Category Archives: Desserts

Schofferhofer Grapefruit Brie Apple Crisp

I know, I know. You’re thinking, “Beer, grapefruit, brie and grandma’s apple crisp? What the what?” Welcome to the delicious world of craft beers! This Schofferhofer Grapefruit Brie Apple Crisp will conjure up some of those wonderful grandma’s cooking memories, but it will also bring you into the new (ish) & exciting world of craft beer, and all the fabtastic foods you can create. Alone, this Schofferhofer Grapefruit hefeweizen is refreshing to the taste buds and nose, worthy of any spring fling or summer pool party. With some fresh fruit and brie, it becomes Oscar worthy. Because of the brie, this dish can be used as either an appetizer or dessert. I personally tried some for breakfast, and it was incredible. Because I run on the hedonistic side, I also tried equal parts of Schofferhofer Grapefruit and champagne. Move over mimosa, there’s a new sheriff in town! YUM!!! I hope that you get as much enjoyment out of this recipe as I have!

Ingredients

5 lbs Apples, peeled, cored & cut into wedges
12 oz brie, cut into very small cubes
1/2 cup Schofferhofer Grapefruit
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbs tapioca
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into very small cubes

Combine apples and next 6 ingredients. Pour into greased 9×12 baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients in food processor by pulsing and just until combined. Drop over apple mixture. Bake at 350 until topping is browned and filling is bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes before serving. It’ll be VERY hot! Enjoy!

Heart Mocha Brownies with Bourbon White Chocolate Ganache

Mocha brownies. Chocolate. Bourbon. White Chocolate. Ganache.

Heart brownies with Jesse James Bourbon white chocolate ganache

It’s the stuff dreams and Valentine’s Day are made of. Since I’m on an anti-Valentine’s kick, I thought I’d make an effort to embrace it for the sake of others. This is my good deed for the day.

I mean, how hard can it be? Brownies. You just can’t be grumpy with brownies. Make them a little mocha-ie to change them up a bit. Cut them into hearts (I promise, I resisted the urge to make them broken hearts!). Bourbon. My mood is rapidly improving! White chocolate. I often say I’d eat a paper plate that has cheese melted on it. I feel the same way about white chocolate. Bourbon white chocolate ganache!!!!! Yes, coat the dreaded hearts in bourbon white chocolate ganache!!! If I wasn’t already me, I’d marry me for this idea. Hell, I think I’m going to task my personal mixologist, David Gano, with creating a drink that tastes like these. The man worked magic with my Almond Lemon Lavender Cookies; I think he can swing this one!

Mocha Brownies

4 oz unsweetened bar chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tbs espresso powder
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (or whatever flavor you prefer)

Prepare 9 x 9 baking pan (I use spray for baking). Sprinkle a little

Sprinkle espresso and cocoa powder in bottom of prepared pan.

extra espresso powder and cocoa powder in bottom of pan. Preheat over to 350. In large bowl, combine sugars. Set aside. Place butter and chocolate (broken into pieces) into medium, microwavable bowl. Heat 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, for a minute total. Continue to stir until chocolate completely melts. Stir in vanilla. Pour into sugar mixture. Stir until combined.

Stir espresso powder into mixture

****Note: DO NOT use an electric mixer for brownies. ***** Add beaten eggs, and stir until well combined. Stir in espresso powder and flour (add flour a little at a time for ease of stirring). Fold in white chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes (until center is no longer liquid. It can be fudgy, but not liquid). Use heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts.

Cut brownies into heart shapes

Drizzle with slightly cooled ganache.

Bourbon White Chocolate Ganache

8 oz bar white chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs Jesse James Bourbon

In heavy medium saucepan, combine white chocolate, cream and butter and heat over low heat, stirring constantly and just until mixture is smooth. Stir in bourbon. Cool slightly and drizzle over brownies. In my continued effort to embrace Valentine’s Day, I added some red coloring to the ganache, although I considered black!

Post Road Pumpkin Ale Bars with White Chocolate Pumpkin Ale Cream Cheese Frosting

It’s October. It’s not the ghosts and goblins that remind us, it’s the pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin coffees that remind our taste buds that it’s October. This is a recipe that I started making about 15 years ago. I’ve altered it over the years, a beautiful and decided to make a tasty addition of Post Road Pumpkin Ale to make a grown up and more sophisticated version. If you’ve got mini loaf pans, that would be a great way to make some fabtastic gifts for the holidaze. Just fill the pans at half you would for bread. I promise you, not only will your kitchen smell heavenly, these mouth watering pumpkin bars will be all treat, no tricks!

Post Road Pumpkin Ale Bars with White Chocolate Pumpkin Ale Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (preferably clear)
1 Tbs Post Road Pumpkin Ale
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
8 oz chopped white chocolate (small but not fine)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheet/jelly roll pan (approximately 15 x 10). Beat butter until fluffy. Add sugars and beat until mixture is creamy. Add pumpkin, vanilla and Post Road Pumpkin Ale until combined. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and spices and gradually beat into butter mixture. Fold in white chocolate and walnuts. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until pick comes out clean. Cool in pan.

Frosting

11 oz white chocolate (good quality), melted
12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 Tbs Post Road Pumpkin Ale
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (preferably clear)
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
2 Tbs powdered sugar

In medium bowl, cream together melted white chocolate and cream cheese. Add cinnamon and cloves. Stir in pumpkin beer and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar. Beat until lump free. Spread on baked pumpkin bars. Allow to set and serve.

Perfect Pie Crust Recipe

For some reason, many folks find the prospect of making a pie crust from scratch to be very daunting.

: © Karcich | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Often times, people who aren’t afraid to make pie crust, really shouldn’t be doing it. The first secret for a great pie crust recipe is FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS PRECISELY!

Baking is a science; if you don’t use precise measurements, you’ll end with a science project gone wrong. You know that commercial that the volcano science project explodes all over the kitchen ceiling?

Okay, it probably won’t explode all over the kitchen ceiling if you aren’t precise, but you get the gist. Purchasing a bra requires knowing the precise size; would you purchase a bra without knowing measurements or what size to purchase? Or shoes? And so it goes, you shouldn’t bake without precise measurements. And don’t substitute! People tell me all the time that they can’t bake; as the conversation progresses, I find out not only did they not follow the directions precisely, they also made non compatible substitutions. Okay, enough of the lecture!

If you want to use this crust for something savory, add some fresh herbs when you add the butter, just not a lot of it. You want just a hint of flavor, not overwhelming flavor. The savory crust is great to use in making an amazing chicken pot pie.

Some folks use half butter and half shortening. I prefer butter all the way, baby! I love the buttery, flaky taste of this crust and I bet you will, too! This pie crust recipe is enough for two bottom crusts, or a bottom and top crust, or about 2 dozen tartlets.

Ingredients

2 1/2 Cups flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup COLD, UNSALTED butter (if it doesn’t say “unsalted”, don’t use it!)
1/4 cup ice water

Directions

Combine flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Cut butter into small pieces (I sometimes do this ahead of time and leave in frig so it stays cold. You’ll be surprised how quickly the heat from your fingers can warm it up.) and add to the processor bowl. Process until it resembles coarse meal or large grains of sand (should be about 10 seconds). With processor on, slowly pour ice water through the feeder until the dough holds together - it should not be wet or sticky! Divide the dough in two and fatten each into a round disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour. When chilled, roll out on lightly floured surface to desired diameter.

Henriettibles Ahhh-mazing Almond, Lemon & Lavender Cookies

These shortbread type Almond, Lemon and Lavender cookies are light, savory and ahhh-mazing.

I mean really. They have been approved by the most discriminating taste buds, I promise. You will LOVE them!

Ingredients

Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbs sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ Tbs corn starch
1 Tbs + 1 tsp dried lavender
1.5 oz marzipan, cut into small cubes
Zest of one medium lemon
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 tbs + 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbs honey (or to taste)

Pulse flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and corn starch in a food processor. Add lemon zest, marzipan and butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (it will look like the mix when you are making pie crust). Add lemon juice and honey, and pulse until it forms a very soft dough. Using a small scoop (about a quarter in diameter), place a scoop of dough onto baking sheet lined with parchment or baking paper. Once sheet is filled, take a flat bottom glass, dip the bottom in superfine sugar, and press down on ball to flatten. Put in oven at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before removing to cooling rack – if you do not let them set, they will crumble. Transfer to cooling rack until completely cooled. Drizzle with lemon glaze (optional).

Glaze

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
6 Tbs powdered sugar

Whisk ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over cooled Almond, Lemon and Lavender cookies. Allow to glaze to set before serving.

Crazy Good Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Cream cheese frosting. That’s all you have to say, and I’m in!

As I was discussing Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, I was pondering what I could do to make them stand out from all others…. Cream cheese ice cream, of course! SCORE!!!!

Please, if you are a novice, be sure to read through all the directions before creating this delight!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups whipping cream
2/3 cup sugar
3 egg YOLKS
¾ tsp vanilla
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

In saucepan (make sure it holds at least 4 cups), combine milk, whipping cream and sugar.Heat over medium heat (DO NOT BOIL) just to a simmer and sugar is dissolved,whisking regularly. Meanwhile, lightly whisk the egg yolks in medium bowl (don’t use a small bowl). When cream mixture is ready, using a glass measuring cup, remove about ¾ cup of the cream mixture and SLOWLY add to yolks, whisking constantly. This is called tempering. You do this so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs! SLOWLY pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan, and heat until mixture thickens, whisking CONSTANTLY. DO NOT walk away from it. As soon as you do, you’ll end up with mixture burned to the bottom of your pan. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Add the softened cream cheese and lemon juice, and whisk until cream cheese incompletely melted and incorporated into the mixture (at least two minutes). Allow to cool slightly. Strain mixture into a container and refrigerate overnight, or eight hours. Place contents into ice cream maker, following manufacturer’s directions. Transfer into a container and freeze at least four hours before serving.

This WILL change your life!!!! :)

Butter Pecan Bourbon Cake

Bourbon. You know it. You love it. Now you’ll really, really want it! Two great tastes combined in one luscious cake, our Butter Pecan Bourbon Cake by Henriettibles.

What’s not to love? This cake is as easy to make as it is good to eat. Every party I take this cake to, it disappears in the blink of an eye. If you’re taking it to a party, you might want to make two so you have some for yourself!

Cake Ingredients:

1 box butter pecan cake mix
1 pkg vanilla pudding - the type you cook, not instant
4 eggs - when baking, eggs should be at room temperature
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup Jesse James Bourbon Whiskey

Directions:

Beat all with electric mixer until combined. Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 325 for 60 minutes.*

*If you really like pecans, put some in the bottom of the Bundt pan before adding batter.

Syrup Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Melt all in saucepan, bring just to a boil. Pour over cake as soon as it comes out of oven. Allow to cool slightly (be sure to allow the syrup to all absorb into the cake) in pan before turning out on to a serving plate.