Category: Desserts

Mini Chocolate Eclairs

Yummy cream filled Chocolate Eclairs….super yummy for a summer BBQ….

My French born sister-in-law Danielle makes these TO DIE FOR ECLAIRS every year at 4th of July. Everyone has come to expect and love her chocolate eclairs. She actually can’t make a different dessert because everybody looks forward to these 4th of July Eclairs so much! Or they’d be great for a Summer BBQ too! These little cream puffs are so yummy I want one NOW!

My sis-in-law made the easy chocolate eclairs/cream puffs…..I made the fruity, chocolate cupcakes….both look great on our 4th of July table don’t they? They are great for any summer BBQ too. 

Easy Eclairs or Cream Puffs Recipe:  
1 cup water
1/2  cube butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Heat oven to 400. Heat water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour untilmixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Let cool a bit till batter is not hot. Beat in eggs one at a time. Drop dough 1 Tbsp size onto baking sheet using a pastry bag. Mine were about 1 3/4 inches oval x 1 1/2 and I got about 30 little eclairs.

Cook until puffy and golden. I did 14 minutes at 400 and then turned oven down to 350 for 5 minutes. I think from posts I read on other blogs 20 minutes is perfect for smaller eclairs. Larger ones about 20 minutes at 400 and 4 minutes at 350 but watch them the last 3 minutes. Your oven might be different as I am at high altitude.

    Directions

    Heat water and butter till boiling. Add flour and stir constantly until mixture is smooth.
    The ingredients for cream eclairs are only 4….so easy! 
    Water, butter, flour and eggs….
    Batter before adding the eggs…..I let it beat a little to let off some of the steam….
    Then I added 1 egg at a time and beat for a minute in between eggs…..
    The eclair batter is  like pudding…
    I piped the batter onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper….
    I added a blob of eclair batter to each of the 4 corners…then pressed the parchment paper on top. It helps
    “glue” the paper down to the cookie sheets. 
    Here are my finished Eclairs….just out of the oven! 
    Now they are ready to fill with the creamy, rich pudding filling….each one was a half a handful ! 

    Cool. Cut a slit in the side of puff with a knife. Fill eclairs with a pastry bag filled with the french vanilla pudding mixture.  Make chocolate icing and spread over top.  Keep refrigerated. Makes 12 large or 24 eclairs (mine made 30 little round ones- bigger than the Costco size) I think this is a perfect dessert to bring to a party because if you have other desserts, this can be a side garnish and they are so cute and yummy too.

    French Vanilla Cream Filling
    1/2 pint whipping cream (smallest carton)
    1 small box instant French vanilla instant pudding
    1/2 cup milk
    Whip until thick.

    HERE is a link to a yummy eclair recipe from Annie’s Eats if you like mocha flavor.

    1/2 cup milk, pint of cream and small box of french vanilla instant pudding….

    The filling is really rich and creamy too…I had to pop an eclair in my mouth to taste test it! 

    Squeeze inside of your little puffs….so easy! 

     Chocolate Fudgy Glaze
    1/2 slick butter
    2 Tbsp. cocoa
    2 Tbsp. milk
    2 cups powdered sugar ( I used a little less, just add it till desired consistency)

    Heat until melted, stirring constantly-add 2 cups powdered sugar until melted. Shake a fork
    back & forth and then the other way to ice tops of eclairs if you want a cool design. Or just frost with a knife.

    This was the most delicious chocolate glaze!  

    It was easy and quick….
    And it tastes like the most divine fudge!  Really!
    Chocolate Eclairs….oh my yum! Wouldn’t these eclairs be cute with at little flag sticking out on a toothpick? I saw some at Hobby Lobby the other day….shoulda bought them now that I think about it…..
    Wouldn’t you love a creamy, chocolaty, eclair bite?  That’s what I’m talkin’ about!  

    Christmas Cupcakes & Gingerbread Cake

    I loved the ideas I read on Crystal and Company’s website. She makes cupcakes toppers out of candy. Her link is HERE for cute pirate cupcakes tutorial. I do a pirate party every year so I am copying her idea for sure.

    There are so many cute things to put on top using candy, toothpick toppers, sprinkles, designing an animal face with candy, and making stripes and polka dot designs with candy and edible things.


    Here are a few that I loved.

    Cute Cupcake Toppers from Current Catalog

                          

    This cute Christmas set of toppers is from Currentcatalog.com, a stationery store online. It is only 99cents! My classroom Christmas party will be more fun with the kids being able to choose their own cute toppers for the cupcakes they decorate. And look how easy! The link for these cute toppers is HERE at Current.

    free printable holiday christmas cupcake toppers baking bake it pretty
    Free Cupcake Topper Printables

          

    Another cute topper with some FREE PRINTABLES I found at Bake it Pretty blog HERE. She occasionally has a free printable for all kinds of holiday stuff. All you need here is a color printer to make some really cute cupcakes!

    Cute Reindeer Cupcakes for Christmas Day!

    The Amateur Gourmet has a tutorial on making these cute reindeer cupcakes with curly pretzels and M &Ms. I think kids could totally do these and have a great time at a winter party. All you need is chocolate cupcakes and frosting and vanilla wafers and some little candies.  The rest is so easy!  Katy’s tutorial is HERE at Amateur Gourmet.

    Tips for Melting Candy Wafers for Decorating Cupcakes……

    1.Use a double boiler.
    2. Use low heat.
    3. Don’t boil it too fast or it turns to a ball.
    4. Stir pretty regularly.
    5. If you use a piping bag, let the melted candy cool for 10 minutes so it doesn’t burn your hands as you pipe
    6. Once molds are filled put them in the fridge to harden, or between color layers.

    Have fun making Christmas cupcakes….. Here’s my latest yummy obsession…Gingerbread men and Gingerbread Cake!

    Gingerbread Cake with YUMMY ICING! 

    Finished gingerbread cake….

    Finished cake with cream cheese icing….

    I got this DIVINE recipe from Jaime Cooks it Up. She is a true master in the kitchen. I loved these decadent and easy bars so check it out if you want the recipe. It’s easy and it is HERE at her website.

    Cut up and added some cute picks…

    The icing is my favorite….cream cheese mixed with butter and powdered sugar. It makes anything taste better I think.

    Delicious! 

     It was soooo rich and yummy. It would make a great addition to any Holiday dessert bar.

    EASY No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake

    I remember making this NO BAKE cheesecake for a boy I thought I was in love with as a teenager. I was trying to win his heart through his stomach.  EEK…..

    Easy Raspberry Cheesecake recipe



    When he proposed a year later, I decided he wasn’t really who I wanted after all…snicker….Typical fickled 19 year old, right?  Yeah.  But he wasn’t wrong to love my cheesecake.  No Way. 

    I buy the graham cracker crust for the Raspberry Cheesecake….It’s just EASIER! 



    I like to take shortcuts where I can so I bought the graham cracker crust pie crust. You could easily make one too with butter, sugar and graham crackers, but why bother? Make life easier on yourself! Plus the clear plastic top makes a great pie carrier.  


    Easy No Bake Cheesecake Recipe:

    • 10 ounces cream cheese
    • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • fruit toppings of your choice
    • Directions:
    Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.Then whip up the cream, and then add it into the cream cheese mixture.  Spread the cheesecake  into your graham cracker pie crust and put in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight to set up. 
    I LOVE this raspberry topping for a cheesecake…It is the most popular too!

    I helped serve at my niece’s wedding reception. They had cheesecake with multiple toppings for dessert. There was a choice of blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and cherry.  The first one to go was the raspberry. Everybody loved it. It is rich and dark and syrupy and tart. Love, love, love it! It is above on the left.

    Cut 1/4th off a 2nd block of cream cheese for your cheesecake..

    The other thing I like about a store bought graham cracker crust is the built in lid that you flip over and it makes a great pie taker. So your cheesecake doesn’t get smashed up in the car ride. Yeah! How easy is that? Easy peasy!

    1 1/4 blocks of cream cheese in this cheesecake recipe…super easy and quick! 

    Heavy Whipping cream, some vanilla and some lemon juice….

    A little powdered sugar and mix it up! So quick and yummy too! 
    Here is my finished cheesecake all set up and ready to take to the family party! 

    Raspberry topping…or cherry or blueberry,  and a dollop of whip cream….yummy~!


    Grandpa made this cranberry relish with nuts…I was thinking of trying it out on the cheesecake too…Doesn’t THAT sound delicious?  

    When you serve it, top each piece with 2 spoonfuls of a good, canned, cherry, blueberry or raspberry pie filling, or fresh strawberries and a dollop of Cool Whip.  Easiest and yummiest cheesecake pie you will ever make.  It isn’t as “cheesy and hard” as some kinds of cheesecake. It is more light and creamy and lemony.  And every crumb will be licked off of the plates, I promise!  

    CHERRY DUMP CAKE


    I’ve been so busy doing report cards this week. Then for my class, I’m planning a  fun Halloween Party on Monday. The rest of the week I’ll be  having kids on candy highs for a few days and then Parent Teacher conferences on Wednesday and Thursday. EEK! Fun week ahead! Anyhoo…..

    My finished cherry dump cake Cherry Crisp

    I can’t face cooking today. So My nice hubs went and got takeout at Goodwood Barbeque in Draper, my favorite BBQ place.

    EasyIngredients for Cherry Crisp…..minus the crushed pineapple..

    And I’m making a cherry dump cake to go with it.  It is soooooo easy but yummy.

    Just use a can of cherries for the Cherry Dump Cake

    Spray the pan, line with the canned cherries for Cherry Crisp….

    Then add the pineapple and pecans…just dump them in! 

    Dump the cake mix on top and dot with butter pieces….THAT’S IT! 

    Here is the recipe.

    CHERRY DUMP CAKE

    1 can cherry pie filling
    1 can crushed pineapple, including juice
    1 butter cake mix
    1 stick butter
    chopped walnuts or pecans

    Preheat oven to 350, Spray 9 x 13 pan with Pam. spread cherry pie filling, top with crushed pineapple. Sprinkle cake mix on top and dot with sliced butter and nuts. Bake for 45 min. to an hour.

    Cherry Dump Cake (kind of a cherry crisp) all finished and half eaten!!

    And like some desserts, it is actually better the next day when the crispiness has hardened a little and isn’t soft and mushy. Here it is after we ate half of it. Yum.

    John’s brisket….

    My ribs….Thanks GOODWOOD BARBEQUE! 

    And here is my Goodwood Barbeque take-out on my new square, white dinner plates from TARGET. My husband loves the brisket, I love the ribs…the potato salad is pretty great there too. Now if only Goodwood was next door and not all the way in DRAPER!  Thanks hubs. You rock!

    Chocolate Chip Marble Cake

    Okay I just made the best cake from a boxed yellow cake mix! It was super EASY and QUICK!  I mixed it according to directions, except I added a cup of sour cream to the mixture. It makes a cake much richer. Then I took out a cup of that yellow cake batter that was mixed already, and then mixed THAT cup  with a small box of dry chocolate pudding mix in a separate bowl. So I had my yellow cake mix bowl, and the 1 cup of wet cake mix mixed in with a dry package of chocolate pudding mix in a 2nd bowl.

    Then I greased a 9 x 13 pan and poured the yellow cake into it, then dropped blobs of the 2nd bowl with the chocolate pudding mix and 1 cup of batter in about 5 places in the yellow cake mix to marble the cake. I took a knife and knived through it to get a cool, marbled effect.  Then I dropped a cup or so of chocolate chips all over the top and baked it according to the cake directions.  Oh my! This cake did not even need icing, it was so delicious!  You could top it with a swirl of cool whip. Try it when you are pressed for time and need a delicious, rich dessert.  This was gobbled up in no time!

    My darling Marisa

    And my cute Megan

    I just HAD to include some cute pics of my sassy granddaughters. Aren’t they just adorable?
    They love grandma’s cakes too. mmmhmmm.

    Dreamy Lemon Cheesecake Bars

     I had some lemons I wanted to use up…and it was an afternoon when I was bored….so I thought of making some really luscious lemon bars…..using some cream cheese.  Here is a great recipe. I got it from my favorite recipe website called all recipes.com. from a poster named Counseljul.

    A little sugar…..a little flour…..

    This is what the crust looks like before baking…..

    The secret is lemon zest…I added it to both the middle and top layers…..

    The recipe has 3 easy layers. The whole thing takes about 15 minutes to whip together. It is to DIE FOR delicious! The middle layer is kind of lemon puddingish…and the top layer is cheesecake with lemon.  It’s light and can be cut into small squares like cookies for a crowd.  Here is the recipe…but I cut everything in half since we only have 2 of us to eat these fattening things! And we are a couple of heffers…..so…..  (If you want the 9 x 13 recipe go to the link HERE for the basic recipe at All recipes.com.
                                                                                   
    LEMON CHEESECAKE BARS 1/2 RECIPE

    • 3/4 of a cube of  unsalted butter, cut into pieces
    • 3/4 cups flour
    • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
    •  
    • 2 eggs
    • 3/4 cups white sugar
    • 1/2  tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 1/4 cup lemon juice
    •  
    • 1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
    • 1/2 cup white sugar
    • 1 eggs, beaten
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice and a bit of zest
    • I added a bit of lemon zest to the last, cheesecake layer too and added a teaspoon of lemon juice. I like my stuff LEMONY! 
    • Blend first 3 ingredients together and press into a 
    • 9 x 9 pan for the crust. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes until just golden. 

    • Then mix the middle 5 ingredients for the lemon pudding middle layer. Pour over warm crust when it comes out of the oven. 

    • Then mix up last 3-4 ingredients, (adding some lemon zest and juice is optional). Then pour it over the middle layer. It’s kind of thick…smooth it on top. Bake for 30 minutes more. 
    • Here is what it looks like baked….mmmm….. 

    After baking…I halved the recipe and it would easily make  12 luscious, rich squares
    They are really rich so this piece was way too big….you can cut quite a few from this recipe….

    I shoulda taken a side view of the layers. They are pretty. We ate it warm and it was so rich! I liked it better cooled the next day with kind of a crusty bottom layer like a cookie. It would be a great dessert anytime.

     For having people over for dinner this is better than lemon meringue pie.  Add some whipped cream to the top if you serve it hot like I did.

    These people all thought my lemon bars were dreamy…

    Chocolate Bundt Cake

    It was my oldest son’s birthday and I know he loves chocolate cakes. So I made this delicious recipe I found on All Recipes.com.  It is the best bundt cake recipe EVER! It turns out real dense and rich.

    The recipe for this gorgeous cake…… It’s HERE. Basically it’s a chocolate cake mix with some sour cream, 4 eggs, and a pudding mix added to the 1/2 cup water. So easy. And it calls for 2 cups of chocolate chips but I never put that many in. Usually a cup is all I add. And if you run out of pudding mixes, a small box will do.

    After spraying pam on the bundt pan and baking it up, I mix up a batch of cream cheese icing. My recipe is 1 brick of 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature, and I dump it in my mixer. Then I add a half cube of butter and about 1 1/2 cups of confectioner’s sugar, a teaspoon of lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

    Piping the cream cheese icing on the cake….

    Chocolate Bundt Cake….so easy! 

    Mix it up and then put it in a pastry or zip lock baggie and cut the end off one corner to pipe the icing.
    I just make lines going from the outside to the inside all around the cake. I topped this one off with an eyeball superball and a squishy skeleton I got at Walmart for $1.29 each.

    Walmart always has cute toys I can use for cake decs…

    Walmart also had these 10 packs of plastic skeletons I put around the outside of the cake. They were $1.29 too. Amazing! Kids would love these for party favors.

    I just used a zip lock baggie to pipe the icing on the cake….just snip an edge with scissors. 

     It turned out so cute! I love Halloween decorations!  My son said, “Hey mom, it’s a Halloween cake for my birthday!”  Do you think he thinks I’m weird? Ya maybe…..

    You squeeze the skeleton head and the eyes pop out like big bugs! 

    Chocolate Bundt Cake…yummy! 

    Yeah…..I couldn’t help myself.  hehe.  It was a fun party.

    Okay Jeff looks rather scary here with the giant hunting knife his dad got him. Look at my poor
    granddaughter eyeing the size of it! Oh my! 

    Here he is with his favorite present. It looks like a giant machete! EEK! (just don’t put a Freddy mask on and go out with that on Halloween night, OKAY?)

    Fresh Peach Crisp

    This is one of my favorite desserts to make in the summer. It is quick and easy, and hot from the oven topped with vanilla ice cream it is always a crowd favorite.  It’s fresh peach crisp!

    I don’t bother peeling the peaches for the Peach Crisp…they are yummy either way so why bother?
    These were some of the beautiful peaches I used for my Peach Crisp.

    I start by finding the best, most ripe, giant peaches I can find in Utah. Fresh Market usually has good produce, as does the farmers markets around here. I try to get to those every few weeks. My peach tree has about 7 almost ripe peaches on it, but it wasn’t a good year for peaches at my house.  (Thanks SNOW IN MAY for squelching all my fruit trees this year!) 



    Warm Peach Crisp with pecans and French Vanilla ice cream.





    Peach Crisp
    4 cups of peaches (I used 4 large or 6 medium and I didn’t even peel them, just cut them up)
         or 1 29 oz. can of peaches in off season
    2 cups of flour
    2 cubes of real butter
    3/4 cup brown sugar
    3/4 cup regular sugar
    1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
    1 pinch of salt
    pecans on top

    I left some pecans off about 1/3 of my Peach Crisp for those who  don’t like nuts



    Spray Pam in a 9 x 13 pan and then cut up your peaches. Mix in a separate bowl all the other ingredients cutting in the room temperature butter. (microwave it for 10 seconds if it is straight from the fridge). Then pour over the top smoothing it out evenly. Add pecan halves to the top. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes in a 350 oven until it looks bubbly and golden on top.Top with vanilla ice cream for a decadent, foodie experience!

    Rice Crispie Treat Pops

    Here’s my Rice Crispie Treat Pops…with M and Ms

    Want to make a fun treat for summer backyard BBQs? This twist on the Rice Crispie Treat is so easy yet packs more of a punch for a kid’s party. They just have a WOW factor! The recipe is easy too.


    Here’s how I made my cool Rice Crispie Treat Pops
    Heat up 1/4 cup or 1/2 a stick of butter with a 10 oz. bag of marshmallows in
    a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
    Then when it is white and melty mix in 6 cups of Kelloggs Rice Crispies

    I looked on the rice crispy website for some creative things to do with rice crispy treats. I followed their recipe which is HERE at the Kelloggs website.
    They had some cute pops using colorful Popsicle sticks. But I was out of them.

    I poured all but about 3 cups into a 9 x 9 buttered pan and topped with M & Ms…yum!
    Rice Crispie Treats!  
    Then I melted 1/3 cup of white candy melt discs in the microwave for 1 minute

    Then I buttered my hands and formed the rest into 4 balls. Then I dipped the ends of them into the melted white chocolate and sprinkled the colorful toppers on as well as some M & Ms for my Rice Crispie Treat Pops. 
    The M and Ms kept sliding off the balls….It may have been the slippery butter! So
    I pressed them into the white candy melts before they hardened…NOT easy to do!

    I didn’t have any Popsicle sticks so I cut some BBQ skewers and  curled some ribbons and tied them on.

    Then I poked the wooden skewers into those cute Rice Crispie Treat Balls and here
    they are with their curly ribbons decorating them!

    

    Then I had to sit back and taste-test my Rice Crispie Treats …..they were yummo!

    My granddaughters LOVED them! Who can resist anything with M and Ms? Hmm…..?
    Rice Crispie Treat Pops. Do them for the next family gathering with kids.

     My older granddaughter said, “These are delicious!” So cute! They loved my little rice crispie treat pops.  I love them! 😀

    Yummy Sorbet

    I’ve got to learn how to make this stuff. Sorbet is my 2nd favorite kind of frozen treat. My first of course will always be gelato, preferably right in downtown Italy where I first tasted it.  But really, since my favorite food on the planet is ice cream, I do love all of her cousins, naturally!

    So I’ve been on this frozen yogurt kick. A new one opened up by our house and it’s one of those where you get to choose from like a gazillion flavors and toppings and it’s all self serve. I like being in charge that way….snicker…
                                         

     I loooooove that! I’m a sucker for blackberries and blueberries and other fresh fruit toppings too. So when I saw sorbet on sale I got us each our own little pint.

    Recreating the

    It’s Lemon Sorbet from my fav store Tar-jay. And they had these yummy looking giant berries in the produce section. They went really good for dessert the other night. It was so HOT around these parts! What’s up with that? 

     John who isn’t a sorbet lover like me,  shared his with my granddaughters who were over going in our jacuzzi. (Megan, 2 1/2 “Gampa, can we go in da cooozeeee?) She’s a riot. I love them even more than lemon sorbet! But maybe almost equal with gelato. 😀

    My sweet girls at Zions National Park, quite the campers!