Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars
Some flavor combinations just scream “comfort.” Cheese and macaroni noodles. Turkey and stuffing. And then there is the delicious combination of oatmeal and raisins. Whether it is in your morning bowl of oatmeal or that classic childhood snack of an oatmeal raisin cookie, these two ingredients are sure to leave you with the warm and fuzzies. The two flavors evoke that wonderful, comforting feeling brought on by the sheer simplicity of the combination of two such classic ingredients. And even though the flavors are prefectly classic, it doesn’t mean we can’t serve them in a new way. And that is where these Oatmeal Raisin Cookie bars come in. The plump, juicy raisins come alive in the sweet and perfectly spiced oatmeal batter. I made these cookie bars after a long day at work. Because, sometimes a little bit of time in the kitchen is just what you need to relax. For the recipe, head on over to the Patch!
Lemon Cake Balls
He’s not going to be pleased when he reads the following statement, but when it comes to boyfriends…I’ve pretty much hit the jackpot with mine. Not only is Eric funny, smart and sweet…but he bakes too. And even though he absolutely hates it when I tell him how great he is, I’m going to use this blog post (and corresponding recipe) to discuss just how awesome this guy is. Why, you may ask? Well, he has this incredible family recipe for Lemon Cake, which he shared in a Guest Post last summer. And the other day, when I mentioned offhand that I was craving some of that delicious, citrusy cake, the next thing I knew he had delivered a freshly baked Lemon Cake to my house. I know, sometime I wonder if he’s real too. Anyway, as wonderful as this cake is on its own, I couldn’t help but experiment a bit. I decided I would take this sweet, tangy and ridiculously moist cake and transform it into a petite sweet…Lemon Cake Cakeballs. And the result was absolutely delicious. The recipe is a simple cakeball recipe with Eric’s recipe as a base and a standard cream cheese frosting as the glue that holds the cakeballs together. I then coated these babies in creamy white chocolate and froze them. The result is a sweet frozen treat, perfect for summer.
Ingredients:
- 1 Lemon Cake. Recipe found here
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
Preparation:
- Bake Lemon Cake, according to directions. (don’t forget the lemon glaze!)
- Let lemon cake sit and absorb the glaze for at least 1 hour
- With a large spoon, break apart lemon cake into small pieces, set aside
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese & butter together
- Slowly beat in powdered sugar until all is well incorporated
- Once frosting has reached a thick, creamy consistency, combine with torn up lemon cake mixture
- Mix frosting & lemon cake until well incorporated
- Form 1 inch balls out of mixture,place on a cookie sheet and freeze cakeballs until they are hard (1-2 hours)
- Dip cake balls in melted chocolate and set on a cookie sheet, lined with wax paper
- Sprinkle with lemon zest or yellow sprinkle for garnish
- Let chocolate set completely in the fridge or freezer(about 1 hour)
* The cake is very moist, so these cakeballs are best when served frozen, as they get too mushy at room temperature
Frozen Banana “Fro-Yo”
It isn’t even Memorial Day and the weather here in Michigan is as hot & steamy as a typical August afternoon. Even at six this morning, our temperatures were nearing the 70s and the humidity was already upon us. So what does this sudden emergence of summertime mean? Unwavering, unstoppable cravings for ice cream, that’s what. But seeing as it will surely be a long summer, and daily trips to TCBY may be a little rough on both my wallet and my waistline, I decided I needed a substitute. And after some searching through the lovely world of food blogs, I discovered something wonderful. Faux Frozen Yogurt made from bananas. Amazingly, putting frozen bananas through a food processor produces a creamy, almost flavorless base in which you can add chocolate, peanut butter or whatever delicious mix in floats your boat to create a perfect ice cream substitute. But the thing is…it tastes so much like the real thing that you may forget you aren’t indulging in ice cream every day. This frosty, creamy treat has become my new nightly ritual and after one trial, I’m sure it will become yours as well. A daily serving of fruit that tastes like a decadent dessert? Doesn’t get much better than that.
Ingredients: 2 servings
- 2 medium bananas, diced & frozen
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1-2 teaspoons chocolate syrup
Preparation:
- Chop bananas into bite sized pieces, wrap in plastic wrap & freeze overnight
- In a food processor, blend frozen bananas until mixture becomes creamy. This process takes about five minutes.
- Add peanut butter & chocolate syrup and blend until just mixed
- Serve and enjoy!
Blueberry and Apple Mini Pastries
Just like every girl who adores food, I often dream of traveling to Paris. And my dream trip to Paris would most definitely revolve around buttery crossaints, delicate French pastries, and colorful macaroons. I would of course visit the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower as well, but a huge chunk of any trip to France would revolve around that wonderful French cuisine. And though dreams of pastry may not make my idea of the perfect Parisian trek as typical as some other fashion driven 20-something gals, that’s fine by me. I’ve always been more interested in Parisian sweets than Parisian shoe shopping. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone on this one. So before we foodies can indulge our Julia Child-esque dreams of roaming through the beautiful streets of ol’ Pari with baguette in hand, perhaps we can practice those pastry skills at home. And these mini pastries couldn’t be any easier to create. I utilized some frozen puff pastry that can be found at any grocery store, and whipped up two quick fruit fillings. This recipe comes together in about thirty minutes, so you will be on your way to a pastry driven Parisian day dream in no time.
Ingredients: Makes 24 mini pastries
- 2 full sheets of puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, beaten
- sugar, for sprinkling
- 1 apple, peeled and diced into bite size pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons water
Preparation:
- To prepare the Apple Filling, place butter, cinnamon & vanilla in a medium sauce pan over medium heat; heat until butter has melted completely
- Add apples and cook until apples are browned and tender, about 5-7 minutes; set aside
- To prepare the Blueberry Filling, place butter, brown sugar & vanilla in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, heat until butter has melted
- Add blueberries & lemon zest and cook until blueberries are tender, about 10 minutes; set aside
- Roll thawed puff pastry out on a floured surface and use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to divide each section into four 2″by 2″ squares
- Scoop 1-2 teaspoons of filling unto each section:
7. Take corners of pastries and pinch together to hold filling inside
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
I’ve heard that there are people out there who dislike bananas. In fact, I lived with one of these people for 2 years. My college roommate, Leona, absolutely hates bananas, while I on the other hand can’t get enough of these Potassium Powerhouses. But for those of you crazies out there who hate this delicious fruit, I’ve found a solution. Bake them into muffins and add chocolate. Because as we’ve discussed many, many times before on Miss Petite Sweets…chocolate makes everything better. These muffins have a subtle nutty flavor with sweet swirls of chocolate weaving throughout the batter. I prefer to cook the bananas in a bit of brown sugar and butter until the mixture is just carmelized. This process sweetens up the muffins and adds a rich caramel undertone, making them a bit more accessible to anyone who hates a strong banana flavor. These muffins are a perfect mid day snack, but are sweet enough to serve as dessert. Either way, you can’t go wrong. Enjoy!
Ingredients: Makes 24 muffins
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 ripe bananas, mashed
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup chocolate chunks
Preparation:
- In a large bowl, sift dry ingredients together (flour through nutmeg); set aside
- In a small bowl, mash bananas and transfer to a medium saucepan
- Heat bananas over medium heat, and add brown sugar & vanilla extract
- Cook until bananas are slightly caramelized and sugar begins to bubble (about 5 minutes)
- Place banana mixture in a small bowl and whisk in sugar, eggs, melted butter & milk
- Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated
- Stir in chocolate chunks
- Scoop batter into muffin liners and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes
Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Casserole
If you read this blog regularly, it may come as no surprise that I consider my mom to be my best friend. In fact, she has already had quite a few blog posts devoted to her. And last year, when Facebook had the creepy ability to tally up the most used words in your Facebook statuses from the past year, “Mom” was my number one word. “Zombies” was second. But that is a story for another day. Because today is Mother’s Day, and if you don’t mind, I think I’ll discuss Julie B with you once again. She is the sweetest funniest person I know, and in a lot of ways, she knows me better than I know myself. We’ve always been close, from the days she carted me around to the grocery store after pre-school to my college years when we chatted on the phone multiple times a day. Not to say we didn’t have our rough patches along the way. My stint as an angsty teenager wasn’t the easiest of times for her seeing as I had become one of those cheery sixteen-year-olds whose favorite saying seemed to be “you just don’t understaaaaand me.” That time must have been fun for her. But she knew me better than anyone even during those years. I remember one particular angst driven tantrum I threw right after I got my license. I had been 16 for three whole months when I took my driver’s test, and even though I passed, my parents decided that I was not quite ready for unsupervised driving just yet. The state trusted me, but my parents didn’t. Secretly, I didn’t care that much. I never liked driving anyway. But publicly, I needed some reason to cry and moan. And I remember my mother, calmly looking at me saying, “Colleen…this isn’t about the car is it? This is about a boy.” I tried my best to look insulted and vehemetly repilied ” Of COURSE not!” How dare she assume I would cry over something so stupid. But then I thought about…and she was right. It was totally about a boy. I loved how she could always see through me. And she still can. Every time I wake up from a sleepless night, she can almost always pinpoint the cause of my stress. And she has the most wonderful way of supporting my big dreams, but keeping me grounded enough to realize that not everything I hope to accomplish has to happen right now. So here is another thank you to the best mom a girl could have. I love you Ma!
This recipe for Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Casserole is one that my mom and I made together for our Mother’s Day Brunch this year. We suggest using a sturdy French Bread for this recipe, as it needs to be strong enough to hold up to the rich liquid that brings the casserole together. This year we used cinnamon & raisins for a touch of flavor, but you can easily substitute the fruit of your choosing. (Pineapples & coconut are also a delicious addition to this casserole if you are looking for a tropical dish)
Ingredients: Makes 12 servings
- 1 large french bread loaf (yields about 8 cups of cubed bread)
- 7 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 cup raisins
Streusel Topping:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preparation:
- Cut french bread into 1 inch cubes and place in a 9 x 13 inch greased baked dish; set aside
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg & brown sugar together
- Pour mixture over bread until all bread is coated
- Sprinkle with raisins, and cover with time foil
- Refrigerate casserole for 8 hours or overnight
- In a small bowl mix streusel ingredients together, sprinkle over casserole
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes
Lemon and Dill Dinner Rolls
Sometimes life can get messy. Unexpected traffic, hovering deadlines, or even inconvenient weather that dampens our day. But life’s less than stellar moments always make you that much more thankful for life’s simple pleasures. Those unfussy, random moments of enjoyment. These quiet, happy moments often appear at different times for different people. But for me, they usually happen in the kitchen. For example, nothing is simpler, yet more enjoyable to me than the common practice of baking fresh bread. You take a touch of patience and a little time out of your day, and in an hour or two you can create something truly memorable. And no matter how good your grocery store baker may be, there is nothing quite like the taste of a homemade dinner roll. The aroma fills your house and your first bite into a lovingly made, comforting pillow of homemade bread is as good as it gets. And these delicious dinner rolls are no different. Inspired by the flavors of spring, this recipe has a light, springy texture with the bright, perfectly paired flavors of lemon and dill. I used Fast Rise Yeast, which made the rising, kneading & baking process much quicker… so you can spend the remainder of your day enjoying the rest of life’s simple joys. Serve these rolls with a salad of mixed greens and roasted vegetables and you have yourself an easy yet incredibly delicious meal.
Ingredients: Makes 12 rolls
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups bread flour, divided
- 1 packet Fast Rise Yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
- course Kosher salt, to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- In a small saucepan, combine milk, water & butter and heat over medium heat until mixture reaches 115-125 degrees Fahrenheit. (Use a kitchen thermometer or meat thermometer to determine temperature)
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar & salt
- Add egg to flour mixture, beating it in with an electric mixer
- Slowly add heated milk mixture into flour mixture using the electric mixer at a low speed and beat for 2 minutes
- Once liquid mixture has become well incorporated, slowly beat in remaining 1 cup of flour
- Once mixture is well mixed, turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes
- When dough has become smooth and firm, set inside a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes
- Divide dough into 12 equal parts and place on a greased cookie sheet
- Wrap cookie sheet with plastic wrap and let sit until dough has doubled in size (about 40 minutes)
- Next, sprinkle each roll with 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon fresh dill & course Kosher salt
- Brush the tops of each roll with olive oil
- Bake at 400 for 10 minutes
Orange Blossom Muffins
Well I’ve made you brownies with Kahlua and cupcakes with Tequila. I think its about time to get you lovely readers back on the wagon! So here we have a delicious, healthy recipe for Orange Blossom Muffins. These muffins are bursting with citrus flavor and are in my opinion, a perfect way to ring in the summer season. The temperatures have slowly been rising and with this past weekend’s beautiful sunshine, it felt that summer may soon be upon us. I usually can feel summer coming on when batches of Gazpacho soup start appearing in my kitchen, and the need to wear shoes outside starts to seem more and more irrelevant. And although we aren’t quite at that point just yet, summer did seem to start creeping in this past weekend. Everyone in town was out and about, the ice cream shops had lines as long as the blocks they are perched on, and some of my neighbors were seen cleaning their boats in preparation for their first sail of the season. Sights like that can’t help but make you feel happy. And speaking of feeling happy, this delicious muffin recipe will surely lead you to a state of bliss. They are incredibly easy to make and taste far more decadent than the ingredient list would lead you to believe. For the recipe, head on over to ThePatch.com!
Margarita Cupcakes
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Despite the fact that Cinco de Mayo has no real cultural relevance and has become one of those random holidays that is only celebrated by college students & food bloggers, I was still eager to create a themed recipe. And it just so happens that this themed recipe is yet another Miss Petite Sweets confection that features booze. I know, I know…that is two in a row now. I swear I’m not developing a problem. In fact, I’ve never even had a margarita. The one time I tasted tequila, I had a reaction similar to the babies scowling at their first taste of citrus in the “Babies Eating Lemons” Youtube video. But that doesn’t mean I’m afraid to bake with it. I found a version of this recipe over at the Brown Eyed Baker, and decided to put my own spin on it. I added more lime and upped the tropical flavor by scattering some coconut flakes & coconut extract into the mix. The result is a sweet, buttery cupcake with those signature South of the Border flavors of lime & tequila. I also used my own lime cream cheese frosting to top these little beauties off. So today I think we should all kick back with some cervezas and a few of these cupcakes & have a fiesta. Enjoy!
For the Cupcakes: Makes 12 cupcakes
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter,softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- Zest and juice of 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons tequila
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- ½ cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon lime juice
- zest from 1 lime
Preparation:
- For cupcakes: In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder & salt together, set aside
- In a large bowl, beat butter & sugar together until light and fluffy
- Beat in eggs, one at a time
- Next, beat lime juice, zest, coconut extract & tequila into butter mixture
- Measure out milk in a liquid measuring cup and stir in lemon juice, (mixture will curdle slightly)
- Alternate adding dry ingredients & milk into butter mixture, beating at low speed
- Once mixture is well incorporated, scoop batter into cupcake liners
- Bake at 325 for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of a cupcake
- For Frosting: Beat butter & cream cheese together until light & fluffy
- Slowly beat in powdered sugar
- Stir in lime zest and juice
- Pipe unto cooled cupcakes
Kahlua Brownies
I’m a big believer in giving everyone their perfect dessert on their birthday. Some choose a classic birthday cake, complete with those ever-so-festive candy sprinkles, while others prefer something a bit more unique. My brother, Sean tends to receive a Chocolate Peppermint Dessert, while my mom always gets something of the Cheesecake Variety. Well, this week was my Auntie Karol’s birthday, and I didn’t even have to think twice about what her perfect dessert may be. I decided it should probably include chocolate, but more importantly, I knew it had to include Kahlua. My aunt absolutely loves this chocolate liqueur, and is often seen sipping on Kahlua & Cream at the end of each of our family parties. So when we were making plans to celebrate my favorite aunt’s special day, I was deciding how to transform her signature cocktail into a signature birthday baked good. And here we have it. Densely rich and sinfully sweet Kahlua Brownies. The brownie recipe couldn’t get much easier, as it was inspired by the recipe featured on the back of every Baker’s Chocolate package. But the Kahlua Chocolate Ganache takes it to the next level. The ganache is rich and sweet with a strong mocha flavor and gives these beautiful brownies a perfectly satin sheen. And there you have a beautifully decadent birthday dessert. Happy Birthday Auntie Karol!
Brownie Ingredients: Makes 12 brownies
- 2 oz Unsweetened Baker’s Chocolate
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cups sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Kahlua
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
Kahlua Ganache Ingredients”
- 5 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup Kahlua
- 5 tablespoons butter
Preparation:
- For the brownies, melt unsweetened chocolate and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat
- Once chocolate has melted completely, stir in sugar
- Next stir in egg & Kahlua
- Remove from heat and whisk in flour
- Pour batter into a greased 9 x 9 pan
- Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes
- For ganache, melt chocolate chips in a double boiler over high heat
- Pour Kahlua over just melted chocolate chips and stir until smooth
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter until no lumps remain
- Set Ganache aside, and let cool, stirring occasionally
- Once ganache has thickened slightly, pour over brownies & let set in fridge for 1-2 hours
