Sweet Indulgence:  Chocolate Peanut Butter Marble Cookies

Source:  Evil Shenanigans

A peanut butter and chocolate cookie with a pretty marbled effect.

MAKING THE PEANUT BUTTER DOUGH:

Cream together butter, sugar and peanut butter.

Add the vanilla, egg and salt and mix until well combined.

Sift together the flour and baking powder.  Add this dry mixture to the butter mixture.

Remove from the bowl and wrap in saran wrap and chill for at least two hours.

MAKING THE PEANUT BUTTER DOUGH:

This time cream together the butter, sugar and melted chocolate.

Add the vanilla, egg and salt and mix.

Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa together.

Add it to the butter mixture.

Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap it in plastic wrap to at least two hours.

COMBINING THE TWO DOUGHS:

Roll out each of the doughs into a rectangle.

Cut the rectangle in half and place the chocolate dough onto the peanut butter dough.  My dough was very soft even though it had been refrigerated for 24 hours, so I had to place pieces of it onto the peanut butter dough and mend the cracks a bit.

Fold the dough in half and then fold it in half again.  Flatten out the dough, roll it into a log and then fold it in half again and flatten.

Roll the dough into a log.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

BAKING THE COOKIES:

Remove the cookies from the fridge.  Slice and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Place into the oven.

These cookies are a lot of fun to make and the results are always different depending on how your fold/flatten and roll the dough.   I highly recommend checking out Evil Shenanigan’s blog to see how beautiful her marbling effect turned out.

FINAL VERDICT:

Taste:  3 sweet burps out of 5

Level of difficulty:  Easy

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RECIPE (retrieved from Evil Shenanigans)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marble Cookies    Yield 5 dozen

For the peanut butter dough:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For the chocolate dough:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Begin by preparing the peanut butter dough.  In the work bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and peanut butter until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla, egg, and salt and mix until well combined.

In a small bowl sift together the flour and baking powder.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until a uniform dough is formed.  Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for two hours.

Next, prepare the chocolate dough.  In the same work bowl you used before cream together the butter, sugar, and melted chocolate until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla, egg, and salt and mix until well combined.

In a small bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until a uniform dough is formed.  Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for two hours.

Once the dough is chilled roll each of the doughs out to 1/4 inch thick rectangle.  Cut each rectangle in half.  Working with one half each of the chocolate and peanut butter dough, place the chocolate on top of the peanut butter and fold the dough in half and then in half again.  Flatten the dough, roll into a log,  fold the dough in half and flatten again.

Roll the dough into a tight log, wrap with plastic and chill for at least two hours, or as many as three days.   Repeat with the remaining dough.

When you are ready to bake heat the oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.   Slice the dough into 1/8? to 1/4? thick slices and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared sheet.  Bake for 8 – 12 minutes, or until the centers of the cookies are firm and the bottom of the cookie is golden brown.  Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sweet Indulgence:  Spiced Applesauce Cake

Source:  Smitten Kitchen

A quick and easy cake made with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Begin by whisking  together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

In a different bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.

Mix in the flour.  The mixture will look curdled but that is ok.

Spread into your prepared pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes.  If you plan on icing your cake (which I chose not to do) you can begin to make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting (included in the recipe) while your cake cools.

Overall, this cake was moist and delicious with a subtle apple taste.  I did not use the walnuts, however, if I were to make the cake again I would add them for some texture.  The next time I make this cake, I will definitely make the frosting because everything tastes better with cream cheese frosting!

FINAL VERDICT:

Taste:  4 sweet burps out of 5

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

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RECIPE (retrieved from Smitten Kitchen)

Spiced Applesauce Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted, barely, from Gourmet.com

For cake
2 cups (8 3/4 ounces or 250 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
3/4 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 stick (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (6 7/8 ounces or 195 grams) packed light brown sugar (updated weight)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (about 13 ounces or 365 grams) unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces or 50 grams) walnuts (optional), toasted, cooled, and chopped

For frosting
5 ounces (142 grams) cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces or 42 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (4 ounces or 120 grams) confectioners sugar
1/2 (1 teaspoon) teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square cake pan. I had no trouble getting my cake out of a nonstick pan by just buttering it, but if you don’t have a nonstick cake pan or are a little nervous, line the bottom with parchment paper and butter that too.

Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in applesauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts (if using). The batter will look a little curdly and uneven but don’t worry, it will all bake up perfectly in the end.

Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely. You can speed this up, as I always do, in the fridge.

Make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioners sugar and cinnamon over cream cheese mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.

Do ahead: We were impressed with how well this cake kept for three days but were unable to “research” if it lasted longer. Keep frosted cake in the fridge. If you’d like to bake the cake further in advance, I’d wrap it well and freeze it until the day you need it. Leave it out on the counter to defrost and frost it up to a day in advance.

Sweet Indulgence:  Basil Lime Cookies

Source:  Big Fat Baker

One bite of this lime and basil cookie and you’ll be transported back to the warm, lazy days of Summer.

Begin by beating together the butter and sugar.

Mix in the egg, vanilla, lime zest and basil.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

Mix the sifted flour mixture  into the butter mixture.

Scoop out 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into balls and place onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake for about 8-12 minutes and then cool completely on a cooling rack.

Overall these cookies were a nice change from your typical cookies with expected ingredients.  The basil and lime pair so well together to give you a light, refreshing cookie.  The best part is watching people trying to guess what the main ingredients are!  

FINAL VERDICT:

Taste:  4 sweet burps out of 5

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

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RECIPE (retrieved from here)

BASIL LIME COOKIES

Recipe from Chasing Delicious

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

6 ounces (3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp) sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

Zest of 1 lime

3 tbsp very finely chopped fresh basil leaves

7 ounces (1 3/4 cup) flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

To Make the Cookies:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line the cookie sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

In a stand mixer (or hand-held mixer) cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Mix in the egg, vanilla, zest, and basil. Mix together until fully combined.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then mix into the butter mixture until combined.

Roll 1 tbsp of dough to make a little sphere. Repeat with remaining dough. Place about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies/oven.

Allow to cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes then…devour.

Sweet Indulgence:  Homemade Ginger Ale

Source:  Joy the Baker

This refreshing ginger ale is not only homemade, it is also very simple to make.

Begin by chopping the ginger into chunks.  You can leave the skin on.

Place the chopped ginger into a food processor and process until it is well chopped.

Place the sugar, ginger and water  into a large pot and bring to a boil.  

Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for about 1-1.5 hours.  You need to go from the 6 cups of liquid to about 2 cups of liquid.

Once the mixture is done, strain twice through cheesecloth.

Let the mixture cool and then bottle.  To make the ginger ale,  combine the about 3 tablespoons of the ginger syrup with 1 cup of club soda and extras such as a lime wedge, mint etc.  Enjoy!

I enjoyed the ginger syrup straight up with nothing added to it.  It tasted like a strong ginger beer which I absolutely loved!  The ginger syrup mixed with the ginger ale was good as well, however, I found that you needed much more than 3 tablespoons in order to get it to taste like ginger ale.

FINAL VERDICT:

Taste:  4 sweet burps out of 5 (4 very gingery sweet burps)

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

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RECIPE (retrieved from Joy the Baker)

Homemade Ginger Syrup for ginger ale

recipe from Imbibe Magazine

makes 2 cups ginger syrup

2 cups coarsely chopped ginger

2 cups granulated sugar

6 cups water

Place chopped ginger in a food processor (or blender in a pinch) and pulverize until well chopped.

Place ginger, sugar, and water in a large stock pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and a half, until the liquid has reduced down by more than half.  You’re going from 6 cups of liquid to 2 cups.  The boiling syrup will become glossy and silky as it cooks down and nears completion.

Remove syrup from the flame and strain twice through a cheese cloth, or fine mesh strainer, into a large bowl.  Let syrup cool slightly before pouring into a bottle to store.  Cool completely before incorporating into drinks.

Ginger Ale

1 cup club soda

3 tablespoons ginger syrup (or to taste)

lime wedge

dash of bitters (optional)

ice

Combine all ingredients in a glass over ice.  Stir with spoon to incorporate.  Enjoy immediately.  If you wanted to add bourbon… that would be delicious.

Sweet Indulgence:  Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

Source:  Teacher by Day, Chef by Night

A moist cake topped with fresh strawberries and finished off with a crunchy sugar topping.

Begin by hulling and slicing your strawberries.   A quick and easy way to hull strawberries is to use a drinking straw.  No need to buy any additional gadgets for your kitchen!  Begin by pushing a drinking straw into the bottom of the strawberry.

Push the straw up through the strawberry until the stem comes out.

Remove the straw and you’re done.  That’s it!  Quick and simple and fun for children to help out with too.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Beat the butter and 2/3 cups of sugar together until pale and fluffy.

Beat in the vanilla.

Beat in the egg.

Mix in the flour and buttermilk by alternating the two.  Begin and end with the flour.

Scrape the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top.  Place the strawberries on top and place in the oven.  

Overall this cake is delicious.  It’s moist and light and I loved the crunchy sugary topping.  I have to admit that I wasn’t too keen on the strawberries.  I found that they get a little too mushy for my liking, although others enjoyed them the way they were.  I would even bake this cake without the strawberries next time because I enjoyed the actual cake part so much.  My strawberries sunk quite a bit into the cake, but I think that might be my fault for halving the strawberries instead of slicing them.

FINAL VERDICT:

Taste:  4.5 sweet burps out of 5

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

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RECIPE (retrieved from Teacher by Day, Chef by Night)

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.

Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter berries evenly over top (I think next time it would work even better to just cut them in half if you have smaller berried like these and just push them in farther) and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

SUGAR ADDICT’S NOTE:

-I used a springform pan to make the cake easier to remove.

-I halved my strawberried, however they sunk into the batter a bit too much, so slicing them might be a better idea.

These ice-cream themed cupcakes were made for my niece’s 9th birthday party.   The cupcakes were baked in regular cupcake liners and then placed into ice-cream cups.  They were iced, topped with sprinkles, chocolate sauce and a gumball cherry.   An ice-cream spoon was inserted for an added effect.  Behind the tray of cupcakes were buckets of mini cones dipped in sprinkles and filled with smarties (see more pictures after the jump).

Cupcakes from previous birthdays can be see here.

Sweet Indulgence: Avocado Ice-Cream

Source: Two Peas & Their Pod

A rich, creamy, egg-less ice-cream that comes together in minutes.

Begin by adding all the ingredients to a food processor or blender.

Blend until smooth.

Pour mixture into ice-cream machine until desired consistency.

At this point, the ice-cream will be soft.  You can either eat it as is or place in the the freezer to firm it up.

FINAL VERDICT:

Taste:  4 sweet burps out of 5

Level of difficulty:  Easy

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Recipe (retrieved from Two Peas & Their Pod )

Avocado Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart ice cream

ingredients:

directions:

Sweet Indulgence: Swedish Visiting Cake

Source: In the Kitchen and on the Road with Dorie

A one-bowl recipe that does not require any special equipment.  Simple and straightforward.

Pour the sugar into a bowl and add the zest.  Use your fingertips to blend together the zest and sugar.

Whisk in the eggs one at a time until blended.

Whisk in the salt and the extracts.

Switch over to a spatula and fold in the flour.

Fold in the butter.

Scrape the batter into your prepared pan/skillet.  Sprinkle the almonds over the top.

Sprinkle the batter with a bit of sugar and then place into the oven to bake.

Remove from the oven and let it cool on a rack for about 5 minutes.  This cake can be served right out of the skillet or can be turned out onto a plate.

Overall I thought this cake was OK.  I was not overly excited by it.  It reminds me a lot of this crunchy almond cake that I have made before, which might have been part of the problem.   Once you’ve had the crunchy almond cake, it becomes hard to fall in love with this cake.  That’s not to say that this cake is terrible, I think it would work well if I’m ever in a bind and need to whip up a cake very quickly, however, I can’t see myself adding it to my list of favourites.

FINAL VERDICT:

Taste:  3.5 sweet burps out of 5

Level of Difficulty:  Very Easy

**Note:  Although I gave this cake a 3.5, everyone who had a taste of it LOVED it and would have given it a higher score.  I suggest trying it and deciding for yourself.

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RECIPE (retrieved from In the Kitchen and on the Road with Dorie)

Swedish Visiting Cake

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

About 1/4 cup sliced almonds (blanched or not)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet or other heavy ovenproof skillet, a 9-inch cake pan or even a pie pan.

Pour the sugar into a medium bowl.  Add the zest and blend the zest and sugar together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic.  Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended.  Whisk in the salt and the extracts.  Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour.  Finally, fold in the melted butter.

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.  Scatter the sliced almonds over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar.  If you’re using a cake or pie pan, place the pan on a baking sheet.

Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is golden and a little crisp on the outside; the inside will remain moist.  Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides and bottom of the cake to loosen it.  You can serve the cake warm or cooled, directly from the skillet or turned out onto a serving plate.

Sweet Indulgence: Chocoflan

Source: Food Network

A impressive and beautiful dessert made up of half chocolate cake and half flan.  This dessert goes into the oven one way (with the cake batter on the bottom and the flan on top) and comes out another way (with the cake batter on top and the flan on the bottom)….magical!

PART 1:  PREPARING THE PAN

Begin by coating a bundt pan with butter and then coating the bottom with cajeta.

PART 2:  THE CAKE BATTER

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add the egg and beat.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a bowl.

Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture and half the buttermilk mixture into the butter/sugar mixture.  Repeat process ending with the flour.

PART 3:  THE FLAN

Place all of the flan ingredients into a blender/food processor and blend for about 30 seconds until smooth.

Scoop the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.

Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter.  Notice how the cake batter is on the bottom of the pan and the flan is on top. When this dessert is cooked, the flan sinks to the bottom and the cake rises to the top.

Cover with foil and fill the roasting pan with about an inch of water. Carefully place into the oven for an hour.  A tester inserted into the cake part of the dessert should come out clean.

Remove from the water bath and let it cool in pan at room temperature (notice how the cake has risen to the top, while the flan has sunk to the bottom).  Then, transfer to the fridge and chill completely.  To serve, invert the bundt pan over a large plate and jiggle it a bit.  It should slide out onto the plate.

Overall, this was an interesting dessert that got a lot of oohs and aahs.  It’s the type of dessert that people will think you’ve spent a ton of time making.  I personally found the cake to be much too dry for my liking, however, some people felt that the dryness balanced out well with the moistness of the flan.  Speaking of the flan, it was incredibly DELICIOUS!  It was so smooth and creamy without being overly sweet.  I would even  make the flan just by itself next time.

FINAL VERDICT:

Taste (cake):  3 sweet burps out of 5

Taste (flan):  5 sweet burps out of 5

Level of difficulty (for both parts):  Easy

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Chocoflan

Recipe (retrieved from Food Network)

Recipe courtesy Marcela Valladolid, 2009

Ingredients

• 12-cup capacity Bundt pan
• Softened butter, to coat pan
• 1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce

For the cake:

• 10 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the flan:

• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For garnish:

• 1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Put an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Coat a Bundt pan with a little butter, then coat the bottom with 1/4 cup cajeta and put it in a large roasting pan. (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)

For the cake: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the egg mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Blend until well incorporated.

For the flan: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for 30 seconds.

Scoop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spreading evenly. Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Cover with foil and add about 1-inch of hot water to the roasting pan.

Carefully slide the pan into the oven, and bake 1 hour, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Invert a large, rimmed serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, giggle a little and flip over. Remove the pan and scrape any remaining cajeta from the pan onto the cake, garnish with chopped pecans and serve!

Cook’s Notes: The batters may appear to mix when you pour them into the pan, but they completely separate while baking, with the flan ending up on the bottom when it’s inverted. I like eating it warm, but traditionally, it is chilled 24 hours before serving.

Flan is a rich, creamy, cooked egg custard. It is often flavored with vanilla and baked in a water bath to retain its delicacy.

Cajeta is a thick and creamy spread or paste made with caramelized sugar and milk. It is used as a desert on its own or as a topping. Also known as “dolce de leche,” it is sold in many supermarkets, Latin specialty markets or online. It can be substituted with a thick caramel sauce

Sweet Indulgence: Mystery Marbles

Source: Company’s Coming (Cookies)

The crunchy, crispy exterior of this cookie gives way to a soft, delicious filling on the inside.

Begin by placing walnuts, dates and lemon juice into a food processor.  Mix until smooth.

Roll into small, marble-sized balls.  I used 1/2 teaspoon scoops for the balls.

Cream together butter and sugar.

Add the beaten eggs.

Stir the flour and baking powder together. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well until a dough forms.

Roll the dough into small balls.  I used 1 teaspoon scoops to make the balls. Take a dough ball and flatten it.  Place the walnut/date ball in the middle and cover.  Roll to re-shape.

Dip the tops of the ball in sugar and placed on ungreased baking sheets.

Place in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Remove and cool on cooling racks.

FINAL VERDICT:

Taste:  4.5 sweet burps out of 5

Level of Difficulty:  Very Easy

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The recipe for these cookies can be found in the book Company’s Coming (Cookies)