Tantalizing Twists

Recently Katrina and I have had a lot a lot of sweet stuff. Now that is all fine and dandy, but even we can get a little sick of it. Ok maybe we don't get sick of it, but when you eat a lot of treats sometimes you feel like you shouldn't be eating as many. Well of course we still needed to have Sunday baking night! And we needed a little somethin somethin...so we decided on homemade soft pretzels!
Now when I'm shopping and I get hungry, I need food to keep me going strong. My favorite little snack/treat to get at a mall is for sure a cinnamon sugar pretzel with caramel dipping sauce! YUM. So for the sweetness factor to this dessert we did cinnamon sugar coating with caramel dipping sauce. They were just what we needed.




Ingredients:
1 1/2 c warm water
1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
2 tblsp brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp salt
3 1/4 c regular flour
4 tblsp butter (melted)
Cinnamon and sugar to taste

How to put it all together:
Preheat oven to 450.
In a mixing bowl, add yeast to lukewarm water. Stir until dissolved. Add the sugar, salt and stir to dissolve. Add flour and knead dough until it is smooth and elastic. Let it rise for at least half an hour.




Once dough has risen, separate out sections and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape into desired form. Place on baking sheet and let rise again(this only takes about 10 min). Bake for 10min or until golden. Brush with melted butter and cover with cinnamon sugar mixture. Dip in caramel if desired.




And of course...Enjoy!

Peanut Butter in the Middle and on Top

Recipe from: annies-eats.com


A lot of people close to me have had birthdays recently. Unfortunately most of them live too far away for me to celebrate with them. One of them however lives very close to me, Katrina! Her 21st birthday was on Friday. We had a fun day and I spent part of that day making her birthday cupcakes while she got a little time to relax:) I found this recipe and I knew Katrina would love it because it is basically a Reeses in cupcake form. I tried it out and it was a success. I was hesitant about the peanut butter frosting just because I didn't know if it would be good or not, but it was great with these cupcakes I definitely recommend it. The cupcakes were super fun to make too!

The stuff that goes inside:
Peanut Butter filling:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Cake batter:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs

Peanut butter frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
½ cup creamy peanut butter
3¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

How to put this stuff together:
Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.

First start out with the peanut butter filling. In a medium bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls(about 24) and set them aside. Set them on a plate or baking sheet so they don't mush together!

Next make the cake batter. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, stir the sour cream, mild, and vanilla together. set aside.
In another bowl, combine butter and sugar, beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. With the mixer reduced to low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.




Now put them together. Spoon about a tablespoon and 1/2 of batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Place a ball of the peanut butter filling in each cupcake liner. Then top each cupcake with the remaining batter so all are filled. (then go for it and lick the spatula and bowl this batter is yummy!) Bake for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5-10min and then move to cooling rack and cool completely.




For the frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter and peanut butter until smooth. Slowly mix int he confectioners' sugar, beat until smooth and well blended. Mix in the whipped topping until smooth and fluffy. Frost the cooled cupcakes.




And of course...Enjoy!

Deliciously Delightful Carmel Apple Cheesecake Bars

recipe from: thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com





Warning: making this recipe may cause tummy enlargement(and probably leg and butt and anything else that gets fat from too many sweets)! This recipe is oh so delicious but I don't think I even want to know how bad for you it is. Good thing I've taken the attitude that eating some makes me happy therefore putting me in a good mood therefore making the world a little bit better of a place.

This recipe makes a full 9x13 of cheesecake bars so sharing with friends is recommended :) Katrina and I ate basically the whole 9x13 ourselves we loved it so much. We shared a few pieces and devoured the rest for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and dessert. So unless you want to feel as fat as we did that week, have friends over when you make it!

Ingredients:
Crust:
2 c flour
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 c(2sticks) softened butter

Cheesecake filling:
3 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese
3/4 c sugar, and 2 T separate
3 large eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla

Apples:
3 granny smith apples, peeled cored and finely chopped
1/2 t cinnamon
1/3 t nutmeg (optional we left it out)

Streusal topping:
1 c packed brown sugar
1 c flour
1/2 c(1stick) softened butter
1/2 quick cooking oats (optional really we forgot to get them so we left them out and it was still delicious!)

Now to put all this delicious stuff together. It seems like a lot but it is really pretty easy.

Preheat oven to 350. For crust: In a medium bowl, mix flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter(you can use a pastry blender or forks, or get down and dirty and use your fingers that's my favorite technique). Mix until crumbly, then press into a 9x13 baking pan that is lined with heavy duty aluminum foil. Bake for 15min or until lightly browned.

For cheesecake: In a large beat the cream cheese with the 3/4 c sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla. Pour mixture over warm crust.

For apples: Grab your small bowl and mix stir the chopped apples up with the 2 T spoons of sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until they are coated. Spoon the apples evenly over the cream cheese mixture.

For the streusal topping: combine all the ingredients and once again get your hands in there until the mixture is crumbly. Then spread the topping evenly over the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is set (so it doesn't jiggle TOO much). Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool in the fridge.





And of course...Enjoy!