Girl Scout Cookie Butter...Made from Trefoils!

Do you like Speculoos? Do you like Trader Joe's cookie butter?  Do you like Trefoil Girl Scout Cookies?  Then you HAVE to try this recipe!  I made some homemade speculoos not too long ago and gave some to a friend to taste.  She said it was too sweet for her, but she thought cookie butter made from trefoils would be PERFECT!!!!  Now that Girl Scout Cookie time is upon us, I bought up some boxes...well, a BUNCH of boxes.  I need to help those little girls get to scout camp...or someplace, right? :)

This is awesome on toast in the morning...noon...or night and everything in between, on pancakes, waffles, straight off the spoon.  It is truly divine!!!  This cook butter stuff is all new to me and I'm not sure why this idea had never crossed my mind before.   

Trefoil Cookie Butter:

1 box Trefoils - or 255 grams of another shortbread cookie

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 can coconut milk

2 tablespoons shortening

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Throw everything into your blender and flip the switch!  Puree until smooth and enjoy!

Healthy Dessert? Or Chocolate Guacamole?

I saw a friend post a comment on Facebook about chocolate pudding made out of avocados...NO LIE!  I was so appalled by this idea I had to call her out...and then get the recipe because I had to try it out.  Alex gets pretty jazzed about pudding and has me purchase boxes of it when I go to the grocery store, so I thought it would be fun to surprise him with this recipe and not tell him about the main ingredient.  He was stoked when he came home from work and saw the bowl of pudding in the refrigerator...so was my four year old.  I had the HARDEST time not spilling the beans, but I needed to ensure he gave me his opinion before he knew what was in it.  The funniest part was that he started dipping tortilla chips in it after the first bite...that was when I fell into a fit of laughter and told him he was eating chocolate guacamole.  LOL!!!  My daughter LOVED IT...which is pretty funny because she does NOT like avocados.  They were the first food I gave her as an infant and even then she was not keen on them.

I was on the boarder with this recipe.  It was good, but heavy, which is probably a good thing because you don't eat as much as you would if it was a milk based pudding.  Because it was made with the bitter chocolate, it was also very decadent...not to mention the coconut milk and avocados. But seriously, try this recipe out and discover for yourself whether you like it or not.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding:
2 large avocados, peeled, pit removed and cubed
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder - I am partial to Hershey's
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch cinnamon

Blend avocados, cocoa powder, brown sugar, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in blender until smooth.  Refrigerate pudding until chilled, about 30 minutes.

A Happy St. Pat's to You!

On Saint Patrick's Day 2010, I made my first batch of Irish Car Bomb cupcakes.  These cupcakes have become a tradition in our family as I have made them every year on Saint Patrick's Day.  Now that we have kids, I make a kid friendly version in addition to the adult version.  In the four years I have been making these cupcakes I have made them my own by tweaking the recipe.

These cupcakes have ALWAYS been a hit with kids (see instructions for kid’s version) and adults at all of our Saint Patrick’s Day parties.  These cupcakes have been shipped to friends, they are so popular!!!

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

1 small package chocolate pudding

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. 

Put the butter with the beer in a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and chocolate pudding mix. In a mixer bowl, beat the eggs and the sour cream together. Add the beer/butter/cocoa mixture and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and beat briefly just to combine. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined, making sure to incorporate little pockets of flour on the bottom so that the batter is of equal consistency everywhere.

Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way if you want flatter cupcakes and 3/4 if you want domed. Bake for about 17 minutes, or until a toothpick or a slim knife inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely to room temperature. 

Ganache Filling
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)*

Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.  Do not allow the ganache to cool too long or it will become a solid, making it hard to fill the cupcakes.

*I split the filling into two bowls, one for the kid’s cupcakes and one with the adult cupcakes.  I add the whiskey to the filling for the adult cupcakes.

Baileys Frosting (see Recipe Notes)
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ tsp vanilla extract

2 to 3 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)*

*I make the frosting up to the point of adding the Bailey’s to the mix and split the frosting into two bowls; one bowl for the kid’s cupcakes and another for the adult cupcakes.  I add the Bailey’s to the adult cupcakes.

In a large mixer bowl, whip the butter for several minutes until very light and fluffly. Slowly add the powdered sugar, letting it incorporate, utnil the butter becomes thicker and stiff (you will know when this happens). Slowly drizzle the Bailey's (or milk or cream or a combination thereof) and whip until combined. Ice and decorate the cupcakes. 

Pumpkin Pie with a Major Twist!

Did you know they sell pumpkin pudding now?!  Alex knows I LOVE pumpkin so he got me two boxes around Thanksgiving.  

We were invited to the neighbors house for dinner and were asked to bring dessert.  I was feeling super lazy and didn't want to run to the store so I was trying to come up with a fun idea from what I had in my house.  I found the pumpkin pudding and was racking my brain for things I could make with it. At Thanksgiving, my brother-in-law made a pumpkin chiffon pie that was light and delicious!!!  He told me they added whipping cream to a pumpkin pie like recipe to make it super light and fluffy.  So I decided I could add whipping cream to pre-made pumpkin pie pudding get get something similar...I hoped!!!  It was a bit of a gamble since I was taking to our neighbors party...they could have been pretty disgusted and egged our house as a result.  Fortunately for us and our house, it was a HIT!!!!  

 

Lazy Girl's Pumpkin Chiffon Pie:

2 small packages pumpkin pudding - make according to instructions on box

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Crust:

Gingerbread Cookie Mix 

1 stick butter, melted

Make the pumpkin pudding following the directions on the box.  Put in refrigerator for at least one hour to thicken.  Whip up heavy whipping cream until there are super stiff peaks, add powdered sugar.  Once the pudding has set completely, fold in the whipping cream until combined.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

To make the crust, combine gingerbread cookie mix and melted butter.  Push into the bottom of a pie pan to form the pie crust.  Cook in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Let cool, then add the pudding mixture to the pie crust and refrigerate for at least one hour.  

This pie is SLOPPY!  But it doesn't matter because it tastes so damn good!!!

Pumpkin Pie Tragedy!....AVERTED!!!!!

My daughter got an extra pumpkin for Halloween from her preschool Fall Festival and wanted to use it to make pumpkin pie.  I figured it was a good opportunity to teach her how we make food from foods we harvest, since we usually used canned pumpkin.

Unfortunately, I am a busy Mama.  I stopped by the grocery store and took a look at the recipe on the pumpkin puree can which listed EVAPORATED MILK in a recipe that also called for 1 1/2 cups of sugar.  When I got home, I searched on Allrecipes.com and found a recipe that called for SWEETEN CONDENSED MILK.  I didn't stop to even consider that I was using evaporated milk AND that the recipe didn't have ANY sugar in it....until the pie was 3/4 of the way cooked.  (#$&(#@#$&  REALLY?!  I was SUPER bummed because my daughter was so excited about the prospect of eating pumpkin pie that was made from her preschool pumpkin.  

To make matters worse, I overfilled the pie crust and spilled pie filling on the bottom of our stove top which caused the whole house to fill up with smoke.  At this point I'm pretty sure you're asking yourself why you read this crazy's cooking blog. :)

WELL.....I managed to save the day by dousing the pumpkin pie in homemade caramel sauce!  WHOOHOO!!!!!  

Salted Caramel Sauce:

1 cup white sugar

5 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 pinch of salt to taste

Place sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat.  Stir continuously until sugar begins to melt.  Continue stirring until the sugar melts completely, begins to darken and all the chunks are dissolved, about 10 minutes.  Stop stirring and continue to cook until the sugar begins to smoke and turns a dark shade of amber, 3 to 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and wait 30 seconds.

Whisk butter until melted and combine.  Slowly pour in cream, taking care because it can bubble over.  Sprinkle in salt and stir to combine.  Transfer to a jar and cool completely before refrigerating.

I was SO worried about making this caramel.  I've always had bad luck in making candy type products, but this caramel was AMAZING!!!!  It TOTALLY saved the day!  My daughter even said I make the "best pumpkin pie, EVER!"  To be fair, she is only three and hasn't had a lot to compare. :)  I am a bit older and have a lot to compare it to and can confidently tell you this sugar-less pumpkin pie ROCKED with this caramel sauce!  Lots of it!!!!

AWESOME COOKIES!

I am always on the hunt for Chocolate Chip Cookies that are going to best my favorite Williams Sonoma Cookie recipe.  This recipe from Allrecipes.com is a WINNER!

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup butter (I used shortening because that was what I had on hand)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy and it ROCKED!!!!)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degree F

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth.  Stir in peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt; stir into batter until moistened.  Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.  Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in preheated oven, until the edge start to brown.  Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

These cookies TOTALLY rival the 'How to Score a Husband Cookies!"  I LOVE all the components in these cookies!  They are definitely going into the cookie vault!!!

Harvesting Apples!

Today we visited a pick your own fruit farm in Northern Virginia called Hartland Farm and Orchard.  Hartland Orchard is found in some pretty AMAZING countryside not far from several wineries and other pick your own fruit farms.  When you enter the property you can see cows and horses grazing in pastures or lazing in the pond, cute white farm houses and orchards that seem to go on and on.  It is always nice to visit someone else's farm.  You get a small taste of the fruits of their labors without having to go through the hassle of planting the crops, watering, fertilizing or treating for insects...but you get to enjoy 45 minutes to an hour of pure romantic harvesting.  And then when the bugs start to irritate you because they are flying in your ears and you forgot to spray your head with bug spray...you can pay for your fruit and get out!

We left Hartland Farms and Orchard with a half peck of all different kinds of apples and a full peck of peaches.  I was extremely impressed with the quality of the fruit on their trees!  Before we even got our haul home I was already making plans for our apples.  I planned to make a crisp, but accidentally typed Apple Cobbler into the search engine and found several recipes.  I've made LOTS of Peach Cobbler, but Apple Cobbler?  Oh Yeah!

French Apple Cobbler:
5 cups tart apples, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar - you could use less depending on how sweet your apples are
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter, softened

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten

Combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, vanilla and water.  Turn into a lightly buttered 9-inch square pan.  Dot apples with butter.

Combine all topping ingredients and beat with wooden spoon until batter is smooth.  Drop batter in 9 portions over the apples, spacing evenly.  Batter with spread during baking.

Bake 35- 40 minutes at 375 F or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.  Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

Serves 6-8

The apples I used were SUPER sweet and crazy flavorful, so I could have gotten by with using less sugar.  I also didn't serve with ice cream, which could have been part of the reason for the abundant sweetness. :)  Because I was originally thinking of a crisp, I kinda wanted more texture.  Next time I might try adding oats.

Chica Birthday Cake!

My daughter is CRAZY about Chica the Chicken from Sprout.  I don't know what it is about that chicken, but she is stickin' CUTE!  For her birthday this year, my daughter asked for a Chica birthday party.  I thought this was a GREAT idea, until I realized Sprout has all the rights for Chica and they don't play nicely because they don't share those rights with ANYONE!  That meant no, birthday plates, cups, party hats, decorations...NOTHIN'!  However, every good Mama takes the challenge and meets it head on!  I take it back the part about sharing, Sprout does share the rights to Chica, sort of.  They have a whole Chica Birthday section on their web site with lots of printables and fun ideas for your child's party.  But online printables didn't solve the problem that I didn't have a birthday cake.

Last year for my daughter's birthday I tried my hand at one of those topsy turvy birthday cakes and it failed miserably!!! I didn't weight it properly and 10 minutes before all the guests arrived, the top of the cake fell off.  After further forensic evidence, it appeared the top part fell off the cake while the second tier was splitting in two Titanic style.  It still tasted good, so no harm, no foul.

This year I was determined I would not experience birthday cake tragedy.  I planned, I visited Joann's to get the products professional cake makers use...this cake was going to be 'the pinnacle of my distinguished career' (in the words of Sebastian from the Little Mermaid).  It actually turned out GREAT.

At least this year the cake lasted until the guests arrived. :)

I am already planning the architectural structure of the cake for next year.  Everyone hopes to be invited back next year so they can see if the cake actually make it. :)  Moral of this story?  Cakes do not balance on one post in the center of the cake. I promise I'm a bright person...I need to stop skimping on the architectural planning of my birthday cakes.

BEST CUPCAKES EVER!!!!!!!

I know I have a tendency of speaking in absolutes, but I'm not kidding you when I say, "THESE ARE THE BEST CUPCAKES I HAVE EVER HAD!!!"  I was searching for a unique and FABULOUS cupcake recipe for my husband's birthday.  I have recently been caught watching the t.v. show Cupcake Wars on Food Network, so I thought that would be a good place to start researching.  My husband LOVES pineapple and spicy flavors so I knew this was a winner before I even saw the ingredients.  The 31 five-star ratings helped too.

When I pulled these babies out of the oven I kept myself from making a carnal mistake of tasting a cupcake without frosting on it.  I quickly whipped up a batch of frosting and frosted a mini-cuppy-cake (I doubled the recipe and got 24 cupcakes and 18 mini-cuppy-cakes) and popped it in my mouth.  Oh heaven!  The combination of the Chinese Five Spice and the Ginger frosting were PERFECTION in my mouth!!!  The layers of flavor punched my taste buds over and over.  Talk about BAM!  The inventor of this recipe is a GENIUS!!!!  

This is the only cake I want for my birthday until I die....and even after that I want someone to make the cake and leave it on my tombstone in an effort to keep my dead body from rising up and starting a zombie revolution!

Five Spice Pineapple Carrot Cupcakes:

Carrot Cupcake

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup crushed pineapple
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded carrots (about 3 to 4 medium-sized carrots)
• Frosting, recipe follows
• Crystallized ginger, as garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and Chinese five-spice powder.

In another large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, crushed pineapple, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract and carrots. Then slowly add the flour mixture and beat with an electric hand mixer until just combined, about 2 minutes.

Fill the cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake until the cupcakes are set, about 20 to 22 minutes. When they can be handled safely, remove them from the muffin tins and let cool completely on wire racks before frosting. Garnish with crystallized ginger.

Frosting:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons Madagascar vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons Chinese ground ginger
• 3 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and ginger. Blend thee ingredients with an electric hand mixer until a creamy consistency is reached, while slowly adding the powdered sugar.

Goat Cheese!

Friday I was watching Diners, Drive In's and Dives and saw recipe for Blueberry Goat Cheese Pie.  Guy Fieri has been doing that show for something like 2-3 years now.  He has been to TONS of restaurants and seen thousands of recipes.  Not much surprises him these days.  But this pie did!  I have never been a fan of goat cheese, it was Guy Fieri's reaction to this pie that made me want to make it.  He was stunned when he tasted it...and I wanted to be stunned too!

Soon after baking the pie I took it to my monthly BUNCO as dessert.  Many of the people steered clear when I told them it was a goat cheese blueberry pie.  I probably would have too, under other circumstances.  The few people who did try it said they couldn't get past the basil.  That first night the basil did stand out.  After letting the pie hang out in my refrigerator overnight the flavors were able to meld together for a seriously KNOCK OUT dessert!  **However!  I will tell you Alex was NOT a fan of this pie***  He doesn't like goat cheese and couldn't get past its distinct taste in the pie.  I loved this pie, in part because so many people tried it and walked away with different opinions with regard to the individual ingredients.  This should be renamed 'Controversy Pie!'

Cooking note: I did have to cook this for nearly DOUBLE the time the recipe called for.  Not sure if that is due to my altitude here in Colorado.  I also didn't make the topping because I realized too late that I didn't have almonds.

Blueberry Goat Cheese Pie:

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 to 3/4 cups cold margarine
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Pinch salt
• Cold water

Filling:

• 1/2 cup soft goat cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
• 5 cups fresh blueberries

Topping:

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup melted margarine

Directions

For the crust:

Combine the flour, margarine, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Work with your fingers

gathering and crumbling until you have a crumbly mixture, about the size of peas.

In small amounts, slowly add cold water, gently incorporating by hand. As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

For the filling: Mix the goat cheese, heavy cream, egg, sugar, flour, salt and basil together in a bowl. Add the blueberries and mix to desired texture.

For the topping: Mix the almonds, sugar and margarine in bowl, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out the dough and place in a 10-inch pie pan. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake 25 minutes, rotating at the pie halfway through.

'Tis the season for PUMPKIN!

My favorite thing about fall?  PUMPKINS!  I was dismayed to find that none of the grocery stores had pumpkin stocked when I searched it out.  I searched high and low and ended up finding it at Sunflower Market.  I plan to buy a case of it when the regular grocery stores start carrying it.

I've recently become addicted to Pinterest.  I originally thought it was just a crafting web site, but no, like an outfit...pin it...like a recipe...pin it!  Then you can scroll through all the 'pins' other people have found and you can pin it on your wall.  I have been pinning recipes like nobody's business!  I am especially glad I found the following recipe.  It is supposed to be a knock off of the Starbucks Pumpkin Scones, but I think they're better!  I am always disgusted that the food at Starbucks isn't made fresh in their individual stores.  Everything is day old...or more!  These babies are FRESH!  Warm from the oven scones beat hard crumbly ones ANY DAY!...especially if they are pumpkin!  :)

Starbucks Pumpkin Scones Knock Off Recipe:

Starbucks Pumpkin Scones Ingredients :

2 cups all-purpose flour

7 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

6 tablespoons cold butter

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

3 tablespoons half-and-half

1 large egg

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pinch ginger

1 pinch ground cloves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.


Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.  

Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

To make the plain glaze:

1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.
2. When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.

To make the spiced icing

Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.

I'm not sure why people who create these recipes call for SO MUCH glaze!  Let alone TWO glazes!  I didn't bother with the plain glaze and halved the spiced glaze.  I have more than enough for the scones.  The glaze really IS the frosting on this recipe!  It was SO tasty and spicy!!!  If I ever get around to making pumpkin donuts, I'm going to use this glaze on them too!!!

AMAZING Peach Cobbler!!!!

'Tis the season for peaches!!!  I got a whole flat of peaches at Costco with the intention of canning them, but never made it that far.  They were going to go bad in a couple of days if I didn't so something with them so I searched out a recipe for peach cobbler on allrecipes.com com before my husband yelled at me for buying peaches and letting them go bad.

Growing up my mom made the same peach cobbler over and over and over again.  I wanted to try something different and this recipe had over 1,000 reviews and a nearly five star rating.  I followed all the direction EXACTLY and the top of my crisp came out looking like the top hadn't gotten enough moisture to make it crust over.  I was pretty skeptical...until I tasted it!!!  HOLY HELL!  Trust me when I tell you this is the BEST peach cobbler I have EVER had!!!  The cobbler I grew up with had a sweet biscuit like crust on top and the topping on this was much more crisp like.  I am thinking it would be fun to combine the recipe from my childhood with this one and make an even BETTER peach cobbler. :)

Peach Cobbler 
8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water 

• MIX TOGETHER:
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• 
  
• In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. 

• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.

• Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

HA!  The Queen of NOT Follow Directions just realized I forgot to add the hot water!!!!  No wonder it didn't have enough moisture to crust the top!  Still, it turned out heavenly!!!  I have to admit, I ate WAY too much of this cobbler!  I'm going to need to hit the gym hard for a WEEK to make up for this one!  

Chocolate Cupcakes & Peanut Butter Icing...Uh HEAVEN!!!!!

I LOVE CUP CAKES!  What an ingenious idea to create a pan in which to make mini-cakes.  Don't want to make a whole cake?  Make a cupcake!  I was asked to bring dessert to dinner at a friend's house, but I didn't want anything super decadent because I'm trying to watch my calories so I decided to make cupcakes in hopes it would keep me from eating too much dessert.  Nice try. :)

These cupcakes can best be described as Reese's Peanut Butter Cupcakes!  NO LIE!  The frosting tastes EXACTLY like the inside of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  Oh my!  I thought with the sour cream that these cupcakes would be super moist, but no so.  :(  I'm not sure if it is the altitude (remember I'm baking at 7,000ft), the recipe or (more likely) me!  I would definitely be interested in feedback on how these babies turn out for you!

Ina Garten's Chocolate Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Icing

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.
Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.