Recipes

Strawberry and Cream Cheese French Toast

December 5, 2012 By Christine 1 Comment

Recipe & Photo Courtesy of: Family Favorite Recipes

Who wouldn’t want to wake up to this sweet and delicious breakfast? We love that you can prepare it ahead of time and stick it in the oven in the morning!

Ingredients:

1 loaf french bread, cut into 1 inch slices.
whipped cream cheese
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
sliced strawberries mixed with a little sugar
WHIPPED TOPPING:
1 pt whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. almond or amaretto flavoring

Instructions:

Spread a layer of cream cheese between two slices of bread, place sandwiched slices in a glass pan sprayed with cooking spray.
In a lage bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour over bread and let sit for five minutes, turn bread over and cover pan with saran wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Drizzle melted butter over the top and bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Beat together the whipped topping ingredients until stiff peaks form. Top with strawberries mixed with sugar and the whipped topping.

Baby Shower Cupcakes

November 30, 2012 By Christine Leave a Comment

Recipe & Photo Courtesy of: Baked Bree

We can’t get over how adorable these baby shower cupcakes are! Oh, and did we mention they’re absolutely delish, too?

Ingredients:

Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes
3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 sticks room temperature butter
6-7 cups confectioners sugar
6-8 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
food coloring (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 muffin tins with liners. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. I let it cream together for about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time until well incorporated. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and continue to beat.
Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches alternating with the buttermilk. Combine well after each addition. Add the vanilla.
Divide the batter into the liners. I use a large ice cream scooper for this to keep the size the same.
Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes. Rotate the pans once during cooking. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then let the cupcakes cool out on a rack until completely cool.
Cream together the butter and 6 cups of the sugar. Add 6 Tablespoons of heavy cream and beat until very light and fluffy. Add more sugar or cream to get the consistency that you want. I knew that I wanted to a looser frosting since I was going to pipe it so I used closer to 8-10 Tablespoons of cream. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the frosting. Add the vanilla extract and almond extract. Add food coloring to get your desired color. I used a gel color for this and a little bit goes a very long way, so start slowly.
I used Cake Craft gel color in turquoise, golden yellow, and flesh tone for the cookie icing
I used Cake Craft gel color in turquoise for the cupcake frosting and a 6 point round tip

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

October 26, 2012 By Christine Leave a Comment

Photo Courtesy of: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Two of our favorite desserts combined into one yummy delight? Yes, please. These delectable Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars are just enough to make anyone with a sweet tooth melt into dessert heaven! Click here for the recipe.

Spiderweb Whoopie Pies

October 17, 2012 By Christine Leave a Comment

Recipe & Photo Courtesy of: Real Mom Kitchen

There is nothing scary about these sweet and scrumptious Spiderweb Whoopie Pies! Serve these treats at your next Halloween bash and they’ll be a hit with your party guests.

Ingredients:

Whoopie Pies:

1 box (18 1/4-ounce) chocolate fudge cake mix, with pudding in the mix
3 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water

Filling:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 jar (7 1/2-ounce) Marshmallow Fluff
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons orange extract
Orange gel food coloring (I used red and yellow)

Spiderweb Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk or water

Instructions:

Prepare whoopie pies: Beat all ingredients in a bowl with a mixer on medium speed 3 minutes, or until batter is smooth. Let batter rest 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper. Drop level 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter into mounds on baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart (6 to 8 mounds per sheet; you will get 24 mounds).
Bake each sheet 11 minutes, or until cakes are puffed and a pick inserted into centers comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Bake remaining cakes.
Prepare filling: In a large mixer bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add Marshmallow Fluff, cream cheese, and orange extract; continue mixing until blended. Tint filling a pale orange with food coloring.
To assemble pies spread the flat side of 1 cake with 2 tablespoons of the filling; top with another cake, pressing down gently to distribute the filling evenly.
To make Spiderweb Glaze, mix ingredients in a small bowl until thick and smooth. Transfer glaze to a small zip-top food-storage bag. Snip off a corner of bag and pipe a spiderweb design on top of each whoopie pie. Let glaze dry until hardened.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

October 3, 2012 By Christine Leave a Comment

Photos Courtesy of: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Perfect for breakfast or dessert, these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are simply divine! With just the right blend of spices and a sugary surprise inside, these will surely be a hit with everyone! Click here for the recipe.