Lemon Mousse Tart

Last night was girls night at a friends house. Sadly we don’t get to do this more often but when we do it is always a great time. I was asked to bring dessert and here is what I whipped  up.

Ingredients ( Serves 6)

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups lemon curd or lemon pie filling
• 1  9in refrigerator  pie crust
• 1 tart pan
•  Assorted mixed berries

Directions (Preheat oven to 425)

Press pie crust into your tart pan. with a fork press small holes into the bottom of the pie crust (this will help the crust from bubbling up). Put into your preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. The crust should be lightly browned. Remove and let cool.

While the crust cools place one cup of heavy whipping cream, and 2 tablespoons sugar into a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Mixed on high till your cream forms soft peaks. Add your lemon curd and slowly whisk till incorporated. Spoon this mixture into your cooled pie crust. Top with assorted fresh fruit, and chill till serving time.

“Dump” Cookies

Please pardon the name, but that is just want came to mind when I whipped these up today… These cookies pretty much have every ingredient you can think of chocolate, oats, nuts, and dried fruit! In addition I made a few of these cookies extra special for two close friends of mine, they are celebrating their one year home ownership anniversary today! Congrats Nick and Katie on turning your house into a home over the last year!

I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my day than baking for friends 🙂 Also now that I think about it my friends had a large tree take a “dump” on their garage within 4 days of moving in last year so I think these cookies are very fitting! You can read more about that here on their blog 🙂

Ingredients ( Make 3 dozen cookies) Preheat oven to 350

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

• Beat butter and sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until blended.
• Combine flour, soda, oats, and salt in a small bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and chopped pecans. Drop  tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.
• Bake at 350° for 8 to 14 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

To make some of the cookies extra special for my friends I sprinkled shredded coconut on them just before popping them in the oven! Alex isn’t a big coconut fan so I left the rest of the cookies coconut free, but either way they will be delicious!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, 2005

Brown Sugar Banana Cake

Last night I spent my evening with a great group of woman supporting the nonprofit organization Dining for Women. This months featured program was the Children of Vietnam. In a nut shell everyone brings a tradition dish to pass from the country that we are supporting. While we eat, we learn about the county and what our money will do to help support the women and children. At the end of the meeting you have the opportunity to donate if you feel so inclined. There is also wine and mingling, which is always good in my book!  If you don’t know much about this charity follow my link above. It’s a great organization that donates to a deserving cause each and every month.

With all the great food that was shared last night, I was inspired to get into the kitchen. While this recipe is far from ethnic I felt it was perfect for my day off.  And with a slight chill in the air I knew I needed to get my oven fired up. I also had 3 bananas that are about to go bad, so that was really the driving factor 🙂

Ingredients (Makes 8 servings)

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Topping

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Stir to combine

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour  a 9in pie dish.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour batter into your prepared pan and top with brown sugar and cinnamon topping.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Slice and top with a slab of butter and enjoy

Recipe was adapted from foodnetwork.com

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars

Well folks the big half marathon weekend has come and gone… I’m hear to report that I have survived :). But sadly all this running has forced me to start hitting the bottle hard…. the Ibuprofen bottle that is! Lets just say  I’m walking like a 95 year old woman, an it isn’t pretty. Besides all the leg pain I must say that the entire weekend was so much fun, and I’m so proud of what I have accomplished!

Since we were going to be up in Door County all weekend  I wanted to bring some snacks along to share with my fellow runners. In addition to the healthy snacks, I also made something sweet that could work for breakfast, or an after dinner treat. This recipe is so easy that even the baking challenged can make this!

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Mini Marshmallows
• 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter
• 4 1/2 Cups of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal

Directions

Start by spraying a 9×9 pan, and a large mixing bowl with with cooking spray. Melt the butter over low heat in a medium sauce pan. Add the marshmallows and cook till you have a smooth mixture. Combine the marshmallow mixture with the cinnamon toast crunch in the large bowl. Transfer to your prepared pan and allow to cool. Slice and serve.

These little treats totally hit the spot, and with only 3 ingredients they will be a making an appearance in my house time and time again! I hope everyone had a great weekend 🙂

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week I officially started my first big girl job at a local Milwaukee Hospital. I can’t tell you how excited/ scared I am. So far everything is going great, and I’m ready  to dive right in and start my nursing career! This transition has been going quite well, and I hope I can keep up the energy I seem to have lately! With the half marathon only 2 weeks away, and 40 hours of work each week I still feel like I can do it all. I’m sure that will change very soon, but I’m going to take advantage of every minute that I feel motivated. In addition I now need to make myself a lunch every day. So when I’m packing up my brown bag this week I’ll be having these cookies as desert… you know right before I get ready to pound the hallways saving lives 🙂

(Makes 2 – 2 1/2 Dozen Cookies)

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Butter (Softened)
• 1 Cup Peanut Butter
• 3/4 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1/2  Cup Sugar
• 1 Large Egg
• 3/4 Tablespoons Milk
• 3/4 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/4 Cups Flour
• 3/4 Teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup  Dark Chocolate Chips

Directions (Preheat Oven to 350)

In a mixing bowl combine the butter and peanut butter, and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Add the brown and white sugars and mix until well combined. Add the egg and mix for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is well combined and light in color. Add the milk and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix just briefly. While there are still large spots of flour, add the chocolate chips and mix until the flour is completely mixed in and the mixture is well combined. Let the cookie dough sit for 15 minutes before scooping onto the baking sheets.

Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto silpat or parchment-lined baking sheets leaving about 1 to 2 inches in between the cookies to allow for spreading as they bake. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes after baking before removing them to a cooling rack. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Store in an air tight container and enjoy all week long!

Recipe adapted from Melskitchencafe.com

Chocolate Cream Cheese Oreo Brownies

WARNING, THESE ARE NOT HEALTHY! They will make you wish you never laid eyes on them 🙂 This is not normally something I make or eat, but these are for a very special occasion. A good friend of mine just returned from Afghanistan, and I wanted to welcome him home with a guilty pleasure. I asked him what he wanted, and he requested brownies. I love brownies, but I wanted to make something extra decadent! He hosted a welcome home party this past weekend, and I brought these bad boys along to share.

(Makes 12 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 Stick of Unsalted Butter
• 1 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1 Cup All-purpose Flour
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/3 + 1/4 cups of Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 3 Large Eggs
• 4 Oz of Cream Cheese
• 1 Bag of Mini Oreo’s

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch square baking pan by buttering the bottom and then using two pieces of parchment paper criss-crossed over the bottom and up over the sides.
• Place chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Allow to melt, then stir to combine.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients well.
• When the butter and chocolate are melted, remove them from heat and stir in the sugar.
• Lightly beat 2 eggs in a bowl and then mix them into the bowl along with the vanilla extract.
• Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula or spoon mixing just until incorporated.
• Put brownie mixture in your prepared pan
• To prepare the cream cheese mixture, mix softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup sugar. Add the egg and mix well.
• Put dollops of brownie mixture in the pan and follow with spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture. Use a knife, moving it back and forth to swirl the two mixtures.
• Sprinkle the top with mini Oreo’s to your liking.
• Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. It should not be dry.
• Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Use the overhanging parchment paper to remove the brownies and let cool completely before cutting.
• Run a large knife under hot water and cut brownies into squares.

If you can imagine these were a total hit 🙂 I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Recipe Adapted from IslandSpice.com

Triple Chocolate Cake Cookies

A few months ago I discovered cake batter cookies, which I must say are such a great invention! The cookies come out soft and chewie, which is a must in my book, and you can whip up a batch in no time flat! Here is the recipe I developed for Triple Chocolate Cake Cookies.

Makes 16-18 cookies ( Preheat oven to 350 degrees)

Ingredients

• 1/2 Box of Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1 Large Egg
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 Cup White Chocolate Chips

Directions

• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and mix until well incorporated. The dough will be dryer than your typical cookie dough, but this is normal. Drop spoon-fulls of dough onto a baking sheet, and place into your preheated oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely on a rack.

I think from start to finish you can easily have these cookies done in 20 minutes! Also with the wide variety of cake mixes out there you can create some really fun and tasty combinations!

Cranberry Crumble Cookies

Guess what it’s my day off again, and yes i’m back in the kitchen baking! I found this recipe on Pinterest while looking for Rhubarb recipes. Sadly when I went to the store they were  out of rhubarb, so I decided to get creative and sub in cranberries. I figure they will be a great addition to this cookie, because they have that same tartness that I was looking for. The recipe is adapted from OX Breakfast .

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients ( Makes about 20 mini cookies)

1. 2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
2. 1/4-1/2 Cup Sugar ( I used 1/4 cup because I like my mixture more tart)
3. 1 Lemon Zested
4. 1 Lemon Juiced
5. 6 Tablespoons Butter, melted and cooled
6. 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
7. 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
8. 1/2 Cup Flour (whole wheat works)
9. 1/2 Cup Chopped Almonds (optional)
10. a big pinch of salt

Fruit Directions

Combine the first 4 ingredients on a baking pan, and place in oven once it has preheated. Baked until cranberries have softened and liquid has evaporated by half (about 20 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to cool. Reduce oven to 375 degrees.

Cookie Directions

Combine ingredients 5-10 in a mixing bowl, then fill silicone baking cups with 1 tablespoon of this mixture ( Substitute a mini  muffin pan if you don’t have the baking cups. I bought mine at the dollar store, so they really aren’t a huge investment if you want to go out and buy some).

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place a spoonful of cranberry mixture on top of each cookie. Sprinkle a small amount of the left over cookie mixture, and place cookies back in the oven for an addition 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the baking cup. Transfer cookies out of the baking cups using a spoon, and place on a cooling rack.

These cookies are so easy and have such a bright flavor spring flavor!  Who knows, maybe the Easter Bunny will be making a special delivery of these cookies to some friends in the near future….

Holy Cupcake!

I had a massage this morning at The Institute of Beauty and Wellness (IBW)! Let me just say, if you have never had a service done by a student you are totally missing out! I’m there several times a month getting pampered, as I should be! From hair, to skin, and nails you can have a full spa day on a budget! I don’t know about you, but I love me a deal!

Ok, back to what this post is really about Cupcakes! As I was walking out from my appointment The Milwaukee Cupcake Company caught my eye. I have always want to try their creations, and today seemed like the perfect day! I got one for Alex, and one for myself. Lets just say I was very impressed! My cupcake was a pear and ginger cupcake, with glitter pear butter cream frosting, and the most adorable eatable flower on top. Absolute perfection. For Alex, a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cupcake, with chocolate butter cream a drizzle of chocolate, and half a peanut butter cup on top.

So if you ever happen to be in the Third Ward stop on in and treat your sweet tooth! Happy weekend everyone!