ButterYum

Coeur a la Creme - Redux

2012-02-01T14:49:00.001-05:00

Coeur a la Creme - Ooh-la-la!

The cast of characters - cream cheese, heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds - Hello! What's not to love? I can't think of a more perfect dessert for Valentine's Day.

You'll also need some cheesecloth and a coeur a la creme mold.
Alternates for both listed further down, so keep reading.

This is a traditional French porcelain coeur a la creme mold. I'm not at all fond of the shape of this porcelain mold (too pointy and kinda weird). So I decided to make my own.

I found this plastic candy dish at Wal-Mart for $1.50. I simply drilled holes in the bottom and voila, a coeur a la creme mold in a more pleasing puffy heart shape.

But hey, you don't need a heart-shaped mold to make this yummy dessert. You can use a mesh sieve.

The porcelain molds have little feet on the bottom. My homemade mold doesn't, so here I'm using a mixing bowl to suspend the mold and catch the liquid as it drains.

A bird's eye view of the set-up.

Before we begin mixing the ingredients together, let's line our mold with cheesecloth. No cheesecloth? No problem - you can use coffee filters or paper towels instead.

Time to mix the ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the softened cream cheese and sift the confectioner's sugar on top.

I always sift clumpy ingredients like powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I LOVE my BeaterBlade attachment.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. If you own a stand mixer, you need to get one!

Okay, combine the sugar and cream cheese and beat on high for 2 minutes
Next we'll add the pure vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds.

I love using vanilla beans - cut it down the middle with a sharp knife...

...and scrape out the seeds. Easy!

Mmmm. Look at all of that yummy flavor!

Don't throw that vanilla bean away - make vanilla sugar by submerging the pods in granulated sugar and store in an airtight container. Keep adding bean pods and sugar and you'll always have a supply on hand to make cookies, desserts, beverages... really great stuff!

Back to our Creme - Beat in the vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. See all those yummy vanilla specks?

Add the heavy cream and replace the paddle with the whip attachment. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.

Pour the mixture into the prepared mold - it will shrink a bit as it drains.

Wrap the excess cheesecloth over the top and place the mold in a container to catch the liquid that will eventually seep out.

I ran into an unexpected problem when I placed my filled mold in the mixing bowl to drain. The mold was kind of top heavy and kept tilting sideways - I solved the problem by placing plastic wrap around the rim of the bowl which acted like a gasket and kept the plastic mold from tilting.

Dairy products are notorious for absorbing refrigerator odors (not that there are any in MY refrigerator), but you never know when one of the teens is going to put an open container of leftover Chinese take-out in there. So just to be on the safe side, I wrapped it well with plasticwrap.

Here we are after 24 hours. See how the creme has compressed a bit. You can't tell by looking at the photo, but the cheesecloth is completely saturated with liquid that drained out of the Creme.

and look at how much liquid collected in the bottom of the bow.

Enough with that - time to unmold our glorious creation.

Place the Creme on a serving platter and lift the mold straight up so as not to mar its soft surface.

Carefully peel away the cheesecloth - I love the impression it leaves behind.

If I was serving this dessert on a white platter, I would probably have made a strawberry or raspberry sauce, but since I'm serving this one on a red platter, I thought chocolate sauce would be more appropriate. I made a simple sauce by combining 1 part dark chocolate with 2 parts heavy cream; stirring constantly over med heat until combined. Cool before using.

I garnished with some wild black raspberries I had stashed in the freezer.
Voila!

Coeur a la Creme
French translation - Heart has the Cream
serves 4-6

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, sifted to remove lumps
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, cold
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
seeds from 1/2 of a vanilla bean

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment (or better yet, a BeaterBlade attachment), slowly combine the softened cream cheese and the confectioner's sugar until the risk of spewing powdered sugar all over your kitchen has passed. Increase speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. Turn the mixer off. Add vanilla extract and vanilla seeds, combine on low. Add cream and continue to combine on low until incorporated (scrape sides of the bowl if needed). Turn mixer off and replace the paddle attachment with the whip attachment. Whip mixture on high until stiff peaks form. Pour mixture into a cheesecloth lined mold. Place mold in a bowl to catch the juices that drain. Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Unmold, garnish, and serve.

Chocolate Sauce
makes about 1 1/4 cups

4 ounces bitter-sweet chocolate
8 ounces heavy cream

In a heavy bottomed pan over med heat, melt chocolate and cream together; stirring constantly. Cool before using.

Serving suggestion - hand each of your guests a spoon and watch them dig in!

Tip:
Cream cheese will dry out quickly if exposed to the air, so be sure to keep it wrapped while coming to room temperature.

If you're pressed for time, you can quickly bring cream cheese to room temperature by placing it in a sturdy zip-top storage bag and knead it with your warm hands for a few minutes. It will soften up in no time flat.

Chocolate and Vanilla Linzer Hearts

2012-01-30T13:50:00.002-05:00

Chocolate and Vanilla Linzer Hearts - ButterYum

About 6 weeks ago I shared a recipe for Two-Tone Ganache Filled Snowflake Cookies that was so yummy, my family hasn't stopped talking about them. So I thought I'd expand a bit on the recipe to make Linzer-like heart cookies for Valentine's Day. I filled these cookies with my homemade Strawberry Jam, but any high quality strawberry or raspberry jam would work well.

Note - the recipe makes half vanilla and half chocolate cookie dough. Since the vanilla dough spreads more during baking, I suggest you use it to make the bottom halves of these cookies.

I found this set of graduated heart cutters in the Valentine section at Walmart for about $2.

I roll my cookie dough between layers of waxed paper. Can you see the lines left by the waxed paper? Don't worry about them - they disappear during baking.

When I cut my cookies shapes, I pop the dough into the fridge to firm up before I transfer them to a cookie sheet - this prevents the shapes from getting distorted when you move them.

Here's one of the cutouts after it's been baked - see all those raggedy edges? Those little suckers might not bother you, but they sure do bother me...

...so I use a toothpick to file them away - I just run it along the raggedy edges and Voila - all gone!

Yes, I know - Baking OCD. Crazy maybe, but look how the edges are all nice and smooth now.

I'm just saying.

I'm sharing this post with:
Shannon at Cozy Home Scenes

Trish at Sweetology 101

Chocolate and Vanilla Linzer Heart Cookies
makes approximately 30-40 cookies

Cookie Dough:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (added to only one half of the dough - see directions below)

Filling:
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 ounces high quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Garnish:
powdered sugar
strawberry or raspberry jam

To make the ganache::
Gently heat the cream and chocolate together; stirring until completely smooth and combined. Cover and chill for 30 minutes (or make the ganache several hours in advance and let it sit at room temperature until it thickens to a piping consistency).

To make the cookie dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the blade attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt; beat until combined, scraping bowl as needed. Add egg and vanilla; beat to combine. Add flour until incorporated. Divide dough into two portions; adding sifted cocoa powder to one portion. Wrap each portion with plastic wrap and chill for 1-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375F. Roll the vanilla dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface (or between two layers of un-floured waxed paper). Cut out the bottom cookies out of the vanilla dough using a heart-shaped cutter. Chill dough on waxed paper until firm before transferring cutouts to ungreased cookie sheet; spacing 2-inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes or until edges are set; cool completely on a cooling rack. Repeat the process with the chocolate dough, but this time cut a small shape from the center of each cookie. Chill and bake as directed above. When the cookies are completed cool, sprinkle only the chocolate ones with powdered sugar (I left the smaller chocolate shapes unadorned).

To assemble cookies:
Place the vanilla cookies upside down on your work surface. Pipe a ganache "dam" on the bottom cookies (place the dam so it will be be hidden when the chocolate cookie tops are added). The ganache dam will keep the jam from oozing out of the assembled cookies (and it tastes really, really delicious!). Spoon about a teaspoon of jam inside the ganache dam; top each of the bottom cookies with a powder sugar dusted chocolate cookie. Cookies may be assembled up to a day ahead.

Note - the dough can be made 2-3 days ahead (be sure to wrap each flavor individually and chill in an airtight container). Alternately, cookies can be baked ahead of time - place unfilled cookies in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper - store at room temperature for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw before assembling.

Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

2012-01-16T23:02:00.004-05:00

Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage Gravy - ButterYum

Want to show your family how much you love them? Make them flaky buttermilk biscuits smothered in creamy sausage gravy. Okay, I realize this is not a meal you should eat very often, but sometimes you need a little southern comfort... and yes, this lick-your-plate-clean comfort food at its best!

I'm sharing this recipe here on Cozy Home Scenes.

Sausage Gravy
makes 3-4 cups (about 6 servings)

1 pound breakfast sausage, cooked (reserve fat drippings)
4 tablespoons fat (any one or a combination of the following: sausage or bacon drippings, or melted butter)
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dried parsley

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt fat and add flour; whisking until until the mixture bubbles for a full minute. Add milk, salt, pepper, sage, and parsley; continue whisking until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Turn off heat and stir in cooked sausage. Serve over homemade Buttermilk Biscuits. The gravy will thicken as it cools - if needed, stir in a splash of milk to thin (works well when heating leftover gravy as well).

Buttermilk Biscuits - Photo Tutorial

2012-01-16T01:03:00.004-05:00

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits - ButterYum

We recently found out we'll be moving further south so I've decided it's time to start honing my biscuit skills. Today will be the first of several biscuit recipe I post in the coming weeks while I search for the best recipe I can find. First up is one I found a couple years ago on Food Wishes, a video blog by Chef John. I adore how fluffy and tall these biscuits turn out. Start to finish, they take about 30 minutes to make. The family devours them. And hey, these biscuits are fabulous with sausage gravy.

(excuse these nighttime photos, but let me show you Chef John's technique)

Once the ingredients are mixed and they start to clump together, pour them out onto a floured surface or pastry cloth. Gently press into a rectangle.

Use a pastry scraper to fold the right third on top of the center of the rectangle. Don't worry if the dough is crumbly at this point.

Repeat on the left side to complete one letter fold. This process will done a total of 3 times.

Carefully turn the dough 1/4 turn.

Press into another rectangle and repeat the 3-step "letter fold" 2 more times (fold, fold, turn).

You can see how much smoother the dough is after the 2nd letter fold is complete.

After the 3rd letter fold, press or roll the dough into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Cut biscuits and place on a lined sheet pan (push cutter straight down, don't twist).

Make a slight depression in the center of each biscuit, brush with buttermilk, bake.

NOW YOU GET TO EAT!!!!

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
recipe courtesy of Chef John
makes 12-15 biscuits (2 to 2 1/2-inches)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into thin slices and chilled in the freezer
3/4 cup cold buttermilk, well shaken (plus a little more to brush onto unbaked biscuits)

Preheat oven to 425F. Using a whisk, combine dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender (or your fingers), cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is broken down into the size of small pebbles (toss the whole bowl in the fridge to chill if the butter starts to soften). Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the icy cold buttermilk into the well. Using a spatula, gently mix until most of the flour is moistened and the dough starts to form into a ball. Dump the dough onto a well floured surface or pastry cloth. Pat the dough into a rectangle and fold the dough into thirds (similar to folding a letter), turn the dough 1/4 turn and pat into a rectangle again; repeat folding and pressing 2 more times (for a total of 3 letter folds). Roll or press dough into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Cut biscuits using a floured biscuit cutter. Gently place the biscuits onto a parchment or silicone lined sheet pan. Using your thumb, gently press down on the center of each biscuit to make a slight depression. Brush biscuits tops with buttermilk and bake for 15 minutes. You can gather the scraps together and re-roll the dough to get 2 or 3 more biscuits, but they never rise as nicely as the first biscuits. Instead, I prefer to make what I call Biscuit Bites by cutting the scraps into oddly shaped bite-size pieces. Brush with buttermilk and bake until they're nicely browned - they make tasty little nibbles; great four soups and stews.

buttermilk brushed biscuit on left - no buttermilk on right

I did a little experiment to see if there would be a difference between biscuits that were brushed with buttermilk before baking and those that were not. Can you guess which one got the buttermilk? If you chose the biscuit on the left, you're right!

Note - if you don't have any buttermilk in the house, you can make a good substitution using regular milk and vinegar. To make one cup of buttermilk, mix 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus enough milk to equal one cup. Give the mixture a stir and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes before using.

Southwestern Chicken Noodle Soup

2012-01-07T12:00:00.249-05:00

Southwestern Chicken Noodle Soup - ButterYum

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays - I certainly did. I've been cooking up a storm so stay tuned for lots of yummy posts. Let's start with Tina's Crazy Cooking Challenge. This month's challenge - Chicken Noodle Soup. I make my own chicken noodle soup often, so it felt a bit odd searching the internet for someone else's recipe to make, but I knew I found the one I wanted to try when I stumbled upon a blog called My Big Fat Geek Recipes. The Southwestern Chicken Noodle Soup sounded so good. Let me say this, it did not disappoint - very, very tasty. I'll definitely be making this one again.

This soup is made in a slow cooker, but it can easily be made on the stove top if time is limited. To further reduce cooking time, serve with tortilla chips or corn chips instead of taking the time to cook pasta. And feel free to use leftover cooked chicken if you have it (hint - or pick up a rotisserie chicken). Add the cooked chicken to the soup just before serving; long enough to heat it through. Also consider changing the veggies to suit your family, and/or add beans, cheddar cheese, and a dollop of sour cream.

Southwestern Chicken Noodle Soup
makes 10-12 servings

1-5 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
3 large carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen green beans
1 tablespoons minced garlic
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (no need to drain the juice)
8 cups water
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Southwestern Seasoning Blend (see my note below)
2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend (see my note below)
Cooked noodles, reserved

Place all the ingredients except the pasta in a slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours. Add cooked pasta to bowls just before serving.

My Notes - I at least doubled the veggies. Also, I initially was tempted to use homemade chicken stock instead of water, fearing the finished soup wouldn't have enough flavor, but the seasoning blends, onions, and garlic provide plenty of flavor. Lastly, I didn't have either of the Mrs. Dash seasoning blends the recipe called for, but I did have Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime and Mrs. Dash Southwestern Chipotle so I used 1 1/2 tablespoons of each.

This recipe is being shared at Shannon's Your Cozy Home linky party.

Two-Tone Ganache Sandwich Cookies - Secret Recipe Club

2011-12-12T08:00:00.090-05:00

Two-Tone Ganache-Filled Snowflake Cookies - ButterYum

Snowflake Cookies - ButterYum

Chocolate Snowflake Cookies - ButterYum

Ganache-Filled Snowflake Cookies - ButterYum

This month's Secret Recipe Club assignment was Vivian's blog Let's Try These. Vivian and I share a love for baking, so it was hard picking just one recipe to feature today, especially since she has so many yummy options to chose from, but I wanted to find a recipe that I could use with my snowflake cookie cutters. I settled on Vivian's Two-Tone Cookie Crinkles, a Better Homes and Gardens recipe. I don't know why they're called crinkles - there's nothing crinkled about them, but they sure are tasty, and they're so fun to make.

Two-Tone Ganache Sandwich Cookies - ButterYum

Two-Tone Ganache-Filled Snowflake Sandwich Cookies
makes approximately 30 cookies

For the cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

For the ganache filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces high quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

To make the cookie dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the blade attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt; beat until combined, scraping bowl as needed. Add egg and vanilla; beat to combine. Add flour until incorporated. Divide dough into two portions; adding sifted cocoa powder to one portion. Wrap each portion with plastic wrap and chill for 1-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375F. Roll each dough portion to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out desired shapes with floured cookie cutters, leaving the bottom halves solid. Place cookies 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet; bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes or until edges are set (tiny cutouts bake for 5-6 minutes). Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.

To make Ganache:
Gently heat cream and chocolate together; stirring until completely smooth and combined (I did this in the microwave). Cover and chill for 30 minutes (or make the ganache several hours in advance and let it sit at room temperature until it reaches the proper spreading consistency).

To assemble cookies:
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the ganache in the center bottom of each cookie and make a sandwich by adding a decorative top cookie. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

To store, place unfilled cookies in an airtight container, separating layers with waxed paper, at room temperature for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw and assemble just before service.

My notes: I'm not a fan of rolling cookie dough on a floured surface - the extra flour makes the cookies look messy, and it has a tendency to dry out the dough, making the cookies cut from the re-rolled scraps a lesser quality. Instead, I prefer to roll my dough between two layers of waxed paper - completely eliminating the need for extra flour and enabling the scraps to be re-rolled over and over again (chilling when needed). To prevent distortion, I cut my cookie shapes while the dough is still on the waxed paper, then slide the waxed paper onto a cookie sheet and chill for at least 10 minutes before transferring the shapes to a sheet pan.

This recipe is taking part in a cookie blog hop on Lizzy's blog.

Bailey's Irish Cream and Pistachio Fudge

2011-12-07T12:00:00.010-05:00

Bailey's Irish Cream and Pistachio Fudge - ButterYum

Time of this month's Crazy Cooking Challenge - FUDGE!!

Please take a moment and vote for my photo below :)

My selection, Bailey's Irish Cream and Pistachio Fudge. It's so good, and it's so easy to make - it takes about 10 minutes from start to finish, requires only 4 ingredients, and there's no need to use a candy thermometer. I found the recipe on the blog Eat Good 4 Life by Miryam. She also has a tempting Kahlua and Dark Chocolate Fudge recipe that's just as easy, as well as all kinds of sweet treats and savory fare. Lovely blog - I hope you'll stop by and pay her a visit.

Bailey's Irish Cream and Pistachio Fudge

makes one 9x9 square pan

adapted from Eat Good 4 Life

36 ounces white chocolate chips

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
6 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
1/3 cup pistachios, blanched and chopped (more is okay)

Lined a 9x9 pan with foil and lightly grease with butter (or use nonstick foil); set aside.

In a heavy-bottom sauce pan over low heat, combine the first 3 ingredients and stir constantly until the mixture is completely combined. Remove from heat and stir in pistachios. Pour into prepared pan and chill until set. Cut and serve.

Note: I reduced the recipe to 1/3 which worked perfectly with one bag of chips and a small airplane size bottle of Irish Cream (50ml).

Please vote for me below

Thanks!!

Aunt Joan's Blueberry Buckle

2011-11-30T19:32:00.003-05:00

Aunt Joan's Blueberry Buckle - ButterYum

One of the things I most look forward to during the holidays is sharing yummy food with loved ones, and this Blueberry Buckle that our Aunt Joan brings to family gatherings is one of my favorites. Bursting with juicy blueberries and finished with a cinnamon sugar crumb topping, my mouth waters just thinking about it. Great served for breakfast, afternoon snack, or dessert - no adornment needed. I should mention it stays moist for days if refrigerated in an airtight container, but you may not need to worry about that once your family tastes it.

Aunt Joan's Blueberry Buckle
makes one 9x13 pan

Cake:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 cups blueberries

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
dash of salt

Preheat oven to 375F and butter a 9x13 baking dish. Make the cake batter by creaming together the sugar and shortening; gradually add eggs and milk. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to batter. Stir in blueberries and pour batter into prepared pan. In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients and pour on top of cake batter. Bake for 60 minutes.

Blueberry Buckle - ButterYum

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

2011-11-28T12:04:00.003-05:00

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake - ButterYum

Hubby loves chocolate.

Hubby loves cheesecake.

I love Hubby.
Happy Birthday Hubby.
XO

This is a fantastic chocolate cheesecake - not only does it taste A-MA-ZING, it bakes evenly without cracks and you don't have to fuss with a water bath. Plan ahead and prepare this cheesecake at least a day before you want to serve it. After baking, it will take several hours to rest and cool before chilling overnight in the refrigerator. We think it gets better with age, so make it a few days in advance if you wish.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake (adapted recipe form Martha Stewart)

makes one 9-inch cheesecake

Serves 12-16

Crust

9 ounces cream filled chocolate cookies (like Oreos), ground in food processor

4 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Filling

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted

Topping

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

4 ounces heavy cream

Garnish (optional)
blanched and chopped pistachios

To make the crust:

Preheat oven to 325F. In a food processor, process cream-filled cookies to fine crumbs (cream filling and all). Add melted butter and combine; press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Place springform on a sheet tray and bake crust for 10 minutes.

To make the filling:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat together on low speed the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, and salt; scraping sides of bowl if needed. When mixture is silky smooth, add eggs, one at a time; scraping sides of bowl if needed. Finally, add the room temperature sour cream, followed by the melted chocolate; mix on low until combined; scraping the bowl if needed. Pour mixture into springform pan and return to the oven for 1 hour. Make ganache and blanch optional pistachios while cheesecake is baking (directions below). After the cheesecake has baked for an hour, turn off the oven and do not open the door for another hour, then open the door slightly for yet another hour (that's a total of 3 hours so far). Finally remove cheesecake from oven and rest on counter until completely cool. Top with cooled ganache and optional pistachios, cover with plastic or place in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight preferred before releasing the springform sides from the base. For neat slices, heat and dry knife blade between cuts.

To make ganache topping:

While the cheesecake is baking, prepare ganache by bringing cream to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. As soon as the cream boils, remove from heat and stir in chocolate; stir to combine. Pour ganache into a bowl; cover with a tea towel and allow it to rest until the cheesecake has cooled completely (several hours).

To blanch pistachios:
Put shelled pistachios in boiling water; remove from heat and wait 1 minute. Drain and rub with a clean kitchen towel to remove the skins. You can use the pistachios right away, or toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until they're fragrant (just a minute or two). Cool and chop.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake - ButterYum

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

2011-11-23T15:45:00.002-05:00

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Pecans - ButterYum

I usually make Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, but I wanted to try something different this time. Thanks to Pinterest, I found this recipe - the combination of pecans, garlic, and brown sugar might sound a bit odd, but it works. In fact, it works so well that my vegetable hating picky eater helped himself to 3 servings. Use the feed tube of a food processor to quickly slice the sprouts into ribbons - once you have that done, the dish is complete in less than 10 minutes. Don't let my horrible nighttime photo scare you away - give this one a try!

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
from Eat, Live, Run
serves 4

12-14 large Brussels sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch sea salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

Slice each Brussels sprout very thin until you have a mound of feathery Brussels sprout ribbons. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute garlic for 30-60 seconds. Add the Brussels sprouts and salt; saute for another 5-6 minutes until the sprouts are bright green and tender. Add the brown sugar and pecans: to together well. Serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Caramel Apples

2011-11-16T12:44:00.002-05:00

Slow Cooker Caramelized Apples - ButterYum

I recently had an opportunity to make a "fruit dish" to feed a group of 40 men. Being apple season here in apple country, I initially thought about baking pies, but to be completely honest, I didn't think the men serving this meal would be able to handle cutting 40 slices of pie very neatly. So I searched the internet for some sort of crustless apple pie-like recipe, which led me to this one for Slow Cooker Caramel Apples on a blog called Kate from Scratch. They're super yummy and were a big hit at the meal - thanks Kate!!

The original slow cooker recipe is listed below - my notes for multiplying the recipe and converting to cook in an 18-quart Roaster Oven will be listed below that.

Slow Cooker Caramel Apples
serves 10

8 cups diced apples (peeled and cored)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 dash freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Put all the ingredient in a slow cooker and mix thoroughly. Cover and cook on high until apples are tender, about 3 hours. The yummy salted-cinnamon-vanilla-caramel sauce that coats the apples will thicken slightly upon cooling. Cool uncovered for a thicker sauce.

My conversion to feed a crowd of 40: I quadrupled the recipe and cooked it in my 18-quart electric roaster set to 300F for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. I used a mix of apples - galas, golden delicious, golden supreme, and Nittany. Any apple that keeps it's shape during baking will work well.

I'm linking this recipe to
Simply Food
Cook Eat Delcious
Foodie Friday

Honey Vinaigrette Grilled Chicken - Secret Recipe Club

2011-11-14T08:00:00.040-05:00

Honey Vinaigrette Grilled Chicken - ButterYum

I'm happy to be joining the Secret Recipe Club again this month. What's the Secret Recipe Club? Basically, it's a once-a-month blog hop party for food bloggers where participants are assigned another member's blog to secretly spend time perusing, pick a recipe, make it, write a blog post about it, and then everyone reveals their secret by publishing their posts at the same time.

My assigned blog - A Pretty Life in the Suburbs by Jo-Anna, a wife and mother of 3 living in Canada. Wow, I am so impressed with Jo-Anna's blog - she's got a little bit of everything - cooking, baking, decorating, crafting, housekeeping, organizing... and it's all documented with fabulous photographs and a great sense of humor. And did I mention Jo-Anna's blog is just over a year old and she already has 390 published posts - this girl is amazing!

On to the recipe - thinking I had another week to prepare this post, I had originally chosen a yeast bread which required an overnight rest in the fridge before baking, but a reminder email late last night contradicted my failing memory and I realized my post was due in a few hours - Yikes! I quickly changed my recipe selection to Jo-Anna's Honey Vinaigrette. Of course it's great used as a dressing on salad, but I thought it would make an excellent marinade for chicken as well. Yummo, I was right - the honey pairs perfectly with chicken! The vinaigrette went together in a matter of minutes; then I marinated my chicken for about an hour before grilling on my stove top. The house smelled divine!! I saved some yummy chicken to have on my salad for lunch this afternoon, sliced thin and drizzled with some reserved vinaigrette. Great recipe Jo-Anna!

Honey Vinaigrette
makes 1/2 cup

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon grainy mustard (I used 1/2 grainy, 1/2 Dijon)
salt and pepper to taste

Place ingredients in a jar and shake. Pour onto salad greens and toss.

Alternately, use as a marinade for chicken breasts - simply put uncooked chicken in a zipper bag and pour enough marinade to cover; close bag and rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour (reserve some vinaigrette to drizzle over the cooked chicken). Preheat oven to 350F. Heat a grill pan on the stove top. Remove chicken from bag and discard used marinade. Place chicken breasts, top side down, on the pan; cooking until you get nice grill marks before turning over. Immediately after turning, place the pan into preheated oven until chicken is reaches about 160F (about 10 minute). Remove chicken from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before eating (the temp of the chicken will continue to rise during the rest period - it should reach 165F). Enjoy!

Digital Photo Storage Question?

2011-11-09T12:29:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but I take my camera with me just about everywhere. Consequently, I have tens of thousands of digital photos stored on my computer - so many that they're starting to bog down my system. I imagine other bloggers have had the same problem, so I'm really, really interested in knowing how you've dealt with the issue. All suggestions are welcome - can't wait to hear from you.

Mozzarella and Mashed Potato Balls

2011-11-07T12:00:00.032-05:00

Deep-Fried Mozzarella Stuffed Mashed Potato Balls - ButterYum

So what do you do with leftover mashed potatoes?

Make deep-fried mashed potato balls stuffed with tasty mozzarella!

Please vote for my photo below.

Event - Crazy Cooking Challenge hosted by Tina
Challenge - make a recipe from any blog to fit this month's theme (mashed potatoes)
Recipe and Blog I chose to feature - Mozzarella and Mashed Potato Balls from Casa Veneracion.
My Tweaks (reflected below) - I had trouble getting the large Panko bread crumbs to stick during the deep-fry process, so dipped the potato balls in beaten egg before coating with the Panko crumbs. I also discovered it helped to finely grind the Panko.

Mozzarella and Mashed Potato Balls
makes 10

1 1/2 cups well-seasoned mashed potatoes (cool and very firm)
10 1/2-inch cubes mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs, finely ground
2 cups canola oil

Divide mashed potatoes into 10 equal portions and roll into bite-size balls. Insert mozzarella cubes into the center of the potato balls. Roll balls into beaten egg, then into finely ground Panko bread crumbs. Allow coated potato balls to rest for at least 15 minutes to allow coating to set. In the meantime, heat the canola oil in a heavy bottomed pot over med-high heat. The original recipe doesn't specify what temperature the oil should be heated to, but I found through trial and error that a temperature of 380-400 was ideal for frying the potato balls quickly (about a minute) before the mozzarella cheese starts to ooze out. Drain and serve immediately.

Notes: Be sure the mashed potatoes you use to makes these are very dry and firm - they should also be very tasty because the Panko crust adds more texture than flavor. For an even tastier version, I think substituting Italian seasoned bread crumbs for the Panko crumbs would be an excellent idea.

This post is also being shared at Savvy Southern Style

Appeltaart - Dutch Apple Pie

2011-11-03T21:47:00.004-04:00

Appeltaart (Dutch Apple Pie) - ButterYum

My friend Anja is from the Netherlands - she's a wonderful cook, and in our circle she's probably best known for her amazing Dutch apple pie called Appeltaart. It's extremely delicious and is quickly gobbled up at every function where it makes an appearance. I'm thrilled Anja agreed to let me and my camera into her kitchen so I could share it with you today.

Anja

Okay, so forget everything you know about American apple pie because the only thing it has in common with it's Dutch cousin is the apples. Our American version has a filling that is juicy and gooey, the crust is made with an icy cold rolled pastry dough, and the assembled pie is baked in, and served from, a shallow pie plate. On the other hand, the filling of this Dutch version is not juicy or gooey, the crust is made with a room temperature pressed pastry dough, and it's assembled and baked in a deep springform pan before being unmolded and sliced. The flavor profile of the American pie relies heavily on butter, sugar, and cinnamon, while the flavor profile of the Dutch pie is much more complex as it relies more on almonds, raisins, rum, and warm mix of intoxicating spices. Please note - the homemade almond paste needs to be prepared a week in advance, and the raisins should soak in spiced rum overnight, so plan accordingly. I hope you'll give it a try - I promise you won't be disappointed. Let's walk you through the process - the full recipe can be found at the end of this post.

Ready? Here we go.

Start by peeling apples. Anja's mother was visiting from the Netherlands, so we got her in on the action. Note how she peels with a knife.

Anja cuts her apples over a bowl rather than using a cutting board.

The apples are cut into 1/4-inch slices. Add the yummy spices and rum soaked raisins. Mix together gently and set aside.

This is what the raisins soaked overnight in - spiced rum.

Now we make the crust. All the dry ingredients are weighed in the bowl of a food processor.

The softened butter is incorporated.

Lastly, the water is added and the mixture is processed until it forms into a ball of dough.

The dough is divided; the big portion lines the bottom and sides of the pan, the small portion will be used to make a lattice top. Note how Anja lined her springform pan with parchment. You can skip this step if you don't plan to remove the pie from the base of the pan before serving.

The larger ball of pastry dough is easily pressed into the pan.

A beaten egg yolk is brushed over the bottom crust and then cornstarch is sprinkled on top of the yolk.

Half of the apple mixture is poured into the pan.

Homemade almond paste is dotted over the apples before adding the remaining apple mixture.

Now we take pieces of the small ball of pastry dough and roll them into snakes about 1/2-inch in diameter.

Place them on top of the pie in a lattice pattern and press to flatten slightly.

We're almost done.

Wrap the base of the pan in foil to catch any leaks that might occur and loosely tent the to top of the pie with foil.

Bake in a 375F oven for 45 minutes, remove foil tent and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Cool completely before unmolding. Prepare to feast!

Now get some apples and make Appeltaart!

Appeltaart (Dutch Apple Pie)
makes one 9-inch springform pan - serves 12

Almond Paste:
250g whole almonds
250g powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
(use about 1/3 of this paste in the pie - the rest can be frozen for use later)

Soaked raisins:
120g raisins (Anja prefers golden raisins, but regular raisins are okay)
hot water
2 tablespoons spiced rum (optional)

Filling:
900g peeled and thinly sliced baking apples, 6-8 medium (Anja prefers Galas - avoid overly juicy varieties)
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
juice of 1/2 lemon (or lime)

Pastry:
360g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 pound butter, room temperature
180g light brown sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of white pepper (black is okay too)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons water
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon corn starch

To make the almond paste:
Blanch almonds by soaking them in hot water for a few minutes, remove from hot water and cover with ice to cool, slip brown skins off. Place blanched almonds on a sheet tray and put into a 350F oven to dry completely and toast slightly until they smell fragrant. Cool completely and grind in a food processor. Combine ground almonds, powdered sugar, and beaten egg. Mixture should be somewhat sticky. Store the paste in the fridge for at least a week for the flavor to develop.

To prepare the raisins:
Plump raisins in hot water, drain water, add spiced rum and soak overnight

To make the filling:
Combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Set aside while preparing pastry.

To make the pastry:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, butter, brown sugar, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon; add 1-2 tablespoons of water and process until the dough forms into a ball. Divide the pastry into 2 unequal portions (the larger portion should be approximately 2/3 of the dough; the smaller 1/3).

To assemble and bake the Appeltaart:
Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Press large ball of pastry dough into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. Brush the bottom pastry with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with cornstarch. Pour 1/2 the apples into the prepared pastry. Add rum-soaked raisins (including any remaining rum); dot about 1/3 of the homemade almond paste over the apples. Add the remaining apples. Decorate top of appeltaart with remaining pastry by rolling into a snake shape and pressing into a lattice pattern. Brush lattice with beaten egg white. Wrap bottom of springform with foil to prevent leaking juices from dripping in your oven. Loosely tent top with foil. Bake in a 375F oven for 45 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool completely before unmolding.

I'm sharing this recipe on Mom's Crazy Cooking - This Week's Cravings

Mocha Snow Caps - Secret Recipe Club

2011-10-17T08:00:00.179-04:00

Mocha Snow Caps - ButterYum

I'm happy to be joining the Secret Recipe Club again this month. What's the Secret Recipe Club? Basically, it's a once-a-month blog hop party for food bloggers - each month, participants are assigned another member's blog where they secretly spend time perusing the
assigned blog, pick a recipe, make it, write a blog post about it, and then everyone reveals their secret by publishing their posts at the same time.

My assigned blog - Living Lou ... and guess what - she's only 18 years old! Lou has a truly wonderful blog. She's a gifted writer and photographer, and she's a world traveler with a rather sophisticated palate for someone her age. I'm so impressed with the variety of food she's made over the past year and a half, and I look forward to enjoying what she has to offer for years to come.

So, what recipe did I choose? It was so hard to pick just one. I must have glanced at every recipe on Lou's blog 3 or 4 times, each time gravitating to her Snow Cap Cookies. Lou's beautiful photo hooked me instantly.

My review - Lou describes these cookies as "pure heaven", and I have to agree - they're amazing! These soft and chewy chocolate and espresso cookies melt in your mouth. Thanks for introducing our family to a new favorite, Lou :).

Mocha Snow Caps - ButterYum

Mocha Snow Caps (adapted from livinglou.com)

makes 18 cookies

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (Dutch-processed)
2 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon milk
1/3 cup confectioners or icing sugar (for coating)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Melt chocolate and set aside to cool before adding to the other ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside until needed.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add egg and cooled chocolate; mix to combine.

Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing well after each addition. Finally mix in the milk and shape dough into a disk and wrap in plastic and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm and easy to work with.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners and prepare a bowl with your powdered sugar. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll into powdered sugar to coat. Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. The cookies will spread during baking.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until the cookies have spread and are cracked on top. The cookies will be soft to the touch. Allow them to cool completely. Enjoy!!

Snap Thursday

2011-10-13T09:48:00.001-04:00

Welcome to Snap Thursday hosted by my friend Jenn.


Chicken at Gas Station - ButterYum

Now that I've lived out in the country for a few years, I'm no longer surprised when I stumble upon animals roaming in places where they shouldn't be. Cows in the neighborhood, bears in the driveway, horses in the front yard.... so it was no surprise when I spied this chicken at the gas station the other day.

Virginia's Autumn Red Vines - ButterYum

I love this time of year when the vines turn bright red. Aren't they lovely?

Click the button below to see more Snap Thursday photos.

Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls - Crazy Cooking Challenge

2011-10-07T12:00:00.006-04:00

Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls - ButterYum

Another no-bake cookie treat to share with you today. They're a little different than the No Bake Cereal Cookie Balls I made last month, I prefer the look of these as they're dipped in dark chocolate - Hello! Add some colorful sprinkles for a fun touch, or leave them unadorned for a more elegant look.

Event - Crazy Cooking Challenge hosted by Tina
Challenge - fmake a recipe from any blog to fit this month's theme (chocolate chip cookies)
Recipe and Blog I chose to feature - Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls by Joy the Baker
My Tweaks (reflected below) - I doubled the vanilla, added a little shortening to the chocolate coating, and made smaller cookie balls.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

adapted from Joy the Baker - makes 30 small cookie dough balls

For the cookies:

1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup Greek yogurt (or applesauce or peanut butter)

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

For the chocolate coating:

1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips, melted for dipping

1/2 tablespoon shortening (for shine)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in yogurt or applesauce or peanut butter along with the vanilla extract and stir to combine.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add all at once to the butter and sugar mixture and stir until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.

Scoop small or ice cream scoops onto a waxed paper or Silpat lined cookie sheet. Place in the freezer overnight or until frozen, at least three hours.

When ready to dip the balls, melt chocolate chips and shortening in a small saucepan over a low heat. Remove balls from the freezer and dip into warm chocolate. Return to the lined cookie sheet and return to the freezer to harden. Serve cold from the freezer.

If you like my photo, please vote for me!!
PS - Foodgawker rejected my photo for "Harsh lighting and/or overexposed" :(...

Light Orange Chicken

2011-10-06T15:06:00.002-04:00

Light Orange Chicken - ButterYum

Everybody likes eating Orange Chicken at their favorite Chinese restaurant, but not everyone likes the high fat and calories you get from eating something dipped in batter and deep-fried. In this lighter version, I give you all the yummy flavor of the original, but reduce the fat and calories by sauteing the chicken. Sauteing reduces the prep time too, transforming this traditional restaurant favorite into a dish that's easy to make at home. The sauce bubbles away while you brown the chicken, then the two are combined and served over rice - the whole dish comes together in no time, making it a great option for busy weeknights. I hope you'll be inspired to give this recipe a try.

Orange Chicken
Serves 8

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated zest
6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Scallions for garnish

In a large saucepan combine the chicken stock, orange juice, orange zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil, whisking to dissolve sugar; reduce heat to low until you're ready to thicken the sauce (have cornstarch and water nearby and ready to combine into a "slurry" when needed).

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute chicken pieces in a little canola oil until nicely browned and cooked through (do this in several batches if necessary). Remove chicken to a platter; reserve.

To finish the sauce, bring mixture back up to a boil. Make a slurry by mixing 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water; add slurry to boiling sauce and whisk until thick and glossy, about 1-2 minutes; remove from heat. Combine cooked chicken and sauce and serve over rice. Garnish with Scallions.

Note - I added one sauteed red bell pepper that I had in the fridge.

Amazing Caramelized Onion and Bacon Dip

2011-09-22T11:29:00.002-04:00

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Dip - ButterYum

Wow, this is an amazing homemade onion dip. Mmm, mmm, mmm. This recipe by Linda Scala Quinn is a winner! Bacon, bacon fat, 3 pounds of onions that are slowly caramelized... no wonder it's so good! Aside from the time it takes to caramelize the onions, which you could easily do ahead of time, the recipe is a snap to put together. It makes a ton - great if you're feeding a crowd over to watch the big game, but I'd suggest cutting the recipe in half for a smaller crowd. Leftover dip makes an excellent sandwich spread. Make this dip!!

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Dip
adapted from Mad Hungry by Linda Scala Quinn

6 strips of bacon, chopped into bits
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 pounds yellow onions, diced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I used seasoned rice wine vinegar)
1 1/2 cups real mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mild flavored vegetable oil (canola works well)
3 shallots, sliced thinly into rings

In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook bacon until brown and crispy; remove from pan and reserve; saving the rendered fat. Add the olive oil to the rendered bacon fat, add onions and salt. Reduce heat to low and slowly caramelize onions, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown (this can take up to an hour). Remove onions from pan and allow to cool. In the same skillet over medium heat, cook the sliced shallots until they're caramelized; stirring frequently (add a little more oil if needed); reserve for garnish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, and vinegar (definitely don't skip the vinegar - it elevates the flavor of this dip from so-so to phenomenal). Stir in the cooled onions and bacon. Garnish and serve. Refrigerate leftovers (great spread for sandwiches). Enjoy!

Scratch Gooey Butter Cake - Secret Recipe Club

2011-09-19T08:00:00.031-04:00

Scratch Gooey Butter Cake - ButterYum

I'm so excited to be joining the Secret Recipe Club for the very first time this month. What's the Secret Recipe Club? Basically, it's a once-a-month blog hop party for food bloggers - each month, participants are assigned another member's blog where they secretly spend time perusing the assigned blog, pick a recipe, make it, write a blog post about it, and then everyone reveals their secret by publishing their posts at the same time.

My first assigned blog - Sweetly Serendipity by Taryn. This is a girl after my own heart - she loves all food, but baking is her passion and she proudly proclaims, "I'm all about the sugar" :). Oh boy, something tells me she and I would have a great time in the kitchen together!

So, what recipe did I choose? Let me tell you, it was not an easy task - Taryn's blog has tons of recipes dating back nearly 2 years, but I settled on her Homemade Gooey Butter Cakes. I had heard about the infamous Gooey Butter Cake for quite some time and really wanted to try it, but every recipe I ran across called for the use of a boxed cake mix - not that there's anything wrong with that, but you guys know I prefer to bake from scratch.

My review: Wow, these are some seriously sweet and buttery dessert bars. I had originally cut the 9x13 cake into 2-inch square portions, but quickly decided half that size was best. The cake puffs up a bit in the oven, but sinks down in the middle when it cools. If you like crunchy and sweet, the edges will be your favorite part - if you like buttery goodness, the middle is for you. Thanks Taryn! I really enjoyed visiting your blog, and I look forward to following your kitchen escapades.

Scratch Gooey Butter Cakes
makes a 9x13 pan (serves 48 if cut into 1x2-inch bars)

Bottom layer:
2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons whole milk

Top layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs, beaten, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
16 ounce box of powdered sugar, sifted

To make the bottom layer:
Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a metal 9x13 cake pan by spraying it lightly with non-stick cooking spray. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt. Add the egg, melted butter, and milk; mix until it forms a dough. Press the dough evenly in the bottom of the cake pan.. Set aside.

To make the top layer:
Beat the cream cheese until smooth, slowly add the beaten eggs, vanilla, and melted butter until mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat again until the mixture is smooth and creamy; pour on top of bottom layer. Bake in a 350F oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting. Sprinkle with powdered for garnish if desired.

Note: When pressing the bottom layer into the cake pan, dampen your fingers with water to prevent sticking. For the neatest presentation, cut with a serrated knife, cleaning the blade often. These bars are fragile - use a spatula to transfer them from the pan to a serving platter.

No Bake Cereal Ball Cookies

2011-09-13T00:13:00.001-04:00

No Bake Cereal Ball Cookies - ButterYum

I'm always looking for ways to use up the leftover crumbs at the bottom of the shredded wheat cereal box. These no-bake cookies are the perfect solution, and they're simple enough for anyone to make. Just roll the dough into balls and coat with cookie crumbs. Doesn't get much easier than that!

These cookies are great for lunch boxes or after school snacks, making them a hit with the kids, but the inclusion of Nutella, mini chocolate chips, shredded wheat, honey, and peanut butter mean they'll please almost anyone. The recipe is fairly flexible as well - I've listed several ingredient substitutions below.

No-Bake Cereal Ball Cookies
makes 60 cookies

Cookie Dough:
1 cup honey (or agave nectar)
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (or any nut butter)
1/2 cup Nutella
2 cups dry milk powder
3 cups shredded wheat crumbs (or quick/instant rolled oats, or other cereal crumbs)
2 tablespoons wheat germ (or ground flaxseed, or ground nuts)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or chopped nuts)

Coating:
finely ground cookie crumbs (graham cracker crumbs, or ground nuts, or cereal crumbs)

Mix all the ingredients except the cookie crumbs together in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. The dough will be crumbly, but will become moldable as you work it with your hands. Squeeze the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; then roll in cookie crumbs. Serve at room temperature or freeze in resealable snack bags for longer storage.

Another recipe for shredded wheat crumbs:
Light and Crispy Shredded Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies