Happy Birthday Aunt Janet!

Sombrero 30th Birthday Cake!

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes for Turkey Day!

Sugar Cookies

Election Party Mini Cupcakes!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting!

Carrot Cake for Dad's Birthday!

Vanilla Cupcakes w/ Peanut Butter Buttercream!

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies w/ Cream Cheese Frosting!

Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes!

Red Velvet Baby Shower Cake!

Lady Bug Birthday Cupcakes and Cake!

Toasted Coconut Mini Cupcakes!

Snickerdoodles

These snickerdoodle cookies baked up nice and yummy. There are many snickerdoodle recipes out there, but I was excited to try this one. It comes from the famous NYC Magnolia Bakery and their latest book The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. The recipe instructions direct you to drop the cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls on the baking sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar before baking. I chose to form the dough into small balls and roll in cinnamon and sugarbefore putting them on the baking sheet. Either way is fine, and these cookies are sure to please.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tblsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 tblsp sugar mixed with 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla, and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drop the cookies by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. These cookies tend to spread more than most, so leaving extra room between them is important. Finish by sprinkling the cookies generously with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 14 minutes.

Sister's Baking Co. Menu

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie!

Wow! This one little word comes to mind to describe these big wonders! Girlfriends (and boyfriends!), these are not your ho hum Pillsbury slice-and-bakes. These babies will have your family, friends, neighbors, mailman...you name it, knocking at your door for more. Thick, buttery dough generously studded with chocolate chunks, semi-sweet chips, and toasted walnuts merits these "ultimate." The secret to these cookies is the addition of corn starch which adds a level of depth that your typical chocolate chippers lack. Come one, come all (with a cold glass of milk in tow!), it's cookie time!

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter - cold and cubed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cups AP flour
• 1 teaspoon table or fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 cup good quality semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup good quality semisweet chocolate chunks
• 1 cup toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until well incorporated.

2. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, corn starch and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips, chunks and nuts.

3. Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions, **about 4 oz each

4. Place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven 15-20 minutes depending on how gooey and raw’ish’ you like the interior, until very lightly browned, taking care not to overbake. Let cool on rack and store in an airtight container.

These are best eaten on the day they are made (ESPECIALLY warm out of the oven!). To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Makes about 12-14 cookies

** 6 oz portions (why not!) will give you about 8-10 cookies – bake another 3-5 minutes at 375F

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars

Caramel and pecans are a perfect combination if you ask me, and you will love them in this easy to assemble Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bar recipe. The caramel and pecans create a rich, chewy center while the shortbread base melts in your mouth. A perfect layer of milk chocolate tops things off, and they're good to go!

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars pictured

with Reese's Cheesecake Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cold butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 (12 oz) jar caramel sauce, warmed
• 1 (11.5 oz) package milk chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Then cut in the butter until crumbly. Press into and ungreased 13'' x 9" baking dish. Top with pecans. Drizzle the caramel sauce evenly over the pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes or until caramel is bubbly. Place on a wire rack. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand for 5 minutes. Carefully spread chips over caramel layer. Cool at room temperature for at least 6 hours or until chocolate is set. Cut into bars.

Chocolate Cupcake with Marshmallow Cream Frosting

This weekend I experimented with a chocolate and marshmallow combination cupcake and the outcome was a hit! Chocolaty and moist these cupcakes are a real treat right down to the chocolate marshmallow center.

Recipe (Makes 24 Cupcakes)
Cake:
12 TBS Unsalted Butter (lightly softened)
2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Sq. Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
1/2 C. Unsweetened Cocoa
1 1/2 TBS. Vanilla
1 1/2 TSP. Baking Powder
1 1/2 TSP. Baking Soda
1/2 TSP. Salt
1 1/2 C. Buttermilk
1/3 Milk (I used skim)
2 C. Flour

Set oven to 350 degrees and line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners. Cream 8 tbs of butter and sugar together until smooth. With mixer on low speed, beat in the eggs one at a time. Melt remaining butter and choc. squares together in a microwave until completely melted. Make sure you do this in small time incruments as mixture will burn easily. After melted add to the sugar mixture. Cont. beating on low adding the vanilla, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and milk. Finally add the flour and buttermilk alternating between the two in 3 additions. Mix everything until completely incorporated and distribute evenly between cupcake tins. Make sure not to overfill.

Filling:
6 TBS Unsalted Butter
3 Sq. Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
1 1/2 C. Marshmallow Cream
6 TBS Powdered Sugar
3 TBS Sugar

Melt chocolate squares and butter in same fashion as before for the cake. After completely melted add all other ingredients and mix together until completely incorporated. After removing cupcakes from oven and allowing to cool slightly (not completely) pipe mixture into center of cupcakes

Frosting:

3 C. Powdered Sugar
2 Sticks Butter (room temp)
1 1/2 Cups Marshmallow Cream
3 TSP Vanilla

Cream butter and sugar together. Add marshmallow cream and vanilla and blend until all ingredients and fully incorporated. Pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes in a swirl pattern and finish with a sprinkle of grated chocolate.

Yum Yum!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

These cupcakes hit the spot, and if you are a fan of cookies and cream you will not be disappointed in these. I created this recipe so that these cupcakes would turn out moist and tender. I frosted them with a vanilla cream cheese frosting topped off with crumbled Oreos. I chose to fill them with a whipped cream, cream cheese, Oreo mix that could also be used as the frosting instead of the cream cheese one I used. With or without the filling, these cupcakes are excellent.

Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  
• 1/4 cup butter flavored Crisco
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 - 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
• crumbled oreo cookies

Filling ( *could also be used as the frosting):

• 1/4 the batch of the cream cheese frosting (or the whole batch if you use the filling as the frosting)
• 1 cup cool whip (2 - 3 cups added to the entire frosting mix if you use the filling as the frosting)
• crumbled oreo cookies

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and set aside. In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Then beat in the eggs and egg yolk one at a time followed by the oil. Mix in the buttermilk and vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture on low until blended. Do not over beat. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Frosting Directions:

Beat the cream cheese, butter and Crisco in a large bowl until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract. Gradually beat in powdered sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Once cakes are cooled and frosted top with crumbled Oreos.

Filling Directions:

In a small to medium size bowl take 1/4 of your reserved frosting mixture and add the Cool Whip and crumbled Oreos. Mix well by hand until fluffy.

*If you chose to use this filling mix as the frosting instead of the cream cheese frosting, simply take the entire batch of the frosting mix and add the recommended amount of Cool Whip and crumbled Oreos listed above to the entire batch of cream cheese frosting. Mix well by hand until fluffy.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I am a huge fan of cake, and red velvet is one of my favorite. I decided it was time to bake up my own batch of red velvet cupcakes, but I wanted them to turn out extra special. Sometimes cakes and cupcakes are too dense and dry, so I did a little research on the science of creating cake recipes. After a little work and calculating, I created my own red velvet cupcake recipe just to my liking. I like a moist and tender cake that will still hold its shape, and this recipe delivers. I frosted these cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, and filled them with a vanilla pudding whipped cream cheese mix. All I can say is DELICIOUS!

Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 canola oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 bottle (1 oz) red food coloring
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup butter flavored Crisco
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 - 3 cups sifted powdered sugar

Filling:

• 1/4 the batch of the cream cheese frosting
• 1 cup cool whip
• 2 -3 tbsp vanilla pudding (optional)

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and set aside. In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Then beat in the eggs and egg yolk one at a time followed by the oil. Mix in the buttermilk, food coloring and vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture on low until blended. Do not over beat. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Frosting Directions:

Beat the cream cheese, butter and Crisco in a large bowl until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract. Gradually beat in powdered sugar on medium speed until fluffy.

Filling Directions:

In a small to medium size bowl take 1/4 of your reserved frosting mixture and add the Cool Whip and pudding. Mix well by hand until fluffy.

Sister's Baking Co. at the Boulevard of Dreams Event!

 

Sister's Baking Co. got a chance to showoff our amazingly delicious sweet treats this past Friday at the Dream Factory's Boulevard of Dreams event hosted at the Boulevard Brewery.  Items on the tasting menu included peanut butter chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars, strawberry almond white chocolate bars, chocolate cherry chewy cinnamon bars, campfire s'more bars, and mini lemon vanilla cupcakes with butter cream icing.  All I can say is....YUMMY!  Thanks to the Boulevard of Dreams planning committee for allowing us to be a part of this wonderful event.  We hope our desserts left people wanting more!

 

Bananas and Breakfast

We always have ripe bananas left over at our house that no one will eat. I hate to let them go to waste, so I always find myself whipping up some sort of baked good using them. My husband loves when I make something he can eat for breakfast on his way to work, so in this post I have included a yummy and nutritious breakfast friendly recipe using bananas. Give them a try!

Banana Breakfast Bars

Ingredients 3/4 cup softened butter 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 egg 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

4 cups quick cooking oats 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

1 1/2 cups mashed rips bananas (about 2) 1/2 cup dried chopped apricots

Instructions

Cream butter the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat well. Stir in the oats, banana, salt

and cinnamon and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Spoon batter into

a greased 13x9'' pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

The "C" Bar

The "C" Bar is a yummy delicious blend of chocolate, cherries, and cinnamon.  I came up with recipe using several random ingredients found in the pantry tonight.  Originally I planned on using some fresh cherries from the farmers market that I had de-pitted and diced up over the weekend, but I waited a little too long and had to toss them.  Thank goodness for the jar of maraschino cherries! 

Ingredients:

• 1-3/4 c. Flour
• 3/4 tsp. Backing Soda
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 c. Coco Powder
• 1 tbs. Cinnamon
• 1/2 c. Butter
• 1/2 c. Sugar
• 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbs. Corn Syrup
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 2 tbs. Coffee
• 1/2 c. Maraschino Cherries (halved)
• 1 c. Chocolate Chunks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and grease a 9 x 13 backing dish or bar pan.  Blend flour, baking soda, salt, coco powder, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.  In mix master combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, corn syrup, vanilla, and coffee.  Once wet ingredients are combine, slowly mix in dry mixture.  Once all is well mixed, fold in cherries and chocolate chunks.  Pour dough into greased pan and spread out evenly.  Bake for 17 minutes, let cool, and enjoy!!!  These are chocolaty cherry cinnamon chewy perfection! 

   

Today in my kitchen I decided to whip up some cupcakes using fresh blueberries and lots of fresh lemon! Here's the recipe! They turned out super yummy!!!! Enjoy :-)

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large eggs
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

FILLING

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
• 2 pints fresh blueberries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons flour
  

FROSTING

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• remaining blueberry filling

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pan with 12 liners. Whisk both flours in medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat to blend. Beat in eggs, then next 3 ingredients. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Spoon 2 very full mini ice cream scoops into each liner.
• Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.
• For filing heat lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until bubbling. Stir constantly to keep mixture from burning. Add blueberries & lemon zest and stir to coat with sugar mixture. Continue to heat over low for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour to help thicken mixture. Cook for about 5 more minutes and then transfer to a glass bowl to cool.
• For frosting blend all ingredients (except filling) together in electric mixer.
  
• To assemble take cooled filling and put into a pastry bag with a round tip. Pipe filling into center of cupcake. Take remaining filling and fold carefully into frosting. Top each cupcake with scoop of frosting and viola!
  

Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Bars

Girls I am so excited we've got this blog up and running!!! Last week we celebrated Father's Day at the Allen household with a good old fashion BBQ! For my contribution to the festivities, I offered to bring dessert. I created some really fabulous Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Bars and they received rave reviews! Quit a delicious treat! Here's the recipe. This would also be good with other types of jam as well! Enjoy :-)

Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Bars
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white morsels
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a 9 inch square metal pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray.

Melt butter in medium, microwave-safe bowl on high (1 min). Add 1 cup morsels; let stand. Do not stir.

Beat eggs in a mixing bowl until foamy. Add sugar; beat until light lemon colored, about 5 minutes. Stir in morsel-butter mixture, lemon zest and extract. Add flour and salt; mix until combined. Spread about 2/3 of batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Remove from oven to wire rack.

Heat jam in microwave for 30 seconds; stir. Spread jam over warm crust. Stir remaining morsels into remaining batter. Drop spoonfuls of batter over jam. Sprinkle with almonds.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

(Note: I doubled this recipe for the large crowd we had at our celebration)

Happy Birthday Meredith!

For my wonderful baby sister Meredith's 24th birthday last September, I created this masterpiece. Ok...so I really can't take too much credit for the flavors considering I used a box cake mix and canned frosting, but it sure was tasty. Two layers of yellow cake with a raspberry jelly center all enrobed in rich milk chocolate frosting. What a great cake to celebrate such a great gal turning another year older!