Coconut Cream Cheese Icing

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
• 1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup of sweetened desiccated coconut

1 Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scraped down the sides and bottom.
2 Slowly add the powdered sugar, taste as you go adding more sugar until you have reached the desired sweetness.
3 Fold in the coconut. Spread onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle on a bit of extra shredded coconut on top and serve.

German Chocolate Cupcakes

German Chocolate Cupcakes

Yield: 24 Cupcakes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake:

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix

3 eggs

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

German Chocolate Frosting:

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1/2 cup butter

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cup chopped pecans

1 ½ cup flaked coconut

Chocolate Buttercream:

4 ounces cream cheese

½ cup butter

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk or cream (if needed)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two muffin tins with 20-24 cupcake liners.

2. In a large bowl, gently combine oil, eggs and vanilla extract.

3. Sift (for easy mixing) in about 1/3 of the cake mix and stir until combined.

4. Add Buttermilk and stir until combined.

5. Add another third of the cake mix (again, sifting for easy stirring).

6. Add sour cream, then final third of cake mix.

7. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 18-22 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

8. German Chocolate Frosting: On medium heat in a sauce pan, constantly stir evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks and butter until thickened. (Basically, until it boils and it will take approximately 15 minutes.) Stir in vanilla extract, pecans and coconut. Let cool.

9. Chocolate Buttercream: Beat cream cheese and butter for 4 minutes. Add cocoa, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Let beat for 3 minutes. If it is too thick, add milk. If it is too thin, add powdered sugar. Or if it is not dark enough, add more cocoa.

10. Pipe Chocolate Buttercream around the edge of the cupcakes tocreate a barrier, and scoop a small amount of cooled German Chocolate Frosting into the center.

Copyright © YourCupofCake

Chocolate Cut Outs

• 2½ cup all-purpose, unbleached flour
• ½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, cut into chunks
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
•  
• 1. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder together. Set aside.
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg and vanilla; beating until combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary.
  4. Beat in the melted chocolate.
  5. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, beating on low after each addition. Beat just until the dough comes together.
  6. Pat into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  8. Roll the dough on a surface lightly coated with a mixture of flour and cocoa to about a ¼” thick. Cut with a 2” round cookie cutter.
  9. Place the cut-outs on a prepared baking sheet and place in the freezer for 5-10 min. (This will prevent spreading.)
  10. Bake the cookies for about 9 minutes, or until done.
  11. Remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
   

30 Minute Chili & Chili Seasoning

• 2 pounds lean ground beef 
• 1/3 cup Chili Seasoning Mix
• 2 (14.5-oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green pepper, celery, and onion 
• 2 (8-oz.) cans tomato sauce 
• 1 (16-oz.) can black beans, undrained 
• 1 (15.5-oz.) can small red beans, undrained

Preparation

1. 1. Brown beef in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes or until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well. Return beef to Dutch oven; sprinkle evenly with seasoning mix, and sauté 1 minute over medium-high heat.
2. 2. Stir in diced tomatoes and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
3. Italian-Style Chili: Substitute 1 lb. Italian pork sausage and 1 lb. lean ground beef for 2 lb. lean ground beef. Remove casings from sausage, and discard; brown sausage and ground beef together as directed. Omit beans, and stir in 1 small onion, diced; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 2 small zucchini, diced; and remaining ingredients. Proceed with recipe as directed. Serve chili over hot cooked spaghetti noodles tossed with olive oil and chopped fresh cilantro. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Prep: 10 min., Cook: 25 min.

• CHILI SEASONING MIX
• 3/4 cup chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
• 2 tablespoons seasoned salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar $
• 2 teaspoons dried minced garlic

Preparation

1. 1. Stir together all ingredients. Store seasoning mix in an airtight container up to 4 months at room temperature. Shake or stir well before using.

Rich French Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse: Yields 2 Qts
Semi Sweet Baking Chocolate 1lb (454g)
Hot Water 1/2 c (4fl oz)
Dark Rum (I use Meyers) 1 Tablespoon
***If you do not want to use Rum leave it out and add 1Tablespoon more of hot water
Egg Whites 5 (150g)
Sugar 2Tablespoon (25g)
Cream Of Tartar 1/4teaspoon
Heavy Cream 2c (16 fl oz)

Mix Method:
First melt the chocolate in a large bowl.
Add the hot water to the melted chocolate all at once, very quickly while whisking vigorously to incorporate well.
Add the optional rum.
In a small bowl rub the cream of tartar through the granulated sugar to combine well.
In a clean mixing bowl with the whisk attachment whip the egg whites until foamy and then sprinkle in the sugar/cream of tartar very slowly.
Do not dump all the sugar at once or you will deflate your egg whites and they will not whip as full.
Continue whipping until you reach medium-firm peaks but not overwhipped to the point of “styrofoam”. The cream of tartar will help ensure you do not overwhip the whites.
In a separate mixer bowl, whip the heavy cream to make whipped cream to medium-firm peakes. Again be sure not to overwhip you cream.
Take a small portion of the egg whites and fold them into the chocolate mixture to lighten the mixture. Use a whisk to fold in the remainder of the whites and aerate the mixture.
Next do the same thing with a small amount of the whipped cream, lightening and aerating the mixture by whisking it through. Gently fold in the remainder of the whipped cream. Some small streaks of chocolate or whipped cream may remain. Tightly cover your bowl and refrigerate overnight.
Refrigerate until firm and use to fill cakes, or pastries or simply for serving in a bowl.
Be sure to refrigerate any pastry with Chocolate Mousse as it is highly perishable.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Overnight Baked French Toast

Overnight Baked French Toast
Recipe by Our Best Bites
8 eggs
2 cups half and half (one pint)
1 cup milk (whatever kind you have on hand)
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (a little less if using table salt)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 lb loaf of french bread
softened butter for greasing baking dish (2-3 tablespoons)
Topping
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons cold butter
For Serving
melted butter
maple syrup
powdered sugar
berries
whipped cream
Crack eggs into large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.  Whisk in half and half and milk.  Add brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla.  Set aside.
Use softened butter to butter bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish.  Cut bread into  1 inch chunks and place in dish.  Whisk egg mixture one more time and then pour evenly over bread.  Use a rubber spatula to very gently toss bread, moving bread on bottom to top, and making sure all of the piece on top get dipped in egg mixture.  Spread out evenly, cover dish, and place in fridge overnight.
To make topping, place brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and stir to combine.  Cut cold butter into very small pieces and add to bowl. Use clean hands to break up butter and combine mixture until crumbly.  Cover and place in fridge until morning.
When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove plastic from dish and sprinkle topping evenly over top.  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until top is golden brown.  You can stick a knife or skewer in the casserole to make sure the egg mixture is set on the bottom.  *Note I have left a generous baking time window because it varies on ovens and the size of your bread cubes.  I used to cook this closer to 60 minutes at my old house, but in my new convection ovens it’s done closer to 45.  Keep an eye on it and let me know how long yours takes to bake!
Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares.  Drizzle with melted butter and syrup, top with berries, whipped cream and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if desired.

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt (that’s 2 6-oz. containers)

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 tsp. lemon juice

3 green onions, firm ends finely chopped

1 tsp. dry dill weed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Bread Bowls

1/2 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
2 tablespoons soft butter
4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 active dry yeast, packages
1 egg white, beaten

Place everything but the egg white in your bread machine in the order that your manufacturer recommends.
2
Use dough cycle.
3
When the cycle is complete, turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 6 equal portions and shape into balls.
4
Place the 6 balls onto a greased cookie sheet and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
5
Brush with beaten egg white.
6
Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
7
Once done, you can cut the top off and scoop out the center leaving about 1/4 inch on all sides.

Read more: http://baking.food.com/recipe/bread-machine-bread-bowls-359047?oc=linkback

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

A Panera Bread knock off recipe

2 T. Butter, melted
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 c. butter, melted

• 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 4 c. half and half
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 1 lb. fresh broccoli
• 2 cups, julienned carrots
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 t. nutmeg
• 16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Saute onion in butter.  Set aside.   Whisk butter and flour over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.  Stir constantly and slowly add half and half.  Add chicken stock, still whisking.
Simmer 20 minutes.
Add broccoli, carrots and onion.  Cook over low heat until veggies are tender – about 20-25 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.  The soup will have thickened by now.
Carefully transfer soup mixture to blender and puree.  Return soup to pot (or crockpot) over low heat.  Add cheese.  Stir until well blended.  Add nutmeg right before serving.
Makes 8-10 servings.

Potato Casserole

Potato Casserole
Serves 8-10 people

• 3-4 med potatoes chopped
• 1 zucchini chopped
• ¾ cup onion chopped
• ¾ cup mushroom chopped
• ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup asparagus chopped into chunks
• 1 shredded carrot
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 ¾ -2 cups mayo
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella/parmesan cheese mix

Mix all the vegetables together along with the salt and pepper. Place in a 9×13 casserole dish. Spread the mayo evenly on top and cover the dish with tin foil. Bake covered at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Pull off the foil and sprinkle the cheese on top and allow to melt and slightly brown for 5 minutes.

Mocha Buttercream

http://www.woodlandbakeryblog.com/best-mocha-buttercream/

Peanut Butter Buttercream

Fresh Large Egg Whites 180g (6 Large)
White Sugar 150g (2/3cup)
Confectioners Sugar 240g (2cup)
Solid Vegetable Shortening 150g (2/3cup)
Peanut Butter 384g (1 1/2 cup)
Vanilla Extract 1 Tablespoon

• Over a double boiler in a large metal bowl whisk together the granulated sugar and the egg whites stirring constantly until the mixture reaches approximately 115 degrees F and the sugar grains have dissolved and are no longer gritty to the touch.
• Pour this mixture into the metal bowl of your Kitchen Aid Mixer with the WHISK attachment and whip on high speed until it is thick, glossy and white in color. The peaks should be as firm as firm can be.
• In the meantime you can sift your confectioners sugar, and once you have achieved STIFF peaks meringue, add the confectioners sugar all at once with the mixer on very low speed.
• Once all of the sugar has been incorporated you can turn the mixer speed to med-high until it is all mixed in.
• Be sure your peanut butter and shortening are at room temperature and they are the same consistency. Add it in about 2-3 quick additions
• Turn the speed up to high and let it mix smooth. Add the vanilla extract at the end.
  ***THIS RECIPE CAN BE STORED 4 days room temp, 2 weeks fridge, 2 months freezer

Stabilized Whipped Cream

Stabilizer:
Plain Powdered Gelatin 28g (4 packets 1/4 oz each)
Cold Water 1 c (8 fl oz)
Boiling Water 1 c ( 8 fl oz)
Method:
Bloom the gelatin in the cold water. Let stand about 5 minutes.
Add the boiled water to the gelatin mixture and stir to dissolve. Use immediately in quantities specified in the recipe, or store the entire amount in a clean plastic container with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Use as needed by melting desired amount in the microwave slowly.


Whipped Cream Recipe:
2 cups Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Confectioners Sugar (or to taste if you like sweeter or less sugar)
Method:
In a small microwaveable bowl add 1 Tablespoon of the gelatin stabilizer and microwave on medium power for just 10 seconds at a time until it melts.  DO NOT BOIL.
In another separate bowl add 1/4 c of the heavy cream from the above recipe for whipped cream.  Microwave this until it is hot to the touch, then add it to the gelatin mixture.
Reserve.
Next pour the heavy cream into the bowl of the Kitchen Aid mixer with the whip attachment and whip on high speed.
As the cream begins to get frothy and gain volume you can add the confectioners sugar. Continue whipping until you achieve desired peaks necessary for your specific application. Just before you have reached your desired peaks consistency, pour in the warm cream/gelatin mixture and whip a few seconds longer.
Soft- Medium – Firm peaks are the 3 stages of whipping cream.
Always refrigerate any cake or dessert that is made with whipped cream as it is highly perishable.
It is not a great idea to store whipped cream for more than a day, it will lose its volume that we worked so hard to achieve. But if you MUST, 3 days maximum and you WILL have to re whip again, so in my opinion, what’s the point? You should really just do it ala minute.

Fudge Icing

Fudge Icing
yield 3 cups
Real Semi Sweet or Bittersweet Baking Chocolate 4 cups (680g)
*since baking chocolate comes in many forms and we are not talking about chocolate chips for baking cookies, in is wise to WEIGH your ingredients in every recipe of course, but here particularly because the volume measure in a USA Cup will give different results if your chocolate is in callets, chopped from a block, grated, or in some other form.
Water HOT 1/2c (4 fl oz) ( 120ml)
Butter 1 cup (2 sticks) (226g)
Confectioners Sugar 1/2 c (63g)
Light Corn Syrup 1/4 cup (80g) (60ml)

First, melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a double boiler, which ever you prefer.
Transfer it to a mixing bowl, preferably a Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment.
Add the hot water all at once and mix until well combined.
It will now be that muddy mess that I explained above, but do not be alarmed as I was, now we can say, “I meant to do that!”
Add the softened butter and mix well.
Next add the confectioners sugar and mix well.
Add the corn syrup last (Yes this is a necessary ingredient here, it will give elasticity to the icing for spreadability and prevent crystallization)
Use immediately to ice brownies or cakes, or let it stand at room temperature for several hours and it will begin to thicken up for piping.
If it becomes too thick, place the entire recipe back in the mixer and on low speed paddle it out while adding warm water 1 Tablespoon at a time until it is back to your desired consistency.
Store the bulk recipe in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in a clean airtight container, but you will have to bring back to room temperature before using and then follow the above instructions for thinning out again.
Fudge icing on cakes and brownies will go stale way faster than they will go “bad”. You can store cakes and pastries with fudge icing at room temperature for 1 week

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Yield: Enough to frost 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

4 oz egg whites (3-4 large egg whites or about 1/2 cups)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 lb unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp lemon extract, almond extract, orange extract, or vanilla extract

Directions:

Lightly whisk egg whites and sugar together over simmering water until egg-white mixture is hot to touch or a candy thermometer reads 140°F (60°C).

Pour hot whites into a room-temperature bowl and whip with a wire whip until double in volume on MEDIUM-HIGH speed. When the mixer stops, the meringue should not move around in the bowl. Meanwhile cut up butter into 2-inch pieces. (The butter should be slightly moist on the outside but cold inside.)

On your mixer, remove the whip and attach the paddle. Add half the butter into the bowl immediately and pulsate the mixer several times until the meringue has covered the butter completely. To pulsate the mixer, turn it on and off in a jerky motion. This forces the butter on the top to the bottom of the bowl. Add the balance of the butter and pulsate mixer several times. Slowly increase the mixer's speed, starting with the lowest speed and increase the speed every 10 seconds until you reach a MEDIUM-HIGH speed.

Continue beating until the mixture begins to look light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl. Reduce speed to LOW. Add flavoring and continue to beat on LOW speed for 45 seconds. Then beat on MEDIUM-HIGH speed for an additional 45 to 60 seconds.
Leftover buttercream can be placed in plastic containers with lids and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost completely (several hours) and rewhip before using.
Storage: Store the icing in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

from Servingfromhome.com


1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups REGULAR sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups, but I decreased it, and it’s SUPER nice)

Place the strawberries in a food processor or blender.  Puree until completely smooth.  (You want about 3/4 cup of puree.) Combine the egg whites and sugar in a double boiler set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.  (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer – don’t worry, it will come together!)  Blend in the strawberry puree until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip with the frosting.  (I used a Wilton 1M.) Frost cooled cupcakes as desired, and garnish with fresh berries or berry slices – if you can wait that long to eat them!

Vanilla Cake

5 egg whites, at room temp
1 whole egg
1 C whole milk, at room temp
2 1/4 t vanilla extract
3 C cake flour
2 C white sugar
1 T + 1 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
12 T unsalted butter, cold and cut into 24 even pieces

Preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl combine egg whites, egg, 1/4 C milk and vanilla, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all dry ingredients on a low speed for 30 sec.

Add the cold butter, once pc at a time, about every 10 sec. Continue to mix on low until the mixture is a fine crumbly texture.

Add milk, and mix on low speed until just moistened. Increase to medium speed and mix for 3 minutes. Scrape sides and begin to add egg mixture in 3 batches. Beat on med. speed for 20 seconds between each addition.

Divide batter between 8" rounds.

Check cake at 20 mins, and every 5 mins after that, do not over bake.

NOTE: To make cake flour from all purpose and cornstarch - click here