Banana Gingerbread

Holiday baking, gotta love it! It seems like I spent all weekend baking and still have more to do on Christmas Eve. I found this recipe for banana gingerbread, which seemed perfect for the season. I altered the recipe a bit since I didn't have whole wheat flour on hand and did not have the spice cardamom. There seems to be no substitution for it, so I did without it. I actually didn't get to try a slice of this bread since I'm putting this in a gift basket, but poured some batter in a couple of mini-muffin tins so that I could taste it. Pretty good! :)

Adapted from: http://www.bakingbites.com/

INGREDIENTS

1 cup whole wheat flour (I used 2 cups all purpose since I didn't have whole wheat flour)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom (I didn't have this so I omitted)
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 large)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 tbsp vegetable oil


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, banana, molasses, buttermilk and vegetable oil. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Makes 1 loaf, 8-10 slices.

Sausage and Cheese Cresent Squares

Another picture I stole from Pillsbury...:( Not only did I not get a picture of this appetizer, I didn't even eat them! I had a little taste as I was cutting them into squares to be served, but actually did not try one throughout the course of the night. I got rave reviews though! I do have to warn you, these look really gross as you're preparing the sausage and cream cheese mixture. I had second thoughts about serving these at a party as I was cooking up the mixture! However, they seemed to go over well! Next time I'll have to actually eat one. ;)

Adapted from: www.Pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS

2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1 lb spicy or mild bulk pork sausage
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375°F. If using crescent rolls: Unroll 1 can of dough into 2 long rectangles. Place in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish; press over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust. If using dough sheets: Unroll 1 can of dough. Place in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish; press over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust. In 12-inch skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently, until no longer pink. Remove sausage from skillet; discard drippings. To same skillet, add cream cheese. Cook over low heat until melted. Add cooked sausage; stir to coat. Spoon evenly over crust in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
If using crescent rolls: Unroll second can of dough on work surface. Press to form 13x9-inch rectangle; firmly press perforations to seal. Carefully place over cheese. If using dough sheets: Unroll second can of dough on work surface. Press to form 13x9-inch rectangle. Carefully place over cheese. Bake 21 to 26 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Cut into small squares.

Gorgonzola-Artichoke Dip

No, I did not take this picture. I stole it from Pillsbury's website since I didn't get a chance to take one! I made this easy and delicious dip for my parent's annual Christmas party. Since everything was so hectic right before the party started, I didn't get a picture of this or the sausage cheese squares that I made. This picture looks better anyway. ;)

Adapted from: www.Pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS

5 slices packaged precooked bacon
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, well drained, chopped
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (2 oz)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (2 oz)
2 teaspoons lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8-inch quiche dish, or 8- or 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Chop 3 slices of the bacon; place in medium bowl. Reserve remaining bacon for garnish. To bacon in bowl, stir in remaining ingredients. Spread mixture in dish. Bake 10 minutes. Stir dip; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until dip is bubbly around edges. Chop reserved bacon; sprinkle on top of dip. Serve warm dip with petite toasts, assorted crackers or baguette slices.

White Chocolate, Pear & Almond Cake

I had an extra pear and was flipping through a chocolate cookbook that I have and came across this recipe. Since I had all of my baking supplies out baking Christmas Cookies, I decided to try this cake to add to my Christmas baking. I get so used to looking up recipes online that sometimes I forget that I have several baking books to look through! This cake is really good, very tasty. :) I did alter the recipe a little since I didn't have ground almonds. I used 0.5 tsp of almond extract in place of 0.5 tsp of the 2tsp of vanilla that the recipe calls for. It does give it a strong almond taste, so if that's not what you're looking for either omit the almond extract all together or scale it down to 0.25 tsp. This was also really easy to make.

Adapted from: Chocolate Galore by Caroline Beaty

INGREDIENTS
1 ripe pear
1 3/4 sticks (14 tablespoons) sweet butter, slightly softened
3/4 cup superfine sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used 1.5 tsp & 0.5 tsp almond extract)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 1/2 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup blached almonds, roughly chopped (I omitted)
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and baseline a 8 inch cake pan. Peel and core the pear and cut it into eights. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Fold in the flour and baking powder, and finally the white chocolate and almonds. Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared plan and level the surface. Place the pears in a circle on top, pressing them down into the batter. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until risen and firm in the center. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing and cooling on wire rack. Dust with confectioner's sugar to serve.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Adapted from: http://www.crystalscozykitchen.blogspot.com/

This may take the cake (no pun intended!) for one of the best desserts I've ever made. If you're a chocoholic, this is the cheesecake you want to make. I used a lot of dark chocolate, where the recipe was pretty flexible in using dark, semi-sweet, bittersweet, etc. I'm a big fan of dark chocolate though. ;) I'm considering making a bar version of this for my parent's Christmas Party but already had another chocolate dessert in mind for that....decisions, decisions!

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

2 cups crushed cookies (I used Oreos with fillings removed)

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp melted butter

Oreos - about 8 for surrounding crust (taken apart and fillings removed)

FILLING

1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup sugar

3 bars of cream cheese (8 oz. each)

1/3 cup cocoa (I used dark chocolate cocoa by Hershey's)

1 tsp vanilla

TOPPING
1.5 cups chocolate chips (I used 3/4 cups dark chocolate chips & 3/4 cups semi-sweet chips)
1/4 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust, place the Oreos around the outside of a springform pan (separated with fillings removed). Mix the 2 cups of cookie crumbs with sugar and butter and then press into the pan covering the bottom and up the sides. The original recipe called for more Oreos lining the top of the crust, but since the crust is crushed Oreos, I really didn't notice these extra cookies. I would omit this next time...and there will be a next time! Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. A tip from the original recipe that I found helpful - put the pan on a cookie sheet (I lined this with foil) so that if butter oozes it, it won't create a mess.

To make the filling, first melt 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips). You can melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, or on low heat on the stove. Add 1/4 cup of room temperature heavy cream to the melted chips. Mix until combined. Set aside. Next, beat the 3 (8 oz.) of softened cream cheese for about 1 minute. Add one cup of sugar and mix until combined. Add 1/3 cup of baking cocoa and mix until combined. I used Hershey's Dark Chocolate baking cocoa and highly recommend it! I've been using it in all of my chocolate recipes recently and think it makes everything just a bit richer (and better)! Add the eggs, one at at time and beat until smooth. Add 1 tsp vanilla, mix, then add the cream/chocolate chips mixture and mix on low speed. Pour the filling into the baked crust and bake at 325 for about 55-60 minutes. The original recipe called for 45-50 minutes and I baked it for 50. It was a little underdone in the center, which is always better than overdone, but if you want a fully baked cheesecake I'd suggest about 55 minutes or so. Check on it to make sure it looks okay! After baking, let the cheesecake cool for about an hour.

To make the topping, melt 1.5 cups of chocolate chips. I used 3/4 cup of semi-sweet and 3/4 cups of dark chocolate chips. Mix with 1/4 cup of room temperature heavy cream. Pour over the top of the cheesecake and smooth it out. Put cheesecake in the fridge for about 4 hours or so (I had it in overnight).

Peanut Butter Cookies

Since I was on Smitten Kitchen's blog for the pumpkin pie (and not sure how well it would turn out because of the thick crust!), I felt like I needed one more dessert at my Thanksgiving table. I haven't baked peanut butter cookies in a long time (at least before I started my blog), so I gave these ones a try. These cookies were extremely good! They stayed chewy for days afterwards and were gone by the time I thew out the remains of the other Thanksgiving desserts...with the exception of the Triple Chocolate Cheesecake, which is still in my fridge (and am pretty sure should be thrown out now). My husband insisted that I keep that there one more day...:)

Adapted from: http://www.smittenkitchen.com/

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth is what I used)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar, regular or superfine

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern (I used the back of a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Baked Brie

So easy and so good! I'm not too happy with the presentation, but I was having difficulty getting the foil out from under the brie, so I just transferred the foil onto the plate and haphazardly put the crackers around the brie. I'll have to work on that....especially since I'm making this again for my parents' Christmas Party this weekend!

Adapted from: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/

INGREDIENTS
1 large sheet of puff pastry dough or 1 tube of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (I used crescent rolls)
1 round or wedge of Brie cheese (do not remove rind)
Raspberry Jam, or other sweet jam
Brown sugar
1/4 cup of maple syrup

DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2 On a stick-free cookie sheet, lay out the puff pastry or the crescent rolls flat; put brie round or wedge on top.
2 Spread jam on brie, fold dough over top, cutting off excess dough. Drizzle maple syrup and place a handful of brown sugar on top.
3 Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes, pastry should be golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with crackers and apple slices.