Other Baked Goodies

Oreo Peanut Butter Mini Pies

July 17, 2011 by Jenn

In the last couple of weeks, I have made over 700 cupcakes. Jebus. That is A LOT of cupcakes when I take a moment to think about it. To add to that, I have probably made about 10 cakes, 2 of which were HUGE wedding cakes!

But, there comes a time when it is so much fun to make something new! When I saw this post on ….. I knew that I had to make them for the upcoming market. Adding them my arsenal of cupcakes, cakes and cookies at the farmers market proved to be successful!

I have never actually worked with pie dough before, and I realize know that I have enter a whole new realm of the baking world. It’s not so simple as throwing together some cake batter in my KitchenAid Mixer! Due to my time constraint, rookie status, I opted for a pre-made pie dough . . . *GASP* . . . I know, I know, but since then I have tracked down a recipe that I will try for upcoming pie postings. Everyone can let out their collective sighs of relieve . . . now. Phewf.

This recipe is not my genius . . . though I am thinking of a variation of it . . . can that be called “mine”? It comes from one of the websites that I frequent for new and awesome ideas. The combination of Oreo, Peanut Butter and Pie Crust, is simple, amazing . . . and definitely requires a cold glass of milk near by!

I have no idea where Jenny of Picky Palate gets her amazingly simple ideas from, but she is brilliant in my eyes. She is the one who created the Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip cookie that has become a blogosphere sensation!

Oreo Peanut Butter Mini Pies

From Picky Palate

You are going to need:

Two refrigerated 9 inch pie crusts (If you cheated like me, or your own tried and true recipe)

20 Oreo Cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray 10 muffin cups with Pam, or non stick cooking spray.

2. Unroll pie crusts and cut out eight 4-inch rounds (I used 3 7/8 pastry round cutter and managed to get 10 pies). Press into prepared muffin pan.

3. Spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter over each cookie then stack 2 cookies on top of each other.

Place 2 stacked cookies into pie crusts.

With remaining pie dough, cut long thin strips to prepare lattice top. Follow Jenny’s photos on her post to make lattice tops as her pictures tell the story!

4. Brush melted butter over tops then sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake for 22-26 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool then remove from pan.

Makes 10 pies.

I mean it when I say have a cup of milk near by. Your tongue is likely to be stuck to the roof of your mouth! Enjoy.

Filed Under: Other Baked Goodies Tagged With: oreos, peanut butter, pie

More Rhubarb Bread

June 16, 2011 by Jenn

Have I mentioned that I love rhubarb?

Last week, I told you about the Rhubarb Chocolate Chip Banana Bread that I made last week. Today, I’m going to tell you about the second loaf of Rhubarb bread that I made!

I found this Rhubarb Apple Bread recipe from Girl Versus Dough and I knew that I had to bookmark it AND make it!

It is definitely worth a look. I think that I found what I was looking for with this bread recipe. I made some alterations to make it a bit healthier, and it was delicious! The Rhubarb Chocolate Chip Banana Bread was great, but I think the chocolate chips sent it over the edge and into dessert bread category . . . it was almost like a coffee cake.

I’m still working on the second loaf . . . I ate one loaf right away, and froze the second one. It stood up quite well in the freezer, and it still delicious two days after I took it out.

You can check it out for yourself and go on over to her site. Let me know what you think. BUT come back to me. Here. I love you.

Filed Under: Other Baked Goodies Tagged With: apples, bread, rhubarb apple bread, rhubarb bread

Banana Rhubarb Chocolate Chip Bread

June 7, 2011 by Jenn

It’s officially spring when the rhubarb is ready! I know that I keep posting about spring, but for goodness sake it has taken us so long to GET spring. I think I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that is finally nice out. PLEASE DON’T LET ME JUST HAVE JINXED IT!

Not that I believe in that or anything.

Rhubarb Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
From: delishhh.com

2 cups rhubarb chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cups sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt
8 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Position the oven rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, stir together the rhubarb with 1/2 cup of sugar. . . oh boy, does the rhubarb need this sugar! Set aside while you prepare the bread batter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt, until fluffy and well-combined.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed until light and creamy, about 8 minutes.

On medium speed, with your electric mixer, beat in the eggs on at a time, using a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl between additions. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions.

Add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture in two parts, and, with the mixer on low speed, stir just until just combined. Gently fold in the rhubarb and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Scoop the batter out into the baking pan (make sure you used the proper size pan, NOT an 8×4 . . . it’s a large recipe, and I made this mistake!) and smooth out the top. Bake around 1 hour and 20 minutes and the top of the bread is a deep golden brown, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Allow the bread to cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before running a knife around the perimeter of the bread to unstick it from the loaf pan. For best results, allow to cool overnight (or for the rest of the day) upside down, uncovered.

Truth be told, I really didn’t like the chocolate chips in this bread! I know, you’re shocked, so am I! What chocolate loving woman wouldn’t want chocolate chips in banana bread?? Next time (which there definitely will be), I think I will make it without the chocolate.

It must be some sort of spring fever I’m suffering from.

Whatever it is, I hope it comes back. Try it yourself . . . with chocolate chips . . . without . . . let me know what YOU think.

Filed Under: Other Baked Goodies Tagged With: banana bread, bread, rhubarb, rhubarb bread

How to Make Cake Pops

May 25, 2011 by Jenn

Obviously you have heard of Cake Pops. If you haven’t, welcome back to the world. How was it under that rock?

In case you are covered in detritus from your long winter spent buried in the woods, a cake pop is basically this: cake, rolled in a ball, stuck on a stick and dipped in chocolate.

Sounds easy, right?

Well, lets get started.

I apologize, right off the bat, for the poor quality of the pictures! I’m not sure what happened. I’ll blame the camera. Or the tripod. But, not me of course. The step by step pics are fine . . . because they were taken by Paul, but the ones in the light hood are almost not worth showing you! **embarrassed**

One more thing . . . did you know there is a Food on a Stick Day? Random. It was a couple of weeks ago, and I meant to post this article for that, but you know, time got away from me. That, and, I didn’t see “Food on a Stick Day” on my Runner’s World Calendar.

NOW, let’s get started. I’m finished rambling. For now.

HOW TO MAKE CAKE POPS

First you need to bake a cake. Any cake will do. Once you have let it cool, add about 1/2 cup of icing to it and mix, mix, mix! Get your hands in there, and get dirty!

Using a cookie scoop, roll equal amounts of dough into round balls.

Melt your chocolate in a microwavable bowl . . . for one cake, you will need at least 2 cups of chocolate chips (or melting wafers). Using lolipop sticks, dip the top into the melted chocolate, and then immediately into the cake pop.

Repeat until all of your balls become pops!

At this points, I find it best to put all of the pops into the freezer to solidify. This helps keep the cake together when you start to dip and roll them in the melted chocolate.

When they have been in the freezer for about 20 minutes, you need to work quickly, and start rolling!

Make sure that you cover all of the cake pop!

There’s no such thing as too much chocolate, right?

I find it best to allow my cake pops to solidify by sticking them into a piece of heavy duty styrofoam. This way, any drips that might happen follow gravity, and don’t end up making your perfectly round ball into something else!

Perfection!

Decorate however you see fit, and enjoy 🙂

I decorated these ones for a local flower store that deserved a special treat! The flowers are made out of marbled gum paste and fondant.

We were also trying out the Cricut Cake for on these! The butterfly’s and the flower in the middle of the picture (above) and to the right of the pic are with the Cricut Cake.

Maybe next year I’ll be able to celebrate Food on a Stick Day! I better go write that down.

Filed Under: Cakes, Other Baked Goodies Tagged With: cake, cake pops, chocolate cake, how to decorate cake pops, tutorial

Peanut Butter and Jam Blondies

May 14, 2011 by Jenn

I am a traditionalist. I like stuff the way it’s supposed to be. My way.

I know that I like what I like, and if you try to get me to try something a different way, you are likely going to fail. BUT, I’m not saying I’m completely inflexible . . . I’m also not saying I’m easy going . . . because I can be, if it’s MY idea.

Don’t I sound like a barrel of laughs? To know me is to love me. I hope.

I have come by my personality traits genetically . . . and no matter how many times I try to get my dad to try a new creation of mine, “You know I don’t like desserts. I don’t have a sweet tooth” blah, blah, blah . . . is all I hear. I make him the same treat each year for Father’s Day, his birthday and for Christmas. You would think he would get bored, but nope! He LOVES PB & J! He loves it so much that I named one of my cupcakes after him, “The Classic.” ‘Cuz . . . PB & J is nothing but classic!

Last week, he (randomly) decided that he needed to have a coffee break snack for him and his retired friends to enjoy after volunteering one day, so immediately these PB & J Blondies came to mind. I had seen them a couple days prior on another blog (click here) and immediately thought of my dad, bookmarked them, and knew the recipe would come in handy one day soon!

Here is a photo montage . . . and if you can’t figure out the recipe from the pics . . . keep scrolling! It’s down there!

Peanut Butter and Jam Blondies

(click here for original recipe)

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 kosher salt (I used regular)

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 1/2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter (I used crunchy)

2 Tablespoons jam (I used Raspberry, low sugar)

Recipe

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment (a handheld mixer works fine), mix together the melted unsalted butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Once it’s combined, add in the egg and mix.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until almost combined. Take a spatula and fold the ingredients together.
Spread the batter out into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch baking pan.
Place 1/2 Tablespoons of peanut butter and 1/2 Tablespoons of jam on top of the blondes. Starting with the first row down, place peanut butter first, then jam and finally peanut butter. Repeat until you have three rows.
Take a knife and swirl the peanut butter and jam throughout the blondie batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack and then cut into pieces.

Filed Under: Other Baked Goodies Tagged With: blondies, peanut butter, peanut butter and jam, peanut butter and jam blondies

St Patrick’s Day Cake

March 25, 2011 by Jenn

Yes, this post is slightly behind in timing, but, hey, look at the bright side, and it’s 355 days EARLY!

This year, I made my first St Patrick’s Day cake! Keeping with the Irish in me, I created an Irish Car Bomb Cake . . . an exact duplicate of my Irish Car Bomb cupcake, but in GIANT form!

I can honestly say I have never had an Irish Car Bomb . . . the thought of one makes me want to vomit. Curdling cream?? SICK! But, throw some sugar and flour into the mix and you get a delicious cake creation.

For the cake, I made two Guinness Chocolate 6″ rounds, filled between them with Whiskey Ganache, and covered the whole thing with Bailey’s buttercream. Mmmmmm.

Having made this cake so many times, I am absolutely starting to love the smell of Guinness. It brings me back to the time my family and I went to Dublin, and toured the Guinness Brewery! At 10:00 in the morning, when our tour was over, we all got a fresh, free, Guinness! It was my first Guinness that I had ever had . . . and it was my last!

Filed Under: Cakes, Holiday Baking

St Patrick’s Day Cupcakes and Cake

March 17, 2011 by Jenn

I love holidays! It’s a good thing that I’m a Kindergarten teacher, because we celebrate every holiday that we possibly can! Except right now . . . I’m on Spring Break. I’m not complaining (I LOVE my breaks . . . baking everyday!), I’m just simply saying, “Sorry world, instead of celebrating with 22, five year olds, I have to send my happy holiday baking creations out to everyone!!”

As it turns out, it’s a good thing that I’m a cupcake baker too, as I can celebrate every possible holiday as a baker too!

I’ve been working on a new flavour over the last couple of weeks . . . Salted Caramel! It’s a vanilla cupcake base, filled with dulce de leche, and topped with caramel buttercream and pink himalayan salt.

It. Is. So. Good. I can’t express that enough.

When I first tasted the icing with the salt on top . . . oh god, it was ‘O’ worthy (if you know what I mean!)

For St Patricks Day, I’m calling these “Pot o’ Gold”. They are definitely what I would want to find at the end of a rainbow!

I have also spent the last couple of months perfecting a fan favourite . . . the Irish Car Bomb cupcake!

I’m not a Guinness, or a Whiskey fan and this cupcake has both in it, but upon first bite, I knew it would be with me forever.

In case you missed my first post back in November 2010, the Irish Car Bomb is a Chocolate Guinness cake, filled with Whiskey Ganache, and topped with Bailey’s Buttercream! YUM!

Here it is dressed up for it’s Nation’s special day 🙂 March 17, 2011.

To finish up my St Patricks Day celebrating, I made a special order holiday cake!

You guessed it, fan favourite Irish Car Bomb is the cake inside!

Filed Under: Cupcakes, Holiday Baking

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

February 8, 2011 by Jenn

Looking for an easy snack that looks like you spent hours making? Look no further than this crave-satisfying treat.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

That’s right. Peanut butter and chocolate!

Seems to me that the PB & C combo is quite common around this blog.

That’s because it’s DELICIOUS! I might even love it so much to say that it is the best flavour combo out there! There, I said it. It is! I cannot resist this combo if it is within 10 feet of my taste buds. It’s a real talent I have! I’m like a bloodhound, sniffing out whatever a bloodhound sniffs out. Perhaps, that wasn’t the best analogy I could have chosen.

This recipe has been floating around the blog world for a couple of months, and when I was in a pinch looking to whip up a homemade snack for a party I was hosting, I remembered seeing these! I’m sure glad my notoriously horrible memory decided to kick in for this treat! The sprinkles only add to the cuteness factor here. Sprinkles are where it’s at people.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

(adapted from all the bloggers who have also written this recipe!)

Ingredients:

1 box of Ritz Crackers

1 package of dark chocolate chips (melted)

1 cup of smooth peanut butter.

Directions:

1. Spread a small amount of peanut butter in between two Ritz crackers. The box of crackers makes about 30 sandwiches.

2. Melt the chocolate however you please…I used the microwave on 50% power for a total of 8 minutes, one minute at a time.

3. Dip the sandwiches one at a time, and add sprinkles if desired.

4. Enjoy! Try to resist these babies . . . I dare ya!

What is your favourite, irresistible flavour combo?

Filed Under: Other Baked Goodies Tagged With: chocolate, chocolate covered crackers, peanut butter

Oreo Peanut Butter Mini Pies

More Rhubarb Bread

Banana Rhubarb Chocolate Chip Bread

How to Make Cake Pops

Peanut Butter and Jam Blondies

St Patrick’s Day Cake

St Patrick’s Day Cupcakes and Cake

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

Happiness is Homemade

Join Me On:

Subscribe

Site Stuff

Happiness is Homemade

Join Me On:

Subscribe

Tags

Site Stuff