Junior Mint Brownies

This recipe comes from one of my favorite holiday cookbooks, The Pastry Queen Christmas by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. I have found so many wonderful recipes in this cookbook, and these minty brownies are one of my absolute favorites. I really like this recipe because it is simple and produces a wonderfully moist and fudgy brownie. These brownies are quite rich so I would suggest cutting them into small bite-sized pieces which I found to be the perfect size for serving, especially at holiday parties.

Junior Mint Brownies 
1 cup Unsalted Butter
6 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (use at least 60% cocoa)
2 cups Sugar
4 Eggs
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla
4 packages Junior Mints (1.84 ounces each)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with baking spray, line with parchment paper then spray parchment with baking spray. In a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and chocolate chips just until melted. Once melted remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Then in another bowl mix together the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and the egg mixture to the cooled chocolate and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan smooth the top then arrange the Junior Mints in even rows across the top of the batter, making rows of 10 down and 8 across. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until edges pull away from sides and center is set. Cool brownies in pan then freeze uncovered for about an hour to make the brownies easy to cut.

Recipe from The Pastry Queen Christmas 

Chocolate Malt Ice Cream Cup Pies

Last weekend my brother had us all over for a barbecue for the 24th of July. The 24th of July is a state holiday in Utah called Pioneer Day. It is similar to the 4th of July in that there are fireworks and barbecues. My contribution to this barbecue was dessert. I wanted to make something easy that didn't require utensils or even a plate. I came across a recipe in sunset magazine for a malted milk ball ice cream pie and decided this would be the perfect dessert to make for the barbecue, only in cup pie form to eliminate the needs for plates and forks. The cup pies were a huge success! Although I will say they are a but tricky to travel with and are best eaten as soon as they come out of the freezer so they don't have much of a chance to melt.


Chocolate Malt Ice Cream Cup Pies 
Crust
20 Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies (if using another brand of shortbread cookie, use 5 ounces)
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, melted
1 cup Malted Milk Balls, crushed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with baking liners. Grind cookies into crumbs using a food processor, then stir in melted butter until combined. Distribute mixture evenly among cups. Press crumbs to form a crust in to bottom of each cup. Bake for 7 minutes. Once baked remove from oven and allow crusts to cool completely. When cooled, sprinkle a layer of crushed malted milk balls over the crusts. Reserve the leftover crushed malted milk balls to top cup pies.

Ice Cream 
2 1/2 cups Chocolate Ice Cream, slightly softened
2/3 cup Malted Milk Powder

Mix together the ice cream and malt powder until smooth. Pour ice cream into cups until they are 3/4 of the way full, then freeze for at least 3 hours. (Note: you will probably have some ice cream left over, which I would recommend eating while waiting for the cup pies to freeze :)

Ganache 
3 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Whipping Cream

Heat whipping cream to just a boil then pour over chocolate chips. Allow mixture to sit for two minutes, then stir until smooth. Allow ganache to cool. Pour the ganache over the tops of the frozen cup pies then return to the freezer to allow ganache to set, about 15 minutes.

Whipping Cream
1/2 cup Whipping Cream
1-2 teaspoons Granulated Sugar, depending on taste

Whip cream and sugar, then top cup pies with whipped cream and the remainder of the crushed malted milk balls. Serve immediately or freeze until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from Sunset Magazine, June 2011

This post is linked with Everyday Sisters Sharing 

A Piece of Cake

A few weeks ago I came across a picture of this cake on Weekly Bite. I had never heard of putting cola in a cake before and I was intrigued. D and I are not big on soda, we rarely drink the stuff, not that we don't have other vices obviously considering I write a baking blog and have discussed my love of coffee, wine, and desserts all of which I would consider my vices, but somehow we have managed to steer clear of soda. I decided to make this cake for an upcoming 4th of July BBQ that D and I had been invited to. I am not the sort of person who tries out a recipe to make sure it works and tastes good before I bring it to a party. I came to this realization the night I presented this cake to our friends and a group of strangers and a small wave of panic came over me. I thought to myself what if this cake is not good or even worse what if it is gross after all it is made with Coke and cocoa and maybe this was a bad idea. At this point it was too late turn back, this cake was being served. Luckily the cake was delicious and everyone enjoyed it. I will say however this cake tastes best when eaten the same day it is made and while it's still warm. I would like to say I learned my lesson and that next time I decide to make something I am unfamiliar with I will test it out before I bring it to a party and serve it to friends and strangers, but I'm sure I won't, it's just not how I roll :)

Chocolate Cola Cake 
For the Cake
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 cups Granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon of Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 cup Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 cup Coca-Cola
1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan, then set aside until needed. In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon, set aside until needed. In a sauce pan over medium high heat bring the butter, cocoa powder, cola, and buttermilk to a boil, stirring constantly. Once mixture has boiled pour it into the flour mixture and stir until smooth. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl then pour them into the batter and stir until well combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

For the Glaze
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup Coca-Cola
4 cups Powdered Sugar

In a sauce pan over medium high heat bring the butter, cocoa powder, and cola to a boil, stirring constantly. Once mixture comes to a boil remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar a little at a time until smooth. Once cake is baked, pour the glaze on top. Allow glaze to set up before cutting, at least 30 minutes. Enjoy cake on its own or with a side of your favorite ice cream.

Recipe from Confessions of a Chocoholic

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Pudding Pops

Lately my posts have been few and far between because I recently started a new job. Can you guess what my new job is? If you guessed baker you get a gold star. I started this new job a few weeks ago and I am absolutely loving it! While it is a bit of a learning curve for me, seeing as how I am still a student and I haven't even taking my first baking class yet, I am learning so much and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn to bake in a professional environment. But with this new opportunity comes less time I have to bake at home on my own and write about it here. So while I am trying to balance my blog, a new job, and come August, school again my posts will be a little less frequent.
Now on the the fun stuff, pudding pops. Do your remember pudding pops? You know the kind that were made by Jello and Bill Cosby did the commercials in the 80's? Yep those are ones, they were my favorite, why they stopped making them I have no idea. So when I came across this recipe for Chocolate and Salted Caramel Pudding Pops on Endless Simmer, I just had to make them. I used all the same ingredients as called for in the recipe, but I used a different method to make the pudding. Rather than using a double boiler for the pudding I used a saucepan, which worked out just fine for me.

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Pudding Pops 
Chocolate Pudding
1/3 cup Corn Starch
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
Pinch of Salt
3 cups Whole Milk
3/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
1 tablespoon Vanilla

In a medium sauce pan whisk together the corn starch, sugar, and salt. Gradually pour in milk and whisk over medium to medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Allow mixture to boil for a minute whisking constantly. Once mixture has thickened remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips until all the chocolate has melted and is combined, then stir in the vanilla.

Salted Caramel Pudding
1/3 cup Corn Starch
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
Pinch of Salt
3 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Salted Caramel Sauce, recipe below
1 tablespoon Vanilla

In a medium sized sauce pan whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Gradually pour in the milk and whisk over medium to medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Allow mixture to boil for a minute whisking constantly. Once mixture has thickened remove from heat and stir in the salted caramel sauce and the vanilla.

Salted Caramel Sauce
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
2 tablespoons Water
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
6 tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Stir together the water and sugar in medium sized sauce pan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves then increase the heat to high. Do not stir. Once mixture begins to darken whisk in the butter and cream until combined. Then stir in the salt and remove from heat.

Assemble pops by alternating between chocolate and caramel puddings. I used ice pop molds I found at Target, but you could just as easily use little Dixie cups as used on Endless Simmer. Once assembled freeze for at least three hours.  If you use an ice pop mold, once the pops are done you can dip the mold in hot tap water to help release the pops from the mold.

Recipe from Endless Simmer

Birthday Cake

D's birthday was this past weekend and we threw a fiesta themed party to celebrate. We had tamales, beans, rice, chips with bean dip and watermelon because it's D's favorite. Of course we had a birthday cake too. I decided to go with a classic, yellow cake and chocolate buttercream frosting. It was quite tasty and a lot of fun to make. Although I must say the frosting did a number on my mixer, it was super thick but my mixer just kept chugging along and eventually got the job done.

Yellow Cake 
2 3/4 cups Cake Flour
1 2/3 cups Superfine Sugar
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoon Salt
12 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
3 Whole Eggs plus 2 Egg Whites
1 cup Full-Fat Yogurt
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Almond Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8 inch round cake pans. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment mix together all of the dry ingredients for 2 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and beat in the butter until crumbly. Beat in the egg whites one at a time then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bottom and sides to make sure all ingredients get mixed together. In a separate bowl stir together the yogurt and extracts. Add the yogurt mixture a little at a time to the batter, mixing after each addition. Pour batter into cake pans. Bake 30-40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. When cakes are done allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then run a butter knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.

Slightly Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
8 ounces Unsweetened Chocolate, Chopped
6 cups Powdered Sugar
16 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
6 tablespoons Milk plus more as needed
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Melt chocolate in a double boiler then set aside to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, milk, vanilla and salt on low until combined. My mixer struggled a bit at this point so be sure to add more milk as needed to get mixture to combined. Increase the speed and beat for another minute or two. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat for 2 minutes. Please note this frosting is quite sweet, if you prefer less sweet frosting you could try using a little less powdered sugar.

Recipe from Williams-Sonoma

Assembly
Once cakes have cooled wrap them in plastic and put them in the refrigerator for about two hours (this will make them easier to trim). Trim the tops of each cake so they are level. Set the first layer on a cake board and frost the top. Add the second layer and frost the top, then frost the entire cake. For this cake I did not do a crumb layer* because the frosting was so thick that I didn't find it necessary. After frosting the cake you may have some frosting leftover to save for another use.

*A crumble layer is a thin layer of frosting spread over the entire cake to prevent crumbs from showing through.

Easter Cupcakes

Easter morning in our house usually goes something like this... sleep in, make coffee, eat candy and other various forms of sugar for breakfast. I guess once D and I have little ones running around we may have to set a better example but until then we are going to live it up.

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

3/4 teaspoons Baking Powder

3/4 teaspoons Salt 

2 Eggs

3/4 cup Buttermilk

3 tablespoons Canola Oil

1 teaspoon Vanilla

3/4 cup Warm Water 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a standard muffin tin with baking cups. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Beat in the eggs, buttermilk, canola oil, vanilla, and water. Divide batter among the prepared cups, filling 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. 

Recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Toasted Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting 

16 Large Marshmallows

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1/2 pound Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 

8 ounces Marshmallow Cream

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set oven to broil. Broil marshmallow for about two minutes or until toasted. Keep a close eye on them so they don't burn. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter and powdered sugar until combined. Add the vanilla and beat for a few minutes until fluffy. Beat in the toasted marshmallows and marshmallow cream until incorporated, about a minute.

Recipe from Sweetapolita

Toasted Coconut
5 ounces Sweetened Coconut

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread coconut out on a baking sheet. Bake for about 7-8 minutes, tuning coconut half way through. Keep an eye on the coconut as it bakes, it can burn pretty quickly.

Assembly 
Frost cupcakes and pour toasted coconut into a bowl. Swirl frosted cupcake around in the coconut until all the frosting is covered. Top each cupcake with a mini Cadbury Creme Egg.

Tosted Marshmallow and Chocolate Malt Layer Cake

I have been thinking about this cake for a long time, it's been hard to get it out of my head. Ever since 

I saw it featured on Sweetapolita I knew I had to try it. The toasted marshmallows and malt were just too 

much to resist. The toasted marshmallow buttercream frosting is ridiculously good, I could have eaten it 

all on its own, but since I had an entire cake to frost and not to mention my health and well being to 

consider, I used it for the cake instead.  This frosting is one of my new favorites and I am sure you will 

be seeing it again or some version of it in the near future. 

Chocolate Cake

1 pound 4 ounces Granulated Sugar

4 ounces Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

8 ounces Bread Flour

8 ounces Cake Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

6 Eggs

2 cups Buttermilk

2 cups Sour Cream

12 ounces Unsalted Butter, Melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter then set aside. Whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder,

flours, baking soda, and baking powder. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle

attachment beat the eggs for one minute then mix in the sour cream and buttermilk. Add the flour mixture

and beat until smooth. Pour in the melted butter and mix to combined. Spray three 8 inch cake pans with

baking spray and divide the batter evenly among them. Bake for 40 minutes or until cake tester comes

out clean.

Slightly adapted from The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg

Toasted Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

16 Large Marshmallows

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1/2 pound Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

8 ounces Marshmallow Cream

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set oven to broil. Broil marshmallows for about 2 minutes

or until toasted. Keep a close eye on them so they don't burn. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with

the paddle attachment beat together the butter and powdered sugar until combined. Add the vanilla and

beat for a few minutes until fluffy. Beat in the toasted marshmallows and the marshmallow fluff for

a minute or so.

Recipe from Sweetapolita

Chocolate Malt Buttercream Frosting

1 pound Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

4 cups Powdered Sugar

3 teaspoons Vanilla

3/4 cup Malt Powder

8 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate Chips, Melted

1/2 cup Whipping Cream

Melt chocolate and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat

together the butter and the powdered sugar until combined. Beat in the vanilla and malt powder. Pour in

the melted chocolate and beat for two minutes. Add the whipping cream and beat for another minute or

until fluffy.

Recipe from Sweetapolita

Assembly 

Slice each layer in half and trim the tops if necessary. Place bottom layer on cake board and frost top

with the toasted marshmallow buttercream. Add the next layer and frost with the chocolate malt

buttercream. Continue to layer and frost alternating between the toasted marshmallow buttercream and

the chocolate malt buttercream. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the chocolate malt

buttercream then top with chocolate sprinkles if you like.

Salted Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars

The sea salt sprinkled over the chocolate is what really makes these bars pop, they taste like eating a homemade candy bar. The sea salt compliments the sweetness of the of the chocolate and caramel perfectly. The shortbread cookie bottom is not too sweet, a bit crumbly and full of buttery goodness. I think these bars taste best when served at room temperature.

Shortbread
Ingredients
8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour, plus more for pan
1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Directions
Butter and flour the bottom of a 9 inch square pan, set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, blend together all of the above ingredients until the dough takes shape, about 2 minutes. Press mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until slightly golden. While shortbread is baking, make the caramel.

Caramel
Ingredients
12 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
3 tablespoons Dark Corn Syrup
14 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions 
Stir all of the caramel ingredients together in a large sauce pan and heat over medium, (reduce heat if necessary to prevent burning). Allow mixture to come to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture gets pretty thick. Pour caramel over shortbread and cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes then refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.

Chocolate
Ingredients
7 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Sea Salt for Sprinkling

Directions 
Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Pour melted chocolate over caramel and sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours. Cut into bars.

Recipe slightly adapted from Baking Bible: From the Oven to the Table

Mint Chocolate Layer Cake

Yesterday D and I had our first barbecue of the season. We invited our friends Jay and Stacey over for some drinks, barbecue, and cake. While it was still a bit cold in the evening, the day was perfect. The sun was out and the temperature was in the 60s. D and I spent some time in the yard enjoying the warm weather. By the time our friends arrived the temperature had dropped and so we had to eat inside, but still had a great time and great food.

Devil's Food Cake 
2 2/3 cups Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 cups Cocoa Powder
1 1/3 cups Bread Flour
1 1/3 cups Cake Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
8 tablespoons Powdered Buttermilk
6 Eggs
2 cups Water
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter, Melted

Makes 4, six inch layers
Note: For this cake we will only be using 3 of the layers. You could use the remaining batter to make a few cupcakes or a single layer cake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 3 six inch cake pans with cooking spray. Whisk together all of the dry ingredients and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs for one minute. Add the vanilla, sour cream and water, mix on low until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth, then  mix in melted butter. Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake for 40- 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes then remove the cakes from the pans and place them directly on the wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled cakes can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for a few hours to make trimming the tops easier.

Adapted from The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry, 4th Edition

Peppermint Buttercream 
1 cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 drops Green Gel Food Coloring, if Desired
1-2 tablespoons Milk

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter till fluffy. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat on low to incorporate. Add the vanilla, peppermint, milk, and food coloring (if using), increase the speed and beat for a few minutes until frosting is nice and fluffy.

Ganache 
3 ounces Heavy Cream
4 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla

Heat the butter and cream over medium heat until cream is hot and butter is melted but mixture is not boiling. Pour butter and cream mixture over chocolate and allow to sit for 5 minutes then stir till smooth. Stir in the vanilla.

Assembly 
Using a serrated knife trim the tops of the cakes to form 3 even layers. Place the first layer on a cake board and frost the top of the cake with about 1/8 inch thick layer of frosting, leaving 1/4 inch around the edge unfrosted. Place the second layer on top of the first and frost as you did the first layer. Top with the final layer and frost the entire cake with a very thin layer of frosting. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Frost the cake with the rest of the frosting and refrigerate again for 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. While cake is in the refrigerator make the ganache. Once frosting has set pour the ganache over the top of the cake letting it drip down the sides and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Put cake back in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes or until 30 minutes before the cake will be served.

Mint Chocolate Parfait

When you find yourself wearing your Halloween socks in March you know you have seriously been neglecting the laundry. And in case you are wondering, yes I do have Halloween themed socks, they were a gift, and yes I have on occasion worn them when it is no where near Halloween (like today for example). Now you may be wondering what this has to do with a parfait? This has nothing to do with a parfait, nothing at all, I just though I'd share.

A Minty Parfait
1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Corn Starch
1/8 teaspoon Salt
2 1/2 cups Milk
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
2 teaspoons Vanilla, Divided
3 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1 package Cool Mint Oreo Cookies

In a medium sized sauce pan, whisk together the granulated sugar, corn starch, salt, and cocoa. Gradually stir in the milk and cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a soft boil. Let boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. To cool quickly, pour pudding into a medium sized bowl. Make an ice bath using a large bowl filled 1/4 of the way full with water and ice. Carefully put the bowl with the pudding into the ice bath and stir pudding until steam subsides, about 5 minutes. Set pudding aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the heavy whipping cream until it holds its shape. Add the powdered sugar and remaining teaspoon of vanilla, beat to incorporate. Line the bottom of a parfait dish (or a medium sized bowl) with one layer of Oreo cookies. Then top cookies with a layer of chocolate pudding and then a layer of whip cream. Continue adding the layers, ending with the whip cream. If you have a few cookies left over, you can chop them up in a food processor and sprinkle them on top.

Chocolate Cream Pie

D and I had this pie for dessert on Friday and Saturday. It was delicious especially with a large glass of cold milk.

Chocolate Cream Pie 

Graham Cracker Crust
10 whole graham crackers
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

There are two basic methods to make graham cracker crumbs. The first method is to use a food processor. To use this method, break up the graham crackers and place them in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse graham crackers until they turn to fine crumbs. The second method is to use a rolling pin and a plastic bag. To use this method, break up the graham crackers, then place them in the bag, seal the bag then roll the rolling pin over the crackers to crush them into fine crumbs.
Once the crumbs are ready, pour them into a medium sized bowl and whisk them together with the cinnamon and sugar. Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove, then add it to the crumb mixture and mix well. Press mixture into a pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Set crust aside to cool.

Chocolate Pudding
2/3 cup granulate white sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla 
3 tablespoons cocoa

In a medium sized sauce pan whisk together the dry ingredients. Gradually stir in the milk and cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a soft boil. Let boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. To cool quickly, pour pudding into a medium sized bowl. Make an ice bath using a large bowl filled a quarter of the way full with water and ice, put the bowl with the pudding in the ice bath and stir until steam subsides, about 5 minutes. Pour cooled pudding into prepared graham cracker crust. Cover pie lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.

Whipped Cream  
Half pint heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulate white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until incorporated. Top pie with whipped cream and refrigerate 20 minutes. Cut, serve and enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Chocolate dipped strawberries, a glass of champagne and a bubble bath...
Cliche? Maybe. Delightful? Definitely.

To make this delectable treat you will need...
-10 straberries
-5 ounces good quality milk chocolate

Directions
Line a pan with parchment or wax paper.
Wash and thoroughly dry strawberries.
Coarsely chop chocolate (if using chocolate chips you can skip this step).
Melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth.
Once chocolate is completely melted, remove from heat.
Holding the strawberry by the stem dip into the melted chocolate and twist as the chocolate drips off.
Set strawberry on parchment or wax paper.
Repeat with the rest of the strawberries.

Once all the strawberries have been dipped, set aside for 30 minutes to allow chocolate to set.

Cherry Chocolate Brownies

This week, Baking Me will be full of Valentine's Day treats! First up, Cherry Chocolate Brownies. These brownies are quite rich and best enjoyed with a glass of milk.

Ingredients

Brownies
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 Large eggs
- 1 Cup all purpose flour
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 Teaspoon salt
- 3/4 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 Cup sugar

Cherry Buttercream
- 1/3 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 Cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk
- 1/4 Teaspoon imitation cherry extract
- 1/4 Teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Frosting
12 Ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Cup powdered sugar
3/4 Teaspoon vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon imitation cherry extract
1/4 Cup unsalted butter
1/3 Cup whole milk

To Make the Brownies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9"x13" pan with parchment paper hanging slightly over the sides (this makes it easier to remove the brownies from the pan).
Melt the butter and the chocolate together in a small sauce pan over low heat. Once melted remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the chocolate mixture once it has cooled.
Whisk together the flour and salt then add to the chocolate mixture and mix well.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.

When brownies are done remove from pan and cool on a wire rack, leaving the parchment paper under the brownies.

To Make the Cherry Buttercream
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until well mixed. Then add the milk and extracts and beat well. Spread evenly over the cooled brownies and refrigerate to allow frosting to set, about 20-30 minutes.

To Make the Chocolate Frosting

In a small sauce pan heat butter and milk over medium heat until butter has melted. Pour butter mixture over chocolate and allow to sit for five minutes. Then add the extracts and stir until smooth. Pour chocolate mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer, add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

Spread a thin layer of chocolate frosting over the cherry buttercream, just enough to cover. There will be chocolate frosting left over. Refrigerate leftovers to reserve for another use, such as dipping fruit or pouring over ice cream.

Once chocolate frosting has been spread over buttercream refrigerate for one hour to allow frosting to set. Cut brownies as desired.

These brownies taste best at room temperature.