Miniature Blackberry Pies

MINIATURE BLACKBERRY PIES

 

There's nothing like fresh fruit in the summer. My husband and kids picked blackberries from our fence row last week and couldn't wait for me to make something with them. This idea came to me (though I'm sure it's been done before), and it was a huge hit after dinner last night.

Fresh  blackberries

Ingredients:

3 cups of fresh blackberries

1/2 cup sugar

1.5 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 boxes of Jiffy pie crust mix (or two ready-made crusts)

1 egg

stick of butter

vanilla ice cream (optional)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the blackberries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Let stand, mixing and coarsely mashing occasionally, about 5-10 minutes. Follow the directions on the Jiffy box to make two pie crusts.

 

Blackberry mixture

 

Roll a ball of pie crust, about the size of your palm. in flour and flatten with a rolling pin. Place this small crust in a muffin pan. Continue until all muffin compartments are full. Trim edges and save remaining crust.

 

 

Spoon the blackberry mixture into the pie shells. Dot each pie with butter. Using the remaining dough, flatten crust and cut into 1/4" strips. Arrange strips in a lattice pattern on top of the filling on each cup and trim the strips close to the edge of the dough cup. Crimp the edges of each pie.

 

 

 

 

 

Lightly beat the egg with 1 Tbsp water and brush onto the top and edge of each pie.

Place the muffin tin on a large sheet of aluminum foil in case any of the mixture bubbles over. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Do not let crust burn.

 

 

I served these straight out of the oven with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Yummy!

 

Barefoot Summer Cake

BAREFOOT SUMMER CAKE

 

Here is a fun cake I designed this weekend to help promote author Denise Hunter's new book (available in June) after she so graciously gave me an Advanced Reader's Copy last month. The book is fantastic, perfect for reading anywhere, but would make a great vacation read. Since the beach is a perfect place to read a good book, it was my inspiration for his design. (See my author blog at www.candicesuepatterson.blogspot.com for a book review of Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter.)


Here are step-by-step instructions on how to replicate this cake, great for a summer gathering or book club get-together!


I started with a boxed cake mix from the grocery store that I baked and let cool completely. Next, I mixed half a container of chocolate fudge frosting with half a container of vanilla frosting to make a light brown--the base for the sand. Then I added blue Wilton food coloring gel to the remaining vanilla frosting, stirring just enough to create a mixture of blues and still leaving some white. Using a spatula, I spread the chocolate frosting first on the bottom half of the cake and corresponding sides, smoothing evenly. With another spatula, I spread the blue frosting on, in a messy manner, making peaks and dips to give the appearance of waves. A mixture of ground graham crackers and brown sugar created sand that I spread over the chocolate frosting.


Next, I got to play around with gumpaste, which is my favorite part of decorating a cake!

Flattening a half-dollar size amount of gumpaste, I scored the shape of a flip-flop using the a knife then cut it out when it reached my satisfaction. I placed it on an empty spot of gumpaste and cut around it to make the next flip-flop uniform to the other. Then using very thin strips of gumpaste, I molded the straps of the flip-flops and pieced them together.

With more gumpaste, I rolled out a very thin (almost transparent) strip to mold into a beach towel.

 

Then I created the book by forming a thick square of gumpaste and scoring the middle deeply so it would bend. A thin layer of gumpaste attached to the bent square created the book cover. I scored the middle to create the spine of the book.

I also created a sailboat sculpting gumpaste into the correct shape and rolling gumpaste thin enough to be used a sail, which I poked through a toothpick. (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the boat in progress.)

After the gumpaste dried hard, I painted the items using various colors of Wilton food coloring gels.
When the items were dry, I placed them on the cake how I wanted them to be.


Here are some close-ups of the details:

Gumpaste flip-flops

Any one of Denise's great books!

All put together

Sailboat

Hope you enjoy!
Don't forget to visit my author blog at www.candicesuepatterson.blogspot.com and Denise Hunter's website at www.denisehunterbooks.com.

Swiss Roll Delight

 

SWISS ROLL DELIGHT

 

 

 

 

 

I made this for a church gathering we had last week, and it was a huge favorite with the kids (and yummy for adults too!). This recipe is very easy and delicious. (And who doesn't love the combination of chocolate and whipped cream?!)

 

 

 

Recipe:

1 package of Swiss Rolls (12 pack)

2-3/4 cups cold milk

2 packages instant chocolate fudge pudding mix (3.9 oz each)

2 cups whipped topping

 

 

 

Cut each cake roll into eight equal slices; set aside any chocolate coating that separates from the rolls for garnish.



Line a 9-inch springform pan with cake slices, completely covering the bottom and sides.

 

 

In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Pour over cake. Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with any reserved chocolate coating. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight) until serving.

Yield: 12 servings.

 



Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie

PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY PIE

 

 

Ingredients:
1/2 pkg (15 oz) refrigerated pie crust (1 crust)
1/4 cup chopped peanuts, divided
1 quart strawberries (about 1-lb), divided
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup milk
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1 pkg (3.3 oz) white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling
1/4 cup seedless strawberry jam



Recipe:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Let pie crust stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Gently unfold crust onto lightly floured surface. Roll to an 11-1/2 inch circle. Place crust into pie plate, pressing dough into the bottom and up the sides. Prick bottom and sides with fork. Sprinkle half of the peanuts over bottom of pie crust. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven; cool completely.

Rinse strawberries and pat dry with paper towels. Select six uniformly sized strawberries; set aside for garnish. Hull and slice remaining strawberries and arrange over bottom of crust.

Combine cream cheese and peanut butter in mixing bowl; whisk until smooth. Gradually add milk, whisking until smooth. Add half of the whipped topping and all of the pudding mix; mix until smooth. Immediately spoon filling into crust, spreading evenly.

Whisk jam until smooth; pour over center of filling. Spread jam into a 6-inch circle. Pipe rosettes around edge of pie, using remaining topping. Sprinkle remaining peanuts over pie. Slice reserved strawberries in half; arrange over whipped topping. Refrigerate at least one hour.

Yields: 12 servings.

Cappuccino Muffins with Coffee Cream Cheese Spread

 

CAPPUCCINO MUFFINS

WITH COFFEE CREAM CHEESE SPREAD

 

 

 

 

 

I got this recipe out of my electric company's monthly newspaper of all places. My husband and I are huge coffee fans, so I gave this recipe a shot. These muffins are a coffee lovers dream!

 

 

Muffin Recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup 2% or whole milk

2 tbsp. instant coffee granules (regular or decaf)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 egg

1 tbsp. vanilla

3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

 

 



Combine all dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, stir coffee into milk until dissolved. Add butter, egg and vanilla to coffee mixture; mix well. Pour into dry ingredients. Stir until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. If making miniature muffins, reduce baking time to 12-15 minutes. Let cool and top with Coffee Cream Cheese Spread. Makes a dozen regular-sized muffins.


Coffee Cream Cheese Spread Recipe:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese (regular or fat-free), softened
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. instant coffee granules (regular or decaf)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients and beat well. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Spread can also be served with bagels.)



Since my kids would be eating them also, I used decaf coffee granules and fat-free cream cheese to make it more calorie friendly for me.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Scotchies

 

OATMEAL SCOTCHIES

 

Recipe:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract or grated orange peel
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1-2/3 cups (11 oz package) butterscotch morsels


Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon fulls onto a baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes for chewy cookies, or 9-10 minutes for crispy cookies. Let stand for two minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about four dozen cookies.


Quick, easy, and delicious!
Kids love them!

Happy Baking!

Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake

I made this for our Thanksgiving gathering with family and friends, and it was a big hit! Though it's a cheesecake, it held just enough pumpkin flavor to appeal to the non-cheesecake lovers. I loved this dessert because it was easy to make, melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and the rustic look fit the warmth of the holiday season.


Recipe:

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted

Filling:
3 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 can (15 oz.) solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves (I did not have cloves, so I used nutmeg instead)
5 eggs, lightly beaten

Topping:
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts


Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 inches square). Securely wrap foil around pan. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and at least 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugars until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, cream, cinnamon, and cloves until blended. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 inch of hot water to the larger pan. (This keeps the cheese moist as it cooks to prevent cracks)

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. For topping, in a small bowl, combine butter and brown sugar. Stir in walnuts. Carefully sprinkle over hot cheesecake.

Bake 30 minutes longer or until center is just set. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

I cut the cheesecake in half so you could see the depth and detail of it.
I love how rustic it looks!!



Here's a close up shot.

Doesn't the crusty top look delicious?

Enjoy, and happy baking!!!