Almond Joy Brownies

These gourmet brownies are perfect to share...they are also perfect if you want to eat the whole pan by yourself.

Almond Joy Brownies

Brownies
-1 C soft butter -1 C white sugar -1 C brown sugar -1 tsp salt -1 tsp vanilla -4 eggs, room temp -1 C cocoa -1 C flour -1 C slivered or chopped almonds

-mix sugar, salt, vanilla and butter just until creamed together -add the eggs and mix until smooth but don't overmix as you don't want to incorporate air into the mixture. -fold in flour and cocoa mixing until combined. -fold in nuts -pour into greased 9X13 pan

Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes

Coconut Layer
-2 tbsp butter -1/2 C condensed milk -1 tsp vanilla -1 to 1 1/2 C powdered sugar -1 3/4 to 2 C flaked coconut -mix together and spread over cooled brownies. (Add more powdered sugar or coconut depending on preference) Chocolate Topping
-1 C milk chocolate chips -1/4 C cream

-Melt chocolate chips and mix in cream until smooth. Spread over coconut layer -garnish with about 1/4 C sliced almonds over the chocolate -refrigerate for a few hours and allow to harden before cutting

Classic Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Like my Cookies 'n Cream fudge, this fudge also is based off of the Guittard Choc-Au-Lait Vanilla Milk Chips bag, only I've switched a few things up to make a milk chocolate fudge instead of a creamy vanilla fudge. I've found the recipe is fairly versatile, and you could probably make any kind of fudge you desire using it. I plan to do a rocky road type fudge, and a turtle fudge, and whatever else I can think of that sounds delicious sometime in the future. Anyway, enjoy!

Chocolate Walnut Fudge

-1 1/2 C sugar
-1 Tbsp light corn syrup
-1/2 C evaporated milk
-1/4 C heavy cream
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 Tbsp butter
-2 C milk chocolate chips
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 1/2 C chopped walnuts

-Line a 8X8 pan with foil

-Combine the sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, cream and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
-While the mixture is boiling, use a pastry brush dipped in warm water to brush down the sugar that has collected on the sides of the pot. Do this 2-3 times while the mixture is boiling
-Boil the mixture until it reads 225 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
-remove the pot from the stove and mix in the vanilla, butter, and chocolate chips, stirring until smooth
-fold in the chopped nuts and pour into your foil lined pan
-cool in the fridge for at least an hour before cutting and eating.

Cookies 'n Cream Fudge

I have to admit, I haven't had much luck with fudge in the past. But since I'm a little old fashioned when it comes to baking and like to make things from scratch, it just doesn't sit right with me to cheat when making fudge and use marshmallow puff. I finally found a super easy fudge recipe that uses boiled sugar. I found it on the Guittard Choc-Au-Lait Vanilla Milk Chips bag. Not only is it super easy to make, but it's absolutely delicious to eat! I've tweaked the ingredient amounts because I wanted a cookies 'n cream fudge and also, I didn't have the right amount of ingredients suggested on the recipe. Nevertheless, it turned out fantastic, so I'm going to keep my changes to the original recipe.

Cookies 'n Cream Fudge 

-1 1/2 C sugar
-1 Tbsp light corn syrup
-1/2 C evaporated milk
-1/4 C heavy cream
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 Tbsp butter
-2 C white chocolate chips
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 1/2 C crushed chocolate cookies

-Line a 8X8 pan with foil

-Combine the sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, cream and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
-While the mixture is boiling, use a pastry brush dipped in warm water to brush down the sugar that has collected on the sides of the pot. Do this 2-3 times while the mixture is boiling
-Boil the mixture until it reads 225 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
-remove the pot from the stove and mix in the vanilla, butter, and chocolate chips, stirring until smooth
-fold in the crushed cookies and pour into your foil lined pan
-cool in the fridge for at least an hour before cutting and eating.

Variation:
Maple Walnut Fudge
-replace the crushed cookies with walnuts and the vanilla with 1 tsp of maple extract. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Fall is in the air! I am SOOO ready for all things pumpkin! I feel like pumpkin pie should be saved for Thanksgiving, but these little treats are delicious and will certainly satisfy your craving of pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

Crust:

- 1 1/3 C Graham Cracker crumbs
-1/4 C sugar
-1/3 C melted butter

-combine the crumbs sugar and butter and mix thoroughly. Press into desired lined muffin tins.
-bake crust at 350 degrees F for about 8 minutes

Filling:
-2 pkg cream cheese, softened
-1 can of condensed milk
-2 C pumpkin puree
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/8 tsp ginger
-1/2 tsp nutmeg
-1/8 tsp ground cloves
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 eggs

-Mix the cream cheese until it is fluffy, add the condensed milk, pumpkin and spices and mix until it is well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing only until fully incorporated.
-Spoon the filling out over the crust 

Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes. The top should not look wet or glossy to be fully cooked as the pumpkin adds a lot of moisture.

-Allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours before serving. Top with whipped cream before serving. 

Whipped Cream

-1 C heavy whipping cream
-1/4 C sugar (add more or less depending on how sweet you like your whipped cream)
-2 tsp vanilla

-mix on high until thick and fluffy 

Questions? Sometimes I'm not the best at explaining things, so if you have a question, feel free to comment or e-mail me at cakencandies13@gmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as possible!

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

They taste as good as they sound.

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake 

Crust:

- 1 1/3 C Graham Cracker crumbs
-1/4 C sugar
-1/3 C melted butter

-combine the crumbs sugar and butter and mix thoroughly. Press into lined muffin tins.

Filling:
-2 pkg cream cheese, softened
-1 can of condensed milk
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 eggs
-1/4 C raspberry jam
-1/3 C white chocolate chips

-Mix the cream cheese until it is smooth, then add the condensed milk and vanilla. Mix until it is well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing only until fully incorporated.
-Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave or in a bowl over a simmering pot of water on the stove top.
-Drop spoonfuls of the raspberry jam and melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture and swirl in gently with a spoon. You want to fold the jam and chocolate into the cream cheese so you have bits of raspberry and chocolate, but not mix it in completely.
-Spoon the filling out over the crust 

Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes until the whole cupcake looks more dry than wet.
*Tip: fill a pan with water and put it on the lower rack while cooking the cheesecake*

-Allow to cool to room temperature in an non drafty area, and then refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours before decorating and serving.

Topping:
-1 C frozen raspberries
-1/2 to 1/3 C juice from raspberries (add water to get at least 1/2 C)
-2 tsp cornstarch
-sugar, to taste
-1/4 C white chocolate chips
-1 Tbsp heavy cream

-thaw the frozen raspberries and drain off the juice into a saucepan. If you don't get enough juice, add water to equal about 1/2 to 1/3 C of liquid.
-whisk in cornstarch and cook on medium low until the mixture thickens.
-add sugar to taste and continue to cook until sugar has dissolved.
-while the mixture cools, make a white chocolate ganache by melting the white chocolate chips and mixing in the heavy cream until it is smooth.
-spoon the raspberry sauce on top of the cupcakes and decorate with the raspberries. Drizzle with the white chocolate ganache.
-chill until ready to serve.

Cookies 'n Cream Cheesecake

I just don't know how some people can manage to pull off blogging all the time, especially Mom's with small children. I've got 4 kids under 5 years old, and we recently moved to a new country. I believe it's safe to say that I am more than busy. Whenever I get a chance to breath I don't think "hey I'll go catch up on my blog now" instead I either go to bed early, or more realistically, I'm cooking, baking, cleaning or pulling weeds in the garden. (in Canada you can do that later at night since it's so light out!) Anyway, it's been a LONG while since I've posted any new recipes, but I figured I'd better write down some and share them before I forget the recipes. But since I'm the kind of person who checks out a baking blog solely for the recipes, and NOT to read a super LONG post about how amazing the specified recipe is (obviously it's good or you wouldn't post it...right?) I'm going to cut my "I'm so busy rant" short and give you the goods. Enjoy!

Cookies 'n Cream Cheesecake

Crust:

-1 1/3 C Oreo or dark chocolate cookie crumbs 

-1/3 C melted butter

-combine the crumbs and butter and mix thoroughly. Press firmly into a 9 in cheesecake pan. (if you are doing mini cheesecakes, press into the muffin tins)

Filling:

-3 pkg cream cheese, softened
-1 can of condensed milk
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 C crushed chocolate cookies or Oreos

-Mix the cream cheese with the condensed and vanilla until smooth.
-Add the eggs, one at a time, only mixing until fully incorporated. Don't over mix.
-Fold in the crushed cookies pieces
-Pour over top of the crust.
Bake at 300 degrees for 30-45 minutes until the center is almost set. You want about the size of a quarter to still look a little wet in the middle. If you are making cupcakes or mini cupcakes, you will want to cut the time down considerably, depending on the size of cupcakes.

-Allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours before serving. Top with white chocolate whipped cream and garnish with cookie crumbs before serving if desired.

White Chocolate Whipped Cream

-1 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
-1 C white chocolate chips (add more or less depending on how sweet you like your whipped cream)-1 tsp vanilla

-Mix the chocolate chips with 1/2 c of the cream and melt in the microwave or stove top until smooth. (stirring frequently) Allow to cool to room temperature.
-Whip the remaining cup of cream and vanilla until thick.
-While still whipping the cream, slowly add the melted chocolate mixture to the whipped cream. Mix until smooth.
-Top cheese cake and chill until ready to serve. 

Award Winning Apple Pie

So I decided that this year I would enter my tasty apple pie into my county fairs' Best Apple Pie contest. The only problem: the apples that I use for my apple pie were not quite in season yet. No problem! I had made about 8 apple pies last fall and froze them all, to be able to pull out over the year whenever I felt like I needed a fresh apple pie. So with my very last pie from last year (that had been a little squished from something in the freezer) I entered it into the fair, laughing at myself and thinking that there was no way that funny looking thing was going to win anything. Well, I was more than surprised when I looked at the case displaying apple pies to find that my year old, somewhat smashed down apple pie had won 2nd place over all! WOW! If only I had made it fresh, imagine the possibilities! Either way, the point of my story is that this pie is absolutely delicious, will beat out any pie made with canned pie filling, is super easy to make, and freezes extraordinarily well.

BEST Apple Pie EVER

-6 to 8 medium MACINTOSH apples (the kind of apples is EXTREMELY important)
-1/2 C white sugar
-1/4 C flour
-1 Tbsp cinnamon (more or less depending on your personal preference)
-Pie dough, enough for a bottom and top of an 9 in pie pan. (Best recipe found HERE)

-Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. (Thin and uniformly sliced apples will cook through and will soften better than larger pieces)
-Mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon.
-Mix the flour mixture with the apples until it is evenly coated. Okay, so here is the tricky part, I always make a huge batch of this stuff and haven't a clue how much I actually use on each pie because I usually do it by taste, as the juiciness and sweetness varies from apple to apple. So start with just a little bit of the flour mixture and keep adding it until it tastes good to you.
-Spoon the apple mixture into a pie pan lined with pie dough. (If you like a thicker pie crust, it is better to have the thicker crust on top, and a thinner crust on the bottom, because bottom crusts tend to get soggy.)
-dip your finger or a pastry brush into a little bowl of milk and gently spread the milk over the edge of the pie pan.
-Roll out the pie dough and place it over the top of the pie, fluting the edges together. Using your pastry brush, gently brush milk over the top of the pie crust and sprinkle a little white sugar over the whole pie.
-Cut 3 to 4 slits into the top of the pie to help release steam while the pie cooks.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the pie turns golden. 

Nanaimo Bar Cupcakes

These cupcakes are perfect if you want to take a break from your normal everyday cupcake. (...if you were to eat cupcakes everyday that is...) They bring in the flavors and textures of the delectable and loved Nanaimo Bar, but are in cupcake form. In short, if you are a fan of Nanaimo Bars, you are going to LOVE these cupcakes!

Nanaimo Bar Cupcakes

Cake:
-1 C boiling water
-1 C cocoa
-1 1/2 C buttermilk
-1 C butter, room temperature
-2 C sugar
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 tsp salt
-2 eggs
-3 C flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 1/2 C flaked coconut
-1 C chopped or slivered almonds
 
-Add the cocoa to the boiling water and thoroughly mix until smooth, let cool and add buttermilk, mixing again until smooth. Set aside.
-In a mixer (or bowl with a handheld mixer), combine butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix on medium speed until the batter is light in color and fluffy in texture.
-Add eggs, one at a time, combining completely each time.
-Sift together flour, soda and powder.
-Starting with the flour mixture, add a small amount to the cake batter and mix JUST until combined. Add a small amount of the cocoa/buttermilk mixture. Stir until combined. Keep adding flour and moisture alternatively, mixing just until combined until everything is incorporated. DO NOT OVER MIX.
-Gently fold in coconut and almonds.
-Spoon the batter out into individual cupcake liners

Bake at 350 Degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. 

Icing:

-1/2 C milk
-1/2 C cream
-2 tsp vanilla
-4 egg yolks
-2 tsp corn starch
 -1/4 C butter

-2 t0 6 C icing sugar

-in a heatproof bowl whisk together the egg yolks, corn starch and vanilla
-in a saucepan, combine the milk and cream and heat over medium, stirring constantly until the milk/cream mixture is hot, almost boiling, but do not allow boil.
-temper the eggs by pouring a little of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. After the first little bit has been whisked in, slowly add the rest of the milk mixture in a slow stream while whisking constantly.
-return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly over low heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. (If you cook the mixture too long, or allow it to boil, it could curdle, and you don't want that!)
-allow to cool to room temperature
-in a mixing bowl cream together the custard, butter and icing sugar. (start with about 2 c of the icing sugar and add more if needed to make it thick enough to spread over cupcakes)
-Spread or pipe the icing mixture on top of cooled cupcakes.

-OR- 

Click HERE for easier, traditional Nanaimo Bar filling recipe 

Topping:

-1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips
-1/4 C heavy whipping cream

-In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and cream together and mix until smooth.
-spoon the mixture into a pastry bag or sandwich bag and drizzle over the cupcakes. 

 

Nanaimo Bar Ice Cream

This is actually a frozen custard that is packed with the flavors of the beloved Nanaimo Bar. If you are a fan of Nanaimo Bars, you are going to love this ice cream!

Nanaimo bar Ice Cream

Ice Cream:

-2 C whole milk
-8 egg yolks
-1 C sugar
-2 tsp vanilla
-1 C powdered milk
-2 C cream

Mix Ins:

Cookie Base:
-1/4 C Butter                                 
-1/4 C Sugar                                 

-3 Tbsp Cocoa                                 

-1 Egg, slightly beaten                  
-1 C Graham Cracker Crumbs
-1/2 C Coconut
-1/2 C Chopped Almonds (opt)

Chocolate topping:
-1 C dark or semi sweet chocolate chips

-stirring constantly in a saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until it is hot, but not boiling.
-in a bowl whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together.
-temper the eggs by SLOWLY pouring the hot milk into the egg mixture in a slow stream while constantly whisking the eggs. When all the milk has been added and thoroughly mixed, return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to simmer  and stir constantly for 5 to 10 minutes over low heat.
-let the mixture cool.
-in a different bowl, mix the powdered milk in with 1 1/2 cups of the cream and strain out the lumps.
-mix everything together and chill in the refrigerator for a few hour, or overnight.-mix ice cream according to your ice cream makers instructions, or
-place in a kitchen aid and beat on high for a few minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy, then place the bowl in the freezer.
-take the bowl out of the freezer every 20-30 minutes and beat on high until smooth.
-do this until a soft serve ice cream is formed.
-evenly mix in the cookie and chocolate.
-enjoy immediately as a soft serve ice cream or put into a freezer safe bowl and chill until ice cream hardens. 

Mix ins:
Cookie base:-in a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the sugar and cocoa until the sugar is dissolved. 
-add the egg and cook until the mixture has thickened slightly
-mix in the graham crackers, coconut and almonds and  press onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate.
-after the cookie layer has cooled, cut into bit sized pieces.

Chocolate layer:
-in a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate, stirring on 30 second intervals, until smooth.
-on a waxed piece of paper, spread out the chocolate so that it forms a thin layer.
-chill.
-once chocolate has hardened, cut or break it into bite sized pieces.

Chocolate Ice Cream

This ice cream is delicious, especially on an extremely hot day! I don't think I will ever buy ice cream again.

Chocolate Ice Cream

-2 C whole milk
-5 egg yolks
-3/4 C sugar
-2 tsp vanilla
-1 C powdered milk
-2 C cream
-1 C melted milk chocolate

-stirring constantly in a saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until it is hot, but not boiling.
-in a bowl whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together.
-temper the eggs by SLOWLY pouring the hot milk into the egg mixture in a slow stream while constantly whisking the eggs. When all the milk has been added and thoroughly mixed, return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to simmer  and stir constantly for 5 to 10 minutes over low heat.
-let the mixture cool.
-in a different bowl, mix the powdered milk in with 1 1/2 cups of the cream and strain out the lumps.
-in a microwave safe container, melt and then mix the chocolate and 1/2 C cream together into a smooth ganache.
-add everything together and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
-Mix icecream according to your ice cream makers instructions, or
-place in a kitchen aid and beat on high for a few minutes, then place the bowl in the freezer.
-take the bowl out of the freezer every 20-30 minutes and beat on high until smooth.
-do this until a soft serve ice cream is formed.
-Mix in your favorite mix-ins and pour into a freezer safe container and freeze until hardened. Or eat immediately!