Fudgy Peanut Butter Cake

Fudgy Peanut Butter Cake

Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2- to 3-qt.

Ingredients:
¾ cup sugar, divided
½ cup flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
⅓ cup milk
¼ cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp. oil
½ tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. dry cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water

1. Butter or spray interior of slow cooker.
2. Mix ¼ cup sugar, flour, and baking powder together in a small bowl.
3. In another larger bowl, mix milk, peanut butter, oil, and vanilla together. Beat well.
4. Stir dry ingredients into milk-peanut butter mixture just until combined. Spread in buttered slow cooker.
5. In bowl, combine cocoa powder and remaining ½ cup sugar. Add water, stirring
until well mixed. Pour slowly into slow cooker. Do not stir.
6. Cover. Cook on High 1½ hours, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Serving suggestion: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Note:
I take this to potlucks and it is always a hit.

Notes from the Recipe Tester:
1. If you double the recipe, cook for 2 hours.
2. This is a pretty sturdy cake. I kept one of my test cakes for over an hour before serving it, and it was just as good, if not better, than the one we ate right away.

Chocolate Nachos

DD1 has decided on an International Food Party (complete with food fight) for her birthday this month. While I was rounding up ideas, I came across this. And yes... it's definitely going on the menu!! Chocolate Nachos -- sugar sweetened tortilla crisps covered with chocolate sauce, mini diced strawberries, sprinkles, strawberry and vanilla ice cream. I think we found our midnite snack...

Brownie Batter Fudge Cupcakes

See, I started with Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, and somehow ended up here....




Brownie Batter:
1/4 C butter, melted
1/3 C fat-free sweetened condensed milk (We used regular sweetened condensed milk)
1/3 C milk
1 (18.25 oz) box devil’s food cake mix

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined. Using a small scoop (about 1.5 tbsp) drop batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze overnight or until completely frozen.

Frozen brownie batter nestled inside the unbaked cupake batter


Cupcakes:
1 (18.25 oz) box devil’s food cake mix
1 (3.9 oz) pkg Jello instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
1 C sour cream
1 C vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 C milk
2 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips into a very large bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Using a large scoop (about 3 tbsp) drop batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3rds full. Remove brownie batter from freezer and press into the cupcake batter. Bake for 22-28 mins. Mine only needed to bake for the shorter amount of time. Allow to cool completely before frosting.


Frosting:
5 sticks butter, softened
8 oz powdered sugar
1.5 C unsweetened cocoa powder
a pinch of table salt
1.5 C light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
16 oz milk chocolate chips

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring well every 30 seconds. Allow to cool for 5-10 mins. Combine butter, sugar, cocoa and salt and mix until smooth. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, then add the melted chocolate and blend until smooth and creamy. Our frosting was pretty thin so we set it in the freezer for just a couple of minutes to thicken. Using a ziploc bag with the corner cut off or an icing bag add a generous swirl of frosting to each cupcake.

*Makes 36 cupcakes!

Ice Cream Cupcakes

Ice Cream Cupcakes, from the incredibly talented Joy The Baker

* One batch brownie batter
* Assorted flavors of ice cream

1. First make the brownie batter. Line two cupcake pans with the foil cupcake liners. Into each cupcake liner, scoop 1 Tablespoon of brownie batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 6-8 minutes until the brownie is cooked through.

2. Let the brownies cool in the cupcake pans to room temperature. Once cool, place in the freezer (still in the cupcake pans) for 30 minutes. When you place the cupcake pans in the freezer, remove the ice cream you’re using and place in the refrigerator to soften.

3. When ready to assemble the cupcakes, remove the cupcake pans with foil lined brownie cups from the freezer. Remove the ice cream from the fridge. Run the ice cream scooper under hot water and working quickly, portion a small scoop of ice cream into each foil lined cup, while still in the cupcake pan. The cupcake pan will help the Ice Cream Cupcake hold its shape. You may need to rinse the scooper under hot water in between scoops for easy portioning. Quickly smooth the scoops of ice cream with the back of a small spoon also rinsed in warm water and return the ice cream cupcakes quickly to the freezer.

4. Let the newly formed Ice Cream Cupcakes refreeze for 45 minutes to an hour.

5. To serve, remove the cupcakes from the freezer about 5 minutes before you’d like to serve them. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream and serve.

Sparkling White Grape Juice Cupcakes

Sparkling White Grape Juice Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Sparkling Grape Juice Cupcakes:
1 box vanilla cake mix, the 'supermoist' variety
3 egg whites
1/3 C canola oil
1 1/4 C sparkling white grape juice

Sparkling Grape Juice Frosting:
1/2 C butter, softened
4 C powdered sugar
1/4 C sparkling white grape juice
1 tsp vanilla
red or pink food gel

Decorations:
edible pearls
pink sugar crystals


Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. In large bowl, combine dry cake mix and sparkling grape juice. Add oil, eggs and food color. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
3. Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
5. When the cupcakes are almost cool, prepare the frosting: In medium bowl, beat frosting ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
6. Put frosting into an icing bag and pipe onto cupcakes. I used Wilton tip #18.
7. Sprinkle with pink sugar crystals and edible pearls.

Mexican chocolate tofu pudding

I could read Bittman all day long!



Mexican chocolate tofu pudding

* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 pound silken tofu
* 8 ounces high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
* Chocolate shavings (optional)

Preparation

1. In a small pot, combine sugar with 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

2. Put all ingredients except for chocolate shavings in a blender and purée until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down its sides if necessary. Divide among 4 to 6 ramekins and chill for at least 30 minutes. If you like, garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.
Serving Size

Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes of chilling time. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies


* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup peanut butter
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 40 miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped (great job for kids!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well. Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Don't wait or they won't work.

CrockPot 5 Layer Brownie Recipe

CrockPot 5 Layer Brownie Recipe

Hold on to your hats. This is one rich, satisfying, amazing dessert. And it took all of 5 minutes to prepare. The most difficult part for me was climbing up on to a bar stool to reach the baking cabinet over the refrigerator.


We were lucky that we had everything on hand for this brainstorm---which is good because after all the vegetable dishes I've been eating lately, my sweet tooth was on the prowl.

The Ingredients.
--1 16 oz package of brownie mix (I had a box of the Whole Foods GF 365 brand--it has chocolate chips in it!)
--1/4 cup melted butter
--1 egg
--1/4 cup water
--1 can sweetened condensed milk
--1/4 cup walnuts
--1/4 cup coconut
--1/4 cup oats (I used Bob Red Mills Gluten Free Rolled Oats)


The Directions.


I used my mini 1.5 quart crockpot for this dish, because my other one had a chicken dish in it (coming tomorrow!). The proportions of the oats, coconut, and walnuts are for the mini crock. If you decide to use a larger size, use enough of the toppings to spread over the whole surface area.

--melt butter (I was lazy and didn't want to dirty another bowl, so I melted the butter in the crock while I was doing the dishes)

--add 1/4 cup of water, the egg, and the brownie mix

--stir until none of the powder is left dry; batter will be quite thick

--pour can of sweetened condensed milk over the top.

--Shuffle children quickly out of the kitchen because you are "working" and lick out the inside of the can, being careful so you don't cut off your tongue.

--wash sweetened condensed milk off of your face

--cover milk with a layer of oats, then coconut, then walnuts.

--close up crockpot and cook on high, if using a little crock, low if using a bigger one. Test with a knife after two hours, if it comes out clean, cook for another 20-30 minutes with the lid off to get rid of the collected condensation and to help solidify the condensed milk. You will know this is done when the edges pull away from your stoneware.

Since I used my mini crockpot, this cooked for about 4 1/2 hours altogether. That's a really long time to wait for brownies, so I needed to go to Target and buy stuff we didn't need to eat up the time.


The Verdict.

Well worth the wait.
We ate these for dinner.
and then for breakfast.
and we were happy.

Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies

Kinda like spoon cookies, but these are better cakey-y than cookie-y :)

1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)
1 scant cup walnuts (3 ounces), chopped
1/2 cup raisins (2 1/2 ounces)
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup honey

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 2 baking sheets.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in carrots, nuts, and raisins at low speed, then add flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons batter per cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

While cookies are baking, blend cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth.

Sandwich flat sides of cookies together with a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling in between.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

I've heard it called Pumpkin Delight, Pumpkin Dump Cake, Upside-Down Pumpkin Pie..... It's all the same recipe and it's at every potluck and yes, it's always the first one gone. YUM.



Pumpkin Crunch Cake

* 1 box yellow cake mix
* 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
* 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
* 3 large eggs
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup)
* 1 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom of 9 x 13″ pan. Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour mixture into greased pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture and top with pecans. Drizzle melted butter over pecans. Bake 50-55 minutes.

2 Ingredient Pumpkin Cake w Apple Cider Glaze

I know I'm posting a lot of desserts, but I need to localize all of them so I can start choosing what to take where :) And no, this isn't from scratch, sometimes a quickie like this is just as good. And you know me, I love method cooking. This works w any cake mix, any filling combination. Instead of the pumpkin, use a can of diet soda. Super light and moist (the soda version works well w chocolate cake mix. Try a double batch (layered German chocolate and dark chocolate fudge) topped with toasted coconut marshmallows. No need for frosting; truly the most delicious cake EVER... have to increase baking time to 40 minutes though. The glaze is variable too... you notice it's the same as the OJ glaze for my lemon cake? Also you can puree' a can of strawberry pie filling into a box of white cake mix and get an equally amazing result. You can even make it into muffins or cake mix cookies. See? Method cooking, endless variations. Sold.

I've found it.

Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze
Sounds wonderful, but cake mix and a can of pumpkin? A cake without eggs and oil and less fat? Trust me here, this is good enough to serve at Thanksgiving. Seriously, look at that!



The Cake:
Spice cake mix (carrot cake would work well too)
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
Add a bit of extra pumpkin or chopped apples or pumpkin pie spice to enhance the flavor. I'm adding 1/2 c pumpkin butter to the glaze to make it even yummier.

The Glaze:
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
3 Tbs apple cider
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice



Empty the contents of the boxed cake mix and pumpkin puree into a large bowl. Using a hand-mixer or stand mixer beat until well incorporated. The batter will be very thick, but will come together nicely.

Pour batter into a greased 7 x 11 X 2 pan. This is the small, rectangular-sized pan from your Pyrex set. You know, the set you had to have when you got married and rarely ever used all the pieces. Finally, you have a use for it.

Bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake. It looks like a regular cake, but it's really not, it's better. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then flip onto a platter.

Make the glaze while you're waiting.

Combine 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons apple cider and 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Add more sugar or cider if needed. Pour over the cake while still warm. Reserve some to pour over each slice when served.

Apple Pumpkin Delight -- for the crustless pie lovers

Apple-Pumpkin Delight

1 pound pumpkin, cushaw, or any sweet winter squash
2 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 3 large apples)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves, ground
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Peel the pumpkin or squash and slice it thinly into pieces about 1-inch square (the size matters less than the thinness). Peel the apples and cut into slices, a little thicker than the pumpkin.

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cornstarch. Oil a 2-quart casserole dish. Arrange half of the pumpkin slices in the dish, and sprinkle with about 1/4 of the sugar mixture; arrange half of the apple slices over the pumpkin and sprinkle with a quarter of the sugar mixture. Repeat pumpkin and sugar and arrange the final layer of apples on top, heaping slightly in the center if necessary; sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about another 15 minutes. Use a knife to lift up some of the apples and check to see that the pumpkin slices in the middle are completely done; if not, return to the oven until pumpkin is tender. Serve warm or cold.

Makes 6 servings.

Stop the presses! Just a few minutes ago I made another one of these, a 2-serving size without sugar. Honestly, I was prepared for it to be not that good, but it came out surprisingly delicious. I used KAL-brand stevia for sweetening, but it should work with any sweetener that can be cooked. It is a little dry on top, however, so if you’re not averse to a little sugar, try drizzling some agave nectar over the top after cooking.


Sugar-Free Apple-Pumpkin Delight

4 ounces pumpkin
1 Granny Smith apple
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pinch cloves, ground
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup apple juice
no-calorie sweetener of your choice

Peel the pumpkin or squash and slice it thinly into pieces about 1-inch square (the size matters less than the thinness). Peel the apple and cut into slices, a little thicker than the pumpkin.

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cornstarch. Add the apple juice and sweetener and mix until well-blended. (Aim for the equivalent of 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. Taste the mixture–it should be sweeter than you’d want to drink.)

Oil a small casserole dish. Arrange half of the pumpkin slices in the dish, and arrange half of the apple slices over the pumpkin. Repeat layers, heaping slightly in the center if necessary. Pour the apple juice mixture over all.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about another 15 minutes. Use a knife to lift up some of the apples and check to see that the pumpkin slices in the middle are completely done; if not, return to the oven until pumpkin is tender. Serve warm or cold.

Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes

Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients
1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) spice cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) Pure Pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water

1 container (16 oz.) prepared cream cheese or vanilla frosting
OR
1 small tub whipped topping mixed w 1 small box French Vanilla pudding mix.
I like the 2nd topping better as frosting. Lighter, not so sweet, more flavorful, endless variations. Idea credit to the mandarin cake recipe :)


Preheat oven to 350° F. Paper-line or grease 24 muffin cups.
Blend cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and water in large mixer bowl until moistened. Beat medium speed for 2 min. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.
Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Spread cupcakes with frosting. Decorate with assorted sprinkles, candy corn, or dusted cinnamon/ginger/nutmeg.

*cooling time extra

Cinnamon Toasted Pumpkin Pie Tarts

Love the PickyPalate. That girl has the best ideas!!

Cinnamon Toasted Pumpkin Pie Tarts

1 Cup canned pumpkin
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Cup heavy whipping cream
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
4 sheets (2 boxes) of puff pastry, thawed -- or refrigerated biscuit dough
3 Tablespoons melted butter
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

Melted chocolate for drizzling (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl mix the pumpkin, sugar, heavy cream, egg, cinnamon and nutmeg until creamy and well combined.

2. Place puff pastry onto a lightly floured countertop and cut out 4 pumpkins per sheet of pastry. My girls want to do this on their own and haven't yet mastered puff. They're using refrigerated biscuit dough. Place pumpkin cut outs onto silpat or parchment lined baking sheets. Brush each pumpkin lightly with butter then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Spoon about 2 Tablespoons of pumpkin pie filling around center of pumpkins leaving 1/4 inch border around edges.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown on the edges and pumpkin pie is cooked through. Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack. Serve room temperature or chilled. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired before serving.

16 pumpkin pie tarts

Luau Cake

LOW-FAT LUAU CAKE

1 package (16 ounces) angel food cake mix
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in its own juices, undrained
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Powdered sugar (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until blended.
3. Spoon batter into an ungreased 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
4. Sprinkle the top of cake with powdered sugar, if desired. Cut into 20 squares.

Nutrition information per serving: 113 cal.; 1 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 0 g trans fat; 0 mg chol.; 174 mg sod.; 25 g carbo.; 0 g fiber; 2 g protein

Strawberry Filled Lemon Cupcakes

Found this over at TheSweetTooth.... sounds delicious, doesn't it?


Strawberry-Filled Lemon Cupcakes & Cream Cheese Frosting

(Makes 24 Cupcakes)

Ingredients:

-1 box Lemon cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)

-1-1/4 cup water

-1/3 cup applesauce

-3 eggs (or any combination of eggs + egg whites or egg substitute – I used 1 egg + 1/2 cup egg sub.)

-Strawberry Filling (see recipe below)

-Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake mix & bake according to directions on box.
2. Once cupcakes are cooled completely, use a knife to hollow out a 1-inch hole in each cupcake, preserving only the tops.
3. Fill cupcakes with strawberry filling and replace preserved tops back on filled cupcakes.
4. Frost with cream cheese frosting. (*For a fancier look, snip the tip off of a corner of a sandwich bag, fill with frosting, and squeeze as you would a regular pastry bag. Quick & pretty!)
5. If desired, top with fresh sliced strawberries and a sprinkle of nutmeg. ENJOY! :)

Strawberry Filling

-1 pint ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced in 1/2

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Puree half of the strawberries in a food processor with the honey, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla until it is a smooth sauce. Add the remaining strawberries and pulse until chopped, but not liquefied.

Cream Cheese Frosting

-1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2-3 tsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

3-4 cups powdered sugar

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla with electric mixer on low until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

When I was making my cupcakes, I decided I didn’t want to wait a whole baking cycle to make the 2nd half of the cupcakes. So instead, I took the other half of the batter, filled up a 9 inch round baking dish, and made a mini layer cake!

I just sliced the one cake (very carefully!) into two layers, spread the strawberry filling, and frosted it all with the remaining cream cheese frosting. It worked out perfectly!

Have I gotten any of you in the mood to do some baking yet?!? ;)

Lemon Cake Pie

Thanks Betty!!


Lemon Cake Pie


All you do is mix up the ingredients and then put them into a pie shell and “poof” miraculously during baking it separates into a lemon curd on the bottom and the lightest, fluffiest cake you can imagine on the lemon cake on the top. The fun part of it is that it will work w any combination of flavors. I'm going to try blueberry vanilla next :)

Perfect Piecrust

2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 tsp salt
3⁄4 cup very cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 Tablespoon vegetable shortening, chilled
1⁄4 cup ice water

Put flour and salt in bowl of machine. Cut butter and margarine into flour. Process a few seconds until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drop by drop add the water, processing very briefly. The whole process would take 20 to 30 seconds. Wrap and chill the pastry for at least 1 hour. If pastry has been chilled for a long time, let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before rolling.

Lightly flour a pastry board, marble counter, or kitchen counter. Divide the pastry in half. Pat each piece of pastry into a flat round. Lightly flour the rolling pin. Roll pastry in one direction only, turning pastry continually to prevent it from sticking to the surface.

Using pie plate as a guide, measure rolled-out pastry — it should be slightly larger than the pie plate and 1/8-inch thick. Fold rolled pastry circle in half so you can lift it more easily. Unfold, gently fitting the pastry into the pie plate, allowing pastry to hang evenly over the edge. Do not trim the pastry yet.

Fill the pie with filling. Then roll out the second crust in the same manner as for the bottom. Fold circle in half and with a sharp, pointed knife cut little vents in a decorative pattern. Place folded pastry on one half the pie. Unfold, pressing top and bottom pastry together. Trim edges with scissors, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold bottom pastry overhang over top and press firmly to seal. Crimp rim, using fingers or the tines of a fork.

Lemon Cake Pie

1⁄2 recipe for perfect piecrust,
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
1⁄3 cup flour
1 pinch salt
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 2 lemons
3 large eggs, separated
1 1⁄4 cup milk

Put rack on lowest position in oven. Preheat oven to 375. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie tine with 1/2 a recipe of Perfect Pie Crust. Crimp or decorate the edges as desired.

In a medium bowl, stir together melted butter and sugar. Stir in flour, salt, lemon peel and lemon juice. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with milk until well blended, stir into lemon mixture.

In another medium-sized bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they hold distinct but moist peaks. Gently fold egg whites into lemon mixture. (Don’t mix it too much.).

Pour filling into prepared piecrust. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven until the top is browned and the center jiggles only slightly when pan is gently shaken (45-55 minutes). If the crust begins to brown excessively, drape it with foil.

Let cool before serving.

Peach-Mango Popsicles

Peach-Mango Popsicles
Ingredients:
1 cup puréed mango (from peeled fruit)
1 cup puréed ripe peaches (from peeled fruit)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
Lime or lemon juice to taste
6 to 8 popsicle sticks

Directions:
Combine fruit purées in a medium bowl. Heat water and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add to purées with lime or lemon juice to taste. If you have popsicle molds, fill them, leaving some room at the top to allow for expansion, set the lids in place and insert the sticks through the holes. If you don’t have popsicle molds, fill small cups or empty yogurt tubs about 3/4 full, stretch plastic or foil across the top and make a small slit to insert sticks. Freeze until firmly set, 3 to 4 hours. To remove the pops, first remove the lids or wrap, then squeeze the sides of the molds, twisting them slightly, to dislodge the pop. If necessary, rinse the outside of the molds under hot water first.

Jiggle Fluff Pie

Strawberry and chocolate jiggle-fluff pie
Sunny Anderson

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups salted pretzels, lightly broken
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
• 7 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 4 cups heavy cream, chilled and divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Salt
• 2 cups pineapple juice
• 1 6-ounce box strawberry-flavored powdered gelatin mix
• 2 cups frozen chopped strawberries, thawed
• 1-ounce piece semisweet chocolate bar, for shaving

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a 13-by-9 inch pan, add the pretzels, butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir to combine. Press mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake eight to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer or a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and beat until well blended. In a clean bowl, combine 2 cups of the heavy cream, vanilla, 1 tablespoon sugar, and a pinch of salt and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture and spread it evenly over the cooled pretzel crust.

Add the pineapple juice to a small pot over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, add the gelatin powder and stir to dissolve. Add the strawberries and let mixture come to room temperature or quick chill it over a bowl filled with ice water while whisking. Pour the gelatin mixture over cream cheese layer and refrigerate until set, which takes about one hour.

Whip the remaining 2 cups of heavy cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. When the strawberry gelatin layer is set, smooth the whipped cream over the top and sprinkle evenly with chocolate shavings.

Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

Black Bean Brownies

Brownies
Ingredients

1, 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup agave syrup
½ cup self-rising flour
½ cup egg whites
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp mini semisweet chocolate chips



Directions

In a food processor, mix all brownie ingredients (except chips) together. Chop on high, until smooth. Clean off sides and blend for another 20 seconds. Add the chips in and stir well. Spread into the 8x8 baking dish. Cook for 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for about 1 hour in dish at room temperature.

Frosting
Ingredients

6 oz fat-free cream cheese
¼ cup agave syrup
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp semisweet mini chocolate chips, melted.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly spray a 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. With a whisk attachment on an electric beater and blend all ingredients until light and fluffy. Spread evenly over the top of the cooled brownies. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the 2 tbsp of chips with a 2 second spray of nonstick cooking oil. Using a spoon, swirl the chocolate on top. Allow it to set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy. Don't forget to have seconds!