White Chocolate Cheesecake with Mixed Berry Swirl

There are many reasons why people create recipes. Following a specific diet, just have a taste for something, curious if certain flavors work together, using up various ingredients… The list goes on and on. For today’s White Chocolate Cheesecake with Mixed Berry Swirl the idea came to me when I had a bag of frozen berries in my freezer and a package of Oreos in my pantry that I didn’t want to go to waste. This is also a slight variation of my favorite cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory – White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle.

While I used mixed berries for the swirl you could swap them out for any berry – blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, etc. The method of making the sauce will still be the same. And while I am sure I have mentioned in a few different blog posts that when a recipe calls for melted white chocolate you should avoid using white chocolate chips since they are usually not real chocolate and won’t melt properly, I broke that rule for this recipe.  I was able to get the white chocolate chips to melt smoothly by melting it along with heavy cream. I then folded it into the cheesecake filling without any little bits of white chocolate chips lingering.

The end result… A delicious cheesecake with hints of white chocolate and a fruity swirl with just the right amount of sweetness!

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Mixed Berry Swirl

Ingredients:

For the Mixed Berry Sauce:

2 1/2 cups (12 oz) frozen mixed berries

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the Crust:

20 regular Oreos, crushed into fine crumbs

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Cheesecake Filling:

2 8oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

For the Sauce: In a medium saucepan combine the frozen berries, water, sugar and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 5 minutes, stirring and mashing the berries occasionally, until the mixture thickens. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and allow to cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 325 F.

For the Crust: In a medium bowl stir together the cookie crumbs and melted butter, then press into the bottom (in an even layer) and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dash. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until set. Set aside.

For the Cheesecake Filling: Measure the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup and then add in the chocolate chips. Microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool.

In a medium bowl beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract together with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and continue beating until well incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Fold in the melted chocolate until no streaks of either mixture remains.

Assemble the Cheesecake: Pour half of the cheesecake filling into the prepared crust. Drizzle half of the berry sauce on top and then gently swirl into the cheesecake mixture with a toothpick or knife. Repeat these layers with the remaining cheesecake filling and berry sauce, once again gently swirling the sauce into the cheesecake.

Place in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes. The cheesecake should be set along the edges but still jiggly in the center.

Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Gently cover with wax paper and aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight before slicing and serving.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Chicken Lo Mein

Every week I am faced with the same dilemma…. What should I make for dinner? I go through a list of ideas in my head to see which one sparks enthusiasm and makes my taste buds feel excited. As many people do, I have a few good standby’s that I turn to when I just can’t think of anything else. And there are those times when I want to try something new. As was the case when I decided to make Chicken Lo Mein recently. I had come across a recipe in a magazine that I was sure I had ripped out, but, when I went to go look for it, I couldn’t find it. So, I turned to the internet to get some ideas for a recipe. After reading a few, I created my own that turned out delicious and best of all, quick and easy to make.

A few of the recipes I saw called for chicken breasts, but I opted to use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead as I find chicken thighs absorb the flavor of a dish better (especially sauces) and they do not dry out as easily as chicken breasts does when slightly overcooked.  And while I did plan on using Lo Mein noodles, they weren’t available at my local supermarket so I went with Linguine instead, you could also use spaghetti if you have a preference. One other change I made was the oil I used. Most of the recipes I saw online called for sesame oil, I used canola oil instead. Simply because I had it on hand and I knew it was a good substitute.

To make the dish I started by cooking the linguine per the package instructions. Once ready, I drained and then tossed them with a bit of oil before setting aside. Meanwhile, I cooked the chicken in a large skillet for a few minutes and then added in the vegetables. After cooking for an additional few minutes, to allow the vegetable to become tender, I added the sauce and noodles and tossed everything together. After letting it cook for a few more minutes it was ready to enjoy!

Chicken Lo Mein

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoon corn starch

8 ounces linguine

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

2 cups broccoli florets

Salt & pepper

Directions:

Cook the noodles per the package instructions, then drain and toss with 1 teaspoon of canola oil. Cover to keep warm.

In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch and 1 of the minced garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of the minced ginger.

Season the chicken with a teaspoon each of salt & pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes, until it’s no longer pink on the outside.

Add the remaining garlic and ginger, along with the vegetables – pepper, mushrooms, carrots and broccoli – to the skillet with the chicken and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the soy sauce mixture along with the cooked linguine and stir to combine – it might be easier to use tongs to toss everything together. Cover and allow to cook for a few more minutes for the flavors to meld.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Key Lime Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

If you love citrus desserts, you are going to love today’s Key Lime Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream. It’s a nod to the classic key lime pie with key lime curd sandwiched between layers of key lime cake. All topped with a white chocolate buttercream that is the perfect complement to the lime flavor.

In an attempt to make a boxed white cake mix taste homemade I added homemade buttermilk (whole milk mixed with vinegar) along with key lime juice and lime zest to the batter. Well, I forgot the fundamentals of baking science and the result of all that acidity was two cake layers that were dense and barely rose. On my second attempt I decided to keep it simple and ended up with perfect cake layers.

While the cake layers themselves have just a hint of lime flavor the real star of the cake is the key lime curd. The flavor is spot on without being overpowering. As a heads up, the recipe for the curd will yield more than what’s needed for the cake. I ended up mixing my leftover curd with yogurt. You could do as I did, or top it on pancakes or waffles, or just enjoy it on its own since it’s so good! And to top it all off I made a white chocolate buttercream by beating melted white chocolate along with butter and a few other ingredients.

Two quick things to note regarding the key lime juice and white chocolate. For the key lime juice, I opted to use Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice. It’s become my go-to for whenever I make any key lime desserts. Now, if you are up to it and are able to find them you can squeeze fresh key limes to get the juice. Just keep in mind that key limes are smaller than regular limes and you will need a decent amount of them to get the amount of juice needed for the cake. As for the white chocolate, you may be tempted to use white chocolate chips as opposed to baking bars, but speaking from experience the bars are better as they melt smoothly. Which is important when making the buttercream. I used chips once to make white chocolate buttercream and the chips didn’t melt smoothly and my buttercream ended up with small chunks of white chocolate. The buttercream tasted good, but it was an unexpected texture. I used Ghirardelli white chocolate bars which can be found in the baking aisle, but you could also use Lindt white chocolate bars which can be found in the candy aisle.

Key Lime Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients:

For the Key Lime Curd:

1 cup sugar

Zest from 1 lime

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup key lime juice

1 stick unsalted butter, cubed

For the Key Lime Cake:

1 15.25oz. box white cake mix

3 eggs

1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup key lime juice

Zest from 2 limes

For the White Chocolate Buttercream:

2 4oz. white chocolate baking bars, chopped*

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Graham cracker crumbs to decorate, optional

*I used 2 4oz. Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Bars

Directions:

For the Key Lime Curd:

In a medium saucepan lightly whisk the egg yolks. Add the sugar and lime zest and continue whisking until well combined. Gradually whisk in the lime juice.

Heat over low heat and continue whisking the mixture until it begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the cubed butter. Continue whisking until the butter has melted.

Strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve into a food-storage container. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd (to prevent it from forming a skin) and allow to cool for a few minutes before covering and refrigerating for at least 8 hours. The curd will continue to thicken as it chills.

For the Key Lime Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray 2-8inch round cake pans with baking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients for the cake and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until combined, careful not to overbeat. Divide the batter among the prepared pans – about 2 cups each – and bake in the preheated oven for 28-33 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If you are not assembling the cake the same day as baking the cake rounds, wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the White Chocolate Buttercream:

Place the chopped white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir and then continue to heat for 15 second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Do not overheat as this will scorch the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to cool for 20 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add in the cooled chocolate and continue beating until smooth. With the mixer on medium-low speed gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar. Beat in the vanilla extract and salt until combined.

Add in the heavy whipping cream and beat for a few seconds until incorporated and then increase the speed to high for 30-60 seconds to fluff the frosting.

To assemble the cake:

If necessary, level the cakes. Place one of the cakes on a cake board or a cake stand. Transfer some of the frosting to a piping bag (or resealable bag) and pipe a thick dam around the edge of the cake. Fill with the lime curd and then place the second cake on top. Crumb coat the cake and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Frost the cake with the remaining frosting. If desired pipe swirls on top of the cake. If using, press the graham cracker crumbs on top of the cake and on the sides.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Tiramisu Parfait

Can you believe that we are in March already?  Insane! Time really does fly by, and you don’t even need to be having fun for it to happen. It just does! Hope February treated you well and that you celebrated the month of love as you saw fit.

Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts, but whipping up a whole batch is just too much. I recently came across a recipe for Tiramisu for Two in the recent issue of Real Simple magazine that I thought was perfect to try – after I basically switched up all the ingredients to be reminiscent of my favorite tiramisu recipe. I used mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese, Kahlua instead of bourbon or rum and completely omitted the raspberries the recipe called for. What I ended up with though was a delicious tiramisu that took less than 20 minutes to prepare.

It was so good, that I made it twice within a week. Also because I couldn’t get good pics of the first two I made to share with this blog post, so I had to make it again. No complaints though. I was more than happy to make the sacrifice for this blog post. 

Hope you try the recipe and enjoy it as much as I did!

Tiramisu Parfait

Ingredients:

4 oz. mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon Kahlua

6 ladyfingers, halved crosswise

1/2 cup brewed espresso or coffee, cooled

Cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions:

In a medium bowl beat the mascarpone cheese with a hand mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the heavy cream, sugar and Kahlua and increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is smooth and has thickened. This will take a few minutes.

In another medium bowl add the espresso/coffee and dip the ladyfingers, coating both sides.

Arrange 3 of the ladyfingers in the bottom of 2 straight sided glasses / mugs. Top with 1/3 cup of the mascarpone mixture and then repeat the layers – ladyfingers and then the remaining mascarpone mixture. Top with a dusting of cocoa powder.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

Recipe modified from Real Simple

Chicken Lasagna Soup

It had been a few years since my neck of the woods had measurable snow fall, but last week that changed when a Nor’easter dropped a few inches of snow that required me to break out of my shovel and get to work. And unfortunately, it wasn’t the nice powdery snow that’s easy to shovel, it was the heavy wet snow that can be a bit of a back-breaker to clean. The snow also brought with it colder temperatures. The weekend before the snow it was in the 50’s, but after the snow it was in the 30’s with wind chills making it feel much colder. Thankfully, I had today’s delicious soup to enjoy on those cold days, a Chicken Lasagna Soup. I know the name might conjure up all kinds of ideas as to what it could be, but it’s pretty much a very fancy chicken noodle soup.

So, why a Chicken Lasagna Soup? Well, I have a recipe for a lasagna that I want to make, and I tend to purchase grocery items that I know I am going to need in the future when they are on sale, so I bought the lasagna noodles when they were on sale, only to reread the recipe and realize they were the wrong ones. I was supposed to buy no-boil ones, but I didn’t want them to go to waste so I started thinking of other things I could make with them and remembered seeing quite a few recipes for lasagna soup.

The soup came together rather quickly. I started off by poaching chicken breasts in seasoned chicken broth along with onions and mushrooms. Once the chicken was cooked, I removed it from the broth, shredded it and then added it back to the broth along with baby spinach, sun dried tomatoes, heavy cream and the lasagna noodles (already cooked). I opted to cook the noodles separately as opposed to cooking them in the soup to reduce the amount of starch added to the soup, which would have made the soup consistency thicker. Once the spinach was wilted, I added in cheeses and gave everything a good few stirs until they were melted and then it was ready to be enjoyed.

And this soup didn’t disappoint. It was flavorful and hearty, the perfect soup for cold winter days!

Chicken Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cups sliced mushrooms (8oz. package)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)

8 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces

1 5oz. bag baby spinach

1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large pot or Dutch oven melt the butter and flour together over medium heat. Add in the onions, mushrooms, rosemary, basil, oregano and garlic and stir everything to combine. Add in the chicken broth and stir again. Add the chicken breast along with the red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles in a separate pot per the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and shred, then return to the pot. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil and add in the noodles, spinach, sundried tomatoes and heavy cream. Stir and allow the soup to lightly boil until the spinach wilts. Add in the cheese and stir until melted.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest

Strawberry & Chocolate Cookies

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and today I am sharing the cutest cookies to make for the day. I’ve used all kinds of cake mixes to make cookies and in honor of Valentine’s Day I used a strawberry cake mix to make Strawberry & Chocolate Cookies that are topped off with a chocolate heart pressed into the center of each cookie.

Making the dough for these cookies is quick and easy. In a large bowl along with the strawberry cake mix, I beat together baking powder, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. While I normally don’t add any kind of leavening agent to my cake mix cookies, I decided to add baking powder to these to give them a little more rise. After the dough came together, I refrigerated the dough for 30 minutes to firm up a bit.

Next, I dropped the dough onto prepared baking sheets and baked in a 350 F preheated oven for 10 minutes. Just until the cookies were set. After removing from the oven, I immediately pressed a chocolate heart (I used Dove’s Milk Chocolate Hearts) into the center of each cookie. I let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely and allow the chocolates to firm up again. Alternatively, you could use 1 cup of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips folded into the batter in lieu of the chocolate hearts…

But a pink cookie with a chocolate heart couldn’t be any more perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Strawberry & Chocolate Cookies

  • Servings: 18 Cookies
  • Print

Ingredients:

1 15.25 oz. Strawberry Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

18 chocolate hearts unwrapped (I used Dove Milk Chocolate Hearts) *

*In lieu of the chocolate hearts, fold 1 cup of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips into the dough instead

Directions:

In a large bowl add the cake mix, baking powder, oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons) to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-11 minutes.

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven press a chocolate heart in the center of each cookie and allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

The chocolate may still be soft even after the cookies cool, allow them to firm up again before transferring to an air-tight container to store.

**If you opt to use chocolate chips instead, fold them into the dough after beating the other ingredients together and then follow the instructions for refrigerating, baking and cooling the cookies.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Cranberry Orange Upside Down Bundt Cake

If you are still looking for a festive and delicious dessert to serve at your holiday gatherings but don’t want anything that requires too much fuss, then today’s Cranberry Orange Upside Down Bundt Cake may just be what you are looking for.

While the name may be a mouthful, this cake is super easy to make and comes together rather quickly thanks to using a yellow cake mix as the base for the cake. Simply add some orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice to the batter and you end up with a nice orange flavored cake that is slightly sweet yet refreshing. And the addition of cardamom is a nice complement to the orange flavor. If you don’t have cardamom, you could use cinnamon instead. While the fresh cranberries on top of the cake adds a nice pop of color and a slight tartness to the cake. If you want your cranberries to be a bit sweeter add more brown sugar to the topping.

So, with little effort and in about an hour you have a beautiful and delicious cake to enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Upside Down Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cranberry Topping:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

1/3 cup light brown sugar

For the Cake:

1 15.25 oz box yellow cake mix*

3 large eggs

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cardamom

Zest from 2 navel oranges

Juice from 1 navel orange

*I used Duncan Hines

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a Bundt pan with baking spray.

Pour the melted butter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Scatter the cranberries over the melted butter in an even layer and then sprinkle the brown sugar over the cranberries.

In a large bowl add all the ingredients for the cake – cake mix, eggs, water, vegetable oil, cardamom, orange zest and juice – and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until combined.

Gently pour the batter into the Bundt pan and tap it down on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a cake stand (or cake board) and let cool completely before slicing and enjoying.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula  

Gingerbread Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

Are you still in search of cookies to bake for the holidays? Or maybe you can’t decide between baking a holiday staple, gingerbread, or everyone’s favorite, chocolate chip? If so, why not make both with today’s recipe for a Gingerbread Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie.

I came across this recipe in the most recent issue of Food Network Magazine and knew immediately that I wanted to try it. Especially after making my Gingerbread S’more Blossoms and knowing how well gingerbread and chocolate go together. Although, I made a few tweaks to the original recipe. While the original recipe called for Gingerbread Spice, I didn’t feel like searching for an actual jar of McCormick’s Gingerbread Spice (it’s a real thing just like pumpkin spice), so I created my own with a blend of ground cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Alternatively, you could swap out the cloves for allspice. And I opted to use semi-sweet chocolate chips as opposed to milk-chocolate chips. The result was a cookie with all the flavors of gingerbread with just the right amount of chocolate. And while they are delicious just as they are, they are perfect to make winter ice cream sandwiches – which is what a friend of mine did after receiving a batch of them from me!

Gingerbread Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons molasses

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 teaspoons ground cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda and salt, set aside.

In a large bowl beat the butter and both sugars with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture, gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until just combined. Add in the chocolate chips and continue beating until the chocolate chips are well incorporated into the dough.

Scoop the dough using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) and roll into balls and then place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and soft in the center. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets before transferring them to an airtight container.

Recipe slightly modified from Food Network

Peppermint Bark Molten Lava Cakes

Creating and making your own recipes is like conducting a science experiment. Until you take that first bite you wonder if you got the proportions of the ingredients correct, will the flavors work together and is it even edible. These thoughts and more swirled around my head while making today’s Peppermint Bark Molten Lava Cakes.  

I got the idea after having a package of Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares left-over from last Christmas. I say left-over because I normally buy a few packages to enjoy around the holidays since they are a seasonal treat. I bought one too many though because I couldn’t bring myself to open the last package I had because I had my fill of the square by then. I figured there had to be something I could incorporate them into. At first, I thought cookies, but around the same time I was working on the recipe for these Raspberry Molten Lava Cakes and thought that maybe I could use them to make a peppermint lava cake that would be perfect for the holidays.

I made some tweaks to the Raspberry Molten Lava Cake recipe and ended up with a molten lava cake that was the perfect balance of peppermint and chocolate. And it’s finally time to share the recipe with the holidays just around the corner. To make the batter I melted the peppermint bark squares in the microwave along with butter and then incorporated that into a mixture of sugar and eggs and finally folded in flour. After dividing the batter among 4 ramekins…  

I baked them in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes and then let them cool for a few more…

Before inverting on a plate and dusting with confectioners’ sugar to enjoy.

So, this holiday season if you have an extra bag of peppermint bark or are looking for a fun twist on the traditional molten lava cake pick up a bag of peppermint bark and whip up a batch of these yummy cakes!

Peppermint Bark Molten Lava Cakes

Ingredients:

1 5.4 oz. package Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares, broken into quarters

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup flour

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Spray 4 6oz. ramekins with baking spray and place on a baking sheet.

In a microwave safe bowl combine the peppermint bark squares and butter and microwave for 30-second intervals until the butter melts. Once the butter has melted stir the mixture until the chocolate melts.

In a medium bowl beat together the sugar and eggs with a hand mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy.

Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture until just combined. Add the flour and continued folding the mixture together until well combined.

Divide amongst the prepared ramekins, about 1/2 cup of batter in each.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-16 minutes. Cool for 5-10 minutes before inverting. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and enjoy.

For leftovers, cover the ramekins tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. To heat, microwave for 30 seconds. Let sit for a minute then invert and enjoy.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula.

Gingerbread S’more Blossoms

Today’s cookie is mash-up of a few cookies and it’s perfect for anyone short on time or doesn’t fancy themselves a baker. It’s a Gingerbread S’more Blossom.

So, what exactly is a Gingerbread S’more Blossom? It’s a gingerbread cookie, topped with a marshmallow that is roasted under the broiler and then topped with a Hershey Kiss! And as I mentioned they are perfect for anyone who is a bit apprehensive to bake cookies from scratch as the gingerbread cookie is made using a prepackaged mix. If you prefer to use your favorite gingerbread recipe that would work as well. I’ve made gingerbread cookies from scratch, and I have made them using Betty Crocker’s Gingerbread Cookie mix and have been just as happy with the results and have appreciated the time it saves!

The end result is a cookie that is the perfect combination of a s’more and blossom cookie along with gingerbread!

Gingerbread S’more Blossoms

Ingredients:

1 17.5 oz Gingerbread Cookie Mix* plus ingredients listed on package to make the cookies

Large marshmallows, cut in half**

Hershey Kisses, unwrapped**

*I used Betty Crocker’s Gingerbread Cookie Mix

**For the marshmallows, you will need half the amount of cookies you bake and for the Hershey Kisses you will need an equal amount

Directions:

Prepare the dough and bake the gingerbread cookies per the package instructions.

After removing the cookies from the oven press a marshmallow in the center of each cookie, cut side down and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets.

Switch the oven to the broiler setting and place one baking sheet at a time back in the oven for 30-60 seconds, or until the marshmallows begin to brown. Remove from the oven and immediately place a Hershey Kiss in the center of each marshmallow. Transfer the cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula.