Strawberry Hearts Cakelets

More sweets for your sweeties. This cakelet recipe was adapted from a strawberry cake recipe that was given to me by a co-worker years ago. I’ve since adapted it for cupcakes and now for cakelets. I couldn’t resist after finding this sweet little heart-shaped pan recently at Target. Recipe makes 8 cakelets.

Strawberry Hearts Cakelets

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

3-ounce package strawberry gelatin

½ cup buttermilk

10-ounce package frozen strawberries, thawed

½ tablespoon melted butter for brushing pan

Strawberry Frosting

¼ cup butter, softened

1 pound confectioners sugar

1/3 to ½ cup juice drained from strawberries

Heat oven to 350 F. Using a pastry brush, generously coat pan with melted butter and flour it.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs. Add oil sugar, gelatin and buttermilk. Stir vigorously until well blended. Add the flour mixture and blend.

Drain 1/3 to ½ cup of juice from strawberries and reserve for frosting.

Fold strawberries into batter. Pour batter into wells of the cakelet pan to ¾ full.

Bake 24-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow cakelets to rest in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, combine butter, confectioners sugar and strawberry juice. Beat until creamy.

(Recipe adapted from cooks.com) 

Slow Cooker Valentine's Day Candy

If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at making candy, this slow cooker method is a great way to get your feet wet.  The recipe is so simple, and the results are delicious. The slow cooker does all the work – it is literally a dump it all in and stir.

I first made slow cooker candy over the holidays in a chocolate version. They were a hit with family and friends, so naturally, I began thinking about making another batch for Valentine’s Day.

This go around, I used white chocolate ingredients. The white chocolate version is equally scrumptious, even more so for white chocolate lovers.

Valentine's Day Slow Cooker Candy

1 pound dry roasted peanuts

1 pound vanilla almond bark

6 ounces white chocolate chips

4-ounce bar of white chocolate

Small paper candy cups, size 4

Sprinkles of your choice

To a slow cooker, add all the ingredients (except the sprinkles). Cover and set the temperature to low. 

Allow the mixture to cook for 30 minutes, then stir it every 10 minutes until the chocolate is completely melted. It should take about 1 hour total.

Once mixture is melted, spoon into candy cups. 

Decorate with sprinkles immediately and allow chocolate to set.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Score Big with Spicy Pigs in a Blanket

Regardless of the winning team, you’ll be the MVP when you serve Spicy Pigs in a Blanket. Typically made with crescent roll dough, these little piggies get an upgrade to first class with a puff pastry crust. They’re golden brown, flaky and have just enough heat from the cheese and jalapeño slices. Give them an extra layer of flavor by dipping them in a tangy, whole-grain mustard. Go team!  

Spicy Pigs in a Blanket

Makes 16 hors d’oeuvres

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

16 miniature cocktail sausages

2 slices pepper jack cheese, each cut into 8 pieces

16 jarred pickled jalapeño slices

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted
  
Whole grain mustard for serving

Cook’s note: if you’re not a pork fan, try making these with a kosher-style frank, made with chicken and beef such as Aaron’s Best.

Heat oven to 375 F.

Lay the puff pastry sheet flat and cut into four equal pieces. Then cut each piece into four strips.

Cut a slit across the top of a sausage. Fill it with a piece of cheese, lay a jalapeño slice on top, and place it at the end of one of the puff pastry strips. Roll it up snug. Lay it on a sheet pan and repeat to make the rest.

Brush the tops with melted butter. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes.

Allow them to cool slightly, then serve with whole-grain mustard.

(Recipe adapted from Ree Drummond, The New Frontier, 2019)

Check out more fan-favorite Super Bowl Party recipes.

Sausage and Green Chile Crescent Squares

Sausage and Green Chile Crescent Squares and Italian Stromboli

https://somedaycowgirl.blogspot.com/2020/01/take-home-trophy-with-savory-super-bowl.html

Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels

Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels
https://somedaycowgirl.blogspot.com/2018/01/super-bowl-snacks.html

 

  

Say Oui! to Lemon Madeleines

There’s something about citrus that just screams fresh and new. Particularly lemons, their delightfully refreshing sweet and tart qualities imbue the feeling of clean, especially around the kitchen. It’s that citrusy scent that seems to wipe away the old and make everything new again. Isn’t that what we’re going for in 2021?

For my first post of the year, I wanted to make something with those fresh and clean characteristics – no chocolate, no sprinkles, and absolutely no salted caramel, just simple, French-inspired Lemon Madeleines. 

I hope you enjoy these delicate and airy butter cakes. 

  

Bon Appetit! 

 

Lemon Madeleines
1 madeleines pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup vanilla yogurt
Confectioners sugar for dusting

Heat oven to 325 F. Lightly coat pan with baking spray. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and baking powder.

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, egg, egg yolk and butter. Stir in flour mixture, lemon juice and yogurt, mixing just until blended.

Using a tablespoon, fill pan cavities with rounded tablespoon of batter. Bake 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cool 2 minutes in pan. Invert onto cooling rack and cool completely. Wash and prepare pan; repeat with remaining batter. Dust with confectioners sugar just before serving. Makes about 2 dozen cakes.

(Recipe from Nordic Ware)

Citrus Pomanders Make Scents for the Holidays

Winter is a season for the senses. The sight of sparkling lights, the sound of a crackling fire, the warmth of a cozy sweater, and the taste of freshly baked gingerbread. Let us not forget about the sense of smell. Infuse your home with the sweet and spicy aroma of orange and cloves by making citrus pomanders. 

Pomanders are a fun and simple project, and they lend a natural, earthy element to any décor.

What you will need:

Several oranges. Try navel oranges if you want large pomanders or clementines and tangerines for smaller versions. Odd numbers work best for display purposes.

Whole cloves.

A large nail, knitting needle or something to poke holes into the flesh of the citrus.

A Sharpie, optional.

Begin by marking a pattern on your citrus in small dots with a Sharpie. If you’d rather freehand it, you can skip this step. Using a nail, poke holes into the dots on your citrus. Insert cloves into the poked holes, and voila!

To display, arrange pomanders in a bowl or compote with a few sprigs of fresh evergreens, cinnamon sticks and pinecones. Or simply, place them in a clear, glass bowl or vase.