Lemon Lime Tartlets

These are SO good!! My friend Nicole made them for a church activity, and I wanted to eat the entire pan. In fact, I went home and made them the next week and I'm pretty sure I ate 4 in one day... then I had to give the rest away because I could tell they were incredibly dangerous!!

You can make them as a lemon/lime combo, or lemon or lime alone, I have only made them with just lemon, but I am assured they are just as good with the lemon/lime combo. If you decide to do just lemon, replace the lime juice with more lemon juice/zest, and vice versa for just lime.

On a side note, today is my little girls birthday... I wanted to post a cake recipe in honor of her, but I haven't made a cake in a while, so these delights will have to do. Happy Birthday Bean!

Lemon Lime Tartlets

1 package Refrigerator Sugar Cookie Dough (16.5 oz)
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 oz)
1 Cream Cheese (8 oz), softened
2 Cups Cool Whip, thawed
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
2 tsp. Lemon Peel, zested
1/4 Cup Lime Juice
2 tsp. Lime Peel, zested
Additional Lemon & Lime Slices, for decorating

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees. Paper line 24 muffin cups. Cut cookie dough into 24 even slices (some dough will come pre-scored) and place one slice in each muffin tin. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until cookies start to slightly brown (cookies will puff up). Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Beat sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese in mixer. Gently fold in cool whipped topping. Divide mixture into 2 medium bowls. Add lemon juice and peel to one bowl, and lime juice and peel to the other bowl. Spoon about 3 tbsp. of lemon mixture into cooled cookie cups, then top with about 3 tbsp. of the lime mixture. Top with sliced lemon or lime quarters for decoration. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Enjoy... I know you will!! These are a perfect summer treat!

Winner Winner

The Winner of the Hello Cupcake book is:

entry # 9, Kim

Thanks to all who entered!

Suiza Sammie Sandwich & MORE!

I recently found this sandwich recipe online while looking at some of Rachel Ray's recipes. I thought it sounded interesting and decided to give it a try. It calls for Creme Fraiche, which isn't always easy to find. I have made it in the past, but this time I just used a Trader Joe's variety to save time. Next time, I will use sour cream as a substitute. Creme Fraiche is very rich and tangy, and a bit too sweet for my liking. It has a higher fat content that regular sour cream, so it binds better and doesn't make for a "clumpy" sauce. I personally think that it would be better used in a sweet food, rather than a savory, but you be the judge. Next time, I will probably whip it up with some vanilla & powdered sugar and use it for crepes.

Anyway, here is the sandwich recipe. I served them on Brioche Buns, which were amazing! The original recipe says it will feed 4 people, but I easily had enough meat for 6 or 7 sandwiches. I served it with homemade cajun fries, but Miss Rachel Ray says to serve it with tortilla chips for dipping.

Suiza Sammie Sandwich

1 TBSP Olive Oil

1 Small Purple Onion, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Lime, juiced

1 TBSP Honey

1 1/2 Cups Tomatillo Salsa or Salsa Verde

1/2 Cup Creme Fraiche (or sour cream)

1 Rotisserie-Style Chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded

4-6 Crusty Rolls (I used soft), lightly toasted under broiler

6 Slices Swiss Cheese

Chips for Serving

Pre-heat the broiler. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic & cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and honey, then stir in the salsa and heat through. Mix in the creme fraiche (or sour cream) until fully incorporated. Stir in the chicken and coat well. Pile chicken mixture on roll bottoms, and place a slice of cheese on top. Place under broiler so cheese will melt, remove from broiler and top with other half of bun. Serve warm.

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Now, for the MORE!

My husband gave me this cute book for Easter, and I enjoyed it so much, I decided that I would like to give a copy of it away. Also, today is my wonderful Mother's birthday... AND my adorable Husbands! He has no excuse to forget his mother-in-laws birthday. So, since he doesn't want a cake (or any treat for that matter) for his birthday this year {???}, I can at least get some joy out of sharing some cake with you!

There are so many adorable ideas in here, and I just don't know where to start. Luckily, my 2 year old will be turning 3 soon enough, so I am contemplating trying to make one of these fun cupcake ideas for her. So, one lucky winner will receive a copy of this fabulous book full of fun ideas.

How to enter:

Leave a comment in this post & tell me the date of your birth.

Easy as pie... or cupcake in this case.

** {also, you need to leave a way to be contacted. If I know you, don't worry about leaving an email, but if I don't have a clue who you are... please leave a way to reach you. Either a blog address, or an email, or whatever works best for you. If there is no way for me to contact you, I WILL PICK ANOTHER WINNER {which always makes me feel bad!!} Thanks!}

If you want a second entry, just become a follower,

or tell me that you already follow.

Winner will be randomly chosen on April 11th.

Vanilla Cake & Buttercream Frosting

*This recipe came with a cupcake cake pan I bought from Williams-Sonoma. This make enough batter that I filled the cake pan and I made a 9"x9" cake in another pan, so I think this recipe should work fine for two regular cake rounds or square pans.

I would multiply the frosting recipe by 4 or 5x to have enough for the filling and for decorating the outside.

CAKE:

3-2/3 C all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1-1/4 tsp. salt

1-1/3 C unsalted butter

2-1/3 C granulated sugar

5 eggs, lightly beaten

4 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/3 C milk

BUTTERCREAM:

4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1-1/2 C confectioner's sugar, sifted

1 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Position rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Place a baking sheet on the lowest oven rack to catch any batter that might overflow. Grease and flour pan; tap out the excess flour.

Over a sheet of wax paper, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. beat in the vanilla just until incorporated, about 1 minute.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling the wells to no more than 1/2 inch of the rim and spreading the batter so the sides are higher than the center. Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 70 to 80 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cupcake cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

Gently tap the pan on the counter to loosen the cake. Set the rack over the cake, invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Let the cake cool completely, at least 2 hours, before assembling and decorating.

Meanwhile, make the buttercream frosting: In a small bowl, using a handheld mixer (I just used my Kitchenaid), beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioner's sugar, milk, vanilla and salt and continue beating until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes more.

Level the cake by using a serrated knife to gently saw off the top of your bottom layer. Spread desired amount of buttercream over the cut side of the cake layer. Place the flat, bottom side of the top layer on the buttercream. Gently press down to secure the two halves. cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the buttercream is firm, about 1 hour.

Decorate as desired.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Filling

1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon milk

Batter

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup water

1 cup milk

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting

1/3 cup butter, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar

6 tablespoons baking cocoa

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and milk until smooth; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, water, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be thin).

Fill paper-lined jumbo muffin cups half full with batter. Drop "scant" tablespoonfuls of peanut butter mixture into center of each; cover with remaining batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes of until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine frosting ingredients until smooth; frost cupcakes. Store in the refrigerator. Yields: 1 dozen jumbo cupcakes.

*Ok, there are a couple things I should point out:

• The batter will be very thin and runny.
• I guess when they say "jumbo cupcakes" they mean Costco muffin size cupcakes. I used my regular large cupcake tins and instead of 12 cupcakes I filled 24 cups with batter.
• I have no idea what a "scant" tablespoonful is really supposed to mean, but I used at least a tablespoon-sized scoop of filling for 13 cupcakes (and wouldn't suggest using any less). I just baked the rest of the batter as plain chocolate cupcakes. If you make these and use regular large muffin tins--and want them to all be peanut butter-filled--I would double the filling.
• My cupcakes were done around 20 minutes (probably because they weren't "jumbo") so I would time them for 20 minutes or less at first.
• 1 jumbo-size cupcake had 509 calories in it!

Luscious Lemon Cupcakes

As I have been reviewing our little blog here, I have noticed that I post a lot of dessert recipes. I hope ya'll don't think I sit around eating bon bon's and cookies all day, I just seem to have a lot of opportunity to make & take dessert to people and functions. So again, here is a dessert that I have fallen in love with! When I make these I have to give 95% of them away because, I kid you not, I could eat the entire batch! This is another Lemon recipe, so if you don't like Lemon it may not be for you, but then again, you should really try out this puppy anyway!

This picture was the only one I had that showed

this particular cupcake.

The Lemon ones are the most "boring" looking ones

(the little guy right in the front and center), but easily the tastiest!

Luscious Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Topping-

1 1/3 cups Shortbread Cookie Crumbs ( about 22 Lorna Doone Cookies)

1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

4 TBSP Butter, melted

For the Batter-

8 oz. Cream Cheese, @ room temp.

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

2 Large Eggs

1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

1/4 Cup Water

1 Small Box lemon Pudding, 3.4 oz.

1 Box Lemon Cake mix

1/3 Cup Lemon Curd

Directions-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with foil cupcake liners (you could probably use normal paper ones, but the foil ones are awesome with these treats... they just fall right off the cupcake!).

Place shortbread cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter in bowl and stir until well mixed. Put a heaping spoonful of mixture into each cupcake tin. Smoosh it down with a spoon, bottom of a cup, or your fingers. Save remaining cookie crumbs for topping.

With your electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time until combined. Make sure to scrape down sides of bowl after each egg. Add veggie oil, water, and the box of lemon pudding. Mix together until combined. Add cake mix and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. The batter should be VERY thick by this point.

Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with batter. It will be a bit hard to get in the cup, but you can use a spoon to smooth it out.

Load your lemon curd into a ziplock bag (I use my pastry bags) and cut off one corner... about 1/4 inch.

Now you will want to make a small well in each cupcake. I find the best way to do this is either with your finger or the handle of a spoon. A great trick is to actually wet your finger and then swirl it in the batter to make the hole. Your finger will come out clean and no batter sticks to it! So easy!

Use the bag of Lemon Curd and squeeze a small amount into each of the holes. Top each cupcake with remaining crumble/cookie mixture.

Bake for 21-23 minutes. I like to rotate the pan halfway through cooking to get a nice even "slight browning" on top of the cupcake. You can eat them warm or cold. I prefer when they have cooled down a bit. They are easily my new favorite cupcake! YUM!

Just try them... you will love them and so will the people you share them with!

Black Bottom Cupcakes

I wanted to post something that I had a picture of, and since I made these last week I know where the picture is and it was easy to find. I promise, my posts won't always be desserts... :)

But for this first time, why not start on a nice and sugary note? 

BLACK BOTTOM CUPCAKES:

1 8oz. package cream cheese

1 egg

1/3 cup white sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 TBSP. cider vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper cups or non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium size bowl, beat cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar, & 1/8 tsp. salt until light and fluffy. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.

In a larger bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda & 1/2 tsp. salt. Make a well in the center of mixture and add in the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla ( I put these together in a small bowl instead of adding them individually). Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of cream cheese mixture. 

( I thought 1/3 batter seemed like so little, so I did 1/2. Problem:  then I couldn't put a good size dollop of cream cheese mixture. I would stick with the 1/3 full rule to get more creamy goodness in each little cake!)

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Should yield 24 cupcakes!

Yum, yum, yum. 

ENJOY!