BACON EGG and CHEESE TOAST CUPS

This is a very EASY recipe because most of it can be made ahead of time.  It is a FUN breakfast to serve company or a bunch of rowdy teenagers or a breakfast buffet crowd because it can be finished off last minute!!

There are no real measurements for this recipe; just one circle of toast, a pinch of cheese, one egg and one slice of precooked bacon for each serving (use the regular thickness bacon  because thick bacon won't work for this recipe).

These little beauties are quite filling and two of them make a hearty breakfast.

The "do ahead part" is to spray the cupcake pan generously with vegetable spray, then put a "toast circle" (un-buttered) in the bottom of each cupcake well.

Next, pre-fry the bacon. I do mine in the oven (the day ahead) because it comes out perfectly flat and easy to work with.  Click HERE for my post on cooking bacon in the oven.

Bake the bacon at 375 (no need to preheat) for about 20 minutes, or if you are frying it, cook it about 2/3 done (you want it almost done, but still pliable).  Drain the bacon but don't let it cool down much (it tends to get stiff as it cools down). Quickly wrap each cupcake well, like this:

Add a healthy pinch of shredded cheddar ( I also like pepper jack cheese) on top of the toast, like this:

At this point, you can put them in the fridge and bring them out the next morning.

When it's time to eat, preheat your oven to 400 and carefully break an egg into each "nest"

Sprinkle with kosher salt and coarsely ground pepper. Put them into the oven for for 15-18 minutes or until the eggs are done to your liking. Let the finished eggs sit in the pan for a minute or two (don't worry, they stay very hot).

Scoop the baked egg cups out of the pan with a spoon (they come out easily). If you like your eggs done fairly well (like we do), you can pick these up and eat them out of hand, but if you like a soft set egg, you'll need a plate and fork.

I am definitely making these for Christmas morning,
along with fruit cups

and cinnamon rolls!!

THANKSGIVING MINI DESSERT

We just love mini desserts, don't you? No extra plates and forks (we use napkins), no "commitment" to a big slice of something; instead two or three different mini-desserts is more to our liking.

Todays recipe is a combination of two of my favorite holiday treats. It has a bottom layer of moist, spicy pumpkin CAKE and a top layer of rich and creamy CHEESECAKE; what could be better for your holiday buffet table?

 

CAKE LAYER

 

1/2  cup Libby pumpkin puree (NOT the pre-spiced kind)

3/4  cup all purpose flour

1 1/2  teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Mix the flour, spice, salt and baking soda and set aside.  In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, egg, sugar, oil and vanilla until smooth, then add the dry ingredients from the first bowl. Whisk just until well mixed and set aside.

 

CHEESECAKE LAYER

 

(2) 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

2   large egg

4 teaspoons all purpose flour

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

 



Beat the cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth, then add the egg, flour, sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth, but don't over beat.

ASSEMBLY

Super simple: place cupcake papers in cupcake pan and very lightly mist them with cooking spray.

Put a small amount of cake batter into each paper and make sure it covers the bottom. Top with cheesecake filling(dividing evenly between the 24 desserts).

Bake in pre-heated 350° oven for 25 minutes or until set (my electric oven takes exactly 25 minutes).

Cool to room temperature then chill for at least a couple hours.

NOTE:  These little gems can be made two or three days ahead of time which is a huge help during the holidays. As a matter of fact, they taste even more moist after a couple days in the fridge.  Just make sure that you store them chilled in an airtight container.

NOTE: This cake batter raises nicely, so don't put too much in the bottom of each one...sort of spread it around but not too terribly thick or you will get all cake and less cheesecake.

CHEESECAKE BROWNIE CUPCAKES

This recipe is a delightful combination of a brownie layer baked under a vanilla cheesecake layer; do I have your attention yet? 

They are delicious and seriously going onto my holiday dessert tray this year. If you like chocolate (duh!!) AND you like cheesecake (double duh!!) you will love these quick and simple treats.

 

Brownie Layer
1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup flour

Heat chocolate, cocoa and butter (I use my microwave) just until melted, then stir well and set aside to cool while you do the next step.

In another medium size bowl mix sugar, egg and vanilla till smooth; add melted chocolate/butter and flour and stir just until it looks well mixed (I do this by hand - no mixer); set aside.

Cheesecake Layer
8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Using electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is very smooth. Add the sugar, egg and vanilla and continue mixing until creamy smooth.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pan with 12 foil liners. If you don't have foil liners, you can use paper liners, but you will have to mist them with a little vegetable spray.

Put a very lightly rounded tablespoon of brownie batter in each cupcake foil and roughly spread it around a little.

Top the brownie layer with the cheesecake mixture, dividing it equally between the 12 cupcakes.
 
Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven but do not remove from the cupcake pan. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then chill in fridge (still in pan) for several hours.

I topped these little gems with a ganache (but you don't have to).  To make that, I just mixed a large handful of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup very hot (but not boiling) heavy cream, stirring until thick and smooth.

These are also very pretty at holiday time, topped with cherry pie filling and a swirl of whipped cream; it's sort of an individual black forest cake idea.

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

I am a "list maker" and one of the lists I thoroughly enjoy making is my holiday baking list. From October through early December, I pour over my old tried and true recipes then surf the web for new recipes I want to try. I make a ton of cookies for Christmas, so I'm always on the hunt for a new one to try.

Below are three great Christmas cookie recipes; I hope you and  your family enjoy them.

click on the link under the

photo for the recipe;

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookies

 

These are made with a spritz type dough that is baked in a mini muffin pan and when they come out of the oven and are still piping hot, you press a FROZEN mini-Reece cup into the cookie; they are wonderful and look very pretty on any cookie tray.

 



Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies

Spritz cookies are traditional at Christmas, however cream cheese spritz cookies are even better!! They are similar to a shortbread cookie in overall taste, however, they are light as a feather and crispy. You can make them look "holiday ready" with a tiny chip of maraschino cherry in the center or dust them with holiday sprinkles.

 

Chewy Molasses Cookies

 

The aroma of these molasses cookies, hot out of the oven, says "Christmas" to me. They are gently spiced and (if you keep them in an airtight container) will stay soft for days. They truly are a PERFECT holiday cookie.





FRUIT CRUMB BARS

This is one of those wonderfully versatile recipes that is just as good with apple filling, as it is with cherry filling, or blueberry; whatever your family likes the best.

The crumb crust/topping goes together in just a couple minutes with the food processor and if you can wait long enough for the bars to cool down to room temperature, they cut beautifully. We (obviously) couldn't wait that long (in the photo below).

CRUMB CRUST/TOPPING
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup COLD butter (cubed)
1 egg, beaten

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder salt and cubed butter into the food processor and pulse until well mixed.  If you don't have a food processor, do it with a pastry cutter and work it until the butter is well mixed. Add egg and mix well (it will look like coarse sand).

Press HALF of this mixture into a greased 9" x 13" baking dish.  Top with fruit filling and top with the other half of the crumb mixture.

Bake at 375° if you are using a metal baking pan or 350° if you are using glass, for 40 minutes or until top crumbs are light golden.

If you cool the bars completely before you cut them,

they will cut very neatly (it is not necessary, but it

makes for a prettier presentation.

 

CHERRY FRUIT FILLING (or use your favorite filling)
(2) 14 ounce cans tart pie cherries packed in water
1 1/2 cups sugar (DIVIDED)
4 tablespoons + 2 teaspoon cornstarch
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (do not leave out)

Drain the cherries, but save the juice.  Put one cup of the juice in a saucepan and add HALF of the sugar, the cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil and cook until nice and thick.

Remove from heat and stir in the OTHER HALF of the sugar, the cherries and the almond extract. 

Glaze   (optional)
2 tablespoon butter melted
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (do not leave out)

While bars are still a little warm, mix 2 tablespoons melted butter with 2 cups powdered sugar, about 3 or 4 tablespoons of milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Whisk until smooth and drizzle over fruit bars.

Warning to Fellow Bloggers

 

 

A sweet blogging friend recently emailed me and said that she saw one of my recipe photos posted on another persons recipe blog. It was disturbing, but it wasn't the first (and probably not the last) time this has happened to me, so I tried not to over react.

But today, totally by accident, I ran across another web page (from Indonesia, no less!!) that had a TON of my recipes and photos posted as if they were this persons own work; not a single mention or link back to my recipe page at all!! So I started looking around the Internet, and I was shocked to see how "common" this practice is. 

So far, it seems that all of my photos that were swiped, were one's I posted before 2011. I'm guessing that must be, because in 2011, I started putting my name on my recipe photos; evidently, people don't like to steal photos that are labeled (I wish I had known that!!)

The funny thing is, is that I'm a terrible photographer!! Why are they stealing MY photos when there are so many great ones out there? Maybe mine are the ONLY ONES not labeled(?)

Lesson for the day:

 

PUT YOUR NAME ON ALL OF YOUR RECIPE PHOTOS MY FRIENDS!! and not just in the corner of the photo either because I've had people tell me that "thieves" are just cropping the authors name off of the edge of the photo and re-posting it.........Grrrrr!!

I am slowly going back through and labeling my old recipe photos, but it is a pain to do.

Thanks for listening to my rant.
Coleen

FIVE STAR CHOCOLATE PUDDING

OK, I admit I have posted a lot of pudding recipes, but then again, I have tried many, many more pudding recipes than I have posted, so I've tried to hold back and post only the best ones...........Oh who am I kidding, WE LOVE PUDDING!!

With that said, today's chocolate pudding is BY FAR THE BEST ONE YET. It has a silky smooth mouth feel (important in pudding), a wonderfully deep milk chocolate flavor and it has a wonderful consistency.........it is REALLY good.

 

3 (slightly heaping) tablespoons bakers cocoa powder
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 egg YOLKS
2 level tablespoons corn starch
2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
5 tablespoons butter (cut into pieces)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Whisk the cocoa, brown sugar and corn starch together and set aside.

Whisk the cream, milk and yolks together in a saucepan that has a nice heavy bottom (it prevents scorching). Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and whisk until smooth. Make sure you scrape the corners of the pan because the corn starch likes to "hide" there.

Cook on medium heat (stirring) until it gets thick and starts to bubble all over the entire surface of the pudding. TURN THE HEAT DOWN to a level where it still bubbles (but isn't going crazy) and cook/stir for another 30 seconds.

Remove from heat and add the butter, milk chocolate chips and vanilla; whisk until melted and smooth. Now, if you REALLY want that super smooth and silky mouth feel, pour the cooked pudding through a mesh strainer, it really makes a difference but isn't absolutely necessary.

Pour into dessert dishes and lay a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap right on the surface of the hot pudding (this will stop any "pudding skin" from forming). Chill for at least 4 hours.

NOTE: The quality of your milk chocolate chips makes a difference; make sure they are real chocolate, not imitation.

NOTE: Make sure you use unsweetened baking cocoa.