Pecan Pie Bars

Lately I've been in the mood to stray from my love of cupcakes, to bars and brownies! I made a pecan pie for thanksgiving, but never got the chance to post anything about it. So I took my recipe and tweaked it to make delicious pecan pie bars =]. Any nut lover will adore this, and are great for on the go. Enjoy


Crust-


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups a.p flour
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbs sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Slowly add in the flour. Mix in the sour cream to soften the dough until completely combined. Press the dough onto the bottom of the baking dish, trying to evenly spread it out. Use a flat surface like a spatula to press the dough down, or a cup to roll over it. Bake the crust for about 10-15 minutes, or until turned a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Pecan Pie Filling-

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs, room temp
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tbs maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup pecan halves

Directions

Beat all the ingredients, except the pecans in an electric mixer until everything is combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and fold in the chopped pecans. Make sure the filling is completely mixed. Pour the filling onto the crust, and top with the pecan halves. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until set yet can still jiggle. Allow to cool fully before serving.

Pumpkin Caramel Swirl Cheesecake

In light of the holiday season, I decided to try something new, hence the pumpkin twist on a classic. This cheesecake came out so light and creamy, yet so flavorful. To go a step further, I incorporated a caramel swirl before and after baking, with a gingersnap crust to compliment the pumpkin spices. This cheesecake should be part of any holiday feast. Enjoy =]

Caramel Sauce-


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Mix the water and sugar in a saucepan. Cover and cook on low until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the cover and boil till the mixture turns golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Watch carefully or it might burn. Add the cream and vanilla, and simmer till the caramel dissolves. Set aside and allow to cool.

Gingersnap Crust-

Ingredients

• 14 oz gingersnap cookie crumbs (1 package)
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Completely wrap a baking pan (9x13) with foil. Mix together all the ingredients until uniform. Press into the bottom of the pan and the sides if possible, trying to put an even amount of crust everywhere. Bake the crust for about 7 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove and cool completely. 

Caramel Swirl Pumpkin Cheesecake- 

Ingredients

• 32 oz softened cream cheese, room temp
• 1/2 white sugar
• 1/2 light brown sugar
• 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs, room temp
• 2 1/2 tbs heavy cream
• 1 tbs vanilla extract
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions

Reduce oven to 325 F. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Beat together the cream cheese and sugars until light and creamy in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the pumpkin slowly on low. Mix in each egg on at at a time, and beating in between each until fully incorporated. Add the heavy cream and vanilla until combined. Stir in the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and pumpkin pie spice until everything is combined. Pour the batter onto the prepared crust. Using a fork, swirl around the caramel on the cheesecake to your liking. Tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Place the pan into a bigger baking pan, and pour the boiling water until the water level is about halfway up the cheesecake. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the edges have set but the middle is able to jiggle. Remove from the oven and water bath, and allow to cool for 2 hours. Refrigerate over night, or at least 6 hours prior to serving.

Ultimate Cookie Dough Stuffed Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Yes, the name says it all. This is by far the best brownie I have ever had, ever. Usually, homemade brownies dont have the moistness that a mix can produce, but this brownie was not only moist but fudgey as well. To go a step farther, I sandwiched a cookie dough inside the brownie, which is prepared first. Stop looking for an amazing  chocolate dessert, because nothing will beat this! Enjoy =]

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough-

Ingredients

• 1 cup minus 1 tbs cake flour
• 1 plus 1/3 cup ap flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbs sour cream
• 10 oz dark chocolate (60%) chopped into various sizes

Directions

Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Slowly add in the dry ingredients, and then the sour cream. Mix until everything is combined. Take the bowl off the mixer and fold in the chocolate pieces. Refrigerate until needed. 

Brownies-


Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup ap flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbs cocoa powder
• 4 oz milk chocolate
• 4 oz 70% dark chocolate
• 4 oz 60% dark chocoalte
• 1 1/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 eggs, room temp
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside. Make a double broiler, and melt the chocolates, butter and powder until totally mixed. Make sure that the water in the pot is not boiling or touching the bottom of the bowl, or the chocolate might seize. Turn the heat off once the mixture is smooth and add the sugar, stirring till its dissolved. Take the bowl off the pot and allow the chocolate to cool down. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla lightly. Add in the flour mixture in small additions, and stir in between until the mixture is smooth. Pour about half of the batter into the baking dish. Next, take pieces of the cookie dough and place on top of the batter in small patties to create the cookie layer. Start from the middle and work your way out. Pour the remaining brownie batter on top, and spread around with a knife to coat the cookie dough. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before cutting.

Ferrero Roche Cupcakes

As a welcome for the cold winter months ahead, I decided to make Ferrero Roche Cupakes to warm my taste buds up =]. I had to special order the hazelnut extract because apparently local stores don't carry it. Whereas most roche cupcakes had a chocolate hazelnut base, mine is strictly hazelnut. I baked an actual Ferrero Roche into the cupcakes, made a deep chocolate ganache topping, and sprinkled crushed hazelnuts on top. Enjoy =]

Hazelnut Cupcake-


Ingredients

• 1 cup cake flour, not self rising
• 1 cup a.p flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1 cup sour cream or buttermilk
• 1 tbs heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp hazelnut extract
• 3 tbs crushed hazelnuts
• 24 frozen Ferrero Roche

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy-about 3 minutes. Add an egg one at a time and mix till fully incorporated. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Alternating between adding the flour mixture and the sour cream or buttermilk to the batter in 3 parts ending with the flour. Mix until homogenous. Add in the extracts, hazelnuts, and heavy cream and mix for another minute. Pour batter into prepared cupcake tins, and add in the Ferrero Roche. Bake for about 20 minutes, and rotate the tins about halfway through. Allow to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing completely. 

Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache-

Ingredients

• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate (60%)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbs butter, cut into quarters
• crushed hazelnuts

Directions

Chop the chocolate into small pieces, and place into a bowl with the butter. Bring the heavy cream to a boil, and pour over the chocolate and butter. Stir the contents of the bowl only from the middle, going at a semi fast pace until all the chocolate and butter have melted and there is a glossy sheen to the ganache. Dip the cupcakes into the ganache either once or twice. Sprinkle the crushed hazelnuts on top while still wet. Allow to completely set before serving. Enjoy

Thanksgiving Pecan Pie Cupcakes

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday, and what better way to celebrate than to make themed cupcakes =]. This week I decided to make miniature pecan pies, which is a classic favorite. Starting with a buttery crust, brown sugar cupcake, of course a pecan pie filling, and a maple buttercream to top it off, no one can resist this tempting dessert. Enjoy =]


Graham Cracker Crust


Ingredients

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 stick butter, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and sugar in a bowl. With your hands, knead the mixture until homogenous. Line 2 cupcake tins, and spray with Pam. Put about 1 tbs of the crust into each tin, and press down with a masher. Bake the crust for exactly 5 minutes, and watch them because they can easily burn. Take out and cool.

Brown Sugar Cupcakes-


Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tbs sour cream
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbs buttermilk
• 1 tbs heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix fully. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add in the sour cream to the mixture. Beat fully. Alternate adding the flour and the buttermilk, ending with the dry ingredient. Mix in the heavy cream on high for about 1 minute. Add the vanilla. Pour the batter into the prepared lined cupcake tins, and bake for about 18 minutes, or until they bounce to the touch. Cool.

Pecan Pie Filling-

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup sugar (can also use brown sugar)
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups pecans chopped 
• 3 tbs maple syrup
• 1 tsp all spice

                                                                                    Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix together all the ingredients until fully incorporated. Pour into a glass baking pan, and bake for about 30 minutes or until semi solidified. You can take out the filling and mix every once and a while to get the perfect consistency. Allow to cool

Maple Buttercream-

Ingredients

• Half a stick unsalted butter, room temp
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbs heavy cream

Directions

Cream the butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the sugar 1 cup at a time, and alternate with the maple syrup. Mix until combined. Add the heavy cream and beat on high for about a minute. Ice the cupcakes, and add a piece of the filling on top for decor. Enjoy

Halloween Brain Cupcakes

Happy Halloween from the scary city of New York! I hope everyone had a great time having fun and eating candy =]. As one of my favorite holidays, I decided to create spooky blood splattered brain cupcakes! Using my red velvet for a haunting blood red inside, a creamy white chocolate cream cheese frosting, and raspberry chocolate "blood" spatters, you can make any one scream. Enjoy =]

Red Velvet Cupcakes-


Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 2 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 rounded tbs cocoa powder
• 1 cup butter milk plus 2 tbs heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 oz melted semi sweet  chocolate
• red food dye

Directions-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy. This might take a few minutes, but it's very important to let it mix. Next, add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Also, in a measuring cup combine the buttermilk, vanilla, and heavy cream. Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients into the mixing bowl, ending with the dry ingredients. Once the batter is fully mixed, melt the semi sweet chocolate in a double broiler, and add about half into the batter. Mix until incorporated. If you like the cake to be more chocolaty, then add more. Mix in the red food dye until you have a clear red color. Add the batter into 2 prepared cupcake tins and bake for about 18 minutes, or when the tops are bouncy to touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting-

Ingredients-

• 4 oz white chocolate
• 8 ounces cream cheese, not whipped room temp
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temp
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbs heavy cream
• red food coloring

Directions-

Melt the white chocolate in a double broiler, and allow to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the white chocolate and vanilla extract. 1/2 a cup at a time, add the powdered sugar. Mix thoroughly. Add in the dye until you get a light pink hue. Lastly, add the heavy cream and mix on high for about a minute. You can put the frosting in the fridge to firm a bit if the cupcakes haven't finished cooling.

Raspberry Sauce "Blood"-

Ingredients-

• 3 tbs raspberry preserves
• remaining melted semi sweet chocolate, or 2 oz
• water

Directions-

In a bowl, strain out the seeds from the raspberry preserves. Add the chocolate and mix till combined. Slowly add water until the consistency gives you the ability to easily splatter onto the cupcakes, and has a blood red color. 

Blake Cupcake

Happy belated birthday to my sister Blake Novick! This is actually the second try cupcake, but this time it was a success =] Taking Blakes favorite flavors, I made a delicious nutella cupcake, banana foster filling, and peanut butter frosting. So heres to you best friends wish you could taste it. Enjoy =]

Nutella Cupcake


Ingredients-

• 1 1/2 c brown sugar
• 3/8 c oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2-1 c nutella
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 c milk
• 1/2 tbs vanilla extract
• 3/4 c cocoa powder
• 1/2 c boiling water

Directions-

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake tins

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the brown sugar and oil. Turn on the mixer to a low speed and mix in the eggs. Add in the nutella. Let the sugar, oil, and eggs mix while sifting together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Set this mixture aside.

In another small bowl, mix the vanilla into the milk and set this aside as well. Bring the water to a boil and pour over the cocoa and whisk it until it is smooth. To the egg mixture, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture beginning and ending with flour. With the mixer off, scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. With the mixture at a low speed add the cocoa. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pour this mixture into the tins. Bake the cupcakes for approximately 15 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Banana Filling

Ingredients-

• 3 bananas
• brown sugar
• maple syrup

Directions-

In a saucepan, stir maple syrup and brown sugar until combined. Bring to a simmer and add chopped bananas. Cook until soft and allow to cool.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients-

• 1/2 stick butter, room temp
• 1 c peanut butter
• 1 c sugar
• 1 tsp milk

Directions-

In an electric mixing bowl, cream together peanut butter and butter. Add in sugar slowly and the milk. Mix until light and fluffy.

Assembly

Once the cupcakes and filling have cooled, core the cupcakes and spoon in the banana filling, about 1 tsp. Cover with the tops. Pipe on the frosting with any design. Enjoy with a cold cup of milk =]