Carolyn's Oh-So-Easy Cherry Cobbler

My husband's birthday was last month, and I asked him what he wanted for his "birthday dessert." He requested the cheesecake I've made for him for the last few years, and he also asked for cherry cobbler. One of his aunts makes a killer cherry cobbler (memo to self: I need to get that recipe) every year for their family's Christmas gathering, and he wanted a taste of home.

We were attending a party the week before his actual birthday, so I told him I'd bake the desserts for that party - there is no sense in us having two full desserts to eat when it just him and I (and the baby, but she's not quite ready for cheesecake just yet). The party was billed as a holiday party, hosted by some friends, but it was actually a surprise birthday/poker party for my husband. I was very excited about the party, and I was quite pleased with myself for keeping such a secret, and then he found out that the party was for him ... nine hours before the party was to begin. Sigh.

But the party went on, and it was a blast, full of good friends, good times, and of course, good food. I was baking a lot that week for Christmas gifts and gatherings, so I wanted something fool-proof, cheap and simple. I found what I was looking for with this recipe.

I'm not a cobbler expert, but the buttermilk baking mix of this dish definitely came through. I think I was prepared for something sweeter, like a cherry pie, but after I had a few bites, it really started to grow on me. We served it cold, but I imagine it would be absolutely delicious served warm.

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can pitted tart red cherries, drained with liquid reserved
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup buttermilk baking mix
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 9x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Stir the liquid from the cherries and 1/2 cup sugar together in a small glass bowl; heat in the microwave until the sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.

3. Stir the baking mix, 1/2 cup sugar, and milk together in a separate small bowl; mix until you get a moist batter. Spread the mixture in an even layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spread the cherries evenly over the batter. Slowly pour the cherry juice over the cherries.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information:
Amount Per Serving:  Calories: 231 | Total Fat: 0.7g | Cholesterol: 2mg

Source: allrecipes.com

An oldie but a goodie

Kristin sent me the recipe for her Grandmother's Chocolate Cherry Chaos Cake a few years ago, and it's been one of my favorites ever since. She blogged about it over the summer, so you can snag the recipe here.

I've made this cake countless times for several reasons:

1. It is really fast and easy.
2. It is super, super moist (in fact, it's so moist that it stays fresh for several days).
3. The frosting is KILLER.
4. It is always a huge hit.

We had some friends over for dinner recently, and I hadn't made this for them in a while, so I knew it was time to revive it. (Ok, full disclosure: I was also really craving cake. I blame the baby.)


I sent our friends home that night with a couple of pieces of leftover cake, and my friend told me later that it was gone by noon the next day. In fact, she said, they didn't even bother to put the cake on plates -- they just stood with the container and two forks and had at it.

Kris' grandma clearly knew what she was doing.

Pie Pops

My friend Darla sent me a link to these cute pops a few weeks ago. I was intimidated but intrigued. Then I found a simplified version posted a few weeks after that and knew I'd be making them. Darla made them before I did (and has made them several times since!) and stressed using lots of egg white (to make them prettier) and to utilize the cornstarch tips (the Luxirare link has been updated with answers to some FAQs).

I struggled finding the perfect size for the cookie cutter - my shapes were either too small for filling or too big to stay on the stick. But they taste amazing regardless, and they were a huge hit.

I ended up with a lot of extra pie filling (I used a total of four pre-made crusts and two cans of filling - cherry and pumpkin) but they were perfect - a whimsical hint of fall's pies, which excites me to no end. The reason I include them in Pumpkin Friday is because the pumpkin truly was the superior flavor. And for someone who can simply not get enough pumpkin pie (I think I've bought at least ten cans of pumpkin already this fall), these are amazing.

I hosted a jewelry party when my friend Lindsey was in town last month and made the pops. They were a hit, even though I ended up taking a lot of them off the stick. The biggest complaint Darla and I have about them are that they are time-consuming, but they are so adorable that it's easy to forget that fact. Until the next time you make them, when you remember all over again :)


And normally I would put the exact, thorough recipe here to make the pops. But seriously, Bakerella explains them clearly. I'll summarize, but I encourage you to check out the above Bakerella and Luxirare links for clarification.

Ingredients:
Refrigerated pie crusts
Pie filling (flavor(s) of your choice)
Egg white
Lollipop sticks (Wilton sells these)

Directions:
Dust flour and/or cornstarch on your preparation area. Unroll your pie crusts. Using a cookie cutter, cut out pieces of dough.


Place one piece of cut-out dough on cookie sheet.

Place a small spoonful of filling on the dough. Place stick on dough/filling area.


Cover with another piece of cut-out dough. Seal edges gently.

Brush dough with egg whites.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

My notes:
Be careful of the size of your cookie cutter. If your cut-out dough is too large, it will fall off the stick. If it's too small, you won't be able to fit any filling on the dough, and it will also take you FOREVER to use up all the dough.

And again, the cornstarch and flour will help make your pie crust cut and come up easier. Keep in mind, though, the more you handle the dough, the harder it gets to rework it. The egg white will make your pops brown and pretty.

Source: Bakerella and Luxirare

Chocolate Cherry Chaos Cake

I'm hoping to visit my grandmother this week, so in honor of her, I wanted to share this recipe. Grandma used to make this cake for my sister's birthday, and it's SOOOO easy to make. The cake itself isn't very unhealthy (moisture from the pie filling and eggs, not oil or butter), but the icing is not exactly the most nutritious. It's moist, makes a lot o' cake and is super easy. We always called it chocolate cherry cake, but I renamed it Chocolate Cherry Chaos about three years ago.

Ingredients:
1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 can cherry pie filling
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon almond flavoring (optional)

Frosting:
1 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup milk
6 oz package (it's one cup, I use half a 12 oz. package) of semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and flavoring by hand. Pour batter into greased and floured 13x9x2-inch pan and bake at 350° about 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. (I use a 10X15 jelly roll pan and bake for 20-30 minutes.)

After I remove the cake from the oven, I start the frosting. For frosting, place sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Pour over warm cake.

Source: Grandma