Lindt White Chocolate Strawberries and Cream Frosting

A few weeks ago Lindt Chocolate asked if I wanted to try some of their new Classic Recipe Strawberries and Creme bars. Perfect! Yes! I got to work thinking about what I should make with it and decided it would make delicious frosting.  I topped each cupcake with a little piece of the chocolate bar as a garnish. I found this cute little chalkboard bunting printable from Simpleklassichome.com (see the pin here) to fancy them up for my friend's birthday. I just printed it out, cut and glued onto some baker's twine. This is way fancy for me (and only took about 10 minutes).

I made a modified version of my favorite frosting and poured in the melted chocolate bar and gave it a quick mix before piping it out on devils food cupcakes.

I also brushed the tops of the cupcakes with a little raspberry Torani strawberry syrup to reinforce the berry flavor and keep them moist. They're great for making homemade Italian sodas or fancy lemonade. The salted caramel is yummy in hot chocolate too! They are cheap and so fun at Smart at Final locally or available on Amazon of course. This isn't a necessary step but it's quick and fun for Baby Strawberry to help with and adds a little more depth of flavor.

I loved how this chocolate had little pieces of strawberries in it that made the frosting really pretty with little bits of pink mixed in. It was delicious and a fun variant from my normal frosting I use for everything.

Lindt Strawberries and Creme White Chocolate Frosting
from Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}

4.2 ounces (one bar) of Lindt Strawberries and Creme Chocolate
1/2 C. butter, barely softened (one stick)
6 cups of powdered sugar (more or less to achieve desired consistency, this is a baseline. I usually use most of a standard two pound bag)
1 T. meringue powder
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
dash of salt

Chop up the chocolate and melt in the microwave on low for about 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until smooth.

In a mixer with the whisk attachment, blend the butter until light and fluffy. Add about two cups of powdered sugar, the meringue powder, and mix until combined. Add in the vanilla, sour cream, and salt and mix. After it's all smooth and combined, mix in the melted chocolate. Mix in powdered sugar on low speed until desired consistency is reached (I like thicker frosting for decorating, especially when it's so hot!)

The meringue powder will help set the frosting after it dries so it holds its shape. It's not necessary but makes for a much better final product. You can find it in the cake decorating section at Walmart, Michael's, JoAnn, or Hobby Lobby (or on Amazon!)

Pipe out onto your favorite chocolate cupcake and enjoy. I use an oversized pastry bag and tip like this to make them cute in a hurry.

Easy Devils Food Cupcakes
from Anne Strawberry

1 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 box Devils Food chocolate cake mix (I recommend Betty Crocker)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients in stand mixer and beat for two minutes until combined. Using a medium cookie/ ice cream scoop, scoop into 24 paper-cup lined muffin tins.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until cupcakes spring back slightly when touched and a tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool on racks and frost once completely cooled.


disclosure: Lindt sent me a couple of chocolate bars but the opinions and info are my own.

Pillsbury Bake-Off (and giveaway)

  

Hot pink cupcakes- made my 'red velvet way'- using a white mix, some pink and red gel coloring and a lot of frosting- perfect!

The other day at the park, one of my friends mentioned in passing by that she was up to do/help with/whatever since she isn't busy at all. I was kind of shocked (she does have a family, home and Church responsibilities, lots going on). It made me wonder if her perception of busy is different than mine, if she is just ultra-capable, or if I am just a crazy person and doing too much. I don't know about you but I feel busy. I try to simplify but every so often it just gets to me that I am busy and there isn't a lot to do about it (especially since I am certainly creating my own reality!) Sometimes there isn't a happy shortcut to simplify certain things but when there is... a way to mix quality and efficiency, fun and useful, it makes me happy. 

 

I love experimenting in my kitchen and spending time knocking out big, fun projects (homemade chocolate sweet rolls anyone?) but sometimes I need a showstopper and I need it fast.  When MyBlogSpark contacted me about the Pillsbury Bake-Off I thought it looked like a lot of fun. I love perusing recipes and seeing how creative people can be (and thinking about the $1 Million prize on the line for the best recipe?! Wow!) There are a ton of great recipes to check out- for breakfasts, appetizers, dinner, desserts.

I love recipes like these that feature simple, easy to follow instructions and ingredients and yield infinite different results. It's easy to customize and change things up based on your own preferences. I can't believe how many different things you can do with cresent rolls. Myself, I usually doctor up cake and brownie mixes. Cereal is another tricky one (way more  uses beyond breakfast!) What is your favorite short cut? Something I am missing out on? As for the recipes... I am going to try the Hazelnut French Silk Turtle pie first. Wow.

 

My favorite lemon cake recipe comes from a box. It's so tender and flavorful (and delicious, even if I am terrible cake decorator!)

Instead of oreos, I use Chocolate Cheerios to make press in crusts for cheesecakes and pies. It sounds kind of weird, but it's crazy delicious and simple too (just some melted butter and whirl in the food processor). Plus, I feel a lot better about eating Chocolate Cheerios than oreos, even if that's fuzzy math.


Peanut butter and cheesecake swirled brownies take less than ten minutes to prepare and taste divine.

These were a beast to name but seriously delicious-

A Golden Graham crust
Topped by a layer of Sugar Cookie Dough
Followed by some apple pie filling
And they layered with a cream cheese filling
And more cookie dough
Then topped with caramel and pecans.

Let's call them Caramel Apple Pecan Cheesecake Sugar Cookie Bars. Or little bars of deliciousness, I think they would answer to that too. They are also easy to customize (store bought cookie dough and pie filling, or homemade, or some of each, whatever you have. It will taste yummy!)

 

I really think anyone can bake delicious food for their families without too much stress. We are all so busy but everyone needs to eat, so why not show your love to your family by making them something special?

MyBlogSpark and Walmart have a prize pack to give away to one lucky reader- a $25 Walmart giftcard to stock your fridge and pantry with yummy food for your families so you can have your own little bake-off. Leave a comment (make sure your profile is linked to your blog or email or leave it for me) by Sunday night, midnight AZ time to be entered. One entry per person. 

And before you shop, check out this site for great General Mill's product coupons- even though I am beyond tired of picking them up off the floor, there's no such thing as too many Cheerio's around here!

Disclosure:  The gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by Walmart and General Mills, through MyBlogSpark.

TWD- Peach Cobbler

As I write, the window is open, the kids are running in and out of the house, and we've eaten pumpkin cookies all morning. It started on the blogosphere ages ago but Fall has finally come to Arizona. This is my favorite time of year and I look forward to baking and cooking without worrying about heating up my already hot kitchen! When I opened up my Baking book for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, my little man immediately said "This looks pretty Mommy!" It was gorgeous but I didn't have figs or cornmeal or the will to take both of my little monkies to the grocery store during the witching hour. So instead, I'm sharing (a little late, don't mind me) a previous TWD recipe I didn't post because it screams fall to me and is one truly worth sharing.

The recipe is called the "Upside Down Plum Cake" and after I baked it, I realized it tasted exactly like a perfect homemade peach cobbler. Before I became a crazy baker, I used to dump fruit in a baking dish, top it with a yellow cake mix, and dot the top with butter. The end result was delicious and our typical peach cobbler. This recipe is a little different. You melt the butter in the pan (while the oven is preheating, genius!), pour in the batter, and top it with the fruit. The fruit ends up on the bottom and the tender cake on top. It's simple and delicious, totally flexible and a keeper. I know peaches are about done but I'm going to try this again with apples and berries and whatever else I can get my hands on (and I think you should too!) You can see the recipe here at Becky's blog as well as the rest of the TWD crew here. Please forgive my quick pictures but the entire family was dying to eat this.

Do you have any favorite fall desserts? This one is bound to become a tradition for us!

Happy Fourth!

Palmiers and a TriColore Tart

Fresh Berry Pie (add Blueberry this time around)

Dorie Greenspan's Apple Pie (with a to die for crust)

Barefoot Contessa's Apple Turnovers

Berry Shortcake

Red Velvet Cupcakes in a Jar

I hope you're having a great start to the holiday weekend! We are going to have a little 'staycation' ourselves and I'm super excited. Strawberries are $0.77/pound again at Sprouts and the Fourth of the July is the perfect excuse to make any of these bright and festive desserts. We don't have any big traditions besides seeing a movie and going swimming, but I'm thinking I should get working on that (and strawberries should really be involved, or peaches, or maybe watermelon? I love that part of summer!) Do you have any awesome Fourth of July traditions? Speak up!

By the Book Friday- Parmesan Asparagus for Easter

{printable recipe here}
Can you believe Easter weekend is here? It's snuck up on me again. We are going to have our standard menu- ham (Costco style), potatoes, homemade rolls, and Parmesan asparagus or green beans (whichever is on sale, is that awful?) I usually make something fruity for dessert, like Lemon Curd Cheesecake. This week I tried out a Cherry Pineapple Cobbler thanks to Lucky Leaf Pie Filling. I will post that delicious recipe later today (crossing my fingers!)

The recipe that inspired today's By the Book Friday Post comes from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style. It's no secret that I have a big crush on Ina and she really can't do any wrong in my eyes. I'll admit that I didn't follow the recipe exactly, as she roasts the asparagus and my oven was full at the time (oh, to have a double oven!) So instead, I blanched the asparagus by cooking them for two or three minutes in boiling water, then stopping the cooking by covering them with ice water. Then I crisped them up in a hot skillet with a little butter and olive oil and added the rest of the flavors in Ina's recipe- kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, generous Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. It just takes a couple minutes and the final product is really fragrant and delicious (even my little man ate these up). And like I said, you can use fresh green beans instead- either makes a delicious spring dinner side dish.

Do you have any Easter favorites that you make every year? I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Parmesan Asparagus with Lemon from Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}
adapted from Ina Garten

2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (about 30 large)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 lemons cut in wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. (note- I blanked them instead, so I boiled a large pan of water to begin).

If the stalks of the asparagus are thick, peel the bottom 1/2 of each. Lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and return to the oven for another minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Variation: Instead of roasting in the oven, I blanched the asparagus for three minutes in salted boiling water. Next, submerge the asparagus in ice water to 'shock' it. Transfer to a skillet warmed over medium high with a couple tablespoons of olive oil or butter and brown for just one or two minutes. Then season and garnish as above, with salt, pepper, sliced Parmesan cheese, and the juice of half a lemon. Serve immediately.

Boston Cream Cupcakes for Baby Strawberry

I mentioned it was Baby Strawberry's first birthday a couple of weeks ago (can you believe it?) We of course had lots of fun and lots of yummy food. With my little man, I had a big party at the house, fed everyone, made cute/high maintenance cupcakes, and loved it all! This time around (after another big birthday complete with Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes) I thought something simpler would be better. Since her birthday is right next to two of her cousins', we had an easy get together at the park with pizza and salads. I made vanilla bean and red velvet cupcakes that night and will post those next.

Then we decided to do a simple dinner, just my family and my "sister", and celebrate together. For dinner I made roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Kara brought cornbread and an amazing salad with locally made meyer lemon olive oil and strawberry balsamic vinaigrette! So I confess the simple dinner took a lot longer than I thought it would- it always does (big thanks to my mom for letting me mess up her kitchen all day and helping clean it all up!) But we all enjoyed it and Kara went into labor the next day, so I think the food did it's job!



For dessert I made Martha Stewart's Boston Cream Cupcakes. I'm not sure why I was crazing Boston Cream Pie (since I've never actually had it!) It probably has to do with my affinity to pastry cream. This recipe was very simple to make, just a ganache for the topping, a pastry cream for the filling, and a quick, easy cake. Baby loved it, of course (she has a huge sweet tooth!) There are three components to make but each is very simple and doesn't take much time. I worked on each them between other steps for dinner and didn't hardly notice the time to make these- don't be intimidated!

She even shared with her new baby that she wouldn't let go of for two days straight (baby is playing with her right now, actually, she was a hit!) It was a great birthday and totally worth all the dishes (especially since so many people helped out)! Happy birthday Baby Strawberry!)

Boston Cream Cupcakes
from Anne Strawberry (recipe via Martha Stewart)

*note- My family has been (rightfully) accusing me of underbaking things so I tried to follow these directions exactly. However, I thought the cupcakes were just a minute overdone and a tiny bit dry for that reason, so I would be sure to remove them as soon they get a hint of color and their lovely smell wafts through your kitchen!

For the Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for tins
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for tins
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour standard muffin tins. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Warm milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Beat eggs and sugar with a mixer on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Beat in dry ingredients.

Bring milk and butter to a boil. With mixer on low speed, add milk mixture to batter, and beat until smooth. Add vanilla. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each halfway. Bake cupcakes until light gold (just barely starting to color), about 15 minutes. Let cool in tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks. Let cool.

Using a serrated knife, cut each in half horizontally. Spread 1 tablespoon vanilla cream (I used more) on each cupcake bottom. Sandwich with top. Spoon glaze over each, and serve immediately.


Vanilla Cream
*note- I prefer Dorie or Ina's pastry cream and will use my favorite "slightly lightened" version next time I make these.

2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Whisk yolks until smooth. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add milk in a slow, steady stream. Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes. 

Pour 1/3 of milk mixture into yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until thick, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in vanilla. 

Pass vanilla cream through a fine sieve into a bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.


Chocolate Ganache Glaze

2/3 cup heavy cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, and add chocolate and corn syrup. Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, and let cool, stirring often. Use immediately.

TWD- Tender Shortcakes

If you're thinking I missed the shortcake boat, you're right. I made the wrong recipe for this week on accident! Never fear, though, since any Dorie treat is guaranteed to be delicious. These Shortcakes were no exception.


I only made half a batch because I almost passed out when I read the recipe and did a quick "butter per serving" approximation. Before you go calling me Ellie Krieger, I do bake out of Dorie's lovely book often enough that a little butter doesn't scare me- I know you're all SO surprised. Even so, lots of butter, with lots of cream (so essentially more butter) and not that many servings left me a little nervous! I'm not sure why I kept avoiding this recipe for these reasons, especially since I've openly confessed  my love for pastry cream which is much more deadly, nutrionally speaking! So, back to my faulty logic, I halved the recipe and used a cookie scoop to make smaller shortcakes. Piled mile high with berries, no one noticed. Then I topped them with lots and lots cream, because apparently I don't count the calories in the garnish in my crazy reasonings! I have to say, this recipe is simple and easy and a good use of cream if your container is about to go bad (I'm told some people don't bake often?) It came together in a hurry, only required a few minutes in the oven, and was extremely versatile. And these tasted great, butter, cream, whipped cream and all. A definite make again!

Find the recipe here- Cathy is one of my favorite TWD bakers (thanks for the great choice!) And if you don't have all your weeks mixed up like I do, you can see the beautiful Raisin Swirl Bread from the rest of the TWD group. Hopefully I'll sneak that one in later this week!

Raspberry Limeade Cream Slushie Pie

{printable recipe here}
Oh I'm so sorry I fell off the face of the earth and left my blog all... stale I guess! Well, I'm back. We took a last minute trip to Utah and I've been in recovery mode since. My laundry (and kids' sleep schedules) are finally back under control and I'm excited to post some fun recipes I've been working on. For today, though, I have my submission to this month's "You Want Pies with That" event- and the theme is Summer Drinks. Well, I don't really drink anything but water (or an occasional glass of milk with a cookie) but everytime I drive by Sonic I crave a cream slushie. So, when limes and berries were on sale, I knew my choice was made for me.

Now I really wanted this pie to turn out cute and fun, so I thought I would swirl the two batters together for some color contrast. I froze the pie and when I served it up it was so SOFT! I'll admit I was pretty heart broken. Just now, though, I realized my problem- I had forgotten to bake the key lime for a few minutes (I think I mixed my two baking favorites, Ina and Dorie, up- Ina's key lime pie is frozen but Dorie bakes hers first!) So, I guess the moral of the story is to "do as I say not as I do". Either way, this was yummy and I'm going to make it again and actually follow my own proper directions. Ahem. I think I needed a nice summer drink to cool my head down and pay attention! Don't forget to check out the rest of the Pies!

Raspberry Limeade Cream Slushie Pie
{printable recipe here}
from Anne Strawberry

For the crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about one sleeve)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon Lime Zest

For the lime filling:
4 large egg yolks
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 C. Fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)
1 teaspoon Lime Zest


For the cheesecake filling:
1 package Neufchatel (reduced fat cream cheese), softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup whipped cream (the recipe calls for Cool whip which would be fine I'm sure, but I prefer the real deal!)
1 teaspoon Lime Zest

To make the crust:

Butter a 9-inch springform pan (or pie plate or tart pan). Stir the crumbs and sugar together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. Turn the ingredients into the buttered springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don't worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach above or below the midway mark on the sides—this doesn't have to be a precision job. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven.

Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the filling.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks and lime zest at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the remaining juice, again mixing until it is blended. Pour into the shell and bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whip the cream cheese and sugar until it's soft and fluffy. Fold in the whipped cream and lime zest and pour over the key lime pie. Stir in or garnish with some raspberries and transfer to the freezer for an hour or two. Serve and enjoy! 

Crust and Lime filling adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan, Cheesecake recipe from Kraft Foods

Cherry Cheesecake Cobbler

{printable recipe here}
Whew! There hasn't been much content around here and that's because we've been eating chicken noodle soup, gatorade, and toast. Yes, the flu found us (which is funny because we dodged it all winter only to succumb once it's 100 degrees here)- even poor little Baby Strawberry. We're better now, thankfully, and
that means more baking.

The nice people at Lucky Leaf contacted me and asked if I wanted to test their pie fillings (of course I couldn't decline, they're high quality and made with great ingredients! And my Tall Man loves pie, so it was a win win. And by the way- did you know you can buy pie filling on Amazon? They really do have absolutely everything). I couldn't stop thinking about cobbler and then I thought, "If I love cheesecake brownies so much, why not cheesecake cobbler?" So, thinking like brownies, I made a some cheesecake filling and swirled it into the topping. It tastes great but I was really disappointed when you couldn't see the swirls after it finished baking. Next time, I'm going to try adding two cans of filling- because it was really, really great- and swirling the cheesecake into that so the effect is better. In that case, I would do this the old fashioned way- sprinkle the cake mix over the filling and dot with butter. Bake and enjoy. Either way, this is long gone around here and my little man especially loved it. Hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend and get your summer off to a good start! Let me know what your favorite "summer" food is. A few days out of the kitchen was enough for me- I'm ready to go!



Cherry Cheesecake Cobbler
from Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}

2 Cans Lucky Leaf Premium Cherry Pie Filling

For the Cheesecake:
1 stick softened Neufchatel Cream Cheese
1 Tablespoons Vanilla
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Flour

Combine all ingredients and mix until nice and smooth (about one minute on high in the KitchenAid).

For the Topping:
1 Yellow Cake Mix (I always buy Betty Crocker)
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter. chopped into bits


Combine all ingredients and mix until incorporated (about one minutes with a whisk, nothing fancy here!)

Preheat the oven to 350. Spread both cans of pie filling over a greased 10 x 13 pan. Drop large spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the filling and cut through with a knife to swirl, dragging the cheesecake through the filling until you like the look. Sprinkle the cake mix over the top and dot with butter. Bake until bubbly and starting to brown (about 25-30 minutes in my oven).

TWD- Apple Blackberry Bread Pudding

{printable recipe here}
I didn't use to like bread pudding. I have no idea where I came up with that but I held to that belief until a couple of years ago. Then I woke up and thought, really, I like every single thing in this dessert, how could I not like bread pudding? So I tried it and lo and behold, I love it! I was also quite wrong about guacamole but I hold true to my aversion to edible sunblock (you probably know it as coconut). Anyways, this was yummy. I've never made bread pudding with slices of bread but it was kind of fun. By far, my favorite part of the whole thing was the apples. I doubled them but then snitched so many while cooking I think it was a wash. Either way, in my adapted version below I included double the apples. I also used all whole milk instead of any cream since that's what was in my parents fridge when I was over and taking advantage of free babysitting while trying to get my baking in. You know how it goes.

By the way, I'm not one for *too many* kitchen gadgets but if you're staring at this and thinking what a pain it would be to cut all those apples, you should get one of these awesome apple peelers already. It's quick and fun (my Little Man LOVES helping me do this) and makes apple sauce and piece a cinch. You can also find them at Marshall's or Ross for about 10 or 12 bucks. I use mine every day to cut my apple for my oatmeal (which means I use it more often than my toaster! What can I say, if you like apple anything you need this!)

Please give bread pudding a try if you haven't in a while. I was totally wrong and love it now (especially my white chocolate raspberry version). What can I say, those childhood aversions are mighty strong! I'm not the only one with irrational food beliefs, right? Right?

See more yummy bread puddings from the rest of the Tuesdays with Dorie bunch here and big thanks to Cake Or Death for a great pick.

Apple Blackberry Bread Pudding
from Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}
casually adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (as you would prepare for apple pie- I use my handy apple tool)
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons sugar

1 loaf of French bread, sliced 1/2 inch think (about 12-16 ounces)
1/2 cup blackberry jam
4 cups milk (I used whole since that's what I had on hand and I'm sure 2% would work but I wouldn't use skim for you crazies that buy it!)
6 large eggs
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint blackberries (frozen would be fine, too- just put in straight from freezer, do not thaw)

whipped cream (for serving)

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle the sugar over the top and cook for a minute or two, until it's caramelized but not burned. Toss in the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender but not too soft. Set aside.

Meanwhile, if your bread isn't stale, arrange the slices on a baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or so. After the have cooled a little, spread each piece with jam. Cut each piece in half or into quarters and cover the bottom of a large baking dish (I used my 9 x 13 but you can be flexible here).

Pour over the apples and spread neatly over the bread. Sprinkle with blackberries and top with the rest of the bread. Set aside.

Bring the milk to a boil. Whisk together the eggs and 3/4 cup sugar. After well combined, slowly pour in a little milk while whisking to tempter the eggs. Slowly pour the rest of the milk in and then whisk in the vanilla. Spoon off any foam from the custard then pour it all over the bread, pressing the bread gently to help it soak in all the deliciousness. Let the custard sit on the counter for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325. Bake for about 1 hour, until a knife comes out mostly clean. Let cool for a few minutes and serve with ice cream or whipped cream (add caramel sauce if you're feeling fancy!)

Pomegranate Swirl Cheesecake with Chocolate Cheerio Crust and a Giveaway

(this giveaway is now closed) Happy super bowl Sunday! Since I absolutely don't care about football (I'm tall- I've always liked basketball {players}) the Superbowl is just a good excuse for a party. It's been a fun weekend and I'm finally getting around to posting a winner for the General Mill's Chocolate Cheerio's giveaway. A trip to random.org has chosen Audra Roberts- so email me your address Audra and I'll get them right in the mail! Now here is the promised dessert featuring the cheerios. I made a crust using ground up Chocolate Cheerios. I figured they're a lot better for you than Oreos but still chocolately and delicious. I wasn't sure how it would turn out but I think it worked. I also swirled in some mini chocolate chips and pomegranate molasses I made with some juice that Pom Wonderful mailed me. Pomegranate juice is seriously healthy (my dad loves him and couldn't believe I was going to cook with it instead of letting him drink it all!) Alton Brown has an awesome episode on Pomegranates and I used his recipe for the molasses which I've kept in a jar in my fridge for a while. I tried making Molasses Crinkle cookies with it but the color and the flavor didn't come through- I'm saving the rest for some yummy pork loin. Back to the cheesecake. I just swirled in those two ingredients to my basic cheesecake batter from my favorite Lemon Curd Cheesecake. Between the cereal crust, reduced fat cream cheese, and pomegranate juice this is practically health food. Haha. You could also sub in cherry pie filling or something similar. As Ina would say, "Chocolate, Cream, Sugar, Butter- how bad can that be?"

Speaking of health food, Safeway and FiberOne Yogurt (through myBlogSpark) have given me a $50 Safeway gift card to give to one of my readers so you can try their yogurt. They sent me one and a coupon to try it so I could let you know what I thought. I couldn't believe how yummy it was. I used to have a Yoplait almost every morning in college but I've since consumed most of my yogurt frozen via Golden Spoon. I think this Fiber One Yogurt has changed my mind, though. It's crazy delicious and good for you too (for real, unlike my cheesecake). So leave a comment to be entered to win the gift card. And stop by Safeway- the four packs of yogurt are 2 for $4 through Tuesday. Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you and enter by Friday night, midnight AZ time. And if your store has it make sure you try the Key Lime flavor!

Pomegranate Swirl Cheesecake with Chocolate Cheerio Crust
by Anne Strawberry

Crust:
2 1/2 Cups Chocolate Cheerios, crushed (in a baggie with a mallet or in the food processor)
1/4 Cup Melted Butter
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder (I like Hershey's special dark)

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and press into four mini springform pans or one regular springform. A pie pan will also work if that's all you have. Make sure the layer is even and not too thick. Bake for 8 minutes and set aside to cool completely.

Filling:
2 packages Neufchatel (1/3 less fat) Cream Cheese, completely softened
2/3 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 tablespoons Pomegranate Molasses (or cherry pie filling)
1/3 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

Optional Garnish:
Chocolate Syrup or Sauce
Whipped Cream

Preheat the oven to 350. Beat cream cheese in stand mixer for two minutes, or until completely smooth. Add sugar and eggs and beat for one more minute. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla and divide mixture among pans. Spoon 1/2 tablespoon molasses at a time over the cheesecake, sprinkle on the chocolate chips, and use a butter knife to gently swirl it in.

Bake for 45 minutes for a full sized springform or 25-30 minutes for miniature pans (or until it looks set and doesn't jiggle too much- it may crack, but don't stress it!) Allow to cool at room temperature and then in the fridge until chilled. Serve with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

Brown Sugar Raspberry Blondies (and the winner!)

{printable recipe}

Slacker, slacker, slacker. Between working on getting the laundry folded before it's time to wash again and Christmas fun, I've pretty much totally neglected my blog. I do have fun news though. First, I have a winner for my Lemon Tart Giveaway- it's Megan! Thank you so much to the author, Josi Kilpack, for donating the book and for everyone's great reading suggestions. Hopefully my Baby Strawberry and Little Man will be on the same nap schedule soon and I'll start reading things besides cookbooks and emails again, haha.

I also received a nice but very frustrated email from someone who wants my recipes to be printable. So, in honor of my 200th post coming up next (and yet to be planned, ahem) I'm going to try to start including a printable recipe with the posts, following Aggie's wonderful instructions. Don't tell my husband I'll be taking one extra step, he already thinks I spend too much time as Anne Strawberry, instead of Anne Wife (but I think the roles go together, right?)! Maybe sometime I'll go back and add links in (which I did with my Orange Rolls). Let me know how they work out for you guys. I do love the feedback people give, especially when a recipe worked out for them.

Okay enough business- I feel like I just held a meeting or something. On to some brown sugar laden goodies I made specifically for my Tall Man with more of the delicious sugar from C&H. This recipe comes from their site and I modified it to include raspberries (since I had those in the freezer). It's a winner, especially for the non-chocolate eaters out there. It's not such a wonderful time of year to have to skip out on chocolate but eating these will help you forget that! That said, a dark or white chocolate drizzle would be amazing on these...

Brown Sugar Raspberry Blondies
recipe adapted from C&H Sugar

{printable recipe}

1 1/3 Cups Flour
1 1/3 Cups C&H Brown Sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup frozen raspberries
½ cup chopped pecans

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour small rectangular baking dish (line the pan with foil for easy removal and cutting later. If you want these gooier use a small square pan, but next time I'll keep them a little thinner for even baking).

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, oil, eggs and vanilla; mix on low speed of electric mixer until blended. Mix 1 minute on medium speed. Batter will be thick. Spread half of batter in pan. Toss raspberries in small amount of flour. Scatter berries over batter; spread remaining batter on top (gently!). Sprinkle with pecans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool on rack and cut into 16 pieces. Chocolate Chip Variation: Sprinkle ½ cup chocolate chips over batter with pecans.

Lemon Tart Giveaway

Recently I heard about the book Lemon Tart- a culinary mystery. I couldn't get over the "culinary mystery" part so I decided to check it out. This book centers around a homemaker who loves to bake and includes the recipes along the way. I loved reading it and couldn't wait to try a recipe- so of course, I made the lemon tart. It was simple enough that I could make it with Little Man's help and Baby Strawberry in my arms. That's the kind of recipe I prefer these days. So really, anyone can make it. You could even sub out a graham crust if you don't want to bother with the pastry.

C&H also sent me some money to buy some of their sugar (which I did, in bulk, at Costco. I'm not the only one that buys the 30 pound bag and fills a huge bucket in the pantry, right? Right? Well, I know my mom does too, so I don't feel too bad). I used the granulated sugar in the tart and the powdered sugar in the crust and whipped cream. My husband loves to eat the C&H dark brown sugar right out of the bag. Don't let him know I told you that. They also have a huge selection of holiday recipes on their site. I'm going to feature one next week... as soon as I pick which one to try. I'm thinking maybe the egg-free sugar cookie dough for my beautiful (allergic to eggs) niece Carlee or the peanut butter topped toffee bars for my Tall Man. He's going to get hungry after he finishes off that bag of brown sugar (fortunately I have several back ups, he's lucky to be married to a stockpiler!) Either way, check back next week. It's going to be delicious.

You can read the first chapter here and see the recipes she has included. There is also a nice interview here about the book and how she came up with the ideas. I also contacted the author and she agreed to giveaway a copy of the book to one of my readers. Leave a comment letting me know the best book you've read lately. And don't forget to check out Lemon Tart and the next in the series, English Trifle for a fun and refreshing read. You can find out more about Josi Kilpack at her blog or site. Thanks Josi for the fun giveaway!

Here's a culinary mystery for you... who swiped a lick of that cream? I'll give you one guess...

Lemon Tart
adapted from the book "Lemon Tart" by Josi Kilpack

Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup C&H powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water (I added this to get my dough to come together)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor or mixer, combine ingredients for crust. Pulse together until a dough starts to form in clumps (then I pulsed in the egg). Press into tart pan, making sure to cover bottom and sides evenly. Pierve the bottom of the crust with a fork and place in freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Place tart on a cookie sheet and bake until crust is a golden-brown color, approximately 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Filling (I made about double of this, using the whole stick of cream cheese and 3 eggs, since my tart pan was especially deep)

5 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used neufchatel)
1/2 cup C&H granulated cane sugar (I would use another 1/4 cup like she suggests since my Tall Man likes things sweet)
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
zest from one lemon (get zest from lemon before juicing)

Reduce oven temperature to 350. Mix cream cheese with electric beaters until smooth. Add sugar. Mix until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each egg. Stop and scrape bowl halfway through. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix until smooth.

Pour the filling into the tart crust and bake on cookie sheet for 20 to 30 minutes or until filling is set. Let tart cool on wire cooling rack. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

Use whipped cream as an optional topping. It can be piped on in stars or served on top with each piece (I liked lots and lots of top of mine!).


The giveaway will accept entries until next Thursday night, December 10, at midnight AZ time. U.S. addresses only and one entry per person please.

(This giveaway is now closed... thanks for all the entries!)

TWD- Cranberry Caramel Apple Crisp with Walnuts

Now that I have two kids I figure it's about time to be a grown up. Part of that entails nuts, since my mom always told me I would like them when I got older. You know how grown ups always opt for the nuts on their sundaes and in their banana bread (blasphemy!)? But I'll be honest... I'm not quite there yet. I love certain nuts but I'd never want nuts in my cookies and heaven forbid they get sprinkled on top of something creamy like pudding and ruin the texture. And cocoNUT? I don't want that in any form (am I the only person who thinks it tastes like sunblock?) However, one thing I've decided actually really benefits from the addition of nuts is any sort of crumb topping, so I added walnuts to topping of this delicious crisp and then threw in some chopped up caramel since I'm really still a kid at heart.

Now in all seriousness, one thing I've learned since I started baking too often is that you should follow your instincts with a recipe. Too often I've thought- I should add some whatever and decided to follow the recipe instead, only to try the final product and wish it had cinnamon or whatever I'd left out. I'm still up for trying new things and techniques but when I saw this recipe I knew it needed orange zest so I added it and it worked out great. The flavor enhanced all the others and was nice and subtle.

I'd also recommend subbing some whole wheat flour in the topping. With all the spice and flavors no one will be the wiser (how's that for grown up!) Don't forget you can easily sub in the fruits or nuts you have on hand or in the freezer- this recipe is good like that. Here's the recipe with my changes. I'm definitely going to make this again! Thanks for the fun choice, Repressed Pastry Chef! See the original there and don't miss the other versions from all the TWD peeps. This really is a delicious and quick recipe- perfect with all the holiday craziness already creeping up.

Cran-Apple Crisps
adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

For the topping
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup (packed) light brown sugar
½ cup old-fashioned oats
¾ cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces

For the filling
5 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch chunks
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, don’t thaw)
½ cup moist, plump craisins (if you are like me and bought the enormous bag at Costco and they've seen better days, plump them up in some hot water, or orange juice even, before mixing in)
1/2 cup chopped up Peter's caramel (or kraft caramels if you haven't succumbed and bought this yet, but you should!)
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter eight ovenproof cups or bowls, each with a capacity of about one cup. Put the cups on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

To make the topping:
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms big curds, about 1 minute. (You can make the topping up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight bag.)

To make the filling:
Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Divide the fruit evenly among the cups then spoon an equal amount of topping over each portion of fruit. Bake the crisps for 40-45 minutes or until the topping is golden and the fruit juices are bubbling up around it. Transfer the cups to a rack and let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for the perfect fall dessert.

Caramel Apple Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars

I'm having a hard time coming up with a nice concise name for these treats, but you would too. Imagine-

A Golden Graham crust
Topped by a layer of Dorie's Sugar Cookie Dough
Followed by some home made apple pie filling
And they layered with a cream cheese filling
And more cookie dough
Then topped with caramel...
And some pecans for kicks. And because they are good for you, right?

Now come up with a better name for these and I'll make you a treat (if you're local!)

There are a lot of layers to these bad boys and you can make it how you like it- homemade, store bought, add nuts, whatever you'd like. I'd just encourage you to try it because the finished product is yummy and perfect for fall. I cut mine into little pieces and the portion size was just right. And with all those yummy layers, my husband didn't even miss some chocolate. That's a good dessert around here!

Have a happy Halloween and I'll be back soon with a picture of the kiddos in their costumes. Wait until you see what my mom made for my baby girl... she's going to be delicious!

Caramel Apple Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars
adapted from Picky Palate

3 Tablespoons melted butter
3 Cups Golden Graham Cereal, ground in food processor

1 Batch of Dorie's Sugar Cookie Dough (or store bought if you are in a hurry)

8 oz softened reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

21 oz can apple pie filling (or homemade- I made mine in the microwave and this step only took me 10 minutes start to finish with my handy apple peeler and corer, I think it's worth it!)

1/4 Cup of Peter's Caramel or Kraft Caramels
1/2 Cup half and half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pulse cereal in a food processor until smooth then pour in melted butter while pulsing to combine. Press into an 8×8 inch baking dish lined with foil. Bake for 7 minutes then remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Crumble half of the cookie dough over partially baked crust.

Place cream cheese, sugar and vanilla into a mixer; beat until smooth. Pour over crumbled cookie dough layer. Top with the apple pie filling.

Carefully spoon over remaining cookie dough, breaking off into little pieces evenly over top.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes clean from center. Let cool completely then cut into squares (I cut it into a 5 by 5). Melt caramels and half and half according to package directions. Drizzle over each bar. Refrigerate leftovers.

Grandma's All Occasion Sugar Cookie Dough
from Dorie Greenspan- see the full recipe on page 146 here
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat thoroughly. Add in dry ingredients slowly mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.

Quick Apple Pie Filling-
Note- I reduced this and just used four or five apples that I had on hand, but any of this leftover certainly tastes good enough to out of the bowl or with some ice cream!

About 3 pounds Fuji apples
3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Dash of Nutmeg (optional)
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Peel, core, and slice apples into medium, microwave proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for five minutes. Let cool slightly then stir in other ingredients and mash with potato masher until desired consistency is reached.

Simple Cinnamon Rolls

My Tall Man loves Cinnamon Rolls (well, he loves any white bread and nearly all carbohydrates, but he especially loves Cinnamon Rolls) so I decided to make them for his birthday treat again this year (that was a few weeks ago- before the baby- don't worry, I'm not wrestling with yeast and a newborn yet!).

I've made a few recipes in the past that I felt weren't worth the trouble or the calories. I love Dorie's Pecan Sticky Buns and made those for his birthday last year but since I was nine months pregnant and exceedingly sick of watching the numbers on the scale creep up higher and higher I wanted something lighter. So, I tried Peter Reinhart's version from the Bread Baker's Apprentice after I saw so many delicious posts about it (check out Nancy's here for some good tips). The dough is sweet and flavorful but not heavy and rich like some other versions. It's also not too "bread-y" so this still feels like a special dessert... or delicious breakfast. They also don't bake up with that hard, yucky sugar crust on the bottom of the roll which I've had happen to me a few times (maybe that's because there isn't any butter spread on the rolled out dough?)

View the complete recipe here (page 143). I've posted a quick version for my own records here, since I'll be making these regularly and can never seem to keep track of the paper copies!

NOTE- Do NOT double this recipe in your KitchenAid. The second time I made these I did that and I ended up kneading the dough by hand, worrying I'd nearly killed my beloved Empire Red, and generally just regretting my decision. It only takes a few minutes to whip these up in your mixer so just be patient and do so in two batches- trust me!

Let me know if you've made this recipe before and if you have any recommendations on whole wheat flour, different flavors (I'm trying orange rolls next time), or general tips. I'm far from a bread expert which is why I loved this recipe- he really walks you through it in the book and even with little experience these turn out great.

Cinnamon Rolls
from the Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

Yields one big baking sheet worth of rolls (about 12-15 depending on how you slice them- I like a little variation so people can choose a big or small roll- use a bench cutter for neat slices or dental floss in a pinch)

6 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoons shortening or butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, slightly beaten
grated zest of one lemon
3 1/2 cups bread or all purpose flour (I used King Arthur's bread flour)
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

Cream together sugar, salt, and shortening on medium high speed in mixer with paddle attachment. Whip in the egg and lemon zest until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and mix for about 10 minutes on medium, or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. Add a little flour or water if necessary to attain this texture.

Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough into it, cover, and let rise for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Lightly flour or oil a counter and roll the dough into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick, or 18 by 9 inches wide. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the dough and roll it up into a log, with the seam down. Slice the log, making the pieces about an inch thick. Place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and let rise until nearly doubled (about an hour in my lovely desert home).

Bake at 350 on the middle rack for 20 to 30 minutes, or until gold brown. Remove from oven, let cool, and glaze with powdered sugar icing or cream cheese icing.


Thick and Delicious Cream Cheese Frosting

Note- Since I made these for my Tall Man's birthday, I made a plain powdered sugar icing (as shown in the photo) since he's a crazy person and doesn't really like cream cheese. However, they taste even better with a good cream cheese icing, and since I've never met another person, besides my love, that doesn't like cream cheese icing, this is a sure bet.

1 block Neufchatel (reduced fat) cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 bag (1 pound) powdered sugar
Milk, as needed (about 1 tablespoon)

Cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth and well combined. Beat in the vanilla then, with the mixer off, add the powdered sugar. Cover with a clean dish towel and combine on low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Remove towel and increase speed to make a smooth frosting, adding milk until desired consistency is reached.

Spread on slightly cooled cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

TWD- Brioche Plum Tart

When I studied in Paris, we went to Versailles and spent a whole day looking at all the beautiful grounds and buildings. We had a little tour of the chateau and learned a lot about Marie Antoinette from a very sympathetic source. My professor insisted that her oft quoted saying, "Let them eat cake" was really misinterpreted and that she actually said, "Let them eat brioche." Now is there a difference? He says that she was told the peasants didn't have any bread, and she replied, "Well them let them eat brioche", since she didn't understand that they didn't have any bread at all, much less eggy buttery deliciousness (i.e. brioche). Maybe she was rude, maybe she was just really ignorant, but definitely, she lived in style. And now whenever I eat brioche I think of her and her gorgeous bedroom. By the way, happy Bastille Day! I'm sure it wasn't a great day for Marie Antoinette, but we're having a big French dinner tonight with photos and recipes to come soon.

This brioche tart is unlike any other brioche I've ever eaten. It came together quickly in my beloved KitchenAid and the recipe was simple enough my little guy could help without causing too much trouble. After an overnight stint in the fridge, the dough was pliable, fragrant, and cooperative. I used my deep tart pan and covered the dough with strawberry jam, plums, and sugar tossed walnuts. It browned a little more than I liked in the oven but smelled so good that were I French royalty, I'd encourage all of my constituents to eat this instead of any old baguette.

However, when I sliced it up (after the obligatory rest, brioche might be delicious but it's certainly a little high maintenance) it was too juicy. Next time I'll use less jam (just enough for the tiniest layer) and make sure that the dough is thinner on the sides and thicker on the bottom, since my Tall Man shies away from anything that even looks like it might be soggy. Even so, the flavors were amazing and he said, "Wow, that tastes like spring! Let's do it with peaches next time!" With a few modifications, there certainly will be a next time- because even in the heat of summer, my kitchen is happy with the scent of brioche and the memories of Versailles. Don't miss the other Tuesdays with Dorie creations and make some brioche of your own.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

For Father's Day, I needed a good and quick dessert to feed my in laws (and husband). It couldn't include chocolate because of my tall man, so I remembered Peabody's Snickerdoodle Blondies and knew they would be just right. I think with a healthy serving of ice cream my husband didn't miss brownies at all. And I know that the light cinnamon flavor is, to me at least, a refreshing break from all that heavy, delicious chocolate. I did up the decadence by stirring in a some cinnamon chips that my cousin smuggled down from Utah (I'm not sure why we don't have them in Arizona, I know they'd be well appreciated!) These come together just like cookie dough and bake in about a half an hour. Line the pan with foil for easy clean up and serving. We served ours with ice cream and strawberries (but you know me, I'd serve strawberries with just about anything.)

Snickerdoodle Blondies
from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
8 ounces (two sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
3 ounces Mascarpone cheese (I subbed cream cheese or sour cream)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
¾ tsp cream of tarter
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cinnamon chips (optional)

Cinnamon Sugar for coating (about 1/3 cup)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch pan. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar and move pan around to make sure that the bottom and sides are coated. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cream of tarter.

Using an stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat for three minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Add the Mascarpone cheese and beat until fully incorporated.

Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds.

On low speed add the sifted flour mixture. Mix until fully incorporated. Add optional cinnamon chips if desired.

Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top of the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.