Few Desserts bring people together like chocolate fondue. This is a family
favorite of ours. We like getting together several times a year for some
delicious chocolate fondue. Following is a review of our Valentine's Day
chocolate fondue.
A Brief History of Chocolate Fondue:
Fondue, originally a Swiss dish featuring melted cheese, inspired the idea
of dipping foods into a shared pot. The concept of chocolate fondue emerged
in the 1960s, made popular by Swiss restaurateur Konrad Egli in New
York.
Fondue is a perfect time to gather and enjoy some great conversation with
the family while enjoying some delicious dessert or food.
Many times we use steak and chicken cut into small pieces. Our daughter
Jamie coats the chicken with Shake N Bake. We dip into hot oil until the
pieces are cooked and serve with various dipping sauces.
Ingredients for Chocolate Fondue:
1 bag of chocolate chips 11.5oz.
1 bag of dark chocolate chips 11.5 oz.
1 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
First, you need a fondue pot. Jamie has two Cuisinart Electric Fondue Pots.
For the chocolate fondue, we only use one of them.
Set the pot to medium heat and add the chocolate chips. Add the butter and
keep stirring so the chocolate begins to melt.
Add the vanilla, and the heavy whipping cream a little at a time, and keep
stirring until all is combined. When it's ready, the chocolate will look like
the intro photo.
Here are our prepared goodies for dipping into the chocolate. We cut up
strawberries, pineapple, bananas, marshmallows, and pound cake.
Dip and Enjoy: We used the skewers that came with the fondue pot to
dip our favorite treat into the rich chocolate.
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It has been brought to my attention that most cheesecake recipes online,
and in many cookbooks, instruct readers to use a food processor to make the
graham cracker crust. Not everyone owns a food processor, therefore
today I want to review and share how I crush graham crackers for my
cheesecakes without a food processor. I will also share my graham
cracker crust recipe.
I don't own a food processor, but even if I did, I doubt I would get one
out, mess it up, and then wash it simply to make a cheesecake graham cracker
crust. My way, the old fashion way, is so much easier!
You only need a gallon size Ziploc bag and a rolling pin.
How to Crush Graham Crackers for a Graham Cracker Crust
It is very simple to crush graham crackers to make a pie or cheesecake
crust.
Simply place 15 graham cracker sheets* in the gallon size
Ziploc bag, zip the bag closed leaving about a half inch open. The half inch
opening keeps the bag from busting when crushing the graham crackers.
Then, roll a rolling pin over the closed Ziploc bag to crush the graham
crackers inside the bag.
When the graham crackers are fully crushed, pour them into a large mixing
bowl, and throw away the Ziploc bag.
Now, isn't that much easier than washing the food processor bowl, lid &
blade!
*Graham Cracker sheets consist of 4 or more small
rectangle or square pieces joined by a scored line. The sheet is the full,
unbroken graham cracker.
Full Graham Cracker Sheet (Honey Maid brand shown)
Graham Cracker Crust Recipe
2 Cups Crushed Graham Crackers (15 graham cracker sheets)
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2/3 Cup Melted Butter (11 Tablespoons)
Combine all ingredient in a large bowl and mix well with a spatula or spoon.
Press graham cracker crust in a glass pie plate or springform pan.
Fill with cheesecake or pie filling and bake according to specific recipe.
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Carrot Cake Cupcakes are a delicious treat anytime!
My mother recently made 2 dozen carrot cake cupcakes using the recipe
below. She was generous and thoughtful enough to share them with me
and my household. I was beyond thrilled to receive this gift. I
understand the time commitment and work behind making a few dozen cupcakes.
Therefore, I can really appreciate receiving a dozen homemade
cupcakes.
Cupcakes are a personal favorite since they are made in single serving
portions. That saves serving preparation and clean-up. You can grab a
cupcake, toss the paper liner, and eat it without needing to get out a plate
or utensils. So fast & easy!
The carrot cake cupcakes are fabulous for breakfast, a special treat, or
dessert. For 3 days straight, I was able to enjoy a carrot cake
cupcake with my coffee for breakfast. I was rather sad when they were
all gone. But, I have the recipe! And, I am willing to share it
with you so you too can start your day with delicious carrot cake.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe -
Yields 36 cupcakes
Cupcake Ingredients:
2 c. shredded julienne carrots
2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. canola oil
4 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 c. unsalted butter (softened)
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
4 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c. chopped pecans
________________________________________
Instructions for Cupcakes
1. Grate carrots & chop pecans
2. Preheat oven to 350°
3. Line large cupcake pans with cupcake liners (3 pans of 12 each)
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil, and eggs. Beat until
well-blended.
5. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Beat for about 2 to 3
minutes.
6. (Set aside your mixer) Stir in shredded carrots & pineapple.
7. Fill cupcake tins 3/4 full and bake for approximately 22 - 24 minutes
(toothpick test)
8. Set cupcakes on cooking racks and allow to cool completely before
frosting
9. While the cupcakes are cooling, set out the butter and cream cheese to
soften (about 30 minutes) Instructions for Frosting
1. Beat softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
2. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat until well blended. (Approximately 4
minutes)
3. Stir in chopped pecans (or hold them to sprinkle on top of frosted
cupcakes)
4. Frost the Cupcakes
Recipe Substitutions or Additions
I prefer pineapple, but Mom suggests substituting raisins if desired. You
may also want to add 1 cup shredded coconut for a more authentic carrot cake
consistency & taste.
Baking Notes
I have a double oven, one is a convection oven. My ovens allow me to bake 3
pans of cupcakes at one time. (2 in the convection oven & one in the
lower regular oven).
Mom has one regular oven. Therefore, she makes larger cupcakes divided
across two pans, which she bakes separately. Her yield is 24 larger cupcakes
that take slightly longer to bake (approximately 26 - 28
minutes).
Because oven temperatures vary, the toothpick test is required to determine
when they are completely baked.
What is the Toothpick Test?
Quickly stick a toothpick down into the center of a cupcake or cake and pull
it right back out. If it comes out clean, the cake/cupcake is done. If it
has batter on it, you need to bake a little longer. I usually test in 1 – 2
minute intervals.
Cupcake Baking Needs
There are a few kitchen tools that allow us to bake cupcakes with ease,
starting with a large cupcake baking pan & cupcake liners.
Cupcakes are also very hard to transport from place to place. If you
do plan to take them elsewhere, I highly recommend the carrier featured
below.
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One of my favorite desserts is a fresh baked cobbler. Fortunately for me, my mother taught me how to make a very easy cobbler when I was a child.
Over the years, I have made several types of fruit cobbler. Peach cobbler is my personal favorite (you will find my peach cobbler recipe by clicking here), but my husband's favorite is an apple cobbler.
When my mother-in-law sent us a huge box of apples for Christmas, one of the first things I made was an apple cobbler. Between my husband and son, that apple cobbler disappeared almost before I remembered to take pictures.
This is a very easy and delicious cobbler recipe. You can use just about any fruit with the basic batter recipe.
Apple Cobbler Recipe
Prep Time
Cook Time
Ready In
Yields
20 min.
55 min.
75 min.
12-16 servings
Ingredients
2 cups of sugar
2 cups milk
2 cups self-rising flour
8 Tablespoons butter, melted
5 or 6 Honeycrisp Apples - pealed & sliced (each apple should be sliced into 16 pieces)
In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, milk, and flour. Stir to batter consistency
Pour batter mixture over the melted butter (do not stir)
Add
Apples in a single layer, spread evenly in the batter (do not stir -
push apples slices down to make sure they get covered with batter. They
will pop back up, but they need batter on top)
Bake for 55 - 65 min. until golden brown (varies due to pan & oven)
Note: You can half this recipe and cook it in an 8" pan for 45 min. This is a great way to use only 3 apples!
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