sugar – Oven Love

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites (No Refined Sugar, Grain-free and Gluten-free Options)

Natalie — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 17:35:28 +0000

I miss you guys! What’s happening? What’s new? How’s your pumpkin carving/Halloween costuming/PSL consumption going this year?

We are a bit of a Halloween-neutral family. We will dress up if there’s a party to go to, take the kids trick-or-treating, buy a few pumpkins and hit the fall festival scene, but we don’t love Halloween. We like it just fine, but it’s not our favorite holiday. I am always last minute with the costumes and the candy and what not. This year E had planned on being a ghost (BEST DIY COSTUME EVER, SCORE!) but changed his mind and now wants to be a plane (!!?!?! How do I make that!?!) So now the plan is make a cardboard plane, and then little L can go along and dress as a cloud. We’ll see if this plan actually goes forward.

Making these cheesecake bites provided me the perfect opportunity to continue procrastinating on the costumes this week. There was a last minute opportunity to bring a dessert to our house church and I wanted to make something pumpkin-y, but not TOO pumpkin-y, if you know what I mean. Dessert spreads can really be pumpkin overkill this time of year.

The first thing that came to mind was to pumpkin-ize this old recipe for chocolate-covered cheesecake bites. I remember really loving them the first time around and I thought they’d be a great bite-size party treat. I tweaked the recipe a bit and everything turned out perfectly. I love when that happens!

If you are grain-free or gluten-free, you can still make this recipe. Try Carrie’s grain-free graham crackers or Shauna’s gluten-free graham crackers. If you are dairy-free/vegan/paleo, I feel for you, I love you, but this one’s not gonna work for you. BUT, behold these amazing-looking vegan pumpkin cheesecake pops! They look very similar and would totally work for you, yay! Everyone’s tummies are happy.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

Prep time

10 hours

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

11 hours

adapted from Handle the Heat makes about 36 squares

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 36

Ingredients

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (regular, gluten-free or grain-free as needed)
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
5 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temperature (substitute more cream cheese here if you prefer)
½ cup granulated sugar (I used coconut sugar, you could use date sugar as well)
½ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
½ cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
16 ounces chocolate for melting (refined-sugar free, if necessary)
4 tablespoons coconut oil
more crushed graham crackers, for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 square baking dish with foil and grease with butter or non-stick spray.
To make the crust: Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter in a small dish. Press mixture evenly into your pan and bake 8-12 minutes, or until light golden and fragrant.
Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.
To make the filling: Beat cream cheese, mascarpone (if using) and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Add in yogurt/sour cream, pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat until just combined. Pour mixture over the crust and bake 35-40 minutes or until the cheesecake is slightly puffed and the center is set. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
Refrigerate until chilled (about 2 hours) then place in the freezer, 8 hours or overnight.
To coat: Once the cheesecake is frozen, lift it out of the pan and gently peel away the foil. Using a sharp knife, cut the cheesecake into 36 squares. Place in the freezer until you’re ready to dip them.
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave or double-boiler until smooth. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Dip the squares, one at a time, in the chocolate. Let the excess drip off and place on the prepared sheet. Top with graham cracker crumbs, if using. Then refrigerate or freeze until the chocolate is set.
Trim excess chocolate, if necessary, and serve cold. Store in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container.

Strawberry and Peach Cinnamon Bread (Guest Post)

Natalie — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 05:33:35 +0000

Happy Tuesday! The moving truck is in our driveway today and things are gettin’ real. While I’m busy carrying heavy objects (more likely children than boxes), please enjoy this guest post from Janssen of Everyday Reading. Janssen is a fellow contributor at MPMK and part of a very talented family of bloggers (you can find her sisters here and here). She writes about books, family, recipes, DIY.. she’s a regular renaissance woman. Thanks for visiting, Janssen!

One of my favorite things is a recipe that takes a food on its last leg and turns it into something amazing and delicious.

You know how banana bread rescues bananas from the trash can? This bread does the same for strawberries and peaches. The softer and riper they are, the better.

It’s great for a breakfast or snack, but my favorite is with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. But then, ANYTHING with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream is likely to be my favorite.

Strawberry and Peach Cinnamon Bread

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

Makes 1 loaf or 3 mini-loaves or 1 dozen muffins

Author: Janssen Bradshaw

Recipe type: Bread, Baked Goods

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients

1½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
⅓ cup plain yogurt
⅓ cup oil
1 cup chopped and mashed strawberries and peaches (whatever ratio you have is fine – I usually pulse mine in the blender a couple of times to chop them).

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir until just combined.
Pour into greased pan (fill each pan or muffin tin about ⅔ full).
Bake for 1 hour if doing a full loaf, 40 minutes for mini-loaves, and 30 minutes for muffins (or until a toothpick comes out cleanly).

Slow Cooker (Crockpot) BBQ Ribs

Natalie — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 13:37:00 +0000

Yesterday was an exciting day in the Oven Love house!

I made RIBS. On a MONDAY. With little to no effort.

It was like the Twilight Zone.

Blogger confession: I think I’ve only eaten ribs, like, 2 times in my life before this?

They always seem like they would be tasty.. but when I see people eat ribs, it just looks like more trouble than it’s worth. And a mess. And fatty, low-quality meat. Ugh.

But THESE ribs.. they are something to write about. They came from our grass-fed half-hog, so no worries about low-quality for us. There is usually a little more time between when we eat a meal and when it gets posted, but I had to share these with you ASAP. You need them in your life!

Here’s what to expect: rub the ribs with spices, let cook all day, then reduce your sauce, baste your ribs and broil for less than 10 minutes. Minimal effort for you, big reward for your tummy.

I had to be super careful getting these out of the slow cooker because they were so tender (notice the pile of meat in the background of these pictures- that rack did not make it out without falling apart completely.. YUM). You could probably skip the broiling step if you’re pressed for time, but I wouldn’t if I were you- the natural sugars in the sauce carmelize and make the most amazing crust. You don’t want to miss it.

Needless to say, I am a big fan of this method!

Ribs will probably still be a rarity around here, but the next time I find myself with some.. you better believe they’re headed straight for the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker (Crockpot) BBQ Ribs

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

7 hours

Total time

7 hours 5 mins

with inspiration from My Life As A Mrs, Mmm is for Mommy, Foodie Crush and Spicy Ice Cream

Author: Oven Love

Ingredients

1 full rack or 2 half racks pork ribs, preferably pastured (or whatever fits in your slow cooker!)
1 tablespoon paprika (I used sweet this time, but you can use a combo of sweet and smoked paprika)
1 tablespoon unrefined sugar (like Sucanat)
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon chile powder (I used Ancho chile powder)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon oregano
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used my homemade peach and plum BBQ sauce- I wish I had written down the recipe, it is so good!)

Instructions

Pat your ribs dry with a paper towel. Combine all of the spices (paprika through oregano above) and rub onto the ribs. Place dry ribs (no water needed) in your slow cooker with the meaty side facing the heat.
Cook your ribs on low for 6-7 hours total. About half way through cooking, pour your barbecue sauce over the ribs and continue cooking.
When you’re ready to finish your ribs, preheat your oven’s broiler and place your oven rack about 10 inches below the heating element. Remove the ribs carefully from the slow cooker and place on a baking sheet with aluminum foil and a cooling rack (so any fat will drip off of the ribs and onto the foil). Set aside.
Pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a small pot and bring to a boil. Let the sauce thicken and reduce by about a third- this will take 10-15 minutes. When the sauce has reduced, brush onto the ribs and broil for 3-4 minutes. Baste with sauce and broil another 3-4 minutes. Remove and serve at this point, or continue to baste and broil until you reach your desired carmelization. Serve with any extra sauce.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Natalie — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 18:12:00 +0000

I love posts that have the labels “chocolate” and “vegetables” together. Sometimes it seems my main goal in life is figuring out how to fit chocolate into every meal.

Still working on it.

Chocolate-covered broccoli probably wouldn’t go over well with my crew. Or would it..

Back to reality!

I made this cake last night because

a) we had nothing sweet in the house to consume (????)

b) we have a fridge bursting with garden produce

c) I need chocolate to survive.

I really want to say this cake is healthy, but it would be more accurate to say it is healthier than most cakes. It has lots of ingredients I deem healthy (zucchini, olive oil, greek yogurt, whole wheat flour), but also a few of the usual suspects like sugar and chocolate chips and butter (which I actually think is not so bad if you get it from a good source- we need good fats, people!). If you are feeling like a super-healthy person, I’m sure you could sub out the sugar for another sweetener and switch out anything else you don’t like, but it will probably taste less like cake and more like a chocolate-flavored brick. But, by all means- eat, drink and make chocolate bricks if that’s your thing.

I’m going to be real and tell you the reason I didn’t photograph the full cake is because I cut two giant slices for the hubs and I to eat not more than 10 minutes after it was out of the oven. Hot chocolate cake with smooth chocolate ganache running down the sides is like a big chocolate party in your mouth. For research purposes only (ahem), I tried it at room temperature today- it was still tasty, but I could tell it was losing a little moisture (due to all that healthiness inside). This can surely be remedied with another batch of ganache. Or some ice cream. Or a giant glass of cold, cold milk.

Raise a glass of raw milk and get your forks. Here’s to your health!

(Recipe adapted from Buttered Up.)

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup olive oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
½ cup yogurt (I use greek)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1¼ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)
2 cups shredded zucchini
½ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cake pan (I used a 10-inch round springform pan because there’s a lot of batter) with butter and flour or baking spray.
Cream the butter, oil, sugars, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and salt together until well-combined. Beat the eggs in one at a time. Add half of the flour, stir; add the yogurt, stir; and add the rest of the flour, cocoa powder and espresso powder (if using) and stir again. Add the zucchini and chocolate chips and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Meanwhile, place the chocolate into a small bowl. Heat the heavy cream, sugar and water until warm (not boiling) and pour it over the chocolate. Stir to combine. Let sit until thickened.
When you’re ready to serve, you can pour the chocolate sauce over the whole cake or on individual sliced. You can serve hot or at room temperature, but it is best enjoyed in the first day or two of baking.

Amy’s Blue Cheese Mushroom Burgers

Natalie — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Hi, lovies! Today you get to meet Miss Amy from Sing For Your Supper AND you get to look at this amazing burger. How lucky are you?

Howdy y’all!

It’s Amy of Sing For Your Supper and I’m super excited to be guest posting on Oven Love today! I’m an opera singing cheese addict from Dallas who loves to spend as much time in my kitchen as possible!

As a first time mom to my 4 1/2 month old daughter, Cassidy, I’m always up for any meal that’s easy enough for my hubby to make. These burgers are not only totally delicious (caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms and blue cheese are some of my very favorite flavors!), but I hardly had to lift a finger! Throw some onions in a pan and let ’em do their thing, sautee some mushrooms, grill up some juicy patties, and voila! Easy, insanely delicious burgers! Don’t forget the cold beer!

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Ingredients

4 beef patties, ¼-1/3 pound each
4 hamburger buns
1 large yellow onion, very thinly sliced
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
2 ounces blue cheese
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
olive oil
¼ teaspoon sugar
a splash red wine
Dijon mustard

Instructions

Preheat the grill to high heat. Grill the patties to desired doneness (about 5 minutes on each side).
Add a little olive oil to a skillet over medium-low heat, cook the onions for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ¼ teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent and caramelized. Set aside.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, and pepper until mushrooms are softened.
To assemble: Spread the burger buns with the Dijon mustard. Place the patties on the buns and top with onions, mushrooms and a generous sprinkling of blue cheese.

Cookie Butter Parfaits with COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Natalie — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:52:00 +0000

Ahh, summer. Time to turn off the ovens, get away from the heat and enjoy the quick and easy recipes that don’t take much time to prepare. There’s nothing worse that being stuck in a steamy kitchen all day (unless it’s this Steamy Kitchen– i’m sure that would be a blast). There’s enough heat going on outside right now, am I right?

We open our home to friends and visitors a lot during the week, and most of the time, it’s on short notice. I love having treats to share with our guests, but I don’t always have the time for complicated desserts. This recipe has just a few ingredients and can be whipped up (literally) in a very short time.

I don’t know if you’ve heard about the cookie butter/Biscoff/speculoos craze, but I finally got around to trying it and decided to combine it with some COOL WHIP Whipped Topping and a few other ingredients to make these little mousse parfaits. If you’re not into the cookie butter thing, you can substitute Nutella, peanut butter or any other nut butter or spread in its place.

The COOL WHIP in the mousse is what makes it light and fluffy. The final parfaits are quite sweet and the cookie flavor is prominent, but I think the COOL WHIP is really what makes it. It’s amazing how one minute you have a grainy spread in your mixer, but the minute you add COOL WHIP, it becomes a smooth and creamy mousse. It’s like magic.

And by the way, COOL WHIP is offering a Fan Dessert of the Month Contest on Facebook. The winner each month will win $500- how cool is that? All you have to do is make a COOL WHIP dessert, take a photo, and upload it on Facebook. Easy peasy.

While you ponder how to win that cool $500, you’re only six ingredients away from a summer dessert that looks lovely without a lot of work (or any extra heat). Sometimes, it’s the simplest desserts that end up being showstoppers.

What you add makes it. #coolwhipmoms

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours 10 mins

Ingredients

16 Speculoos cookies (such as Biscoff*), plus more for serving
3 tablespoons butter, melted or very soft
4 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup Speculoos spread (such as Biscoff or TJ’s Cookie Butter*)
⅓ cup sugar
1 cup COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, plus more for serving

Instructions

In a food processor, pulse cookies into fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse until combined. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until there are no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the spread; mix until combined. Add sugar and beat 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold in the COOL WHIP with a spatula.
Gather your parfait glasses. Line the bottom with the cookie crumb mixture and top with the mousse (feel free to do more than one layer), leaving a small amount for garnish. Let set in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours (this is a just a suggestion, you can eat it right away if you like). When you’re ready to serve, add a dollop of COOL WHIP, sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs and add a cookie to the bowl. Enjoy!

Cream Puff Cupcakes [My 500th Post!]

Natalie — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:29:00 +0000

FIVE HUNDRED posts. Wow.

That is a lot of food, people! I am amazed that the little food blog I started on a whim in September of 2008 has survived (and thrived!) until today.

There’s been a little bit of everything here on Oven Love, hasn’t there? Lots of sweet desserts, tons of breakfast and brunch recipes, a fair amount of Dorie Greenspan recipes (thanks to TWD), some vegetables every once in a while, a rainbow cake, some lessons in freezer cooking, and everything in between. I can’t believe I’ve filled 500 posts with my culinary ramblings.

To celebrate, I thought I’d take you back to my roots with some help from Dorie. I came up with the idea for these cream puff cupcakes after randomly seeing Meg’s post and I knew I could count on Dorie’s recipes to guide me through transforming the classic cream puff into a cupcake.

Please understand that this is not a recipe that you can whip up in a few hours. This one takes time and planning. This one should be reserved for special occasions and special people. This one should be savored and enjoyed until the last bit of ganache is licked off the wrapper.

First, you’ll prepare the cream puffs. Or you’ll skip that part and buy them at the store. Then, you’ll bake the cupcakes, fill them with pastry cream, cover them with gorgeous, dripping ganache and top them with a cream puff. Be sure to sit back and enjoy your beautiful creation before diving mouth-first into this indulgence. You WILL be full after eating this cupcake, but I make no promises about keeping yourself from eating another one.

I have so loved this blog and the joy that comes with sharing my recipes with the world. This 500th post is just a milestone on the way to greater things. There is so much more in store for Oven Love- and you will get to hear all about it soon enough. Thank you for always visiting, putting me in your reader, pinning my posts, sharing Oven Love with friends, and for all of your encouraging and thoughtful comments over the years. I really do cherish this little blog and all the eyes that fall upon it. Here’s to 500 more!

Buckle your seat belts- there are a lot of recipes below.

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

Author: Dorie Greenspan (Baking from My Home to Yours)

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
Bring the cream, sugar and water to a full boil, then pour the liquid over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Working with a whisk or rubber spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles, starting at the center of the bowl and working your way out in increasingly larger concentric circles.
If you are pouring the glaze over a chilled cake or cupcakes that is already frosted, the glaze can be used soon after it is blended. If you are pouring it over a room temperature cake or cupcakes, leave the glaze on the counter until it thickens just enough to pour in a ribbon.

Vanilla Pastry Cream

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

1 hour 10 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

Author: Dorie Greenspan (Around My French Table)

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup cornstarch
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits, at room temperature

Instructions

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.
Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Whisking without stop, drizzle in about ¼ cup of the hot milk- this will temper, or warm, the yolks- then, still whisking, add the remainder of the milk in a steady stream. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (make sure to get into the edges of the pan), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil- still whisking- for 1-2 minutes, then pull the pan from the heat.
Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until the butter is fully incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the custard to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold (at least an hour).

Cream Puff Dough (Pate Choux)

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

45 mins

Author: Dorie Greenspan (Around My French Table)

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

½ cup whole milk
½ cup water
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs at room temperature

Instructions

Bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the boil in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan. When the mixture is boiling rapidly, add the flour all at once, reduce the heat to medium and, without a second’s hesitation, start stirring the mixture like mad with a wooden spoon. The dough will come together very quickly and a slight crust will form on the bottom of the pan, but you have to keep stirring – vigorously – another 2 to 3 minutes to dry the dough. At the end of this time, the dough will be very smooth.
Turn the dough into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or, if you’ve still got some elbow grease left, you can continue by hand. One by one, add the eggs to the dough, beating until each egg is thoroughly incorporated. Don’t be discouraged – as soon as you add the first egg, your lovely dough will separate. Keep working and by the time you add the third egg it will start coming together again. When all the eggs are incorporated, the dough will be thick and shiny and, when you lift some of it up it will fall back into the bowl in a ribbon. The dough will still be warm – it’s supposed to be – and now is the time to use it. ]
Using about 1 tablespoon of dough for each puff, drop the dough from the spoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each mound of dough.
Slide the baking sheets into the oven, bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the sheets from top to bottom and front to back. Continue baking until the puffs are golden and firm, another 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cream puffs to a cooling rack.
When the puffs are cool, use a pastry bag with a small tip to poke a hole into each cream puff and fill them with Vanilla Pastry Cream (see recipe below). Store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat.

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

45 mins

makes 15 cups (enough to frost and fill approximately three 8″round cakes) This is more than enough for the cream puff cupcakes. The buttercream freezes well, so you can make the extra and save it for later.

Author: Sweetapolita

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

16 large egg whites (30g each–total 450g, or 2 cups)
4 cups granulated sugar (800g)
5 cups (2.5 lbs, 10 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened but cool, cut into cubes
30 ml (2 tablespoons) pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt

Instructions

Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk attachment, small bowl, and whisk with paper towel and lemon juice (or vinegar), to remove any trace of grease. Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 140 degrees F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot (you can feel a drop in between your fingers to ensure no granules.).
Take off of stove, and place bowl back on electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, begin to whip until the mixture is thick, glossy, and neutral (you can feel outside of the bowl to test temperature).
Switch over to paddle attachment and, while mixing on low speed continously, add butter one cube at a time until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth).
Add vanilla and salt, mix well. If buttercream is too runny, the butter was possibly too soft–place into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, then beat again. If still too runny, add a few more cubes of butter and keep beating until it reaches Use immediately, or refrigerate/freeze.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

Author: Oven Love, slightly adapted from The Cupcake Project

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

1¾ cups (175 grams) cake flour, not self-rising
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (225 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
⅓ cup (75 grams) full-fat sour cream
¼ cup canola oil or vegetable oil (60 ml)
1 tablespoon pure (not imitation) vanilla extract
⅔ cup (160 ml) whole milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the sugar and mix until well combined.
Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. Because there is so little butter, you’ll end up with a very fine crumb texture.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be liquid. (Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s supposed to be that way.)
Fill cupcake liners just over ½ full.
Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. The cupcakes should appear white with specks of vanilla bean. They should not turn a golden brown. If they are not done, test again in two minutes. If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.
When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don’t own a cooling rack) to cool.

Cream Puff Cupcakes

Disclaimer: this is going to take a while. There are a lot of components. If you plan to make the cream puffs from scratch, I would do those first before you start the cupcakes. You can make the cream puffs ahead and refrigerate or freeze them until you’re ready to use them.

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 16

Ingredients

1 batch Vanilla Cupcakes, baked and cooled
1 cup Vanilla Pastry Cream (in addition to the pastry cream used to fill the cream puffs, if you are making them from scratch)
1 batch Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
2 batches Chocolate Ganache Glaze, cooled slightly (2 batches is an estimate, you made need more/less)
16 Cream Puffs (purchased or made with the Cream Puff Dough and Pastry Cream below)
powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

Use a small, serrated knife to cut a round hole into the top of your cupcake. Remove cake from the hole with a spoon.
Fill the cupcake with pastry cream. You can do this with a spoon or with a pastry bag.
Pipe the buttercream in a circular motion on top of the cupcake, covering the pastry cream filling. Let set in the refrigerator until frosting seems firm.
Remove the cupcakes from the fridge. Using a spoon, drip the ganache on top of the cold buttercream and top with a cream puff. Let cool in the fridge until set. These cupcakes are best enjoyed at room temperature, so if you are storing them in the refrigerator, allow them to come to room temperature before you serve them. Add a dusting of powdered sugar and enjoy.

Stuffed French Toast Cupcakes

Natalie — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:08:00 +0000

Happy Monday morning!

If you were following on Facebook this weekend, you know that I was working on some new cupcake flavors for my 500th post- one based on a dessert and one based on a breakfast treat. This is the breakfast concoction- a berry-stuffed french toast cupcake! Begin drooling now.

It isn’t my 500th post yet (just a few more to go!), but this recipe was just as good as the one I picked to share with you later. If you like sweet breakfasts, this cupcake is right up your alley. Here’s the rundown: it’s a maple cinnamon cake with strawberry cream cheese filling, cream cheese frosting with a berry swirl, topped with a french toast bite and a sliced strawberry. Take a bite into this thing and it’s reminiscent of a big slice of syrup-slathered, stuffed french toast (something like this, perhaps?).

I won’t pretend that these are quick and easy to throw together. There are a quite a few steps involved, but if you want to go the extra mile, they will certainly satisfy. I think they would be just as tasty without the filling and the toppings, so you could make a quicker version using just the cake and frosting recipes.

These cupcakes would be perfect for a brunch table or a replacement for those (boring) doughnuts at your morning workplace celebrations. In case you’re wondering, I think it’s an excellent idea to eat cupcakes before noon. Before 8 AM, even. A perfectly acceptable breakfast, really.

Cupcakes disguised as breakfast. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

Stuffed French Toast Cupcakes
by Oven Love
makes about 16 cupcakes

For the cupcakes (adapted from Cupcake Project):

1 3/4 cups (175 grams) cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (225 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup (75 grams) full-fat sour cream
1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil (60 ml)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
2/3 cup (160 ml) whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Add the sugar and mix until well combined.
Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. Because there is so little butter, you’ll end up with a very fine crumb texture.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, vanilla extract and maple extract until smooth.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be liquid. (Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s supposed to be that way.)
Fill cupcake liners just over 1/2 full.
Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. If they are not done, test again in two minutes. If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.
When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don’t own a cooling rack) to cool.

For the filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
6-8 strawberries, diced
3 tablespoons strawberry or raspberry jam

In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, diced strawberries and jam. To fill the cupcakes, cut a circle in the center of the cupcake to make a hole and remove the excess cake with a spoon. Spoon the filling into the hole.

For the frosting:

12 oz cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons butter, softened
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons strawberry or raspberry jam

In a stand mixer, mix cream cheese until smooth- no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the butter, mixing again until smooth. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until smooth. If the mixture is too soft, add additional powdered sugar or chill in the refrigerator before piping.
To frost the cupcakes using the swirl effect, prepare a pastry bag with a large round tip. Using a spoon, smear a few lines of jam up the sides of the pastry bag. Fill the bag with the cream cheese mixture. Pipe onto the cupcakes in a circular motion.

For the toppings:

1 tablespoon butter
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 thick slices french bread
4 strawberries, sliced

Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Dip the slices of bread into the mixture until soaked through. Add the butter to the pan and fry the slices until golden brown. Let cool, cut into cubes and top each cupcake with a french toast cube and a strawberry slice. (Tip: slice the strawberries first and let them sit out a bit on a paper towel so their juices evaporate and you don’t have a soggy mess on your cupcake.)

Mint Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Natalie — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:40:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday!

I’m here to introduce you to the most popular treat in my freezer- Mint Cookies and Cream Ice Cream. I’ve mentioned my abundance of garden mint before, but things have gotten even wilder! This mint is taking over the garden like a boss! I’ve been thinking about making mint ice cream with it for a few weeks, but a little twist came to me when I discovered Newman-O’s Hint-O-Mint cookies. They’re just like Oreos, but with a creamy mint filling. The perfect add-in for mint ice cream.

Now, this is not your run-of-the-mill mint ice cream. The fresh flavor that comes from steeping the mint is crisp and lingers on the tongue- you won’t find anything like it in the store. The mint ice cream alone would be a great palate cleanser at the end of a meal or between courses, but I prefer it doctored up with the cookies. If you’re a fan of regular Cookies and Cream, you’ll be in love with this brisk, minty edition.

If you don’t have the fresh mint, you can still make the ice cream with some mint extract (not peppermint!) and I’m sure it will be tasty, too. Whatever you do, stock your freezer with cool desserts like this for easy summer entertaining. Or just come share a scoop with me- that giant mint patch guarantees that there will be gallons and gallons in my deep freezer at all times.

Mint Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

adapted from David Lebovitz

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream, divided
pinch of salt
2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
5 large egg yolks
10-15 mint cream-filled chocolate cookies, like Newman-O’s Hint-O-Mint

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream, salt, and mint.
Once the mixture is hot and steaming, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for an hour to infuse the mint flavor.
Remove the mint with a strainer, then press down with a spatula firmly to extract as much mint flavor and color as possible. (You can also use well-washed hands to do it as well, making sure the mixture isn’t too hot to safely handle.) Once the flavor is squeezed out, discard the mint.
Pour the remaining heavy cream into a large bowl and set the strainer over the top.
Rewarm the infused milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, then slowly pour some of the warm mint mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.
Cook the custard, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. If using an instant read thermometer, it should read around 170ºF (77ºC).
Immediately strain the mixture into the cream, then stir the mixture over an ice bath until cool.
Refrigerate the mixture thoroughly, preferably overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
While the mixture is freezing, melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pot of simmering water, or in a microwave oven on low power, stirring until smooth. Place a storage container in the freezer.
When the ice cream in the machine is ready, scribble some of the chocolate into the container, then add a layer of the just-churned ice cream to the container. Scribble melted chocolate over the top of the ice cream, then quickly stir it in, breaking up the chocolate into irregular pieces. Continue layering the ice cream, scribbling more chocolate and stirring as you go.
When finished, cover and freeze until firm.

Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Natalie — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:43:00 +0000

I love playing hostess. One of my favorite things to do is to make a meal and enjoy it with friends and family. Usually, I end up going a little overboard as the host- I start to feel like dinner isn’t enough on its own, and then I start making drinks and desserts and bread. I start looking for quick recipes that I can throw together with pantry items to share with my guests.

These cookies appeared this weekend when we had some guests stop by for dinner. If you keep your pantry stocked with the baking basics- flour, sugar, butter, chocolate, etc- these will come together in a flash. Even faster if your butter is already at room temperature!

When these cookies first came out of the oven, they were crisp; but after a day resting in a container, they got a little softer. I liked them both ways with a big glass of milk. If you want to make sure they are a chewier, bake them for 8-10 minutes instead of 12-14. If you are looking for a really chewy cookie with similar flavors, try these Nutella chocolate chip cookies (they look a lot alike but taste different, trust me).

If you aren’t sold on the cinnamon (they are snickerdoodles, after all), you can roll these in plain sugar. I am a big cinnamon fan, though- I think next time I’ll add cinnamon to the cookie batter as well.

Next time you’re playing hostess on short notice, you can look to this recipe for help. Your guests will thank you!

Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Author: Food and Wine (Grace Parisi)

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a bowl, sift the flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with 1 cup of the sugar until creamy. Add the melted chocolate and the egg and beat until smooth. Beat in the dry ingredients until incorporated.
In a shallow bowl, mix the remaining ½ cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar. Transfer to 3 parchment paper–lined baking sheets and flatten to 2-inch rounds. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and cracked. Transfer to racks and let cool.