Mouthwatering Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup milk

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream margarine and shortening until light and fluffy. Add salt, vanilla, confectioners' sugar and milk. Beat well.

Making Cupcakes With My Two Year Old

Yummy! White Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Filling, Almond/Amaretto Frosting

Great Gooey Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 quarts popped popcorn

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
3. Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Yummy...

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

My Favorite Sweet Treat

 

Ingredients:

• 5.5 ounces (1 stick plus 3 tbsp) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups cake flour (if available; all-purpose flour is an acceptable substitute)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 lb 5 oz soft caramels, unwrapped
• 2-3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 lb semisweet chocolate or chocolate-flavored candy coating

Preparation:

1. First, prepare the shortbread cookie base. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 13x9 baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place the butter and the granulated sugar in the bowl of a large mixer and beat them together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed just until the flour is incorporated.
4. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and use your hands to press it into a thin, even layer. Bake the shortbread for a total of 18-20 minutes, turning halfway through so it cooks evenly. When it is finished it should be a light golden brown color. Don't overcook it, or it will be very crumbly. Allow the shortbread to cool completely.
5. To prepare the caramel layer, placed the unwrapped caramels in a large microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of cream. If your caramels are very stiff, you might want to increase the cream by an additional spoonful. This candy bar works best if the caramel is not too hard or chewy, so adding some cream when melting the caramels helps make it silky smooth.
6. Microwave the caramels until melted and smooth, stirring after every 30 seconds to incorporate the cream and prevent overheating. Pour the melted caramel over the shortbread cookie crust and smooth it into an even layer. Refrigerate the pan to set the caramel completely, about 1 hour.
7. Melt the chocolate or candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl and stir until completely smooth.
8. Remove the caramel-covered bars from the pan by using the foil as handles. Cut the pan into thin, finger-width bars. I usually cut the pan in half widthwise, then cut about 10 bars from each half, for a total of about 20 long, thin bars, but you can vary the size to suit your needs. Use a large, sharp knife to prevent the cookie base from crumbling.
9. Use dipping tools or forks to dip the bars in the melted chocolate, covering them completely. Place the dipped bars on a foil-lined tray and repeat until all bars are dipped. Refrigerate the tray to set the chocolate, about 10 minutes.
10.Store homemade candy bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. These are best when allowed to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving, so that the caramel can soften.

Bars Variation: If you don't have the time or patience to dip individual bars, you can make these into cookie squares instead. Spread the top of the caramel with the melted chocolate (you will probably use less of the chocolate, perhaps two-thirds of the original amount) and refrigerate it until set. Once firm, cut the pan into small squares to serve. Keep these candy squares refrigerated, otherwise the soft caramel will ooze out the sides and make a mess.

What A Wacky Cake!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into an 8x8 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three depressions. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour water over all, and stir well with fork.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.

Better Brittle

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 55 Minutes Servings: 16

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup water

1 cup peanuts 2 tablespoons butter, softened 1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1.	Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
2.	In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
3.	Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches; cool. Snap candy into pieces

Best Bagles!

Prep Time: 50 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ready In: 2 Hours 30 Minutes Servings: 12

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 1/2 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 2 tablespoons white sugar 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

7 cups bread flour 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon white sugar 3 tablespoons poppy seeds (optional)

Directions:

1.	In large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water to soften; stir to dissolve. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, oil, 6 cups of flour, and salt. Mix thoroughly until the dough forms up and leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out on floured board and knead, adding small amounts of flour as necessary. Bagel dough should be pretty stiff. Work in as much extra flour as you can comfortably knead. Knead until smooth and elastic, 12-15 minutes.
2.	Roll the dough into a ball, place it in a large oiled bowl, and turn to coat. Cover and let fully rise until an impression made with your finger remains and does not sink into the dough (about an hour).
3.	Punch down and cut into thirds, and roll each piece between your palms into a rope. Cut each rope into 4 equal pieces and shape into balls. Roll the first ball into another rope that is about 2" longer than the width of your hand. Make a ring with the dough, overlapping ends about 1/2" and sealing the ends by rolling with your palm on the board. If the dough resists rolling, dab on a drop of water with your finger. Evenly place the bagels on 2 nonstick baking pans or very lightly oiled baking sheets. Cover and let stand until puffy, about 20 minutes.
4.	While bagels are proofing, fill a 4 quart saucepan 2/3 full with cold water; add 1 tablespoon sugar and bring to a boil. When ready to cook, drop 2 or 3 bagels at a time into the boiling water and wait until they rise to the top. Cook for a total of 1 minute, turning once.
5.	Carefully lift each bagel out with a slotted spoon or skimmer. Drain momentarily. Turn into a dish with topping, if desired. Evenly space bagels on 2 nonstick baking pans or very lightly oiled baking sheets.
6.	Bake with steam in a preheated 500 degree F (260 degrees C) oven until well-browned, about 20 minutes. Turn bagels over when the tops begin to brown, and continue baking until done.

Sweet Satisfaction

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 pound light brown sugar
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface. Cook for 2 minutes at that temperature. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.
2. Meanwhile, butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. When the caramel is ready, pour into the buttered pan. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Remove from the pan and cut into squares using scissors. Wrap individual pieces in waxed paper or cellophane.

Enchanting Dessert Canapé Oreo Truffle

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA

Cream Cheese, softened 2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi -Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

Directions:

1.	Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.
2.	Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
3.	Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

Fall in love again

It’s hard to resist the aroma of my cakes and confections but the taste is even better. My cakes are made using the highest quality ingredients to ensure a flawless look and taste. My opulent, moist, smooth and light consistencies will have you longing for more! They are homemade and heartfelt. I offer a large variety of stunning and delightful special occasion cakes, dessert cakes, cupcakes and pastries but I am best known for my beautiful cake, cupcake and cookie pops.  I offer a variety of modern, fun, romantic, whimsical, and themed cakes.   Every conception tastes as superior as it appears.