I made these yummy little treats for a church function the other night and they were a hit. I was actually just making it up as I went hoping that they would turn out delicious. And I guess they were since I ate a half of a pan all by myself. A few extra miles around the track helped with the sugar overdose. But I have to say these were worth every calorie (in my opinion).

Along with the Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Chip Krispies I made my delicious Milk Chocolate Krispie Treats drizzled with a bit of White Chocolate. I posted these long ago and are definitely addicting as well. I think the chocolate drizzles makes these a bit fancier and quite tasty too!

Have a great weekend!

Milk Chocolate Rice Krispie Recipe here.

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

3 cups Rice Krispies
4 tablespoons butter
30 large marshmallows
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips, melted

In a large bowl, combine the butter, marshmallows and peanut butter. Microwave for about 3 minutes, stirring every minute or so until smooth and creamy. Add the rice krispies and start mixing, than add the white chocolate chips. The best part is that some of the white chocolate will melt into the krispies, and some will stay in form. When mixed well, press into a 9X9 inch pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. I like to spray my fingers with a bit of the nonstick spray and that helps the krispies from sticking to your hands. Drizzle the melted milk chocolate over the top.

Enjoy!

Happy Wednesday! I have been baking up a storm the past couple of weeks, but have not been able to post for a while.  But I couldn’t wait on this one. I just had to share this fun recipe.

I love Apple Pie.  And if you are a faithful reader than you know that I love little individual servings. Well here is a cute little Mini Apple Pie. Warm, delicious and oozing with apple goodness.  No need to dirty a pie plate, or wrestle with making beautiful edges, which by the way, I have never done successfully.  I simply cut out circles out of the dough, fill them with the apple filling and press the edges together with a fork.  So easy.  These would be so fun for a dinner party, baby shower or just when you are craving a good ole’ fashioned apple pie but don’t want to bother with actually making one.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Have a great week!

xoxo,

Steph

Mini Apple Pies

makes about 16 or so

*You can either make your own pie dough, or buy a box of pre-made dough from the store. Take your pick. Either way, it is delicious!
If you make your own, to make around 16 mini pies, use a recipe for a double crust pie.

For the apple filling:
3 small granny smith apples, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the egg wash:
1 egg
splash of water

Sugar for dusting the tops of the pies

For the icing:
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
dash of milk

1. In a small bowl, mix the cubed apples, flour, sugar and cinnamon until each apple is evenly coated. Set aside.
2. Roll out the dough to about 1/16 in thickness. Use a 3 inch circle cookie cutter and cut out the dough circles. You will need two circles for every pie. Place the circles onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Scoop about 1/2 tablespoons of the apple filling into the center of the dough circle. Make the egg wash and using your fingertip, brush a light layer onto the very edges of the circle. (this will ensure that the top circle will stick to the bottom circle.) Place another dough circle on top, over the apple filling. Lightly press down around the edges.
3. Using the prongs of the fork, press along the edges of the pie to seal the edges.
4. Brush a light layer of the egg wash on top of the pies. Sprinkle with sugar. (I like to use turbinado sugar, you can find it in any grocery store labeled as raw sugar.)
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden.
6. To make them extra fancy, drizzle a little icing over the tops.  Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Monkey Bread.  If you have never had this ultra tasty treat before, here are a few keywords to descibe this evil addiction of mine:

addicting
sweet crunchy edges
caramel-y
cinnamon-y
lil’ bit of heaven

These are only a few of many I could probably use to describe these little heavenly buns. It’s like a cinnamon roll you can take a part piece by piece and there is nothing in this world quite like it. Just remember – you’ve been warned. I’m not going to lie that you can eat the entire thing without even blinking an eye.

I decided that because I can eat an entire recipe when I make it using a bundt pan, that I needed to make them in individual portions so that I can ‘somewhat’ control myself. So I used the jumbo muffin tins. It makes 6. Just to make it extra evil I drizzled some icing over the top. They totally don’t need it. They are amazing on their own. Trust me.

Monkey Bread Muffin Cups
makes 6 jumbo muffins

2 tubes of biscuit dough (I like pillsbury) (20 biscuits in total)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar

Spray your muffin tin with non-stick spray. Cut each biscuit into 4ths. So in total you should have 80 little pieces of dough. In a bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Dip each piece of dough into the cinnamon-sugar mixture until totally covered. Divide evenly between the 6 cups. (about 13-14 in each cup) In a saucepan boil the butter and brown sugar. Spoon about a tablespoon of the brown sugar/butter mixture over each muffin cup. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until baked through. Best when hot and fresh out of the oven!

Enjoy!

So I did my Studio 5 segment today.  Wow.  It was fast.  I’ve done this quite a few times now and I usually have around 5-6 minutes.  I can’t believe how fast this 2 minutes went by.  And I was totally looking at an imaginary camera.  But its all good.  It’s always a blast to be there with all that awesome energy in the room.  All the cameras and sound guys around you.  Its a lot of fun.  Never thought this would be something in my life that I would get to do, and I feel really blessed.  So they finally posted a video, so here is the link.  There were 2 other bakers and recipes in the same segment, I am #2.  Just don’t laugh that I’m looking everywhere but the camera.  :)

And here is the recipe for the Creamy Peanut Butter Mousse and the Chocolate Cupcakes that I use with it.

Creamy Peanut Butter Mousse

3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups heavy cream(cold)
1 tablespoons vanilla extract

Using a mixer whip the cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Put in the fridge. Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, milk and peanut butter. Fold in the cold whipped cream. It may take a while, but it will come all together and create a creamy smooth textured mousse.
Refrigerate until very cold.

Serve Peanut Butter Mousse as an elegant dessert on its own or use it to turn ordinary chocolate cupcakes into an extra-ordinary dessert. Here’s how:

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 cup good quality cocoa
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1 c. cold water
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. chopped peanut butter cups

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa and sugar. Set aside. Cream together the eggs, vanilla, oil, water and sour cream. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scoop evenly between 24 lined muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for about 18-20 minutes. Cool slightly, remove from pans and set on cooling rack to cool completely. Make mousse.

To assemble:
Remove wrappers from cupcakes. Cut cupcakes in half. Pipe mousse onto the cupcake half. Place the top half of the cupcake over the mousse. Pipe more mousse on the top of the cupcake. Sprinkle with crushed peanut butter cups.

I know it’s been a while since I posted.  I have missed you all.  I certainly hope that in my 3 month brake I didn’t lose all my loyal readers, but if so, I totally understand.  I really enjoyed the time off, but all of a sudden I felt the need to start baking again and re-connecting with my long lost readers.  Thanks to all who have supported me and continue to support me! It means the world! Now onto the food:

I don’t know if I’ve posted this recipe before, I can’t seem to find this particular one.  But this is definitely my go-to recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes.  I got this recipe from my Mom and it is so versatile. You can add whatever you like or leave it as it is, either way it is delicious!  It works out perfectly every time and it is the perfect combination of texture and moistness.  I love to add some mini chocolate chips to the batter and you get that extra richness that I happen to like.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!

Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 2 dozen

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cups vegetable oil
1 cup cold water

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cocoa. Set aside. Using a mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla, oil and water until well blended. Slowly add the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Scoop evenly between 24 lined muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting. Here is my favorite:

Vanilla Frosting

2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add 2 cups of the sugar and mix until well combined. Add the remaining sugar, milk and vanilla extract. beat until fluffy.

xoxo,

Steph

Dear Stephanie’s Kitchen,

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sit down and feed you a new post.  I think about you ALL of the time.  But there is always a bum to change, or someone needs to eat (geez, what am I a full service diner?) or even worse, the 2 year old has taken the liberty of taking off his own diaper and wiping down the walls with it (sorry TMI).  And when I’m not doing that, I’m feeding a helpless little baby who hasn’t quite figured out how to hold the bottle all by herself.  All of this means you have been neglected once again. Please don’t give up on me little blog. One of these days I swear, I will have all of my time devoted to you and only you, but until then, just keep on breathing.  Please know that you are always on my mind and hopefully soon I will have this 3 kids under the age of 4 thing down pat and I will be able to master the art of multi-tasking.

Love,

Steph  :)

p.s here are some lovely and super delicious mini-chocolate bundt cakes with peanut butter frosting for you and only you, enjoy!

Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all purpose flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cups vegetable oil

1 cup cold water

Sift together the cocoa, sugar, salt, baking soda and flour. Set aside. Using a mixer, mix the eggs, vanilla, oil and cold water until creamy. Slowly add the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Scoop evenly between 18 mini bundt cakes or 24 lined muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for about 15-18 minutes.  Top with peanut butter frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream the butter and peanut butter together until smooth.  Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and slowly add the milk until the consistency is perfect for piping onto the bundt cakes.  Place the frosting in a ziploc bag and cut off just a bit of the corner of the bag.  Slowly pipe the frosting on the bundt cakes.  I topped mine with reeses peanut butter pieces.  Yummy!

]]> http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/2009/10/566/feed/ 21 http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/2009/10/mini-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-bundt-cakes-with-a-cinnamon-cream-cheese-drizzle/ http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/2009/10/mini-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-bundt-cakes-with-a-cinnamon-cream-cheese-drizzle/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:30:39 +0000 Steph http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/?p=561

My mind is empty tonight.  Do you ever have those days when you just don’t have much to say? I’m having one of those moments right now….hmmm…what to write.

Well I could tell you how delicious these mini bundt cakes are.  So delicious! And did I mention that I don’t think that I could live without my mini bundt cake pan? I was borrowing my neighbors mini bundt cake pan for a while.  She finally had to ask for it back.  I was crushed.  I was having a hard time finding one for me.  But than my friend called me today and told me that Walmart was selling them for $18.  Good deal.  I was so incredibly excited.  Is that silly to get so excited over a pan? Well I was. I immediately wanted to use it.  And since Fall has fallen here so quickly here in Utah, I wanted to make a Fall recipe.  So I whipped up these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundts.  Oh and the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Drizzle!  So divine.  I could eat a bowl of it for breakfast. It’s that good! Don’t fret if you don’t have a mini bundt cake pan. ( Although I would highly recommend you going out and getting one this very instant.  There are so many yummy things you can make with it!) You can also use a mini cheesecake pan, and if you don’t have one of those just use a good ole’ cupcake pan.  That works too.  The recipe is really yummy.  It is moist and oh so delicious.

I guess I had something to say afterall..so sorry for the ramblings!  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Drizzle
recipe by Stephanie
makes 18 mini bundt cakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

For the drizzle:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
dash of cinnamon

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Set aside. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add vanilla and pumpkin. Mix just until combined and creamy. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Grease the pan of your choice and fill the cups half way. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or baked through and when cooled, transfer to a wire rack. Using a mixer, whip the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk. Add a dash of cinnamon. Whip until smooth. I fill a ziplock bag with the frosting and cut one of the corners off a bit and than drizzle over the bundt cakes.

Enjoy!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks and I can’t believe how fast time has flown by!  This summer will be gone before we know it!  Sad news.  I have decided that I need a break from blogging for a little while.  Just for the rest of the summer.  I am having a lot harder time adjusting to life with 3 kids than I ever imagined I would.  I decided that they need to be my first priority and so I am going to take the pressure off of myself for the need to bake everyday and try to find time to blog about it.  I will be back in September, so I hope you won’t forget about me.  I could never abandon my blog forever.  It has allowed me to be me, not just Mommy, Wife, Maid and so forth.  It has opened my eyes to what I truly am passionate about and for that I don’t want to say goodbye forever.  I just need to breath for a while and get my world in order.  When I come back, I vow to be better than ever!  So, for now, feel free to browse through the many recipes I have here and do come back!  I will however be blogging for Cafe Zupas every Tuesday, so be sure to check it out every week.  Thanks for your support friends!

I will leave you with a scrumptious snack though!  I first saw these babies on Studio 5, here in Utah.  They originally came from this blog.  They are absolutely delicious, and super easy to make.  You might want to make a double recipe, because they seem to disappear very quickly!  See you in a couple of months!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
makes about 45 sandwiches

1 cup of peanut butter (creamy works best)
2 Tbsp softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar (you may need more)
3/4 cup brown sugar (you may need more)
Pretzels (the waffle shaped ones)
1 bag good quality chocolate (I like milk)

Using a mixer, combine peanut butter and softened butter and beat until smooth. Add the sugars and stir to combine. At this point if the filling will roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands you’re ready to go. If not, add more sugar ( a little bit of each) until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll. Use a teaspoon measure to scoop the filling. Roll each portion into a small ball and set on a cookie sheet. I like to roll all the balls and then sandwich them between two whole pretzels. When all the balls are rolled and successfully sandwiched, stick the whole tray in the freezer for about half an hour.

Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted. Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer and quickly dip each half-way into the melted chocolate. When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely. Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until serving time.

In case you were wondering…life is crazy with 3 kids!  So much more crazier than I would have ever imagined!  But everyday gets a little easier, sort of.  So hopefully, one day I can get used to it.  It will be much easier when I can get 8 straight un-interrupted hours of sleep, but that’s a ways down the road. Motherhood is also a beautiful, beautiful thing.  And I treasure every second I have with my beautiful children.  I’m so lucky.  And luckily I have an awesome husband to share it with!

I made this delicious Fresh Strawberry Pie for Father’s Day and I cleaned it up today (sorry hubby).  In about 2 minutes.  I couldn’t stop eating it!  How in the world am I ever going to get off this baby weight?  Anyways, like I said, this was soooo good.  I found some really sweet strawberries and paired it with a homemade graham cracker crust (so much better than store bought). Top it with some fresh whipped cream and you’ve got yourself a winner of a dessert.  Give it a try!  Have a great week everyone!

Fresh Strawberry Pie

1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust pie shell,
2 pints fresh strawberries
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
3 Tablespoons strawberry flavored gelatin

In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and corn starch; make sure to blend corn starch in completely. Add boiling water, and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mix, and stir until smooth. Let mixture cool to room temperature. Place strawberries in pie shell; position berries with points facing up. Pour cooled gel mixture over strawberries. Refrigerate until set. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter until well blended . Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes. Cool. If recipe calls for unbaked pie shell, just chill for about 1 hour.

Oh how I’ve missed baking.  I think of something that I want and I usually go to the kitchen and bake it.  It’s been a hard struggle not to be able to do that!  So when my Mom came and stayed with me for a couple of days I took full advantage of her baking ability.  These little cuties were her idea.  There are just as delicious as they are cute.  Strawberries aren’t the only fruit you can cover in chocolate.  We attempted covering them in caramel first, but that proved to be impossible.  If anyone knows any good tricks, let me know, because they tasted fantastic, but the apples were much too moist to hold the caramel on.  It just dripped off onto the wax paper and all that was left was a soggy apple.  But the chocolate stayed on perfectly. And the flavor combination was amazing. Give them a try!  

Chocolate Covered Apple Bites

You will need:
melon baller
4 inch lollipop sticks
granny smith apples
chocolate of your choice
chopped nuts, nonpareils, sprinkles, toffee bits (optional)

1. With a melon baller, scoop little balls out of the apple. Pat the apple pieces dry. Place a lollipop stick into each apple ball and dip in melted chocolate. Roll apples in nuts, sprinkles, nonpareils or toffee bits, if desired. Place on parchment paper until set.

Enjoy!

Hi everyone!  Hope ya’ll had a wonderful week.  I know I did but I am so ready for the weekend! I know I haven’t posted in a while but here I am back with a delicious sweet treat, of course.  I haven’t posted anything savory in quite a while.  Since the pregnancy, I honestly have been relying on the recipes I already have that have one main ingredient – simplicity.  I’m all about simple right now.  With 2 crazy kids and constant nausea (which by the way is getting a lot better) I have been cooking for my family but only if it is easy and fast.  But I am feeling my creativity slip back into my life a little more each day so hopefully I’ll have some great recipes here very soon that don’t involve chocolate.  Of course, my blog wouldn’t be my blog without a little chocolate, but you get my point.  Thanks for all of your support, it is very much appreciated!  So onto the recipe.  

These little tarts are perfect for any gathering, party or just a simple dessert.  This recipe does use a cake mix but I say yay to that because of the above paragraph – simple.  You can fool anyone and think you slaved away all day in the kitchen!  Give them a try, I hope you like them! Have a great weekend!!

Mini Chocolate Tarts
makes 24 tarts

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
1 3.4 oz box instant chocolate pudding
1 cup half and half
1 8 oz container cool whip

1. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, egg and butter until smooth. Scoop batter 2/3rds full into a mini muffin tin sprayed with non stick spray. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the edges are set. Immediately press down the centers of the cups using a tart shaper or a plastic lid of a soda bottle. Cool completely.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the pudding with the half and half until smooth. Fold in the cool whip. Spoon or pipe into the cups and top with a fresh strawberry or raspberry.

Enjoy!

Oh fudge, glorious fudge.  Oh how I love fudge.  I only eat it this time of year.  My Mom makes it every Thanksgiving and we lick our fingers clean.  And then we enjoy it again for Christmas.  It is absolutely delicious.  This year I decided to mix it up a bit and I added some scrumptious things to it.  Half of the pan was filled with crushed Oreo’s, and the other half was filled with Keebler’s Merry Mint Patties (remember my last post?).  It was my all time favorite.  I loved the hint of mint and the crunchy shortbread.  Yum.  This fudge is also amazing all on its own.  It really doesn’t need anything added to it, but I like to mix things up a bit every once in a while.  This recipe is a family favorite and you must try it.  It will be hit at any party and people will be begging you for the recipe!  Happy weekend!

Oreo Fudge

1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 12 ounce package semi sweet chocolate chips
1 13 ounce jar marshmallow cream
4- 1.55 ounce Hershey’s milk chocolate bars, chopped
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups crushed Oreo cookies

1. In a large saucepan, heat the evaporated milk and sugar until boiling. Continue heating over medium-high heat and at a low boil for about 10-12 minutes, or until it has reached the soft ball stage. (Check this by adding a small drop to a bowl of cold water. If you can roll it into a soft ball, it is ready.)
2. In a mixer, add the butter, chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, and chocolate bar chunks. Pour in the milk and sugar mixture and whip until all the ingredients are melted and smooth. Add in vanilla extract. Stir in the Oreo’s.
3. Pour directly into a greased 9X13 pan and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

I hope you enjoy these treats! Happy Holidays!

We had to make 2 different kinds of pizza, using sauce and toppings of choice.  I decided on a savory and sweet, of course.  My savory was delish, but let me tell you a little about my sweet.  Oh. My.  Despite the fact that I almost burnt it to smithereens, it was the best tasting sweet piece of heaven I have ever experienced in my life.  Sounds like I’m exaggerating, right? I’m not.  Picture this.  A nice thin sweet dough brushed with melted butter and topped with sauteed apples smothered in cinnamon, brown sugar and butter.  Top that with a brown sugar, cinnamon crumble and top that with a sweet glaze.  I know that words to not give this even remotely justice, but let me tell you that it was absolutely delicious. Mouthwatering delicious.  I will definitely be making this again and again.  My photo’s do not give it justice either, but if you are in the mood for a sweet treat, give this one a try.  You won’t be disappointed.  My savory pizza was topped with a white sauce and than topped with a 6 Italian Cheese blend.  I added tomatoes and Italian sausage to make it over the top tasty.  And it was.  If only I owned a brick oven, that would have made my pizzas perfect.  For the recipe for this challenge, visit here.  Check out the other Daring Bakers here.  Here is my recipe for my Apple Pizza.

Apple Pie Pizza

pizza crust

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 apples, chopped

2 tablespoons butter 

1. In a skillet, saute apples with the brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and butter until soft, about 10 minutes.  Brush some melted butter over the crust.  Pour apples evenly over the pizza crust.  In a small bowl add ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon melted butter and mix until all is combined.  Crumble over the pizza.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until crust is lightly golden.  In a small bowl add confectioners sugar and a dash of milk.  Stir until smooth.  Drizzle over the pizza.

These little beauties are so light and refreshing. They take a total of 4 ingredients and are a breeze to make. I’m not sure where my brain was on the day that I made these, but I meant to chill them in the fridge for a couple of hours, but somehow they were in the freezer when I went to serve them. So instead of a creamy pie, it was like a frozen popsicle. But I let the leftover ones sit in the fridge until the next day and they were perfect. I love these little mini graham cracker crusts, they are so perfect for individual servings. They work out great for this recipe because you don’t have to cut into the pie and get messy servings out, everyone gets to dig into their very own. Who doesn’t love that? Hope you guys enjoy the recipe and have yourselves a great week!

Mini Yogurt Pies
makes 12 individual servings

2- 6 ounce jars strawberry yogurt
1- 8 ounce tub cool whip
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and cubed
12 individual graham cracker crusts

1. Gently mix yogurt into cool whip. Add strawberries and mix until well combined. Pour into graham cracker crusts and chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

So…I had this challenge in the bag.  I had done a beautiful photo shoot with my beautiful food. The pictures were perfection.  I was so excited to post them for you all to see.  You would have wanted to eat the computer screen!  And than…last night I was attempting to upload the pictures from my beautiful, expensive camera on to my computer.  I was going to have the post all ready to appear at midnight.  And as I was sitting there very frustrated in front of my computer waiting very patiently for the photo’s to upload…they wouldn’t.  Yup, something is wrong with my camera.  I had to take it back to the store today to figure out what was wrong with it and I got the very bad news that they have to send my camera back to the manufacture to get it fixed.  I will now be without my most prized possession for 3-4 weeks.  Yah, I’m pretty distraught at the moment.  Bummed.  Devastated. And although I could go out and buy something to get the pictures off the card that was in my camera, the pictures that I took with great care, I really can’t spend the money right now.  So I had to come home and use my old point and shoot and re-do the pictures.  They are not good at all, and I apologize.  They do not give my food justice.  But, it is what it is and I can’t do anything about it right now.  So please bear with me for the next 3-4 weeks, as I will be using my old camera for my photo shoots.  I’m sure you will notice when I get my beautiful camera back.  Now onto the challenge!
This month’s Daring Bakers Challenge comes to us from Natalie from Gluten A Go Go and Shel of Musings From the Fishbowl.  And for a special addition, we have gone vegan!  It was a lot of fun trying something new, and it turned out to be absolutely delicious.  The recipe was for Lavish Crackers, a snappy Armenian style cracker, with a Vegan dip/relish/salsa of your choice. I chose to make my Lavish Crackers covered in cinnamon and sugar.  And for my dip, I made a fruit salsa. This was such a sweet treat, but since I’m a fan of sweet, if worked out perfectly for me.  The salsa gets better everyday, because it marinades in all the sweetness and the flavor becomes something out of this world.  The crackers were very simple to make in my opinion, and worth the time it took for them to rise (3 hours).  The recipe stated it would take 90 minutes, but for some reason in my house it always takes twice the amount of time that it is supposed to.  And that is even placing it my warm laundry room with the dryer running.  But the dough came out beautiful.  The trick is to roll it out paper thin, and than the crackers turn out perfectly crispy. For the Lavish Cracker recipe go here. Be sure to check out the other Daring Baker’s crackers here. My recipe for Fruit Salsa is below. Have a great weekend everyone!

Fruit Salsa
recipe
by Stephanie

2 small kiwis, diced

2 small apples, diced

1 medium peach, diced

1 cup strawberries, diced

1/4 cup raspberry preserves

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

dash of ground cinnamon

fresh mint, if desired

1. Mix all of the ingredients together and let sit for at least 1 hour before serving.

After baking, poke the cookie down so that you have room for the yummy filling.

Fill with the white chocolate peanut butter mixture, and chill.

Fill with the chocolate peanut butter mixture.

Top with crushed granola bars and you now have one twisted peanut butter cup.