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Archive for the ‘Desserts’ Category

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Mint Buttercream

Posted in Cupcakes, Desserts, tagged , , , , , on December 16, 2011 | 9 Comments »

 

Are you chocolate and minted out yet?!?!  I hope not because this one is a doozy as well.  With that being said, I promise this is my last post about this delightful flavor combo.  Even I am getting a bit overwhelmed by the sugary goodness.   Stephanie from Life Taste Like Food asked me to participate in her Holiday Project a few months back.  I was so excited because it’s my first guest post EVER!!  Even more exciting was that Stephanie was the one who sent her yummy Gingerbread Cookies my way from the Cookie Swap!

 

Head over to Stephanie’s blog for all the details to create your very own tasty cupcake at home.  For the Mint Chocolate Chip Bark, click here.

 

Thanks so much Stephanie for having me participate in your Holiday Food round up!  Really enjoying all the new bloggers to follow and foods to check out.

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Mint Chocolate Chip Bark

Posted in Chocolate Bark, Desserts, tagged , , , , , , , on December 4, 2011 | 10 Comments »

Holiday season is in full swing and I couldn’t be happier!  I wish there was more time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Life is just way too busy to sit down and enjoy this time of the year as often as I would like sometimes.  Although one of the nice things about being pregnant (among soo many others) is that it has forced me to slow down.  I mean, sometimes, it’s really slow.  I can’t imagine my snail pace when I’m 30 weeks. haha!

One of the unfortunate things about the holiday craziness is that most of us don’t get to spend nearly enough quality time baking up all the goodies we long for each year.  Yes, we might find a day or two to make a few batches of cookies, but I am talking good, quality, christmas music on, dancing and twirling to the sounds of the season, and the oven door opening and closing with batches of delicious treats.  And since this is our ideal situation, how about we call a maid to come clean up all the dishes while we sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy all that “hard” work.  Sigh….wouldn’t that be the life.

It’s a good thing this bark is quick and easy and allows you some time back in your day to get that last-minute shopping down.  One thing I usually don’t like about chocolate barks is that it’s usually all chocolate except for the toppings.  I know that’s what it’s mainly supposed to be, but I really liked the addition of chocolate wafers in this recipe.  It gave a nice crunch to each bite to break up the layers.  If you are a big mint fan, you would flavor one of the melted chocolates with a little peppermint extract, but I preferred just the Andes Mint chips on top.  It had a nice balance of both chocolate and mint.  A perfect after dinner dessert while you are trimming the tree or wrapping gifts.

(Printable Recipe)

Mint Chocolate Chip Bark

Recipe adapted from Baker’s Royale

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Andes Mint Chips
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chip morsels
  • 3/4 – 1 cup crushed chocolate wafers
  • 6 oz white chocolate baking squares
  • 1-2 drops green food color (add slowly)

Directions

1.  Line a small baking sheet with wax paper.  Place crushed chocolate wafers in a small bowl and set aside.

2.  Place dark chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a simmering water (not boiling) and stir frequently until melted.  Pour  melted chocolate onto baking sheet and using an offset spatula, smooth chocolate until even and desired thickness is achieved.  Immediately sprinkle crushed chocolate wafers over melted chocolate and press down slightly.  Place pan in refrigerator for 5-10 minutes or until chocolate becomes slightly hard.

3.  Place white chocolate in a small heat proof safe bowl over simmering (not boiling) water and stir frequently until melted.  Remove from heat.  Add 1 drop of green food color at a time until desired “mint” color is achieved.  (I didn’t add slowly and was a little heavy-handed on my green).

4.  Remove pan from refrigerator and pour melted white chocolate on top.  Smooth chocolate with an offset spatula until an even layer is formed on top.  Sprinkle Andes Mint chips over white chocolate.  Return pan to refrigerator for another 10-15 minutes or until bark is full set.

Notes:

  • For the chocolate wafers I used Oreo’s.  I scraped off the filling and just used the chocolate wafer.  They worked great if you don’t have chocolate wafers on hand or want to save some money.

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Guest Post: Basil Ice Cream

Posted in Desserts, Frozen Desserts, Ice Cream, tagged , , , , on July 28, 2011 | 11 Comments »

I am ecstatic to announce my first guest blogger on Baking with Basil!   I was thrilled when Melissa from The FauxMartha volunteered to help me out.  Thanks to an awesome co-worker, I discovered Melissa’s blog only a few short months ago.  She is the sweetest person and somehow always seems to post something that I have recently been craving. When she told me what she was going to be making, I couldn’t wait for the recipe. Especially since my basil plant is begging for a trim.  Enjoy!

Hi! I’m Melissa from The Fauxmartha doing my first ever guest post on Baking with Basil. Brooke is a brave soul for letting me do this. Let me tell you why. Monday I was wracking my brain for something good to post. As a first-timer, I had to come up with something superb. Talk about pressure. After walking back to the office from lunch, a good friend from work asked if I wanted some basil. She had more than she knew what to do with. I don’t say no to free herbs, so I gladly took them off her hands. After the smell hit my nose, I thought—basil, I have to do something with basil. I’m guest posting on Baking with Basil after all. Minutes later, I thought—basil, basil ice cream. And that’s why Brooke is a brave soul.

But with great risk comes great reward. While the thought of basil in your ice cream is a little strange, the flavor is phenomenal! And its counterpart, the delicate lemon wafer cookie, makes it even better. Speaking of the lemon cookies, I sent my husband to Whole Foods to find something I had dreamed up in my head—thin, light, lemony, almost cracker like. Miracles do happen; he found exactly what I was looking for. I envisioned this ice cream tasting like a sweet lemon basil cookie I once had. It was a dream come true.

Let’s be honest though, I was a little nervous while concocting this ice cream. There was more room for error than I’m comfortable with. On a normal day, I’m just classic—completely content with plain ole vanilla ice cream. But every now and then, I need to step out of my comfort zone. Because with great risk comes great reward.

(Printable Recipe)

Basil Ice Cream 

recipe from The Fauxmartha, makes 1 1/2 quarts

  • 2 c. half and half
  • 1 c. heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 c. whole milk
  • 1/2 c. basil leaves, lightly packed
  • 1 1/4 c. sugar
  • dash of sea salt
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. In a blender, puree milk and basil leaves.

2. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, combine milk puree, half and half, heavy cream, 1 cup of sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Give it a little taste to make sure you have enough salt.

3. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar.

4. Over medium-high heat, heat milk mixture until sugar dissolves and begins to simmer. Slowly pour about one cup of the simmering milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs (a.k.a. cook the eggs without scrambling them). Add egg mixture to sauce pan, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Turn heat off. Add vanilla extract.

5. Pour mixture in a large bowl. Cover and place in fridge to cool, about 3 hours. To speed up the cooling process, place bowl in an ice bath in the fridge, or place in the freezer sans ice bath.

6. Once mixture is cold, make ice cream according to your machine’s instructions.

7. Serve with a lemon wafer cookie (purchase at Whole Foods) and a sprig of basil if you wish.

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Brownie Buckeye Bites

Posted in Brownies, Desserts, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 11, 2011 | 36 Comments »

Brownie, Buckeye, Brownie, Chocolate, Pretzels.  You know….just a combo of a few of the things I love into 1 grandiose bite!

In my head, these bites came together with no problem.  Due to my impatience, I cut the brownies too early (wait the recommended 3 hours) and the wrong way, so my attempt was longer and more tedious than it should have been.  The end result was well worth it.  However, between you and me, they would have been just as tasty in bar form.

If you do happen to make the bites, have fun piecing together the scraps.  Don’t worry what it looks like, pretty or messy, they taste just as good!

(Printable Recipe)

Brownie Buckeye Bites (or Bars)

Brownie Ingredients

Recipe from My Baking Addiction

  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 4 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
  • 10 tbsp (1 stick plus 2 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature

1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper or foil (I used parchment paper).  This will allow for easy removal to allow brownies to cool completely.

2.  In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.  Set aside.

3.  In a large microwavable safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter for about 3-4 minutes on a low setting.  Remove about half way through to stir together.  Place back in microwave until melted.  Continue to stir every so often and make sure not to burn the chocolate.  Once melted, whisk in sugar and vanilla until combined.  Next, whisk in eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated before adding the next.  Continue to whisk until batter is smooth and glossy.

4.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients just until combined.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake  35-45 minutes (mine took about 38 minutes) or until a toothpick comes out with a few wet crumbs.  If toothpick comes out clean, brownies are overcooked.

5.  Cool in pan for about 5-10 minutes.  Using the extra parchment paper, remove brownies from pan and allow to cool completely on wire rack, at least 3 hours.  If not serving immediately, do not cut brownies.  Whole brownie cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

No Bake Peanut Butter Ingredients

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

1.  In a medium glass bowl, melt butter in microwave.  Add in powdered sugar and combine until smooth.  Stir in peanut butter and graham crackers until completely combined and smooth.  After combined, I used a potato masher to make sure the graham cracker crumbs were small enough.

Bites

1.  Press No Bake Peanut Butter filling in 8×8 inch dish.  Place in freezer for 10-15 minutes.  In the mean time, using a small round biscuit cutter, cut out brownie circles.  Slowly cut brownie circle in half.  Remove peanut butter mixture, repeat circle cutting steps.  Using a small metal spatula, slowly remove circles from pan.  Place peanut butter filling in between cut brownie circles.  Repeat until all are stacked.

2.  In a small glass bowl, melt 4-5 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave.  Using a spoon, place dollop of chocolate on stack and gently push to the outside until it starts to run over sides.  Crush up pretzel sticks on top and lightly push down.  Allow chocolate to cool before seving.

Bars

1.  Once brownies have cooled completely.  Remove parchment paper or foil, place brownies back in original pan you baked them in.  Place peanut butter filling on top of brownies.  Press down until smooth and firm, be careful not to push so hard you smash the brownies.

2.   In a small glass bowl, melt 4-6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave.  Pour melted chocolate over peanut butter mixture. Crush up pretzel sticks on top and lightly push down.  Allow chocolate to cool.  Cut into bars and serve.

Notes:

  • Best served same day or kept in an air tight container for 2 days.  
  • Important to make sure brownies are cooled completely before assembling bites or bars.  

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Strawberry Pretzel Bites

Posted in Desserts, tagged , , , , , on June 21, 2011 | 15 Comments »

The original version of this dessert has been around for years and years.  I was first smitten with the salty, buttery pretzel crust.  Who wouldn’t be with that combo??!?  Since I’m not a huge fan of jello, I decided to change-up the classic a bit but still leave a satisfying combo of sweet and salty.

The crust was just as delicious and addictive as I remembered.  Crunchy, salty, buttery, divine!  Next we move on to the filling.  This airy and light strawberry cream cheese goodness adds just the right amount of sweetness to its sturdy counterpart.  If you like sweet and salty, there is a little bit of heaven for you in every bite.  And the heath bar you ask?  No real reason for adding this garnish other than it’s delicious on everything and I can’t get enough of it.  Toffee not your thing, add mini chocolate chips, dark chocolate shavings, or another dollop of whipped cream might be more your style.

(Printable Recipe)

Strawberry Pretzel Bites

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

  • 2 cups crushed pretzels
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 – 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 – 8 oz container cool whip, thawed
  • 1 – 8 oz package frozen stawberries, thawed and pureed
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large or 15-18 mini Heath candy bars, chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut strips of parchment paper about an inch wide and 4 inches long.  Make sure strips are long enough to line a mini muffin tin with enough at the top to help pull out the dessert once finished.

2.  In a bowl, combine pretzels, butter, and 2 tbsp sugar.  Scoop out filling using a tablespoon, press mixture into measuring spoon with the palm of hand until packed.  Drop mixture into mini muffin tin.  Using the back of a teaspoon, firmly press mixture into mini muffin tin.  Can leave mixture flat, or create a small well in the middle for filling.

3.  Bake for 6-8 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow crust to cool.

4.  In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar until well combined, about 3-4 minutes.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in cool whip.  Slowly add strawberry puree until desired strawberry flavor is reached.

5.   Using a large round baking tip, pipe mixture to the top of each mini muffin tin.  Place muffin tin in refrigerator to chill for 3-4 hours.   Garnish with chopped Heath bar and serve chilled.

Notes

  • I used a Giant Round Pastry Tip from Bake it Pretty  
  • I used frozen strawberries for the convenience factor.  Fresh would be delicious!
  • I didn’t puree my strawberries all the way.  I prefer small pieces of strawberry in the filling mixture.  Feel free to strain the strawberry puree and only use the juice, as well.
  • Desserts are best served chilled
  • Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days

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