New and Improved Buckeye

Those who know me know that I have a tendency for a wicked sweet tooth. Good news is I don't always induldge. Bad news is, I know how to make anything to sooth that sweet toothed monster. So it's no surprise that on one specific occassion of a sweet tooth attack, I sat home trying to think of what I could make quickly that would take care of that. Something small, but I could eat one or two and give the rest away if need be.

I went through the usually suspects of cookies, tart, mini souffle...what could I make. And it hit me, BUCKEYES!!! For those of you who don't know what that is, that means peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. Now when I was little, I never had a buckeye or even knew it was called that. I just remembered my mom having this warm balls of peanut butter that I ate. No chocolate just the peanut butter. And she doesn't even remember how she made them. So I took it upon myself to search out the greatest recipe online could give. Well....I got nothing from one so I got a basic one and did what I do best...UPGRADE!!! LOL, You will soon realize there is no such thing as plain ole anything with me.

And shazam, here is my loaded, upgraded peanut butter ball. It tastes as good as it looks, trust me! I included the recipe that I found below and you can throw in any addtion that you want. I threw in pecans in the ball itself and a little coconut, and sprinkled it in chooped peanuts. The sky is the limit. I hope that you enjoy these as much as I did. Side note, the recipe says it makes 4 dozen. Ha! I made a dozen and a half because mine were the size of a jumbo jaw breaker. :) Enter at your own risk....

Ingredients:

Center:

2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar

1 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 7 full graham cracker sheets)

¾ cup pecans, finely chopped

½ cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut

½ cup unsalted butter

½ cup creamy peanut butter

Coating:

10 ounces milk chocolate

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

4 ounces dark chocolate

Directions:

Center:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, pecans, and coconut; mix together. Set aside.
   
2. In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, combine butter and peanut butter; stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until melted. Add to powdered sugar mixture. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
   
3. Shape dough into small balls, about 1” in diameter. Tip: An ice cream scoop is ideal for making uniform-sized candies. Cover balls and refrigerate until well chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
   
   Coating:
4. Line 2 large baking pans with waxed paper or parchment paper.
   
5. In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt milk chocolate and shortening; stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to combine.
6. Place each ball on the end of a toothpick; dip the balls into the melted milk chocolate mixture to coat, allow any excess chocolate to drip back into the pan. Place balls on baking pans; let sit until the chocolate is set.
   
7. In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt dark chocolate. Using a small spoon, place a small amount of dark chocolate onto the top of each milk chocolate coated ball. Place balls on baking pans; let sit until the chocolate is hardened.
   
8. Store in an airtight container so they won’t dry out.
   
   Makes about 4 dozen Peanut Butter Balls
   

Strawberry Muffins

I LOVE strawberries. It is one of my all time favorite foods. When I was a little girl my parents took my brother and I strawberry picking. Needless to say my basket was always half empty. Soon the Strawberry Festival will be here and I cannot wait for all things strawberry. So in keeping with the theme early I thought I would try a muffin recipe using some strawberries I had. I finally found a recipe that was healthy. And I wanted it that way so I could have a guilt free morning treat.

I think the next time I make these I will either use all white flour, almond flour or cake flour. Something a little lighter then whole wheat flour. And I don't like the dryness that whole wheat flour can give. The strawberries definitely keep it moist. And the flavor is scrumptious. But definitely stay tuned for a Strawberry Muffin re-make :)

Now on to the treat of the morning....

Makes 1 doz. muffins

1/2 c. margarine (1 stick), softened

1 cap full veg. oil
1 egg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. sugar
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. white flour (you can use only white if you prefer)
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. FRESH strawberries, chopped

For the top of the muffin

2 Tblsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350º.

Cream the sugar and butter, then beat in the egg. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients.

Mix the milk into the sugar mixture, then mix in the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth.

Stir in the strawberries and spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Careful, the strawberries are very hot!

My Hawaiian Taste Buds

On the way home today I start thinking I had not done my test kitchen recipe in a long time. What was I going to make. I thought about making something with apples. A nice puff pastry with apples, cinnamon, raisins and some walnuts. Mmmmm, yes that sounds comforting. But then the apple fairies dancing in my head disappeared and I started thinking what about something with coconut and pineapple. Hmm what if I add banana to that and Macadamia nuts. Then it hit me....a Banana Pineapple Coconut Macadamia Nut Cake. LOL a long name I know and I am sure I will find something clever to name it. Has to be more clever then the Hawaiian Surprise. Ha! And since it was a test recipe and I only needed a little(since I am off sweets while training), I decided on cupcakes. And I tasted....(shhh don't tell my trainer)

...and tasted

All I have to say is HO-LEEE COW!!! This was the most moist, tenderly soft textured mix of flavors. And with the Coconut Butter-cream with the toasted coconut and chopped macadamia nuts....mmmm mmm mmm! Delicious! I am so curious how this will turn out as a cake.

Stay tuned more to come. I may just post the recipe. :)

Health Nuts with a Sweet Tooth

Some months ago I was asked by a mommy-to-be to do a baby shower cake. The twist, she was a vegan. I had never made a vegan cake, let alone even thought it would taste good. The internet is my friend, so I googled and yahoo search trying to find a recipe that works. The frist recipe looked promising. It told of moist mango veganism in all it's glory. The result, COMPLETE FAIL. The cake was flat, super wet and looked very much like a deflated cheesecake. The taste wasn't that much better either. Very starchy tasting. So the search continued.

Then low and behild a recipe mix that worked. Fingers crossed, with some advice from my granny and wah lah!!!......

My Apple Almond Spice Cake w/ Caramel Butter cream was born. Now some may argue that because of the sugar aspect it is not vegan. But she was a no animal product kind of a girl and the sugar got a pass. So, this has been he rave at baby showers, weddings and get together's. And to my surprise has been the topic of conversation over all the other cakes. I am still working on other cake flavors so tune in for more vegan cake surprises.



Caramel Pecan Pie

As a request for a friend I made a Caramel Pecan Pie. I had made a Chocolate Bourbon Pecan pie and a plain Pecan Pie before but never caramel. I wasn't sure how to pull it off so that the distinction of the flavors stood out. But with the assistance of Caramel Chews...eureka!!!!

My girlfriend was unable to pick up this order, so I had a pie on my hand right when I swore off sweets. To my great fortune we had guests that weekend and I was able to put it out to be tasted. It looked to good not to taste, so I had a tiny taste and man oh man was this a good pie. Not too sweet and very chewy. The caramel stood out and mixed very well with the traditional taste of a pecan pie. Needless to say this was the result from what my company thought.....

It feels great to create something and have nothing but an empty container to let you know that it was all good :)

Celebration Cake

My family and I enjoy getting together for any and all ocassions to share laughter, love and food. Usually I am the dessert maker. I bring my savory dishes, but they indulge me and become my test tasters. I have two great recipes. One for a Red Velvet and the other for my Lemon Pound cake. So, as I was trying to figure out a new test kitchen recipe for my business, I came up with the idea to put these two cakes together in one. And this was the result.

When I started to assemble the cake it kept getting taller and taller. I was like "holy cow woman" and had to laugh at myself as I put it together. And it was truly my first tall cake. If you have ever been to Cheesecake Factory and seen their tall cakes up front, this was taller. I stood there like the proud cake mother that I was admiring my tower of cake. And the layering began. I went thin on the layers because I didn't think I would have enough. Next time I make this cake I definitely will give more butter-cream in between the layers.

It came out this gorgeous red and cream color. The pecans were the final touch that seemed natural to do at the end. Both cakes were very light, and the complimentary butter-creams for each (lemon butter-cream for the pound cake and cream cheese butter-cream for the red velvet) worked out perfect. Neither I not my family could not stop eating this decadent dessert. This is the best way to celebrate don't you think. :)

A true Slice of Sugar!

Homemade Maple Granola Bars

In an effort to eat healthier I decided to not eat sweets for a while. But I have a wicked sweet tooth. So I made my own granola bar. And let me tell you it is the BEE'S KNEES! It is chewy, naturally sweet and even though very healthy it doesn't taste like a bar of greens. This is the kind of bar that your kids will love. Feel free to tweak the recipe if you are more or less of a health nut, but I definitely will encourage you to try just as it is.

Chewy Maple Granola Bars

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

½ cup sunflower seeds (unsalted)

2/3 cup sliced almonds

½ cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup flax seed

½ cup wheat germ

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup grade A maple syrup

¼ cup molasses

¼ cup olive oil

Pinch of salt (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup dried fruit (mixed fruit of choice)

Spray a 9x9 glass dish lightly with baking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, wheat germ, nuts and flax seed onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  In the mean time in a sauce pot mix honey, maple syrup, molasses, olive oil, salt and vanilla. Stir until well combined and the color is a golden brown.

Once oven mix is done immediately mix with sauce pot mixture and add dried fruit. Lower oven to 300 degrees F.

Place in glass dish and press down to shape. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely and cut into squares. Can be stored up to a week in an air tight container.