Fluffernutter Bread Pudding

My Venture into Bread Pudding
Have you ever heard of a fluffernutter sandwich? If you're from the northeastern part of the U.S., you probably have. It's a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow crème. Very yummy. If you make it like a grilled cheese sandwich, it's exceptionally yummy. Those wonderful fluffernutter sandwiches were the inspiration for this bread pudding recipe.

When I was developing this recipe, I made it 4 billion times – tweaking things here and there until I got it the way I liked it. I can now say that I'm officially SICK of bread pudding and I never want to taste or smell peanut butter again. This leads me to a story.

Last week, I was driving through the campus where I work. I was singing along to Katy Perry's "California Gurls" when an approaching car unexpectedly turned in front of me going, like, .000001 mph. It came as no surprise that a blue-haired old lady was driving the car. I don't want to speculate about how old she was but I'm confident she learned to drive chariots when Ramses II was Pharaoh. I slammed on my brakes and it took every ounce of self-restraint I had to not give her a friendly, one-finger wave. However, it's hard to flip off mummified old ladies when you're been singing offkey to perky music. Upon closer observation, I realized she was attempting to turn onto a sidewalk instead of the entrance of a nearby parking lot. A long time ago, the University put up some short cement pillars at the entrance of the sidewalk so that confused drivers wouldn't turn onto it thinking it was the entrance of an interstate freeway or something. I fully expected the driver, after realizing the cement pillars were blocking her path down the sidewalk, to back up and get the hell out of my way. No. She sat there…HONKING HER HORN. Yes. Honking her horn. So I thought, "Well, maybe she's having a heart attack or something…". So, I got out of my car and asked if anything was wrong. She rolled down her window and exclaimed in an irritated voice, "Well, I keep honkin' my horn but nobody's openin' the gate!" I just stared back and blinked. I then explained that the cement barricade was not a gate and the "road" she was trying to turn onto was actually a sidewalk. "A SIDEWALK?!", she bellowed back. I then pointed out where she should turn to get into the parking lot. Meanwhile, cars were backing up in both directions because she was blocking both lanes in her huge grandma-mobile that was only slightly smaller than the Nile riverboats I'm sure she rode in as a child. She then started backing up and I walked back to my car. I got in my car and she was still backing up. I put my car in gear and adjusted the air conditioning and she was still backing up. After what seemed like 14 days, her back tires finally hit the opposite curb, she put her boat in drive, and she went on her merry way.

What does this have to do with Fluffernutter Bread Pudding? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I just could not bring myself to write about bread pudding or peanut butter. Did I mention that I was sick of bread pudding and peanut butter? So go put on some Lawrence Welk and make some of this fantastic bread pudding! Enjoy – and happy fluffernuttering!

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Fluffernutter Bread Pudding
(Printable Version)

15 - 16 oz french bread (or your favorite bread), crust removed, and cut into 1" cubes
6 eggs
1/2 c sugar
4 c half-and-half
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c butter, melted
1 1/2 c peanut butter
7 oz jar Marshmallow Fluff

Preheat the oven to 300F. Add the cubed bread to a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. Do not allow the bread to brown. This dries out the bread so the custard readily absorbs into the bread. After you pull the cubed bread out of the oven, let them cool for about 5 minutes.

While the bread is drying out, combine the eggs and sugar and whisk aggressively for about a minute. Add the half-and-half, salt, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter, and Marshmallow Fluff. Microwave the mixture for about 60 seconds then whisk until thoroughly combined. Heat the mixture for another 45 seconds or until the mixture is thin and free of any lumps after being whisked. Slowly whisk the hot mixture into with the bowl with the half-and-half. Whisk until smooth. The peanut butter will leach out a little bit but don't worry about it.

Transfer the dried bread cubes into the custard mixture and stir to combine. Increase the oven temperature to 325F. Gently stir the bread every minute or so for 5 minutes to ensure the custard is being absorbed evenly. Stir the mixture one final time then pour the bread mixture into a 4-quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Allow the mixture to rest for 5 additional minutes without stirring. After 5 minutes, use the back of a spoon to push down the bread to give it one more dunk before baking. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out relatively clean. Let the pudding rest for at least 15 minutes (preferably 30 minutes) before serving. It should be served warm but not hot. If desired, drizzle with a some Peanut Butter Glaze (recipe follows).

Peanut Butter Glaze
2 TBSP peanut butter
1/4 c milk (plus additional as needed)
1 1/3 c powdered sugar

Place the peanut butter and milk in a medium bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds. Whisk until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and whisk thoroughly to combine. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Notes:
1) To make a Fluffernutter Nanner Bread Pudding, add some chopped bananas to the mixture before baking.
2) Some bread puddings are on the drier side – especially the part that's directly exposed to the heat in the oven. Some are on the moist side. This recipe makes a moist, old-style bread pudding.
3) During recipe development, I tried making this with as much as 2 cups of peanut butter. That was just too peanut-buttery for my taste – especially if you put the glaze on top. I also tried it with as little as one cup of peanut butter. With only 1 cup of peanut butter, you could barely tell any was in there. If you're a peanut-butter-aholic, try it with 2 cups of peanut butter sometime. That's not my thing but you might like it.
4) I have not tested this recipe with natural peanut butter.
5) If you like your desserts on the sweeter side, feel free to double the glaze recipe.

Snickerberry Pie

My Venture into Berries and Chocolate
Hello Blog Buddies! It's hot outside and nobody wants to heat up their kitchen by baking something. So, I decided to do a summertime dessert for today's posting.

I originally set out to make a Snickers Bar Salad. You know, the "salad" that contained chopped apples and Snickers? I think there are a lot of fruits that pair well with chocolate but an apple is not one of the first fruits that comes to my mind. So, I thought I would do my take on the "salad" and use strawberries and cream cheese. After much thought, I just could not bring myself to call this a SALAD. I'm a purist and that good, 'ol Snickers Bar Salad is nothing but a dessert to me. So, I thought I would dump it into a prepared pie crust and call it a pie instead.

When I was testing this recipe, I wondered:
1) Would the pie set up properly?
2) With all of the sugar in the filling, would the strawberries exude a lot of liquid – making the pie very weepy?
3) How much chunky stuff (the strawberries and Snickers) could the pie support? Too much and it would be too hard to cut and too little and guests would think I was being stingy with good stuff.
4) How large should I chop the chunky stuff. Small chunks are easier to eat but larger ones would have the texture contrast that I was looking for.
5) How chocolaty should the pie be?

To help resolve some of these questions, I made the pie and enlisted the help of co-workers, who are quite helpful in giving me input on recipes that I'm testing. Many of them felt I cut the Snickers too big so I cut them much smaller in the final recipe. One felt it would be tasty with strawberries and pineapple – and I very much agree. However, I would again be worried by how much juice the pineapple would give off since it's a particular juicy fruit. When I took it to work, I hadn't even named the pie. My good friend Sue offered "Snickerberry Pie" as a suggestion for the name and I loved it!

I was careful to use only the best strawberries in this recipe. Later, when I wanted to slice a strawberry for the garnish in the picture, I realized that I only had mammoth strawberries left. As you can in the picture, that stupid mammoth strawberry fills up half the photo! Oh, well. You get the idea. I'm not a sweets eater and I'm definitely not a chocolate lover but I think this pie tastes pretty darn good. On the plus side, it's a CINCH to make. When strawberries are in-season, it makes the pie even better. So, buy some fresh berries then chop down a Snickers tree and make this yummy dessert. Enjoy – and happy snickering!

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Snickerberry Pie
(Printable Version)

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1/3 c lemon juice, chilled
1 8-oz tub whipped topping
3 full-size (or 12 fun-size) Snickers candy bars, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 c diced strawberries, chilled
1 prepared graham cracker or Oreo crust (preferably a larger one)
Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping (Optional)
Sliced strawberries for garnish (Optional)
Additional Snickers for garnish (Optional)

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the lemon juice and mix. Add the whipped topping and mix until just combined. Using a large spoon, stir in the Snickers and strawberries until incorporated. Spoon into a prepared crust and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving. When ready to serve, cut into slices and, if desired, serve with hot fudge ice cream topping and additional sliced strawberries and chopped Snickers.

Strawberry-Limeade Sorbet

My Venture into Frozen Desserts
It's been a crazy week so I had to do something simple for this week's post. I am not much of a dessert eater but, when I need something quick and easy to make to satisfy a craving for sweets, this is my go-to recipe.

This recipe has only four ingredients and takes less than 5 minutes to make. You will, of course, have to allow the sorbet to freeze before eating it but you can do your own thing while your dessert is chilling in the freezer. This dessert is not for everyone. It's a bit tart but I like it that way. In my opinion, when your taste buds are really stimulated by the sweet-tart combination, you don't eat as much.

Why am I using frozen strawberries? Before you diss my use of frozen fruits, I have to explain my rationale. Frozen fruits are picked at their peak of ripeness and often retain more nutrients than fresh fruits in the produce section – especially if those fruits were picked days/weeks before they arrived at your store. Second, the frozen texture will not be a problem since everything is pureed anyway. Third, everything needs to be chilled so why not start off with some frozen berries? Fourth, I can make this year round without having to use out-of-season fresh strawberries that are expensive and tasteless.

You'll notice that I'm not using an ice-cream maker to make this sorbet. I have used an ice cream maker before and the texture is better – but not so much better that it's worth the extra effort. You do need to use an ice cream maker for ice cream, sherbet, and gelato but you can get away with using a blender or food processor for sorbets. If you have an ice cream maker and the extra time, go for it!

I hope you enjoy this quick and easy dessert that's guaranteed to make you pucker – especially if you add extra limeade concentrate like I do. It's really refreshing. Let summer begin! Enjoy – and happy eating!

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Strawberry-Limeade Sorbet
(Printable Version)

1 16-oz bag frozen whole strawberries (without sugar), thawed in the refrigerator until partially frozen
1 16-oz container frozen strawberries in sugar, thawed in the refrigerator
2 TBSP limeade concentrate, thawed in the refrigerator
Zest of 1 lime

Add all of the ingredients to a food processor (or blender). The ingredients need to be well chilled. I regularly add 1/4 cup of limeade concentrate (instead of 2 TBSP) because I like it extra tart. I've even added a 1/2 cup of the limeade concentrate and enjoyed every last lick. Feel free to add as much or as little as you want. Puree all of the ingredients for about 1 minute – scraping the bowl after 30 seconds.

Pour the liquefied sorbet into a sealable container. Immediately transfer to the freezer and allow to freeze until firm – about 4 to 6 hours (or overnight). As with ice cream, sorbet is best eaten when it has been sitting out for a few minutes to take some of the chill off.

Note:
Wanting to cut carbs and calories? You can use frozen strawberries in sugar-free syrup. You can also buy sugar-free limeade concentrate in some stores. The taste is great but the mixture freezes much harder since there is no sugar in it.

White Chocolate Easter Eggs

White Chocolate Easter Eggs
First things first. Thank you to everybody who gave me recommendations on counter stools in my last post! I know it was hard to give me advice since you don't know my décor but I appreciate the effort. I'm still sorting through the responses to see if any particular stool was recommended more than others. Even more importantly, I want to announce the winner of the Sunbeam Stand Mixer giveaway! The winner was selected at random from all of my blog buddies who left comments about the counter stools. …And the lucky winner is:

Dana B.

Dana said, "I like the TMS 24" Double Cross Back Bar Stool in Black - 17524BLK. Just came across your site by way of Tasty Kitchen and I'm already making one of your recipes tonight =)"

Congratulations Dana! Please e-mail (cookingventures at gmail dot com) to make arrangements to have the mixer sent to you. May this be the first of many cooking ventures for you! Thank you Allbarstools.com and CSN Stores for making this giveaway possible.

Now for today's post. Easter is quickly approaching and I wanted to do a special post. Originally, I thought about doing leg of lamb (a personal favorite) but I didn't think that would have universal appeal. After giving it some thought, I decided to make some White Chocolate Easter Eggs.

Some of you may be familiar with White Trash Candy. White Trash is made a million different ways but it's usually cereals (such as Chex, Cherrios, etc), pretzels, nuts, etc that have been doused in white chocolate. White Trash is not my invention nor my choice of names. However, it is what it is. Today's post is nothing but White Trash that I've stuffed into plastic Easter eggs then unmolded. I originally planned to call them "White Trash Easter Eggs" but a couple of friends at work weren't fond of the name so I switched it to White Chocolate Easter Eggs.

I, personally, like seeing the pretty colors of the cereals and sweets used to make the eggs. Using less white chocolate makes the coating thinner so you can see the colors. This, unfortunately, is at the expense of not having smooth "egg shells" in the final product. If you bump up the amount of white chocolate, the egg shells are filled in and smoother but it's harder to see the trash on the inside. Oh, the decisions!

Anyway, congratulations again Dana! I hope whichever of my recipes you made turned out well. If you hated the recipe, blame my mother. That's what I do.

Enjoy – and Happy Easter!

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White Chocolate Easter Eggs
(Printable Version)

1/2 c Cheerios
1/2 c Captain Crunch Cereal
1/2 c Fruit Loops Cereal
1/2 c plain M&M's (in Easter colors)
1/2 c dried cherries
1/2 c salted cashew pieces
1 12-oz package white chocolate chips
Plastic Easter eggs, washed and dried
Cooking spray

Pull apart the eggs into halves and place them open-side-up in a mini muffin tin (to make it easier to fill them). Very lightly spray the inside of each egg with cooking spray.

Add the cereals, M&M's, dried cherries, and cashew pieces to a medium bowl. Gently stir to mix together. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler per the package instructions. Pour the melted chocolate over the ingredients in the bowl and gently stir until the chocolate has been evenly incorporated.

Working quickly, spoon some of the candy mixture into the halved eggs (going right up to the rim of each egg half). As you are filling the eggs, ask helpers to close the eggs together – using a little muscle if necessary to get the eggs to close tightly. It's a little messy but the egg halves will come together with a little effort. Allow the eggs to completely cool and set up before attempting to remove them from the plastic eggs. It can take a little work to pop the plastic off the candy but be patient and take your time. Store the finished eggs in a sealed container.

Notes:
1) Plastic eggs come in different sizes. The number of eggs you will be able to make is dependent upon the size of the plastic eggs you buy.
2) I don't make this recipe the same way twice. Sometimes I add pretzels or peanuts instead of cashews. Sometimes I had soft sour balls. Sometimes I use Rice Crispies, Chex, or other cereals. The goal is to use a total of 3 cups of dry ingredients per bag of white chocolate.
3) As you can see from the picture, the mixture is dry enough that you can see some knooks and crannies in the eggs. I don't mind that. However, if want those spaces to be more filled in, you need to use more white chocolate. I recommend using another half bag (or whole bag!) of white chocolate to increase the white chocolate to dry mixture ratio.
4) Try using some semi-sweet chocolate (that you've tempered) instead of white chocolate to make brown Easter eggs.

Easter Nests
1 1/2 c firmly packed light brown sugar
4 TBSP butter
1 TBSP corn syrup
1/2 c milk
Pinch of salt
4 c chow mein noodles
Butter for lubricating bowls
Cooking spray

Butter some heat-resistant bowls or containers that you plan to use as molds for the nests. Trust me – you need to butter them well! This recipe makes three nests that are each about 7" in diameter. Depending on the size of your bowls, you may get additional (or fewer) nests.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, milk, and salt. Bring to a boil. Heat the mixture to 240F, stirring often. Turn off the heat and add the chow mein noodles and stir to coat. Immediately add some of the noodles to each of the bowls. Working quickly, use the back of a large spoon (sprayed with cooking spray) to help shape the bowls into something that resembles nests. They set up fast so you may want to enlist the assistance of a helper to shape the bowls before the sugar begins to harden. Allow the nests to complete cool before removing them from the bowls. Store in air-tight containers. These are best when used within 24 hours of making.

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

My Venture into Unconventional Cinnamon Rolls
Many of you have read on my blog that I'm not a big chocolate lover. My blog buddy, Valerie, sent me some WONDERFUL chocolate from Belgium for Christmas. Some friends have suggested that, it's not that I don't like chocolate, it's just that I've never had GOOD chocolate. After eating that rich and creamy chocolate from Belgium, they may be right.

Years ago, I had a bad experience that reinforced my negative thoughts about chocolate. My friend Jenifer and I used to be roommates and she had a wonderful dog named Malcolm. I loved that dog! Whenever I was cooking…or cleaning…or sleeping…or going to the bathroom, Malcolm was right by my side. Jenifer was out-of-town for a few days and I had to make a Brooklyn Blackout Cake for a friend's birthday. If you've never made a Brooklyn Blackout Cake before, it's a chocolate cake that is a layered with a chocolate custard and coated on the outside with chocolate cake crumbs. It's absolutely disgusting. Anyway, Malcolm was napping at my feet on the kitchen floor as I was frosting the cake. Until the custard sets up, the layers of this particular kind of cake are very unstable. When I finished the cake, I picked up the cake plate and turned to go to the fridge when, all of the sudden, the top two layers of the cake flew off and landed right on Malcolm's head. You can imagine your reaction if somebody dropped a cake on YOUR head while you were soundly sleeping and dreaming of an all-you-can-eat buffet of snausages, pig ears, and beef bones.

With my mouth gaping wide open, I looked down and there was a huge mound of cake right on top of that poor dog's head . Malcolm jumped up and shook his head – sending chocolate cake and pudding flying everywhere. He then realized that the cake might be edible so he started sniffing some on the floor. Having read that chocolate is dangerous for dogs, I screamed, "NO!!!" I scared that poor thing half to death and he started running away. I took after him in pursuit, cake plate still in hand, screaming, "Don't eat the chocolate! DON'T EAT THE CHOCOLATE!!!" Both Malcolm and I had stepped in the cake on the kitchen floor so we were leaving chocolate footprints EVERYWHERE. Clods of chocolate kept falling off of his head as he was trying to flee the crazy man wielding a cake plate screaming at the top of his lungs. I finally got a hold of him and immediately got him into the tub so I could wash off the chocolate. When I got him spic and span, I put him outside until I could get the house cleaned up. I couldn't decide which smelled worse – the strong smell of the chocolate wafting throughout my house or the lovely odor of wet dog. After putting him outside, I then turned and gazed upon a sea of chocolate everywhere. It looked like Willy Wonka was brutally murdered in my living room.

I was sure that Malcolm didn't have a chance to eat any of the cake but I called the vet anyway and he assured me that we would not need to pump Malcolm's stomach or call the nearest Poison Control Center as I had suggested he do. I then called a carpet-cleaning company and they immediately came to my house. When the cleaning guy arrived and saw all of the mess, the only thing he could say was "What the…what on earth happened in here?!" The only thing I could muster was "There was…an incident." After washing a dog, paying $157 to get my carpets cleaned, and baking TWO Brooklyn Blackout Cakes, everything was as it should be. Can you not see why I hate chocolate?

I may have forgotten to mention this little incident to Jenifer since no harm was done and I didn't want her to worry every time she left me alone with Malcolm. The guilt of not telling her has plagued me for years. If you're reading this Jenifer, sorry!!! I know I should have told you that I almost killed Malkie with chocolate when you were in Chicago that one time! Malcolm is no longer with us but his memory lives on every time I make something with chocolate. I hope he's in doggy heaven right now eating all of the chocolate he wants.

Did you notice in the picture that I put a paltry amount of frosting on the cinnamon rolls? That was to give you all the illusion that I have some degree of restraint. After I took the picture, I really loaded on the cream cheese frosting and ate two of those puppies with my fingers. The chocolate in the center had melted and was all gooey and cinnamony. The rolls were still really warm so the frosting was beginning to thin and was dripping onto the plate. I had chocolate and cream cheese on both sides of my mouth and dripping from my fingers. Heaven. For just one moment, I really liked chocolate. Enjoy – and happy baking!

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Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
(Printable Version)

Dough
1 egg
1/2 c milk
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c butter (4 TBSP)
1/4 c warm water (110F)
1 .25 oz package active dry yeast
1/3 c cocoa powder
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour

Filling
6 TBSP butter, melted
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c chocolate chips (preferably Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips)
1/2 c finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Frosting
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 TBSP butter, room temperature
1/2 lb powdered sugar (roughly 2 cups)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP milk
Chocolate shavings from a semi-sweet chocolate bar for garnish

Take the egg out of the refrigerator and crack it into a bowl so that the egg will warm up some before adding it to the dough. Over medium heat in a small sauce pan, scald the milk, sugar, and salt. Remove from the heat and skim off any skin that has developed on the surface. Add the butter and allow the mixture to cool to lukewarm.

While the milk is cooling, combine the warm water and yeast. In a mixing bowl, whisk the cocoa powder and flour together.

Add the lukewarm milk mixture, yeast mixture, and egg to the flour. Use a mixer equipped with a paddle to get the ingredients completely combined then shut off the mixer for 4 minutes. This rest period will allow the liquid to more readily absorbed so you do not end up adding too much flour. After 4 minutes of resting, switch to a dough hook. Mix the dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. This dough will be a little stickier than many kinds of dough that you may have worked with before. For the most part, the dough should not be sticking to the sides of the bowl as it is mixing. If it is really sticking, add a little more flour. If it looks pretty dry, add a teaspoon or so of water.

Spray a bowl with cooking spray. Form the dough into a ball and add it to the sprayed bowl. Spray the top of the dough lightly with cooking spray then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size – about 60 to 75 minutes.

Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 12" x 9" rectangle (with one of the longer sides closest to your tummy). The dough should be very soft and easy to work with.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, white sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Brush the bottom and sides of two 8" cake pans with some of the melted butter.

Brush half of the remaining butter on top of the dough. Make sure to leave a 1" edge on the top and bottom that is completely free of butter, sugar, nuts, and chocolate. Sprinkle the butter with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Drizzle the remaining butter all over the sugar mixture. Add the chocolate chips on top of the sugar. I use about 1/2 cup or so. You could certain use more or less. If using nuts, sprinkle some on now. Lightly press the chocolate and sugar mixture to make it easier to roll. Lightly brush the 1" strip of dough at the top with a little water so, after you roll up the dough, the seam will seal better. Starting from the side closest to your tummy, carefully roll up the dough – trying to keep as much of the filling inside as possible. You should end up with a log roughly 12" in length. Pinch the lightly moistened seam tightly to seal. Cut the roll into 10 slices.

Place 5 rolls in each pan (4 around the outside and 1 in the center) – leaving as much space as possible between each roll and the sides of the pan. Cover and let rise until doubled – about 45 to 60 minutes. About 15 minutes before the rolls have fully risen, preheat the oven to 350F. When doubled in size, uncover the rolls and bake about 15 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. Using a mixer equipped with a whisk attachment, whisk the cream cheese and butter together. Add the powdered sugar and use the mixer to slowly whisk it in. Add the vanilla and milk. Whisk for about 2 - 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Too thick for you? Add another 1/2 tablespoon of milk at a time until you have reached the desired consistency.

When the rolls are done, allow them to cool in the pans for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove a roll from one of the pans and place it on a serving plate. Top with some frosting and some shaved chocolate from a chocolate bar. The frosting will start to melt and everything will get gooey and messy. Unapologetically eat the rolls with your fingers. Remember – everything in excess. I mean moderation. Yeah, yeah. Moderation.

Note:
1) Regular chocolate chips contain stabilizers that inhibit melting. The Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips melt beautifully and are flat disks which makes them easier to roll up inside the cinnamon rolls. The chocolate flavor is also great. I'm not getting paid to say this either!
2) The amount of liquid in the dough and the rising times are estimates.
3) I do not recommend using a 9x13" dish to bake these in. I don’t think they cook evenly in a larger pan which is why I recommend using 2 eight-inch cake pans instead.

Two-Ply Strawberry Pie

My Venture into Bad Poetry
Today's recipe is really easy-to-make and tastes great, too. It's got two things I really love…cream cheese and strawberries. This is actually a combination of two recipes (slightly adapted) that I found in my mother's recipe box many years ago. I last made this pie when I was a teenager and forgot all about it. It's so good, I need to start making it more often.

For those of you who regularly read my blog, you might recall that I have an annoying neighbor whom I affectionately call Fitch. You can read my earlier rant about Fitch in my Nacho Cheesy Chili posting a few weeks ago. I continue to run into her every now and then. I decided to write about a recent run-in I had with Fitch but I wanted to give it a little Christmas flair. I'm so busy right now with Christmas baking, I wasn't sure I would have time to write something creative. I decided to go for it and wrote a poem ala "Twas the Night Before Christmas." This was hard because I don't normally write poetry! Given how busy I am right now, you're lucky I didn't take the easy way out and just write a Christmas haiku. Anyway, this is my first attempt at blog poetry. Enjoy – and have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or whatever special holiday you might be celebrating in the coming weeks!

Twas the Night Before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

With the cookies baked and my pantry now bare,
I slouched on my sofa with my feet in the air

While watching the news, a book spread on my lap,
Exhausted from cooking, I wanted to nap

When out in the hallway there arose such a clatter,
I heard high heels clapping and loud, angry chatter

Away to the door I flew like a flash,
I slipped on my book and almost fell on my ash

I peered through the peephole for someone I knew,
It was Fitch and her dog – a feisty shih tzu

It's tail in the air, my eyes could not believe,
It was pooing in the hallway on Christmas Eve

Swallowing hard and getting really sick,
I covered my mouth and wished it was St. Nick

That clueless blond! No, that half-witted vixen!
Oh, what kind of drugs had she been mixin'?

Throwing the door open, I stood there appalled,
Assured my ankles would soon to be mauled

Seeing my nemesis, my anger now grew,
As I stood there staring at freshly laid poo

Flustered and uneasy and not knowing what to say,
She wished me Merry Christmas and a glorious day

She picked up her dog when assured he was through,
Saying "Would you get that Sweetie?" as she bid me adieu.

She offered me advice as she went down the hall,
You best clean that up fast, lest someone might fall.

Merry Christmas!

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Two-Ply Strawberry Pie
(Printable Version)

1 prepared Graham Cracker Crust (the large one -- 10")

Bottom Layer:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 3 3/4 oz box of pudding (I prefer coconut but vanilla, lemon, or cheesecake all work well)

Top Layer:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup of frozen strawberries in sugar, thawed in the refrigerator
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups whipped topping (about 1/2 of an 8 oz container)

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, lemon juice, and pudding. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Slowly add about 1/3 of the mixture to the cream cheese and beat until smooth – scraping the bowl as needed. Slowly add the remaining pudding mixture. Spoon the mixture into the graham cracker crust and smooth out the top. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before preparing the top layer.

To prepare the top layer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth (preferably using the whisk attachment on your mixer). The mixture must be absolutely smooth. Slowly add the thawed strawberries and their juice, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and continue mixing until combined. Finally, add the whipped topping until just combined. Spoon the mixture on top of the bottom layer and decoratively swirl the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until the pie has set up completely.

Walnut Frosties

My Venture into Cookies
This is my all-time favorite cookie. When I was growing up, my mother used to make these every Christmas. In a way, they're like jam thumbprint cookies in that you make a well in each cookie and fill it with a yummy filling. They are more labor intensive than a regular cookies because you have to make a divot in each one but, trust me, they are WELL worth it. You should take the time to really make the well in the cookie as big as possible so that you can fit in more filling. They are so good!

My mother uses margarine in this cookie and I use butter but, aside from that, I kept the ingredients the same. I make mine larger than my mother's for a simple reason – they're faster to fill because you're not making as many wells. There is no reason you can't make these cookies all year round. It was a tradition in my family to eat them only at Christmas but you certainly do not have to do that.

When I was young, I had no idea what the ingredients were . I just knew they tasted great. I'm not a big sour cream fan so I was shocked to see the filling had sour cream in it when I made these the first time. Trust me – you can't taste the sour cream or I wouldn't be eating them. The brown sugar perfectly balances out the acidic tang of the sour cream. The filling is truly to die for.

Like I mentioned earlier, you can make these with a "normal" amount of filling or really pile it on. The picture at the top of this page has extra filling in each of the cookies. The picture on the right has a normal amount of filling. Both are great so you can't go wrong with either. It's just a matter of preference. Click on either picture for a larger, better-quality image.

Christmas baking is using up a lot of my time so I apologize for the less-than-creative posts as of late. I hope you try these cookies and make them part of your normal repertoire. They are SO good! You'll love 'em. Enjoy – and happy baking!

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Walnut Frosties
(Printable Version)

Cookie Dough:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Filling:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sour cream (not reduced-fat)
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using a mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until the mixture is fluffy – about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined – scraping down the bowl as needed. Slowly add the flour mixture until just incorporated. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

While the dough is chilling, preparing the filling by mixing together the brown sugar and sour cream in a small bowl. Add the walnuts and stir until incorporated. Refrigerate the filling until needed.

Preheat the oven to 350F. After the dough has chilled, line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to put 6 to 7 mounds of dough on the sheet pan. I prefer to use a large cookie scoop (2 TBSP), which makes large cookies. You will get about 16 cookies when using a large cookie scoop. You may certainly use a smaller cookies scoop or roll the dough into 1" balls. If you make the cookies smaller, you will get a larger number of cookies out of each batch.

Refrigerate the remaining dough to keep it chilled. These cookies do spread when baking so be sure to leave PLENTY of room between the cookies or they'll run together. Poke your thumb into each mound of dough – leaving about 1/8" thickness of dough on the bottom. Take the effort to make the well as large as possible while keeping a sturdy wall around the perimeter. Fill each well with some filling. I prefer to really mound the filling in the well because I think the filling is the best part of the cookie. Some people prefer less filling because it makes the cookies too sweet. When making these cookies for the first time, I recommend that you put only two cookies on your sheet pan – one with a moderate amount of filling and one with a lot. When the cookies come out of the oven, taste them and decide which one appeals to you better. Note: If you plan to use a lot of filling in each cookie, you may need to make a little extra so you have enough to fill all of the cookies. The filling only takes a minute to make so, if you need to make more, it can be made at a moment's notice.

Bake the cookies for about 9 to 10 minutes or until they are lightly brown. For smaller cookies, decrease the baking time appropriately. Don't over bake. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. While the first sheet pan is in the oven, prepare another one with 6 to 7 cookies. Keep the dough refrigerated until it is ready to go in the oven or the cookies will spread too much. When storing, don't stack the cookies on top of each other or they may stick together.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

My Venture into Chocolate Cupcakes
I'm not a big fan of chocolate. I also can't stand maraschino cherries and I think store-bought cherry frosting tastes very artificial to me. In fact, I'm going to come out and just say it. I hate EVERYTHING about this recipe. I'd rather eat a cupcake liner and a couple of the cherry stems than this sinfully rich dessert. I guess if you're one of those weirdoes who likes chocolate or maraschino cherries, you'll probably like it. For me -- aaaack!

As you have probably noticed, I don't post a lot of chocolate recipes. Like any cook, I sample the food that I prepare and try to think of ways to improve the taste. I also really enjoy making new recipes. I can't do that with chocolate. When I take a bite of it, I'm overwhelmed with the taste of, well, chocolate. It's so hard for me to get past the taste that I can't think of ways of making it better – other than, of course, eliminating the chocolate. I do make exceptions. My friend Denise, a chocoholic to the bone, encouraged me to try a chocolate-curry confection at a local, gourmet chocolate store. I was very dubious because 1) I don't like chocolate, and 2) chocolate and curry would appear to go as well together as cats and water. On a whim, I bought one and you know what? I loved it! I know it sounds disgusting but it's was really good. I'm SO going to make a recipe with chocolate and curry sometime. If your local chocolatier sells something with chocolate and curry, try it. I bet you'll be amazed by the flavor.

Even though I hate the taste of these cupcakes, I did have fun piping frosting on the top. I never have the patience to do it properly. I had to pipe three of them just to get one that was presentable enough to photograph. If you want to check out someone who does a much better job of piping and has great recipes, check out Betchacanteatjustone. She's really good.

If you don't like chocolate, skip this recipe. If you DO like chocolate and decide to make it, leave a comment with ideas on how to make it better. I'm sure most of you are MUCH better bakers than I am anyway. Enjoy – and happy baking!

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Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes
(Printable Version)

1 18.25 oz dark chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup juice from a jar of maraschino cherries
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
1 cup halved maraschino cherries
3/ 4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 or 2 containers of cherry-flavored frosting
18 maraschino cherries for the top (preferably with the stems on)

Preheat oven per the instructions on the cake mix (usually 350F). Add 18 paper cupcake liners to cupcake tins. Depending on how full you fill each muffin cup, you may be able to get more cupcakes out of each batch. Set aside.

Do not prepare the cake mix per the package instructions. Instead, measure out 1/3 cup of maraschino cherry juice and add it to a mixing bowl along with the water, oil, and eggs. Whisk to combine.

Cut enough maraschino cherries in half to make one cup (larger cherries should be quartered). Dump the cherries into a small bowl (not the same bowl as the liquids). Add 2 tablespoons of the powdered cake mix to the cherries and use a spoon to evenly coat them. This will help to keep the cherries from sinking to the bottom of the cupcakes while they are baking.

To the liquid ingredients, add the remaining cake mix and whisk to combine. Use a spatula to fold in the mix-coated cherries and mini chocolate chips. Fill each paper liner nearly to the top with the batter (I use an ice cream scoop). Bake per the package instructions (about 20 minutes).

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them to cool completely on a wire rack.

You have two options for frosting the cupcakes. You can add a "normal" amount of frosting to the cupcakes and use only one container of frosting. Alternatively, you can frost them "bakery-style" and pipe a large amount of frosting on top. The bakery-style method will require a second container of frosting. Top each cupcake with a maraschino cherry.

Liege Waffles

My Venture into Liege Waffles
Most Americans have heard of Belgian waffles but I suspect that many have never heard of Liege waffles. In reality, Liege waffles are more common in Belgium than Belgian waffles! These waffles became famous in the city of Liege and are very sweet and incredibly fattening. The dough is a modified brioche dough that normally uses yeast as a leavener instead of baking powder. Traditionally, these waffles contain pearl sugar that caramelizes during cooking – producing a wonderfully crisp and sweet waffle. They are a common street food and you normally get them wrapped in paper to make them easier to eat while walking. Trust me – you don't need butter and syrup on these babies!

I love these waffles. This recipe is not particularly authentic but it is pretty good. If you've never had Liege waffles, I think you will fall in love with this recipe. If you HAVE had Liege waffles, you may be somewhat disappointed because this recipe does not quite do them justice.

This recipe is an adaptation of GoodMorningBurger's Liege Waffle Recipe. No matter how much tweaking I did to the recipe, it never came out like the waffles I had in Belgium. I'm convinced that, even if I had a good recipe, I'd never be able to produce a good waffle because I don't have a proper waffle iron to bake them in.

That said, my mother's waffle iron does a reasonably good job. Her waffle iron is OLD. Really old. It's so old, I think it was forged when the Earth was still molten. It's heavy and gets nice and hot – and the temperature of the unit can be regulated. The picture of the waffle at the top was taken at my mother's house when I was still trying to tweak the recipe to make it less fattening. In that version, I reduced the butter content significantly – and they lost a lot of flavor and stuck unmercifully to the grates because of all of the sugar. In addition, without enough fat, they were also particularly blond in color. I guess a copious amount of butter is needed for this recipe. Oh, well. I tried to make it less fattening and it didn't work!

I have a fairly new waffle iron and it sucks. It is SO not worth the money I spent on it. It never gets hot enough and produces really limp and unevenly colored waffles. In fact, I think when I walk, my friction-prone thighs produce more heat than my stupid waffle iron. Trust me – if I ever needed to start a camp fire, the only thing I'd need to do is put a stick between my legs and walk a block in my old corduroys. The waffle on the right was cooked in my new waffle iron. As you can see in the picture, there are places where the sugar never fully melted. Not good. That's what happens when your waffle iron doesn't get hot enough to fully melt the sugar. Do you see how unevenly colored it is? Also not good. My mother's beastly waffle iron produces a better, more consistent product. I guess new is not always better!

Aaaah, Belgium. I think of it every time I make these waffles. My mom and sister love 'em and I think you will too. You can either fly to Belgium and eat some there or you can make this easy recipe. Either way, I hope you won't be disappointed. Enjoy – and happy waffle-making!

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Liege Waffles
(Printable Version)

1 package of yeast (1/4 oz)
1/3 cup lukewarm milk (about 105F)
2 cups flour
1 1/2 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
12 TBSP butter, room temperature
1 cup pearl sugar (added just before cooking)

Add the yeast to the warm milk and allow it to proof for about 7 minutes. The milk will make the yeast clump up. Just whisk it vigorously and it'll be OK.

To a mixing bowl, add the flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, and salt and stir to combine. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and mix on low speed (using a paddle attachment) just until it is mixed in. Add eggs one at a time, allowing them to become incorporated after each addition. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time until incorporated.

Cover the dough and allow it to rest in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch down the dough and add the pearl sugar and stir to combine. Cover and allow the dough to rest for about 15 minutes. This final resting time allows the gluten in the dough to relax some before you have to spread it out in your waffle iron.

Heat your waffle iron. If you can control the temperature of your waffle iron, set it at 370F. When hot, spray the waffle iron (both the top and bottom grates) with some cooking spray and add some dough to the waffle iron. How much? I have no idea. I've never measured it. The amount to add depends on the size of your waffle maker anyway. Add some dough and try to spread it out as thinly as you can – which will be somewhat difficult. Using two forks to help spread the dough helps a lot. Work quickly and then close the lid. With all of the sugar in these, they can burn easily so be sure to watch the waffles when you cook them. When the waffles are nice and brown, remove them from the waffle iron. Be careful – the sugar gets really hot and makes the waffles prone to sticking. They should be nice and crispy. No need to add butter or syrup. In Belgium, liege waffles are a common street food. They are wrapped in a paper napkin and people eat them on-the-go.

Notes: Don't want to go through all of the trouble of getting pearl sugar? Buy some sugar cubes instead. Use a sharp knife to cut the sugar cubes in half then cut each half into four pieces. Don't get the pieces too big or too small or you will affect the texture of the dough.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

My Venture into Muffins
My friend Sue got this recipe from someone who worked at the former Rock Island Cafe in Wichita. Sue is a great cook and made some changes to the original recipe. I also made various changes so this recipe is really starting to sway pretty far from the original. I love snickerdoodle cookies and would love to post my friend Denise's recipe but she said that, if I ever shared her recipe with anyone, she'd inflict serious damage to a part of my body that I'm particularly attached to. She didn't specify the body part but I'm not taking any chances and won't be sharing her recipe anytime soon. However, I was not sworn to secrecy when it comes to these muffins.

I have two versions of this recipe: fattening and INSANELY fattening. Since I have a doctor's appointment coming up, I decided to forego the INSANELY fattening version and save the extra calories. You know, when you think about it, the fattening version is almost like diet food in comparison to the INSANELY fattening version. Therefore, if you are watching your weight, I'd highly recommend the fattening version and save the INSANELY fattening version for relatives you don't like. Or emaciated super models. Or breakfast.

As you can see from the picture, these muffins have a little surprise in the middle. Do you know what it is? Cream cheese frosting! How clever is that?! Well, maybe it's not THAT clever but it's a lot more clever than putting a fortune inside a cardboard-tasting cookie. Is it just me or are Chinese fortune cookies getting really lame these days? I mean I'm not expecting writing that's worthy of a Pulitzer Prize or anything but there's got to be something better than "Man who stand on toilet get high on pot." That's not a fortune! That's a bad pun! Where's the old fashioned "You will make a lot of money" or "You will soon meet the love of your life." I see nothing wrong with getting a little false hope about becoming a millionaire after eating a big plate of mushu pork at the Wong Way Bistro and Noodle Emporium. Mistress Viana , my personal spiritualist, tea reader, and aura cleanser, would never associate with those quacks who write stuff for fortune cookies.

Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh, yeah, yeah. Snickerdoodle Muffins. These are really good. You have to try these. Enjoy – and happy snickering!

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Snickerdoodle Muffins
(Printable Version)

Batter
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
4 TBSP butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Filling
1 1/3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/8 tsp vanilla

Topping
1/2 TBSP sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon or more to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Make the topping by mixing the sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.

Make the filling by beating the cream cheese and butter together. When well blended, add the vanilla and mix until combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined.

Line a muffin tin with 10 muffin cups. I use two cookie scoops, one big and one small, to help fill the muffin cups. I use the larger cookie scoop to add batter to the bottom of each muffin cup (about 1/3 full). I then use the smaller cookie scoop to add the cream cheese filling (about the size of a raspberry) on top of the batter. Don't let the filling touch the sides. I then use the larger cookie scoop to fill the muffin cup nearly to the top with batter.

For the topping, you have two options. You can sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture on each of the muffins before baking, which allows the sugar/cinnamon mixture to kind of bake into the tops. Or, you can bake the muffins and add the topping after you take the muffins out of the oven.

Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes. Makes 10.

Alternate preparation: Do not add filling to the center of each muffin. Instead, quadruple the filling recipe (or multiple it by 6 to use up the entire brick of cream cheese) and use it as a cream cheese frosting after the muffins have been baked and cooled. Sprinkle the frosting with a pinch of cinnamon to make them look pretty. They are REALLY, REALLY good this way but a lot more fattening. I apologize for the extra calories if you choose to make them this way

Flower Pot Brownies with Rich Chocolate Mousse

My Venture into Culinary Landscaping
Today is one of my dearest friend's birthdays. Happy birthday Sweetie! There are two things Denise loves in life – dark chocolate and football. She is a huge fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, which I understand is a football team. This may come as a surprise but I am not a sports fan. I do, however, enjoy the fattening foods they serve at athletic stadiums as my big patootie will attest.

The idea for this dish comes from Pioneer Woman – a great website that you need to check out. I love her recipes and incredible photography!

For the filling, I was inspired by a recipe from Wayne on Allrecipes.com. I tweaked the recipe some to get it the way I liked it. I'm not a chocolate fan so it's not something I would normally eat but others have told me they like it.

I bought the flower pot from a website specializing in the personalization of gift items. As you can see from the top image, I had Denise's name inscribed on one side of the pot. On the other side, I put "KC Chiefs Fan". Hopefully, she'll like it!

My goal was to make the filling in the flower pot look as realistic as possible. The pictures below will give you a better idea of how I assembled the pot. I normally prefer to shoot pictures for my blog using natural sunlight. Because I had to bake the brownies, let them cool, make dinner, etc, after I got home from work, I ended up having to shoot the pictures in my kitchen under fluorescent lighting in the late evening so please forgive me for the poor image quality. It definitely looks better in real life.

The recipe is at the bottom of this webpage. Here is how to assemble the flower pots (you may click on the image to see it larger):

Cut a small circle of parchment paper and place it in the bottom of the flower pot. This will keep everything from falling out of the water hole. Pinch off little pieces of the prepared brownies to make them look like clods of dirt and place them in the bottom of the pot. Add some clods then insert a straw (one with as large an opening as possible).



Add some walnuts to the top of the clods of dirt. The nuts are meant to look like a little sedimentary layer of rocks in the soil.







Add some of the prepared chocolate mousse. The mousse kind of looks like clay once it sets up. I don't like chocolate but this mousse is REALLY good! Notice how I got some mousse on the side of the straw? I'm a real slob when I coook. I dropped the straw on the floor and stepped on it a couple of times. Don't worry, I licked it clean before putting in the flower pot. Shhh. Don't tell Denise. She'll never know.


Add another layer of brownie clods and walnut rocks.








Add another layer of mousse. Would somebody keep me away from this mousse?!







Add a final layer of the brownie clods but don't add any more nuts or mousse.







Snip off the straw about 1/4" about the brownie clods. Crush some Oreo cookies in a resealable bag. It's amazing how the crushed Oreos look like potting soil. The white filling from the cookies makes it look like that stuff manufacturers add to potting soil. The crushed Oreos will be our topsoil. Add enough to come up to the top of the straw.



Stick a couple of flowers into the straw opening and voila! You have a realistic-looking flower pot filled with decadent brownies and mousse. You have to try this sometime. It will make a cool surprise for any special occasion. Happy Birthday Denise! You don't look a day over 29!

Enjoy -- and happy landscaping!





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Flower Pot Brownies with Rich Chocolate Mousse
(Printable Version)

The Soil
1-19.9 oz Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix, prepared as noted below with water, eggs, and oil

The Clay
1/2 cup milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk, refrigerated
1-3.9 oz box of instant chocolate pudding mix
1-8 oz container of whipped topping

The Sedimentary Layer
1 cup English walnut pieces

The Topsoil
About 15 Oreo cookies, pulverized to look like top soil

Flower Materials
2 (4.5") glazed flower pots, cleaned and dried
2 straws (preferably with big holes)
Flowers of your choice such as daises, asters, chrysanthemums, carnations, orchids, etc

Prepare the Soil
Instead of using a 9x13" baking dish, use a 9 x 9" pan to produce a thicker brownie than normal. Spray the pan liberally with cooking spray. Prepare the fudge brownies per the instructions on the box. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and adjust the baking time and temperature as listed on the box to compensate for the smaller pan. It is very important not to over bake the brownies. Allow the brownies to cool in the pan for 1 hour before filling the pots.

Prepare the Topsoil
Add the Oreos to a resealable bag and use a rolling pin to break up the cookies into small crumbs that resemble potting soil. Leave the bag sealed until the cookies are needed.

Prepare the Clay
Make the chocolate mousse by whisking together the milk, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate pudding mix. Using a spatula, fold the whipped topping into the chocolate mixture until all of the white streaks are gone.

Assemble the Flower Pots
Cut two 3" circles of parchment and place one in the bottom of each pot (to cover the water holes). Use a spatula to loosen the brownies from the pan and dump the brownies onto a plate. No need to be gentle because you are going to be tearing the brownies into pieces in a minute anyway.

Pinch off pieces of brownies in small "clods of dirt" and add the clods to the bottoms of the pots – about 1" deep. Slightly pack the clods into the bottoms. Place the straws upright in the center of the pots. Sprinkle a few walnuts on top of the clods. Next, add a layer of the clay (chocolate mousse) to each pot. Add another layer of brownie clods, more walnuts, and then another layer of mousse. Add a final layer of brownie clods and lightly pack but do not add additional mousse or walnuts. Snip off the straw about 1/4" above the brownies. At this point, you may enclose the entire pot in plastic wrap (including the bottom) and refrigerate until needed (maybe up to a day).

When ready to serve, add two to three flowers to each straw – trimming the stems as needed to the appropriate height. Add a layer of the crushed Oreos to the top – making sure to cover the straw so it cannot be seen

Figure-Friendly No-Bake Cookies

My Venture into No-Bake Cookies
This recipe is lower in sugar and fat than many other desserts. I've tried making this recipe using sugar-free preserves and artificial sweeteners (and no added sugar at all) but I really did not like the artificial taste that it had. For this reason, I opted to use reduced-sugar preserves, which do not normally use artificial sweeteners, a small amount of sugar, and a small amount of Splenda. Reduced-fat peanut butter works great in this recipe and I highly recommend it. These cookies are full of nutrients so it's a little hard to think of them as dessert. The cocoa powder is full of antioxidants and flavanols. The milk provides some Vitamin D and protein. The preserves have Vitamin C and the peanut butter has protein and Vitamins A and E. The oatmeal adds a nice dose of fiber. That added fiber can help to cushion the glycemic impact the sugar might have on your blood. All of that is nice but the reason I make these is because they're quick and easy to make and taste really decadent! They are so fudgy! The fact that they're figure-friendly is just another perk.

My mom and sister love this recipe and I think you will too. Enjoy – and happy not baking!

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Figure-friendly No-bake Cookies
(Printable Version)

2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup low-fat milk (skim works OK)
1/4 cup sugar
2 pinches salt
3 TBSP cocoa powder
1/2 cup reduced-sugar strawberry preserves
1/4 cup peanut butter (reduced-fat works great)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 to 3 TBSP Splenda (depending on how sweet you like things)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats

Add a piece of wax paper to a small cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer to chill.

To a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, milk, sugar, salt, cocoa powder, and strawberry preserves. Use a fork to break up any large pieces of strawberries. Whisk often and bring to a light simmer then immediately remove the saucepan from the burner. Add the peanut butter, vanilla, and Splenda. Whisk lightly to incorporate the peanut butter. Add the oats and use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture. Allow the mixture to rest in the saucepan for 6 minutes – stirring after 3 minutes. This resting period will allow the mixture to firm up slightly.

Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to place mounds of the mixture on the chilled cookie sheet. Refrigerate for at least two hours to allow the cookies to fully gel. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. These cookies when properly prepared should not be hard and brittle. They should be soft and fudgy. Makes 1 dozen ping-pong-ball size cookies.

Note: I tried this recipe using sugar-free preserves without success. To me, sugar-free preserves have a very artificial taste that is distracting in this recipe. Reduced-sugar preserves are not normally made with artificial sweeteners (but do have a reduced amount of sugar).

Peach Tartlets

My Venture into Stone Fruit
I love any kind of stone fruit (or fruits with pits). Peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries – you name it, I love 'em. During the summer when they are in season, I'm in heaven.

I made these tartlets for a dinner party a few years ago. They are so quick and easy to make but they look like they could be sold in a fancy, schmancy pastry shop. During dessert, I passed around a bowl of granola so the guests could decide for themselves if they wanted a crunchy topping or not. I like these tartlets either way, with or without a granola topping, so I decided to post a photograph with one of each so you could see the difference and decide for yourself.

During that dinner party, one of the guests, Bob, commented that he liked to grill stone fruits. Judy, one of the other guests, corrected him and said that the term is actually "stoned" fruits and not "stone" fruits. She reasoned that he would say, after all, scrambled eggs and not scramble eggs or grilled chicken and not grill chicken. Bob countered and said that she would say log cabin and not logged cabin or brick wall and not bricked wall. I, personally, thought that "stoned fruit" sounded reeeeally odd and should only be used to refer to fruit that had been partying too much at an all-night bong party at a college frat house. Unfortunately, the debate got rather heated and ended up with one of them storming out of my house. I learned my lesson. Never serve fruits with pits at dinner parties because of the potential violence that might ensue.

Whatever terminology you use, you have to try this simple but elegant dessert. Enjoy – and happy stoning!

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Peach Tartlets
(Printable Version)

1 refrigerated pie dough
1 large peach or nectarine, unpeeled
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Small pinch salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 TBSP peach preserves
Granola for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Heat a skillet on medium heat with 2 tablespoons of butter. While the skillet is heating, cut the peach or nectarine into 12 slices of equal size.

In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. When the butter has just melted, sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly in the skillet. Do not let the skillet get too hot. Add the peaches and lemon juice. Swirl the pan around to evenly coat the bottoms of the peaches and bring the brown sugar mixture to a light simmer. Once simmering, cook the peaches for about 2 minutes then flip and cook 2 minutes longer. Do not allow the syrup to aggressively simmer when cooking or you will boil away too much of the liquid. Periodically swirl the pan to keep the mixture evenly heated. Pour the peaches and accumulated brown sugar syrup into a bowl and allow the fruit to cool slightly.

Unroll the pie dough and cut three 5 1/4" circles out the dough. I, personally, use the lid of a large container of oatmeal as a guide to cut out the circles. Remove the excess dough from around the cut circles and use it for another purpose. Fold over about 1/3" of dough around each circle and flute the edges – making sure to build up the sides enough to keep the syrup from spilling over when baking. Add the tartlet shells to a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Heat the peach preserves for just a few seconds in the microwave to make them easier to spread. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of the warmed preserves on the bottom of each tartlet shell. Shingle 4 slices of peach in each tartlet. Pour a tiny amount of the brown sugar syrup in each tartlet – but not too much or it will spill over when baking. It's OK if you have some of the syrup left because you may need some after the tartlets are baked.

Bake the tartlets for about 15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned and the syrup is bubbly. If any of the peaches look a little dry, add a little of the brown sugar syrup you reserved earlier. After baking, top with some homemade granola or granola cereal (if desired).