White Chocolate Covered Pretzels

13 Dec

Almond Bark Pretzels

 

There probably is not a more delicious combination of a sweet and salty dessert as a White Chocolate Covered Pretzel. What makes this even better is how simple these little goodies are!  First, to clear the record, there is no such thing as White Chocolate. I know.. gasp! This sweet confection is made from cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar,and lecithin flavorings. There is no “chocolate” in the ingredients at all. But, for lack of a better category, and because it comes from the cocoa plant as well, it’s included in the same category as chocolate. To top it off, most ‘White Chocolate Covered Pretzels’ are actually made with Almond Bark. Almond Bark is a vanilla flavored candy coating and is actually made with no cocoa butter which makes for melting a bit easier.

With all that said, I recently made White Chocolate / Almond Bark covered pretzels, cupcakes and sugar cookies for a Christmas Party… first to go? The pretzels… with requests for more!

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Summer Party on The Terrace

3 Aug

Summer Food!

 

I recently had a summer party, which I had help naming… ‘Summer Terrace Party’.  In a conversation over delicious pasta, grilled eggplant and caprese salad last spring in Roma, a friend explained that you learn a bit about a person on what they spend their money on… For me… It’s often food and fixings for dinner parties!  Continue reading →

Berry Cheesecake

28 Jun

This absolutely delicious berry cheesecake looks so stunning and tastes so delicious. It’s the perfect dessert in the summer with all the berries in season and makes for the perfect grown up 4th of July dessert. The best part about this amazing cheesecake is that it was so foolproof the first time I made it. I chose blueberries and raspberries; you can use one berry flavor or incorporate any of the other berries.

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Cupcake Mania

9 Jun

Cupcake Mania

I have to admit that I’ve participated in my fair share of cupcake mania, which is probably where I’ve conjured up the ability to convince myself that making 6 varieties of cupcakes in one night is a great and achievable idea.  It’s been quite a while since I’ve baked something and way too long since I’ve shared any late night adventure, so I thought nothing less than 6 varieties of jumbo cupcakes would suffice.

Hope you get a lot of ideas for creating your own cupcakes!

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Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake

25 Apr

I decided to go a different route in baking for this past Easter.  After Easter lunch, it just seemed a bit much to go after a full out traditional pie or cake that early in the day, I felt that something much lighter would be better suited. I’m also not going to ignore the fact that I came across another great food blog, Kitchen Runway and a great looking recipe I had to try.

While the recipe name, Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake may seem to be too breakfasty, the combination of sweet and tart flavors with the crumbled topping and lemon icing is so delicious it doesn’t matter what time of day it is.  I hope you enjoy!

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Crumbs Bake Shop

29 Mar

It happened again! I’m not sure which came first, the curiosity of how yet another cupcake bakery in Chicago justified that it could compete in a seemingly overpopulated cupcake industry, or the picture I recently saw of these softball size goodies that undoubtedly reveled their unique flavors at a glance.  Continue reading →

Coconut Layer Cake with Vanilla, Almond Cream Cheese Frosting

24 Mar

 

If you like coconut or are looking for a cake that is somewhat unique or new in the layer cake category, I highly recommend this Coconut Cake Recipe.  Ina Garten, also know as Barefoot Contessa, uses vanilla and almond extract in the cake and frosting to create such a unique flavor that you’ll take another bite just to figure out why it tastes so good!

Don’t be intimidated by coconut flakes or dual extract flavorings. The recipe follows the same butter, sugar, egg and flour combinations.  There are also step by step pictures for frosting a layered cake. You might just surprise yourself at what a good baker you have become!

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Cutting Perfect Cake Layers

18 Mar

Love the height and uniform cake layers in this too delicious for your own good 6 layer chocolate cake? Getting these uniform layers is easier than you think! Continue reading →

Birthday Cake for Kids

15 Mar

1st Birthday Cake with Buttercream frosting

Happy 1st Birthday Roscoe Nyne

 

I always jump at the chance to make a child’s birthday cake.  There are probably a few reasons ranging from the bright colored frosting combination, the joy a child shows when they see their special cake or honestly, the ability to completely justify the use of your favorite box cake mix. I like to spend the time amateurishly  decorating a themed cake with inspirations from Cake Boss, Cupcake Wars or Charm City Cakes.

This is my go to, super simple buttercream recipe. I’ll use it for cakes and cupcakes.  I hope the pics give you a few ideas to create a colorful, themed birthday cake. The next few posts will include a few tips and key tools to use for all things kids birthday! Enjoy!

Love the picture?!!! Stephanie Pana Photography took pics of the little man and his big day. Check out her site, she is right in Orland Park and takes great pics!

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Vanilla Pudding and Fresh Fruit Tarts

20 Feb

For the last week, we’ve had a sneak peak of what is finally starting to look more like a reality…SPRING! The warm sun, the melting snow, the longer days, less layering of clothing and even rain are all a welcoming change to the snow, cold and everything associated.

For my baking mind, the thought of Spring brings mini tartlets in all their wondrous varieties floating through my head waiting to be assembled and enjoyed on sun clad Saturday mornings with friends.  This vanilla pudding, fresh fruit tart was the perfect accompaniment to a delish brunch celebrating a dear friend’s 50th Birthday. Continue reading →

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