Mini Pumpkin Pie Sugar Cookies

Mini Pumpkin Pie Sugar Cookies

Nothing says Fall or Thanksgiving quite like pumpkin pie! These little sugar cookies pack a huge bite of the pumpkin pie you know and love. The added hint of cream cheese is the icing on top of a perfect pie!

FullSizeRender

IMG_1879IMG_1878IMG_1864IMG_1862

Prep- 40 minutes Total-1 hr 25 Serves-36

Ingredients
Cookie Base
• 1 package of Betty Crocker™ sugar cookie mix
• Butter and egg as directed on cookie mix package

Pumpkin Filling

  • 1 brick of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix)
  • 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

Topping

  • Betty Crocker™ cream cheese frosting

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray (I used mini ones).
  2. Make the dough as directed on the package.
  3. Press approximately 1 1/4 inch balls evenly into the bottom of the pan going slightly up the sides. Make a deep enough well so you the pie filling fits inside.
  4. Mix Pumpkin Filling ingredients in s medium sized bowl with a whisk until smooth.
  5. Spoon a small amount into the each cookie filled muffin tin and spread evenly.
  6. Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until edges are a light golden brown and the filling has set.
  7. Both the cookies and the filling will be soft, let cool for 10 minutes in the tin.
  8. Very carefully remove and place on a wire rack to cool and harden.
  9. Using a small plastic bag, add cream cheese frosting and cut a small piece from the tip of the bag. Pipe a small amount onto each pie and sprinkle lightly with pumpkin spice.

*Refrigerate the cookies in a container or wrapped in plastic wrap.

IMG_1875IMG_1873IMG_1871IMG_1868IMG_1863

Enjoy your minis, these are the perfect bite size treat to bring to the table for Thanksgiving!

xoxo,

Sara

Deep-Fried Oreo Recipe

Deep-Fried Oreo Recipe

Nothing like creating a fair food favourite right from the comfort of your own home!

image

Follow the easy steps below to make this creation yourself.

What you will need:

1 cup of pancake mix

2/3 cup of milk

1 egg 2 tsps of vegetable oil

1 box of Oreo cookies

Vegetable oil for frying

Confectioner’s sugar (optional)

Prep:

  • Freeze your Oreo cookies for 1 hour
  • Fill a durable pot with 2-3 inches of cooking oil (on medium heat or to about 375°F)
  • Wisk pancake mix until smooth
  • Dip one cookie at a time in the batter (important step so your cookies don’t get soggy sitting in the mix) coating it well
  • Carefully drop your coated cookies in the hot oil flip once until each side is golden brown (it doesn’t take long!)
  • Remove cookies from hot oil with tongs (be careful) and place on a paper towel
  • Arrange on a platter and dust with confectioner’s sugar
  • Best enjoyed warm and maybe with a side of vanilla ice cream!

Mini Donuts!

Mini Donuts!

Who doesn’t love donuts? And who doesn’t love anything mini?

These sweet combination will be an absolute treat whether it’s for a party or just because!

I used the Wilton non-stick 12 cavity donut pan. I picked mine up from Michaels Canada and used a 40% off coupon! I’m always keeping my eye open for really good coupons, and typically every week Michaels has a 40% off one regular-priced item or sometimes even 50%. I wait to buy items such as these until a coupon becomes available!

The batter was really easy to make (I just went on Google and got a simple recipe and did the same for the icing.) I opted for a basic vanilla donut with vanilla icing that I died pink to get the desired effect and used large sprinkles. You can really get creative here and use any sort of flavours or colourings your little heart desires!

I was really pleased with how these turned out and how easy the pan was to use!

These were a huge hit and I keep getting requests to make more! I found that these were more popular compared to if I were to have made full-size donuts, these ones flew off the platter in minutes!

Here are some pictures of the adorable little yummies!

IMG_4239

IMG_4237

IMG_4235

IMG_4232

3 Sweet Treats- Valentine’s Day Edition!

3 Sweet Treats- Valentine’s Day Edition!

This Valentine’s Day I decided to really get my bake on! I opted for three different treats and I loved how each of them turned out!

Below are the three recipes and pictures of each dessert! I hope you try these cute treats out and enjoy them as much as I did!

Sweet Treat #1: White-chocolate covered Oreo truffle hearts

I love to bake but if I have the chance to make a dessert that requires NO baking (yes, you heard that correctly) I am all ears! These delectable heart shaped truffles are the perfect mix of creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside! If you don’t eat these all to yourself (which is totally understandable) they make a perfect Valentine’s Day gift wrapped up in cellophane with some ribbon.

image

To make these treats into a heart-shape all you need is a heart-shaped cookie cutter. This option proved to be a lot faster than rolling them into balls which is typically how truffles would be made. This recipe is without a doubt a piece of cake! It’s as simple as finely grinding the Oreo cookies and placing them into the cream-cheese mix, spread this mixture onto baking paper, place in the freeze (this makes it MUCH easier to use the cookie cutters), then all you have to do is dip the hearts into melted chocolate and decorate how you please! 🙂

I only did a single-dip of chocolate for mine, but if I were to make them again I think I would do a double-dip to make a thicker and smoother finish on the hearts! You can opt-out of the sprinkles but I thought they added a nice extra crunch to the creamy texture inside!

The thought of making truffles might frighten you but you have my word that these Oreo Truffles are super simple to make! The mixture might not look the most appetizing before its dunked in chocolate but the taste makes up for its looks! The only downfall of these treats is that they’ll disappear before you know it!

image

image

image

image

Ingredients: ( 3 simple ingredients! )

* One (1) box of Oreo cookies-crushed finely into crumbs
* 5 oz of softened cream cheese
* 12-14 oz of white chocolate candy melts or bakers chocolate 
*Sprinkles (optional, but necessary)

Step-By-Step Instructions:

* Line a tray or baking sheet with wax paper
* Crush whole Oreos (filling and all) into really fine crumbs, and combine with the softened cream cheese
* You can do this by hand (a little bit messy), or use a mixture with a paddle attachment. I found it a lot easier to just knead the mixture but hand.
* Once the mixture is evenly combined you can transfer it onto the wax paper. Spread it in an even layer about a 1/2 in thickness (or larger depending on what size you want your hearts to be)
* Place the tray into the freeze for about 45 minutes (or until it's hardened) 
* Using your heart-shaped cookie-cutter cut out the shapes and place them back in the freezer for another 20-30 minutes. ***Truffles must be frozen before dipping them in the chocolate!
* Take a few hearts out a time to dip in chocolate and decorate while the others stay frozen in the freezer until you're ready to get working on them.
* Using a fork dunk your hearts into the melted chocolate and tap off any excess chocolate. Transfer your completed hearts onto the wax paper and put any sprinkles on at this point if you are going to use them.
* The truffles can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer (freezing them will last longer)
* Yields approximately 16-20 small (about 1.5 inch) heart treats                                                                                                      

image

ENJOY! xoxo

Sweet Treat #2: Chocolate-dipped heart-shaped Rice Krispies

Everyone young and old can’t turn down Rice Krispies. And who in their right mind would turn down a heart-shaped chocolate-dipped sprinkle Rice Krispie treat?!

image

You can use any recipe that you have to make the Rice Krispies. I placed my completed mixture in a large casserole dish and immediately after I began to use a large heart shaped cookie-cutter. It is easier to do it when they are warm, making it easier to cut through the mixture. You can make them as thick as your cookie-cutter allows you too!

Once you’ve completed that step all you have to do is use your favourite coloured chocolate candy melts and dunk them or drizzle them however you’d like! I decided to add sprinkles to mine (remember to do this quickly before the chocolate dries!)

Yields approximately 10 large heart-shaped treats. This will vary depending on how large of a cookie cutter you use!

image

Having a bit too much fun in the kitchen with one of my favourite childhood treats!

image

Sweet Treat #3: Conversation Heart Mini Cheesecakes

The iconic Valentine’s Day conversation heart candies were the inspiration for my final treat!

image

I decided to go with a cheesecake recipe that requires you to bake the mixture but it’s perfectly fine for you to go with a no-bake recipe if you have one!

To coloured my hearts I went for Wilton brand gel food colourings in purple, pink, green and yellow and left a couple plain white. I used regular red liquid food colouring to write the messages on top of the hearts.

I found heart-shaped silicone molds that were exactly the same that Wilton sells but for a fraction of the cost at Dollarama. I bought two of these molds and I had just the right amount of mixture to fill them entirely!

These molds make the perfect sized cheesecakes!

image

Ingredients:
* 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs (finely ground with a pinch of cinnamon)
* 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of butter, melted
* 16 ounces (2 blocks) of cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup of sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 16 ounces of sour cream
* 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
* food colouring ( pink, purple, green, yellow, and red)

Supplies:

* Stand mixer or a mixing bowl and a hand-held mixer
* Rubber spatula
* Heart-shaped silicone molds
* Fine-tip paint brush
* Roasting pan large enough to fit your heart shaped molds

Instructions:

* Preheat oven to 325 degrees
* If you opt for a baked cheesecake you will need to make a water bath for it. Place your roasting pan in the oven filled with enough water to go approximately halfway up the sides of the heart molds. Allow the water to heat up while the oven does and bring some water to a boil in a kettle.
*Combine graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and melted butter. I used a food processor to grind the crackers then I mixed in the cinnamon and butter by hand until combined
* Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of the crumb mixture into the bottom of eat heart mold. Press the crumbs down to ensure an even crust
* In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium high until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. You will also want to scrape off the extra cheesecake mixture from the mixing blade so that you have clump-free cheesecake!
* Add in the sugar and beat for 1 minute. Add eggs and beat until creamy, approximately 1 to 2 minutes once again scraping the bowl. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix just until combined

*Equally divide the filling in separate bowls to colour them. Add food colouring to create the colours that you like.
* Pour the coloured cheesecake filling into the heart-shaped molds. Since cheesecake doesn't rise when baked you can fill them right to the top!

* Bake your cheesecakes in the water bath for 22-25 minutes (if making baked cheesecake)

* Remove your baked cheesecakes and allow them to cook at room temperature for about an hour.

* Freeze your cheesecakes for at least 2 hours (if not more). Remove from freezer and carefully push out your cheesecakes from the bottom. If they don't pop out easily they aren't done yet and will need to go back in the freezer for longer.

* To add the traditional conversation hear phrases squeeze some red food colouring into a small bowl. Using a fine-tip paint brush you can begin to write your messages on each cheesecake. Typically the says are printed in all capital letters. Don't worry if your words aren't perfectly centered, they typically aren't when they're printed on the candies.
* If you use too much food colouring your letters will bleed
* The food colouring will dry once you place your cheesecakes back into the refrigerator or freezer for a while. 

These cheesecakes can be stored for up to several days or in the freezer for about a month!

These were definitely my most favourite and most fun to make/decorate of all my treats!

Here’s a few pictures of my final products all finished and ready to be delivered to my special Valentine! XOXO

image

image

Chocolate Cupcakes With Vanilla Candy Cane Icing

Chocolate Cupcakes With Vanilla Candy Cane Icing

I used a lot of crushed candy canes in my Christmas desserts this year and this one turned out wonderfully!

All you need is to bake your favourite type of chocolate cupcake. I used a store bought mix but feel free to make yours all homemade! I decided to go for chocolate cupcakes so that the white icing and red candy cane crunch would really pop out at you!

Once your cupcakes are fully cooled down (I usually wait about an hour or so) remove the cupcake liners.

Next cut each cupcake horizontally down the middle

Using a piping page and star-point icing decorating tip place circle around the inside of the bottom half of the cupcake. Try going around the edges so that you can see the extra coming out. This step also makes it easier for your crushed candy cane to stick.

Place the top half of your cupcake back on and top it all off with a icing star and sprinkle a little bit more of your crushed candy cane on top.

VOILA, it’s that simple and they end up looking like you spent a lot of time on them!

I arranged my cupcakes on a large round platter and also placed some mini candy canes for a final touch! IMG_1577