Dessert |

Margarita Sugar Cookies

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Kaitlin

My goodness, cookie decorating is not a skill of mine. (You may recall my Christmas cookies that look like they were made by a 6 year old.) But I couldn’t pass up the chance to try a new sweetener option available for baking. In the Raw brand (as in Sugar in the Raw), sent the attendees of the upcoming Eat Write Retreat conference a bag of their new Monk Fruit in the Raw, a zero calorie sweetener that can be used scoop for scoop like normal sugar in baking applications. (It weighs considerably less so if you’re used to weighing ingredients, that would not work with this ingredient.) In the Raw also sent a top secret sugar cookie recipe and asked us to bake, decorate, and try these cookies. I figured no matter how they looked, I still got to eat sugar cookies! So… here’s my “decorating”. I went with making margarita cookies because I can’t get summer out of my mind. I am willing summer to be here! I added a little bit of fresh lime juice to the green icing to give a little margarita taste to the cookies. I also topped them off with some nonpareils to … Continue reading →

Lemon Tart with Raspberry Shortbread Crust

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Kaitlin

Almost every citrusy post I have on my blog is dedicated to my mom. She is obsessed with orange, lemon, bergamot, etc. So in honor of Mother’s Day, here’s another one! As a Walkers Official Blogger Ambassador, Walkers Shortbread sent me an awesome assortment of treats my way to make a spring/Mother’s Day themed post. Walkers Rapsberry Thins was in the mix, my mom also loves raspberries, so I decided to use the rapsberry thins to make a shortbread crust for a lemon tart. To make it even more citrusy, I topped the tart with candied orange peel. I also have a 20% off coupon code for all readers! When ordering from www.walkersus.com, enter #ICCTSPRING and you will receive 20% off full priced items. The code is active until May 27th so be sure to use it before then! Ingredients: Candied Orange Peel: 2 oranges Water 1/2 cup sugar Crust: 1/2 cup finely ground Walkers raspberry shortbread thins cookies (about 6 cookies) 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup salted butter (cold cut into small chunks) Lemon filling: 3 meyer lemons 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature 4 egg yolks 1/2 cup meyer lemon juice … Continue reading →

Peeps S’mores

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Kaitlin

Anyone else still have a house full of Peeps? Those poor little marshmallow leftovers are past even their somewhat stale crunchy stage and are just kind of hanging around at this point. So I decided it was about time to put them to good use. S’mores time! Ever since I made the S’mores Milkshakes, I have had S’mores on my mind. So what better way to utilize a house full of sugar coated marshmallows than by making a batch? Ingredients: 2 graham crackers, halved 1 chocolate candy bar, halved 2 Peeps

S’mores Shake

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Kaitlin

I am so excited to share this cookbook with you. It’s an entire cookbook dedicated to Milkshakes! I have a serious ice cream addition, so it should go without saying that I love milkshakes. Although I’m never one to turn down a simple chocolate or cookies and cream milkshake, this cookbook brings milkshakes to a completely different level. Malts & Milkshakes: 60 Recipes for Frosty, Creamy, Frozen Treats has everything from the classics, to modern flavors, and even boozy shakes. The Author, Autumn Martin, is the founder of Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery in Seattle, so she knows her desserts! All of the recipes can be made using ingredients found in your supermarket, but it also includes recipes for making your own homemade ice cream if you’re feeling particularly fancy. There are so many inventive recipes in this book: eggnog, earl grey, salted caramel, and mango rose milk shakes to name a few. And those don’t even include the boozy milkshakes! My two favorite ones from that section: Chocolate Espresso Whiskey Malt and Chipotle Spice Sipping Chocolate Shake. This book is not messing around! Another favorite was the S’mores Shake. Few things symbolize wonderful summer memories like S’mores. Chocolate, Marshmallow, … Continue reading →

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Kaitlin

Happy Pi Day! As a Mathlete alum, Pi Day has always been a part of my nerdy math world. And what better way to celebrate than to make a pie? I have some other pie recipes on here, but I have had a hankering for peanut butter lately, so I am celebrating this year with a Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. This is a FoodNetwork.com recipe but I decided to make my own crust (you are more than welcome to just buy one – use a 9-inch pie crust). Ingredients: Pie Crust: 1 package oreos 4 tablespoons butter, melted Hot Fudge Sauce: 1/3 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup light corn syrup 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/8 teaspoon table salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3.5 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped Peanut Butter Pie: 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Chopped peanuts, optional Whipped cream, optional Crushed cookies, optional

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Kaitlin

I’m so ready for spring. I’m sick of the cold and wind, although we didn’t have any snow this year. So I am going to force spring upon you in the hope of it pushing the warmer months up a little bit. When I think of spring, I always think of Strawberries. And what better way to show off strawberries than in Strawberry Shortcake? I decided to make them in cupcake form because, well, I like cupcakes. I used a Martha Stewart recipe for angel food cake to make the cupcake, filled the inside of the cupcake with a strawberry-sugar mixture, and topped it off with a strawberry whipped cream icing. These are pretty delicious if I do say so myself! Ingredients: Angel Food Cake Cupcakes: 1 cup cake flour (spooned and leveled) 1/4 teaspoon salt 12 large egg whites, room temperature 4 teaspoons lemon juice and zest from 1 lemon, divided 1 1/4 cups sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Strawberry filling: 3/4 container of strawberries, hulled and chopped 2 tablespoons sugar Strawberry whipped cream: 1 8-oz container cream cheese 3/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract lemon zest from lemon used in angel food cake 2 … Continue reading →

Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes & Giveaway!

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Kaitlin

I like any excuse to brag about Philadelphia. I can’t help it, I’m proud of where I live. So I get even more excited when the bragging involves food. Recently, National Geographic named Teuscher Chocolates the Best Chocolate in the World. Teuscher hails from Zurich, Switzerland but we have our very own store here in Philadelphia. Philadelphia actually has quite a chocolate history, we even used to have a Confectioner’s Row (N 3rd St in Old City in case you’re interested). Wilber Chocolate, Whittman’s, and even Hershey’s got their start in the Philadelphia confectionery scene.And many brands continue that tradition to this day, including Teuscher, located in the Bellevue. To celebrate being the Best Chocolate in the World, Teuscher Philadelphia contacted a few of us local bloggers and offered to let us sample some of their chocolates. Honestly, who’s going to say no to that?! You may have seen some of my Instagram photos about their chocolates. Every piece seemed to be better than the last. I was hoarding them, eating one a day, until they sadly were all gone. The house specialty is not to be missed: the Classic Champagne Truffle. Made with dark chocolate ganache coated in milk … Continue reading →

Tiramisu Brownies

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Kaitlin

I am a huge fan of coffee and coffee-related foods, so tiramisu is obviously a favorite of mine. When the concept of a Tiramisu Brownie was mentioned, I was immediately excited. What a fantastic combination of desserts! Barista Prima Coffeehouse® K-Cup® packs are four dark, rich coffee blends that really deliver an intense flavor that are more bold and robust than other K-Cup offerings. The four flavors offered are: Colombia, House Blend, Italian Roast, and French Roast. I’ve had a Keurig for years now (I just had to retire my original Keurig and buy a replacement, sniffle) and am always really pleased with the coffee choices that can be found in K-Cup form. I tend to use coffee grounds in a bunch of recipes, especially ones that use chocolate, to really up the flavor. Barista Prima was nice enough to send me a box of their House Blend K-Cups so I naturally wanted to make a dish that used these delicious grounds as well as a dessert that would be perfect paired with a cup of House Blend coffee. Many thanks to Barista Prima for also sending me this mouthwatering recipe! Ingredients: 12 oz. chocolate chips 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup … Continue reading →

Chai Tea Eggnog Sugar Cookies

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Kaitlin

Last year, I made sugar cookies and attempted to decorate them myself (attempted being the key word). I may be getting better at cooking, but my decorating skills are still really sub par. I didn’t want to give away funny looking cookies again this year but wanted to still make sugar cookies. Cooking Light’s Chai Tea Eggnog Cookie was the perfect choice. Plus, these cookies are really quick to whip up because you can absolutely use sugar cookie mix! Ingredients: 1 chai tea bag 1 (17.5-oz.) package sugar cookie mix 1/2 cup melted butter 1 large egg 4 tablespoons eggnog, divided 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Note: These cookies are non-alcoholic so they are fine for all ages of cookie lovers.

Chocolate Bark

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Kaitlin

Bark is one of my favorite holiday treats to make. Why? Because it is so darn simple. And people LOVE it. It is basically melted chocolate with some other deliciousness thrown in. Candy, pretzels, nuts.. whatever makes you happy. I wanted to make some bark to supplement my cookies this year and found this fantastic recipe from Baked Bree. Bree included some Rice Krispies cereal in between the layers to add a little bit of extra crunch to the bark, brilliant! The red and green M&Ms and candy canes make this the perfect holiday treat. Ingredients (adapted from BakedBree.com) 16 oz package dark chocolate chips 16 oz package white chocolate chips 1 cup Rice Krispies 4 candy canes 1 bag red and green M&Ms Note: this will make one cookie sheet worth of bark. I suggest making 2-3 sheets so you have plenty to share!