Peaches and cream coffee cake

Somehow, a few weeks ago, the conversation in my office turned to the fact that I hadn't baked in a while. And then there were suggestions of what I should bake. The end result stemmed from a comment about the coffee cake at a local restaurant, Peaches.

I love finding recipes for things made at restaurants (more on those later, like Chipotle's cilantro lime rice). So when I did a quick search and found this pretty coffee cake on the Betty Crocker website, I was sold.

I made it for my coworkers, and it was easy and delicious. And got gobbled up FAST. The only complication I had was when it came to overlapping the strips of dough ... I don't think I really succeeded at that part. I ended up just kind of pulling some pieces over other pieces and crossing my fingers that it would all work out. But I can tell you that it didn't really matter - the peach pie filling covers it up, and it tasted amazing.

The cake part of this recipe was light and buttery, and the cream cheese filling and peach pie filling added just the right amount of sugary sweetness. I usually don't taste subtleties like lemon juice, but in this recipe, I did, and it added a perfect touch of tang and tart to the doughy, sweet rest of the cake. I can't wait to make this with other flavors of pie filling, too - I'm thinking cherry might be next :)

Ingredients:
Cream Cheese Filling
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Coffee Cake
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup firm butter or margarine
2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (21 oz) peach pie filling
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening. In small bowl, beat all cream cheese filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth; set aside.

2. In medium bowl, cut 3 oz cream cheese and the butter into Bisquick mix, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are the size of small peas. Stir in milk. Place dough on surface sprinkled with Bisquick mix; roll in Bisquick mix to coat. Shape into ball; knead 8 to 10 times.

3. Roll or pat dough into 12x8-inch rectangle. Place on cookie sheet. Spread cream cheese filling down center of rectangle. Make cuts, 2 1/2 inches long, at 1-inch intervals on 12-inch sides of rectangle. Fold strips over filling, overlapping strips. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over top.

4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden; cool 10 minutes. Carefully place on serving platter. Spoon pie filling down center of coffee cake. Sprinkle with walnuts. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Source: Betty Crocker

Peppermint Bark

I bring you this recipe post-Christmas because I a) made my best batch of peppermint bark four days before Christmas and b) feel the need to give you a new use for all of the candy canes you can buy on clearance right now.

I had seen peppermint bark in a magazine recently and decided I needed to conquer my fear of melting chocolate and make it this year. When I was living with my parents, we had a double boiler and would melt chocolate to make buckeyes each year. Out in the real world, I have yet to purchase a double boiler and instead use a make-shift one when I make this cheesecake for my husband and think I just closed my eyes and crossed my fingers when I made the cake batter bark earlier this year.

But the chocolate-melting-without-a-double-boiler for this bark? Sooooo easy. I used Nestle morsels and followed the directions on the back for melting them. (The directions for the semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips vary slightly from the white chocolate instructions.) This didn't take long, and aside from messing up one batch because I was distracted by an extremely chatty husband (I didn't mix the candy canes in with the white chocolate and ended up sprinkling it over the melted chocolate), I was very pleased with the results. I made three batches, and my favorite by far was a milk chocolate/white chocolate combination. All of them were well-received.

Ingredients:

12 ounces (about 2 cups) dark chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips
12 ounces (about 2 cups) white chocolate, chopped, or white chocolate chips
8 peppermint candy canes (I used 7-9)

Directions:

1. Unwrap the candy canes and place them in a food processor. Pulse on/off several times for 5-10 seconds each, until the canes have been crushed into small pieces. Alternately, place the candy canes in a large Ziploc bag and seal tightly. Use a rolling pin to roll/smash the candy canes until they are the size you desire. (I double-bagged them and experimented for each batch, using a rolling pin, hammer and stapler to smash them. The stapler was by far the most effective.)

2. Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with smooth aluminum foil.

3. Melt or temper the dark chocolate. Pour the chocolate onto the prepared cookie sheet and use an offset spatula or knife to spread it to an even thickness, a little more than 1/8" thick. The chocolate does not have to reach all sides of the sheet, as it will be broken up later anyhow. Place the tray in the refrigerator to firm up while you prepare the white chocolate (I left it in for at least 20 minutes each time).

4. While the dark chocolate hardens, melt or temper the white chocolate. Stir in most of the candy cane bits, reserving about a quarter of the mixture to put on top. (I stir all of them in unless Chatty McHusband is around.)

5. Remove the tray from the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate in an even layer over the dark chocolate.

6. While the white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces over the entire surface evenly. Press down very slightly to ensure they stick. Place the tray back in the refrigerator to firm up for 30 minutes.

7. Once the peppermint bark bark is completely set, break into small, uneven pieces by hand.

Source: about.com

Apple crisp

Covered in apple crisp.

It's fall, even in Florida, and the apples on sale at the grocery store. I had the urge to make something fall-ish this weekend, and I've already made and frozen several pumpkin goodies, so my next thought was an apple dish. I made this one a few weeks ago and we gobbled it up, but I decided Elle needed to experience the joy that is apple crisp ... but little did I know what a hit it would be with my husband, too. He was upset when I gave the last of it to the baby, haha. I've made two batches in four days and I don't see any end to that pattern in sight :)

Delicious, easy and not the most unhealthy thing in the world - this is a keeper.

Ingredients:

Filling
5 medium apples, peeled and diced
1.5 oz raisins (small box)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 lemon, juiced
3 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey)

Topping
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar (not packed)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup (half stick) butter, melted

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine apples, raisins, cinnamon, agave nectar and lemon juice in large bowl. (After reading the comments on Gina's post, I found out that you can substitute honey for the agave nectar, but it's recommended to add some extra sugar to compensate for the lost sweetness without the nectar. I added about 1/8 cup granulated sugar.)

Sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss until fruit is coated. Place fruit in an ungreased baking dish.

Mix remaining ingredients. Sprinkle over fruit.

Bake about 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender.

Serving suggestion: Serve with a scoop of low fat ice cream or fat free frozen yogurt.

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 7/8 cup • Calories: 222 • Points: 4.5 pts

Source: Skinny Taste

Oreo Cupcakes

Mommy brain+new job+a huge delay in posting=I don't remember exactly why I made these. I do remember they were well-received, and I remember finding them especially yummy myself. I also recall that they made "plain cupcakes" a little fancier or looked like I went to a lot of trouble.

My family gave me some tidbits to remember about this creation, too. My daughter discovered she loves herself some Oreos in the process of making these beauties. My husband went on and on about how lame I was for not using name-brand Oreos for this dessert. But I'm a girl who is always looking for a deal, so generic it was, and I don't think any ounce of deliciousness was sacrificed :)

Ingredients
1 box of white cake mix, prepared by the directions on the box (original recipe used 1 can of diet Sprite and the packaged cake mix to make it less calories)
1 box of double stuffed Oreos
Frosting (store bought or homemade)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 cupcake pans with liners.

Break 24 Oreo cookies apart, trying to keep all of the filling on one side. Place the cookies filling side up in the center of each liner.

Place the tops of the Oreo cookies in a bag and crush until they form crumbs. Toss about 1/2-1 cup of the crumbs in with the prepared cake mix batter. Stir well to combine.

Fill the liners 3/4 of the way.

Bake according to the package, about 15 minutes.

Allow to cool. Frost the cupcakes and top with remaining crumbs and/or halves of Oreos.

Source: Stephanie Cooks

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I usually don't rush to blog a recipe, but after posting this camera-phone photo:

to Facebook last night, I was bombarded with demands requests for the recipe, so I am posting it now.  (And seriously - the quality of the photo is AWFUL, but the awesomeness of the cookie still comes through.)

We had a work potluck yesterday, so I made these and another dessert that wasn't nearly as popular :)

I found the recipe for these on Pinterest, but the link I had pinned wouldn't load, so I googled it and found an adaptation of the pinned recipe on another baking blog. I followed some of the suggestions in the comments - most notably, I reduced the flour to three cups. I also used double-stuffed Oreos, which was kinda insane.

My batch yielded 20 substantial cookies. These puppies were H-E-A-V-Y. I baked nine on each sheet, as opposed to my usual 12-16.

They taste absolutely fantastic. I expected the Oreo (or generic Oreo, if you're me) to get kind of soggy or break apart, and it didn't. The chocolate chip cookie recipe is so good that I might just might make it my go-to recipe (sans Oreo cookie).

I had one. It felt like I'd eaten four cookies. I wanted to curl up with a glass of milk and take a nap. Alas, I had to work, but you get the idea.

Do yourself a favor. Do your friends and family a favor. Make these easy-yet-impressive cookies. Just don't make them all the time :)

 Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 pkg. Oreo cookies

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.

Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough.

Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen VERY LARGE cookies.

Source: Becky Bakes

Mini-cheesecake brownie bites

I stumbled on a new-to-me cooking and baking blog a few months (it's one of the ones I recently added to the blog roll) ... and watch out, blog world: I'm hooked.

I had promised a co-worker that I would bake - I hadn't baked in a while, and I have a reputation to uphold. I wanted a recipe that would be different but easy to make with ingredients I had on hand, and I had several of Joelen's recipes to choose from. I heart this recipe further because it was super easy to modify in to a reduced fat version. The boxed brownie mix that I had - Duncan Hines - provided a way to make the brownies lower fat by using only one egg and reduced water, as well as substituting unsweetened applesauce for vegetable oil. I also used reduced fat cream cheese.

I LOVE these bites, and I was not alone in my assessment. I will make them over and over again - they're a great snack or party food, and they're a nice size for a touch of rich, chocolate-y goodness without a load of calories.

Ingredients
1 package fudge brownie mix
Ingredients for brownie mix
1 block cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare muffin pan by spraying the inside of each well with cooking spray.

Pour prepared brownie mix in each well.

In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients.

Carefully top each brownie well with the cream cheese mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until done

Source: What's Cooking, Chicago?

Cake Mix Snickerdoodles

I had almost all of a cake mix leftover from making the Cake Batter Bark, so as the bark was chilling, I put the oven to work and made these easy, moist and tasty Snickerdoodles. It was a nice, simple alternative to something super chocolate-y, and a neat way to create a version of a classic cookie I often forget about.

Ingredients
1 box cake mix
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions
Mix and roll into balls and into sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.

Source: Makes and Takes