Easter Surprise Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 24 small chocolate eggs, unwrapped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream together the margarine, brown sugar and white sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated.
3. Fill each muffin cup 1/3 full, and place a chocolate egg in the center of each. Top with remaining batter until cups are 2/3 full.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown, and tops spring back when lightly tapped.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/

American Flag Cake

Ingredients

• 3 (10.25 ounce) packages white cake mix
• 9 egg whites
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 3/4 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons clear vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 tablespoon blue food coloring
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 10 cups fluffy white frosting
• 1 tablespoon white chocolate chips, or as needed
• 2 tablespoons white sugar, or as needed
• 1 4-inch round paper or cardboard stencil 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and line 4 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
2. Combine white cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds using an electric mixer on low speed. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 more minutes. The batter will still be slightly lumpy.
3. To make the red cakes, measure half the batter into a separate bowl and whisk in red food coloring. Evenly transfer the red batter into 2 of the 8-inch prepared cake pans; smooth tops of batter with a spatula. Transfer half of the remaining uncolored batter into a 3rd prepared cake pan; smooth top as before. This will be the white cake portion.
4. Add blue food coloring to the remaining uncolored batter in the large mixing bowl; fold 1 cup white chocolate chips into blue batter until combined. Transfer batter to remaining prepared 8-inch cake pan; smooth top of batter with a spatula.
5. Bake all 4 cakes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove the cakes from oven and place onto cooling racks until cooled completely.
6. Run a knife around edge of each cooled cake. Invert cakes, remove pans, and peel off parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to trim tops of cakes flat and even.
7. Cut both of the red cake layers and the white cake layer in half horizontally. You will have 4 thin red cake layers and 2 thin white cake layers.
8. Place a 4-inch round stencil on top of 1 thin red cake layer; cut out a 4-inch red cake round. Repeat, placing stencil on 1 thin white cake layer to make 1 4-inch white cake round. Center the 4-inch round stencil on the blue cake; cut out and remove center portion covered by the stencil to make a blue cake ring.
9. To assemble the cake, you will need 2 thin 8-inch red cake layers, 1 thin 8-inch white cake layer, 1 4-inch thin red cake circle, 1 4-inch thin white cake circle, and 1 blue 8-inch cake ring. Reserve the leftover thin red cake layer and other cake pieces for making crumbs for decorating.
10. To assemble cake, place 1 8-inch thin red cake layer on a cake pan and frost the top generously with white frosting. Place the thin 8-inch white cake layer on top of the red one, and frost the top. Place remaining 8-inch thin red cake layer atop the white one. Frost the red layer.
11. Place the blue ring cake on top of the 2nd red cake layer and carefully frost the inside of the blue cake ring. Gently fit the 4-inch white cake layer into the blue cake ring. Frost the top of the 4-inch white center. Place the 4-inch red cake layer on top of the white one. Gently press small cake circles flush with the top of the blue ring.
12. Frost the entire outside of the cake generously with the remaining frosting.
13. Crumble red and blue pieces of leftover cake into 2 separate bowls. Score lines into the top of the cake's frosting with a kitchen knife to make a flag design on top of the cake. It should have a 2-inch square at the upper left for blue field and white stars, and 7 thick horizontal stripes about 1 inch wide.
14. Fill the square field at the upper left with blue crumbs and press 1 tablespoon white chocolate chips upside-down into the blue crumbs to make 'stars.' Fill the bottom stripe and every other stripe with red crumbs to make red stripes. Sprinkle white sugar generously into the white stripes to make them stand out.
15. To serve, cut cake into wedges. The inside of the cake will reveal its layers of red and white stripes and blue field with white chocolate chip stars in every slice.

 Source: http://allrecipes.com

 

Snickerdoodle Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening (we use Butter Flavor Crisco)
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 2 2/3 cups Flour
• 1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• Cinnamon & Sugar Topping
• 1 TBSP Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Add butter, shortening and sugar in a mixer on beat together on medium speed until the mixture is fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredients one at a time while continuing to mix together.
5. Turn off mixer and set aside.
6. Make the Cinnamon and Sugar Topping in a small bowl.
7. Roll the cookie dough into small 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch balls.
8. Roll each cookie ball in the Cinnamon and Sugar mix.
9. Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet.
10. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
11. Should be a nice golden brown color that is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

Source: The Idea Room

No-Bake Truffles

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 melted butter
• 2 cups chocolate chips for the coating

Directions:

1. Mix the coconut, sugar, condensed milk, and melted butter in a bowl.
2. With clean hands, form the coconut mixture into bite-sized balls.
3. Place on a lined baking sheet and freeze for about two hours or until completely hard.
4. In a double-boiler, melt your chocolate chips.
5. Take your coconut balls from the freezer and dip into the chocolate.
6. Place back in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until the chocolate hardens.
7. To be extra fancy, you can drizzle more melted chocolate over the cold truffles.

By Giovanna Boldrini

No Bake Cheesecake Cookie Tree

INGREDIENTS:

• Biscoff Cookies (Speculoos Cookies)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 envelopes gelatin
• 5 tablespoons water
• 8 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional: Holiday candies

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare Speculoos dough and place in refrigerator.
2. Lightly oil 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan. Press plastic food wrap onto bottom and sides of pan and set aside.
3. In a cold bowl whisk heavy cream to soft, mousse-like consistency. It is very important not to whip until it forms a peak. Set aside in refrigerator.
4. In a small bowl combine gelatin with 5 tablespoons water and set aside.
5. Select a saucepan and bowl which fit well together and where bowl does not hang over saucepan. Fill  saucepan with one inch of water and bring to boil, turn to a low simmer.  In a bowl whisk together egg yolks and water. Add sugar and whisk well. Place the bowl over simmering water and whisk constantly until yolk mixture reaches 165°F. Remove from heat as at this temperature egg yolks are safe to eat.
6. Add gelatin mixture and whisk until dissolved.
7. Add cream cheese and vanilla extract and whisk smooth and until all lumps are gone.
8. Add soft whipped heavy cream and gently fold into above using a spatula.
9. Pour mixture into prepared pan and place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
10. Meanwhile roll Speculoos cookie dough as described in recipe. Cut star shapes and bake as described. Allow to cool.
11. Using the same star cookie cutters, cut cheesecake to obtain as many stars as possible.
12. Place cheesecake onto prebaked star cookies and stack into a tree form.
13. Decorate with candies and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

DIXIE CRYSTALS INSIGHT

NOTE: To create the tree, choose star-shaped cookie cutters that scale down in size. We used 6 different sized cookie cutters. You can stack as many as 8 or as few as 4, depending on the size of cutter.

This recipe also works well with round, flower or hexagon shaped cookie cutters. 

Caramel Apple Crisp Cheesecake Bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes


Yield: 20-24


Ingredients
Graham/Oats Crust:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for greasing the plate
Cheesecake Layer :
2 8oz package softened cream cheese
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp ginger
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Apple Crisp Topping:
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 medium to large apple, peeled and thinly sliced
Caramel Topping

Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Prepare one 9x13-inch glass pan by greasing thoroughly with butter or baking spray,
or light-colored metal baking pan with foil,
(be sure to cover the sides, you are going to use this to lift the bars).
In a mixing bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, rolled oats, melted butter and brown sugar together.
Press inside the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.
Meanwhile in the bowl of your electric mixer blend together cream cheese, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cornstarch and vanilla.
Once well combined, pour on top of your graham cracker/oat crust.
To start your apple layer, arrange the thinly sliced apple on top of the cream cheese mixture in a single layer.
Top with the Apple Crisp Topping. Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes.
Once it's done cooking, cool for 15 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.
Cut into squares. Serve with caramel drizzled over the top of cheesecake bars.
Source: Sugar Apron

Blueberry Almond Crisp

INGREDIENTS




3 1/2-pint baskets fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Rinse blueberries. Drain, allowing some water to cling to berries.
Place berries in 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar and cinnamon; stir to blend. Let stand until sugar dissolves and coats berries.
Stir oats, flour, salt, and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar to blend in medium bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips or fork until moist clumps form.
Stir in almonds. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over blueberries.
Bake crisp until berries are bubbling and topping is golden, about 35 minutes.
Serve warm, each serving topped with a spoonful of whippedcream or ice cream (optional)


Source: Les Repas de Mon Enfance Growing Up Franco American

Lumps of Coal