dessert « Great Eats with Petes

Posts Tagged ‘dessert’

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

Chocolate and marshmallows are two of my favorite things. I always look forward to a holiday (not just Christmas) because I can always find a chocolate covered marshmallow in a shape representing that season (my personal favorite is the heart at Valentine’s Day, because it is probably the best way to my heart). So this year I decided to make my own. I added it into the gift baskets for my coworkers but hid my own stash for my own personal consumption. The chocolate hardens on top of the marshmallow adding a nice contrasting texture to the soft marshmallow. Since the marshmallow is only dipped in chocolate it is not overly sweet either. I loved them so much (I actually need to make more because I am running low) and I hope you enjoy them too!

12 oz of your favorite chocolate (I used dark chocolate chips)

2 bags of large marshmallows

Dusting sugar(s)

Additional Equipment: double boiler, parchment paper, baking sheet

Place chocolate in a double boiler (or a heat proof bowl over simmering water, make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Stir the chocolate occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Dip the marshmallow top in the melter chocolate. Allow excess chocolate to drip off the top. Then dip it in the dusting sugar. Place it on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper with the chocolate facing up. Continue until all marshmallows are dipped in chocolate and sugar. Allow to chocolate to harden. (Do not put it in the refrigerator the marshmallows will become hard.)

Pop them in your mouth and Enjoy!

Tags: chocolate, chocolate marshmallow, christmas treat, dessert, marshmallow, sweet, sweets
Posted in Recipes | 2 Comments »

Sugar Cookies

Sunday, December 12th, 2010

So it is that time of year when many of us spend hours in the kitchen baking our lives away. Like many years in the past I will be doing the same thing. I plan on doing more baking this season than in the past because I have many co-workers who I want to give some baked goods too. So I am starting early well I guess I really wanted to start last weekend but that didn’t happen. At least I am not waiting until the last minute right?

So I have started the baking season with these sugar cookies. Sugar cookies are simple and just about everyone loves them. They also only use a few ingredients and can be made in a hurry. They are also really easy to decorate. You can go fancy and use royal icing to make the decorative or just use some dusting sugar like I have here. I hope all of you are having a good holiday season so far. Let the baking begin! Enjoy!

2 sticks of butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3 cups of flour

cooking spray or parchment paper to coat the baking sheets

decorating sugars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment add in the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix on medium until pale yellow and fluffy. Add in one egg at a time, fully incorporating an egg before adding in the next one. Add in lemon juice and salt. Slowly add in flour. Mix until fully incorporated.

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper. Spoon out sugar cookie dough using a small ice cream scoop for small cookies or a larger ice cream scoop for larger cookies. Press down on cookies to flatten a little. Decorate with decorating sugars or leave plain. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Turn the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Let cool for 3-5 minutes and then place the cookies on a cooling rack.

Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating with icing. You can also make these in advance (as well as many other types of cookies) and freeze them (once fully cooled) for up to a month or more. Enjoy!

Makes about 5 dozen small cookies.

Tags: christmas cookies, cookie, cookies, dessert, holiday cookies, holiday gift, sugar, sugar cookies
Posted in Recipes | 2 Comments »

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

Now that school is over and I have settled into a routine with my job I realized I had a lot of free time on my hands after work. I was looking for a hobby and decided to do something that I wanted to do for so long. I finally decided to take a Wilton Cake Decorating Class at my local A.C. Moore. My sister is doing it with me which, makes me super excited to have a buddy to do it with.

Tonight is the first night of my class so in honor of the class I wanted to share with all of you a before cupcake and then in four weeks I will share with all of you a completed hopefully, beautiful cake decorated by yours truly. I do want to note that these cupcakes at least baking wise not recipe wise were not my greatest. I wasn’t paying attention when I turned on the oven and I set the oven to broil instead of bake. Therefore the tops came out cone like and browned the inside though was still moist. I caught this mistake halfway through the baking process so they weren’t too bad. I felt awful because these were for a co-workers birthday but everyone at work still seemed to enjoy them and I hope you do too. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1 1/4 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

3 1/4 cups cake flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup milk

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (not on broil like me)

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter until creamed. Add in sugar and mix until pale yellow and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time.

Over a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture into the mixer (with the mixer going) in 3 batches alternating with the milk (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour, milk). Add the applesauce and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Turn off mixer and fold in the chocolate chips.

Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill 2/3 of the way full with batter. I use an Oxo Ice Cream Scoop because one scoop is the perfect size to fill a regular size cupcake liner. Bake for 19-22 minutes until toothpick or tester comes out clean. Allow to cool on cooking racks before you frost the cupcakes.

Chocolate Chip Frosting

6 tablespoons milk

1 stick plus 6 tablespoons (14 tablespoons total) of unsalted butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup chocolate chips

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add in butter and sugar. Turn mixer on and slowly add in the milk. Beat until fluffy white. Turn mixture off and fold in chocolate chips.

Frost the cupcakes anyway you like. Enjoy!

Tags: chocolate chip, chocolate chip cupcakes, chocolate chip frosting, cupcake, cupcakes, dessert, Wilton
Posted in Recipes | 3 Comments »

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sunday, November 21st, 2010

This is the last post in my Thanksgiving Recipe Series. I wanted to end on a sweet note just like Thanksgiving dinner. I do not enjoy pumpkin pie, never have, don’t know if I ever will. There was no way I was going to make a pumpkin pie to share with all of you if I wasn’t going to enjoy it. I still wanted to share something pumpkin with all of you so I came up with a pumpkin spice cupcake recipe. It tastes like pumpkin but isn’t overwhelming. The cream cheese frosting isn’t too sweet either balancing out the pumpkin nicely. It will (and did) make a great option for breakfast the next morning. I hope you all enjoy it too especially, all of you there that don’t like pumpkin pie like me.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon all spice

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice. Set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar, until pale yellow. Add in eggs. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Allow the mixer to incorporate the dry ingredients into the creamed butter. Add in pumpkin puree. Place the mixture into a cupcake tray lined with paper liners. Baked for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out dry when placed into cupcake. Allow to cool then top with frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Using a stand mixer to hand mixer beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add in butter. Then add in vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until combined.

Frost cupcakes and enjoy!

Tags: cake, cream cheese, cream cheese frosting, cupcake, dessert, pumpkin, pumpkin cupcake, pumpkin spice, thanksgiving cupcake
Posted in Recipes | 3 Comments »

Bailey’s Mint Molten Chocolate Cakes

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

I love molten chocolate cakes. First, because they are the epitome of chocolate. Secondly, because they are so easy and quick to make. I made these last month as a quick dessert with a really nice meal I was making for Tom and I. These are a little bigger than I normally make them. If you do not have ramekins you can use a muffin tin.

4 tablespoons butter, plus more from greasing

1/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 nip Bailey’s Mint

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounce chocolate, 60% cocoa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter the ramekins.

Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool. I melted mine in the microwave.

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer cream together the butter and sugar until pale yellow. In a separate bowl mix the flour and salt. Starting with the eggs then alternating with the flour, mix in the eggs and flour. Mix until incorporated. Add in the Bailey’s mix until combined. Add in the melted chocolate until combined.