SWEET TREATS

Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Bread Brown Sugar Crumble

Courtesy of: Linda Callegari

Ingredients:

MUFFINS • ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 3 bananas, mashed ¾ cup white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten 1/3 cup melted butter

CINNAMON CRUMBLE • ⅓ cup packed brown sugar 2 Tbsp all purpose flour ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon 1 Tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers 2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 3. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stire the banana mixture onto the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. 4. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour and cinnamon and cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins. 5. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 38

Perfect Macarons

MAKES 30 MACARONS

Courtesy of: Cindy Grimm

Ingredients:

MACARONS • 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar 1 cup almond flour, finely ground 1 tsp salt, divided 3 egg whites, at room temperature ¼ cup granulated sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 2 drops pink gel food coloring

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM • 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks, at room temperature 3 cups powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 Tbsp heavy cream

Directions:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, almond flour, and ½ tsp of salt, and process on low speed, until extra fine. Sift the almond flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining ½ tsp of salt with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar until fully incorporated. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form (you should be able to turn the bowl upside down without anything falling out). Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the food coloring and beat until just combined. Add about ⅓ of the sifted almond flour mixture at a time to the beaten egg whites and use a spatula to gently fold until combined. After the last addition of almond flour, continue to fold slowly until the batter falls into ribbons and you can make a figure 8 while holding the spatula up. This is the macaronage process, really scrape the sides of the bowl, but don’t overdo it. It’s an art, not a science! Transfer the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a round tip.

Perfect Macarons (Continued)

Courtesy of: Cindy Grimm

6. Place 4 dots of the batter in each corner of a rimmed baking sheet, and place a piece of parchment paper over it, using the batter to help adhere the parchment to the baking sheet. You can also get Silpat sheets that have the exact circles for the size, which is great and they stay put on their own 7. Pipe the macarons onto the parchment paper in 1½" circles, spacing at least 1" apart. 8. Tap the baking sheet on a flat surface 5 times to release any air bubbles. This is important, go ahead and drop it on your counter from at least 12” height! 9. Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until dry to the touch. 10.Preheat the oven to 300˚F. 11. Bake the macarons for 17 minutes, until the feet are well-risen and the macarons don’t stick to the parchment paper. 12. Transfer the macarons to a wire rack to cool completely before filling. 13. Make the buttercream: In a large bowl, add the butter and beat with a mixer for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add the cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat to combine, until desired consistency is reached. 14. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. 15. Add a dollop of buttercream to one macaron shell. Top it with another macaron shell to create a sandwich. Repeat with remaining macaron shells and buttercream. This makes plenty, you should actually have some left over that can be refrigerated and used for another batch. 16.Place in an airtight container for 24 hours to “bloom.” Very important. If you eat one now, it’ll be crunchy and crumble. Don’t worry, they soften in the fridge. Can be stored for a week in the fridge or frozen to keep longer. Just bring to room temp before eating. 40

Chocolate Marble Banana Bread

Courtesy of: Lori Zulferino

Ingredients:

½ cup of salted butter softened (1 stick) 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 ½ cups of mashed ripe 3 ripe bananas 1 ½ cups all purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt ⅛ cup of baking cocoa 1 cup semi sweet chocolate morsels

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter & sugar. Add egg & vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined. Blend in the bananas. 3. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. 4. Take half the batter and put in a greased 13" x 9" x 2" baking pan. Add the baking cocoa to the remaining mixture and mix well. Spoon on top of the greased pan and swirl the batter with spoon to have a nice marble effect. 5. Sprinkle ¾ cup of the chocolate morsels on top . 6. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Please note, about 15 minutes into baking, sprinkle the remaining chocolate morsel on the ends of the bread so chocolate chips look spread evenly. 7. Cool and serve!

Strawberry Walnut Bread

Courtesy of: Kristel Weidenman

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil 2 cups fresh strawberries or 16 ounce frozen strawberries thawed 1 ¼ cups chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt cinnamon and sugar. 3. Add eggs and oil and mix well. 4. Stir in the strawberries and nuts until evenly distributed. 5. Grease and flour two 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pans. 6. Divide batter evenly and bake at 350 for 1 hour. 7. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. 8. Cool completely before slicing.

LULU’s Special Strawberry Cake

Courtesy of: Geri Hackett

Ingredients:

CAKE • 9 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 3 tbsp cornstarch 1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt 1 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar 3 large eggs ½ cup sour cream, at room temp 1 tsp vanilla extract

BERRIES • 1 ½ to 2 pounds strawberries

ICING • 1 ½ pounds powdered sugar, sifted 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temp 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8" cake pan that is at least 2" deep! Or two pans rather than one, Before baking, the batter should not fill the pan more than halfway. 2. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with 1 ½ cups of the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla, mix until combined. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined. 3. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until no longer jiggly, 45 to 50 minutes. If using 2 separate pans about 25 minutes. 4. Remove the cake from the pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven. Place the cake(s) on a cooling rack and allow it to cool. 5. For the icing: Combine the powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy. 6. Slice the cake in half to make 2 smaller cakes. Spread the strawberries evenly over each cut side of the cake halves, pouring on all the juices as well. 7. Remove the cake halves from the freezer. Use a little less than one-third of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second cake layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top, spreading it evenly. Spread the remaining icing around the sides of the cake. 8. After the cake has cooled, place one layer on your serving plate, top with half the berries and drizzle with some of the juice in the bowl. 9. Pipe or spoon some of the frosting on the berries. Place the second layer on top of the frosting and repeat Frosting steps. Keep cool, store in refrigerator.

For the icing:

1. Combine the powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.

Saucepan Brownies

MAKES 16 SERVINGS

Courtesy of: Carol Barteld

Ingredients:

1 ½ sticks of butter 4 squares baking chocolate 2 cups of sugar 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 ¼ cups flour 1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. In a 3 quart saucepan, over low heat, MELT butter and chocolate. Remove pan from heat. 2. Add in the sugar. 3. Beat the eggs with vanilla - Stir into mix. 4. Add flour and baking powder. Stir until well combined

Hint: A wooden spoon works best for mixing. 5. Pour into a lightly buttered 8" x 8" pan. 6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes . 7. Cool in pan, cut and enjoy.

Serving Tips:

For children: With a glass of milk For adults: Delicious topped with java chip ice cream, and a splash of Kahlua!

Pumpkin Cookies

Courtesy of: Kristel Weidenman

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin 1 cup sugar ½ cup oil 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 tsp milk 1 egg 2 cups flour ½ tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. In a bowl, mix together: pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla, and the baking soda in milk. 3. Slightly beat in one egg. 4. In a separate bowl combine: flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. 5. Mix all of the ingredients together. 6. Add 1 cup mini chocolate chips. 7. Drop by ½ tsp on to a greased or non-stick cookie sheet. 8. Bake for 10 min.

Classic Cheese Cake

Courtesy of: Mary Lou Cella

Ingredients:

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST • 1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs ¼ cup sugar 5 Tbsp melted butter

CAKE

2 - 8oz packages of cream cheese 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp vanilla • 1 pint sour cream All at room temp

Directions:

For the crust:

1. Mix all together until well blended and press into springform pan. Push up the sides as much as possible.

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. 3. Gradually beat in sugar. 4. Add in eggs one at a time. 5. Fold in vanilla and sour cream. 6. Pour over crust and bake for 30 minutes. 7. Turn off heat and leave in oven for 1-2 hours.

Sweet Treats

From Mom With Love, Carrot Cake Courtesy of: Directions: Debra Sosnow

1 tsp salt 2 tsp cinnamon 4 eggs 1 cup cooking oil 4 cups grated raw carrots 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

FROSTING FOR THE CAKE

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon 3. In a large bowl, beat the 4 eggs until frothy. Then slowly beat in oil. 4. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture; beating until smooth. 5. Mix in carrots and nuts. 6. Pour batter into 2 or 3 greased cake pans; or one greased tube pan. [I also line pans with parchment

Ingredients: or wax paper] • CAKE 8. Test for doneness. • 2 cups flour 9. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. • 2 cups sugar Let cool completely before frosting. • 2 tsp baking soda • 7. Bake for 25-30 minutes. (1 hour for tube pan).

FOR THE FROSTING

1. Blend softened butter with softened cream

2.

3. 4. cheese. Gradually add sifted confectioners sugar; beating Stir in vanilla. Mix well. Fill and frost the cake.

until smooth.

4 tbsp softened butter 8 oz softened cream cheese 1 box sifted confectioners sugar 1 tsp vanilla

Healthier Cookies

Courtesy of: Barbara Ring

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados 7 tbsp organic honey 5 organic eggs 1 tbsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups organic almond flour 1 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 1/2 tsp baking soda Plus individual ingredients for each type of cookie

Directions:

1. Blend avocados & organic honey in a mixer. 2. Beat eggs & vanilla into mixture. 3. Gradually blend almond flour, sea salt & baking soda.

CHOCOLATE NUT COOKIES: 1. Add ¼ cup cacao powder. 2. Add ¼ cup chopped nuts.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES:

1. Add ¼ cup mini chips.

COCONUT COOKIES:

1. Add ¼ cup organic shredded coconut.

ALMOND COOKIES:

1. Add ¼ cup sliced almonds. 2. Add 2 tbsp raw almond butter.

GINGER COOKIES:

1. Add 2 tbsp ground ginger.

LEMON COOKIES:

1. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon & lemon zest.

Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes or when done. Each ¼ makes 1 dozen cookies, approximately 90 calories each.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Courtesy of: Kaitie Monda

Ingredients:

3 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup light corn syrup ½ cup dark corn syrup ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted 2 tablespoons bourbon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon salt 1 unbaked 9" pie shell 1 ¼ cups coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Mix together eggs, sugar, corn syrups, butter, bourbon, vanilla and salt until well blended. 3. Prick the sides and bottom of the pie shell with a fork at ½" intervals. Spread the pecans on the bottom and pour the mixture over them. 4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until just set around the edges but still slightly loose in the center. (It will continue to set as it cools.) 5. Let cool on rack.

Now Dig In!