Best Gift Ever: Chocolate Spoons With a Dollop of Cookie Dough

Happy Holidaze, sweeties! Here's a wonderful guest post from Heather Saffer, also known as the author of The Dollop Book of Frosting: Sweet and Savory Icings, Spreads, Meringues, and Ganaches for Dessert and Beyond.

Hello CakeSpies! Can I call you that? I hope so because it sounds really super cool! I’m Heather, author of the newly released cookbook, The Dollop Book of Frosting, and winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars! And I’mhonored to be guesting on CakeSpy today!

I’ve been following Jessie for quite some time now and I’m honestly enamored with her creative genius. Add the fact that she’s a fellow published author with a newly released gorgeous dessert book? Well, I literally danced a (very poor) samba when she agreed to participate in my 2013 Holiday Blog Tour!

The theme of this blog tour is “Frosting Gift Guide” so all month long up until Christmas I’m showing you entertaining ways to gift the creamiest, most delightful frostings for that frosting lover in your life.

From frosting filled candies, to frosting covered popcorn, my goal is to help you break away from the grocery store frosting jar you once relied so heavily upon!

With that said, today I’m sharing with you one of my all-time favorite frosting recipes from The Dollop Book of Frosting: Cookie Dough Frosting.

Not just a frosting, this recipe is spreadable and bakeable! Whip it, pipe it, scoop it, roll it, bake it—there are SO many things you can do with this Cookie Dough Frosting.

For this holiday gift I’m showing you today how to make chocolate spoons as the FDV’s (Frosting Delivery Vehicles) for your Cookie Dough Frosting. Packaged in pretty tins and paired with a jar of your favorite hot cocoa mix, I guarantee your friends will squeal with sweet delight at this perfect present!

Hey Jessie—I’m curious, what’s the history of Cookie Dough Frosting??!

Cookie Dough Frosting Served on Chocolate Spoons 

Yield: 24 Cookie Dough Frosting dolloped spoons

For the frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I get the best result from J.R. Watkins’ pure vanilla extract)
• 1 1/8 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until soft by mixing on low speed, about 2 minutes until smooth. Add both sugars, salt, vanilla, flour, baking soda, and chocolate chips and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

To make the Chocolate Spoons:

• 2 bags of chocolate candy melts
• Chocolate spoon silicone mold

In a microwave safe bowl melt the chocolate at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Scoop chocolate to fill spoon molds. Place in freezer for 5-10 minutes to set. Dollop a teaspoon of Cookie Dough Frosting on each spoon and place in festive tins.

Recipe adapted from The Dollop Book of Frosting by Heather “Cupcakes” Saffer.

To follow along on the remainder of the Holiday Blog Tour, head over here! And for more ideas check out my Gift Guide for Frosting Lovers!

Happy Frosting, everyone!

Pucker Up: Lemon Walnut Bars Recipe

After Thanksgiving, people crave light treats that will make them feel refreshed, in contrast to the fullness they may have felt over the holiday.

These Lemon Walnut Bars are perfect, because owing to the lemon they taste refreshing, and the addition of oats gives them the slightest tone of healthfulness.

But don't worry--they're not actually healthy. With creamy sweetened condensed milk and plenty of butter, rest assured, these are definitely dessert.

I had a brief love affair with the lemon crumb bars sold at Tully's Coffee Shops in Seattle a few years ago--they certainly weren't fancy, they were made by a commercial bakery in the area and wouldn't be what I would consider "artisan". But there was something about the tart-sweet lemon filling paired with a streusel-like topping that had me hooked.

So when I saw a recipe for Lemon Walnut Bars in the new cookbook Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes From a Little Neighborhood Bakery (also the source of this fab marshmallow recipe), I knew I had to try it.

Seriously, this recipe is a classic. It's like the bars I so loved at Tully's, but tastier since they were baked fresh. The filling is tart with lemon but so smooth and creamy with the sweetened condensed milk, which makes it almost like a key lime pie filling, but with lemon. The sweet-salty streusel has all of these notest that work well with the lemon: brown sugar, coconut, walnuts, and oats--which make it also slightly crunchy, and a perfect texture complement to the creaminess. I promise, if you love lemon bars and you love crumb cake, you will adore these squares. You won't be able to stop eating them. 

Lemon Walnut Bars

adapted from Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes From a Little Neighborhood Bakery

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup large flake rolled oats
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (dark)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup ground walnuts
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter.
3. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, coconut, walnuts, and baking powder. Pour in the melted butter and mix until the butter is evenly distributed. Press half of the oat mixture into the prepared pan, and press it in firmly. If you wanna, line the bottom with a strip of parchment to make for easy removal later.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the consensed milk and lemon uice until thick and combined. Pour the mixture over the base. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to make sure it's an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the filling.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until golden on top.
6. Remove from oven and cool completely into the pan. Run a knife along the edges of the pan. Cut into bars.

DIY Croissant Doughnuts Made from Crescent Rolls

Listen, once I heard that you could make DIY croissant doughnuts (I'm not mentioning them by name, but we all know what I'm talking about here), I simply had to try it at home. 

And I am beyond delighted to report that it is easy, and the results are so highly delicious that you just might gain a hundred pounds before Christmas if you make them as frequently as you'll want to after giving it a try.

The only tough part is monitoring the temperature of the oil for frying. I am lucky because in a stroke of fate, a company that makes something called Chef Alarm had contacted me just a week before I decided to get frying at home and asked if I wanted to try out their product. Um, yes. So while they sent me the device for free, they didn't pay me to say good stuff about it. But happily, I liked it. This helpful gadget includes timers, a temperature probe, and temperature monitoring so it will notify you if things are going outside of the comfort zone. But the absolute best part is that it comes in pink. YES! I think it's a nifty tool and would probs make a good present for the baker in your life this holiday season. 

The reason why you have to monitor the temperature for frying? A few reasons, but from my point of view, a huge reason is that you can't tell how hot the oil is at any given time. It looks the same whether it's 280 or 390 degrees. If it's too hot, your doughnuts can fry too fast on the outside and be doughy on the inside. If the oil is too cool, it will take too long to fry them and they'll be leaden. Nobody wants either!

But anyways, I know you're frying--er, dying--to read more about the doughnuts, so let's get down to business. 

How to make Croissant Doughnuts using Crescent Rolls

You need: 

• One roll of crescent rolls
• oil, for frying
• about a cup and a half of buttercream, pudding, ice cream, custard, or whatever filling you want.
• confectioners' sugar glaze (1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons or so of cream) if desired 

Step 1: The first thing you do is open up the can of crescent rolls. Enjoy that "pop" as they release themselves in their carbohydratey glory into the world. 

Step 2: Now, roll them into one big rectangle. Then, fold it on top of itself so you have a big square. Press gently to remove the "seams". The better you work the seams, the prettier your doughnuts will look later.

Step 3: Now, grab a doughnut cutter (just go buy one if you don't have them - they're like $2!). Cut out as many doughnut shapes as you can. Re-roll the scraps and cut more, but be aware that the re-rolled ones, to be frank, will be the ugly ones. 

Step 4: Fill a frying pan with some vegetable oil. You want at least a few inches of oil in the pan. Heat it until it reaches about 350 degrees. You will want a thermometer of some sort for this, trust me. 

Step 5: Place the doughnut cutouts a few at a time into the hot oil. Fry on each side until golden and puffy. It won't take long. Remove gently, using a slotted spoon, and transfer to paper towels to blot excess oil. 

Step 6: Cut the doughnuts in half like you would a bagel, and fill with buttercream, pudding, custard, or whatever your heart desires. Glaze if you wanna, or just stuff your face immediately. 

Do you enjoy frying at home?

Cranberry Sauce Jelly Doughnuts For Serious Eats

It's Thanksgiving! It's Hanukkah! All at once! With this momentous overlap of food holidays, why decide on one type of cuisine? These jelly doughnuts, inspired by the Hanukkah specialty sufganiyot, have a Thanksgiving flair thanks to a cranberry sauce "jelly" inside.

Are you sad that they don't include turkey, like some infamous versions in bakeries and around the internet? Don't be. These doughnuts might not have the shock value, but they taste good enough that you'll actually enjoy every bite, with a sweet-tart cranberry filling which is perfectly complemented by a snowy dusting of confectioners' sugar on top.

For the recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Adorable and Delicious: Mini Pecan Pies Recipe

Since I recently attended the Pillsbury Bake-Off, I have been thinking about creative ways to use Pillsbury products quite a bit.

So it should be no surprise that recently I found myself eying a package of crescent rolls, thinking "I wonder if I could pie-ify that". Well, turns out it was amazingly easy--I just rolled out the crescent rolls, cut them out into circles, which I pressed into cupcake liners to form baby pie crusts. Since I love healthy eating, I filled them with a protein-rich pecan mixture (with some sugar and other stuff added, of course).

They came out awesomely.

Basically, these mini treats are like a hybrid between a pecan tassie cookie and a pecan pie. Nice and buttery, and the crescent roll crust is sturdy enough to please crust lovers like me. Bigger than a cookie but smaller than a pie, they made lovely individual desserts that are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate.

Mini Pecan Crescent Roll Pies

Makes 6 mini pies Active time: 20 minutes Total time: 1 hour

For the crust

1 tube Pillsbury Original Crescent rolls

For the filling 

• ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed 
• ⅛ teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 6-cup muffin tin.
2. Open the tube of Crescent Rolls dough, and gather the dough into a ball. Using a knife or pastry scraper, divide into six equal parts.
3. Using a rolling pin, roll each portion into an approximately 5-inch circle.  
4. Press each circle into one of the greased cups, and press the sides to reach up about halfway up the sides of the cup. Don’t worry if they look small in there—the dough will rise and you’ll have a nice-sized treat at the end of the baking process. Once each of the cups have been filled, prepare your filling.
5. To make the filling, mix together the brown sugar, salt, chopped pecans, egg, melted butter and vanilla extra with a spoon and then evenly divide it between the dough-lined cups. Try to make sure that the filling does not mound higher than the sides of the dough “cup”.
6. Place the cupcake tin on top of a cookie sheet. Place the sheet in the oven, and bake for 14 minutes, or until the pies are golden on the sides and set in the middle. Note: The filling will bubble quite a bit during the baking process. The baking sheet below the cupcake tin is to catch any possible drips.
7. Remove from the oven, and run a sharp knife along the perimeter of each cup to loosen any sticky bits. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Bake-Off is Coming: Cherry Sugar Cookie Macaroons

CakeSpy Note: OMG! The 46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off is coming! Since I so deeply loved attending the 45th Bake-Off, I thought I would get you excited early by sharing some of the finalists' recipes. Do I need to tell you that the winner will receive one million dollars? My posting is on hyperdrive since the event is less than a week a day--check back often, because I will be posting recipes like crazy until the big event! 

Of course Sue Odren of Sand Lake, Michigan  is excited about cherries. She's in the land of delicious cherries, Michigan! These sugar cookie macaroons are made wonderful with the addition of tart cherries.

Cherry Sugar Cookie Macaroons

Prep Time: 25 Min Total Time: 1 Hr 40 Min Makes: 36 servings

Ingredients

• 1 roll Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried tart cherries
• 1 bag (7 oz) sweetened flaked coconut (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup Smucker's Michigan Red Tart Cherry Preserves

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften.
2. In medium bowl, break up cookie dough. Add nuts, cherries, coconut and vanilla. Mix with wooden spoon or knead with hands until well blended. Shape rounded tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 3 minutes. With back of teaspoon, make indentation in center of each cookie. Spoon 1 teaspoon preserves in each indentation. Cool completely, about 20 minutes. Store in covered container.

The Bake-Off is Coming: Dark Chocolate Orange Mousse

CakeSpy Note: OMG! The 46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off is coming! Since I so deeply loved attending the 45th Bake-Off, I thought I would get you excited early by sharing some of the finalists' recipes. Do I need to tell you that the winner will receive one million dollars? My posting is on hyperdrive since the event is less than a week a day--check back often, because I will be posting recipes like crazy until the big event! 

Dion Frischer of Ann Arbor, Michigan took inspiration from fancy restaurant desserts to create something that comes together in just 10 minutes. Woot!

Dark Chocolate Orange Mousse

Prep Time: 10 Min Total Time: 10 Min Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 cup Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Dark Chocolate Flavored Frosting
• 1/4 cup Smucker's Sweet Orange Marmalade
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel, if desired

Procedure

1. In large bowl, beat 1 cup of the whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add frosting and marmalade; beat until well blended. Fold in almonds. Spoon mixture into 4 small dessert dishes.
2. In small bowl, beat remaining 1/2 cup whipping cream and the powdered sugar with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Spoon over each serving of mousse; sprinkle with orange peel. Store in refrigerator.

The Bake-Off is Coming: Creamy Peanut Butter Truffles

CakeSpy Note: OMG! The 46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off is coming! Since I so deeply loved attending the 45th Bake-Off, I thought I would get you excited early by sharing some of the finalists' recipes. Do I need to tell you that the winner will receive one million dollars? My posting is on hyperdrive since the event is less than a week a day--check back often, because I will be posting recipes like crazy until the big event! 

Five ingredients! Just 20 minutes! These creamy peanut butter truffles are a winner for sure. Thanks, Denny Gross of Troy, Michigan!

Creamy Peanut Butter Truffles

Prep Time: 20 Min Total Time: 30 Min Makes: 15 servings

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup white vanilla baking chips
• 1/2 cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup Pillsbury Whipped Supreme Cream Cheese Flavored Frosting
• 1 teaspoon whipping cream
• 1/2 cup chocolate sprinkles

Procedure

1. Line cookie sheet with sides with waxed paper. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring once, until melted. Stir in peanut butter, frosting and whipping cream until well blended.
2. Spread sprinkles in small shallow dish. For each truffle, roll 1 rounded tablespoon peanut butter mixture into a ball. Roll in sprinkles to completely cover; place on cookie sheet. 
3. Refrigerate truffles 10 minutes before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

The Bake-Off is Coming: Peanut Butter Layer Brownies

CakeSpy Note: OMG! The 46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off is coming! Since I so deeply loved attending the 45th Bake-Off, I thought I would get you excited early by sharing some of the finalists' recipes. Do I need to tell you that the winner will receive one million dollars? My posting is on hyperdrive since the event is less than a week a day--check back often, because I will be posting recipes like crazy until the big event! 

Brownies love peanut butter. These ones love it so much that they hug it all around and keep it cradled in the center. This embrace also makes the brownies delicious. Thanks to Heidi Splete of Chevy Chase, Maryland for entering it in the Bake-Off!

Peanut Butter Layer Brownies

Prep Time: 30 Min Total Time: 3 Hr 15 Min Makes: 24 servings

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons Crisco Baking Sticks All-Vegetable Shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs  
• 2 cups Pillsbury BEST All Purpose Unbleached Flour
• 2 cups instant hot cocoa mix
• 1 can (14-oz) Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 cup Jif Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.
2. In large bowl, beat shortening and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Add eggs; beat until smooth. Add flour and cocoa mix. Beat, scraping bowl occasionally, until blended. Spread half of batter in pan.
3. In large microwavable bowl, mix sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter. Microwave on High 1 minute, stirring once or until softened. Carefully spread peanut butter mixture over brownie layer. Spoon and carefully spread remaining half of brownie batter over peanut butter layer.
4. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted 1 inch from edge comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Store covered.

The Bake-Off is Coming: Peach and Plum Skillet Coffee Cake

CakeSpy Note: OMG! The 46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off is coming! Since I so deeply loved attending the 45th Bake-Off, I thought I would get you excited early by sharing some of the finalists' recipes. Do I need to tell you that the winner will receive one million dollars? My posting is on hyperdrive since the event is less than a week a day--check back often, because I will be posting recipes like crazy until the big event! 

I love it when Bake-Off Finalists are from New Jersey! Donna Pochoday-Stelmach of Morris Township, New Jersey has come up with a wonderful recipe for a morning cake made in a skillet. Yum!

Peach and Plum Skillet Coffee Cake

Prep Time: 25 Min Total Time: 1 Hr 10 Min Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 can Pillsbury® refrigerated orange flavor sweet rolls with icing
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large firm ripe peaches, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch-thick
• 1 medium firm ripe plum, sliced 1/4-inch-thick
• 1 cup walnuts, pecans or almonds, chopped
• 1/2cup Smucker's Orchard's Finest Northwest Triple Berry Preserves

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place oven rack in lower third of oven. Remove rolls and icing from can; set rolls aside.
2. In 10-inch cast iron or ovenproof skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and icing. Heat 1 to 2 minutes or until icing is melted; remove from heat. In skillet, arrange peach slices over butter mixture around outer edge, overlapping slightly. Arrange plum slices in center of skillet, overlapping slightly. Top with nuts.
3. Separate dough into 8 rolls. Using sharp knife, cut each roll horizontally into 2 rounds. Place 12 dough rounds over fruit around outer edge of skillet, edges touching. Place remaining dough rounds in center of skillet. Cut remaining 2 tablespoons butter into small pieces and place on dough.
4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.
5. Run knife around edge of skillet to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down over skillet; carefully turn plate and skillet over. Remove skillet.
6. In small microwavable bowl, stir preserves and 1 tablespoon water until blended. Microwave on High 30 to 60 seconds or until mixture boils.
7. To serve, cut coffee cake into wedges. Drizzle 1 tablespoon preserves mixture over each wedge. Serve warm.