Category Archives: Dessert

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

April 29, 2011

I’ve spent my week between textbooks and computer screens and the operating room. Dodging scalpels and specimens. Mostly trying to stay out of the way. There’s been a lot of reading, so it feels like I’m right back in school. But the best part is I’m getting paid to study, to learn, to observe. To watch laproscopic surgeries and joint replacements. It’s a sweet deal. (If you love that kind of thing. I sure do.)

I’m not getting as much quality time cooking. Dinners are rushed and I look forward to the weekend when I can waste a few hours in the kitchen. When I’ll have time to bake. Almost every week I pick a treat to make. Last Sunday, in honor of Easter, I chose carrot cake. In the form of cupcakes (which I’ve never done before). What intrigued me about this recipe was the inclusion of white chocolate in the frosting. White chocolate + cream cheese on top of carrot cake- it sounded amazing! And I’m here today to tell you, it was. These cupcakes were moist and scrumptious! They’re stuffed with walnuts and crushed pineapple but you could always add some raisins and shredded coconut to kick it up another notch. So take some time for yourself this weekend and get to baking. Cupcakes are calling…

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS

Carrot Cake Cupcakes:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups carrots, peeled and shredded
3/4 cup crushed pineapple
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped + extra for garnish

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 oz. white chocolate
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
3 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line or lightly grease two cupcake pans.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugars with an electric mixer until frothy. Beat in the oil and vanilla. Stir in the carrots and pineapple.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until evenly moist. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

4. Divide batter among the prepared cupcake pans and bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

5. To make the frosting, melt chocolate in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Allow to come to room temperature. Cream butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the melted chocolate, vanilla, and heavy cream. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until fluffy. Spread over cooled cupcakes and top with chopped walnuts.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Mango Macadamia Crisp

April 15, 2011

Mango crisp never crossed my mind until recently. I’m crazy about mangoes and wondered for some time how I could incorporate them into a dessert. And then it just came to me. Soft, sweet mangoes bubbling under a crunchy oatmeal crust. With vanilla ice cream melting on top. It sure sounded good in my head. It was one of those rare occasions where I dreamed up what I wanted to make before ever finding a recipe. So I went on a search and found that several other people had the same brilliant idea.

I based my version on a Cooking Light recipe that incorporated macadamia nuts into the crumbled topping and freshly squeezed lime juice in the filling. I spiced it up with ginger and cinnamon, but cardamom and nutmeg sound like plausible options, too. This crisp was just as wonderful as I’d imagined it would be. A light and refreshing tropical treat!

Mango Macadamia Crisp

INGREDIENTS

Filling:
4 cups ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and chopped
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. butter, melted

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp. cold butter, diced
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup roasted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly butter or grease an 8×8 inch baking dish.

2. To make the filling, whisk to combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add mango, lime juice, and butter and toss to coat. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

3. To prepare the topping, whisk to combine flour, sugars, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender until pea-size chunks remain. Stir in the nuts and oats until the mixture clumps. Sprinkle evenly over the filling. (This step can also be done in the food processor. Mix the flour, sugars, and spices and then pulse in the butter until coarse. Add the nuts and oatmeal and pulse several more times until clumps form.)

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling (cover partway through cooking if it is browning too fast). Let cool several minutes before serving warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Fills an 8-inch square pan.

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

March 28, 2011

Another recipe that I grew up on. Addictive oatmeal cookies stuffed with raisins and coconut. Little clusters of happiness. The key to the perfect cookies is slightly under-baking them. Take them out just before you think they’re done. This way once they set they’ll stay irresistibly moist and chewy. Even the raisin and coconut-hater around here appreciated these.

Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups raisins
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease or line a large baking sheet.

2. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until well incorporated. Stir in the oatmeal, raisins, and coconut. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges. Remove from the pan to cool on a wire rack.

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

Banana Bars

March 20, 2011

My mom must have made these banana bars more than any other dessert (besides chocolate chip cookies) when I was growing up. And now after years of baking experience, they’re still one of my favorite treats. I think the secret is the sour cream. It adds a unique tang that cuts the sweet. A single recipe fills an entire cookie sheet, so make sure to have someone special to share them with.

1/15/09: Sunday dinner was a throwback to my Mom’s home cooking. So of course I finished it off with one of her classic desserts. These bars are reminiscent of banana bread, but sweeter, moister, and frosted!  It’s the perfect way to use up over-ripe bananas. (I usually freeze them when they are turning brown and then have them on hand anytime I want to bake with bananas.) They’re light but devilishly decadent.

Banana Bars

INGREDIENTS

1/2 (1 stick) cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
4 ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.

2. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Continue to add the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Spread batter into the prepared cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the top begins to brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting.

3. To prepare the frosting, mix the ingredients until creamy. Spread over cooled bars, cut, and serve.

Makes 1 sheet pan.

My mom’s recipe.

Meyer Lemon Crumb Bars

February 28, 2011

It’s the last day of February and it’s supposed to be 80 degrees. I was enjoying the early spring-like weather, but eighty? Really? I’m not ready for summer. I shouldn’t complain. It’ll probably start snowing again in a few days. Since it’s technically still winter, I went on a quest to find a recipe that used Meyer lemons. Only in season for a few months each year, these slightly sweeter (less acidic) lemons are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. They have a softer thinner skin, which is supposedly edible. (I’m not big on rind though.) And they’re a pretty deep egg-yolk color.

I found a lot of lemon recipes, but this one in particular grabbed my attention. The Pioneer Woman said it came from her grandmother-in-law. I trust grandmothers. They usually know a thing or two about good cooking. And hers definitely did! These bars have a creamy lemony center (specked with brilliant lemon zest) and crumbly oat crust. A mouthful of bliss. And even better, they’re a cinch to prepare. (If you’ve got two bowls, your hands, and a whisk.) And you don’t have to use Meyer lemons- any regular lemon will work- they just add a special touch.

Meyer Lemon Crumb Bars

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used 3 juicy Meyer lemons)
zest of two lemons

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter or lightly grease a 9×9 inch baking pan.

2. Combine butter, sugar, and oats in a large bowl. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to oat mixture and blend with your finger until evenly moistened and small clumps form. Press half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

3. Whisk to combine the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Pour evenly over the crust. Top with the remaining crumb mixture.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven to cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack. Slice into squares and refrigerate 2 hours until set.

Fills a 9×9-inch pan.

(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman)