Momofuku Gooey Butter Cake Bars

I'm honestly hoping all of my blogger/baker friends have the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook. I wish I could give one away to all of you. The funny part? I don't even have it... yet! I'm pitching a book I don't even have? Yep, it's just that good.

I first saw Christina, from Momofuku Milk Bar on Unique Sweets and I drooled for almost 10 minutes straight. Her creations were amazing.

So excuse my blog for the next few weeks as it will be taken over by her recipes....

These bars are no exception. Due to how rich they are they could feed an army. And honestly to be called butter bars, I would think much more butter would be involved (one stick for the whole recipe). If that's a lot to some of you, I'm assuming you aren't Paula Deen fans.

However, I do believe the filling mimics butter. Oozing deliciousness and tickling every taste bud.

These bars are heaven....

For the Crust:
1 box yellow cake mix (1 pound)
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg

For the Filling:
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 pound of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment or aluminum foil. Mix together the crust ingredients and press evenly into the bottom of your pan. Mix together the filling ingredients and pour over the crust. Making sure to push to the edges.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden and crackled and the middle is jiggly yet firm (similar to a cheesecake).

Let the bars cool completely in the pan before cutting. Place in freezer to set up and to make cutting easier.

This should provide you with almost 60 1-inch bars. ENJOY!!

Almond Cheese Danish

These. Are. Delicious.

Self control is out the window with these. I want to swallow them whole, Dagwood style. I made two, with intentions to give one to my parents. But I think it burned, or the dog ate it, errr... something.

And can I just tell you these are EASY! You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry/fridge. And the options are endless. Make a fruit danish, or plain cream cheese, or make 5 and do it all... that's my choice!

For the Danish:
(adapted from laurentslatest)

1 tube of crescent rolls
1-8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Almonds to top

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.
• Lay out your crescent rolls, leaving them in 4 "squares" and press together to make a long rectangle (about as long as your cookie sheet).
• In a medium bowl, mix together your cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and almond extract. 
• Place your filling in the center and spread to make the filling about 2 inches wide.
• Now, cut 1/2 inch diagonal strips up the sides.
• "Braid" the sides of the danish (pictures to follow), overlapping each strip and alternating sides, to seal in the filling. Pushing gently if need be.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely on the cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack.

Mix together your glaze ingredients. You may add or take away cream based on your desired consistency. Sprinkle with almonds and enjoy!

These look impressive and no one will know your little secret of just how easy these are. Serve this up for breakfast TOMORROW!!

Tiramisu Bundt Cake

I really need to start turning my baking requests into profit. Some people are getting a little too greedy.

"Hey Veronica, can you make me a birthday cake?" Sure no problem.

"Oh but then next week can you make a cake to celebrate my Birthday at our staff meeting?"

NOOOO!!!

Ok fine, I said yes. But really? I'm all for week long celebrations but how many cakes do you need? Greedy I tell you.

I will turn this little baking hobby of mine into a career. For now, I'll just take requests and pray a friend tells a friend how delicious they are.

For the Cake:
(adapted from bakingbites.com)

3 cups All-Purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup salted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup very strong coffee
1/4 said strong coffee mixed with a splash of vodka (or use Kahlua to make your life easier)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease and flour a bundt pan.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until thoroughly mixed than add in the vanilla. Alternate, in 2-3 additions your flour and milk mixture, enduing with the flour and mixing just until combined.
Remove one cup of batter into a small bowl and another cup of batter into another small bowl. Add the strong coffee to one bowl and the "Kahlua mixture" to another. Whisk until combined.
Pour half of the plain batter into the bottom of your bundt pan. Pour the plain coffee batter over, then follow with the "Kahlua". These mixtures are much thinner. Top these with the remaining plain batter and carefully spread to the edges. It is OK if some coffee mixture peeks through.
Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes then invert onto a wire rack, or serving dish, to cool completely.

For the Frosting:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/4 Kahlua
2 cups powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients in your stand mixer and beat on medium speed until very smooth. Use a spatula to spread evenly over the top of the cooled bundt cake. ENJOY!

Carrot Cake with Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese Frosting

My carrot cake craving was so strong I almost thought I was pregnant again.

I would dream of carrot cake, scowl recipes of carrot cake, I wanted it. Like yesterday!

So I made it... yesterday! (Coincidence? I think not.)

The brown sugar cream cheese frosting is heaven.

But can I just share my little baking mishap with you? I like to find recipes and change them as my own. Adding things, taking away, substituting. So silly me, while combining recipes I found one that used Self-Rising Flour. I don't have that on hand, so I figured I would sub in baking powder and salt to my regular AP.

Who forgets the baking powder? ME! GAH! Thank goodness 10 minutes in the oven, with the batter still runny, this crossed my mind!

Crisis averted! The cake rose and was moist as all get out.

Here's my recipe... Just don't be a space case and forget the baking powder!


For the Bread Cake Loaf... Thing:


9 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
Zest of one large orange
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups grated carrot
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your loaf pan. I like to line mine with aluminum foil to assure it does not stick.
With your stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time then the orange zest. Beat until combined.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add in the carrot, sifted flour mixture, spices and nuts and mix on low. Gradually pour in your milk and stop when full incorporated.
Pour batter into your prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool in tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, unsalted
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add in the brown sugar and vanilla and beat until combined and thickened. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and enjoy!!

The spicy cake, crunchy walnuts, crunchy carrots and rich, creamy frosting definitely satisfied my craving! Make this TODAY!

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Honestly there isn't much better, or that reminds you more of childhood, than a Little Debbie.

The fudge brownies are my absolute favorite! I will find a recipe one day to recreate those little chocolate jewels. But Oatmeal Cream Pies are definitely a close second.

Thin, moist, oatmeal cookies filled with some sort of marshmallow cream? Yep. Delicious!

Here's my recipe to make them at home. Please note they are messy. So if you want to make these when its say...90 degrees out. There will be marshmallow cream everywhere.

For the Cookies:

1 cup, 2 sticks, unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon corn syrup (preferably dark)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

7 oz container marshmallow cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. Line your cooling rack with parchment also, as the cookies will stick.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars, corn syrup, vanilla and eggs and beat on medium until creamy.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt and cinnamon.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir in the oats.
5. Drop tablespoon sized scoops onto your cookie sheet, spacing apart well as they will spread.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes until set and starting to brown.
7. Cool completely. Slather one side with marshmallow cream and sandwich with another cookie.
8. Enjoy!!!

These are way messy but totally addicting! Feel free to make your own marshmallow fluff to fill the inside... I took the easy route!

Lindor Truffle Cupcakes

I really considered not even posting these cupcakes because the pictures are a little shotty.

But... I couldn't NOT share this recipe with you all. It's just that good. My ratings of course were based on a bunch of chocolate hungry women... No bias there.

I made them for my coworker's birthday. A good dozen of them. And she was only willing to part with 4. After they hit the lunch room they were gone in a good 10 minutes. Gloating aside, these are some damn good cupcakes.

Make them to impress a crowd or hoard them... either way is fine with me. Also, you can switch out the cupcake, truffle and frosting flavor to meet your tastes; chocolate with caramel truffles and frosting. White chocolate. Cookies and cream. YUM!

For the Cupcakes:
makes around 22-24 cupcakes
(recipe from glorious treats)

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

 Lindt Lindor truffles

• Line muffin tin with cupcake liners and preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
• In your stand mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder/soda and salt. Add in the eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vbanilla and beat on medium for 1 minute. Stir in the boiling water. The batter will be very runny, this is what makes it moist. Fill liners 1/2 to 2/3 full. Careful not to over fill the liners as they will over flow. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove cupcakes immediately from pan and place on wire rack. Unwrap your truffles and cut an X into the top of your cupcake. Push the truffle in the still hot cupcakes unt il the top of the truffle is flush  with the tfop of the cupcake. Let cool completely on the wire rack.

 (Three words: oozy, chocolate-y, deliciousness!!)

Now for the chocolate cream cheese frosting.

You will Need:
1/2 cup, or one stick butter (sitting at room temperature for 10 minutes)
8 oz cream cheese, pulled directly from fridge
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons whole milk

• Place butter in stand mixer and beat slightly. Add in cream cheese and blend until combined.
• Add vanilla extract and cocoa powder and blend on low speed for 30 seconds. Start adding the powdered sugar in multiple additions, scraping the sides if need be, then increase to medium speed until fluffy. Slowly add in the milk, a little at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Pipe immediately onto your cooled cupcakes.

Caution: these cupcakes have intense chocolate flavor. If chocolate ISN'T your thing, stay far far away. From me too... Because who doesn't like chocolate? The cupcakes are moist and the truffle oozes in the middle.... Can you say yum? I can... and it starts with Truffle Cupcakes! Enjoy!

Lemon Icebox Pie

I've never been fond of the saying "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade".

Really? Who drinks lemonade with just lemons? You need water and sugar. Which I translate in life as being tears and love. 

I'm not much of a complainer but this last week and a half has been brutal. Between the flu virus floating around (which I just saw a report on the possibility of it being West Nile Virus... Ummm, I don't THINK SO! Who needs WebMD to terrify you when the news is just as bad).

On top of that my husband had a flat tire and work is crazy. There. Done with complaining. But without a few shed tears and my loving family I'd be in an institution. 

So, I took my lemons and made icebox pie. Talk about melt in your mouth! This is so quick to make and is everything right in the world. I made a meringue to top the pie but it failed... miserably. I can't say I'm surprised after this week. 

Oh well.... It's more than delicious without.

For the Crust:

3 cups Nilla wafers

1/2 cup pecans

6 tablespoons butter

Filling:

6 egg yolks

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup lemon juice

First, make your crust. Place all 3 ingredients into your food processor and pulse until the butter coats the crumbs. Press into a pie pan or 10" spring-form pan. (If using a pie pan, you might have left over filling). 

In your stand mixer, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk at medium speed. Set the mixer to low and slowly pour in your lemon juice. Mix until thick and incorporated. Pour over your crust. 

Now, you can either whip up a meringue to top this or place in the oven at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. You will want the filling to be set.

It isn't called an icebox pie for nothin'! After pulling the pie from the oven, let cool completely on a wire rack.

Then place in your refrigerator for 6 hours to over night.

Trust me, it's worth the wait....