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Category Archives: Dessert


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S’More Bars

It’s funny how something that I love so much can just slip to the back of my head. I apologize, once again, for not keeping up with my blog. After a whirlwind wedding, I fell into the routine of work, prepare for work, eat, sleep, and sometimes workout. I also hate to admit this, but I was making the same old food over and over again. I wasn’t exploring anymore.

I recently recovered from a horrifying 5 days of being sick. The one plus? I got to lay in bed and watch old seasons of Top Chef. It hit me one morning – I love cooking, I love watching other people cook, I love trying new things… why in the world am I not keeping up with my blog?!

I decided to start making more new dishes and challenged myself to not make anything I’ve made before, no matter how good it was. I chose 5 new types of cookies to make for my Christmas packages this year and I’m bringing new foods to work potlucks.

So here it goes. I offer you these S’More Cookie Bars. They are a perfect winter treat if you ever find yourself missing campfires in the summer.

S’More Bars
serves 16
from bakingbites.com

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about  8 full size sheets)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 king sized Hershey’s chocolate bars
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch baking pan.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of the dough into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
  4. Place chocolate bars over dough in a single layer. The 2 king sized bars should fit perfectly side by side. Break the chocolate  if necessary to fit it into the pan.
  5. Spread marshmallow creme over chocolate with a spatula.
  6. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This is most easily done by flattening the dough into small “pancakes” and laying them on top of the marshmallow creme.
  7. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until lightly browned.
  8. Cool completely before cutting into bars.


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Back With a Kick – Caffeinated Doughnuts!

It’s been a long long long time since my last update. The rest of my senior year was a whirlwind and it was gone before I knew it. The wedding is slowly creeping up on us and there is so much left to do. I thought life would be a little less busy post-graduation, but I guess not!

As an apology for my hiatus, I give you caffeinated doughnuts. Jared, a friend of mine, came up with this idea and we brought it to life during spring break. We made a few without the caffeine – if you choose to do so, omit the caffeine pills and powdered sugar from the glaze.

Caffeinated Doughnuts
adapted from allrecipes.com

For the doughnuts:
2 .25 ounce packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
5 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 quart vegetable oil

For the glaze:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 caffeine pills (like NoDoz), crushed to a fine powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar, or to taste

  1. Place warm water in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. Mix together the yeast, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of flour in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.
  3. Mix in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl.
  4. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover. Set in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size.
  5. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out until 1/2 in thick. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter*. Cover with a cloth and let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double.
  6. Melt chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave. Mix in butter and  corn syrup until smooth. Whisk in powdered sugar and crushed caffeine pills and add vanilla. Taste – if it’s too bitter, add more sugar.
  7. Heat oil in a large pot to 350F. Carefully place doughnuts into the oil. Turn the doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry on each side until golden brown. Remove from the oil and allow to drain on a wire rack. Dip in glaze while still hot and allow to cool completely on wire rack.

*Note: if you do not have a doughnut cutter, use whatever else you may have around the house! When we did this, we used a glass to cut out the doughnut and then used a shot glass to cut out the hole.


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Apple Crisp

Apple crisps are tricky. They almost always look and smell great, but only sometimes taste good too. It’s hard to find the right balance between tart and sweet; more times than not I think an apple crisp is too sweet. This recipe, however, is a perfect match of the sourness of Granny Smith apples and the sweetness of the sugar.

Apple Crisp

10 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup water

2 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, cubed

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F .
  2. Mix sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Pour in apples and stir to coat evenly. Pour into a 9×13 inch pan and pour water on top.
  3. Combine the oats, 2 cups flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda together. Cut in butter until crumbly and sprinkle over the apple mixture.
  4. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes.


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Caramel Apple Pie

This pie was made a while ago, during a “family” Thanksgiving dinner with my friends and it turned out wonderfully. Unfortunately, we were too full from dinner to enjoy the pie while it was still warm. The good news is that it still tastes good right out of the fridge! If you like apple pie, try this recipe. I can guarantee that you will never make apple pie without caramel again. I only have a picture of the top of the pie; the next time I make this I will try to remember to take a better picture!

Caramel Apple Pie
makes 1 deep dish pie

1 deep dish pie crust (homemade or frozen)
6 granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1/2 cup  sugar
4 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/2 jar caramel topping

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together apples, lemon juice, sugar, flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  3. Prepare the crumb topping by cutting the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter and mix in brown sugar, oats, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
  4. Pour apples into pie crust and top with crumb topping. Wrap pie crust edges with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil from crust and sprinkle pecans onto pie and bake for 10 more minutes.
  5. Remove pie from oven and pour the caramel topping over the pie. Cool slightly before serving alone or with some ice cream. Enjoy!


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Mint Filled Brownie Cupcakes

I can’t believe it’s been over 3 months since my last post. Life had gotten just a little too crazy for me and sadly, my blog was left unattended to.I swear I have not forgotten about it, and I thank all the people who are still reading. I’m actually surprised that I’m getting this many hits!

A lot has happened in the past 3 months, but the biggest news is… Mike and I are engaged! So, with this upcoming semester, 2 puppies to take care of, and a wedding to plan, I know that I am going to be busy busy busy. My plan? Create as many blog posts as I can between now and Tuesday when classes begin!

I think I”ll start off with these mint filled brownie cupcakes! I saw this recipe on The Busty Baker a while ago, bookmarked it, and promptly forgot about it. Then one day as I was organizing my bookmarks, I found it again and decided to make it. Bookmark organization was abandoned, and these heavenly cupcakes were created.

Mint Filled Brownie Cupcakes
copied from The Busty Baker

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
12 small (1 ½-inch) chocolate-covered peppermint patties, such as York Peppermint Patties

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally just until melted, 4 to 5 minutes.
  2. Remove bowl from heat. Whisk in sugar and salt until mixture is smooth; whisk in eggs to combine. Gently whisk in flour and cocoa until just smooth (do not overmix.)
  3. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into each lined cup. Place one peppermint patty on top, gently pressing into batter. Top with 2 tablespoons batter, covering patty completely. Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted halfway in centers (above mint patty) comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

Mint Frosting
From Joy of Baking.com
Makes enough to spread a thin layer on 12 cupcakes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract or 1-2 tablespoons creme de menthe
green food coloring (optional)

  1. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat all the ingredients until smooth. Add a few drops of green food coloring if you want the frosting green. If the frosting is too thick, add a little extra cream. (The frosting should be just thin enough to spread.) Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled brownies.

Chocolate Glaze
From Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes
Makes 1 ¼ cups

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup

  1. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.
  2. Using a flexible spatula, gently stir chocolate and cream until totally combined; begin near the center of the bowl and gradually work your way toward the edge, pulling in as much chocolate as possible, until the mixture is smooth and glossy. (If any chocolate pieces remain, strain mixture through a fine sieve and discard solids.) If not using immediately, glaze can be refrigerated up to 5 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently before using.


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Granola Bars

Granola bars are one of my favorite things to snack on. It’s perfect when I need something to hold me over from lunch to dinner. While it may be convenient to just buy a box (or two) from the grocery store, making them at home allows you to customize the bars to your tastes! I added coconut, walnuts and milk chocolate chips to the fruit and nut “base”, but you could add in an endless number of ingredients!

Granola Bars

Granola Bars

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces dried fruit
1/4 cup coconut
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup walnuts

  1. Preheat oven t 350°F. Butter a 9×9 baking dish and set aside.
  2. Mix oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and walnuts together and spread onto a half sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Meanwhile, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the brown sugar is dissolved.
  4. When the oat and nut mixture is done, remove from oven and turn the oven down to 300°F.
  5. Stir the oat and nut combination into the liquid mixture. Add in coconut, dried fruit, and chocolate chips. Stir quickly and spread into prepared 9×9 baking dish. Press down mixture firmly and distribute the mixture evenly.
  6. Bake for 25 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven, let cool completely, and then cut into bars.


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Lemon Bars

I’m not sure why I thought summer would be less busy than the school year, because it certainly is not. I’ve spent the last few weeks packing, moving, and unpacking. The unpacking continued for several days and I still don’t think it’s quite over. I don’t really understand how I accumulated so much stuff over the last two years. I’m now in DC on vacation with my father, siblings, and my boyfriend. I felt so bad for neglecting my blog that I decided to take a time-out in my life to update.

I made these lemon bars right before I left for vacation last week – they were perfectly tart and not too sweet. I urge you to try them while it’s still summer!

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3  cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2  cups unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup lemon juice (approximately 6 large lemons)
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×7 baking dish with butter and set aside.
  2. To make crust, combine the first 3 ingredients. Pat dough into the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare filling. Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon juice and flour until frothy. Pour over baked crust.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the lemon topping is just hardened. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars and dust with powdered sugar before serving.


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Peanut Butter Cups

Mike and I made a trip to Minocqua two winters ago and he got peanut butter cups at one of the fudge shops in town. I can still remember how happy he was to eat such a huge peanut butter cup. I don’t know why I never thought about doing this earlier, but I finally decided to make some peanut butter cups myself!

They turned out great. My only complaint is that they need to be kept in the fridge or freezer until you eat them because they will melt at room temperature. Other than that, they’re nearly perfect.

Peanut Butter Cup

Peanut Butter Cups
yields 7 large cups

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar

  1. Fill a small pot with 2 inches of water. Boil and then turn heat to low. Place a heatsafe bowl over the pot, making sure the pot doesn’t touch the water.Melted chocolate
  2. Pour chocolate into the bowl and stir chocolate constantly with a spatula or whisk until melted. Remove chocolate from heat.
  3. When chocolate reaches a comfortable handling temperature, begin making the chocolate cups.
  4. Place a large spoonful of chocolate into the bottom of a cupcake liner and carefully smear the chocolate over the entire surface of the cup, making sure everything is evenly covered.
    Chocolate cups
  5. After all cups are covered with chocolate, place them onto a plate and put them in the freezer for 15 minutes to harden the chocolate.
  6. Meanwhile, make the peanut butter filling. Mix the peanut butter and powdered sugar together in a bowl until well combined and smooth.
  7. After the chocolate cups have hardened, remove from the freezer.
  8. Place a spoonful of peanut butter into each cup until it’s about 1/4 inch from the top and smooth flat.
    Peanut butter cup filling
  9. Spoon remaining chocolate on top of the peanut butter. Push the chocolate to the edges of the cup, creating a seal.
  10. Place the cups in the freezer for 20 – 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is hard. Carefully (and quickly) peel off the muffin liners.
  11. Serve straight from the freezer or allow to thaw for 5 minutes at room temperature.
    Peanut Butter Cup


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Peach Cobbler

When I went home for the weekend I was asked to make a dessert for dinner. I went to the grocery store to buy the ingredients to make a rhubarb crisp. When I got there, there was no rhubarb to be found. I stared at all the fruit in front of me and decided to pick peaches. It turned out to be a great decision because this cobbler was amazing.

You know it’s good when my brother, who dislikes most desserts, and my step dad can polish off the majority of it within 20 minutes!

Peach cobblerPhoto taken by Becca Li

Peach Cobbler
serves 8

8 fresh peaches: peeled, pitted and sliced wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water

3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the peaches, 1/4 cup white and 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and corn starch. Let sit until the sugar thickens. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.
  3. While the peaches are baking, mix together the flour, 1/4 cup white and 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend in the butter with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture represents a coarse meal. Add water and stir until just combined – be careful not to over mix.
  4. Drop dollops of the flour mixture on top of the baked peaches.
  5. Mix together the 3 tablespoons white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinammon to make a topping. Sprinkle over the cobbler.
  6. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
  7. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!


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Frosted Brownies

I whipped up these brownies when my sister was over for dinner. These turned out great and they are so easy to make! If you are a person who only makes brownies from the box, please try these out. It dirties only 2 bowls and you are very likely to have all the ingredients already! Mike and Becca loved these so much that I just had to make them for a picnic dinner I had with a bunch of friends during Concert on the Square.

Although I love these deep chocolate brownies and these rich chocolate brownies, I think these brownies will be the ones I make when I’m short on time. I mixed these brownies by hand and they came together easily that way. I would suggest hand mixing so that you don’t accidentally over-mix the batter.

Frosted Brownies

Frosted Brownies
makes one 8×8 pan

1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
  2. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar. Let cool slightly (so you don’t cook the eggs) and then whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
  3. Mix in the cocoa powder, flour, salt and baking powder. Pour batter into pan and bake for 20 – 25 minutes – be careful not to over bake!
  4. While brownies are baking, make the frosting: combine the butter, cocoa powder, honey and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Gently mix in the confectioners’ sugar. Frost brownies while still warm.

If you want to use a 9×13 pan, double the recipe and bake for 30 minutes.