Creative Ideas Posts

05May
0

Cupcakes For Vegans!

vegan cupcakesMore and more Americans are adopting the Vegan lifestyle. Whether it be for health or philosophical reasons, the Vegan choice has seen a significant surge in popularity over the last ten years. Those committed to the lifestyle wouldn’t dream of abandoning their beliefs for something as insignificant as missing out on mainstream baked goods. But, even the most content Vegan will admit to occasionally eyeing a cupcake or brownie with envy. The amazing folks at SimpleDish have created a Vegan Vanilla Cupcake that will wow everyone, vegan or not. These treats are no-fail, entirely vegan and absolutely delicious. Follow the recipe below, serve at your next get together and prepare to see the conversion happen in your friends.

Very Vanilla Vegan Cupcakes Baking Recipe: 

Ingredients: 

  1. 1 1/3 cup sorghum flour
  2. 1/3 cup potato starch
  3. 1/3 cup tapioca starch
  4. 1 cup of cane sugar or agave nectar
  5. 1 tbsp. milled flax
  6. 1 tsp. sea salt
  7. 1 tsp. baking powder
  8. 1 tsp baking soda
  9. 1 cup vanilla rice milk, mildly warmed
  10. 2 Ener-G egg replacer “eggs” or 1/4 cup vanilla coconut yogurt
  11. 1/2 cup of vegan soy-free butter
  12. 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
  13. 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Baking Recipe: 

  1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Prepare a 12-cupcake baking pan with cupcake liners.
  3. Mix the flours together with the guar gum, milled flax, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter, egg replacer (or yogurt), rice milk, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar.
  5. Add the bowl of liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
  6. Spoon cupcake batter evenly into each liner.
  7. Place in the oven to bake for 18-20 minutes.
  8. Allow cupcakes to fully cool before topping with your favorite vegan frosting.

 

Posted by elizabethr in Creative Ideas, Cupcakes, Dessert Ideas, Recipes and tagged with , , , ,
05May
0

Grilled Pineapple: The Perfect Summer Starter

grilled pineappleSpring is here and BBQ season is upon us. As families everywhere get ready to kick off the season with a backyard grilling extravaganza, one might find themselves looking for an alternative to the normal BBQ dessert fare. Sure, the cookies, brownies and cupcakes that usually cover the table are delicious. But, for those of us trying to maintain a healthier lifestyle, these can be all too tempting. Enjoying yourself at your next BBQ does not have to mean choosing between indulging in these tempting baked goods and regretting it the next day or going without anything to satisfy your sweet tooth. Here is where Pineapple comes to the rescue. This delicious fruit is perfect for your sweet tooth and makes a perfect and easy grilled treat that won’t leave you feeling deprived.

Grilled Pineapple Dessert Recipe: 

Ingredients: 

  1. 1 fresh pineapple: peeled, cored and cut into one inch rings.
  2. 1/4 teaspoons of honey
  3. 3 tablespoons of melted butter
  4. 1 dash of hot pepper sauce
  5. Salt: as desired to taste

Recipe: 

  1. Place peeled and cut pineapple into a ziplock bag.
  2. Add honey, butter, hot pepper sauce and salt to the bag and reseal.
  3. Shake until the pineapple is coated evenly and let marinate for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat an outdoor grill at high heat and lightly oil the grate.
  5. Grill pineapple for two to three minutes per side, or until heated through and grill marks appear.

Enjoy this sweet treat and skip the guilt!

Posted by elizabethr in Creative Ideas, Dessert Ideas, Healthy Desserts, Recipes and tagged with , , ,
19Apr
0

Show Mom Some Sugar This Mother’s Day

Baking Recipe For Mother's DayOne of our favorite Mother’s Day traditions is breakfast in bed. After being the grateful recipient of mom’s love and devotion for decades, it is our time to give back. One of the easiest ways to do this is to have a delicious surprise waiting for her the moment she wakes up. These cinnamon-sugared scones fit the bill exactly. This simple and quick recipe has a sweet finish and the crunchy sugar topping adds an unexpected texture. And, who doesn’t love having dessert for breakfast?

Scone Ingredients:

  1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 1 tablespoon baking powder
  3. 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  4. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  5. ½ teaspoon salt
  6. 5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes
  7. ½ cup cinnamon chips
  8. 1 cup heavy cream.

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping Ingredients:

  1. 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  2. 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  3. 1 teaspoon ground sugar

Baking Recipe:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter by using your fingers, two knives or a pasty blender. Keep mixing until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea sized lumps of butter.
  3. Stir in the cinnamon chips.
  4. Pour heavy cream over the ingredients and stir with a spatula until the dough begins to form.
  5. Transfer dough to a floured countertop and knead dough by hand until it forms a ball. Pat the dough into a ¾ inch thick circle and cut into triangles.
  6. Place scones on a baking sheet.
  7. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Brush scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with mixture.
  8. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool and serve.
Posted by elizabethr in Breakfast, Cakes, Creative Ideas, Holidays, Recipes and tagged with , , , , ,
15Apr
0

Celebrate Earth Day With Ladybugs On A Stick

lady bugs on a stickWith Earth Day approaching at the end of this month, parents everywhere are starting to brainstorm ideas for teaching their little ones about the value of the planet they live on, and the fact that everyone has to pitch in to keep healthy. Naturally, creating an Earth Day inspired dessert recipe seems like the natural solution. And, while recipes for cupcakes decorated in blue and green abound, many parents are looking for a slightly healthier option to present to their children.

This Ladybugs On A Stick baking recipe is the perfect solution. It is simply adorable and composed almost entirely of fruit (with a couple chocolate chips thrown on for an extra dose of sweet). This will keep your kids smiling and healthy and can segway beautifully into a discussion on the inherent value of planet Earth.

Ladybugs On A Stick Recipe

Ingredients:

  1. Red grapes
  2. Strawberries
  3. Mini chocolate chips
  4. Honeydew melon

Here’s How:

  1. For each ladybug (you can create as many as you want), push half of a red grape onto a trimmed wooden skewer for the head.
  2. Then, push on a hulled strawberry body and score the back with a knife to create wings.
  3. To create the ladybug spots, use a toothpick to gently press mini chocolate chips (tip side down) into the fruit.
  4. Finally, arrange all the skewers on a honeydew melon half.
Posted by elizabethr in chocolate, Cold Desserts, Creative Ideas, Dessert Ideas, Holidays and tagged with , , , , , ,
28Mar
0

Fry Me A Cake!

deep fried chocolate pound cakeBetcha you’ve never said that before! Well, times are a changing. Leave it to the master chef Paula Deen to combine cake and a deep fryer. And, while your arteries might not sing your praises, your taste buds will certainly be signing for weeks. The little bites of fried cake goodness are a dessert recipe that will knock the socks off your guests and solidify your reputation as a dessert master! Let’s get right to it, then.

Deep Fried Chocolate Pound Cake Baking Recipe:

Ingredients:

  1. 2 cups crushed corn flakes
  2. 1 ½ tablespoons of sugar
  3. 3 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon
  4. 2 eggs
  5. 1 teaspoon of water
  6. Chocolate pound cake mix (of your choice)
  7. Oil
  8. Powdered sugar for sprinkling
  9. Chocolate syrup for drizzling

Recipe:

  1. Follow the directions for the chocolate pound cake mix you purchased. These should be on the back of the box the mix comes in.
  2. Mix cereal, sugar and cinnamon and divide equally between two pie plates or shallow containers.
  3. Beat eggs with water in another pie plate or shallow bowl.
  4. Cut pound cake into bite sized square pieces and cover each piece in cereal mixture.
  5. Dip coated squares into an egg wash and then roll in second container or cereal mixture.
  6. Freeze cake squares on a waxed paper lining sheet until solid (usually between four and six hours).
  7. Deep fry frozen pieces for 45 seconds and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  8. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and serve with whipped cream and a cherry.
Posted by elizabethr in Cakes, chocolate, Creative Ideas, Dessert Ideas, Recipes and tagged with , , , , , ,
24Mar
0

Easter Basket Cookies

easter basket cookiesThe days of looking forward to picking through our Easter Baskets may be over, but that doesn’t mean these adorable little baskets cannot be recreated into a dessert recipe for all ages. These tasty treats take no more skill than baking sugar cookies and look infinitely more impressive. Come Easter morning, wow your friends and family with these deceptively simple Easter Basket Cookies.

You will need:

  1. 1 package of sugar cookie mix.
  2. 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour.
  3. 1/3 cup of butter or margarine, softened.
  4. 1 egg
  5. Pink or blue colored sugar.
  6. 12 ounces of white frosting.
  7. 2 cups of flaked coconut.
  8. Food coloring.
  9. Assorted jelly beans.
  10. Pipe Cleaners.
  11. ¼ inch pastel ribbon.

Baking recipe:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Grease or spray 32 miniature muffin cups.
  3. Stir cookie mix, flour, butter and egg in a medium bowl until dough forms.
  4. Roll the dough into 32 (1 ¼ inch) balls and then roll each ball in colored sugar.
  5. Place one ball of dough into each of the muffin cups, press the dough up the sides of cups as well (to form a basket look).
  6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, then let cool for 10.
  7. In a 1 gallon resealable plastic food storage bag, add 3 or 4 drops of food coloring to 2 cups of shaved coconut. Shake the bag until the color is evenly blended.
  8. Frost each of the cookies and decorate with the colored coconut shavings and jelly beans.
  9. Tie a small ribbon bow in a 5 inch piece of pipe cleaner and insert into each basket for a handle.

Serve and watch the smiles happen!

Posted by elizabethr in candy, Cold Desserts, cookies, Creative Ideas and tagged with , , , , , , ,
08Mar
0

Irish Bananas With Vanilla Ice Cream

irish bananasWhile the main ingredient is a relatively mundane fruit, this dessert is nothing to dismiss without a try. This Saint Patrick’s Day, celebrate in true Irish style with this whiskey infused treat. The bananas are simmered in brown sugar and Irish whiskey until tender. Then they are plated and served with a heaping scoop of cool and refreshing ice cream. Serve some Irish Coffee with the dessert and guests will revel in their Irish spirit long into the night.

Here’s what you will need for the recipe:

  1. ½ cup of butter
  2. ½ cup of packed light brown sugar
  3. ½ cup of your favorite Irish Whiskey
  4. 4 large bananas. Peel and cut in half lengthwise

Irish Bananas baking recipe:

  1. Melt your butter over medium heat in a skillet.
  2. Once the butter is melted, stir in your brown sugar and whiskey.
  3. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until all the sugar has dissolved.
  4. Once everything has dissolved, add your bananas to the skillet and simmer gently until the bananas are tender and glazed with the syrup mixture.
  5. Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Warm, savory and delicious. What more could you want after a long day of St. Patty’s Day revelry?

Posted by elizabethr in Creative Ideas, Dessert Ideas, Food Porn Fridays, Holidays and tagged with , , , , , , , ,
01Mar
0

Candy Corn Cheesecake

candy corn cheesecakeOur favorite part of Halloween, by far, is the candy corn that comes along with the festivities. If you spend the entire year waiting for the appearance of candy corn on the shelves of your local grocery store, you are certainly not alone. Out of all the available Halloween candy, this tri-colored treat takes the cake.

But, does it outdo a good piece of cheesecake? Now, you don’t have to choose between the two. This insanely creative recipe will keep your taste buds trick-or-treating all year long! And, like most of our recipes, this one is designed to be accessible to even the newest baker.

Baking Recipe For Candy Corn Cheesecake:

Ingredients:

  1. Orange colored icing
  2. Lemon yellow colored icing
  3. Golden yellow colored icing
  4. 2 batches of your favorite no-bake cheesecake recipe.

Directions:

  1. Prepare two mixes of cheesecake batter by following the package’s directions.
  2. Prepare one crust and place in the bottom of a round cake pan.
  3. Place a batter dividing ring in the pan. This will keep the colors separate.
  4. Fill the center ring with batter to ¼ inches from the top of the ring. Then level it with the top edge of the pan. Tint the remainder of the batter yellow.
  5. Fill the outer ring with batter. Tint the remaining yellow batter orange and fill the middle ring.
  6. Smooth each section with a moist spatula. Carefully remove the ring and smooth again (if needed).
  7. Refrigerate according to the package’s directions.

Watch the faces of your friends and family drop in shock and excitement!

Posted by elizabethr in Cakes, candy, Cold Desserts, Creative Ideas, Dessert Ideas and tagged with , , , , , , , ,
01Mar
0

Apple Pie… In An Actual Apple

apple pie in an appleApple pie is practically an American dessert tradition. It’s nearly anti-American not to love the gooey goodness of baked apples, cinnamon and brown sugar in a crispy pie crust. This ingenious recipe takes most of the crust out of the equation, freeing up some calories and adding the ripe skin of the actual apple to the experience. This is the best of both worlds: a slice of pie inside a piece of fruit!

Baking Recipe For Apple Pie In An Apple:

Ingredients:

  1. 5-6 Granny Smith Apples (make sure they are sturdy enough to stand on their own).
  2. 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
  3. 1/4 cup of sugar.
  4. 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
  5. Pie crust – premade or homemade.

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cut the tops off of four apples and discard.
  3. Remove the insides of each of the apples with a spoon or melon baller.
  4. Remove the skin from the remaining apples and slice thinly. These are the apples that will give you the additional filling.
  5. Mix the sliced apples in a bowl with sugars and cinnamon.
  6. Scoop the apple mixture into the hollowed out apples you prepared earlier.
  7. Roll out pie crust and slice into ¼ inch strips and cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with these strips.
  8. Place the apples in a 8×8 plan and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan
  9. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy!

Posted by elizabethr in Creative Ideas, Dessert Ideas, Friday Food Porn and tagged with , , , , ,
15Feb
0

Avocado In Pie? Better Than You Think!

avocado pieBy now, the incredible health benefits of avocados are no secret. Everyone from health nuts to members of the medical profession is espousing the virtues of this delicious fruit. This green super-fruit has been shown to provide everything from a defense against oral and breast cancer to preventing strokes. Literally, is there anything this fruit can’t do?

Therefore, when I came across a dessert recipe for Avocado Pie dessert, I was curious – but skeptical. Despite the fact that both pie and avocado rank up there among my favorite things in life, the idea of mixing the two seemed a little strange. However, after following the recipe and tasting the results, I am sold. Put your skepticism aside and give this baking recipe a try. Your taste buds and overall health will thank you!

Ingredients:

  1. 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
  2. 1 medium sized avocado
  3. 3 ½ ounces of fresh squeezed lemon juice
  4. Heavy whipping cream
  5. Graham cracker pie crust

Recipe:

  1. Mix the milk and avocado thoroughly in a blender.
  2. Blend in the lemon juice.
  3. Pour the mixture in the pie crust IMMEDIATELY. The mixture sets incredibly quickly, so you will ruin it if you wait.
  4. Add unsweetened whipped cream to the top and refrigerate for a few hours.

Prepare to be amazed!

Posted by elizabethr in Cold Desserts, Creative Ideas, Healthy Desserts, Recipes and tagged with , , ,
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