Boston Cream Cake

My latest obsession is Pinterest. And I know I'm not alone in this addiction seeing that I mostly just repin things others have already pinned. I think of those people as my enablers :) Seriously, though, my family is eating way more exciting food recently thanks to my newfound obsession. I just scroll through my recipes board and find something that looks yummy. It's completely broadened my search spectrum of things I want to make for dinner. You'll be seeing lots of the yummy recipes I've found on here soon!

One of those recipes was for Boston Cream Cake. The pinner touted this as tasting like a Boston Cream Donut (aka heaven on earth). I am a sucker for cream filled donuts so I had to try this out. Plus, it was super easy. I mean suuuuuuper easy. Make a cake. Stick holes in it. Top with pudding. Done. Like magic. Easy peasy dessert that your family will definitely love!

Boston Cream Cake

by Girls in Aprons (from lilluna.com)

Yellow cake mix (and cake ingredients- I also added about 2/3 cup sour cream to mine)

French Vanilla instant pudding mix (5.9 oz box)

Chocoalte instant pudding mix (5.9 oz box)

Milk

Bake cake as directed in a 9x13 pan. While cake is still semi-warm, poke holes in it with the end of a wooden spoon (note: next time I make this I will definitely add more holes. Don't be afraid to add lots. The more you add, the more pudding will incorporate into the cake). Make the vanilla and chocolate puddings with the amount of milk directed on the boxes. After they have thickened, spread the French vanilla pudding over the cake, making sure it gets cozy in the holes you just made. Carefully spread the chocolate pudding over the vanilla. Chill at least 30 minutes and serve!



Easy Doctored Up Cupcakes

Have you noticed a theme with me? I'm pretty sure most of the recipes I've posted lastely have been desserts. I even have a peanut butter cup cheesecake recipe coming up soon. It must be that pesky New Year's Resolution (that I've already miserably failed at). The minute I decide to get healthy or lose weight, all these yummy recipes start coming my way.

So... at church I am the Mia Maid advisor. For those of you who have no idea what that even means, I basically teach the 14 and 15 year old girls every Sunday, and I attend their activities on Tuesday nights. Last night was our New Beginnings night. We talked to the girls who will be turning 12 this year and therefore entering the youth program at church when they do. We also spoke to the girls who are already in the youth program and their parents, letting them know what fun things we have planned for the year.

I was in charge of the refreshment table. I wanted it to be classy and pretty, so I got in touch with my friend Mindy over at Creative Juice. If you don't remember, she sponsored a fun Thanksgiving printable giveaway a few months ago. Mindy and Crystal are amazing!  I told Mindy what our theme was and the feel I was going for. She made up some cupcake toppers and an 8x10 for me in like a day. And I looooooved them. They were classy and the colors were perfect. I got a ton of compliments on my refreshment table.

But onto yummy things. Whenever I am put in charge of cupcakes (and that happens quite a bit), I always use my go-to boxed cupcake recipe. It's taking a boxed mix and "doctoring" it up to be even better. The cupcakes are a little sweeter and super moist. Normally when you make a boxed mix, the batter is super runny, but with this recipe it's thick, making it so much easier to put into cupcake liners. So next time you are baking up some cupcakes, whip these babies up and you will never go back to regular cake mixes again.

See these cute cupcake toppers? Love!

Another great thing about these cupcakes is that they aren't crumbly. I hate dry, crumbly cupcakes! And these ones go really well with our buttercream frosting (or cream cheese frosting!)

Sorry for the iPhone pictures! Seriously, the last thing on my mind was my camera. But you can see how cute it all turned out! And I'm saving the 8x10 for my daughters' room!

Easy "Doctored Up" Cupcakes

by Girls in Aprons

1 box cake mix (any kind)

4 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup sour cream

1 small box instant pudding (**note- get the pudding to compliment the cake mix. Vanilla pudding with yellow, white or vanilla cake mix, or chocolate pudding with chocolate cake mix, You can try mixing it up for fun too!)

Mix all ingredients together for 30 seconds on low, or until slightly combined. Increase speed to medium for 2 minutes, or until thick and completely combined. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake according to boxed cake mix directions. (This recipe yields about 26 cupcakes)

Lemon Blueberry Bars

I'll be the first to admit I'm a dessert-aholic, but mostly with chocolate. I married into a European family, meaning that the chocolate I've fallen in love with can only be found overseas or in Canada. While I still won't turn down a Hershey's Kiss or a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. But my brother-in-law knows to pick me up a Yorkie Bar and a Flake Bar when he's out of the country (right, Steve?!).

My husband, though, prefers fruit-based desserts. He's a huge fan of those fancy fruit tarts you see at Whole Foods and loves key lime pie, apple pie, and any other kind of fruit pie. His fave, though, is lemon bars. I'm not a huge fan of lemon bars because I've always had them made from a box mix. So when Jeremiah requested lemon bars for Valentine's Day, I decided to go for a from-scratch route. I played around with a few recipes, and my family was willing be guinea pigs for a few weeks. I tried to use my own shortbread recipe but it just didn't seem to work well as a crust, so I borrowed from Allrecipes and found a winner :)

Lemon Blueberry Bars

by Girls in Aprons

Crust (from Allrecipes):

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon almond extract

Lemon Filling:

7 large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup flour

Blueberry Topping:

1 pint blueberries, picked through for stems

2 Tbsp sugar

Juice from 1 lemon

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

For crust, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the butter and almond extract, and mix into a stiff dough. Press into a greased 9x13 and prick several times with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until starting to dry around the edges.

For lemon filling, whisk all ingredients together until blended. Pour over warm crust.

For blueberry topping, combine the blueberries and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the berries start to burst, using a wooden spoon to smash the berries into a sauce. Let cool slightly. Pour over lemon filling in three straight lines, then drag a butter knife through the lines to create a zig zag pattern.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until center is set.

Before serving, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar

Caramel Brownies

I'll admit that Valentine's Day is one of my least favorite holidays. I don't really get why there has to be a day dedicated to proving your love to someone else when you should do it all year long. Although now that I've become the latest Pinterest addict, I am slowly warming to it. There are some dang cute ideas out there and some great homemade Valentine's for the kids to hand out.

One of the best parts of Valentine's Day though? Chocolate. And lots of it. It seems every where I look I see more and more chocolate and it makes me giddy. Something about chocolate makes everything okay, and it's definitely my go-to food when I'm sad (or happy, for that matter).

These brownies are the perfect Valentine's dessert (or anytime dessert!). They are gooey and caramel-y and chocolatey. Pair a brownie with a scoop of ice cream and you'll be in chocolate heaven!

You can melt your caramels in the microwave, but I prefer a double boiler. You can buy a fancy one, or just use what you have on hand. I've seen glass bowls used before, I just like my metal ones better. The key is to get a bowl that barely fits inside. You want to add just enough water to the pot to get a good boil, lower the temperature to get a consistant simmer, then place your bowl on top without letting it touch the water. It can take a while for it to melt, but it will be smooth and perfect!

Once the evaporated milk and caramels are melted and smooth, pour the mixture onto your slightly baked first brownie layer. And we won't judge you for licking the spoon when you're done! Add your chocolate chips next.

I like to press small amount of dough in the palm of my hand to create a "patty" and then place them on the caramel mixture. It's almost like a puzzle, but you don't have to cover every last piece. Once it bakes, it will eventually cover almost all of it.

And you end up with a gooey center to your brownies. It will be hard, but please please please don't cut into these babies when they are warm! They will just fall apart. Be patient (or stick them in the fridge to cool faster) and wait for them to cool before you cut into them!

Caramel Brownies

by Girls in Aprons

1- 14oz package caramels, unwrapped (we prefer Kraft caramels)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) melted butter

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup evaporated milk (again)

1 box chocolate cake mix (the no pudding kind, like Duncan Hines)

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine dry cake mix, melted butter, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and nuts. Stir by hand (with a spoon) until dough is combined and holds together. Press half of dough into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk in a double boiler (or microwave) and stir until smooth. Spread caramel mixture over baked brownie layer. Sprinkle chocolate chips over caramel mixture. Crumble remaining cake mix over chips (or press small amounts into patties and place over chips). Bake for 15-18 minutes more. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

I know I'm not the only one who has waited until the last possible moment to make cookie plates for friends and family. I normally have this done a week or so before Christmas, yet here we are FOUR days before Christmas and I've only made one of the four treats I am planning to give out. Tomorrow I need to get my bake on, and hope that my mother-in-law will willingly help with the dishes and/or the kiddos.

I usually find a good reason to be in the kitchen, whether it's because I can blast the music and dance while I bake, or whether it's because I can eat the raw dough (you know you do it, too!), or because mixing and chopping and stirring is my own personal stress-reliever...just not the dishes!

Anyone who loves to bake needs a good shortbread cookie dough recipe. Once you know this recipe you can let creativity take over. You can add different flavorings and extracts, nuts, chocolate, fruit, roll it around in ground nuts, coconut, or powdered sugar, create new shapes...really, the possibilities are many.

I took a shortbread recipe I learned a long time ago from Barefoot Contessa and made my own version of thumbprint cookies. They are bright and delicious and make me very happy when I eat one.

You start with the basics, and I'm not sure why, but the vanilla is stealing the spotlight and hiding the raspberry jam, but it's there. Promise.

Mix, mix, mix. If my picture was better you'd see little yellow bits from the lemon zest. So. Good!

After everything is mixed, roll out the dough into a flat disk and let chill for about 30 minutes. If you chill it longer than that, you'll need to let it thaw slightly otherwise it won't be pliable...and yes, I know this from experience.

What? My picture is a little off-center? That's because my handy 7-year-old took it for me. But you get the basic idea. After rolling the dough into 1 1/2" balls, use one hand to hold it together slightly (it's prone to cracking) and press down a 1/4 teaspoon into the center.

Using the same 1/4 teaspoon, fill the holes with raspberry jam. Pretty, right?

All finished!

Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
submitted by Kelli Lafranca, adapted from Ina Garten

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
Zest from 1 lemon
Raspberry jam

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place the balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and, using a 1/4 teaspoon, make an indent in the top of each ball. Fill each indentation with 1/4 teaspoon raspberry jam. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly golden. Let cool on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

I think one of the greatest things about this time of year is the feeling of giving that seems to be everywhere. From the bell-ringers in front of the stores to toy drives at local businesses, I just want to give dang it! One of my favorite things to give other people is the gift of food. I'm not super crafty and I don't have a lot of time to donate (with four small kid I don't have time for anything lately!) but I can whip up something delicious while the baby is napping or when Ben 10 on TV is "babysitting" my boys.

These cupcakes are perfect for making and delivering to your neighbors, teachers, friends or family. You can find the cutest cupcake liners at your local grocery store or craft store (seriously, I could spend a month's worth of income on all the cute cupcake liners available today!) and put them on a pretty plate and ta-da! Instant gift that is sure to please anyone! They are simple to make and the flavors of pumpkin spice and caramel and cream cheese blend together awesomely (totally a word by the way). And don't forget to keep some for yourself!

FOR THE CUPCAKES

Here's what you need for the cupcakes. See the little baggie by the canned pumpkin? It's pumpkin spice from the bulk section of Winco. It's way cheaper to buy your spices this way. The bag of pumpkin spice cost me 21 cents.

Get one cup of pumpkin. I bought a large can so I can save the rest in a separate container for another recipe (like Kelli's pumpkin bread!). Did I also mention that when we bought our first house I was so excited to paint with color that our bedroom was this color orange? Needless to say, the walls literally glowed.

Mix cake mix, pumpkin, oil, eggs, milk, and spice together in a large bowl.

Mix with an electric mixer. By mixing it for a couple of minutes you allow air bubbles to form in the mix which makes your cupcakes light and fluffy.

These taste yummy even without frosting!

FOR THE FROSTING

For the frosting - I have a caramel packet from a pie company in Washington. You can use any caramel you have, like caramel ice cream topping.

First mix the softened cream cheese (microwave for about 10-15 seconds if it's not soft enough) and your stick of butter (NOT margarine!! please people!)

Mix in the powdered sugar a little at a time. If you dump the whole thing in you will end up with a dusty white powdery mess all over your kitchen. Then mix in your spice and caramel.

Isn't it pretty? Before you put it on your cupcakes you are required to take a spoonful and eat it. Required.

Doesn't it look yummy? I dusted mine with a little bit of cinnamon to make it nice and pretty.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Submitted by Celeste - Girls in Aprons

Cupcakes:

1 pkg. yellow cake mix (2-layer size)

1 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

4 eggs

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on medium speed. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 19-21 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

1 cube butter (1/2 cup), softened

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1 lb (16 oz) powdered sugar (or 3 3/4 cups)

Splash of vanilla (about 1 tsp.)

1/4 caramel topping (I may have used 1/3 cup - just whatever tastes good to you)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

Cinnamon (for optional garnishing)

With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter. Mix well. Slowly add the powdered sugar, mixing between each addition. Add vanilla, caramel, and pie spice. Frost cupcakes and dust lightly with cinnamon. Refrigerate any leftovers (as if there are going to be leftovers!)

Pumpkin Pie Dip

I love the fall. The leaves changing colors, the cooler temperatures, the kids going back to school...

I also love that I can bake things that include pumpkins and turkey and cinnamon. Those things just doesn't sound as good in the summertime, right?

My dad sent me some recipes from Taste of Home and this one jumped out at me. Probably because exactly 1 cup of pumpkin was sitting in my fridge from my pumpkin pancakes. In fact, the only thing I didn't have was gingersnaps...not my favorite cookie any other time, but with this dip they were divine. Seriously. Perfect for bringing to a holiday party or pre-Thanksgiving dinner snacking or even cleaning-up-after-Thanksgiving snacking.

Get all this together.



 After mixing the cream cheese and powdered sugar, add the canned pumpkin and mix, mix, mix some more.

Add the rest of the ingredients and pour into a serving bowl. Serve with gingersnaps. You can also serve it with fruit slices (think apples and pears) or on zucchini or banana bread. 

Pumpkin Pie Dip
courtesy Taste of Home

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Gingersnap cookies


In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, sour cream, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and ground ginger until blended. Serve with gingersnaps. Refrigerate leftovers.

Cream Puffs & Eclairs

I've always been a little freaked out by pastries. They seem so picky, so...delicate. But after my sister in law brought some homemade cream puffs to a family gathering, I decided to give it a try. How hard could it be? I was expecting disaster, but it was surprisingly simple. And most, if not all, the ingredients should be in your pantry.

The basic dough recipe is called pate a choux, made up of eggs, water, butter, and flour. Besides cream puffs, you can also use this dough for beignets, eclairs, profiteroles, and other pastries.

The funny part about this picture is that I took the photo pre-grocery store. So just picture vanilla pudding mix, milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Again, we just moved and I'm still learning what we have and don't have. I have almond extract, hazelnut extract, and maple extract. But not vanilla.

Pate a choux is really quite simple. You bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil and then dump - yes, dump - the flour in and stir, stir, stir until the dough comes together into one ball. After five minutes, use egg beaters to add one egg at a time until the dough is smooth and shiny. And that's it! Super simple!

Pipe dough onto parchment paper on cookie sheets. You really can make them as big or as small as possible. I made mine bite size this time, but usually my dough measures about 1/4 cup. Profiteroles are usually bite size and filled with ice cream.

And here's eclairs! Just pipe out long, slightly thick lines.

After baking to lightly golden brown, let cool on wire rack. If you are making your cream puffs any bigger then bite size, you'll want to split your puffs open while still warm and remove any soft dough from the inside.

The filling is one 3.4-oz pudding mix made as directed on the box. I then beat heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar together until soft peaks form. Fold in two cups whipped cream into the prepared pudding and pipe the filling into the cream puffs and eclairs.

I know this is a horrible picture! Anyway, remove a small part off the top or cut a small slit in the top and pipe in filling until it starts coming out. Top with some melted chocolate and ta-da!

This is the plate I gave the husband's boss. I don't know why I shared, I really should have eaten them all by myself!

And I got the little one's approval!

Vanilla Cream Puffs

by Kelli

Puffs:

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter (no substitutions!)

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup flour

4 eggs

Filling:

1 box (1.34 oz) instant vanilla pudding

2 cups milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

For puffs, in a large saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. Using a piping bag and a large round tip, pipe dough onto greased cookie sheet (I use parchment paper). Bake at 400 degrees until lightly golden brown, about 15 minutes for smaller puffs and 30 minutes for larger puffs. Remove to a wire rack to cool. If making larger puffs, split them open while the puffs are still warm and remove the soft dough.

For filling, make vanilla pudding according to package directions. Using an electric mixer or a Kitchenaid mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk together whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Fold in two cups of whipping cream with the pudding. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small tip and pipe the filling into each pastry.

Melt chocolate chips and cinnamon in a bowl in the microwave in 30-second increments until chocolate is smooth and melted. Using a spoon, drizzle the tops of puffs with chocolate. You can also skip the chocolate and top the puffs with powdered sugar.