Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake? To you, it probably sounds boring…but not this recipe. Delicious and sweet, this shortcake may take more work than other desserts, but it’s so worth it! Some things that make this recipe unique are the lemon extract in the cake. The extract gives it just enough tartness to compliment the strawberries. Also, the gelatin in the whipped cream makes it even lighter and fluffier!

Ingredients:

Non-stick vegetable spray, for coating the pans
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 large eggs
1 and 1/4 cups sugar
2 pints of fresh strawberries
1 recipe whipped cream frosting

Whipped Cream Frosting:

1 teaspoon gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly coat 2 (9-inch) cake pans with nonstick vegetable spray. Line the bottoms with a circle of baking parchment.

Into a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. In a small saucepan, bring the milk and butter to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and lemon extracts. In separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until pale yellow, and fluffy, and doubled in volume. While still beating, drizzle in the hot milk mixture. Fold in the flour mixture. Spread the batter in the prepared pans and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden, the center springs back when lightly pressed, and a cake tester comes out clean. Set the pans on a rack to cool. Run the tip of a knife around the edges of the cakes to loosen them, and turn them out of the pans.

Whipped Cream Frosting: In a medium bowl, mix together the gelatin and 1/4 cup of the cream. Let rest for 5 minutes to soften, then place the bowl over barely simmering water until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Remove the bowl from the heat and let cool to tepid. In the meantime, in a mixing bowl, whip the cream until slightly thickened. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and whip to the consistency of shaving cream. Fold 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the gelatin mixture, then fold in the rest.

Wash and dry the strawberries. Pick out the 12 best. Stem and slice the rest. Lay the sliced berries over 1 cake, then spread a 1/2-inch layer of whipped cream on top. Place the second cake over the first. Frost the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream. Top with the 12 whole berries.

This recipe is absolutely delicious, and hey.. Who can resist a great strawberry shortcake?

Holiday Cupcake Decorating

Tired of eating plain frosted cupcakes? I know I am. Give your cupcakes a new look this holiday season by decorating them like Santa Claus and a snowman! For the Santa Claus cupcake, the frosting is his hat and his beard is made out of coconut shreds. For the snowman cupcake, his body is made out of marshmallows with a pretzel as his arms. His hat is a Junior Mint on top of a Thin Mint, and lastly, his scarf is a piece of fruit leather (aka dried fruit). Hope you love these cute cupcakes just as much as I do!

Santa Claus Cupcake

Ingredients:

Cupcake

White and red icing

Mini marshmallow

Shredded coconut

Blue and pink gel icing

Red candy

Directions  

1.   Frost the cupcake with a layer of white icing. Add the red frosting hat, curving it around the side of Santa's face, and a marshmallow pom-pom.

2.  Sprinkle on a ring of coconut to make Santa's beard and hair. Draw on his eyes and cheeks with gel icing, then top it all off with a red candy nose.

      

      Snowman Cupcake

      Ingredients

Cupcake

White icing

Large marshmallows

Waxed paper

Pretzel sticks

Decorators' gel

Orange slice candy

Junior Mints

Thin Mints

Fruit leather

       

      Directions

1. Frost a cooled cupcake with white icing.

2. Flatten a large marshmallow on waxed paper with the palm of your hand. Cut a second marshmallow in half horizontally, then stack the halves on the first marshmallow to form a torso and head.

3. Push a thin pretzel stick down through the snowman (this will help him stand up), then set him on the cupcake.

4. Use decorators' gel to create a mouth, eyes, and buttons, then add pretzel stick arms and a wedge cut from an orange slice candy for a nose.

5. Accessorize with a candy hat (a Junior Mint secured to a Thin Mint with icing) and a fruit leather scarf.

Quick and Easy Chocolate Pie

 Pies are always quite popular around this time of year. And most of them are the same old apple, pecan, or pumpkin. This chocolate pie is something new and different to try out and it is a sure winner. It has easy preparation and then is refrigerated for two hours. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box

3 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces

1 cup butter, softened (do not use margarine)

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 pasteurized eggs or equivalent fat-free cholesterol-free egg product

1/2 cup sweetened whipped cream

Chocolate curls (optional)

Directions

1.     Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Make pie crust as directed using 9-inch glass pie pan. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, for about 30 minutes.

2.    In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat; cool. In small bowl with electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled chocolate and vanilla until well blended.

3.      Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on high speed 2 minutes after each addition; beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Pour into cooled baked shell. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Store in refrigerator.

Yield 10 servings

Holiday Cookies

For Christmas each year, it it always convenient to have a good, festive cookie recipe on hand. The video above shows how to make two different types of cookies. The first, being the Mini Cookie Collection; which shows you how to make 3 different types of mini cookies: Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Blossom, and Snickerdoodle. Secondly, the video shows you how to make Stained Glass Cookies, which are Sugar Cookies with frosting put on top to mimic the look of a stained-glass window. These are a decorative and festive twist on your normal cookies.

Brownie Recipe

Looking for a wonderful brownie recipe? Well you’ve found it! The "special ingredient" that makes these brownies especially delectable, is adding the tablespoon of honey. The honey not only makes the brownies so much more moist; but it accentuates the chocolate flavor any more! These brownies are everything you could want in a brownie; moist, gooey, and of course delicious!

Ingredients 
1/2 cup butter

1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
4. To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

One of the greatest things about these brownies are they don’t take long to cook like most brownies. They only take 25-30 minutes and are so simple to prepare.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

What comes to mind when you think Chocolate Chip Cookies? I’m sure simple, boring, or easy is one of the words. But have you ever had Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies? Using bing cherries and brown sugar makes this cookie remarkably sweet on the inside.  This remix on the old Chocolate Chip is new and improved and sure to be heavenly!

Ingredients                                  

1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 stick butter, softened

½ cup dark chocolate chunks

½ cup dried bing cherries

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beating to mix. Add the vanilla and mix gently to combine.

4. Add the flour to the butter and mix. Carefully stir in the chocolate chunks and dried cherries.

5. Drop large golf ball-sized balls of dough (about two tbsp dough each) on a lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

These tasty cookies are sure to help spice up your recipe book and please your taste buds!

Gingerbread Men

I know one of my family's favorite desserts is Gingerbread Men. They are so much fun to make and more fun to eat. They are so delicious, but can sometimes hard to make. In the video above, they show a great clear example of how to make them.

Red Velvet Holiday Cupcakes

With the holidays coming around, I’m sure most of you are looking for a festive recipe that won’t take much time to make. These Red Velvet Cupcakes are sure to keep all of your guests full and happy. They are quick and easy and only take about 25 minutes to bake! 

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 (1 ounce) bottle Red Food Color

2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in bowl. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Then frost the cupcakes.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. 

These cupcakes are to be one of your favorite holiday recipes this year! Not only because they are easy to make, but who can resist a perfect Red Velvet cupcake?