Friday, 29 November 2013

Churro Cheesecake

Cinnamon and sugar, flaky pastry, creamy cheesecake.. now that I have your attention. Image all that yumminess in one dessert well I found it and its easy and so good. It`s great the first day but my dad said it was even better after a couple days in the fridge.


Ingredients
2 cans (8 oz. each) Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese..softened
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup Sugar..divided
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
13×9″ baking pan
Directions:
  1. Unroll one of the cans of the Crescent dough and press it onto the bottom of a greased 13×9″ baking pan, to form a bottom crust.  Firmly press the seams together to seal.
  2. With a hand mixture, beat the Cream Cheese, Vanilla, Egg and 1/2 cup of the Sugar on medium speed until well blended…
  3. Spread it evenly onto the crust.
  4. Unroll the remaining can of Crescent dough onto a large sheet of wax paper.  Pat out the dough to form a 13×9″ rectangle, pressing the seams together to seal.
  5. Invert over the Cream Cheese mixture to form a top crust.
  6. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown.
  7. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup Sugar and Cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle it all over the top…
Share and enjoy!


Friday, 15 November 2013

Raspberry Parfaits

These parfaits are super easy but oh so delicious they are perfect for breakfast or brunch, maybe even throw together for a yummy and quick anytime snack.



Ingredients 

raspberries (set aside 4 raspberries for a topping)
vanilla ice cream
ice cubes
vanilla yogurt or raspberry yogurt
granola of your choice


Directions

  1. In a blender combine the raspberries, ice cream, and ice.

    2.  In parfaits cups layer the ingredients in this order : raspberry mixture, yogurt , granola             and top with a raspberry.

    3.  Serve or refrigerate for later 




Share and enjoy:)


Saturday, 9 November 2013

Apple pie cups

It was my uncles birthday and he LOVES apple pie. However, oven was still broken so I thought to try and find a spin on apple pie that didn't need an oven. This recipe did the trick! Apple pie inside fresh apples, some of our guests ate the entire apple and others just ate the inside,  but all and all it was a hit for all.

Ingredients
4 large apples
graham crackers
2 tbl brown sugar
1/2 tbl cinnamon
vanilla ice cream
caramel (optional)
Directions:
1. Cut about an 1.5 inches off the top of your apple and use a melon baller to gut your apple.  I tried to get as much out as I can but make sure that you don’t get to close to the skin otherwise you will pierce through it.
2. Chop up all of the apple guts and place them in a sauce pan over low-med. heat. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and let it simmer for about 6 minutes or until they are soft.
3. Don’t worry that your apple cups are browning because they will get filled.  Crush your graham crackers but not too small.
4. Layer inside apple cups in this order: caramel, graham crackers, apple filling, ice cream.
5. Top with caramel and graham cracker crumbs.
Share and enjoy:)

Friday, 1 November 2013

Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge

The oven-less treats continue, I forgot how many recipes I had tucked away that don't need an oven. For younger bakers, recipes like this are a great way to start making treats for you family without oven safety issues.

Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 fluid ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Line a baking pan with foil, gently pressing the foil into the corners and letting the foil hang over the sides. Set aside 1/2 cup of mini marshmallows. 
  2. Put the chocolate chips and condensed milk in the bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir with rubber spatula. If the chips aren't melted, return to the microwave 1 or 2 times for 30 seconds each, stirring after each time, just until the chocolate is melted. Don't let the chocolate get too hot
  3. Using the rubber spatula, gently stir the vanilla extract, and the 3 cups of the marshmallows into the chocolate mixture.
  4. Using the spatula, scrape the chocolate mixture into the prepared baking pan. Spread it out evenly and smooth the top.
  5. Sprinkle the fudge with the reserved marshmallows and gently press them into the surface. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
  6. Lift the foil to remove the fudge from the pan and peel away the foil. Cut the fudge into 16-25 pieces depending on how big you want each serving.

Share and enjoy :)

Sunday, 27 October 2013

Witches Fingers

Halloween is just around the corner and why not do some festive baking. I have been making this recipe since i was a little kid  and its awesome, quick and easy.

Yield:about 28-30 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of mike and ike candies
1 tube of green or red decorating gel


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla; beat in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Working with one quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remaining dough refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoonful of dough into finger shape for each cookie.
Press candies firmly into one of the ends for nail and remove to make a nail bed indent. Squeeze in center to create knuckle shape; using paring knife, make slashes in several places to form knuckle.
Place on lightly greased baking sheets; bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until pale golden. Let cool for 3 minutes.  squeeze decorator gel onto nail bed and press the candies into place, so gel oozes out from underneath. Remove from baking sheets; let cool on racks. Repeat with remaining dough.
Share and Enjoy :) 

Thursday, 24 October 2013

Chocolate Chip Rice Krispies Treats

This recipe is one that you could never go wrong with and it's perfect for  any occasion. Everyone loves rice krispies squares, but they are even better with a little chocolate.



Ingredients
3 tablespoons of butter
10 oz regular marshmallows
6 cups rice krispies
1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
  2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.
  3. Add the chocolate chips, making sure they are proportioned evenly.
  4. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into a 13x9 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2 inch squares.Best if served the same day.
Share and enjoy :)


Sunday, 20 October 2013

Black Forest Cheese Cake

Well the oven is still not working, so I am continuing with my no bake series of recipes. I'm not a huge cheesecake fan, BUT I think this recipe may prove me wrong. It's not too sweet, it's creamy and delicious and to top it off it was super easy!    


Ingredients 

1  cup finely ground chocolate charaham crackers
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons of butter 
3 tablespoons white sugar
8 ounces cream chesse
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
 cherry pie filling

Directions

  1. In a bowl, mix together crushed pecans and graham crackers with melted butter and the 3 tablespoons sugar.
  2. Press into a 7 inch springform pan (I used a 9 inch and increased my crackers bu 1/4 cup ). Place in refrigerator until ready for use.
  3. In another bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar and lemon juice.
  4. Whip cream, and fold into cream cheese mixture.
  5. Spread the cream mixture into pan.
  6. Freeze for 1 hour, covered with foil.
  7. Place in refrigerator 30 minutes before serving and topping with the cherry filling.



















Share and enjoy :)



Thursday, 17 October 2013

Chocolate Oreo Tart

So I had a bit of a baking obstacle this past week. Baking with no oven?? Our oven broke down and it's going to be a couple weeks before it's working again. What's a baker to do? Well find no bake recipes of course and this recipe is fantastic! I made some for thanksgiving weekend and all my friends and family loved them. It's even better after a few days in the fridge.

Yield: 12

Ingredients

    Oreo crust:
    300 g (10 oz) Oreo cookies
    1/2 cup butter

    Chocolate Cream filling:
    4/5 cup heavy cream
    7 oz dark chocolate
    1/4 cup butter

    To decorate:
    about 4 or 5 chopped Oreo cookies
    chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. To make the crust, using a food processor, blend Oreo cookies until the texture of coarse meal or crumbs. Add the melted butter and blend until well combine. Line the bottom and two side of your pan with parchment paper. Place the mixture into a 4×14 fluted rectangular tart pan (I used a 9 x 9 stone pan and it stilled turned out great! I think you could really used any type of pan you like for this recipe.) and press onto the bottom and up the sides evenly. Freeze the crust while preparing the chocolate filling
  2. In a medium saucepan, bring cream to the boil. Remove from heat, add chopped chocolate and butter, and let rest for 5 minutes. Then stir until dissolved. Pour chocolate filling over Oreo crust, and decorate with some chopped or whole Oreo cookies and chocolate chips
  3. Chill for 2 hours at least, preferably overnight. Pull out of the pan, cut into squares and serve.
Share and enjoy :)

Monday, 14 October 2013

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies


These blondies taste even better the day after they're baked!




YIELD: 24 blondies
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang.
In a large bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.
In another medium bowl whisk together the butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and pumpkin.
Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Share and enjoy:)

Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire pudding is a family favorite and a must have as part of our roast beef dinners. If want to completely top off this recipe add some gravy drizzled over the top of the Yorkshires.

Ingredients:
 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup water
  • melted butter or oil
Directions:
In a blender mix flour, salt, milk, eggs and water. Blend well and leave at room temperature for 1 hour. Every time you walk by give it a whirl. When roast is done, remove from oven and cover with foil to keep warm. Preheat oven to 400 F . Pour 1 tbsp. beef drippings, melted butter or oil into 8 medium muffin tins. Place in oven until bubbling hot. Remove from oven and pour batter into hot butter. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes and then at 350 F for 10 minutes longer. Yorkshire pudding will puff up and be hollow inside.

Share and enjoy :)

Sunday, 6 October 2013

Caramel-Glazed Apple Bread

Fall is the time for apple harvest so what better time to bake an Apple Caramel Loaf then in October. This recipe works great for that last minute treat to whip up when someone is dropping by for an afternoon visit. The ingredients are almost always available in my kitchen so it become a regular go to for me.

Ingredients 
Bread:
1 1/2 cups shredded peeled baking apples (2 large)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk (or sour milk 1/2 cup milk and 1 tsp lemon juice)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups AP flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 (8×4-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray or shortening.
In large bowl, stir together apples, 1 cup brown sugar, the buttermilk, oil and eggs. Stir in remaining bread ingredients just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into pans.
Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If you are using a stone pan i recommend adding 15 minutes on to the bake time.Cool 10 minutes on cooling rack. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top sides up on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
In 1-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling; remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes.
Gradually stir powdered sugar into glaze mixture. Place saucepan of glaze in bowl of cold water. Beat with spoon until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. If glaze becomes too stiff, stir in additional milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, or heat over low heat, stirring constantly. Drizzle glaze over loaves. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Share and enjoy :)

Friday, 4 October 2013

Lemon Blueberry Pull Apart Bread

Pull apart breads seem to be really popular lately, so I thought why not make one for the blog. I made this one last night when had some family over and everyone really enjoyed it. Goes great with a cup of tea or hot chocolate.



 Ingredients
Sweet Yeast Dough
About 2 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (2 1/2 fluid ounces) whole milk
2 ounces unsalted butter
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten

Blueberry Lemon Sugar Filling
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fresh blueberries

Tangy Cream Cheese Icing
3 ounces cream cheese, softened( I recommend buying the "whipped" cream cheese) 
1/3 cup (1 1/4 ounces) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Make the Sweet Yeast Dough

Mix two cups (nine ounces) flour, the sugar, yeast, and salt in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan or in the microwave, combine the milk and the butter and heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat, add the water, and let rest a minute until just warm (120 to 130°F [49 to 54°C]). Stir in the vanilla extract and add beaten eggs. Pour the milk-egg mixture over the flour-yeast mixture and, using a rubber spatula, mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Attach the bowl to the mixer, and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed add 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) of the remaining flour, and resume mixing on low speed until the dough is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add 2 more tablespoons flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly sticky, about 45 seconds.


Lightly flour a work surface and knead the dough gently until smooth and no longer sticky, about one minute. Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of flour only if the dough is too sticky to work with. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place (about 70°F [21°C]) for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size. An indentation made with your finger should keep its shape.

Meanwhile, make the lemon sugar filling. Mix the sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest. It’ll draw out the citrus oils and make the sugar sandy and fragrant. 

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan.Gently deflate the dough with your hand. Flour a work surface and roll the dough into a 20″ by 12″ rectangle. Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter evenly and liberally over the dough. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough crosswise in five strips, each about 12″ by 4″. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon sugar over the first buttered rectangle. Top it with a second rectangle, sprinkling that one with 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon sugar as well. Continue to top with rectangles and sprinkle, so you have a stack of five 12″ by 4″ rectangles, all buttered and topped with lemon sugar.




Slice this new stack crosswise, through all five layers, into 6 equal rectangles (each should be 4″ by 2″.) Carefully transfer these strips of dough into the loaf pan, cut edges up, side by side. Gently place a few blueberries between each layer of dough. It might be a little roomy, but the bread will rise and expand after baking.Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place (70 °F [21°C]) until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30 to 50 minutes. When you gently press the dough with your finger, the indentation should stay.




Bake the loaf until the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.


Meanwhile, make the cream cheese icing. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth, then add the milk and lemon juice. Stir until creamy and smooth.i found that it was a little too tart for my taste so i add a bit more powered sugar.


The recipe recommends you tilt and rotate the pan while tapping on a table to release the loaf. I just carefully ran a knife around it. Flip the loaf over onto a cooling rack, then flip onto another rack so that it’s right side up. Spread the top of the warm cake with the cream cheese icing, using a pastry brush to fill in all the cracks.



Share and enjoy :)

Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Peach Crumble Bars


I personally love crumble bars and after trying lots of different peach bars this one is by far my favorite. If you want to make this dessert even better it pairs nicely with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

A thick and buttery bottom layer smeared with a sweet peach filling and topped with a buttery crumbly topping.
Yield:24 bars

Ingredients:

For the Crumble:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
1 egg, lightly beaten
For the Peach Filling:
5 cups diced peaches (about 7 peaches, peeled)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment paper.

For the Crumble: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon on low speed. Add the butter, toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Add egg and mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan. Place reserved half aside. Place the pan and the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.


For the Peach Filling: In medium bowl, gently toss diced peaches and lemon juice together; set aside.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over the peaches and mix gently. Spread the peach mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the peach layer.


Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely on wire rack then transfer to the refrigerator to chill before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Share and Enjoy :)
Source: adapted from Brown Eyed Baker originally adapted from Smitten Kitchen andAllrecipes

Sunday, 29 September 2013

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies are a timeless favorite loved by all. Everyone needs a killer classic cookie recipe. This recipe has been my families go to cookie recipe for years.


Yield:about 28-30 cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

2/3 cup granulated white sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups of chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour,baking soda and salt


In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, beating until well combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.


Form the dough into balls using an ice cream scoop. Bake the cookies for 15-17 minutes. The cookies are done when they are light golden brown in color. They will still seem a little bit soft but they will firm up as they cool. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Share and Enjoy :) 


Saturday, 28 September 2013

Welcome to my Blog!

Welcome to Teenage Bakester! I have a passion for baking that grows with every recipe that I try and I can't wait to share them with you. I will start with some of my favorites and see where go from there.I will have my first recipe out by tomorrow. If you have anything you would like me to try please leave it in the comments below.