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Mini Pumpkin Pies

By KariV on September 10, 2013 in Dessert, Halloween, Recipes, Thanksgiving

I usually don’t start making pumpkin treats until October or November, but here it is early September and I’ve already made my favorite mini pumpkin pies. But I have a good reason! My daughter is pregnant and she was craving pumpkin pie. How can I say no to that?

These are so fun to make, and even more fun to eat! But they are dangerous…you can pop a whole pan of these into your mouth before you even realize it. (don’t ask me how I know this)

But of course, I did take the majority of them to my daughter, who is in the hospital with complications. She NEEDED them!

I bought pre-made dough to hurry this process along, and used a 2″ circle biscuit cutter to make the perfect sized dough circles for the mini muffin pan. (Don’t mind my saran wrap on the dough plunger…I’m a little conscientious that way…ha!)

I used two pie crusts, but I could have used more since I was a little short and had PLENTY of pie filling. This is my grandmother’s pie recipe that I grew up on and just LOVE.

Use a Tablespoon to spoon just the right amount of filling into each mini pie crust.

They come out looking all delicious like this! Try to remain calm as you wait for them to fully cool before adding a bit of whipped cream. But, really…they are still good with melted whipped cream on top, but they don’t LOOK as pretty! (Use the real cream here and whip it up with a little sugar. It’s SO much better!)

Then a little sprinkle of nutmeg (or cinnamon) on top adds just the right amount of yum!

Oh these are so good! But be prepared…this recipe makes about 100 mini pies. Which is perfect for a party, or a girls lunch, but not so good if you are just at home waiting for the rain to pass. (Remind me to go for a walk later…)

Aren’t they so cute? If you are looking for the recipe, come back by end of the day…~~I just have to go dig it out to share with you!~~ It’s live now! Here it is:

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So now I am completely ready for fall. And Halloween. And Thanksgiving. 🙂

And if you like pecan pie, you’ll love these Pecan Tassies!

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Recipe Found! Brown Sugar Bumps

By KariV on June 27, 2013 in Dessert

When I was a little girl, my sister and I used to make a recipe ALL. THE. TIME: called Brown Sugar Bumps. They were easy to make (no baking, no cooking) and SO delicious (at least I thought so when I was a kid).

Since we’re both OLD(er) and married now, we’ve talked about that recipe many times, but we misplaced that well-used recipe book.

The other day, I came across the recipe and I was ECSTATIC! So of course I made them right away! They are just as delicious (and easy) as I remember. And they only lasted ONE DAY at my house.

These aren’t very fancy looking, so I gussied them up with a little gold. 🙂 They sort of remind me of tiny no-bake cookies, but they don’t have chocolate or cocoa in them. Here’s what they require: (full recipe near the end of this post)

First, melt the butter in the microwave. Add the brown sugar, peanut butter and oats. Stir until well combined. This mixture is a little soft, so refrigerate for a bit before you form them into little “bumps.” I just put them in the refrigerator while I was cleaning up, then they were ready to form. See? Easy!

I remember my sister and I would hand roll each of the little bumps, but now I have a mini ice-cream scoop that does the trick nicely! {It’s about the size of a melon baller.}

And in no time at all I had all these little treats:

I sometimes think that when you grow up loving something that you are just “trained to like” them. Case in point: I used to LOVE Tiger’s Milk protein bars. My mom told us they were candy and she’d hide them at the top of the pantry. That wouldn’t stop us as kids: we’d climb up those shelves and find them! I still like them to this day. But my husband (and many of my friends) who have tried them tell me they are not so good!

So I thought this might be the same story with these Brown Sugar Bumps. So far, everyone loves them. Proof: they are gone already! I will have to make some more and take a poll. 🙂

Here’s the recipe:

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So go ahead and give one a try and let me know what YOU think.
These are for you, Sis!

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Lemon Shortbread Cookies and Yellow Gift Cones

By KariV on June 4, 2013 in Dessert, Paper Crafting, Recipes

This past weekend was my birthday. It was a big deal because it marked a new decade for me! So I wanted to do something special…something that I could share with people who have made an impact in my life.

I decided to combine two of my most favorite things: Baking and Gifting. I started by making some of these cones in a happy yellow color. The idea was to give out as many goodies as I was old.

I gifted these throughout the week; however, I delivered the majority of these little gifts ON my birthday. Some fun reactions: “You are giving me a treat on YOUR birthday? Best. Friend. Ever.” 🙂

Since I had a bunch of lemons from my mom, I decided to perfect a recipe I have been working on! These little Lemon Shortbread Cookies are buttery and citrus-y with a little bit of a crunch. Perfect!

I found that I love to add lemon juice AND zest to both the cookie and the glaze. Delicious Lemon desserts are among my very favorites and this cookie did not disappoint! They are simple to make and bake…you roll the dough and cut the chilled dough before baking. (so much easier than rolling out and using a cookie cutter!)

Then, drizzle the glaze over the top, let them “dry” for a few hours and then they are ready to wrap up!

I wrapped them up in a little glassine bag and closed them with a sticker. Then I filled as many cones as I could with cookies and Hershey’s Hugs (I love those)! I had them hanging everywhere…all over the kitchen cabinets and even some door knobs.

I think everyone loved these little cookies. I got some nice texts, notes, and cards back (thanks for the love!) And my favorite reaction: “Oh WOW! These cookies are amazing!! Need the recipe ASAP.”

I love these little shortbread cookies. My last birthday gift is to share the recipe with YOU. So here you go:

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And if you’re interested in how to make an EASY cone out of 12 x 12 paper, I’m sharing a quick tutorial here! Go ahead, make a few and see how many smiles you can inspire when you give them away filled with treats. 🙂

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Taste Test Tuesday — Chocolate Molten Lava Cake Recipe (versus Mini Chocolate Souffles)

By KariV on May 28, 2013 in Dessert, Recipes, Taste Test Tuesday, Valentines

This Taste Test Tuesday was very exciting and quite close! In fact, both of these recipes are SO delicious, that I would recommend trying them both out for yourself! Last week, I posted the Foolproof Mini Chocolate Souffle with Chocolate Sauce recipe. And today, I will review both contestants for you and share the Chocolate Molten Lava Cake recipe. Does this sound delicious or what?!

I can hardly wait! First, let me share with you this delicious little Molten Lava Cake recipe. I got it from my daughter, Amber, and she made it as one of her goals last summer. She was working on her recipe book (getting ready to leave the nest…which I was not happy about). But I WAS happy about her sharing her delicious recipes with me, including this gem of a chocolate dream recipe. 🙂

I call these the darlings of all mini cakes…I mean, just look at that cute little cake! It’s adorable with it’s crown of whipped cream and sprinkle of powdered sugar. I added a strawberry, too, since it was competing with those little Chocolate Souffles and needed to be on a “level” playing field.

If you were to compare the ease of whipping these Lava Cakes up versus making up the Mini Chocolate Souffles, I’d say the Lava Cakes win. All you have to do is melt a little butter with the chocolate (in the microwave!), add the powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla and flour and Voila! You’ve got your batter all ready to put into the oven. Then you just cook them up for 12-13 minutes, pull them out and invert onto a little plate. Easy. (Note: I let them cool for about a minute before inverting them onto the plate)

If you add the whipped cream too early, it melts a little down the sides, but these Molten Lava Cakes are BEST when eaten warm and fresh out of the oven!

Doesn’t that still look so yummy!? I really don’t mind that dripping whipped cream. Just let me at it!

The insides of the cake are all gooey and molten. So smooth and chocolatey. Wow.

These little darlings are delicious with whipped cream and/or ice cream! Yep, you can put a scoop of ice cream right on the top and sort of let it melt down into the cake. So. Good.

But before you make these yourself, a little note of WARNING: do not overbake these. Really. It is easy to do (not that I would know), and it RUINS these cakes! They become dense and spongy and not delicious. Seriously. It’s bad. The last batch I only cooked for just over 11 minutes to make sure the inside was still melted and yummy. You will know these are just about done when the sides of them look cooked (like cake) and the insides are still a little soft, but not jiggly. Every oven is a little different, so you’re gonna have to test this out for your oven.

Ok, so here’s the recipe. Are you going to try this one?

**RECIPE HERE

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Now, with all that delicious description done, I must now announce the winner of the taste test! I didn’t forget. But I must remind you that BOTH of these recipes are so good, and the winner only barely edged out over the other.

They both have a delicious chocolately flavor. They both have melty amazing centers. They both are just exactly the right size. They both are perfect for a special occasion dessert.

But the winner was the one with a little sugar coating on the outside, and an amazing ganache center. It won out a little bit because the cake part was delicious, but then pushed over the top with an addition of the melted chocolate to make it so smooth and so decadent…(my mouth waters a little). And the winner is still delicious the next day…it can be refrigerated and then warmed up again and it tastes just as good as the first day!

I guess the extra effort for the chocolate souffle really did shine in this competition! Congratulations to the Mini Chocolate Souffles with Chocolate Sauce. While I still love the Chocolate Molten Lava cakes, I love these more (and the other judges agree). Try the recipe here and see if YOU agree.

Until next time, enjoy every bite!

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Taste Test Tuesday– Chocolate Souffle vs. Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

By KariV on May 21, 2013 in Dessert, Favorite Things, Holidays, Inspiration, Recipes, Taste Test Tuesday, Valentines

It’s a great day. Not only is it Taste Test Tuesday, but my Dad is here for a visit! I knew that there needed to be CHOCOLATE for him. And he agreed to be a taste test panelist. (I may have gotten my love for taste tests partially from my Dad…we have been doing taste tests at home ever since I was a kid!)

So this is a special edition of Taste Test Tuesday. The taste test results will be posted next week, but today I am sharing the recipe for “Foolproof Mini Chocolate Souffles with Sauce.” Oh. My. Goodness. These little souffles are amazing. I got this recipe a couple years ago from my co-worker, Aubrey. (Hi, Aubrey!) And I’ve made them only a few times for special occasions, but these are some of the easiest and BEST Chocolate Souffles I have ever eaten!

I’m going to challenge these homemade Souffles to a taste test versus homemade Chocolate Molten Lava Cake! (I’ll share this recipe next week.) The Chocolate Molten Lava Cake is a favorite recipe of my daughter, Amber. (Hi, Amber!) They are both amazing recipes that I honestly don’t know which one will be crowned the winner!

I will have some more pictures and results for you next week. Until then, try this Chocolate Souffle Recipe. You’ll either be glad you did, or you’ll be cursing me for sharing such a tempting dessert that you crave weekly! 🙂

Foolproof Mini Chocolate Souffles with Sauce

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Chef’s Note:

This recipe may look intimidating, but it is rather simple, with just a few ingredients. And it is Foolproof. The first time I made it (for Valentine’s Day a couple years ago), I left the vanilla out of the souffles, so I added it to the chocolate sauce instead. They still came out delicious…proof: my husband ate TWO of them!

I like to serve mine with a little whipped cream and a strawberry on top, but if you’re a chocolate purist then you can certainly leave this part out!

Tip:

To help get the soufflé dishes out of the oven easily, bake them on a cookie sheet and then simply lift the cookie sheet out of the oven.

You may have noticed that one of the choices I categorized this under was “Inspiration”…if you are in need of a little inspiration, I’m convinced that these souffles will do the trick. Chocolate can be very inspirational, right?! 😉

I can’t wait to post the results. Until then, Enjoy every bite!

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