Mini Baker

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Sandwich Cookies

2012-02-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

These cookies take only 30 minutes from start to finish. So after your fancy Valentine's Dinner out, you can whip these up for your sweetie in no time.
They are similar to Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, but more cookie-y and less cake-y.
Delicious, simple and oh-so-pretty. Enjoy these Red Velvet Cream Cheese Sandwich Cookies, we sure did!

(As I say for many of my desserts, please have a large glass of cold milk on hand, you'll need it).

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Sandwich Cookies
(makes 15-20 cookies)
Cookies:
INGREDIENTS:
1 box german chocolate cake mix
1 small box of instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons red food coloring

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix together cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, flour and red food coloring. Using a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (or you could use a small cookie scoop), pipe about a Tablespoon of batter for each cookie. Dough should be about 1 1/2" in diameter, a perfect circle. Repeat with the remaining dough being sure to leave 1-2" between each cookie.
3. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Allow to cool on pan for 2 minutes before moving cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. While the cookies are cooling, make the Cream Cheese Filling.

Cream Cheese Filling:
INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons heavy cream, or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar (plus extra for garnishing)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cream together cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Beat in milk and vanilla.
2. Sift 4 cups powdered sugar over the wet ingredients and beat until smooth.
3. Spread or pipe cream cheese filling between two cooled red velvet cookies.
4. Optional garnish: cover the top of a small heart cookie cutter with tape. Place in the center of one of the red velvet cookies and sprinkle sifted powdered sugar over the top of the cookie. Remove the cookie cutter and you're left with a perfect red heart!

Mini Banana Upside-Down Cake Bites

2012-02-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

My mom recently taught me one of the most valuable lessons of my life. Count the bananas at Costco. Let me explain... Costco bags their bananas according to weight. So you can either get 5 big bananas or 9 medium. One time I got 10 in one bag... at $1.19 per bag, you can't really beat that.

Moral of the story: count your bananas!

I love baking banana recipes because they are always so inexpensive to make and stay moist for DAYS! These Mini Banana Upside-Down Cake Bites have a great moist banana flavor that's complimented by the crunchy, brown sugar topping.

Mini Banana Upside-Down Cake Bites

Topping:

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 

1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar 

1 1/2 tablespoons dark corn syrup 

1/3 cup walnut halves or pieces

Cake: 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cup cake flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/4 cup sugar 

1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar 

1 large egg 

1/2 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 large) 

2 tablespoons sour cream 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. For topping: Spray a 24 mini muffin tin with nonstick spray.

2. Bring butter, sugar, and corn syrup to boil in medium saucepan, stirring constantly until butter melts. Boil syrup 1 minute. Stir in nuts.

3. Pour 1 tablespoon of mixture into each sprayed muffin tin. (There may be a little left over, that’s ok).

4. For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until blended.

5. Beat in egg, then mashed bananas, sour cream, rum, and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients in 2 additions just until combined. Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin tin, so the batter is just below the top of the muffin tin.

6. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 30 minutes.

7. Cut around each mini cake. Place platter over mini muffin tin. Holding pan and platter together, turn over. Let stand 5 minutes, then gently lift off pan.

8. If the mini banana cakes don’t pop out, use a knife to gently pry out the cakes. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Recipe Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Baked Blueberry Banana Chia Seed Oatmeal

2012-02-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

The fine people at Bob's Red Mill sent me some chia seeds to experiment with.

Before that the only chia thing I new of was THIS! (Chia Britney... how brilliant. I will be putting that on my Christmas List next year).

Anywho, after doing some research chia seeds are the new super food! They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, full of protein to give you energy, excellent source of fiber and antioxidant, and contain six grams of fiber in just one tablespoon!

Best thing about these are that they are virtually tastless- add a tablespoon to your cereal or make this Baked Oatmeal & you're good to go.

Step aside kale & acai berries... chia seeds are here to stay.

This Baked Blueberry Banana Chia Seed Oatmeal is so delicious, fruity, wholesome and super healthy. It'll keep you full & satisfied all morning long.

Baked Blueberry Banana Chia Seed Oatmeal

(makes 6 servings)

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium ripe bananas, (the riper the better) sliced into 1/2" pieces

2 cups fresh blueberries

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup uncooked quick oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup chia seeds

pinch of salt

1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey)

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly spray a 9X9” ceramic dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Arrange the banana slices in a single layer on the bottom of the ceramic dish. Sprinkle half of the blueberries (1 cup) and 1/4 tsp. of the cinnamon over the bananas and cover with foil. Bake 15 minutes at 375, until the bananas get soft.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the oats, half of nuts (1/4 cup), baking powder, remaining cinnamon (1/2 tsp.), chia seeds and salt; stir together.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the agave, milk and vanilla extract.

5. Remove the bananas from the oven. Then pour the oat mixture over the baked bananas and blueberries.

7. Pour the milk mixture over the oats, making sure to distribute the mixture as evenly as possible over the oats. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries (1 cup) and walnuts (1/4 cup) over the top.

8. Bake the oatmeal for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the oatmeal has set. Serve warm from the oven.

Recipe By: Mini Baker

Moist Lemon Bread with Citrus Glaze

2012-02-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

Crisp, clean, refreshing. Lemon has to be one of the best flavors out there.
My parents have practically an orchard of fruit trees in their backyard. I'm lucky enough to reap the benefits of those trees.
We literally have lemons year round- but this time of year the branches on the orange and lemon trees are practically bending in half, barely able to hold the weight of all the fruit.

My dream is to have a house in which we have as many fruit trees as my parents property. Until then, my parents love giving away the fruit, especially when it goes to good use like this Moist Lemon Bread with Citrus Glaze!
This bread is tender, moist, and has the perfect amount citrus flavor. Great with tea or topped with some vanilla ice cream!

Moist Lemon Bread with Citrus Glaze
(makes one 8"x4" loaf)
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk (or whole milk)
2 Tablespoons lemon rind, divided

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or orange juice
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 8"x4" loaf pan, set aside.
2. Beat softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually ad 1 cup granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
3. Stir together flour, baking powder, add salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating at low speed just until blended, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon rind. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of bread comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth, spoon evenly over top of bread, let excess drop down sides. Stir together remaining 1 tablespoon lemon rind and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; sprinkle on top of bread.

Valentine's Day Strawberry Cake-In-A-Jar

2012-01-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

I have a slight obsession with mason jars. We used them at our wedding as candle holders, so now we have over a hundred empty mason jars, which makes me VERY happy!
Mason jars are such an easy way to give a dessert, a candle or some wildflowers that vintage, home-made feel. They also make any kind of dessert very portable and easy to serve!

I decided to make some cute Valentine's Day Strawberry Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting for my hunny. They were delicious, oh-so-simple, and super cute! Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Strawberry Cake-In-A-Jar
(makes 9 mason jar desserts)
INGREDIENTS:
1 18 oz. box Strawberry Cake Mix
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
red food coloring

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 8" round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Blend the cake mix, water, oil, eggs and sour cream in a large bowl until all ingredients are moistened. Using a had mixer, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Pour 1/3 of the strawberry cake batter into one of the cake pans.
4. Add a 7-9 drops of food coloring to the remaining batter. Mix thoroughly. Pour half of that batter the second cake pan.
5. To the of the batter add 5-7 more drops of red food coloring. Mix thoroughly. Pour this batter into the last empty cake pan.
6. You should have three pans, with even amount of cake batter, in three shades: pink, red, and dark red. You can add as much or as little food coloring as you'd like to customize your shades of pink & red.
7. Bake cakes for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the cakes cool completely.
8. Using a round biscuit cutter, or any other object the same diameter as your mason jars, cut 9 circles out of each cake. You will have 27 circles total- 9 in each shade. Set these aside while you make the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
INGREDIENTS:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3-4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy.
2. Mix in vanilla and then gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar. Add more or less sugar, depending on how creamy or stiff you like your frosting.
3. Put the dark red cake circles in the bottom of your mason jars. Using a spoon or a pastry bag, pipe 1 tablespoon of frosting on top of the cake circle.
4. Next, put the bright red cake circles on top of the frosting. Top with another tablespoon of frosting. Repeat with the pink cake circles. Top with some pink sprinkles and eat up!

Baked Spinach & Bacon Dip -- Great Super Bowl Snack!

2012-01-27T09:02:00.000-08:00

I love that commercial they play (way too often) on the radio about bacon.

"Bacon... you can even put it on salad... SALAD."

It gets me every time!

Bacon is one of the main reasons I could never go vegetarian/vegan.

In my pursuit for the perfect Super Bowl Dip, I came across Martha Stewart's Bacon, Spinach & Onion Dip. I switched it up a little.

Here's my version, which I think is 10X better because it has twice the bacon that the original recipe calls for.

This Baked Spinach & Bacon Dip will go fast at your Super Bowl party! My hubby and I finished it in just too sittings, and no I'm not proud of that. :)

Side note: I saw Martha at Costco two years ago for a book signing: she looks amazing.

Baked Spinach & Bacon Dip
(serves 10)
INGREDIENTS:
8 slices bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
coarse sea salt and ground pepper
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry, & finely chopped**
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Crostini or pita chips, for serving

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, cook bacon over medium, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp for 10 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from pan.
2. Add onion to pan, season with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat (stirring occasionally) until onions are tender, 8 minutes. Add flour and cook for 30 more seconds. Add spinach, milk, sour cream and cheese. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes, until cream cheese melts.
3. Stir in bacon and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
4. Transfer mixture to a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until bubbling, about 14 minutes. Heat broiler and broil until top browns, 3 minutes.
5. Remove the dish from oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve the warm dip with crostini or pita chips.

**if you like your spinach dip NOT chunky, put it in a blender or food processor for a minute before you transfer to a baking dish and bake in the oven.

Eggless Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

2012-01-23T11:27:00.000-08:00

How do all you people on the East Coast do it??
I currently live in Los Angeles where we get, what seems like, 3 rainy days a year. And when it rains all bets are off. I have no motivation to do anything! How sad is that?

I am definitely my father's daughter. He could live literally ON the equator and would be completely satisfied. He and I can't handle cold, wet weather. That probably explains why I've never seen real snow!

Yes that's right- I'm 24 and never seen real snow. I figure I might as well wait until I have kids and then we can all take skiing classes together. haha

Anyway, these Eggless Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies are helping to keep me company on this cold, wet winter day. They're very simple to make and really hit that sweet-&-salty tooth. And they're a good go-to recipe when you're all out of eggs!
Stay warm my little bakers!

Eggless Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
(makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies)
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp. milk, at room temperature

4 oz. soft caramel chews (I used the generic Target brand, they worked perfectly!)
2 tbsp. whipping cream
sea salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 325F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa and salt to combine. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue mixing until light and well combined. Add the vanilla, then milk. Add the dry ingredients and mix on a low speed just until the dough forms. Finish mixing with your hands to bring the soft dough together in one large ball.
4. Roll the dough into 1" balls. (I use a mini cookie scoop to measure out the dough, so the balls are uniform). Place them onto the baking sheet and flatten slightly with your hand. Using the end of a wine cork (I'm sure you all have a wine cork laying around- if you don't, change that!) press the cork about 1/4" deep and the diameter of a penny.
5. Chill the formed cookie dough for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Bake the cookies, in batches, for 15 minutes until the cookies appear set. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Pour the caramel and cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power for about a minute, pausing every 20 seconds to stir the caramels. Remove from microwave after a minute and stir until caramel and cream is smooth. Using a small spoon, spoon a teaspoon of caramel into each cookie "thumbprint". Top with some cracked sea salt, if you'd like.
8. Keep cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.

Recommended: a large glass of milk. These are rich!
Recipe Adapted from Baking Obsession

Chewy Coconut M&M Sugar Cookies

2012-01-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

To me, nothing is better than finding candy marked down to an outrageously low price. I'd take that over a buy-one-get-one-free shoe sale any day. But I guess that's just one of the many curses of having an abnormally large sweet tooth.

After holidays my husband and I scurry like mad men to the nearest Target, Walmart and Rite Aid in hopes of finding candy marked 30-50% off. One Halloween, while living in Newport, we found candy for 80% off. (Apparently the housewives in Newport don't feel the same way I do about candy- and I'm totally cool with that).
You would be appalled at the obscene amount of candy we got that day. Luckily, we aren't over-eaters and that candy lasted for months and inspired many recipes.

I found these Coconut M&Ms in Target for only 29 cents per bag! My lucky find inspired these Chewy Coconut M&M Sugar Cookies. These Coconut M&M Cookies are super chewy (and stay that way for DAYS!) and have a subtle coconut-chocolate flavor from the M&Ms.
Side Note: Apparently Coconut M&M's don't actually have any coconut in them- just coconut flavoring. That was a surprise to me!

Chewy Coconut M&M Sugar Cookies
(12 extra large cookies, 24 small cookies)
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 cup coconut M&M's (about 3 small bags)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls (for extra-large cookies: dough should be the size of a golf bowl) and place onto un-greased cookie sheets. Press down gently to flatten cookie dough balls slightly. Place as many Coconut M&Ms in each cookie as you'd like.
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes for small cookies, 10-12 for large cookies. Let stand on cookie sheet for two minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy with a big glass of milk or coffee!

Mini Garlic Monkey Breads

2012-01-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

These should be a staple at everyone's Super Bowl Party this year. They are light, fluffy, garlic-y, cheesy and most important super easy and cost effective!

This savory version of Monkey Bread is awesome, I love it! And it's also great because its ready in single servings. So the boys (and girls) can just grab one and get right back to the game.

Make these Mini Garlic Monkey Breads- you won't be disappointed!

Mini Garlic Monkey Breads

(makes 12-14 mini garlic monkey breads)

INGREDIENTS:

2 (7.5 oz) cans of buttermilk biscuits

1/2 stick butter, melted

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to sprinkle on top

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a small ball and toss into a large bowl. Repeat for all the biscuits.

2. Combine the melted butter, garlic, parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese together and pour over the biscuit pieces.

3. Gently toss the biscuit pieces to evenly coat all the pieces with the butter mixture.

4. Using a 12 cup muffin tin, place 5-7 pieces of the coated biscuit dough into each muffin cup. Use the additional Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on the top of the breads in the muffin cups.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm. Great with a marinara sauce or ranch dip!

Recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

Easy Mini Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls

2012-01-15T12:08:00.000-08:00

Today we are getting a couple's massage! I. CAN'T. WAIT.

If I were a billionaire that would be the first thing I would get- a live in masseuse. No personal trainer, no Louis Vuitton luggage, no Christian Louboutin's (although that would be nice too)... just a massage every day.

But for now, my husband and I get each other a couple's massage for our birthdays. It's so nice to relax with each other and its a present for the both of us! I think tradition will be continuing for many years to come...

These ity-bity Mini Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls were the perfect way to start of a very relaxing Sunday.

The recipe I originally saw was for plain cinnamon rolls, but I decided to jazz it up a bunch since I have large bowl full of fresh blueberries just waiting to be used.

No need to fuss with making dough from scratch- simply use crescent rolls. They give a great buttery, fluffy taste to the rolls.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Easy Mini Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls

(makes 16 mini cinnamon rolls)

INGREDIENTS:

Blueberry Filling:

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Cinnamon Rolls:

1- 8 oz. tube crescent roll dough

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Icing:

3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 Tablespoon milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare Blueberry Filling: In a small saucepan combine all four ingredients over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue to stir for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. The blueberry filling will thicken to a jam-like consistency. Cool completely before using on your cinnamon rolls.

2. Preheat oven according to crescent roll dough package directions (mine was 375 degrees.) Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Layout half the dough (4 triangles) on a cutting board dusted with flour. Pinch all the seams together. Flip the dough over and pinch the seams on the back side together too. It will now be one square piece of dough.

4. Use a rolling to smooth the seams and roll the dough into a square about 1/4" thick.

5. Brush with 1 tablespoon of butter. Top the dough with half of the blueberry filling. Spread out evenly and sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar mixture. (You can use more if you'd like!)

6. Roll the dough into a log, sealing the ends so the blueberry filling doesn't come out the sides. Use a sharp knife to cut log into 8 pieces.

7. Repeat steps 3-6 with the other half of the dough.

8. Place mini blueberry cinnamon rolls into a non-stick sprayed mini muffin tin.

8. Bake according to package directions.

9. While they are baking, whisk together the milk and sifted powdered sugar. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls. Yum!

*For an even easier recipe, omit the blueberry fillings and make plain Mini Cinnamon Rolls- just as tasty!

Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Super Bowl Mini BBQ Chicken Pizzas

2012-01-13T22:53:00.000-08:00

Beer and PIZZA! Staples at any Super Bowl Party.

Now you can make something cute & delicious for all your Super Bowl guests.
These are great for feeding the masses efficiently and quickly!

We got this recipe from our good friends Haley & Kylle, who made it at our one of our family pizza nights. It was by far the favorite pizza.
The caramelization of the onions, pineapple and beer add such a nice compliment to the sweet BBQ sauce and the cilantro helps to brighten all the flavors.
They are sure to be the favorite out of the spread of Super Bowl snacks.

Mini BBQ Chicken Pizzas
(makes 8 mini pizzas)
INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg. pizza dough (Trader Joe's has great pizza dough)
1 chicken breast, boiled and chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
2 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup pineapple chunks (fresh is best!)
1/2 of your favorite beer
1/2 - 3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
cilantro (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil one chicken breast in a large pot full of water. Remove the chicken, and once cooled chop into small pieces. Set aside for later use.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil. Set aside. Take pizza dough and divide and roll into 8 golf ball sized balls. Press each dough ball between the palm of your hands to flatten into a 1/4" thick flat circle. Evenly space the 8 pizza crusts onto your greased cookie sheet.
3. Saute diced red onion, olive and garlic in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are softened.
4. Add the pineapple chunks and cook for 3 more minutes on medium heat.
5. Add 1/2 of your favorite beer (drink the rest - you serve it!) to the skillet and reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the beer reduces down completely. The mixture will begin to caramelize and become a little sticky.
6. Add 3/4 cup BBQ sauce to the mixture. Bring heat back up to medium-high and simmer for 2 more minutes.
7. Mix in the cooked chopped chicken and evenly coat the chicken with the BBQ mixture.
8. Evenly disperse the BBQ mixture among the 8 mini pizza crusts. Top with a little cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
9. Bake at 425 degrees for 9-11 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your crust. Once the pizzas have cooled slightly, top with chopped cilantro.
10. Enjoy with an ice cold beer :)

Baked Eggs

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

Eggs.

Lately I have been obsessed with eggs- scrambled, sunny-side up, fried, hard-boiled and now BAKED!
These eggs take on a wonderful flavor when baked, rather than cooked in the conventional manner. Its also so convenient being able to make 1 egg or 15 eggs at a time!

Simply multiply the recipe according to how many eggs you'd like.
Our magic number was 3- two for the hubby, one for me (although I easily could've eaten 4).

Baked Eggs:
INGREDIENTS:
1 slice bacon
1 teaspoon melted butter
1 egg
1/2 slice good quality Cheddar Cheese*

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place bacon in a large, non-stick skillet. Cook bacon over medium-high heat until even brown on both sides, but not crispy.
3. Wrap bacon slice around the inside of a muffin cup. Place the melted butter in the bottom of the muffin cup. Drop in the egg.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes. Place cheese over egg, and continue cooking until cheese is melted and egg is cooked. (For me it took another 3 minutes- 15 minutes in total).
5. Garnish with some green onions, salt and pepper, and enjoy with a biscuit & cup-o-joe!

*I used Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, the higher the quality of cheese, the better your egg will taste.
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes

Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Praline Frosting

2012-01-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

What are some of your favorite foodie magazine? Mine is by far Southern Living.

The desserts in particular are absolutely divine... this Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake is a perfect example.

This cake is suitable for both dessert and breakfast. It is a pretty dense cake and has the consistency of a pound cake or sour cream coffee cake. I love cakes that can be "acceptable" for breakfast!
The applesauce and cream cheese gave it the perfect amount of moisture and the praline topping added sweetness.
Enjoy!!

Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Praline Frosting
(16 servings)
Cream Cheese Filling:
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Apple Cake Batter:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup applesauce*
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples (I used fuji)
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Praline Frosting:
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS:
1. Prepare filing: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.
2. Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients. Stir in the three beaten eggs, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans.
3. Spoon half of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14 cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese filling.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack and cool completely (for 2 hours).
5. Prepare Frosting: Bring brown sugar, butter and milk to boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly for 1 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in *sifted* powdered sugar until smooth. Stir gently for 3-5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thicken slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake. Top with chopped pecans and dig in!

*I used my homemade applesauce
(Recipe adapted from Southern Living Magazine)

HOMEMADE Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins

2012-01-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

When I came upon this recipe, I couldn't believe my eyes!

I always thought English Muffins were baked-- am I the only one that thought this?

Apparently you cook them the same way you cook a pancake-on the skillet!

My husband LOVES Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins and couldn't believe I made them from scratch. Funny how the simplest recipes can impress people sometimes :)

These look, taste and smell exactly like store-bought English Muffins. Enjoy!

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins:

INGREDIENTS:

(makes 10 muffins)

1/3 cup water, warm

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)

1 cup nonfat milk, slightly warm**

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar and yeast and let mixture stand for 10 minutes, until slightly foamy.

2. Using a wooden spoon, stir in remaining ingredients expect the raisins. Mix until smooth. One the batter comes together, stir in the raisins.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 45 minutes to relax and rise.

4. Heat a griddle/nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Lightly grease with cooking spray only if you are using a non-stick pan.

5. Drop 1/4 cup of dough at a time onto greased surface. (I used my cupcake scooper and it worked perfectly!) Cook the muffins until medium brown on the bottom. The top will look set and the sides will appear somewhat dry. It took me 4 minutes per side, but could take more or less time depending on the temperature of your griddle. Flip the muffins over and cook the second side until golden brown.

6. Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes or until completely cool.

7. When ready to serve, split muffins in half and toast. For optimum satisfaction, top muffins with butter & cinnamon-sugar.

**Its very important you use non-fat milk in order to have the right amount of air pockets and crumble to your muffins. Whole milk will work also, but non-fat is the best.

Recipe adapted from Baking Bites

Mini Carrot Spice Muffins

2012-01-06T16:52:00.000-08:00

These Mini Carrot Spice Muffins are unique because they're topped with flax granola!

The crunch of the granola was perfect on these little babies and WAY healthier than any streusel topping.

Next up on the Mini Baker blog... HOMEMADE Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins. Stay Tuned my fellow bakers :)

Mini Carrot Spice Muffins

(makes 30 mini muffins)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole milk

1 cup finely shredded carrots

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup flax granola (or granola of your choice)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a mini muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking soda and salt. Stir together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, brown sugar and vegetable oil. Mix until smooth.

3. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients in two additions, alternately with the milk, mixing each addition just until incorporated.

4. Fold in the shredded carrot and coconut. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Top the batter with 1 tsp. of granola.

5. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies ... Dipped in Chocolate!

2012-01-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

Anything dipped in Chocolate is better, right?
The answer is YES!

These Peanut Butter Cookies are so simple and so pretty. Perfect for any gathering!
I love all the crunch from the peanuts, chewiness from all the peanut butter, and richness of the chocolate.
Happy Baking all my little bakers!

Sidenote: The beautiful cutting board in these photos was the last cutting board my talented Danish Grandfather made before he died. So lucky to have this beautiful piece of art!

Peanut Butter Cookies Dipped in Chocolate
(makes 30 cookies)
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup quick oats

2 cups semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, white sugar and both peanut butters until smooth.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until well blended add in vanilla and mix to combine.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the oats until just combined. Drop rounded tablespoons onto un-greased cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until just lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooking rack.
6. Once the cookies are completely cooled, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave. Stir every 30 seconds until the chips are completely melted and smooth.
7. Working over the bowl of melted chocolate, spoon the chocolate over 1/2 of the cookie. Allow the excess chocolate to flow back into the bowl. Sprinkle the wed chocolate with chopped peanuts and place on wax paper to harden.
8. Store in an air-tight container and enjoy for up to 3 days for optimum freshness!

Recipe adapted from: My Baking Addiction

Homemade Applesauce

2012-01-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

It's a new year! Can you believe it?

What are some of your resolutions?

Mine are to fully enjoy life and everything it has to offer; live in the moment; and to improve my health & well being-- including lots of yoga and meditation :)

In college I took a Buddhist Art History course in which for the first half hour of each lecture, all we did was meditate. (Awesome teacher, I know!) It's amazing how much it improves the clarity of life.

As far as improving my health goes... Well, being a baker isn't exactly healthy- but hey, at least I'm enjoying life and food to the fullest!

In an effort to make something "healthy" I stumbled across a delicious, chunky Apple Sauce recipe. It is delightful and has the perfect touch of sweetness and spice from the cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Homemade Apple Sauce
(makes 2 mason jars, 4-6 servings)
INGREDIENTS:
4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar*
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon.
2. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft.
3. Allow to cool, then transfer to blender and pulse until the applesauce becomes a thick sauce with small apple chunks.
4. Transfer to mason jars or other sealable containers. Applesauce will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Serve chilled or warm over vanilla ice cream-yum!

*Or use 1/4 cup Truvia/Stevia in replace of the sugar for an extra healthy treat
(recipe adapted from AllRecipes)

Red Velvet Christmas Cupcakes with Festive Toppings!

2011-12-17T13:58:00.000-08:00

I was looking at a Martha Stewart Magazine and was inspired by the simplicity of all baked goods & Christmas decorations. So this year, I give you.. Simple, classy Red Velvet Cupcakes with festive toppings!
Shredded coconut, crushed candy canes, Dots (red candies) and white non-pareils are the toppings I chose, but you can use anything edible topping you'd like.
Think less is more! It really is!

Christmas Red Velvet Cupcakes
(makes 24 cupcakes or 48 mini cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons red food coloring
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Combine the buttermilk and oil. Alternately add the flour mixture & buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture.

4. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda... it will fizz! (Fun!) Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake cups with cake batter (they should be 2/3 – 3/4 full). You may not fill all the cups, I ended up with 20 cupcakes. Place muffin tins on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check early and don’t overbake!

5. Cool the cupcakes in their tins for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, allow to cool completely before frosting. Frost cupcakes with your favorite cream cheese frosting or butter-cream frosting.

6. Top Red Velvet Cupcakes with shredded coconut, Red Dots, white non-pareils, and crushed candy canes. EAT UP!

Chewy Chocolate Mint Brownies & Giveaway Winner Announced!

2011-12-13T13:24:00.000-08:00

Chocolate & Mint. Another one of those delicious pairs that seem to go together so perfectly, especially at Christmas time.

I'm a stickler about my brownies. They must be chewy and fudgy, not dry or cakey whatsoever!
These Chewy Chocolate Mint Brownies didn't disappoint. My handsome hubby described them as a giant Andes Mint... I kind of loved that comment. :)

AND congrats to Chip Chip Hooray! You've won the Wholesome Sweeteners Giveaway! Christmas will come early for you this year :)

Chewy Chocolate Mint Brownies
(makes 16 brownies)
BROWNIES:
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x9 baking dish.
2. Combine the melted butter, oil, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each ingredients, until thoroughly blended.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Remove and cool pan on wire rack and then transfer to the refrigerator for 1 hour before topping brownies with mint frosting.

Mint Frosting:
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup softened butter
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
green food coloring

DIRECTIONS:
1. To make the mint frosting, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar.
2. Add the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, beating until it is smooth and spreadable. Beat in the peppermint extract and tint to the desired shade with green food coloring.
3. Frost the cooled brownies, cover and chill for 1 hour.

Chocolate Topping:
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until the chocolate is slightly melted. Stir until smooth.
2. Pour the chocolate over the brownies and smooth it with a knife. Refrigerate for 45 minutes or until the coating hardens.
3. Bring the brownies to room temperature, then cut into 16 pieces. Layer them on a piece on wax paper to transport or put in a cute box for the holidays!

Organic Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars

2011-12-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my entries for the Eagle Brand $10,000 Essay & Recipe Contest! Its so simple, tasty, AND healthy (the last one is hard to come by in this household)! :)

The “secret” ingredient in these healthy, organic granola bars is the Eagle-Brand Fat-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk. The sweetened condensed milk gives these tasty bars the chewy texture they desire. These Organic Dark Chocolate Cherry Bars with satisfy your sweet tooth, but not hurt your waist-line. The perfect duo of dark chocolate and cherries, contrasted by the crunch of the toasted pecans and chewy texture from the sweetened condensed milk make these bars an ideal snack for everyone in your family!

Organic Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups organic rolled oats

½ cup organic wheat germ

½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

¾ cup organic dark chocolate chips

¾ cup dried cherries, chopped

½ cup shredded coconut

1 (14 ounce) can Fat-Free Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Grease a 9X13” pyrex pan. Spread the mixture evenly and pat down with the back of a large spoon.

3. Bake for 27-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

4. Drizzle with melted dark chocolate chips, if desired.

Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake

2011-12-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake. Believe it or not, this is my first time eating (and baking) this fine specimen. The moment it was cool enough to eat, my mom & I just sat there nibbling at a large piece and "ooo-ing" and "aww-ing" in amazement. It's divine, and actually quite simple to make!

The sweetened condensed milk gives the pumpkin cheesecake a creamy, rich texture that all cheesecakes deserve. I love how the luxurious pumpkin center is contrasted with a thick, fudge-like praline topping and the candied pecans give it that added crunch. This delicious, rustic looking dessert will impress sweet-lovers all seasons of the year!

Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake:

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 Tbsp. butter, melted

3 Tbsp. light brown sugar

3 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and brown sugar in a medium-size bowl. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” spring-form pan.

2. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in the sweetened condensed milk. Add the eggs, one at a time.

3. Next add the pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg to the cream cheese mixture. Beat on high until the mixture is smooth and clump-free. Pour into prepared pan.

4. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the center appears nearly set and the top is a golden hue. Cool for one hour on a wire rack before refrigerating for 4-24 hours.

5. Prepare the Praline Topping after cheesecake has cooled for at least 4 hours.

Praline Topping:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup whipping cream

¼ cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring the first three ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to boil, stirring continuously for the next minute.

2. Remove the pot from heat. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Let the praline topping stand for 5 minutes.

3. Spread the Praline topping all over the top of the cooled cheesecake.

4. Top with plain or candied pecans and enjoy! Store the cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Football Themed Cupcakes

2011-12-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

I decided to revamp last year's Super Bowl Cupcakes (I realize Super Bowl isn't for another month or so, but this will give you enough time to practice and prep for these little babies).
These "Super Bowl Cupcakes" consist of:
Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting and Gingerbread Cookie Footballs.
Please have a look at this video that depicts a fall day of baking Super Bowl Cupcakes in my humble home.
Feel free to share with all who have a love for art, seasons and baking.

Football Themed Cupcakes
(makes 24 cupcakes for football lovers)
Simple Chocolate Cupcakes:
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup veggie oil
1 1/2 cups hot water
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix everything together in a large bowl on medium-high speed until you get a thin batter.
2. Line cupcake tin with 24 paper liners. Pour the batter into each liner, filling it 3/4 full. These cupcakes don't rise much, so its better to put more batter in, rather than less.
3. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean.
4. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting:
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup softened butter
6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-6 Tablespoons heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix softened butter and cocoa powder together until it has becomes a thick brown paste.
2. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream to the butter mixture and beat until all ingredients are incorporated and smooth.
3. Add more cream if the frosting is too thick. The frosting should be creamy enough so that it can be piped out easily onto the cupcakes.
4. Pipe about 3 Tablespoons worth of frosting onto each cupcake. Set aside.

Gingerbread Football Cookies:
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk.
2. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth. Cover and chill for at least one hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 1/4" thickness. Cut into 1-2 inch football shapes. (All you need is 24 football shaped cookies, you can use the rest of the dough for whatever you'd like- or freeze the dough and reuse for a later date, like I did).
4. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350, until firm. Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks.
6. Use your favorite royal icing recipe and pipe laces across your gingerbread football cookies.
7. Optional: color some shredded coconut with green food coloring for "grass".
8. Top each Football Themed Cupcake with some "grass" and a Gingerbread Football Cookie.
9. Present them at half-time and impress ALLLL the boys ;-).

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Butter Cream

2011-11-29T09:59:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin.
Who doesn't love it?

Everything that pumpkin puree touches becomes moist, fluffy and so delicious.
Once again I made PLENTY of Pumpkin Cupcakes for Thanksgiving. They disappeared within a couple days... that's always a good thing :-)
Pumpkin & Cinnamon go together like PB & J.
They just click. Which is why these Pumpkin Cupcakes work so well!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Butter Cream
(makes 22-24 large cupcakes, or 48 minis)
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (just pretend its not in there, you'll enjoy the cupcakes more :) )
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into cupcake cups.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Butter Cream:
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup softened salted butter
5 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4-5 Tablespoons of heavy cream (or whipping cream)
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
1. Beat softened butter on high for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
2. Mix sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cream and cinnamon into the softened butter all at once.
3. Beat on medium-high for 2-3 more minutes or until the mixture is throughly combined. Add more cream if the frosting is too stiff.
4. Simply use a knife to frost the tops of the cupcakes or use a decorating tip and pastry bag. Top the Pumpkin Cupcakes with a little cinnamon-sugar and eat up!

Blackberry Apple Pie

2011-11-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe out of Southern Living Magazine. Those of you who don't subscribe to Southern Living, I highly suggest you do! I try to make at least 1 recipe a month from the magazine. The choice this month: Blackberry Apple Pie.
As always, I put my own spin on it and used my tried-and-try Mini Baker Flaky Pie Crust recipe.

Blackberry Apple Pie is my new favorite variety of apple pie. It adds an untraditional sweetness to your traditional apple pie and its SO much prettier with that vibrant dark purple peeking through the apples!

Upon arriving to Thanksgiving this year with Mini Pecan Pie Tartlets and this Blackberry Apple Pie, not one person said "where's the dutch apple" (which I was fearing the entire time I was baking this pie).
Lesson learned: stick to your gut and make the recipe that YOU want to!

Blackberry Apple Pie
(makes one 9" apple pie, 8-10 servings)
Blackberry Apple Pie Filling:
INGREDIENTS:
3 lb. granny smith apples
3 lb. Braeburn apples (I used Golden Delicious instead)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 cups frozen blackberries
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel apples and cut into 1/2 inch-thick wedges; toss with sugar and 1/2 cup flour
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add apple mixture and saute for 15-20 minutes or until apples are tender. Remove from heat.
3. Toss frozen blackberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and stir into apple mixture. The blackberry apple pie filling is now complete, use immediately.

Blackberry Apple Pie Crust:
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. fine salt

2 TBSP. granulated white sugar

1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold

12 TBSP. butter, cold and cubed

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ice cold water

DIRECTIONS:

1. In your food processor blend together the flour, salt and sugar.

2. Add the shortening and cold butter cubes. Pulse the mixture for about 30 seconds. Work it quickly, so the butter doesn't get too soft. The mixture will become crumbly, like very coarse cornmeal.

3. Add 1/4 cup of water to the mixture, blend for about 10 seconds. Add the remaining 1/4 cup water and blend until the mixture becomes one large lump. (You'll start to hear a thump, that just means the blade is working hard because the flour mixture and butter mixture have joined, and your dough is done!)

4. Divide dough into 2 round disks and wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2-24.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place one dough disk on a lightly floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Roll dough to about 1/4" thickness. Starting at one edge of dough, wrap dough around rolling pin and lace over a 9" pie plate and unroll over the pie plate. Press dough into the pie plate and trim off excess crust along the edges. Brush edges of crust lightly with an egg wash (optional!).

6. Spoon prepared Blackberry Apple Pie filling (from above) into Blackberry Apple Pie crust.

7. Roll remaining dough disk to about 1/4" thickness and cut dough into 9 one-inch-wide strips (you can make wider or thinner strips if you'd like). Arrange strips in a lattice design over filling and gently press ends of strips into bottom crust; crimp the edge of crust.

8. Brush lattice with reserved egg and place pie on a baking sheet.

9. Bake at 400 degrees on a lower oven rack for 45-50 minutes. Make sure the pie is covered in foil to prevent burning.

10. Uncover the pie and bake for 25 more minutes or until the juice are thick and bubble. Cool on a wire-rack for 2 hours before digging into your delicious and beautiful Blackberry Apple Pie! :)

Cream Puffs with Chocolate Ganache

2011-11-21T13:52:00.000-08:00

My grandmother (the Dane) makes the BEST Cream Puffs. Its her go-to dessert, along with meringue kisses.

I've always loved cream puffs because of their simplicity and their light flavor & texture.

You can eat 10 and not feel guilty.
Well, maybe you'll feel a little guilty... but mainly because of my addition of the chocolate ganache.
These Cream Puffs with Chocolate Ganache are not only pretty to look at, they are impressive to everyone to serve them to because they look like you just snatched them out of LaDuree (post about LaDuree to come next week).

Enough said.
MAKE THESE.

Cream Puffs with Chocolate Ganache
(makes 20 cream puffs)
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup boiling water
1 cup pre-sifted all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 unbeaten eggs

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat over to 375.
2. Combine butter and water in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Add flour and salt and beat vigorously (I mean that!) until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. At that point, remove the pan from heat and cool slightly.
3. Add eggs one at a time and beat until smooth after adding each egg. Beat mixture until glossy.
4. Drop batter (or pipe) from a spoon onto a greased baking sheet, each one spaced at least 2" apart. (I like to use parchment paper instead).
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden and dry on the inside. Allow to cool completely.

Whipped Cream Filling
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
1. Beat all three ingredients together with a wire whisk or the whisk attachment on your stand mixer. Beat for 3-5 minutes or until soft peaks form that can hold their shape.
2. Use a pastry tip & piping bag to pipe about 2 Tablespoons (or more if your cream puffs are large) of whipping topping into each hollowed out pastry.

Chocolate Ganache
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chopped chocolate (I used semi-sweet, but dark would be awesome too!)
1 Tablespoon corn syrup
1/3 cup whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:
1. Melt together chocolate, corn syrup and whipping cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Use a large spoon to drizzle the warm chocolate over the tops of the cooled, stuffed Cream Puffs.
3. Serve with a cup of coffee or tea & eat up!

Creamy Pumpkin Ice Cream

2011-11-17T13:21:00.000-08:00

I turned to my tried-and-true Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Book to find a creamy pumpkin ice cream recipe. I did a little of my own embellishing by adding cloves, nutmeg and extra cinnamon to the recipe.
Since last Christmas (when I bought our ice cream maker for my then fiance, now hubby), we have probably used it at least 50 times.

Yes. We like ice cream a lot.

You could say we have a mild addiction to it.

Over these last 50 times I've wanted to perfect the consistency of the ice cream. To me that is the most important part, it MUST be creamy, rich and not ice-y whatsoever. I've come to the conclusion that you MUST use heavy cream and whole milk. Heavy cream and whipping cream create almost the same result, but its the milk that really changes the recipe.

Trust me, just don't use that skim, lowfat, 2% nonsense. If it tastes like water when you drink it, it'll make your ice cream taste the same way and will give it that yucky ice-y texture. Besides, if you are wanting to watch those extra calories, you probably shouldn't be eating ice cream in the first place! haha.

Creamy Pumpkin Ice Cream
(makes 1 large pint)
INGREDIENTS
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup unsweetened canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

DIRECTIONS:
1. Using a stand mixer or a hand held wire whisk, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, for 1-2 minutes.
2. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended.
3. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend.
4. Add pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves to the mixture all at once.
5. Mix for another 2-3 minutes, until all ingredients are incorporated into the cream mixture.
6. Transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions- I mixed mine for 23 minutes, then transferred to a tupperware and froze for another 2 hours before devouring.

Wholesome Sweeteners GIVEAWAY!

2011-11-14T15:29:00.000-08:00

This week I'm featuring this Wholesome Sweeteners gift basket, which the friendly people at Wholesome Sweeteners are offering to one of my lucky followers/readers.

Wholesome Sweeteners makes AMAZING, delicious, AND healthy, purely organic products. In a world that's consumed with additives and fillers, its nice to bake with products that I know will be good for the family and friends I share them with.
I personally love their honey & molasses, both are so fun to bake with because the flavor is so strong & pure!

To Enter:

Leave a comment saying what you plan on baking if you are the winner!
For an extra entry, post a link to this giveaway on Twitter or in your blog-post
For another extra entry follow me on Twitter!

Giveaway ends November 23rd. Be sure to get your friends in on this too-- maybe they'll share with you if they win! :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

2011-11-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

Yes people, you CAN make desserts that don't have pumpkin, cinnamon, spices, or apples in them. Its alright! Branch out!

This is what I keep telling myself on a daily basis. Why is it that some desserts just don't sound appetizing during the fall?
Example: Lemon anything.
However, Peanut Butter has that rich flavor that we are all searching for this time of year. These were delicious!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup oil (I use canola)

2 cups hot water

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ALL of the ingredients together in one bowl. Mix on Medium with a hand mixer or stand mixer for 3-5 minutes until all the ingredients are combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula half way through.

2. If you are making minis, bake for 11-13 minutes. For full size cupcakes bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.

3. Let them cool completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream, or as needed
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer or stand mixer. Be sure both are completely at room temperature or else your frosting won't be smooth!

2. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get nice and fluffy

3. Use a Wilton's decorating tip (I like the jumbo star tip one) and pipe frosting onto your cupcakes. Top with a piece of a Reese's or better yet, one of those new MINI Reese's (so cute.)!

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

2011-11-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a special post for my Wedding Desserts, why you ask? B/c they deserve it!!
Who baked all the items at our mini dessert bar? ME!
Thankfully, I only baked the cupcakes, mini cupcakes & the mini couple's cake.
My aunts, grandma & mother-in-law made the bars & cookies!
Everything was delicious!! (if I do say so myself!)

One of the mutual favorites?
COOKIES & CREAM CUPCAKES!

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS:
your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe (12 regular size, or 24 minis)
1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup Oreo crumbs
2 tsp. vanilla
5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2-4 TBSP. heavy cream
mini oreos

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cream softened butter for 2 minutes.
2. Use a food processor to crumble the Oreos. Mix 3/4 cup of Oreo crumbles into the butter.
3. Add vanilla, powdered sugar and heavy cream into the butter mixture.
4. Top the cooled chocolate cupcakes with Cookies & Cream frosting & a mini oreo!
5. Vwalaa!

What kind of desserts did you all have at your wedding? I'd love to hear!

Christa Kelso Wedding - aka Mini Baker Wedding!

2011-10-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

That's right folks. Mini Baker is now a married woman!
I got hitched October 8th in Carlsbad, California at Leo Carrillo Ranch.
The day was beautiful, sunny & so MAGICAL!

Our wedding was very unconventional and very personal to our style and likes.
For example, I (Mini Baker) made all the desserts for our wedding. Everyone thought I was crazy, but I wanted it to be exactly what we wanted, which was: a MINI dessert bar!

I made 19 dozen cupcakes which included regular & mini versions of Cookies & Cream Cupcakes, Red Velvet Cupcakes & Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream.
In addition to the cupcakes, I made our favorite Coconut Cream Cake with Mikey and I to cut (we had to have a little bit of tradition in there!)

We also had brownies, lemon bars, Finksbrod (a danish butter cookie, we had many Danish family at the wedding, so these were in honor of them), meringue kisses and chocolate souffle cookies.

People went CRAZY for all the desserts (literally pushing others out of the way to get to the table). I myself, think its so much fun to try a little taste of a bunch of different desserts rather than one big piece of cake. Everyone agreed. In fact, out of the 19 dozen cupcakes and 30 dozen bars & cookies there was only 1 dozen left.

(the only desserts left the next day)

People REALLY enjoyed themselves. haha

Our theme was rustic meets chic, lots of burlap, crisp whites, wood, eggplant purple accents & southern food & drinks!

In addition to the desserts, my mom & dad helped me bring my vision to life. My dad made all of the wood accents (wedding sign, Mr&Mrs. sign, table numbers, cake stands, C&M cake topper, and flower boxes). We decided on burlap runners and hand-made wood flower boxes full of not roses, but very country looking flowers, millet and succulents.

We even hung out RSVP picture postcards over the bar and the people who wrote cute comments had theirs facing out for others to read :)

The most talked about item of the wedding was our BBQ buffet. We had a caterer that BBQ'd ribs, tri-tip and chicken fresh on the site. There was a wafting smell of BBQ and smoke seeping through the pepper tree as the ceremony was happening.

Again, so magical! It was delicious, especially the mac&cheese and green beans&bacon that accompanied all that delicious meet!

Our Ceremony featured a string trio that played the Tennessee Waltz as the bridal party walked down the aisle, and Pachebel's Canon as I walked down with my father. Hearing our guests gasp as my dad and I walked out was something I thought only happened in movies. It was so magical to hear that sound. So magical in fact, that I started balling before we even starting walking down the aisle! haha

It was so magical to hear that sound. So magical in fact, that I started balling before we even starting walking down the aisle! haha

We also had bocce ball for the guests to play. My hubby and his boys played it before the ceremony :)

I wore my grandma's antique silver necklace, it was a surprise for her!

Sorry for all the photos! Its so hard to choose just 2 or 3 favorites!

All photos taken (and copyright) of andrewreilly.com
Desserts by: Minibaker.com
Day-of Coordination & Rentals: Allie's Rentals in San Diego
Wine from: Carruth Cellars in Solana Beach
All custom wood Wedding Aceents by: Kevindkelso.com

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

2011-09-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

Remember Hostess Donette's?

Those donuts will forever be a fond memory of mine. Once a week I would treat myself to the mini donuts and I loved every bite of them. Its amazing how much self control I had as a child & how little I have now. If I was still in school I'm sure I'd buy those on the daily.

I have a new goal. To re-create each flavor of the Hostess Donette's but in MUFFIN form. So, no deep fried goodness... but hopefully they will be just as fluffy and moist as the original, just a little more "healthy."

This week I conquered the Glazed Doughnut. The result was a tender, fluffy, nutmeg-y cake topped with the typical glazed-donut glaze. Perfection.

**All sugars used in this recipe were provided by Wholesome Sweeteners. They make amazing organic products. There's a very pure taste in the sugar that results in absolutely delicious baked goods!

Glazed Doughnut Muffins:
(makes 12 full size donuts, 30 minis)
INGREDIENTS:
For the Batter:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar**
1/3 cup brown sugar**
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 to 1 ¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste (I used ¾)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups cake flour
1 cup buttermilk
Powdered Sugar Glaze:
3 tablespoons butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted**
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.
3. Add the eggs, beating to combine.
4. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
5. Stir the cake flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
6. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.
7. Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.
8. In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.
9. When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my muffins three times :)
10. Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.
**Wholesome Sweeteners sugar
Recipe adapted from: King Arthur Flour & My Baking Addiction

Let your baked muffins cools slightly before making the magical part... the glaze!

Use your favorite powdered sugar to make the glaze. Mine happens to be Wholesome Sweeteners!

Dip the muffins into the glaze. Be sure to let the excess run off.

Once they are dry, re-dip one more time.

Or maybe two or three more times.... :)

Sprinkle with coarse sugar or cane sugar.

Enjoy!!

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-09-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

It's funny how fads come and go. Bell-bottom jeans were popular when my mom was a teenager, now they are coming full circle and back on the runway.
Side-ponies were popular when I was seven, then SERIOUSLY uncool when I was in high school. Now the curly side-pony is all the rage.

I've realized food goes in fads too. Example: NUTELLA!

My mom says she used to eat Nutella on her waffles when she was a young girl. I had Nutella in pretty much every pastry/waffle/crepe in Italy when I lived there 5 years ago. And BAM! Now it's in America and is all the rage.
It has me thinking... what will America snatch up next? What will be the next "bell-bottom jeans" of food?
All that being said. I'm right on the Nutella band-wagon.
These cookies prove that I am...

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
(makes 2 dozen cookies)

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. of salt
8 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temp.
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup Nutella
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.
2. Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in Nutella and vanilla extract. Mix in egg.
3. Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add chocolate chips & nuts (optional).
4. Chill for at least 1 hour.
5. Drop tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets (I didn't have parchment so I lightly sprayed my baking sheets, it worked just fine!)
5. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes until the edges look set. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake - Sweet Story #3

2011-08-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

I don't know any girl that wouldn't jump at the chance to get her hair and make-up done. Its the best feeling to be all done up and sexy!

We have the privilege of knowing Christina Cessna & Jo Baker. Christina is a hair stylist at Bungalow Salon and has been doing my hair for a few years now (no this blond hair is not natural, unfortunately). And Jo Baker is a make-up artist from Britain. Both ladies are so amazing at what they do, and are truly the best at their craft.
We decided to switch up the format of the new Mini Baker "Sweet Stories" to be a little bit more vintage, sexy and artsy. Hope you like what you see! Please share with your friends!

Pound Cake
INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tsp. lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.

3. Add eggs, beating well.

4. Add the flour in slowly, mix well. Be sure to scrape down the sides!

5. Add vanilla extract and lemon zest to the mixture, mix well.

6. Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan (or tube pan).

7. Bake at 325 for 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

8. Wait 1 hour before inverting your pound cake and serving. Serve with your favorite berries and fresh whipped cream!

Congrats to PINK LITTLE CAKE... you've won the Erin Baker's Giveaway!

TWIX Cupcakes

2011-08-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

aka Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Salted Caramel Frosting & Ganache!

A while back, the Mr.-to-be and I visited my bestie in San Francisco. There is an amazing little ice-cream shop called Bi-Rite in the Mission District. I love the Mission. Lots of people watching, eclectic shops, farmer's markets, dogs, beautiful parks and delicious eateries (such as Bi-Rite). I opted for the delicious Salted Caramel Icecream. Every since I ate this I've been craving that same saltiness from my baked goods.

I received a large package from King Arthur Flour full of gluten-free muffin mixes, gluten-free cake mixes, cake enhancer (this stuff is a dream!!) and juice powders.
I'm usually prefer to make all of my cakes/cupcakes from scratch, but King Arthur's products are so great and I told their rep I'd love to try their gluten-free cake mix to see how it compares to my chocolate cake recipes.
Wowza was it delicious. Moist, fluffy and no at all what you would associate with the daunting words "gluten-free". If I'm ever opting for a fast chocolate cake from the box, I will definitely reach for this one!

SO.... I decided to use the Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix and make my own spin on a "Twix Cupcake". The salted caramel frosting adds just the right amount of savory to balance out the sweetness of the chocolate cake. And well, the ganache and Twix are just for fun. Cupcakes and fashion are so much alike- the more layers, the better.
Enjoy!

TWIX CUPCAKES:
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake:
INGREDIENTS:
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix from King Arthur Flour
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil
1 1/3 cup water
2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix all ingredients together on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Be sure to scrape down those sides!
2. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 way full and bake for 17-19 minutes at 350 or until the centers are set.

Salted Caramel Frosting:
INGREDIENTS:
2 sticks of room-temp salted butter
5 cups of powdered sugar (sifted)
1/2 tsp. of fine salt
3-5 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup caramel syrup topping (any kind that you'd use for ice cream will do!)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Beat the butter on medium speed until it is nice and fluffy.
2. Beat in the powdered sugar, salt, heavy whipping cream and caramel syrup. Add more syrup if you like it extra-caramely (who doesn't?)
3. Step aside and wait til the cupcakes are completely cool to frost with the Caramel Frosting.

Chocolate Ganache:
INGREDIENTS:
9 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup of heavy cream
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small pan, heat the cream over medium heat until it reaches a simmer.
2. Remove the cream from the heat and add the semi-sweet chocolate and corn syrup.
3. Whisk until smooth.
4. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes until it is completely cooled. (I was so anxious to eat these I stuck it in the freezer for 20 minutes and it worked out perfectly).
5. After topping the cupcakes with Caramel Frosting, top each cupcake with a large spoonful of chilled ganache. Optional: add 1/2 a twix to add that extra YUM!

Erin Baker's Review & Giveaway!!

2011-08-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

The wonderful people at Erin Baker's Wholesome Baked Goods sent me a delicious package full of Breakfast Cookies, Brownie Bites & Granola.

I was pleasantly surprised by the taste AND the nutrition facts. So often healthy baked goods taste like cardboard... but Erin Baker's are so flavorful and have great texture!
My personal favorite were the brownie bites- a chewy, cookie-like texture with mini chocolate chips and a light mint flavor. And at less than 100 calories a piece- you can't beat that!

The breakfast cookies had great texture and were very hearty. They kept me full for hours! And for a dessert lover like me, it was great to know that I could eat cookies for breakfast and still feel healthy and satisfied!

The WINNER of the Giveaway will receive a package full of Breakfast Cookies, Granola and Brownie Bits!
TO ENTER:
(each one you do counts as an extra entry!)

1. Check out Erin Baker's website at www.erinbakers.com and leave a comment saying what you'd most like to try.
2. Follow me on Twitter & TWEET about this giveaway! @MiniBaker
3. Follow Erin Baker on Twitter! @ErinBakers

Giveaway open to U.S. Residents only! Contest will end Wednesday August 17th!
Tell you friends... this is one you won't want to miss!!

White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

2011-08-02T16:47:00.001-07:00

Does anyone else love 99 Cent stores as much as I do? There are a few that are pretty grungy that I refuse to shop in... but then there's the Newport Beach 99 Cent store... *heaven*. Because what can be run down and gross in Newport Beach? Nothing.

I love 99 cent stores because of all the baking aisle steals! They always have honey, pure maple syrup, obscure candies, cookies and chocolate chips. Last time I went I bought two containers of THESE . I've bought them before at the market and they were over $4, so at 99 cents I had a mini freakout in the aisle (my fiance is always a little scared at how I get over a good deal).

My amazing deal inspired these White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes. And they were delicious. Just the right amount of white chocolate to bring out extra sweetness in the frosting and cake.

Enjoy!

(hey Cupcake... nice profile!)

White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

(makes 24 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 large egg whites
3/4 cup Nestle Mini White Chocolate morsels (or other white chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix butter and sugar together with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract.

2. 2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. 3. Whisk together the milk, oil and egg whites in a medium bowl. Alternately add the milk mixture and the flour mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition, and ending with the flour. Stir in the white chocolate morsels. Fill the cupcake liners ½ - ¾ way full.

4. 4. Bake for 15-19 minutes, or until the cupcakes are well risen and a toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean. Cool in pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks butter, 1 cup, room temperature

½ cup shortening

½ cup strawberry preserves

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of raspberry extract (optional)

6 cups powdered sugar

4 TBSP. Heavy Cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add extracts and strawberry preserves and combine well.

2. Add in all 6 cups of sugar, mixing thoroughly. Add 2-4 Tablespoons of heavy cream to soften the frosting.

3. Put frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a large circle tip, and pipe frosting onto the cooled cupcake. Add more white chocolate morsels to garnish.

Fresh Strawberry Margaritas

2011-07-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

Cocktails are a hard thing to perfect.

You want them to be strong, but not so strong that every sip is painful.

You also want them to be fruity and sweet, but not sweet like a jolly rancher. (I've actually had a drink called the jolly rancher- gag me!)

My fiance said these Strawberry Margs were too sweet for him, but that's coming from the man who will only drink Maker's & Coke or Guinness. (this is the same man who can eat 5 cupcakes in one sitting- go figure!).

Anywho, these are great. The Grand Marnier adds some sweetness to the tequila and fresh lime juice. And then there's the strawberry simple syrup which takes these to the next level.

Conclusion, make these for your girlfriends, not for your man. They are sure to give you a sugar high and alcohol buzz. Yep!
Thank you to How Sweet It Is for this AMAZING recipe!

Fresh Strawberry Margaritas
makes 2-4 margaritas (depending on if you want a kids cup or kings cup)
4 ounces Grand Marnier
3 ounces Tequila
4 ounces lime juice
5 ounces strawberry simple syrup (recipe below)
lime+ fresh strawberries for garnishing
salt + sugar for the rim

DIRECTIONS:
1. Rim the ridge of your glass with a lime wedge and dip in the mix of margarita salt + sugar. Fill the glass with ice.
2. In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila, grand marnier, simple syrup and lime juice with ice, and shake for about 30 seconds.
3. Pour over ice and squeeze in lime slices and add 1/2 a strawberry for garnish.
4. Stick a straw in there too, somehow it makes the cocktail even more delicious!
Strawberry Simple Syrup:
1. Combine equal parts sugar and water, bring to a boil and let sugar dissolve, then turn off heat and let cool completely. Combine 1 cup simple syrup + 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries in a blender and blend until combined.

Quick Sticky Biscuits

2011-07-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna start off with a close-up, beauty shot of these babies.

Look at that ooey-gooey mess! THAT is what every breakfast, every morning should look like (followed by 2 hours of cardio).
I got this cookbook, "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" by Jill O'Connor as a gift.

I've only tried a few recipes from this cookbook, and a couple of them I didn't really care for .... but these Sticky Biscuits were delightful!
I did make a few changes to the recipe to make the biscuits extra light and fluffy. So below is my adapted recipe.
ENJOY!

Quick Sticky Biscuits
(makes 12 big biscuits)
INGREDIENTS:
Sticky Pecan/Walnut Sauce:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (I used walnuts, but will definitely use pecans next time to sweeten the biscuits even more).

Biscuits:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups cake flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into 32 small pieces
1 1/2 to 2 cups cold buttermilk

Cinnamon Topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat over to 425 degrees. Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan with softened buter or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. To make the sauce: Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup and butter. Melt over low heat and gradually bring to a gentle boil for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the chopped nuts. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Set aside.

3. To make the biscuits: In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or food processor. Blend until most of the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

4. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Gentle mix until the buttermilk is incorporated. Do not over mix! Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Pat the dough into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle. Use a sharp knife to cut into 12 square biscuits (I like circles, so I used a small bowl to cut mine into circles).

5. To make the topping: In a small bowl stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place the biscuits, cinnamon side down into the pecan syrup-lined pan. Brush the tops (once the bottoms) of the biscuits with more melted butter and top with the rest of the cinnamon-sugar.

6. Bake the biscuits until golden brown and puffy, for 15-17 minutes. Cool slightly, then place a large serving platter over the top of the pan and invert it. Remove the pan and allow the pecan sauce to fall around the biscuits. Serve immediately! (If you are making these ahead, keep in a sealed tight container and microwave for 30 seconds before serving.)

Oreo Mint Ice Cream

2011-07-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

When I think of the perfect refreshing dessert for summer, I instantly think of MINT ICE CREAM. My dad's favorite ice cream has always been "Mint-N-Chip" from Rite Aid (aka Thrifty's). Those of you have never experienced Thrifty's ice cream, I'm sorry... you are truly missing out! Its so delicious and so inexpensive.
I recently found 5 gallon buckets of Thrifty's ice cream at my local Restaurant Depot. Um, HEAVEN! Because of this find my fiance and I are seriously looking into an extra large ice-cream/meat cooler.
Needless to say, we LOVE ice cream.
Because of this fascination with mint, and my fiancé's fascination with Cookies & Cream ice cream, I decided to combine the two and make: Oreo Mint Ice Cream. It turned out AMAZING!

Oreo Mint Ice Cream:
(makes 1 quart)
INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup coarsely chopped Oreo cookies
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the cookies in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
2. Using your stand up mixer, with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar and continue to whisk for 1 more minute. Pour the cream and milk and whisk to blend. Add the peppermint and vanilla extracts and blend them into the cream mixture.
3. Transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions. (If you have a Cuisinart ice-cream maker, I freeze in the mixture for 23 minutes).
4. After the ice cream stiffens, add the chopped cookies, then continue freezing for 3 more minutes.
5. Remove the ice cream from your mixer and freeze in your freezer for an additional 2 hours to harden the ice cream completely.
6. DEVOUR!

Homemade Samoa Bars

2011-06-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

One of my life goals is to make the home-made version of EVERY Girl Scout Cookie. This week: the every so carmely-chocolately-shortbready-coconuty-chewy SAMOA also known as the Caramel Delite (in the 90s, when I was a girl scout).

Initially I thought this recipe would be very time-consuming, but it wasn't whatsoever. The thing that makes this recipe so easy is the fact that they are bars vs. circular/cut out cookies.
Try these, whoever you are baking these for will LOVE them!

Homemade Samoa Bars
Cookie Base:
INGREDIENTS:1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-oz good-quality chewy caramels

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp milk

10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

2. Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
3. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
4. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
5. Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
6. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

*if I were to make these again I would use a third less of the shortbread base. It was a little thick for my liking, and took away from the chewy topping

-Recipe adapted from BakingBites

French Breakfast Puffs

2011-06-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

I literally made these for breakfast 30 minutes ago. I was SO impressed and excited by the results that I had to share the recipe with you all as soon as possible!

My fiance described these as "bundles of pure lust". I think that's all that needs to be said.
...But for all of you who want more of a description before devoting the next hour to these little babies, they are mini buttermilk muffins with a touch of nutmeg that are dipped in butter and then rolled in LOTS of cinnamon-sugar.
I changed up the original recipe by using cake flour instead of AP flour and buttermilk instead of whole milk. These changes made the muffins so light and fluffy.

French Breakfast Puffs

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsps. cinnamon
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a mini muffin tin (this recipe will make 18-20 mini muffins).
2. In a large bowl stir together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a different bowl, cream together 1/2 cup sugar and shortening. Add the egg and mix well. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately. Make sure not to over-beat the mixture.
4. Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full.
5. Baker in preheated oven for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.
6. In a bowl, melt the stick of butter. In a separate bowl combine the 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Dip the baked warm muffins in butter, coating thoroughly on each side, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
7. These are melt-in-your mouth delicious, especially when warm, so gobble them up once your done coating in the cinnamon-sugar!
(recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman)

They make me feel like I'm sitting at a small Parisian cafe with a Cappuccino in one hand and a French Breakfast Puff in the other. (eventhough I haven't been to Paris yet :) )

"A Sweet Story"- Video 2: Apple Pie!!

2011-05-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

For the second video of the "Sweet Story" Series, we decided to do

MINI Apple Pies! These are not only adorable, they are super simple and really fun to make.

Enjoy the video! (Below are the ingredients & step-by-step directions to my Apple Pie recipe.)

Special thanks to my fiance, Michel Sandy, for shooting and editing such beautiful pieces of work!

Applie Pie - Mini Baker from Mini Baker on Vimeo.

Mini Apple Pies:

(makes 8-10 mini pies, depending on size)

Crust:

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. fine salt

2 TBSP. granulated white sugar

1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold

12 TBSP. butter, cold and cubed

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ice cold water

Directions:

1. In your food processor blend together the flour, salt and sugar.

2. Add the shortening and cold butter cubes. Pulse the mixture for about 30 seconds. Work it quickly, so the butter doesn't get too soft. The mixture will become crumbly, like very coarse cornmeal.

4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

5. On a floured surface roll each disk into 3-4" rounds (depending on the size of your pie tins). Put the bottom pie crusts in each of your pie tins and set aside.

Filling:

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 TBSP. all-purpose flour

1/4 cup

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 TBSP. cornstarch (this helps to bind all of the ingredients, so your pie isn't runny inside)

8 or more apples (any variety)- peeled, cored and diced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degreed F.

2. Peel, core and dice your apples. Pack them into your unbaked pie crusts, so they are slightly mounded, and set aside.

3. Next, melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour, water, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

4. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off. Divide evenly amongst the mini pies.

5. Make cut outs in left over crust circles (so that your pies can breathe while baking).

6. Top each pie with a crust and brush with an egg wash.

7. Bake 15 mintues in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for 35-45 minutes, until the apples are soft.

8. Let them cool for at least 15 minutes before you dig in!

*(I use mini pie tins from AGIANT Packaging)

(This recipe has been adapted from AllRecipes)