Tag: sweet

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Thai Cucumber Salad

To round out the Thai trifecta, here’s a recipe that’s great with the Pad Thai and Chicken Satay recipes I shared recently. This cool and slightly sweet salad is the perfect complement to any Thai dish, especially if you like your food spicy. Prepare it the day before you serve it to really let the dressing soak into the veggies.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup White Sugar
  • 1 cup Hot Water
  • 1/2 cup White Wine Vinegar
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 2 Large Cucumbers
  • 1/2 cup Red Onion, coarsely chopped

Directions

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together sugar, water, vinegar, and salt.
  2. Peel, slice, and quarter cucumbers, and place in bowl with vinegar mixture.
  3. Add chopped onion to bowl, and toss to combine.
  4. Refrigerate at least one hour (preferably overnight) before serving.
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Fresh Blackberry Buttercream

My celebration of blackberry season continues with this fantastic buttercream recipe that highlights this delectable fruit that grows everywhere here in the Seattle area. The picture above features this frosting on a light and fluffy vanilla cupcake, cored and filled with a tart blackberry filling, which is a great contrast to the sweet, sweet buttercream.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1/2 tsp. Lemon Juice
  • 3/4 cup Fresh Blackberries
  • Approximately 4 cups Powdered Sugar*

*The volume of powdered sugar needed to get this to a good consistency for piping will depend on just how softened your butter is and how juicy your berries are, so follow your instincts.

Directions

  1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, blend together butter, lemon juice, and blackberries.
  2. DON’T PANIC! The fat in the butter and the juice in the berries will not really combine until you start adding the sugar. Keep calm and carry on!
  3. Add powdered sugar one cup or less at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition, until the mixture is a proper consistency for piping.
  4. Enjoy on your favorite cake, cupcake, or in a graham cracker sandwich for a quick, sweet treat!
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Blackberry Crêpes

It’s blackberry season here in the Pacific Northwest! Hooray! When you return from berry picking with purple fingers and a few scratches, and you’re looking for a quick recipe that makes the most of your toil, this is just the ticket.

Ingredients

Crêpes

  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1-1/2 cups Whole Milk
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt

Filling

  • 4 cups Fresh Blackberries
  • 1 cup White Sugar
  • 2 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 2 tbsp. Butter

 

  • Powdered Sugar to garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to warming temperature (170 – 180 degrees) and insert a heat-proof plate.
  2. Lightly oil a skillet with rounded sides* and place over medium heat.
  3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, blend together flour, milk, eggs, oil, and salt until completely combined and smooth.
  4. Pour a little less than 1/4 cup of batter into hot, oiled skillet.
  5. Immediately lift skillet and tilt in a circular motion to distribute batter as widely, thinly, and evenly as possible across the bottom of the pan.
  6. Return the skillet to the heat.
  7. When the top of the batter is no longer shiny throughout, carefully insert a thin spatula underneath and flip.
  8. Cook for an additional minute, and then turn crêpe out onto warm plate in the oven.
  9. Repeat steps 4 through 8 until all the batter is cooked. (Makes 8 – 10, depending upon the size of your pan and how skillful you are at swirling the batter.)
  10. Rinse blackberries, and place in a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat.
  11. In a small bowl, combine sugar and corn starch.
  12. Add corn starch mixture to blackberries and stir to combine.
  13. Cook and stir frequently until blackberry mixture thickens.
  14. Remove blackberry mixture from heat and add butter in small clumps.
  15. Stir until butter is melted and well combined.
  16. Assemble crêpes by spooning a generous scoop of blackberry filling in a long strip onto each crêpe, and folding the sides of the crêpe over the filling.
  17. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

*A 10-inch or larger, light-weight, non-stick pan works great for this. Unless you fancy a sprained wrist, you definitely don’t want to use a heavy cast-iron skillet as you will be lifting the pan and swirling the batter to distribute it evenly.

Sneaky Trick: Wiping the warming skillet with a paper towel to evenly distribute the oil and avoid pooling will help the crêpes brown evenly. If you can hear the batter sizzle when you put it in the pan, you’re using too much oil.

 

A little encouragement…

If you’ve never made crêpes before, I guarantee you that the first one you attempt will be a disappointment. It will be too thick, or stick to the pan, or break, have chunky batter, or even singe. Be brave and keep trying! After a few attempts, you will get the hang of it. And, crêpes are so versatile that you will be making them for every meal before you know it.

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Lemon Meringue Pie

What’s not to love about this time-honored dessert? It’s one of my all-time favorites. I’ve amped up this traditional recipe with a bit of extra lemon juice, a ton of fluffy meringue, and a lightly sweetened crust. The only down-side is the long cooling time required between preparation and om nom noms, but it’s definitely worth the wait.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/3 cup Shortening
  • 2 tbsp. White Sugar
  • 3-4 tbsp. Ice Cold Water

Filling

  • 3 Egg Yolks
  • 1-1/2 cups White Sugar
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 1-1/2 cups Water
  • 3 tbsp. Butter or Margarine
  • 3/4 cup Lemon Juice

Meringue

  • 5 Egg Whites
  • 1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 9 tbsp. White Sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, blend together flour, salt, sugar, and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Slowly add water and mix until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and is fairly moist.
  4. On a heavily floured surface, roll dough into a large circle of a suitable size for your pie tin. (I’ve been known to make this pie in a round cake pan instead, to accommodate lots of filling and meringue.)
  5. Turn rolled dough out into pie pan and flute or crimp as desired.
  6. Prick the dough several times with a fork, on both the bottom and sides.
  7. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until light brown.
  8. Remove crust from oven and set aside.
  9. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.
  10. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and set aside.
  11. In a medium-sized saucepan, mix together sugar and corn starch.
  12. Add water and place the saucepan over medium heat.
  13. Stir constantly and be patient! It will seem as if nothing is happening, and you will start to lose hope, and then suddenly the mixture will start to turn translucent, thicken, and bubble.
  14. Once bubbling, boil for 1 additional minute.
  15. Put a large spoonful of the hot corn starch mixture into the egg yolks, and quickly mix together.
  16. Stir egg mixture into corn starch mixture, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  17. Remove from heat, and add butter or margarine and lemon juice.
  18. Mix until butter or margarine has melted and lemon juice is completely incorporated.
  19. Pour filling into baked crust. Use a rubber spatula to get every delicious drop into your pie. (Then lick the spatula. Yum!)
  20. In a large bowl or stand mixer, whip egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla until foamy.
  21. Gradually add sugar and whip until stiff and glossy.
  22. Pipe meringue on top of filling, ensuring that the meringue is touching the crust all the way around, and the filling is completely covered.
  23. Bake in preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, until meringue is light brown.
  24. Cool for at least 2 hours before transferring to refrigerator.
  25. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.*

*I know this is difficult, and that the pie with all of it’s lemony-fluffy-goodness is calling to you from the fridge, but cutting into this pie before it has completely set is a decision that is sure to lead to disappointment.

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Softilicious Peanut Butter Cookies

One of my ex-husbands actually told me that he fell in love with me when he tasted my peanut butter cookies. Maybe if I had made them more often he wouldn’t be my ex. Ha! This recipe produces two dozen scrumptious cookies, that are soft, moist, and perfect with a big glass of milk.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) Margarine, softened
  • 1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1/2 cup White Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1-3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 2 to 3 additional tbsp. White Sugar

Directions

  1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together margarine and peanut butter.
  2. Add white sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla, and beat until well blended.
  3. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until well combined. The dough will be stiff and crumbly.
  4. Cover dough and chill in refrigerator for at least thirty minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Set aside.
  7. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll into 24 tight balls, a wee bit smaller than ping pong balls.
  8. Squish the balls between your palms to flatten and arrange on baking sheets.
  9. Using the tines of a fork, press down on each cookie twice, turning the fork ninety degrees between the first and second press to create a cross-hatch pattern.
  10. Sprinkle cookies with a little additional white sugar.
  11. Bake in preheated oven for 9 to 11 minutes.
  12. Remove from oven and immediately slide foil off of the baking sheet and onto a heat-resistant surface to cool.*

*Why is it important to get the cookies off the baking sheet A.S.A.P.? There’s nothing worse than a dry, hard, over-baked cookie. As long as the cookies are still on the sheet, they’re still baking! Removing them immediately so they can cool quickly keeps them moist and soft, and they won’t require dipping in milk to make them edible. In my opinion, dipping anything in milk is just plain disgusting. All of those crumbs, detritus, and sludge at the bottom of your glass?? Yuck!

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Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

When you have a hankering for lemon meringue pie, but all of your plates and forks are in the dishwasher, this is just the ticket! This robust cupcake perfectly nestles the lemon curd (which is so tart and flavorful it’ll make your tongue curl), and you can go crazy loading these up with a ton of sweet and fluffy meringue. 

Ingredients

Cupcake

  • 1-1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup White Sugar
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk
  • 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 2 tsp. Lemon Juice
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1/2 cup Water

Lemon Curd

  • 6 tbsp. Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 cup White Sugar
  • 6 Large Egg Yolks
  • 4 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

Meringue Frosting

  • 1-1/2 cup White Sugar
  • 3/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 6 Large Egg Whites

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper cupcake liners.
  3. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. Set aside.
  4. Add the milk, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and egg to a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
  6. Slowly add the water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined.
  7. Beat for an additional two minutes on medium speed.
  8. Fill the cupcake liners evenly and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  9. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and transfer to a baking rack to cool.
  10. To make the lemon curd, separate six eggs, reserving the whites for the meringue.
  11. Combine lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, and butter in a double boiler. Heat while gently whisking until mixture thickens and reaches 160 degrees, coating the back of a spoon. (Be patient and vigilant. This takes a while, but just when you think it will never firm up, it goes from soupy to thickened in a heartbeat!)
  12. Pour the lemon curd into a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressed against the top of the curd to prevent a film from forming. Refrigerate until completely cool and firm, at least 2 hours. (If you want to speed things up, you can put the bowl in a bath of ice water, too.)
  13. Wait until the curd has cooled to make the meringue frosting.
  14. To make the meringue, combine the sugar, cream of tartar, vanilla extract and egg whites in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water.
  15. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and egg whites are warm, to about 140 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat.
  16. Beat the egg white mixture on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.
  17. To assemble, use a cupcake corer to make a hole in the center of each cupcake. (Enjoy snacking on the cupcake middles while you do the rest!)
  18. Pipe the lemon curd into the center of each cupcake.
  19. Pipe the meringue frosting onto the top of the cupcakes.
  20. Toast the meringue lightly with a kitchen torch. (Be careful not to torch the paper cupcake liners! They are surprisingly flammable.)
  21. Refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve.
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Chocolate & Caramel Cupcakes

These cupcakes so are rich and decadent, it’s ridiculous! Make sure you eat them with a fork, or have a napkin or two handy… or both. And, to give credit where credit is due, the cake portion of this recipe comes from Self Proclaimed Foodie with just a few tiny little tweaks —  including turning it up to eleven with the filling, frosting, and such.

Ingredients

Cupcake

  • 1/2 cup Hot Coffee
  • 1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup White Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk
  • 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Filling

  • 1/2 Package Caramel Squares
  • 3 tbsp. Whipping Cream

Frosting

  • 1/2 cup Butter
  • 1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2-3 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans (for garnish)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper cupcake liners. (I like to make only 11, so they’re HUGE, but that’s just me.)
  3. Combine coffee and cocoa. Mix well to dissolve and set aside.
  4. In bowl of stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  5. In a separate bowl, beat egg.
  6. Add milk, oil, and vanilla to egg. Mix well to combine.
  7. Add about half of the milk mixture to the flour and mix on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  8. Combine the chocolate mixture with the remaining milk mixture and add to the batter.
  9. Mix combined batter on medium speed for about 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl intermittently to ensure it is well combined.
  10. Distribute batter evenly into muffin cups.
  11. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees without opening the oven door. Continue cooking at lower temperature for an additional 14-16 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  12. Remove from the oven and transfer cupcakes to a baking rack as soon as they’re cool enough to be touched.
  13. When cupcakes are cooled, core them and enjoy the treat of eating cupcake middles while you make the filling.
  14. Place caramels and whipping cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes.
  15. Blend together until completely combined and smooth.
  16. Pipe most of the warm caramel into the cored cupcakes. (Save a couple of tablespoons.)
  17. In a large bowl or stand mixer, whip butter until fluffy.
  18. Add cocoa and vanilla and whip until combined.
  19. Gradually add powdered sugar, and whip until it reaches a stiff consistency, suitable for piping.
  20. Pipe frosting on top of the cupcakes. (Don’t overdo it. This is already a very rich dessert and too much frosting on a cupcake is a major faux pas in my book.)
  21. Using a small tip, pipe the remaining caramel on top of the frosting.
  22. Sprinkle each cupcake with a few chopped nuts while the frosting and caramel are still soft.
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Apple Cinnamon Muffins

These muffins are a nice change of pace from more common muffin flavors, and they are so pretty you’re sure to get lots of compliments. They’re great with Sunday brunch or as a midnight snack!

Ingredients

  • 1 Large Sweet Apple (e.g. Fuji, Gala, Red Delicious)
  • 1-1/4 cup Whole Milk
  • 3 tbsp. Melted Butter or Margarine
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup White Sugar
  • 1 tbsp.  Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
  • 2 tbsp. White Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Line a cupcake tin with paper cupcake liners. (This should make about 12 in a standard-sized cupcake tin.)
  3. Combine milk, melted butter or margarine, vanilla extract, and egg in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup white sugar, baking powder,salt, and 1 tsp. cinnamon.
  5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix very gently with a spoon until just combined. (Do NOT over-mix.) Your batter should be very lumpy.
  6. Spoon batter into prepared cupcake tin until each is about 2/3 full.
  7. Quarter unpeeled apple and remove core. Slice each quarter into roughly triangular wedges about 1/8-inch thick. (If you want to get technical, they’re really more like isosceles trapezoids, not triangles. But, I digress.)
  8. Insert 3-4 apple slices parallel to one another, peel-side-up, into the batter of each muffin.
  9. Combine brown sugar, 2 tbsp. white sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl and mix until well combined.
  10. Spoon sugar mixture over the top of each muffin, evenly distributing between each one.
  11. Wipe any drips or sugar from around the edges of the tin with a damp paper towel.
  12. Bake in pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes until cooked through.
  13. Remove muffins from tin and transfer to a cooling rack.
  14. Serve while still warm.
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Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

If you’re a chocolate lover, this will be your new favorite cookie! It’s a simple variation on a traditional recipe, but this small change makes a big difference. Sweet, creamy, and oh so chocolately — Get ready to pour the milk!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) Butter or Margarine, softened
  • 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1 cup White Chocolate Chips
  • 1 cup Chopped Walnuts, Pecans, or Macadamia Nuts

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Line two baking sheets with foil, and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, blend together butter or margarine, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs until smooth.
  4. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, and blend until well combined.
  5. Add semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and nuts.
  6. Mix until chips and nuts are well distributed throughout the dough.
  7. Spoon generous tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheets, leaving space between each spoonful. (Note: This recipe should make 24 large cookies, plus a little dough left over for eating raw. Yum!)
  8. Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes.
  9. Gently slide foil and cookies off of baking sheet and onto a cool surface (like a counter-top or large cutting board) immediately after removing from oven.
  10. Allow to cool (if you can wait that long!) before removing from foil with a thin spatula.
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Buckeyes

I was introduced to these by a friend’s mother when I was just twelve years-old, and have loved them ever since. They’re like the freshest, richest, most decadent peanut butter cup you’ve ever tasted. This recipe makes about sixteen Buckeyes, and it’s an easy recipe to double, or even triple. Be careful though: It’s easy to eat the entire batch!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1/4 cup Butter or Margarine (softened)
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 2/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 2 tbsp. Shortening

Directions

  1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, blend together peanut butter, butter or margarine, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
  2. Mix until completely combined into a large, slightly crumbly lump.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, and lightly spray with cooking spray.
  4. Roll dough into round balls, about 1-inch in diameter, and place on prepared baking sheet.
  5. Refrigerate balls for at least 30 minutes.
  6. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening on medium heat, stirring frequently.
  7. When completely melted and smooth, remove saucepan from heat.
  8. Remove baking sheet from refrigerator, and dip balls into melted chocolate. Use a toothpick to remove them if the chocolate it too hot.
  9. Return balls to baking sheet, and reserve remaining chocolate. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
  10. Re-heat chocolate if needed. Remove baking sheet from the refrigerator and dip the balls into melted chocolate a second time.
  11. Return balls to baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  12. Serve, taste, and vow that you will never buy another plastic-wrapped peanut butter cup again!
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