Cherry Cream Cheese Hand Pies

Mmmmm. Pie. 

Not just any pie, tiny cherry pies. Small the pie, smaller the calorie count. This means you can eat as many as you want. 

No, not really. I practice and promote portion control. You would never know it, huh? 

These pies are extremely quick to whip up. If you don't want to make your own cherry pie filling, use store bought. I promise, no one will judge. Especially when I you eat it from the can.

Lemonade Cake

I can't tell you the last time I bought a drink mix at the grocery store. Concentrated, powder, or bottled drinks haven't been on my grocery list for YEARS. Not kidding, my son won't drink juice because I just don't buy it and I gave up soda 6 years ago.

 Well....guess what was in my buggy last weekend? Frozen lemonade.

This cake is very light and has a nice thin layer of frosting. I'm not a 5 mile thick icing kinda gal. My teeth hurt just thinking about it. (Ahem, Wal-Mart cake.)

This is a perfect cake for a backyard barbecue or pool party. Fresh and lemony with just the right amount of tartness and sweetness. Enjoy!

Blueberry Coconut Cake

It's a sad day. This my last lemon blueberry recipe...for a while. My favorite thing about this cake is the large amount of berries. It makes for a dense cake that was great chilled. I'm not a huge frosting fan, so this tart lemon glaze was PERFECT atop the toasted coconut. Yum. 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes

Yeah.

I went there.

 I'll be honest and tell you that this really isn't my kind of recipe. I typically like to play it pretty safe.

Silly, silly me.

This recipe is adapted from here. I'm not a huge buttercream icing fan, so I threw in a block of cream cheese. Why not? Cream cheese makes everything better. It also mellowed out the immediate taste of SUGAR.SUGAR.SUGAR when I took a bite.

Don't worry, these are totally healthy. I used the knock off Cinnamon Toast Crunch you get at Whole Foods! :) Kidding. I heard someone was concerned about my typical low fat choices. I totally made up for them with these.

Excuse me while I dig my way out of frosting.

S'mores Pie

Oh my. 

Growing up, I wasn't much of a sweets fan. I know, I was weird. Then one day, I was pregnant! Everything I thought I knew about myself was thrown out the window, including my palate. I could dominate anything with sugar and butter, especially those last few months. I think I was only eating out of depression. It was hot, I was a whale, and had someone else's toes in my ribs. It was glorious. I still have no idea how I managed to only gain 19 pounds. That was almost 2 years ago (wow) and my sweet tooth has diminished slightly. Yes, slightly. This is bad news for me, but good news for everyone else. I make and pass out treats like I'm your grandma. I'm a great person to know.

Now, onto the pie. Graham cracker + rich, rich, rich chocolate + marshmallow = total win. This is a pretty simple pie to make and assemble. It also makes for a beautiful presentation and great summer backyard BBQ dessert. Enjoy!

Angel Food Cupcakes

Let's make cupcakes! Ok! Lent really put a dent (I'm a poet and wasn't aware of it) in my creation of delicious sweets. Angel Food Cake is by far on of my favorite cakes, but I always seem to forget about it. Usually around this time of year, it starts showing up around the grocery store bakery and I say (out loud, to no one), "Oh yeah!! Angel Food Cake!!!"

This was my first time making a homemade Angel Food Cake mix. With the lack of butter or oil, I convinced myself that Tony Horton would be ok with me having three one. So I did. Yum. I'm not a big frosting gal, unless its contains 6 blocks of cream cheese, so I topped these with fresh whipped cream (1 pint heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in the mixer until "whipped") and fresh berries. This combination just screams Summer, and seeing as it was 92 degrees here yesterday, go ahead and whip up a batch. 

Please visit my link parties page to see who I linked up with this week! 

Fresh Orange and Vanilla Cake

This weekend we celebrated my Granddad's 83rd birthday! The (delicious) dinner theme was Mexican! I think I ate my weight in guacamole. No kidding. I made refried beans from scratch and this cake! I'm a BIG fan of cream cheese anything, but turn it into a frosting...yes, I'm in. I am not, however a fan of super sweet frostings. This, to me is THE perfect frosting. Not too sweet, with a good amount of tang from the cream cheese. This is a 3 layered cake with just a hint of orange mixed with a deliciously moist vanilla cake. 

In the words of my aunt Vicki, "This is the best cake I have ever eaten in my life."

Enough said.

Happy Birthday, Granddad. 

Please visit my link parties page to see who I linked up with this week!

Apple Pie with Cinnamon Roll Crust

If you saw this tweet: 

Then you knew this was coming. 

The title is intriguing...and so is the crust. I found the original idea for the crust here. She did a sweet potato pie, but hey, who doesn't love a good fruit pie? This is really just a classic apple pie with a fun crust. Super easy, and slightly fun. I used two Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, but you could totally one up me and make your own. Just make enough for a top and bottom crust! 

Apple Pie with Cinnamon Roll Crust


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Ingredients


1 package refrigerated pie crusts
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 cups thinly sliced peeled apples
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Handful of dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out one pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Brush with butter and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon. 

Roll up tightly and slice into 1/2-inch rounds, like miniature cinnamon rolls.

Press miniature cinnamon rolls, flat side down, evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate, making sure there are no spaces between the rolls. Set aside.

In large bowl, mix sugar, 1/4 cup flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg and cranberries. Stir in apples until well mixed. Spoon into pie plate. 

Roll other round of pastry into 10-inch round. Fold into fourths and cut slits so steam can escape. Unfold top pastry over filling; trim overhanging edge 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute as desired. Brush with milk, and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake 40 minutes, then remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. 

Let cool 20-30 minutes before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. 

                     Please visit my link parties page to see who I linked up with this week!

Mini Thin Mint Cheesecakes

Oh my. What have I done? I love a good girl scout cookie. I also love some cheesecake. With the help of a good friend, I decided to combine the two. 

What came out is ridiculous. The fresh mint flavor in both the baking chips and cookie crust make these very light (tasting, not in calories) and almost palate cleansing. And besides, who don't love a mini version of anything edible? 

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Mini Thin Mint Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

1 box Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips
Whipped Cream for garnishing

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Place one thin mint in the bottom of each liner.

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together in large bowl until smooth.   With the mixer on medium, add eggs, one at a time until all is combined.  Mix in vanilla and beat for another minute.  Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold in baking chips until well combined. 

Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into each of the prepared muffin cups.   Bake for 25-28 minutes or until set.   Remove and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.  Refrigerate for several hours until thoroughly chilled.

Serve topped with a dollop of whipped cream and reserved cookie crumbs.

Makes 18 mini-cheesecakes.

Please visit my link parties page to see who I linked up with this week!

Made From Scratch Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberry cake is probably my favorite cake. Strawberry cake that doesn't come from a box IS my favorite cake. This recipe is a bit time consuming, but the product is well worth it. The additional of real strawberries and whipped egg whites makes this cake batter flavorful and light. Topped with cream cheese butter cream icing, you will be in love this Valentine's Day. (Who's gonna be the first to make fun of me for that??)

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Strawberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Butter Cream Icing
originally from Apron of Grace

Ingredients

Strawberry Cake
• 1 cup Butter
• 2 & 1/2 cups Sugar
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 5 Egg Whites
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon Red Food Coloring
• 1 & 1/4 cups Pureed Strawberries
• 3 cups Cake Flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• pinch Salt
• 1 cup Buttermilk

Cream Cheese Butter Cream Icing
• 2 - 8oz Cream Cheese, room temp
• 1 cup Butter, room temp
• 1/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon Red Food Coloring
• 1 lb. Powdered Sugar

Directions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, beat butter with sugar for 3 minutes.Add egg yolks one at a time, then the vanilla, food coloring and strawberries, beat for another 3 minutes. 

Sift dry ingredients and add to butter/egg mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just till combined. 

In another bowl and clean beaters, beat egg whites till stiff and add in an increment of 3 to cake batter, being sure to fold in thoroughly but gently. Bake for 18 -20 minutes 

Icing


In a medium bowl, add cream cheese and butter, whip till light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add liquids and blend. Slowly add powdered sugar while mixing, until medium stiff consistency forms. Whip for several minutes.

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