Melted butter, gooey brown sugar, and pineapples atop a cardamon cake.

INGREDIENTS

For topping:

1/2 medium pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored
3/4 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

For batter:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Make topping:

Cut pineapple crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Melt butter in skillet. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in concentric circles, overlapping pieces slightly.

Make batter:

Sift together flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Beat in the milk, then add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.)

 

Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake cake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cake stand in skillet 5 minutes. Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto plate (keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together). Replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet. Cool on plate on a rack.

Serve cake just warm or at room temperature.

I worked with this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

140g/5 oz. fine granulated sugar
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
50g/2 oz. unsalted butter
250g/9 oz. cream cheese
100 ml/3 fluid oz. fresh milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
60g/2 oz. cake flour /superfine flour
20g/1 oz. corn flour (cornstarch)
1/4 teaspoon salt

METHOD

Grease or line small cake tins or muffin tin. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, salt, egg yolks, lemon juice and mix well.

Make the meringue by whisking egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. You can beat with a stand mixer or handheld mixer. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.

Take 1/3 meringue and fold into the cheese mixture, then fold in another 1/3 of meringue. After incorporated, pour the batter back to the remaining 1/3 meringue and fold. FOLD GENTLY. Pour the mixture into small cake pan or muffin tin.

Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 45 minutes or until set and golden. Chill for 4 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

I got the recipe here.

Or you can call them FBCCYCEFBTBYM Cookies for short. Maybe a hashtag? A guy named Dr. Jockers made these so I couldn’t resist.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup protein powder
1/4 cup raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/8 cup of water

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

 

Roughly chop sunflower seeds or other nuts you may wish to use in the blender until broken up into chunks.

 

Place all ingredients into a bowl and stir together, if you notice that it is too crumbly than try adding in another tablespoon of coconut oil and possibly more water.

 

 

Scoop cookies onto a cookie tray.

 

Gently press the cookies down to flatten.

 

Makes about 18 cookies.

 

Bake for about 15 minutes.

I got the recipe here.

I guess I have chocolate on my mind this weekend. So light and fluffy

INGREDIENTS

8oz bittersweet chocolate
6 tablespoons butter
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees with the rack in the center. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until completely melted. Let cool slightly. Whisk in egg yolks.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar, and continue beating until glossy stiff peaks form. Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture; then gently fold in remaining egg whites.

Pour batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and is set in the center, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack; remove sides of pan. Serve at room temperature, dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

I got the recipe here.

I got this from Smitten Kitchen. Not sure what I’m gonna do with the rest of the  6-pack of Guinness I had to buy. I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

INGREDIENTS
Cake
1 cup stout
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a bundt pan well; make sure you get in all of the nooks and crannies. (Some people even go so far as to brush the inside of their bundt pans with melted butter–you cannot be too careful!). Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool completely in the pan, then turn cake out onto rack for drizzling ganache.*

Ganache: 
For chocolate ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of cooled cake.

For the white chocolate ganache, repeat the same process as above.

INGREDIENTS

1 stick (8 tablespoons) of butter at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup jelly or jam

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

Scoop 2 tablespoons cookie dough into a round on a prepared baking sheet and then flatten it slightly with your fingers. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough to make 24 cookies. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.

Turn half the cookies over and place 1 mounded tablespoon of jelly in the center. Top each with another cookie and press down slightly.

I got the recipe here.

Isabel is visiting from England and loves Pumpkin Pie. So she gets one, in March.

Pie Crust
(Makes a double crust or two single pies)

1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chilled lard or crisco in 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Put flour, spices, sugar, and salt in bowl.  Cut in butter and lard until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add 1 tablespoon of ice water and at a time and mix with fork until dough begins to clump together, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough together, flatten each half into disk. Wrap disk in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1-15 ounce canned pumpkin
1-14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll out pie crust and form into pie plate.  Set aside.

Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes at 425 then lower oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for an additional 35-40 minutes until knife come out clean. 

 

Dunk, chew, swallow, repeat. Thanks, Smitten Kitchen.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon espresso
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coarse, sea or kosher salt
2 cups  flour
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water, and set aside.

Beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in the vanilla, espresso and salt, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough.  Fold in the chopped chocolate with a sturdy rubber spatula.

Using the spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets.

Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet.

6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
8 oz. marscapone
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 dried orange slices
1/2 cup Raspberry jam

DIRECTIONS