Mini Blackberry Pies

Pictures only. I've been experimenting with some fun new desserts and these were the perfect size and taste.

Rocky Road Ice Cream Sandwiches

I adjusted my Two-Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe for this fun summertime dessert.

1 1/2cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
6 oz semisweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds
container of good quality vanilla ice cream (or your favorite flavor)

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and set aside.

Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugars on low speed until smooth. Add vanilla and egg and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, or until fully incorporated. Do not overbeat.

On low speed, add the flour mixture, a little at a time. Beat until just incorporated. Gently fold in chocolate chips and chunks, marshmallows and almonds with a spoon or spatula

Let the dough chill for at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to drop 2" portions of dough 2" apart.

Bake 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Soften ice cream until it is the consistency of soft-serve. Place 1/2 cup of ice cream into a ziploc bag, snip the corner and pipe into center of one cookie. Place second cookie on top and squeeze so that ice cream reaches the edges. Wrap sandwich in foil and freeze immediately. Keep in freezer for 24 hours before serving.

Optional: after one hour, remove from freezer, unwrap and roll sides in mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts or chocolate sprinkles.

Mini Boston Cream Pies

I got this recipe from Betty Crocker. I made some measurement adjustments and the end result is yummy and cute.

Cookie Crust

1 pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix

2/3 cup melted butter

1 egg

2 tbsp sugar

Filling

2 8oz pkg softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp fat-free milk

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

2 eggs

1 large box of instant vanilla pudding

Topping

2 cans of whipped chocolate frosting

Heat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Lightly spray cups with cooking spray.

In bowl, combine sugar cookie mix, butter and egg until a soft dough is formed. Roll dough into 24 1.5" balls and place one ball in each baking cup.

Moisten bottom of small flat-bottomed glass (I used a beer bottle - it was a perfect fit) with water, dip into sugar and press down on dough balls to flatten. Dip in sugar for each press.

In bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, flour and milk on medium until smooth. Beat in sour cream. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, until blended. Add pudding mix and mix until incorporated. Spoon about 2 tbsp of filling into each cup.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until set. Cool for 45 minutes and remove from pan.

Put frosting containers in microwave for 20 seconds. With a star tip, pipe frosting into dip on top of each cup. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Store in fridge, covered.

Patriotic Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

These are easy and pretty cute. I also used them to test my new cupcake decorating set. SO fun!

Your favorite white cake mix (I used a box mix)

Red & blue food coloring

Buttercream frosting

Red & blue M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare cupcake pans with nonstick spray.

Prepare cake mix according to directions. Divide batter into three bowls. Set one bowl aside (white).

Add about 30 drops of red food coloring to one bowl and 30 drops of blue food coloring to the other. Blend well.

Drop random spoonfuls of each color into each cupcake space, until spaces are 2/3 full.

Bake according to directions.

Frost with buttercream frosting.

Double-bag M&Ms and lightly crush with a rolling pin. Sprinkle on top of frosted cupcakes.

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, softenend

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Beat ingredients until smooth.

Two-Chocolate-Chip Cookies

These are for DH, who requested a hiatus from cupcakes. I wanted to go for something a little more complicated, but we're hosting a block party today, so figured basic is the way to go. I had to hide the tray because DH kept trying to steal them.

1 1/2cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

6 oz semisweet chocolate chips

6 oz semisweet chocolate chunks

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and set aside.

Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugars on low speed until smooth. Add vanilla and egg and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, or until fully incorporated. Do not overbeat.

On low speed, add the flour mixture, a little at a time. Beat until just incorporated. Gently fold in chocolate chips and chunks with a spoon or spatula.

Let the dough chill for two hours.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to drop 12 portions of dough on each sheet.

Bake 9-11 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Cool cookies on wire rack.

S'mores Cupcakes

These are among my favorite so far. We had some out of town guests, so I thought these would be cute to serve. They were met with rave reviews.

1 pkg devil's food cake mix (eggs, water & oil as directed)

24 dark chocolate hershey's kisses

marshmallow frosting (recipe to follow)

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 Hershey bars, broken into 24 cupcakes (on the lines).

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray cupcakes pans with nonstick spray. Prepare cake batter according to directions. Fill each cup 2/3 full with batter. Insert one Hersehy kiss per cup. It makes a rich "fudgey" filling.

Bake approximately 20 minutes, until done. Frost with marshmallow icing. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs and top each cupcake with a piece of Hershey bar.

Marshmallow Frosting

2 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

6 tbsp water

1 tbsp light corn syrup

½ tsp cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar, water, corn syrup, cream of tartar, and salt. Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the mixture until it is very warm and soft (but not dry) peaks form, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer to low and add the marshmallows and vanilla. Continue beating until the marshmallows are melted and the frosting is completely smooth, about 2 minutes more. Use immediately.

Pistachio & Chocolate Cupcakes

Since I had a ton of leftover pistachios, I had to find a way to use them up. Inspiration struck and we found a winner. Strangely, these are DH's favorite so far.

1 box white cake mix

4 eggs

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 package instant pistachio pudding mix

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

chocolate frosting (I was lazy and used storebought triple fudge chip)

Preheat oven to 350 and spray cupcake pan with nonstick spray.

With an electric mixer, mix cake mix, eggs, water, sugar, oil and pudding mix on low for one minute. Scrape sides of bowl and mix at medium speed for two minutes. Fill cupcake spaces halfway and bake for 20-24 minutes or until cake is done.

Cool for ten minutes in pan and then completely on wire rack or serving platter.

When cool, decorate with chocolate frosting and pistachios.

Chocolate Mint Chip-cakes

I cheated and used a packaged cake mix, but the end result is yummy.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes
1 box devil's food cake mix (3 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, 1 1/3 cup water)
1 tsp mint extract
1 bag mini chocolate chips (3/4 for cupcakes, 1/4 for garnish)
buttercream frosting
Preheat oven according to directions (325F). Prepare pans with nonstick spray.
Prepare cake mix according to directions. Add mint extract with wet ingredients. Gently fold chips into batter. Fill cupcake spaces 2/3 of the way with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then on serving platter Cool completely before decorating.

Buttercream Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
green food coloring

Beat ingredients until smooth. Add food coloring to get desired tint.
Decorate cupcakes with frosting and 1/4 bag mini chips.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Thanks to my friend, Nicole, I was inspired to try these out at home. The end result? So. Good. And cute too!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
18 tsp pink sugar (mix red food coloring into granulated sugar)
1 package white cake mix (3 egg whites, 1/3 cup oil)
water (amount based on cake instructions)
3/4 cup thawed frozen pink lemonade concentrate
red food coloring (2-3 drops)
buttercream frosting (recipe below)
18 raspberries for garnish

Preheat oven 350°F

Spray pan with nonstick pan spray; sprinkle 1 teaspoon colored sugar into each cupcake-space in the pan.

Add water to pink lemonade mix to total amount of water called for on cake mix package directions.

Follow cake mix package directions to prepare cake. Add red food coloring to make batter desired shade of pink. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack; remove and cool completely before decorating.

Buttercream Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt

Beat ingredients in a blender until smooth.