Strawberry Yumminess: Freezer Jam, Yogurt Muffins, Shortcake

At the beginning of the summer I made a to-do list.  Items on the list were things around the house, things I wanted to sew/make, and things I wanted to do with Bug.  I knew that my list was too long and that I probably wouldn't get everything on my list (as usual), but berry picking was one of the things that I really wanted to make sure that we did.  I thought it would be fun for the little guy and I could use the berries for different baking projects.

Summer felt like it was coming to an end and we still hadn't gone berry picking.  A lot of places in the area were starting to shut down for the season.  I thought that were not going to get to go.  Kevin knew that  I would be really bummed if we didn't go.  He scouted out a strawberry farm and planned it for our last weekend before going back to work (and our anniversary).

It was a great way to spend a morning.  Bug had fun eating more strawberries than he put in the buckets and I got 5 pounds of strawberries for some baking projects.

First on the list, was freezer jam.  I remember a post from Dana at Made a few years ago when she made freezer jam.  For some reason this post has been in the back of my mind ever since and I wanted to try it out.  Canning has always intimidated me, but freezer jam seemed something I could handle.

It was really easy and pretty quick.  I followed the recipe that came with my pectin.  The jam turned out great and I love that I have a supply in my freezer that will last us a while.

Next on the list was strawberry shortcake.  We had my family over for a BBQ and after a busy weekend Kevin said I had to keep it simple.  He wanted me to buy some pre-made angel food cake so that I could relax.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find any at the grocery story.  I decided that Bisquick would be a good option.  I've only ever used it for pancakes and waffles.  I also thought that making homemade whipped cream would add a special touch.

It was a hit.  Everyone enjoyed theirs.  It was a quick and simple

I wanted to try something a little on healthier side as my last project.  I found this great recipe for Strawberry Greek Yogurt Muffins.  I thought they would be an easy go to breakfast option our first week back at work.

They were delicious.  The yogurt made them super moist.  They only used 3/4 a cup of sugar and had a little brown sugar on top, so I didn't feel guilty giving them to Bug either.

The strawberries were so fresh and sweet they were also a yummy part of our breakfast and lunch for a few days.

I loved having the strawberries as a reason to bake.  I'm looking forward to fall and hopefully some apple picking.  I love apple recipes too!

Mini Dark Chocoloate Salted Caramel Delight

A few weeks ago we were going to a friends house for dinner. I was thinking about what dessert I wanted to take with us.  The first thing I thought about was the dark chocolate salted caramel delight.  It was so yummy I couldn't wait to make it again.  The problem was, there was only going to be four of us for dinner.  Taking a whole cake wasn't necessary.  Then I had a great idea...individual cakes in mason jars. 

These were fabulous.  They were easy to take along and serve. They fit in with a couple of beers.

My mom had also mentioned that she kept seeing my post on the cheesecake and would love to try it too.  This made it super easy to send some home with her to try.  I also think that because they have an actual lid they might last a little longer in the refrigerator.  

I only made half of the recipe and it made eight individual servings. 

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Delight  

Adapted from: Little Sweet Baker and Kevin & Amanda

Ingredients:
Crust
1 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
3 tbsp unsalted butter
Cheesecake
1/4 cup cold whipping cream
225 grams of cream cheese
6 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Caramel
2 tbsp butter
1/6 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp cup whipping cream
Ganache
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 oz dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)

1/2 tbsp sea salt flakes

Directions :

1. Mix the cookie crumbs with the melted butter and press onto the bottom of mini mason jars. Chill in freezer.
2. Using a handheld mixer, whip the whipping cream till soft peaks form, set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whip together the mascarpone, sugar and vanilla until incorporated. Add the whipped cream to the mixture and blend untill smooth. Pour over the chilled crust. Place back in freezer for at least 1 hour.
4.  Combine 2 tablespoons butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to bubble. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Slowly whisk in 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream until smooth. Cool caramel about 15 minutes.
5. While caramel is cooling make the ganache. Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl.  In a saucepan, bring 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Let cool to touch and pour over frozen tart.  Let it set for a few minutes, but don't let it harden too much.  Drizzle caramel over the ganache and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.
6. Before serving sprinkle with sea salt.

Enjoy!

Award Winning Dessert: Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Delight

Uncle Kevin and I went to an Iron Chef themed dinner party.  Everyone had to bring a dish to share using the secret ingredient that was revealed 2 days before the party. 

When the ingredient of cheese was revealed I went straight to Pinterest to find a dessert with cheese. I didn't want to go with an ordinary cheese cake.   I found this great recipe for a dark chocolate salted cheese cake using mascarpone instead of cream cheese.  As I was reading the recipe, it reminded me of a dessert I made at Christmas.  I decided to combine the two recipes to create my Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Delight.  It was a great combination.


At the party everyone created a card for their dish and the voting was done by secret ballot at the end of the night. It was a fun idea for a party.  We got to try so many different cheese dishes.  I won for best dessert and tied for best overall dish.  I was so excited. My prizes were a bottle of wine and a new colander...just what every kitchen needs.

I've already made this again for a work lunch.  I made a few changes the second time to make the process a little easier.  The great thing about no bake/frozen desserts is that they don't heat up your kitchen in the summer and can be made ahead of time if you're having a party to free up your kitchen the day of the party.    This is definitely going to become a go to dessert.  

 Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Delight  
Adapted from: Little Sweet Baker and Kevin & Amanda

Ingredients:
Crust
2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
6 tbsp unsalted butter
Cheesecake
½ cup cold whipping cream
275 grams softened mascarpone cheese (or 250 grams of cream cheese)
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Caramel
4 tbsp butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 cup whipping cream
Ganache
1 cup whipping cream
8 oz dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)

1 tbsp sea salt flakes

Directions :

1. Mix the cookie crumbs with the melted butter and press onto the bottom and sides of a 9" tart pan. Chill in freezer.
2. Using a handheld mixer, whip the whipping cream till soft peaks form, set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whip together the mascarpone, sugar and vanilla until incorporated. Add the whipped cream to the mixture and blend untill smooth. Pour over the chilled crust. Place back in freezer for at least 1 hour.
4.  Combine 4 tablespoons butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to bubble. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Slowly whisk in 1/8 cup heavy whipping cream until smooth. Cool caramel about 15 minutes.
5. While caramel is cooling make the ganache. Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl.  In a saucepan, bring 1 cup heavy whipping cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Let cool to touch and pour over frozen tart.  Let it set for a few minutes, but don't let it harden too much.  Drizzle caramel over the ganache and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.
6. Before serving sprinkle with sea salt.

 

Treat of the Week

I did it! I accomplished my new year's resolution. I made a treat a week...that's 52 treats this year.  Actually, I think I made more, but some of them I didn't take pictures.

I had hoped that I would blog about each one, but sometimes it was hard to find the time to be on the computer when I spent so much time in the kitchen.

Here's my year of baking!

January

1. Oreo Stuffed Cookie

2. Inside Out Carrot Cupcakes

3. Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Roll

4. Peanut Brittle Bacon Cookie

5. Champagne Cupcake

February

6. Cookies 'n Creme Rice Krispie Treats

7. S'more Rice Krispie Treats

8. Sopapilla Cheesecake

9. Cupcakes

10. Individual Baked Oatmeal

March

11. Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

12. Better Than Crack Brownies

13. Gummy Bear Cake

14. Fluffernutter Blondies

April

15. Cake Batter Cookies

16. Easter Cookie Pops

17. Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cupcakes

18. Chocolate Chip Cookie Layered Brownie

May 

19. Baked S'more

20. S'more Cobbler

21. Strawberry Margarita Cupcake

22. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

June

23. Oreo Pops

24. Peppermint Patty Brownies

25. German Chocolate Brownies

26. Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

27. Peanut Butter Cup Baked S'more

July

28. Tagalong Cupcakes

29. Plum Crumb Bake

30. Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

31. Fourth of July Cake

32. Barbie Cake

August

33. Chocolate Chip Cookies

34. Peach Cheesecake

35. Mini-Cupcakes

36. Chocolate Pie

September

37. Pumpkin Spice Donut Hole Muffins

38. No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

39. Cheesecake Brownie Bites (not pictured)

October

40. Pumpkin Spice Cookies

41. Candy Corn Cupcakes

42. Pumpkin Cupcake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

43. Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

November

44. Pecan Phyllo Tarts

45. Pumpkin Pie

46. Pumpkin Fudge

47. Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treat

48. Cinnamon Cheesecake with Pumpkin Pie Frosting

December

49. Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

50. Christmas Cookies

51. Peppermint Oreo Rice Krispie Treats

52. Blonde Oreo Rice Krispie Treats

53. Fudge Mint Brownies (Not Pictured)

54. White Chocolate Topped Ginger Cookies (Not Pictured)
55. Peppermint Meringue Drops (Not Pictured)

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen baking and most of the time I enjoyed it.  My family and friends enjoyed eating all of the treats:) 

I'm going to keep trying new recipes, but probably not quite as many.

Fall Baking

I love fall...the changing trees, cool days, and pumpkin pie.  I love all things pumpkin.  The past few weeks I have been very busy baking with pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice.  Here's a quick run down on what I've made.

Pumpkin Spice Donut Hole Muffins
From: Glorious Treats
These were for my husband to take to work.  A great, yummy treat any time of day.

Candy Corn Cupcakes
I saw these on Pinterest and they were perfect for the Fall Festival at my husband's school.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookies
Another great recipe from Glorious Treats.  I made these for school and they gotten eaten up quickly.  A great fall cookie.

Pumpkin Cupcake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
From: Half Baked
These were great.  Super moist and not too much cinnamon in the frosting.

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
From: Skinnytaste
This was really easy and really yummy.  She used a pre-made pie graham cracker crust, but I made my own. 

Pumpkin Fudge
From: jamiecooksitup
This was great.  It was rich, but not too rich.  It made a lot, so next time I would probably half the recipe.  It's a bad picture, really looks much better in real life.

 
Cinnamon Cheesecake with Pumpkin Pie Frosting
From: gimme some oven
I made these for Thanksgiving. They were delicious and since they have pumpkin pie on top, no one missed having a regular pie.

Pecan Phyllo Tarts
From: Skinnytaste
This was the other dessert for Thanksgiving.  They are made with frozen phyllo cups, so they were quick to make. 

Pumpkin Pie
Filling From: Skinny Taste
Crust From: Made
For our second, Thanksgiving my sister requested pumpkin pie for dessert.  I found the pie filling on Skinny Taste.  It was good and I couldn't tell a difference from my old pie recipe.  She used ready made pie crust, but I tried a new recipe that I found.  This recipe used vinegar and an egg.  It made a great crust.  The recipe makes enough for more than one pie.  Now I have crust ready to go in the freezer.

Chocolate Pie
From: You Say Tomato
I made this for Thanksgiving also.  It is a great recipe from a friend.  It uses tofu in the filling, so it has a lot of protein.  She has started teaching her own cooking classes and has some great recipes.

Now I'm ready for Christmas baking.  Bring on the peppermint and gingerbread!

Peach Cheesecake

Before school started we were invited to a brunch.  The hostess called it "drunk brunch".  I was in charge of bringing dessert and thought that I should bring something with alcohol in it. 

When I was talking about it with my husband, he remembered an idea that someone had given us while in Napa.  They recommended soaking peaches in a sweet wine and put them on cheesecake. A perfect idea for our brunch.

I found a recipe on Epicurious from Bon Appetit. They didn't call for the wine soaked peaches, but I soaked them over night and topped the cheesecake in the morning.  I soaked the ones that were in the compote also, but since it was baked I'm sure the alcohol cooked out.

"Drunk" Peach Cheesecake
From: Bon Appetit via Epicurious
 
Ingredients
Crust

• 25 gingersnap cookies (about 6 ounces), coarsely broken
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 4 small peaches (about 1 1/4 pounds), peeled, pitted, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze

• 1/2 cup peach preserves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 large peach, peeled, pitted, very thinly sliced

Directions

 

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grind gingersnaps in processor to coarse crumbs or crush in a zipper bag with a rolling pin. Add butter and blend until evenly moistened. Press crumbs over bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake crust until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Cool on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

 

For filling:
Combine peaches, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon juice in heavy large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and peaches are juicy, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until peaches are tender and juices thicken, about 5 minutes. Cool compote.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 1 1/4 cups sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Spoon half of cheese mixture (about 3 cups) into crust. Spoon peach compote over by tablespoonfuls, spacing apart. Top with remaining cheese mixture.

Place large piece of foil on oven rack. Place pan with cheesecake on foil. Bake until puffed, set in center, and beginning to brown, about 1 hour. Place hot cheesecake on cooling rack; cool 5 minutes. Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen. Place cheesecake, uncovered, on rack in refrigerator and chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled.)

 

For glaze:
Combine preserves and lemon juice in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until glaze comes to simmer. Strain into small bowl. Release pan sides; place cheesecake on platter. Spread glaze over top of cheesecake to within 1/4 inch of edge. Chill cheesecake until glaze sets, at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours. Arrange peach slices in center of cake and serve.

It was delicious.  I wish I would have had a chance to go to the farmers' market for the peaches, but store bought worked just as well.

Chocoate Chip Cookies

One night, a friend of my husband's stopped by for dinner.  We weren't expecting him, so I didn't have anything prepared for dessert...I always have a dessert when someone is here for dinner:)  They were sitting around watching baseball or football or something sporty on TV and I getting a sweets craving.

I had seen this recipe for The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie on Pinterest and decided I would try them out.  I could satisfy my sweet tooth and make sure I kept my dessert serving reputation. 

They were great!!  A glass of milk with a couple of cookies and we had very happy bellies.

Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

From: Apple a Day - barely adapted from Anna Olson, Food Network Canada

Ingredients: 

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 c. brown sugar 

1/4 c. granulated sugar 

1 egg 

2 tsp. vanilla extract 

2 c. all purpose flour 

2 tsp. cornstarch 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp. salt 

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

3.  Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.

4.  Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges.  (The tops will not brown, but do NOT cook longer than ten minutes.)

5.  Let cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for five minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely.  

 

Makes approximately 3 dozen.  I would probably half the recipe if I was just making them for us in the future.  I sent quite a few home with our friend.

Fresh Plum Crumb Bake

We have a plum tree in our back yard that produces a TON of plums every summer.  We can spend an hour picking plums up and then an hour later the ground is covered again.  My husband started taking plums to people everywhere we went.

On the Fourth of July we went to a friends for a BBQ and he took some plums with us.  My friend laughed when we gave her the plums because she had just gotten some from her mom.  She had made a wonderful plum crumb bake with her plums.  I had to get the recipe from her, so I could finally do something with all of our plums.

Fresh Plum Dessert
From: Unknown

Ingredients:
7 large plums, pitted and quartered (we have small plums, so I used about 20)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons plus 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the plums, brown sugar 3 tablespoons flour and cinnamon.

 Spoon into a greased 2-quart baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and remaining flour.  Add egg; stir with a fork until crumbly.  Sprinkle over plum mixture.  Drizzle with butter.

Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes or until plums are tender and top is golden brown.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve warm or at room temperature.
I served it with some vanilla ice cream.  It made it even better.

I have made this three times trying to use up some plums.  Thank goodness that plum season is coming to an end.