Hi there!

I know I have been absent for awhile, but I have good reasons! Like I was on vacation for 2 weeks, driving all around the country, taking in the beautiful sites of the west coast and getting engaged! :oD I wanted to make a special "We're engaged" dessert to post, but just haven't found the time. Instead I have something super yummy and cute!!!

My dear friend gave me the sweetest birthday present when I returned from vacation. A book that I have been wanting for quite some time now...

David Lebovitz's "The Perfect Scoop"

Not only did she get me this awesome book, but she made me the cutest peanut butter cup ice cream sandwiches. Yum!! How adorable are these?



I am so excited to start digging into this book (and the ice cream sammies...hehe)! Thanks so much to the best buddy ever! :o)

-amanda

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Really enjoying Kraft's cheesecakes recipes. They are so simple and fast to make, and they taste delicious! The White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake is so yummy! The recipe called for an Oreo pie crust, but I couldn't find a pre-made one and I didn't feel like making my own, so I just used a chocolate pie crust. I do think however, that the Oreo pie crust would have been much more rich...there is something about Oreo and raspberry together that is soooo good! Like my Chocolate Raspberry Tarts...yum-o! Anyways, on with the recipe!

Cheesecake with swirls prior to baking.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake (adapted from Kraft Recipes.com)

Ingredients

• 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Eggs
• 3 squares Baker's White Chocolate, melted
• 1 Chocolate Pie Crust (6 oz.)
• 3 Tbsp. Raspberry seedless preserves
  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Melt chocolate in microwavable bowl, in microwave for 20 secs. Stir and microwave an additional 15 secs until melted, stirring in between. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended. Stir in chocolate. Pour into crust.
3. Microwave preserves in small bowl on HIGH 15 sec. or until melted. Dot top of cheesecake with small spoonfuls of preserves; swirl gently with knife.
4. Bake 35 to 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Enjoy and store leftovers in refrigerator.

-amanda

Toffee Crunch Cheesecake

I loooove cheesecake and I love toffee. I knew this recipe would not fail me. It is delicious and the best part about it was that it only took me a few minutes to mix. Fast, easy, yummy, and hardly any dirty dishes...just the kind of recipe I love. You must try it!

Pre-bake photo

Toffee Crunch Cheesecake (from Kraft Recipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Eggs
• 4 Heath bars (1.4 oz. each), chopped (3 bars to mix in, 1 bar to sprinkle on top)
• 1 Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended. Stir in the 3 chopped Heath bars.
2. Pour into crust. Sprinkle with remaining chopped Heath bar.
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator. Enjoy!

-amanda

Guinness and Bailey's Cupcakes

I found these cupcakes on Annie's Eats, and have been wanting to make them for about a year now. I planned on making them for Father's Day but didn't have the time or all of the ingredients. I finally made them and they are yummy! I have never been a big fan of homemade cupcake batter, but I guess I just never found a good one. Well this one is soooo good! I like it even more than the ganache and the frosting which is odd for me. If you plan on making these cupcakes, allot a few hours and expect to dirty a lot of dishes! But I think they are worth it! :o)

Guinness and Bailey’s Irish Cream Cupcakes (adapted from Annie's Eats)
Yields: 24 cupcakes

For the Guinness chocolate cupcakes:

• 1 cup stout (Guinness)
• 8 tbsp. butter
• 8 tbsp. shortening
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1½ tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey’s ganache filling:

• 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp. butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp. Bailey’s Irish cream

For the Bailey’s buttercream frosting:

• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 8 tbsp. Bailey’s Irish cream

1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the stout-butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 19 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. To make the ganache filling, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Once the mixture reaches 90 - 95 degrees F, add the butter and Bailey’s and stir until combined.
4. Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling.) Meanwhile, cut out a portion from the center of the cupcake using the cone method (a small paring knife works best for this). Once the ganache has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes.
5. To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Mix in the Bailey’s until smooth. Add more if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

-amanda

Sherbet Trio

I have been dreaming about this delicious trio of sherbet for quite some time and I finally had the time to make it happen. How yummy does this look?! And pretty too. :o)
I was originally going to make sorbets, but decided that sherbet would be so much better because of the creaminess, and boy are they delish! The trio consists of strawberry, raspberry and orange. Enjoy!!

Top to Bottom: Raspberry, Orange, Strawberry

Strawberry Sherbet (from Delish)

• 3 cups hulled strawberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. In a food processor, puree fruit until smooth. Press the mixture through a strainer to remove seeds if desired. Sweeten the puree with sugar until desired sweetness achieved.
2. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Best when served immediately. Can be stored in freezer; leave out for 10-15 minutes to soften before scooping and serving.

Raspberry Sherbet (from Simply Cooking, Originally from David Lebovitz's, The Perfect Scoop)

• 4 cups raspberries
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1½ tsp. lemon juice
• food processor
• ice cream maker

1. Puree the berries, milk and sugar until smooth
2. Strain to remove the seeds
3. Stir in the lemon juice
4. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker

Orange Sherbet (from Food Loves Writing)

• 7 ounces sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups very cold whole milk
  

1. In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients except the milk, and process until the sugar is dissolved, approximately 1 minute.
   
2. Transfer this mixture to a mixing bowl, and whisk in the milk.
   
3. Cover the bowl, and place in the refrigerator until the mixture reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 1 hour.
4. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream. You may serve immediately or put in a container and place in freezer until firm, approximately 3 hours.

The orange sherbet is so refreshing and delicious, the only part that bummed me out is that it turned out yellow instead of orange. The raspberry is the next best, nice and creamy. The strawberry is good as well, just not as creamy. It's a little more icy. All in all I am very happy with the results!

All packed up and ready to be delivered to someone special!

-amanda

Creamy Strawberry Cookie Tarts

I'm back! Not that I really went anywhere. Sorry for my absence. I made these yummy strawberry cookie tarts for a work party and thought I would share them with you. I was a little worried about how these would taste with the jello mixture on top of a cookie and all...just seemed odd to me. But everyone at work really liked them, so yay! I mean the way I see it is you can't go wrong with anything that has cream cheese in it...am I right or am I right? I thought so. :o) These were really easy to make and took no time at all. I was thinking they would be really yummy will raspberry jello instead, oh and an Oreo cookie on the bottom...yummers!

Creamy Strawberry Cookie Tarts (from Kraft)
Yields: 12

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
• 1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
• 12 CHIPS AHOY! Cookies
• 12 small strawberries

1. Stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in small bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Cool 5 min., stirring occasionally.
2. Pour gelatin mixture into blender. Add cream cheese; cover. Blend on medium speed 30 to 45 sec. or until well blended; scrape down side of blender container, if needed. Add whipped topping; cover. Blend on low speed 5 sec. or just until blended.
3. Line 12 muffin pan cups with paper liners; spray with cooking spray. Place 1 cookie on bottom of each prepared cup; top evenly with the gelatin mixture. Refrigerate 1 hour 30 min. or until firm. Top each with a strawberry just before serving. Store leftover desserts in refrigerator.

-amanda

For my best buddy :o)

Hope you have a wonderful birthday!!

-amanda