Black Forest Brownies

Today is my birthday! To celebrate I make my favorite treat, Black Forest Brownies. With chocolate, cherries and pecans it has to be good. I clipped this recipe from a Taste of Home Magazine it was submitted by Toni Reeves from Medicine Hat, Alberta. Thank you Toni, we have enjoyed this recipe for years.

Black Forest Brownies
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup cocoa
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained
1/2 cup nuts

Icing:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Combine flour , baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large saucepan melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa until smooth. Blend in eggs, sugar and extracts. Gently stir in flour mixture, cherries and nuts. Pour in greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. For icing blend all ingredients until smooth; spread over hot brownies. Cool.

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

I think we may as well continue with pumpkin recipes--I do love pumpkin! I almost feel like I'm eating something healthy when a treat contains pumpkin. These muffins though far from healthy were delicious, near perfect was hubby's comment.

My girls all came to town so I was able to share the goods. I have to share my treats because I have no self-control especially when a treat is this yummy. Variations of this recipe are all over blog land, I saw it first on Ezra Pound Cake. Here is my version.

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Cream Cheese Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix together till smooth. Form the mixture into a log on a piece of plastic wrap, wrap  it and freeze for an hour. Don't cheat on this step!

Streusel:

1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons melted butter
Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Pumpkin Batter:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
3 eggs lightly beaten
1/3 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl lightly beat the pumpkin, eggs, oil and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the well and gently mix with a fork just till moistened.

Remove the cream cheese from the freezer and cut it into 18 slices. Evenly divide half of the muffin batter among 18 greased muffin cups. Place a slice of cream cheese in the center of each muffin, press gently into the batter without submerging it. Fill cups with remaining batter. Sprinkle pecan streusel on top of each muffin.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Makes 18 delicious muffins

TWD Caramel Pumpkin Pie

For 34 years my sweet hubby has been asking when I would be old enough to make pie. I would smile and sweetly say 'in 10 years'. Well Greg, the wait is over!

Thanks to Dorie's Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough I did it. I read the directions over several times and was ready to tackle it. Jill was here to help, she wanted to learn this skill also. Dorie is an excellent teacher, we followed every step. We are happy to say that pie crust in many forms will be on our future menus.

The Caramel Pumpkin filling was excellent too. This tasty pie was chosen by Janell, check her blog for the complete recipe. The caramel was made by almost burning sugar. Our first attempt was burnt but we would succeed. We reread the directions and were happy with our second attempt. The cool caramel was mixed with pumpkin, spices and eggs. The filling was poured in our partially baked crust and baked some more. We enjoyed the pie warm and cold. Both were great, and the crust was flaky. I'm ready for Apple Pie next week. There are many great TWD bakers, see what they did with this delicious pie.

Welcome Delaney

We have spent the last few days in the Great Northwest getting to know Miss Delaney. Isn't she a doll!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

This cookie is full of soft, chewy fall! Pumpkin mixed with oats, walnuts and Burgundy Chocolate Chunks. Pure wonderful! The chocolate chunks are made by Peters and can be purchased at King Arthur Flour.
This recipe comes from My Baking Addiction a great blog!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (1/2 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. ginger, 1/8 t. allspice or cloves, 1/8 t.nutmeg)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter; softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips (I used Peters Burgundy Chocolate Chunks)
1 cup dried cherries; roughly chopped (I used chopped walnuts)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line your baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Add flour mixture; combine until all ingredients are incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and dried cherries/nuts.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets. I used a medium Pampered Chef Scoop and got 4 dozen cookies.
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

TWD Double Apple Bundt Cake

Things I liked about this recipe:

I had everything in the pantry to make it.

Apple Butter adds a wonderful depth to a recipe.

Grated apple makes one great texture.

Fall spices are my favorite.

This cake was yummy with vanilla ice cream.

This cake was good for breakfast.

This cake aged well, day 3 it is delicious, probably won't last till day 4.

The cake slid right out of my 2 new half size bundt pans.

I think this is my new favorite apple recipe.

Check Lynne's blog Honey Muffin for the complete recipe.

Check other TWD bakers to see how they liked this excellent cake.

TWD Tarte Fine

I have not been to France, there are no French Bakeries in my smallish Utah town so this was new baking territory. I found the Puff Pastry, not the all butter kind (again small town) but it worked.

This really was one quick dessert. I used my Pampered Chef Apple Peeler/ Corer/ Slicer to prepare the apples. I think this tool will have a permanent place on my kitchen counter for the next month.

I had fun placing the apples in a fun pattern, it was kind of like an apple puzzle. A simple glaze and a sprinkle of sugar was all that was needed to turn this into one delicious dessert.

I will make this again but I want to hunt down the all butter pastry!

Check Leslie's Blog, Lethally Delicious for the complete recipe. I haven't met Leslie but she is a wonderful, kind lady. I do think we would be best friends! I have met the nicest people in TWD!

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe contained all of my favorite ingredients and it had 'chewy' in the title. I needed a treat and this was at the top of the list. It came together quickly thanks to my KitchenAid power tools. I used both milk and semi sweet chocolate chips because I can. I also added chopped walnuts because they go so good with oats, coconut and chocolate! These delicious cookies are really chewy. They were great for breakfast (oats, eggs). Yes, I will make them again!
I adapted the recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup oatmeal (not quick)
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup coconut
1 cup walnuts- coarsely chop in food processor
12 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the top 4 ingredients into a food processor for 30 seconds until coarse. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter for 30 seconds until light in color. Add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Next, add the dry ingredients then add the coconut, nuts and chocolate chips. Shape cookie dough into balls, I used the medium Pampered Chef Scoop, and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly before removing them from the pan to a wire rack.

Rosemary Bread

This delicious bread is reminiscent of the yummy bread at Macaroni Grill. It is great warm dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It is delicious with pasta or toasted with soup.

It is quick to mix together and rises while you prepare dinner. I have made it many times and am always happy with the results. I think fresh rosemary is key, dried is somewhat like pine needles!

Find the detailed recipe on Our Best Bites, another great food blog.

Harvest Vegetable Beef Soup

I remember spending the evening with my Grandmother about 50 years ago. It was a cool fall day, we went outside to her big garden and dug potatoes and carrots. I don't know what recipe she used, or if she even used one. What I do remember is the most delicious smell. 50 years later this smell shouts fall to me.
We had a cool day yesterday, I wanted to 'smell fall'. I have made this recipe for years, it is easy to adapt to what you have on hand. But it is the best with garden fresh potatoes, carrots and tomatoes.

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Harvest Vegetable Beef Soup
1 pound good stew meat or left over roast beef
1 large onion
1 1/2 quarts water
4 cups fresh or canned tomatoes, blended
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons salt
pepper
fresh parsley
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
6 whole allspice
Brown meat and onion in a little olive oil. Add water and tomatoes, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Put garlic, bay leaf and whole allspice in tea ball. Simmer till meat is tender, about 2 hours if using stew meat, less if using leftover roast beef. Remove tea ball and contents.
Add 3/4 cups diced celery
3 sliced carrots
2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup corn
Simmer till tender. Adjust seasonings, add pepper, minced parsley and shaved Parmesan cheese.
Serve with Rosemary Bread

Raspberry Cream Pie

Greg makes one mean roast beef dinner! I'll blog about it one day but I have a difficult time getting photos because we are always hungry! So we invited the 'Grandmas' and I made dessert. I had some fresh local raspberries I wanted to use. I had a recipe for Raspberry Cream Pie on my 'to make' list.  It came from Pioneer Woman which is not too surprising, she has some amazing recipes.

This pie starts with an Oreo crust. Buy one or use your food processor and quickly make one. The filling uses raspberry yogurt, vanilla instant pudding, heavy whipping cream and raspberries. This combination made one delicious dessert! It was enjoyed by everyone. Check Pioneer Woman for the complete recipe.

Kitchen Closed

Not much cooking/baking going on in this kitchen, a little remodel project is happening. There is a reason we have put this project off!

TWD Cranberry Upside-Downer

It is easy to get stuck in a 'baking rut'. I have always liked to try new recipes but I find myself repeating favorites because I know they are good. That's not a bad thing; but there are so many choices out there.  Thanks to TWD  I get to try new recipes; sometimes they are recipes that may not make it to the top of my ever growing 'list'. This was the case with Cranberry Upside-Downer chosen by Sabrina at Superfluous.

As the name implies this is an upside down cake. Pineapple upside down cake has never been too high on my dessert list. I just don't care for cooked, canned pineapple. But I love cranberries and cake so I was happy that we had weekend guests. I had cranberries in the freezer, all other ingredients are pretty standard. This came together quickly--I know because I watched my daughter make it. Often my guests help in the kitchen. Not only did Candise make this dessert she also made a delicious vegetable lasagna and whole wheat bread. I love to have my kids visit!

Dorie suggests serving this cake about 20 minutes out of the oven. We did as instructed and enjoyed a moist almond flavored cake with a pop of tart cranberry flavor. Nuts added more texture to the topping and whipped cream always adds goodness. It was a great dessert with enough variations for all. The only thing I might do different is make sure there is vanilla ice cream in the freezer.

TWD Peanut Butter Crisscrosses/ Chocolate Peanut Butter Criscrosses

I have tried many Peanut Butter Cookie recipes over the years. Some have been ok but I have not found one that I would repeat--until now! Dorie worked her magic again and created a wonderful peanut butter cookie. This cookie is soft in the center with crisp edges, loaded with chopped peanuts and rolled in sugar. All combine to make another 5 star cookie!

I got a lot more than 40 cookies from this recipe. I think it is a good idea to share these cookies, it is easy to eat more than you planned! I can't wait to try the chocolate variation.

Edited--I didn't wait long. My sweet 5 year old neighbor came over today and wanted to make cookies. She is a doll with a sweet smile and dimples, I couldn't say no. So Emma helped me make Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisscrosses. I used chunky PB, dutch process cocoa and chopped up a Ghiradelli Semi Sweet baking bar. I made these cookies bigger. They were delicious. This recipe is a winner however you make it.

Jasmine is our host this week, check her blog for the recipe (scroll to the bottom of Jasmine's post for the English recipe, unless you speak French)! This would make the perfect 'after school' or 'lunch box' treat. There are great bakers in our TWD group, see how they liked Peanut Butter Crisscrosses.

Edited--I had to try the chocolate variation

Quick Corn Bread and Cran/Raspberry Butter

This is a simple, quick recipe for cornbread. It is thin so it cooks in no time. But I think the best thing about cornbread is the topping. I serve cornbread with honey butter or this delicious cran/raspberry butter.

We have cold weather tomorrow, perfect for hot soup and warm cornbread.

Cornbread
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk

 1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar
Beat together and set aside.

Mix together:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine both mixtures and stir gently just till combined, don't over mix
Bake in a greased 9x13 pan for 15 minutes at 400. Serve warm or leftovers are great for breakfast.

Cran/Raspberry Butter

1 cup canned whole berry cranberry sauce

1/2 cup raspberry preserves
2 cups butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Beat for 5 minutes till fluffy. Makes a lot! Serve at room temperature