CAMERA’S BROKEN :<

My FAVORITE Brownie recipe, the only difficulty is finding Andes Baking Chips. If you can’t, try chocolate chips but add a little bit of mint extract to your batter. I recommend you serve it with vanilla or mint ice cream! A lovely Holiday treat!

Ingredients:

Brownies

• 3/4 cup butter
• 4 0z unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• 1 bag (10 oz) Andes mint baking chips.

Hot Fudge Sauce

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp butter

Directions:

Brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch baking pan with foil, letting foil extend above pan at opposite sides. Coat foil in non stick spray.

Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan  or in a bowl in microwave. Remove from heat, whisk in sugar then eggs, one at a time. Make sure your mixture is cooled enough OR temper your eggs with a tiny bit of the hot mixture to prevent them from cooking when mixed in. Stir in flour, walnuts, and 1 1/2 cups mint chips.

spread evenly in pan, sprinkle remaining chips on top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs  attached. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Sauce: Mix cocoa and sugar  in a 2 quart saucepan. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil over medium heat, reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute while stirring with whisk. Let cool until warm.

Using the foil ends, lift the brownies to a cutting board, cut into 16 squares, top brownie with ice cream and syrup for a brownie sundae!

Comments:

This is my favorite brownie recipe… it really wows everyone. The sundae method is a great approach, but if you just want brownie, I’ll admit that’s what I normally make

Finished, beautiful product <3

I definitely considered naming this “The Anti-Chocoholic Cupcake” but I decided that my first rendition was simply TOO INTENSE for most people, and with a different chocolate (milk or semi sweet) it wouldn’t be so scary, haha. The recipe calls for semi-sweet: I used normal dark chocolate and got an intensely dark chocolate cupcake. I only recommend this if you love dark chocolate (my family does). Use semi-sweet otherwise, or possibly milk. This recipe makes about 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 3 1/2 Tbsp soft margarine
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Notes: Use the margarine. If you must use butter, melt it. Or make sure it is very very soft first.

Frosting

• 4 oz. semisweet chocolate (dark chocolate if you want a very dark cupcake)
• 2 Tbsp superfine sugar
• 2/3 cup sour cream

Notes: make sure you taste before you finish if you are using dark chocolate, I added some more sugar and sour cream to lighten it.

Directions:

Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine margarine, sugar, eggs, flour, baking soda, and cocoa in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until just smooth. Using a metal spoon, fold in sour cream.

Line cupcake tins, this recipe yields about 12 cupcakes. Spoon batter into tins, up to 3/4 full depending on how big you want your cupcakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until well risen and firm to the touch. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

These were for my brother's birthday. Do not ask.

Frosting: Break chocolate into chunks in a heatproof bowl (glass or ceramic). Set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and heat until melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then whisk in sugar and sour cream until just combined. Make sure your cupcakes are cool before frosting.

For a beautiful toppin, save some choclate and shave it into curls using a potato peeler. Sprinkle the curls on top, or if you have finer, smaller pieces you can lightly press the top of the frosted cupcake into a small bowl of shavings (I did both).

Comments:

This is a very rich and EASY recipe!  It looks and tastes delicious but there really isn’t too much labor involved. Very impressive cupcake. My version used all dark chocolate, just the kind you buy bars of in the store, and it was very very dark. My dad, who loves dark chocolate, loved it. You could also use other frosting recipes ( I bet  the orange one would be great) on it. The shaved chocolate is a really lovely touch.

You want to make these. You want to make them soooo baaaaaad.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (24oz) mashed sweet potatoes OR homemade ones (recipe follows)
• 4 oz Neufchâtel cream cheese (1/2 package)
• 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning (or chili powder, or a few dashes red pepper)
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 can (10 oz) green enchilada sauce
• 1 cup shredded mexican cheese blend (or whatever cheese, I used Colby)
• Oil for greasing and frying.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13×9 inch baking dish with 1 teaspoon oil. In a medium bowl, mix together sweet potatoes, cream cheese, and seasoning (either taco seasoning, or if you don’t have that, try a few dashes of crushed red pepper or red pepper flakes, taste it! Do not over season!). Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium or large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas one at a time, about 20 seconds per side, adding more oil as the pan gets dry, moving tortillas to a paper towel to drain.

If you don’t want to heat a skillet, try this enchilada prep technique: line a microwave safe plate with a paper towel. Lightly spray both sides of a tortilla with non-stick cooking spray, set down. Then, spray ONE SIDE only of each following tortilla (so that each side will be in contact with the spray, but no need to over due it) and stack on top of each other. Loosely wrap the stack with paper towel, and microwave 30 seconds or until tortillas are soft and pliable (but not too hot).

Spread about 1/3 cup of filling down the middle of each tortilla (I rested each tortilla on top of a folded paper towel in my hand as i filled them, as some were still hot and this soaked up more oil). Fold sides over and place seam-side down in greased pan. Top with enchilada sauce and grated cheese. Bake until sauce bubbles and cheese melts, about 30 minutes.

Yes, it sounds weird. Yes, it is deliiiicious.

Now, if you are like me, you have no idea where the hell you get a 24oz package of mashed sweet potatoes. And if you did, why would you do that when you could make your own? So here is what I did instead, I made my own.

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes or 3 medium/small ones, about 1.5 to 2 lbs.
• 1/2 – 1 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Peel your sweet potatoes and cut into chunks (this will help them cook faster). Put chunks in a medium saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 15-18 minutes or until fork tender.

Drain, return to saucepan (turn off and remove from heat). Begin to mash and add broth as you mash, I only used a bit more than 1/2 a cup (I only had 1.5 lbs of sweet potato), but you may use more depending on how many sweet potatoes you use. You can also add a couple tablespoons of butter at this point but because this will have cream cheese added to it, I did not deem butter necessary. Season with salt and pepper. At this point, add your cream cheese and seasoning to the saucepan and finish recipe there instead of in a medium bowl. The heat will help the cream cheese blend in perfectly. remember to taste as you season if you are using red pepper. I used it and it came out GREAT! Spicy but not overwhelmingly so. You can also use this as a basic, not-overly-sweetened mashed sweet potato recipe for other dishes and meals.

While that might sound downright healthy, even I love these muffins! And I’m not exactly a huge squash or pineapple fan. The recipe as follows makes 10-12 muffins depending on size, I usually double the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup grated zucchini
• 1/3 cup crushed, drained pineapple
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. all spice
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs until light and foamy. Add sugar, oil, vanilla, well drained pineapple, and zucchini. Mix lightly but well. In another bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. If you do not have allspice just double up the cinnamon. Ad flour mixture to zucchini mixture and stir well.

Grease and flour your muffin tins OR line with muffin liners. Pour batter in about 3/4 full, a bit less or more for larger or smaller muffins. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. These are moist muffins, so don’t overcook them as long as the toothpick comes out clean and the tops bounce back after tapping them. Allow to cool before serving or storing.

This is what they should look like as you take them out <3 yea, these ones were a bit runty, sorry :X

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked regular long-grain rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (divided)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cans (4oz each) chopped green chilies, drained

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat rice and water to boiling in a 2-quart saucepan, reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes (do not lift cover or stir) or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Fluff rice with fork.

Mix rice with remaining ingredients except 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese in an ungreased 2-quart casserole dish. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until heated through. During last 5 minutes of baking, sprinkle with remaining cheese, bake until cheese is melted (I prefer to let it get bubbly and a bit brown).

Ingredients:

Filling

• 8 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced into thin wedges
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. cornstarch

Topping

• cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup boiling water

Sprinkled Topping

• 3 Tbsp. white sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinammon

Notes: I did one 2 tsp brown sugar, 2 tsp white sugar for the sprinkled topping, it was lovely.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2-quart baking dish. Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl (I recommend a quick rinse and dry of the first one), combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder and salt. blend in butter with fingertips of pastry blender until the mixture resembles course meal. Stir in water until just combined.

Remove peaches from oven and drop spoonfulls of topping over them.

Mix remaining sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon and sprinkle onto cobbler. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

Comments:

This gem was a newspaper clippin, highlightign the now in season peach. I have made it with canned peaches as well and it has worked just fine, just remember to drain them. This recipe has a lot of ingredients but doesn’t require that much skill to make, so it is a nice impressive recipe that doesn’t require a culinary genius to prepare. If you have the chance to visit Schnepf Farms, I highly recommend it.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 cups ice
• 4+ ounces vanilla-flavored vodka
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 lemon, sliced into rings
• 1 lime, sliced into rings

Directions:

Bring water and sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan, cook until sugar dissolves (don’t burn it!). Remove from heat and let cool.

Fill a large pitcher with ice. Stir in the simple sugar syrup, vodka, juice, lemon and lime slices. Omit alcohol if desired.

Comments:

The original recipe this is based off of only calls for 4 oz. of vodka. If you’d like a stronger drink, try adding a couple more, but I recommend testing it before you add too much. Unflavored or citrus flavored vodka can work as well.

1. Baking powder

Now, if your baking recipe calls for both cream of tartar AND baking soda you can omit both and substitute baking powder. The fast acting baking powder you find in the baking aisles is actually just a combination of cream of tartar and baking soda, so if you are baking and the CoT and soda are the leavening agent, this is the best option.

2. Lemon Juice and Vinegar

For 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar, substitute 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar. This is the preferred substitution for recipes that call for cream of tartar to be added to egg whites before whipping.

By the way, if you aren’t stocking lemon juice in your refrigerator already, I would really pick some up on the next shopping trip.

In keeping with the “Father’s Day” theme, here is the recipe I made today to surprise my dad with. This recipe is great for lovers of those chocolate oranges you find at Christmas time and fans of citrus and chocolate in general. This is a very RICH recipe, that yields a near perfect baker’s dozen: I advise halving it if you are only entertaining a few.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 Tbsp Water (a bit more than 1/3 cup)
• 1/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt (no buttermilk?)
• 1 small beaten egg (or 4 Tbsp beaten egg)
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• generous pinch of salt
• 1 cup flour

Notes: Dark cocoa powder or normal cocoa powder both work. The recipe this was adapted from called for dark but when made with regular they were still very chocolately.

Frosting

• 4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 oz. (half a standard package) cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. orange extract
• zest from one small orange (optional, I did not use any)
• About 1 cup powdered sugar
• food coloring (optional)

Notes: Omit orange extract and zest for a basic cream cheese frosting you can use on anything! Or add your own flavors.

Directions:

Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Using a wire whisk, whisk in cocoa until smooth, then add water and whisk again until smooth and incorporated. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in orange extract, sugar, buttermilk (or yogurt or substitute) and egg. Stir in soda, powder, salt and flour. Slightly lumpy batter is ok, I used the whisk to incorporate the dry ingredients and got a good smooth texture.

Line cupcake tins, I prefer to do 6 at a time but 12 should be fine. Fill tins about 3/4 full of batter so for 12 beautiful, rounded cupcakes, or a little less for 13-14 smaller cupcakes. Bake for 18-20 minutes o until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean

Look at those beautiful little cakes *_*

Frosting: Beat room temperature cream cheese and butter together in a medium mixing bowl until fluffy. Cold butter and cream cheese will not blend properly or easily.

Fluffy fluffy

Beat in orange extract and zest. If you are coloring your frosting add color now, folding it in until incorporated (I used probably 8-10 drops red and 3-4 yellow to get my color, just add it slowly and mix until you get one you like). Resist the urge to taste frosting at this point: it will taste reasonably bitter due to the extract.

Add the powdered sugar (aim for only 3/4 cup) 1/4 cup at a time; I folded mine in to get it wet THEN beat it together so it wouldn’t fly everywhere. Beat until fully incorporated. Taste it now, if it is too liquid or not sweet enough for your tastes, add the extra 1/4 cup (I did).

Frosting after sugar and dye has been added.

This should be enough to frost 13 cupcakes. The recipe this was based on said 6 cupcakes so I doubled it: big mistake, now I have a tub of it sitting in my fridge. I have therefore included the halved recipe. If you are doing a lot of baking or like a lot of frosting, double frosting recipe.

Make sure your cupcakes are COOL before frosting them! Otherwise your frosting won’t spread easily and will melt.

If you don’t want your frosting totally orange, try setting aside part of it after it’s been mixed and dying only that portion, then use it to accent your cupcakes.

Comments:

This is a very rich recipe! I used Neufchâtel cheese for the frosting as is my common cooking preference. If you haven’t tried Neufchâtel yet I highly advise it, it may be marked as “1/3 fat cream cheese” more prominently with the “Neufchâtel” marked less obviously. It is naturally less fatty than cream cheese and softer, so perfect for frosting. You can also substitute a margarine suited for baking for butter in both recipes.
Before frosting ALWAYS remove cupcakes from the tins to cool. Plop a dab of frosting in the center and rotate the cupcake slowly while you smooth the frosting with a knife or small rubber spatula for a neat frost job.

Maybe not professional grade work, but reasonably presentable!

1. Yogurt or Sour Cream

The most simple solution: just substitute plain yogurt, cup for cup. Lately most recipes will say “buttermilk or yogurt” anyway. Sour cream works as well.

2. Sour Some Milk!

I can only hope that you at least keep lemon juice in your refrigerator. It’s one of the most useful things that lasts forever in the fridge, so I WOULD keep this stocked. If you don’t have any, vinegar works also. The recipe is simple:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

Combine ingredients and let stand for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, mix well and use as buttermilk in any recipe.

If the recipe calls for less than half a cup, half this to 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 T. lemon juice/vinegar. I have personally only done with with lemon juice, but have heard of others using vinegar with no problems.

There is actually a third common substitution for buttermilk, but it calls for another item I’m constantly substituting for: cream of tartar. Unless you have a passion for snickerdoodles you probably don’t have this in your cabinent. If you do, simply mix 1 3/4Tablespoon of cream of tartar with 1 Cup of milk. You do not need to let this stand like the lemon juice or vinegar.