Dessert

Luscious Lemon Blueberry Cake

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In case you haven’t noticed, choosing your birthday cake is a big deal in our family.  It often takes weeks of contemplation and meditation to make the choice.  My husband has a tendency to lean toward the fruit flavors, so his latest birthday cake request was this lemon beauty.  Generous amounts of lemon and big blueberries can almost make you think you’re eating something healthy.  ~Tracy

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Cake Ingredients:
  • 1 c. soft butter
  • 1 ¼ c. sugar
  • ½ c. brown sugar
  • 4 eggs at room temperature
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 c. buttermilk
  • Zest and juice from 3 lemons
  • 3 c. sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 T. baking powder
  • 1 small package (3.4 oz.) Vanilla Jell-O Instant Pudding
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 2 c. blueberries
  • 1 T. flour
Frosting Ingredients:
  • 12 oz. cream cheese
  • ½ c. softened butter
  • 3 ½ c. powdered sugar to start; you may need to add more as you mix
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • Zest and juice from 2 lemons
Cake Instructions:
  1. In large mixing bowl or bowl of your electric stand mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add in sugar and brown sugar and cream well together.
  2. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing slightly after each. When all eggs are incorporated, beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
  3. Add buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix well.
  4. Add dry ingredients (pudding, flour, salt, baking powder) and mix just until incorporated.
  5. Toss the blueberries in the 1T. of flour. Gently fold into batter.
  6. Pour batter equally into 3 prepared* cake pans. You can use 2 pans if you prefer, but you will need to adjust the cooking time.
  7. Bake at 350ºF for approximately 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow each cake to cool for 10 minutes, then remove / turn them out of the pan.
  8. Cool cakes completely before attempting to frost. Cakes are easier to frost of you allow them to sit in a freezer for a few hours after removing them from their baking pan.
  9. *For this cake, I use 3 9” round cake pans. I recommend lining the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the top of the parchment and the sides of the pan with a flour baking spray to ensure easy removal from the pan.
Frosting Instructions:
  1. For the frosting, cream together cream cheese with butter.
  2. Gradually add powdered sugar and salt and cream together with cream cheese mixture.
  3. Add zest and juice from 2 large lemons and 1 tsp. of vanilla. Mix on medium speed. You may need to add a little more powdered sugar to achieve the right frosting consistency. Making homemade frosting is not an exact science. If you accidentally feel like you’ve gotten your frosting too thick, add 1 T. of milk to thin.
Instructions for Layering Cake with Frosting:
  1. Be sure cakes are completely cooled.
  2. Stack layers of cake with your preferred amount of frosting between each layer. Use remaining frosting to cover top and sides of cake.

Mini Rustic Apple Pies

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These little apple pies are wonderfully portable and perfectly portion controlled.  Just a few ingredients required!  My kids like to take these in their lunches and, actually, so do I.  For extra decadence, drizzle your pie with a tiny bit of caramel ice cream topping!  ~Erin

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Ingredients:
  • 1 (14.1 oz.) refrigerated pie crust (I use Pillsbury.)
  • 6 sweet apples, peeled & diced (I use Pink Lady but Honeycrisp or Jazz would be good too.)
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 4 T. apple butter (Musselman’s is the best.)
  • Spray butter

Instructions: 

  1. Sprinkle the apples with cinnamon and bake for 20 minutes, or until apples start to get tender.
  2. Remove the apples from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 425°F.
  3. Transfer the apples to a medium sized bowl & stir in the apple butter; set aside.
  4. Unroll one pie crust and, using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the crust into 8 even slices like you would cut a pizza.
  5. Place each dough slice into the muffin tin and fill them with the apple mixture.
  6. Fold the ends of the dough over the top of the apples and spritz each mini pie with a few sprays of butter. (Or dot with real butter if you aren’t counting Weight Watchers points!)
  7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

WW Freestyle Info.: Each mini pie is 5 points.

Butterscotch Pie

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If your idea of butterscotch involves any type of bright yellow candy that is wrapped in cellophane, you are in for shock….REAL butterscotch tastes good!  Amazingly good!  This butterscotch pie is so good that we refuse to make it for group parties and potlucks.  Why? Because we want as much of it for ourselves as possible.  Not good for the waistline, but so good for the soul.

Occasionally as kids, we girls could sweet talk Mom into making a double batch of the pudding so we could have some to eat and still have plenty for the pie. In retrospect, she probably didn’t like to wait for the pie either – but she had us convinced that she was “giving in” and making extra pudding.  We can imagine her trying hard to keep a straight face as she’d say, “Well [sigh], I guess I could…”  Well played, Mom. Well played.  ~Robin and  Tracy

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Ingredients for pie filling: 

  • 4 T. butter
  • 1 c. brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 c. flour
  • 2 c. whole milk
  • 3 egg yolks (slightly beaten) – save whites for meringue
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Ingredients for meringue:

  • 4 egg whites (worth it to use one more egg so you don’t risk being short on meringue)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • ½ tsp. cream of tartar
  • ½ c. sugar

Other ingredients:

The usual baking supplies for your favorite pie crust (or just follow package directions if using store-bought crust; be sure to set it out to thaw, if frozen)

Instructions:

Bake your pie shell; set aside to cool.  If it was on a different temp, change oven to 350 degrees and leave on.

For pie filling, begin by melting, then browning butter in a large sauce pan on medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Do not leave on too low a temp or it will take for-e-ver.  You don’t have time to wait that long for this pie.  As butter gets ready to brown, it will begin to froth quite a bit (see photos below).  Trust the process and keep stirring constantly.  It will turn a nice deep brown before your eyes almost instantly.  Immediately when it turns brown, remove it from the heat.

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Whisk in flour and brown sugar; blend in well.  Return to medium heat and then add milk and lightly beaten egg yolks and continue to stir constantly to keep from sticking.  Cook over direct heat until mixture thickens to pudding consistency.  Remove from heat; then add vanilla and stir it in.  Pour into baked pie crust.  Don’t overfill, as you will need to have exposed crust to seal the meringue.

For meringue, beat egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar for about one minute on medium speed – until soft peaks form.  Increase mixer to high speed, gradually adding sugar now (about 1 T. at a time). Beat on high about 4 or 5 minutes — until forms stiff, glossy peaks and sugar is dissolved. Immediately spread over pie, carefully sealing to the edge of pie crust to prevent shrinking.

Cook 12-15 min. at 350 degrees, or until meringue is golden brown. If edges of crust or top of meringue begin to brown too much, you may need to move pie to a lower oven rack.

Cool completely to room temperature before slicing.

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Cinnamon Cookie Butter Pinwheels

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I’ve made these Cinnamon Cookie Butter Pinwheels for baby showers (In fact, I made them for Robin’s baby shower a few years ago.), teacher appreciation breakfasts, holiday brunches, etc. and they are always met with rave reviews.  They are like little cinnamon roll cookies.  Easy to grab and snack on… no fork needed!

You can see in the picture that I drizzled a few with a powdered sugar/milk/vanilla glaze but I decided, in the end, that the glaze isn’t needed.  The cookie butter is sweet on its own and it’s perfect with the buttery crescent dough.  Add a dash of cinnamon to bring them over the top!  ~Erin

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Ingredients:
  • 1 can (8 count) refrigerated reduced fat crescent rolls (I used Pillsbury.)
  • 8 T. Biscoff Cookie Butter
  • Cinnamon

Instructions: 

  1. Spray a sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
  2. Roll out the dough and pinch the seams together into one large sheet.
  3. Spread the cookie butter evenly onto the dough.
  4. Roll tightly beginning with the long edge.
  5. Wrap in plastic food wrap and chill for about 15 minutes.
  6. Preheat the oven to 375°F.Cut the roll into 16 pieces (about ¼ inch each).
  7. I start in the middle, then cut those pieces into two, then those into two, etc., until I have 16 even slices.
  8. Place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and sprinkle them lightly with cinnamon.
  9. Bake for 9-11 minutes until lightly browned.

WW Freestyle Info.:  3 points each; makes 16 servings.

Video

10 Recipes for the Big Game that Won’t Keep You Sidelined

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It’s almost time for the big game! If you are anything like us, you most look forward to socializing with good friends and enjoying some delicious game-day food! Honestly, I usually don’t even know what teams are playing until the game starts. However, I have the menu planned days, or sometimes weeks, in advance.

This year, to make things easier for everyone, we’ve compiled some of our favorite football watch-party foods, categorized for your convenience! Some are on the healthy side (and include Weight Watchers points) and some are a bit more indulgent. Most of these can be made in advance and warmed in the crockpot or finished in the oven right before game time, so there’s no need to miss any of the game (or commercials) because you’re stuck in the kitchen. Hope you find a few good ones here and, as always, please share with us what you make! We love to hear from you on social media! ~Erin

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Kick Off :

Pizza Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Two Point Conversions:

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Chili (2 WW SmartPoints)

Hearty Beef Chili (2 WW SmartPoints)

Half Time Show:

Chili Dog Bake (9 WW SmartPoints)

Italian Beef Sandwiches (5 WW SmartPoints)

Bacon Burger Meatballs (4 WW SmartPoints each)

Make Ahead Meatballs (2 WW SmartPoints each)

End Zone:

Brookies

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (A.K.A. Homemade Reese’s)

Coconut Pecan Meringue Melts

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Erin used to make these all the time at Dad’s request.  These are his favorite cookie. My favorite memory of them, however, is from a camping trip. We normally went to the lake in the summertime for our family vacation, but this time it was in October down at Pine Creek Lake in SE Oklahoma.  I was very serious about fishing, so I’d get up crazy early to get ready to go some days while the other girls were still sleeping. They would go too, but I just couldn’t wait to get up and be ready—if you know how much I like my sleep, you’ll know just how much I love to fish.

It’s possible we’d sneak a couple (several) with our coffee those cold fall mornings before we’d take the boat out to fish. I very clearly remember watching the sun coming up while standing outside (it was too cold to sit down on the concrete picnic bench) on a very chilly morning, just Dad and me, eating these cookies, drinking piping hot coffee (yes, my love of coffee goes way back), and listening to the sounds of the morning. The mist coming up off the water in the early morning is a sight everyone should see.

As you might guess from the name, these cookies do indeed melt in your mouth, and they are absolutely incredible if you make sure to let them brown up juuuust a bit.  That’s what gives them their slightly toasted flavor that takes them from the pretty darn great to heavenly – especially with a steaming cup of coffee.  ~Robin

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Ingredients:

Instructions:

Heat oven to 325°F.

Line a baking sheet with brown wrapping paper (can be found at any craft store) OR a brown paper grocery bag cut to the size of the baking sheet (non-printed side up—you don’t want a grocery logo on your cookies).

Beat egg whites just until they’re frothy.  Gradually beat in the sugar. Continue to beat with mixer until it forms very stiff peaks when you raise the beaters out of the mixture. Will have a glossy appearance as well.

Gently fold in salt, vanilla, coconut, and pecans.

Drop heaping teaspoons of dough 2” apart on the paper.

Bake about 20 minutes or until set and lightly browned.

Immediately upon removal from the oven, carefully remove the paper (with the cookies still on it) from the hot pan and set it aside.

Place a clean wet dish towel on the hot baking sheet; then return the paper with the cookies onto the towel so the wet towel lies between the baking sheet and the paper.  Allow to sit for one minute.

The steam created by the hot pan will loosen the cookies so you can easily remove them from the paper with a turner.

Pumpkin Bread

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I remember Mom baking this pumpkin bread in coffee cans. Of course this was back when coffee actually came in a metal can. After they baked she’d somehow manage to pop them out of the can into perfectly round pumpkin bread cakes. Though I prefer traditional loaf pans, the recipe is the same and just as good. It’s absolutely one of my favorite things to eat when it’s warm from the oven. It’s perfect for a snack, but I prefer a piece or two for breakfast. Pumpkin is a fruit, so that makes it healthy, right?!  ~Tracy

PumpkinBreadLogoIngredients:  

  • 3 ½ c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. nutmeg
  • 3 tsp. soda
  • 1 ¼ tsp. salt
  • 3 c. sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 c. vegetable oil
  • 1 15 oz. can of pure pumpkin
  • 2/3 c. water
  • 1 c. chopped pecans, if desired

Instructions: 

Mix dry ingredients (Rookie baker’s note: Sugar is not classified as a “dry ingredient” in most recipes, this one included.) in a small bowl and set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, eggs, and water.  Mix well.  Gradually stir in dry ingredients just until mixed (do not beat). Gently fold in pecans after mixed, but in my opinion, it’s much better without them anyway. As you know by now, my mantra = no meat group items in my sweets.

Pour evenly into two loaf pans that have been greased and floured — or sprayed with baking spray.

Bake at 350°F for about an hour or until toothpick comes out virtually clean.

Brazilian Peanut Brittle

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I love peanut brittle. I love almost any homemade candy. Unfortunately, using a candy thermometer or the cold-water-in-the-coffee-cup method of trying to find “hard-crack” stage is not my forte! In fact, I’m terrible at it. Fortunately, this is one of those (almost) life changing, candy making recipes. I’ll tell you why in a moment, but first I’ll start by telling you more about this peanut brittle. Brazilian peanut brittle is more buttery and slightly less sweet than traditional peanut brittle. It’s also more blonde in color than typical peanut brittle recipes. It’s different but in a very good way.

Now, back to how it’s life changing:  this recipe is fabulous in the fact that it requires NO candy thermometer. No cold water checking to see if it’s done. It is timed and done. It works perfectly for me every single time – crispy but not “break your teeth hard.”   It does not disappoint in flavor or crunch… it would be a perfect holiday treat for your family and friends!   ~Kathy

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Ingredients:

  • 11 T. butter  (1 stick plus 3 Tablespoons)
  • ¾ c. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ c. light corn syrup
  • 2 ¼ (up to 2 ½ ) c. unsalted dry roasted peanuts (whole and/or halved)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. baking soda

Instructions:

Grease the bottom of a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or butter. Set aside on top of a heat proof surface or oven mitts to protect surface below.

Place the butter, sugar, salt, and light corn syrup in a large non-stick saucepan. Cook over medium heat large burner, stirring slowly and constantly. As soon as the butter is completely melted and the mixture reaches a pale yellow color and starts to bubble around the edges, add the peanuts and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Cook for 13-15 minutes, stirring constantly, or until caramel has thickened and peanuts stick to each other, instead of falling immediately off the wooden spoon, when lifted from the pan. (During the cooking time, the mixture will start to come together and look waxy. Keep it moving in the pan, folding, stirring, etc.)

Remove mixture from heat and stir in both the vanilla and baking soda until well combined.

Pour mixture immediately onto the greased baking sheet. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top (waxed paper does not work here!!) and spread the brittle thin (about 1/3” thick) using a rolling pin. Be careful not to burn yourself!  

Allow the peanut brittle to cool completely at room temperature before breaking into 2-inch pieces with your hands.

Store in a large Ziploc bag or an airtight container in a cool place for up to 2-3 weeks.

**I live at high altitude(6800+ ft) which changes the cooking time. I cook it 10 – 12 minutes. Adjust accordingly for altitude if needed.

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

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I first made this pie as a teenager.  My dad liked my version (which has some extra spices) so much that he asked for this pie for his birthday every year after.  Now my husband also wants this pie every year for HIS birthday too.  It’s that good.  I guess I should call it “birthday pie” since it seems to be a yearly request from the people I bake for.  This pie, however, has a new memory attached to it.  I recently helped my daughter make this pie for a 4H baking competition and she won the grand prize!  She cut the 4H emblem in the top crust and, foolishly, I neglected to take a picture of her pie.  It was so pretty!  Sorry, you’ll have to settle for pictures of my pie instead. Here she is with her ribbons though (the blue ribbon is for the pie and the white ribbon is for rolls that she entered as well).

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If you make a pie for Thanksgiving, I urge you to make this one.  It’s a grand prize blue ribbon favorite in my family!  ~Erin

Ingredients for filling:

  • 2 deep dish pie crusts (confession:  I often use frozen but Mom’s recipe is below if you prefer from-scratch)
  • 8 Granny Smith apples
  • 1 c. white sugar
  • ¼ c. light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 2 T. flour
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  • 2 T. butter

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Instructions:

In a large bowl, stir the white sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

If you made the crust, roll out one disc to ¼ inch thick and press gently in the pie pan, leaving some overhang.

Peel and thinly slice your apples.  Throw them right in with the sugar mixture and toss to coat.

Pour the apple/sugar mixture into your prepared bottom crust.  Don’t leave any sugar behind!

Dot the top of the apples with some bits of butter.

Roll out the top crust (cut a design or slits to vent), then place it on top of the apples and crimp the edges together with the bottom crust.

Place the pie on a sheet pan (in case it bubbles over!) and bake in the center rack until golden brown (about 45 minutes).

Mom’s Deep Dish Double Pie Crust:

  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 sticks butter (1 cup)
  • 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
  • Approximately 12 T. ice cold water

Stir the salt into the flour.  Cut butter and shortening into flour mixture using a pastry cutter or forks, until it resembles a coarse meal.  Add water and knead until the dough comes together and is no longer crumbly, but not to the point of being sticky though.  Divide into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (A.K.A. Homemade Reese’s)

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Who loves Reese’s cups?!  (All the people raise their hands.)  We do too.  Even better than the regular cups are the holiday editions.  Reese’s pumpkins?  Yes, please.  Do they seem fresher to anyone else?!  And the chocolate to peanut butter ratio is so much more on-point than with the regular cups, we can all agree.  Well, guess what?  This recipe for No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars is a close comparison to those Reese’s pumpkins we all love so much.  The chocolate to peanut butter ratio is perfection.  Trust us.  And the best part:  They are NO BAKE!  You can make the whole thing in less than 10 minutes in the microwave, and only dirty one bowl.  Doesn’t get any easier than that, folks.  These are great when you need something for a pot-luck or a school bake sale in a hurry… or just any time you get a craving for something sweet and satisfyingly rich.  Kathy gave me this recipe years ago and it’s been a hit everywhere I take them.  I like to make them for myself at Halloween, because my kids have learned to hide all their good candy.  Pretty sure that kangaroo might be hiding some in her pouch. 🙂  ~Erin

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Ingredients:

  • ½ c. (1 stick) butter
  • ½ c. packed brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 cups peanut butter
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave on high a minute or two, until butter is melted; stir until well-combined.

Pat into a 9×13 inch cake pan.

In the same microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips in 30 second increments (stirring after each 30-second round) until fully melted.

Spread over the peanut butter mixture.

Chill just until firm; then remove from the refrigerator and store at room temperature.