Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake - No Bake

Ferrero Rocher.......and cheesecake......all in one delicious mixture.  I mean, what is there NOT to like about that?

Last week it was my sister in law's birthday and she had been eyeing out this cheesecake, so I decided that instead of a birthday cake, I would make her this instead.

It was a hit.  I think it's the perfect combination of chocolate and hazelnuts and cream cheese.  It's not overly rich and sweet which makes it even better, in my opinion.

Super easy, no bake cheesecake.

Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake

Source: Tastemade

8 ½ oz of crushed corn flakes

2 ½ oz unsalted butter, melted

4 tbsps cocoa powder

7 oz hazelnut

1.1 lbs cream cheese

1 ½ cup + 4 tbsps cream (25% fat content)

3 oz sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

170g dark chocolate

8 Ferrero Rocher chocolates


Crush the cornflakes with melted butter and cocoa powder. Cover the bottom of a springform pan with the crushed corn flakes and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Toast the hazelnuts in the oven.

Blend the still warm hazelnuts to form a paste. Add the cream cheese, half of the cream, vanilla extract and sugar and beat until all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour it in the pan and spread with a spatula. Refrigerate until firm.

Melt the chocolate with the rest of the cream.

Cover the cheesecake with chocolate. Decorate with Ferrero Rocher chocolates let it cool for 30 minutes. Serve.

Homemade Mincemeat Pies!!!

Mincemeat Pies, for me one of the staples of Christmas food.  For others, gag worthy.  Truly, I've met people who think they are absolutely vile to eat.  I however love them and grew up with them in South Africa, thing is, here in the States they are not very well known and you can't find them as easily available as back home, or in England for instance.

Another thing that seems to turn people off these little pies, is that they seem to think that they are very hard to make at home, but I'm here to tell you that it really is not and they taste so much better than store bought.

You can also make the filling at home, though I usually buy the big jar.  I'm pretty certain that homemade is way tastier too but I haven't had the chance to try that yet, maybe next year.

Anyway, I got the recipe for the pastry from one of my favorite Youtubers, Rebecca from Percy and Grace.  This is such a quick and easy recipe and the result is a buttery tasty flaky dough, perfect for these pies.

The recipe IS in grams and I'll see if I can convert it for you all, but I would highly suggest getting a kitchen scale that uses both grams/kilos and ounces/pounds, they are a life saver, really.

Homemade Mincemeat Pies

Source:  Percy and Grace

This recipe makes 12 mince pies but you could just increase or decrease the quantities to make more or less mince pies.

280g plain flour (about 2 and a 1/3 cups)
195g softened unsalted butter (about 3/4 cups)
95g caster sugar (white sugar)
2 medium eggs
1 large jar of mincemeat
Icing sugar for dusting (powdered sugar)



In a bowl, add the flour and the butter, mix with your fingertips or a knife to get a crumbly mixture. Add in one egg and mix well, dump onto a floured surface and fold the pasty dough over itself a few times, knead a little until it comes together well, try not to overmix though.

Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 200 Celsius/425 Farenheit.

Roll out your dough to about 3mm about an 1/8th of an inch. Using a big cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles. Butter a muffin pan, and pop one circle in each, then press and mold to size. Drop in 1 and a half tablespoons of mincemeat filling.

Beat the other egg, and using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the pies. Roll out the dough again, cut out another 12 circles, top each pie with a circle, pressing down to seal. Glaze with the rest of the egg, sprinkle on some sugar and make a cut in the middle of each pie.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until nice and golden. Let cool and then pop them out of the pan and dust with icing sugar.

To store, place them in an airtight container, they will keep for about a week, but you can also freeze them for up to 3 months.

Enjoy!!!

Bolo Formigueiro - Chocolate, Orange and Coconut Cake

Bolo Formigueiro.  If I were to give you an exact translation to English it would be something like Ant Hill Cake.  I know, it sounds so weird, but it's because of the way it looks.

Now this version you won't really be able to see it because it's chocolate, but if you were to make the traditional cake, you would be left with a gorgeous yellow cake with tons of little brown spots, which in fact do look like little ants.

It is believe that this cake originated in the Colonial Times.

My kids said the cake tastes just like those chocolate oranges, you know the ones, you have to smack them on a hard surface to separate into slices?

I have to agree, it tastes amazing but then you also have the coconut thrown in and it's just one of the yummiest cakes I've ever had.

Are you ready to try?  I promise that soon I will make the traditional cake so that you can see how cool the little brown spots really look, but for now, let's grab out chocolate and start baking.


Bolo Formigueiro
Chocolate, Orange and Coconut Cake

4 egg
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup of orange juice
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup coconut flakes


For the sauce:
5 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar



Separate the eggs, and beat the egg whites until stiff.  Add in the egg yolks, the sugar, flour, orange juice and mix well.  Make sure you don't overmix as not to remove the air from the egg whites.

Next, add in the baking powder, cocoa and coconut flakes.  Mix well with a spoon.

Grease a bundt cake pan and pour in the mixture.  Bake at 350 until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven, and invert onto a cake platter.


For the sauce, dissolve the cocoa in 1 cup of hot water.  Add in the milk and the sugar, mix well.  Use a fork to poke holes all over the cake, and pour on the sauce.  I didn't use all of mine because it was just way too much, but pour in as much as you would like.

When cool, dust with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!!!

Coconut Macaroons

So here's the deal, coconut macaroons have always been the one cookie that has done it for me.  I don't know but that one little bite of heaven has always drawn me in, much more than any other cookie, or dessert for that matter.  Unless we're talking Victoria Sponge cake which is a very high contender.

Anyway, as much as I love eating them, I have to admit that I've had a love hate relationship with making them, and I think it's due to the fact that I haven't quite found, or rather, hadn't quite found the right recipe.

I tended to always end up with a big round messy pile of half melted coconut which didn't taste bad, but wasn't exactly appealing.

A few weeks ago when I decided to bring back the blog and get back at posting recipes, I was looking through my bookmarked folder and deleting things I no longer want to try, or links to recipes I tried and didn't like etc.  I came upon this one for Coconut Macaroons and honestly my first thought was to delete it because my search for the right recipe had been so long and frustrating.

At the urging of my kids, I kept it and decided to give it one more try, I was completely determined to try it, find it yucky, delete it and never again try my hand at making these delicious little bites.

I'm so glad I didn't.....I think I finally found the Coconut Macaroon recipe for me and I hope that if you've also been on the search for the right now, this may just be it.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Coconut Macaroons

Source:  Bake it and Make it with Beth

1 14-oz bag of sweetened shredded flaked coconut
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 - 3 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour


In a large mixing bowl, mix together the coconut, condensed milk, flour, almond extract, and vanilla extract until well incorporated. Cover and put bowl in the fridge for several hours; overnight if needed.

Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop batter and then roll with your hands to form 1 1/2-inch balls. Place each ball on baking pans lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, leaving about 1-inch of space in between each. If desired, add the chocolate baking discs by placing one disc flat side down on top of each coconut ball (they may flatten, but that is ok).
Preheat oven to 330 degrees. Bake for 20 - 23 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Immediately transfer macaroons to a plate. Enjoy!

Custard Cake

I've been making this one for many years, sometimes with coconut, sometimes with lemon rind.  You may actually know it as Impossible Pie.

My favorite has to be the coconut, but my son doesn't like it so I tend to stick to either the lemon or just the plain custard.

The magic part is how it creates it's own crust, followed by a silky custard filling and a crust on the top.  It's so good, and so easy to make.  A definite to throw together when you have unexpected guests.

For this version, I used the recipe from Hugs and Cookies

Custard Cake

4 eggs (whites separated from yolks), room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
8 Tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk lukewarm
powdered sugar for dusting cake
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Grease and Line 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish with parchment.
Separate eggs and add the egg whites to a mixer and beat egg whites stiff. Place egg whites in a bowl and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light. Add butter and vanilla. Beat for two mins. Add the flour and mix it in until fully incorporated.

Slowly start adding the milk and beat until everything is well mixed together. Add the egg whites, a third at a time and gently fold them in using a spatula, repeat until all egg whites are folded in. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for approx 60 minutes or until the top is lightly golden. Cool and dust heavily with powdered sugar.

Easy Cream Puffs

Right, I am back and I'm ready to start sharing recipes again.  The first few I'm sharing are actually recipes I made back in Idaho and never got around to posting because I was in the middle of the big move.

I do have some new ones coming up too, so keep an eye out for those.

So the first recipe I'm sharing today is one that my 16 year old daughter actually made.  It's one of those recipes that is so easy to do and it always looks like you've been working on it for hours.  Matter of fact, cream puffs were one of the first things I learned to make in my teenage years.

We had Home Economics in high school and for cooking, we had to make these.  I've always enjoyed them, and I'm happy to pass on this love of cooking to my children.

The recipe comes from Real House Moms, go on over there and take a look, you're sure to find tons of yummy things to try.

Cream Puffs

½ cup (one stick) butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
2 small boxes instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz each)
1⅓ cup cold whole milk
8 oz sour cream
powdered sugar


Cream Puffs:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Melt stick of butter and water to a rolling boil
Stir in flour and stir vigorously over low heat until mixture leaves the pan (comes off the sides) and is in a ball (about 1 minute)
Remove from heat and cool for a couple of minutes
Beat in eggs (one at a time) with a mixer
Beat mixture until smooth and velveety
Drop by spoonfuls (walnut sized) onto ungreased cookie sheet
Bake until DRY, 20-25 minutes (maybe longer)
Allow to cool

Filling:

Mix instant vanilla pudding with whole milk until the pudding is dissolved
Add sour cream until thick
Put mixture in the refrigerator (at least an hour)
Slice the cream puffs in half and fill with the chilled pudding mixture
Sprinkle with powdered sugar
Enjoy

Banana Beignets

So when I went grocery shopping, I found some cheap bananas at the commissary.  I always buy them when they're on sale because whatever doesn't get eaten by the kids, will end up in banana bread or banana jam.

I decided to make something a little different this time, just to change it up a bit, so these banana beignets happened.  I've had this recipe saved for a while, I think actually since the last time that I had bananas that needed using up.

The recipe is simple to follow, easy to make and well worth the time, which truth be told is not that much at all.

They are delicious on their own, or enjoyed with a cup of coffee.

Banana Beignets

Source:  Taste of Home

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

BEIGNETS:
2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
Oil for deep-fat frying

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix sugars and cinnamon until blended. In a large bowl, whisk the first five beignet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk egg, bananas, milk and 2 tablespoons oil until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened.

2. In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter, a few at a time, into hot oil. Fry about 45-60 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Roll in sugar mixture while warm.

Yield: about 3 dozen.

Ice Cream Cupcakes

So yesterday afternoon, while doing school, the kids were craving something sweet and I knew just what to make.  The funny thing is that it has to set either for 8 hours or overnight, so they didn't quite get their treat when they wanted it.

They did enjoy it today and let me tell you, it is worth the wait.  To me, it actually tastes like a Cookies and Creme Chocolate bar, so yummy!

Ice Cream Cupcakes

Source: Life in the Lofthouse

1 (14 ounce) package Oreo cookies
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (1.5 quart) vanilla ice cream, or any flavor you like, softened
Whipped cream
Hot Fudge


Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside

Crush Oreo cookies in a food-processor until they're fine crumbs. Or place in a large zip-lock bag and pound until crushed. Reserve 1/2 cup of crumbs, set aside.

In a medium bowl, add crushed Oreo's and melted butter. Stir until combined. Take 2 to 3 Tablespoons of crumbs and press into the bottom of each cupcake liner.

Spoon softened ice cream, over the Oreo crumbs, to fill the rest of the cupcake liners. Sprinkle the cupcakes with the remaining Oreo crumbs. Tightly cover the muffin tin with saran wrap or foil and place in the freezer. Freeze cupcakes for 8 hours or overnight to set.

When ready to serve remove cupcakes from tin. Serve immediately with dollops of whipped cream and drizzles of Hot fudge. Enjoy!

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

It was 10:50pm and my daughter sent me a link on Facebook asking me to please, pretty please, make this for her.

Usually I would send one back telling her that she's lost her mind, but because I love her, and because I was actually craving something sweet, I said yes.

We went into the kitchen, whipped this up super quick and before the night ended we were enjoying this delicious cookie.  I won't lie, it is super rich at least for me, but it didn't stop me from munching down on my portion.

I didn't do the small two portions that the recipe originally calls for, and that is only due to the fact that I don't have small cast iron pans, so I doubled it and used my big pan, it still turned out just fine.

So, here is the recipe, enjoy!

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Source:  Damn Delicious

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup chocolate chips
Ice cream, for serving



Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat 2 5-inch cast iron skillets with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Melt 10 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the foam subsides and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; strain through cheesecloth or fine sieve.

Stir in remaining 4 tablespoons butter until completely melted. Whisk in sugars and vanilla until well combined. Whisk in egg and egg yolk until well combined. Add flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Divide mixture into the prepared skillets. Place into oven and bake until edges are golden brown but center is still moist, about 12-15 minutes.

Serve immediately, topped with ice cream, if desired.

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

Food historians trace the history of bread pudding to the early 11th and 12th centuries, as frugal cooks looked for ways to use stale, leftover bread instead of letting it go to waste. In 13th century England, bread pudding was known as “poor man’s pudding,” as it was a popular dish with the lower classes.

While bread pudding is still a way to use up leftover bread, it has gained a reputation as a comfort food and is a featured dessert item in trendy establishments, having shed its humble roots.

I absolutely adore bread pudding. Ever since I was a little girl, my stepmother and grandmother would make bread pudding and it was one of those special desserts reserved for certain occasions, so when it showed up on the dinner table we considered it a treat.

It has been quite a few years since I've made one, but a few weeks ago I gave it a go again and whipped up a Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding.  The recipe, from a vlog I was watching.  I just followed her video and I think she said the recipe is from Nigella Lawson, but I could be mistaken.

Anyway, another very easy dessert and so delicious.

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

4 slices of stale bread, cut into cubes
Chocolate chips, I added in about 1/2 cup of dark and 1/2 cup white chocolate
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups milk
3 eggs, whisked
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a casserole dish, add the bread cubes to it.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the bread.

In a measuring jug, add the cream and milk.  Whisk the 3 eggs in a small bowl and then add 1/4 cup of brown sugar.  Combine the cream and milk mixture with the egg mixture, give it a good stir.

Pour over the bread then push the bread down to soak it all in.  Let stand for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes have gone by, sprinkle on some more brown sugar over the top and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until nice and brown and puffy.

Once it's cool down, I like to sprinkle powdered sugar on top.  

Best part about this bread pudding is that it's not overly sweet.

Nutella No Bake Cheesecake

Ohhhh Nutella how I love thee.

I was watching one of my favorite vloggers, catching up on very old videos of hers and she had made a Nutella No Bake Cheesecake, which is actually a Nigella Lawson recipe.  It looked so easy and so yummy that I immediately bookmarked it to try.

What better day than Thanksgiving to put this beauty on the table?

I am sharing this recipe tonight so that if someone out there is still looking for a simple but yet decadent dessert for tomorrow, they still have time to do it.

I don't have a picture of the sliced cheesecake as it's still in the refrigerator, but I will snap one tomorrow and come and edit this post :)

Nutella No Bake Cheesecake

Source:  Nigella Lawson

10 oz graham crackers (I used a sleeve and a half)
5 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1 x 13 oz jar Nutella (at room temperature)
¾ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 lb cream cheese (at room temperature)
½ cup confectioners' sugar (sifted)


Break the digestives into the bowl of a processor, add the butter and a 15ml tablespoon of Nutella, and blitz until it starts to clump. Add 25g/3 tablespoons of the hazelnuts and continue to pulse until you have a damp, sandy mixture.

Tip into a 23cm/9inch round springform and press into the base either using your hands or the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge to chill.

Beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth and then add the remaining Nutella to the cream cheese mixture, and continue beating until combined.

Take the springform out of the fridge and carefully smooth the Nutella mixture over the base. Scatter the remaining chopped hazelnuts on top to cover and place the tin in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight. Serve straight from the fridge for best results.

Victoria Sponge

Victoria Sponge, such a simple treat but amazingly tasty.  I'm not a huge fan of cake, and especially cake with tons of very sweet frosting.  BLECH!

But what exactly is the Victoria Sponge, where did it come from, who first baked it?  Here's a little history for you:

Anna, the Duchess of Bedford (1788-1861), one of Queen Victoria's (1819-1901) ladies-in-waiting, is credited as the creator of teatime. Because the noon meal had become skimpier, the Duchess suffered from "a sinking feeling" at about four o'clock in the afternoon. At first the Duchess had her servants sneak her a pot of tea and a few breadstuffs into her dressing room.

Adopting the European tea service format, she invited friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal at five o'clock in her rooms at Belvoir Castle. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets, and, of course, tea. This summer practice proved so popular, the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking them to join her for "tea and a walking the fields. The practice of inviting friends to come for tea in the afternoon was quickly picked up by other social hostesses.

Queen Victoria adopted the new craze for tea parties. By 1855, the Queen and her ladies were in formal dress for the afternoon teas. This simple cake was one of the queen's favorites. After her husband, Prince Albert, died in 1861, the Queen Victoria spend time in retreat at the Queen's residence (Osborn House) at the Isle of Wight. According to historians, it was here that the cakes were named after her.

I do love a good sponge cake, there's nothing better than a thick slice with a hot cup of coffee.

I had been craving a Victoria Sponge for a few weeks but just never seemed to have the time, and truth be told, I haven't always had the best of luck with sponge cakes, some have been super flops, much to my dismay.

However, this recipe is one that I have had nothing but success with, and it's now my go to Victoria Sponge.

As for the filling, I like to use homemade whipped cream, but in a pinch whipped topping from the store will work too.

Give this one a go and let me know how you liked it.

Victoria Sponge

Adapted from:  Keep Calm and Bake

1 1/4 cups self rising flour, sifted (if you don't have, just use plain flour and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup soft margarine
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp strawberry jam (you can use blackberry or raspberry too)
Whipped Cream (you can use whipped topping)
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease and line two 8 inch round sandwich pans.  Put all the ingredients except the jam and powdered sugar into the bowl of a standing mixer.  Beat the living daylights out of them.  You can also use an electric hand whisk.

When the batter is very pale, fluffy and almost mousse-like, divide it between the prepared pans and smooth out.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until they are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool the cakes on a wire rack.  When they are cold, sandwich them with jam and the whipped cream and dust the top with powdered sugar.

Oreo Dessert

Let's just say that this dessert was quite a mission to put together.  Not because it's difficult, or requires anything fancy, but merely for the fact that I forgot to buy one of the ingredients I needed for the recipe I was following, and then I went in search of similar recipes and couldn't find any that I could make.

I was always missing one ingredient or more.

I almost gave up, but I was really craving an Oreo dessert so I continued on the hunt, thankfully finding one that I knew I could make, just had to adapt slightly as I had no chocolate pudding, so I used vanilla instead.

Oreo Dessert

Adapted from:  Brown Eyed Baker

For the Crust:
1 (15.35-ounce) package Double Stuff Oreo Cookies
½ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

For the Cream Cheese Layer:
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 (8-ounce) tub Cool Whip

For the Pudding Layer:
1 (5.1-ounce) box instant chocolate pudding
3½ cups milk

For the Topping:
1 (8-ounce) tub Cool Whip

Directions:

1. Make the Crust: Place the Oreo cookies in a large ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin. The pieces should be in small crumbs, but still a little chunky, not completely fine crumbs. Set aside ½ cup of the crumbs for the topping, then transfer the remaining crumbs to a 9x13-inch pan and use a fork to mash them up a bit. Pour the melted butter over top and use the fork to combine, making sure that all of the crumbs are moistened. Press into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate while the cream cheese layer is prepared.

2. Make the Cream Cheese Layer: In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the Cool Whip. Spread in an even layer over the crust. Refrigerate while the pudding layer is prepared.

3. Make the Pudding Layer: In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow it to set. Use an offset spatula to spread the pudding in an even layer over the cream cheese mixture.

4. Spread the remaining 8-ounce tub of Cool Whip on top and sprinkle with the reserved Oreo crumbs. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Cherry Cheese Coffee Cake

It has been such a long time since I've last had this coffee cake.  I always wonder why I stop making something, or tend to forget about it, when it's something that I know I love.

This Cherry Cheese Coffee Cake is a Pampered Chef Recipe.  I can actually remember the very first time I tried it.  I was hosting a Pampered Chef Party at my house, when we still lived on base in Idaho.  The hostess had asked me to pick a few things for her to prepare and I honestly didn't know what to pick because I hadn't tried anything at all, so this was her suggestion.

I remember that I kept thinking that it was so easy to make, and obviously wondered if it would taste good.

One bite and I was hooked.  Since then it has become one of our favorites and I have tried it with apple, strawberry, lemon, blueberry and raspberry fillings, each one just as good as the other.

Last weekend I went to a barbecue at my brother's house, it was sort of a last minute thing and I didn't know what to take.  I don't even know how I remembered this dessert, but I'm glad I did because I happened to have everything on hand.

Give it a try if you haven't before, I can almost guarantee that you will love it just as much as I do.

Cherry Cheese Coffee Cake

Cake & filling
2 (8 oz. each) pkgs. refrigerated crescent rolls
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
21 oz. can cherry pie filling

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll crescent dough and arrange 12 of the triangles in a circle with wide ends toward the outside edge of the Large Round Stone - the points will not meet in the center. Lightly flour and roll out the seams making a 14" circle with a 3" hole in the center. Combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg & vanilla and spread over dough. Top with pie filling. Cut each of the 4 remaining triangles into thirds (starting at the wide end opposite the point and cutting lengthwise to the point). Arrange over filling evenly in spoke-like pattern. Press ends to seal at center and outer edges. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly. Mix powdered sugar and milk until glaze consistency and drizzle over coffee cake.

{ Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas with Whipped Cream and Caramel }

This is one of the easiest desserts to make, and you can keep it simple or jazz it up however you wish.  I don't make it often, matter of fact it came about as I tried to recreate something similar I had at a Mexican restaurant.

Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas with Whipped Cream and Caramel

6 inch Flour tortillas, cut into wedges
cinnamon sugar
low fat whipped cream
caramel sauce

Cut the flour tortillas into wedge, I just cut each into fourths so we can have bigger wedges.  Lay them on a baking sheet and spray them with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 F oven for about 7 minutes or until crisp and brown.

Top with cinnamon sugar, a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.  You can also omit the caramel sauce and just sprinkle the whipped cream with a little more cinnamon.

They are SO yummy!

Banana Nut Cake with Caramel Icing

Oh my.....ooohhhhhhhh myyyyyyy!!!!

Ok so you all know Miss Kay from the Duck Dynasty series right?  Remember I shared her Honey Pecan Pie a while back?  And that was like, so good.

Well going through her cookbook earlier, I came across this recipe for banana cake, and what do you know, I actually have a bunch of bananas that are going bad and need to be made into bread, cake, smoothies etc.

THIS though, oh my goodness, it's so good.  Moist, flavorful all on it's own, but then throw in some caramel icing and it takes it to a whole other level.

If you have to make just one cake in the next week or two, let it be this one, you won't be disappointed.  And trust me when I tell you that Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen is one cookbook every kitchen should have.

Banana Nut Cake with Caramel Icing

Adapted from:  Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen

2 cups all purpose flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 medium ripe bananas
2 eggs
chopped almonds

Caramel icing
1 stick butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour the cake pans or bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the shortening, buttermilk and bananas.  Mix with the electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add the eggs and beat 2 more minutes.  Fold in the almonds.

Pour the batter into 2  9-inch pans, or a bundt pan.  Bake until the layers start to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of a layer comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

Let the layers cool in the pans for a few minutes, then run a spatula around the sides and invert the layers onto a wire rack to cool completely.

While the layers are cooling, make the frosting.  In a saucepan on medium heat, bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil and boil for 2 minutes.  Add the milk and bring back to a boil.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Stir in the powdered sugar.

When the cake layers are cool, frost the top of one layer.  Put the other layer on top and frost the top and sides.

Note:  I used my bundt cake and did not frost the inside or all around the cake, just the top.

Old Fashioned Cheesecake

I think one thing is for certain here on my blog, I am not one to post a lot of sweet recipes.  I don't know, I'm just more of a main dishes and hearty meals cook, but once in a while my sweet tooth makes an appearance.

When that happens, I have to abide and then it feels like I am in the kitchen cranking out dessert after dessert.

This one came about because my brother LOVES Cheesecake, and they were coming over for dinner last night and I was missing him because I hadn't seen him or spoken to him the whole week.  I knew he would love this one, and then of course the rest of the family really enjoyed it too.

It's a very simple, old fashioned cheesecake, but then those are usually the best.

Cook's Note:  I doubled the crust ingredients, it just wasn't enough to my liking, so just double the vanilla wafers and butter.

Old Fashioned Cheesecake

Adapted from: Taste of Home

3/4 cup crushed vanilla wafers
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel

TOPPING:
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine almonds and wafer crumbs; stir in butter.
Press onto the bottom and 2 in. up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. springform pan. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Beat in vanilla and lemon peel just until blended. Pour into crust.

Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Combine the sour cream, sugar and vanilla; carefully spread over filling. Bake 10 minutes longer or until edges appear dry. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Cover and chill overnight.
Remove sides of pan. Top with fresh fruit. Refrigerate leftovers.
Yield: 12 servings.

Simple Vanilla Cake

Growing up, some of my fondest memories revolve around the time my grandparents lived with us.

We always had a special bond with our grandfather, not only because we thought he was the coolest man on earth but it may have also been the fact that, at the drop of a hat, he would walk into the kitchen and whip up a simple cake.

Midnight???  Doesn't matter.  If the kids wanted cake, he would make one and then we would all sit up giggling and enjoying the slice of cake still warm from the oven.  It felt like we were sharing a secret, or part of some club that no one else was invited to.

His cakes were never difficult to make, they never included special ingredients, just plain ol' flour, eggs, sugar and milk, and to this day my favorite cakes are the easy simple ones.

This recipe is not the one my grandfather used, but it's pretty close. 

Simple Vanilla cake

Source:  Baking Bites

Serves 8-10

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, adding them one at a time, followed by vanilla extract. Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk. Add in remaining flour mixture, stirring just until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf.

Miss Kay's Honey Pecan Pie

Folks, do I have the perfect Pecan Pie for your Thanksgiving .

Usually I stick with the same recipe, which is the one you can find on the back of the Pecan bags, and truth be told, I've made that one every year.  It worked, it never failed and it was good.

And then I started watching Duck Dynasty a few months ago and I became enthralled by Miss Kay's cooking.  I noticed she had a Honey Pecan Pie and since I do love a good Pecan Pie I decided that I had to try it.  It's SO good guys and it's the recipe I'll use from now on.

Seeing that it's Thanksgiving tomorrow, I always bake the pies the day before so that I'm not so overwhelmed with everything else on the day of.

So, I'm here to share the recipe with you and to encourage you to get your hands on Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen Cookbook.  It will make a great gift for the cook in your family :)

Miss Kay's Honey Pecan Pie

Source:  Kay Robertson

3 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
½ stick (4 Tbsp) butter, softened
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup light corn syrup (I use Karo)
½ cup maple syrup (I use Johnnie Fair) or honey
1½ cups pecan halves
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust, homemade or store bought


Heat the oven to 350ºF. Beat the eggs with the mixer until fluffy, about 8 minutes.

In another mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, butter, salt, vanilla, and syrups. Gently fold this into the eggs. Gently fold in the pecans. Pour the filling into the piecrust.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the filling is set and no longer wobbly in the center.

Let cool completely before cutting.

Speedy Brownies

I think everyone has a favorite brownie recipe in their stash.  Either it's been passed down from generation to generation, or from a favorite cookbook.

I've never really had one that I made consistently.  I have tried so many over the years, some infused with nuts and different flavors, some fudgey, some more cake like and I have certainly had my fair share of disasters when it comes to brownies too.

The recipe I'm sharing today, I can say that it really is the first one that I have kept on hand because of it's simplicity.  Dumping all the ingredients into one bowl and a sprinkle of chocolate chips is what I call easy....but don't be fooled into thinking they are less than stellar because these Speedy Brownies truly are delicious.

Speedy Brownies

Source:  Taste of Home

36 Servings 

Prep: 15 min. 

Bake: 30 min.

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips


In a large bowl, beat the first seven ingredients. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.