Apple Dumplings

It is common knowledge that Mr. #1 is not a sweets fan.  He would rather eat meat, potatoes and bread than a sugary dessert.  There is one dessert, however, that I have heard him say he really likes - apple dumplings.  His mother apparently makes wonderful dumplings - and I want to see if I can make some that measure up.

At first glance, this may seem like a daunting recipe.  There are lots of components - and quite a few ingredients. However, the different parts of the recipe can be made in stages - even days ahead - and the ingredients are common place and easily purchased this time of year.  Another bonus of the Apple Dumpling Recipe is that it can be halved...or make the whole recipe for a wonderful company dish.  I plan to buy some really good vanilla ice cream to go on top!  The recipe document will be in your email tomorrow morning. Happy baking girls!

Gal #1: Two for One

September's Hi Hat Cupcakes began two weeks ago and ended some time last week.  Here's my report:

I started with the cupcake batter that came with the recipe.  I am always interested in chocolate cake recipes and tasting what people think is "really good" chocolate flavor.  I loved this batter.  It was a gorgeous consistency and smelled wonderful...

and...I got to use the cake flour Gal #3 brought me from Amish Country!

Things were going well...and then I made a critical error.  I am chalking it up to the fact that it's been a long time since I've made cupcakes.  When I filled the pan, I treated them more like muffins...filled them way too full and then didn't compensate for their size by baking them longer.  They were kind of sad looking.

I decided to let them sit for an entire day before tackling the icing...and the next day...I had a migraine.  So the cupcakes sat for two days...

I beat this icing for 16 minutes.....

Some people thought it would never be finished.

And then came the decorating part.

This amused the on-lookers.
It was at this point that I decided they were done.  No beautiful chocolate coating for me...love me the way I am.
I ate one several days later (post-migraine appetite) and loved the frosting.  YUM.  I will definitely use that again.  The cupcakes tasted like they looked...kinda sad.  Son #1 and Son #1friend graciously ate a partial tasting...Mr. #1 and Mr. #'s daughter refused to imbibe in any fashion.  Cowards.

This weekend it was on to Blackberry Clafouti.  Divinely Simple.  Bought garam masala and used a mix of blackberries and raspberries.

The last picture is of Mr.. #1's bowl.  I made him some sweetened whipped cream to go on top.  He really liked this - he likes bread pudding and this is somewhat in that category.  His only comment was...next time use more berries!  I agree!  Yummy stuff...especially warm.

Thank you Gal #2 & Gal #3...wonderful picks.  Thanks also for your patience with Gal #1!  Next month is mine.  It has been chosen...coming your way soon!

Hat's Off!

So sad, I made these on time, in October, but it's taken forever to post about it! Oops.

LOVE. I love frosting and this is a good one. Even Mr. #2 liked it because of it's silky smooth consistency. (He's not a huge sweet frosting fan.) I am glad I read the first review however because I cut the recipe in half and still had leftovers! I'm sure if you actually put 1/2 cup of frosting on each cupcake you might use the whole batch. But honestly, how do you fit that much frosting on one cupcake? No idea.

My pointers would be, one, to whip it more than 7 minutes! The directions do say 12+ minutes, but I was really impatient. :) The firmer the better. Two, chill. Chill the cupcakes before you frost them, and again after they are frosted and before you dip them. I had a few issues with my frosting wanting to slide off into my dip... again, a little impatient.

Overall, this is a really easy recipe, doesn't take long, and the results are wow. Next I want to do a cake in this stuff!

Fall into Fabulous!

It's Fall and all the treats of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are about to start. The endless cookies, muffins, cakes, pies and sugary candy is a time of fun for the bakers and maybe a little too much for the taste-testers. So when I decided to pick a dessert for Fall I was looking for something sweet without being sinfully-so and easy. Only in November and December when I have more time do I look for more complex desserts and flavors so I chose a dessert I can't pronounce but I can definitely eat.

Enter Blackberry-Ginger Clafouti, courtesy of Aarti Sequeira. I was able to watch her make this dessert and thought it was so simple and easy I had to give it a try. So go for it ladies, you'll see what I mean about the simplicity of it all. I already made it- that's how simple it is! The making-post will be soon to follow, enjoy October ladies!