Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Blueberry-White Chocolate Cream Ginger Tart

CakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

Even though this contains fruit, which always makes me suspicious that it might be health food, it also has sugar cookie dough and plenty of cream involved in the process--so I deem it acceptable. "Create a sweet new cookie dessert using Pillsbury® sugar cookie dough, cream cheese and fresh blueberries!" says the inventor and Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist Alice Wilson of Fairport, New York.

Blueberry White Chocolate Cream Ginger Tart

8 servings

• 1 roll Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon ground Ginger
• 1 tablespoon crystallized Ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
• 1 bag (12 oz) Hershey’s® premier white baking chips
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature 10 minutes to soften. Spray 12-inch pizza pan with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.
2. In medium bowl, break up cookie dough. Add flour, ground ginger, crystallized ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix with wooden spoon or knead with hands, until well blended. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave white chips on High 1 minute to 1 minute 45 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Add cream cheese, cream and lemon peel; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture over cooled crust. Arrange blueberries over cream cheese mixture; press into filling.
5. Refrigerate 1 hour. Cut into wedges. Store in refrigerator.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Strawberry Swirl-Peanut Butter-Brownie Cupcakes

CakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

 Do you like peanut butter and jelly? Do you like brownies? Do you like cupcakes?

Duh, of course you do. But why eat just one of these treats when you could eat all of them--at once?? "Indulge in fudgy peanut butter cupcakes topped off with homemade strawberry cream cheese frosting." says entrant Amy Siegel Clifton, New Jersey. OK!

Strawberry Swirl Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes

Cupcakes

• 24foil baking cups
• 1can (14 oz) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 3/4cup Jif® Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
• 1box (19.5 oz) Pillsbury® Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
• 3LAND O LAKES® Eggs
• 1/2cup Crisco® Pure Canola Oil
• 1/2cup buttermilk
• 1/2teaspoon McCormick® Pure Almond Extract

Frosting and Garnish

• 1package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4cup LAND O LAKES® Unsalted or Salted Butter, softened
• 1teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 3 1/2cups powdered sugar
• 1/4cup Smucker’s® Seedless Strawberry Jam
• 12small strawberries, halved, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place foil baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In medium bowl, stir together condensed milk and peanut butter until blended.
2. In large bowl, beat brownie mix, eggs, oil, buttermilk and almond extract with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes or until blended. Spoon 1 tablespoon brownie batter into each muffin cup; top each with 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter filling. Spoon remaining brownie batter evenly over filling.
3. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Add jam; stir once or twice to create swirls of jam in frosting. Spoon into decorating bag or large resealable freezer plastic bag (cut 1/2-inch opening from 1 corner of plastic bag). Pipe or spread frosting on each cupcake. Garnish each with half of a strawberry. Store covered in refrigerator.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Chocolate, Ginger-Cream and Pear Tart

CakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

Chocolate, Ginger-Cream and Pear Tart. Oh, my! It looks so hard, and so fancy. But it's not! Well, not hard to make, that is. "Create a pastry-chef standout dessert with flaky pastry, creamy pear filling and a just-right chocolate top. You can do it!" says Pillsbury Bake-off finalist Maria Scotto di Santolo of Berlin, New Jersey.

Chocolate, Ginger-Cream and Pear Tart

12 servings

Tart

• 1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
• 2 cans (15 oz each) pear halves in juice, drained
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (raw sugar)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 4oz (half of 8-oz package) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2cup mascarpone cheese (from 8-oz container), softened
• 3/4cup Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk (from 14-oz can)
• 1/4 cup Unsalted or Salted Butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 egg Yolk
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup Hershey's® Special Dark® chocolate baking chips
• 1teaspoon corn syrup

Garnish

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
• 1/4 cup Chopped Walnuts

1. Heat oven to 450°F. In ungreased 10- or 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, press pie crust evenly in bottom and up side of pan. Generously prick crust with fork.
2. Bake 6 to 9 minutes or until golden brown. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Cool crust 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, reserve 2 pear halves for garnish; refrigerate. Slice remaining pear halves; place in small bowl. Add raw sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the ginger and bread crumbs; toss gently to coat. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and mascarpone with electric mixer on high speed until smooth. Add condensed milk, butter, remaining 2 teaspoons ginger, 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk; beat on medium speed until well blended. Spread 1 cup filling over cooled crust; arrange pear slices on top. Spread remaining filling over pears.
4. Bake at 325°F 40 to 50 minutes or until set and golden brown around edge. Cool 30 minutes.
5. In small microwavable bowl, microwave 1/3 cup whipping cream and chocolate chips on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, or until smooth. Stir in corn syrup until well blended. Spread over cooled tart. Refrigerate 1 hour 30 minutes or until set.
6. Cut reserved pear halves into 12 slices. Remove side of pan. To serve, cut into 12 wedges. Top each wedge with 2 tablespoons whipped cream, 1 pear slice and 1 teaspoon walnuts. Store covered in refrigerator.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Coconut-Almond Doughnut Pop-ems

CakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

Now, a few things stand out about this recipe for Coconut-almond Doughnut Pop-ems, created by Kathy Matulewicz of Clifton, New Jersey.

First? The recipe was created by a fellow Jersey girl. Clifton is a different part of the state than I grew up in, but still, this matters. Second, the recipe is for Coconut-Almond Doughnut Pop-ems. I don't even know what that means, but based on the picture, I want them in my mouth.

Third, they include an ingredient called "imitation butter flavor". What? Have you ever heard of that? 

Fourth, they are easy. As the inventor puts it, "Family favorite doughnuts just got easier! Cut up biscuits; bake up into mini doughnuts, then glaze and sprinkle for the perfect finish." Oh joy! Here's the recipe.

Coconut-Almond Doughnut Pop-ems

Makes 32

• 1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 3/4 cup hole Almonds
• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Imitation Butter Flavor
• 3 tablespoons milk

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 4 wedges. Roll each wedge into a ball. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
2. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on cooling rack.
3. Meanwhile, in food processor, place almonds. Process 15 to 30 seconds until almonds are ground. Transfer almonds to shallow dish. Place coconut in another shallow dish. In small bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extract, butter flavor and milk; beat with wire whisk until blended and smooth.
4. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. When cooled, dip half of each pop-em in glaze, allowing excess glaze to drip off before dipping glazed portion into almonds. Place on lined cookie sheet. Freeze 5 minutes to set glaze, if necessary.
5. Dip the uncoated side of each pop-em in glaze, allowing excess glaze to drip off before dipping into coconut. Place on cookie sheet. Let stand 5 minutes for glaze to set. Store tightly covered.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Mango-Lemon Drop Sunshine Puffs

Image: Pillsbury Bake-OffCakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

Starting alphabetically, the first entry for something sweet is this delectable-looking one, for Mango-Lemon Drop Sunshine Puffs. As entrant Amber Schofield of Athens, Alabama says, "Bake pockets of sweet and citrusy cream cheese in sweet crescent puffs. What a great morning treat!"

Mango-Lemon Drop Sunshine Puffs

Makes 16 rolls

• 1package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/3cup powdered sugar
• 2tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/8teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1cup flaked coconut
• 1can Pillsbury® Big & Buttery refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 2/3cup Hershey’s® premier white baking chips
• 1/3cup Smucker's® Mango Jam or Sweet Orange Marmalade

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In small bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in lemon juice on low speed. Stir in lemon peel and coconut until well mixed. Set aside.
3. Unroll crescent dough onto ungreased cookie sheet; separate into 4 rectangles.
4. Firmly press perforations to seal. Cut each rectangle into 8 squares. Place 16 of the squares 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
5. Spoon heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture in center of each square. Top cream cheese mixture with remaining dough squares, placing each of the squares at an angle so points of the square hang over the middles of the sides of the bottom square to look like shape of the sun. Press edges of dough around cream cheese mixture to seal.
6. Bake 9 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, melt white chips and mango jam, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Spread glaze over rolls. Serve warm.