Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

I've made Whoopie pies in the past and don't remember them striking me as a super-duper-I-have-to-make-these-again kind of treat. Recently, a friend sent me this recipe on two separate occasions so I gave them a go since she was visiting today.

From the picture you can see the cookies are of the dark and cakey variety. The rich-looking batter was simple to put together. Now what makes these cookies make you want to say "Whoopie" is the cream cheese filling. It adds a nice sweetened tang to the chocolate of the cookie. Be warned, it is a rich treat but they are big-ish so sharing isn't a problem. I guess you could fill it with icing or some other filler-type substance but the cream cheese is, to quote from Rachael Ray, yum-o!

Overall, a thumbs up treat. Everyone who tried one liked it so it's a keeper.

Recipe: Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

Cinnamon Swirl Breakfast Bread

I bought Bite Me ages ago at Indigo. I didn't set out to do this but as I flipped through it I was hooked by the recipes, humour and, most importantly, the bold graphics. If you own this book, you know what I mean. :)

I have made many a dinner from it (the Fiesta Bowl Salad is always a hit) so I made this bread one lazy Sunday. All I can say is that you won't be disappointed with the result.

This bread bakes at a lower temperature so the cinnamon sugar topping did not burn like others can. The loaf itself was moist and tangy - very eatable. The only modification I made was to put two layers of cinnamon swirl within the loaf. I always find that I don't put enough in one layer and end up dumping way too much on top. (Perhaps this is why it burns?? Hmmm)

This lovely loaf was a snap to throw together and quite satisfying. If you're looking to check out a new book, Bite Me is worth a peek.

Recipe: Cinnamon Swirl Breakfast Bread

Cranberry Upside-Downer

I thought that making a cranberry upside-down cake in October would be fitting since Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving during this month and its cranberry season pretty much from now until Christmas. I like making these cakes - always hoping while holding the hot pan that it will flip out nicely.

This cake is a snap to put together. The recipe is straightforward and you end up with a sweet cake topped with tangy berries and walnuts. Yummy all on its own but divine with vanilla ice cream. I made this in a 9-inch round pan and had no problems.

This cake was used as a 'Tuesdays with Dorie' recipe some time ago so you'll find bloggers from all over the singing its praises just like me.

Recipe: Cranberry Upside-Downer

Chocolate Gingerbread Pretzels

Recently I have been asked when I'll start baking or blogging again. I haven't really stopped baking but blogging did take a backseat to life. I did miss it but, when posting became more of a chore than a fun pastime, it was time for a break.

However, I hope to start posting with some regularity and maybe treat myself to a new camera. I was in Indigo the other day and saw the new Holiday issue from Canadian Living. I was pumped because it was an all-cookie publication and I love cookies.

My son chose this as the first cookie to make. Be warned that they do take some to make, chill, shape, bake and glaze. Though the process is long, the cookies are yummy - sort of cakey, yet firm. They offer up all the traditional holiday flavours such as gingerbread, cinnamon and molasses and the glaze adds a nice sweetness to the spiciness of the cookie.

Sort of Pfeffernusse-esque. I hope to try out more recipes to share with you. Enjoy!

Recipe: Chocolate Gingerbread Pretzels

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

It is cold and dreary here today. The leaves have almost all but fallen off because of the wind and rain but at least its Friday.

I made these muffins a while ago and wish I actually had one right now so I could eat it. Today is the perfect day for a spicy pumpkin muffin and a hot drink to warm up with. As I typed the recipe, I realized the cream cheese concoction is actually a spread not an icing as I've demonstrated in the picture. I was wondering why it made so little and was not very sweet. Just goes to show - read the recipe!

Have a great weekend!

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Spiced Pecan Tart

Fall is in the air and that means Thanksgiving is around the corner for us Canadians. I usually make pumpkin pie for dessert and most likely will again this year but if you're looking for something new try this Spiced Pecan Tart. It's easy, delicious and gives you a great reason to use your tart pan.

The tart consists of a pat-in pastry (no rolling required) and a spicy pecan filling that can be made with or without the addition of bourbon. What I like about making tarts is that they're generally smaller than pies thus requiring less ingredients and they're simpler to pull together. If you feel daunted by pies and crusts, tarts may be for you and they do look very impressive when served. This tart filling is just the right combination of gooey and firm with lots of crunch pecans to balance it out.

Overall, a super tart! Now all I have to work on is taking a decent picture of a slice!
Recipe: Spiced Pecan Tart

Chocolate Espresso Sandwich Cookies

Making cookies is a special thing. Making the cookies into sandwiches is even more special. Who wouldn't be happy to see a plate of homemade coffee flavoured chocolate cookies with a creamy ganache filling ready to be devoured?

These cookies are very easy to pull together and have a solid chewy texture. They also have the perfect density to be sandwiched - they don't crumble or break apart and hold the ganache in place.

If you don't want to use ganache I think a coffee flavoured buttercream would work but would make the overall cookie a bit sweeter. Regardless, anyone you make these cookies for will definitely be impressed.

Sorry for the choppy post - I'm feeling rusty today!

Recipe: Chocolate Espresso Sandwich Cookies

Oatmeal Coconut Cookie Ice-Cream Sandwiches

I love ice cream sandwiches and have spent many years eating the typical rectangular chocolate ones with vanilla ice cream. (Who doesn't love those?) If you're looking to up the ante by trying to make your own, these oatmeal coconut cookies are perfect.

What you end up with is a very large, thin and chewy cookie that is perfect for filling with ice cream. After they have completely chilled, the cookies do not break or crumble and hold the ice cream perfectly. They are easy to bite through and the finished product is quite substantial - 2 whole cookies and a half cup of ice cream can really fill you up! If they're too big for you, just make smaller cookies and adjust the baking time accordingly. Let the ice cream soften a bit before filling. This process may get a bit messy, but its worth it.

The recipe calls for rum raisin ice cream but I substituted Breyers Dark Chocolate Velvet instead. The deep chocolately flavour went wonderfully with the coconut for a truly decadent treat. After trying all three of the new Breyers flavours, I think my favorite is the Banana Cream Pie with the Chocolate Cheesecake in second place and the Chocolate Velvet not far behind. Really though, I just love ice cream and these three did not disappoint. Try them out and see which one you like the best and if you're a resident of Canada you can enter to win some neat prizes if you create your own Breyers Moment. Check out the prizes here and the rules here.

Recipe: Oatmeal Coconut Cookie Ice-Cream Sandwiches

Chipster Topped Brownies

The summer is passing me by at a surprisingly fast clip. After spending some relaxing family time in White Rock, I've come home to find I only have 3 weeks of fun left!

I made these chipster brownies some time ago. They consists of a very moist and chewy brownie topped with chocolate chip cookie dough. If you like these two treats then you'll love these. I enjoyed the brownie a lot. They were solid, dense and satisfying. I did have some trouble spreading the cookie dough over the brownie layer so there were some gaps where the brownie batter poked through. I also think the cookie batter baked a tad too much and got crispier than I would have liked. Certainly, you can make these brownies sans cookie dough and still have sweet satisfaction.

I topped the brownies with Breyers Chocolate Cheesecake ice cream to make it extra special. This rich ice cream blends chocolate and cheesecake to produce a decadent, creamy and tangy treat. The cheesecake part is very subtle and there are no actual cheesecake chunks in the mix. I would say it runs a very close second to the Banana Cream Pie!

Recipe: Chipster Topped Brownies

Daring Bakers July Challenge - Milan Cookies

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

This month participants were given the option of making one or two types of cookies. I only made the Milans and not the marshmallow ones.

I don't do a lot of piped cookies so I was happy to give these a try. The batter was easy to put together but there was a lot of it so I was piping for a long time. I also found the the instructions to pipe 1-inch lengths a little crazy. The cookies were very tiny so I ended up completing the rest by piping about 4-inch lengths and putting two side by side so they'd be a little wider. This worked and eventually I finished.

Overall, I think the cookies tasted okay. They were crispy at the edges and chewy in the middle. Piping the batter was unpredictable - some cookies spread into wacky shapes. The ganache was perfect as ganache usually is. Even though they weren't my favourite, they all got eaten. What did help redeem them was pairing them with luscious Breyers Banana Cream Pie ice cream. I had added some coconut extract to the cookies so they were 'tropical' which went perfectly with the banana, vanilla, and graham cracker flavours.

To see how the other Daring Bakers fared with their cookies, check out the Daring Kitchen. Thanks to Harbinger for providing the ice cream.

Blondie Cupcakes

Cupcakes are all the rage these days. It's no wonder that Martha Stewart has come out with a cookbook with 175 recipes dedicated to them. Up until now, I have never owned one of her cookbooks but Cupcakes seems to be a great fit for me.

The first thing that I noticed is that there is a beautiful colour picture for every single cupcake in the book. This is awesome. The recipes themselves seem straightforward and of course, they can be dressed up with a multitude of frostings, fillings and other visually interesting embellishments.

For my first cupcake, I made the Blondie Cupcakes which is a twist on the traditional blondie bar. After mixing up the batter the cupcakes are baked for 30 minutes. The thing to remember is that the batter is dense and not fluffy. There is a fine line to walk here between the cupcake being golden and chewy and burnt and hard. Half an hour is more than normal cupcakes are baked so check carefully and use paper liners. This will make removal extremely easy.

The cupcake itself is very nice. It is solid and substantial. They may have seemed hard on the outside but they were chewy on the inside. Store them in a container to keep them moist and enjoy. Thank you to Random House for providing me with this book.

Recipe: Blondie Cupcakes

Sweet Cherry Custard Tart

After finally using my tart pan for the Bakewell Tart, I looked for some recipes that would allow me to use it again. Since it is cherry season here in Ontario, I chose this custard tart to show off this juicy fruit rather than just eat them all from the bowl.

The first thing I needed was a cherry pitter which I finally found at Kitchen Stuff Plus. Pitting cherries is serious business...after I was done my hands were blood red! I'm guessing that the messier you get, the better the cherries.

I made this tart two times. The first was with cherries purchased from the grocery store. While the cherries were sweet, they were firm and not juicy but still made a good tart. The second tart, pictured to the left, was made with cherries from the local Farmer's Market. You can see how the cherry juice seeped into the custard making it more cohesive than the first tart. I also baked the second tart for five minutes less giving me a firm, yet moist vanilla custard.

Overall, this tart was a undisputed hit. The tart dough is forgiving if you tear it, and the preparation is not daunting at all. Pitting the cherries probably took longer than mixing up the filling. If you're looking for something to make with cherries, keep this tart in mind - it's toothsome and fresh!

Recipe: Sweet Cherry Custard Tart

Raspberry Streusel Muffins & Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

I've got a backlog of muffins waiting to posted about. Here's a quick write-up about two of them.

Raspberry Streusel Muffins are exactly what they sound like. Fresh raspberries incorporated into a cakey batter and topped with almond streusel. I did not have slivered almonds so I used ground almonds in the stresuel which was fine though the muffin ended up lacking visual interest. This muffin would be equally great with blueberries. The only issue I had was that the raspberries ended up mainly at the bottom of the muffin despite the higher oven temperature. If any of you have tips on how to keep fresh fruit distributed evenly throughout, I would appreciate them. Overall, a very nice muffin perfect for beginner bakers and sharing with others.

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins require a bit more prep work. A portion of the oats are ground for this muffin and combined with regular oats to make a hearty, spicy muffin. They're pretty healthy and if you don't like nuts or raisins, either can be omitted or increased to your liking. Remember to not overbake them or they'll be dry. They take a little bit more effort but can still be pulled together in about 15 minutes.



Recipes: Raspberry Streusel Muffins & Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Whole Wheat Sunflower Seed Muffins

Now that summer is here, I finally feel like I have enough time to devote to baking and blogging. I made these muffins quite a while ago from my new book and wanted to share with you.

Sometimes when you bake, substitutions need to be made. I had all the ingredients I needed but had no sunflower seeds. My lovely neighbour graciously let me borrow some pumpkin seeds which I happily used.

These muffins are easy to prepare and full of flavour and texture. There is a hint of spiciness from the ginger, zing from the lemon and crunch from the pepitas, so much in fact that I wish I had added more to the batter. They're not your typical muffins but are delicious. I also like the fact that they're mostly made with whole wheat flour making them healthier than most. Give them a try with a seed of your choice!

Recipe: Whole Wheat Sunflower Seed Muffins

Daring Bakers June Challenge - Bakewell Tart..er..Pudding

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Finally a challenge that allowed me to bring out my as-yet-unused tart pan. The Bakewell Tart consists of three parts - a sweet pastry, jam and frangipane, a lovely almond filling. I opted to do a classic flavour combination of almond paired with raspberry jam and ended up with, in my opinion, a very authentic tasting tart.

The crust was solid and held everything together. The jam was seedless store-bought and provided a splash of sweetness and the frangipane was light in texture and the star of the tart. It cut beautifully and tasted even better cold the next day.

I really enjoyed this challenge. The tart was easy to prepare, looks impressive and was extremely edible. I will make it a point to work with frangipane again - I loved it.

Golden Cinnamon Loaf

The next recipe I tried out from my new book was the Golden Cinnamon Loaf. Again, I was not disappointed with the results. I won't bother going into the nitty gritty, but if you follow the instructions and give yourself enough time, you will be successful. What you end up with are two great loaves filled with cinnamony goodness.

One thing I tried that eased the process was to freeze the butter and then grate it. This worked really well and the butter got evenly distributed throughout the dry ingredients. Also, I didn't crisp them up at the end as I liked them the way they were. This loaf makes excellent toast especially when slathered in butter.

Recipe: Golden Cinnamon Loaf

Simple Sweet Dough, Crumb Buns & Sticky Buns

I just bought a new baking book called Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More by Carole Walter. It was an impulse buy since I wanted to get free shipping from Amazon and what I had in my shopping cart didn't add up to $39. Anyways, as I was scrolling through the baking section, I judged this book by its cover and happily proceeded to the checkout.

When I got it two days later, I did a quick skim and quickly realized we would become great friends. This is my type of book - home baked goodness on every page. Mr. CB said to go for the gusto and make the sticky buns on the cover - "Why else would have bothered to buy this book?" he said. Good point.

So I got some yeast and got to business. There is a deep sense of satisfaction when it comes to baking. After mixing up all kinds of stuff you get a beautiful cake for instance. Baking with yeast takes this satisfaction up to a whole new level. Watching the dough rise and then bake into a warm gooey pecan sticky bun makes my day.

They say first impressions are the most important and this book has made an impressive one. The dough recipe is easy to execute as are the accompanying recipes for crumb and sticky buns. What's convenient is that the dough recipe makes about 2 lbs and this can be divided in half to make different treats. The only thing I found finicky was making sticky buns in a muffin tin. They were not that easy to remove though perhaps Mr. CB didn't butter the cavities generously enough. Also, the sticky part got hard and had to be reheated so it didn't get stuck in your teeth. Two minor nuisances for such yummy results.

Recipes: Simple Sweet Dough, Crumb Buns & Sticky Buns

Granola Grabbers & Vitality Review

I've been meaning to post about these cookies for about six weeks now. I made them to use up a box of granola I had and didn't want to waste. The recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan and produces a smallish, crunchy cookie filled with lots of little goodies such as raisins, nuts and coconut.

The dough is crumbly and requires a little handling but once baked they taste really wholesome. Of course, whatever type of granola you use will influence the flavour of your cookie and mine came out infused with vanilla and complemented with almonds. It is a nice homey, down to earth cookie that can be tailored to suit different tastes.

The thing about granola is that sometimes it can get stuck in your teeth. The best way I can think to help with this problem is to brush them and the Oral B Vitality Pro White Toothbrush can help with this.

This toothbrush gives you that "I just got my teeth cleaned at the dentist" feel without the anxiety. It took me a while to get used to holding and using the brush because you don't use the traditional brushing motions. Once on, the brush simply needs to be moved across and between the teeth as the cleaning head does all the work. You can add toothpaste as you go and make sure it is securely on the bristles. The first time I used the Vitality, the toothpaste went flying when I turned it on. It takes a little longer to do a good job but the results are worth it. Your teeth feel cleaner and it is easy to make contact with all those hard to reach spots.

If you want to share the base, replacement brush heads are available too. Mr. CB has been using the Vitality toothbrush and is sold. His dentist told him it is an excellent product and he's a believer. If you're pressed for time, just do a traditional brush and polish with the Vitality. Perfect for getting rid of granola! Thanks to MS&L for providing the product that was used for this review.

Recipe: Granola Grabbers

Daring Bakers April Challenge - Cheesecake

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

I love cheesecake. I always have and always will. This love affair started many years ago. When I was younger we would shop at a grocery store now called Michael-Angelo's. The bakery was situated in the back of the store and sometimes my mom would let us choose something to take home. This is a big deal because it did not happen often. I repeatedly chose a slice of cheesecake. There were only three flavours and I regularly chose the chocolate swirl. I loved its cold creaminess and never tired of it.

Fast forward to this month's challenge. I was so happy to be making cheesecake! I decided to make mine with an Oreo crust and broken Oreos stirred into the filling. Simple but delicious. The cheesecake was luscious and infused with vanilla. It wasn't too sweet or firm and the mini versions I made were the perfect serving. Everyone loved them and the recipe is definitely a keeper. If you haven't made cheesecake before and would like to try, make muffin-sized ones. They're less daunting and if you have a big enough pan to fit your muffin tin into you can still do a water bath.

Thanks Jenny for a sublime challenge!

Ricotta Cookies

If you thought that ricotta cheese was only for lasagna and filling ravioli I have some news for you. Ricotta makes one great cookie! When I first saw the recipe I was won over - I love ricotta and cakey cookies. I was also intrigued. What would these cookies taste like?

After mixing up the batter (which came together beautifully) the dough was soft but droppable. The cookies came out fluffy and mild tasting. The ricotta was not discernible (to me anyways) but they were delicious. I suppose you could add a little lemon zest to give them some extra flavour but I liked them as they were. Once I added the colourful cream cheese icing they were even better. The sweet tang complemented the cookie beautifully.

So bake yourself a little happiness. Spring is here, albeit with some snow, the bulbs are popping up and a long weekend is around the corner. All good things in my book!

Recipe: Ricotta Cookies