Peanut Butter Jelly Chevron Cake Roll

April 19, 2014September 18, 2017Carroll 2 Comments

Love when food trends follow fashion trends. How adorable is this chevron pattern on a traditional jelly roll. I credit Pinterest with popularizing food that is so darn cute in the everyday households. It’s fun to watch all the adorable treats popping up on social media. And wouldn’t this be great on an Easter brunch table?

I loved the idea of honoring the 1850s jelly roll then with classic flavors of peanut butter and jelly.

Ingredients

Cake:

¼ cup powdered sugar
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

8 ounce cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
½ teaspoon almond extract
10 ounces fruit jelly

Directions

Cake:

In a medium mixing bowl, whip the eggs until frothy. Slowly add sugar, water, vanilla and flour mixture, scraping bowl occasionally. Take out about 1/4 of the batter and add a few drops of food color to get to the desired color.

Place the colored batter into a piping bag with a small flat tip and make the zig zag pattern onto the wax paper. You can find patterns on line to print out and trace, or make your own with a sharpie marker on a piece of parchment paper placed under the wax paper.

Bake the patterned batter for 2 minutes; allow cooling for 3 minutes and then spreading the rest of the batter on top. Bake another 9-11 minutes.

Immediately loosen the cake around the edges and invert cake onto prepared towel. Carefully remove paper. Roll the cake, beginning at the narrow end. Cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes.

Filling:

Add cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter and almond extract to a medium bowl and beat until well mixed. Carefully unroll cake and spread the peanut butter cream evenly to edges. Follow by spreading the fruit jelly over peanut butter.

Gently roll the cake and wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. Slice and serve with fresh fruit or berries.

This is such a fun, playful way to present a jelly roll cake. The peanut butter and jelly filling is going to take you back to the lunchroom table, where everything is cute as a polka dot and sweet as a sprinkle!

Let your inner child and fashionista meet in the kitchen!

This is what I used https://appliancereviewer.co.uk/best-ovens/

Broadway Brownie Bars AKA Praline Cream Brownies

December 23, 2013December 22, 2013Carroll 3 Comments

Broadways Bars- the star of every dessert buffet; that’s what one baker called them, but after baking them I would rename them as Praline Cream Brownies. The frosting you pour over top of the baked layer brownies is reminiscent of the drippings I used to peel off the parchment paper when I scooped pralines at the Charleston Popcorn Shop.

These are extra sweet- cut them in one inch squares so you don’t overdo it. Taste of Home supplied the recipe.

Ingredients
FILLING:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

BROWNIE:
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts

TOPPING:
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups miniature marshmallows

FROSTING:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
2 ounces cream cheese
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
In small bowl, combine the first six ingredients until smooth; set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and chocolate. Remove from the heat and cool. Stir in the eggs, and vanilla. Add the sugar, flour, baking powder and nuts, stirring until blended.

Spread batter in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Spread filling over batter. For topping, in small bowl, combine chocolate chips and nuts; sprinkle over filling. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until almost set. Sprinkle with marshmallows; bake for 2 minutes longer.

For frosting, in a large saucepan, heat butter, milk, cream cheese and chocolate until melted; stirring until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Immediately drizzle over marshmallows. Chill well; cut into 1 inch bars.

Happy Baking!!!

Beer and Pretzel Caramels- Stuff his stocking!

December 22, 2013Carroll 4 Comments

It was impossible to pass over this recipe when I saw it, baking with beer and pretzels was right up my alley . I haven’t had a lot of luck with caramels, but wanted to take a chance on these “Mans Man” caramels. Salty, Sweet and Beer- put them on the coffee table for all the bowl games coming up!

These unique treats came from Taste of Home– It might seem like a lot of beer to let go, but the outcome is so worth it!

Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups miniature pretzels
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

CARAMELS:
4 cups dark beer
1 teaspoon plus 1 cup butter, divided
3 cups sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

In a small bowl, combine sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the pretzels, oil and vanilla. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat. Transfer to a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. foil-lined baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. Coarsely chop pretzels; set aside.
In a large saucepan, bring beer to a boil; cook until reduced to 2/3 cup. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, line a 9-in. square pan with foil; grease the foil with 1 teaspoon butter and set aside.

In a Dutch oven, combine the sugar, corn syrup, 2/3 cup cream, water, salt and remaining butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 238°, about 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine reduced beer and remaining cream; slowly stir into sugar mixture.

Using a pastry brush dipped in cold water, wash down the sides of the pan to eliminate sugar crystals. Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads 245° (firm-ball stage), about 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan); sprinkle with candied pretzels and kosher salt. Let stand until firm, about 5 hours or overnight. Using foil, lift candy out of pan. Discard foil; cut candy into 1-in. squares using a buttered knife. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.

Yield: about 3 pounds/81 Servings

The guys will love these artisanal treats for sure!!

Marscapone Filled Brownie Sandwiches

December 21, 2013Carroll 3 Comments

I wanted to tag everyone in this post, to get your attention and suggest you stop what you’re doing today and make these instead. By far these are absolutely my favorite cookie made to date. Rich, creamy, and decadent, the kind you would travel across town for. This is the cookie in which one is enough, at least for one seating.

If you have to share with more than 5 friends I highly suggest doubling the recipe as it doesn’t make too many. Or hide the last one, not that I did that!

From Better Homes and Garden Holidays– They got this one right on the money!

Ingredients
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder
2 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
1 8 ounce container mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In a small heavy saucepan heat and stir chopped semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, and butter over low heat until melted and smooth; set aside to cool slightly. In a small bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl beat eggs, granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed for 4 minutes or until thick and light yellow in color. Fold in melted chocolate mixture. Fold in flour mixture until combined. Fold in semisweet chocolate pieces. Let batter stand for 10 minutes (batter will thicken as it stands).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Drop batter by slightly rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake about 8 minutes or until set and tops are crackled. Cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

For filling, in a small bowl stir together the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, whipping cream, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Spread about 1 tablespoon filling each on the flat sides (bottoms) of half of the cookies. Press the flat sides of the remaining cookies against the filling.

From the Test Kitchen
To Store: Layer filled cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store the cookies in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Enjoy the first day of Winter- 85 and sunny here in Florida! Looking forward to waking up in the 40s on Christmas morning!!

No Bake Lemon Drop Cookies

December 20, 2013December 19, 2013Carroll 2 Comments

The kiddos are about done with school before the holiday and will soon be looking for something to do! Put them to work with these fun candy cookies- no ovens required and plenty of hands on time! Hard to beat the classic flavor of a lemon drop candy!!

These kid friendly treats came from Better Homes and Gardens. They offer a ray of sunlight on a cold winter day (unless you are in Florida with me where we pray for temperatures under 65).

Ingredients

2 cups finely crushed shortbread cookies
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup almonds, toasted and finely chopped
½ cup finely crushed lemon drop candies
2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon finely crushed lemon drop candies

Directions
In a large bowl, stir together the crushed cookies, the 1 cup powdered sugar, the almonds, and the 1/2 cup crushed candies. In a small bowl, stir together corn syrup, milk, and melted butter. Stir the corn syrup mixture into the cookie mixture until well combined.

Shape cookie mixture into 1-inch balls. In a small bowl, combine the 1/3 cup powdered sugar and the 1 tablespoon crushed candies. Roll balls in powdered sugar mixture. Place on a large baking sheet or tray.

Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Roll balls again in powdered sugar mixture just before serving.

Makes about 36 cookies.

And of course the best part is…your little helpers are the ones able to make them!!

Triple Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies

December 18, 2013December 17, 2013Carroll 2 Comments

Chocolate and Mint- what more do you need in a holiday cookie? Sir Wes believes all items with ingredients of mint and chocolate reign supreme, I have to agree with him mostly! This combination certainly needs to grace every holiday cookie list.

When I saw these bad boys in Better Homes and Gardens 100 Best Cookie Issue I knew they were daring me to put them on the must make list. They were just about perfect, I just added a touch extra mint.

Ingrediants

½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon mint flavoring
½ teaspoon butter flavoring
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup powdered sugar
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 -2 tablespoons water
1 ounce white baking chocolate, melted (optional)
Very small fresh mint leaves (optional)

Directions
In a medium bowl combine the granulated sugar, the oil, the 2 ounces melted white chocolate, the egg whites, mint flavoring, and butter flavoring, stirring until well mixed. In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg white mixture; stir just until combined. Cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours or until firm enough to roll into balls.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls (1 teaspoon dough each). Place cocoa powder in a small bowl. Roll balls in cocoa powder to coat. Place balls 1-1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten balls with the bottom of a glass to about 1-1/4-inch-diameter circles.

Bake for 6 to 7 minutes or just until edges are firm. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.

For chocolate filling, in a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, the melted bittersweet chocolate, and enough of the 1 to 2 tablespoons water to make a smooth spreadable filling. (If mixture seems too thin, allow it to stand a few minutes before using.)

Spread the bottoms of half of the cookies with the chocolate filling, using about 1 teaspoon filling on each. Top with the remaining cookies, bottom sides down, to make sandwich cookies.
If desired, place the 1 ounce melted white chocolate in a small resealable plastic bag. Seal bag. Using scissors, snip off a very small corner from bag. Drizzle white chocolate over tops of cookies; place mint leaves on top.

Makes about 16 sandwiches.

Storage
Layer undrizzled sandwich cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw cookies if frozen. If desired, drizzle with white chocolate as directed in Step 6.

These will be a crowd favorite- consider making a double batch!

Glistening Lemon Sandwich Cookies

December 17, 2013December 17, 2013Carroll Leave a comment

These are one of my favorite cookies from the beginning of my baking journey. They are so delicate and festive, that they scream perfect for a season filled with love and care. They taste like shortbread but with a much lighter and flaky consistency.

I thought they were just gorgeous when they made the cover of the 2008 Gourmet December issue, and thought they deserved a reappearance!

Ingredients

For cookies:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
White or colored sanding sugars

For filling:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

Equipment: a heavy-duty sealable bag

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt.

Beat together butter and confectioners sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in zest and vanilla. At low speed, mix in flour mixture just until a soft dough forms.

Put sanding sugars in different bowls. Roll a scant teaspoon of dough into a ball and drop into sugar, turning to coat. Reshape if necessary and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat, spacing balls 3/4 inch apart, until baking sheet is filled.

Bake until tops are slightly cracked but still pale (bottoms will be pale golden), 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to a rack to cool completely.

Form and bake more cookies on second baking sheet.

Make filling and sandwich cookies:

Beat together all filling ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until combined well. Transfer to sealable bag and snip off a corner.

Turn over half of cookies and pipe about 1/2 teaspoon filling on flat side of each. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing gently.

Makes about 50 sandwich cookies.

Cheers to a weeks worth of holiday cookies- Turn your ovens on!!!

Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies- The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

December 11, 2013December 10, 2013Carroll 4 Comments

Confession- there has not been a trip to the grocery store in the last two months that I have not bought a cooking magazine, mostly from the cookie category. Every year the same thing- that one to five minutes spent waiting in the darn check out line is just too long to resist. Holiday baking- I love it, the search for that perfect gem of a cookie. This year I participated again in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap along with over hundreds of other participants (search #FBCookieSwap to find mouth-watering cookies to bake or torture yourself with). The cookie swap was all to raise money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, over $13,778.40 was raised!

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2013

Martha Stewart contributed to the cookies I sent- after an evening of heated debate and taste testing these were the winners that I was going to ship and bake.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups white-chocolate chunks (about 9 ounces)
1 ¾ cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 ¾ cups coarsely chopped walnuts (about 6 ounces)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in vanilla.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix into butter mixture on low speed until well combined. Stir in chocolate, coconut, and walnuts.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop batter onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 2 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

We totally lucked out this year with our cookie swaps- all three of the cookies received were out of this world- so ummm, umm good! Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cookies from Stephanie at 52 Kitchen Adventures were Sir Wes’s favorite- he “allowed” me to have a couple. Kate at Fleur-De-Licious sent Ginger Crinkle Cookies, which I am wondering if she knew about my ginger devotion- so yum! And lucky for me, Sommer, of A Spicy Perspective, could not decide what cookie to send so we got both Sour Cream Whoopie Pies with Chocolate Hazelnut Filling and Tangerine Shortbread with Chocolate Drizzle. Love that I found another indecisive lady in the kitchen!

Thanks to Lindsey and Julie for organizing such a fun way to “Bake-Back” to a great cause! If you want more mouth watering temptation follow their blogs! Also to the sponsors of The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, OXO, Dixie Crystals, Gold Medal Flour, and Grandma’s Molasses!

Butternut Squash, Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet

November 23, 2013January 2, 2014Carroll 3 Comments

I am drawn to all the squashes being stocked at the groceries and markets. They are not only tasty, but pretty as well. There are tons of creative ways to incorporate them into your holiday décor. I am definitely partial to food that I can decorate with!

I love that they are play the role of both vegetable and starch. It’s sneaky, they go both ways. In fact they double their character by being used in both savory and sweet sides of the kitchen. This week though I stuck with the savory side, a cassoulet type soup/stew. Rich and hearty and packed with fall flavors.

1 pound raw chicken breast, diced into 3/4 inch cubes
1 tablespoon Herb de Provence
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 red pepper, roasted, seeded, skin removed and diced
1 green pepper, roasted, seeded, skin removed and diced
12 ounce sausage crumbles, turkey or pork
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and diced in to 3/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon chopped sage
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup sliced green onions

Start by marinating the chicken with the Herb de Provence, salt and pepper. Allow the chicken to marinate at least 1 hour. Roast your peppers in high temp oven or over a grill and remove seeds and skin, then dice and reserve.

Place a heavy bottom stock pot over medium high heat and add sausage crumbles. While stirring sausage add in the chicken, squash, onions, celery and sage. You may need to add a touch of oil depending on how much fat leeches out of the sausage. When onions are translucent and there is a bit of color on the squash and chicken pour in the chicken stock.

Turn the heat to medium and allow to simmer for another 20 minutes. Add in the roasted, diced peppers and adjust with salt and pepper to your taste. Before serving add the green onions.

Serves 4-6 guests

This is a quick and easy fall dinner, one that gets better with age, so it’s a perfect do ahead meal for your busy weeks coming up! Just have to sacrifice one of your display squashes!

Warm wishes and happy Thanksgiving!!

Gooey Pumpkin Cheesecake- A Happy Mistake of a Non Baker!

September 15, 2013September 16, 2013Carroll 5 Comments

My friend Jenny brought in her hometown favorite last year to a work pot luck, St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake. It was only one small bite that I took, which was all I needed to know that I would add this to my “must make list”. I had no idea what it was; I didn’t recognize it as anything I have tried before, just rich, buttery, and gooey goodness. When Gooey Butter Cake made it to the top of my must make list, I spent some time looking for a recipe, recalling Jenny telling me she uses Paula Deen’s version. I found the one, but ran upon Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Cake and could not resist trying this version. I just wanted to make a small tweek…

Pumpkin desserts need graham crusts. Some pies, cakes, bars just do not reach their potential without graham bottoms. I shun any key lime pie made with a plain butter crust, same is true for pumpkin and sweet potato. So I knew right away that I needed to modify the great Paula Deen’s recipe to make it better, how could she not know this?

Here’s what I did-

Crust:

18 graham crackers, finely ground
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350. Add all the ingredients to a food processors and pulse until well combined. You may need to do in two batches depending on the size of your processor. If you are without a food processor try crumbling the crackers by putting them into a large Ziploc bag and then use a rolling pin to crush them.

Press the crumbs into the springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.

To make the filling:

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over graham crust and bake for 75 minutes until the center has a soft jiggle and a pick comes out clean.

When I took it out of the oven, I couldn’t help but think this is not right; it looked just like cheesecake. Crap. This is not what I was hoping for. All this time thinking about that bite of Jenny’s Gooey Butter Cake and this is what I get- cheesecake. I cursed myself, first for using the pumpkin version instead of the traditional Paula Deen recipe, and then for changing it, thinking I knew better as if I was professional baker. Crap.

Wes came in from working in the yard and smelled the house, proclaimed it smelled like heaven. I gave him a quick sigh of frustration and told him how stupid this cake was, that I was pissed. (Excuse my language, but I was super mad). He didn’t really seem to connect with my frustration; all he saw was a perfect looking and smelling cake sitting on the counter.

When the cake had cooled completely I sliced into it, and saw that I was right, it had a cheesecake consistency. This was not Gooey Butter Cake. But I plated up the slice and took my photographs, just in case it came out tasty. When I was done shooting, I took the bite off the fork and smiled with relief. Deliciousness.

The cake certainly was not what I planned for, Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake, but was one of the best pumpkin cheesecakes I’ve had. Rich but not heavy and the pumpkin flavor was sweet but not like candy. There was stronger pumpkin taste then in typical cheesecakes which I love.

I took a chance in the kitchen, which is not unusual for me to do, but I don’t typically mess around with baking recipes. In this case I was lucky; my chance had a happy ending. Jenny’s Gooey Butter Cake is still on my must make list, and this Pumpkin Gooey Cheesecake is now on the repeat list!