Pecan Cheesecake Pie

I have made this two times already because it is SO good and SO easy! I mean if you like pecan pie AND cheesecake you can't go wrong with this one. I did cheat and use a pre-made pie crust so that definitely contributed to the easy part. That (homemade pie crust) is still on my bucket list of things I want to make but I'm a little nervous to try it! Anyways another Southern Living recipe that is fantastic!!

Pecan Cheesecake Pie

Adapted from Southern Living

1/2 package refrigerated pie crust
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs, divided
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
1 cup light corn syrup

1. Fit piecrust into a 9 inch pie plate according to package directions. Fold edges under, and crimp.
2. Beat cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and salt at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture into piecrust and sprinkle evenly with the pecans.
3. Whisk together light corn syrup and remaining 3 eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla; pour mixture over pecans. Place pie on a baking sheet
4. Bake at 350 degrees on lowest rack 50 to 55 minutes until pie is set. Cool on wire rack one hour or until completely cool. Serve immediately, or cover and cool up to 2 days (although ours lasted a week and we were fine!)

Things I learned:
- don't freak out when the pecans start to float when you pour the corn syrup mixture over them...apparently that is normal
- life is so much easier with an electric mixer...I love my Kitchen Aid

-Brittany

Banana Pudding Pie...Redemption

I know I need a great recipe to share considering this 4 month hiatus! This is a great one! I made it back in December for my hubby's graduation party and then it was requested again for Christmas Day dessert. It is an easy recipe...and the first pie I have ever made. If I can do it...anyone can do it! Make sure you make it ahead of time to allow at least 4 hours to chill.

Banana Pudding Pie

Adapted from Southern Living

1 1/2 (12 oz) boxes vanilla wafers
3/4 cup butter melted
3 large bananas, sliced
4 egg whites 
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of cream of tartar


For the Vanilla Cream Filling
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
4 egg yolks
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Set aside about 40 vanilla wafers; pulse remaining vanilla wafers in a food processor 8 to 10 times or until coarsely crushed (should yield about 3 cups). Stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter until blended. Firmly press on bottom and up the sides onto the lip of a 9-inch pie plate.
2. Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool for 30 minutes or until completely cool.
3. While the pie crust is cooling you can make the Vanilla Creme Filling*.
4. Arrange banana slices evenly over bottom of crust. Spread half of the hot vanilla creme filling over bananas; top with 20 vanilla wafers. Spread remaining hot filling vanilla creme filling over the vanilla wafers (filling will be about 1/4 inch higher than top edge of the crust).
5. For the meringue topping, beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Add the pinch of cream of tartar and then the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and the sugar dissolves. Spread the meringue evenly over the hot filling, sealing the edges.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the peaks are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool 1 hour on a wire rack or until it is completely cool. Coarsely crush remaining vanilla wafers, and sprinkle evenly over top of the pie. Chill for 4 hours.

*For the Vanilla Creme Filling:
1. Whisk together the first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 8-10 minutes, or until it has reached the thickness of chilled pudding. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when the whisk is lifted). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Use immediately.

Things I learned:
- the hardest part of this recipe for me was the meringue. There are different ways to make the meringue as far as the proportions of the egg whites to the sugar goes. It is also helpful to use cream of tarter which helps the egg whites hold the volume when beaten. Here is more information to perfect your meringue


Also I want to thank my incredible friend Jamie Jo for designing our great blog header! She can do the same for your blog, Braner Party of 7

-Brittany

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

This is my new go to recipe! I am a speech pathologist and it was Radiology Week (we do some tests in Radiology and they are always so helpful) so all us speechies were supposed to bake something to take to them. I have been "trying" to watch what I eat so I haven't done too much baking lately. If I was good at "portion control" I could bake more but I am only good at "losing control" when it comes to good food...especially baked goods! Anyways, I searched all my favorite blogs and found this recipe and I am so glad I did. It was delicious. As you will see by the lack of picture of the actual bundt cake the "dismount" from the bundt cake pan to the drying rack was a little bit of a disaster (blessing in disguise because I was able to sample more). I will explain ways to prevent that at the bottom of the post. Next time you need to bake something or just feel like splurging on some quality calories you will not be disappointed with this one!

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

Adapted from Dozen Flours

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup white sugar


2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar 
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 325F. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix together really well and set aside.
2.  Using a spray product like Pam with flour (I used shortening which was a disaster) generously spray a 9 inch Bundt pan, being careful to cover all the areas including the center tube. Gently dust the entire inside of the pan with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. You should only need 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the mixture. You want to try and evenly coat the inside surface of the pan, including the tube. Save the remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture.
3. In a medium sized bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside
4. In a large bowl beat just the butter on medium speed for one full minute. Add the white sugar and mix for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and blade and add the brown sugar.
5. Mix for 2 minutes until the mixture looks light brown and uniform in color. Add the eggs one at time, beating each for a full minute. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat well.
6. Spread half of the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter. Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the top.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test (when inserted into the cake it comes out clean). Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Suggestions/Things I learned:
- The recipe said to allow cake to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. The pan was still pretty warm and I of course attempted to flip it anyways which didn't work out to say the least. Make sure the pan is not hot to touch and you have given it enough time to cool before inverting.
- I really don't know how Dozen Flours dusted the pan so great...mine looked nothing like hers (click the link to see her pictures...she is very talented). I would definitely not use shortening though and stick with Pam flour spray

-Brittany

Wheat Peach Shortcake Cookies

If I could re-name these cookies I would name them Peach Biscuits. I mean they are great for dessert but I can't wait to have them for breakfast with a cup of coffee! My hubby and I picked up some incredible peaches at one of the fruit stands on the side of the road and it made them that much better! Even though the recipe calls for 2 cups chopped peaches, throw some more in there....the more the merrier!!

Wheat Peach Shortcake Cookies/Peach Biscuits

Adapted from Delish Blog

2 cups pitted and roughly chopped, ripe peaches

1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp coarse salt

6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2/3 cup half-and-half

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the chopped peaches with 1 tablespoons sugar and set aside.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it between your fingers (or mix with a pastry blender) until it looks like coarse crumbs. Gently stir in the half-and-half, followed by the peaches.

3. Scoop up about 2 tablespoons of dough and drop onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing the cookies 2" apart. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until beginning to brown on the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Best served immediately, but can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day. 

-Brittany

Cherry Clafoutis

I am so excited to share this recipe because it was SOOOO easy and SOOOO good! This was my first attempt at a French recipe and I was impressed. I will say that I have trouble pronouncing this one. It's pronounced CLA-FOO-TEE but I'm pretty sure I said it different each time someone asked me what it was! The only mishap was putting it in the oven which resulted in quite a mess all over the oven and pitting the cherries. I definitely pitted the cherries while watching a little online TV. Didn't realize I was splashing our WHITE computer. SHHH...my husband doesn't know. I cleaned it up quite nicely. So besides those little kinks this recipe is hard to mess up because it is so easy and so good!

Cherry Clafoutis

Adapted from Food Network

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, thinly sliced, plus more to butter the dish
1 pound (2 cups) fresh cherries, pitted**(or one 10-ounce bag frozen cherries, thawed and patted dry)
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup 4% cottage cheese
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 11-inch round baking dish and spread the cherries evenly over the bottom.
2. Whisk the eggs, half-and-half, cottage cheese, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the flour in a bowl until combined. Pour the batter over the cherries, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and scatter the sliced butter on top.
3. Bake until puffed and golden around the edges, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly, then dust with confectioners' sugar.

I served it with vanilla ice cream.

Things I used for this recipe:
** Cherry Pitter (works great...I was impressed)
- 11-inch round dish (this is actually 10.5 but its hard to find an 11 inch)

-Brittany

Banana Cake

What's the best thing to do with brown bananas? Make banana bread of course. I was a little bored with banana bread and wanted to try something that could pass as dessert. I found this recipe once again on All Recipes and it had great reviews. It turned out really good. It was very moist and honestly tasted pretty similar to banana bread however the sour cream is what made it different. Great recipe that I definitely recommend.

Banana Bread

Adapted from All Recipes

1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sour cream*
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas
1 1/2 cups cake flour **
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light. Add eggs and beat well. Dissolve the baking soda in the sour cream and add it to the butter mixture. Beat well. Add the mashed bananas and mix in. Add cake flour and mix well. Stir in vanilla extract.
3. Pour batter into the bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done.

* I used fat free sour cream
**I used whole wheat pastry flour which made the cake not taste too sweet

-Brittany

Pecan-Peach Cobbler

This was my first attempt at a Southern Living recipe. I am a big fan of using recipes with pictures...very rarely will I cook something unless I can see what it looks like. Well the picture is what drew me to this particular recipe. I have been wanting to make a pie (which is on my Cooking Bucket List) so I figured probably better to start out with a cobbler especially since it was for a Family Reunion. Maybe my expectations were too high because the picture looked so good but lets just say my rendition was not pleasing visually! In fact, pretty much no one at the reunion ate my cobbler...with the exception of my mom and husband. Let me tell you though this cobbler was DELICIOUS!! If people could have just gotten past the outward appearance I think they would have been pleased. Anyways, try this recipe for your next get together and you will get lots of compliments for sure! I have included the Southern Living picture as well as my attempt so you can see the difference. I still have lots to learn!!!

My Attempt

                                                              

The Southern Living Way

Pecan-Peach Cobbler

Adapted from Southern Living

12 to 15 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (about 16 cups)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups sugar
2/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 (15-oz) packages refrigerated piecrusts
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
5 tablespoons sugar, divided

1. Preheat oven to 475. Stir together peaches, flour, nutmeg and 3 cups sugar in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Spoon half of mixture into a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish.
2. Unroll 2 piecrusts. Sprinkle 1/4 cup pecans and 2 tablespoons sugar over 1 piecrust; top with other piecrust. Roll to a 14x10-inch rectangle. Trim sides to fit baking dish. Place pastry over peach mixture in dish.
3. Bake at 475 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Unroll remaining 2 piecrusts. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining 1/4 cup pecans over 1 piecrust; top with remaining piecrust. Roll into a 12-inch circle. Cut into 1-inch strips, using a fluted pastry wheel (which I had to go buy). Spoon remaining peach mixture over baked pastry. Arrange pastry strips over peach mixture; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned.

Things I learned/Suggestions:

1. If the pecans aren't chopped finely enough they will tear the dough when you roll the pastries together.  

2. When the cobbler is finished it can be pretty runny. After mine cooled down I put it in the refrigerator overnight and then reheated it in the oven which helped it set more.

3. Use a Le Creuset baking dish to make it look better :)

-Brittany

Cheesecake Squares with Chocolate Chip Crust

Let me start off by saying that these are a must bake. I have attempted cheesecake several other times and it has never turned out as good as these. I must warn you though, it's not like the oversized New York style Cheesecake in which a fork is a necessity. It is like the name says, a square; something you can make bite-sized and serve to a large group of people. I have made them for a baby shower so I will let you know how people respond to them in a couple of days! Hope you enjoy!

Crust
1  1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9″-square baking pan. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.


Filling
10 or 11 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended. Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling.

Bake about 30-35 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack. Let cool for at least an hour in the pan. Put pan in refrigerator for several hours or if you are in a hurry in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut only once squares are chilled. 


Things I learned
1. Cheesecake looks really weird when you first bring it out of the oven, but once you let it cool and sit in the refrigerator for awhile it will look like normal cheesecake.
2. If you are making them for a gathering, take ALL of them or else you will end up eating them. 


-Laura 

Blackberry Shortbread Bars

Last weekend I had a bachelorette party to go to for my sweet friend, Tess. Each of us girls going were asked to bring a snack and I was assigned a sweet. I was so excited because my hubby has recently begun to complain about the number of treats I always have around the house and I now had a good excuse to make a dessert. If you can't tell I love baking. It is always so fun to see the finished product and it always puts a smile on people's faces. So with all that said, I looked for several days for the perfect sweet that wouldn't be too heavy (because we were going to be in bathing suits on lake austin), would be somewhat healthy (because I'm with a bunch of girls), and, ofcourse, would be delicious (because why waste your time if it's not going to be good!) That's when I decided to make Blackberry Shortbread Bars. Shortbread sounded light and not to heavy, blackberries are healthy for you, and, well, they looked so gosh darn good in the cookbook, Peace meals by the Junior League of Houston.  How could you not like the combination of two classics- fruit cobbler and a bar cookie? Apparently, everybody including myself enjoyed them, but who knows, they could have all been lying. So try it out for yourself. It makes for the perfect spring dessert.

Crust:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled (the chilled part is very important. See below)
Filling:
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
16 ounces frozen blackberries, thawed and drained

Crust: Preheat over to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray; set aside. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor for about 45 seconds. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes and process with the flour mixture for 30 seconds or unti lthe butter is evenly distributed but the mixture is still crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the crust mixture to use as a topping. Press the remaining crust mixture firmly into the ottom of the prepared pan. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown; allow to cook for at least 10 minutes before adding the filling.

Filling: Combine the eggs, sugar, sour cream and four in a large bowl. Fold in the blackberries. Spoon the fruit filling evenly over the crust and sprinkle the reserved crust mixture over the filling. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Let cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into bars.

Things I learned:

1. A food processor does not mean a mini processor like mine.
2. When the recipe says chilled, put the butter in the freezer for awhile before you use it or else the crust won't be crumbly and flaky.
3. Don't complain to your husband that he doesn't help enough in the kitchen when he politely turns down an offer to help you make a dessert for a girls weekend.
4. Enjoy being with friends and laugh a lot.

-Laura

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let me tell you...after lent I will be making these cookies again! They were incredible. Tim and I were missing an important day for his dad back in Springfield, MO and we wanted to send him a little care package. Cookies of course needed to be included but I hate how so many cookies get hard after they cool down...well maybe that's just because of the cook! I found this recipe on a great blog called Dozen Flours. She has some incredible recipes and I'm excited to try some more! Anyways, these cookies did not get hard. Even the next morning they were still soft and absolutely delicious!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Dozen Flours

1 cup shortening (not butter flavored)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups (1 1/2 bags about) chocolate chips
1/2 cup of nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Cream together the shortening and both sugars. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Then add the vanilla. In a little bowl, mix the baking soda and hot water together and mix well. Add to the batter and mix. Add the salt and the flour and mix until well combined and no pockets of flour remain. Add the chocolate chips and nuts (if you're using them).
2. Drop tablespoon sized dough onto Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown. Let the cookies rest on the baking pan for a minute or two until they firm up slightly. Cool on a wire rack until room temperature.
-Yields about 5 dozen 3 inch cookies

Things I learned:
- When the cookies are browned on the edges it means they are ready
- A silpat or parchment paper keep the cookies from getting too brown on the bottom (and make for an easy cleanup)

-Brittany

Old Fashioned Banana Pudding

Can I just say how much I love banana pudding! One of my favorite desserts I have decided...especially after trying this recipe. Tim and I decided to give up dessert for lent this year so I knew I wanted to make something really good before Ash Wednesday (took me awhile to post this). We are not Catholic but I like the idea of sacrificing something you enjoy for God. I will make a note though for the sake of our little blog...if I do happen to make a dessert for whatever reason I can try 1-2 bites. I mean I can't recommend something if I don't know what it tastes like! Anyways, on to the Banana Pudding! It is all made from scratch so put away that instant vanilla pudding you got out because if I made it from scratch, ANYONE can make it from scratch!!! I will most certainly be making this again.

Old Fashioned Banana Pudding

1 cup sugar
2 heaping tablespoons all purpose flour
3 egg yolks (beaten) (save the whites for the meringue)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 bananas, sliced
1 box vanilla wafers


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup of sugar, 2 heaping tablespoons flour and mix together.
2. Then add 3 beaten egg yolks, 1 1/2 cups milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix together until well blended.
3. Pour contents into a saucepan, add 1/2 stick butter and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat until it has thickened to a pudding consistency. Stir often being careful not to scorch the pudding. Remove from heat.
4.  In a square (or circle) baking dish, cover the bottom and sides with vanilla wafers. Place sliced bananas on top of wafers and around sides of the dish (see picture below). Pour in pudding and add more wafers and bananas to the top.
5. Top pudding with the meringue (directions to follow) and place in 375 degree preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until meringue browns

Meringue
3 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar


1. Beat the egg whites at high speed until they form soft peaks.
2. At high speed, gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form.
3. Spread the meringue over the pudding, sealing it at the sides of the dish, and bake as instructed above.

(what the pan lined with vanilla wafers and bananas looks like)

Things I learned:
1. You really have to watch the pudding closely to make sure it doesn't burn on the stove
2. Meringue is made of egg whites and sugar...who knew??
3. To make the "peaks" of the meringue I used a spatula and just dipped it in the meringue a little and lifted it up until the peak was formed.

-Brittany

Texas Sheet Cake

It has been a week of celebrating as we have had 3 birthdays of family and friends this week. Therefore, I have had several opportunities to perfect a family recipe for Texas Sheet Cake. Texas Sheet Cake has become a tradition in the Talbert household. Every time we go to visit Brad's aunt and uncle, his sweet sweet aunt makes us this yummy cake. For those of you who are not Texans, this is a super moist and always pleasing cake. Again it is really easy and also my all time favorite cake.

On this cake, I used walnuts on half with those in mind that don't like nuts (timmy!)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water or fresh brewed coffee (i highly recommend using coffee)
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
cinnamon to taste (optional)

Chocolate Frosting:
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons buttermilk
2 1/4 sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans or chopped walnuts (i used walnuts which I toasted to bring out the flavor)

To make the cake:
Grease a 15x10, jelly roll pan, or a 13x9 inch baking pan. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt (put in the cinnamon here if you would like to use it); set aside. In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup butter, 1/3 cup cocoa, and 1 cup water (again use coffee for a richer chocolate flavor). Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. With an electric hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat chocolate mixture into the dry mixture until thoroughly blended. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into the greased pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes for the 15x10 or 35 minutes for he 13x9, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Pour warm chocolate frosting over the warm cake, spreading evenly. Place cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly before cutting. Makes 24 delicious servings!
To make the frosting:
In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 3 tablespoons and unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 tablespoons buttermilk. Bring to a boil. remove from heat; add 2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth. If desired, stir in 1/2 cup coarsely toasted chopped nuts.

-Laura

Chocolate Chip Tiramisu Cheesecake

For my hubby's birthday I told him to pick out a cake..any cake he wanted me to make. He saw this as an opportunity to broaden my cooking horizons and requested a Tiramisu Cheesecake. I have always been very intimidated by the idea of making cheesecake. I mean The Cheescake Factory has set a pretty high standard and I'm good with letting them do all the cheesecake baking! So...I fought the urge to call in an order and found a recipe. I will say some of the ingredients can be hard to find. Luckily we have a Central Market in Fort Worth that had everything I needed! I woke up early Saturday morning to start my little cheesecake adventure. First thing I had to do was use our food processesor...which I had to dust off since I have NEVER used it before. Don't worry that I spent 30 minutes reading the manuel and watching the "How To" DVD just to figure out how to put the darn blade on! Anyways, it turns out that cheesecake really isn't too difficult to make...especially if you know how to use your food processor. It didn't neccesarily taste like tiramisu however was very good. It has a hint of espresso in the crust which makes it a little tiramisuish. All that to say if you love chocolate, cheesecake, and coffee you will LOVE this dessert. Thank you Rachael Ray for this one and Happy Birthday Tim!

Chocolate Chip Tiramisu Cheesecake

Adapted from Rachel Ray

One 7-ounce package crisp Italian-Stye ladyfingers, coarsley chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup marscapone cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room termperature
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon cooking oil (any kind)
Boiling water

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with foil and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Using a food processor, grind the ladyfingers into fine crumbs. Add a hand full of chocolate chips and grind into the ladyfingers. Add the melted butter and instant espresso and pulse until well blended. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press to form a crust halfway up the side of the pan. Bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes; let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
3. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar at high speed until smooth. Beat in the mascarpone, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips.
4. Set the springform pan in a roasting pan. Pour the mascarpone-chocolate chip mixture into the baked crust, then place the roasting pan in the oven. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the top is golden and the center is set but still jiggly, about 1 hour. Let cool in the roasting pan for 15 minutes then transfer to rack to cool completely (don't remove from springform pan). Refrigerate for 6 hours or up to 2 days. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan. In a small microwave safe bowl melt the remaining chocolate chips plus one teaspoon oil, stirring until smooth. Transfer the chocolate into a resealable plastic bag. Snip the corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the cake.

Things I learned:
- placing the cheescake in boiling water while baking prevents it from cracking. My oven of course is so small a roasting pan won't fit in it so I just put a casserole dish in the rack under the cheesecake with boiling water which seemed to work
- instant espresso and instant coffee are not the same thing
- if you can't find ladyfingers at the grocery store, try a bakery
- if you mix cream cheese on too low of speed is the cream cheese gets stuck in the metal whisks
- Cheesecake really isn't too hard to make!

-Brittany

Reese's Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

My hubby started volunteering for a jr. high and high school ministry. He is leading a bible study for about 15-17 6th grade boys. They had their first meeting this past week and I wanted to bake them some cookies....from scratch. Bold move on my part! My problem was knowing how long to leave them in the oven.  I have always had that problem with cookies...it makes no sense. They will look doughy in the oven and then you take them out and let them cool and all the sudden they are done. I need some more practice! Anyways, they turned out pretty good and were simple to make...minus the fact that I couldn't tell when they were done!

Reese's Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c. cocoa
2 eggs
2 cups Reese's peanut butter chips (1 package)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the softened butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Mix the dry ingredients in with the creamed mixture. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Chill until firm. Shape into ball and flatten lightly with a fork.
2. Bake for 9-12 minutes.

I'll keep you updated if I find a good trick to know when the cookies are ready!

-Brittany

Great Cooks Start Alike

Like Brit, I too am starting with an easy, but delicious recipe. Cooking is a foreign concept to me. As a child I spent much of my time eating in restaurants. To this day I don't know how to do the most basic cooking like boil a chicken, roast beef, or sautee vegetables (correctly). So with that said, I thought I should start with a simple recipe to boost my confidence. This recipe for Triple Chocolate Cake was given to my pledge class by our Tri Delta mom at Texas Christian University. I made it for one of my husbands seminary classes and supposedly everyone enjoyed it (at least that is what he said). I hope you will enjoy it just as much. Happy Baking!

Triple Chocolate Cake

Serves at least 12, Prep time 10 minutes, Bake time 1 hour

12 oz. milk chocolate chips (to make it extra special splurge on the chocolate chips. It will make all the difference in this recipe. I use Guillard's Chocolate Chips)
1 box German Chocolate cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
8 oz. sour cream
Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all ingredients in bowl and beat 2 minutes.
3. Grease and flour Bundt Cake Pan. (I use Baker's Joy spray instead which makes life so much easier.)
4. Pour ingredients into Bundt Pan and place in oven and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. You might want to check if the cake is ready after 50 minutes by inserting a fork or toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean it is already done.
5. Let cake cool for 20 minutes in pan and then flip onto cake plate. Dust with confectioner's sugar by using a flour sifter.

*Sorry that I don't have a picture :( It comes out very pretty though :)

Bundt Cake Tips Provided by Williams-Sonoma (My favorite kitchen supply store!!)

1. To prevent formation of air bubbles in your cake, spoon the batter into the pan somewhat slowly. If you pour the batter in quickly, air pockets are likely to form, which can produce holes in the finished cake. To release any bubbles that may have developed, tap the pan gently/
2. Place cake leveled on a lower oven rack so that the bundt design will be sharply defined.
3. Don't open oven door until its time to check the cake for doneness as a considerable amount of heat escapes each time you open the door. This will prolong baking time, and the cake may become too dark on the outside while the center is not yet done.

-Laura