S'mores graham cracker toffee

I'm a big fan of the saying "man plans, and g-d laughs."  It's very much the story of my life.  Like take for instance B's work schedule.  Turns out he has to travel for work this week -- and he has to leave NYC the evening of my birthday.  No worries though - we'll celebrate a day or two later when he's back and well-rested!

But I digress...back to my birthday. With a pretty stressful past week and a half, my birthday really snuck up on me this year!!  Which means I've been pretty delinquent on the "birthday treats."  But fret not - while B was busy prepping for work this weekend, I got busy in the kitchen!

I started with an easy but super tasty looking treat -- S'mores "Crack" Graham Cracker Toffee.  It's a riff on the saltine "crack" that people make (and I've been dying to make, but haven't gotten around to it yet), and very similar to the matzah candy that my mom and I make for Passover every year.  Except these have graham crackers and mini marshmallows!

I made sure to cut these into small (about one inch) squares because they're super rich answer...but in the best way possible!!

S'mores Graham Cracker Toffee
From Something Swanky

Ingredients:

Approximately 1 sleeve graham crackers (I used closer to 1.5 sleeves), enough to cover the pan in one layer
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar (I used light)
2 cups milk chocolate candy bar pieces, chopped (I used good-quality milk chocolate chips)
1 cup marshmallow bits for topping
Graham crackers crumbs, for topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Prepare a 10.5" by 15.5" jelly roll pan by lining it with parchment paper.
Be sure to crease the edges so that it lays flat.
Place the graham crackers on top on one layer, don't worry if there are any gaps between them.

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high hear.
Mix in the brown sugar.
Bring to a boil (it should definitely be bubbling around the edge, you should not have to wonder if it's boiling).
Set a timer for 3 minutes.
Allow to boil without stirring.
After 3 minutes, remove it from the heat immediately.

Pour the mixture over the crackers.
Use a spatula to gently spread the toffee over the crackers (it's OK if they get displaced a little, but try to keep them as flat as possible).

Bake for 6 minutes.
Remove from the oven.
Sprinkle the chocolate pieces on top.
Return to the oven for 1 minute.

Spread the melted chocolate evenly across the toffee with a spatula (my mini offset spatula was the best for this).
Sprinkle marshmallow bits and graham cracker crumbs on top.
Let the pan cool to room temperature for a few minutes before placing it in the fridge.
Chill for about 30 minutes, until hardened.

Break apart to serve (I used a sharp knife to cut it into squares).
Store chilled for best taste and texture.

Tip from Something Swanky: "for easier cutting/breaking, remove toffee from the refrigerator after 10 minutes (it should be partially cooled -- the chocolate should be hardened enough that it won't be disturbed by cutting, and soft enough that it's easy to cut) and cut the toffee into small squares.  Return to the refrigerator to finish cooling and harden completely."

S'mores muddy buddy snack mix

With today's high of 90 degrees in New York City, the idea of turning on my oven in my small kitchen was just not that appealing.  It was too hot.  Like, it-took-forever-to-cool-off-after-I-walked-in,-and-I-didn't-want-to-upset-the-temperature-balance-inside hot in NYC. So I went no-bake.

The secret is, I had bought all of the ingredients for this treat a few days ago. I was just waiting for the right time to make it, and today was that time!

I know I've told you before, but I was late to the muddy buddy craze. Like really late. My first foray into muddy buddies was the (insanely delicious) red velvet cookies and cream muddy buddies I made a few months ago. Being that yesterday marked the first day of summer, I figured a summery themed muddy buddy flavor would be great. And then I thought...muddy buddy snack mix!!  Sometimes I even surprise myself!

And thus, my S'mores muddy buddy snack mix was born!

The secret to these is the seasonal S'mores Oreo.  These muddy buddies started with milk chocolate and crushed S'mores Oreos. You could stop there. Honestly, no one would blame you. But then I went ahead and added milk chocolate chips, teensy marshmallows, broken up graham crackers, and a few cut up Hershey's bars to the already delicious S'mores muddy buddies, and voila, you have an addictively good summer treat!  And all without even turning on your oven!

** so here's the thing....I made the muddy buddies, and we devoured them.  I made sure to save some to make this snack mix.  So even though you get many cups of muddy buddies with this recipe, I made the snack mix using 4 cups of the muddy buddies.  If you can hold out and not continuously munch on them, you can double the snack mix recipe.  But if you're like me, make sure you save 4 cups of muddy buddies before you go to town on them ;-) **

S'mores Muddy Buddies
Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

6 cups Chex cereal (I used corn)
12 oz milk chocolate almond bark (I used CandiQuik)
20 S'mores Oreos
1/2 cup powdered sugar (I ended up using a little more)

Directions:

Put Chex in a large bowl.

Process the Oreos in a food processor until fine.
Set aside.

Melt CandiQuik (or almond bark) in it's tray (or a microwave safe bowl) and microwave in 30 second intervals.
Stir.
Continue microwaving and stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.

Pour melted chocolate over cereal.
Stir carefully to coat it.

Immediately add the ground Oreos.
Toss/stir to coat.
Next, toss on the powdered sugar.
Mix until coated.

I placed mine on a wax paper lined baking sheet so that the CandiQuick could dry.  
I felt mine needed a little more powdered sugar, so I added 1 Tbsp at a time until all of the muddy buddies were coated in powdered sugar.

Allow to dry completely before making snack mix.  

**Try not to eat all of the muddy buddies during this waiting period!!**

S'mores Muddy Buddy Snack Mix

Ingredients:

4 cups s'mores muddy buddies (see recipe above)
1/2 cup jet puffed mallow bits
2 graham crackers, cut/broken into small pieces
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips (I used the large baking ones from Ghirardelli)
1 Hershey's bar, cut into small rectangles

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a bowl or large ziplock bag.
Mix.

If not eating in all one sitting, or if gifting, a mason jar makes a cute gift!

S'mores Rice Krispie treat pops

Remember when I made those heavenly toasted marshmallow Rice Krispie Treats?  The ones with the perfectly toasted marshmallows and browned butter that I intentionally made a double batch of the first time that I made them simply because I knew they just had to be that good, and they were?  Well I turned those into s'mores pops.  Because that's what I do.  (My original intention had been to coat them in melted semisweet chocolate and cover them with graham cracker crumbs, but found this way to be more whimsical).

These are super cute and would be so adorable at a BBQ or bonfire.  Or on your couch in front of the TV.....just sayin'!  Had I been created -- or brave -- enough, I would've used twigs instead of skewers for a more authentic s'mores experiences, but twigs from the ground of NYC shouldn't be anywhere near my food....or at least I believe that!

I thought this shot below was cute but I don't recommend eating them this way!

Smore's Pops

Ingredients:

One batch of Toasted Marshmallow Rice Krispie Treats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (you could use Hershey's bars instead, for a more authentic s'mores taste)
12 graham crackers, made into crumbs
Cooking spray

Tools:

Round cookie cutter (mine is about 2.5 inches high, to make sure it was taller than the Rice Krispie treats, a small biscuit cutter would also work)
20-30 wooden skewers

Directions:

Spray round cookie cutter with some cooking spray.
Using a cookie cutter, cut out cylindrical Rice Krispie treats to make them look like marshmallows.
Cut them as close together to ensure that you can get the most cylinders.
Eat the scraps -- this is the best part!

Pulse graham crackers in food processor until they're turned into fine crumbs.
Put in a bowl and set aside.

Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, at 30 second intervals, making sure not to burn it.

Place a skewer in the center of each Rice Krispie treat.
Dip each treat in melted chocolate, the immediately into graham cracker crumbs.
Place them, flat side down on a wax paper coated tray.
Continue until all treats are coated.

Allow chocolate to dry before serving.

S'mores bar

So one of the things I debated doing for B's birthday party was a S'mores bar.  See, we had unfettered access to a grill, but didn't actually plan on grilling for the party.  We were going to be a big group and I didn't want B to be stuck grilling at his birthday party, I wanted him to be able to hang out with his friends.  But when in NYC do you have access to a grill?  I wanted to find a use for it...I was going to find a use for it!!

Enter the marshmallow!  Able to be perfectly toasted over a flame when there is a flame nearby.  And then why stop at plain marshmallows?  Why not make a few flavors?  Maybe some chocolate or berry flavored ones, or cinnamon, or coffee?  The possibilities were endless!

So I started with some plain vanilla marshmallows.  B loves all things vanilla, so that was a good place to start.  Plus, they're almost identical to store-bought marshmallows, but way more delicious!  Then I started thinking of some other flavors.  I thought about some fruity flavored marshmallows, but didn't know how they'd taste toasted, or even with chocolate and sandwiched between graham crackers.  Then I decided on some chocolate marshmallows.  But I thought that maybe I could come up with another flavor.  Coffee sounded great, so I decided on those.  But then I thought back to a peanut butter and jelly marshmallow I has seen in the past, and - while I thought fruity marshmallows wouldn't work for this - I thought that peanut butter marshmallows with melted chocolate and graham crackers did sound pretty awesome.  So I made a few varieties of marshmallows (1 more than I had planned to make), then bought a few flavors of graham crackers and chocolate bars, and set them up next to the grill for a s'mores making bar!

It was a huge hit!  My favorite was a regular graham cracker-cookies n' cream chocolate bar-coffee marshmallow combination!!!

Bailey's coffee cheesecake

Ever since I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it.  It was called Irish coffee cheesecake, but I read it as "Bailey's cheesecake," because besides coffee, my single most favorite ingredient in it was Bailey's.  I mean, honestly, how mouth-watering does that sound?!  It definitely helps that I think Bailey's is absolutely delicious.  And despite not being the ultimate cheesecake fan, I figured if anything could convert me to a cheesecake lover, Bailey's was definitely a great contender!  Put that on a chocolate graham cracker crust spiked with some espresso powder, coat it in a semisweet chocolate ganache (with or without some Irish whiskey....which I opted against)...well I was smitten before I even took my first bite!

Now a thing to note: while I do love Bailey's, I do not extend that love to all things alcoholic.  In fact, I'm not a huge drinker.  However, I strongly dislike whiskey.  In all actuality, I hate it, but since I like one specific type of flavored whiskey, I'm generally not a fan.  Plus, the leftover Irish whiskey I had from the car bomb cupcakes now has a new home at B's apartment, since all it would do in my apartment is gather dust.  So basically there was no way in hell I was buying more Irish whiskey for this recipe.  My strong dislike for the stuff coupled with the fact that I no longer had any in my apartment, was enough for me to decide that my version would be sans whiskey.

I wanted to top this with a little bit of homemade whipped cream and a few chocolate covered espresso beans, since I liked the way they would tie in the espresso from the crust and the semisweet chocolate in the gananche.  But since I wasn't actually serving the cheesecake at the time I was taking pictures, I left it without the whipped cream and the chocolate covered espresso beans.  However, I would recommend it for serving.

Please note: This recipe, like the hamentaschen I made earlier int he week, I set out to make as is, as in a regular sized cheesecake.  But apparently my springform pan was at my parent's house from back when I made that amazing Spiced Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake for Thanksgiving.  So I ended up making mini cheesecakes.  I got 5, plus I threw out a ton of crust mixture and a good amount of filling.  I ended up baking mine for 38 minutes.  I topped one with melted milk chocolate and the rest with the ganache.

Bailey's Coffee Cheesecake
Adapted from Buttercream Blondie's Irish Coffee Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the chocolate cookie crust:

2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (I read this literally, searched high and low for chocolate graham crackers, and ended up using Teddy Grahams for it....I had thought to use chocolate wafer cookies like I did for the personal cheesecakes over a year ago, but wanting to follow the rules properly, I didn't....they might give a slightly more chocolate-y taste to the crust)
4 oz unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder

For the Irish cream cheesecake:

24 ounces cream cheese
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 Tbsp instant espresso powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Bailey's Irish cream

For the chocolate ganache:

4 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate (I used semisweet)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp unsalted butter (I left this out, accidentally)
If you choose to make the original recipe, the Irish Coffee Cheesecake, add 2 tsp of Jameson Irish Whiskey

Toppings:

Extra cream, for whipping
Some powdered sugar (or granulated sugar, whichever you prefer), to sweeten whipped cream
Chocolate covered espresso beans, for garnish.

Directions:

Start by making the crust.

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Melt the butter in the microwave.
Mix butter, graham cracker crumbs, and espresso powder.
Press into a 9-inch springform pan.
Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Once the crust has cooled, wrap the pan in plastic wrap and then wrap in aluminum foil.
Mix the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until fully combined.
Add corn starch and espresso powder.
Continue to mix until fully incorporated.
Add eggs and vanilla extract.
Stir in the Bailey's.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Place pan in a roasting pan, and fill it 1/4 of the way with hot water.
Bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes.

When the cheesecake is done, remove it from the water bath.
Place on a cooling rack.
Once the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, put it in the fridge.

Lastly, make the ganache.

Bring the cream and butter to a scant boil.
Pour over shopped chocolate.
Stir to combine.
If using whiskey, stir it in.
Set aside for about 5-10 minutes, so that the ganache is not piping hot.
Pour the ganache over the cheesecake.  I wanted the ganache to run over the sides and drip down, so I spread it to the very edge and let it drip down in some places.

Make homemade whipped cream.
Pipe whipped cream onto cheesecake.
Garnish with chocolate covered espresso beans.

Spiced pumpkin swirl cheesecake

So I decided to change it up a bit this year for Thanksgiving....ukkah.  Almost all of my treats involve a component of Thanksgiving and Channukkah (or, if I needed to stretch it, "Jewish" food).  I made a few versions of ruggelach pinwheels (original, cranberry-pecan, pumpkin, and pecan pie).  My apple pie had a potato latke crust.  I have a cupcake treat coming up -- but that's more "Channukkah" than "Thanksgiving."  I am also making a second Apple Pie with Latke Crust, but am planning on decreasing some of the sugar in the pie filling, since my mom said it was a little too sweet...but more on that later.

So this year for Thanksgiving, I'm making a Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake instead of pumpkin pie.  I figured that since I am not a fan of pumpkin pie at all and sorta like cheesecake, maybe the sum of the two would be better than the individual parts.  So in continuing with my Thanksgivukkah desserts, I'm going to say that cheesecake is a NY Jewish Deli treat.  That may or may not be completely true, but I'm going with it... ;-)

The recipe that I chose to follow had a pecan crust, however my cousin E is allergic to nuts, and I never bring nuts into her house.  So I went with an old fashioned graham cracker crust (that I had used almost a year ago on my mini cheesecakes) - which I 1.5x because the original recipe said it was for a 7" springform.

The original recipe called for layering the plain and pumpkin cheesecake layers and then swirling all 4 layers together.  I decided that I wanted to try to swirl only the top two layers, and that way the cheesecake would have distinct layers when you looked at it from the side.  I'd say I was successful!

Also, although there are several people in my family who are not pumpkin fans, this cheesecake was hands down the favorite dessert of Thanksgiving.  So much so, that I've already been asked to make it again next year.  And, as an aside, the two biggest pumpkin-averse people in the world (B and I) actually enjoyed it!

Spiced Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
from Taste of Home.  I added my own graham cracker crust...see the bottom for that.

Ingredients:

Crust (I didn't use this one):

2 cups pecan halves, toasted (see the original link for how to toast the pecans)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling:                           

 

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened                            

1 cup packed brown sugar, divided                            

3/4 cup sour cream                            

2 teaspoons vanilla extract                            

3 eggs, lightly beaten                             

1 cup canned pumpkin                             

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon                             

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger                            

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves -- I halved that...I debated not adding it at all since I don't like cloves, but figured I should try it since it was a spiced pumpkin swirl cheesecake.

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

If using the graham cracker crust, see the bottom and then start where I put the asterisk (*).

Preheat oven to 325°.
Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). 
Wrap foil securely around pan.

 

Place pecans and brown sugar in a food processor; pulse until fine crumbs form.

Add butter; pulse to combine.

Press onto the bottom of prepared pan.

Place pan on a baking sheet.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until light brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

 

*In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup brown sugar until smooth.

Beat in sour cream and vanilla.

Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended.

 

In another bowl, mix pumpkin, spices and remaining brown sugar.

Stir in 1-1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture.

 

To layer, pour 1-1/2 cups plain cream cheese mixture over crust.

Gently spread 1-1/3 cups pumpkin mixture over top. I didn't measure how much I used, but I wanted to make sure that there was a defined layer of pumpkin in the cake.

Repeat layers.  For the top layer of pumpkin cheesecake filling, I placed dallops of it all over the plain layer, so that the plain really showed through when I swirled it.

Cut through layers with a knife to swirl.  I tried very hard (and hopefully successfully) to only swirl the top two layers, so that when you cut into the cheesecake, you'd see a plain layer on top of the crust, then a pumpkin layer, and then a swirled layer on top.   

Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan.

 

Bake 60-70 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull.

Remove springform pan from water bath.

Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes.

Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil from bottom.  

Cool 1 hour longer.

Refrigerate overnight.

Remove rim from pan.

 

Graham Cracker Crust

from Shari (more about Shari when I first posted it here)

 

For this spiced pumpkin swirl cheesecake, I 1.5x the recipe, since the original recipe was for a 7" springform.  I think it was a bit more than I needed, so I ended up with a decent crust.  I have included the adjusted recipe below.  You may want to play around and maybe not use all of it if you don't want a thick crust.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/8 cup (6 Tbsp) melted butter (I used unsalted, as I always do with baking)
1/4 cup sugar

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 400F.

 

Grease a 9" springform pan.

Make the crust:
Mix the crust ingredients together.
Press the crust into the springform pan.

Bake at 400 degrees until brown, being careful not to burn it.  Watch.  It.  Closely!  It goes from perfectly brown to burnt in a matter of seconds.

 

Lower the heat to 325.

S'mores cookies

For my birthday a few weeks ago, I attempted to make a treat every day of the week of my birthday (I fell a little short, but 4 out of 5 days isn't that bad).  On day 3, I had set out to make s'mores cookies.  I had seen the recipe on Pinterest and pinned it, but then it was nowhere to be found when I sat down to bake them.  (By the way, the giant peanut butter monster cookies I made in their place were AWESOME.)

Recently, I majorly revamped my "Things I Want to Bake" board on Pinterest and divided it into several boards based on the type of baked good (Cookies, Cupcakes, Muffins, Icings, etc), and through this major overhaul, I found the cookie recipe!  That was it, I had to make them.

 

 

I even had all the ingredients in the apartment (except for graham crackers), so when I was running errands this morning, I popped into the grocery store and bought them and some buttermilk (for another recipe I'll be making later today or this weekend).

Gooey S'mores Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (7 full graham cracker sheets) -- 7 sheets gave me WAY more than 3/4 cup of crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Mini Hershey’s Kisses (or chocolate chips/chunks) -- I used Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Baking Chips
1 cup Jet Puffed Mallow Bits

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, use a food processor or blender to crush 7 graham cracker sheets into 3/4 cup fine crumbs.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.
Add the chocolate and marshmallows and stir to combine.

Place 1.5 tablespoon sized scoops of dough (I used my handy dandy cookie scooper) onto the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Since mine were smaller, I baked them for 9 minutes

Makes 2 dozen cookies (If you make them the size the original recipe recommends -- I got at least 4 dozen).

Key lime pie cupcakes

I've made key lime pie before.  And I've made cupcakes before (for example: these, these, and even these, to name a few).  But this was my first pie-cupcake.  What, I know you're dying to know, is a pie-cupcake?

Well, it is a cupcake baked on top of a graham cracker crust.  And then these were filled with homemade key lime curd and topped with little dallops of whipped cream and a little key lime wedge.  But I think technically its the cupcake-atop-a-crust that makes it what I have dubbed a pie-cupcake.

Regardless of what they are -- or what makes them what they are -- the only thing you need to know is that they are good.  I mean really good.  Light fluffy lime cupcake.  Crunchy delicious graham cracker crust.  Perfectly tart key lime curd.  Delicious!

 

 

 Now, just a warning, this recipe said it makes about 2 dozen cupcakes.  So I made crust for 2 dozen cupcakes.  And I had leftover crust mixture (I'd guess enough to make about 4 more cupcakes).  And then I made the cupcake batter.  I made 24 cupcakes with crusts, another 12 without crusts, and threw away enough batter to easily make another 18-24 cupcakes.  I'm not sure if it was because I let my butter get really soft or if there was another reason, but I had a ton of extra cupcake batter.  And then I made the curd.  The heavenly perfectly tart curd, and I put it in a bowl to cool, and licked the spatula, pot, and strainer clean.  Then I filled about 18 cupcakes and had a bit of curd left over.  If you get a bunch of cupcakes (more than 24), I strongly recommend making a 1 and a half batch.  Unless you like citrus curd (I do, despite it's name.  Curd.  What a yucky sounding word), and then I'd just double it.

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
(adapted ever so slightly from the original recipe)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1.5 cups graham cracker crust
1/4 cup sugar
5 1/3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted.

For the cupcakes:

3 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
16 Tbsp (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
Zest of 1 lime (or 2-3 key limes) -- I actually found key limes at the grocery store recently and so I used those.
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp coconut extract
I also had some lime extract in my apartment, and since they were key lime pie cupcakes, I added 1 tsp of lime extract as well.

For the filling (Key Lime Curd):

3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice
4 Tbsp (2 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

For topping:

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
6 Tbsp confectioners' sugar
Dash on vanilla extract

*Due to the insane heat spell in NYC, and the journey that these cupcakes needed to take, I actually didn't make the topping and instead  used <<gulp>> store bought whipped cream.  I thought it would stay more stable than homemade whipped cream in the heat.  It definitely worked!  I used cool whip in a piping bag with a tip* 

Directions:

Make the curd.

In a non-reactive sauce pain, combine the eggs and sugar.
Whisk together until well blended.
Whish in the key lime juice.
Place the pan over medium-low heat.
Cook, stirring or whisking constantly, until the mixture is warmed through.  *Be careful not to hear the mixture too quickly to avoid curdling of the eggs.
Whisk in the butter a little bit at a time, stirring in each addition until completely incorporated before adding more.
Continue to cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the mixture thickens and a spoon or spatula leaves a path when drawn through it (not higher than 175F on an instant read thermometer -- although I honestly didn't use one).
Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.  It keeps up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Make the cupcake crusts:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line two 12-cupcake pains with paper liners.
In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter; mix well with a fork.
Drop about 1 Tbsp of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner and press down to line the bottom (the bottom of a shot glass works marvelously).
Bake for 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven, but keep the oven on at 350F.

Make the cupcakes:

Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Whisk together and then set aside.

Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachement.
Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.
Beat in the lime zest. 
Add the sugar 1/4 cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition.
Mix in the eggs 1 at a time until incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Combine the buttermilk and vanilla and coconut (and lime) extracts in a liquid measuring cup.
With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

Divide the cupcake batter between the prepared paper lines, filling each about 2/3 of the way full.
Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the whipped cream topping:

Combine the heavy cream and confectioners sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whist attachment. 
Whip on medium-high speech until stuff peaks form.
Beat in the vanilla.
Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip.

*As I stated earlier, I was afraid that this whipped cream wouldn't hold up in the heat wave that we're having in NYC, and instead I used cool whip.  I have to say that despite the heat, and the two trips on the subway, the cool whip did not melt or wilt at all.  Just something to keep in mind if your cupcakes will be taking 2 45-minute trips on the 3 train - or a long car ride in the heat*

Assemble the cupcakes:

Using a paring knife, cut a small cone out of the center of the cupcake, and remove (and eat -- you wouldn't want to waste perfectly light and fluffy lime cupcake, would you?!) the cone.
Fill the hole with about 1.5 Tbsp of the lime curd.
Pipe a rim of whipped cream around the top of each cupcake, leaving the lime filling exposed.
Garnish with key lime slices, if desired.

Beach themed bridal shower cupcakes

Last weekend was the bridal shower for K, a friend of my friends L + E.  I was asked to bake cupcakes for the shower.  The theme?  Old school beachy (to match the invitations).

 

A bunch of ideas popped into my head.  I could make mini bikini sugar cookies to top the cupcakes.  Or make mini flip flops out of candies.  Or, I could use this super cute mini shell mold I had, and make marbled chocolate shells as cupcake toppers.  I ended up purchasing some plain white sugar shells online from one of my favorite sugar and royal icing suppliers.  And then - brilliance, if I may say so myself - I came up with the idea of graham cracker "sand."

I also wanted to make the colors of the cupcakes match the colors of the shower - a turquoise-y blue and a coral-y orange.  I couldn't die chocolate icing any color other than brown or black, so that was out.  But the vanilla icing?  I tried to make it a blue to match the colors of the shower and also look "watery." 

Now, I have to admit, I have used all of these recipes on the blog before.  The chocolate cake and vanilla icing were the same that I used for the mini Minnie Mouse cupcakes I made for my friend's daughter's 3rd birthday party in March.  Only this time I used blue gel color instead of pink.  The yellow cake cupcakes were my go-to yellow cake recipe -- a big honor since I much prefer chocolate -- and can be found all over the blog, but the recipe was originally posted when I made these mini cupcakes with lemon.  And the chocolate buttercream was from the yellow cupcakes with chocolate buttercream from last August.  But the final product was so different from any of the past treats, so I had to post it!

L had asked for 30 cupcakes, but I made 36 for them.  I made 9 yellow cupcakes with vanilla icing, 9 yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing, 9 chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing, and 9 chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing.  All with sugar shells and graham cracker sand!

Personal cheesecakes

I was talking to a friend recently, and he mentioned that cheesecake used to be his favorite dessert.  While I know he has a sweet tooth, and loves a pastry in the morning, I've never known him to order dessert, so I filed away this little tidbit of information.  And now I can put it to good use. 

This New Year's Eve my friend and I planned a low key evening in, cooking dinner and watching the ball drop.  The perfect opportunity to bring some cheesecakes!  The only issue was that I didn't remember if he mentioned that he liked a regular graham cracker crust or a chocolate crust.  Not a problem, I mused, I'd just make personal cheesecakes and I'd make a few with each type of crust.  Added benefit?  I didn't have to go buy a new springform pan, since I own a 9" and the recipe called for a 7".  I didn't even know 7" was a standard springform size.  But I digress.

Just over a year ago I went to a "New York" themed party and needed a New York-y dessert.  The hostess wanted me to make black and white cookies, but I hadn't made them before and was hesitant to make them for a party (it was before I made them for a black-and-white themed New Year's Eve Party last year).  Rifling through my mind for other New York inspired desserts, I settled on mini cheesecakes (baked in a mini muffin tin) with their own little crusts.

 

Since I was making personal (aka baked in a regular cupcake tin) cheesecakes, I figured I could experiment with flavors.  Maybe add some mini chocolate chips to some, some heath bar to another, and I even stuck a mini rolo into the centers of a few...so I divided the extra cheesecake filling and added a few different mix-ins.  Just for fun.  Truth be told, they weren't as pretty as the plain cheesecakes.  And maybe I didn't add enough of the mix-ins, but I didn't think they tasted much different either.  But it didn't really matter...I packed away a few of the plain ones for New Year's Eve, and the rest for my doormen.  The not-to-pretty ones were tasted and then tossed.  I didn't need to be picking at cheesecakes....too many calories for something I don't even love that much.

Heath Bar Cheesecakes

Now, there is actually an interesting story behind this cheesecake recipe.  A while ago my parents, aunt, and sister went out for dim dum (Chinese passed dumpings and small plates) in Westchester, and were talking to another lady in line.  Somehow their conversation lead them to - of all things - cheesecake.  She and my mother exchanged email addresses, and she forwarded my mom this recipe shortly after they met.  When I was looking for a cheesecake recipe, my mom forwarded it on to me.

Shari's Cheesecake (Shari is the lady from the dim sum line)
This made just over 30 full sized cupacake cheesecakes.  I had leftover crust mixture, but I did make a full batch of each crust recipe, and that may have been too much.  My baking time was about 25-28 minutes.  As you can tell, mine didn't get golden brown, but they were cooked through (bonus points if you can find the toothpick holes in one of the cheesecakes from testing it's doneness.).

Ingredients:

For the crust
(if you're making "mini" or "personal" cheesecakes, you will need extra crust mixture....I doubled it last time....or you can make a mixture of graham crusts and chocolate crusts, and follow the link/recipe beneath for the chocolate crust)

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter (I used unsalted, as I always do with baking)
1/6 cup sugar

For the filling

1 lb 14 oz cream cheese (3 and 3/4 8 oz packages of cream cheese)
7/8 cup sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 tsp vanilla

Mix-ins: With the leftover cheesecake filling, I decided to experiment with some mix-ins.  I used some mini chocolate chips, and some leftover health bar pieces from those chocolate covered pretzels.

Directions:

Grease a 7" springform pan (or in my case, line a regular sized (or mini) muffin tin with paper or foil liners).

Make the crust

Mix the crust ingredients together.
Press the crust into the springform pan.
Bake a 400 degrees until brown, being careful not to burn it.

Make the filling

Mix the sugar and cornstarch together.
Add the cream cheese and blend well.
Add the eggs and blend well.
Add the cream, a little at a time, and blend.
Add vanilla and blend.

* Pour the cream cheese mixture into the well greased springform plan on top of the crust.
Cover the pan with foil.
Place the pan in a water bath -- Fill a lined baking sheet with water, and place the filled springform pan on the tray.
Bake at 450 for 40-45 minutes until golden brown.

Shari's directions:  When done, open the oven about 3-4 inches so the oven cools, leaving the cake there for about 20 minutes.  It is supposed to stop the top from cracking.  (I skipped this step, and they turned out OK)

No-Bake Chocolate Crust (from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

7 ounces chocolate wafer cookies
3 Tbsp sugar
6 to 8 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Place cookies in a food processor and process until finely ground.
Combine cookie crumbs and sugar in a bowl.
Add 6 tablespoons butter, and mix well until crumb mixture holds together. (If needed, add remaining 2 tablespoons butter.)
Transfer cookie mixture to bottoms of lined cupcake tins, and pat out evenly to make the crust.
Place in freezer while proceeding.

Go back to the previous recipe and follow from the *

Key lime pie

I did it again.  I baked a pie to test it out before I serve it to others.  The problem with pies (and cakes) is that in order to sample them, you have to cut into them....and then they're missing a slice.  And really, it's not very polite to show up at someone's home with 88% of a pie!

This year, my family is having a "pre-Thanksgiving" dinner in addition to our regular Thanksgiving dinner.  One of my sisters is leaving the country before Thanksgiving, and will be away for a few months, and one of her requests was to have a "pre-Thanksgiving" Thanksgiving dinner before she left.  Last year we had a non-traditional meal, and so it was decided that we would repeat that meal for "pre-Thanksgiving" and we'd have our turkey dinner on actual Thanksgiving.

The request for this year's pies came before we even finished clearing the dessert table last Thanksgiving.  Key Lime Pie was my cousin's request.  My other cousin decided that there needed to be a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving dinner (which later turned into the fact that there needed to be a pumpkin pie at pre-Thanksgiving dinner since she, too, would not be at actual Thanksgiving).  So I set out to make the two pies for pre-Thanksgiving dinner.

This key lime pie was a HUGE hit!  Every one loved it, and we were serving such tiny slivers to the 20 (yes, 20!!) guests to guarantee that everyone got at least a taste!

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs from 9 (2 1/4-inch by 4 3/4-inch) crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For filling:

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh or bottled Key lime juice (if using bottled, they say "preferably Manhattan brand") (I found key limes two weeks before I made the pie, but when I went back to the grocery store to make the pies, they had no key limes....so this is actually a lime pie)
Some freshly grated lime zest

For topping:

3/4 cup chilled heavy cream

Directions:

Make crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl with a fork until combined well, then press mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of a 9-inch (4-cup) glass pie plate.
Bake crust in middle of oven 10 minutes and cool in pie plate on a rack.
 Leave oven on.

Make filling and bake pie:

Whisk together condensed milk and yolks in a bowl until combined well.

Add juice and whisk until combined well (mixture will thicken slightly).

Add lime zest.

Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes.

Cool pie completely on rack (filling will set as it cools), then chill, covered, at least 8 hours.

Make topping (I made whipped cream, with a little vanilla and sugar, instead of just whipping the cream as the recipe suggests):

Just before serving, beat cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve pie topped with cream.  I added piped whipped cream with a sprinkling of lime zest - my original thought was to add small wedges of key limes, but they were drippy with lime juice and I didnt want them to ruin the whipped cream.

Repeats

This was a week of repeats on JulieBakes.  Late last week I baked mini cupcakes for a friend's sister's 40th birthday party and she had requested red velvet and s'mores cupcakes.  Then I went home for dinner and my mom asked me to make some cookies - since she wanted to try those chewy dark chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips the last time I made them but didn't get the chance to, I made them this time.  So while it may appear that I haven't been busy here in the JulieBakes kitchen, I have been.....just baking up some repeats...

**of note, when I made the s'mores cupcakes this time, I made the icing using the cream of tartar as it called for.  The icing stayed soft for way longer and had a slightly better consistency.  I strongly recommend NOT leaving out the cream of tartar**

S'mores cupcakes

My birthday was a few days ago.  I had the week off from work and I had a low-key day.  One thing I didn't have?  A cupcake or a slice of cake!  That was despite the fact that a good portion of the birthday wishes I got on Facebook said things like: "I know you're always baking up a storm, but I hope someone else baked you a cake for your birthday, too;" "I hope that someone is baking you something special today;" and "I hope someone makes you a nice cake." 

But, alas, I was the one who did the baking (just not on my actual birthday).  This weekend I'm getting together with friends for drinks, and decided to bring some cupcakes.  The only problem was that I didn't know what type of cupcakes to make.  I wanted something that I hadn't yet featured on the blog and something that would hopefully stand up to the heat (as, weather depending, we'll be outside).  At least one recipe had to be nut and peanut free, as my cousin is allergic to both, and she'll be there.
First up were S'mores cupcakes.  I changed the original recipe a little - instead of coating the graham cupcake with a semisweet chocolate ganache glaze, I filled it with a milk chocolate ganache.  S'mores are, at least in my recollection, made with Hershey's milk chocolate, so I couldn't rationalize using semisweet chocolate over milk chocolate (but shhhh!, I didn't use Hershey's).  Oh, and after much debate, I made them mini.  For once, it wasn't an automatic reaction to make minis....but ultimately minis won out for one reason only...some of my favorite cupcake liners are mini, and I wanted to use those!  I'll have to make some full-sized cupcakes soon with some of my other favorite cupcake liners :)

 Just so that you know, I halved the recipe.  The HALVED recipe made 47 mini cupcakes.  It probably would've made a few more, except I overfilled the cups a little in the first batch that I made, and a bunch of them rose a lot and overflowed.  I used a scooper made for mini muffin tins and it was too much.  The second and third batches that I made I used a heaping tablespoon of batter and they just rose to a few millimeters below the top of the cupcake liner.  That was fine for me, since I planned to inject some milk chocolate ganache into the center of the cupcakes, and I knew that that would make them rise a little.

It's kind of hard to see on the picture on the right, but the ganache filling is peeking out

I ended up using a different icing for one reason - my thermometer doesn't reach the necessary temperature AND I couldn't find my thermometer.

***I found graham flour at Whole Foods.  It's also available online from places like King Arthur Flour (I just placed an order from them for another cupcake-related product for an idea I have) and Bob's Red Mill (the brand they had at Whole Foods).***

Graham Cupcakes
(These amounts are for the FULL recipe)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups graham flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
10 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line muffin tins with paper liners.
Whisk together both flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter, brown sugar, and honey until pale and fluffy.
Reduce speed to medium.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Place the batter in the lined cups.  Use 1 Tbsp for mini cupcakes
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 10-12 minutes for minis.
Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature, or frozen up to 1 month.
Milk Chocolate Ganache Filling

Ingredients:

6 oz milk chocolate, chopped
2 oz cream

Directions:

Boil cream
Pour over chocolate
Mix until all chocolate is melted (I used a whisk)
Let cool slightly

Place into a pastry bag fitted with a thin small tip.
"Inject" a small amount of ganache into center of each cupcake.

Cloud Frosting (otherwise known as Martha Stewart's Seven Minute Frosting) - It's said to be a cross between whipped cream and marshmallow
Slightly modified by moi

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sugar
6 egg whites, room temperature (oops, didn't read that part until later)
1/2 cup water (I used less since I wasn't using cream of tartar)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (I left this out)
1 Tbsp vanilla

Directions:

Combine sugar, egg whites, water, and cream of tartar in bowl of an electric mixer and mix until foamy.  As I stated above, I didn't use the cream of tartar and decreased the water (I ended up using just under a quarter of a cup).
Set pan over a pot of slightly simmering water (makeshift double boiler) and whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch.
Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and whisk on high until stiff peaks can be formed, about 12-16 minutes (mine took less, maybe because of the changes I made?)
Add vanilla and beat until incorporated (I must confess, I added the vanilla when I switched it to the stand mixer)

Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.

I topped them with a small sliver of milk chocolate.