Category Archives: dessert

Mom’s Decadent Peanut Butter Pie Mini Mason Jars

 

My mom makes a version of this recipe for my birthday every year. We used to go to a restaurant in Pa called Rachel’s which this pie tastes just like.  My birthday is coming up and I no longer live close to home so I decided to make it for myself this year. I did not end up making the crust she generally makes a oatmeal no bake crust.  You can shave some chocolate on the top or place some roasted chopped peanuts for an added texture & topping.  I prefer to place it in portion controlled contains so I do not eat the whole thing. Also this way you can share to many or have a dinner party and everyone will love the fact you made them their own personal dessert. My boyfriend and I started doing mason jars desserts during covid to avoid multiple people touching or breathing around desserts.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of Heavy Cream

1 Teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

8 ounce of cream cheese (room temperature) 

1 cup of your favorite smooth peanut butter

1 cup of confectionary sugar

—Optional for topping, roasted chopped peanuts, or broken peanut brittle pieces on the top

1. Whip up the first 3 ingredients (heavy cream, extract, granulated sugar) into a mixing bowl with whipping attachment. Whip until peaks form. 

2. In a separate bowl mix together the soft cream cheese, peanut butter, and confectionary sugar until all items are married together (looks similar to frosting consistency). 

3. Fold in the whipped cream until smooth. 

4. Placed the batter in a large sealable ziplock bag, cut a small piece off one the the tips and fill approximately 112g of the filling into each 4 oz mason jar to yield 12 jars, Or divide the batter however you’d like. For best results seal with mason jar lid and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you indulge. 

 

You can make this vegan by using full fat cold coconut milk (canned) & vegan cream cheese. If there is a peanut butter allergy in the family, you can use any smooth nut butter.

To make low carb substitutions would be swerve sweetener granulated sugar (or equivalent ands swerve confectionary sugar replacement equal parts. 

Vanilla Bean Hummus

I tried a new twist on hummus two weekends ago! I was able to sample a few dessert hummus flavors and I think I ate the whole 8 ounce container of the vanilla bean in a weekend. I was out of town and I’m not sure you can locate the brand locally so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

Yields 18 servings 2 tablespoons

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of drained chickpeas

1/8 teaspoon of baking soda

1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon Milled flaxseed

1 1/2 vanilla beans, the paste

1/2 teaspoon off ground Vietnamese Cinnamon

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

7 packets of truvia or sweetener of you choice)

1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions:

Place the first 9 ingredients in the food processor and purée to cream. Gradually add the almond milk until you reach the desired creamy texture to your liking.

Refrigerator for a few hours or overnight for optimal taste.

Key Lime Ice Box Pie

Key Lime pie is tart and refreshing! This is a lighter twist made with Plain NonFat Greek Yogurt & Neufchatel Cream Cheese. I prepared this dessert for a special office birthday. Nothing says happy birthday better than a homemade baked sweet treat.

Crust Ingredients:

52 vanilla wafers (I used Aldi’s brand)

3 tablespoons of granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

5 Tablespoons of unsalted butter,melted

Filling Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) pack of Neufchâtel Cream Cheese, softened (room temperature)

1 can (14 once) sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 tablespoons lime zest

1/3 cup key lime juice

1 cup Greek plain Nonfat yogurt

Additional ingredients:

Whipped cream for additional flare

 

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 convection or 350 traditional.

Place the vanilla wafers, salt, and sugar into a food processor & secure the lid. Pulse the ingredients until finely course. Slowly drizzle the butter into the food processor. And pour the blend into a 9 inch pie plate. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Place the pie into the oven and bake until golden (this took about 20-23 minutes ).

Remove the pie crust from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

In the meantime, prepare the filling. In a stand mixer place the cream cream and beat with paddle attachment until smooth. Add in the condensed milk and mix well until incorporated. Add the lime juice and zest and slowly incorporate, finally add in the greek yogurt and mix until smooth and silky.

Once the crust has cooled pour the batter into the prepared pie crust and place in the refrigerator overnight. I recommend covering the prepared pie with press and seal or saran wrap.

Right before serving pipe whipped cream.

Fresh whip cream topping

Ingredients

1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 heaping Tablespoon of confectioner sugar
1 tsp of Pure Vanilla extract

Directions:

Beat cream in cold metal bowl until soft peaks form, add sugar and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spread/pie evenly over cool pie.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

My grandma and grandpa had their 60th wedding anniversary at the beginning of the September.  With the help of their church, my family orchestrated a successful surprise party. We had around 50 friends and family attend the event.  Luckily the surprise was kept a secret for this occasion. I was assigned baking the cookies and cupcakes for the milestone endeavor.

I wish I would have known what flavor cake my grandmother and grandfather had for their wedding all those years ago.  I did not learn about their special day wedding cake until after the party. My great grandmother “little Lee” as I grew up calling her, prepared their wedding cake.  The cake was a white cake as my grandmother told me the story.

I wanted to go with a fall flavor but not quit pumpkin just yet since it was Labor Day weekend. My sister described these cupcake as cinnamon toast crunch cupcakes after she took the initial bite. No wonder my 5 1/2 year old nephew had two. Afterall Cinnamon Toast Crunch is his favorite cereal.

Yields: 56 cupcakes standard size using a 16 scooop

Ingredients:

3 cups of all purpose flour

3 cups of cake flour (usually comes in a box)

2 Tablespoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

2 tablespoons of ground Vietnamese cinnamon (DO not skip this; recommend Penzey’s)

2 cups of butter (4 sticks), unsalted and room temperature

3 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

8 large eggs at room temperature

4 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract (high quality; recommend Penzey’s)

2 1/2 cups of buttermilk, room temperature

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper-liners. No need to spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Set aside.
  2. Mix very well together in a large bowl, first 5 ingredients. Set aside.
  3. With a stand mixer & paddle attachment (with silicon scraper) on medium high speed, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, mix after each addition. Add vanilla into the batter, and mix to incorporate.
  4. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low, add flour blend in three separate sections, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix on low until combined. Be cautious not to overmix the batter.
  5. Divide the batter evenly using a size 60 scooper in prepared muffin tins. Bake rotating halfway through. Mine were about 16-18 minutes to perfection. Test the cupcakes at about 15 minutes using the toothpick method. Transfer the baked cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely. After cooled I generally freeze the cupcakes right away until I am ready to frost.

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting:

I made about 3 batches of this frosting. It really just depends on how generous you are with the  piping.

Ingredients:

4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 Tablespoon of ground cinnomon

Directions:

  1. On medium to high speed cream the butter with a standing mixer with paddle attachment until smooth and fluffy. Reduce speed, and gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar & cinnamon until fully incorporated. Once fully blended beat in vanilla extract.

  2. Lastly add in half and half and beat for an additional 3-4 minutes. Decorate as you wish, I enjoy the standard ice cream swirl look for these cupcakes. 
  3. Remove cupcakes from freezer and pipe. Store in sealable containers to maintain freshness.  

 

 

Simply the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

If I haven’t said it before, I have made at least 30 different versions of chocolate chip cookies. That said this recipe below is by far my most requested recipe!

In fact it’s the only recipe I have memorized by heart because I have made it so many times. I have been fine tunning it for years. My mom always says I don’t like to share my food but I do love to share my recipes! This one is for you Kathy 😊!

We are gearing up for our yearly Topsail NC road trip and I asked my nephew what cookies I should make. Despite I already knew the answer before I asked the question… CHOCOLATE CHIP Aunt Nelli ❤️.

This Recipe Yields: approximately 5 dozen cookies using number 60 scooper.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter  (room temperature)

¾ cup brown sugar (not packed)

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 small (96g) box jell-o vanilla instant pudding or white chocolate

2 large eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (penzey’s single strength)

2 3/4 cups All purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1 (12 ounce) bag semi sweet chocolate chips (I used Aldi Brand this time but ghirardelli is always a winner too)

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment cream together the butter, pudding, and both sugars. On a slow speed, add the eggs (one at a time), and vanilla extract to incorporate.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually on  a low speed add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.

3. Lastly add the chocolate chips. Mix until the chips are spread throughout dough evenly.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

5. After 45 minutes have elapsed preheat oven to 350. Keep the dough in the refrigerator. Prepare 1/2 sheet baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

6. Drop on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I use a number 60 scoop to make them uniform.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes; longer for really large cookies. (13 minutes is usually the trick to my oven)

Let the cookies sit on the pan for about a minute and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy because they won’t last long !

Link


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Recipe Yields: 24 standard size cupcakes (using a Size 16 Scoop)

I never thought I would say GO Lakeview Bulldogs! No way not from growing up a Golden Flash! Go Champion Flashes!!  However, my cousin’s daughter, Meg,  graduated from Lakeview High School this year. I was asked to make cupcakes for her open house this weekend.

Luckily I moved back to the Pittsburgh area . I am am only 81 miles from home instead of 500 plus. I was able to prepare the cupcakes in my new quant 1920 home. I love baking and making cupcakes, even though I just moved back and still have boxes everywhere… How could I say no! I laughed initially because I honestly don’t think I have ever made vanilla cupcakes.

These are super fun and easy to make and don’t skimp out on not using a vanilla bean to add the little black flecks of tasty vanilla with each bite.

Of course when I made the cupcakes for the event I Quadrupled the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of sugar

1 vanilla bean, vanilla seeds scrapped

12 Tablespoons of unsalted butter,  (1 1/2 sticks of butter (room temperature))

4 large eggs, (room temperature)

3/4 teaspoon salt, kosher

3 cups of all purpose floor

11/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1 1/4 cup of buttermilk,(room temperature)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Buttercream Frosting I used this one and had to make 2.5 recipes of the batter! It really does pipe beautifully

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line with paper liners 24 light in color muffin tins. Set aside.

2. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter, vanilla bean seeds, and sugar until pale, light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, mix after each addition.

3. In a medium bowl sift together the baking powder, salt, and flour. Set aside.

4. Start incorporate on a low speed some of the flour mixture, alternate and gradually add some of the buttermilk in three parts, swapping between buttermilk and flour until all the mixture is incorporated. Be cautious not to over mix.

5. Portion out the batter using a size 16 scoop into prelined muffin tins. Bake for 8 minutes and rotate in the oven and bake for another 8 minutes. All the cupcakes to cool in tin for 5 minutes and remove from tin and allow to cool on wire rack for the remainder of the time frame. Prior to frosting.

6. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, frosting using buttercream recipe link. Or your favorite go to frosting.

Enjoy!

Sea Salt Caramel Peanut Butter Brownies



I recently asked my husband, what dessert he would like for his sweet treat for his lunches? I enjoy packing his work lunches. I always like to include a few proteins, whole grains, veggies, fruit, salty snack, and sweet goodie. 

Also, I love packing lunches for my husband and I because brown bagging is a resourceful way to use leftovers. Packing a lunch daily can really help save money & reduce waste. So many people dine out or order in for meals for lunch breaks. This habit can be easily $10-20 a day downtown in a city; not to mention high in  unnecessary & unwanted calories. 

His response to my question for his sweet treat was brownies. I asked what kind and he mentioned a traditional style (last week I had made Blondies).  I couldn’t bare making Plain Jane Brownies; therefore, I spiced them up a tad. This led me to the mix up of a beautiful marriage salted caramel,peanuts, and chocolate. 

Prework:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Foil line a glass 9 by 13 baking pan and spray generously with canola oil cooking spray

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil

4 oz of extra dark chocolate (63% cacao), plus more for drizzle 1-2 tablespoon melted 

4 Tablespoons of natural peanut butter

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 scant cup of dry roasted unsalted peanuts

1 1/2 cups of pretzels (wheel or mini pretzel shape)

6 ounce jar of sea salt caramel sauce or homemade prepared caramel sauce, plus 1-2 tablespoon for final drizzle

A few pinches of Sea Salt for final sprinkle (optional)

This recipe yields 16 large brownies or 32 mini
Directions:

  1. Take over a double broiler and melt the chocolate, coconut oil, and peanut butter. Once the mixture is melted add in the applesauce, & sugar. Remove the double broiler and add in the eggs one at a time with a whisk and lastly add in the vanilla. Set aside.
  2. In the meantime, whisk together the flour, kosher salt, and baking powder. Add the liquid chocolate mixture to the flour. Mix until combined.
  3. Pour 1/3 of the batter on the bottom of the prepared 9 by 13 pan. Layer the pretzels evenly on top of the batter (it is roughly 47 pretzel wheels), than sprinkle with the peanuts. Drizzle with half of caramel sauce. Place the remaining 2/3 of batter on top of the nut, caramel, pretzel layer. I find using a plastic spatula sprayed with cooking spray makes for easier spreading.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 33 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the brownies clean. Place the brownies on a wire rack to cool. Allow the brownies to completely cool before removing from the pan.
  5. Using the foil sides, lift the brownies from pan and place on parchment paper.
  6. On a diagonal drizzle with caramel and chocolate. Lastly sprinkle with sea salt. Store in a sealable container. Cut to your desired serving size.
  • Make sure to store in an airtight container 

Macadamia Nut Blondies


Today is Macadamia Nut Day. Instead of adding walnuts into your oatmeal or your favorite trail mix try giving the macadamia nut a try. Macadamia nuts contain monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and plant substances that might lower cholesterol.

My husband and I went to Hawaii this past May and Hawaii is famous for their native Macadamia Nuts. One thing we noticed while we stayed on the various islands of Hawaii, these nuts are added to just about every baked good from cookies to quick breads. Today I thought I’d add them to a blondie bar. 

Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 25- 30 mintues



This recipe yields: 24 Blondies 

Essential Tools for the job & pre work:

  • 9 inch baking pan
  • Parchment paper (optional but will make life easier)
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Line baking dish with parchment paper; enough to get sides to pull the Blondies out to make for easier cutting.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-2/3 cups whole wheat pastry  flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2/3 cup chopped finely macadamia nuts

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer attacjed bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add applesauce and mix. Beat in eggs one at a time & add vanilla. Set aside.

2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, spices and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Lastly fold in the macadamia nuts. Spread into a prepared 9 inch square baking pan (I did use a dark pan). The type of pan will effect the cooking time). If your pan is lighter you might need to bake it longer. 

3. Bake in the center rack of oven for 25-30 minutes or until set and golden brown & toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Using parchment “handle” pull bars out and place on cutting board & cut into 24 bars. Store in a airtight container, whole wheat products don’t last as long as AP baked goods.



Whole Grain Oat and Raisin Cookies

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I was getting ready for our Topsail Trip this summer and made a batch of these cookies for our road trip down. The journey usually takes 12 hours on average for us. I always look forward to the road trip. My mom always says it is not always the destination but the journey it takes to reach the destination. I love this piece of advice,  and I learn the older I get the more I find truth to the quote.

We make a lot of memories on our drive down and back to Topsail. We put on various xm stations (90 on 9, The Blend, Highway, Y2K Country) and hit the cruise control. We usually get lost along the way but we always find new markets, cars for sale, or antique stores along the way. We laugh about getting lost later.

To fuel our journey,  we pack our car with a lot of snacks so we don’t have to stop as much.  Plus it saves us some money to spend later ….. on another vacation (hehe). My husband always says more than half of what I pack is food. Which is true and I guess because that is the dietitian in me.

I did make one healthy swap on these cookies and it was to incorporate more whole grain by using whole wheat flour. Next time I will try and decrease the saturated fat and sugar content by using unsweetened applesauce.

This recipe yields: 36 rather large cookies (when you use a number 40 cookie scoop)

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 egg

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp (soften)

3 cups Old fashioned Oats

1 1/2 cups of raisins or your favorite dried fruit

Tools for the job: 

2 half sheet cookie sheets: Line with Parchment paper

#40 cookie scoop

Oven : Preheat to 350 degrees.

Directions:

  1. In a large glass bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl attached to a stand mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy, add the sugar and cream the two together. Add in the eggs one at a time and lastly add in the vanilla.
  3. Gently add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low until incorporated. Caution not to over mix.
  4. Lastly fold in the oats and raisins.
  5. Use a number 40 cookie scoop to portion out the goodies on the parchment lined pan.
  6. Make sure to keep the cookies about 2 inches apart from one another.
  7. Bake for 11-12 minutes on 350 degrees.
  8. Remove from pan right away and allow to cool on wire rack.

Ultimate Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Last Tuesday was my husband and I’s 9 year wedding anniversary. Every year as a tradition I make him one of his favorite dinners. The dish is usually chicken parm and fettuccini alfredo, but this year we did things a little differently. We made dinner together, I love cooking and baking with him in the kitchen. I find it gives us the time to talk about the day and plans for the weekend.


One dinner item I wanted to make sure was done before he got home was dessert. We were talking the other day about cookies and he mentioned to me he liked double chocolate chip cookies growing up. I couldn’t believe after 9 years of marriage that he just now mentioned he loves double chocolate chip cookies. Every time I telI him I am in the mood to make cookies his answer is always chocolate chip so I guess that is how these double chocolate cookies never came up in conversation.  He explained to me, he used to love going to the Oringal Cookie place in the mall and he would order these as a treat. From that point on I made it my mission to find the ultimate double chocolate chip cookie recipe. These cookies are rich in chocolate and will definitely satisfy your chocolate craving.

This recipes yields 56 cookies, using a size 60 cookie scoop

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour (I love Rob’s Red Mill)

3/4 cup of Dutch Processed, High Quality Cocoa Powder ( I prefer Penzey’s)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp finely grounded espresso

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of brown sugar (not packed)

2 sticks of butter (unsalted), softened to room temp

2 eggs

 

2 tsp high quality vanilla extract

1 bag of Extra Dark Chocolate Chips 63% Cacao 11.5 oz bag ( I used Guittard)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Parchment paper line 2 half sheet baking pans. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl sift the flour, salt, soda, cocoa, and espresso then whisk the dry ingredients together thoroughly.  Set aside
  3. In a stand mixer bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy (approximately 1-2 minutes). On low speed add one egg at a time and then the vanilla. Continue to mix on low until the ingredients are incorporated; however, be careful not to over mix.
  4. While keeping the mixer speed on low, gradually add in the dry sifted ingredients into the wet batter. Once there are no signs of dry residue fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
  5. Using a cookie scoop (size # 60) portion out the cookies evenly on the half sheet parchment paper lined pan. I placed 3 cookies a cross and 12 to a pan.
  6. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minute, remove the cookies from oven and allow the cookies to rest on the pan for 1 minute than remove to a wire rack for the remainder of the cooling process.