Still have zucchini from your garden? Thinking about Fall? This baked treat is a perfect combination.

I was having thoughts of Fall this weekend. Fair season is starting up and all things pumpkin will be here before we know it! However, I'm still in full on zucchini mode over here, so my search for a combination of the two led me to this recipe.

I added a few spices and cinnamon chips to bring on even more Fall flavor. These muffins are super moist, and are going to be the perfect comforting treat for those long work and school days this week.

Here is what you'll need:

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg 
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• pinch of ground cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 24 muffin cups with baking spray, or alternately line with cupcake liner, and set aside.

Combine eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until well combined.

Add dry ingredients to bowl of stand mixer. Mix on low until just incorporated.

Add zucchini and cinnamon chips to batter and mix until incorporated.

Pour evenly into muffin cups (approx. 1/3 cup per cup). Reduce oven to 325F degrees and bake for 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean (or with a few crumbs, but no batter). Remove from oven and tilt each muffin in it's muffin cup to cool. Makes 24 muffins.

Alternately, you could bake this in 2 loaf pans for 50-60 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Spend with Pennies

I was pretty sold on this cake after reading the reviews. It was described as  having a "jammy" top and well, I do love anything strawberry jam! Plus, this was super simple to make which is a bonus in my book!
I'm rethinking my always choose pie decision. We gobbled this cake up at a very fast pace and I'm willing to bet you will too when you make it. It's already on my list of things to make when our short late strawberry season comes around in a few weeks.

Here is what you'll need:

•  6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup strawberries, stemmed and halved 
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8x8 glass baking dish and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy, approx. 3 minutes. Add the egg, milk and almond extract and beat until well combined.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture and beat until well incorporated.

Pour batter into greased baking dish. Place strawberries cut side down on top of batter. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp sugar.

Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 325F and continue baking for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick insert comes out clean (it may have some strawberry on it, but no wet batter should be visible). Cool on a wire rack before serving. Serves ~ 9.

Source: Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart as seen on Smitten Kitchen

JR and I went strawberry picking this year for the first time together. There is a very popular place around, and since I imagined it would be packed with people I sought out a smaller local farm that was actually closer to home. I loved driving up and seeing the little hand painted wooden strawberry sign hanging on the side of the road.

Remember I said JR and I went, well, he sort of just directed me while I picked. It was funny when a lady a row over from us asked if he was actually helping or not. I think his idea of helping is the eating part after. This is fine by me because there would be a lot of eating after picking 7 lbs of berries!

I sought out recipes from my cooking board friends because I knew they'd have the best recipes to share. It's funny, one of the ice cream recipes I read stated they were making it for milkshakes, and that is exactly what JR asked for. Besides cake, which will come in another post.

This recipe was an experiment in the sense that I was trying to make it lactose free. I know some people will turn their nose up at using coffee creamer, so go ahead and use real cream instead (as long as you don't care about it being lactose free). Since JR can be a "picky pants", I was going more for flavor over healthy here. Who am I kidding, ice cream isn't exactly healthy to begin with!

My experiment worked for the most part. Why for the most part? Like it's name suggests, this ice cream is sweet, so adding milk for a milkshake helped subdue the sweetness, and the texture lends better to milkshakes vs. eating. While I'd prefer my ice cream straight up, a milkshake works too!

Here is what you'll need:

• 3 3/4 cups whole strawberries
• 3 Tbsp agave
• 1 cup 2% reduced fat lactose free milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 3/4 cup Italian Sweet Cream coffee creamer
• 2 tsp Kirsch, optional

Place strawberries and agave in a medium pot and cook over medium heat until strawberries are softened and begin to break down. Allow to cool and puree in blender. Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, warm milk, sugar and vanilla bean with scrapings. Once warmed, remove from heat.

Whisk egg yolks in another mixing bowl. Slowly add warm milk mixture to egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan. Heat saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Pour coffee creamer into a large mixing bowl. Place a mesh strainer over bowl. Pour custard through the strainer.

Make an ice bath of ice and water in another large mixing bowl. Place bowl of custard into the ice bath. Stir custard over ice bath until cooled. Place custard in the refrigerator to chill completely.

Remove custard from refrigerator and stir in Kirsch. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Freeze in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap pressed against the ice cream to keep ice crystals from forming.

Source: Adapted from David Lebovitz

Here is what you'll need:

• 1/2 cup pineapple puree (about 1 cup of fresh pineapple)
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 sheets of puff pastry
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• confectioners' sugar (for sprinkling)
• pineapple, diced for garnish

Take puff pastry out of freezer and let sit 20 minutes while you make the filling. Preheat oven to 430F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the puree, place 1 cup of pineapple in a blender or food processor and pulse until pureed to an almost smooth consistency. Set aside.

To make pineapple cream, in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat heavy cream on high until foamy Add 2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides to make sure ingredients are well combined. Add pineapple puree to cream cheese mixture and mix on low until combined. Remove bowl from stand mixer.

Gently fold whipped cream into pineapple cream until combined. Transfer cream to pastry bag with large tip, or alternately use a zip lock bag with corned cut off. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make pastry, unfold a sheet of puff pastry on wax paper. Cut each sheet into 9 pieces for regular sized cream puffs, or 25 pieces for mini cream puffs.

Transfer cut pastry to parchment lined baking sheet. Brush pastry with egg yolk.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until pastry has risen, browned and looks dry. Remove from oven and completely cool on wire racks.

Cut each pastry in half. Pipe ~1/4 cup of cream onto each pastry bottom. Place other half of pastry on top of cream. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Pipe a small dollop of cream on top. Garnish with diced pineapple. Serve immediately.

For mini cream puffs, I baked the puff pastry for 8 minutes. After the puff pastry cooled, I cut a hole in the top of the puff pastry, sprinkled with confectioner's sugar, filled the hole with cream and sprinkled a few pieces of diced pineapple on top of the cream.

Makes 18 cream puffs (shown here) or 50 mini cream puffs (not shown).

Source: Adapted from Glorious Treats

The great thing about this recipe is that I was able to make the cream in steps ahead of time, and just bake off the pastry to fill right before leaving for the party. You don't want bake and fill in advance since the pastry doesn't hold up very long (a couple hours at most).

Here is what you'll need:

• 1/2 cup strawberry puree (about 1 cup of strawberries)
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 sheets of puff pastry
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• confectioners' sugar (for sprinkling)
• strawberries, sliced for garnish

Take puff pastry out of freezer and let sit 20 minutes while you make the filling. Preheat oven to 430F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the puree, place 1 cup of strawberries in a blender or food processor and pulse until pureed to an almost smooth consistency. Set aside.

To make strawberry cream, in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat heavy cream on high until foamy Add 2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides to make sure ingredients are well combined. Add strawberry puree to cream cheese mixture and mix on low until combined. Remove bowl from stand mixer.

Gently fold whipped cream into strawberry cream until combined. Transfer cream to pastry bag with large tip, or alternately use a zip lock bag with corned cut off. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make pastry, unfold a sheet of puff pastry on wax paper. Cut each sheet into 9 pieces for regular sized cream puffs, or 25 pieces for mini cream puffs.

Transfer cut pastry to parchment lined baking sheet. Brush pastry with egg yolk.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until pastry has risen, browned and looks dry. Remove from oven and completely cool on wire racks.

Cut each pastry in half. Pipe ~1/4 cup of cream onto each pastry bottom. Place other half of pastry on top of cream. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Pipe a small dollop of cream on top. Garnish with strawberry slice. Serve immediately.

For mini cream puffs, I baked the puff pastry for 8 minutes. After the puff pastry cooled, I cut a hole in the top of the puff pastry, sprinkled with confectioner's sugar, filled the hole with cream and sprinkled a few pieces of diced strawberries on top of the cream.

Makes 18 cream puffs (shown here) or 50 mini cream puffs (not shown).

Source: Adapted from Glorious Treats

Even if you aren't entertaining soon, you could easily make a batch just because you need them in your life, and of course you could surprise with your neighbors or coworkers with 1/2 the batch!

For the Brownies:

• 3/4 cup butter, cubed
• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 350F. Line mini cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in granulated sugar until dissolved. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and mix well.

Gradually add flour and stir until well combined.

Drop 1 Tbsp of batter into cupcake liner. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make an indentation in the top of each brownie. Remove brownies from pan and cool completely on wire racks.

For the Fudge Cream:

• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1 1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

• 1 jar (10 oz. maraschino cherries with stems, drained

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Add corn syrup and melted chocolate (it's important that the chocolate is cooled), and mix until well combined. Add sugar and beat until smooth.

Transfer cream into a pastry bag with round tip, or alternately use a zip lock back with corner snipped off. Fill the brownie center with 1 tsp of cream. Top with cherry. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes 5 dozen.

Source: Taste of Home Holiday, November 2010 

My dear sister-in-law recently turned 50. She's been planning a big party for about a year now and asked me to make the desserts. She left the dessert menu up to me, which ended up working perfectly since I decided on these cupcakes the morning of the party.

About a week before, I picked up a bag of blood oranges. I asked my cooking message board what I should use them for, but I never used any of their suggestions (sorry!). My last minute thought was to turn the blood oranges into a pretty pink cupcake to go with this Spring themed party. While the cupcakes didn't come out pink, the frosting filled that void.

These cupcakes were the perfect bite size treat, and incredibly moist with a hint of orange flavor. The candied oranges make these perfect, and like Annie, I would recommend you don't skip this step.

These would be great for a bridal or baby shower, Spring, Easter or tea party.

Stay tuned for more bite-size treats.

For the cupcakes:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp blood orange zest
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 1½ cups milk (I used 2%)
• ½ cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
• 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Line mini cupcake pan with paper liners.

Place sugar and orange zest in a food processor and process until zest is finely chopped and combined with the sugar.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar and butter and cream on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and mix well.

In a medium bowl, combine milk, orange jusice and vanilla. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Add 1/3 of flour mixture to butter mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add 1/2 liquid mixture to batter and beat on low until just combine. Repeat with additions of flour, liquid and ending with flour mixtures. Turn off mixer and scrape down sides of bowl. Mix batter on medium for about 30 seconds to make sure ingredients are well combined.

Fill each cupcake liner with 1 Tbsp of batter. Bake 10-12 minutes. Test by gently touching the cupcake tops, if they spring back the cupcakes are done. Be careful not to overbake.

Remove from oven and place cupcakes on cooling rack.

For the candied oranges:

• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1½ cups water
• About 11 thin blood orange slices

In a large saucepan, combine sugar and water and place over medium-high heat. Once sugar is dissolved, place orange slices in the pan in a single layer with none overlapping. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Turn orange slices once to allow both sides to become candied.

Remove orange slices from the pan and transfer to a container with a little liquid. Allow to cool before using.

Repeat process with remaining orange slices. You may use the same liquid for each batch, however, if the liquid starts to thicken or solidify you may need to start a new batch.

Once cooled, cut orange slices into 8 pieces.

For the glaze:

• 4-5 Tbsp freshly squeezed blood orange juice
• ~1/1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Once cupcakes are completely cooled, turn cupcake upside down and dip top of cupcake into glaze just far enough so the glaze covers the entire top of the cupcake but doesn't touch the cupcake paper. Lift cupcake, allow excess glaze to drip off, then turn cupcake right side up and place on cooling rack. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Place 1 piece of candied orange on each cupcake.

Allow glaze to set (the shine will go away and it will look dry) before serving.

Makes 7 dozen mini cupcakes.

Source: Cupcakes and Candied Oranges are adapted from Annies Eats

How do you resurrect a blog you haven't posted to for a year? Well, I assume you just start posting again. So here we go!

I didn't do as much Christmas baking this year as usual, but I did make 2 new cookie recipes which were both a hit and will be made again. These Monster Cookies were super easy to make and the dough froze beautifully for a great make-ahead option. Since JR is obsessed with peanut butter, I decided to throw in some peanut butter chips. I think these would also be great with some salty pretzel bits thrown in to balance out the sweetness.

• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter ships
• 1 cup plain M&M's 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper, or spray cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

In standing mixer with paddle attachment, cream the peanut butter, butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until well combined. Add oats and baking soda, and mix until well combined. Add chips and M&M's, and stir until well combined.

Drop the cookies by tablespoonfuls (I use a tablespoon size cookie scoop) onto prepared cookie sheets. (Note: I dropped cookies onto wax paper lined cookie sheets and froze them for a couple weeks before baking).

Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Source: Slightly adapted from Recipe Girl

It was fitting that this month's What's Baking theme was peppermint. I had Peppermint Meringues on my holiday baking list. My original plan was to make candy cane meringues, but come game time I didn't have red food coloring (note to self: must get red coloring before February!). I forged on anyway.

These are a welcome addition to any holiday tray. They're a light treat with just a hint of peppermint flavor, that perfect bite of something sweet to satisfy my must have something sweet after dinner craving.

Now what to do with 6 egg yolks...

This month's What's Baking was hosted by Carrie's Sweet Life. Head on over soon to check out this month's roundup of peppermint treats.


Here is what you'll need:

• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 250F degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Using stand mixer, beat egg whites on medium-high until foaming.

In a small bowl, combine cream of tartar, salt and sugar. Gradually add to egg whites and continue beating. Beat until stiff peaks form, or when the bowl is turned upside down nothing moves. This could be anywhere from 10-20 minutes, mine took about 17 minutes.

Fit a piping tip into a pastry bag (or large ziplock bag) and fill bag with meringue. Pipe meringue onto lined baking sheets.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, meringues should easily lift from parchment paper. Turn oven off and leave meringues in the oven while it cools. Once cool, store in an airtight container. Makes 8 dozen 1 1/2-2 inch meringues.

Source: The Penny Whistle Christmas Party Book

 While shopping at Target I decided to browse down the baking aisle to see if there was anything interesting. I came across Kraft's Mallow Bits and read a recipe on the side for Hot Cocoa Cookies. At the time I thought this was a new product, until I searched online and saw I was way behind in my discovery.


I couldn't wait to try these bits and dug right in when I got home. I quickly discovered these are exactly like the marshmallows from Lucky Charms!

Since it has been a while since JR had sweets (he's SO sad about the demise of Ring Dings and Funny Bones), I got to making a batch of these. He loved them, as did my sister. I thought they where a bit sweet, but, I guess they are cookies!

The great thing about this recipe is that it makes a ton of cookies, which is great for the holiday cookie exchanges going on right now. And the kids will go crazy for them!

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup (or 4 individual packages) Hot Chocolate Mix (not sugar free)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup Mallow Bits (you could substitute mini marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Using a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, hot chocolate, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Slowly add dry ingredients to mixer and mix until well combined. The dough will be very thick; the motor in my mixer sounded like it was struggling!  Once dry ingredients are mixed well, add chocolate chips and mallow bits. Mix until just combined.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and drop onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8-11 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Be careful not to over bake as these are soft cookies. Makes 4 dozen.

Source: Love from the Oven as seen on Kraft's Mallow Bits

My Week of Sweet Treats continues with something boozy! I'm not a big drinker, but Irish Cream is something I like to keep on hand, especially during the holidays. When I saw Melissa post this Irish Cream Fudge last year I knew it had to make an appearance on my holiday trays.

Here is what you'll need:

• 36 oz white chocolate chips
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup Irish cream liquor, plus 3-4 tablespoons
• 1/3 cup salted pistachios, chopped

Line a 9 inch square baking dish with foil, allowing the foil to hang over the sides of the pan. Lightly grease pan, I used cooking spray, and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan over low heat, combine chocolate chips, condensed milk and liquor. Stir constantly until chocolate has almost melted.

Remove from heat and stir constantly until chocolate is melted and smooth. Add pistachios and stir until incorporated.

Pour into lined baking pan. Let cool until set. Lift fudge by foil and remove from pan. Remove foil and cut fudge. Makes 64 small squares.

Today begins my Week of Sweet Treats!  Christmas is often a time known for sweet treat in our family. I have many memories of making dozens and dozens of cookies since childhood. Recipes varied from easy to complex. Over the last 5 years or so I've tried to stick to easy, and in doing so branched out to different candies as well. The recipes I'm sharing with you this week are all easy ones! I hope you'll get inspired to make some for your family as well. I'll begin with a recipe that was new to me last year as last year became known as the year of fudge around here. It is so easy to make and always well received. This Cappuccino Fudge would be a perfect gift for any coffee lover as it delivers an afternoon jolt in a bite or two!

Top: Cappuccino Fudge, Bottom: Irish Cream Fudge

This fudge is on the softer side, so I'm recommending keeping it refrigerated.

Here is what you'll need:

• 7 oz marshmallow cream
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line an 8 inch square baking dish with aluminum foil and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, cream, butter, coffee, cinnamon and salt. Stir constantly while bringing to a boil. Continue to boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth.

Pour into lined baking pan. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before cutting. Makes 36 small pieces. Keep refrigerated.

Source: Annie's Eats

This post was meant for November's What's Baking. I guess it's obvious now that I didn't make the deadline. Actually, the pie was made, it's just the post that didn't make it. Oh well! I'll have a December post for sure!

Toasted Coconut Custard Pie has become a traditional pie for our family since after I began dating JR. I wanted to take something to his parent's house for Thanksgiving. Dessert is usually my domain when it comes to his family's celebrations since very few people in his family bake. Since my family sticks to pies on Thanksgiving, my mind was on bringing pies for his family as well.

Coconut is favorite flavor with his family, so I knew this Toasted Coconut Custard Pie would be well received. It was, and so the tradition began of taking this pie every year. I can't remember now if I made one for my family that first year as well or not, if not it was very soon after that this pie made it's way to my family's Thanksgiving table as well.

Here is what you'll need:

2 deep dish pie crusts (I use frozen)
4 extra large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut, divided
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425F degrees.

To partially bake pie shells:

Place a piece of aluminum foil in each pie shell. Fill each pie shell with dried beans to weigh down the foil. Place pie shells in oven and bake for 8 minutes. Remove pie shells from oven and remove beans and foil. Place pie shells back in the oven and bake for 4 minutes. Remove pie shells from oven and set aside.

Reduce oven to 325F degrees.

To make pie filling:

Using a stand mixer, beat eggs on high for about 5 minutes until they become thick and light yellow.

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a small bowl. Beat this mixutre into the eggs until well combined. 

Reduce mixer to medium speed. Add cream, milk and vanilla to egg mixture. Beat for about 3 minutes until light and frothy. Gently stir in 1 1/4 cup coconut.

Evenly divide filling between 2 pie shells. Place pies on a baking sheet. Dot tops of pies with butter pieces and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Place pies in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove pies from oven and sprinkle with remaining coconut. Place pies back in oven and bake 20-30 minutes more. The pies are done when the center slightly jiggles when the pie is moved, and the coconut is toasted. A knife inserted into the middle of the pie will also come out clean.

Remove pie from oven and cool on wire racks for 1 hour. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Makes 2 - 9 in. deep dish pies.

Source: TheRecipeLink.com

We've cut back our grocery budget since my change in career, which means we're not buying as many of JR's boxed treats and I'm trying to make him more snacks instead. You'd think he would be thrilled, but truth be told, he loves those individually packaged treats sold in a box!

The one way I know to win him over is with peanut butter. As I've mentioned on here before, JR adores peanut butter anything. It was no surprise that he loved these Peanut Butter Cup Blondie Bites.  

This preparation was a bit unique in that you melt butter on the stove and add ingredients from there. Beware, I didn't give the batter enough time to cool and the peanut butter cups started melting as soon as they hit the batter. I tell you this so that you don't miss that important step in the directions! 

I think these would be a big hit on a holiday cookie tray! Familiar, yet a little different.

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. 

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Remove pan from heat and add brown sugar. Stir until dissolved. Once sugar mixture has cooled slightly, add egg and vanilla, and stir until smooth. Add flour mixture and stir until combined. Once the mixture has cooled, add peanut butter cups and stir until just combined.

Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups and smooth tops with back of spoon. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until just set. Allow to cool completely in pan. Run a butter knife around the edge of each muffin cup before removing. Makes 24.

Source: Adapted from All You, May 2008 via My Recipes

I can't believe I'm posting a recipe that involves baking. It's been way too hot to bake in the last few weeks, but a few weeks ago I did heat up the house to make this banana bread again. I originally made it on Easter for both of our family gatherings, and at both it disappeared in a flash. JR was disappointed it went so quickly and has been requesting it ever since. He describes it as "the best banana bread ever" and "bangin' good".

Whenever I buy bananas we never eat them all so I always have some on hand in the freezer. I freeze them as is with the peels on. When I need them in a recipe, I take them out and place them in a bowl of cold water until they begin to soften (generally less than 10 minutes). Peel, mash, and now they are ready to use!

Enjoy!

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 cup flour
• 3⁄4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup oil
• 1⁄3 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease loaf pan and set aside.

Combine flour and baking soda in a small bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add dry mixture and mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.

Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Source: Adapted from Saveur and What's Cooking Chicago via Carries Sweet Life

It's time once again for What's Baking. After participating for over a year, it was finally my time to host! The theme I chose was Bake in Season with Spring Produce. This time of year I am always itching waiting for the farmer's markets to open which inspired the theme. I figured even those who have farmer's markets readily available year round probably look forward to those first signs of Spring.

 

My original plan was to bake something savory, with asparagus, however, I haven't had luck finding good asparagus recently. My next thought was fiddleheads, but, I don't know, I couldn't bring myself to buy them and didn't really know what to do with them! So I changed completely and settled on something sweet.

While these are sweet, and use those bright red beauties growing in my back yard, they also incorporate the notoriously tart rhubarb. Rhubarb brings back fond childhood memories of picking a stalk from our neighbors plant, dipping it in a Dixie cup of sugar, biting down and feeling that punch in the jaw. 

 

These don't give you that punch in the jaw, instead the combination of strawberry and rhubarb make for a mellow dessert, reminiscent of a coffee cake. My husband especially loved them. He claimed they tasted like cream cheese, but I assured him there was no cream cheese, I'm pretty sure it was the buttery crumbs mixing with the creamy fruit center. I took these to a Memorial Day picnic and everyone who tried them had positive reviews as well.

 

Be sure to check back here in a couple of days for this months roundup where you'll see What's Baking in the other participants kitchens.

 

Here is what you'll need:

 

For the Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Combine fruit and lemon juice in a small non-reactive saucepan and cook over medium heat for 8-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft. 

Combine sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add to fruit mixture and stir. Bring to a boil and allow to thicken for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and set aside.

 

For the Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium-high until the ingredients are combined and the mixture is crumbly.

Remove 1 1/2 cups of crumb mixture from bowl and set aside.

Pour remaining crumb mixture into greased pan and press into the bottom to form a crust. Pour filling over crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly over the top of the filling.

Bake for 30-35 minutes (mine took 35 minutes). Cool completely before cutting.

Note: The original recipe included a drizzle which I omitted.

Source: Land O Lakes

Do you love chocolate covered strawberries? Me too! That's where this cupcake idea came from. Head on over to Carrie's Sweet Life where I am guest poster today to get the recipe.

I'm having a hard time writing this post in between spoonfuls of ice cream. I don't have much to say besides, YUM! You must try this! Make this soon! And be careful not to mistaken the ice cream base for tea and drink it before you churn it!

Tea Infused Milk/Cream

Custard

Strained Custard

After Freezing 2 1/2 Hours

I never think to use tea for anything other than, well, drinking tea. Boy, have I been missing out! Black currant tea is one of my favorites varieties, and the flavor it imparts in this ice cream is divine! I need to think about other ways to infuse the flavor into treats.

In the meantime, I hope I don't eat too much ice cream to keep me from sleeping tonight... But if I do, I'll just have an excuse to whip up another batch!

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 cup whole milk (I used 2% and it was still very creamy!)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup black current tea leaves
• 5 large egg yolks

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, warm milk, 1 cup of cream, sugar and tea leaves. Once warmed, remove from heat, cover and set aside to steep for 1 hour.

Warm milk mixture again over medium-low heat.

Whisk egg yolks in another mixing bowl. Slowly add warm milk mixture to egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan. Heat saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Pour remaining cream into a large mixing bowl. Place a mesh strainer over bowl. Pour custard through the strainer. Gently press tea leaves to strain out all the liquid.

Make an ice bath of ice and water in another large mixing bowl. Place bowl of custard into the ice bath. Stir custard over ice bath until cooled. Place custard in the refrigerator to chill completely.

Churn the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Source: Perfect Scoop

This month's What's Baking is hosted by Yudith at Blissfully Delicious. Yudith choose the theme "Bake something for St. Patrick's Day." I wasn't so ambitious for our annual St. Patrick's day celebration this year, the only baking I did was Irish Soda Bread (which I should have used for this entry) and break and bake cookies.

Since I was having a bunch of ladies over for a purse party this weekend I thought it was a good opportunity to make up for my lack of St. Patrick's Day baking. But, I needed something easy. I haven't been into stretching myself in the kitchen lately, so these Pistachio Pudding Tarts worked at great in terms of being easy and something green, which is really their only connection to St. Patrick's Day. They also went over well with the ladies, and I could see making these time and time again with different pudding fillings. I froze half the tarts for use another time, so I will report back how they do post freezer.

Be sure to come back this week for more finger foods from the party, and be sure to visit Blissfully Delicious to check out this month's round-up. Thanks for hosting Yudith!
 
Here is what you'll need:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups cold 2% milk
• 1 package (3.4 oz) instant pistachio pudding mix

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Beat butter and cream cheese together in a mixing bowl at high speed until smooth and fluffy. Reduce to low and slowly add flour, and mix for 20-30 seconds. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl. Continue mixing until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a ball.

Split the dough in 2 balls, and set one aside. Working with 1 of the balls, make 24 1-inch size balls. Place one ball in each cup of a 24-cup mini muffin pan. Using the index and middle fingers of each hand, press each dough ball to spread it across the bottom and up the sides of each mini muffin cup.

Repeat above steps with second large dough ball. Place pans in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until browned.

Remove pans from oven and allow tarts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Place a cooling rack over the top of the pan. Grabbing both the pan and cooling rack together, turn them over so the tarts are now on the cooling rack. Allow to finish cooling completely.


In a mixing bowl, whisk milk and pudding together until pudding is completely dissolved. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until pudding sets (it will still jiggle, but will be firmer than when you finished whisking).

Assemble up to 1-2 hours before serving by placing a teaspoon of pudding on top of each tart. Makes 48 mini tarts.

Source: Taste of Home

Every year around this time I, along with millions of other people, wait for the arrival of a famous minty green shake. Every year after I consume the famous minty green shake, I feel regret. Why? Because normally it's in addition to a meal from the same establishment, meaning the shake was not the meal, and based on the number of calories it has, it's more than enough for a meal!

You see a small size minty green shake has 540 calories, 16 grams of fat, 74 grams of sugar and 10 g of protein. Are you stunned? Don't fret, you can make my Minty Green Smoothie and feel better about it because it has 382 calories, 7 grams of fat, 17 grams of sugar and 33 grams of protein. The best part is that you can even enjoy this for breakfast, and it will keep you full!

I'm so happy I no longer have to feel regret and I can have this any time I want, all year round!

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 cup 1% milk
• 2 scoops of vanilla whey protein powder (I use Pure Protein Vanilla Cream)
• 8-10 ice cubes
• 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 3 drops green food coloring (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender. Using the ice crush setting, blend for 30 seconds. Switch to the blend setting, and blend for 10-15 seconds.

Serves 1 (~2 cups).

Source: Adventures in My Kitchen original