Roasted Strawberry-Rhubarb Buckwheat Biscuit Cake

Happy Memorial Day weekend, friends! I have this to die for strawberry-rhubarb biscuit cake. Ah-mazing.

Before we get to the food, I have to share how difficult it has been to get this post up. My cat has been a relentless snuggle bean. I can't sit down without her showing up and climbing into my lap.

I often complain how she doesn't give me enough loving, finding it very hard to kick her off my lap. When she was too slow to get on my lap before my computer, she still climbs on. Sprawled out, one leg on the keyboard, belly up. Cuteness.

As I write this she is sitting on my belly giving me the stink-eye. She has obviously claimed my lap as her own and has some computer jealousy.

It may be that she knows her mother, me, is about to leave her for two weeks and she wants all the snuggles she can get before that day arrives.

Now about this cake, cobbler, fruit and biscuit situation. It is maybe the most delicious thing I've ever made. I had frozen strawberries from last summer and rhubarb from the farmers market.

If you are using frozen berries, be sure to drain them. If you don't, you'll end up with way too much liquid. Which is bad. We don't want that. Set them in a strainer overnight on the counter or in the refrigerator.

Did I mention how easy this is to make? It took like 45 minutes all together, including dishes. The cake was gone in about the same amount of time. Remember, this is a judge free zone.

The biscuits come together really quickly, they are fairly doughy and dense, not so light and fluffy, but it worked for me. Using all white flour is totally acceptable.

I sort of just used what I had on hand. You could substitute creme fraiche or sour cream for the yogurt.

Roasting the fruit results in a super jammy and buttery consistency. I would have slathered it all over myself, if I had more of it. That is right, it is that good.

It is so good you want to sit down all alone, dim the lights and turn on your favorite cooking show and savor the moment.
xo
April

Ingredients:
for the fruit:
2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen, if frozen, defrost and drain first
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons butter
for the biscuits:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
8 tablespoons butter, cold, cut into quarter inch cubes
1/2 cup full fat greek yogurt or creme fraiche
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds removed and scraped
for the egg wash:
1 large egg
splash of water or milk
brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven, preheat the oven to 375F. 
2. In a medium bowl, combine the first six ingredients for the fruit, tossing to fully coat the fruit. Place the fruit mixture into an 8-inch oven proof skillet or metal baking dish, placing small pads of butter on top of the fruit. Place in the oven to roast for 12 to 15 minutes. While the fruit roasts, prepare the biscuit dough.
3. To make the biscuits, in a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the cold butter and vanilla bean seeds and use your fingers to quickly break the butter down into the flour and sugar mixture. Some of the butter pieces will be the size of oat flakes, others will be the size of small peas.
4. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the cold yogurt . Stir with a spoon. The mixture will be rather wet. Shape the dough into a rough disk, dividing the dough into 6 pieces. Brush the top of each biscuit with the egg wash (whisk together one egg with a splash of milk or water) and top with brown sugar.
5. Remove the strawberries from the oven and carefully place the biscuits over the hot strawberries. Return the skillet to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the biscuits are cooked through and the biscuits are golden.
6. Remove from the oven, allow to cool until the strawberries are no longer bubbling, and serve warm.

Chocolate Merlot Truffle Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting

These cupcakes are amazing. Totally perfect for Valentines Day, whether you love Valentines Day or think its just another hallmark holiday, marketing ploy, in that case they are any day perfect.

They might as well be a love potion, these cupcakes. You will love yourself more for making these on this fine upcoming hallmark holiday of love. Believe me.

Truffles are stuffed inside of each one for a little chocolate surprise. Who wouldn't love that? I sure don't know of anyone who wouldn't like it. I'd convert them with these cupcakes though. I'm sure of it.

A lot of recipes call for a little coffee when there is chocolate involved. Coffee and chocolate are a natural pair, but wine and chocolate are too. They both enhance the chocolate factor by 10.

It is quite possible that wine and chocolate are a better pair than chocolate and coffee...particularly if it is afternoon because it is more acceptable to drink after noon. Don't judge me. I'm still a college student for a few more months.

The truffle stuffed inside makes a little semi-molten extra rich chocolate center. These cupcakes are super moist (I'm sorry if you hate that word, but it is true AND have you ever looked at "moist" synonymous; way worse than moist when talking about food. Gross.) all on their own with no truffle but why you wouldn't want the chocolate center, I don't know.

Red wine makes these seem like a red velvet cake. Someone asked me if they were red velvet, which they might as well be.  Red wine velvet cupcakes.

Use any sort of somewhat fruity, well-rounded, smooth red wine that you would normally drink. I used a Merlot.

The wine complements the chocolate by bringing out the fruitiness found in chocolate. It is amazing. These cupcakes are the best cupcakes I've ever made. Maybe the best I've ever consumed. I wouldn't lie to you. Pinky swear.

The frosting in this recipe is probably my favorite frosting of all time. The combination of butter, cream cheese and mascarpone cheese are perfect. I'm always looking to get my boyfriend to say whatever I've cooked for him is the best he has ever had the pleasure of consuming.

This frosting did it. Best he ever had. It isn't too sweet either, which I like. It is honestly the only frosting I ever make. It is just the best. You must try it. Promise me.

Adding a little wine to the frosting is optional. I felt like it made it curdle a little bit, but gave it a lightly pink-red-wine color that I liked. I'd suggest not adding it if you are serving this to children.

These may be adult only cupcakes all together, between a glass of wine and a few cupcakes, I'm not entirely sure if the alcohol cooks off or not. I will let you make the call on serving these to children or not.

The cupcakes come together in around an hour, not counting cooling time. That is okay though. Just think of the time it takes for the cupcakes to cool as the perfect excuse for a glass of wine.

You should probably be drinking a glass while making these. Hell, you should probably just buy two bottles of wine.

Maybe save the second bottle of wine for after the cupcakes are out of the oven, you don't want it going to your head. Dry, overcooked cupcakes are bad, but not as bad as a fire.Either situation is no good though.

I bet you can find time to make these this week. Maybe this weekend, more time to enjoy some wine on a weekend. Treat yourself either way on this lovely hallmark holiday weekend.

I know I'll be treating myself to a to be determined home cooked meal, with white Russians and the Big Lebowski for dessert. I want to know what your plans are! How are you treating yourself this Valentine's day?

xo
April 

Makes about 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
 for the cupcakes:
24 cupcake liners
24 truffles, such as Lindt Irresistibly Smooth Dark Chocolate Truffles
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Merlot wine (or other red wine)

for the frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons Merlot wine (or other red wine)
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone (Italian cream cheese, available at most grocery stores)

1/4 cup cocoa powder, for dusting

Instructions:
for the cupcakes:
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with 24 cupcake liners, placing a chocolate truffle (I used Lindt truffles) in each cupcake liner. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl, sifting the 3/4 cup cocoa over the top of the flour mixture.

Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, and then the vanilla, and continue beating 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer on low, mix in a third of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and then pour in a third of the Merlot. Mix ingredients together until just combined. Continue this process two more times, alternating between the flour mixture and the wine into the cake batter. (be sure to not over mix the batter, in between each addition it is okay if they are not fully combined until the end.)

Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full, baking for 15 to 20 minutes; a metal skewer inserted in the cupcake (slightly off to the edge because of the truffle) should come out clean. Let the cupcakes cool 10 minutes in the pans, then place them on a rack to cool completely. While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting.

for the frosting:
In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the edges of the bowl and add the vanilla, mixing on low to combine. Then with the mixer going, stream in the 3-4 tablespoons of wine, until combined.

Beat in the mascarpone on very low speed until just combined. (Be careful; once you've added the mascarpone, excessive beating can make the frosting curdle.)

Frost the top of each muffin with the icing.

To finish the cupcakes, sift a little cocoa powder over the top of each one and then top with a truffle (optional).

Frosting slightly adapted from The Pastry Queen Christmas

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I'll admit, there have been weak points in my life where all I've really wanted to do is indulge in a little bit of cookie dough.  The solution tends to be that I will whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, but since the cookies aren't the actual goal, for simplicity's sake the dough just get pressed into a 9x13 pan and voila, cookie bars.

The problem then becomes that you have a large pan of cookie bars sitting around the house that you will be constantly tempted to devour.  When there's only a couple of people in the house, it becomes a real test of your self-control.

To help solve this problem I came up with the very ingenious solution to simply make a smaller batch!  I can still get my cookie dough fix but with much less temptation after the fact.  The cookie bars are now made in a smaller 9x9 pan instead.

The bars don't lose any of their chocolatey cookie goodness with the smaller serving.  My only complaint is that as a middle piece lover, those perfectly soft pieces on all four edges become a hot commodity.  Any other middle piece lovers out there?  Or are you like my mom and sister who fight over the corners?  Not to worry, all pieces middle and edge alike can do the trick, especially when enjoyed with a tall glass of milk.

Enjoy!
Kelsey

Recipe adapted from Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup dry oats

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper and non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.  Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together butter, vegetable shortening, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract.  Beat in egg.
4. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
5. Stir in chocolate chips and oatmeal.
6. Press cookie dough into prepared pan.
7. Cook for 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

S'mores Rice Krispie Treats

When I think of rice krispie treats, I think of marshmallows and when I think of marshmallows I think of s'mores! S'mores just have that nostalgic taste that brings you back to your childhood of bonfires and camping (or at least it does for me). Most people nowadays don't realize that I use to be quite the rugged camper. I'm sure my college friends can't even picture me hooking a worm or going without a shower for a week. But yes, I did that all the time growing up and I loved it.

Ok, back to s'mores and rice krispies. So when this chain of thought brought me to s'mores, I couldn't wait to start experimenting in the kitchen. You see, I thought I came up with some novel idea to combine s'mores with rice krispie treats. I was slightly crushed when it only took 30 milliseconds to find 28 recipes for s'mores rice krispie treats on Pinterest. I was quite embarrassed that I thought I had some evolutionary culinary masterpiece in mind. However, I decided to stick with my original plan and create my own recipe instead of borrowing. Plus, how hard could it be to create a rice krispie variation? I didn't think I could mess this one up.

After my second try (yes, I did screw up on the first try), I was pretty pleased with the outcome. And I'm guessing others liked them too since I already washed the dish they were in! As s'mores and rice krispie treats imply, these dessert bars are sweet and chewy with a crunch. And there is plenty of chocolate to please my craving, so it should satisfy yours as well. Plus, overall this recipe is quick, easy and sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Hope you enjoy!
Brittany

Ingredients
Crust:
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted

Rice Krispies:
5 1/2 c. mini marshmallows
2 tbsp. butter
6 c. Rice Krispies cereal

Chocolate coating:
1/2 c. chocolate chips
Any additional topping such as mini chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs, or sprinkles

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Mix to combine. Make sure everything is evenly coated with the butter.
3. Press crust into a greased 13x9 dish. Bake for 7-10 minutes.
4. As the crust is baking, melt butter in a large pot on medium heat. Add the marshmallows and constantly stir to prevent burning.
5. Once the butter and marshmallows are a nice, smooth consistency, turn the heat off and add the rice krispie cereal.
6. Pour the rice krispie marshmallow mixture over the still warm crust. Press firmly in order for the two layers to stick. *I also melted a bit more marshmallows and put it in between the two layers as glue. I'm not sure how much good that actually did, but worth it if you're not convinced the layers will stay together without it.
7. Let cool for 1-2 hours.
8. Once cool, cut the treat outs with your favorite cookie cutter, or cut into squares.
9. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 minute or on low in a saucepan.
10. Dunk the treats in the melted chocolate and garnish with your favorite topping. Place on parchment paper to cool.
11. Let chocolate cool and harden for about 1-2 hours.
12. Enjoy!

Dulce De Leche Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

I love me some Rice Krispie treats! They are so gooey, silky, buttery and crunchy all at the same time, and easy to make. I wonder if marshmallow haters also hate on RK treats?  I think the marshmallow part is what really draws me to them. I get where people are coming from though, but that chalky, dry and blandness of a marshmallow is really lost in a RK treat; these ones especially.

These start with two cans of sweetened condensed milk simmering away for a few hours. You are correct, I'm coming at you with more dulce de leche this week. I can't help myself. Its like a super easy, no stress caramel.

No stress assuming I didn't scare you the other week with warnings about cans exploding. They won't explode if you are careful, something about the water, science and the sweetened condensed milk being viscous. More importantly, it hasn't happened to me.

Use the deepest pot you have and be sure to check on the water level and all will be well. You can always buy dulce de leche at the store too, but where is the fun in that?

Other than the planning ahead on the dulce de leche, these RK treats come together really quick. Essentially the same method for making classic RK treats. Easy peasy, but with a "gourmet" twist and chocolate on top. Delicious!

I had originally planned to combine the chocolate and dulce de leche instead of swirling it. Do not attempt to combine them. Ever since sometime during my sophomore year of high school, I've had a tendency to burn chocolate.

That is what I thought happened on my first attempt at melting the chocolate and dulce de leche together, to create a smooth and cohesive topping. Fail. I tried again, this time only adding a tiny bit of dulce de leche to the melted chocolate, and boom, bam! It seized up and got all grainy and weird.

Therefore, gently swirling the dulce de leche into the chocolate already on top of the RK treats is the way to go. Anyone know why the dulce de leche would do this to chocolate? They were both the same temperature. It is lost on me. May never know. I'll survive though.

Anyways, these are pretty fantastic. Almost like a scotcharoo bar. Except it isn't.  My only word of caution would be to eat them within about 24 hours. They get a bit soggy otherwise, still tasty, but soggy. Storing them in the refrigerator really helps slow this.

 Lucky for you they take about 15 minutes to throw together and about an hour for the chocolate to set, but the chocolate doesn't have to be set. I know I wanted to dig in right away, but restraint is something I'm working on these days.

xo
April

Ingredients:
For dulce de leche:
2 cans sweetened condensed milk

For Rice Krispies: 
1 can dulce de leche
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 - 10oz package mini-marshmallows 
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies
For chocolate topping:
1 bag dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup dulce de leche

Instructions:
to make the dulce de leche:
Remove the label from the sweetened condensed milk cans. Place the cans in a pot and cover completely with water. Bring the pot to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and let simmer for about 2 ½ – 3 hours, making sure to add more water as necessary to keep the cans fully submerged in water (I have a medium saucepan and refill the water every 30-45 minutes). Remove the cans of dulce de leche from water and let cool to room temperature.

to make the Rice Krispies:
In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add dulce de leche and salt, whisking until combined and smooth. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray.

While the Rice Krispie treats cool,  using a microwave-safe container, place chocolate in microwave at medium power (50 percent) for 2 minutes. Remove and stir. If chocolate is not melted, return to microwave and repeat heating step, stirring every 30 seconds to avoid scorching, until smooth. In a separate microwave-safe container, put 1/2 cup dulce de leche, with a pinch of salt, in the microwave for 30 seconds; stir until smooth.

Spread the chocolate evenly over the cooled Rice Krispies, using a knife or fork, place tablespoons of dulce de leche evenly over the chocolate, and then swirl into the chocolate. Allow chocolate to set and cut into desired shape and size. Best served the same day, but will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Similar posts: Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Cake, Salted Caramel Brownies, Salted Caramels

Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Treats

We're doing things a little differently around here this week.  Prepare yourself for a mini theme week of all things rice krispies!  To start things off I'm sharing this recipe for Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Treats.

Rice krispies treats are one of those classic kinds of snacks.  Somehow I find myself forgetting about them a lot of times when I'm thinking of a treat to make.  I think it might be because they're so simple to make and that there is no baking in the oven required.  When they do slip into my mind and I choose to whip up a batch I'm never disappointed.

It's also easy to forget how versatile of a treat it can be.  Add peanut butter.  Smother them in chocolate.  Stir in sprinkles.  The possibilities are endless!

Seeing as Halloween is only a few days away and I'm in a full on pumpkin mindset, I knew I wanted to incorporate the flavor into my rice krispies.  The key to using pumpkin puree in rice krispie treats is not using too much because the cereal will get soggy, but to compliment the pumpkin with the flavor of your favorite pumpkin pie spices; cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves!  If you want to make them a little more festive looking, mix in some Halloween sprinkles, cut them with cookie cutters or shape them into balls and add a little stem.  The possibilities are endless and I'm sure they'll be just as enjoyable any way.

Cheers,
Kelsey

Recipe slightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (blot moisture out of pumpkin puree with a paper towel)
• 10 ounces of mini marshmallows
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups rice krispie cereal

Directions:

1. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside for later.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter.  Stir in pumpkin puree until warmed.  Fold in marshmallows, frequently mixing until they are almost melted.  Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Remove from heat.
3. Let mixture sit for 20-30 minutes, or until it reaches room temperature, occasionally stirring so a hard layer does not form on surface.
4. Stir in rice krispie cereal and mix until all cereal appears to be coated.
5. Pour into prepared pan.  Grease either your hands or a spatula to press mixture into pan.  Put pan in refrigerator to set for 30 minutes.  Cut and enjoy!

If you like this recipe, you may also like:

• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Caramel Oatmeal Chewies
• Homemade Marshmallows

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

First there was Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Cake (yum), then there was Pumpkin Pound Cake (delish), and now I bring you Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies because Badger Kitchen is currently chugging along on a pumpkin sweets train this month.

You know how there are those special moments in life that are just so memorable that you'll never forget?  I remember picking out our family dog because my sister and I decided he had the softest fur and getting to have him sit on my lap for half the ride home (sharing is caring).  I remember getting engaged and crying my eyes out for a good ten minutes afterwards.  I also remember the first time I baked and ate pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies in my college apartment on a crisp October.

Being the good daughter I am (and because my parents lived 20 minutes away so I'd go home to do laundry), I took my mom a couple of cookies to enjoy and shared the recipe upon request.  It then got shared with Gramma, sisters, aunts and so on.  And now here I am sharing it with you!

To say that these cookies are life changing isn't too far from the truth.  They are superior to the average snickerdoodle cookie thanks to the added pumpkin and spices.  The additional moisture from the pumpkin puree also keeps the cookies chewy, which is good if you're not a fan of hard cookies like me.

The original recipe that I found is so good that has received such rave reviews that I've never felt the need to alter it.  The only change I make is that sometimes I will add a little more pumpkin than the recipe calls for, depending on if I'm in a super pumpkiney mood or not.  Oh, and don't discriminate, pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies can be enjoyed year round!

Enjoy!
Kelsey

Recipe from Sweet Pea's Kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (increase to 1 or 1 1/4 cups if desired)
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or different large bowl to be used for mixing) cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, or about two minutes.  Beat in egg.  Then beat in pumpkin puree.  Add dry ingredients from separate bowl and slowly beat in.
4. In a separate small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.
5. Form dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated.  Space apart evenly on baking sheet.
6. Bake one cookie sheet of cookies at a time for 10-12 minutes, or until edges of cookies are starting to brown but centers are still puffy and soft.

Tip: Cookies freeze well either after baking and fully cooled, or in dough ball form without cinnamon-sugar coating.

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out:

• Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Sweet and Salty Sugar Cookies
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Cake

Its pumpkin time! Hopefully you aren't already sick of everything pumpkin because we got a lot of pumpkin coming your way.

Do we all remember better than sex cake from about 10 years ago? That is what I was going for here, pumpkin better than sex cake. Because I can't seem to help myself, I not only changed the cake to pumpkin but changed the sweetened condensed milk to dulce de leche.

This is not a typical recipe for me at all. I'm usually very against boxed cake. It doesn't take that long to mix up your ingredients, lets be honest, but sometimes you have to trash things up and make them super easy, semi-homemade and decadent, because sometimes they just taste better that way.

Whip cream is another easy thing to make at home, but it doesn't really stand up to cool whip. I'm secretly a huge fan of cool whip amongst other super processed dairy items. Nacho cheese, anyone? Velvetta?!  Love. I try to avoid them because they are so processed, but sometimes you just have to give into that guilty pleasure.

Back to the cake, you can choose to use the sweetened condensed milk and not turn it into dulce de leche, but I think you would be missing out. There isn't any work involved in making it, other than making sure it stays covered in water. You wouldn't want it to explode. Not to alarm you, but honesty is important in any relationship.

The cake is sort of dense, chewy and moist. It isn't overly sweet. I really like that some, but not all, of the dulce de leche soaks into the cake while some rests on top too. So indulgent and fall like! It got rave reviews from all my friends and by friend I mean my boyfriend and dearest friend, Leah, who also happens to be the photographer for this post!

xo,
April

Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk (label removed)

1 box yellow cake mix
1 14 oz. can pumpkin puree
1- 8oz container cool whip
1/2 cup heath bits

Instructions:
Dulce de leche:

1. In a large pot, fill with water to cover the can of sweetened condensed milk. Over high heat, bring to a boil Let simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, making sure to add more water as necessary. Remove the can of dulce de leche from the water and let cool to room temperature.

Pumpkin cake:

1. Preheat an oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and set aside. 
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pumpkin puree (add only the pumpkin puree to the cake mix; DO NOT add any of the ingredients listed on the box, like eggs), until a smooth batter forms.
3.  Pour batter into prepared pan (it was pretty thick and made a thin layer, not to fear though!) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. 
4. Remove cake from pan and let cool for 10 minutes. Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cake. 
5. Place the dulce de leche in a microwave safe container and reheat for 30 seconds and pour over the cake, spreading evenly over the cake and filling in the holes (a spatula is helpful here depending on how viscous the dulce de leche is). Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes or overnight.
6. Spread cool whip evenly over cake and sprinkle heath bits evenly on top. Cake is best enjoyed in 2 to 3 days.

Similar posts: Pumpkin Cheese Cake, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars, Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Butterscotch, Chocolate Chip, Pretzel Cookies

I made these salty, sweet, crunchy, chocolaty cookies for my birthday! I am that person who makes their own birthday treats or dinner because that is what I love doing.

I brought them to share at work, but they were not necessary! My sweet co-worker brought in a Chocolate Shoppe ice cream cake and serenaded me while I worked the patio. It was embarrassing and sweet. The cake was amazing! AMAZING! Yum.

No fear though I shared these with friends after work and they got rave reviews. Because who doesn't love salty and sweet? It is the only way to go.

When I made these I didn't break up the pretzels before adding them to the batter like I write in the instructions. When I make compost cookies its fun to find whole pretzels in your cookie, having little pockets of pretzel pieces works better I think for these cookies though. You get a little pretzel in every bite this way.

If you didn't have pretzels on hand you could totally try adding potato chips instead! Anything that is  salty and crunchy.

You could easily use mini chocolate chips or all chocolate chips instead of butterscotch pieces. I had butterscotch pieces to use up and I like them together with chocolate so it just made sense.

Adding a little pretzel on top is a cute little way to let people know what is in your cookie. It is not necessary, but pretty dang cute I think. I bet you have all these ingredients in your cupboard and these are a fun and easy treat for you and your friends.

xo,
April

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup salted pretzels, broken up into medium pieces

Instructions:

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Cream until butter is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla extract for one more minute. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and beat on low until almost just combined. Add the chocolate and butterscotch chips and pretzel pieces until just combined.

Scoop dough by the heaping tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheet. Optional: place a whole pretzel on top of each cookie, pressing it in just slightly. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until the edges and tops are golden. Remove from the oven, allow to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Cookies n' Cream Frozen Pie

 

Frozen treats month continues here at Badger Kitchen and the timing couldn't have been more impeccable as we're wrapping up a little two day heat wave here in Madison.  We've had a generally mild summer weather wise here which has made for some really beautiful days to enjoy the outdoors.  I'm thinking Mother Nature might be trying to make up for what felt like the coldest winter ever by giving us lots of nice weather to enjoy.

For those days when the mercury rises and the humidity comes out to frizz up everyone's hair, this cookies n' cream frozen pie is a very refreshing treat to enjoy.  It's very easy to make as you're creating somewhat of a mock ice cream.  It's more like a frozen pudding actually, kind of like April's chocolate pudding pops.  No ice cream maker or anything fancy like that is required, just a little patience while it hardens in the freezer and a little self control so you don't dip all the extra Oreos in the pie filling while it's still soft.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups crushed Oreos, separated
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups cold half-and-half cream
• 1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 carton (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups crushed Oreos with melted butter.  Press to the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan.  Place in fridge.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat half-and-half and pudding on low speed for two minutes.  Let thicken for five more minutes.
3. Fold in whipped topping and crushed cookies.
4. Pour onto crust.  Chill in freezer for at least six hours.  Remove from freezer ten minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Best of Country Pies.

Chocolate Pudding Pops

Frozen treat month continues! These came to be when I gave my boyfriend mono a few months ago. Oppsi. I tried to make it up to him by making him pudding, which failed. I was in a rush and not thinking. The pudding didn't get thick enough. It was pretty sad, until I thought put in the freezer! Soupy pudding was no more.

You could simply make pudding and skip the freezing, but it is summer and I think you probably should. This is super easy to make. It takes about 20 minutes in total and you probably have most of these ingredients in your kitchen already.

These are very chocolate-y. The addition of a little unsweetened chocolate really amps up the chocolate flavor. If you don't have any on hand, don't worry. They will still taste delicious with only semisweet or bittersweet chocolate.

I've made these with and without the addition of butter. I'm not sure that it makes a huge difference, but I like to add it. I think it gives it a little more texture and body, plus I like to think it helps the popsicles slide out of their molds easier. Who knows though.

These really are the perfect summer popsicles. They don't melt super fast and by melting I mean they turn to pudding. No dripping and sticky hands involved. Its like pudding meets ice cream on a stick, but with less melting.

If you don't have a popsicle mold, it would be totally worth trying to freeze a bowl of this pudding and eating it like ice cream. The ingredients are almost identical to those found in ice cream. The options are deliciously endless. Cool off and make these as soon as possible. You won't regret it.

xo,
April

Makes 6 popsicles
Ingredients:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups whole milk

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
6 wooden popsicle sticks

Instructions:

1. Combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan, Slowly whisk in the milk, in a thin steam at first so that lumps don’t form, then more quickly once the cornstarch mixture is smoothly incorporated. 
2.  Place over medium-low heat and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 7 to 10 minutes (slower over lower heat is better, to give the cornstarch time to cook), before it starts to simmer, the mixture should begin to thicken, enough that it will coat the back of a spoon. 
3. Add the chocolate, and continue stirring for another 2 to 4 minutes, until chocolate is fully incorporated and mixture is quite thick (like pudding). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and butter.
4. Let cool slightly, then pour evenly among popsicle molds (there will be about one cup of pudding leftover. That is okay though because you get pudding right away). Freeze the molds for about 30 minutes and then place popsicle sticks in molds; continue to freeze for another 4 hours before serving.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 Years Ago: Homemade Marshmallows 

Boozy Roasted Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles

Summer is in full swing and we thought you could all use some recipes to help cool you off in the heat.

To kick off this months theme, Frozen Treats, I have some boozy roasted strawberry lemonade pops for us. I guess I just could not let go of last month's strawberry theme, but these popsicles really just make sense.

They bring together classic summer drinking. Everyone loves lemonade and why not add strawberries for some color and extra flavor. Then add some vodka and you have real easy summer living happening. Then freeze it all. Its a wonderful thing.


This recipe is actually perfect for this time in Wisconsin;s strawberry season. They won't be around much longer at Wisconsin farmers markets or you have more strawberries in your fridge than you know what to do with.

Like I have mentioned in a previous post, roasting strawberries is great for less than perfectly ripe strawberries (which is common with store bought berries) or too ripe strawberries. You know when they loose some of their firm juicy quality and become less pleasant to eat and will probably go bad within the next day. That is what I'm talking about when I say too ripe.

If you happen to be using local strawberries and they are on the smaller side, I would cut them in halves instead of quarters. When you roast the berries, I strongly recommend using parchment paper. I found that they stuck to tin foil.

While you roast the strawberries, start squeezing your lemons. I think squeezing your own lemons is really worth the effort. I got this amazing lemon squeezer. Amazing. It was so easy. You should get one. You won't regret it.

Heat up some water to add to your freshly squeeze lemon juice, just hot enough to dissolve some honey. Let is cool off before you add the vodka. We wouldn't wanted any of it to evaporate, duh. If you want to make these booze free for youngsters, just replace the vodka with water. No big deal.

You will fill up your popsicle molds, leaving about 1/2-inch at the top. Plop the strawberries on top of the lemonade. Some of them will sink. Some will not. The stawberries will bleed their juices into the lemonade, turning it a pretty red-pink.

Get them in the freezer. Let them chill out for a bit and then get some sticks in them. I opt to use wooden sticks, rather than the plastic things that came with my molds. I think it looks cuter and they are easy to devour.

I hope you give these a try! Maybe for Fourth of July weekend? Probably. I think it also wouldn't hurt to mix up a vodka lemonade and dip you popsicle into it, like a giant flavored ice cube. You know you want to.

Cheers,
April

Makes 6 popsicles
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pints strawberries, quartered
2 teaspoons honey
Zest of one lemon

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 3/4 cups warm water
1 tablespoon honey
4 1/2 tablespoons vodka

Popsicle mold (I use this one)
6 wooden popsicle sticks

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss strawberries, honey and lemon zest to coat. Spread strawberries evenly on prepared baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
2. While the strawberries roast, combine warm water, lemon juice and honey, whisking to dissolve the honey. Let cool slightly. Transfer the cooled strawberries to a dish and transfer as much of their juices to the water and lemon juice mixture (I used a spatula to pool the juices together on the parchment paper and poured it into the mixture. It wasn't much). Finally, add the vodka (if you choose not to use vodka, replace it with 1/4 cup water). Prepare you popsicle mold.
3. Fill each popsicle mold about 3/4 of the way, with the lemon mixture. Top off each popsicle mold with roasted strawberries. 
4. Place the molds in the freezer for about an hour (or until firm enough to keep a popsicle stick upright) and then place a popsicle stick in each mold. Freeze for 12 hours before enjoying.

2 years ago: Grown Up Pink Lemonade