Dessert | I Can Cook That

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SoHoppinGood #BlueBunny #CollectiveBias

Spring has finally sprung and this past weekend was absolutely beautiful. Warm weather has me dreaming about frozen treats, especially ice cream.

For more than 80 years, Blue Bunny® has been offering yummy ice cream made with fresh ingredients for families. Blue Bunny® Ice Cream just came out with their new 2017 lineup of ice cream flavors and treats, including two awesome Ice Cream Cakes: Bunny Tracks and Vanilla Bean Blondie. Bunny Tracks is made with the Blue Bunny® signature flavor: vanilla flavored ice cream with caramel and fudge swirls, chocolaty covered peanuts, and peanut butter filled chocolaty bunnies.

Their other new flavors include: Mint Cookie Crunch, Monster Cookie Mash, Toffee Brownie Twist™, and Rockin’ Rocky Road™. Also worth mentioning, Cherrific Cheesecake, which used to be seasonal is now officially available year-round!

One of my favorite ice cream treats are ice cream sandwiches. So what could be better than a cake sized ice cream sandwich like this Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich Cake? I decided to make large peanut butter cookies to make the Blue Bunny® Bunny Track Ice Cream Cake into an Ice Cream Sandwich Cake.

I went to my local Walmart to pick up the ice cream cake and the ingredients I needed for the cookies. The ice cream cakes can be found in the same aisle as other ice cream.

Ingredients:

1 Blue Bunny® Bunny Tracks Ice Cream Cake
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour

Continue reading Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

We’ve been pretty lucky weather-wise in Philadelphia recently, but are back to it feeling like actual winter. Blah.

I’ve been dreaming of warmer weather (and warmer weather recipes)! I must not be the only one, because the Florida Keys & Key West are hosting an awesome event tomorrow night to help the Philadelphia area dream of the sun and sand.

Tomorrow, 24 of Philadelphia’s top food writers and influencers are getting behind the stove to face off “Iron Chef style” at Walnut Hill College. The influencer who creates the best Keys-inspired dishes within the time limit will win a trip to the Florida Keys and be named an honorary Keys Chef. Guest judges from the Keys will include Chef Bobby Stoky and Philadelphia’s favorite son Pat Croce. The sold out event includes an evening of food, cocktails, fun and friendly competition.

How awesome would it be to win a trip to the Keys? The Florida Keys are a string of tropical islands off the southern tip of Florida and are known for their awesome fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving. In fact, the Keys have the only living coral barrier reef in the U.S., not to mention awesome food and drink. The most well known dish from the Florida Keys is Key Lime Pie.

I was bummed that I wouldn’t be able to attend, but still wanted to get in on the fun, so I decided to make a spin on Key Lime Pie — Key Lime Pie Cupcakes!

Key Limes are smaller than “normal” limes and are a bit more tart. These little guys don’t give off a lot of juice though, so it takes quite a bit to make this recipe. Key Lime Pie is made with key lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk to make a smooth, tangy pie filling with a graham cracker crust.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup evaporated milk (or regular milk)
1/4 cup key lime juice
1/2 teaspoon key lime zest

Key Lime Curd:

3 egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup key lime juice
1/4 tsp grated key lime zest
1/8 tsp salt

Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
key lime curd
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk

Continue reading Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Note: I was sent a holiday cookie decorating gift basket from De’Longhi, and one to give away. All opinions are mine alone.

With the holidays upon us, it’s always nice to find extra ways to give back. This season, De’Longhi, an international leader in household appliances, is helping to give back by donating 10% of its delonghi.us sales site-wide until December 20th to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a national non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for safer, more effective treatments for pediatric cancer, the #1 disease killer of children in the U.S. For the first time, CookiesforKids’ Cancer has launched a Challenge Gift Campaign where all of the money raised from now to December 31st will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $250K. Visit Delonghi.us to purchase products and see all of the great holiday gift ideas De’Longhi has to offer. Visit Cookiesforkidscancer.org for more information on ways to donate!

To help spread the word, De’Longhi sent me a holiday cookie decorated gift basket to help make some yummy cookies which included The Cookies for Kids’ Cancer Cookbook.

The gift box includes:

set of holiday cookie cutters
3-pack of holiday colored icing
pair of cappuccino glasses
coffee
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer: Best Bake Sale Cookbook

I decided to make the cookie that started it all, a recipe for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies that was developed for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer’s first bake sale.

This recipe is legit. They are the perfect balance of chewy, buttery, and chocolately. It’s no wonder the recipe is so popular!

De’Longhi was generous enough to also make a holiday cookie decorating gift basket for an I Can Cook That reader! More details on the giveaway after the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Continue reading Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Very Berry Pie

Note: I was sent a Glass 9″ Pie Plate, a Steel Pie Server, a Double Pastry Wheel, and a 1″ Pastry Brush from OXO. All opinions are alone.

This time of year get’s crazy busy doesn’t it? I feel like December always flies by! Before you know it, the holidays are here. And prepping for them can be tough; it’s difficult to figure out what can be made ahead of time without sacrificing quality.

This Very Berry pie recipe is here to save the day! It can be prepared ahead of time and frozen.

I call this a Very Berry Pie, because it has 5 (!) different types of berries in it: Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberries and Cranberries. It uses frozen berries to make prepping even easier.

When ready to bake, thaw in your fridge overnight and then bake. Simple right?

Making it even more simple is the use of an OXO Glass 9″ Pie Plate. All OXO Glass Bakeware is made of thermal shock resistant borosilicate glass, so you don’t need to bring it to room temperature before adding it to your oven! (The other glass baking dishes are perfect for pre-made sides for your holiday dinners as well!)

OXO has many other tools that help make preparing for the holidays even easier. You’ll see quite a few of them pop up throughout this post.

Ingredients:

For the pie crust:

1 1/3 cups cold butter
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup ice-cold water
Note: You can also buy pre-made pie crusts. I won’t tell.

For the pie filling:

2 (16 oz) bags frozen mixed berries (mine had blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries)
1 (16 oz) bag frozen cranberries
1 1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top of the pie
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg white

Continue reading Very Berry Pie

White Chocolate Peppermint Covered Pretzel Balls

Philadelphia has so many wonderful winter holiday events and traditions. Some of my favorites include the Christmas Light Show at Macy’s (originally Wanamaker’s), seeing the neighborhood lights in South Philly, checking out the Holiday Railroad at Reading Terminal, and of course, going to Christmas Village.

Every year my husband and I make sure to pick up a new ornament for our tree at Käthe Wohlfahrt or at one of the other amazing Christmas Ornament vendors.

This year, the Christmas Village has moved back to City Hall. The open-air German market is one of the largest in the country. Every year, I love walking through the stands to see the eighty international and local merchants and artists.

Source: Christmas Village in Philadelphia

Naturally there are quite a few food stands as well as stations to pick up hot mulled wine and other beverages served in a snazzy 2016 Collectors Mug.

This year, the Village also as a Carousel that you can purchase tickets to ride. (Check out my Instagram feed to see video of me enjoying the carousel maybe a little too much.)

While walking around the Christmas Village, I snacked on Pretzelphoria’s Peppermint Party, which are pretzel balls coated in white chocolate and crushed candy canes.

The peppermint coated pretzel balls were an awesome combination of minty, sweet, and salty. I wanted to make my own spin at home!

Ingredients:

2 (12 oz) bags of white chocolate chips (I used mini)
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
1 (8 oz) bag mini pretzel balls

Note: You’ll need a few tools to make this recipe: double boiler (or a metal bowl on top of a pot with some boiling water in it), wax paper, cookie sheet

Continue reading White Chocolate Peppermint Covered Pretzel Balls

Eggnog Cupcakes

With Thanksgiving behind us, I was ready to get in the holiday spirit and wanted to incorporate eggnog into a baked treat; the flavor of eggnog translates so well into dessert!

These Eggnog Cupcakes are vanilla cupcakes with eggnog substituted for milk. They are topped off with a dollop of whipped topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup eggnog
1 can whipped topping
ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

Continue reading Eggnog Cupcakes

Pomegranate Olive Oil Cake

I love love love pomegranates. The burst of tanginess is awesome in both sweet and savory dishes.

It is once again pomegranate season (the season runs from ~October through ~January), so I am thrilled to be cooking again with one of my favorite ingredients.

POM Wonderful must have heard about my love of their products, because I was contacted to try out their POM POMS Fresh Arils and pomegranates. I will have a few recipes over the coming weeks, but lets start with something a little sweet.

This recipe for Pomegranate Olive Oil Cake is from the POM Wonderful website. It is topped with a Vanilla Crème Anglaise, a drizzle of olive oil, and some fresh pomegranate arils.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil Cake

¾ cup POM POMS Fresh Arils
2 cups all-purpose flour + 1-2 teaspoons flour, separated
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 whole eggs, at room temperature
1 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Vanilla Crème Anglaise

15 egg yolks
1 quart whole milk
1 quart heavy cream
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups sugar

Garnish

¼ cup POM POMS Fresh Arils
1 ½ tablespoons fine quality extra-virgin olive oil

Continue reading Pomegranate Olive Oil Cake

Apple Butter Swirled Gingerbread Bars

Note: I was sent a Glass 3 Qt Baking Dish with Lid, Glass 2 Qt Baking Dish with Lid, Brownie Spatula, and Illuminating Digital Hand Mixer from OXO. All opinions are my own.

September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. Every year, OXO donates up to $100,000 to support an organization called Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. The organization was founded by two OXOnians (OXO employees) who were inspired by their son Liam’s battle with pediatric cancer, a disease which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer provides inspiration and support to allow anyone to easily get involved in fundraising to find a cure for pediatric cancer.

I’ve posted twice a year for the last few years to help bring awareness to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Click here to see some of my past posts.

Each year, OXO donates $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for each blogger post up to their $100,000 commitment. This year, OXO asked us to use a recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s newest cookbook, Dorie’s Cookies while using some of OXO’s great baking tools. Dorie’s Cookies includes over 200 recipes from classics to brownies to savory cookies, with some great baking tips thrown in.

I decided to make a recipe in the cookbook named Mary’s Maine Bars, named after a recipe developed by Dorie’s recipe tester (Mary Dodd) after a family trip to Maine. The bars are a delicious, chewy gingerbread that is perfect for the fall. One of the alternative to the recipe suggested swirling apple butter into the batter, so I tried it out!

Ingredients:

1½ cups (204 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ cups (204 grams) whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¾ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
¾ cup (180 ml) unsulfured molasses
½ cup (120 ml) flavorless oil, such as canola
1 large egg, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
1/4 apple butter, spiced
Sanding or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Continue reading Apple Butter Swirled Gingerbread Bars

Raspberry Pocket Cookies (Himbeerdasche)

Note: I was sent a review copy of Dutch Treats: Heirloom Recipes from Farmhouse Kitchens

I live in Philadelphia, and a one of the largest influences on our local food is definitely Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. Despite growing up here, I haven’t cooked many traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipes, although I certainly have been known to eat them!

Internationally known food historian William Woys Weaver has compiled over 100 heritage recipes, and the stories behind them, into one wonderful cookbook – Dutch Treats: Heirloom Recipes from Farmhouse Kitchens.

Recipes include Shoofly Cake, New Year’s Pretzels and the original recipe for Snickerdoodles. Dutch Treats  explores the vast diversity of authentic baked goods, festive breads and pastries that we call Pennsylvania Dutch (named for the German-speaking immigrants who settled there starting in the late 1600s).

I enjoyed reading the back stories to all of these delicious baked goods as I paged through the book. From learning about traditional holiday treats, to why pretzels are considered good luck, the cookbook was an interesting read as well as a great source of yummy recipes.

I decided to make Raspberry Pockets, using a recipe for Almond Pastry Dough that dates back to a late 18th century recipe. I edited the recipe just a bit to use Orange Blossom Water instead of Rose Water, because that was what I had on hand. I also made the cookies a bit larger than suggested.

Ingredients:

For Almond Pastry Dough

5 cups pastry flour
1 cup superfine (caster) sugar
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tablespoon salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter
2 egg yolks (reserve the egg whites for the raspberry pockets)
6 to 9 tablespoons dry white wine

For Raspberry Pockets

1 cup fresh red raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Orange Blossom Water or to taste
1 batch almond pastry dough
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
crystal (coarse) sugar, to taste

Continue reading Raspberry Pocket Cookies (Himbeerdasche)

Blueberry Pie Sundaes

I have a pretty intense sweet tooth; in my mind, dinner isn’t finished until I’ve had dessert! I do try to limit how many times a week I actually do have dessert after dinner, but sometimes you just need some!

This recipe from Cooking Light caught my eye because it involves two of my favorite things: ice cream and blueberries.

This fun little dessert takes very little time to make, and the blueberry sauce can even be made ahead of time!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons water, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, divided
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of salt
2 cups vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt (I used French Vanilla)
4 shortbread cookies, coarsely crumbled

Continue reading Blueberry Pie Sundaes

Adult Root Beer Float

Note: I was sent coupons for Graeter’s Ice Cream for review. Opinions are my own.

Happy National Root Beer Float Day! I had to celebrate the only way I know how, by making myself a root beer float, or, more specifically, an Adult Root Beer Float!

Luckily, Graeter’s Ice Cream wanted me to celebrate in style and sent me some coupons so that I could try their snazzy flavors in my float.

Graeter’s Ice Cream is still made the same way it has been since 1870: by hand. Made with high quality ingredients, the ice cream is still made one batch at a time in 2 1/2 gallon French pots.

Graeter’s has some seriously awesome flavors. To highlight some of them, I decided to make an “adult” root beer float, made with Not Your Father’s Root Beer, because, why not?

The Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Ice Cream seemed like the perfect way to make a root beer float more for adults– it’s made with the bold taste of Kentucky bourbon, then loaded it with roasted, buttered, salted pecan halves and our gourmet bittersweet chocolate chips. (There isn’t actually bourbon in it by the way.)

The Original Salted Caramel is one of the first flavors Graeter’s made over a century ago. Made with brown sugar, cream, and a pinch of salt, it’s a perfect complement to root beer in my opinion!

(They also have a Madagascar Vanilla Bean flavor if you’re not feeling particularly adventurous with your float this time around.)

Ingredients:

1 pint Graeter’s Ice Cream of your choice, (I suggest Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip or Original Salted Caramel)
2 bottles of Not Your Father’s Root Beer
Whipped cream, optional
Chocolate syrup, optional

Continue reading Adult Root Beer Float

Blackberry Syrup & Watermelon Blackberry Granita

Today (July 22nd), Ball brand is hosting it’s sixth annual Can-It-Forward Day. (You may recall my last post on Can-It-Forward Day, where I canned on my own for the very first time to make salsa.) Can-It-Forward day is a day to celebrate the joys of fresh preserving, and encourage both new and veteran canners to preserve more. This year, the day will be streamed online via Facebook Live from 10:00 am 3:30 pm EST. Throughout the day, the Ball brand and expert ambassadors will be demoing a variety of canning recipes. In the true spirit of “canning it forward,” for every engagement received on the videos, whether it be a comment, like or share, the brand donate $1 to a local charity, so be sure to check it out!

You can also ask Jarden Home Brands canning experts any preserving or home canning questions via Twitter with the hashtag #canitforward from 10AM – 5PM ET on July 22nd. Share your own #canitforward creations with the brand on Pinterest and Instagram as well!

Ball brand has also launched the Freshly Preserved Ideas Tumblr page, a “digital pledge page” a place for consumers to take the pledge to Can-It-Forward this year. Check it out and pledge!

To celebrate, I was sent The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving, a Case of Collection Elite Wide Mouth Pint Jars, one $5 off coupon to be used on FreshPreservingStore.com.

I really loved the new canning book from Ball; along with canning and preserving recipes, there are many recipes that incorporate the canned/preserved items.

I wanted to show off how great both types of recipes found in the book are, so I made a blackberry syrup to can, and used it in a watermelon blackberry granita.

The blue wide mouth pint jars are SO PRETTY. I have been using a set of the regular mouth blue pint jars as my drinking glasses for years so I was excited to use the wide mouth for their actual intended use!

I will get to the canning and recipes shortly, BUT Ball brand was also kind enough to provide a second set of the products I received as a giveaway to my readers! Details on how to enter will be at the end of the post!

Ingredients:

For Blackberry Syrup:

3 lbs blackberries
2 cups water
2 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp bottled lemon juice

For Watermelon-Blackberry Granita:

8 cups seeded watermelon cubes
1/2 cup Blackberry Syrup
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Gear:

stainless steel or enameled Dutch oven
wire-mesh strainer
3 pint jars, lids, and bands
large pot for canning + a rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot
cheesecloth
13×9 inch baking dish

So, since my last post, I’ve upgraded my canning situation to the Ball Fresh Preserving Kit. However, for beginners, you really can’t beat the value of the Beginners Kit that I used last year to make the salsa. On to the recipes!

Continue reading Blackberry Syrup & Watermelon Blackberry Granita

Cocoa Almond Pretzel Crust Brownies

Salty-sweet combinations are just. The best. My favorite involve chocolate; the saltiness really enhances the chocolate flavor!

These Brownies are an absolutely delicious salty-sweet combo. The super chocolately, fudgy brownie is made with Endangered Species Chocolate Almond Spread with Cocoa (and 3 other different kinds of chocolate!) while the crust is make of a deliciously salty pretzel/graham cracker combination.

The Almond Spread adds a different lay of flavor to the brownies. To keep the almond flavor noticeable in the brownies, I also used some almond extract. If you don’t have almond extract, or don’t want as much almond flavor, you can use vanilla extract.

What makes these brownies even more tasty is that the chocolate spread used in the brownies also helps give back: Endangered Species Chocolate donates 10% of net profits annually to 10% GiveBack Partners. In the past three years, Endangered Species Chocolate’s (ESC) 10% GiveBack program has donated more than $1.2 million for its carefully chosen beneficiaries!

ESC recently announced its 2016-2018 partners: Rainforest Trust and Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN). The organizations will receive 10% of ESC’s annual net profits (or a minimum annual donation of $10,000, whichever is greater) to fund projects they deem most important to achieving their conservation goals.

Rainforest Trust has saved more than 11 million acres of tropical forests to-date, but ESC’s 10% GiveBack program will be vital in expediting the organization’s goal of preserving 20 million acres by the year 2020. WCN funds projects in 24 different countries where the 10% GiveBack program will contribute to helping a myriad of at-risk species.

Past 10% GiveBack partners include SEE Turtles, SEEtheWild, Chimp Haven and, most recently, the Xerces Society and African Wildlife Foundation (AWF).

Endangered Species Chocolate was also kind enough to send me some extra jars of their delicious spreads to give away to one I Can Cook That reader! Details after the recipe.

Ingredients:
For crust:

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1.5 cups crushed pretzels (about 2 cups mini pretzels before crushed)
1/2 cup ground graham crackers
1/2 cup brown sugar

For brownies:

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1.5 cups (~9 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces (1 baking bar) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 (9.7 oz) jar Endangered Species Chocolate Almond Spread with Cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 tablespoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Continue reading Cocoa Almond Pretzel Crust Brownies

Kourambiethes (Greek Christmas Cookies)

It’s time for my annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap post!

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap hosted is by Lindsay of Love & Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen. For the past five years, the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap has helped raise money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a national non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer, which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease.

In the past, I’ve made Hot Cocoa Cookies and Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies. This year, I went for something completely different: Kourambiethes!

Kourambiethes are Greek Christmas Cookies, but also show up for really any celebratory event, so they are an all-year kind of treat. They are nut butter cookies, typically made with almonds or walnuts, which are then rolled in confectioners sugar. The result is a shortbread cookie that melts in your mouth!

Ingredients:

2 cups walnuts
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons brandy
1 tablepsoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons orange flower water
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Continue reading Kourambiethes (Greek Christmas Cookies)

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SplendaHoliday #CollectiveBias

Can you believe Thanksgiving is this week?? This year has just flown by!

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. It’s a day spent with family and friends over good food, just enjoying each other’s company.

We spend Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle’s house. Every year, I bring a little something up to contribute to the meal. For the past few years, I’ve done desserts. My sister put in a request for a chocolate cake this year because in her words, “there’s not enough chocolate at Thanksgiving.”

We usually have quite a few desserts for the taking, so I decided to make the cake with less added sugar with the help of SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend.

SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend works just like regular brown sugar, but with half the calories. I picked up a bag at Walmart (it can be found in the baking aisle with the other sweeteners, or on Walmart.com).

I love the flavors of Hazelnut and Chocolate together, so I tested out a recipe for chocolate hazelnut cake with chocolate frosting this past weekend.

The cake uses ground hazelnut in the batter to add a nutty, buttery flavor as well as a really nice texture to the cake.

Ingredients:

Hazelnut Cake:

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup ground hazelnut (hazelnut meal)
1 cup SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon hazelnut extract
1 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature

Chocolate Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
5 tablespoons milk

Continue reading Chocolate Hazelnut Cake