Nanaimo Bar Pie

I was trying to think of a good name for this tasty pie, and since it's a Nanaimo Bar inspired pie, I went with that as the name. Although I might be super creative when it comes to inventing tasty recipes, I am seriously lacking in the naming of said goodies. This pie has the same delicious crust as a normal Nanaimo Bar, but I churned things up a bit by replacing the regular filling a white chocolate custard filling (so you can actually eat a whole piece of the pie, because nanaimo bars tend to be quite rich) and topped with a thin layer of dark chocolate ganache. Basically, it's quite delicious.

Nanaimo Bar Pie

Crust Layer:                         
   -1/3 C Butter                              
   -1/3 C Sugar                              
   -1/4 C Cocoa                              
   -1 Egg, slightly beaten                
   -1 3/4 C Graham Cracker Crumbs
   -1 C Coconut
   -1 C chopped, slivered or sliced Almonds

 Middle Layer:
   -1 C Milk
   -1 C Cream
   -1/3 C Sugar
   -4 egg yolks
   -3 Tbsp cornstarch
   -1 tsp vanilla
   -1 C white chocolate chips

Top Layer:
    -1/3 C Chocolate Chips
    -3 Tbsp Heavy cream


Crust Layer:
-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 almond, and press into a pie pan. let cool.

Middle Layer:
-whisk the cream, sugar, egg yolks, corn starch and vanilla and until smooth in a bowl
-in a medium sized saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it starts to simmer, but doesn't quite boil.
-SLOWLY pour the heated milk into the cream and egg mixture. I like to pour in a small amount and whisk it until smooth, and then slowly add the rest of the heated milk in a small stream while vigorously mixing. You want to slowly raise the temperature of the eggs so they temper and don't scramble
-return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes
-pour the mixture onto the crust layer of the pie and refrigerate for a few hours until the pudding sets up.
Top Layer:
-melt the chocolate chips with the cream and stir until smooth. Spread on top of the custard layer. Chill a few hours or over night.

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.

Fresh Raspberry Pie

Last summer I was living in the great state of Washington where blackberries were an invasive plant and we were able to pick loads of berries and fill our freezer with those wonderfully tasty morsels. This summer I am missing the blackberries, but have been blessed to have a raspberry patch in my backyard, so all was not lost. Because raspberries gets crushed a lot easier than blackberries, I've found getting raspberry juice for fresh raspberry pie is A LOT easier than Fresh Blackberry Pie, but the recipe is fairly the same. This recipe works well for both fresh and frozen raspberries.

Fresh Raspberry Pie

-Pre baked pie shell
-4 C raspberries
-3/4 C raspberry juice
-2 Tbsp + 1 tsp of corn starch
-1/4 C brown sugar
-1/4 C white sugar
-1 tsp vanilla

-wash your raspberries (if fresh) place in a strainer and let the extra juice collect in a bowl. Add water to the juice to get 3/4 of a cup of liquid. *after washing I usually put the berries in a bowl and stick it in the fridge or a day or two until I get the time to make pie, I then drain the berries and get more juice because the berries have been worked over a bit*
-sift the corn start and sugars into the juice in a saucepan and whisk until smooth
-bring the mixture to a boil over med-low heat and continue to boil until the mixture is thick. about 3 minutes.
-Remove from heat and cool
-Gently fold in the berries and spoon into a baked pie shell.

Cherry Pie

I have a sour cherry tree in my backyard and I absolutely LOVE it! I've made LOADS of jam and like 12 pies. A few of my pies were fantastic, but a bit on the sour side. (a bit as in, it was so sour I had to put like a tbsp of sugar on top in order to eat it!) Then I made some that were definitely sweet enough but I realized that because I added SO much sugar, the filling was a bit too liquid. But I did manage to make a few perfect pies that tasted pretty fantastic. So for my own future reference and your enjoyment, here is the recipe:
*If using sweet cherries, add half the amount of sugar*

Sour Cherry Pie

-3 to 4 C fresh cherries, pitted
-1 C of cherry juice 
-3 Tbsp corn starch
-1/3 C brown sugar + 1/3 C brown sugar
-1/4 C white sugar
-1/2 tsp almond extract
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-double pie pastry

-To get the cherry juice, drain the cherries after you have pitted them. Add water to get 1 C or boil some extra cherries in a little water and drain the juice off that. (imperfect cherries are good for this)
-Sift together the corn starch and sugars into a saucepan. Whisk in the cherry juice.
-Stir over med-low heat until the mixture thickens and starts to boil. Continue to boil for about 2-3 minutes,
-Add the extra 1/3 C of brown sugar and mix until smooth and the sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute.
-Remove from heat and mix in the flavorings
-Let cool and then fold in the cherries

-Roll out the pie dough and place into the bottom of a pie pan. Fill with cherry mixture to just below the top (you DO NOT want to over fill or your cherries will boil over TIP: bake your pie on a cookie sheet to avoid possible overspill and mess)
-Brush the edges of the pie with milk
-Roll out the remaining dough and place on top, or cut strips of dough out and make a lattice crust for the top.
-Brush the top with milk and sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown in the middle. OR you can wrap the pie in plastic wrap and freeze it. 

Note: You will probably get enough sauce for about 2 pies, depending on your sauce to cherry ratio. I like less sauce and more cherries, so I can make the sauce stretch for about 2 8in pies. It really depends on personal preference. Sometimes I add more sugar to the sauce after it thickens if I'm in the mood for a sweeter and less tart pie. If you do add more sugar, make sure it's after the mixture thickens (speaking from many trials and errors, do not do this before it thickens because it will literally take FOREVER for the starch to cook) If you do add more sugar, the sauce won't be as thick, so you should sprinkle about 1-2 tsp of flour over the cherry mixture before adding the top crust and it should help thicken the sauce so it's less runny.
*Update* I made the pie again today, adding the extra 1/3 C brown sugar to the sauce after it had thickened (I added this to the recipe because I didn't think it was sweet enough and it was the sauce was almost too thick without it) I had also tossed my sour cherries with a little white sugar, just enough to coat them after I pitted them, so I then also sprinkled 1 tsp of flour over the pie before I put a lattice top on and it turned out quite nice, not too runny and not too thick.

This sauce freezes well and can be used at a later time to make pie or use as a filling for Black Forest Cake.

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. 

Chicken Soup with Rice

The kids love to go to story time at the Library and a while ago, the Librarian read a book called Chicken Soup with Rice. The kids have of course been asking for chicken soup with rice ever since. I finally made it and they gobbled it right up!

Chicken Soup with Rice

-1 large chicken breast
-1 C onions, diced
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 C celery, diced
-2 C carrots, diced
-1 tsp dried parsley
-3 C chicken broth
-1 C rice
-salt and pepper to taste

-in a soup pot place the rice in the chicken broth and bring to a boil
-dice the chicken breast and in a separate frying pan, brown the chicken with the onions, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
-dump everything into the soup pot with the rice and add the celery and carrots.
-simmer over medium heat until the rice and vegetables are cooked through. Add more water or chicken broth if you'd like more liquid in your soup.