Ode to Creme Brulee

August 5, 2011 at 10:23 PM | Posted in non-cupcake | 8 Comments
Tags: , ,

Aaaww… Please don’t give me that look.

I feel guilty enough already.

I know. It’s been a while. *smacks hand*

Hello my name is CB … [crowd chants Hello CB] … and I’ve been on Weight Watchers for almost 23 weeks. Yup! I’m doing still it. Trust me. You aren’t the only one surprised. Unfortunately that doesn’t leave me much wiggle room for baking. B/c I can’t be trusted with 12 cupcakes innocently sitting on my granite countertop. But last night I REALLY missed it.

The smell of vanilla extract.
The tickle of flour up my nose.
The sound of my KitchenAid mixer creaming the butter and sugar.

I couldn’t bake just anything though. I was craving one of my favorite desserts: Creme Brulee. So I started googling as fast as my little fingers could type. And came up with a combination of 2 dessert favorites. Twofer! And you all know how much I love a 2for.

But of course. This is a cupcake blog. I couldn’t leave you without a cupcake. It’s an oldie but a goodie. (Click here)

Oh and PS.

My cousin’s bridal shower is at the end of August so I’m already brainstorming cupcakes for her. Hang tight. I’ll have cupcakes to share with you soon!

Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars
Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker

Makes 36 bars (I cut it into 20 b/c 36 is WAY too tiny in my opinion!)

INGREDIENTS

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1 box (1 oz) French Vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix (I used Cheesecake flavor instead)
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted (I used unsalted butter)
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs + 3 egg yolks
2- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel cheese instead)
1/2 cup sour cream (I use 0% Fage greek yogurt)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup toffee bits, finely crushed (I used Heath toffee chips)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a 9×13 inch pan with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater, combine cookie mix, pudding mix, brown sugar, melted butter, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and 1 whole egg until soft dough forms. Press dough into bottom of pan and 1/2 inch up sides of pan. [Notes: I totally missed the part about pressing the cookie dough "1/2 inch up the sides of the pan". Oops! But it still turned out delicious despite the lack of cookie "wall".]

In a large bowl, (I wiped out the same bowl I made the cookie dough in) beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add 1 whole egg, 3 egg yolks and remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Combine until smooth. Spread over cookie crust in pan.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until set in center. Take pan out of the oven and immediately sprinkle with crushed toffee bits. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Let come to room temperature before cutting into bars. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. [Notes: These freeze really well too!]

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A
He’s loves cheesecake but not a huge toffee fan so I wasn’t sure he’d like this one but I heard lots of “Mmmm…” while he was eating.

Wifey rating: A
Cookie base – Good. Cheesecake filling – great. Creme Brulee – fell short. Don’t get me wrong. The bar is DE-LISH-OUS but I can’t really say it tasted like a creme brulee. At least not enough for my tastebuds. Maybe next time instead of the toffee bits I’ll top it with brown sugar and brulee with my torch for that authentic creme brulee taste.

Other rating: A+
Husband had a meeting with a few coworkers and brought these as a dessert. He said everyone raved and there were no leftovers. Many of them asked for the recipe!

Cupcake Hero #10: [Squash]

October 20, 2008 at 10:34 AM | Posted in Cupcake Hero, cupcakes | 20 Comments
Tags: , ,

“I’m backkkkkkk…!!” says the cupcake logo to the left.

You guessed it! It’s Cupcake Hero time!

I am fresh off my recent cupcake hero win and feeling pretty darn cocky. I am allowed right? It’s a Cupcake Hero win for goodness sakes. I don’t think you understand the magnitude of the situation. It took me 9 tries, lots of bribes and a frillion lbs of butter. Don’t take my moment away from me!

::taking a moment to relish my CH victory::

Ok I am done now.

Before anyone starts doubting my squash selection, I just wanna go on the record and say that pumpkin is a type of squash. Did you know that? I didn’t. Apparently I am not up on my squash edumacation [sic]. But head CH baker, Laurie, confirmed that indeed pumpkin is a type of squash. Hmmm… let’s keep this new found squash knowledge to ourselves m’kay? I have a feeling that if more Cupcake Hero-ers find out, pumpkin will be the squash of choice. Personally I wasn’t feeling the Petite Pan Squash option myself. Sorry its true. Can you blame me? Its a green amoeba! That doesn’t scream cupcake to me. Just saying… HAHA.

Now I know that my entry will stir up a debate b/c I’ve already had a couple naysayers who I gave privy info about my Cupcake Hero entry argue that my entry doesn’t count. *cough NIKKI cough* but I kinda see it as my month of immunity since I won the last challenge you know? So I am doing something a little controversial and posing the question:

What makes a cupcake… a cupcake?

Check out my nifty WP poll below and vote. (I ♥ this new WP feature!)

Feel free to vote for multiple answers that apply.

You’ll see from the recipe below that I have 2 out of the 3 answers. I guess I’d say in order of cupcake importance: baked in a cupcake liner, frosting/topping and then texture. A non-cakey texture isn’t a cupcake deal breaker for me.

So have I convinced you…? Is my recipe a cupcake?

(If you aren’t Nikki, b/c I already know how she feels on the situation, just nod your head yes and agree. That’s a good little reader.)


Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes
(Recipe adapted from Cooks Recipes & allrecipes | photos from me!)

Makes about 14 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For the crust
1-1/2 cups finely ground gingersnap cookies (I used graham crackers)
1-1/2 cups toasted pecans, finely ground
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

[NOTES: I had alot of crust left over so next time I'll probably 1/2 the recipe.]

For the cheesecake
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg

For whipped cream
1-1/2 cups whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp granulated sugar

caramel ice cream topping, garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F.

To make crust—
Combine gingersnap cookies, pecans and sugar in bowl; add melted butter and mix until combined.



Press crust mixture onto bottom of each cupcake liner, about 1 tbsp. Set aside.

To make cheesecake—
In a stand mixer with a flat beater, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time.

Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Fill the cupcake liners almost full (cheesecake doesn’t rise that much).

Bake in preheated oven for 22-25 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

To make whipped cream—
In mixer with whisk attachment, whip the cream, vanilla extract and sugar on high speed until you get stiff peaks.

To assemble cupcakes—
Using a 1M star tip, pipe whipped cream on cupcake. Drizzle with caramel.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
He really loved this recipe but he preferred it naked (no whip or caramel) and raved about the graham-pecan crust.

Wifey rating: A/A+
I am not a pumpkin fan but these were really good esp with that caramel drizzle. Everything’s better with a little caramel!

Other rating: A+
I brought it over for a family dinner. The whole family raved and requested I make it for Thanksgiving!

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