Reese's Peanut Butter Goodness....

I'm sitting at work and I am like 87.5% distracted right now.  Let me just say, that this Reese's goodness I'm blogging about, I brought it into work today and let me just say it was devoured in 2 seconds by my co-workers. Shout out to Emily, Hailey, and Corin, ya haas cats.  I can't believe it is already August 9th and summer break has basically come and gone already.  Ahhhhh!  But here at the country club, I can only eat so many nachos and cheese and pizzas.  I'm ready to move on from that.  Also, I am now a proud member of the I joined gym Planet Fitness in Newport.  It's going to be fabulous!  Only $10.00 a month AND it's open 24 hours/7 days a week. WOOO!  I've missed a real gym sooo much.  Going on runs and doing simple things at my house just wasn't cuttin' it.  And to end this, I would definitely like to mention that the US Women's Soccer team plays today in the Gold medal round of the Olympics! 'Murica!!!

Ingredients:

CRUST 9 graham crackers - crushed 1/3 cup melted butter 1/3 cup sugar FUDGE LAYER 14 oz sweetened condensed milk 3 cups milk chocolate chips 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon vanilla 1 (8 oz) bag mini Reese's PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup powdered sugar 8 oz cream cheese - room temperature 1 1/2 cup cool whip 1/4 melted chocolate for drizzle
Directions: -For crust: Mix all ingredients for crust together and press in the bottom of a springform pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Set aside. -For fudge layer: Mix all ingredients for fudge layer(besides Reese's minis) together over medium low, stirring until chips are melted and smooth. Spread over your graham cracker crust. -Press the Reese's minis into the fudge. -For peanut butter mousse: Mix peanut butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar together in a bowl with a hand mixer until combined and smooth. Fold in your Cool Whip. Spread on top of your fudge. -Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired. ---Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Carmelitas. Sounds foreign, right? It has to be good.

Jealous? Because you should be.  These were sooooo simple to make and were ready to eat in no time! The only thing that took some time was the cooling process because there's no greater feeling than having to claw off molten caramel lava from the inside of your mouth.  I start my next semester of pastry school in less than a month, on August 29th and I am SO excited.  Tomorrow morning I'm going up to school to get measured for my baking uniform. How cute, I know.  And yesterday I registered for classes and I'm going up to school 2 days a week for a 5 hour baking class and then a 5 hour cake decorating class, and then I have a couple classes online.  I'm excited for school.  ......hold on...did Sarah just say she was excited for school? ahhhh.  In less than a month I am going to have to say goodbye to summer and nothing makes me more sad than that. It's going to be a tough break-up, but I know we will be reunited soon enough in 8 or 9 months again. .....And just so you know, Grandma, my best critic, came running out to the kitchen last night after she had a serving of this and she said, "Sarah.....this is it. This. Is. It. ....this is the ultimate." And she dramatically turned back around with her moo-moo swooshing, just as dramatically, behind her.

Ingredients:
32 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
-Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside.
-In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda.
-Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" pan.
-Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
-Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust.
-Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips.
-Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel.
-Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. -Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.

***A few minutes in the fridge will help them cool off quicker. They shouldn't be served cold, but all of that molten caramel takes a long time to cool down.
***They should be stored and served at room temperature.

Peanut Butter Cup, Cake....not cupcake.

WARNING: You need a glass of milk with this cake.
...Where do I even begin with this cake?  This cake was the BIGGEST production of a cake in the history of cake making.  Let me just start off by saying this was a birthday cake for one of my two favorite red headed friends, Ryan, who turned 21 back in the beginning of June, and I told him I would bake him one, and I kept forgetting! Every time I would see him he'd ask me for his cake.  So finally I got to doing it today! So, long story short, this has to be the most expensive cake ever. Not because of the ingredients, but because I had to make it twice. You're probably thinking I stuttered, or that's a typo, but no.  I had to make it twice.  Why you ask? Because my mom dropped the first one!!! DROPPED IT! But, she was just trying to help me out, being the great mom that she is so I forgive her....kinda. JUST KIDDING, MOM! :) ....so anyways, I had to whip up a second one in record time and that was made possible with the help of my other favorite red headed pal, Allie, who helped me out immensely. (Hi Allie!) SOOO, after an entire afternoon of baking 2 cakes and only able to keep 1, this was the finished product.  Pretty good if you ask me :)

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/4 sticks unsalted butter - room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 pound bag of light brown sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

For the filling:
8oz semi-sweet chocolate - roughly chopped
8oz heavy cream
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter cups - roughly chopped


For the frosting:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter - room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
For the cake:
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
-In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
-In stand mixer, cream the butter and peanut butter together on medium-high speed until smooth - about 2 minutes.
-Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the brown sugar.
-Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
-Add the vanilla, mixing well.
-Reduce the mixer speed to low, and alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, mixing until combined
-Divide the batter between your prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick comes out clean -  about 40-45 minutes.
-Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.

For the filling:
-Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Pour it over the chocolate in a medium bowl. -Whisk until the chocolate melts, then whisk in the peanut butter until it's all combined and smooth.
-Set aside 1/4 of the filling for the first layer of frosting. Cool the other 3/4 completely, then gently stir in the peanut butter cups.

For the frosting:
-Cream together the butter and peanut butter.
-Add the vanilla
-Then add sugar until it is fluffy.

ASSEMBLY:
-Place one 9-inch round on a cake stand or plate.
-Cover the top in the peanut butter fudge filling.
-Place the second 9-inch round on top.
-Using the frosting, frost the sides of the cake all around. 
-Using the rest of the filling, spread a thin layer on the top of the cake.
-Garnish the top with whole/chopped up Reese's.
-Refrigerate until the fudge is set and firm to the touch and enjoy!

Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake. ...there seems to be a trend.

Summer, blueberries, lemons. Summer, blueberries, lemons. Summer, blueberries, lemons. Can't get much better than that.  I made this dessert for my mama bears birthday which was yesterday. She just turned 29. Can you believe it?! She's the greatest mom I have ever had!!.....
I can't believe it's already July, and the 4th of July is on Wednesday.  I made sure to obnoxiously paint my nails red, white, and blue today as I love 'Murica, and everything 'Murican.  To get us in the 4th of July spirit....What dance was very popular in 1776?.....Indepen-dance. Thank you, thank you.  Anyways, this cheesecake was delicious, especially on a hot summer day. You have got to try it out! It's worth it. Pinky promise! 

Ingredients:
For Base:
Butter, for greasing
2 tablespoon sugar
1/8 tablespoon ground cinnamon
9 graham crackers
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

-Grease the bottom of a 9 by 9-inch spring form baking pan with butter.  Then place parchment paper over the top.
-In a food processor, process the sugar, cinnamon and graham crackers until you have the consistency of breadcrumbs.
-Add the melted butter and pulse a couple of times to fully incorporate.
-Pour into the lined baking pan and firmly pat down with the bottom of a glass.
-Bake for about 12 minutes, or until set.

For the filling:
-Add cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar to the food processor and pulse until well combined.  It should have a smooth consistency.  Pour onto the cooked graham cracker base and then sprinkle with blueberries.  They will sink slightly but should be half exposed.

-Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the center only slightly jiggles.
-Remove from the oven and cool completely before refrigerating for at least 3 hours.
-Once set, remove from pan using the parchment lining, slice, and enjoy!

Blueberry+Lemon=Blemonberry Loaf.

Life is good. Life is really good. I'm working like crazy and loving my off time with my family and friends.  Yesterday (Saturday morning), we, as in my mom, sister, myself, my best friend Frannie and her family and some family friends, went blueberry picking up at Rouster's farm in Milford and it was a grand ole time.  Between my mom, Sam, and myself we picked about 15 POUNDS of blueberries!  So of course I had to bake something that day with blueberries in it.  I woke up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning, was up in Milford by 8:00 a.m., picked blueberries til 9:30, came home, baked two different treats til 2:00 p.m., was exhausted so I got to lay in my bed from, literally, 2:13-2:15, got ready for work at 3:00, worked til 7:30 (long shift, lemme tell ya!), picked up Frannie after work, went to a pool party gathering, as I like to call it, at our friend Nolan's house, etc, etc, etc. NEEDLESS TO SAY I'M RUNNING ON EMPTY because I was back up this morning at 6:45 for church this morning. BUT HEY, what's summer without feeling like a zombie and your eyeballs are about to fall out of their sockets?!? Love every minute of it though! Anyways, I decided to bake this with the fresh blueberries I picked and took it to Nolan's house! It was all gone by the end of the night!

Ps. Literally, nothing tastes as good as a fresh blueberry. Holy cow.

 Best friend Frannie!

Ingredients:
For the Loaf:
-1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour - divided
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 cup plain yogurt
-1 cup sugar
-3 large eggs
-2 teaspoons lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-1 1/2 cups blueberries

For the Lemon Syrup:
-1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
-1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze: 

-1 cups confectioners’ sugar - sifted

-2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions: 

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour.

-In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt - set aside.

-In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.

-Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. ---Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.

-While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat - set aside.

-Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely.

-To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of the loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Fruit Tart. Heyyy.

Let me just say Grandma said this fruit tart was "pure ecstasy"....I'm hoping she was just using that as an adjective and not comparing it to actual ecstasy. But then again, once Grandma closes her doors at night, we never know what she does in there... Also, I would just like to say that I finished my first term of pastry school this past week! So now it's finally summer, and I'll be starting back at the end of August!  While making this dessert, I had some team work thanks to my Momma and prego sister Sam, they cut the fruit.  Aren't they just the greatest?! We'd make such a splendid team.  Tonight we had such a summeresque dinner that consisted of grilled bbq pork chops, baked potatoes, corn, and cabbage, and in my case, instead of cabbage I had cottage cheese. Holla for cottage cheese! YUM!  Ps. I know you all were waiting for me to say this, sooooo my tanning this summer is going great! Thanks for the concern! America!

Ingredients:
Crust
-1/2 cup confectioners sugar
-1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
-1 1/2 sticks butter - softened & sliced

Filling
-8 oz package cream cheese
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
-Strawberries
-Kiwi
-Blueberry
-Blackberries
-Raspberries

Glaze
-6 oz frozen limeade concentrate - thawed
-1 tablespoon cornstarch
-1 tablespoon lime juice
-1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-For the crust: In a food processor, combine the confectioner's sugar, flour, and butter, and process until the mixture forms a ball.  With your fingers, press the dough in a 12 inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  Make sure to push the dough into the indentations in the sides.  Pat until even.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until very lightly brown.  Set aside to cool.
-For the filling: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.  Spread over the cooled crust.
-For the topping: Cut the strawberries into 1/4 inch slices and arrange around the edge of the crust.  Next add the circle of kiwi.  Then a circle of blackberries.  Then cluster the center with the raspberries.  Fill any spaces with blueberries.
-For the glaze: Combine the limeade, cornstarch, lime juice, and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until clear and thick.  This takes about 2 minutes.  Let cool.  Brush with a pastry brush over the entire tart.  (You won't use all the glaze)
-Keep tart in the fridge with any leftovers!!

Aunt Barb's Eclair!

Hey there, how're things?  Today is Father's Day, and last night as I was going through recipes trying to think of something to make my dad, he walks in the kitchen, so I asked him what he wanted, and without hesitation he said, "ECLAIR!".....oh, was it that obvious?.....well shoot, easy enough! Everyyyy Father's Day my Aunt Barb made this eclair and it's inhaled by all within like .9 seconds. You can take that in a literal sense.  But hold up, if my dad even reads this he's probably hating me right now for even mentioning his name on the God forsaken world wide web, but I can't go without saying he's someone who taught me never to take life too seriously.  And I bet your dad can't stand on his head, either.  Or hold his breath underwater for 2 minutes.  Even though I KNOW for a fact he likes our dog, Chuck, more than he likes his own children, I still love my dad.  Even though he comes in my room and lays on my bed while I do homework and asks me irrelevant questions, I weirdly wouldn't change it for the world.  My dad's the best, and if you beg to differ, then me and my dad challenge you and your dad to a headstand competition. Bring it.

Ingredients:
-1 Box of Graham Crackers
-2 3.4 oz French Vanilla instant pudding
-8 oz Cool Whip
-12 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
-1 stick butter

Directions:
-Beat the pudding and the milk with a whisk for 2 minutes until thick.
-Gently fold in the cool whip.
-Place 1 sleeve of graham crackers on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
-Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture on graham crackers.
-Place another sleeve of graham crackers on top of pudding.
-Pour the rest of the pudding mixture on top.
-Add the last sleeve of crackers on top.
-Melt the butter and the chocolate chips in microwave until melted. Stir occasionally, making sure that the chocolate doesn't burn. (bad news bears when that happens)
-When melted, spread/pour on top of graham crackers.
-Viola!....chill in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours, and enjoy!