Tag: Dessert

Fruit Pizza

Leave a comment

I wish I could take credit for this delicious recipe, but I can’t. A friend of mine at work brought this into the office the other day and it was so amazing that I could hardly wait to make it myself. It’s super easy, inexpensive to make, and you can alter the recipe to include all your favorite fruits!

I chose strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, but whatever is in season at the time would be fine. The possibilities are endless!

Ingredients:

  • Sugar cookie dough (make your own or take the easy route and buy the prepackaged kind like I did)
  • Vanilla
  • Powdered sugar
  • 8oz cream cheese (room temperature)
  • Whatever fruit you’d like to use as topping

Instructions:

  • First, preheat your oven to whatever the directions say on the back of your sugar cookie package. You are going to follow the baking instructions on the package.
  • I sprayed my pan with cooking spray so the cookie sticking was not an issue, but next time I will use parchment paper instead of spray just so that is is easier to transfer onto the serving platter.
  • Place the dough on the pan and use your hands to flatten it into a flat, round shape that resembles a large cookie (or pizza dough!).
  • Follow instructions for cooking time on the package, and remove when it is a golden brown.
  • Let the cookie cool completely.
  • Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla to taste. There are really no specific amounts, just add more powdered sugar and vanilla until you reach a taste you like.
  • After you transfer to a platter or whatever you’re going to use to serve it on, spread the mixture of cream cheese/powdered sugar/vanilla in a thin layer on top.
  • Scatter your fruit on top and serve chilled.

Nutter Butter Truffles

Leave a comment

11385633_1451988298441523_880722434_n

Aren’t these truffles just adorable? I whipped them up a few nights ago and could hardly wait to share the recipe. They are so easy to make and you only need 4 simple ingredients. For a girl on the go like me, you can’t beat that!

Ingredients:

  • One package of Nutter Butter cookies
  • One block of cream cheese
  • White chocolate (I use the kind that comes in the microwave ready tray, which is super convenient, but you could also go the old-fashioned route and pull out your double boiler)
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter

Instructions:

  • First, put the Nutter Butter cookies in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Use a rolling pin to crush the cookies, until fine crumbs are formed. Or, if you’re super fancy you could use a food processor.
  • Then, in a mixer, combine the Nutter Butter crumbs with the whole block of cream cheese. If your cream cheese is at room temperature, it will be too sticky to form into balls easily, so cold cream cheese works better for this recipe.
  • Once it has reached a thick, creamy consistency, begin rolling the Nutter Butter and cream cheese mixture into one inch balls and set aside.
  • Melt your chocolate. It’s easiest to do this in 30 second intervals, stirring each time to evenly distribute the heat.
  • Next, cover your Nutter Butter balls in the melted white chocolate. I usually use a spoon to lower the ball into the chocolate, which makes it easier to spin it around so that it is completely covered.
  • After allowing the white chocolate to dry completely, melt the peanut butter and use a spoon to drizzle it over the truffles.

Viola! Peanut butter goodness that all ages are sure to enjoy!

“Cute as Pie” Cupcakes

Leave a comment

These cupcakes are sure to be a hit for any occasion. After all, who can resist a cupcake that looks like a miniature pie?

My darling husband sorted through an eight pound bag of M&M’s to separate the greens, blues, and reds. What a guy!

I made four dozen cupcakes, half yellow cake and half chocolate. I researched ways to improve boxed cake mix, and was pleasantly surprised with the results I got from the recipe I tried. The back of the box instructs you to add (to the cake mix) one cup of water, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, and three eggs. However, if you add four eggs (instead of three), one cup of melted butter that has rested until room temperature (instead of oil), and one cup of milk (instead of water), it makes a remarkable difference. I was afraid the mixture would not be thick enough, but it was just fine. Follow the baking instructions on the back of the box for time and temperature.

Next, comes the homemade buttercream frosting (YUM). The trick here is making sure you’ve let your butter sit out all day, so that it’s room temperature. Mix one box of powdered sugar and three tablespoons of cocoa with a whisk, then, in the mixer, add the stick of softened butter. For four dozen cupcakes, I doubled this recipe.

With my M&M’s separated and after letting my cupcakes cool completely, I began to spread a thin layer of homemade buttercream frosting over the tops of my cupcakes, and immediately covered the top in one color of M&M’s, with the “M” facing down.

Lastly, after filling a piping bag with the buttercream and choosing a flat tip, I iced the top of the cupcakes over the M&M’s, creating the appearance of “lattice.”

IMG_1909

Don’t worry about the little imperfections, they really just make it look more like an actual pie. These little cuties are so much fun, and sure to be a favorite for all ages!