montcarte

I’m not a big fan of date squares. I find them sticky, thick, and just not…vibrant…enough. However, I know that there are some people out there who just love them (hence the reason I made them to begin with), and I think this recipe yields some of the best date squares I’ve had.

They’re not overly sweet thanks to the lemon (some recipes ask for orange zest and juice, which I think just makes them too sweet), and I like the cinnamon and pecans in the oatmeal base and topping.

If you do enjoy date squares, then I think you’ll love these. They’re even better if you serve warm (cut them into pieces, then warm each piece up…trying to cut them into squares while they’re warm will just be messy) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Oatmeal Date Squares
adapted from Robin Hood: Home Baking

FILLING
3 cups chopped pitted dates
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar

BASE & TOPPING
1 3/4 cups oats
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup butter

Grease a 13″ x 9″ pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

FILLING
1. Combine dates, lemon zest, lemon juice and water, and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat , stirring often, until thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

BASE & TOPPING
2. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl. Using two knives, a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Press half of the mixture (2 1/2 cups) into prepared pan. Spread filling over base. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top. Pat down lightly.

4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden. Cool completely in pan on rack, then cut into squares.

Believe it or not, I had never tasted a persimmon up until a few days ago. I’ve been seeing lots of desserts using persimmons around, so when I saw some at the market, I picked them up right away and started scouring the internet for the perfect dessert to make with them.

The first thing I discovered that there are two types of the persimmon fruit: astringent and non-astringent. Astringent persimmons have to be eaten when they are super soft, jellylike in texture. These will be sweeter and juicier and the hachiya persimmon is the most delicious and common of these ones. The non-astringent can be eaten while they’re still firm and they take a long while to get soft and will be milder in their flavour and sweetness. The fuyu persimmon is the popular type of non-astringent.

While this may be sound overly exciting, it’s a good thing I discovered this, because obviously, the type of persimmon you have will affect how it should be cooked! I had bought fuyu persimmons, and finally decided that I wanted to prepare a bread pudding with them, something warm, sweet and gooey to make me happy in these January evenings.

I adapted this persimmon bread pudding from Martha Stewart and ended up with a perfect bread pudding. Instead of using white chocolate, I threw in some milk chocolate chips, and instead of melting the chocolate into the milk sauce, tossed them in separately. This gave the pudding little chocolate chunks and bits of the chocolate sweetness, instead of having it smoothly integrated into the sauce. I also added more cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as raisins. The recipe I’ve included is how I prepared it.

I loved this bread pudding – in fact, I thought it was pretty perfect. I didn’t completely puree the persimmon, and instead cooked them, got them all soft, mashed up a lot of them, but left chunks of the fruit intact. I was left with a light, sweet flavour throughout the pudding and nice pieces of almost peachy-cantaloupe firm fruit scattered in. I loved the amount of cinnamon, and the milk chocolate was great in there as it added a definite sweetness. This isn’t an overly saucy bread pudding, and I loved the non-soggy texture. This is a great base to any bread pudding, and if you wanted to try other fruits in there, it would work wonderfully. I’m thinking peaches next time!

Persimmon-Chocolate Bread Pudding with Raisins
adapted from Martha Stewart

3 Fuyu persimmons, peeled, seeded and cut into small pieces or slices
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup sugar, plus more, for baking dish
Unsalted butter, for baking dish
10 slices (about 1 1/2 pounds) 1 1/2-inch-thick day-old or toasted brioche, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup raisins
2 cups milk
3 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine persimmon, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup sugar; simmer over low heat until sugar is dissolved.

2. Mash heated persimmons until there a lot of the fruit is pureed, making sure to leave some fruit pieces intact.

3. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish, and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Place bread in baking dish; sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Scatter chocolate chips and raisins over the bread as well.

4. In a medium saucepan, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and milk; stir frequently over low heat. Remove from heat once the sugar is dissolved.

5. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk warm milk mixture into eggs, being careful not to cook the eggs; stir in persimmon mixture. Pour mixture into baking dish, covering bread completely.

6. Bake until filling sets, about 35 minutes.

When my mother brought me back some Ghirardelli chocolate from the US, I knew I wanted to save it and bake something fantastic with it. At first I thought brownies, but I wanted the chocolate chips to really stand out and thought they might just get lost in too much chocolate. I’ve been hanging on to this cookie for a “Mexican” chocolate chip cookie.

I didn’t use any Mexican chocolate in the cookie, though that is a good idea…suggestions seemed to use 4oz Ibarra chocolate chunks an 8oz dark chocolate chunks. I decided to stick with just my Ghirardelli chips.

These cookies are quite interesting. They have a real depth of flavour and have many notes.They start off like any chocolate chip cookie, but with a oomph of cinnamon. Then there’s a distinct saltiness that plays well with the bitterness of the chocolate and the sweetness of the cookie. As you swallow the cookie, you finally get a hint of the heat of the cayenne pepper – it doesn’t taste spicy, it just feels spicy. All in all, these make for some pretty interesting and unique chocolate chip cookies. I loved the dark chocolate chunks, the sweet cinnamon and the overall flavour depth if them and would enjoy making them again. Their texture was nice too – not very cakey, but nice and dense, like chocolate chip cookies should be!

The only changes I made from the original recipe was to increase the salt and the cayenne pepper amount. I definitely approve of these changes!

Spicy Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Epicurious

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 scant teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 oz dark chocolate chunks or chips

1. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla.

2. Sift next 6 ingredients over butter mixture; beat just until blended. Mix in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto sheets, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart.

4. Bake cookies until golden brown but still soft to touch, about 10 minutes (for crisper cookies, bake 12 minutes). Let stand on sheets 3 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool.

If you like this, you might also like:

Real Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mayan Chocolate Sparklers

My last post promised you the baked good I made with all my lemon-lime curd, and so here it is! A beautiful friend of mine (hello Patra!) was celebrating her birthday and the best gift I think I could probably give anyone is that of baked treats. Given I had sooo much curd, I figured I should try to make a dessert that incorporates it in some way.

I stumbled upon this recipe, and since I’ve been wanting to give Magnolia’s vanilla cupcakes a try anyway, thought the cupcakes were the perfect thing to bring to a summer birthday BBQ. And they really were!

The vanilla cupcake, but itself, is a really good cupcake. Its texture is light and cakey, as long as it’s served at room temperature. Its vanilla flavour is very present, but still quite delicate. Once the cupcakes were done baking, I cut a cone out of the top (see this recipe for reference), and filled the hollow with a generous tablespoon of the homemade lemon-lime curd. I cut the point off each cupcake cone, and placed the circular top back on top of each cupcake.

As for the frosting, I remembered making a lemon cake that had a frosting I really enjoyed. The lemon flavour was mild enough that it didn’t overpower the vanilla cupcake, but simply played along with it. I whipped up a half-batch of the frosting, and ended up with these delicious cupcakes. People ended up pleasantly surprised with the lemon curd filling, and it seemed these cakes were enjoyed by all. I thought they turned out excellently – the lemon curd in the middle was rich and decadent, but still allowed the vanilla cupcake, which was light and gorgeous in its texture, to stand out. I think these cupcakes are a wonderful summer BBQ dessert!

I only made 12 cupcakes, so I divided the following recipe in half. The recipe I have listed makes 24 cupcakes (frosting and cupcake batter).

Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon-Lime Curd Filling and Lemon-Lime Frosting
via Cupcake Bakeshop, adapted from Cupcakes from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
Printable Recipe

VANILLA CUPCAKES
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.
5. Measure out milk and vanilla together.
6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.
8. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes).
10. Bake for 22-25 minutes at 350 degrees F until a cake tester comes out clean.

LEMON-LIME CURD
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tbsp finely grated lime zest
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the lemon juice, lime juice, lemon zest, lime zest, sugar and eggs. Cut the butter into bits and add it to the saucepan.

2. Turn on the heat to medium-low and cook the mixture gently, whisking constantly, until it thickens up enough to hold the marks of the whisk and is just about to come to a simmer. This takes me usually around 20-25 minutes — better to be gentle than to curdle your eggs. The end mixture will be a buttery, creamy light yellow.

3. Remove from the heat and place into a bowl to cool. Strain it if you want to get rid of the zest. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming as it cools. Store the curd in the fridge.

LEMON-LIME FROSTING
½ cup butter, softened
4 cups confectioner’s (icing) sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
¼ cup light (10%) cream

1. Beat together all ingredients until smooth and creamy (I had to add some extra lemon juice to bring it to a spreadable consistency)

TO ASSEMBLE CUPCAKES
1. Using a small pairing knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone.
2. Fill the cavity with a teaspoon or so of curd.
3. Replace top.
4. Frost with frosting.

If you like this, you might also like:

Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Lemon Raspberry Muffins
Lemon Cream Pie with Coconut Crust

I saw this recipe on two of my favourite food blogs – I figured if both of them liked it, I was bound to love it. And love it, I did.

It’s no secret that I love citrus desserts…so when I heard rave reviews from star bakers, and since I’ve loved everything that I’ve made from Dorie’s cookbook so far, this recipe climbed the top of my must-bake charts. And thank goodness it did!

I tried the rum drench on a different cake I made, and wasn’t entirely impressed. This entire recipe, due to that, would’ve been stricken from my bake-list, but on faith, I gave the entire (lemon version) a go.

This is a divine and grown-up cake. Its texture is perfect – airy, with a bit of sophisticated crumb, and a dense, chewy top (due to the lemon syrup). The cake itself wasn’t super-lemony (even after I changed the recipe a bit to include lemon juice in the cake itself), but lightly lemony. Combined with the tart lemon glaze on top, it makes for a fantastic, light cake with bits of dense tartness. Just perfect!

If I am to judge desserts by the Soli-proclaimed non-dessert lover Soli, then we have a winner. He ate half of a loaf in one sitting!

And I will eat the other half.
In half a sitting. Or less…

Lemon Drenched Lemon Cakes
adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours

CAKES
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
2 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 plump, moist vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out and reserved, or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
2/3 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
zest of two lemons, finely grated
1 stick, plus 7 Tablespoons (15 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

SYRUP
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
juice of two lemons

CAKES
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8 1/2-4 1/2-inch loaf pans, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Even if the pans are nonstick, it’s a good idea to butter and flour them. Place the pans on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular sheets stacked one on top of the other.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Put the sugar and the lemon zest in a large bowl, working with your fingers, rub them together until the sugar is moist and thoroughly imbued with the fragrance of lemon. Add the vanilla bean seeds and work them into the sugar. If you are using vanilla extract, add it later, after you have added the eggs.

4. Add the eggs and whisk them into the sugar, beating until they are thoroughly incorporated. Whisk in the extract (if using), then whisk in the cream, followed by the lemon juice. Continuing with the whisk, or switching to a large rubber spatula, gently stir in the dry ingredients in 3 or 4 additions; the batter will be smooth and thick. Finish by folding in the melted butter in 2 or 3 additions. Pour the batter into the pans, smoothing with a rubber spatula.

5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. As soon as the cake goes into the oven, make the syrup. After about 30 minutes in the oven, check the cakes for color- if they are browning too quickly, cover them lightly with foil tents.

SYRUP
1. Making the syrup: Stir the water, two strips of lemon zest and sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar melts, then bring to a boil.

2. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Pour the syrup into a heatproof bowl and let cool.

1. When the cakes test done, transfer them to a wire rack to cool for 5 (the first one stuck – I suggest leaving them until completely cooled…) minutes before unmolding them and turning them right side up on the rack. Place the rack over a baking sheet lined with wax paper and, using a thin skewer, cake tester or thin-bladed sharp knife, poke holes all over the cakes.

2. Brush the cakes all over with the syrup, working slowly so that the cakes sop it up. Leave the cakes on the rack to cool to room temperature.

My mom brought me some mini M&Ms baking bits from the US after her last visit, so I decided to go straight to the source when it came time to bake with them. I’ve had fairly good experiences baking things that come on the back of product packages (like condensed milk recipes, for example) – I figure the makers of the product have to know how best to use the item they’re selling, right?

Well, it seems M&Ms took the easy way out, and used a fairly standard, and mostly unimpressive blondie recipe on the back of the baking bits package. Not to say it was a bad recipe – oh no! They were very sweet, heavy and rich, just like a blondie should be. However, there was nothing interesting about the recipe, and the flavour was just kind of…flat.

However, the M&Ms made for a very pretty blondie, all studded with rainbows and chocolate. The addition of a dark chocolate, while unorthodox in the world of blondies, was fun. I’m not opposed to using them again in such an application. However, next time, I believe I will use a different blondie recipe – perhaps one with some white chocolate and a bit more saltiness.

Anyhow, for everyone who might like to try their hand at the recipe M&Ms uses, here it is:

M&Ms Rainbow Blondies
adapted from M&Ms

1 cup (2 sticks or 240mL) butter or margarine
1-1/2 cups (360mL) firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (480mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 12-ounce package (1 3/4 cups or 340g) “M&M’s”® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Baking Bits
1 cup (240mL) chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C or 325°F/165°C for glass pan).

2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add egg and vanilla extract.

3. Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture just until combined. DOUGH WILL BE STIFF.

4. Stir in M&M’s® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits and nuts. Spread dough into a greased 13 x 9-inch (330mm x 230mm) baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly moist with crumbs. Cool completely before cutting. Store in tightly covered container.

I love apple crisps, especially when the evenings start cooling off and you have to start turning on the heat inside…then popping an apple crisp in the oven, the house filling with the smell of cinnamon…Mmmm!

Last night, I made the best apple crisp I have ever tasted and have finally found my go-to recipe for this perfect autumn dessert.

The topping:
The toasted pecans are amazing in it! Chunks of crunchy, flavourful nuts, mixed in with ginger, and a nice, strong sweet cinnamon. It’s perfectly crunchy and packed with dynamic flavours. Best.Topping. Ever. I will also try to use the topping on muffins.

The fruit filling:
As equally tasty and exciting in its multitudes of flavours. The tart granny smith apples join well with the dried cranberries, and the crystallized ginger in here adds that extra oomph. After baking, the filling does not get soggy, but the apples retain a bit of their crunch.

I prepared the recipe a bit differently, using a 9″x9″ glass baking dish and adding lemon juice to the apple mixture. The pan choice made no difference to the overall result, and the lemon juice was a good addition.

All together, probably the best crisp you will ever prepare. Honest.

Apple and Cranberry Crisp with Ginger-Pecan Topping
adapted from Bon Appetit

FILLING
4 medium Granny Smith apples (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

TOPPING
1/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2/3 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

FILLING
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Butter four 1 1/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes.

3. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Let stand until juicy, about 5 minutes. Divide filling among prepared cups.

4. Bake until bubbling at edges, about 20 minutes.

TOPPING
1. Blend first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Rub in butter with fingertips until coarse meal forms. Mix in pecans with fingertips.

2. Crumble topping over hot apples. Bake until topping is golden brown, apples are tender, and juices are bubbling thickly, about 25 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Test-kitchen tip: To toast pecans, preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until slightly darkened, about 8 minutes.

Today is my birthday (I am now in my last year of my twenties, oh no!), so in “celebration” of today, a somewhat birthday-ey treat – Caramel Apple Cupcakes. I made these a few weeks ago for the Friday snack session at work, as they sounded like the perfect fall treat. And the combination of apples and caramel is one that I love…so when I read about this recipe on The Cupcake Blog, I was pretty excited.

These really are decadent treats, but not without a few flaws (though I think I have to blame myself and lack of candy-making skills).

The apple cupcake is a bit more like a muffin, but that’s not a bad thing at all, especially given the calories and fat content that is added to this dessert. I really like baking my apples and using that, rather than a chunky applesauce; it added a much more definite apple flavour to the cupcake. The recipe claims that it makes 9 cupcakes, but I needed more than that, so I made 1 1/2 the recipe, giving me 14 cupcakes to work with. The cupcakes rose up beautifully and smelled fantastic while baking.

The filling was a breeze to make, with an ideal creamy texture and sweetness. I used a plastic baggie with the corner cut off to pipe the filling into the cupcake. I didn’t increase the quantity of filling, and I had enough to put into all the cupcakes I had made.

Finally, the caramel topping. Now, this is where I met with a few problems. I prepared it as instructed, using my candy thermometer. Indeed, I did have to work fast to get the topping on the cupcakes, as it was hardening fast! And then it hardened a bit more, then, a bit more. I was very nervous that it would be a tooth-breaking substance…it was not creamy in the least.

However, the end result did not mean a trip to the dentist. The caramel topping turned into something like a Skor bar – crunchy, but an easy crunch that just exploded in your mouth with a sweet and slightly salty taste. It melded perfectly with the creamy sweet cream cheese filling, though the apple flavour didn’t really stand out. They were a rich, messy and sticky treat….much like a caramel apple, I suppose!

I loved the method of stuffing the cupcakes with cream cheese (read the recipe to see what I mean) and even if I don’t make this particular cupcake again, I will use the filling recipe and method to fill some of the other muffins I make in the future.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes
adapted from Cupcake Bake Shop

CUPCAKES
2-3 apples, granny smith
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Rinse and core the apples. Place them on an ovenproof pan or baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes until soft.

2. Remove the apples from the oven, let cool slightly, then remove peel and mush the apple with the back of a fork. Measure out 1 cup of apple mush and set aside to cool.

3. Combine flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.

4. Crack the eggs into a separate, medium sized bowl and beat with a form to break up. Add the oil, apple juice, vanilla, and cooled apple mush and mix to combine.

5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until all ingredients come together.

6. Scoop into cupcake papers about 3/4 full so cupcakes will have a significant dome. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING
4 ounces Philly cream cheese
1/4 stick butter
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Be sure to bring the butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours. Then beat the butter vigorously with an electric mixer.

2. Scrape the bowl and add the cream cheese and beat until combine.

3. Add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.

FILLING THE CUPCAKES
1. Cut out a cone from each cupcake. Flip the cone and cut off the excess. Set the top aside.

2. Fill each cavity with the cream cheese filling.

3. Replace each top.

THICK CARAMEL
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
6 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Bring the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk to a boil over medium-high heat stirring to combine.

2. With a wooden spoon, stir all ingredients together and then slowly add the heavy cream.

3. Continue to stir for about 20 minutes until the caramel reached 248 degrees. It is important to continuously stir the mixture and to allow it to reach temperature.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Transfer to a bowl and continue to stir for 2-3 minutes allowing the caramel to cool slightly.

FINAL ASSEMBLY OF CUPCAKES
1. Using a small offset spatula, frost each cupcake with the caramel.

2. If desired sprinkle warm caramel with any number of toppings, like coconut or crushed nuts.

3. Transfer the cupcake into the freezer to allow the caramel to set without dripping over the edge of the cupcake paper.

4. Continue frosting and topping the cupcakes and try to work fast. As the caramel cools, it becomes less spreadable. If possible work in pairs and let your helper top the cupcakes and transfer them to the freezer. By the time you reach the last few cupcakes, you will not longer need to freeze them and you can take all the cupcakes out and transfer them to the counter.

5. Top off each cupcake with a popsicle or craft stick to finish off the look.

I have never tasted clafouti, much less make it myself. But with all the photos I see, and all the great things people always say about clafouti, I figured it must be great stuff…so of course, I eventually gave it a try.

Now, as I said, I have never had clafouti, so I didn’t know what to expect, and I’m still not sure if the dessert sitting in my fridge is supposed to taste the way it tastes. It is unbelievably, intolerable eggy. It’s like eating an omelet with cherries stuck in it. Not good!

It looks really nice, but tastes so wrong. All you clafouti-eaters and bakers out there – is it supposed to be so eggy? I thought it was supposed to be similar to a pancake? Are there two types of clafouti recipes, the eggy one for those who like that kinda thing, and the pancake ones?

I include the recipe so that any people in the know can tell me if they use a drastically different one that yields a different clafouti. Or if eggy is your type of dessert, then this could be the recipe for you.

At any rate, any help/guidance someone can give me about clafouti and how this turned out so wrong (I think?), would be sooo appreciated!

Black Cherry Clafouti
The Cook’s Encyclopedia of Fruit

2 tbsp butter, for greasing
2 cups cherries, pitted
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tbsp Kirsch (I used dark rum)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use the butter to thickly grease a 5 cup gratin dish (I used a 9″ glass pie plate).

2. Scatter the cherries over the base.

3. Sift the flour and icing sugar together into a large mixing bowl and gradually whisk in the eggs until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the milk until blended, then stir in the Kirsch.

4. Pour the batter carefully over the cherries, then bake for 35 – 45 minutes or until just set and lightly golden.

5. Allow the pudding to cool for about 15 minutes. Dust liberally with icing sugar just before serving.

I made this fast dessert for Mother’s Day, and I don’t think a dessert could be any easier or quicker to whip up. Add the facts that it’s absolutely decadent, super-sweet, ultra-chocolatey and extremely dense and moist – this is one great recipe to have in the files.

The brownie recipe comes from a Robin Hood Flour cookbook. It makes a really fantastic brownie – simple and rich, full of chocolate, somewhat cakey, but still chewy like a brownie should be. Beats the boxed version of brownies, any day!

Before popping the brownies into the oven, I decided to sprinkle them with Skor Toffee Bits that I had been dying to use in something, as well as mini marshmallows that I had lying around. I don’t know if I preferred this kind of topping to a frosting, but I know that I like it both ways, equally.

Chewy Toffee-Marshmallow Brownies
9″ square cake pan, greased
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

BROWNIE
1/2 cup butter
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup granulated, 1/2 cup brown sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional (I opted not to use them)

TOPPING
1 cup mini marshmallows
2/3 cup toffee bits

1. Melt chocolate and butter over low heat in a medium saucepan, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat.

2. Add sugar and vanilla and beat well.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating lightly after each addition.

4. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixture, stirring until well-blended. Stir in nuts, if using. Spread in prepared pan.

4. Top with marshmallows and toffee bits.

5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until set. Cool completely in pan.