Lemon Curd Filled Cupcakes with Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting

I took a basic cupcake recipe and added some of my favorite things to it and this is what I came up with. I had leftover homemade lemon curd from a previous dessert, but you can find lemon curd next to the jams and jellies in most grocery stores.

Lemon Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 325 F.
1 C. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
Pinch of Salt
3/4 C. granulated sugar
1/4 C. butter at room temperature
2 egg whites (best at room temperature)
Zest of one lemon
1/3 C. buttermilk
1/4 C. lemon juice

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until creamy. Add egg whites one at a time and beat until fluffy. Add lemon zest, beating well. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk. Add lemon juice. I used a mini muffin tin and filled each liner about 3/4 full. Bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely. With a small teaspoon scoop cake from the center of each cupcake. Pour Lemon curd in a plastic bag and cut off the corner tip. Squeeze about 1/2-1 t. of lemon curd in each cupcake.

Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting

4 T. butter softened
4 oz. cream cheese (room temp.)
Zest of one lemon
2 T. Blackberry puree
1/2 t. vanilla
1 C. confectioners sugar

In a medium bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until well combined and fluffy. Add lemon zest, vanilla and blackberry puree. Blend well. Add sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy. Top each cupcake with frosting making sure to cover the lemon curd.

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse with Pecan– Toffee Crunch

We just had this dessert tonight and I thought it was so yummy and different! Be sure to prepare it one day ahead.

4 servings

Crunch:
Vegetable oil
1 C. chopped pecans
2/3 C. toffee bits
4 t. dark brown sugar
1/8 t. salt
1 T. unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil, brush generously with vegetable oil. Toss nuts, toffee bits, sugar, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and toss to coat. Place mixture in center of prepared sheet; pat to single layer. Bake until toffee bits are soft, about 15 minutes. Cool crunch completely on sheet. Transfer to work surface; chop coarsely.

Mousse:
2 C. chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
¼ C. sugar
5 large egg yolks
1 ¼ C. canned pure pumpkin
1 t. rum flavoring (optional)
1 ¼ t. vanilla extract
¾ t. ground cinnamon
½ t. ground ginger
¼ t. ground nutmeg
¼ t. salt
1/8 t. allspice
Whisk ¾ C. whipping cream, sugar, and egg yolks in heavy medium-low heat until thickened to pudding consistency, about 10 minutes, do not boil. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Mix in pumpkin, rum flavoring, vanilla, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and allspice. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Beat remaining 1 ¼ C. cream in another large bowl until cream holds peaks. Transfer ½ C. whipped cream to medium bowl for garnish; cover and chill. Fold remaining whipped cream into pumpkin mixture. Cover and refrigerate mousse at least 4 hours and up to 1 day. In each of 4 medium goblets, layer 1/3 C. mousse and generous tablespoon crunch. Repeat 2 more times. If necessary, whisk reserved ½ C. whipped cream to soft peaks and sweeten with 1 or 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar. Pipe or drop dollop of cream onto mousse in each goblet. Cover; freeze overnight.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is a great cheesecake!
12 Servings

Crust:
1 ½ C. gingersnap cookie crumbs
5 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 T. sugar
Preheat oven to 350 F. Wrap outside of 9-inch diameter springform pan with foil. Mix crumbs, butter, and sugar in bowl. Press mixture onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake crust until slightly darkened, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Maintain oven temperature.

Filling:
3 8-oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 C. sugar
1 C. canned pure pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
½ t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/8 t. ground allspice
Blend cream cheese and sugar in processor until smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, and spices. Process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl. Transfer filling to crust. Bake cheesecake at 350 F for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325 F. Bake until center is set and edges begin to crack, about 50 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 6 hours. Cut around pan sides; remove sides. Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce:
1/3 C. butter
1 C. brown sugar
2 T. corn syrup
pinch of salt
1/3 C. cream
Melt butter in a sauce pan, then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved.

Apple-Almond Cheesecake

This cheesecake was the very first cheesecake I have ever made! The texture is pretty firm but creamy, and the flavor is wonderful if you like almond. I had never used almond paste before making this cake and it is quite expensive. I think I paid $7 for one 7 oz package (I divided the recipe by 2/3 and used an 8" pan) of almond paste! For this reason, I don't think I would make this cheesecake again, but I'm still putting it here just in case I change my mind! Make sure you use a food processor when mixing the filling. Otherwise the almond paste won't blend in smoothly.
12 Servings

Crust:
1 C. graham cracker crumbs
1 C. slices almonds, toasted
6 T. unsalted butter, melted
2 T. golden brown sugar
¼ t. salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Wrap bottom with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Mix all ingredients in medium bowl to blend, crumbling almonds slightly. Press mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan. Bake until set, about 7 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Filling:
1 ½ 7-ounce packages almond paste, crumbled
3 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs

Combine almond paste, cream cheese, and sugar in processor; blend until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs until just blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 F. and bake until center is set and top appears dry, about 45 minutes longer. Cool. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate over night.

Apples:
4 large Jonagold apples, peeled, cored, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
2 T. fresh lemon juice
4 T. unsalted butter
¾ C. golden brown sugar
¾ t. ground cinnamon

Toss apple slices with lemon juice in large bowl. Melt 3 T. butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add apples and sauté until golden and tender, stirring frequently, about 9 minutes. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir to coat. Add remaining 1 T. butter. Stir until coated and glazed. Cool slightly. Run small sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Release pan sides. Arrange apples in concentric circles atop cheesecake. Brush apples with any juices left in skillet. Cut into wedges and serve.

Pecan Lace Cookie Cups

These Pecan cookie cups were served with ice cream at mine and Matt's wedding dinner. Matt was so nervous about speaking in front of everyone, that he couldn't enjoy the food. I have been trying to find this recipe for a long time so I could recreate our wedding dinner! I'm so excited to have it now and what's even more exciting is that they are really simple to make!
Makes about 18 cookie cups.

Cookie Cups:
¼ C. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 C. sugar
2 T. light corn syrup
1/3 C. flour
1 C. coarsely ground pecans
1 t. vanilla extract

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir butter, sugar, and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Add nuts and vanilla; stir to combine. Using a 1" cookie scoop, spoon the cookie batter onto the parchment and space 3" apart. They spread out quite a bit. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let them sit for 1 minute. Working quickly, gently remove each cookie from the cookie sheet and mold over the underside of a muffin tin. It only takes a couple minutes for the cookies to cool and set. You can then place them on a wire rack to cool completely. These store well in an air tight container for about a week.

Roasted Banana Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting

This was originally a cake recipe, but I thought it would be fun to make cupcakes instead and change the frosting a little.

Cake:
2 C. sliced ripe bananas
1/3 C. packed dark brown sugar
1 T. butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 1/4 C. flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 C. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 C. butter, softened
1 1/4 C. granulated sugar
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine banana, brown sugar, and 1 T. butter in a baking dish (8-inch is good). Bake for 35 minutes, stirring after 17 minutes. Cool slightly and mash. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F. Combine 2 1/4 C. flour, soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Combine banana mixture, buttermilk, and 1 t. vanilla in a separate bowl. Place 1/2 C. butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. add eggs; mix well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternating with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Place a cupcake liner in each cupcake tin and fill half way with batter. You should get about 24 cupcakes. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Do not overbake. Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting:
1/2 C. butter
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 C. powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla extract
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook for about 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from heat and pour into a medium sized glass bowl. Place the browned butter in the refrigerator until it is just barley solidified and about room temperature. This will take about 15 minutes, give or take a few minutes. Remove from the fridge and add the cream cheese. Beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy. Let the frosting chill in the fridge for about 1 hour before frosting the cupcakes.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake Bites (A happy mistake)

So last night I was trying out a cake recipe. I was actually trying to make cupcakes. Anyway, I thought this batter would be so good and it was...the only problem was that my cupcakes sunk in the middle A LOT. I almost threw them away, but then I remembered something I saw on the food network that I have actually been wanting to try, but I just hadn't gotten around to it. They took cake and crumbled and smashed it up, then mixed in some frosting. They rolled it into balls, put the balls on popsicle sticks and dipped them in chocolate. I have to admit that I'm usually not a fan of cake. This is because a lot of time, cake can be dry and crumbly. This recipe is a perfect solution to that problem!

Frosting:
1 8-oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 C. powdered sugar
1/4 C seedless strawberry jam
1/3 C. chilled heavy whipping cream
Beat cream cheese and butter together in large bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar, then jam. Beat cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into frosting. Cover; chill until firm enough to spread, about 2 hours.

Cake:
1 1/2 C. cake flour
1/4 t. plus 1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 T. vanilla extract
1/2 C. sour cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour one 9-inch cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add sour cream; beat 30 seconds. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, beating to blend after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Run small sharp knife around pan sides, then turn out cake onto rack and cool completely. Crumble and squish cake together until it is about the same texture as cookie dough. Mix in about half of the frosting. Less or more depending on what you like. Scoop the cake mixture into balls using a 1" cookie scoop. You can roll it into balls, but I thought the cookie scoop did a good job of getting it to the right shape. Chill in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, melt one 4 oz bar of dark chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals. I have learned in the past that cheap chocolate doesn't work well for dipping. I like the Lindt chocolate. After the chocolate is melted, dip the cake balls in the chocolate. I used a fork to hold the cake and spooned the chocolate over the top and jiggled the cake until it was evenly coated. Place the cake bite on waxed paper to set. Repeat with the rest of the cake bites. After the chocolate is set, you can drizzle leftover frosting over the top. I filled a plastic big with frosting and cut a tiny hole in one corner. Chill and then serve. Or you could freeze them so you can have one whenever you want!

Lemon and White Chocolate Mousse Parfaits with Strawberries

In the past, whenever I heard the word mousse, I thought "too hard and time consuming to make". Well I was wrong! I decided to be adventurous today and make this mousse and it was really easy! Don't be intimidated my the lemon custard. It's really simple and really good.

5 large egg yolks
½ C. sugar
½ C. fresh lemon juice
4 t. finely grated lemon peel
Pinch of salt
¼ C. plus 2 2/3 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1 3.5-ounce bar high-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
5 C. sliced hulled strawberries

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in medium metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until mixture is very thick and thermometer inserted into center registers 160 F. to 170 F, about 6 minutes(I used a glass bowl, so it took more like 12 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Cool lemon mousse base to room temperature. Combine ¼ cup cream and white chocolate in another medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir constantly until chocolate is soft and almost melted. Remove bowl from over water and stir until white chocolate is melted and smooth. Cool white chocolate mousse base to room temperature. Beat remaining 2 2/3 cups cream in large bowl until firm peaks form. Divide whipped cream between both mousse bases, folding in 1 cup at a time (about 3 cups for each).
Layer scant ¼ cup lemon mousse in each of 8 parfait glasses or wineglasses; top with 2 T. strawberries. Layer scant ¼ C. white chocolate mousse over strawberries. Repeat layering 1 more time. Spoon strawberries over top of each parfait, if desired and serve.

Peanutbutter Cream Cheese Brownies

These brownies are really good! The first time I made them I thought it would be fun to use nutella. I think nutella is the best thing ever, and honestly, I could eat a whole jar myself! Anyway, the hazelnut flavor didn't come out as much as I would have liked. I made them again recently and used peanut butter and I think they are better this way. They are actually pretty darn good either way you choose to make them!

Brownie Layer:
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ C. unsalted butter, diced
½ C. sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
½ C. flour
¼ t. salt
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 F. Spray 9-inch square metal baking pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Line the pan with parchment paper leaving a 2 inch overhang on all sides. Stir chocolate and butter in medium saucepan over low heat until smooth; cool 10 minutes. Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla in medium bowl until very fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture on low speed, then beat in flour and salt. Spread batter in pan.

Cheesecake Layer:
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 C. Natural peanut butter
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 C. sugar
2 large eggs
2 T. heavy whipping cream
2 T. flour
2 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
Beat together cream cheese, pb, and vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in cream, then flour. Transfer 1/3 cup cheesecake batter to small bowl and reserve. Spread remaining cheesecake batter over brownie layer. Microwave chocolate in a small bowl for 10-second intervals until chocolate begins to melt, then stir until smooth. Mix chocolate into reserved 1/3 cup cheesecake batter. Drop chocolate batter by heaping teaspoonfuls on top of the cheesecake layer. Using a wooden skewer or knife, swirl chocolate batter in figure-eight pattern through white cheesecake layer. Bake brownies until edges of cheesecake layer are puffed and center is set, about 36 minutes. Cool brownies in pan on rack. Cover; chill at least 1 hour. Lift the brownies out of the pan and cut into 25 squares. The parchment paper makes it really easy to remove the brownies from the pan, so I would definitely recommend using it. Serve cold.

Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Cupcakes

I changed this recipe quite a bit from the original and the cupcakes turned out really good! I love the flavor of orange and chocolate together. So I added orange zest to the cream cheese filling. I also thought the cupcakes needed some sort of frosting, so I added a ganache topping.

Filling:
1 8-oz package cream cheese
Zest of one orange
1 T. orange juice
1 large egg
1/4 C. sugar
1/4 t. salt
½ t. vanilla extract
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in medium bowl. Add zest, juice,egg, sugar, salt , and vanilla and beat until almost smooth.

Cupcakes:
1 C. flour
3 T. sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ t. baking powder
½ t. coarse kosher salt
1/8 t. baking soda
¾ C. plus 2 T. sugar
½ C. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped, melted, warm
1/2 C. whole milk (you could replace 2 T. of milk with orange juice)
Preheat oven to 350 F. line standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Stir in vanilla and chocolate; beat a high speed 5 seconds. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk. Beat on high for 5 seconds to blend. Divide batter among cups, filling 1/3 full. Using tablespoon, hollow out center of each cupcake. Place 1 heaping tablespoonful cream cheese filling in each center. Top with just a little more batter. Bake cupcakes until toothpick inserted into center (but on cream cheese filling) comes out clean. About 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack.

Ganache:
2/3 C. cream
1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 t. butter
Heat cream in a small pot until just simmering. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and butter until smooth. After cupcakes are cooled, dip tops in ganache and let set.

Brown Butter and Walnut Tuile Cups

These little cookie cups were really yummy. You have to work very quickly to get the cup shape, but they are worth the effort. They would be great with some caramel ice cream and chocolate sauce! If you have a silpat mat, it would be a lot easier to use than the parchment. As much as I love parchment, it was hard to work with in this particular recipe.
7 T. unsalted butter
2 large egg whites
½ C. sugar
Pinch of salt
½ t. vanilla extract
2/3 C. minus 1 T. flour
¼ C. finely chopped walnuts
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange four ¾-cup custard cups upside down on work surface. Stir butter in saucepan over medium heat until nutty brown and milk solids are dark brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Carefully pour browned butter into small bowl and cool slightly. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in medium bowl; whisk until moisture is foamy, about 1 minute. Add warm browned butter, leaving dark brown milk solids behind in bowl; whisk until blended. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour and whisk until blended and smooth. Crop batter by scant tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 4 inches apart. Using small offset spatula, spread each to 5 inch round. Sprinkle generous ¼ teaspoon finely chopped walnuts over each. Bake tuiles, until evenly golden all over, about 11 minutes. Working quickly and using wide metal spatula, carefully lift each tuile from sheet and immediately drape over custard up and press to mold to cup, making cookie bowls. Cool until tuiles are set. Carefully remove tuiles from cups and place on rack to cool completely. Repeat procedure with batter and walnuts on cool baking sheets, making total of 12 cookies bowls.

Layered Brownies

This recipe comes from a Bon Appetit magazine and these brownies are soooo good! They take some time to make though, so I would save this recipe for a special occasion. Make the brownie, and caramel layer a day ahead. The caramel needs about 8hours to set up. I like the recipe for the most part, but I did change the candied pecans. I like a little sweet and salty. I'm adding my version and the Bon Appetit version so you have to option of sweet and salty or just sweet.

Candied Pecans (My version):
3 T. light corn syrup
1 1/2 T. granulated sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 C. pecans
Combine first three ingredients in a small bowl. Add pecans and coat well with sugar mixture. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 325 F., for 20 minutes. Stir the nuts every 5 or 10 minutes. Spread out on parchment paper or foil and let cool. Coarsly chop and set aside. These nuts are also great for salads!

Candied Pecans (Bon Appetit):
½ C. sugar
¼ C. water
1 C. pecan halves, toasted
Lightly butter baking sheet. Stir sugar and ¼ cup water in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil until sugar syrup is light golden, occasionally brushing down sides of skillet with wet pastry brush, about 8 minutes. Add pecans and stir until syrup coats pecans, about 1 minute. Immediately pour pecans out onto prepared baking sheet; spread in single layer with heat proof spatula. Cool completely. Coarsely chop nuts.

Brownies:
½ C. unsalted butter
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¼ C. plus 1 t. natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ½ T. all purpose flour
1/8 t. slat
½ C. plus 1 T. sugar
2 large eggs
½ t. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray and line with Parchment paper. Leave an overhang of about three inches on each side so that you can easily remove the brownies from the pan (I think parchment is the greatest thing ever, but you can also use foil). Combine ½ cup butter and bittersweet chocolate in medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Whisk cocoa powder, flour and salt in small bowl. Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla in medium bowl to blend. Pour butter mixture into sugar mixture; whisk until blended. Transfer brownie batter to prepared baking pan; smooth top (layer will be thin). Bake brownie until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 18 – 20 minutes. Allow brownie to cool slightly, then gently press down on edges to form flat, even layer. Cool completely in pan on rack.

White-Chocolate Caramel:
Tip: This caramel isn't difficult to make, but be sure that you can give it your full attention. I had to make it twice because the sugar water turns the amber color pretty fast. It tasts burnt and bitter if you wait for it to turn the deep amber color mentioned in the recipe. I just waited until it was golden-amber colored, about 5 minutes instead of 8. Also, have your cream measured and ready before you start cooking the sugar water mixture.
3 T. water, divided
¾ t. unflavored gelatin
4 ½ T. sugar
Pinch of salt
6 T. heavy whipping cream
4 ounces high-quality white chocolate (Lindt is good), finely chopped
1 ½ T. unsalted butter, diced, room temp.
Spoon 1 tablespoon water into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over and stir to blend. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 tablespoons water, sugar, and pinch of salt in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil until syrup is deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 8 minutes. Slowly add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Reduce heat to low. Stir to dissolve and caramel bits. Remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes. Add gelatin mixture; stir until gelatin dissolves. Add white chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk in butter. Pour caramel on top of the cooled brownie; spread evenly to cover completely. Chill uncovered until caramel firms slightly. At least 8 hours or overnight.

Semisweet-Chocolate Ganache:
2/3 C. heavy whipping cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 t. butter, room temperature
Bring cream to simmer in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Cool until mixture is slightly thickened but still pourable, about 15 minutes. Pour ganache on top of caramel layer; spread just to edges. Sprinkle chopped candied pecans evenly over the top. Chill uncovered until ganache is firm enough to cut, about 4 hours.

Using parchment as aid , lift brownie out of pan; place on work surface, Fold parchment sides down. Using sharp knife, Cut brownie into 1 1/2 x 2" bars, or bigger if you like!

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Tart

I LOVE dessert. I could probably eat dessert three times a day and still be ready for more if I didn't have the slightest bit of self control. The richer the dessert the more I love it! I also appreciate that dessert always looks beautiful. I totally agree with the saying that we eat with our eyes. I defiantly do! I thought it only fitting that my first recipe would be a dessert. Cream cheese pie. My mom made cream cheese pie for us every valentines day when I was younger and it has always been one of my favorite desserts. I decided to change a few things this time. Instead of the traditional gram cracker crust, I made a phyllo dough crust and I cooked it in a tart pan instead of a pie pan. I also put strawberries on top instead of cherries. I was pretty happy with the results. I think the phyllo crust added a nice crunch, but I still love the gram cracker crust as well!

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Tart

Phyllo crust:
20 phyllo sheets
1/4 C. melted butter
3 T. granulated sugar

Spread a thin layer of melted butter on the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8 inch tart pan with a pastry brush. Lay one sheet of phyllo dough in the pan and press the sides. Spread another thin layer of butter on top of the phyllo sheet and then sprinkle with sugar. Repeat this step with the rest of the phyllo sheets alternating the direction the sheets are laid so that the edges are even. Trim the excess phyllo dough with a sharp knife and pierce the dough with a fork (I forgot to do that and it puffed up quite a bit). Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and crispy. Set aside and let cool.

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 t. vanilla

Combine ingredients until smooth and pour into cooled crust. Chill the tart for at least an hour. Top with sliced strawberries ( I let my strawberries macerate in a few table spoons of sugar for about 15 minutes before I put them on top of my tart).