Recipe Time!

And just in time for Easter!

I have made this pie twice already when getting together with friends. It was a hint both times, and the best part is that it is deceptively light, which is a bonus after eating a big meal.

I found this recipe in that little Magazine that Kraft sends out a few times a year. I swear I started to drool the moment I saw the picture. So if you haven't decided what to make for family for Easter dinner, make this! The best part is that you can design the top of the pie in whatever design you want. When I made it at Christmas I made a picture of a little gift. When I made it a few weeks ago, I just made lines. For Easter you could make an Easter Egg!

Peanut Butter Cup Pie:

(I think I need a more photogenic pie plate!)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups Oreo Baking Crumbs 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted (I use margarine)
1 pkg (8oz) Cream Cheese (I use light), softened
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp, creamy peanut butter, divided
1 cup cold milk (I use skim)
1 pkg (3.4oz) Vanilla flavoured Instant Pudding
2 cups thawed Cool Whip, divided (I used light)
3 squares of Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Mix oreo crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup peanut butter in medium bowl until well blended. Add milk and dry pudding mix; beat 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup Cool Whip; spoon into crust. Refridgerate until ready to use.

(it's not this yellow looking, for some reason my camera made it look that way)

Meanwhile, microwave remaining Cool Whip and chocolate in a microwaveable bowl on High for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, or until chocolate is completely melted (stir halfway) and mixture is well blended. Cool completely (I let it cool a bit). Spread Chocolate mixture over pudding layer in crust.

Microwave remaining peanut butter in a microwaveable bowl until melted and smooth. Drizzle over pie.

For this step I find it easiest to pour the melted peanut butter into a plastic bag, and then snip one of the corners, or you could use a pastry bag and a tip.

Refridgerate for 4 hours, or until firm.

Enjoy!

Been Baking

A little while ago I was blog surfing, and I came across a blog entry talking about a new cook book that was out. Actually they were giving away free copies of this cook book. I was intrigued to say the least. So I did some more surfing and decided to purchase Pioneer Woman's new cookbook. I have tried out a couple recipes, but they have all been from the dessert section.

The first was this recipe for a chocolate sheet cake for Andre's birthday. It turned out really well, and sure enough, everyone did moan about how good it was.

Then last week (New Years Eve to be exact) I wanted a brownie. Actually I needed a brownie, so I cracked open her cookbook again and made her mocha brownie recipe. I'm not a huge fan of mocha icing though so I substituted the icing recipe from the chocolate sheet cake instead. They were so yummy, I served them as dessert for our company for New Years Eve.

Here is a picture of the finished product:

Cinnamon roll run through

I'm having some friends over in a few weeks for brunch pot-luck. We each take turns hosting, and I offered to host this next one. I was searching online for something new and exciting to make, and came across what looked like a very decadent Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll recipe on recipezaar.com. I had a recipe made with potato dough, but it was so time consuming, and this one could be made with the help of my bread maker, so I had to give it a try! Now that I have tried this recipe I will be making it again for the brunch.


With anything that involves a dough, I like pictures. There is something about being able to compare my product to the recipe that is comforting, so I snapped some pictures while baking this afternoon. The recipe that I am including below is to be used with a breadmaker on the dough setting, with a few little changes that I included after reading the reviews on the site.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

DOUGH
1 cup warm milk
2 eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup butter (margarine) cut into small pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
4 cups all purpose flour
1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp bread maker yeast)

FILLING
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon (I used Saigon Cinnamon, the one referred to in the comments section. It is the one I use regularly at home. It can be found at Costco.)
1/3 cup margarine, softened (butter does not spread as well on the dough)

ICING
1 block of cream cheese (I used light)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk, enough to aid in spreading consistency (optional. I found it was not needed after being whipped into submission in my stand mixer.)

Directions
1. Add the ingredients for the dough in the order listed above (or according to your bread makers instructions. Turn on machine to dough setting and go and relax with a book. Here is what the dough looked like right before I took it out of the bread machine:
















2. Take dough out of bread maker and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide. It should be approx 1/4 inch thick.
3. To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
4. Spread the softened margarine over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.
















15. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge. I cut the log in half, then in half again. Each one of those four logs can be cut into three rolls. Here is the the last log being sliced:

6. Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.

7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
8. Cover the pan with a cloth and place on the preheating oven for 30 minutes or until the rolls rise to almost twice in size.

Here they are ready to go into the oven after the 2nd rise:

9. Bake for approx. 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

(Mine were slightly dark at after 18 minutes in the oven.)

10. While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients.
11. Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.
12. When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.

It was a little close to dinner time when I finished everything. But I had to steal just a little nibble to be able to give an honest opinion. They are in a word, yuuuuuuuumy! They are very rich as the recipe predicted, and very addictive, so I will be giving some to my mother tonight when she goes to visit my grandmother so they can share, and then I will be taking some more to the office tomorrow for the girls there to enjoy.

Do you think my friends will like them?

Yummy lemon lime cupcakes

I have a subscription to Canadian Living magazine. The May 2009 issue arrived with cupcakes on the cover. YUMMMMMY! Now I was just waiting for a occasion to make some. My opportunity arrived with Mother's Day, or in our case, Mother's Day on the May long weekend. Here is the recipe:















Lemon Lime Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp each grated lemon and lime rind*
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk

(*I used the rind of one lemon and one lime. The lemon is easier to grate for the rind. My grandmother asked what the black things were in the cupcakes, so I think I will just use the lemon rind next time.)

In a large bowl, beat butter with granulated sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in lemon and lime rinds and lemon juice.
In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of the milk. Spoon into paper-lined or greased muffin cups*.
(* I ended up filling them almost 3/4 of the way full, and they didn't rise over the edge of the muffin tin.)
Bake in 350 degree oven until cake tester inserted in centre come out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool.

Butter Icing
3/4 cup butter, softened (I ran out of butter and used 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup becel margarine, it was fine)
3 3/4 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

In bowl beat butter until light; beat in sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. beat in milk and vanilla. Makes about 2 1/2 cups, which the magazine said was enough for 12 cupcakes, I found I had quite a bit leftover. I tinted it with some yellow paste colouring.

Famous Cookies

I'm going to temporarily jump on the Food Blog Bandwagon and post the recipe for some cookies I just made today. It's the second time I have made them and they are so delish. The recipe is from: Company's Coming: Cookie Jar Classics.

Famous Cookies

3/4 cup Hard Margarine (or butter), softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup Granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups Quick-cooking rolled oats, processed in blender for 10-15 seconds

1 cup All purpose flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt

1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped pecans

2 Sweet chocolate baking squares (1 oz., 28g, each) grated

Cream first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Combine next 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Add to margarine mixture in 2 additions, mixing well after each addition until no dry flour remains.

Add remaining 3 ingredients. Mix well. Roll into 1 1/4 inch (3cm) balls. Arrange about 2 inches (5cm) apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake in 375 F oven for about 10 minutes until edges are golden. Let stand on cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Remove cookies from cookie sheets and place on wire racks to cool.

Makes about 60 cookies.

*Notes: Since Andre is allergic to all tree nuts, I substituted 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips instead of pecans.

For the grated chocolate I use 2 oz of Victorian Epicure chocolate (it comes already grated).

I don't know how they say this makes 60 cookies, I only end up with about 3 dozen. Maybe mine are bigger?