted walnuts or pecans to this and it would taste really great too).

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

4 cans of biscuits

2 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. honey

1 stick margarine

Directions:

Cut biscuits into quarters. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Drop biscuits into sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place biscuits in a Bundt pan. Melt margarine. Pour margarine and honey into sugar-cinnamon mixture. Pour over biscuits. Bake 20 min. at 350 degrees. Turn out of pan immediately.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Thanks to my inability to read, I picked up a recent cookbook thinking that it was the "Cake Bible," and instead I got the "Cake Mix Bible." Instead of returning it (it was only $7), I decided to keep it and see what recipes I could use. Although there aren't many recipes that look impressive, this cheesecake looked beautiful in the picture. It is a standard cheesecake recipe, but I do think that a chocolate crust using a cake mix is a pretty good invention.

Ingredients:

1 package DUNCAN HINES Moist Deluxe Devil's Food Cake Mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 eggs, slightly beaten

3/4 mini semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1 tsp. all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 10-inch springform pan.

2. Combine cake mix and oil in large bowl. Mix well. Press onto bottom of prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 min. or until set. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

3. Place cream cheese in large mixing bowl. Beat at low speed w/ electric mixer, adding sugar gradually. Add sour cream and vanilla extract, mixing until blended. Add eggs, mixing only until incorporated. Toss 1/2 cup chocolate chips with flour. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour filling onto crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 5-7 min. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F. Bake at 250 degrees for 60-70 min. or until set. Loosen cake from side of pan with knife. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pan Dulce

As I was flipping through the pages of one of my new cookbooks, the name of this bread caught my eye. It is a sweet bread made throughout Mexico. It has a dense bread-like texture with a sweet, crumbly topping. I would recommend everyone to try these simply because they are different. They are best served warm and in Mexico they are served with jam or marmalade for breakfast.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lukewarm milk

2 tsp. active dried yeast

4 cups all-purpose flour

6 tbsp. caster (superfine) sugar

2 tbsp. butter, softened

4 large eggs, beaten

For the topping:

6 tbsp. butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup all-purpose flour

Recipe:

1. Pour the milk into a small bowl, stir in the dried yeast and leave in a warm place until frothy.

2. Put the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl, add the butter and eggs and mix to a soft, sticky dough.

3. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and dredge it with a little more flour. Using floured hands, turn the dough over and over until it is completely covered in a light coating of flour. Cover it with lightly oiled plastic wrap and leave to rest for 20 min.

4. Meanwhile, make the topping. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl, then gently mix in the egg yolk, ground cinnamon and flour. The mixture should have a slightly crumbly texture.

5. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape each of them into a ball. Space well apart on greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with the topping over the breads and press it lightly into the surface.

6. Leave the rolls in a warm place to stand for about 30 min. until they are about one and a half times their previous size (mine weren't that large). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and bake for 15 min.

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

With fall approaching I felt the impending desire to bake something involving the seasonal flavors: cinnamon, pumpkin, apple, etc. Thanks to the recent purchase of a few new cookbooks, I found a recipe that fit the majority of my "fallish" food cravings. These cinnamon and apple muffins are in fact supposed to be larger than pictured here, but I decided to make a few more smaller ones as opposed to six big ones...plus I didn't have any paper muffin liners and I thought that they would bake and come out of the tin more easily if they were smaller. Perhaps that logic is twisted because now that I think about it, it really makes no sense at all. :) Oh well, regardless the picture in my recipe book is of course much prettier and the muffins look much healthier and meatier, but I like my emaciated muffins just the way they are thank you. :) Feel free to use any kind of apple in this recipe as well. I chose the Gala apple because it is in season (and on sale [yes I am a cheap college student I admit]). Although Granny Smith apples are my favorite to eat by themselves, I wouldn't recommend them for this muffin because I think they would be a little too tart and clash with the flavor of the cinnamon. That of course is my own opinion...feel free to choose whichever apple you like. Ok enough of my ramblings and on to the recipe. Happy September all!

Ingredients:

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp. caster (superfine) sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I added a lot more)

2 small eating apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped

For the topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. (or more) ground cinnamon

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large muffin tin with six paper cases (or in my case, not...)

2. Mix the egg, sugar, milk, and melted butter in a large bowl. Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the chopped apple and mix.

3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin cases. To make toping, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the uncooked muffins.

4. Bake for 30-35 min.

Frozen Honey Cheesecake with Praline Crust

Hello to everyone who has been faithful enough to keep up with my blog! I know it's been awhile since I've posted a recipe on here and I am simply hoping that someone is still possibly visiting my website occasionally. I could go into the details as to why it's been so long since I've posted anything, but I highly doubt that anyone out there cares about the happenings of my personal life.

Needless to say, there will be a slight change in the recipes posted on here. As of recently, I have been tampering and falling in love with new and more evolved flavors other than my typical favorite--chocolate. Because of this, many of my upcoming recipes are going to be a little more advanced in their taste as opposed to more mundane brownie recipes. I hope this is ok with everyone--I hope that these new flavors will excite you as they did me as I was working away in the kitchen with my Itunes on shuffle. :) I also have the wonderful and new addition of my roommate and her awesome camera and photography skills, so the pictures posted on here should be elevating from what they used to be.

Crust:

3 1/2 oz. flaked almonds

6 oz. (3/4 cup) sugar

7 oz. plain sweet biscuits (I bought regular biscuit dough and added some white and brown sugar on top when I baked them).

3 1/2 oz. unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

8 oz. mascarpone cheese

8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 13-oz. can condensed milk

2 oz. (1/4 cup) honey

10 oz. (1 1/4 cups) cream

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. To make the praline, spread the almonds on a foil-lined, greased baking tray. Put the sugar in a pan with 1/2 cup water and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, then simmer without stirring until the toffee is golden brown. Pour over the almonds (don't touch it!), then set aside to cool and harden before breaking into pieces.

2. Lightly grease a 23 cm. (9 inch) diameter springform tin and line the base with baking paper. Reserve about half the praline and finely chop the rest with the biscuits in a food processor. Stir in the butter, spoon int the base and press firmly on the side of the tin (I "skipped"/didn't see this step, so I just put all the mixture on the bottom for a thicker crust). Bake for 15 min. and then leave to cool.

3. To make the filling, process the mascarpone and cream cheese together until soft and creamy. Add the condensed milk and honey. Whip the cream until soft peaks form and then fold in slowly. Pour into the tin, sprinkle with cinnamon and swirl gently with a skewer or knife. Do not overmix. Freeze for several hours, or until firm, and decorate with the remaining praline.

Crust:

3 1/2 oz. flaked almonds

6 oz. (3/4 cup) sugar

7 oz. plain sweet biscuits (I bought regular biscuit dough and added some white and brown sugar on top when I baked them).

3 1/2 oz. unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

8 oz. mascarpone cheese

8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 13-oz. can condensed milk

2 oz. (1/4 cup) honey

10 oz. (1 1/4 cups) cream

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. To make the praline, spread the almonds on a foil-lined, greased baking tray. Put the sugar in a pan with 1/2 cup water and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, then simmer without stirring until the toffee is golden brown. Pour over the almonds (don't touch it!), then set aside to cool and harden before breaking into pieces.

2. Lightly grease a 23 cm. (9 inch) diameter springform tin and line the base with baking paper. Reserve about half the praline and finely chop the rest with the biscuits in a food processor. Stir in the butter, spoon int the base and press firmly on the side of the tin (I "skipped"/didn't see this step, so I just put all the mixture on the bottom for a thicker crust). Bake for 15 min. and then leave to cool.

3. To make the filling, process the mascarpone and cream cheese together until soft and creamy. Add the condensed milk and honey. Whip the cream until soft peaks form and then fold in slowly. Pour into the tin, sprinkle with cinnamon and swirl gently with a skewer or knife. Do not overmix. Freeze for several hours, or until firm, and decorate with the remaining praline.

Hersheys Quick'N'Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

I have not made cupcakes in SO long and oh my goodness it was a blast. Since the last time I made them, my decorating skills have slightly evolved, hence the more elaborate icing design than just slapping it on with a knife (which is just as good too!). I added some chocolate chips to the batter because I need multi-textured food; it really is bad I know. I also doubled the icing recipe, but shh...don't tell anyone. :)

Seriously, these were probably the best cupcakes I've ever made, thanks to Hersheys of course.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup shortening, softened (usually I HATE using shortening, but don't substitute here. This really did make a lot of difference in the texture).

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup hot water

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or milk)

Creamy Fudge Frosting-recipe below

Directions.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin cups with paper baking cups.

2. Stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add shortening, eggs, milk, water, and vanilla; beat on low speed of mixture for 1 min. (try doing this without a mixer...your arm will get a good workout I promise). Beat on medium speed for an additional 3 min or until mixture is smooth. Fill cups 1/2 full with bater.

3. Bake 15-20 min. or until the center of each cupcake springs back when touched lightly in the center. Remove cupcakes from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. 

4. Prepare frosting and frost the cupcakes however you desire. 

CREAMY FUDGE FROSTING:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1/2 cup cocoa

3 2/3 cups (1 pound) powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

dash of salt

1/3 cup of water (you may not use all of this. If you add too much, just add more sugar).

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Add cocoa; stir until smooth and well blended. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt alternately with water; beat with a spoon or whisk until smooth and creamy.