Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 stick of butter, softened
1/4 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
1/4 cups chopped nuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
12 oz mini chocolate chips

1. Cream cheese, brown sugar, butter and vanilla together.
2. Stir in chips (reserve some for rolling) and powdered sugar
3. Refrigerate for 2.5 hours
4. Roll into a ball then roll in nuts and chips. Refrigerate for another hour.

Serve with cookies of your choice. My preference is shortbread.

Martha Stewart's Shortbread from Cookies

guest post~ IN Baker

You are My Sunshine!!

How cute are these! I found these while reading one of my favorite blogs Sunday Baker (no longer available) these would brighten any one's day!! Perfect for us, here in England, if you can't get real sunshine, it might as well come in the form of a cupcake!

If you are living in England you may not recognize the sun rays! They are candy corn, mainly sold during Halloween. There are lots of American candy/grocery suppliers here in England. My favorite is The Stateside Candy Co.

note: I'm not being paid to advertise it is based solely on my opinion and experience

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes!

taken from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

guest post from IN Baker!

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups cake flour (not self-raising), sifted

1 tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp ground cinnamon, plus ½ tsp for dusting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

1 ¾ cups sugar, plus 2 tbsp for dusting

4 large eggs, room temp

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups milk

1. Pre-heat oven to 350*F (180*C)
2. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt and 1 tbsp cinnamon
3. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add Eggs one at a time and beat in vanilla
5. Reduce speed and add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with 2 batches of milk, beat until combined after each
6. Fill your lined muffin tins ¾ full, bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester (toothpick) comes out clean about 20 minutes.
7. Transfer tins to wire rack and cool completely before removing cupcakes. They can be stored up to 2 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

Seven-Minute Frosting

1 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp sugar

2/3 cup water

2 tbsp light corn syrup

6 large egg whites, room temp

1. Combine 1 ½ cups sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230*F.
2. Meanwhile whisk egg whites (medium-high speed) until soft peaks form. While whisking, add remaining 2 tbsp of sugar, beating to combine.
3. As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230*F, remove from heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of the bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool, (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately (frosting will harden quickly have your piping bag ready!!)

To finish off your cupcakes combine your remaining ½ tsp cinnamon and 2 tbsp sugar (from cupcake ingredients) Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (Ateco #809 or Wilton #1A), pipe frosting on each cupcake: hold bag over cupcake with tip just above top, and pull up to form a peak. Using a small, fine sieve, dust peaks with cinnamon-sugar. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are frosted; keep at room temp until ready to serve.

soft peaks forming the right way!

finished frosting!

soft peaks not forming

bad frosting *

*When making the seven minute frosting I got a tiny tiny bit of egg yolk in the mix. Not a good thing! The frosting wouldn't form at all.

My kids love Snickerdoodles aka Stinkerdoodles so when I got Martha Stewart's Cupcakes and saw this recipe I just had to make them!! ~IN Baker

looks just like in the book!

shared on Hooiser Homemade (button on side bar)

Peaches and Cream Cupcakes

from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook:

120g plain flour

140g caster sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

40g unsalted butter

120ml full cream milk

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

400g tinned peaches *I used fresh

1. Beat the flour, sugar, baking power and butter until the mixture has a sandy consistency

2. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until it is just incorporated

3. Whisk the egg, vanilla and remaining milk together in a separate bowl then pour it into the flour mixture.
4. Beat until the mixture is sooth

5. Divide the sliced peaches between the patty pans (I like to put enough pieces in so that the bottom is completely lined)

6. Fill the patty pans until two thirds full

7. Bake on 170 degrees celsius for 20 or 25 minutes, until the tops are golden

For Vanilla Frosting:

250g icing sugar

80g unsalted buter

25ml full cream milk

a few drops of vanilla extract

Beat the icing sugar and butter together until the mixture comes together

Mix in the milk and vanilla extract

Turn your mixer up to high speed and beat for about 5 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy

Then ice 'em

*I used fresh peaches because I thought they would be better, but I won't know until I make them again with canned peaches. Peach season is August so get baking!!

Oreo Truffles

guest post: Berkshire Baker!

2 pkg of oreos

200g cream cheese (Philadelphia)

200g milk chocolate or whatever suits you like white chocolate or even dark!

Makes about 12

Put Oreos in a food blender and make into crumbs, you have to lift and shake the blender otherwise it doesn't really work. I like to leave mine with some chunks but completely up to you!

Then in a bowl mix crumbs with cream cheese using your hands. Put in the fridge to set about 15 minutes. Then roll into balls about 1-1 1/2 inches and place in cake cases.

Finish off by melting the 200g of chocolate and spooning over each one. Return to fridge until ready to eat.

You could add more cream cheese to make it creamier, but would be a bit runny, more like frosting but would still taste great!! I want to try this using Double Stuffed Oreos!!

~ Berkshire Baker

First seen on Bakerella!!

Lemon Drop Cupcakes

taken from Better Homes and Gardens

3/4 cups butter

3 eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup limoncello (Italian lemon liqeur) or milk
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp finely shredded lemon peel
1 recipe lemon frosting
1/2 cup lemon drop candies, finely crushed
1 recipe glazed lemon slices

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg.  Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temp for 30 min.  In a medium bowl, stir together baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup combine the 2/3 C milk and the limoncello and set aside.
2. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on med. to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and lemon peel; beat until combined. Add eggs, one and a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. 3.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups (about 20) filling each about 3/4 full.  Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups.  Bake for 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.  Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 min, remove to wire racks, cool completely. 
4.  Up to 1 hour before serving, generously spread or pipe lemon frosting onto cupcakes.  Sprinkle crushed candies over frosted cupcakes.  Top cupcakes with glazed lemon slices.

LEMON FROSTING
Allow 1/3 C butter sto stand at room temp. for 30 min.  In a large mixing bowl beat butter, 1/3 C shortening, and 1 tsp vanilla with an electric mixer on med. speed for 30 sec.  Slowly add 2 C powdered sugar, beating well.  Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice.  Gradually beat in 2 C additional powdered sugar.  beat in 1 - 2 Tbsp milk, 1 tsp at a time., until frosting is spreading consistency.  Makes about 2 1/3 C frosting.

GLAZED LEMON SLICES
Slice two small lemons into 1/4 in - thick slices.  Remove seeds.  Roll slices in sugar to coat well.  Coat an unheated large skillet with nonstick cooking spray.  Preheat skillet over med-high heat.  Arrange slices in a single layer in the skillet. Cook for 6-8 min or until sugar dissolves and lemon slices appear to be glazed (do not let them brown), turning once. Transfer to a piece of foil; cool completely.  Roll cooled lemon slices in sugar again before serving.  These slices are edible, if desired.

lemon peel

lemoncello

guest post: IN Baker

Keep Calm and Bake On

I want one of these!!

 For more necklaces like this check out Pretty Whimsical Esty site!!

Pretty Whimsical's Scrabble tile pendants are affordable and trendy. Scrabble tile pendants make fun gifts for teens, friends, moms, teachers and coworkers. These unique necklaces would make lovely party favors or bridesmaids gifts. Scrabble tile pendants can be made into cuff links, rings, pins or key chain fobs, upon request. taken from the pretty whimsical esty page

 

Keep Calm and Carry On was a poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of World War II, intended to raise the morale of the British public in the event of invasion. Seeing only limited distribution, it was little known. The poster was rediscovered in 2000 and has been re-issued by a number of private sector companies, and used as the decorative theme for a range of other products. There are only two known surviving examples of the poster outside of government archives. Taken from Wikipedia