Recipes Discovered - Recipes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups vanilla crumbs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 2/3 cup Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Dash of salt
• 1 cup white chocolate, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine the crumbs and butter in a medium-size bowl. Add 1 tablespoon to each mini cup and press down with a shot glass. Set aside

Cream the cream cheese and sugar. Beat in the eggs, flour, liqueur, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Pour mixture on top of crust. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until set.

Remove from oven and let cool. Remove from pan and refrigerate overnight.

Makes about 24 mini cheesecakes.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Recipe courtesy of Fantasy Ireland.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups raisins
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a two loaf pans, four mini loaf pans, or a 9 inch round cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, raisins and caraway seeds. In a small bowl, blend eggs, buttermilk and sour cream. Stir the liquid mixture into flour mixture just until flour is moistened. Knead dough in bowl about 10 to 12 strokes. Dough will be sticky. Place the dough in the prepared pan and pat down. Cut a 4×3/4 inch deep slit in the top of the bread. Sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes (loaf or cake pan) or 25 minutes (mini-loaves) or until a toothpick comes out clean.. Let cool and turn bread onto a wire rack.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

Brownie:

• 1 cup butter
• 4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Irish Cream Cheese:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur

Directions:

Place butter and chocolate into a medium saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13×9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly coat with a non-stick cooking spray.

Beat sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until lightened and fluffy (approximately 4 minutes). Add flour and salt gradually. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla extract.

Combine cream cheese and sugar in another medium bowl. Beat until creamy. Add egg and liqueur and beat.

Pour half of the chocolate mixture into the pan. Spread all of the the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate layer. Pour the remaining chocolate mixture over the cream cheese layer and smooth. If desired, swirl the layers together with a knife for a marbled effect. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Recipe courtesy of Bake or Break.

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup Guinness (or other dark stout)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a bundt pan.

Bring stout and butter to a simmer in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely.

For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool slightly and then drizzle over the top of cooled cake.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

Bars:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/8 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tablespoon milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/8 cup quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup English toffee bits
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Frosting:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk or cream
• Dash of salt
• Green food coloring and sugar sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl; gradually add to creamed mixture. Fold in the toffee bits and pecans. Spread into a greased 9 x13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and well soft.Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add l or 2 tablespoons more milk if too dry. Add food coloring until desired color is obtained. Spread frosting over cooled bars and sprinkle with green sugar.

Makes about 3 dozen bars.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home and Joy of Baking.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

Sponge Cake:

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (115 grams) granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (85 grams) all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Pastry Cream:

• 2 cups whole, 2 percent fat, or 1 percent fat milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze:

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Sponge Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Grease and line the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
Beat the eggs and sugar on high speed for about five minutes, or until they are thick, fluffy and light colored (when you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in a slow ribbon). At this point beat in the vanilla extract. Sift 1/2 of the flour over the batter and gently fold through with a rubber spatula or whisk. Sift the remaining flour over the batter and fold in. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the batter into the melted butter (to lighten it) and then gently fold the butter mixture back into the rest of the batter. Pour immediately into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until springy to the touch. (A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Run a spatula or sharp knife around the inside of the pan and then invert the cake onto a wire rack. Remove parchment paper.

Pastry Cream: In a medium-sized stainless steel bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks. (Never let the mixture sit too long or you will get pieces of egg forming.) Add the cornstarch to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside. Meanwhile in a saucepan bring the milk to boiling over medium heat. (The milk will foam up to the top of pan when done, so watch carefully.) Remove from heat and add slowly to the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer.)
Place the egg mixture back into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, continue to whisk constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until it becomes thick. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Let the cream cool in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Chocolate Glaze: Place the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Set aside. Bring the cream just to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a 3-5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Set aside for a few minutes until it has thickened to pouring consistency.

To assemble: With a serrated knife slice the cake in half horizontally. Remove the top half and set it aside. Place the bottom half on your serving plate, cut side up. Pour or spoon the pastry cream onto the cake, spreading to make an even layer. Place the top half of the cake (cut side down) onto the filling.Pour the glaze onto the center of the cake and carefully spread the glaze, with an offset spatula, to the edges of the cake. Refrigerate a few hours before serving to allow the glaze to set and flavors to mingle.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

I used a 9-inch cake pan and baked the cake for 20 minutes. It worked fine, but I had to be careful when cutting the cake in half, since it wasn’t quite as tall as it should have been.

My adaptation of many recipes.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 18 ounces peanut butter
• Chocolate wafers (melting chocolate used for candy making)
• Paraffin wax (Baker’s wax, cooking wax)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Scoop mixture using a medium cookie scooper (1 1/2 tablespoons), and roll into an egg shape. Allow to dry on wax paper or parchment paper before dipping in chocolate.

Melt chocolate and wax over a double boiler. Roll eggs in melted chocolate and allow to harden on wax paper or parchment paper. You will need 1 pound of chocolate and 2 ounces of wax per 100 eggs.

Makes 3 dozen eggs.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

These eggs are a little richer and creamier than the original peanut butter eggs.

Recipe courtesy of Sharon Gibbons.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening or 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light karo syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 18 ounces creamy peanut butter
• Evaporated milk, to moisten (approximately 1/4 cup)
• Chocolate wafers (melting chocolate used for candy making)
• Paraffin wax (Baker’s wax, cooking wax)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Scoop mixture using a medium cookie scooper (1 1/2 tablespoons), and roll into an egg shape. Allow to dry on wax paper or parchment paper before dipping in chocolate.

Melt chocolate and wax over a double boiler. Roll eggs in melted chocolate and allow to harden on wax paper or parchment paper. You will need 1 pound of chocolate and 2 ounces of wax per 100 eggs.

Makes 4 dozen eggs.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

These eggs are a little sweeter than the updated peanut butter eggs.

I used butter this year instead of shortening, and I think the eggs are a little tastier this way.

Recipe courtesy of Sharon Gibbons.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds powdered sugar
• 24 ounces cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks), softened
• 1 tablespoon coconut extract
• 1/3 cup light karo syrup
• 28 ounces shredded coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Chocolate wafers (melting chocolate used for candy making)
• Paraffin wax (Baker’s wax, cooking wax)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Scoop mixture using a medium cookie scooper (1 1/2 tablespoons), and roll into an egg shape. Allow to dry on wax paper or parchment paper before dipping in chocolate.

Melt chocolate and wax over a double boiler. Roll eggs in melted chocolate and allow to harden on wax paper or parchment paper. You will need 1 pound of chocolate and 2 ounces of wax per 100 eggs.

Makes 9 dozen eggs.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Add some chopped and drained maraschino cherries for coconut cherry eggs!

Recipe courtesy of Sharon Gibbons.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• Chocolate wafers (melting chocolate used for candy making)
• Paraffin wax (Baker’s wax, cooking wax)

Directions:

Mix ingredients in a large bowl until well combined, adding the cherries and walnuts last. Scoop mixture using a medium cookie scooper (1 1/2 tablespoons), and roll into an egg shape. If eggs are too sticky, dust hands in powdered sugar before rolling. Allow to dry on wax paper or parchment paper before dipping in chocolate.

Melt chocolate and wax over a double boiler. Roll eggs in melted chocolate and allow to harden on wax paper or parchment paper. You will need 1 pound of chocolate and 2 ounces of wax per 100 eggs.

Makes 3 dozen eggs.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

One large jar of maraschino cherries is about 1 cup chopped.

Recipe courtesy of Sharon Gibbons.