The Best Buttercream Icing

I found this recipe online and tested it out on St. Patrick's Day to see if it was really the Best Buttercream Icing and if it was what I wanted to use for Eliana's birthday cupcakes. I didn't think it tasted quite right so I called my sister Rachel, the professional cake decorator. She confirmed my suspicions that the problem was the recipe called for all shortening and no butter and that I should use half shortening and half butter. After making it with half butter I decided that I don't like an all shortening icing but like the flavour SO MUCH BETTER when it's half shortening and half butter. Now it really is the best buttercream icing;)

I also used a little less of the heavy cream than the original recipe called for, but depending on how you want to ice your cake or cupcakes you can keep it the way I've got it here or add a little more of the heavy cream.

The Best Buttercream Icing
1 cup shortening, room temperature
1 cup butter, room temperature
8 cups powdered/icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup of heavy cream or whipping cream

In a Kitchen Aid or a large bowl with a mixer cream shortening and butter until fluffy. Add sugar 2 cups at a time until well blended. If the frosting gets too thick at any time you can add some of your heavy cream. Once all the sugar is mixed in add the salt, vanilla and heavy cream and mix until combined. Then mix on high until the frosting is light and fluffy. If you need additional cream you can add up to another 2 tablespoons, however don't do this until you've mixed the frosting on high to first see the consistency. As far as the consistency and taste of the icing goes, it is MUCH easier to add more of the heavy cream than to make it too thin and have to try to add more powered /icing sugar.

The frosting can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. To use after it's been in the fridge let it return to room temperature and then mix it again for a couple minutes. Then frost as usual.

* Note: This recipe can be easily halved if you don't want to make as much.

Chocolate Cake/Cupcakes with Raspberry Mousse Filling and Buttercream Icing

I decided on this combination for Eliana's cake and cupcakes for her 1st birthday and was thrilled with how well everything turned out. Of course my icing roses surrounding the cake weren't perfect but the overall effect in my opinion at least was. And seeing as it was my first attempt at making these roses I was happy, though I of course learned a few things!

Both the cake and the cupcakes were chocolate cake with a raspberry mousse filling and topped with buttercream icing.

To make cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare two muffin tins with liners and then spray with PAM. Make the Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe and pour into each muffin cup. The easiest and non-messiest way I have found to do this is to fill up a large 2 or 4 cup measuring cup with the batter and then pour the batter in to each cup. Be sure not to fill each cup more than 3/4 full as they will overflow and spread flat (instead of making a nice round top like most cupcakes/muffins). Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Remove cupcakes from the pan and cool on a metal rack. Once cooled, fill with the raspberry mousee filling or you can of course use chocolate ganache and then frost with buttercream icing.

To make a 6 inch cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare two 6 inch cake pans by lining the bottom with waxed paper and spreading shortening around the sides of the pans (note: you can also use 8 or 9 inch cake pans and cut your cake down to the size you want or you can make an 8 or 9 inch cake). Make the Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe and pour into the prepared pans filling them approximately 3/4 full. (You will have some extra batter which you can use to make some cupcakes.) Bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove the cakes from the pan and cool on a metal rack. Once cooled, put one cake on your cake stand / plate and then pipe around the outside edge of the cake with some buttercream frosting (this will keep the filling from coming out the sides of the cake). Then fill with the raspberry mousse filling and top with the second cake and frost with buttercream frosting.

The Best Buttercream Icing
I found this recipe online and tested it out on St. Patrick's Day to see if it was what I wanted to use for Eliana's cupcakes. I didn't think it tasted quite right so I called my sister Rachel, the professional cake decorator. She confirmed my suspicions that the problem was the recipe called for all shortening and no butter and that instead I should use half shortening and half butter. After making it with half butter I decided that I don't like an all shortening icing but like the flavour SO MUCH BETTER when it's half shortening and half butter. I also used a little less of the heavy cream to make the icing a little thicker and easier to work with as far as making the roses.

1 cup shortening, room temperature
1 cup butter, room temperature
8 cups powdered/icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup of heavy cream or whipping cream

In a Kitchen Aid or a large bowl with a mixer cream shortening and butter until fluffy. Add sugar 2 cups at a time until well blended. If the frosting gets too thick at any time you can add some of your heavy cream. Once all the sugar is mixed in add the salt, vanilla and heavy cream and mix until combined. Then mix on high until the frosting is light and fluffy. If you need additional cream you can add up to another 2 tablespoons, however don't do this until you've mixed the frosting on high to first see the consistency. As far as the consistency and taste of the icing goes, it is MUCH easier to add more of the heavy cream than to make it too thin and have to try to add more powered /icing sugar.

The frosting can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. To use after it's been in the fridge let it return to room temperature and then mix it again for a couple minutes. Then frost as usual.

Note: This recipe can be easily halved if you don't want to make as much.


Rose Icing Technique
Tip used is Wilton tip 1M, a large flower tip.

If using this technique to cover a cake with the roses you will need to cover the entire cake with a thin layer of icing first, so the roses have something to stick to. If you are doing individual roses on cupcakes you don't need to worry about this step.

Starting at the centre of the cupcake make a little dollop which will be the centre of your rose and then working outward swirl around your centre two or three times to finish off your rose.

If you are covering a cake with the roses, I recommend starting on the sides from the bottom up and then doing the top of the cake. You can vary the sizes of your roses and fill in extra space with some little swirls (going in the same direction as the roses beside them).

You can of course use food colouring to make the roses different colours or you can use icing spray tint to spray the entire cake with a colour after you're done.


Raspberry Mousse Filling
Whipping cream, whipped up with a little bit of powdered/icing sugar.
Raspberry pie filling

Whip the whipping cream with the powdered/icing sugar then fold the raspberry pie filling in to it. Ratio is about 3 whipping cream : 1 raspberry pie filling

Chocolate Peanut Butter Butterscotch Squares

I've had versions of this square before and always wanted to figure out how to make them as I love them! My sister Rebekah gave me a recipe for them last year but we tried them and they didn't quite turn out right. Then lucky for me she went to a cookie exchange just before Christmas and got this recipe...and they're absolutely perfect! Thanks Rhonda Dubeau (the girl she got the recipe from)!

I have no idea what they're actually called so I'm calling them:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Butterscotch Squares

1 pkg milk chocolate chips
1 pkg butterscotch chips
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup of shortening
1 small bag of mini marshmallows (fruit marshmallows preferred)

Place the first 4 ingredients in a double broiler and stir until completely smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes. Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan with waxed paper. Cover the bottom of the prepared pan with some of the chocolate peanut butter mixture then add the bag of marshmallows on top. Then cover with the remaining chocolate peanut butter mixture. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until firm, remove and cut in to bite sized squares.

Enjoy!

* Note: Chris suggested to add Chow Mein Noodles next time which I thoughtwould be a good addition so I tried it today and made half the pan with the noodles and half without. I think I like the squares better without the noodles, but Chris and a few others I've asked like the squares better with the noodles. I think it just depends if you like a little crunch in your chocolate. (The top row of squares in the picture has the noodles in them and the bottom row doesn't.)

*Note: If you're allergic to peanut butter, use an additional bag of chocolate or butterscotch chips. Flavour will of course change, but they should still be great;)

Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

I got this recipe from my sister in law Traci. The cinnamon rolls are nice and light and fluffy just the way I like them. The original recipe calls for using dry active yeast, however I've been using instant yeast for everything lately so I've made that change. I also can't eat cinnamon rolls without a cream cheese icing so I've added that as well!

The last time I made them I gave some to a friend in the ward and she's been wanting the recipe, so I figured I'd better get it on here as that was over a month ago. I didn't take a picture at the time so I'll have to add it the next time I make them!

Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

2 cups milk slightly scalded (little skim on top, barely bubbling around edge)
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1 cup instant mashed potatoes cooked (2/3 cup milk, 2/3 cup flake. I don't add salt, butter, etc)
1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast (I use SAF instant yeast and love it) or 2 tbsp dry active yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 eggs, slightly beaten
7 - 8 cups flour (add more if needed to get right consistency)

4 tbsp softened butter divided in half
1 cup sugar and 4 tsp cinnamon mixed and divided in half

Directions:
Make instant potatoes.

In Kitchen Aid or large bowl, pour the scalded milk over the next 4 ingredients. Cool until lukewarm (approximately 15 minutes).

If using the instant yeast:
Combine 4 cups of flour and the instant yeast in a medium bowl and set aside.

When cooled, add the water, the eggs and 4 cups of the flour (with the yeast in it) to the Kitchen Aid bowl / large bowl. Beat until smooth. Then add the rest of the flour and mix until dough becomes smooth and elastic.

If using the dry active yeast:
Dissolve yeast in the warm water while the above ingredients cool, during last 5 minutes or so.

When cooled, add the eggs and 4 cups of the flour to the Kitchen Aid bowl / large bowl. Beat until smooth. Then add the dissolved yeast and the rest of the flour and mix until dough becomes smooth and elastic.

The rest of the directions are the same despite what yeast you use:
Place dough in a lightly oiled (PAM) bowl and cover with saran wrap and a dish towel and raise until doubled (at least 1 hour). Divide dough in two and roll out each half into a rectangle (about 10-12" by however long it rolls out).

Soften 2 tbsp butter and brush on the rolled out dough. Sprinkle with half of the sugar/cinnamon mixture (1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon).

Roll down 10" side and cut approximately 1" slices with thread or dental floss (slide the thread under the roll and pull it up on the sides and cross to cut).

Put on greased cookie sheet and let rise until doubled (30 min-1 hr.)

Repeat for the other half of the dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins or until lightly browned. Add cream cheese icing while cinnamon rolls are hot.


Cream Cheese Icing
8 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter softened
3 cups icing sugar
3 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Note: the original recipe called for this glaze, but I'm all about a cream cheese icing instead so that's what I always use!

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
8 tsp milk
2 tbsp soft butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Enjoy!

*Note: I hope this makes sense...but if you have questions about the method for the instant yeast versus the dry active yeast please ask me!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yes it's another pumpkin recipe...what can I say it tis the season for pumpkin!

This is another recipe from my sister Rebekah.

And sorry for the bad pic...I mistakenly put them in my silicone muffin tin without a liner and I had the hardest time trying to get them out in one piece, so I decided I was just going to have to take a picture of them still in the tin.


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
14 oz pumpkin (1/2 a large 29 oz can)
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
12 oz bag of milk chocolate chips, or raisins or pecans *optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl or Kitchen Aid, cream the butter or margarine, then add in the sugar and cream well. Beat in the eggs then add the pumpkin and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Add in desired amount of chocolate chips, raisins, or pecans.

Line muffin tins with liners and spray Pam on the top of the muffin tin (helps with removing the muffins from the tin). Fill the muffin cups almost full if you like a nice big crunchy muffin top or a little less full if you don't want a big muffin top.

Bake for approximately 20 - 30 minutes (depending on how full you filled your muffin cups) until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Note: the fuller the cups, the more the muffin top will spread on the top of the tin, if that makes sense!

Note: You can also make this into pumpkin loaves, bake time will be approximately 60-65 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies

This is one of my sister Rebekah's recipes. I haven't made them for years, but as I've been wanting to make some pumpkin recipes for weeks I finally made them last week! I ended up taking them all the Church for my Relief Society lesson so I didn't a picture, but I will next time!

Pumpkin Cookies
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups of pumpkin (14-16 oz can of pumpkin) **
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 cups flour

1 bag of milk chocolate chips (12 oz bag)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together the margarine/butter and sugars in a large bowl / KitchenAid. Then add the eggs and vanilla and cream till well mixed. Then add the pumpkin and mix well. In separate bowl mix the dry ingredients together, then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well mixed. Add the chocolate chips and mix well by hand.

Spoon onto ungreased non stick cookie sheets (if not non stick, then spray PAM on the cookie sheet).

Cook for 15 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

*Note: Makes approximately 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on size of cookies.

*Note: You want the cookie batter super thick, so you might want/need to add a little extra flour. The cookies should be nice and thick (almost like a mini muffin) when they're done baking. If they flatten too much you'll want to add a little more flour!

**Note: If you have a large can of pumpkin (29 oz) that you'd like to use you can double the recipe.

Enjoy!

Hot Fudge Sauce

So I've been a slacker and haven't posted a recipe in over a month...I've got lots saved in my drafts, but I just haven't gotten to posting any of them. But since I've been seriously obsessed with this hot fudge sauce for the last couple weeks I thought it was only fair to share the wealth and post the recipe!

I have been searching for a good hot fudge sauce recipe since I started making "The Bomb Brownies"...I've tried a few, but haven't been happy with them, then I remembered reading this post and I decided to try it.

The original recipe called for Carnation Evaporated Milk, but since I didn't have any and it was late at night and we just had to have hot fudge sauce on our vanilla ice cream I decided to improvise! I'm going to have to make it with the evaporated milk to see which one I like better, but let's just say I'm LOVING it just the way I made it...in fact I can't get enough of it and I've been craving it every day since - so much so that I had to run to the store to get some store bought ice cream when we ran out of the good stuff! Sadly it's not as good with the store bought ice cream, but I'll take what I can get;)

Hot Fudge Sauce
1 1/2 cups of butter (3 sticks for those of us in the US of A)
1 1/2 cups of whipping cream (or 1 - 12 ounce can of Carnation evaporated milk)
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa
7 1/2 cups powdered sugar (or 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar)

Combine the butter, whipping cream & vanilla in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until butter is melted. Then add the cocoa & icing sugar & mix well on low heat. Once it is mixed well (meaning you can get rid of as many of the little chunks as you can), pour it into a blender and puree it for a good 3-4 minutes. If all the little chunks haven't disappeared, puree it for a couple more minutes. (Beware not to fill the blender too full as the heat of the sauce will increase the pressure in the blender and if it's too full the top may pop off and make a huge mess...so you may just want to puree it in two batches to avoid this. Chris also suggested not putting the lid on too tightly as that will let the pressure escape, but I'm too nervous the lid will pop off to try this method and just stick with doing 1/2 batch at a time.)

Serve over vanilla ice cream...homemade is definitely the best;)

Note: I like it made with the whipping cream better!

Enjoy!

The "I'm Addicted" Chocolate Cupcakes

My sister Rachel is a professional cake decorator and made these cupcakes for our wedding (the first pic). Chris absolutely LOVED them and was thrilled to find a number of them in the freezer waiting for us when we got home from our honeymoon (thanks to my mum for saving them for him).

I made them for Chris as a surprise on our first Valentine's Day thanks to Rachel sending me the recipe. Then I made them for him again this past Valentine's Day and decided I was addicted to them so they've been a staple in our freezer ever since. (They freeze perfectly, you just pull them out of the freezer about 1/2 hour before you want to eat one and voila...fresh yummy addicting cupcakes).

The funny thing is it's only been since this last Valentine's Day that I've become addicted to them...for some reason I'm way more into chocolate now than I ever used to be. In fact, I think I like them even more than Chris now which I wouldn't have thought was possible.

You can use any chocolate cake recipe for the cupcakes, but since Sarah discovered the Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe that's the only one I use. It really is the best.

The "I'm Addicted" Chocolate Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two muffin tins with liners and then spray with PAM. Make the Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe and pour into each muffin cup. The easiest and non-messiest way I have found to do this is to fill up a large 2 or 4 cup measuring cup with the batter and then pour the batter in to each cup. Be sure not to fill each cup more than 3/4 full as they will overflow and spread flat (instead of making a nice round top like most cupcakes/muffins). Cook the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Remove cupcakes from the pan and cool on a metal rack. Once cooled, fill with chocolate ganache and then frost with Chocolate Buttercream Icing. Then try to eat just one..I dare you;)

If you're feeling really fancy you can top the cupcakes with strawberries dipped in chocolate (Rachel used Dove dark chocolate, but Chris and I like milk chocolate more than dark chocolate, so I use Dove milk chocolate).

Chocolate Ganache/Truffle Filling

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (6 oz)

8 oz (8 squares) semi-sweet or dark Bakers chocolate, depending on your preference

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Chop the chocolate into fine pieces and put in a bowl, along with the vanilla and salt. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until hot, but not boiling (you will see bubbles forming just around the edges which will tell you it's hot enough). Pour hot cream over chocolate. Let sit for 30 sec or so and then whisk until the chocolate is melted. Cover and refrigerate until it reaches the desired consistency, approximately 2 -3 hours.

Fill a pastry / icing bag with the ganache and using a decorative tip with a large hole fill each cupcake with some ganache. (You'll use the tip to make a hole in the middle of the cupcake and then insert the tip in to the cupcake about 1/2 inch and squeeze some of the ganache into the hole. You'll know when it's enough as the ganache will start coming out the top.)

*Note: If the ganache is left too long in the fridge and you're unable to squeeze it through the pastry bag, let it sit at room temperature for 10 - 15 minutes and try again. You can also handle the bag a little and it will soften from the heat of your hands.

*Note: If filling 24 cupcakes you will most likely have a little ganache left over. No worries, you can keep it in the fridge and eat it with a spoon;) Or spread it on graham crackers or of course use it in another recipe. However, if you're a little more conservative in how much ganache filling you put in to each cupcake you can get away with halving the recipe: 3 oz heavy whipping cream, 4 oz (4 squares) semi-sweet or dark Baker's chocolate, 1/2 tsp vanilla, smallest amount of salt.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

4 cups icing sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 - 3/4 cup cocoa powder (depends on how chocolate-y you want it) or 3 oz unsweetened chocolate squares, melted
1 tsp vanilla

3-4 tbsp milk (just enough to get to the right spreading consistency)

In a large bowl or Kitchen Aid, cream together shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add cocoa powder and vanilla and beat till smooth. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Fill a pastry / icing bag with the icing and then using whatever decorative tip you'd like, frost the cupcakes.

*Note: Keep bowl of icing covered with a damp cloth when not in use.

*Note: Icing should be refrigerated in an airtight container when not in use and can be stored for up to 2 weeks. To use after icing has been refrigerated, return to room temperature and re-whip.

The Bestest Carrot Cake...yum, yum

Ok, so I've been craving and wanting to make Carrot Cake forever...well maybe not forever, but for a very very very long time. Don't ask me why I haven't done it before today, because I seriously love it...and with the cream cheese icing...yum, yum as Winnie the Pooh would say (can you tell we watch a lot of Winnie the Pooh at our house?).

This recipe is an old one from when I was living at home, with some changes of course... like the brown sugar (as I really liked how it worked in the Zucchini Bread a couple weeks ago), the pineapple (as I love it in the Best Banana Bread recipe) and then of course substituting half the oil with applesauce.

Carrot Cake

4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil *optional: 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup milk
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 generous tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup (8 oz can) crushed pineapple, juice drained *optional
3 cups shredded carrots
*optional: 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare desired pans (2 - 9 " round or square) by spraying with PAM and covering with a light layer of sugar.

Beat the eggs, oil (and applesauce), milk, sugar and vanilla together until well combined.

In a separate bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and stir together then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until well combined.

Add in the pineapple and shredded carrots and mix thoroughly.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until toothpick inserted in comes out clean. Cool cakes for approximately 10 minutes before removing the cakes from pans and then cool completely.

Frost the cake after it has cooled completely.

*Note: I made one 9 " square pan and then 6 large cupcakes today. The cupcakes take approximately 25-28 mins to cook.

Cream Cheese Icing
8 oz Cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups icing sugar

Cream the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth, then add in the icing sugar one cup at a time and beat in between each cup until smooth and fluffy.

*Note: Just beware this is quite sweet with the icing... in fact I almost couldn't finish the piece shown in the picture above. So go small and then go back for seconds if you like, or don't put as much icing on;)

Enjoy!

Delicious Crumb Topped Zucchini Bread

Ok, this is absolutely delicious! Seriously folks, it really is that good! In fact Jacob (who's 16 months old) can't get enough of it...he whines for some whenever he sees it and when you give him one bite he keeps whining for more...it's that good!

We've had lots of zucchini around the house lately (thanks to Aimee) and I've been wanting to make zucchini bread for days and finally got to it today. I didn't have a recipe, so I spent some time searching on Allrecipes and then did a little experimenting and I have to say I'm thrilled with the result.

Crumb Topped Zucchini Bread
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini, undrained
1 cup crushed pineapple * optional
1 cup chopped walnutes*optional (I didn't add them)

Crumb Topping
1/2 cup regular oats
1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and sugar (or flour) two loaf pans.

Stir together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a bowl.

Beat the eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla and sugar in a large bowl or KitchenAid. Add the dry ingredients and beat well.

Stir in the zucchini (and pineapple and nuts if desired) until well combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans and put them in the pre-heated oven.

While the bread is cooking, combine the ingredients for the crumb topping.

Bake the bread for approximately 20-25 mins then add the crumb topping and cook an additional 35 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean*.

*Note: This is an extremely moist bread, so the toothpick won't come out completely clean, but you will be able to tell the difference in the toothpick between when it's not done and done.

*Note: Cool completely before attempting to cut this baby...as I said it's really moist so it's difficult to make a clean cut when it's still hot. You can cool it on a wire rack and / or remove the bread out of the pans after it's cooled for 1/2 hour or so to speed up the cooling process.

Enjoy!

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream with Variations

This recipe is from Chris's aunt Mindy. The recipe is to make Caramel Crunch ice cream, but I thought I'd post it as vanilla ice cream since we use the vanilla ice cream base to make all sorts of variations, like caramel crunch, cookies n cream, etc. I think we've also made peanut butter cup with it before too! Oh and I just have to mention that even though it might sound kinda funny mixed berry oreo is SO good.

The difference in this recipe versus the recipe for the berry ice cream is this recipe uses eggs and so Chris says it's more of a custard base... whatever it is it's smooth and creamy and absolutely DELICIOUS!!!

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 cups whole milk
3 cups whipping cream
2 1/2 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Beat eggs until light. Add sugar and continue to beat until thick. Add the milk, whipping cream, vanilla and salt and mix well. Pour into a 4 quart freezer and place in ice cream maker, surround with ice and rock salt and allow to mix. Check periodically and add more ice as necessary.

*Note: If you only have a 5 or 6 quart machine, then use 6 cups whole milk and 4 cups whipping cream.

**Note: If you are concerned about Salmonella you have 2 options. You can substitute the eggs with an egg substitute such as Egg Beaters (follow instructions on carton). You can also heat the egg/milk mixture to 160 degrees F slowly then cool it quickly in the fridge or freezer.

Mindy's Carmel Crunch
1 jar Mrs. Richardsons Caramel Topping
1bag crushed Skor chips

Follow instructions above, however add 1/2 jar of caramel topping before you turn the ice cream maker on. When freezer slows, add the crushed Skor chips and the rest of the caramel.

*Note: You might not want to use the entire jar or the entire package of the chips if you're using a 4 quart machine.

Mixed Berry
2 cups mixed berries, thawed and mashed

Follow instructions above, adding the mixed berries to the ice cream maker before you turn it on.

Cookies-N-Cream
1/2 - 3/4 bag Oreos, crushed in a ziploc bag (if you buy the monster box from Costco Chris suggests using 2 1/2 sleeves)

Follow instructions above. Once the ice cream maker has stopped turning add the crushed Oreos.

Berry Cookies-N-Cream
1/2 - 3/4 bag Oreos, crushed in a ziploc bag (if you buy the monster box from Costco Chris suggests using 2 1/2 sleeves)
2 cups mixed berries, thawed and mashed

Follow instructions above, adding the mixed berries before you turn the ice maker on. Once the ice cream has stopped add the crushed Oreo's.

*Note: as mentioned above, you can use the basic vanilla recipe and mix in anything you'd like!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

This is a favourite dessert in the summertime back home. Rhubard grows wild on my parents' farm so I grew up making this dessert a lot. I didn't know they sold it in stores until I saw it in our local Macey's grocery store ad last week...you can bet I bought some and then made it! The funny thing is I was talking to my sister Rebekah the day I made it and she said they'd just had it a couple times in the last week...I told you it's a favourite dessert back home!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

4 large stalks of rhubarb, washed and sliced in 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/2 lbs of strawberries, washed and sliced

sugar

Crisp Topping:

2/3 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups rolled oats

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup melted butter

Combine the cut rhubarb and strawberries together with a little sugar and place the fruit mixture in a greased (PAM) 9X13 pan.

Combine the crisp topping ingredients until crumbly and sprinke over the fruit. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until the topping is cooked and browned on top.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It tastes absolutely delicious with Chris's vanilla ice cream!

*Note: The amounts of rhubarb and strawberries are approximate as the size of rhubarb stalks and strawberries vary.

*Note: You can substitute apples, peaches, blueberries, etc instead of using strawberries and rhubarb.

Enjoy!

Grandma Bickmore's Homemade Berry Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream is a huge Bickmore (and now Parson) family tradition. I always hear stories of the homemade ice cream at Grandma's, especially on Memorial Day when everyone would bring their ice cream maker and make a different kind of ice cream. Chris loves making ice cream any excuse he can get (actually he doesn't even need an excuse!), so it was a no-brainer that he needed to make Grandma's berry ice cream for Memorial Day this year!

I think raspberries must have been Grandma's favourite berry because another favourite family recipe is a Raspberry Cream pie, which I think was from Grandma as well!

Grandma's Raspberry Ice Cream
2 bags frozen raspberries OR substitue any kind of berries you like
2 cups sugar
3 Quarts 1/2 & 1/2 (or 6 cups cream and 6 cups milk)

Mash berries thoroughly in a bowl. Add sugar and mix to dissolve.

Put in 4 quart ice cream maker and fill to the fill line with 1/2 & 1/2.

Cover with rock salt, ice and turn on!

*Note: Chris just eye balls the berries as we buy a big bag of them from Costco, but I googled it and found that a 12 oz bag of frozen raspberries is equal to approximately 3 cups frozen berries. Hope that helps!

Enjoy!

Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo bars are a Canadian dessert that are extremely popular back home. Legend has it that they were created in Nanaimo, British Columbia (that's in Canada for those out there not so familiar with Canadian geography;)). I absolutely love them and used to love that they're a staple at most functions in Canada. They're hard to explain and are just one of those things you really need to try. Just beware that they are extremely rich so you can't eat a lot of them at once and are therefore best if cut into small squares (think of it as good portion control). There are many different recipes out there, including lots of variations like mint and mocha, but the original is my favourite! This recipe was originally taken from the Nanaimo city website, however has a few very small changes.

Nanaimo Bar Recipe

Bottom Layer

½ cup unsalted butter (European style cultured)

¼ cup sugar

5 tbsp cocoa

1 egg, beaten

1 ¼ cups graham wafer crumbs

½ cup finely chopped almonds or walnuts

1 cup shredded coconut

Melt the first 3 ingredients in the top of a double boiler (you can make your own using a pot and a large glass or stainless steel bowl). Add the egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in the crumbs, coconut, and nuts.

Press firmly into an ungreased 8" x 8" pan and chill in the fridge for 20-30 mins.

Middle Layer

½ cup unsalted butter

2 tbsp and 2 tsp. heavy cream

2 tbsp vanilla custard powder (FYI: If you live in Utah, Bird's custard powder can be found in the local Utah Macey's grocery stores)

2 cups icing / powdered sugar

Cream the butter, heavy cream, custard powder, and icing / powdered sugar together well. Beat until light and fluffy. Spread over bottom layer.

Chill in the fridge for 20-30 mins.

Top Layer

Approximately 4 ounces of milk chocolate (or 4 (1 oz) squares semi-sweet chocolate), chopped

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Melt the chocolate and butter over low heat. Let sit for 2-3 minutes to cool and then pour the melted chocolate over the second layer and chill in the refrigerator.

After approximately 10 minutes remove the bars and score the top layer into the size of squares you'd like (this will ensure your chocolate layer doesn't crack when you cut your squares). Return to the fridge for another 1/2 hour or so.

Remove from the fridge approximately 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares just before serving.

*Note: These freeze very well. I just put the squares in a ziploc bag and put them in the freezer then take them out a few minuets before we want to eat them!

Enjoy!

The Bomb Brownies

I'm not the biggest fan of brownies, but for some reason I've been in the mood for them lately and started looking for a good recipe online. The name of these intrigued me so I read the reviews and then decided they were the ones to make! I made two small changes and used milk chocolate chips as they're the only kind we use in our house and just mixed the dry ingredients together instead of sifting them! I also changed the name slightly... As I said I'm not the biggest fan of brownies, but these are very very very yummy!

The Bomb Brownies

1 cup butter, melted
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray PAM in a 9x13 glass baking dish.

Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.

Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a separate bowl.

Gradually add the flour mixture into the larger bowl and stir until well mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Pour the batter into the baking dish and spread the batter evenly with a spatula/bowl scraper.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean*. Cool on wire rack before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce.

*Note: I set the timer for 35 minutes and checked them, then cooked them an additional 5 minutes. Clean is a relative term because the toothpick won't come out clean like it would from a cake, but will be a little gooey still as we all know brownies are best a little gooey!

Enjoy!

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chris has drill this weekend so I thought I'd make him some cookies as a treat to take with him. He of course wanted these ones as this is his favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe! I have to say it's becoming my fav as well;) The recipe, along with this background information can be found on the Neiman Marcus website: An urban myth is a modern folk tale, its origins unknown, its believability enhanced simply by the frequency with which it is repeated. Our signature chocolate chip cookie is the subject of one such myth. If you haven't heard the story, we won't perpetuate it here. If you have, the recipe below should serve to refute it. Copy it, print it out, pass it along to friends and family. It's a terrific recipe. And it's absolutely free.

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups flour 3
 teaspoons instant espresso powder, slightly crushed (omitted)
1 bag milk chocolate chips (We only use milk chocolate at our house, but the recipe originally called for semi sweet. Sometimes I also use some white chocolate chips as well.)


 Directions
 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds)
 2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.
3. In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the chocolate chips.
 4. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for a crispier cookie. (We prefer the soft gooey kind so bake them for about 8 mins.) 

Makes 24 to 30 large cookies. 

 Note: This was a small recipe and we always doubled it, so I've posted the double recipe, so it's easier! 

 Note: The Neiman Marcus website says to bake the cookies at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie. It also says to gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle before you bake them.

Extreme Chocolate Cake

Our friend Sarah found this recipe on allrecipes.com. She did a search for chocolate cake and printed the one with the highest reviews. She definitely chose well that's for sure! All recipes always has a quote right under the title of the recipe and this one says: "A rich moist chocolate cake with a chocolate buttercream icing. This is the best cake in the world!" I'd have to agree that this is the yummiest chocolate cake and as a result the only recipe I use! It makes a 4 layer tier cake, but you can of course be as creative as you'd like with the recipe!

Note: If you're wondering about the picture of the cake above, Chris made it for his brother Ben on his birthday. Chris and Ben love Volkswagen's (and are both working on restoring old VW Bugs), so Chris put the VW symbol on it!

Extreme Chocolate Cake

Cake
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (you can substitute applesauce for half or all of the oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Icing
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
5 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour* two 9 inch cake pans.

In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer.

Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two or three prepared pans.

If you’re using two pans: bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

If you’re using three pans: bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

Frosting Instructions

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners' sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency.

4 Layer Tier Cake Instructions

Split the layers of cooled cake horizontally, cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake.

3 Layer Tier Cake Instructions
Instead of using two 9-inch cake pans use three 8-inch cake pans.  This way you won't need to cut the cakes.  Cover each layer with a layer of frosting and then stack them together onto a serving plate.  Frost the outside of the cake. 

Enjoy!

*Instead of greasing and flouring the pans I like to spread shortening around the outside of the pans and then put parchment paper on the bottom of the pan (I use a pencil to trace the pan and then cut it out). The cakes pop right out of the pans this way and then you just peel the parchement paper off. 

Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Vanilla Icing

Use "The Best Banana Bread" Recipe for the cupcakes and top with the cinnamon vanilla icing.

Yields 36 cupcakes.

Cinnamon Vanilla Icing
4 ounces (half a package) softened Neufchatel or Cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups powdered sugar

Using a hand mixer or KitchenAid, mix the softened Neufchatel cheese, melted butter and vanilla until smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until creamy. Add the milk, cinnamon and the remaining powdered sugar and beat until creamy and smooth. Top cupcakes!

Enjoy!

The Best Banana Bread Ever

This is seriously the yummiest banana bread I've ever had...and I've had my fair share of banana bread over the years. In fact, growing up banana bread was a staple at our house.

Chris got the recipe from someone in his ward back home and I can promise you that once you taste it you'll be hooked. The secret is the crushed pineapple, but not to worry if you don't like pineapple you'd never even know it was there.

The Best Banana Bread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bundt pan with Pam and then sprinkle with sugar.

1) Cream together:
1 cup butter or margarine (softened)
3 cups sugar
5 or 6 mashed bananas
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups milk

(Note: cream the margarine and sugar together first and then add in the rest one ingredient at a time, mixing between. make sure the margarine is soft.)

2) Mix together:
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

3) Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until smooth.

4) Add:
2 cups nuts
1 cup crushed pineapple

(Note:I don't usually add the nuts.)

5) Pour batter into prepared pans.

(Note: I fill the bundt pan a little over half full and then make the rest into muffins or loaves.)

The bundt pan usually cooks for about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. The more batter you put in the bundt pan the longer it will take to cook. In my oven the muffins take approximately 27-28 minutes to cook, however I'd suggest starting at 20 minutes and then check them after 2-5 minute increments until toothpick inserted comes out clean. The loaf pans take approximately, so I'd suggest starting with 40 minutes and then check every 5 minutes or so. Let bread cool and then invert it onto a plate and dust powdered / icing sugar on top and serve!

(Note: This recipe is easily halved if you don't want to have quite as much batter. 1/2 recipe makes 1 loaf pan and 12 muffins. To make 1/2 recipe use 3 bananas and 2 small/medium eggs or 1 extra large egg...I know you could have figured that out yourself, but just thought I'd put it here for good measure;) )

Enjoy!