Thanksgiving Buzz ~ Pumpkin Cheesecake in Gingerbread Cups

 Thanksgiving

Starting in November, it is always buzz, buzz about Thanksgiving.

But do you know what Thanksgiving means?

GREAT FOOD!

I look forward to Thanksgiving every year for the kitchen aromas,

spices, and PUMPKIN PIE.

But since I am not a pie maker....

No really!

I can't make a pie crust to save my life.

So I let someone else make it and I just dive in with two forks.

Now these little pumpkin cheesecake in gingerbread cups....

Yes, I can do these.

 I had a little help from Betty with this one.

But that little bit of help made these so easy to make.

These disappeared so fast....

You have got to try, and one went to school.....

You have got to try, and one went to the neighbors.....

You have got try, and one went to work.....

You know how it goes, right? 

 I used Betty's cookie dough and pressed it into a muffin pan to form a cup.

About a golf ball size.

 Then I poured in the pumpkin cheesecake filling. 

I made sure everything was below the edge of the muffin cup.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

4 oz. cream cheese, soft

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

7 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1 egg

7 oz. pumpkin puree

Chopped walnuts to place on top before baking

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix cookie dough according to package directions. Divide and press into muffin cups.

Mix all the cheesecake ingredients in a mixer until smooth. Pour into gingerbread cups.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheesecake is set in the center.

 Let the cups cool completely. Top with whipped cream.

Store the leftovers (if there are any) in the refrigerator.  

This recipe is linked to:
Foodie Friends Friday
Weekend Potluck ~ The Better Baker
Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest

Apple Sour Cream Cake W/Brown Butter Frosting

 I found this recipe on Pinterest and I just knew

when it popped into my view

that I would have to make it.

I even featured this cake on 

Pinterest & Spontaneous Treasures Thursday.

 I did a little something different though. 

I made a brown butter frosting to put on top.

First time ever making anything with brown butter.

And if I would have known what I was missing.....

Brown butter totally changes the taste of everything.

This cake recipe came from My Favorite Things.

The frosting was an experiment.

An amazingly successful experiment.

Apple Sour Cream Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

1 1/4 c. water

3/4 c. sour cream

1/4 c. butter, melted

3 eggs

2 small apples, peeled, grated and squeezed dry

Cinnamon Swirl Filling:

1 medium apple, peeled and chopped

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/3 c. chopped pecans

1 c. mini marshmallows

1 TBS unsweetened baking cocoa

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 TBS lemon juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, sour cream, melted butter and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in grated apple.

In medium bowl, stir together the filling ingredients

Pour half of the cake batter into pan; sprinkle evenly with filling. Top with remaining batter. With knife, cut through batter several times to swirl filling.

Bake 28-30 minutes or until wooden pick tests clean. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack.

Brown Butter Frosting

2 c. confectioners' sugar

2 TBS browned butter

2 TBS milk 

2 tsp. vanilla

Place confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. 

Brown butter in small skillet until nice and golden brown.

With mixer on low speed, slowly add the butter, then milk, then vanilla.

Pour on top of the cooled cake.

This recipe is linked to:
Hungry Little Girl ~ Wednesday Extravaganza
Foodie Friends Friday
The Better Baker ~ Weekend Potluck

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes, Feel the Heat

 Hot Chocolate Cupcakes!

Can you believe it?

And they taste just like you are drinking a cup of hot chocolate.

I don't think these will ever replace my soothing hot chocolate,

but for a special treat,

they are kinda kick'n.

 Have you ever used anything made of silicone?

These are pretty cool too.

A friend of mine gave me these,

and I don't think I will go back to using a cupcake pan

anytime soon.....

You bake your cupcakes in these beauties and they just

pop right out after they are done baking.

Let them cool first, of course.

And as you can see, I had a mishap in the kitchen.

Yes, it does happen.

And I am not one to keep secrets,

or make the picture really pretty.....

I screwed up, and I'm going to tell you I screwed up.

The recipe called for prepared chocolate pudding.

I know how to prepare pudding right?

But I think the recipe meant canned chocolate pudding.

I used instant.

I also used Almond Breeze for my milk amount.

Ha! As you can see, it didn't set up.

Yup, it was quite runny.

See it running off the top of the cupcakes?

And then my whipped cream started running

with the pudding.

Not running with the devil, running with the pudding.
(although I was angry enough, I could have been)

They still tasted great though.

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

1 pkg. (about 16 oz.) pound cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare the mix

1 tsp. instant coffee granules 

4 containers (4 oz. each) prepared chocolate pudding (here is where I went wrong)

2 1/2 c. whipped topping, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 15 muffin cups with baking spray. Prepare cake mix according to package directions, adding coffee granules with the cake mix. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.

Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick checks clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack; cool completely.

Combine chocolate pudding and 2 cups whipped topping in medium bowl until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Top each cupcake with chocolate pudding mixture and dollop of whipped cream. You can sprinkle with unsweetened cocoa powder.

This recipe is linked to:
Hungry Little Girl ~ Wednesday Extravaganza
Lady Behind the Curtain ~ Cast Party Wednesday
High Heels & Grills ~ Work it Wednesday
Miz Helen't Country Cottage ~ Full Plate Thursday
The Better Baker ~ Weekend Potluck

Pumpkin/Carrot Cupcakes W/Maple Praline Frosting

We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you

Pumpkin/Carrot Cupcakes W/Maple Praline Frosting....

Hey, the presidential debates can do it,

why can't I?

And this is important coverage right here. 

 Yes, today was suppose to be 

Pinterest & Spontaneous Treasures Thursday,

but demanding A'lil Country Sugar Friends (Fans) want to know......

And when the friends (Fans) speak, I listen, I oblige, and provide.

Here is the recipe that you all asked for.

You are going to love it.

And just in time for the Holidays.

 When a recipe calls for whole wheat flour I kind of cringe.

I have had many disasters when it comes to whole wheat flour.

But I thought I would give it another try.

My mom gave me this recipe clipped out of a newspaper.

So I have no idea how to cite this, or even give credit.

But I made a lot of changes to this recipe and it's not 

even original anymore. 

This is what I did:

Pumpkin/Carrot Cupcakes W/Maple Praline Frosting

3/4 c. whole-wheat flour

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 TBS canola oil

3/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 heaping c. pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. finely shredded carrots

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

1/4 c. chopped raisinettes (chocolate covered raisins)

(I placed the walnuts and raisinettes in the mini chopper together)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together both flours, the baking soda, salt and spices.

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, brown sugar and eggs until well combined.

Whisk in the pumpkin, vanilla and carrots.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the raisinettes and walnuts.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups (I used my large cookie scoop).

Bake until wooden pick tests clean, about 20 minutes.

Maple Praline Frosting

(This is what I did, and hopefully I can make sense with my directions)

1 stick butter, soft

3 c. powdered sugar

3 TBS Sugar-free maple praline syrup (A Meijer Gold product, found with the pancake syrups)

Almond Breeze Almond Milk for thinning (maybe about 1-2 TBS)

Place the butter in the stand mixer bowl with whip attachment. Add the powdered sugar and turn on low. When the butter and sugar looks bally, add the maple praline syrup 1 TBS at a time. When all that comes together, turn the speed up a notch and slowly add the Almond Breeze to spreading consistency.

This recipe is linked to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage ~ Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friends Friday
The Better Baker ~ Weekend Potluck

Something Really Sweet: Banana, Walnut & White Chocolate Cookie Cake

It's been a while since I have brought you anything sweet.

Chalked full of sugar sweet, that is.

Over the top WOW sweet.....

Have you been missing that?

I have!

And I'm not even a follower.....Follow myself? Ha!

There are so many other blogs out there that I'm interested in.
This is perfect for your Labor Day get-togethers.
Make this up and break out the ice cream.
Have a safe and happy holiday!

One blog that peeks my interest is, Joy The Baker.

That is where the inspiration for this recipe came from.

I'm sure you all know Joy The Baker.

She has her own published cookbook, is so popular,

and is one of my idols. For real!!

She makes her pictures look so darn appetizing.

Am I jealous? Sure am!!

That's why I'm going to send you to her blog to see all the great pictures.

Just look at this AMAZING!

I don't own a cast iron skillet, but I do own a baking stone.

I used the stone in place of the cast iron. I think it worked very well.

And just so you know what that is on top of the banana cookie cake.....

That is a slightly softened Heath Klondike Bar.

Perfect for on top of this cake.

The richness was way over the top.....

Banana, Walnut and White Chocolate Cookie Cake

Recipe inspired by Joy The Baker

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter

1 c. light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 TBS Bailey's Irish Cream

2 small ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. white chocolate chips

1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in an 8 inch cast iron skillet over med/low heat (I used a 10 inch cake baking stone). Stir in sugar and Bailey's Irish Cream and remove from heat. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Allow mixture to stand and cool for about 5 minutes. The mixture should not be super hot when the egg goes in, or the egg will cook.

When the sugar and butter mixture has cooled slightly it will look a bit clumpy, greasy, and broken. That's okay, the egg will bring it all together.

Add the egg and whisk together until smooth. The mixture will be glossy and no longer greasy. Add banana and cinnamon and stir to combine.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir carefully until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and fold together.

Spread mixture across the pan creating a somewhat smooth top. Place in oven.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until mixture is dry on top, but still slightly soft in the center. This cake is best to serve slightly under baked.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Top with ice cream and serve warm.

When this cake is served (warm) it is just like eating a slightly under baked cookie. Along with melting ice cream, it is very rich in flavor. It kind of reminds me of a warm bread pudding.....Great stuff!!

This recipe is linked to:

Lady Behind the Curtain ~ Cast Party Wednesday

A Favorite Breakfast: Bundt Cake French Toast

 Breakfast!

One of my favorite meals.

And I can eat it for any meal of the day (breakfast, lunch, or dinner).

 Since I have had so much time on my hands (not really),

I have been spending it creating unique and new food ideas for you.

Anyone can find a recipe and follow it word for word,

but I am one that likes to create my own recipes, 

and then share them with you......

Do you remember that gorgeous Kentucky Butter Cake I made?

It was turned into French Toast.

I was afraid of it being too sweet for breakfast, 

but it turned out just right. 

 I sliced the left-over cake into fairly thin slices, 

dipped them in the egg mixture,

and placed them on a 400 degree F. preheated griddle.

I waited till they were nice golden brown, 

and flipped them. 

 Gorgeous, huh?

And the "picky-eater" loved it.

Egg Wash For French Toast

5 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Whisk the eggs and cinnamon together first.

Add

1/2 c. butter milk

1 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whisk all together.

Dip cake pieces in egg wash (turning a couple times) and place on a preheated 400 degree F. griddle. Brown on one side until golden brown and flip.

This recipe is linked to:
Thursday's Treasures
Foodie Friends Friday
Full Plate Thursday
Weekend Pot Luck

Just Smack Me! Rhubarb Tart Cherry Cake

Why oh why did I wait so long to make this cake?

Just smack me!

This cake is out of this world fantabulous!!

I found this recipe on Pinterest (of course!) and instantly knew that I had to make it. I love anything with rhubarb.
The inspiration for this recipe came from Hot Eats and Cool Reads. I made some changes, of course, to suit my tastes, but you can use either recipe. I'm sure Hot Eats and Cool Reads is just as good.

If you notice, all the fruit and cream that was put on top of the cake batter ends up on the bottom. How cool is that?

This cake will for sure be made every rhubarb season (even though I'm a little off right now).

Rhubarb Tart Cherry Cream Cake

1 box vanilla cake mix, and ingredients according to box directions
1 tsp vanilla
4 c. rhubarb
1 c. frozen tart cherries
1/2 c. sugar
1 pint whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix cake mix according to package directions and add 1 tsp vanilla.
Pour batter into greased 9x13 baking pan.
Sprinkle rhubarb and cherries over the batter. Sprinkle 1/2 c. sugar evenly over fruit, and pour whipping cream over the top of the batter and fruit. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until top is browned and sides are pulling away from pan. Cool completely before serving. Refrigerate the leftovers.

This recipe is linked to:
Manic Monday

Something About a Bundt Cake: Kentucky Butter Cake

HAVE A GREAT 4TH OF JULY!

 There is just something about a bundt cake that screams.....PERFECT!

Isn't that gorgeous?

And sometimes I get in the mood for something fattening, 

something buttery,

and something sweet.

 I found this recipe creeping through Pinterest and I just knew I'd have to make it.

Anything that says BUTTER.....I am ready and willing!

I followed the recipe just like The Southern Lady Cooks, but when I came to 

the sugar amount.....I just about jumped out of my skin. Holy Crow!! 

2 cups of sugar?

I think not! 

That is the only thing I changed in this recipe.

The rum sauce just makes this cake divine. 

You probably shouldn't eat this cake without the rum sauce.

This cake is so easy to make, and when you present it and serve it, 

it will make you look like you spent hours in the kitchen.

And I have plans for this cake. 

Just wait and see what I'm going to do with it.

Kentucky Butter Cake

1 1/2 c. sugar

4 eggs

2 sticks butter, soft

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. buttermilk

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

In a large bowl cream sugar, eggs, butter, and buttermilk together with mixer. Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour batter into a well greased (cooking spray) bundt pan. Bake in a preheated 325 degree F. oven for 55 - 60 minutes, or until wooden pick comes out clean (mine was closer to the 55). Let cool in pan for 30 minutes before removing.

Rum Sauce

1/2 c. sugar

1/3 c. butter

3 TBS water

2 tsp. Malibu Rum (and if the rum spills over the tsp., that's fine.....)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until fully melted. Do not boil! Pour over individual servings. The cake will soak up the sauce.

This recipe is linked to:                                          
 

 Good Recipes Online

Did Someone Say Nutella? Peanut Butter Nutella Cake

This recipe was chosen as a feature item at:

I don't know about the rest of you, but I can spend endless hours searching blogs for recipe inspiration.
The inspiration for this recipe was found at Bake or Break Recipes.
You know, at least you should by now, that I can't just follow a recipe. I almost always have to "kick them up a notch", as Emeril would say.....
When I came across this recipe and seen the word peanut butter, I automatically thought of Nutella. Why does peanut butter remind me of Nutella?
Nutella = chocolate, peanut butter = peanuts
But put the two together and you have chocolate peanut butter.....and I know in the foodie law books you cannot, should never, don't even think about it, separate chocolate and peanut butter.

When the cake batter hit the pan, I heated about a half cup of Nutella in the microwave (13 seconds) just to soften it a little and swirled into the peanut butter cake batter. Isn't that gorgeous? I didn't really want to bake it after that picture.....

Then I topped it with the required 1 cup of reserved flour mixture, and sprinkled mini chocolate chips on top.

This is what it looked like right out of the oven. And to give you a little visual sensation.....my whole entire house smelled like peanut butter and chocolate. I think that scent should be captured in a candle....
This cake ended up with crunchy top and moist middle. The way a cake should be. Actually, it kind of reminds me of a coffee cake.

This recipe is linked to:






And:





And:
Recipes For My Boys - Thursday's Treasures

And:

Peanut Butter Nutella Cake

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. light brown sugar
1 c. creamy peanut butter (I used extra crunchy and used a mounding cup)
1/2 c. butter, soft
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 c. Nutella, softened in microwave for 13 seconds
1 c. mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside
Using an electric mixer, combine flour, brown sugar, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well.
Remove 1 cup of the flour mixture and set aside.
To the remaining flour mixture, add baking powder and baking soda. Mix in milk and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Transfer batter to baking pan. Heat 1/2 c. Nutella in microwave for 13 seconds. Pour over cake batter and swirl into batter with a butter knife. Sprinkle top with reserved flour mixture, and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Bake 35-40 minutes (mine took all the 40 minutes). Test with wooden pick. When wooden pick comes out clean, it's done.

I Need Help: Strawberry/Lemon Scones

Everyone loves strawberries, right? Aren't those strawberries gorgeous? These strawberries were so big that some of them covered the whole palm of my hand. As I put the package of strawberries in my cart I was saying a silent prayer, "Please don't let these awesome strawberries be hollow in the middle."
You know how that is, right? Sometimes they can look gorgeous on the outside, but be empty on the inside, like some people. These berries were very good. I was really impressed.

I've never made scones before, so I had no idea what I was doing. I had to have help from Munchkin Munchies. Mine don't look as good as theirs, but they tasted fantastic.

Mine turned out kind of like a cake, and I thought scones were suppose to be more like biscuits. But according to a good friend of mine, she said that scones can be either way, cake like or biscuit like. Thanks Michael Ann (The Big Green Bowl), love ya!
That's one thing about the blogging world......you find good friends around every corner of a page click.

Strawberry/Lemon Scones

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 TBS sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter (chilled and cubed)
2 c. chopped fresh strawberries
1 TBS lemon zest
Juice of half a lemon
2 eggs beaten
1/2 c. heavy cream (save a little for brushing on the scones before baking)

Topping:
sanding sugar
2 TBS. heavy cream
1/2 c. prepared lemon curd

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With pastry blender, cut in butter cubes until mixture has coarse crumbs. Gently add strawberries and the lemon zest. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, lemon juice, and cream. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Gently stir until moistened.
Place dough onto a well floured surface. Gently knead the dough by folding and pressing it about 7 times. Move dough to a lightly floured parchment-lined baking sheet (or stoneware baking sheet - that's what I used). Pat dough into a 3/4 inch thick circle. Cut circle into wedges and separate each slightly.
Brush wedges with cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake 16 - 20 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle scones with lemon curd mixture once they are slightly cooled. Sprinkle with more sanding sugar.